Passing Three Gates

Qiu Luoye looked at Li Banfeng's back; the two wounds were still bleeding.

He summoned Tiger and asked him to fetch medicine for Li Banfeng's injuries.

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "No need for medicine, it will be fine in a moment."

"It still needs to be bandaged up."

"No need, this blood is fresh, we can't waste it." Li Banfeng placed the clock on his back.

Seeing that Li Banfeng's bleeding had stopped, Qiu Luoye smiled and said, "Shall we have a couple of drinks?"

"OK!"

Qiu Luoye looked at He Yuxiu: "Are you Seventh Brother's lover?"

He Yuxiu blushed slightly. "You, whatever you say, is true."

Qiu Luoye praised, "This one is good. Just by looking at its physique, it's sure to be fertile."

He Yuxiu looked at Li Banfeng with a smug expression. "Look, Brother Qiu said the same thing."

Qiu Luoye looked at Chu Er again. "I didn't like you much before, but I think you're alright today. You've got guts."

"I didn't," Chu Er said shyly, shaking her head.

Qiu Luoye shouted to the group of Three-Headed People, "Gentlemen, those who are injured, come to me for treatment. I have excellent medicine for wounds."

Those of you who aren't injured, come have a drink. I've got plenty of good wine here.

I was a bit too wary of you all before; it was my fault, Lao Qiu. We were all originally from the same sect, so let's drink to our hearts' content today!

Fellow disciples?

In fact, the Three-Headed People was considered a failed body cultivator, but Juanzi had never heard any other body cultivators call them fellow disciples.

Everyone was stunned for a moment before looking at Li Qi.

Li Qi smiled and said, "Not enough wine, huh? I'll have someone go down the mountain to get some!"

Qiu Luoye brought out all the good wines they had saved up over the years, and the Three-Headed People brought back a lot of wine and food from their home.

Upon learning that Li Qi was alright, Ma Wu was overjoyed and ordered wine to be sent up the mountain.

The group set up a table in the mountains and forests, clinked glasses, and ate and drank heartily.

Since reaching the Tenth Layer, Qiu Luoye has never properly celebrated the New Year again.

He had a good New Year, but it might be his last.

Mengzi Qiu Luoye, Qiu Luoye it in one gulp.

Juanzi raised another glass, Qiu Luoye dried up again.

Xiao Shan offered another toast, but Qiu Luoye couldn't finish it. "Kids can drink so much? It's unreasonable to drink with you guys, three of you drink one for me!"

Watching the Qiu Luoye stagger along, Li Banfeng frowned slightly.

He Yuxiu lowered her voice and said, "Chu Shaoqiang has been driven away, but the contract is still in Inner State's hands. I'm afraid Lao Qiu won't be able to get through this."

"Inner State holding the contract is like holding her life in her hands, and your sister here..."

"It's my younger sister."

He Yuxiu coughed, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then said, "I'm not in a hurry to get promoted because I don't want to be a servant in Inner State."

Li Banfeng put down his wine bowl, sighed, and said, "Is there really no other way?"

He Yuxiu shook her head and said, "I can't think of a solution. Why don't you go ask your lover?"

"Whose is it...?"

She was referring to Xiao Yeci.

Li Banfeng actually went to ask.

Xiao Yeci has indeed read a lot of books recently, but there is very little information about contracts in them.

We can't rely on Xiao Yeci for this; we have to ask my Wife.

Li Banfeng found an opportunity to return to Portable Abode and told the record player the whole story.

"My dear Wife, I really don't understand this. Qiu Luoye has two contracts. Even if Inner State destroyed one of them, Brother Qiu shouldn't have lost his status, much less be injured like this."

The record player said, "My dear husband, was Qiu Luoye's first contract given to him by Inner State, or did he snatch it from someone else?"

"Given by the Inner State, the Qiu Luoye are the Local Earth God appointed by Inner State."

"This is not a good idea."

Li Banfeng asked, "What's the difference between the contract given by Inner State and the contract that was stolen?"

"As far as Little Slave know, the contracts made in the Inner State contain a portion of the cultivator's flesh and blood. There are Curse Art involved, but Little Slave don't know the Curse Art."

