The Road to Fool's City

Li Banfeng officially became a beginner cultivator in the Mad Cultivation sect, and now he runs a business with four doors open.

To be honest, he was unsure of himself. He had never heard of anyone possessing four cultivation levels. If one of them were to backfire, Li Banfeng didn't know how to deal with it.

"Sister, to tell you the truth, I still have a lot of Daoist magic on me. If I had known that we would have to apply medicine powder to our Daoist magic, I would definitely have thought it through carefully. The backlash of cultivation is not a good thing to deal with."

A-Yi asked, "You're three or four layers above the clouds, right? Once you reach that level, you don't need to worry."

Li Banfeng was quite pleasantly surprised. "At this level, there won't be any backlash?"

A-Yi smiled and said, "Brother, don't worry, there will definitely be a backlash."

"Sister, I'm not hoping for a backlash—"

"Don't worry, our Daoist sect is very gentle. The cultivators in the clouds are tough. Even if they suffer a backlash, they won't lose their lives."

"This door is gentle?" Li Banfeng gave a wry smile. "Will the backlash result in madness?"

"Going mad is a good thing! The madder we are, the higher our cultivation level will be, so there's nothing to worry about regarding backlash."

Brother, we don't need to worry about anything that happens in the future. The key to our Daoist tradition is: never hold back on things you don't want to do, and never wait to do things you want to do. If you learn these two sentences, you can solidify the foundation of Daoism.

"Just these two sentences?"

"Don't underestimate these two sentences. There may not be a single person in our Daoist sect who has truly understood them."

"Not a single one?" Li Banfeng looked at A-Yi.

A-Yi nodded seriously. "Even counting me, the Dao Gate Ancestor, there isn't a single one. You don't know the difficulties here because you don't understand the profound meaning of these two sentences."

We were originally going to let you stay in the village for ten or eight years, but you insisted on leaving. Now you only have three days.

Even if you are talented, it's impossible to know to what extent you can comprehend it in these three days.

This is your own decision. I never worry about other people's affairs. How you cultivate yourself in the future is up to your own destiny.

The next morning, Li Banfeng followed A-Yi to Gourd Belly.

Inside the Gourd Belly lived the person who had signed the contract.

These people lived in three villages, the first of which was called Unenlightened Village.

Upon entering Unenlightened Village, Li Banfeng saw a young woman, around twenty years old, sitting at the doorway of a house, wiping away tears.

A-Yi introduced the girl to Li Banfeng.

Her name is Ami. She lives in the countryside. Her father went to work in the city, earned money, and then found another woman to live with.

After receiving the news, her mother remarried, leaving her and her younger brother with their elderly grandfather.

Grandpa went out to gamble and got his leg broken. He can't get out of bed and needs a lot of medical expenses.

My younger brother got into a fight and was sentenced to three years in prison. He's still not out, and our family is facing a large sum of compensation.

She had to shoulder all of this alone. She worked three jobs and used all her earnings to pay off her debts. She couldn't even bear to buy a new dress that cost twenty yuan, but no matter how much she saved, she couldn't plug such a huge hole.

A friend introduced her to a job that paid well, and just as she was about to decide to take it, A-Yun led her to Gourd Village.

She was fortunate to have a place where she could escape everything outside.

I stayed in Gourd Waist for half a month, and it was time to decide whether to stay or leave.

According to the rules of Gourd Village, she had two choices: either stay in Gourd Village to cultivate herself properly, or leave Gourd Village and never return.

Ami chose to stay. She really didn't want to go back to that kind of life, but after living here for more than a year, she would shed tears at least once a day.

She couldn't let go of either her grandfather or her younger brother.

Upon seeing the Village Chief arrive, Ami quickly wiped away her tears, lowered her head, and stood at the door.

A-Yi, with a stern face, scolded Ami: "You good-for-nothing, all you do is cry all day. At this rate, how can you expect to get a harvest?"

Ami dared not speak, and a shadow emerged from behind Li Banfeng.

He struggled to retract his shadow and sincerely asked A-Yi, "What does her crying have to do with the harvest?"

