Pro State's Way Out

Liao Zihui proposed to compensate for the loss of a Balance Person. Li Banfeng thought about it seriously for a long time and recommended a candidate, "I know someone named Dai Jingxuan. He is eloquent and would be very suitable to be Balance Person."

Liao Zihui: "What does this person do?"

Li Banfeng replied, "The storyteller under the overpass at Green Water City Station."

Liao Zihui blinked and said, "Brother Li, do you think just anyone can be the Balance Person?"

"Isn't that right?" Li Banfeng was also puzzled. "You're just asking me to compensate you with a Balance Person. I think this is quite a joke."

Liao Zihui shrugged. "It's my fault, I didn't explain things clearly."

After finishing his first cup of tea, Liao Zihui poured Li Banfeng a new one. "Brother Li, let me put it more bluntly. What I mean is, I want you to be the Balance Person."

Li Banfeng laughed, "That's even more ridiculous. Do you think I'm suitable to be Balance Person?"

"Suitable," Liao Zihui nodded. "The role of the Balance Person is to balance the relationships between the Outer State, the Inner State, and the Pro State. We have two principles for finding Balance Person."

First, the person must be a native Pro State resident; second, the person must have connections with Outer State and within the Inner State.

Li Banfeng still didn't understand. "You think I meet the requirements?"

Liao Zihui nodded and said, "I think you are very satisfied."

"Do you consider me a native Pro State resident?"

"At first, I really didn't think you were you," Liao Zihui told the truth. "I thought you were Li Banfeng."

Have you ever heard of Li Banfeng?

Li Banfeng thought carefully for a moment, "I think I saw it in the newspaper."

Liao Zihui nodded and said, "Yes, he was indeed in the newspapers. The He and Lu families had a conflict over the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus, and a man from Outer State Li Banfeng got involved."

At the time, the Lu Family was searching for Li Banfeng in Medicine King Gully and requested the cooperation of the Guanfang Hall, which we agreed to. Taking this opportunity, we also conducted a series of investigations into Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng was He Family He Jiaqing's college classmate. Initially, the clue we found was that Li Banfeng colluded with Lu Xiaolan to seize the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus, seriously injuring He Jiaqing. Later, Li Banfeng turned against Lu Xiaolan and kept the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus himself.

As the investigation deepened, we discovered that He Jiaqing's situation was not so simple. He didn't seem to be injured; he was the leader of a secret organization called the Hand and Foot Alliance. We suspected that Li Banfeng was a member of the Hand and Foot Alliance.

Regardless of which clue is more reliable, we firmly believe that the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus is in Li Banfeng's hands. We've compiled a timeline of his actions, and there's some overlap between Li Banfeng and the suddenly appearing powerful figure Li Qi. Therefore, I suspect you are Li Banfeng.

However, this conclusion was overturned when I discovered the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus at Ye Song Bridge. Li Banfeng did not possess the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus Mystic Life Crimson Lotus all; it was held by the Local Earth God of Ye Song Bridge.

Before coming to Pro State, Li Banfeng was a White Lamb. Without the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus, he couldn't have become a level five Dark Energy User. Therefore, the conclusion that Li Qi is Li Banfeng is invalid.

Recalling the previous investigation results, the conclusions reached by the investigators I sent out were consistent: Li Qi's original name was Song Zhuowen, and he was a native of Pro State.

At first I doubted that this conclusion was wrong, but now I realize that I was the one who was truly wrong.

"You are Song Zhuowen, a native of Pro State, and this conclusion is correct, isn't it?"

Li Qi picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp. "Accurate! General Envoy Liao is absolutely right!"

Liao Zihui said, "That's why I said you're suited to be Balance Person, and that conclusion isn't wrong, is it?"

"Wait a moment," Li Banfeng said. "You just said you had two conditions: one, you have to be a native Pro State resident; and two, you have to have connections with Outer State and within the Inner State. I don't think I meet that condition, do I?"

Liao Zihui gave a wry smile and said, "Brother Li, I came here with sincerity. I really want to resolve this matter, that's why I came to you. Can't you just tell me the truth?"

