Cloud Gate Technique

Li Banfeng returned to Carefree Dock, neither looking for Ma Wu nor Zhang Xiuling. He went back to his room, placed the Judge's Brush on the bed, put on a pillow, covered himself with a blanket, and asked softly, "A'Bi, this is the highest courtesy of Lazy Cultivator. Tell me again in detail how you left a part of yourself in heaven?"

Since learning that Judge's Brush was the Hundred Flowers God, Li Banfeng felt he had gained a new understanding of Pro State. "Didn't I already tell you?" Judge's Brush rolled over in the blanket and yawned.

Li Banfeng walked around to the front of the Judge's Brush's Pen: "What you're saying is too hard to understand. Splitting yourself in two, sending one half to heaven and leaving the other half on earth—what kind of logic is that?"

"That's all I remember." The Judge's Brush turned over again, continuing to face away from Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng got angry: "Either you tell me how to split in two, or you tell me how to ascend to heaven, otherwise you won't be sleeping tonight." "How to ascend to heaven... in my dreams." Judge's Brush sat up from the bed.

"Are you kidding me?" Li Banfeng prepared to pull back the covers.

"I remember now, it was in my dream!" The Judge's Brush's Pen's tone was very serious; he wasn't lying to Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng thought carefully for a long time, then asked, "Did you ascend to heaven using techniques?"

"Hmm! Half of it was separated in the dream."

"How can half be separated in a dream?" Li Banfeng was neither Dream Cultivator nor Lazy Cultivator, so he couldn't understand the concept. A'Bi rolled around on the bed, seemingly regaining some of his memories. "First, think about what the sky looks like."

"Okay!" Images of the sky and clouds flashed through Li Banfeng's mind. "And then?" "Dream."

"And then what?" "Make the dream come true."

"How can a dream come true?"

"I can't remember!" Judge's Brush crawled into bed and fell asleep.

If you can't remember, you just can't remember. In this situation, no one can make things difficult for the Judge's Brush.

Although the concept was incomplete, Li Banfeng was able to glean a considerable amount of information from the words spoken before and after the Judge's Brush. The key to leaving a portion of one's power in the heavens was to be there in person.

To perceive oneself as flying in the sky in a dream is an almost real feeling, something Dream Virtue might be able to achieve. Li Banfeng brought Dream Virtue out of the house. "I want to have a dream where I fly to the sky."

Dream Virtue patted his chest confidently. "That's easy!"

She led Li Banfeng into a dream, stepping on cloud-made steps, and ascended to the clouds step by step.

The clouds were composed of gas, giving them a somewhat solid texture, exactly like the clouds in Li Banfeng's imagination. The problem lay precisely in their identical appearance.

Li Banfeng sat on the cloud, looking at Dream Virtue: "This cloud is fake, isn't it?" Dream Virtue lowered his head slightly, somewhat embarrassed. "Master, this is a dream."

These words pulled Li Banfeng back to reality, and the immersive feeling he had experienced vanished completely. The Judge's Brush could ascend to the Cloud Top in dreams, but this method was apparently unsuitable for Dream Cultivator.

Because Dream Cultivator clearly distinguish between dreams and reality, like Dream Virtue, who knows she created the cloud, they cannot have an immersive experience. The Judge's Brush's Pen method is unsuitable for Dream Cultivator, and probably won't suit Li Banfeng either; he must find his own method.

What methods can achieve an immersive experience?

The Intent Travels a Thousand Mountains!

Li Banfeng sat on the bed, conjuring up images of the clouds in his mind.

The technique was not used smoothly because Li Banfeng had never actually been above the clouds. According to the key points of the Intent Travels a Thousand Mountains " technique, to construct a place that one has never been before, one needs to use the technique of "fake imitation".

When his cultivation was still at the ground level, Li Banfeng rarely used the "Intent Travels a Thousand Mountains" technique. He could only use the "Fake Moving" technique freely when he was in the clouds. To this day, Li Banfeng's understanding of the "Fake Moving" technique is still very vague.

Hong Ying had explained the key to the technique, which lay in imagination. This was a good opportunity to hone his skills. After much practice, Li Banfeng hadn't succeeded even once, and he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong.

