Girl, Are You Alive?

Hong Ying clearly has no eyes, yet she still writes the word "cheap" so accurately.

Out of respect for Hong Ying, Li Banfeng didn't even wipe it off, and asked softly, "Yingying, I wanted to ask about gaining weight."

Hong Ying laughed, "You're eyeing my flesh now? Do you like peaches or your conscience? Your Wicked Woman wife just won't grow, huh? You're getting anxious now?"

Li Banfeng answered truthfully, "This matter is indeed urgent."

"Sure, I'll teach you. Just call me 'Wife,' and I'll teach you."

"Sure!" After a long pause, Li Banfeng strained and squeezed out a sound from his throat, "Yingying."

"I'll teach you to call me 'Wife'!"

"Well, um, my darling Yingying."

"I'll teach you to call me 'Wife'!"

The record player in the main room said, "My dear husband, just call her 'Wife,' Little Slave won't be angry."

Li Banfeng took a deep breath, stared at Hong Ying for a long time, and remained silent.

He couldn't call out.

Everything else is negotiable, but I only have one Wife.

Hong Ying gritted her teeth in anger. "Alright! I won't make things difficult for you. I can't explain why you've gained so much weight. You should ask our old man!"

Li Banfeng ran to the third room, grinning, and said, "Grandpa, about gaining weight..."

Portable Abode sneered, "You come empty-handed and want to learn? Have you no shame?"

Li Banfeng patted his chest and raised his head, saying, "I will definitely make it up to you afterwards. I never ask for favors for nothing. Old man, just tell me what you want."

"Get me two rails."

Li Banfeng lowered his head again. "Old man, you're making things difficult for me. Is it something you can just get by saying so easily?"

"Let's put it on the tab. You can't learn this method of gaining weight; there's a barrier between us."

Bring Red Lotus over, and I'll have her think of a solution.

Does Red Lotus no longer have a door separating her from the outside?

Li Banfeng ran to the Ninth Room and hugged Red Lotus in his arms. "Alian, I've neglected you these days."

The Red Lotus were covered in dew, which sprayed all over Li Banfeng's face.

To show his sincerity, Li Banfeng didn't wipe it!

He let the dew dry and carried Red Lotus to the third room.

Portable Abode said to Red Lotus, "I will tell you the mechanism of the technique, and see if you can make a pill formula."

The two did not know how to communicate, but after more than ten minutes, the Red Lotus produced two Lotus Seed.

The first Lotus Seed exploded, and Li Banfeng obtained a Profound Essence Pill.

This was made from the corpse of Scholar Guo.

It's this thing again.

You might think this is no good, but it's actually a rare treasure.

You say this thing is good, but Li Banfeng doesn't need it right now.

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment and asked, "Is this for Brother Qiu?"

Red Lotus seemed to say something, but Li Banfeng couldn't hear it clearly.

Portable Abode translated. "This is for you. Qiu Luoye doesn't need it. She wants you to see another Lotus Seed."

Li Banfeng entrusted the Profound Essence Pill to his Wife for safekeeping and peeled off another Lotus Seed.

The Lotus Seed burst open, Li Banfeng saw the prescription.

The list contains 132 kinds of medicinal herbs, and each herb requires two catties.

"Open a pharmacy?" Li Banfeng couldn't help but ask, realizing that Red Lotus didn't want to reveal the pill formula.

Red Lotus closed her lotus leaves, seemingly sulking with Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng needed someone's help, so he couldn't make a scene. He returned to his Wife's side and continued to ask about the Passing Three Gates trials.

"My dear Wife, the first trial is separation of the soul, the second is resurrection, and what is the third trial?"

"The third challenge is defending the territory. After resurrection, you need to find your place within the territory. The larger the territory and the more familiar you are with it, the faster you can find your place."

"Qiu Luoye needs to rely on the Kinless Village to regain his status in order to stabilize his cultivation and then his soul. Even the slightest rust will prevent him from passing this hurdle. Is he even familiar with the Kinless Village?"

Li Banfeng fell silent again.

Apart from the time he killed Qiao Shaofen, Qiu Luoye had never been to Kinless Village; he disliked the atmosphere there.

Furthermore, the territory of Kinless Village is not large, only a little over three thousand square meters, which is much smaller than the original territory of Qiu Luoye.

Li Banfeng sighed, "My dear Wife, these three trials are too difficult to pass!"

The Wife sighed, "Why don't we just say that there's less than a 10% chance? Husband, the stakes are too high, and the odds of winning are too small. Let's think of another way."

There is no better way.

There was no time to think about it anymore.

The Inner State could strike at any moment, and Qiu Luoye's life hangs in the balance; she could be gone in the blink of an eye.