"You studied in Outer State, which means you have connections Outer State. I don't need to provide the relevant documents and evidence about your studies, do I?"

This was a fake identity that Ma Wu had made for Li Banfeng naturally knew this. "We don't need to bring the evidence from Outer State."

What about the situation in Inner State?

Liao Zihui said, "I admit that Brother Li handled the matter in Inner State very discreetly, but I still managed to find some clues."

Li Banfeng was very interested. He had indeed killed people from Inner State, which was the most direct connection between Li Banfeng and Inner State. Did Liao Zihui know about this?

"Please trouble General Envoy Liao to explain in detail."

Liao Zihui sighed, "At this point, you still won't tell me the truth, Brother Li, that's a bit unfair of you."

"Then let me make this clear. He Jiaqing has a nickname, 'Benefactor,' you should know that, right?"

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I really don't know."

Liao Zihui laughed and said, "Alright, I'll pretend you don't know. He Jiaqing used his status Benefactor to clash with the sage on Sage Peak. During the most intense phase of the conflict, you also got involved and had many open and covert struggles with the Ling brothers. You wouldn't deny that, would you?"

Li Banfeng frowned and said, "I'm really confused by this. You were talking about He Jiaqing before, but now you're bringing up the Ling brothers?"

Liao Zihui laughed and said, "Brother Li, you're not really confused, you're just pretending. The Ling brothers were key members of the Hand and Foot Alliance. They were under the command of He Jiaqing at the time. Sage Peak and Inner State have close ties. Your involvement in the struggle between He Jiaqing and Inner State is enough to prove that you have connections with Inner State. Am I right?"

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "That's far-fetched, General Envoy Liao. Your words are too far-fetched. My conflict with the Ling brothers stemmed from a dispute in the film industry. The Ling family used dirty tricks against me, so I certainly couldn't back down. What does that have to do with Inner State?"

Liao Zihui chuckled, "Fine, you still won't admit it. Let's put this matter aside for now and move on to the next thing. Chu Shaoqiang came to Pro State with a very clear purpose: he wants to seize a piece of Proper Land for Inner State."

Li Banfeng took a sip of tea and had to admit that Liao Zihui was no simple character; he had even found out Chu Shaoqiang's purpose.

Liao Zihui continued, "Back then, you were reclaiming land in a new area, and you managed to turn that new land into the Proper Land, which is now Seven Autumn City."

This was a golden opportunity for Chu Shaoqiang, so why didn't he make a move against Seven Autumn City?

There may be many objective reasons, but there's only one fundamental reason: you have dealings with Inner State, which prevents Chu Shaoqiang from taking action against you. You won't deny that anymore, will you?

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I definitely can't admit it! Chu Shaoqiang attacked me, and we almost fought to the death back then."

Liao Zihui laughed and said, "You're just talking nonsense. You and Chu Shaoqiang fought to the death, and Chu Huaiyuan was still wholeheartedly working for you, even going so far as to kill Xia Shumin for you? Do you think that's believable?"

Li Banfeng was speechless.

This really doesn't make sense.

But Chu Er doesn't act rationally!

How can Li Banfeng explain this?

Liao Zihui laughed and said, "What? You're not going to argue anymore? Let me tell you something else. Let's see how Brother Li explains the sudden appearance of Knife Ghost Ridge on Sage Peak. According to the information we've gathered, this was done by the Sage himself."

No one knows what happened, but all the DaoLao Ghost on Knife Ghost Ridge went out of control, and Sage Peak was destroyed.

The sage has vanished without a trace, and the entire Sage Peak and its surrounding area have become the habitat of the DaoLao Ghost.

The DaoLao Ghost) can be described as a deadly enemy of humanity; almost everyone in the area surrounding Sage Peak has perished.

I keep talking about the area around Sage Peak, which is a very tongue-twisting way of saying it. Actually, we all know that the place is called Bastard Slope (meaning "Bastard Slope"). If Jianrengang is in trouble, will anyone help them?

Logically, there shouldn't be any, because neither saints nor scoundrels are welcome in Pro State. But someone actually helped them. Guess who it was?

Li Banfeng chuckled and said, "You're not talking about me, are you?"

