A Drastic Shift in the Balance

Li Banfeng tried his best to control his leg shaking as he listened to his Wife explain the Third Layer Technique.

"Hey, my dear husband, the House Cultivator on the first and second floors don't actually have any special skills. They only have two talents: one is the ability to guard the House Cultivator, which means that the cultivator's combat power increases by one level when they enter the House Cultivator won't be noticed when they leave the house."

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "I can do that too. Aren't techniques like 'Hundred Flavors Exquisite,' 'Golden Eyes Autumn Down,' and 'Discern Spiritual Sounds' also skills?"

My legs were not only shaking, but they also seemed to be stretching.

"These are techniques, but more importantly, they represent Little Slave heartfelt sentiments. Other House Cultivator might not know how to use them."

This is what makes House Cultivator special, and it's also why others are unwilling to fight House Cultivator. Some of the techniques used by House Cultivator are given by the Home Spirit, making it difficult to grasp their patterns.

The Wife continued, "But the Third Layer Technique are different. This technique is the same for all House Cultivator in the world; it's called 'Homesickness Like An Arrow.'"

Once House Cultivator decides to return home, her combat power will increase significantly. However, the extent of the increase and how long she can maintain it depend on her husband's abilities.

Li Banfeng slapped his thigh. "You know I can hold out for a long time."

Tsk~

The record player chuckled with a hint of sarcasm, "The skill of 'Homesickness Like An Arrow' depends on two things: first, how high the husband's cultivation level is, and second, how urgent his desire to return is. The higher the cultivation level and the more urgent the desire to return, the more powerful the skill will be, and the longer it will last."

"I see. I'll go out and test it out first." Li Banfeng got up and ran outside; he couldn't resist any longer.

He wanted to run, he couldn't control his urge to run. If he kept his upper body still, it seemed like his legs would run out on their own.

The record player gave a reminder: "Husband, there are no levels in House Cultivator. You must spend at least two hours at home every day, at least three hours on the first floor, at least four hours on the second floor, and now that you're on the third floor, at least five hours."

Little Slave lord is usually busy making a living, and I've never complained about whether I return early or late. But now that I've been promoted three ranks, I must be more mindful of the rules.

"I can easily deal with the Little Slave here, but things aren't so easy to handle here in the manor."

Li Banfeng agreed and immediately left Portable Abode.

Inside the outer room, a dewdrop appeared on the Copper Lotus.

She wasn't about to spit; she was sweating profusely.

He sped off like the wind, rushing out of Blue Poplar Village and onto the open field, running aimlessly.

Only by running wildly could I control the almost uncontrollable trembling of my legs.

As he ran, Li Banfeng pondered:

The last few words of advice from the record player were very important. The cultivation method of House Cultivator lies in the balance between the cultivator, the house, and the Home Spirit.

If House Cultivator doesn't go home for a long time, or doesn't spend enough time at home, it can lead to estrangement House Cultivator and the house, and may even cause the house to turn against them.

If Portable Abode wants to turn against me, will he attack me directly, or will he join forces with his Wife to deal with me?

This is a bit of an overreaction.

If my Wife wants to deal with me, she doesn't need to join forces with Portable Abode at all. The key is...

The key question is when we can stop!

Li Banfeng has been running for a long time.

Li Banfeng ran from Blue Poplar Village to the wilderness, from the wilderness to the town, from one town to another, covering more than a hundred miles until he returned to the cabin. He had no desire to stop.

Once he stopped, Li Banfeng's legs began to tremble involuntarily again.

They underestimated this so-called backlash; if they encountered an enemy now, Li Banfeng would have almost no ability to fight back.

Continuing to run doesn't seem to solve the problem, unless you can directly advance to the second level by running. Ten years, fifty miles a day, who knows how many years that would take.

How can we solve this problem?

Li Banfeng controlled his trembling arms and took out the newly refined Golden Essence Pill from his pocket.

There are 38 beads in total, each representing 100 days of practice.

Three thousand eight hundred days, more than ten years of cultivation. After consuming these pills, Li Banfeng can advance to the second level, returning to a situation where he is only one level behind the House Cultivator.

