Soul Solidification

Live Together Forever in the Clouds.

Have I turned into a cloud?

Li Banfeng waved his arms, adjusting his flying posture in the cold wind.

Where is this?

Is this in the Cloud Top?

Why is it pitch black?

The Judge's Brush wrote, "Don't move. Open your eyes, and it won't be dark anymore."

Li Banfeng opened his eyes and found that he had flown out of Portable Abode and was flying over the courtyard.

Xiao Yeci was hanging clothes to dry in the courtyard. Although she had many servants around her, she still preferred to do some things herself.

Miss Xiao, please don't look up.

If Xiao Yeci looked up and saw Li Qi flying in the sky, who knows what would happen to her.

Li Banfeng waved his arms with all his might, wanting to fly even higher.

The Judge's Brush angrily shouted, "Don't move! If you move again, give me back my principal!"

Li Banfeng then realized that he was still under the jurisdiction of the Judge's Brush.

"I'm already on the clouds, can't I fly?"

"That's something you have to learn." The Judge's Brush rose a little higher, carrying Li Banfeng as it circled repeatedly above Ye Song Bridge.

You've been promoted.

Li Banfeng had undergone a rapid promotion, which severely strained his body, leaving him on the verge of death. Yet, he couldn't even rest at home.

This is the price of forcibly taking over the clouds; he must now operate within his own territory, using territory and status to stabilize his soul.

To be honest, Li Banfeng now finds it difficult to even open his eyes.

The Thread-Pulling Earring admonished, "Master, Madam just said that our humble pen can only carry you for a short while."

You'll have to walk most of the road yourself.

We still have to go—

An hour later, the Judge's Brush put down Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng could barely stand. After taking two steps, his legs gave way and he almost fell into Smoke Cloud Lake.

Don't let his current status as Cloud Above Cultivator fool you; with his current physical condition, if he were to fall in, he would definitely drown.

The Wine Gourd prepared some hot wine. "Young man, have a sip to calm yourself down."

Teapot quickly stopped him, saying, "Nonsense! What time is it? You can't drink alcohol now. You should be drinking some tea."

"Don't drink anything," Tang Blade said, leaping from his waist. "My lord, hold on tight to me, let's move forward."

Tang Blade became Li Banfeng's crutch, leading Li Banfeng forward step by step.

Thanks to his talent for House Cultivator, Li Banfeng is easily overlooked; otherwise, the way he walks would definitely scare the passersby around him.

After walking for a whole day, Li Banfeng's spirit stabilized, but his speed didn't pick up; his basic Travel Cultivator skills...

Sudden Wind on Flat Ground, and the situation has not yet recovered.

Upon arriving at Lu Family Bookstore, Sun Tiecheng came out, helped Li Banfeng, and sat down next to the tea table.

"You've gotten to the clouds so quickly, kid?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "Didn't you say the sooner the better? Of course I'll listen to you."

Sun Tiecheng sighed, "We were a bit too hasty. It will probably take a while to recover."

As they were talking, the Smiling Ghost King Gui Jianchou poured a pot of tea for the two of them, then took a burlap sack and went to wipe the bookshelf.

Li Banfeng asked, "And who is this?"

Sun Tiecheng said, "His A'Gui. I hired him to do the work. A'Gui is hardworking but doesn't talk much. If I don't let him speak, he won't say a word."

Li Banfeng laughed and said, "You really plan to do business here?"

Sun Tiecheng sighed and said, "If only that were possible, I still have a lot of things to do in the city."

Li Banfeng said, "I'll go with you to Fool's City to recuperate; it's safe there."

Sun Tiecheng shook his head and said, "It's not the right time yet. Your soul is still wandering. You must stay in your own territory and wait until your soul is completely stable before we talk about it."

This bookstore will stay open. As long as it's still open, my old friends won't dare to visit easily.

You're feeling weak lately, so please be extra careful. We've weathered many storms already, let's not let something go wrong.

After Sun Tiecheng left, Li Banfeng, leaning on his Tang Blade, struggled for a long time before finally standing up and slowly making his way back to the mansion.

