Top-Tier Mansion

The peddler pointed out the first path, suggesting Li Banfeng directly make his home in a dangerous place.

It seemed like a good plan, but upon closer thought, it was quite absurd.

It was good because it solved the problem; making a home in a dangerous place perfectly solved the problem of staying there for a night.

Forget one night, staying for several nights was fine. Hiding in one's own home, the success rate of dealing with dangers was also higher.

It was absurd because how would he live the rest of his days?

"Could it be that I have to live in a dangerous place for the rest of my life?"

The peddler comforted Li Banfeng: "Don't be so pessimistic. As long as you cultivate a Home Spirit, ordinary enemies won't be able to enter your home at all. You can still live a leisurely life."

"I can cultivate a Home Spirit?"

"Yes! Dangerous places have many Vengeful Spirits, and Vengeful Spirits are most suitable for nurturing Home Spirits.

Take the Continuous Yin Valley in Medicine King Gully as an example. This valley has very heavy Yin energy, which has nurtured many Vengeful Spirits. Countless people have lost their lives on the mountain. This is a typical dangerous place.

This place is good; it's quiet, and ordinary people don't dare to disturb it.

You can make your home in the Continuous Yin Valley, live there for half a year, establish a foundation, and you'll be able to cultivate a Home Spirit. The Home Spirit will absorb Vengeful Spirits and become increasingly powerful, which will also be extremely beneficial for your future cultivation."

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment and asked a seemingly simple but crucial question: "What are Vengeful Spirits?"

The peddler blinked, looking quite surprised, and said: "Didn't you receive a higher education? Do you still need to ask me what Vengeful Spirits are? They're ghosts, ghosts with extremely heavy resentment."

So they were ghosts.

Li Banfeng's brows relaxed, and he tried his best to control his emotions, revealing a hint of a smile.

Thinking about his future life, living with many Vengeful Spirits in a deep, quiet valley, what a warm period of time that would be.

Perhaps it wouldn't just be a period of time. Shut-in Cultivators cultivate in their homes, and it's possible they might live in the valley for their entire lives.

Li Banfeng looked at the peddler and said seriously: "Won't the Vengeful Spirits in the valley harm me?"

"That's a good question," the peddler answered very seriously, "It's inevitable that Vengeful Spirits will harm people, but you have a Home Spirit, and the Home Spirit will help you resist the invasion of Vengeful Spirits."

"What if the Home Spirit can't resist?"

The peddler's expression became even more serious: "You must have confidence, you must believe in the power of the Home Spirit, you must believe in your own will, you must believe that there are no difficulties in this world that cannot be overcome. Whether you believe in yourself or not, I believe in you! You can do it!"

Li Banfeng thought about it and felt that what the peddler said made sense, but he still had a question: "Before I cultivate a Home Spirit, who will help me resist?"

"This..." This question hit a sore spot. The peddler took out a stack of yellow paper with various runes drawn on it: "These talismans are enough for you to resist for three to five months. By then, the Home Spirit should have been cultivated."

"Then what? Even if I have a Home Spirit, I can't hide in my house every day. I still have to go out and find something to eat, right? Am I not still a Travel Cultivator? Don't I still have to travel around? When I leave my house, how should I face the Vengeful Spirits?"

"If you can run faster..." The peddler couldn't keep up the pretense and changed the subject, "It doesn't have to be in the Continuous Yin Valley. There are other places to go..."

"What difference does another place make? I'm a Travel Cultivator and still have to go out and wander around. According to your method, as soon as I leave the house, I'm courting death."

If it were just once or twice, that would be fine. Making a home in a dangerous place means even buying groceries is life-threatening. How am I supposed to live like this?

The peddler sighed softly: "Actually, tempering oneself in a dangerous place is also beneficial for Travel Cultivators, but if you're unwilling, then so be it. There is another path."

The peddler slapped his counter, and a drawer slid open, filled with various items, large and small.

After searching for a while, the peddler took out a key from the drawer. It was a brass key, slightly shorter than an index finger, with patches of verdigris.

"Since you don't want to make your home in a dangerous place, I'll give you another house."

"What kind of house?"

In Li Banfeng's opinion, no kind of house could resolve the conflict between Shut-in Cultivators and Travel Cultivators.

"This house is very special, it's a priceless treasure in the world. If I didn't value rules and reputation, I would absolutely not be willing to give you this good thing." The peddler held the key out, twisted it three times counter-clockwise, and made a motion of opening a door.

He was opening a door in the air with the key.

His movements were very serious, as if there really was a door in front of him.

He turned his head, looked at Li Banfeng, and beckoned to him, "Come, I'll take you in to see the house."

Go in?

Go in where?

There was only a patch of air in front.

"Come quickly!" The peddler's expression was very serious.

Li Banfeng came to the peddler's side, but still saw nothing.

The peddler's expression remained serious.

Li Banfeng looked at the peddler and said, "In the psychiatric department of the Third Hospital in Yue Province, I know a chief physician named Wang. He's a really good person. How about you go there too..."

The peddler pushed Li Banfeng, and Li Banfeng took a few more steps forward.