Is it possible to take so many pills at once?

After pausing for just a short while, Li Banfeng felt the urge to start running again.

I had to run; my legs felt like they were about to fly off my hips.

This wasn't a perceptual illusion; Li Banfeng heard the sound of his joints grinding together as his legs were truly about to fly off.

Blood seeped from his thigh; part of his skin had been torn off by his own thigh.

Not just his legs, but all the joints in his body wanted to run wildly.

The left hand wants to run east, the right hand wants to go west, and the neck wants to fly into the sky!

His legs had to run, they couldn't stop running, because if they stopped, his whole body would fall apart!

This can't go on.

If I take fewer pills, I still won't be able to advance to the second level, and the backlash effect won't improve much.

If you keep running around aimlessly like this until you're exhausted, you probably won't be able to stop.

If you run into an enemy, you might end up losing your life.

Should we go back to Portable Abode to eat again?

Inappropriate.

The fact that Li Banfeng is also studying Travel Cultivator must not be known to the record player.

The record player strongly dislikes Travel Cultivator, the specific reason for which is unknown.

If the record machine knew that Li Banfeng was taking pills to improve his Travel Cultivator, it might prevent Li Banfeng from advancing, or even suddenly go crazy and kill Li Banfeng.

If you're going to do something, do it all the time!

Let's just eat it now, and if it doesn't work, we can go back to Portable Abode to detoxify.

Li Banfeng ran all the way back to the cabin. Ma Wu came out of the bedroom with a newspaper in his hand. "Brother Li, what do you think happened? The Lu Family..."

"Don't talk about that now. I can't go to Sun Hung Kai tonight. Guard the door for me and don't let anyone in."

"Brother Li, what happened? Why are you shaking so badly?"

"Shaking, what's wrong with shaking a little? No, isn't it fine?" Li Banfeng's voice trembled, and he couldn't explain himself clearly, so he didn't say anything more.

He quickly went upstairs, entered the bedroom, poured out thirty-eight pills, stuffed them directly into his mouth, and swallowed them with a sip of water.

This is the first time Li Banfeng has taken any pills since arriving in Pro State.

The pills of Golden Essence Pill slid down my throat smoothly, without any discomfort.

After swallowing the thirty-eight pills, Li Banfeng didn't feel anything special.

He just felt that the urge to tremble wasn't as strong anymore.

Is this considered advancing to the second level of the Travel Cultivator?

The backlash from cultivation has disappeared?

It works so quickly?

Was the promotion that smooth?

Li Banfeng was overjoyed, but after looking at his body, he realized something was wrong.

He was still shaking, and the shaking was still severe.

The reason he felt his desire was no longer so strong was because he could no longer perceive his own body.

He tried to move his arms, but they wouldn't obey him.

Pill Poison really that severe?

Hurry back to Portable Abode to detoxify!

How do I explain this to my Wife?

Just say I suddenly went crazy and ate the pills!

Is this explanation credible?

I think it's quite believable!

Since we've already eaten, let's not mention the Travel Cultivator anymore. The rest is just about lying to her!

But which man hasn't lied to his wife at home?

Li Banfeng tried to take out his keys, but couldn't; his hands had completely lost control.

I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home.

Li Banfeng's veins bulged, his eyes were bloodshot, and his fingertips trembled slowly as he reached into his pocket.

Homesickness Like An Arrow, his desire to go home was so strong that it rapidly improved his physical condition, allowing him to temporarily overcome the effects of Pill Poison.

He turned the key, opened the door, and then threw the key under the bed.

Upon returning to Portable Abode, Li Banfeng collapsed to the ground after taking only two steps.

The moment I returned to my Portable Abode, my desire to go home was fulfilled, my sense of urgency disappeared, and my increased combat power vanished as well.

Sizzle~

Seeing Li Banfeng slumped on the ground, the record player exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, husband, what happened to you?"

Li Banfeng was still able to speak with difficulty, "I took the pill, the Golden Essence Pill."

"Husband, why are you eating that?"