"If it wasn't you, then who could it be? More than 10,000 civilians from Bastard Slope were placed in Yellow Earth Bridge by you. Those people are irrefutable evidence. Only you helped Sage Peak because that place is still connected to Inner State. Is that the logic, Brother Li?"

You can't exactly say you saved those ten thousand-plus people because you pitied them, can you?

Li Banfeng blinked and said, "What if I said it was really because I pitied them?"

Liao Zihui laughed out loud, "You pity those bastards? Let alone Pro State, who in the whole world would believe that?"

There's no point in us arguing like this anymore; you're the best person to Balance Person.

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I'm not necessarily the best choice. Chu Shaoqiang is a native of Pro State."

He's clearly a much better fit for working for Inner State than I am now.

Liao Zihui stopped laughing, "Brother Li, there are some things you already know, do we really have to say them out loud?"

From a public standpoint, Chu Shaoqiang holds an official position in the Inner State; such a person is unsuitable to serve Balance Person.

Personally, I have a grudge against Chu Shaoqiang. Many people in Pro State still believe that I killed him back then. You should know how deep my hatred for him runs.

Under these circumstances, how could I possibly recommend him as the Balance Person? If he became the Balance Person, how could I possibly survive in Pro State?

Li Banfeng placed the teacup on the tea tray and said expressionlessly, "Whether you can make it or not, I haven't really thought about it, but let me make it clear to you, I don't want to be this Balance Person."

Liao Zihui nodded and said, "I understand. The Balance Person have to live in Outer State. No matter what conditions you are given in Outer State, they can't compare to the powerful Seventh Master in Pro State. But this is on the premise that the status quo can be maintained in Pro State."

Li Banfeng asked, "Why can't Pro State maintain the status quo?"

Liao Zihui said, "Xia Shumin's death is a big deal, but it can also be less so. Xia Shumin died accidentally during an important mission, which is a very reasonable explanation."

The murderer who killed the General Envoy has not taken any responsibility or made any statement regarding it. His future actions show no restraint and may even push the situation to an irreversible point. This situation cannot be reasonably explained.

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "If it can't be explained, then it won't be explained."

Liao Zihui's biggest worry was Li Banfeng's attitude. "Brother Li, if we really can't explain it, things might escalate into a war."

Li Banfeng calmly said, "If it escalates into war, then we'll fight. Some things can only be known after the battle."

Upon hearing this, Liao Zihui remained silent for a long time.

The water on the Tea Furnace boiled, and Li Banfeng poured Liao Zihui a cup of tea. "General Envoy Liao, why aren't you saying anything? Is your mouth dry?"

Liao Zihui picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Brother Li, I often remind myself of one thing: the people of Pro State don't know how powerful they are, so never let them know how powerful they are."

I know very well that someone will realize the strength of Pro State people, from the day I met you.

I suspected that person might be you.

Now I've realized, that person really is you.

Li Banfeng laughed and said, "So you want me to be the Balance Person?"

Liao Zihui shook his head and said, "It's not what I want, it's what the Outer State think. In their view, if you continue to stay in Pro State, Pro State will eventually get completely out of control. Only if you act Balance Person can this matter be calmed down."

"What good will it do if we don't quell the unrest? It'll just mean war, won't it?"

Liao Zihui sighed and said, "Brother, what kind of war do you imagine? Is it Outer State send troops and weapons by train, and then the fighting starts?"

"Isn't that right?"

"If we really fight like that, I can say without hesitation that, given Pro State's current situation, it's really hard to say who will win or lose, because most of the technology from Outer State is useless in Pro State."

But real wars aren't fought like that. Similar conflicts have occurred between Pro State and Outer State before, and the Outer State's approach was to simply withdraw their Guanfang Hall!

Li Banfeng laughed and said, "It's good that you've left. Did anyone beg you to stay?"

"It doesn't matter if the Guanfang Hall leaves, but the borders won't leave. These borders originally belonged to Pro State. Outer State have the means to control the borders, but Pro State does not. Once the Outer State leave, Pro State will be completely cut off, and communication between the various regions will be completely severed."

