Beggar Cultivation

Portable Abode chose the location of the station in a forest on the edge of Qiu Luoye.

The station was built underground, Portable Abode was confident he could avoid the sight of Qiu Luoye and the Strange Monsters, but he needed Li Banfeng's cover.

Qiu Luoye has no time to pay attention to anything else. He has to deal with land reclamation and examinations, as well as guard against people from the Inner State. He is busy and overwhelmed all day long.

Li Banfeng covered up the repair of the station by his Portable Abode, while simultaneously contacting Luo ZhengNan to instruct him to notify Ma Wu to continue recruiting people for land reclamation.

Ma Wu was quite curious about what it would be like to have thousands of people clearing land in the new area.

Is Seventh Brother still hiring?

Ma Wu glanced at the account book; recently, money had been spent faster than water could flow.

What big trouble is he trying to cause?

A beggar, covered in sores, stood in front of the gate of Carefree Dock, quietly watching the crowd signing up to reclaim the wasteland.

Li Qi offered high rewards, so in Green Water City, anyone who was struggling financially wanted to come and give it a try.

Those who had been to New World before would dare to set off on the same day.

Some had never even been to New World before, but they mustered their courage and dared to go along.

Green Flower shook the bowl in her hand, trying to figure out Li Qi's intentions.

He wants to turn the territory of the Qiu Daxiang into the Proper Land?

If he succeeds, he could become the earliest landlord in the Proper Land. If the entire land belongs to him, the benefits would be enormous.

But simply clearing land isn't enough; where is he going to find 10,000 people to live there permanently?

How much money would anyone be willing to live in that shabby place called Qiu Daxiang?

And how does he run it?

With his and Ma Wu's meager resources, how difficult would it be for them to establish a Proper Land?

Even the Four Great Families couldn't do something like this.

If Li Qi isn't crazy, he shouldn't have done such a thing.

But the fact that he did it proves that someone must have been helping him behind the scenes.

Who is actually helping him?

Why are they recruiting so aggressively in Green Water City?

Green Water Beggar left Carefree Dock carrying his Beggar Bowl.

Li Qi, an interesting person.

Interesting people are dangerous.

Who is the person behind you targeting?

If you were after me, I should have killed you sooner rather than later.

If they weren't here for me.

Killing you doesn't seem to do any harm.

The station was completed, built in the middle of the forest.

The entrance is usually not visible and blends in with the surrounding ground.

There are seven old trees around, all of which are eaten by insects, but the depth of the insects varies. When you tap on each tree, it produces a different sound.

Only by tapping on these seven old trees and playing a tune called "Pretending to be Serious" can the entrance be opened.

With sufficient security guaranteed, Li Banfeng prepared to return to Green Water City to personally oversee the recruitment of more people for land reclamation.

Li Banfeng had walked this road countless times; he could walk back with his eyes closed. After crossing Gourd Gulch, just as he was about to reach Blue Poplar Village, a man sat on the ground holding a bowl and shouted, "Grandpa passing by, please have pity on me! I haven't eaten all day."

Because of his proximity to Green Water Bay, Li Banfeng is very careful when he sees beggars.

The beggar's face was relatively smooth, without any sores or pustules. His clothes were tattered and pieced together from scraps of cloth of various colors.

Judging from his appearance, he looked to be at least seventy years old, with sunken lips and seemingly few teeth left. Li Banfeng took out a piece of dry rations and asked, "Is this edible?"

"Yes!" The old beggar nodded vigorously.

Li Banfeng delivered the dry rations, which the old beggar accepted in a bowl.

As Li Banfeng let go, the dry rations were about to fall into the bowl when he suddenly heard the old beggar say in a very fast voice, "Since you've already given them, then..."

The words were spoken too quickly and too suddenly; Li Banfeng didn't have time to react.

Suddenly, the Tang Blade was drawn, and with one stroke, it overturned the beggar's bowl.

The dry rations didn't end up in the bowl; they fell to the ground.

The beggar reached out to pick it up, Tang Blade pierced the rations with a single blow. With a flick of the blade, Tang tossed the rations aside.

"My lord, be careful! This is a beggar!"

Requesting repairs?

Li Banfeng had never been in contact with this Daoist sect.

He had only heard that Thin Donkey Yuan was a practitioner of this Daoist sect and Local Earth God of Beggar Bay.