Back at the Portable Abode, the Wife was still making ropes, but she was missing one more material: Water Snake Grass.

Water Snake Grass is a precious medicinal herb that cannot be found in Outer State and is extremely rare in Pro State. Li Banfeng's return to Green Water City this time is not only for the Hundred Flowers Gate, but also to investigate the market price of Water Snake Grass.

After spending some time being intimate with his Wife, Li Banfeng quickly went to ask Hong Ying, "What are the key points of the fake movement technique in the Intent Travels a Thousand Mountains '?" Hong Ying asked in surprise, "Don't you already know the key points? I've told you several times."

"Please say it again."

"Fake copying relies on imagination. The more vividly you imagine it, the more vividly you copy it. Just think about it repeatedly, and you'll get the hang of it, right?" Li Banfeng found Hong Ying's crude advice hard to accept.

It seems that Miss Ninth Room is also Travel Cultivator; we might as well ask her about this.

Li Banfeng entered the Ninth Room, where Red Lotus was seen leaping and tumbling, seemingly fighting with the Ninth Girl. Li Banfeng first calmed Red Lotus down, then asked the Ninth Girl for advice on the art of feigning movement.

Ninth Girl asked Li Banfeng, "Why are you learning the fake way of moving things? Isn't mastering the real way enough?"

"It's not enough," Li Banfeng said honestly. "I want to experience what it feels like to be above the clouds."

"Why are you experiencing this? Didn't you go to Green Water City to find Water Snake Grass?" Ninth Girl still didn't quite understand. This girl was good at everything, except she asked too many questions.

Red Lotus said from the side, "I know a little about the art of fake imitation. The most difficult part is that some things are hard to imagine." Li Banfeng nodded, "That imagining is really too difficult."

Red Lotus said, "If you agree to change my room, I can teach you some tricks."

"That's easy, I'll get you a different room right away," Li Banfeng, carrying Red Lotus to Eighth House. "Are you satisfied now?"

Red Lotus was fairly satisfied. She taught Li Banfeng the trick. "You may not have flown on a cloud, but you've at least seen clouds. Clouds come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. You need to know which cloud you want to go on."

Find a clear evening, pick a nice cloud for yourself, examine it carefully several times until you see it clearly, then use your "fake moving" technique to bring that cloud down—you'll surely achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"With my meticulous examination, is it still considered a mere imitation?"

"How can it not count? You've never been to the clouds, you can't just look at them and expect to be able to move them over. Isn't that just a fake move?" It sounds pretty simple.

Li Banfeng opened the window and looked carefully for a moment. It was dusk, the sky was clear, and there was only one cloud.

The cloud looked very ordinary and dull. Li Banfeng stared at it for a long time but couldn't see any changes. It was better that it didn't change; at least it would leave Li Banfeng with a fixed impression.

Li Banfeng closed his eyes, imagined the clouds above the clouds, focused his attention on one point, and felt the changes brought about by the technique.

Ma Wu was reading "The Jade Fragrance Records" in his room. He loved reading, especially books about Zhang Xiuling and Shen Rongqing. He was at a climax and was about to go to Zhang Xiuling's room to discuss the plot when a cleaning lady rushed over in a panic. "Fifth Master, there's a fire!"

"Where is the fire?"

"Seventh Master's house is on fire."

Ma Wu rushed into the corridor and saw smoke billowing from Li Qi's door. Seventh Brother wasn't home; how did the house catch fire?

Ma Wu asked the cleaner, "Did you bring your keys?"

"The room was cleaned today, and the key was given to Manager Zhang."

There was no time to look for Manager Zhang now. Ma Wu was about to kick down the door when Li Qi opened it and came out. His jacket was mostly burned, with flames still burning on the collar. "Seventh Brother, when did you get back? How did this place catch fire?"

Li Qi lit a cigarette by the flame on his collar, then blew it out. "I just got back, I was tired, so I lay down on the bed to smoke, and ended up setting the blanket on fire." The blanket burned, and the sheets and pillow burned too, but that's okay, as long as no one is hurt.

Ma Wu quickly had someone prepare another room for Li Banfeng, Li Qi refused to move, only changing the sheets and blankets. Standing by the window, he looked at the clouds outside; the heavy clouds were still hanging in the sky.

