Ma Wu and Seventeen Wife

That night, Ma Wu slept on the first floor.

He thought Li Qi was sleeping on the second floor, so he went upstairs to find Li Qi the next morning, intending to show him around Blue Poplar Village. However, he found no trace of Li Qi in the bedroom.

Where did he go?

It was dangerous for an outsider to wander around Blue Poplar Village. Ma Wu searched the village several times.

He couldn't possibly find Li Qi, because Li Qi was sleeping in his Portable Abode at the moment.

Last night, Li Banfeng spent the whole night wandering around the village, not only accumulating enough cultivation points for his Travel Cultivator, but also gaining a basic understanding of the geographical environment of Blue Poplar Village.

At the southernmost tip of Blue Poplar Village, Li Banfeng saw the entrance to the new land. Standing on the treetops, he could vaguely see some light, which proved that someone had successfully reclaimed the land.

On his way back, Li Banfeng encountered two robbers, extorted more than 3,000 yuan from them, and then handed the robbers over to his Wife for criticism and education.

After his Wife finished her lecture, she burped and promised that the two men would not do it again.

As dusk fell, Ma Wu, who had been searching all day, finally found Li Qi downstairs in the wooden house.

Li Banfeng was watching the excitement.

Two groups of people were fighting downstairs. Their fighting style was quite rough, and there was basically no skill to be seen.

The tactics were quite direct: the two groups clashed head-on, resulting in some falling and others fleeing.

The weapons were rather rudimentary; some people carried kitchen knives, while others didn't even have one.

The noodle shop owner also joined the fray. At first, he used a kitchen knife, but later, fearing he would break it, he switched to Rolling Pin.

Ma Wu approached Li Banfeng and lowered his voice, asking, "Brother Li, where have you been all day?"

"Just wandering around," Li Banfeng said dismissively, and continued watching the game.

Ma Wu advised, "Brother Li, it's best not to watch this spectacle."

Li Banfeng said seriously, "We have to check; our landlord is inside!"

Ma Wu glanced over and indeed saw Wei Landlord, fighting in the crowd.

He was injured, his face covered in blood, and he was wielding an axe, hacking away with all his might.

In the midst of the melee, five or six people were attacking him alone; this group was clearly after him.

Ma Wu said softly, "Brother Li, I'm afraid your rent for the next two months is going to go down the drain."

As they were talking, the landlord was stabbed again in the back. His body swayed and he almost fell over. He could barely hold onto the axe in his hand.

The people around him were wielding knives and hacking down relentlessly. The landlord's consciousness gradually blurred, and he almost lost the will to fight due to his serious injuries.

Ma Wu stared at the landlord for a moment, and the landlord seemed to sense Ma Wu's gaze.

Like a person on the verge of death who has been given an adrenaline shot, under Ma Wu's watchful gaze, the landlord's fighting spirit returned, and he picked up his axe and continued to fight desperately with the crowd.

After holding out for more than three minutes, a shout suddenly came from the alley, "Someone's here! We're taking your job!"

The group that attacked the landlord quickly left the scene, and the landlord, along with a dozen or so men, gave chase. "Brothers, don't let these bastards get away! Kill one, and I'll give you ten silver dollars!"

The landlord chased after them for a short distance when another group of people rushed out of the alley, seemingly his reinforcements.

Seeing the scene getting increasingly chaotic, Ma Wu reminded Li Banfeng, "Brother Li, it's time to go. Things will get complicated if someone recognizes you."

Li Banfeng was taken aback upon hearing this, and followed Ma Wu back to the wooden house.

Last night, Li Banfeng gave Ma Wu his first day's wages, 150 yuan.

Ma Wu bought some braised beef, pig ears, and a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor), and the two of them ate and chatted together.

"Brother Ma, did you use some kind of technique on the landlord just now?"

Ma Wu nodded. "Seeing him in a life-or-death situation, I gave him a boost, at least enough to save you two months' rent."

Li Banfeng asked in surprise, "The techniques of Joy Cultivator can also give people strength? The Joy Cultivator I've encountered all made people panic and their hands tremble."

Ma Wu said, "Actually, these are all the same techniques, but they have different uses. Like morning dew, it's a bewitching art; like a gentle drizzle, it's an inspiration; like a torrential downpour, it's a bewitching effect."

