The One and Only Pro State

Boss Lu took Yu Yaoming to Lu Family Bookstore, a newly opened bookstore in Cloud Embroidery District of Yuezhou. The sign still reads "Lu Family Bookstore," and the layout of the store is similar to that of Pro State.

Yu Yaoming was placed in the warehouse on the second floor, where he ate a bowl of beef rice with gusto.

"Don't rush, there will be more after you finish eating." Boss Lu took a box of meat pies and placed it in front of Yu Yaoming.

Yu Yaoming tore off a pancake, ate it in two bites, and choked so badly that his eyes rolled back in his head.

Boss Lu brought over another bowl of mutton soup, smiling as he said, "Mutton soup and meat pies from the Thousand Delights Pavilion in Green Water City..."

Try it.

Yu Yaoming took a couple of sips of soup and then shoved the meat pie down his throat. "This pie is good, the soup is good too, it's really delicious. What kind of place is Green Water City?"

Boss Lu laughed, "You've never been to Pro State?"

Yu Yaoming shook his head. He had never even heard of it, let alone been there.

Boss Lu felt Yu Yaoming wasn't telling the truth, "You've never been to Pro State, so who did you learn these skills from?"

Yu Yaoming chuckled, "You mean the power of wisdom? That's something I acquired through my own research!"

"You can acquire it yourself?" Boss Lu smiled. "Have you ever been to a place similar to Pro State? Like, Pro State in a foreign country."

Yu Yaoming shook his head and said, "I don't even know which country Pro State is in."

"I'll take you to Pro State to have a look." Boss Lu got up, went to the warehouse door, took out a piece of white paper, picked up a brush, and wrote a document.

The main text of the document was written in small regular script, with very small characters. The title was written a little larger, and Yu Yaoming saw the two characters "pass".

In an instant, the document was completed, and Boss Lu suddenly had a huge seal in his hand, which he stamped on the document.

The size and material of this seal are quite unique.

The seal disappeared in the blink of an eye. Boss Lu took the document to the door and handed it out through the crack in the warehouse door. No one knows who took the paper.

A short while later, Boss Lu opened the warehouse door and led Yu Yaoming out of the warehouse.

The bookstore was still there outside, its layout almost identical to before. But once you stepped outside,

Yu Yaoming was dumbfounded.

The wide street in front of the bookstore is gone, replaced by a dirt road.

The flow of vehicles has disappeared, and only occasionally can one or two oxcarts be seen passing by.

Across the road are vast fields of farmland, and during the autumn harvest season, you can see many farmers working in the fields.

Yu Yaoming asked, "How did you move your bookstore from the city to the countryside? You used a wormhole, right? A wormhole connecting two different spaces!"

Boss Lu laughed and said, "You think it's just moving from the city to the countryside?"

Yu Yaoming indeed thought so. He was a farmer's son, and his hometown was in the countryside. These things were all familiar to him, even though people's clothing was slightly different.

Boss Lu said, "This is Peach Garden Town. Neither powerful families nor gangs can interfere here. It's the quietest and best place in the entire Pro State."

"We've arrived in Pro State?" Yu Yaoming still couldn't believe it.

Boss Lu closed the bookstore door. "I'll take you somewhere else."

He led Yu Yaoming around the third row of bookshelves, and they returned to the entrance of the bookstore.

When the bookstore door was opened again, the scene outside had changed once more.

The vast farmland has been transformed into a large area of two- or three-story buildings, with some taller buildings in the distance. Boss Lu pointed to a five-story building and said, "That's the Bai Le Men, the signboard of Pro State."

"Five stories, and you can use that as a signboard?" Yu Yaoming felt that this was a bit rude, so he quickly explained, "I was just curious, I didn't mean to offend you."

Boss Lu shook his head and laughed, "There are tall buildings too, called the Peace Mansion. People in Pro State have their own preferences, and we don't think the taller the building, the better."

Yu Yaoming thought he would go to the vicinity of the Bai Le Men. As soon as he stepped onto the road, he heard a crisp ringing sound, "Ding, ding!"

A Carriage Driver pulled his rickshaw past him, and Yu Yaoming exclaimed in astonishment, "In this day and age, there are still such means of transportation?"

Boss Lu didn't say much. Yu Yaoming observed for a moment and realized that there wasn't a single car on the road.

"How could there be such a backward state in the Huan Kingdom?" He didn't know whether he should use the word "backward".

Boss Lu spoke for him, "This is not the Huan Kingdom, nor can the term 'backward' be used to describe Pro State."

