A Stranger in the Portable Abode

The Intent Travels a Thousand Mountains.

Literally, it means traversing mountains and rivers with one's willpower in exchange for cultivation.

Li Banfeng was self-taught in the Eighth Level Technique, because the technique of "Intent Travels a Thousand Mountains" was very compatible with the characteristics of his Portable Abode.

Li Banfeng could think of a certain place while in his Portable Abode would take Li Banfeng there. During this process, Li Banfeng's cultivation level also increased to a certain extent because he was traveling with the Portable Abode. Although the principles were different, the process and the result were somewhat similar.

This also explains why Li Banfeng didn't leave when they were at the Ink Fragrance Shop, and why he could still feel his cultivation level increasing.

He had been reading travelogues, traversing countless mountains and rivers through them, thus completing his spiritual practice in another way.

It seems this technique is for long-term cultivation.

"Yingying, with this technique, our brigade—you know, your Travel Cultivator —won't we not have to run around everywhere anymore, right?"

Hong Ying shook her head and said, "It's not that simple. Our Daoist sect is special. Travel Cultivator must travel across thousands of mountains and rivers, but sometimes it's inconvenient for cultivators to go out."

Just like when I was in the army, if I left the camp without permission, I would be beaten by this Wicked Woman. If this continued, it would delay my cultivation and inevitably cause a backlash against my cultivation.

The Intent Travels a Thousand Mountains " skill can be used to compensate for some deficiencies in cultivation, thus mitigating the risk of backlash. However, with Seventh Son's current cultivation level, he cannot compensate for too much; even two or three-tenths is already quite difficult. The rest, Seventh Son must overcome on his own.

Li Banfeng lowered his head and said, "I am not Travel Cultivator; I am Borrowing Technique."

Hong Ying touched Li Banfeng's cheek. "Seventh Son, don't hide it. It breaks my heart to see you like this. Why don't we find a place to talk in detail, so that this Wicked Woman won't hear us?"

Smack! Smack!

The record player was furious and struck Hong Ying ten times.

Hong Ying rubbed for a long time, took a breath, and continued, "I've seen many Travel Cultivators who use the technique of the Intent Travels a Thousand Mountains as a means to replenish their cultivation. This is a fallacy."

"The will can traverse a thousand mountains, and a thousand mountains can be traversed by the will. The wonder of the skill of the Intent Travels a Thousand Mountains lies not in replenishing one's cultivation, but in combat tactics."

Battle tactics?

Can this technique also be used in combat?

Li Banfeng envisioned the battle scene:

When engaging the enemy, Li Banfeng would first unfold a painting, look at it, and then improve his cultivation—"

This seems unlikely.

"Yingying, I don't understand this tactic."

Hong Ying suddenly looked up, exuding an imposing aura.

Li Banfeng suddenly stood up, thinking Hong Ying had gone mad, and quickly prepared for battle.

Hong Ying's long hair fluttered, as if she were about to launch a surprise attack.

To be on the safe side, Li Banfeng took two steps back, when he suddenly felt a sense of danger coming from behind.

Li Banfeng glanced at it out of the corner of his eye and was so frightened that his hair stood on end.

We can't go back any further.

Less than five centimeters from his heels was a sheer cliff, with birds flying around the rock face.

"Is this Illusion Technique?" Li Banfeng asked Hong Ying.

"It's not Illusion Technique. If you fall, you'll really be smashed to pieces." Hong Ying grabbed Li Banfeng, and the cliff behind them disappeared. "This cliff is a dangerous place I passed through when I was fighting. I just moved it here. It's a real move. This is Qianshan Keyixing."

"Move it here?" Li Banfeng asked, stunned. "You're moving a cliff into your Portable Abode?"

Hong Ying shook her head and said, "What we brought here is not the cliff itself, but the treacherousness of the cliff. Our Travel Cultivator is good at fighting in dangerous places. If we bring the treacherousness to the battlefield, we can gain a great advantage over the enemy."

