Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo' Chapter 1278 607: Lifesaving Rope_3

Last month, Tang Shijiang couldn't take it anymore and told Wang Zhengde to leave quickly, but he didn't listen. Later, Tang Shijiang went to persuade him. You know, Tang Shijiang is not good with words, so he didn't say much."

Li Banfeng didn't quite get it: "If he didn't say much, how did he persuade him?"

The Peddler gritted his teeth with hatred: "That fool Tang Shijiang went straight and killed Wang Zhengde. If he had left him just a breath, De Song Cliff wouldn't have become such a mess.

Now that the Local Deity is gone, a group of Virtue Cultivators is fighting chaotically over the position of the Local Deity at De Song Cliff. I believe that truly virtuous individuals aren't defined by the Taoist Sect but by their Mental State. With your state of mind going to De Song Cliff, you would certainly win people over. You just trust me..."

"Don't trust me; I'm not suitable," Li Banfeng shook his head repeatedly. "Old Pan is suitable. Pan Dehai himself is the Local Deity of Proper Land. He has the qualifications, the strength, and the experience. This position is meant for him."

"Wang Zhengde just died, and Pan Dehai went to De Song Cliff and fought for nearly a month, losing all his old teeth. He returned to Hai Chi Ridge to recover just yesterday,

so you should reconsider this..."

Li Banfeng squatted on the ground: "I'm not going to De Song Cliff. There's no discussion about this!"

The Peddler squatted next to Li Banfeng: "Brother, I'm doing this for your good. Wang Zhengde also accumulated a lot of human energy, and he wanted to reach the Cloud Fourth Layer, but he never found the way, always failing.

Now I'm telling you this way. You can consume Wang Zhengde's human energy. One gulp and you'd gain a lot—how could you not make a big profit?"

"I just don't see the appeal in the realm of Virtue Cultivation."

"That's a proper territory, and yet you disdain it. If you're going to be so picky, I won't be able to help you. You'll have to understand the Cloud Gate Skill on your own."

Li Banfeng sniffled, tears welling in his eyes: "I'm at a critical juncture, and you're not helping me. What about our brotherhood? The bond between us?"

"I remember our bond and brotherhood, but business can't be driven purely by sentiment; it requires agreement on the price, adhering to fair trade, fairness to both young and old."

Upon hearing the phrase "fairness to both young and old," the tears that were about to fall were withheld by Li Banfeng.

No wonder the Peddler never dismounted the donkey. Sun Tiecheng once said that the Peddler created the "fairness to both young and old" skill, which restrains Foolish Cultivation.

"Fine, don't help me then; I'll figure it out myself." Li Banfeng set his sights on a cloud in the sky.

The Peddler tidied up his cart: "Brother, you're free to figure it out yourself, but don't keep thinking about burning my house down. You should choose a different cloud."

"Is there another suitable cloud?"

"Yes!" The Peddler looked up at the sky: "There are many clouds above the heavens of Puluo State. Some you can see, most you cannot.

Among the visible clouds, some don't move. These have owners. Others constantly change; these are ownerless.

You can snatch the owned clouds or collect the ownerless clouds. As long as you don't burn my house, the sky's the limit, you're free to roam."

The Peddler pushed his cart to leave. Li Banfeng remembered another urgent matter: "I want to find Water Snake Grass; where should I go?"

"Dried or fresh grass?"

"Dried is fine."

"I have some, twenty Ocean Dollars per stalk."

The Peddler was incredibly reliable. Li Banfeng was visibly excited: "How much do you have?"

"Over thirty stalks."

"I'll take them all!"

Li Banfeng paid the money. The Peddler delivered the goods, then pushed his cart out the window, landing steadily on the ground as he shook his rattle, continuing to push his cart and call out to sell.

Watching the Peddler's distant figure, Li Banfeng quietly smiled.

It's okay if you don't tell me the Cloud Pattern Skill; my beloved wife definitely knows something.

Li Banfeng returned to his Portable Residence. Seeing the Water Snake Grass, his wife was overjoyed: "Husband actually brought back so much! This thing is incredibly hard to find."

"Is this enough?"

"It's enough. After making ropes, there will still be plenty left. This is extremely valuable medicinal material; it will surely have great use in the future."

"Beloved wife, do you know the Cloud Gate Skill?"

His wife thought for a moment: "I've heard some rumors before; it seems like a technique that can be performed above the clouds."

Li Banfeng was quite disappointed: "Even Ah Bi in our family knows about this, but you've only heard some rumors?"

The Phonograph laughed: "Beloved husband, you underestimate our Ah Bi. He is an Erudite Scholar, a notable figure among Literature Cultivators. The books he's read might be more than our whole family combined."

"Hmph!" The Judge's Pen wobbled at Li Banfeng's waist.

"But he also can't remember the key points of the technique."

"Husband, why do you want to learn the Cloud Gate Skill?"

"For future advancement, beloved wife, I don't want to reach Above the Cloud; I want to ascend to the Cloud Fourth Layer."

The Phonograph was stunned for quite a while: "Husband, the Cloud Fourth Layer is also a rumor. Little Servant once met someone claiming to be above Cloud Third Layer, but whether it's true is unverified.

Indeed, there are some who wish to avoid Above the Cloud and continue cultivating on the cloud layer, but it is said to require special means to assist. What those means are is debated, making it hard for Little Servant to discern. Ultimately, this is not the proper path of cultivation, so Husband, you shouldn't overthink it."

His wife is on the path Above the Cloud and is unfamiliar with the route to break through to the Cloud Fourth Layer.

Hong Ying is in a similar situation as his wife; she doesn't even believe in the existence of the Cloud Fourth Layer.

The Judge's Pen knows the most, and he might have actually traveled this path, but he can't remember.

Red Lotus might know more, but she claims to have forgotten, leaving Li Banfeng at a loss.

What to do?

Rely on his own exploration?

Or grit his teeth and become the Local Deity of De Song Cliff.

For now, it's still early to think about this. Home Cultivation has just reached the Cloud Top Third Layer, and Traveling Cultivator is still at Cloud Two. Li Banfeng has absorbed almost all the human energy from various territories, and who knows how long it will take to accumulate enough energy to reach the Fourth Layer.