When I Intent Travels a Thousand Mountains, I was thinking about this cloud. What appeared before my eyes were clearly clouds and mist, so why did smoke and fire appear in the end?

Li Banfeng was so focused on using his technique that he didn't even notice the blanket was on fire. If the Judge's Brush hadn't woken him up and called out to Li Qi, he might have been burned beyond recognition.

Ma Wu recounted the situation when He Jiaqing arrived at Daoyaowu: "This kid is no simpleton. He stole a lot of the love threads that Miss Feng buried in the house. His cultivation level should no longer be on the ground."

"He's long gone from this place." Li Banfeng wasn't surprised by He Jiaqing's cultivation level; what truly puzzled Li Banfeng was He Jiaqing's purpose. As the two were talking, Zhang Xiuling entered the room and, without a word, knelt on the ground to kowtow to them.

"What's going on?" Li Qi frowned.

Ma Wu quickly helped Zhang Xiuling up: "Please don't do this, it's annoying for Seventh Brother!" "I don't know how to repay your kindness." The first talented woman was at a loss for words at this moment.

Ma Wu said, "I don't know how to repay you, so I'll just write an IOU first. I'm not joking with you, this is the rule among us brothers. Seventh Brother just got back, I'll go get him some food. You guys can chat here for a while."

Only Zhang Xiuling and Li Qi remained in the room. Zhang Xiuling recounted the whole story in detail. Before this incident, Zhang Xiuling and He Jiaqing had not had much contact, let alone any grudges. To this day, Zhang Xiuling still couldn't figure out what she had done to offend He Jiaqing.

After piecing together the events, Li Banfeng realized the only plausible reason was that He Jiaqing wanted to expand the He Family's influence. But why did he choose the Hundred Flowers Gate over someone else?

Li Banfeng asked Zhang Xiuling, "Do you want to take back the Hundred Flowers Gate?" Zhang Xiuling shook her head. "No."

"Is it that you really don't want to, or are you just too proud to admit it?"

"Seventh Master, I'm telling you the truth. Just because of those spineless cowards in the sect, I don't want to be the sect leader anymore." Judge's Brush's Pen said softly, "The Hundred Flowers Garden is a good place."

This garden is very important to the Judge's Brush.

Li Banfeng then asked Zhang Xiuling, "Do you want to take back Hundred Flowers Garden?"

Zhang Xiuling gave a bitter smile, "What's the use of taking the garden back now that the gate is gone?"

"After we get it back, we can write books in peace in the garden. There's no more beautiful mansion in the whole of Pro State than the Hundred Flowers Garden, right?" Zhang Xiuling really couldn't bear to part with the Hundred Flowers Garden, but she didn't dare to face He Jiaqing. After thinking for a moment, she decided to change the subject.

"I almost forgot, the twelfth volume of 'Jade Fragrance Records' is finished, but I haven't shown it to you yet." Zhang Xiuling handed the manuscript of "Jade Fragrance Records" to Li Banfeng.

As Li Banfeng read, he commented, "There's too much description of the environment, which makes it seem a bit contrived. These two people, having been separated for so long, won't be in the mood to decorate the room; they'll definitely be doing something important first."

Zhang Xiuling retorted, "This bedroom wasn't set up temporarily; the female lead has always kept the room very well-maintained."

"If things are well-maintained normally, and things are still good when you reunite, nothing will change. So why are you writing this? Isn't this chapter about the reunion?" Zhang Xiuling nodded. "That makes sense. I was being sentimental."

Ma Wu stood at the door, looking at Li Banfeng in surprise.

He had indeed heard a rumor that Li Banfeng had guided Zhang Xiuling in writing her book.

But Ma Wu never believed that anyone in Pro State was qualified to instruct Zhang Xiuling.

Seventh Brother was indeed giving Zhang Xiuling guidance. He wasn't just spouting empty rhetoric; he was genuinely instructing Zhang Xiuling on writing style and structure. "Sister Xiuling, are you afraid of Seventh Brother, so you listen to everything he says?" Ma Wu really couldn't understand the reason behind this.

Zhang Xiuling smiled and said, "Seventh Master's words make sense, so I will naturally listen to him."