"I haven't passed one level yet; I can only use motivation right now. I haven't mastered the art of confusion."

Ma Wu's example was very apt, and Li Banfeng understood it very well.

After a moment of silence, Ma Wu asked, "Brother Li, aren't you curious why I ended up like this?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "I am a little curious. When we met at the Peddler's, you were quite honest, but now you're a bit less straightforward."

Ma Wu blinked, feeling that whether it was enjoyable or not was not the key issue.

Should he ask me why I became a beggar?

Ma Wu took a sip of wine. "Actually, you could have seen some clues from the Peddler. Logically speaking, I shouldn't have gone to the Peddler to buy medicine."

Li Banfeng ate a piece of pig's ear. "Then where should you buy medicine? Don't you have to find Peddler to even begin learning?"

Ma Wu shook his head and said, "The Ma family still has some roots in Pro State. If a member of the Ma family wants to join, they don't need to find Peddler; they have medicine at home."

The Ma family?

"Is it the Ma family, one of the Four Great Families?"

Ma Wu nodded. "My name is Ma Junyang, the fifth son of the Ma family. The reason I went to the Peddler to choose medicine is because I want to become a 'Joy Cultivator'."

Li Banfeng thought for a moment, "So you went to the Peddler because you didn't have the medicine for Joy Cultivator' at home?"

Ma Wu shook his head and said, "It's not because we don't have the medicine for 'Joy Cultivator,' it's because there's simply no way we can have Joy Cultivator in my house. The Ma family is a prestigious family, and those from prestigious families must have proper cultivation."

In Pro State, literary cultivation and martial cultivation are considered the orthodox paths of cultivation, especially the Ma family, who place great importance on orthodoxy and look down on other Daoist sects.

"Joy Cultivator is the Daoist sect my father despised most. If I were to cultivate Joy Cultivator, it would be tantamount to disgracing the Ma family, a true shame to our clan."

Literary cultivation and martial cultivation are the orthodox paths, no wonder there are more practitioners in these two Daoist sects.

For a wealthy family, Joy Cultivator's reputation might indeed be bad, but Li Banfeng didn't think it was enough to bring Ma Wu to this state, "Just because of this, the Ma family kicked you out of their home?"

Ma Wu shook his head and said, "It's not that serious. My dad has many children. I have two older brothers and two older sisters, and they all have proper cultivation levels. It's not a big deal that they have a scoundrel like me."

Besides, I'm destined not to inherit the family business. My father gave me two dance halls, which I manage well. I have no worries about money or my spiritual practice.

Li Banfeng asked in astonishment, "Aren't you worried at all? Ten times a day is quite a feat."

Ma Wu gave a wry smile, "Back then, I could afford both supplements and medicine, and I could manage."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I'm afraid your Daoist partner won't be able to hold on."

Ma Wu laughed and said, "One Daoist partner naturally can't handle it, but ten Daoist partners each taking turns is no problem. There are plenty of girls in Green Water Bay, and plenty of them will throw themselves at you. I've never worried about such a thing."

My housekeeper, Chen Yupeng, would find me girls every day in different ways, but one day, my third brother came to my house, kicked open the door, dragged me off the bed, and beat me severely. That's when the real trouble started.

"What's the big deal?" Li Banfeng took a sip of his drink.

Ma Wu downed the wine in his glass in one gulp. "The woman sleeping in my bed is my betrothed sister-in-law."

Li Banfeng laughed and asked, "Aren't you and your sister-in-law childhood sweethearts?"

Originally expecting to hear a melodramatic story, Ma Wu smiled bitterly and said, "Brother Li, you're really joking. My third brother has married sixteen wives in total. I can't even recognize all sixteen of them, let alone this one who isn't married yet."

Upon hearing this, Li Banfeng frowned and said, "You don't recognize this woman?"

"I don't know him!" Ma Wu said with a bitter expression.

After a moment's thought, Li Banfeng said, "You've been tricked!"

"Yes," Ma Wu nodded, "I was tricked. My third brother and my housekeeper tricked me together. They conspired to send this Seventeen Wife to my bed and set a trap for me."

Li Banfeng put down his wine glass and said, "Why would your third brother scheme against you? What grudge do you hold against him that he would go to such lengths?"

Ma Wu took a sip of his wine. "The third brother schemed against me for my money. He's the eldest son of the family, and the Ma family's fortune will all go to him in the future."