A-Yi glared at Li Banfeng: "Isn't it obvious? She cries like this every day, her tears must be flowing into the fields."

Li Banfeng still didn't understand. "What does it matter if tears fall into the field and what about the harvest?"

"This is a huge problem! Tears are all salt water. If you water the land with salt water, how can the crops grow? Look at Gourd Head's field, it yields a bountiful harvest all year round. And look at hers, how much grain can she harvest in a year?"

This doesn't make sense, does it?

"How much grain you harvest in a year depends on your Farming Cultivator methods, right?"

A-Yi shook her head and said, "There's no such thing as Farming Cultivator; there's only mad cultivation."

"Can excessive repairs really determine crop growth?"

"Of course you can. This is one of the three great techniques of our Daoist sect, called Five Grains Abundance. But brother, your cultivation is still shallow, and I'm afraid you can't learn this technique yet."

Crazy repairmanship employed many methods that Li Banfeng found hard to understand, but Ami was indeed going to go hungry. She worked very hard, but the harvest in the fields had been consistently poor, and the rice jar was almost empty.

"Anyway, she hasn't entered the Daoist sect, so I shouldn't bother with her. Let her cry here until she dies!" A-Yi turned and left.

The Village Chief's wife pushed her cart and took the opportunity to enter the yard, placing a bag of sweet potatoes against Ami's wall. Ami quickly waved her hand and said, "Uncle, please don't give me any more food, or the Village Chief will scold you again."

The Village Chief's wife smiled and said, "Child, keep it for yourself. The Village Chief scolded me because she loves me and doesn't want you to go hungry."

Before long, A-Mu returned with two loads of fish, leaving two for Ami and sending the rest to other families.

A-Yi grew angrier the more she looked. "The Unenlightened Village are the most useless. They all have to rely on others to support them. They can't even let go of their own worries. What kind of cultivation are they talking about? We shouldn't have left them in Gourd Village in the first place! Our Daoist sect can't tolerate such useless people!"

Li Banfeng thought that everyone who entered the Gourd Belly had entered a state of mad cultivation, but the truth was not so.

There are more than 500 villagers in Unenlightened Village. Some of them have just arrived in the village, while others have been there for more than ten years. None of them are qualified to receive the madman's powder because they have something on their minds and can't let go of it.

Walking along the village road in Unenlightened Village, Li Banfeng could always hear some crying. What color were these cries? Were they guilt or helplessness? Perhaps even the projector couldn't tell.

After the Village Chief walked away, Ami sat in the yard and secretly started crying again.

Li Banfeng suddenly appeared at the gate of the courtyard. Ami quickly got up and wiped away her tears.

She heard the Village Chief call this man "brother," and knew that this man was no ordinary person. But holding back her tears was not an easy task. Ami took a breath, her whole body trembling.

Li Banfeng asked, "Do you miss your brother and grandfather?"

Ami nodded.

"Were they doing well when you were around?"

Upon hearing this, Ami felt even more distressed. With tears in her eyes, she whispered, "This is bad."

Li Banfeng nodded and directly Reversing Cause and Effect: "It's because you're around them that they're not doing well."

Bei Ami was taken aback; Li Banfeng's words were somewhat infuriating.

Li Banfeng added, "Now that you're not by their side, they'll be fine."

Ami's face turned pale; these words made her even angrier.

She wanted to argue with Li Banfeng, but she was tongue-tied and didn't know what to say.

By the time she had figured out what to say, Li Banfeng was already far away.

Ami was so angry she wanted to cry, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't cry.

Why are you crying? Everyone else is doing just fine.

Ami filled a basin with water and washed her face. Her eyes were swollen and looked rather unsightly.

So what if it looks bad? If you eat someone else's sweet potato today and someone else's salted fish tomorrow, you'll end up begging for food. Why would you care about how bad it looks?

Ami felt increasingly uneasy. She remembered that the Village Chief had given her a box of powder last month, which she took out and applied to her face.

It seems like I applied too much powder; my face looks a bit too white.

White is fine, as long as it looks pleasing to the eye.

Ami carried a hoe and went to work in the fields.

Why would I put on powder while doing farm work? If others see me, won't they think I'm crazy?