"I don't believe it," Ma Wu shook his head repeatedly. "If we're talking about the principles of fists, Seventh Brother has explained it very clearly. But if we're talking about the principles of writing, is there anyone in Pro State who can explain it better than you?"

Zhang Xiuling shook her head. "No matter how eloquent the writing is, it cannot hide the affectation of something impure. I can learn true purity from Seventh Master."

Li Banfeng read through the twelfth volume of "Jade Fragrance Records" word by word.

By the time the latest chapter was written, Zhang Xiuling had already moved out of the Hundred Flowers Garden and into the outer residence, causing a significant drop in the overall quality of the story. After much deliberation, Li Banfeng offered his suggestion. "If you don't want the Hundred Flowers Gate anymore, then forget about it. Go find He Jiaqing and get the Hundred Flowers Garden back." Zhang Xiuling lowered her head, her face flushed, and whispered, "I dare not."

"I'll give you the guts. Several of He Jiaqing's businesses have been seized by the Guanfang Hall. Tomorrow, go and take over those businesses and have He Jiaqing exchange them for Hundred Flowers Garden. If he feels he's overpaid, tell him on the spot that the Guanfang Hall can seize a few more of his businesses, and then you can make another exchange with him."

Zhang Xiuling could hardly believe it.

She knew that Li Qi had close ties with the Guanfang Hall, and she also knew that Li Qi held a high position in the Outer State. But what kind of entity was the Guanfang Hall? All the people of Pro State had a consensus that the entire Pro State was under the control of the Guanfang Hall. How could the people of Pro State arbitrarily control the Guanfang Hall?

Li Qi didn't think there was anything special about it, "Zihui is a very loyal person, there's no need to take this small matter to heart."

The next day, Zhang Xiuling wanted to discuss taking over the business with Li Qi, but as soon as she arrived at Li Qi's door, she found smoke billowing around the door. "Fifth Master, something bad has happened! Seventh Master's house is on fire again."

"It's on fire again..." Ma Wu, still half asleep, stumbled to Li Qi's door and saw Li Qi wiping the soot off his face with a towel. "Is he smoking in bed again?"

"Hmm!" Li Banfeng couldn't give a reasonable explanation either. He really couldn't understand why he was thinking of clouds and mist, but what he brought was always smoke. This matter wasn't urgent; practicing once a day would be fine.

After confirming some information with Li Banfeng, Zhang Xiuling immediately took over the seized business and relayed the news to He Jiaqing. He Jiaqing didn't want to give up Hundred Flowers Garden, but it was useless to talk to Zhang Xiuling about it; He Jiaqing knew this was Li Qi's doing.

Going to Li Qi is useless. If he doesn't return Hundred Flowers Garden, he won't get his business back from Li Qi after it was seized. Is there any way to get around Li Qi?

He Jiaqing hosted a banquet at the Thousand Delights Pavilion and invited Liao Zihui to dinner.

Liao Zihui arrived as promised, and his manners were impeccable.

Moreover, Liao Zihui took great care of the young man, paying for the meal as soon as it began. He Jiaqing was embarrassed. "General Envoy Liao, I invited you to dinner, how could I let you spend the money?"

"It's not a big expense for a meal. I just gave a rough estimate. You can have the kitchen calculate it carefully later and make adjustments as needed." If He Jiaqing really accepted Liao Zihui's payment for the meal, he shouldn't expect Liao Zihui to do anything for him.

But if Thousand Delights Pavilion doesn't charge for the meal, Liao Zihui refuses to eat it.

With things having escalated to this point, He Jiaqing simply asked directly, "Isn't it inappropriate for Li Qi to shut down the He Family's business with just a word?"

Liao Zihui shook his head and said, "Young Master He, what makes you say that? Your business was shut down because you did business improperly. What does that have to do with Director Li?"

Director Li has made tremendous contributions to the peace cause in Pro State. As far as the Guanfang Hall is concerned, any unfounded accusations and slanders against Director Li are unacceptable."He Jiaqing frowned slightly: "This is the power of the Balance Person, isn't it?"

Liao Zihui nodded slightly. "Since you know that Li Qi is Balance Person, you should also know the responsibilities and mission of Balance Person. There are some things that cannot be done, and some things that cannot even be said."