Li Banfeng frowned and said, "Weren't you the ones who lit up the boundary?"

Liao Zihui shook his head and said, "The border lines weren't lit up by the Outer State. All the border lines in Pro State were originally lit up. Some were turned off by the Guanfang Hall, and some couldn't even be turned off by the Guanfang Hall."

Just like the Cloud Water Road in Ye Song Bridge, there's a boundary line on that road. That boundary line is extinguished by the Guanfang Hall using special equipment, and it's only lit up when needed. When I was dealing with the Boundless Camp, I caught them off guard by lighting up the boundary line.

The locations of the Guanfang Hall were all quite unique; some were in the center of cities, some on the edge of towns, and some deep in the mountains and forests.

Some argue that such site selection is for strategic planning and long-term considerations, but that's nonsense. These sites are determined by boundary lines. The Guanfang Hall chooses locations within boundary perimeters to ensure its security.

These boundaries aren't particularly strong; the Guanfang Hall can control their opening and closing. However, boundaries between regions are extremely powerful and beyond the Guanfang Hall's control. They can only create small exits within these boundaries.

Once the Guanfang Hall leaves and removes all equipment, there will be no more exits between the borders of various parts of Pro State, and the various regions will be completely severed. Is this really what you want to see?

Li Banfeng twirled the teacup in his hand and said, "Are you planning to divide and conquer Pro State, and then defeat them one by one?"

Liao Zihui shook his head and said, "It might not be us, it could be Inner State."

It could also be Inner State!

This is the crux of the matter.

Liao Zihui said, "Pro State is sandwiched between Outer State and Inner State, which means that some things will be impossible to resolve. There is no boundary between the New Land and the Proper Land. The Local Earth God of the New Land are all appointed by the Inner State. You should consider the connection between these things."

The Inner State desperately wants Pro State to fall apart; defeating it piecemeal is their most common tactic.

Brother Li, I've told you a lot today, including many confidential things that I shouldn't have said.

The purpose of saying all this is to show my sincerity.

I've told you before that I want to stay in Pro State after I retire. This isn't just empty talk; it's my honest opinion.

You want things to be better for Pro State, and you certainly have the ability to do so. I see it very clearly: the major Lineage have stopped fighting, and Green Water City is doing very well now.

Seven Autumn City is doing very well too. The new land has just been transformed into Proper Land, and all kinds of businesses are thriving. Even the hopeless Yellow Earth Bridge has been saved by you.

It hasn't been easy to get this business to where it is today, brother. Are you really willing to just give up like this?

Li Banfeng did not respond. Liao Zihui sighed, "You may not believe what I'm saying, but you can go to Outer State and see for yourself whether I've lied to you."

To be honest with you, if you go to Outer State, you might be in danger, you might be monitored, and you might even risk your life.

But you might find more answers. Outer State have done extensive research on Pro State, and you might be able to find a way out for Pro State from that research. After all this, don't you believe me?

After a few minutes of silence, Li Banfeng looked up and said, "If I'm willing to act as Balance Person, things will settle down here; if I'm not willing to act as Balance Person, then war must begin immediately, is that what you mean?"

Liao Zihui nodded. "If you're unwilling to play the Balance Person, please let me know as soon as possible. I'll take action against the Chu family first, since Xia Shumin died at Chu Huaiyuan's hands."

This constitutes a declaration of war against Pro State. Next, the Guanfang Hall will target each major Lineage one by one. After a period of fighting, if resistance is encountered, the Guanfang Hall will activate all borders and then withdraw from Pro State.

This is the last thing I wanted to see, but it's not something I can control. That's all I have to say. I'll wait for your reply.

Liao Zihui left, Li Banfeng returned to Portable Abode.

"My dear Wife, if I were to travel to Outer State, would you come with me?"

The Portable Abode fell silent. The Wife asked, "Husband, why are we going to Outer State?"

Li Banfeng recounted the situation Liao Zihui had described. Changji sighed softly and said, "Little Slave has experienced life and death and has forgotten many things, but Liao Zihui did not lie about this matter. If all the people from Outer State leave, no one will be able to open the borders in various parts of Pro State."

