Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo' Chapter 1252 601: The Road to Fool's City (3)

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Previously on Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'...
Ah Yi criticizes Buwu Village for its reliance on others and internal struggles. Li Banfeng observes the villagers, noting many are unable to receive cultivation powder due to unresolved issues. He speaks with Ami, confronting her with harsh truths about her presence affecting her family. Later, Li Banfeng visits Enlightenment Village, where villagers who have overcome their inner demons are cultivating. He notices the absence of elderly people in Dunwu Village and inquires about age-changing techniques from Ah Yi. Ah Yi agrees to teach him, emphasizing the need to let go of all burdens, but Li Banfeng questions the authenticity of the "Crazy Cultivation Skill" she begins to teach.

...

On the third day, Li Banfeng followed Ah Yi to the third village, Che Wu Village.

In the village, there were less than a hundred villagers, and they were hosting a grand banquet. Young men set up a stage for wrestling, while young women wore garlands and danced beside the stage.

Li Banfeng asked Ah Yi, "What is this special day?"

Ayun spoke mysteriously, "Whatever you do, don't tell anyone about this. The old sow of Achai's family just gave birth, twelve piglets in one litter!"

Li Banfeng exclaimed in surprise, "Is this worth such happiness?"

"Then you tell me, what is worth being happy about?"

Li Banfeng replied dismissively, "There are many things to be happy about, piglets aren't anything special."

Ah Yi smiled, put on a garland, and danced with the young women.

Even though her age was unknown, she appeared as youthful as the other young women.

In Dunwu Village, everyone was very young, having reached a certain cultivation level. Before long, they would leave the gourd belly and move to the gourd head.

Li Banfeng sat aside, watching the excitement. He couldn't understand the reason behind celebrating for twelve piglets.

Ayun, fearing Li Qi would feel bored, brought a jar of wine to share with him. However, after walking around with it for half a day, she couldn't find Li Qi.

"Seen Li Qi?"

Ah Mu pointed to the stage, "Over there, he's won six matches consecutively, really good at it."

Li Banfeng was wrestling on the stage, drinking whether he won or lost. He couldn't remember how many matches he had won nor how much wine he had drunk.

The next day at noon, Li Banfeng woke up, drank a bowl of yellow wine to kill the hangover. He then followed Ah Yi back to the gourd head.

Today was the day he left the village, and Zhang Peiwen was leaving with him.

Ah Yi allowed Zhang Peiwen to leave the village, "I'm fair in my actions. Since I made an exception for Li Qi, I'll do the same for you. Both of you can leave."

Li Banfeng was a cultivator of Crazy Cultivation; Ah Yi trusted him and made no demands of him.

However, Zhang Peiwen was not a cultivator. He had to sign another contract book, ensuring that he wouldn't reveal any information about Gourd Village after leaving.

Li Banfeng asked Ah Yi, "Do you trust him that much?"

Ah Yi shook her head, "I don't trust him, but I trust my contract paper. If they breach the contract, they will face severe punishment. They will die before they reveal anything about Gourd Village,

my contract paper also allows them to avoid interrogation. Even confronted with Virtue Cultivation, they won't reveal a single truth."

No wonder the Dark Star Bureau couldn't elicit any truths from many survivors they had interrogated before.

A contract paper capable of evading Virtue Cultivation interrogation—this was unheard of.

Ah Yi introduced, "This is one of the three major techniques of our Taoist Sect, called Pen to Reality. The essence of the technique lies in..."

"Hold on, didn't there used to be only three major techniques including the one for killing fools, Five Grains Harvest, and immortality? Now there's Pen to Reality, how did four techniques come about?"

Ah Yi counted with her fingers, twice, and said seriously, "This is one of the four major techniques of our Taoist Sect, Pen to Reality..."

Zhang Peiwen hesitated to sign the contract book.

"They said once you leave Gourd Village, you can never return. Is that true?"

Li Banfeng nodded, "It's true, the village chief speaks sternly, anything beyond one or two might be uncertain."

Zhang Peiwen lowered his head, "Not returning isn't bad after all, who would want to come to a place like this, it's full of lunatics here, I think about going home every day."

Despite what he said, he hadn't signed his name on the contract book.

Li Banfeng asked, "Can you tell me, who exactly is that taxi driver?"

"Him..." Zhang Peiwen hesitated.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to give him a hard time. If you tell me while in the village, it's considered part of the village matters. I won't mention it outside."

Logically, there was no issue, Zhang Peiwen thought there wasn't either, so he lowered his voice and said, "He's my high school classmate. I got into university, but he dropped out due to family issues,

last month, he recognized me on the street, we talked a bit, he learned about my current unique circumstances,

so we chatted more, but I returned home ten minutes late, almost got my mom to report me missing,

since then, we hadn't talked again, but on one day when I went to buy medicine for mom, when I came out of the pharmacy, I met him by chance at the roadside,

he stopped the car, rolled down the window, and told me to look behind, saying there's something good,

I turned around and saw two pretty young women,

I hesitated whether to go, he told me, hurry up, it's a good place, once you go, don't come back."

Smart taxi driver, he must have been to Gourd Village.

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

Before he penned down his name, Li Banfeng pulled the contract book away.

He took out another contract book, the one Ayun had given him:

Certain outsider voluntarily visits Gourd Village for half a month, deciding their own path afterward.

"Sign this one, live in the gourd waist for half a month then decide."

Zhang Peiwen's hand continued to tremble, "I can't..."

"You can."

"My mother is ill, she needs me to care for her."

"She's not ill, those medicines aren't for curing any illness."

"Without me, she can't survive."

"Don't worry, she can survive, because she's unwilling to die."

Zhang Peiwen held the pen, looking at Li Banfeng, "Really?"