It turns out that the Intent Travels a Thousand Mountains" lies in perilous terrain. Li Banfeng asked, "Then why not call it the 'skill of a thousand difficulties and ten thousand dangers'?"

Hong Ying laughed and said, "Because sometimes it's a real move, sometimes it's a fake move, and what's moved isn't necessarily dangerous; sometimes it's cosmetics."

Li Banfeng asked, puzzled, "Why bring in cosmetics?"

"Seventh Son, watch closely!" A fragrant scent of perfume wafted over. Li Banfeng looked around, but this time he didn't see cliffs or a hail of bullets. Instead, he saw a group of alluring, naked women.

Li Banfeng asked, "What's the use of this?"

Hong Ying said, "This method can be used to deal with lecherous people. On the battlefield, anyone who has witnessed this scene has become a victim of the blade. It has never failed."

A group of women disappeared in the blink of an eye. Li Banfeng asked, "Did they really move here?"

Hong Ying shook her head and said, "This is not a real move, it's a fake move. Seventh Son hasn't learned the skill of fake moving yet."

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment, "What's the difference between the two?"

"True skill in moving things brings forth the real thing. When Seventh Son saw the cliff just now, did you hear any birdsong?"

"I heard it, and I even saw a few birds."

"That proves there really were birds on the cliff back then. To use the true technique of 'recreating' a bird, one must have seen this place, know its dangers, and concentrate one's mind on it, bringing the real scene and the real dangers to the battlefield. Only then can the technique be mastered."

The second time, I used a fake move; those girls weren't real, they were figments of my imagination.

This technique involves the clouds, Seventh Son cannot learn for the time being.

Conjecture?

Li Banfeng recalled the scene from earlier: a girl was running two businesses.

"Yingying, what do you usually think about?"

Hong Ying stammered, "I was just thinking about it casually."

The record player sneered, "Back when she was in the army, she read 'Adding Fragrance Lyrics' every day, never putting it down. What do you think she was thinking about all the time?"

Hong Ying retorted, "I read that book to prepare for war, to gain the upper hand on the battlefield!"

"For the sake of war—" the record player laughed, "Next time we'll pull down your pants and beat you up, see if you know what shame is!"

The skill of deception allows one to create whatever one desires, which is tantamount to changing the combat environment at will.

What amazing technique!

Although he couldn't learn the fake moving technique, the real moving technique seemed sufficient, and Li Banfeng had traversed many dangerous places.

He said with a fawning expression, "Yingying, demonstrate the technique again, and I'll make you another pair of Golden Earring tomorrow."

"Seventh Son, it's not that I don't want to teach you, but I need to wait a bit. With my current physique, I can only use the Intent Travels a Thousand Mountains' technique a maximum of three times a day. I just used the 'Fake Moving' technique, which consumed too much energy, so I'm afraid I can't use it today."

Li Banfeng was anxious. "You used your technique too fast just now, I didn't see it clearly."

"Seventh Son, even if I recover to my peak, my technique won't be much slower, and my physique is even worse now."

With genuine relocation skills, I can only sustain three breaths at most; with fake relocation skills, I can only sustain one breath and a little over.

Three inhales, six or seven seconds.

Take a deep breath, about three seconds.

That's too short, and Li Banfeng probably won't be able to last that long.

Seeing that Li Banfeng remained silent for a long time, Hong Ying advised, "Seventh Son Brother, don't be impatient. Let's learn the essentials first. Let's learn them right here and make this Wicked Woman furious."

The record player wasn't angry; she was worried about something else. "My dear husband, you know about the A Farewell of Ten Thousand Miles Technique,' and you think you can still force your way to higher levels by being Willful and Determined?"

Don't blame me for being talkative, but using techniques outside one's proper range can truly be fatal. Little Slave lord, you must not be so reckless again.