Here, some technological means are limited, so we can only develop our civilization through other channels.

"The channel you mentioned is—" Before he could finish speaking, Yu Yaoming saw a woman walk out of a teahouse next door.

The woman wore a light blue short-sleeved cheongsam with peony and cloud patterns. The silhouette was light and flowing, and the buttons, piping, and embroidery were all exquisitely made, showcasing both her graceful figure and dignified demeanor.

Her hairstyle was the most popular finger wave in Pro State, with waves running from left to right, perfectly complementing the woman's delicate features, making her look like a talented socialite who had stepped out of a movie.

"A talented socialite, that description really suits her." Yu Yaoming couldn't help but say what was on his mind, because he had never seen such an extraordinary woman before.

Boss Lu, standing nearby, asked, "Why do you think this person is talented?"

Yes, why?

Yu Yaoming didn't know this woman at all, so why did he conclude that she was talented?

It's that book.

She was holding a book in her hand, a hardcover book.

Yu Yaoming couldn't see the book title clearly, but she felt that the book was very fitting for her.

"Her intelligence and temperament are so perfectly matched; such a woman is destined to be full of talent." Yu Yaoming is a physics professor, but he is also a man, and he really couldn't help but take a few more glances at this beautiful woman.

The beautiful woman seemed to notice Yu Yaoming's gaze and smiled at him.

Yu Yaoming lowered his head in embarrassment.

Is she greeting me?

How could that be? She doesn't know me. I'm so plain-looking, how could he possibly be interested in me?

Perhaps it's because of her talent and learning; could she also see the intelligent quality in me?

Perhaps that really is true...

Yu Yaoming raised his head again, his eyes filled with confidence and expectation. He still believed in the power of wisdom.

He saw this talented socialite come to a steamed bun stall.

She ate six baskets of steamed buns in less than two minutes.

It's not xiaolongbao, it's dalongbao.

Yu Yaoming's mouth opened, and from that moment on, for the next ten minutes or so,

His mouth never closed again.

During this time, a dragonfly flew into Yu Yaoming's mouth, but his mouth remained open.

After finishing her meal, the socialite wiped the grease from her mouth and, with graceful steps, entered a nearby jewelry store.

Looking out the window of the jewelry store, the socialite snatched the book from her hand and smashed the glass of the shop window.

A burly man came to grab the socialite, but she snatched the book from her hand and knocked the man out of the door. The man's cheekbones were sunken, his face was deformed, and he lay flat on the ground, his life hanging in the balance.

The socialite pulled a burlap sack from her cheongsam, packed the jewelry from the display case into the sack, and carried the sack out of the jewelry store.

Six burly men chased after her from the jewelry store. The young woman snatched the book from her hand and started fighting with the six men.

Boss Lu sighed, "Using books as shields can block most weapon attacks."

Especially with books with hard covers like these, hitting someone on the head with just one corner could smash through the skull. Look, that man's brains are already spilling out.

Books can also be broken down into smaller parts; each page can be pulled out and used as a sharp weapon.

The paper was incredibly sharp; look, the man's throat was slit.

Poison could also be hidden within the pages of a book, used to ambush enemies as the book is opened and closed. Look at that man again; his eyes are bleeding—he's been poisoned.

See? This is the power of books, this is the power of wisdom!

As she spoke, the socialite had already knocked down the six burly men and continued running wildly down the street.

According to Yu Yaoming's observation, at least three of the six burly men were already dead.

A frail old man caught up with the socialite, holding Smoking Pipe in his hand. He took a deep drag and blew a cloud of smoke at her.

The socialite caught fire. She had the skills to protect herself, but she couldn't protect her clothes. Her cheongsam was burned to ashes.

The socialite didn't care much when her cheongsam burned, but she was heartbroken when her bag broke.

She was naked, picked up a few pieces of jewelry from the ground, and ran away.

The old man continued chasing, carrying his pipe.

Qin Xiaopang chased after them from the street corner, found out what was going on, and called a few people to surround the woman. Professor Yu Yaoming was also a ruthless person; he had killed someone at an academic conference!

But now, for some reason, he couldn't stop talking. He pointed at the robbed jewelry store and asked Boss Lu, "Mingming, ya ya, ya!"

Boss Lu nodded. "That's how it is in Pro State."

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear?"

"Don't worry, even if that woman is caught, she won't necessarily be beaten to death. She might be sent to a brothel to pay off her debts, or she might be taken in as a servant because of her skills."

