Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'-Chapter 683 - 465 Creating the Taoist Sect_4
Qin Bulou shook his head. "The Taoist Sect hasn’t taken shape yet. It can’t be called a Technique; it can only be considered a method. I call this Taoist Sect, Mistake Repair."
Mistake Repair.
This was the path Li Banfeng had previously thought of—that of the Confused Cultivator.
What was the key to Qin Bulou creating this Taoist Sect? Was it his talent? Was it his wisdom? Perhaps it was neither. He had chosen the things he was most familiar with, most detested, and had the deepest insight into as the means of his practice, and he was deeply obsessed. Perhaps this was the key to creating a New Taoist Sect.
"But how did you apply your technique to us? Before the first shipment, we shouldn’t have had any contact. You couldn’t possibly have calculated and cursed the Formation, right?"
Qin Bulou shook his head and said, "There was indeed contact; it’s just that Seventh Master overlooked it. Your workers need to eat. At Loess Bridge, the only territory that operates normally is North Bridge. All the ingredients were bought from me, and the method was placed within the ingredients."
"You poisoned the ingredients?"
"It’s not poison—the ingredients are all good. But there are some invisible methods within. For example, consider this jar of pickled vegetables. How much coarse salt was used, how much fine salt, and how long it was pickled—all these details matter. Those who have eaten the pickled vegetables from this jar are prone to making mistakes. These are mistakes that are common yet hard to notice. After making a mistake, they become irritable, compounding errors upon errors."
Li Banfeng looked closely at the pickle jar and asked, "In the pancakes you served, there are similar methods, right? The Coachman ate three or four in a row. If it were poison, he would definitely have noticed, but he’s never encountered your Mistake Repair methods before."
Qin Bulou smiled. "Seventh Master is correct. The Coachman indeed fell for my method, but his cultivation level is too high, so it didn’t affect him much."
"Why did you choose to place the method in the food?"
"Because when I was young, I was a Cook, and I also wanted to practice Culinary Cultivation. I saved money and went to the Peddler to buy Medicinal Powder. The Peddler had a few too many drinks that day, his hand trembled, and he gave me Arithmetic Cultivator Medicinal Powder instead. Poor me, a Cook who spent a lifetime doing arithmetic."
Could the Peddler make such a mistake? Did he deliberately want to give the Arithmetic Cultivator Medicinal Powder to Qin Bulou? Did he deliberately want to give the Medicinal Powder to the right person?
What Qin Bulou said needed verification. But if what he said was true, then he really was a suitable partner for cooperation.
Li Banfeng looked at the rules of interaction between North Bridge and the Defense Agency, made some slight modifications, and wrote them into the Contract Book.
He stayed in North Bridge for an entire day, making inquiries all around, and finally set a contract with Qin Bulou.
Two days later, Qin Bulou personally brought people, driving a Little Train with twenty carts of coal to the foot of the mountain.
"Master Wu, this is the first batch of coal. There are three more batches that will be delivered in due time."
Ma Wu laughed. "It’s the thought that counts; no need to worry about the small details. Today, Senior Qin, please join us for a simple meal up the mountain. Tomorrow, I will visit to first relieve Miss Qin of the Emotional Root, and then I hope to taste your culinary skills."
Qin Bulou smiled. "Master Wu, your generous offer is much appreciated. I shall respectfully comply."
Talking to Qin Bulou made Ma Wu feel genuinely refreshed.
During the meal, Qin Bulou didn’t see Li Qi and asked, "Is Seventh Master still at Loess Bridge?"
Ma Wu replied, "It seems he went to town to relieve his boredom."
Where could one go to relieve boredom at Loess Bridge? Qin Bulou couldn’t figure it out.
Li Banfeng was indeed in town, in an abandoned inn, sparring with Chu Shaoqiang.
Chu Shaoqiang flicked his grey coat, releasing a flurry of Throwing Darts, which Li Banfeng swiftly dodged. The Throwing Darts came densely and incessantly, leaving no gaps and giving Li Banfeng no chance to get close.
Li Banfeng activated the Mind Traverse Thousand Mountains Technique, altering the environment around Chu Shaoqiang, turning the floor under his feet into a Steel Wire Rope.
Chu Shaoqiang couldn’t keep his balance on the Steel Wire Rope. Li Banfeng leaped onto it, swung the Sickle, and killed him.
"Seventh Guide, what an exciting duel!" the Projector exclaimed.
Li Banfeng sat beside the Projector, silent.
The Chu Shaoqiang just now was an image created by the Projector; both sides had conducted a simulation under certain rules. The simulation’s outcome was definitely Li Banfeng’s victory. However, real combat would be an entirely different scenario. In actual combat, Chu Shaoqiang rarely used Throwing Darts. He possessed a myriad of bizarre, endlessly varied weapons that couldn’t be countered merely by dodging. Furthermore, the Steel Wire Rope Li Banfeng had conjured might not significantly affect Chu Shaoqiang. In a real fight, Chu Shaoqiang would most likely stand steadily on the Steel Wire Rope and calmly battle Li Banfeng. What if he didn’t use the Steel Wire Rope? Could he bring something else? He had only been able to manifest this Steel Wire Rope because he had stared at the actual wire outside the window for a long time beforehand. During a battle, with no time for thought or preparation, the environments Li Banfeng could manifest were extremely limited.