Knowing that Liao Zihui was unwilling to do the work anyway, He Jiaqing stopped beating around the bush. "We can't even talk about it? Has Li Qi's status reached this level? Did he use the Balance Seal?"

Liao Zihui answered He Jiaqing's question seriously, "Balance Person in history have used the Balance Seal, but Li Qi is the only one who has never used it. The Balance Seal is not worth the effort, and Li Qi probably won't use it in the future."

He Jiaqing nodded. "No wonder you all say he is the best Balance Person, but if I were the Balance Person, I might be able to do better than him."

"Perhaps?" Liao Zihui shook his head. "It can't be 'perhaps.' What if you don't do well? What am I supposed to do? Kneel down and beg Li Qi to come back? Anyone can say nice things, but Li Qi has already accomplished several impressive things, and these were all major ones."

"Speaking of important matters, I've heard that some people are secretly researching how to manipulate boundaries. Are you aware of this?" He Jiaqing shook his head. "This has nothing to do with me."

"They know it has nothing to do with you," Liao Zihui laughed. "Now the whole of Pro State knows this has nothing to do with you. They all know that the He Family is doing everything he can to rebuild the family business. You made a really brilliant move."

I think this situation is good, and you should continue to maintain it. The borders of Pro State have always been managed by the local Guanfang Hall, and I believe Guanfang Hall doing a very good job in this regard. Under no circumstances do we want to see anyone arbitrarily interfering with the borders.

The two clinked glasses, having finished discussing the important matters, and could only chat about trivial family matters. They had a very pleasant meal together, and the next day, He Jiaqing returned Hundred Flowers Garden to Zhang Xiuling.

Duan Shuqun felt this was inappropriate. "The Hundred Flowers Garden is the face of the Hundred Flowers Gate. If we return the Hundred Flowers Garden, the Hundred Flowers Gate will probably have a hard time managing it."

"What else is there to manage?" He Jiaqing flipped through the Hundred Flowers Gate's account books and roster. "The Hundred Flowers Gate has such a great reputation, but it doesn't have any decent business or decent manpower. You're in charge of their business. Keep the ones that are usable for now, and sell the rest. As for the manpower, keep a few that are competent, and send the rest away."

Duan Shuqun then asked, "Hundred Flowers Gate has some mountainous land in the east of the city, which is not small. Whether to keep it or sell it is up to you to decide."

He Jiaqing genuinely didn't know anything about this land. Duan Shuqun drew a few lines on the map, and after He Jiaqing looked at it, he nodded repeatedly. "With this land, at least we didn't go back empty-handed. Let's find some people and build a villa here, even bigger than Hibiscus Studio!"

Duan Shuqun acted quickly, immediately gathering workers to begin work. In Pro State, as long as good workers were hired, construction progressed exceptionally fast; in less than a week, the villa was already taking shape. He Jiaqing personally went to the construction site to direct the project. Seeing their boss arrive, the workers worked even harder. One foreman shouted to a worker, "Hey you! Bring the blueprints over here so the boss can take a look!"

He Jiaqing was somewhat dissatisfied with the foreman's attitude. The worker had a name and was much older than the foreman. It was one thing if he didn't remember him, but what did it mean to call him "that guy"?

The worker, carrying a stack of blueprints, walked towards He Jiaqing. When he was less than ten meters away from He Jiaqing, he stopped, glanced at He Jiaqing, and then disappeared.

The foreman was terrified. "Uncle Qing, that worker has been working here for several days now. He seems like a very honest person. I don't know what's wrong with him..."

He Jiaqing was speechless for a long time. It was extremely rare for someone to escape so easily from his sight. He Jiaqing hadn't even caught a glimpse of the person as they left. Who could this person be?

He Jiaqing's first thought was Smiling Thousand Hands.

The two were so close just now that He Jiaqing was completely unprepared. If Smiling Thousand Hands had attacked directly, He Jiaqing might already be dead, or he might have become Smiling Thousand Hands's glove.

Why didn't the Smiling Thousand Hands make a move?

While He Jiaqing was still trying to figure out Smiling Thousand Hands's thoughts, he suddenly heard someone shouting in the distance, "Imported Soap, Snow Cream, matches, candles, shovels..."

