The Debt Had to Be Paid

As night fell and the False Moon rose, Li Fan had already arrived near East River Dao, with Ink Bamboo Mountain almost within reach.

But he was delayed again by a side quest.

Because he had been ambushed earlier, Li Fan was worried about being followed, so he used his Gu Guan Method to patrol the Fourth Department while traveling. He also deliberately avoided towns and other places that might cause trouble to hide his whereabouts.

But as Li Fan traveled along the Li River, passing through the outskirts of East River Prefecture, he suddenly sensed multiple terrifying baleful auras! Yes! Demonic creatures! The strongest of them were even at the Nascent Soul Stage level! Each one was gathering immense baleful auras! And there wasn't just one, but a whole group of them! Appearing in the suburbs of East River Prefecture!

What a joke! East River Dao is already a major city adjacent to Ink Bamboo Mountain, yet so many magical beasts have appeared here! Surely it's not like Ink Bamboo Mountain disciples are cultivating under the Moon Worship in such a densely populated area, is it? Could it be that someone is plotting something again!

In addition, Li Fan remembered that East River Dao had always been the stronghold of the Imperial Censor faction and had always been at odds with Ink Bamboo Mountain. At this time, it was hard to say what kind of trouble someone might be causing!

Li Fan immediately turned east and flew off to investigate.

Then Li Fan arrived at a vast expanse of farmland. Looking up, he saw more than a dozen enormous black shadows, gathering malevolent energy, roaming the fields and ravaging the crops!

"What kind of monster are you! Daring to cause trouble under the jurisdiction of my Ink Bamboo Mountain! You're tired of living!"

Li Fan roared and flicked his sleeve, unleashing a large hand formed from malevolent energy. He punched a demon from afar, sending it sprawling backward and screaming in agony.

This punch dispersed the dense malevolent aura surrounding the demon, revealing its true form as a demon god.

It looks like... a pig?

With its blue-haired pig head, large ears, and sharp tusks, it was indeed a pig. It was probably a mutated version of the nearby pig demon Moon Worship. This one was a powerful demon beast at the Golden Core level, six feet long and four feet tall at the shoulder when standing. It had thick, tough skin and could even gather a large mass of malevolent energy to surround its body. It was surprisingly not shattered by Li Fan's casual punch. It was quite sturdy, though.

The surrounding demonic boars squealed and scattered, while the largest one, a giant beast three or four zhang tall, the leader of the Nascent Soul Stage level demonic boars, charged forward in fury! Its body exuded a terrifying aura! Its momentum was astonishing!

Li Fan sneered, "You beasts! You still dare to cause trouble! Fine! I'll kill you all and use you as snacks! The Great Fiend Sword—hmm, what a waste, capable of splitting the wind and obscuring the moon..."

"Hey!! Who are you! Why did you hurt my spirit pet!"

Unexpectedly, the Nascent Soul Stage level evil energy ball rushed towards them, but suddenly leaped up and rolled away, and a figure leaped out from the evil energy, rushing to protect the demonic boar that had been smashed to the ground.

Huh? It really is a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain!

Li Fan quickly withdrew his attack and took a closer look. He saw that it was a village girl wearing a bamboo hat, obscuring her face, dressed in a blue cloth skirt, and with a somewhat plump figure. She did not exude any demonic aura. Using his blind observation, he could tell that she was indeed a human, and her cultivation was only at the Golden Core stage. How could she have transformed into Nascent Soul Stage level demon beast just now...?

"Is it the <Ninety-Nine Tai Chi Transformations>? Which peak of Bamboo Mountain are you from?"

The village girl, realizing Li Fan had seen through her magical transformation, looked up at Li Fan attire, her anger undiminished. "You're from Lou Guan! Why did you attack my spirit pet!"

"Oh, these are spirit pets, not humans in disguise, that's good. It was all a misunderstanding... No! As a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain, how could you let the pigs out under the cover of darkness and steal the crops from the fields!" Li Fan frowned as he looked at the fields, a huge expanse of land was being ruined.

"Huh?! What kind of pig is this?! This is Dang Kang!"

Li Fan, "Dang Kang?"

Xuan Tian, "Dang Kang!"

"Dang Kang Dang Kang!"

So what exactly is Dang Kang?

Xuan Tian said, "' Dang Kang is like a pig, its name is self-evident; its appearance foretells a bountiful harvest.' This is a rare and auspicious beast; its appearance brings a bountiful harvest to the world. Strange, how could such a thing exist in Ink Bamboo Mountain..."

