CHAPTER 116: CHAPTER 95 THE NAMESAKE AND THE PEDDLER’S PATH

"Within a hundred miles, there’s only one checkpoint, but it’s not fixed," said Oil Peach, as she began to describe the peculiarities of the checkpoint.

"If there’s just one checkpoint, why isn’t it fixed?" Li Banfeng still couldn’t understand.

Oil Peach patiently explained, "These are the rules set by the Border Defense Envoy. The checkpoint’s location changes daily. People who wish to cross must bring their Guide Token early in the morning to the Patrol Arrest Office to gather. By noon, they cross together. It’s said that this is to prevent smugglers from making preparations."

It wasn’t easy to prepare indeed; Li Banfeng couldn’t find an opportunity to make arrangements in advance.

After thinking for a moment, Li Banfeng asked, "Do you have a way to get through the checkpoint?"

You Xue Tao blinked. "What method do you need? Just have your friend ready with the Guide Token. In a couple of days, I’ll take him to the Patrol Arrest Office, and he can go right through."

Li Banfeng raised his eyebrows. "But what if there’s no Guide Token? How can one pass the checkpoint then?"

"Without a Guide Token? Isn’t that smuggling? What’s your friend’s background?" Oil Peach stepped forward, teasingly hooking Li Banfeng’s chin.

COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!

Again, a woman’s cough came from upstairs.

You Xue Tao called out to the upper floor, "I told you, he’s my friend."

The coughing stopped, and You Xue Tao looked at Li Banfeng. "It’s challenging. Unless your friend’s cultivation level is outrageously high, he shouldn’t dream of crossing the border without a Guide Token."

"It depends on the cultivation level?" Li Banfeng felt the Crane-rider’s cultivation level was very high, yet he still hadn’t managed to cross.

You Xue Tao nodded. "Yes, it depends on cultivation level. Without a Guide Token, there are only two ways to cross the border.

The first way involves assuming someone else’s identity. If someone obtained a Guide Token, you could pay a hefty sum to buy it from them and pass the checkpoint as them."

Li Banfeng nodded. "That sounds like a good method. How much would a Guide Token cost, roughly?"

"I can’t say. I’ve never done anything like that. I’ve only heard of people who managed to get through because they happened to meet someone with the same name and surname."

Li Banfeng was puzzled. "Why does it need to be a person with the same name and surname?"

Oil Peach explained, "The Border Defense Envoy has a Magical Treasure for Virtue Cultivation. He will ask for your name, and in the presence of that Magical Treasure, you must tell the truth, or you’ll die instantly. The only exceptions are if you share the same name and surname as the holder of the Guide Token, or if your cultivation level exceeds that of the Magical Treasure."

The same name and surname? That seemed to be a matter of pure chance, not something one could seek out.

Perhaps he should focus on that Magical Treasure; after all, Li Banfeng himself was a Second Layer Home Cultivator.

"What level is that Magical Treasure?"

Oil Peach replied, "I’ve heard it’s at the Eighth Layer. As long as your cultivation level is higher than the Eighth Layer and you can suppress the Magical Treasure for a short time without revealing any flaws, you can pass smoothly."

Li Banfeng nodded. "Let’s talk about the other way."

Eighth Layer? How many Eighth Layer cultivators were there in Puluo State? And one had to be *higher* than the Eighth Layer! That would mean Ninth or Tenth Layer. Li Banfeng had never even heard of such people.

Oil Peach said, "The other way is called Huo Lang Road. It’s said that peddlers travel everywhere using this path."

Li Banfeng’s eyes lit up. "Where is this Huo Lang Road?"

"Over two hundred miles to the west."

"I’m not afraid of distance." For Li Banfeng, over two hundred miles was just a walk of a little more than three hours.

You Xue Tao sighed. "This isn’t about distance. Huo Lang Road is just a legend. Although my experience is limited, I’ve lived for twenty-six years, and I’ve never heard of anyone who’s found Huo Lang Road, let alone anyone who left Medicine King Valley alive via it.