Xiao Yeci was overjoyed to see Li Qi return, but she didn't expect that Li Qi couldn't even stand up straight.

"My Benefactor, what has happened?"

"In the new land, I caught a cold."

Li Banfeng was covered in sweat and rested in the courtyard for a while before taking the opportunity to return to Portable Abode.

"My lord, you've worked hard. Please rest for a while. We still have to go back to the territory in two hours."

Li Banfeng said helplessly, "Do we still have to travel within the territory?"

The record player softly sang. "Your soul is still relatively stable, so it's alright if you don't leave. However, you must stay in the terrestrial realm. Forcibly taking the land from the clouds will cause great changes to both your body and soul. You must rely on the terrestrial realm and your status to stabilize it."

Enveloped in steam, Li Banfeng caught his breath, lay flat on the bed for a moment, and asked, "Wife, am I now considered to Cloud Above First Layer?"

"My dear husband, we're already in the upper realm, but it's not even the first level yet. It's just like when we first entered the Daoist sect, we hadn't even reached a certain level yet."

"How long do I have left to live?"

"Lifespan remains the same as before —"

She didn't dare to speak too loudly when the record player was talking, after all, her husband had suffered so much and hadn't even gotten three times the lifespan yet.

Li Banfeng remained calm. "How long will it take to reach the Cloud Above First Layer?"

"First, we need to see when the physical body recovers; second, we need to see when the soul stabilizes. Cloud Above Cultivator who advance in the Inner State have a new physical body directly attached to their soul, so they naturally don't need to worry about recovery and stabilization."

"Now that you've preserved your health, you must get through this hurdle on your own. Some people can't get through it even in ten or eight years, and some may never get through it in their entire lives."

"A lifetime?" Li Banfeng was startled and struggled to sit up.

The record player enveloped Li Banfeng in a cloud of steam, speaking softly, "Husband, don't be angry, rest well first."

This hurdle is indeed difficult to overcome, but we were prepared beforehand. We'll take half a pill first to strengthen our bodies.

"Why only half a pill? We have plenty of pills at home, why be so frugal? Can't you just take the whole one?"

"That won't do. Not to mention one, even half a pill is too much." The record player took out a Profound Essence Pill, wanted to take off a third of it, hesitated for a moment, then used the needle to cut off a fifth of it and put it into Li Banfeng's mouth.

Li Banfeng swallowed the pill, and sweated even more profusely. The record player kept steaming Li Banfeng to help him resist the effects of the medicine.

This medicine is not easy to resist. My Wife almost lost her life after taking the Profound Essence Pill once, because she was too weak to take the medicine.

Now, Li Banfeng's body is also weak. After taking the pill, his body is so soft that he can hardly move.

Li Banfeng's body recovered the fastest in the Portable Abode, but after two hours, his soul began to wander again.

Tang Blade led Li Banfeng back to Xiao Yeci's house. Once inside the bedroom, Li Banfeng fell asleep immediately.

The man in the gloves looked worried. "If a powerful enemy comes, what will the master use to defend himself?"

The Wine Gourd said, "Let's stand guard. We'll keep watch from the side. If anyone comes, we'll hold them off. At least we need to give our little brother a chance to run into the house."

The magical artifacts were all in their proper places, and then someone actually arrived.

Tang Blade was about to make his move when he realized the newcomer was Xiao Yeci.

"My Benefactor, where have you been again—"

Xiao Yeci was worried about Li Banfeng and had come to check on him several times before, only to find that Li Banfeng was not in his bedroom.

Seeing that Li Banfeng was fast asleep, Xiao Yeci dared not speak loudly and carefully watched over him from the side.

She wanted to touch Li Qi's body to see if he was hot, but hesitated as she reached out her hand.

You can't just touch it!

How can you know if it's hot or not if you don't touch it?

Xiao Yeci bit her lip. Anyway, no one else saw, so there was nothing wrong with touching it.

The thought had barely crossed my mind when it was quickly dismissed.

What a ridiculous idea!

Is this something no one saw?

Men and women should not touch each other!