Sickle spoke up, "So what if we can't open it? Anyway, Seventh Brother can open the boundary, and Grandpa can break through the boundary. We'll still live our lives as usual."

The Wine Gourd said, "I think the sickle girl makes a good point."

Dream Virtue nodded repeatedly at the wall. "I also think we shouldn't have gone to Outer State."

Knowing that Li Banfeng's thoughts were not so simple, the record player remained silent for a moment, then exhaled steam and sang slowly. "If I marry a chicken, I will follow the chicken; if I marry a dog, I will follow the dog. Now that I have married my Little Slave, I am his person. Wherever my Little Slave goes, I will follow."

Li Banfeng stepped forward, hugged the record player, and rubbed his face against the speaker for a long time.

The record player chuckled, "My dear husband, let's ask about our house first, see if he can go to Outer State."

This is the key issue: if he cannot go to Outer State to work as Portable Abode, Li Banfeng will never go to Outer State to work Balance Person.

Li Banfeng asked, "Old man, can you come with me to Outer State?"

Portable Abode Shenju said, "There's a boundary between Outer State and Pro State. I've forgotten exactly what kind of boundary it is, but I remember it's thinner than the boundary between Pro State and Inner State. I have eight railroad tracks now; I should be able to cross it. But if I can't—"

"Then none of us in the family will go to Outer State." Li Banfeng did not hesitate at all on this point.

The Wife said, "The most important thing now is my husband's cultivation. These past few days, I've seen that his soul has stabilized and his body has recovered quite a bit. Perhaps he has already reached the Cloud Above First Layer."

Li Banfeng asked, "Can this be verified?"

"Yes!" the record player said. "Just try it with the Local Earth Seal and you'll know. There must be human energy in Ye Song Bridge's Local Earth Seal. As long as you put the Local Earth Seal on your head, if you can sense the progress in your cultivation, you've reached the Cloud Above First Layer."

The next day, Li Banfeng went to Mount YeQing and found the two tree branches that Sun Tiecheng had stuck in the woods.

Sun Tiecheng insisted that the two tree branches were a magic array, and that no one else could see the two tree branches or the location where the contract was buried. He also repeatedly told Li Banfeng to remember the location of the tree branches so that he would not insert them incorrectly next time.

However, Li Banfeng could clearly see the two tree branches. Sun Tiecheng explained that this was because the wise eye of the foolish disciple had dug through the soil. Li Banfeng took out the Local Earth Seal, and the contract was under the Local Earth Seal. He warned not to dig too deep, or the contract would be in big trouble.

He placed the Local Earth Seal on his head, and the energy of the people on Ye Song Bridge flowed into his head.

I feel it!

I feel like my cultivation level has improved!

Li Banfeng's ability to attract popularity proves that he has officially reached Cloud Above First Layer!

This feeling made Li Banfeng both happy and excited, the only problem was that it was too short, lasting less than a minute in total.

The popularity of the Local Earth Seal quickly dissipated, and the sedan chair carriers had just collected popularity two months ago, so the stock in the Local Earth Seal was really limited.

After Local Earth Seal and rearranging the branches, Li Banfeng remembered another matter: could he retain the popularity of people in his territory?

Portable Abode, the Wife replied, "We can collect human energy, but the Local Earth Seal in the new place is special. It contains both human energy and cultivation. Human energy is nurtured by Strange Monsters, while cultivation is used to nurture Strange Monsters. Husband, please don't confuse the two."

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment and said, "If I put the Local Earth Seal stamp on my head, can I choose what to collect?"

"You can choose. The cultivation level in the new place is chaotic and disordered. You can simply use your mind to block him."

"Can I leave Ye Song Bridge now?"

"My lord has already reached the Cloud Above First Layer, so leaving the earthly realm is naturally no problem."

Li Banfeng used his Portable Abode to return directly to his own territory, entered the dwelling of the Local Earth God, and took out the Local Earth Seal.

The Local Earth Seal was pressed onto his head, and a rush of water instantly surged into his head.

This is very different from the feeling of popularity. Popularity is like clear water, almost without any impurities, but this torrent seems to be mixed with a lot of sand and mud.