Let him go crazy if he wants, as long as I feel at ease, that's all that matters!

The next day at dawn, Li Banfeng went to the second village— Enlightened Village, where two men were playing chess at the entrance.

A man who was not good at chess lost a game, but kept pestering his opponent to play another game.

The man opposite him laughed and said, "I'm not taking advantage of you. When I used to pester my dad to play chess, I was exactly the same as you were just now."

Do you still miss your dad?

"I think about him sometimes."

Do you want to see him?

"No, I will never see him again in this lifetime."

The two continued playing chess. There were more than two hundred villagers in Enlightened Village. These villagers originally came from Unenlightened Village. Because they had let go of their worries and gained some understanding, they obtained the medicinal powder and began their true cultivation. However, their levels of cultivation varied.

Everyone's level of cultivation can be judged by the crops in the fields. Some families have a lot of surplus, while others barely have enough to eat, but they don't need help from others.

Li Banfeng walked around the farmland, which confirmed a fact: the growth of the crops was indeed related to the cultivation level of the mad cultivator.

But there was one thing Li Banfeng hadn't figured out yet: in Enlightened Village, he only saw young people and middle-aged people, the oldest being around fifty years old; he didn't see any elderly people.

There are many elderly people in Unenlightened Village. Could it be that none of these elderly people have entered Enlightened Village?

Or perhaps, after those elderly people attained enlightenment, they became younger?

"Sister, does our Daoist sect have techniques for changing one's age?"

A-Yi smiled and said, "Our Daoist sect has all kinds of techniques."

Li Banfeng bowed deeply. "Sister, I want to learn this."

A-Yi's smile vanished, her expression turning very serious. "Brother, this is one of the three strongest techniques of our Daoist sect. Do you truly want to learn it?"

"I really want to learn!"

Have you let go of everything on your mind?

"I've let it all go."

"Brother, your cultivation is still too shallow; I'm afraid you won't be able to learn it!"

Are you using this excuse to brush me off again?

"Sister, teach me the basics first, and I'll practice slowly later," Li Banfeng insisted on learning.

A-Yi first taught Li Banfeng how to meditate. "I will now teach you the key points. Listen carefully. First, put everything in front of you aside, then unload all your worries from your heart. When your mind is clear and empty, perceive the passage of time. When your mind is clear, comprehend the vicissitudes of life."

Li Banfeng sat for more than an hour, allowing his thoughts to completely calm down. "Sister, I have let go of the trivial matters in my heart and come to understand the changes of time and vicissitudes."

"Good, I knew you had this aptitude! Our Daoist techniques demand extremely high levels of mental focus. Now, repeat after me loudly the name of the technique, Mad Cultivation Skill, I want to live forever!"

"I want—" Li Banfeng pondered for a moment, then turned to look at A-Yi, "Sister, did you just improvise this technique?"

"Nonsense! How could you possibly learn a technique with a mindset like yours?" A-Yi was furious. "I told you, this is one of the three major techniques of our Daoist school, and this is your attitude? You even said I made it up on the spot? I finished it last night!"

On the third day, Li Banfeng followed A-Yi to the third village, Thoroughly Enlightened Village.

There were fewer than a hundred villagers in the village, and they were holding a grand banquet. The young men had set up a wrestling ring and were wrestling on it, while the girls, wearing flower garlands, were dancing beside the ring.

Li Banfeng asked A-Yi, "What a wonderful day this is?"

A-Yun said mysteriously, "You absolutely mustn't tell anyone about this, A Chai's old sow gave birth, and she had twelve piglets in one litter!"

Li Banfeng asked in surprise, "Is this something to be so happy about?"

"Then tell me, what is there to be happy about?"

Li Banfeng scoffed, "There are plenty of happy things in life, what's a piglet compared to that?"

A-Yi smiled, put on the flower wreath, and danced with the girls.

Although I don't know her age, she looks as young as those girls.

Everyone in Thoroughly Enlightened Village is very young. Their cultivation has reached a certain level. After a while, they will leave the Gourd Belly and live in the Gourd Head.