Legends say that to find Huo Lang Road, one must possess sufficient skills and luck. Moreover, Huo Lang Road itself is said to contain countless Demon Monsters and ferocious beasts, making it a hundred times more dangerous than the New Land. If your friend doesn’t have the ability, he shouldn’t waste his efforts on this."

With neither path feasible, Li Banfeng’s expression grew solemn.

Having given all her advice, Oil Peach cautiously asked, "Why must you leave Medicine King Valley?"

No need to keep up the pretense about a ’friend’; they both knew what was really going on.

Li Banfeng didn’t beat around the bush. "To avoid an enemy."

The answer was simple, but You Xue Tao sensed the gravity of the situation.

"Hide here with me for now. I’m sure your enemy wouldn’t follow you to such a remote place."

Li Banfeng hesitated for a long while before shaking his head. "He isn’t here now, but he will come sooner or later. I can’t hide with you. Please, take me to the Patrol Arrest Office to have a look."

You Xue Tao shook her head. "It’s no use going there. There are no loopholes to exploit at that place. The checkpoint won’t open today or tomorrow. Let’s wait until the day after tomorrow."

Li Banfeng glanced at the Month Plate; today was Saturday.

Figures. The Border Defense Envoy, likely from the Outside Provinces too, still observed weekend breaks.

You Xue Tao walked around the village, buying a lot of ingredients. She set up a stove in front of the bamboo house and cooked a lavish meal for Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng took out the salted fish and wine. Having eaten canned food for several days, he enjoyed this meal thoroughly.

"Isn’t your companion coming down to eat with us?" Li Banfeng looked upstairs.

You Xue Tao shook her head. "She’s shy around strangers. Don’t mind her."

After eating and drinking his fill, You Xue Tao found a hammock for Li Banfeng to sleep on the first floor.

After You Xue Tao went upstairs, Li Banfeng heard some arguing; clearly, Oil Peach’s companion was upset.

"He is my friend, and we haven’t done anything! What are you getting so worked up about?" You Xue Tao was scolding her companion.

Her companion remained silent, just sobbing intermittently.

Li Banfeng didn’t sleep in the bamboo house; instead, he went to the field beside it and entered his Portable Residence.

Just as he lay on the bed, the phonograph suddenly crackled. "Hey, my husband, why do you reek of perfume? Have you been secretly meeting some hussy?"

Li Banfeng touched the front of the phonograph. "Not a hussy, a good person."

"How can you say she’s a good person?"

"She can help me leave Medicine King Valley."

"Leave Medicine King Valley? Where does my husband plan to go?"

"To Greenwater Bay!"

CLANG! CLANG!

"To Greenwater Bay! My husband has excellent strategies!"

Li Banfeng’s eyes brightened. "Does my wife also think this strategy is good?"

TSK, TSK.

"Little Servant doesn’t understand strategies. I am bound to follow my husband, wherever he may go. Whatever strategies you have, my husband, Little Servant will always think they are good."

According to Li Banfeng’s plan, early the day after tomorrow, he would go to the Patrol Arrest Office to observe who was leaving the territory.

Upon finding someone suitable, Li Banfeng would immediately enter his Portable Residence and find a way to plant the key on that person.

His actions had to be discreet, yet precise and decisive.

As long as that person could successfully cross the border, Li Banfeng would be able to get out as well.

This was different from the situation on the train.

Li Banfeng didn’t need to worry too much about timing.

If he emerged too early, at most it would startle the person. He wouldn’t have to deal with terrifying attendants, nor would he face being trapped on a train with no escape.

「The next morning」

When day broke, Oil Peach went down to the first floor, only to find that Li Banfeng wasn’t there.

Where had the man gone? Did he leave because he was upset after hearing our argument last night? And without even saying goodbye?

By noon, when there was still no sign of him, You Xue Tao became very anxious. Hearing footsteps outside, she thought Li Banfeng had returned. But when she went out, she saw Wu Jinming, the captain of the Patrol Officers.