"I thought it was very nutritious, so I ate it."

"How much did you eat?"

"Thirty-eight of them, I ate them all!"

"Hey, you lunatic, are you out of your mind?"

A cloud of steam lifted Li Banfeng and carried him to the bed. Li Banfeng lay flat for a moment, and gradually calmed down under the swirling steam.

Pill Poison is terrible, and it will take Li Banfeng a long time to regain full sensation in his body.

But that was still much better than the backlash from his cultivation. Just before taking the pill, he even suspected that his body would fall apart.

Li Banfeng's legs were still trembling, as if they were about to leave his body.

But he could see that the shaking was not as intense as before.

Dewdrops streamed down the Copper Lotus.

Ma Wu was downstairs flipping through the newspaper; today's news was indeed extraordinary.

The Lu Family's affairs have been reported. Lu Dongjun accused He Yuxiu of plotting against Lu Dongliang, while He Yuxiu stated that Lu Dongjun wanted to kill his brother and seize power.

With both sides offering conflicting accounts, the matter remains unresolved.

Lu Dongliang's whereabouts remain undetermined.

Ma Wu didn't bother reading the news commentaries from various famous pundits; he was more interested in less important news.

The Ma family raised funds from various sources to prepare for opening up new land.

Although the Ma family has declined in recent years, they have not needed to raise funds from various sources to open up new territories.

Based on Ma Wu's understanding of his father, the Ma family's purpose in doing this was to withdraw the money they had deposited in the Lu Family's bank; his father wanted to stay as far away from this conflict as possible.

In another news item, Chu Huaiyuan, the Second Miss Chu Family, clarified the false rumors of killing her husband and went to the Bai Le Men to support Song Queen Jiang Mengting.

Chu Er went to the Bai Le Men again.

She had always had designs on the Bai Le Men, but it was Lu Family business, and she couldn't get involved. Now, her opportunity had arrived.

This also represents the Chu family's attitude: they want to participate in this conflict and gain more benefits.

Ma Wu was itching to try it.

The Lu Family is in chaos, and the landscape of Pro State is about to be rewritten. He senses an opportunity in this situation.

Something big has happened in Pro State. With so much trouble in the Lu Family, they probably don't have the extra energy to focus on Li Banfeng.

Thinking of this, Ma Wu became worried about Li Banfeng's condition.

He was about to go upstairs to his bedroom to ask when he suddenly heard someone knocking on the door.

Upon opening the door, a middle-aged man, around fifty years old, was standing outside. He was wearing a dark blue long gown, had a fair complexion and no beard, and wore round-framed sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat.

"Who are you looking for?" Ma Wu asked politely.

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "I've been looking for you, Fifth Young Master."

Ma Wu's heart tightened, but he feigned calmness and asked, "What is your name?"

"My name is Yang Yanzheng, and I am a steward in the Chu family."

Upon hearing the name, Ma Wu recalled the words that Wei Landlord, had said before he died.

It was this Yang Yanzheng, Second Miss Chu's man, who had been instigating others to persecute Ma Wu.

"What brings you here?" Ma Wu stood at the door, his expression remaining calm.

Yang Yanzheng smiled and said, "My young lady is having her birthday this month and would like to invite you to join us. I brought the invitation with me."

Ma Wu took the invitation, glanced at it, and smiled slightly, "Your young lady still wants to invite me? I've already been kicked out of the family. Is it appropriate for me to go to your young lady's birthday party?"

Yang Yanzheng said, "Our young lady doesn't think you've done anything wrong and shouldn't suffer so much. She doesn't care what others say. As long as you're willing to grace us with your presence, the Chu family's doors will always be open for you."

Ma Wu paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What if I don't do you the honor of coming?"

Yang Yanzheng remained silent for a long while, then sighed, "Fifth Young Master, you have truly suffered a lot these past few days. You wouldn't want to go through that suffering again, would you?"

PS: Thanks to reader 20220724175249537.

Second Miss Chu first appeared in the newspapers of Medicine King Gully; she was Sufferance Cultivator at the second level of asceticism.