Li Banfeng left Portable Abode and found Qiu Luoye.

Qiu Luoye, slightly tipsy, was about to go home for a nap when Li Banfeng said, "Brother Qiu, I've come up with an idea. Whether it will work or not is hard to say. If you trust me, let's take a gamble. Here's how it works..."

Li Banfeng recounted the process of Passing Three Gates to Qiu Luoye. He knew that the logic was not easy to understand, so he tried to explain each detail in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

After explaining, Li Banfeng asked, "Brother, is there anything else you don't understand?"

Qiu Luoye rubbed their nose and said, "It's just Passing Three Gates, what, what are the three trials again?"

Li Banfeng blinked. "Brother, how much did you drink?"

Qiu Luoye waved her hand. "I don't care which three levels they are, I'll listen to you anyway."

"If this is to be done, we'll have to dig up your contract. It's a matter of life and death, and you have to make the decision yourself."

The Qiu Luoye weren't afraid. "Dig them up! We're going to die anyway, I trust you."

Now that the decision has been made, let's get started on the preparations.

"Brother Qiu, why Kinless Village first, familiarize yourself with the area, the more familiar the better."

"Seventh Brother, give me two days, and I'll definitely become familiar with Kinless Village."

"Two more days?"

"Two days isn't long; I haven't been there much before."

This matter cannot be rushed, and we should hope that the Inner State, so that there is hope for the third hurdle.

Li Banfeng went to Ma Wu first and gave him the prescription. "Please help me buy some medicinal herbs."

Ma Wu was taken aback. "Buying so much? Are you planning to open a pharmacy?"

"I do have that plan."

Back at Portable Abode, Li Banfeng said to the old man, "I'm going to Decency Village."

"What are you going to do?"

"Learn the Soul Separation Technique."

Portable Abode don't understand. Does anyone in Decency Village know the Soul Separation Technique?

But he didn't ask any more questions. Li Banfeng imagined what Decency Village would look like, and when he opened the door, he indeed arrived at Decency Village.

After leaving Portable Abode, Li Banfeng did not enter the village, but walked towards the depths of Xin Di. He walked slowly and steadily for more than seventy miles, and a city appeared in the thick fog ahead.

As Li Banfeng entered the city gate, a man approached and shouted at him, "Where did you come from? Did you pay the city gate fee?"

"You're charging a city gate fee?" Li Banfeng sneered. "Who are you trying to fool? Do you think I'm a stranger?"

The man was taken aback. "You're not from out of town?"

"I am Tang Changfa, the owner of the Changsan Academy."

When Sun Tiecheng left Fool's City, he gave Li Banfeng a property, the Changsan Academy in the city, and entrusted it to Tang Changfa to manage temporarily.

The man sized Li Banfeng up and down; "Nonsense, I know Tang Changfa, but he doesn't look like you at all!"

Li Banfeng frowned and said, "I just had my flesh and blood replaced."

"What flesh and blood?" This question made the man feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Are you genuinely unaware, or are you feigning ignorance? Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

"Who has time to listen to your nonsense!" The man turned and walked away.

Knowing they are dead, yet still believing they are alive—only the people of Fool's City do this best.

Everyone here firmly believes that they are still alive, and they are absolutely convinced of it.

This is due to the Fool Cultivation Skill. According to Sun Tiecheng, one can achieve this by Definite Statement and deceiving oneself.

But Qiu Luoye is not a foolish cultivator; how can he be deceived? How can he make the dead appear alive?

The first hurdle is too difficult; Qiu Luoye cannot complete it on his own. Li Banfeng needs to help him, but how exactly to help is something that really needs to be carefully considered.

Studying alone is useless; you need to conduct on-site investigations. Qiu Luoye need time to familiarize themselves with their territory, and this is the perfect time to go to Fool's City and learn the tricks.

As for how much he learns and how much he applies it, that depends on Li Banfeng's ability and Qiu Luoye's luck.

Wandering aimlessly in Fool's City is a very dangerous thing in itself. Li Banfeng needs to find his own territory as soon as possible, the Changsan Academy.

Li Banfeng had never been to the Changsan Academy; Sun Tiecheng had only given him a general direction.

He didn't ask for directions; asking for directions in Fool's City was like having food delivered to your door. Li Banfeng simply groped his way along the street.

A fortune teller walked up to me and said, "Young man, you are destined for bloodshed!"

Li Banfeng drew his sickle and said, "You guessed it, I came here to take revenge on you!"

The fortune teller ran away.

Li Banfeng continued walking, and an innkeeper came out to greet him, "Sir, are you looking for a room?"

Li Banfeng asked, "How much?"

"Superior room, 81 nights."

Li Banfeng held out his hand and said, "Give me the money."