Just as they were hesitating, Lu Chunying walked in and said to Xiao Yeci, "Sister Xiu is going back to Green Water City. Let's go see her off at the station."

"My dear, go ahead, your Benefactor is ill, I need to take care of him."

Lu Chunying stepped forward and touched Li Banfeng's forehead. "It's not hot, but he's sweating a lot."

Xiao Yeci glared at her. "You think you can just touch me like that? Don't you know any manners, young lady?"

Lu Chunying snorted and said, "Aren't you a girl? Is it proper for a man and a woman to be alone in a room together?"

"I... I'm doing something right, I'm taking care of my Benefactor, I'm doing this—"

Lu Chunying is gone.

Xiao Yeci blushed and muttered to herself, "I have a clear conscience."

Li Banfeng was in and out of sleep, while Xiao Yeci served him tea and water, saying, "My Benefactor, should we find a doctor to take a look?"

"No need to find a doctor, just get me some water to drink, and tell me about the customs of Ye Song Bridge."

Xiao Yeci whispered in Li Banfeng's ear, then quickly stopped when she saw that Li Qi had fallen asleep, and continued after Li Qi woke up.

After talking for more than two hours, Lu Chunying returned. "Mom, Sister Xiu didn't leave."

"What's wrong?"

"The Train Station has received an order that, starting today, Ye Song Bridge will be off-limits to all personnel."

Xiao Yeci tensed up. "What happened?"

Lu Chunying said, "It seems to have happened at the Guanfang Main Hall. Fifth Brother has already gone to find out more."

That evening, Ma Wu returned to the mansion and, while Li Banfeng was still sober, told him what had happened, "Xia Shumin has come. He's here about Red Lotus."

Red Lotus?

The Red Lotus in my hand?

Li Banfeng wasn't quite clear-headed. After a moment of tension, he realized that Ma Wu was referring to the Red Lotus found at Ye Song Bridge: "I heard from Zheng Siyi that Xia Shumin had already taken the Red Lotus. What's he doing here?"

Ma Wu said, "Red Lotus is missing. Xia Shumin insists that Red Lotus was lost at Ye Song Bridge. Zheng Siyi denies it and confronts him with a video recording. Xia Shumin gets angry and says that the truth must be found out, so he seals off Ye Song Bridge."

Li Banfeng frowned and said, "This trick again?"

Cheng Mingke had previously disrupted traffic to Black Stone Slope, which resulted in the loss of his own supply lines.

Ma Wu shook his head and said, "This time the methods are different from before. Xia Shumin has blocked all the entrances to Ye Song Bridge's new land."

"How can he stop me? I'm going to Xindi, do you think he can stop me?" As soon as Li Banfeng stood up, he felt dizzy.

Ma Wu helped Li Banfeng up and said, "It is said that Xia Shumin brought a lot of experts with him. Let's wait for news first. Now is not the time to confront them head-on, otherwise it would be tantamount to admitting that the Red Lotus matter is related to us."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "Even if we don't admit it, this bastard will still find his way to me."

Ma Wu said, "Why don't we try to hide for a while? If that doesn't work, we can force our way into the new territory."

Li Banfeng had no way to hide.

He was just saying that in anger. He cannot leave Ye Song Bridge until his soul is stable.

In the Chu family mansion in Green Water City, Chu Er was sorting out accounts until late at night. The butler, Yang Yanzheng, had prepared a late-night snack, but Chu Er swallowed hard, shook his head, and said, "I'm not eating. You guys eat."

Bitter Granny had instructed that even after leaving Bitter Vegetable Manor, one should not be too indulgent, and one should not slack off on cultivation for a moment.

Chu Er took a sip of cold water and realized that there was still one debt from his business dealings with Li Qi that he hadn't collected.

"When will we get this debt back? Do I have to go there myself?"

Yang Yanzheng nodded and said, "Yes, Miss. You instructed us before that this debt could not be collected and that we had to wait for you to collect it in person."

Chu Er was taken aback. "Did I say such a thing?"

Zhi Gua Wen Hongyan nodded in agreement. "You did say that. When Li Qi sent someone to deliver the money, you wouldn't let him accept it. You said that the account wasn't clear and you had to find Li Qi clarify it in person."

