Bitter Granny

Li Banfeng and Chu Er sat facing each other at the table, with a plate of bitter vegetables and two Wotou in front of them.

"The bitter greens with salt are quite delicious, you should try them."

Li Banfeng had no appetite for bitter herbs, and besides, there wasn't enough to eat anyway.

Chu Er's food rations were distributed monthly by the Bitter Vegetable Manor, and she could only eat this much at each meal. Even as a woman, Chu Er couldn't get enough to eat here.

"Where are my keys?" This was Li Banfeng's biggest concern.

Chu Er looked displeased. "You've come all this way, are you here to find me or to find the key?"

Li Banfeng smiled slightly, "Silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about? What kind of person do you take me for? I've come all this way to find the key, of course."

Chu Er's face turned pale with anger. "You don't have to be so blunt!"

"Give me the key right now!"

"No!"

"You won't give it to me, huh!"

"I won't give it to you, so what?"

"There's nothing we can do about it."

Li Banfeng really couldn't do anything to Chu Er.

He had heard Ma Wu say that Chu Er had all sorts of ways to torture herself, and that interrogation and torture were useless.

After a moment's thought, Li Banfeng changed his strategy, his eyes filled with tenderness as he looked at Chu Er: "Saying I came to find the key was just an excuse I came up with. I genuinely wanted to find you."

Chu Er rolled his eyes at Li Banfeng: "Are you telling the truth?"

Li Banfeng gritted his teeth and said, "I really mean it."

"Swear an oath to me?"

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I'm not the kind of superstitious person."

Chu Er smiled and said, "Let's assume you're sincere. First, tell me, how did you get to the Bitter Vegetable Manor?"

"It's a long story," Li Banfeng began to fabricate, "I found out I had lost my keys, so I looked for them everywhere, and I ended up at Ma Wu's place."

"Ma Wu told you I went to your house?"

"Yes, he told me!"

"Did he tell you that I came to the Bitter Vegetable Manor?"

"Yes, that's what he said."

Chu Er thought about it and found it reasonable, "And then?"

And later.

This person has so many problems.

Li Banfeng continued, "When I heard you went to the Bitter Vegetable Manor, I got worried about you, so I managed to get a train ticket and came here."

This is my first time here too. I can't tell which way is which. It took me a long time to find your place..."

Chu Er's eyes widened. "You just arrived?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "Just arrived."

"Did you see me taking a shower just now?"

"I didn't see it. I missed such a good opportunity," Li Banfeng sighed, shaking his head repeatedly. "When are you going to take a shower next?"

"Six months later."

Li Banfeng blinked. "You only shower once every six months?"

Chu Er nodded seriously. "Too much or too little?"

Li Banfeng blinked again. "Are you crazy?"

Chu Er answered seriously, "I'm not crazy. My dad took me to the hospital, and the doctors all said I'm not crazy."

"You went to the hospital too? Yes, I did! That's what the doctor said too!"

Chu Er laughed so hard he almost fell over, "No wonder we're destined to be together."

As she swayed back and forth, Li Banfeng noticed that there was a rope tied around her neck.

"Yes, what a coincidence!" Li Banfeng laughed loudly, then pounced on Chu Er.

Chu Er was startled. "Even if we're destined to be together, it can't happen so quickly. Wait a minute, not now..."

After a struggle, Li Banfeng pulled the key off Chu Er's neck.

Chu Er clutched his neck, panting for a long time.

Li Banfeng was too ruthless; he almost strangled her to death.

"I knew you weren't here to see me!" Chu Er said, her eyes red. "You heartless man, why did you lie to me?"

"I feel terrible too, and I'm ashamed of myself!" Li Banfeng stood up, put on his hat, walked to the door, and said, "I have no face to see you again. Let's never see each other again."

For a fleeting moment, Li Banfeng really wanted to kill Chu Er.

Although she didn't know what the key was for, Li Banfeng was worried that she would try to take it again in the future.

But at the moment he was about to make his move, the art of Auspiciousness and Avoiding Calamity warned him of great danger, the specific reason for which is unknown.

This is Bitter Vegetable Manor, the base camp for Sufferance Cultivator practices.

Li Banfeng wasn't sure what the consequences would be of killing someone here, killing a high-born Sufferance Cultivator.

Li Banfeng left, and Chu Er didn't chase after him. She ate a mouthful of bitter vegetables, then grinned maliciously, "Let's see where you can go!"

Bitter Vegetable Manor is sparsely populated and desolate.

Li Banfeng walked along the dirt road for more than two miles and only saw one mud house, which was even more dilapidated than the one where Chu Er lived. Apart from that, he did not see any other buildings.

It's a lifeless place. Even Sea Eat Ridge, which is plagued by Insect Plague, is better than Bitter Vegetable Manor.