"Officer Wu? Are you looking for me?" You Xue Tao quickly masked her disappointment, putting on a cheerful smile.

Wu Jinming didn’t smile; he was here on an important mission. "That ’brother’ of yours who came to see you yesterday, where is he now?"

You Xue Tao said with a smile, "I was just looking for him too, the ingrate. I fed him well last night, and this morning he was gone without a trace."

"What’s his name?"

"His family name is Bai; he’s called Bai Sha." Oil Peach didn’t hide anything. Whether the name was real or fake, she couldn’t make one up; otherwise, if Wu Jinming encountered Li Banfeng, their stories wouldn’t match.

"Family name Bai?" Wu Jinming didn’t quite believe it. He took a photo out of an envelope, handing it to You Xue Tao. "Is this the person?"

You Xue Tao looked at it.

It was a picture of Li Banfeng from his college days.

At first glance, it didn’t look too much like him.

The Li Banfeng in the photo had a crew cut and wore a tracksuit, his face full of naïveté and boyishness.

Now, Li Banfeng hadn’t cut his hair in a long time, letting it grow out. He also often wore suits, which lent him an aura of severity and maturity.

But if one examined the features closely, one could still recognize traces of Li Banfeng in the photo.

Oil Peach feigned ignorance. "Judging by his clothes, is he from the Outside Provinces?"

"Never mind which province he’s from. Is this man that ’brother’ of yours or not?"

Oil Peach shook her head. "No, he doesn’t look like him at all. Bai Sha has a square face, while this young man has a long face. Bai Sha is about thirty-five or thirty-six, and this young fellow looks barely twenty, right? Bai Sha is dark-skinned with small eyes, but this young man has big eyes and fair skin. How could they be the same person? They’re worlds apart."

Was there really that much difference between the photo and the person? There was, and this was Oil Peach’s skillful way of speaking.

Li Banfeng indeed had a long face. During his college days, with a buzz cut, his face appeared particularly elongated.

But when he appeared in Hemp Bamboo Village yesterday, he was wearing a top hat, making his face seem much shorter.

In the shadow of the hat, Li Banfeng’s skin appeared darker and his eyes smaller; thus, everything Oil Peach said was technically true.

Moreover, with the fake beard he wore, Li Banfeng’s apparent age jumped, making him seem like a completely different person.

Under her subtle psychological suggestion, Wu Jinming also began to feel that the person he saw yesterday wasn’t that similar to the Li Banfeng in the photo.

But he couldn’t ease his doubts and instead asked Oil Peach, "What does that ’brother’ of yours do for a living?"

Oil Peach shook her head. "I really don’t know that. It was a casual fling, just for mutual enjoyment. I never bothered to ask too much about him."

Wu Jinming kept staring into You Xue Tao’s eyes.

You Xue Tao looked back calmly and naturally, without any hint of evasion.

Wu Jinming frowned. "You Xue Tao, in Hemp Bamboo Village, almost everyone with a cultivation level has been through the Patrol Arrest Office. I’ve never made things difficult for you, so don’t you cause trouble for me. If that ’brother’ of yours comes back, you must immediately inform the Patrol Arrest Office."

You Xue Tao’s eyes twinkled as she shook her head repeatedly. "How would I dare let him come back? Hearing what you’ve said actually frightens me. Officer Wu, what exactly did this man do?"

Wu Jinming said, "The person we’re looking for is called Li Banfeng. There’s a notice posted at the village entrance; you can take a look when you have a chance. I don’t know if this ’brother’ of yours is Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng has offended the Lu Family, and now they’re searching the entire Medicine King Valley for him; he’s very likely trying to smuggle himself across the border. I’ll say it again: if you have any news of him, inform me immediately. Otherwise, you’ll be considered an accomplice!"

P.S. Last night, I dreamed about Oil Peach; her silhouette was enchanting! I asked her to come over and help me write, but she ran off, shaking her ’peaches’.