Auspicious beast? Bountiful harvest? Hiss... Could it be...?

Li Fan cautiously glanced over again and noticed that the pigs—cough, cough, Dang Kang —had indeed been rooting around and tilling the soil, eating the leftover straw and producing fertilizer. They were also absorbing the malevolent energy from the wheat field, which they felt had frightened Li Fan, causing them to run Fourth Department and trample a large patch of fertile land nearby...

"Who's stealing the crops! I'm here by the Lord's command to cleanse the barbarians Dang Kang forth a bountiful harvest! To break the curse of drought and flood that brings no harvest! What's wrong with eating some rotten ears of grain tainted by evil spirits! One year's harvest is enough, two years' harvest is sufficient, and three years' harvest will be plentiful, do you understand?!"

The village girl knelt beside the demonic pig Dang Kang to examine it, and saw a huge bump on the pig's head. She was heartbroken.

"Your head is swollen from being hit! I'm going to report you to the Discipline Institute!"

"Uh, firstly, it was a misunderstanding..." Li Fan broke out in a cold sweat. "Fellow Daoist, I'm new to the sect and just returned from my travels. I was unaware of this matter..."

"What kind of newcomer are you! You're already a True Person! Don't you know that all the grain in Li Country was produced by the harvest of Dang Kang Zuoren?"

The village girl was furious. Pointing at Li Fan, she shouted, "Give me your Daoist name! I'm going to report you to the Discipline Institute!"

Li Fan broke out in a cold sweat. "Wait, wait, wait, wait... Well, here's how it is. I have a Donghua Changchun Pill here. I'll give it to your pig first, cough cough, is that Dang Kang? You see, it's not dead, is it?"

"... I'll pay you another twenty strings of cash," the village girl said, her anger subsiding somewhat when she saw Li Fan Fanzhen take out a Changchun Pill as compensation. She cracked half of the pill and gave it to Dang Kang to eat, then crushed the remaining half and applied it to the wound. "This isn't my land. I'll pay the village twenty strings of cash."

"Of course, of course!" Li Fan quickly grabbed a handful of gold coins and stuffed them into the village girl's hands. "Is this enough? Then I won't disturb you while you're working in the fields!"

"Hey! Hey you! You gave me too much! Hey!"

Li Fan fled in a disheveled state, but he didn't get very far. He stopped outside the range of the other party's Divine Sense and observed for a while. He found that the other party really had no intention of harming anyone. They gathered the Dang Kang and continued to turn the soil in the field.

Damn... This is terrible... You should at least put up a sign saying it's under construction...

Xuan Tian, "Do you know that in ancient times, Dang Kang was in the Central Plains, he was called the Beast Without Damage?"

Lossless?

Xuan Tian: "In the south there is a beast that resembles a deer but has the head of a pig. It relies on people to obtain grains. If people cut its flesh, it will not get sick, and the flesh will regenerate on its own. It is called the Beast Without Damage."

The Undamaged Beast is a treasure trove; its flesh and blood can be used to make medicine and pills, and its bones and skin can be used to make clothing and treasures. Therefore, although it can heal itself and remain undamaged, it cannot withstand excessive exploitation and was indiscriminately killed and hunted in the Central Plains, almost to the point of extinction.

Since such a mythical beast exists, instead of skinning and dismembering it for treasure and eating its flesh, or finding a secret realm to properly raise and preserve it, why would they let mortals use it for farming?

There's a problem! Your abbot must have a serious problem!

Well, as for who is at fault, that's a matter of opinion...

Having almost caused a misunderstanding, Li Fan didn't want to waste any more time on unnecessary trouble, nor was he in the mood for Moon Worship. He fled westward overnight, and finally, with the first rays of dawn, Li Fan spotted it in the distance.

Lou Guan Tower.

Bathed in the morning sun, the seven-story pagoda shimmered with golden scales, its tiles sparkling like golden scales. Silver bells danced like stars in the sunlight, and the luminous pearl atop the pagoda, as large as a dragon's eye, shone brightly, reflecting the surrounding azure-like Daoist Dao Breath and radiating a rainbow-like arc of light.

You're back...

However, I didn't sense the abbot's presence; he doesn't seem to be at Lou Guan Tower.

Li Tangyuan poked her head out of the basket, "I'm hungry."

Never mind, there's no rush to get back. Let's go to town and have a meal first.