Chu Er looked at the account book and calmly nodded. "We need to clarify this face-to-face. Is Li Qi still at Ye Song Bridge?"

Wen Hongyan didn't answer, but looked at Yang Yanzheng.

Yang Yanzheng nodded and said, "He's still at Ye Song Bridge. I reckon he'll be back soon."

Chu Er thought for a moment and said, "This debt can't wait any longer. I'd better go to Ye Song Bridge to find him."

Yang Yanzheng quickly dissuaded her, saying, "Miss, there's no rush. The Bai Le Men has had a considerable income this month. Let me help you take stock."

Chu Er waved his hand and said, "I've settled the accounts with the Bai Le Men. Go buy me a train ticket; I'll go to Ye Song Bridge tomorrow."

Yang Yanzheng picked up another ledger. "Seven Autumn City has also seen a return on investment, let's do the math together."

"Don't worry about that little bit of money, hurry up and get the train tickets sorted out."

"Miss, let's discuss the business over at Yellow Earth Bridge again."

"What's going on?" Chu Er frowned. "Why do you keep interrupting me? Are you hiding something from me?"

Yang Yanzheng hesitated for a moment, then told the truth, "Miss, Ye Song Bridge has been sealed off by the Guanfang Hall. Trains have stopped, and no one is allowed to enter or leave."

Chu Er asked with a smile, "When did this happen?"

"It's been these past two days, supposedly because of Red Lotus."

Chu Er had also heard about Red Lotus's matter, mainly because Xia Shumin had made too much of a fuss.

"Didn't that guy surnamed Xia take Red Lotus to Outer State?"

Yang Yanzheng said, "Some news has come out from the Guanfang Hall that when the goods were inspected in Outer State, they were found to be missing. Xia Shumin lost face and led people back to search for them, starting from Ye Song Bridge. Now Ye Song Bridge has been sealed off."

"Is Liao Zihui just going to let Xia Shumin run wild like this?"

"Liao Zihui is still receiving treatment in Outer State. It is said that he was injured by Red Lotus. Now the entire Guanfang Hall is under the command of Xia Shumin."

Chu Er didn't quite understand. "Xia Shumin lost Red Lotus, how can he still be in charge of the Guanfang Hall?"

Yang Yanzheng sighed, "This Xia Shumin has a complicated background, and this matter is probably not insignificant."

Chu Er was silent for a moment, then asked, "Will this matter implicate Li Qi?"

Wen Hongyan said, "Li Qi went to Ye Song Bridge to do business, and coincidentally, so many things happened in Ye Song Bridge. If you say that he has nothing to do with it, I'm afraid no one will believe it."

Yang Yanzheng quickly added, "Seventh Master is a smart man. He can definitely explain things that have nothing to do with him."

Chu Er shook his head and said, "If Xia Shumin has already implicated Li Qi, there's no point in talking to him anymore. Besides, Li Qi definitely won't want to talk to them. How many people did he bring with him when he went to Ye Song Bridge?"

Yang Yanzheng said, "As far as I know, he shouldn't have brought anyone with him. You know Li Qi's personality; he's used to being alone."

Where is Lu Chunying?

"Lu Chunying accompanied Xiao Yeci home to visit her family, and she brought a few trinkets with her."

"I heard that He Yuxiu went there too."

"He Yuxiu went to discuss business, not to fight, and she didn't bring many people with her."

Chu Er rubbed his forehead. "I have a feeling something big is going to happen this time. I need to go and check on Ye Song Bridge."

Wen Hongyan said, "How can we get there? Ye Song Bridge is completely blocked off."

"I have a plan," Chu Er said, standing up. "Go and gather the men."

Guanfang Hall, Xia Shumin questioned Zheng Siyi.

Xia Shumin has been here for so many days, and he questions Zheng Siyi every day. Zheng Siyi has gotten used to it.

"General Envoy Xia, you have reviewed all the handover documents. The theft of Red Lotus is indeed unrelated to our department."