Li Banfeng laughed and said, "How could I do such a thing? That A Farewell of Ten Thousand Miles Technique is of no use."

Hong Ying objected immediately. "That's not how it works! The A Farewell of Ten Thousand Miles Technique is extremely useful!"

Li Banfeng pulled up a chair and sat down, asking earnestly, "I really don't believe it. What's the use of this technique anyway?"

Hong Ying said, "The key to this technique lies in—"

The record player really ripped Hong Ying's pants off, grabbed a paddle and beat her mercilessly. "Shut up, shut up, so talkative! Tomorrow I'll glue your mouth shut with glue."

Li Banfeng spent the entire day studying and moving things, but he didn't manage to move anything out.

That evening, Li Banfeng took Chuanzi and took the train to Black Stone Slope. Not long after they left, a group of bricklayers newly hired by Seven Jun Wine House arrived.

A bricklayer asked the foreman, "Do you know where Seventh Master is?"

The foreman frowned. "What do you want with Seventh Master?"

"My family is in trouble and I'd like to ask Seventh Master for help."

The foreman actually went to ask someone; he had worked with Li Qi for quite some time and was familiar with Li Qi's temperament.

Whenever his subordinates encountered trouble, regardless of their rank, Li Qi would always lend a helping hand if he could.

The next morning, the foreman found the bricklayer and said, "You've come at a bad time. Seventh Master had something to do and left. He took the train last night."

Bricklayer 1: "Gone? Where did they go?"

The foreman frowned and said, "Is that something you should be asking?"

The bricklayer lowered his head and remained silent. The foreman said, "Alright, if Seventh Master isn't here, go find Fifth Master. If Fifth Master isn't here, go find Left Head too. This is the rule among Seventh Master's men. They'll help you without hesitation if they can."

The bricklayer nodded and ran off to mix the mud.

When it was lunchtime, the bricklayer had disappeared, and hadn't received his half-day's wages.

Upon arriving at Black Stone Slope, Li Banfeng went directly to the newspaper office.

Black Stone Slope has changed somewhat. Li Qi and Ma Wu have taken over most of the local businesses, and the wages they pay are much higher than before.

Workers had money in their hands and could afford to buy things, so many shops appeared on the streets, and the book and newspaper industry was more prosperous than before.

The Ye Lai Xiang newspaper office is still in the Old Factory, but the layout has changed quite a bit. The front yard now houses the boiler room and printing plant.

The first row of factory buildings was converted into a sales department, where newspapers were stacked, magazines were bound, film reels were packaged, and shipments were made.

The counting is all done here.

The second row of factory buildings is a photography studio, specifically used for filming and taking photos.

The third row of factory buildings is relatively quiet; this is the office area for writers, where editors and reporters write their articles.

Bai Qiusheng, Yuwen Qi, and others also work here.

Li Banfeng walked around the newspaper office, frowning, and said, "Why is it so crowded?"

Bai Qiusheng laughed and said, "Seventh Master, our business is different from before. We now control 30% of the book and newspaper business in the entire Black Stone Slope. As the business has grown, we have more manpower, so the place seems smaller."

Li Banfeng said, "If you don't have enough space, just buy some! If you need money, just tell me!"

Yuwen Qi said, "Seventh Master, our place isn't small. You won't find another newspaper office this big in Black Stone Slope."

"You still say it's big?" Li Banfeng was displeased. "I just went to the workers' quarters and saw it. Eight people in one room, they were crammed in like that."

We need to buy all those surrounding buildings, and everyone should have a room.

Also, bring me all the newspapers from the last three months.

Back at Portable Abode, Li Banfeng carried a thick stack of newspapers to Sixth Room and examined them one by one until dawn, but found nothing particularly special.

After looking at the magazine for a while, Li Banfeng noticed that the girls were pretty and their poses were quite creative, but he still got sleepy.

