So every enchanted artifact demands a price. Does this mean I have to pay some kind of cost? If that is true, then what is the price of using the bronze lotus flower?

Li Banfeng muttered to himself. He wanted to speak a little more with the gramophone, but it had fallen silent. Clearly, she was tired.

It was not a matter of much importance anyway, since all she had done was put some makeup on him. What truly mattered was that he had gained the first level of the Homebound Cultivator. His strength had risen sharply, and for now he no longer had to worry about the gap between his Wanderlust Cultivation and Homebound Cultivation.

Li Banfeng was overjoyed. He chose not to disturb his wife's rest and instead set out to visit Chubby Qin.

After leaving the Pocket Dwelling, he went straight to the riverside. There, under the curious gazes of several women washing clothes, he washed off the heavy makeup from his face.

The women whispered among themselves.

"Is that a man or a woman? Why is he dressed like that?"

"Could he be a bunny from Beehive Alley?"

"Just look at how perky his butt is! He must be from Beehive Alley!"

The Beehive Alley was known for its houses of male courtesans, and a "bunny" was what people called them.

Li Banfeng couldn't be bothered to explain himself to such shallow people. He strode off quickly, heading toward the Yu Family Cloth Shop. When he was still half a street away, however, a carriage rolled to a stop and blocked his path.

The carriage driver asked, "Sir, did you call for a carriage?"

Li Banfeng was caught off guard. "No, I didn't."

The driver didn't care what Li Banfeng said and kept on speaking. "Oh, the place you want to go? That'll be twenty."

Li Banfeng couldn't make sense of it.

I'm not taking the carriage, so why is he telling me the fare?

Ignoring whatever Li Banfeng might have been thinking, the driver pulled the curtain open. "Please, step inside."

When Li Banfeng looked up, he saw someone sitting inside. The figure wore a black suit and a flat-topped fedora, its brim pulled so low that the face beneath was hidden.

Yet no matter how well this figure tried to conceal themselves, the bulging "conscience" in her chest could not escape Li Banfeng's golden fiery eyes.

It was a woman. When she raised her head, Li Banfeng recognized her at once. She was Yu Nan, the owner of the cloth shop.

No wonder people called her "Nanny Butch." When she's wearing men's clothes, you really need some sharp eyes to tell her apart from a man,

Li Banfeng thought.

As soon as Li Banfeng climbed into the carriage, the driver pulled down the curtain and set off.

"Shopkeeper Yu, where are you headed?" he asked.

Yu Nan lit a cigarette and answered, "I'm going with you to visit Trader Qin."

With a serious look, Li Banfeng asked, "Are you dressed like this because you're planning to run away?"

Hearing this, Yu Nan choked on the smoke and coughed a few times before explaining, "The rules of the jianghu are about give and take. Yesterday, we made a move at Rong Jin'an. Now it's the Geng Family Medicinal Trading House's turn to strike back at us."

Li Banfeng asked, "He's made up his mind that it was you? Do they have proof?"

Yu Nan shook her head. "They don't need proof. Everyone knows I bear a grudge against Rong Jin'an. Even if I wasn't the one, in their eyes it's still me. That's how the jianghu works.

"We struck at Rong Jin'an in the shadows, so the Geng Family Medicinal Trading House will certainly retaliate in a similar way as well. It's too difficult to guard against arrows that come from the dark, so I must go and hide in my hometown, Hundred Fragrances Village, for a few days."

"Until when?"

"Until the Geng Family is ready to bring things into the open and sit down to talk."

Li Banfeng was surprised. "You can actually negotiate something like this?"

Yu Nan lit another cigarette and inhaled a deep breath of smoke. "By the end of the day, we all do business in the Inner Gully. The Geng Family can't afford to turn this feud into something that can't be mended.

"If they strike from the shadows, we strike from the shadows. If they come at us openly, we face them openly. You show me a little respect, I'll return even more. It is always back and forth between the two sides, because that is how the jianghu works."

Whenever Yu Nan spoke of the rules of the jianghu, she carried herself with an air of superiority. Yet up to this point, Li Banfeng still did not truly understand what she meant by the jianghu.

"If that's something you can negotiate, why didn't you talk to the Geng Family earlier?"

Yu Nan let out a long sigh. "The Geng Family's banner flies strong[1].I called him out for a natter over a brew[2] and talk things out, but he wouldn't show me any respect. So I had no choice but to strike from the shadows."

Li Banfeng was curious about how influential the Geng Family Medicinal Trading House really was. "Does the Geng Family control the entire Medicine King Gully?"

Yu Nan snorted with disdain. "The Geng Family is nowhere near controlling all of Medicine King Gully. It used to be the He Family's banner that flew the strongest. But over the past two years, the He Family has declined while the Lu Family has risen. Most of the business in Medicine King Gully has already fallen into the Lu Family's hands. I also heard that the eldest son of the He Family is set to marry the daughter of the Lu Family. In the end, Medicine King Gully will still belong to them."