Ink Bamboo Mountain has changed quite a bit. It has doubled in size since Li Fan left, and there are also constant arrivals of fishing boats along the Li River. Every day, tens of thousands of groups of refugees disembark on the south bank of the Li River, preparing to explore the fourteen peaks of Bamboo Mountain, resulting in a large population gathering. Fortunately, there were no city walls to restrict it, and the entire city surrounding Lou Guan Tower has spread out, presenting a thriving scene.

Unfortunately, Liuyun Pavilion Guanmen, so Li Fan just randomly found a teahouse to have morning tea. Anyway, Li Tangyuan had been drinking blood since she was a baby, so soy milk and fried dough sticks were enough to satisfy her, and she was quite easy to take care of.

After planning, I'd first leave Li Tangyuan with the manager of Jiang's Firm, then go to Lou Guandao Pagoda to register, pay my respects to the abbot, and settle things with those guys in Mo Shan first...

Xuan Tian said, "Remember to go to the Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven and find Xiao Yao to prepare for the sword forging. Hurry up and repair the Moon Soul."

There's still a lot to do...

Seeing that Li Tangyuan was enjoying her soy milk so much, Li Fan also took a sip.

Sigh... I can't even taste the soy milk anymore... So gaining power really does come at a price...

Then a passerby rushed past the shop, shouting along the street, "The loach is here!"

Li Fan watched expressionlessly as the owner of the morning tea shop suddenly jumped up and, together with a waiter, carried a large bucket from the kitchen to the street in front of the teahouse to set up a stall.

It wasn't just his shop; all the shops along the street—restaurants, restaurants, teahouses—even ordinary households brought out their pots and pans. Of course, they were preparing tofu...

Such a strange sight prompted some refugees to ask, "What's going on here? Are they waiting for the loaches to go into the pot?"

Someone explained, "You don't know, this is a divine connection! This loach is a spirit pet raised by the immortal of Ink Bamboo Mountain. It comes to stroll around every few days. It's very picky about food, but it loves to eat tofu the most. One loach can eat hundreds or thousands of stones! It's like a bottomless pit! So everyone prepares tofu to sell to it."

The refugees were curious, "How much can tofu sell for? Besides, how much does a loach cost?"

An onlooker explained, "That loach may not have money, but it wrote an IOU. Besides, I heard its master is powerful—a Daoist from Ink Bamboo Mountain and a relative of the Li Country! He owns real estate on five mountains and holds a high-ranking position in the Immortal Palace! A few thousand catties of tofu—how could he not pay it back? So it's all owed to his master."

"This is a tofu coupon. One pound of soybeans, with a little extra water, can make five or six pounds of tofu. Even though soybean prices have skyrocketed, they're not worth much, but the merchants are offering high prices for them. This coupon is worth a hundred strings of cash."

The teahouse owner nodded, then pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. It really was an IOU from Ink Bamboo Mountain, in the standard format of a Daoist certificate from Lou Guan. It read, "Disciple Qingyue of Ink Bamboo Mountain Lou Guan Dao owes one stone of tofu on a certain day of a certain month." The signature area bore Qingyue's name; it seemed they had printed it along with the signature... There was also a black stain that had blurred the three characters "Qingyue." Probably from a fish tongue licking it, serving as a kind of signature...

"What! A stone of tofu worth a hundred strings of cash? That's an outrageous exaggeration!"

"A hundred strings of cash is the current market price! You don't understand, do you? Tofu isn't worth much, but an immortal's IOU is valuable! Immortals believe in cause and effect! When have you ever seen an immortal write an IOU!"

Even if the immortal doesn't acknowledge it, as long as Ink Bamboo Mountain accepts the IOU, that's fine! The Divine Astral Coin is depreciating so badly now, rice and flour are used to pay border taxes and are inconvenient to carry, Li Country short of silk, so everyone is using these IOUs made by the loach for transactions. Merchants are using them directly to offset taxes; outside, they're called "immortal notes."

Li Fan's hands were trembling so badly that he spilled half a bowl of soy milk.

Xuan Tian, "Hohohohoha...

Before Li Fan could catch his breath, a cheer erupted from the street. "The loach is here!"

The crowd erupted in cheers like a tidal wave, with men, women, and children raising tofu to welcome their king.

Then came a large leopard, about two zhang long, with glossy fur. On its back rode a six- or seven-year-old girl, a corpse carrying a stack of IOUs. On the girl's head lay a catfish about three inches long...