Li Banfeng sat aside watching the commotion. He couldn't understand why so many people were celebrating over twelve piglets.

A-Yun was worried that Li Qi would be bored, so she brought a jar of wine, wanting to have a couple of drinks with Li Qi. She carried the jar for a long time, but couldn't find Li Qi anywhere.

Have you seen Li Qi?

A-Mu pointed to the table. "There it is. He's won six games in a row. He's really good."

Li Banfeng was wrestling on stage. He drank when he won and he drank when he lost. Li Banfeng didn't know how many rounds he had won, nor did he know how much alcohol he had drunk.

The next day at noon, Li Banfeng woke up, drank a bowl of rice wine to relieve his hangover, and then followed Li Banfeng A-Yi...

They went back to Gourd Head.

Today is the day he leaves the village, and Zhang Peiwen is leaving with him.

A-Yi allowed Zhang Peiwen to leave the village. "I'm a fair person. I made an exception for Li Qi this time, so I should make an exception for you too. You two can go now."

Li Banfeng was a beginner in the mad cultivation path. A-Yi trusted him and made no demands on him.

However, Zhang Peiwen is not a cultivator, so he must sign another contract guaranteeing that he will not reveal anything about Gourd Village after he leaves.

Li Banfeng asked A-Yi, "You trust him that much?"

A-Yi shook her head. "I don't trust him, but I trust my Contract Paper. If they break the contract..."

They will be severely punished; they will lose their lives before they can even reveal what happened in Gourd Village.

My Contract Paper can also help them avoid interrogation; even if they encounter Deshu, they won't get a single truth out of them.

No wonder the Dark Star Bureau interrogated many survivors before but couldn't get the truth out of them.

I've never heard of anything that could evade Dexiu's Contract Paper.

A-Yi explained, "This is one of the three major techniques of our Daoist school, called 'The Words Become Reality.' The key to this technique lies in..."

"Wait a minute, before there was 'Special Techniques to Kill Foolish Eggs,' 'Five Grains Abundance,' and 'I Want Immortality,' and now there's 'Words Become Reality.' These are the three major techniques, so why are there four?"

A-Yi counted on her fingers twice, then said solemnly, "This is one of the four great techniques of our Daoist school, 'The Words Become Reality'— "

Zhang Peiwen held the contract, still hesitating whether to sign it or not.

"They say that once you leave Gourd Village, you can never come back. Is that true?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "It's true. The Village Chief's word is law. Numbers above three might be uncertain."

Zhang Peiwen lowered his head and said, "It's better that we didn't come back. Who would want to come to a place like this? It's full of lunatics."

I think about going home every single day.

He said that, but he never signed his name on the contract.

Li Banfeng asked, "Could you tell me who that taxi driver was?"

"Him—..." Zhang Peiwen hesitated.

"Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for him. Tell me in the village that even if it's something that happens in the village, I will never mention it outside."

Logically, it made no problem, and Zhang Peiwen thought it made no problem either. He lowered his voice and said, "He was my high school classmate. I got into university, but he dropped out because of his family situation."

The month before last, he recognized me on the street. We chatted for a bit, and he knew that I was living a somewhat special life now.

We chatted for a few more minutes, and I got home about ten minutes late. My mom looked everywhere for me and almost called the police.

We never contacted each other again after that. Then one day, I was buying medicine for my mother and had just come out of the pharmacy when I ran into him on the street.

He stopped the car, rolled down the window, and said to me, "Look behind you, there's something good."

I looked behind me and saw two pretty girls.

I hesitated about whether to go, but he told me, "Go quickly, it's a good place, and once you go, don't come back."

What a clever taxi driver! He must have been to Gourd Village before.

Zhang Peiwen picked up the pen, his hand trembling slightly. "I don't know if this is a good place, but I have to go home."

Before he could put pen to paper, Li Banfeng took the contract away.

He took out another contract, the one that A-Yun had given him:

A migrant worker, surnamed Mou, voluntarily came to Gourd Village stayed there for half a month. He then decided on his own whereabouts. "I'll sign this and go to Gourd Waist to stay for half a month before making any decisions."