Thin Donkey Yuan was later defeated by Green Flower, his territory was taken away, and Beggar Bay became today's Green Water Bay.

Could this beggar be Thin Donkey Yuan?

Li Banfeng activated his Golden Eyes Autumn Down and saw that the man had ghostly flames on his body.

This is a Local Earth God, and it really could be Thin Donkey Yuan!

He actually lived right next to Green Flower's territory the whole time.

Tang Blade thrust his sword towards the beggar's forehead.

The beggar didn't flinch; he reached out and took it, quickly chanting, "Have pity on me!"

The Tang Blade suddenly retracted, not daring to thrust upwards.

This isn't Tang Blade being afraid to fight; there are techniques involved.

The Wine Gourd cried out, "Begging for Pity, young man, don't give him anything, or you'll lose your fighting strength!"

If the beggar were to grab the Tang Blade, even if Li Banfeng gave him a sword, Li Banfeng would lose some combat power, not much, but he would still be affected by other techniques.

The beggar failed to grab the Tang Blade and reached out to grab Li Banfeng instead.

Li Banfeng didn't dare to parry and tried his best to dodge.

He was completely unfamiliar with Qixiu, and he was afraid that if he tried to defend himself, things would get out of hand again.

As it turned out, his choice was correct; if he had chosen to defend or retaliate, the beggar might have been able to take something from him.

Perhaps it was taking a random item from his person, or tearing a piece of cloth from his clothes.

Once he steals the item, the beggar's tricks will work.

Seeing Li Banfeng dodge, the beggar tried to grab Li Banfeng's clothes again, Li Banfeng was fast and always managed to dodge first.

Unable to catch Li Banfeng, the beggar suddenly pulled out a Bamboo from his pocket.

Li Banfeng thought it was a weapon or a magic treasure, but unexpectedly the beggar took the Bamboo, put it to his lips, and began to play a tune.

This is a musical instrument called a chi (pronounced like "chi").

To be honest, the beggar played it really well, and Li Banfeng genuinely thought it sounded good.

The gourd shouted, "Young man, don't listen! This is Playing the Chi for Food!"

As he spoke, the Tang Blade had already pierced the bamboo tube.

What will happen if I listen to this?

If Li Banfeng listened to this piece of music, he would have to give the beggar something; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

Food or money, anything you give him will fall under his spell and you'll lose some of your fighting strength.

Li Banfeng didn't know the reason behind it, he only knew that the bamboo tube was powerful.

Tang Blade hesitated, not daring to fight the beggar. Li Banfeng picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the bamboo tube.

Never misses within five meters.

The stone struck the bamboo tube precisely, breaking it in two.

The bamboo pipe used for begging is specially made and requires special maintenance. A beggar can only carry one bamboo pipe normally, but now that the pipe has broken, there is nowhere to replace it, and the skill of Playing the Chi for Food can no longer be used.

Unexpectedly, the beggar threw away the bamboo tube, bent down to pick up the stone that had fallen at his feet, and muttered, "I've given it all away..."

Tang Blade swung his sword to cut the beggar's hand, but the beggar grabbed the Tang Blade, Tang Blade quickly dodged. The beggar then went to pick up a stone.

The Wine Gourd shouted, "He's pushing his luck! We can't let him get the stone!"

Li Banfeng never expected that even a stone could be considered charity.

When encountering an ordinary beggar, one would have to give him something useful to be considered an almsgiving. But this beggar's cultivation level was too high; even if he spat on him, the beggar would accept it.

Pleading and begging for food, as well Playing the Chi for Food, are all techniques to steal combat power. The amount stolen is not too much, and the loss is not too great.

What's truly terrifying is that once you fall victim to these techniques, they will trigger further exploitative tactics.

This is the Ninth Layer of the Beggar Cultivation Technique. Once you receive alms, the Beggar Cultivation Technique will continue to demand things, such as limbs, internal organs, or magical treasures. If the difference in cultivation level is large enough, it may even be a matter of life and death. At this point, you have no choice but to give.

The beggar looked down to look for stones, Li Banfeng's opportunity came.

His figure suddenly disappeared.

The beggar raised an eyebrow. "Ride a Horse and Admire Flowers?"

He didn't rush to search for Li Banfeng's whereabouts, but stood still and waited quietly.