"Oh dear, ha, ha, oh?"

"Pro State has no laws."

"Woo-ha, meow-ya-ya~"

Boss Lu sighed, "Because the Lord of Pro likes this Pro State."

"What's the name of Pro State in your area?" Li Banfeng asked, holding a notebook. He was interrogating Goncharova. In terms of legal channels, the Birch Hermit Association become the most important breakthrough in the investigation of Du Wenming, because the Dark Star Bureau had already arrested a high-ranking member.

Goncharova readily agreed, "In our country, there is a Land of Slumber that is somewhat similar to Pro State, and I grew up in that Land of Slumber."

"Did you also obtain your power from the Land of Slumber?"

Goncharova shook her head. "I don't know where the source of the power is. According to the Belobog people, the descendants of Chernobog all have lowly blood. It is a curse in our destiny."

Li Banfeng didn't understand. "What do you mean by Belobog and Chernobog?"

1

Goncharova spoke the Huan Kingdom poorly and struggled to express herself. Shen Jingye suggested that Li Banfeng could call a translator, but Li Banfeng refused.

Since the incident involving the Ninth Room, Li Banfeng has never easily trusted translators again; he would rather listen to Goncharova's description of her feet.

"Two groups of people live in the Land of Slumber. One group is the people of the god of light, Belobog."

Their lineage symbolizes happiness and goodness; the other group are descendants of the Dark God Chernobog —that is, us—and our lineage symbolizes disaster and disease.

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment and said, "The people of the God of Light are the Lavsha People, and the people of the God of Darkness are the natives of the Land of Slumber, is that what you mean?"

Goncharova nodded and said, "That's one way to understand it. All the people of Chernobog, from the day they learn to speak, must learn to repent—to repent for their bloodline."

After we turn ten, we must not only repent verbally, but also through our actions. We must follow our parents to the coldest, harshest places, to do the most arduous labor, until the day we die, only then can we atone for our sins.

The projector was in Li Banfeng's pocket, meticulously recording every word. He felt that this passage alone was enough to make a movie.

Li Banfeng asked, "Didn't you ever think about resisting?"

"Some people have thought about it, but most don't dare. The people of the God of Light, Belobog, have very powerful weapons, and they are very strong. They often fight naked in the snow during the cold winter, even fighting polar bears. We are all afraid of them."

We were a minority of rebels, but none of us succeeded. All rebels were executed in the most brutal way.

Did your resistance fail because of their strength?

"No, they are not powerful at all. We have imagined them to be too powerful," Goncharova said through gritted teeth. "Until one day, a war broke out in the Land of Slumber, and the true bloodline of the Dark God Chernobog came to fight. Only then did we realize that they were no match for us."

"What is the true Chernobog lineage?"

Goncharova shook her head and said, "I don't know how to describe them. I was very young when that war happened. I remember they were breathing black smoke and flames. Some looked like dragons and some looked like unknown monsters. In less than a month, the people of the God of Light Belobog, were defeated, and the Land of Slumber was occupied by those monsters."

The enormous creature spewing flames and black smoke sounded somewhat like the Centipede Workshop that Li Banfeng had encountered.

According to Li Banfeng's understanding, these monsters should be people from the Inner State, but he doesn't know if their Inner State is the same group of people as the Inner State that Pro State faces.

"And then what? How did the war end?"

"The people of Belobog gathered our people together to form a suicide squad. My father went into battle. The war lasted for two whole years. My people were almost wiped out, but the monsters retreated. They took half of the Land of Slumber and left the other half behind."

Li Banfeng asked, "You have your own home now?"

"No, the remaining half of the Land of Slumber still belongs to the race of the God of Light, Belobog."

?

"Don't you have your own army now?"

"That's not our army. They selected a few people from the army who had made meritorious contributions and were willing to submit to them, cleansed them of their sins, and made them members of the God of Light. They became accomplices of that group. These people treat us even more cruelly than that group."

Li Banfeng could imagine this.

"Didn't your father also participate in the war?"

"He died on the battlefield. My mother and I ultimately gained nothing. The only thing my father left me was his power. He passed on the method of acquiring power to my mother, who then taught it to me."

"What method is it?"

Goncharova didn't really want to talk about it, but looking at Li Qi's expressionless face, a chill ran down her spine, and she gave up the idea of hiding it.