Li Banfeng immediately used his mind to resist the rushing water. After a short while, the rushing Local Earth Seal, and the clear human energy slowly flowed down.

After the death of the Mountain Pulling Master, the vitality of the Local Earth Seal remained undiminished, although the vitality of the new land was far less than that of the Proper Land.

However, the number of viewers exceeded Li Banfeng's expectations, and it took a full five minutes to absorb all the viewers.

After removing the Local Earth Seal, Li Banfeng felt refreshed and had a lot more strength.

My cultivation level has indeed improved, but upon closer inspection, the extent of the improvement is quite limited.

If we consider the cultivation levels of the first and second levels as a whole, can the combined increase in popularity from both places reach one percent?

Obviously not.

Even on his deathbed, the Mountain Pulling Master was still Cloud Above First Layer. In order to improve his cultivation, the sedan chair carriers did not hesitate to kill all the high-level cultivators in the land. The path of cultivation in the clouds is truly not easy.

The cultivation levels within the Local Earth Seal should also be distributed. The Strange Monsters creatures guarding this territory should naturally reap some rewards.

Portable Abode, Sui Shenju used the Heaven Heart Stone to build a large station in Li Qi's territory, with a stop time of one hour.

Li Banfeng disguised himself with a projector, quickly walked around the area with the Local Earth Seal, and when he saw Strange Monsters, he first covered it with the stamp above his head.

The first Strange Monsters to be covered fell into a coma due to its excessive cultivation.

At first, I lacked experience, but after doing it dozens of times, my technique became more and more skillful, and my skill level became more and more evenly distributed.

All the Strange Monsters were covered, and some cultivation remained in the Local Earth Seal. Li Banfeng gave it to the Strange Monsters in his residence. These Strange Monsters had no eyes, and they diligently guarded the Local Earth God's residence. Earning this little bit of cultivation was their hope for survival.

Having basically dealt with matters within his own territory, Li Banfeng looked towards Bei Wushuang's territory.

Only Li Banfeng knows where Bei Wushuang's contract is buried, how to deal with this land, and how to make plans for the future.

Back at Ye Song Bridge, Li Banfeng went to the Guanfang Hall and found Liao Zihui.

"I can agree to things involving Balance Person, but three conditions must be met."

Liao Zihui nodded and said, "Reasonable conditions are all negotiable."

Li Banfeng produced Contract Paper: "I'm not in the mood for negotiation. If you agree, sign the contract; if not, the negotiations are over."

The first condition is that the Xia Shumin incident ends here, and all those involved bear no further responsibility; otherwise, it will be considered a declaration of war.

Liao Zihui nodded and said, "That's for sure. I will sign this contract."

"The second condition is to immediately restore traffic to the Ye Song Bridge. In the future, if you disrupt traffic again in Pro State, you must inform me in advance, otherwise it will be considered a declaration of war."

Liao Zihui hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "I agree."

"The third condition is that if you cease to serve as the General Envoy, the above two conditions will remain in effect; otherwise, it will be considered a declaration of war."

Liao Zihui said, "If I am no longer serving as the General Envoy, I will have the next General Envoy sign the same contract. Since the Contract Paper is in effect, my life is at stake here, and I will never go back on my word."

Li Banfeng handed the contract to Liao Zihui: "I've finished stating my terms."

Liao Zihui immediately pressed his bloody handprint. "Brother Li, we've finished discussing things in Pro State. Now it's time to talk about your situation. Aren't you worried about your safety once you're in Outer State?"

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I'm not worried. I remember that people from Outer State are quite kind, and I can get along well with them."

P. S.: Ban Feng is indeed an easy person to get along with.

In June, the performance of Lord of Pro continued to rise steadily, with the average number of subscriptions approaching 30,000, all thanks to the trust and support of our dear readers.

I really wanted to update more Salad, but I'm still not fully recovered from pneumonia and I'm really unable to do so. I apologize to all my readers once again.

July is almost here, and I earnestly request that you, my lords, reserve your precious monthly passes for the Lord of Pro. Salad sincerely thanks you all.