Black Stone Slope clearly lacked the strong order of the Ink Fragrance Shop, and Li Banfeng didn't have such a strong desire to learn. There was a bed in Sixth Room, so after a quick wash, Li Banfeng slept in Sixth Room.

Two hours later, the door slowly opened, and the projector floated in, its lens pointed at the newspaper on the table.

Under the light, nearly half of a newspaper was gone, and the projector silently left Sixth Room.

Li Banfeng sat up in bed and quietly looked at the door.

A faint light shone through the crack in the door, and he knew the projector was next door.

When I first received the projector, it barely moved and could only project images at a fixed angle. After staying in my Portable Abode for a while and eating a lot of good food, the projector started moving, but it moved very clumsily, even more clumsily than Music Box.

Nowadays, projectors can not only fly, but fly so skillfully; there must be some reason behind this.

What is he doing with the newspaper?

Are you trying to spite me and deliberately go against me?

Things are probably not that simple.

Li Banfeng listened for a moment using his Discern Spiritual Sounds Technique. There seemed to be some movement in the Fifth Chamber, and it sounded like someone was speaking, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.

The Thread-Pulling Earring weren't with him, but Li Banfeng wasn't in a hurry. He turned over and went back to sleep.

The next day, Li Banfeng left Portable Abode and found Bai Qiusheng: "In Black Stone Slope, besides our 'Night Fragrance,' which other newspaper has a big enough reputation?"

Bai Qiusheng said, "There used to be 'One Bright Rod,' but this newspaper is no good now. Their content is too straightforward, and fewer and fewer people are reading it."

Now, the only one that can rival us is 'Full Spring Fragrance.' Their publications are indeed of a certain quality. In the Black Stone Slope book and newspaper business, we take 30%, they take 20%, and the remaining 50% is split among us."

Yuwen Qi said, "Seventh Master, are you going to take care of this newspaper? I've been wanting to do it for a long time; this newspaper is utterly despicable."

When we publish a special issue, they follow suit; when we send out pictorials, they follow suit; whatever we do, they do too, always going against us.

,

Li Banfeng laughed and said, "Business is all about give and take. If you take down 'Full Spring Fragrance,' who knows, 'Man Qiuxiang' might pop up tomorrow and wipe out everyone else's business. Wouldn't we become bullies then?"

Buy a copy of the last three months' worth of "Full Spring Fragrance" as well, buy as many as you can, and if you really can't find any, buy the ones from the last two days.

Li Banfeng didn't insist, because he knew it wouldn't be easy to handle; it was difficult to collect old newspapers from other people's homes. But Bai Qiusheng didn't find it difficult and instructed his men to buy them. Before long, the newspapers were brought back, three months' worth, not a single one missing.

Li Banfeng was somewhat surprised. "Where did you buy this from?"

The subordinate said, "The Lu Family Bookstore, they have everything, but it's a bit pricey."

It's Lu Family Bookstore again?

Has he opened another branch?

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "I'll visit the Lu Family Bookstore Study another day."

Li Banfeng returned to Portable Abode with the newspaper and spent the entire day reading it, but still couldn't see anything special about it.

Where exactly does the power of Black Stone Slope's writing lie? The main content of these newspapers, aside from "Conscience Peach," is nothing more than portals.

Li Banfeng couldn't discern any order in it.

After tidying up the newspapers, Li Banfeng slept in Sixth Room again tonight, but he wore the Thread-Pulling Earring with him.

Around midnight, the projector returned to the room, its lens sweeping across the newspaper on the table.

Half of "Full Spring Fragrance" is also missing.

The projector silently returned to Fifth Chamber, and a faint light still flickered through the crack in the door.

Li Banfeng put on the Thread-Pulling Earring, peered intently through the door, and finally heard the projector's voice. "Is it good?"

Who is he talking to?

"Oh dear, how embarrassing!"

Who is this person?

Li Banfeng's forehead was covered in sweat.

He heard the voice of a strange woman in his Portable Abode.