"Deep in the Land of Slumber, there is a flower that looks like a wind chime. This flower blooms only once a year, and its blooming period lasts only one night. On the night it blooms, prepare the fish of the White Eye Fish and the blood of the Unicorn Deer, first sing a song to bless the God of Music, and then eat ten Wind Chime Flower to gain the power of the God of Music."

"Why didn't your father tell you about this method sooner?"

"Because this method is very dangerous. My mother told me that many people who ate Wind Chime Flower died, and only a very few survived."

But my teacher told me that I needed to be strong enough to break free of the chains, so I decided to take the risk and try.

Who is your teacher?

"Miglov, the head of the Birch Hermit Association, risked his life to bring us, a group of people blessed by the gods, out of our Land of Slumber and gave us hope. He wanted to give us a home that truly belonged to us."

Li Banfeng didn't quite understand what she meant. "If you want to build a home of your own, why do you have to leave your home?"

Goncharova explained, "The Land of Slumber does not belong to us; we must find a better home."

"Have you found it?"

"Found it! It's in Pro State! The environment there is similar to the Land of Slumber, but it's not enslaved by the outside world. One day, it will become our land!"

Goncharova was very excited when she spoke, but she regretted it afterward.

She remembered something; from what she knew, Li Qi seemed to be from Pro State. Li Banfeng smiled and said, "It's alright, ma'am. Continue. Besides Pro State, you can't find anywhere else?"

Seeing Li Banfeng's genuine smile, Goncharova truly believed that Li Banfeng had left Pro State and didn't have much affection for Pro State.

Little did she know that Li Banfeng's last shred of sympathy for her had vanished.

Goncharova said, "There is no better place Pro State. Other countries, such as Amikan Country, Ingrid, and Au Tui Li Country, also have similar places of Land of Slumber. Their living conditions are slightly better than ours, but the essence remains the same."

Only Pro State is an exception, but the president also reminded us that the reason Pro State is so special is because the people of Pro State are more robust than people from other places. They also experienced the war against the Dark God and won the war. Conquering the powerful Pro State would be an extremely difficult task.

Did Pro State ever wage war against the Dark God?

It seems that the dark god Goncharova was referring to was the Inner State.

Did Pro State ever beat Inner State?

When did the war between Pro State and the Dark God begin?

Goncharova said, "I don't know. Pro State has no history. What the chairman heard was just hearsay, but it shouldn't be too long ago. Maybe twenty or thirty years, or maybe even longer."

Shen Jingye reminded Li Qi from the side, "Don't forget the important matter, ask about Du Wenming."

The investigation into Du Wenming's case must begin with their higher-ups.

According to Goncharova's confession, Li Banfeng obtained the list of six elders of the Birch Hermit Association and also learned the identities of the three leaders of Snowflake Port.

It was common knowledge that the First Boss was Peddler.

The Second Boss was Master Kong Fang, the Peddler's personal disciple. Goncharova knew nothing about his Daoist sect, cultivation level, or abilities.

The Third Boss is Du Wenming, nicknamed "Silver Dollar Walker" in Snowflake Port, and is also the Peddler's personal disciple.

Du Wenming is Dance Cultivator, so is the Peddler also Dance Cultivator?

He held Pellet Drum, shaking it and jumping around—

It's not that it's impossible.

Li Banfeng asked Goncharova, "Have you ever seen Peddler?"

"Never," Goncharova shook her head. "I've been to Pro State several times, each time looking for the Peddler, but I've never met him."

Have you ever met Master Kong Fang?

"No, the highest-ranking person I know in Snowflake Port is Du Wenming."

"Is your collaboration with Snowflake Port simply because you're short of money?"

"Yes, our research requires substantial funding, and Snowflake Port is willing to provide it, but only on the condition that we share our technology with Snowflake Port."

"What kind of technology?"

Goncharova shook her head and said, "I don't know. In the Secret Order, apart from the headmaster, no one knows what this secret technology is. We only know that it is the key to conquering Pro State."

The key to conquering Pro State!

Miglov has a set of photographs showing the derivation process for studying the nature of boundaries.

Based on this, it can be inferred that the Secret Order's research focused on methods for controlling boundaries, which they intended to use to control Pro State.

Of course, this is not limited to theoretical research. Li Banfeng also saw a rough design drawing in the photo, which was a device or building used to break the boundary.

This series of studies required a lot of funding, so much so that it bankrupted both Snowflake Port and the Birch Hermitage.

Du Wenming also seemed to have lost patience with the Hermitage. He kidnapped Yu Yaoming, most likely because he coveted his research findings.