Zhang Peiwen's hands were trembling: "I can't—"

You can.

"My mother is sick and needs me to take care of her."

"She's not sick. The medicine she's taking isn't for treating any illness."

"She can't live without me."

"Don't worry, she'll live, because she doesn't want to die."

Zhang Peiwen, holding a pen, looked at Li Banfeng and asked, "Really?"

"Real."

After agonizing over the matter for more than ten days, Zhang Peiwen signed the contract, pressed his bloody handprint, and followed A-Yun to Gourd Waist.

A-Yi laughed, "This kid has been lying here and refusing to sign the contract. He just wants to stall for time. I don't know what the point of him dragging it out like this is."

Li Banfeng understands Zhang Peiwen's feelings. "He wants to find an excuse for himself, an excuse to stay here. He will say that it was not his decision, that he did not abandon his mother, but that he had no choice."

A-Yi sighed and said, "Look how much they love the village, and look at you, you have to be in such a hurry to leave."

"Sister, if you don't leave now, I won't want to leave." Li Banfeng stood on the 26th floor of the high-rise building, looking down at the entire village.

A-Yi took a jade pendant off her neck and put it on Li Banfeng's neck, smiling as she said, "I know you still have things to do outside, but please remember the way back."

"Sister, there's only one Gourd Village. How many roads lead into the village?" Li Banfeng hadn't forgotten the purpose of his visit.

A-Yi thought about it carefully, "I've lost count of how many roads have been built, maybe even more than the roads leading into Fool's City."

The previous prediction was correct; the situation in Gourd Village is indeed similar to that of Fool's City.

"Sister, did you build the roads in Fool's City?"

"It was me," A-Yi admitted. "I built many roads into Fool's City, but usually only one road is open. The others are closed. Sun Tiecheng decides which road is open."

A-Yi still recognizes Sun Tiecheng!

A-Yi and Fool's City have an intersection!

Thinking back to what Ninth Girl said earlier, Portable Abode didn't know the origins of Gourd Village, but Ninth Sister did.

Jiuer is Sun Tiecheng's daughter, which proves that Jiuer and A-Yi are also old acquaintances.

"In other words, the situation in Gourd Village is the same as in Fool's City. There are many roads, and it's up to you, sister, to decide which road is passable."

"It's different," A-Yi shook her head. "I made a key for Gourd Village. As long as you have the key, you can open the door to the village."

Li Banfeng touched the jade pendant on his chest. "Is this the key?"

A-Yi nodded. "I trust you, so I gave you the key."

"How do I use this key?"

"I'm afraid you can't put down what's on your mind, but if you can forget what's in front of you and want to come back and stay for a few days, this key can help you open the gate to the village."

Li Banfeng bowed deeply and asked, "Sister, you were able to build so many roads for Gourd Village. Did you use one of the five great techniques of our Daoist sect? I really want to learn that."

A-Yi shook her head. "This isn't a technique from our Daoist school; it's a craftsmanship technique. You can't learn it."

Of all the various schools of thought in the world, the mad and foolish cultivation methods are among the most unique. These schools can accommodate other schools, but other schools find it difficult to coexist with each other.

"From our previous encounter, I discovered you have a talent for Arrow Cultivator, but it's best if you don't pursue Arrow Cultivator as a secondary practice, nor should you pursue other Daoist sects. The barriers between Daoist sects are very strict, and the bitter consequences of backlash are difficult to bear. Brother, take care."

A-Yi led Li Banfeng away from Gourd Village. Reaching the end of the mountain path, A-Yi smiled sweetly and began to sing a folk song:

"Brother Lang~ the rhododendrons on the mountain are in bloom!"

Brother Lang, slow down! Pick another flower for your sister!

Standing on the petals, oh sister, I'm waiting for you to come back, brother, please come back soon, lest the flowers wither—

As A-Yi's singing faded into the distance, the surrounding scenery gradually faded as well. When A-Yi's singing completely disappeared, the scenery of Gourd Village also vanished.

Li Banfeng returned to the entrance of the movie theater. The road was still closed, and there were Dark Star Bureau agents monitoring the area nearby.

