CHAPTER 353: CHAPTER 239 PEAK OF THE SAGES

Li Banfeng slept until dusk. When he got up, he saw it was already six in the evening.

The time to get off the train had truly passed.

Having missed it, Li Banfeng, still influenced by the lingering power of the Judge’s Pen, couldn’t be bothered to think more about it.

When he stepped out of the Portable Residence and picked up the key from under the sleeping berth, Li Banfeng had no choice but to think it over.

There were two women sleeping in his bunk, one above the other.

To be precise, this wasn’t Li Banfeng’s bunk; it belonged to the two young women, and Li Banfeng should have gotten off the train a while ago.

Seeing the two women grinding their teeth in their sleep, Li Banfeng hastily explained, "I got on the wrong carriage, no need for you two to mind..."

A shrill scream echoed through the carriage, and the train attendant rushed over.

The two female passengers explained that Li Banfeng suddenly crawled out from under the bunk.

Li Banfeng’s explanation was that he was supposed to get off the train earlier but had overslept.

The train attendant looked at Li Banfeng and asked, "You overslept under the bunk?"

Li Banfeng explained for a long time but couldn’t provide a reasonable explanation.

Grinding his teeth, the attendant said, "Riding beyond your stop and harassing other passengers is extremely reprehensible behavior. The fine is three thousand."

"Three thousand is fine," Li Banfeng said as he handed over the money first.

The attendant counted the money and pocketed it without giving a receipt.

He then took out an iron rod.

Seeing the scenery rushing by outside the window, Li Banfeng estimated the speed of the train and waved at the attendant, saying, "Just hear me out first. I have a universal Guide Token that allows passage to anywhere in Puluo State. Let’s wait until the next station before we continue..."

BANG!

The attendant opened the door and prodded Li Banfeng out with the rod.

Li Banfeng tumbled beside the railroad track and got up.

In the instant he was flung from the train, Li Banfeng heard the two young women’s shouts.

They seemed to be yelling, "Fall to your death, you rascal!"

Rascal... Isn’t that slandering my name?

The incident indeed sullied his reputation. The two young women cried and complained everywhere, eventually alarming the head of the train.

Furious, the head of the train took the three thousand from the attendant and checked the ticket information.

After verifying, the attendant reported to the head of the train, "This passenger’s name is Ma Junyang."

Li Banfeng’s ticket and Guide Token were all under the identity of Ma Wu.

The head of the train roared, "I’ve heard of this person. He slept with his own sister-in-law. He’s the most shameless person in Puluo State. It’s no surprise he’s capable of such an act."

...

Li Banfeng walked along the railroad on the hillside for a long while and didn’t see a single soul.

The area was filled with mountains, each resembling the other as if cast from the same mold, with little to distinguish them.

After walking for more than three hours, Li Banfeng stopped.

As he had previously feared, he was most concerned about encountering the Border Line.

Li Banfeng still remembered the power of the Border Line. One wrong step and he would be obliterated.

Although the railway could cross the Border Line, stowaways didn’t dare to follow the tracks because there were also lookout posts on the railway.

Li Banfeng wasn’t afraid of lookout posts since he had a Guide Token and wasn’t a stowaway.

What stopped him from going further was not the Border Line, but a patch of grass worn down to the soil.

Why would the grass near the railroad be worn bare?

One possibility was that something suddenly fell off the train onto the grass, and during its slide, it had worn the grass down to the soil.

Li Banfeng touched his back, which still had grass leaves on it.

This was where he had fallen from the train. He had walked back to the starting point.

As a Fourth Layer Traveling Cultivator, returning to the same place after three hours of walking along the railroad didn’t make logical sense.

Could it be that this railroad was making circles? The railroad itself couldn’t be making circles; it must be me who was walking in circles.

After pondering for a moment, Li Banfeng kept his distance from the railroad.

There might be some force near this railroad, influencing his sense of direction.

But if not following the railroad, where else could he go?

Li Banfeng looked up at the starry sky. On a clear night, there were many ways to find one’s bearings.

He quickly located true north and headed straight onward, but in less than ten miles, he was blocked by a high mountain that was taller than the others, with faint signs of construction on its slopes.

For Li Banfeng, climbing a mountain was not a difficult task. He dashed along the mountain road and soon found the houses on the slope.

The architectural style of these houses felt somewhat unfamiliar to Li Banfeng.

Earth-red brick walls, vermillion doors with rust-stained door studs, and a pair of large door rings.

This vibrant red style of building should have evoked a sense of joy, yet Li Banfeng couldn’t help feeling an oppressive silence flowing through the house.

Under normal circumstances, Li Banfeng would avoid such a place.

But he needed to ask for directions.

Approaching the door, he lifted the door ring and knocked twice. DONG-DONG. A youth of about seventeen or eighteen opened a side door.

The youngster was wearing a slant-fronted robe with a round cap on his head, which made him appear peculiarly old-fashioned.

Standing at the door, he gave Li Banfeng a once-over and asked, "Who is causing a commotion here?"

His question was quite formal.

Li Banfeng replied, "I’m just passing by and wanted to ask what place is this?"

"Please wait here while I ask my Master."

The youth departed.

I’m just asking what this place is. This matter doesn’t need to be reported to your Master, does it?