A marriage between the He Family and the Lu Family? She isn't talking about He Jiaqing and Lu Xiaolan, right?

He Jiaqing is bedridden while Lu Xiaolan is locked up inside that house. Given their current situation, marriage would probably be a bit difficult to achieve now

.

These thoughts crossed Li Banfeng's mind. He then asked, "In Medicine King Gully, aside from the He and Lu Families, is the Geng Family the strongest?"

Yu Nan exhaled smoke. "Aside from these two great families, there are still the Han Family, the Bai Family, the Huang Family, and the Ru Family[3], and Liu Family. They are all families of great banners in Medicine King Gully.

"Compared to them, the Geng Family could only be considered a junior. It was only after they befriended the Jiangxiang Gang last year that they began to act so arrogantly."

"And which family does the Jiangxiang Gang belong to?"

When Yu Nan heard this, she laughed and said, "All the families stand as banners of the upright world while Jiangxiang Gang stand as a banner of the underworld. This underworld is basically jianghu."

Li Banfeng thought it through and replied, "So what you're saying is that in the underworld, the Jiangxiang Gang holds the greatest power."

Yu Nan gave him a look. "Master Qi, what line of work did you use to do? You strike ruthlessly, but you don't seem to know a thing about the rules of the underworld."

Li Banfeng said, "I used to run a proper business. Even now, I am still a man of propriety."

To help Li Banfeng understand, Yu Nan used a vivid analogy. "The Three Heroes Sect, the Azure Cloud Society, and the Hundred Flowers Sect are the real great gangs. Those groups stand tall like giants. The Jiangxiang Gang is, at best, just a dog. A dog may bite when it's anxious, but when a man is angry, he can crush it with a single stomp."

Li Banfeng still didn't get it. "If they're just a dog, then why are you afraid of them?"

This was a question that Yu Nan could not answer. If she had answered according to normal logic, she would be lowering herself beneath a dog.

Why doesn't this Li Qi know what to say? Is he really that clueless, or is he doing it on purpose?

Yu Nan grumbled inwardly before changing the subject. "Trader Qin is in Hundred Fragrances Village. It'll probably take us half a day to get there."

In Yuezhou City, there was a store called the Hundred Fragrances Hall that sold medicine. Because of that name, Li Banfeng guessed that Hundred Fragrances Village must also be a place where medicinal herbs were produced.

Since Yu Nan's hometown was Hundred Fragrances Village, Li Banfeng figured she would know a thing or two about medicine. And so, he took the red pill and asked, "Shopkeeper Yu, do you recognize this?"

Yu Nan picked up the pill and studied it closely. After a moment, her eyes widened in shock. "Master Qi, where did you get this pill?"

Li Banfeng smiled. "A friend gave it to me, but he never said what the pill was for."

What a flimsy excuse. Who would give away a pill this valuable without saying what it was for? Yu Nan didn't question him, though. She studied the pill again before saying, "If I'm not mistaken, this is the Mystic Blazing Pill. Taking one is equal to ten days of cultivation."

"Excellent eye, Boss Yu!" Li Banfeng praised with steady confidence, pretending he had recognized the pill himself and had just been testing her.

Yu Nan shook her head. "I'm no expert at recognizing pills. Shopkeeper Feng is far better at this than I am. The only reason I recognized it as a Mystic Blazing Pill is because I once saw one being sold. At that time, the price was a hundred and fifty thousand per pill. I've no idea what it would be now."

After speaking, Yu Nan handed the pill back to Li Banfeng and he immediately put it away.

One hundred and fifty thousand for a single pill? I was about to give you one, but it seems I can't simply give this out now. Is it really worth that much?

Li Banfeng wondered. He then said, "The Speckled-Snake Pill gives a day of cultivation and costs ten thousand. By comparison, the Mystic Blazing Pill should be a hundred thousand for ten days. Why is the price higher at a hundred and fifty thousand?"

Yu Nan froze for a moment, wondering if this was another test. Then she explained, "Every medicine has a certain amount of poison. The same goes with pills. In fact, pills are even more poisonous. Even Poison Cultivators, who fear toxins the least, wouldn't dare consume too many."

"If you take ten Speckled-Snake Pills, you suffer ten times the poison of one pill. If you take a Mystic Blazing Pill, you will only have to suffer the poison of one pill. By that measure, it is naturally more valuable."

Taking pills always came with a price. One Mystic Blazing Pill was ten times better than a Speckled-Snake Pill, yet it only gave ten days of cultivation. Taking a hundred of such pills would give a thousand days of cultivation and taking a thousand of such pills would give ten thousand days of cultivation.

Ten thousand days would be about thirty years, which would be at the fourth level of cultivation. A single pill cost one hundred and fifty thousand, and a thousand of them cost one hundred and fifty million. Spending that much would raise one's cultivation only to the fourth level, while also causing side effects. Only at the tenth level could one triple their lifespan.