My father has already given him two casinos, two restaurants, and a department store. In Green Water Bay, half a street belongs to the third son. He holds more than 30% of the Ma family's business, all given to him by my father.

Li Banfeng couldn't understand. "He doesn't lack money, so why does he need your money?"

Ma Wu shook his head and said, "He's short of money, extremely short of money, because he's a complete idiot. He controls more than 30% of the business, and every single one of them loses money."

It was almost the beginning of autumn, and according to our Ma family tradition, we had to reconcile accounts on that day. This year, his account book was inadequate, and he wanted me to give him some money from the dance hall to cover his losses. I refused.

I only have two dance halls, which are nothing compared to the Ma family's vast wealth.

But I'm good at making money. With just these two dance halls, I can earn 20% of the Ma family's income. The third brother wanted to force me to pay, so he staged a ruse, offering me his fiancée in the hopes of extorting money from me.

Li Banfeng felt that the matter was handled improperly. "If he extorts money from you, you can just give it to him. Even if things are exposed, your family has ways to smooth things over. Your father is not going to kick you out of the house over this."

Ma Wu smiled bitterly, "We do have methods, but it depends on the situation. My third brother just arrived, and the reporters came too. They took pictures of him naked, and it's in the newspapers! The fifth brother slept with the third brother's wife; the Ma family has lost face big time, all over Pro State!"

Li Banfeng was puzzled. "Who hired the reporter? Your third brother wouldn't be that stupid, would he? He's a cuckold, and he dares to spread it around?"

"It's definitely not him," Ma Wu sighed with a smile. "It could be my fourth brother, or it could be my eldest sister."

The third brother schemed against me. Someone plotted against him behind his back. I was kicked out of my family, and my father locked the third brother up. Before long, that person will be able to take over from the third brother and become the heir of the Ma family.

Li Banfeng asked, "Who wants to be the heir?"

"I don't know yet," Ma Wu shook his head. "That person is well hidden, and I don't know if I'll live to see him."

It's clear that Ma Wu's health is very poor.

Li Banfeng asked, "Because the matter was reported in the newspapers, the Ma family is making you leave with nothing?"

At this point, Ma Wu sighed repeatedly, "It wasn't like I left with nothing. When I left home, my family gave me three hundred silver dollars."

Brother Li, I'm not exaggerating, but with these three hundred silver dollars, I can rebuild my life.

But less than two hours after I left home, I was robbed. My three hundred dollars were stolen, and even my coat was taken.

I hid a jade pendant, pawned it for five silver dollars, and came to Blue Poplar Village to make a living. In about half a month, I earned one hundred and twenty silver dollars. Guess what happened?

Li Banfeng took a sip of his drink. "You got robbed again?"

Ma Wu nodded. "You guessed right. Just ten days ago, all 120 silver dollars were stolen. I couldn't pay the rent, so I was kicked out and forced to sleep in a shack."

Near the new place, I collected some scraps and sold them, scraping together about a hundred Huan Country Notes. I was just thinking of finding a place to stay when I was robbed the day before yesterday. They didn't even leave me any money for food, so I had to resort to scavenging for food.

Li Banfeng frowned and said, "Who did this? Who forced you into this dead end?"

"Who else could it be?" Ma Wu gave a wry smile. "It must be my family."

That doesn't make sense.

Ma Wu has already been expelled from the family and no longer poses a threat to others. What good will it do them to persecute Ma Wu like this?

There seems to be something fishy going on here, but Ma Wu has been through so much that some things are hard to sort out right now.

Ma Wu took a big gulp of wine, looked at Li Banfeng and said, "Brother Li, if it weren't for you giving me this meal, I might have starved to death last night. I really don't know how to repay this kindness..."

Li Banfeng nodded. "You must repay my kindness. Eat first, then write an IOU, and we'll discuss how to repay the debt."

Ma Wu shook his head with a wry smile, "This isn't something that can be solved with a meal. I haven't cultivated for ten days, and I'm about to lose my life."

Brother Li, I don't have much time left, and I just want to do as much as I can for you. I'd like to ask you about someone, a man named Li Banfeng. Do you know him?

PS: Just by looking at the art of speaking, you can tell that Ma Wu is a brother who can accomplish great things together.

Come on, dear readers, let's do something big together with Salad.