He Jiaqing breathed a sigh of relief. No wonder Smiling Thousand Hands ran away; it turned out the Peddler had come. How did the Peddler end up in Green Water City this time?

In the past, the Peddler would go to Green Water Bay on certain days, but he rarely went into town. He usually hung out near the villages outside the town. He Jiaqing quickly ran up to Peddler, clasped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you, senior."

"Why thank me?" the Peddler waved his hand. "I'm just a general store owner. Just tell me what you want to buy." He Jiaqing bought quite a lot, almost emptying the cart, hoping to please the Peddler. The Peddler was indeed quite pleased. He looked around the construction site and asked, "So many houses, what are you planning to build?" He Jiaqing answered truthfully, "I want to build a mountain villa, even bigger than Hibiscus Studio."

"Good, that's ambitious," the Peddler said, pointing to a construction site ahead. "The foundation is so deep, you're going to build a building, right?" He Jiaqing nodded and said, "Yes, a building, a six-story building."

"Six stories! That's not short in Pro State!" The Peddler tidied his cart. "Once this building is finished, put up a notice downstairs saying that people going upstairs shouldn't keep staring at the ground. If they get dizzy, they might fall down."

Even if you don't feel dizzy, don't jump onto the ground yourself. You might be fine once or twice, but if you do it again, you'll definitely fall to your death. Do you understand?"He Jiaqing nodded repeatedly. He understood what the Peddler meant; it was a warning from the Peddler.

The Peddler told him not to always target land, or he might lose his life. As the Peddler pushed his cart away, He Jiaqing breathed a sigh of relief.

Smiling Thousand Hands will definitely not dare to come again in the short term, so I've saved my life.

But the Peddler's warning had to be heeded; his next target was originally Three Heroes Gate, but now he had to back down.

But Shen Jinzhong was unaware that He Jiaqing had stopped. He was currently at Carefree Dock, apologizing to Li Qi for Qin Tianjiu's matter. Li Banfeng was disgusted by Shen Jinzhong's attitude: "Little Fatty has been missing for over a month, why didn't you tell me sooner?" "I've been sending people to look for him. Ever since that incident, I've been especially worried about Little Fatty..."

Two of the three major gangs in Pro State were wiped out by He Jiaqing. How could Shen Jinzhong not be afraid? He explained carefully, word by word, afraid that he might say something wrong and offend Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng assigned Shen Jinzhong a task. "Go and find some medicinal herbs for me. Once you have all the herbs, this matter will be over."

He wrote a list of dozens of precious herbs, including Water Snake Grass.

After Shen Jinzhong looked at the list, he quickly ordered his men to search for the goods. He had only been gone a short while when the Peddler pushed his cart and came in through the window.

Li Banfeng sat on the edge of the bed, looked at the Peddler, then at the cart, and spotted a Feather Duster on the cart. He said to the Peddler, "I'll take this."

"What? You think I'm here to sell you something?"

"What are you saying? Haven't you ever sold to me before?"

The Peddler pulled the Feather Duster off his cart, looked at Li Banfeng, and said, "Didn't you just say you wanted this?"

Li Banfeng smiled calmly, "I have several Feather Duster at home, I just wanted to take a look."

The Peddler shoved Feather Duster into Li Banfeng's hand. "I'm giving this to you. Now I'm asking you something, and you have to tell me the truth!"

Li Banfeng said very sincerely, "When have I ever lied to you!"

The Peddler asked, "Have you practiced the Cloud Gate Technique?"

"What is the Cloud Gate Technique?"

"It's like opening a door in the clouds, allowing yourself to walk up into the clouds, and even storing things inside the clouds."

Li Banfeng thought for a moment and felt that the Peddler's description was not too far off, "I haven't even thought about going up to the clouds yet, let alone storing things."

What I want to do right now is to the Intent Travels a Thousand Mountains " to bring down the clouds. I'm still learning, and I haven't mastered it yet. We'll study it further when I have.

"Stop practicing," the Peddler shook his head repeatedly.

"Why?" Li Banfeng felt that he had made great progress in the past few days.

"You still ask why?" the Peddler snapped. "There's a cloud around here that belongs to me. I built a house on it, and my lover lives in it."

Every day you go up to the clouds, set fire to my house, and then run away. Why do you say that?