Li Banfeng had waited at the gate for nearly half an hour when the young man came out again. "My Master says: ’See nothing improper, hear nothing improper, speak nothing improper, and do nothing improper.’ You should come back another day."

What’s going on? I came to ask for directions; how did that become improper?

Just as Li Banfeng was about to question further, the young man had already closed the door.

Should I ask somewhere else?

There were still many houses around, similar in style but all deathly still.

Forget it. This place is quite remote, a completely different concept from Greenwater City. Knocking on doors in the middle of the night is indeed not proper etiquette; I shouldn’t scare the people anymore.

Li Banfeng found a suitable place, hid the key well, and went back to the Portable Residence to sleep for the night.

The next morning, Li Banfeng left the Portable Residence, still intending to ask someone for directions, but he found that there were hardly any pedestrians on the road.

The house he had encountered last night was still tightly closed, and the door of another house was slightly ajar. Just as Li Banfeng approached, the household shut their door with a loud CLANG.

What is this supposed to mean? I’m not a robber, not a thief, nor a beggar. Why is everyone avoiding me like this? Even the first time I went to Iron Gate Fort, at least people would respond when I asked for directions.

Li Banfeng planned to have another look up the mountain when he suddenly saw a man dressed in a white robe, walking solemnly towards him.

Finally, a person in sight! Li Banfeng hurriedly went up to ask for directions, "Excuse me, is this..."

Before he could finish speaking, the man in white fell to his knees with a THUMP, which startled Li Banfeng.

"I’m asking for directions, not robbing you, and I haven’t done ’that’ for quite some time..."

The man in white looked at Li Banfeng with a look of utter surprise but ultimately refrained from speaking more.

His gaze remained fixed on the house in front, and only then did Li Banfeng realize that he wasn’t kneeling before him, but before the master of that house.

What could he be so desperate for that he needed to kneel before someone’s house? Kneeling towards the door won’t help. At least wait until they see you before you kneel, right? If he wants to kneel, let him. We’re strangers; it’s none of my business to interfere. It doesn’t stop me from asking directions, though.

Li Banfeng then asked, "Excuse me, what place is this?"

The man in white, without taking his eyes off the house, replied, "Standing on the Peak of the Sages, yet you ask where you stand. How laughable that the world is so ignorant."

The Peak of the Sages? I’ve never heard of this place.

"Excuse me, how do I get to the nearest train station?" Li Banfeng asked. He had a Guide Token and could buy a train ticket.

The man in white gave a cold laugh. "The Land of the Sages cannot harbor such mundane things."

A train is a mundane thing?

Li Banfeng tried to be as polite as possible. "It’s my first time in the Land of the Sages, and I urgently need to leave now. I would appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction."

The man in white suddenly frowned and replied curtly, "Speak nothing improper!"

Talking more is pointless. This man is not normal. Someone kneeling before a door definitely can’t be normal.

Li Banfeng continued walking upwards on the mountain. The houses there were generally the same: doors all closed, and no responses when he called.

He came across a few people pushing carts and dumping dirt, all of whom dodged far away upon seeing Li Banfeng.

Once in a while, he’d meet a few who didn’t avoid him. When Li Banfeng asked a question, all they did was utter a bunch of incomprehensible phrases, not a single useful word.

There must be something wrong with the people on this mountain, something seriously wrong.

Li Banfeng stopped asking for directions and simply crossed over the mountain along the mountain path.

After walking north through the mountain pass for over ten miles, another tall mountain blocked the way ahead.

Following the mountain path to the hillside, Li Banfeng saw familiar structures again.

Terracotta-colored high walls and a vermilion gate, with dozens of people kneeling in front.

This setup was even more exaggerated than the previous one. Li Banfeng scanned the crowd and saw a familiar face.

The man was dressed in white. It couldn’t be...

As he approached, after a long scrutiny, Li Banfeng asked, "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

The man in white scoffed, "See nothing improper!"

Li Banfeng was perplexed.

Have I come back to where I started? Is it they who are wrong, or is it me?

The gates creaked open.

The seventeen or eighteen-year-old young man came out again.

"My Master says your opportunity has not yet come. You should go back home," he announced.

Faces filled with astonishment and disappointment, everyone turned to look at the young man.

The man in white asked, "We have gone through countless troubles, knocking at the door day and night seeking teachings. Why is it said that our opportunity has not yet come?"

The youth, expressionless, answered, "This is the will of my Master."

After saying that, the youth left.

The crowd was greatly disheartened, and some even shed tears.

"Go back? Just like that, we go back?"

"What else can we do if not go back? It’s the will of the Saint."

"I have waited desperately for eight years just to see the Saint. To be told to go back now—how can I possibly reconcile with that?"

"What’s it to you if you’ve waited eight years? I’ve been here waiting for an entire eleven years!"

The crowd’s complaints were incessant, but the man in white spoke up, "The Saint refuses to see us because our sincerity is lacking. Be it ten years or eight, we must ask ourselves, besides sitting in wait here, what have we done to show our perseverance and determination to learn?"

A person beside inquired, "According to your views, what should we do now?"

The man in white said, "From this day forth, I shall kneel here and not rise. If the Saint does not see me for a day, I will kneel for a day. If the Saint does not see me for a year, I will kneel for a year."

Li Banfeng was shocked upon hearing this.

This person is so contemptible!