Of course, Yu Yaoming's expenses were also considerable, requiring the use of expensive Heaven Heart Stone and the purchase of a large amount of expensive equipment.

Fortunately, neither the Heaven Heart Stone nor the equipment was wasted; Li Banfeng had taken good care of them.

Between Yu Yaoming and the Birch Gang, which one found the right answer?

Regardless of who he was, Li Banfeng could feel that he was getting closer and closer to the correct answer.

I wish I could do an experiment.

Boss Lu led Yu Yaoming to the edge of Green Water Bay: "Not far ahead is Ma Bamboo Village Ma Bamboo Village, which belongs to Medicine King Gully."

Yu Yaoming thought he would see something new in Ma Bamboo Village, so without thinking, he walked straight ahead.

Boss Lu stopped him abruptly, pointed ahead and said, "There's a boundary line there. If you walk across like that, you're just throwing your life away."

Yu Yaoming looked closely and indeed there was a line on the barren mountain where not a blade of grass grew.

Boss Lu picked up a pebble and threw it over.

The pebble turned into dust the instant it crossed the boundary line.

"This is the boundary," Boss Lu said, dusting off his hands. "Do you see its power?"

Yu Yaoming wasn't too surprised. "I've had that feeling before, the feeling of turning to ashes."

Boss Lu shook his head and said, "I don't want you to turn to ashes, I want you to find a way to cross the boundary."

Yu Yaoming pondered for a moment and said, "You already have a method; your bookstore already has the ability to cross boundaries."

"It's not relying on my bookstore, it's a real passage, the wormhole you mentioned," Boss Lu said, pulling out a blueprint. "This is the laboratory I've chosen for you. Take a look and see if you're satisfied."

Tell me what experimental equipment you need, and I can send it to you in a short time. I will give you plenty of help; I am definitely more reliable than Du Wenming.

Yu Yaoming pondered for a moment, "I have known Du Wenming for quite some time. He has given me a lot of help, which has enabled me to achieve the research results I have today."

Boss Lu smiled and said, "We haven't known each other for very long, but Du Wenming is finished. In Outer State words, he's completely out of luck. Now, the only one who can help you is me."

Du Wenming caught two fish in the fishpond and grilled them over a fire.

He is now penniless and has nowhere to go; he has nothing left but these fish.

With his cultivation level, making some money shouldn't be difficult for him, but many people are looking for him now, so he should be prepared to be arrested if he shows his face.

If one day all the fish in the pond are eaten, where will they go?

All the fish have been eaten.

Du Wenming laughed. He suddenly realized how absurd his thoughts were, how absurd everything was before him, and how he had ended up in this situation in just a few days.

Who caused this? Where did I go wrong? Du Wenming rubbed his temples.

As I was processing what had happened during this period, I heard a crisp, pleasant collision sound.

Splash~

It's Copper Coin!

Du Wenming immediately stood up and bowed deeply. "Senior Brother!"

A Copper Coin landed in Du Wenming's hand, and a man's voice came from the darkness. "Silver Coin Walker, you don't have a single silver coin on you, you're really in a sorry state."

Du Wenming lowered his head and said, "I am incompetent and have disgraced Puzi."

The voice came from Master Kong Fang, the Second Boss of Snowflake Port.

"Let's not talk about Puzi outside. I'm here to see you because of our brotherhood. Feng Chongli is coming to Yuezhou in a couple of days to do business. He'll be accompanied by a few followers. You can blend in with them and go back to Pro State with him. We'll do something big together."

Du Wenming gave a bitter smile, "With things turned out this way in Yuezhou, what can we do after we go back? What could be more important than the boundary?"

Master Kong Fang said, "We have found the whereabouts of Mystic Life Crimson Lotus in Pu Zi Li. This matter is just as important as the boundary line."

"Isn't the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus in Li Qi's hands? Is there even a need to investigate this?"

"We might have made some mistakes before. Red Lotus might not be in Li Qi's hands. Do you know Sun Tiecheng?"

Du Wenming thought for a moment, "I've seen it in some documents."

"Sun Tiecheng was once the Fool's City, who struck fear into the hearts of the entire Pro State. It is said that he not only took the Red Lotus, but also the Iron Tendon Bamboo- Iron Tendon Bamboo, which is the main ingredient for refining Entry Medicine Powder."

Du Wenming looked up and said, "Is this an attempt to seize the position of the First Boss?"

"Yes!" Master Kong Fang sneered, "No matter how ruthless Sun Tiecheng is, for the sake of our First Boss, we certainly can't let him off!"