Suddenly, everything went dark. The wilderness, the big tree, the bonfire, the counter, the straw mat, they were all gone.

Chh!

The peddler struck a match, and by the faint light, Li Banfeng saw his surroundings clearly.

This was a room, not a very large room. It was about three meters wide and two meters long, roughly six square meters in area.

The room was empty. Besides the mottled walls, there was nothing, not even a window.

The match was about to burn out. The peddler had one foot outside the door and one foot inside, and he said to Li Banfeng, "The door will close soon. The next thing is very important. You must throw the key outside the door, to a suitable place, before the door closes."

With that, the peddler threw the key out.

There was a mist outside the door, and Li Banfeng couldn't see where he had thrown the key.

Clang!

The door closed, the match went out, and the room plunged into complete darkness.

Chh~

The peddler struck another match. This time, he lit a candle and held it in his hand.

"Take a good look, this is the house I'm giving you."

Li Banfeng looked around. "If you say this is a room, I believe you. But if you say it's a manor..."

This "manor" was really a bit small.

"This is a manor, one of the most precious manors in the world."

"Precious in what way? Is it because it can turn invisible?"

Before the peddler opened the door, Li Banfeng hadn't seen this "manor" at all. It was clear that this manor had the ability to turn invisible.

"It's not just invisibility," the peddler smiled. "This manor can move. Wherever the key goes, it follows. As long as you carry the key, it will keep following you."

Li Banfeng was stunned.

If what the peddler said was true, that this was a mobile manor, then the conflict between Travel Cultivators and Shut-in Cultivators would be completely resolved.

But could such a manor truly exist in the world?

"Don't believe it?" The peddler smiled. "You can try it."

With that, the peddler opened the door and led Li Banfeng outside.

As their feet stepped out of the threshold, their vision was obscured by thick fog.

The moment the door closed, the thick fog immediately dispersed. Li Banfeng found his feet stepping on a patch of weeds.

The peddler bent down, picked up the brass key from the weeds, and handed it to Li Banfeng.

"Let's change locations." The peddler led Li Banfeng several hundred meters into a forest.

"Insert the key until you feel it enter a keyhole."

Li Banfeng did as he was told.

He inserted the key into the air, feeling nothing.

The peddler shook his head. "That's not right."

"I still don't understand the technique..."

"There's no technique needed. It's just like using a key to open a door. It's a simple matter, just be decisive and don't hesitate."

Li Banfeng tried again, this time doing it smoothly and naturally.

Click, click, click~

Li Banfeng seemed to hear the sound of the key entering a keyhole, and he felt a sense of resistance in his fingers.

"You've got the method right," the peddler smiled. "Turn the key to the left. When you hear two clicks, the lock will open."

Li Banfeng held the key and turned it counterclockwise.

Click!

Click!

The peddler said, "Push the door!"

Li Banfeng pushed forward. He felt the texture of a wooden door and even heard the sound of hinges.

Squeak~

But he didn't see the door, nor the room from before.

"Take one step forward, just one step."

Li Banfeng took a step forward, and thick fog rolled in, quickly obscuring his vision.

Taking another step forward should allow him to see the house.

The peddler immediately reminded him, "Don't move yet. Throw the key out. The exit of the house is connected to the key. If you bring the key into the house, the house's exit will lead back into the house, and you'll be trapped inside forever."

Li Banfeng turned around to throw the key away, but then heard the peddler remind him, "Choose a good place to throw it. Don't make it too obvious, or someone else will pick up the key. But don't make it too hidden either, or you won't be able to find it yourself."

Li Banfeng's vision was completely obscured by fog, making it very difficult to see. Throwing the key was a challenge.

No wonder the peddler said that throwing the key was very important.

The peddler urged, "Hurry and throw the key out. The door is about to close."

Fortunately, Li Banfeng had his unique skill. Relying half on his vision and half on memory, Li Banfeng threw the key out and stepped through the door with his other foot.

Bang!

The door closed.

Li Banfeng was inside the house.

Li Banfeng turned around, pushed open the door, and walked out of the house, finding himself back in the forest.

He found the key on the ground. He hadn't thrown it far, it was right under a tree.

Within five meters, even if he couldn't see clearly, he wouldn't miss.

The peddler smiled and said, "It's still a bit obvious. Remember to choose a better spot in the future."

Li Banfeng nodded, gripping the key tightly in his hand.

"Are you satisfied?" the peddler asked.

Li Banfeng nodded again.

Satisfied, he was very satisfied.

"With this house, I can travel anywhere in the future. When I get tired, I can go back to the house to rest. It won't delay my Travel Cultivation or my Shut-in Cultivation."

"Uh..." The peddler's smile froze, and his expression gradually became serious. "It's not that simple. Travel Cultivation is fine, but you'll have to find another way for Shut-in Cultivation. This house has a small problem."

Li Banfeng was startled. "What problem?"

The peddler sighed and said, "It can't produce a Home Spirit."

PS: Although there are two updates today, it's still over seven thousand characters! Dear readers, please give me more monthly votes.

(End of this chapter)