Having mastered the technique, Li Banfeng, fearing he might not be dead, prepared to follow up with a move that Trample Ten Thousand Rivers, but was stopped by Tang Blade.

Why is he stopping me...?

Li Banfeng was taken aback, but saw that the beggar was still standing there, not much changed.

Snap!

The beggar had a crack on his face.

How big is the opening?

It was a little over an inch long, and there was a little blood, but it wasn't deep.

Li Banfeng was taken aback. He knew that Cloud Above Cultivator could withstand the Ride a Horse and Admire Flowers, and he hadn't intended to kill with one move. However, he didn't expect the Ride a Horse and Admire Flowers technique to cause such minor damage.

"Hehe~" the beggar chuckled, touching his face, "It hurts quite a bit."

The gourd whispered, "Thick Face Thick Skin."

The Beggar Thick Face Thick Skin Technique allows him to transform fatal injuries into a scar on his face. Because his skin is extremely thick, the damage from this scar is very limited.

This technique has defensive capabilities comparable to the Benevolent Dwelling Heart, but unlike the Thick Benevolent Heart, it does not have a limit on the number of uses. As long as one has enough stamina, one can use the Thick Face Thick Skin technique indefinitely. The only drawback is that the preparation time for the technique is a bit long.

The beggar had more combat experience than Li Banfeng. When he bent down to pick up stones, he was trying to lure Li Banfeng into making a move. He was already prepared to use his Thick Face Thick Skin.

He was certain that Li Banfeng would rely on his ruthless Ride a Horse and Admire Flowers and quick reflexes to press his advantage, but he never expected to be stopped by Tang Blade.

Hulu quickly whispered in Li Banfeng's ear, "Brother Lang, don't run away, the stone is still on the ground."

Several seconds have passed since the stone was thrown. Is the beggar's technique still effective?

Logically, it should have become invalid, but I dare not gamble with the gourd.

"I'm not too familiar with Qi Xiu either. His cultivation level is too high, and it's hard to say how long his technique can last. Young man, stall for a little longer, try to hold on for more than a minute."

Delay for one minute?

When you encounter such a master, even a second's delay could be fatal.

While he was thinking, Tang Blade suddenly returned to Li Banfeng's pocket, Li Banfeng took off running.

The beggar didn't pick up the stone; instead, he chased after him.

Li Banfeng made the right bet.

Why is he so willing to gamble?

The reason stemmed from the moment he threw away the dry rations.

Before the provisions were even put into the bowl, the beggar called out, "Since we're already here..."

He only needed to wait a little longer, until the dry rations were in the bowl, before shouting, and Li Banfeng would fall into the trap.

But why was he shouting so urgently?

Then the dry rations were knocked away by the Tang Blade. Why didn't the beggar pick them up?

Li Banfeng deduced from this that the technique of begging for alms is subject to strict time restrictions in its use. From the start of giving alms to the application of the technique, it should be completed in a very short time. If a stone is not picked up within a few seconds after being thrown, it is very likely that the time limit has already passed.

This is too risky. What if we bet wrong?

If he makes a mistake, the beggar will definitely pick up the stone. Before he does, Li Banfeng turn back and fight him to the death. After all, he's faster than the beggar, so he still has a chance.

After running for less than a minute, the beggar stopped chasing; he couldn't catch up.

"Not bad, kid. You can still run this fast even after using the Ride a Horse and Admire Flowers."

The beggar looked around and let Li Banfeng escape, feeling somewhat uneasy.

It's okay, he won't know if I don't tell him.

The beggar returned to his original spot, intending to continue his stakeout, when he suddenly saw another beggar, his face covered in pustules, walking towards him from a distance.

Green Flower!

The beggar quickly got up and smiled at Green Flower.

Green Flower looked at the beggar's face. "Are you injured?"

The beggar shook his head and said, "No, my face was itchy, so I scratched it until it bled."

Green Flower's eyes twitched. "Thick Face Thick Skin! You used a trick, he came, didn't he?" Green Flower laughed.

The beggar pursed his lips. "There is someone, it seems to be him, but I can't be sure..."

Green Flower touched the beggar's cheek, and a patch of bumps appeared on the beggar's face.

The beggar stammered, "I really don't know if that's him!"

Green Flower laughed, "If you let him go again, I'll take your life!"

PS: Green Flower is too ruthless! She didn't even investigate the reasons before she started killing people!