Before the detectives could notice, Li Banfeng left the street and returned to his residence. He rested for a while inside his Portable Abode quarters. Li Banfeng's understanding of the madman was still vague; A-Yi's condition was too abstract.

He couldn't tell which was the truth and which was madness.

Li Banfeng went to the Ninth Room: "Jiuer, you knew A-Yi before, didn't you?"

"Yes, she is my god-sister."

"What kind of person is she?"

"She's been crazy ever since I can remember. Back then, she always wanted to create her own Daoist sect. Once she had her own sect, she wanted to compete with Sun Tiecheng for the title of the Number One Sect Under Heaven. The two of them were always fighting."

"Isn't Sun Tiecheng your father?"

"Yes," Ninth Girl said, unwilling to mention her father, and continued talking about A-Yi, "After she was defeated by Sun Tiecheng, she left Pro State and built Gourd Village."

I stayed in Gourd Village for a while, but the people there were all too crazy. I couldn't stand it, so I moved out again.

Later, I heard from my mother that she ate the wrong thing during her pregnancy, which is why A-Yi was born mentally ill. "Wait a minute!" Li Banfeng interrupted Ninth Girl, "Your mother ate the wrong thing, so why did A-Yi become mentally ill?"

"Because she was born to my mother."

Li Banfeng gathered his thoughts and then asked, "Weren't you born of your mother too?"

"Yes!"

"You two were born of the same mother, so why is she your god-sister?"

Jiuer explained, "She said that we were very close and should become sworn sisters, so I became sworn sisters with her. She is the second sister and I am the third sister."

"Who is the eldest sister?"

"My mother."

Li Banfeng remained silent for a long time.

Jiuer added, "We wanted Sun Tiecheng to be the eldest brother, but he didn't agree."

Shadow stood up from beneath his feet and sat down next to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng sighed, "How did Brother Sun get through those years?"

Shadow sighed and looked at Li Banfeng, saying, "I always thought you were crazy, but actually you're a pretty good person."

After leaving the Ninth Room, Li Banfeng was somewhat disoriented. Hong Ying noticed his unsteady gait and went to support him, asking, "Seventh Son, are you injured?"

Portable Abode offered a few words of advice. "Seventh Brother, you can't judge things about crazy cultivators by common sense. Don't keep taking it to heart."

Sickle said, "You can't ignore it. Seventh Brother is now a mad cultivator, so you have to follow their rules."

The projector thought for a moment and said, "Seventh Director, if you achieve something in the field of mad repair, would you consider becoming sworn brothers with our wife?"

Hong Ying kicked the projector. "You idiot! Can't you speak properly?"

Li Banfeng gave a bitter smile, "What's the use of just being good with words? Things have already come to this—"

No amount of comforting could help. Li Banfeng went to Seven Autumn City in a daze. By the time he arrived at the laboratory, his Wife's experiment was almost a success.

"My dear husband, what's wrong with you? You seem so distracted."

"My Wife, I went to a strange place and met a strange person. She and her sister are sworn sisters, and her elder sister is her biological mother—"

Li Banfeng rambled on incoherently for a long time, and the record player hugged Li Banfeng tightly. "My husband, what happened? Don't worry, tell Little Slave slowly."

"My Wife, what will you do if I go mad one day?"

The record player chuckled, "So what if he's crazy? Even if he's crazy, Little Slave's still my crazy man, and I'll still love him just the same."

"My darling, suddenly you are before my eyes, I am breathless, I am moved by you, I hope you can notice, and give me a string of love in return —" The Wife sang the song "My Darling".

Li Banfeng lay in his Wife's arms, looking up at Wife, his face full of worry, which gradually dissipated.

"My lord, Little Slave promised to give you something wonderful, and it's almost finished." The Wife moved onto the puppet and pushed a piece of equipment towards her.

Li Banfeng looked at the device; its overall shape resembled a cannon.

"What's the use of this thing? It's not like Magnetic Vibration Cannon, is it?"

"It's different. This thing should be able to create a passage along the boundary, but whether it works or not is still hard to say."

PS: Among the Hundred Sects Under Heaven, what are the most unique types of sects?