Li Banfeng opened his Pocket Watch to check the time, then looked at the position of the sun, and quickly determined the direction.

He is heading south.

Li Banfeng's goal is new land.

Once you reach the new location, you can refer to Yao Lao's map to return to Blue Poplar Village.

Is it possible to reach the new land by heading south?

"Sister Hulu, have you ever been to the Bitter Vegetable Manor?"

"What are you doing here? Looking for trouble? Go ask the older sister, she's very knowledgeable."

Back to the Portable Abode record player?

This place is just empty space with nothing but yellow earth; there's not even a place to hide a key.

What if someone else picks up the keys again?

Besides, asking would be pointless. Li Banfeng didn't know where he was, there were no landmarks, and the record player couldn't give him directions.

There was a person in front of me, wearing a gray cotton-padded jacket, completely covered up, so it was impossible to tell whether he was a man or a woman.

Li Banfeng stepped forward and asked for directions, "Excuse me, sir, could you tell me how to get to Xindi?"

The man looked up, his face covered by a scarf, and asked, "What are you going to New Land for?"

Upon hearing the voice belong to a middle-aged woman, Li Banfeng quickly corrected himself, saying, "Sister, this is my first time in the Bitter Vegetable Manor. I got lost. I was trying to go hunting in Xindi."

The older woman shook her head and said, "Young man, do you know why you got lost?"

"It must have been an accident..."

This question is so profound that Li Banfeng really didn't know how to answer it.

"It wasn't an accident; it's that you haven't thought it through, you haven't grasped the meaning. You don't know why you came to this place, just as you don't know where you're going in the future."

Don't let desires blind you, don't let comfort cloud your mind, don't let indulgence erode your ambition, and don't let laziness corrupt your character.

Li Banfeng stood there, frozen in place, and said, "I just wanted to ask for directions..."

A magical artifact trembled within him, managing to utter two words with all its might. "Shut up!"

Look how angry the Judge's Brush was; he actually uttered two words!

How can laziness ruin one's character?

This woman is clearly talking nonsense.

The older sister sighed, "Young man, now that you're here, you need to calm your mind. Only when you calm down can you settle down, understand where you're going, and know the meaning of your life."

"What my elder sister says is true." Li Banfeng nodded and walked away.

There's no point in arguing with someone like that; she's completely obsessed.

"Stop!" The woman stopped Li Banfeng from leaving. "Where are you going?"

"Go where I should go," Li Banfeng gave a profound answer.

"Your heart is too restless," the older sister reached out and grabbed Li Banfeng's clothes. "You have no idea where you're going. Listen to me, stay here."

Li Banfeng shook off the woman and straightened his clothes. "I know where I'm going, no need for you to worry."

The older sister was somewhat disappointed in Li Banfeng: "You don't want to stay? After everything that's happened, haven't you figured it out yet?"

"Whether I've figured it out or not is my own business, and it's none of your concern." Li Banfeng's tone changed; he was getting a little angry.

The woman raised her head and looked at Li Banfeng with her bloodshot eyes. "Why can't you stay? Why leave? If you really leave, won't all your previous hard work be in vain?"

You still haven't figured it out. You don't know why you're here, but I know, from the first time I saw you, I knew why I was here.

Is this the first time you've met me?

Isn't this the first time?

Why is this woman speaking illogically?

Li Banfeng didn't want to get entangled with her, so he turned and ran.

The older sister followed behind him as if taking a stroll, and asked Li Banfeng, "Are you really going to leave?"

How come this woman runs so fast?

I'm a level 3 Travel Cultivator, and I still can't outrun her?

Is her cultivation level that high?

Li Banfeng stopped running; he knew he couldn't escape. "Big sister," he said, "I really didn't mean to end up in the Bitter Vegetable Manor. I'm completely unfamiliar with the place. Please let me go."

"Once I leave Bitter Vegetable Manor, I will never forget your kindness. I'll go to Green Water City another day to buy some good things and then come to visit you."

The older sister paused for a moment, then said, "You're going to Green Water City just to leave Bitter Vegetable Manor?"

Li Banfeng asked in surprise, "Otherwise? I thought I was leaving somewhere?"

Upon hearing this, the eldest sister nodded and said, "Leaving Bitter Vegetable Manor is not impossible, but you have to follow my rules. As long as you can beat me, I will let you go."

Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead, looking helpless, and said, "Big sister, you're joking. We're complete strangers, why would I hit you?"

The older sister stretched her limbs. "I won't use any techniques or weapons, otherwise I'll consider it bullying you."

Let's have a fistfight. If you can beat me, I'll not only let you go, but I'll also give you a ride home.

"What are you saying?" Li Banfeng shook his head and sighed, "I'm a man, you're a woman, how could I hit a woman?"