Xia Shumin said, "Old Zheng, now is not the time to assign responsibility. I called you here today to confirm three things. First, what is the purpose of General Envoy Liao to Ye Song Bridge?"

"I wrote about General Envoy Liao to inspect our work in my report."

"If it's just a routine inspection, why bring combat personnel?"

"This was arranged by the General Envoy; I'm not aware of the specific reasons."

Xia Shumin then asked, "The second matter is that General Envoy Liao once fought against the Boundless Camp Chasing Light Group. What was the reason for that?"

"That wasn't a battle, it was a mediation." Liao Zihui had given instructions beforehand, and Zheng Siyi had also made preparations in advance. "The members of the Chasing Light Group had a conflict with two powerful figures in Pro State. General Envoy Liao a group to mediate and calmed things down."

"Which two powerful figures?"

"He Yuxiu and Li Qi, I don't need to introduce them, you should know them very well."

Xia Shumin nodded and said, "So this matter is related to Li Qi."

Zheng Siyi couldn't say it was no big deal, otherwise he would fall into the trap. His answer was, "I don't know what grudge Li Qi has with the Chasing Light Group. We just did our duty and didn't let the situation escalate further."

Xia Shumin frowned and said, "The Boundless Camp was almost completely wiped out. Isn't the situation serious enough?"

Zheng Siyi remained calm and said, "This was a last resort. There were no civilian casualties in this conflict, and our mediation efforts have been very successful."

Xia Shumin took a fountain pen, and the pen, imbued with a spirit, wrote down Zheng Siyi's words, word by word.

"The third thing is that after I left, you sent people to guard the place where the Red Lotus was obtained. As far as I know, one night, the person on duty did not go to the site."

Zheng Siyi was taken aback. "Is that so? I need to verify this carefully. If it is true, the staff on duty must be severely punished, and I also bear some responsibility."

No need to verify, Zheng Siyi knew this very well. That night, Li Qi wanted to go to the Local Earth God's residence to take a look, and it was Zheng Siyi who made it possible.

Clearly, Xia Shumin had found something to hold against him. "I heard that this matter is also related to Li Qi?"

Zheng Siyi said, "General Envoy Xia, why have you been asking about Li Qi all day?"

The staff member on duty left their post without authorization; this is my responsibility, and I will investigate the matter thoroughly.

"Ask Li Qi about this; I know nothing about him."

Xia Shumin nodded and said, "You're right, I should ask him. Old Zheng, during this time, I hope you and your men will stay in the Guanfang Hall. I don't want the news to leak out prematurely."

Back in his office, Zheng Siyi sat in his chair and stared blankly for a while.

He really wanted to send a message to Li Qi, but given the current situation at the Guanfang Hall, it would be difficult for him to even leave the house.

Li Qi was a smart man. He should have known that under these circumstances, he absolutely could not come to the Guanfang Hall. Once he fell into Xia Shumin's hands, he could be charged with any crime.

It was unthinkable and very difficult, so Xia Shumin put in a lot of effort this time.

After a few days of rest, Li Banfeng's mobility gradually recovered, but his combat strength had not yet returned. He could fight a small battle, and he could barely use the techniques of "Ride a Horse and Admire Flowers" and "Trample Ten Thousand Rivers," but he could not last more than twenty seconds before his stamina reached its limit.

Ma Wu went to the Guanfang Hall every day to negotiate, hoping that the Guanfang Hall could let them return to Green Water City first.

The Guanfang Hall did not refuse, only saying that the process was still underway and that Ma Wu should go back and wait for news.

At dusk, Ma Wu left the Guanfang Hall and chartered a ferry to return to his residence. The boat traveled for about ten minutes, but when it arrived, it did not dock. Instead, it continued downstream along the Qingtian River.

Ma Wu frowned and asked, "Where are you going?"

The Boat Boss replied, "I'm taking these passengers on their way."

Zuo Wugang stepped forward and pinned down the Boat Boss, while Zhen Jincheng kept an eye on the second boatman and the two boatmen. Cao Zhida grabbed the oar and rowed the small boat straight to the shore.