"Little Slave 've only heard rumors that if Local Earth God appointed by the Inner State doesn't obey its Inner State, the Inner State will destroy the Local Earth God's contract, Local Earth God will die because of Curse Art."

Li Banfeng was silent for a moment before saying, "From the Ninth Layer to the Tenth Layer, go to the Inner State to be a dog."

Upon reaching the Cloud Above First Layer, they were exiled to a new place.

Having built up a large following in the new area, they went to the Proper Land, and then came back from the Inner State to reap the rewards.

Even if you manage to snatch a contract, it won't work; there's still Curse Art following behind.

"My dear Wife, once a person embarks on the path of the Inner State, is there no chance of ever turning things around?"

The Wife sighed, "My husband, even the Local Earth God who came from Inner State dare not mention Inner State. They are truly afraid. Inner State could take their lives with just a few tamperings with the contracts."

Qiu Luoye is still alive. His contract wasn't completely destroyed, but it was definitely partially damaged by the Inner State, which is why it was so badly injured.

Li Banfeng came up with an idea. "I'll go dig up Brother Qiu's contract now, and we'll figure out a way to repair it. Then Brother Qiu's injury will be healed."

"My dear husband, we can't dig this up lightly. It will cause him to lose his cultivation. He's seriously injured. If we can't get his cultivation back, he might really die."

Li Banfeng couldn't understand. "He already got the deed to marry Kinless Madam, so why is his cultivation level still being reduced?"

"The contracts have a hierarchy. The contracts stolen from Pro State were merely stained with blood, while the contracts brought from Inner State were not only stained with blood, but also carried flesh and blood, and had a deeper relationship with the Local Earth God."

If you were to dig up Qiu Luoye's Inner State contract now, Qiu Luoye's cultivation level would definitely drop. Only by stealing the contract could she possibly recover it.

But if they can't retrieve it, Qiu Luoye is already severely injured, he might be utterly destroyed.

There are two possibilities: one is that they can be rescued, and the other is that they will die.

"What are the chances of recovering it?"

The Wife said, "Logically speaking, there's less than a 10% chance. The problem is, it's pointless to do it."

My dear husband, even if we dig up the contract made from the Qiu Luoye and repair it, it will be of no use.

The two contracts are connected; once this contract is repaired, the one in Inner State will surely destroy it again.

We went through so much trouble to repair it, but they could damage it with just a few simple touches.

This is like treating the wounds of Qiu Luoye, healing them only to let them suffer again, repeating this cycle endlessly, making the Qiu Luoye suffer for nothing.

This line of thinking was wrong from the start.

"My dear Wife, is there any other way?"

After a long pause, the record player said, "Little Slave once heard a rumor that a Local Earth God, unwilling to be controlled by the Inner State, used some means to gradually lower his cultivation level and stabilize his soul, eventually becoming the Wounded Demon Fiend."

"Can I get rid of the Curse Art by becoming Wounded Demon Fiend?"

"Logically, it is possible. To Ninth to Tenth Stage, a person must relinquish their physical body and become a spirit."

Tenth Layer above the clouds, the Inner State will rebuild its flesh and blood, and the dead soul will become human again. The Curse Art resides within this flesh and blood given to it by the Inner State.

Becoming Wounded Demon Fiend is equivalent to reverting to Evil Spirit; by abandoning flesh and blood, one naturally escapes the Curse Art.

However, this method still wouldn't work on Qiu Luoye. To stabilize her soul while lowering her cultivation level requires extremely sophisticated techniques, which Qiu Luoye probably couldn't learn.

Moreover, this would take a year and a half, or even longer. Qiu Luoye couldn't wait that long. The Inner State might attack him at any time, and if his cultivation level were forcibly lowered, Qiu Luoye still wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Li Banfeng sat on the edge of the bed, looking up at the ceiling, remaining silent for a long time.

His Wife, standing nearby, advised, "Husband, don't be angry. Let's think of another way."

Li Banfeng said, "We need to find a solution as soon as possible. We really can't wait. Let's fix the contract first."

The Wife comforted him, "Husband, don't be impatient..."

Li Banfeng then said, "What's the use of signing a contract? My Wife is right, this is just making Brother Qiu suffer for nothing. Let's think about whether there are any other options."

"Husband, what's wrong with you...?"