At least it grew an inch...

A fish, a corpse, and a leopard strolled along amidst cheers, nonchalantly handing over tickets and slurping tofu with a single gulp, emptying even the largest bowls in one go... Honestly, what's so great about tofu...?

"Hey! You don't recognize me after all these years!"

Li Fan didn't have any tofu in his hand, yet these guys just walked right past him like wooden blocks!

Kun stared at Li Fan with wide eyes for a while, seemingly only reacting when the Profound Heaven Sword Intent touched its head.

Kun says, "Hey, do you still want some soy milk?"

Hey, what are you thinking about?! All you ever think about is food!

Li Fan rubbed his temples, glanced at the leopard that had remembered his scent and was lying on the ground with its head in its hands, then looked at Lin Xiang, the female corpse who was tilting her head and staring at him. Just as he was about to speak, the crowd behind him shouted in dissatisfaction.

"Hey! What are you doing blocking the Mudfish Immortal's way?!" "First come, first served!" "We've been waiting in line for ages!"

Damn, he's become a mudfish immortal...

Li Fan gave them two middle fingers, then with a wave of his hand, he grabbed Li Tangyuan and his basket, had the leopard carry them, took out two sword boxes and put them in the basket, rolled up his sleeves and took everyone on a cloud.

"Take this girl back to Moshan, and also send these to Xiao Yao. I have some errands to run."

Kun said, "We're staying at Wangshu Residence now, so we can't go back to Moshan. We're bringing some food with us, since no one's cooking."

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

Kun said, "Asha Fuling went to fight the monster. The Li Family Village has been taken over by the monster."

Li Fan's brows furrowed deeply. "It's been taken over by a monster?? Where did this monster come from??"

'The "Kun" represents a black flower.'

Black flowers? Black... ephemeral flower?

Kun nodded.

Okay... he'd completely forgotten about it if we didn't bring it up...

"Here's the money, go buy some groceries. Take my sword to get it repaired first, we'll talk about the rest later. Don't send me any more IOUs!"

So he gave them a Golden Dragon hairpin and stole the IOU, temporarily sending Kun and the others away. Li Fan then went to Lou Guan Tower to register his Daoist certificate and pay compensation.

While Kun's haphazard creation of these tofu-shaped tickets is a rather creative and forward-thinking financial product, using Qingyue's personal credit as a backer is not a good thing.

Immortal connections can be both fortunate and karmic. Li Fan didn't believe that it was necessarily a good thing for an ordinary person to obtain a contract that was truly effective against immortals. Especially now that Qingyue had caused so much trouble, who knew how much that silly fish had carelessly spilled? It would be a sin if it really killed someone. Fortunately, the IOU only mentioned one stone of tofu, and settling it with Divine Astral Coin wouldn't cost much.

While making the loan repayment, Li Fan also inquired about the 'monster-fighting' incident.

The good news is that Chen Asha, Yuan Xuanbao, and Lu Qi have all broken through to the Golden Core realm as expected.

The bad news is that the three of them, along with Fuling and other previous generations of Ink Bamboo Mountain cultivators, are currently undergoing training—no, a fierce battle—at the Middle Valley Dojo in Lingqiu Mountain.

The demons of the Ten-thousand-mountains launched a fierce attack. Although the demon kings at the Divine Transformation level were clearly demonic and not strong enough to force their way in, the demons at the Nascent Soul Realm Golden Core levels were like a beast tide, relentlessly surging into the territory of the Ink Bamboo Mountain from all directions day and night.

Currently, apart from the Discipline Institute guarding the north, a small number of senior Daoists from Lou Guan guarding the Dao Tower, and the Lou Guan personally guarding the Ink Bamboo Mountain Grotto-Heaven, the vast majority of the Inner Sect cultivators at the Golden Core Realm across the nine peaks of the Bamboo Mountain are engaged in resisting the Demon Race of the Ten-thousand-mountains. Except for a few technical personnel still stationed in the rear with special tasks such as production and logistics, almost all combat-capable individuals have gone to the front lines south of Mozhu Mountain to fight.

Alas, it seems that even if I return to Ink Bamboo Mountain, I fear I won't have the opportunity to cultivate peacefully and stabilize my cultivation level...

So Li Fan logged into the Daoist register, paid off another mountain of debt, and realizing he had more and more gluttons to feed, he casually took on the patrolling of the four mountains task he had done before. Even a small favor is still a favor...