The Boat Boss remained calm. As the small boat approached the shore, it suddenly vanished, and several people fell into the water on the spot.

The Boat Boss and his crew jumped into the water and, relying on their swimming skills, trapped Cao Zhida, Zhen Jincheng, and others.

Zuo Wugang reacted quickly, grabbed Ma Wu, used the rocks at the bottom of the river to jump to the riverbank.

As soon as their feet touched the ground, dozens of people rushed up from the shore and surrounded Ma Wu and Zuo Wugang.

The leader, dressed in a vest and felt hat, looking like a laborer, smiled at Ma Wu and said, "Fifth Young Master, have we mistaken you for someone else?"

Ma Wu asked, "What advice do you gentlemen have for me?"

The man said, "We wouldn't call it instruction, but we'd like to curry favor with you and become friends with Fifth Master. There's a restaurant called Hundred Delicacies Restaurant just ahead. We've prepared a table of wine and would like to invite Fifth Young Master to have a drink. We wonder if Fifth Young Master would do us the honor of joining us?"

Ma Wu clasped his hands and said, "Thank you all for your kind words. However, I have important business to attend to today. Please allow me to visit you another day."

A cold laugh came from the other side, "Fifth Young Master, since you won't do us the honor, don't blame us for offending you!"

Without further ado, Zuo Wugang picked up a bamboo pole from the ground and started fighting.

Ma Wu used his techniques to disrupt the enemy's formation while simultaneously assisting Zuo Wugang in battle.

On the other side of the water, Zhen Jincheng, with all his might, capsized the Boat Boss. Upon seeing this, Cao Zhida shouted, "Hurry up and leave!"

Zhen Jincheng said, "Let's go together!"

Cao Zhida grabbed the second boatman and said, "Hurry up and go back to report!"

Zhen Jincheng climbed onto the riverbank, but instead of joining the battle on the shore, he ran straight towards Xiao Yeci's mansion.

Upon arriving at the house, Zhen Jincheng explained the situation. Li Banfeng wanted to investigate further, but He Yuxiu said, "Seventh Brother..."

"You're not fully recovered yet, so stay home. I'll go see who dares to cause trouble for Lao Wu."

Who could the other party be?

He's definitely not a river bandit, nor could he be a local gang. What kind of person is Ma Wu? He's just an ordinary person. Who would dare to offend him?

Could this be someone from the Guanfang Hall?

They want to use Ma Wu to lure Li Qi over there?

Li Banfeng instructed He Yuxiu: "Just save Ma Wu, don't get entangled in a prolonged battle with them."

He Yuxiu nodded and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

He Yuxiu had only been gone for about ten minutes Thread-Pulling Earring suddenly announced, "Master, there's movement!"

Li Banfeng followed the sound towards the door, just in time to run into the gatekeeper, who was running in in a panic. "It's terrible! The Guanfang Hall has sent men to surround our house!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuanxin scattered some bait in the yard, and swarms of insects came to his feet.

Li Banfeng listened to the commotion outside the door and figured there were more than 500 people outside.

Xiao Yeci remained relatively calm and asked in a low voice, "What are they trying to do?"

Li Banfeng turned around and said, "Yuanxin, take the mother and daughter back to their room. Don't come out until you hear from me."

Lu Yuanxin nodded and led Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying back to their room.

Before long, Xia Shumin entered the courtyard, surrounded by dozens of guards.

"Li Qi, we meet again." Xia Shumin looked at Li Banfeng with a gloomy expression.

Li Banfeng adjusted his hat brim, glanced at Xia Shumin, and politely asked, "What's your name again?"

Xia Shumin sneered, "You are truly arrogant. You still have the audacity to provoke me. I suspect that the theft of Red Lotus is related to you. Please come with us to the Guanfang Hall for investigation."

Li Banfeng calmly countered with a question, "What if I don't go?"

Xia Shumin ordered everyone to set up the Steam Machine Gun: "If you resist arrest, I will shoot you on the spot."

"You want to kill me too? Are you serious?" Li Banfeng lowered the brim of his hat.

P. S.: Ban Feng hasn't recovered yet, this battle is going to be tough!