Li Banfeng added, "What other way is there? As long as the contract is still in Inner State, the road is blocked."

"Husband, please don't do this..."

Li Banfeng added, "Isn't that Local Earth God who turned into Wounded Demon Fiend also a path? At least it freed us from the Curse Art of the Inner State."

Li Banfeng continued, "What kind of path is that? We finally made it to the Proper Land, and now we have to become Evil Spirit? Besides, Brother Qiu still can't withstand the forced reduction of his cultivation level."

Li Banfeng then asked, "Didn't they say it could be salvaged?"

Li Banfeng then said, "Didn't my Wife say that there's less than a 10% chance? What were you listening to?"

Li Banfeng added, "Maintain order in the meeting room and speak in turn!"

The record player spewed steam, enveloping Li Banfeng: "My dear husband, don't scare me!"

Li Banfeng hugged the record player and said, "Wife, what if we dig up Brother Qiu's contract, forcibly lower Brother Qiu cultivation level, turn him into Wounded Demon Fiend, discard his flesh and blood to break free from the Curse Art, and then use Kinless Madam's contract to bring his cultivation level back? Would this method be feasible?"

The record player pondered for a moment and said, "It makes sense in theory, but it can't become Wounded Demon Fiend."

To regain one's cultivation level, one must Passing Three Gates, and there can be no room for error in any of them.

The first trial, the Soul Separation Gate, is when one's cultivation level drops from the clouds to the ground, and the soul must separate from the body. The contract is dug up; some Local Earth God separate instantly, while others have to wait several days.

The separation of soul and body, to put it bluntly, is like dying once. This is extremely painful, and the soul will be damaged by at least 20%. If there is fear and panic, the damage will be exacerbated.

Once the damage exceeds 20%, it will transform into Wounded Demon Fiend, and the cultivation level will be irrecoverable. Qiu Luoye, already severely injured, will also die from it.

This trial requires the soul to be damaged by less than 20%. Only those with exceptional intelligence and unwavering will can survive it; such a person is one in ten thousand.

Li Banfeng was puzzled. "Extremely intelligent and determined, how did she manage to get through it?"

"Extremely intelligent people can clearly distinguish between the body and the soul. They know that what has died is only the body, not the soul, and they must firmly believe that they are not dead."

Even at the brink of life and death, he felt no fear or panic. Ask Qiu Luoye if he could do that.

When it comes to unwavering willpower, Li Banfeng has absolutely no doubt about it.

To say he's extremely intelligent is a stretch.

We also need to distinguish between the concepts of body and soul.

He certainly can't distinguish between these two words, "Qiu Luoye." As for these two concepts, can you explain them to him clearly?

Qiu Luoye might learn to embroider, but he certainly couldn't understand such a complex concept.

"Wife, let's give Qiu Luoye some medicine to put him to sleep. That way, he won't be afraid or panicked. What do you think of this idea?"

The Wife shook her head and said, "My dear husband, if you fall asleep at the moment your soul leaves your body, you will never wake up again, and your soul will perish along with your body."

Drugging them wasn't enough.

At the brink of death, firmly believing that one is not dead—this tactic seems familiar.

I have indeed seen it.

This level is too difficult; I need to study it carefully and put it aside for now.

Li Banfeng then asked, "And the second challenge?"

"The second challenge is resurrection, but it's even more difficult than the first. The difficulty lies in quickly regenerating the lost flesh and blood."

Only in this way can the damaged soul be healed, and only then can the lost cultivation be regained with the help of the contract.

Gain weight.

Qiu Luoye heal quickly from their wounds, but if he were to start from scratch, would he know how to grow his own flesh and blood?

Can someone teach him?

Who gains weight?

After a moment's thought, Li Banfeng rubbed his cheeks, adjusted the angle between his eyebrows and eyes, and revealed a tender smile.

He entered the second room and saw Hong Ying doing her hair and makeup.

He took the eyebrow pencil from Hong Ying and said softly, "Yingying, let me draw it for you."

Hong Ying smiled shyly, picked up her lipstick, wrote the word "cheap" on Li Banfeng's face, and said softly, "Seventh Son, speak quickly!"

P. S.: Yingying is angry, Li Banfeng needs to show more sincerity.