The waiter paused for a moment, then said, "You're staying at my place, and I'll pay you?"

Li Banfeng drew his Tang Blade and said, "I'm not staying at the inn, I'm robbing them."

"Take care, sir." The waiter ran off as well.

Despite Li Banfeng's aggressive attitude, he was actually afraid to say too much to them.

These people are not as skilled as Li Banfeng in terms of cultivation, but they are all seniors in the art of foolish cultivation.

The Fool Cultivator Technique disregard hierarchy; a few more words and Li Banfeng will be easily ensnared.

After walking for more than half an hour, Li Banfeng found Changsan Academy.

A young woman came out to greet us. She was wearing a bright green cheongsam with magpie and spring-welcoming patterns. A hairpin tied her long hair back, and she had some wavy curls on her forehead. Her features were very delicate, but the powder was a bit too heavy, covering up her skin tone.

"Sir, please come in and sit down." The young lady took Li Banfeng's arm and led him into the study, first pouring Li Banfeng a cup of tea.

Li Banfeng smiled and asked, "Miss, what's your name?"

"Little Slave name is Yan Hong."

"May I ask what the price is?"

"Oh dear, sir, you really are something," the girl scolded playfully, "Coming to a bookstore and still asking me about prices, doesn't that spoil the refined pleasure of a scholar?"

"I apologize for my intrusion, but how much tuition do I need to pay for classes here?"

The girl smiled and sat on Li Banfeng's lap, "Sir, this is Changsan Academy. Tea, wine, and lodging are all three yuan."

Li Banfeng took out ten silver dollars and stuffed them into the girl's hand.

The girl panicked. "Oh dear, sir, you've given me so much, Little Slave don't know how to serve you."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I don't need you to serve me. You just need to tell me a few things: are you alive or dead?"

The girl frowned and said, "Sir, what a question. Of course I'm alive."

How do you know you're alive?

"I have flesh and blood, and I can still breathe while sitting here, so of course I'm alive."

"How did the skin and flesh get stuck to your body?"

The girl stood up, glared at Li Banfeng, and said, "Are you here to cause trouble?"

Li Banfeng pulled out another ten silver dollars from his pocket. "I just want to ask you something."

The girl retorted angrily, "So what if you have money? Does having money give you the right to act wildly here?"

Her shout drew the attention of many girls in the brothel.

Tang Changfa, who managed the brothel for Li Banfeng, came out carrying a stick. "Let's see who dares to cause trouble here!"

Yan Hong pointed at Li Banfeng and said, "That's the one!"

Tang Changfa at Li Banfeng for a moment, then swung his stick and hit the Yan Hong peach.

Yan Hong rubbed the peach, her eyes red, and said, "Why did you hit me? He's the one who came here to cause trouble!"

Tang Changfa, "This is our manager! How dare you accuse him of causing trouble? You're asking for it!"

After saying that, Tang Changfa hit her a few more times with the stick. Yan Hong covered the peach, tears welling up in her eyes, and dared not make a sound.

Li Banfeng stopped Tang Changfa and said, "Don't hit that girl. I just want to ask her a few questions."

Tang Changfa threw down the stick and laughed, "Shopkeeper, she doesn't know anything. You can just ask me if you have any questions."

"Fine, then I'll ask you: are you alive?"

Tang Changfa chuckled and said, "Yes! I'm definitely alive!"

How do you know you're alive?

"Can a dead person talk to you?"

That makes a lot of sense!

"How did the skin and flesh get stuck to your body?"

"It's grown in the bones since childhood!"

Tang Changfa's smile remained unchanged, and he answered fluently. He was different from others; no matter how you asked him, he wouldn't get angry.

This matter has a lot to do with cultivation level.

The highest success rate is to learn from the most skilled person.

Was Tang Changfa the person with the highest cultivation level present?

This matter cannot be judged arbitrarily.

Li Banfeng called all the other girls down, made them stand in a row, and asked them questions one by one.

"Young lady, what's your name?"

"My name is Yan Cuier."

"Are you alive?"

Yan Cuier said aggrievedly, "It's alive."

He's already complaining after just one question; he's far inferior to Tang Changfa. His skills are lacking.

Li Banfeng then asked the next person, "Miss, what's your name?"

"My name is Yan Qing'er."

"Are you alive?"

Yan Qing'er replied, "Yes."

Despite her expressionless face, one could detect a hint of sorrow in her tone, and her cultivation was not as great as Tang Changfa's.

Li Banfeng then asked the next person, "Brother, what's your name?"

"My name is Sun Tiecheng."

"Are you alive?"

Sun Tiecheng replied, "What the hell are you trying to do?"

P. S.: Sun Tiecheng's arrival was too sudden.