The older sister chuckled and said, "That sounds quite gentlemanly of you..."

Bang!

Li Banfeng punched the older sister in the face.

The eldest sister fell silent.

Li Banfeng said very seriously, "Big sister, I hit you first, so I win. We had an agreement."

The older sister sighed, "Fine, I'll let you go."

Li Banfeng said with delight, "Then I'll..."

Bang! The eldest sister suddenly raised her leg and kicked Li Banfeng.

That kick was pretty hard; Li Banfeng almost fell to the ground.

"Big sister, you're so vicious!"

"You were caught off guard because you haven't been tempered enough. I'll let you go once you've been tempered enough."

As the sun began to set, Chu Er was cooking over a fire in the courtyard when Li Banfeng returned, his face bruised and swollen.

"Seventh Master, what happened?" Chu Er patted the dust off his hands. "Didn't you say you were leaving? Why are you back?"

Li Banfeng chuckled dryly and said, "I met a kind lady on the way. She insisted on letting me stay a few more days."

I said I wasn't going to stay, and she said I could only leave if I beat her in a fight. I fought, but I didn't win.

I said I didn't want to fight anymore, but she said I wasn't tough enough, so she kept hitting me, and she's been hitting me ever since.

Chu Er smiled and said, "Seventh Master, you've met Bitter Granny."

"Who is Bitter Granny?"

"Bitter Granny is Bitter Granny. It's easy to get into the Bitter Vegetable Manor, but if you want to leave, you need Bitter Granny's permission."

Li Banfeng stared blankly at Chu Er: "You can't get out either?"

"I can't get out," Chu Er shook his head and said, "I can only leave Bitter Vegetable Manor after Bitter Granny leaves."

"When is she leaving?"

"She comes in February and leaves in May. She usually stays in the Bitter Vegetable Manor for three months, I'm referring to the lunar calendar."

"The fifth month of the lunar calendar?"

It's not even the third month of the lunar calendar yet, does that mean we'll have to stay here for more than two months?

"What is the background of this Bitter Granny?"

"I don't know her background either, but you'd better stay here with me, otherwise Bitter Granny will beat you every time she sees you."

For dinner, it was still bitter greens and cornbread.

Chu Er looked at Li Banfeng with deep affection. "Seventh Master, please eat. I couldn't bear to eat it myself, so I saved it all for you."

As Li Banfeng ate bitter herbs and chewed on Wotou, it felt as if he had returned to the years he spent in Outer State.

Seeing that Li Banfeng had eaten quite a bit, Chu Er sighed softly, "When you and Ma Wu were down on your luck, you went through just as much hardship, didn't you?"

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "After meeting me, Ma Wu has never suffered. He is my brother. As long as I can think of a way, I will not let my brother suffer."

Chu Er snorted coldly and said, "Suffering a little isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"There are more disadvantages to suffering than advantages."

"Can't you speak properly? I'm Sufferance Cultivator, and you're telling me suffering is pointless?"

"You can suffer the consequences yourself! You only have one bed, where am I supposed to sleep tonight?"

Chu Er said tenderly, "Don't be shy, the two of us can squeeze in."

Li Banfeng sneered, "Really?"

"I don't mean it," Chu Er shook his head and said, "It's not possible now. Bitter Granny is here, we can't sleep together, or she'll beat me to death too."

"She's getting involved in this too?"

"She controls everything! She won't let me do anything that's supposed to be enjoyable. She controls not only that, but she even controls bathing. She's in the Bitter Vegetable Manor, and no one in the village can take a bath. Do you think I really only take a bath once every six months?"

I was trying to avoid her; I was just too filthy today, so I secretly wiped myself with water. If she sees me, she'll beat me to death!

More than two months, how are we going to get through this?

No, I have to find a way to escape.

Late at night, Li Banfeng quietly left Chu Er's house and, relying on his talent for Auspiciousness and Avoiding Calamity, chose a direction.

Head north, good fortune awaits in the north!

Li Banfeng ran for twenty miles without encountering the Bitter Granny.

Indeed, the talent for Auspiciousness and Avoiding Calamity is the most useful!

In his joy, Li Banfeng tripped over a stone and fell to the ground, dropping his Judge's Brush.

"How could you be so careless?" Bitter Granny picked up the Judge's Brush for Li Banfeng.

"I'll be more careful next time." Li Banfeng accepted the Judge's Brush.

The Bitter Granny shook her head and said, "I don't think you've figured it out yet."

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "Then I'll go back and ponder it some more."

"You can't figure it out on your own; you need someone to help you hone your skills."

Li Banfeng, clutching his head, said, "Can we find someone else to do the hammer?"

PS: Who exactly is Bitter Granny?