Li Banfeng picked up Ma Dingfu, found a secluded corner, and entered his Portable Residence. "Oh, Husband, have you returned from your errands? What’s the quality of the goods this time?" "A Third Layer Body Cultivator, good stuff!" "Third Layer," his wife sighed. "I suppose it’ll have to do." Li Banfeng said in surprise, "My dear wife, you’ve become quite picky, haven’t you? A Third Layer Cultivator, and you still say it’ll have to do?" His wife chuckled. "I don’t mind. Those White Lambs from before, we made do with them. But that bitch Red Lotus hasn’t had meat for several days." Li Banfeng placed Ma Dingfu in front of the Phonograph, scaring him out of his wits. The Phonograph chuckled, "Oh, Husband, Little Servant won’t stand on ceremony then." "My dear, please wait. Let me ask him a few more questions first." Ma Dingfu yelled, "Good sir, ask whatever you want, just spare my life! I know where all of Zhou Anju’s money is hidden, I know where all his Magical Treasures are hidden! And his wives—I know which ones are skilled in bed, which ones are beautiful, I know it all!" "Since you know everything, start talking. Make it clear." Ma Dingfu detailed everything he knew. When Li Banfeng asked about Old He, Ma Dingfu came up short. He didn’t know much about Old He, only that he was a Home Cultivator and usually resided in the eastern subsidiary building, a place no one was allowed to enter. Li Banfeng knew a House Spirit inhabited that building, but Ma Dingfu didn’t know the exact situation with the House Spirit. Since he didn’t know, there was no point in making things difficult for him. "My dear, time to eat!" Ma Dingfu shrieked, "I’ve told you everything I know! Why do you still want to kill me?" "You still owe me five hundred taels and haven’t paid it back." Li Banfeng shook his head. "With compound interest, do you think a few words are enough to settle a debt of five hundred taels?" After his wife finished her meal, she handed the corpse to Red Lotus, then turned to ask Li Banfeng, "Husband, what’s the story with that House Spirit you mentioned earlier? Why are you so concerned about it?" Li Banfeng recounted his encounter with Old He, but his wife didn’t find it particularly surprising. "Some House Spirits are like that, never allowing the Home Cultivator out of their sight for a lifetime. This Home Cultivator named Old He, who died at the hands of his House Spirit, likely had a Contract Book signed beforehand." "Out of their sight?" Li Banfeng didn’t quite understand. "Old He’s residence is in the eastern subsidiary building; the House Spirit should be inside that building. What range exactly is ’within sight’? Does any place the House Spirit can see count as within its sight?" "Not at all. What Little Servant means by ’sight’ is not what is seen by the eyes, but where the Home Spirit Power can reach." Li Banfeng was even more puzzled. "The House Spirit’s power can extend outside the residence?" "Yes. A House Spirit’s power extending beyond the residence typically indicates one of two situations. First, the House Spirit is exceptionally strong and the Home Cultivator is very weak. In this case, the Home Cultivator cannot contain the House Spirit, allowing it the opportunity to reach outward. That bitch Blood-Thirsty was in that very circumstance when she was alive. Her Home Cultivator was merely First Layer, while she possessed Sixth Layer cultivation. Thus, Blood-Thirsty’s strength could extend beyond the residence. "In such a case, to actually extend one’s power outward, two additional conditions are needed: one is the residence’s tacit approval, and the other is to borrow strength from others." Luo Yuni was the original owner of that residence. She had spent so much time with it, even dying within its walls. Because of this bond, the residence must have tacitly agreed to Luo Yuni’s actions. "But how do you explain borrowing strength from others?" Li Banfeng asked the Clock Pendulum directly. With a distant tone, the Clock Pendulum said, "Everything the Lady mentioned, I don’t remember it at all." She had been stripped of her Soul, leaving only her Spirit Attribute intact, so not remembering was to be expected. His wife, however, knew the reason. "As for borrowing strength from others, that refers to those Wronged Souls. Although they weren’t exactly fresh, Little Servant ate her fill." The Wronged Souls hanging from the trees. So that was what ’borrowing strength from others’ meant. Li Banfeng stared at the Phonograph for a moment and then asked, "My dear, when we first met, your cultivation level was so high, and I wasn’t even at the First Layer. The gap between us was enormous. Didn’t you ever think of extending your power outside the residence back then?" "Hmph!" His wife was displeased. "Husband, what kind of person do you take me for? Without your permission, Little Servant would never step outside the main gate, let alone the inner one!" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥 "That’s my good wife!" Li Banfeng was deeply moved and hugged his wife affectionately for a long time. The Copper Lotus Flower felt like spitting on the Phonograph. You wicked woman! You wanted to go out back then, but did you think this residence would agree? The Phonograph continued, "The second situation is when a Home Cultivator uses the Fifth Layer Technique, Deep Mansion Courtyard. When a Home Cultivator reaches the Fifth Layer and learns the Deep Mansion Courtyard Technique, they can bring part of the House Spirit’s power from inside the house to the ’courtyard.’ The ’courtyard’ Little Servant refers to is not the courtyard within the physical walls, but rather any place the Home Spirit Power can reach. The higher the Home Cultivator’s level, the more attuned they are to the House Spirit, and the more familiar they are with the residence’s surroundings, the more power they can draw out. That Old He you fought, he brought out quite a bit of power. Perhaps he has cultivation above the Sixth Layer, or perhaps it’s because he’s extremely familiar with the mansion grounds." That’s it! That was Old He’s technique! He is indeed extremely familiar with the mansion grounds. He extended the House Spirit’s power throughout the entire estate; no wonder that battle was so draining for me. And that was only a part of its power. If I had entered the subsidiary building and directly confronted the complete House Spirit, I would have been dead long ago! The Phonograph sighed, "Old He tried every means to lure you, Husband, into the residence, planning to use the House Spirit to harm you. Closing the door to let the House Spirit kill someone is a common, despicable technique used by Home Cultivators." Li Banfeng chuckled dryly. "Actually, it’s not that despicable." His wife continued, "Furthermore, regarding his House Spirit, we can see some traces from the techniques used. Husband, when you were in that building, at first there were stairs, and then there were no stairs. Suddenly, a door appeared at the end of the corridor. This should be the Path-breaking Technique. When you reached the courtyard, Husband, debris flew everywhere. This should be the Trample Over Thousands of Rivers Technique. Old He’s House Spirit must be a high-level Traveling Cultivator!" "Traveling Cultivator!" Li Banfeng was startled, then asked, "My dear, that Path-breaking Technique you just mentioned, what kind of technique is it?" His wife fell silent for a moment, then said, "Husband, why are you so interested in the techniques of Traveling Cultivators? Traveling Cultivators are all evildoers; they all deserve to die!" Li Banfeng straightened his expression and said, "My wife and I share a common enemy. Only by knowing ourselves and knowing our enemy can we be victorious in every battle!" "With your words, Husband, Little Servant feels ninety percent confident of victory! Husband, are you brave?" Li Banfeng stood tall. "Extremely!" "Do you dare to lure that House Spirit out?" Li Banfeng puffed out his chest. "I do not!" "Don’t be afraid, Husband. Little Servant has a foolproof plan!" Ling Miaoying took a deep breath, opened the wooden box, took out a cordless telephone, and dialed a number. The call connected quickly. He Jiaqing’s voice came from the other end, "What is it?" He had been asleep and, being awakened, was clearly irritated. "Jiaqing, it’s about Iron Gate Fort. The hook is broken." "It must have been... these past few days..." Ling Miaoying couldn’t specify the exact time, as he hadn’t been paying attention to this hook recently. He Jiaqing fell silent for a moment, then suddenly shouted, "Do you have any idea how important that hook is? Do you realize how important that Soul is?" Ling Miaoying didn’t answer. This hook was previously managed by Ling Miaowen; Ling Miaoying indeed knew very little about the secrets behind it. He Jiaqing’s anger subsided somewhat. "This isn’t entirely your fault. I suspect that old swindler Zhou Anju discovered the hook. Don’t make a move on him for now. I’ll find an opportunity to deal with him, and then you can reattach the hook." The two ended their call. Ling Miaoying was drenched in sweat, wondering if he should report everything to He Jiaqing from now on. He Jiaqing rubbed his forehead; recent events were giving him a splitting headache. "Damn, that really stings a bit." Luo Zhengnan, Hall Master of the Medicine King Hall in the Jiang Xiang Gang, pulled an antenna out of his head. So that Soul was at Iron Gate Fort, Luo Zhengnan chuckled to himself. I have to tell the Gang Leader about this. That Soul is worth no less than Red Lotus. Shouldn’t this make me the Deputy Gang Leader? PS: A Soul, comparable to Red Lotus? Are you kidding me?