The path of cultivation is so hard!

Li Banfeng thought.

Forget it. Better to make more money, secure a travel permit, and return to Yuezhou to live as I please.

"Shopkeeper Yu, do you have any connections with the Border Controller?"

Yu Nan thought for a moment. "I wouldn't say I have connections, but we have crossed paths a few times. Getting a travel permit is possible, but it comes at a price."

"Money isn't an issue," Li Banfeng said, feeling very confident with his current financial situation. "I'll have to trouble you with this."

Yu Nan gave a nod. "Let's wait until the storm clears before I introduce you to them. Where do you want to go? If it's Greenwater Bay, getting a pass is simple. Girdle-Slipping Hollow isn't much trouble either. But if it's the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs, that won't be easy at all."

The Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs…won't be easy at all?

Li Banfeng suddenly realized he had been too optimistic.

Seeing that Li Banfeng was quiet, Yu Nan probed, "Master Qi, planning to enjoy yourself at Girdle-Slipping Hollow for a few days?"

Clearly, Yu Nan was very confident that she could get a travel permit for the Girdle-Slipping Hollow. However, Li Banfeng showed no interest in it.

"What if I wanted to go to the Outer Provinces?" Li Banfeng asked directly.

Yu Nan shook her head at once. "That's far too difficult for me. Ordinary people cannot even gain access to the Three-Headed Fork, much less the Outer Provinces. I can't help you with this."

Li Banfeng smiled. "It's fine, I was just asking."

After traveling for half a day, the driver at last steered the carriage into Hundred Fragrances Village.

Li Banfeng had expected the Hundred Fragrances Village to be a place with fields of medicinal herbs, but he was wrong. It was called Hundred Fragrances Village because most households grew tobacco and the fragrance of drying leaves wafted from every household.

This was a gathering place for smoke cultivators.

Li Banfeng stepped down from the carriage and followed Yu Nan into a small courtyard house.

The compound held three tile-roofed rooms and a storage shed. Because of his Wanderlust Cultivation, Li Banfeng had roamed through many places and villages in Medicine King Gully, so he knew this was the standard layout of a middle-class home.

Middle-class households did not keep dozens of maids and servants, but they often hired both long-term and short-term laborers. A few even kept one or two servants.

Yu Nan did not reside in this out-of-town residence on a regular basis. There were no servants present, and the shop clerks had only recently finished cleaning.

Chubby Qin stayed in the room on the east side of the house, where a servant looked after him. The spell on his body had yet to be lifted, and he lay on the bed with his lower half still frozen in a kneeling posture.

Yu Nan asked the clerk, "Was a physician brought in to see him?"

The clerk answered, "We did. The physician said that someone has placed a curse on him and no medicine can fix him."

Yu Nan added, "I'll ask Old Mister Yao to come by and lift the curse tomorrow."

The clerk replied, "Boss, I already asked Old Mister Yao this afternoon. He came to check on him and said that the curse can only be lifted if we pay him two hundred thousand."

Yu Nan cast a meaningful glance at Li Banfeng.

The message was clear. They were mere collaborators. Yu Nan wanted revenge, while Li Banfeng wanted to save Chubby Qin. Each was getting what they needed, and neither owed the other. The fact that Yu Nan was willing to arrange a place for Chubby Qin was already a show of loyalty. However, she would never pay for his treatment.

Chubby Qin lifted his head and forced a weak smile across his pale face. "Brother Li, I can never repay you for saving me, but I do not want to live disabled. Grant me a quick death. I will repay your kindness in my next life."

"I mean I can accept your payment in your next life," Li Banfeng clicked his tongue. "But even if you reincarnate right away, you still won't be able to repay me until eighteen years later. That's too long;the interest is hard to calculate. How's this? Why don't you write me a promissory note?"

1. The author wrote 旗子硬（势力大）. 旗子硬 (Qi Zi Ying) literally means “the banner is hard/firm,” which we translated as the banner flies strong. This means it's a jianghu or gang slang in this world. To clarify, the author then added （势力大 Shi Li Da） in parentheses, explaining that the phrase means powerful or influential. The parentheses act as a built-in gloss for readers who might not immediately understand the slang. The author does this often, but we have always just moved it to ref. ☜

2. The author wrote 啃个牙淋（喝茶）. 啃个牙淋 (Ken Ge Ya Lin) is jianghu slang that literally means “to gnaw on a tooth soak,” but in practice it simply refers to drinking tea. To clarify, the author then added （喝茶 He Cha）in parentheses, explaining the phrase in standard Chinese. The parentheses act as a way for readers to identify this as the gang slang in this world. The author does this often, but we would explain in ref. ☜

3. We have translated 鲁家 (Lǔ Jia) as Ru Family. The pinyin for both 鲁 and 陆 are the same, hence why we decided to make spell one as Ru. This is different from the Lu Family (Lu Jia) that was previously mentioned to have a marriage alliance with the He Family. ☜