Regarding his current strength, if he encountered Chu Shaoqiang, even if he seized the initiative, it would be very difficult for him to find a path to victory. Furthermore, Chu Shaoqiang was operating under orders from the Inner State, tasked with finding a Proper Land for them. The earlier warning to Qin Bulou hadn’t been a mere bluff; Li Banfeng genuinely feared Chu Shaoqiang would come to Loess Bridge. Why had the Peddler let him go back then? And what was the purpose of giving him that piece of soap?
After a brief rest, Li Banfeng asked the Projector, "You can turn imagined things into real objects. What’s the trick?"
"The trick is to carefully depict every external detail. I can only recreate an exterior; things with internal complexity require more polishing in the script," it replied.
Internal...
Li Banfeng was very familiar with his wife’s ’interior.’ Could he attempt to bring his wife into battle? But that would violate the principle of the Technique. Mind Traverse Thousand Mountains was meant for altering the combat environment, not for summoning external aid. Even if Li Banfeng were to bring his wife into the scene, she would merely be a prop, unable to exert any combat power. Still, the concept of ’internal’ seemed quite inspiring.
Li Banfeng stood up and said, "Let’s try again."
The Projector created an image of Chu Shaoqiang. Li Banfeng’s original tactic was to directly manifest the combat environment of his Portable Residence. He was very familiar with his Portable Residence, so bringing it forth shouldn’t be too difficult.
But what use would that be?
For enemies, would the Portable Residence be considered a dangerous place?
Indeed, it was quite dangerous.
However, the danger of the Portable Residence mainly stemmed from his wife and numerous family members, as well as the enhancement of his own combat power within the estate; this was unrelated to the basic environment of the rooms. The tactic of bringing out the Portable Residence seemed unfeasible. The tactics he could currently think of still revolved around environments like ravines, cliffs, and marshes—places that could leverage the advantages of a Traveling Cultivator.
As Li Banfeng was still adjusting his tactics, Chu Shaoqiang made the first move.
He extended both hands. His Gloves fell off and transformed into a pair of giant palms over two meters tall, slapping towards Li Banfeng from both sides.
Li Banfeng didn’t dodge because he knew Chu Shaoqiang would surely have a follow-up move.
A Sickle was in his left hand, a Tang Sword in his right, intercepting the two Gloves and preventing them from approaching him.
Chu Shaoqiang walked through the space between the two giant Gloves. He loosened his tie and casually tossed it into the air.
The tie twisted and folded in midair, transforming into a black butterfly that fluttered towards Li Banfeng, shedding dust from between its wings.
Li Banfeng removed his top hat, captured the black butterfly with it, and with a gentle wave, as though performing a magic trick, the butterfly immediately disappeared.
Chu Shaoqiang clapped softly. "Good response."
The Projector said, "Seventh Guide, this is..." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Li Banfeng pressed his hand downward, signaling the Projector not to worry.
This was no image created by the Projector; the real Chu Shaoqiang had suddenly appeared.
Why had Chu Shaoqiang come to Loess Bridge? How could he find me so easily? Had he just arrived, or had he already prepared an ambush? A series of questions tumbled through Li Banfeng’s mind. The answers would determine whether he could escape the inn unharmed and then, with Qin Bulou and his group, find a way to defend Loess Bridge.
The two locked eyes for a moment. Chu Shaoqiang coughed, wiping away rose-scented foam from the corner of his mouth, and said to Li Banfeng, "Don’t be nervous. I’m not here to cause trouble today.
"I have a message for you. The Inner State will send someone to Loess Bridge in the next few days. With your current strength, my advice is to leave this place immediately and not get involved in this conflict."
Li Banfeng frowned. "You came to deliver a message to me? Since when are we on such good terms?"
Chu Shaoqiang had his excuse ready: "My daughter likes you very much, and I am very keen to facilitate your marriage. Consider this the beginning of our reconciliation."
As he pronounced the word for "marriage," his breath hitched slightly, and he blew out a colorful soap bubble.
Li Banfeng seemed to understand the purpose of that piece of soap. "Since you’re already here, you might as well tell me which expert the Inner State is sending to Loess Bridge, so I can prepare in advance."
Chu Shaoqiang replied, "Your senior from the Taoist Sect, Lu Dongliang."
"Who?" Li Banfeng asked again.
"Lu Dongliang, the former Lu Family’s Head."
WHOOSH!
Li Banfeng’s face remained expressionless, but his nostrils flared slightly.
PS: Sometimes, holding back laughter is a very difficult thing.
