Ma the Fifth stood before the gates of the Song family's main warehouse, making a shameless scene. "Listen here, Boss Luo, a man of your wealth and standing shouldn't be sweating a few measly dollars with me, right?"
Luo Sancai, the warehouse manager, smiled. "Fifth Lord, hear yourself talk. When we buy peaches here, it's always a hundred dollars a jin. We can't go breaking that rule."
"Then you need to look at the quality of these peaches! Can mine be compared to everyone else's? Asking for an extra twenty dollars isn't crossing the line, is it?"
Ma the Fifth wanted to unload them at a hundred and twenty per jin.
He didn't genuinely care about making those twenty extra dollars; he was putting on a show for the Song family.
Luo Sancai actually felt inclined to just hand over the twenty dollars; he had no desire to offend this fallen young master over such pocket change.
However, the head of the Song family, Song Jiasen, was sitting right in the courtyard. He had given Luo Sancai strict orders: "A hundred dollars a jin. Not a copper more!"
Luo Sancai tried to persuade him. "Master, it only comes out to a few thousand dollars in total. Why not just give it to him?"
Song Jiasen’s face darkened. "I thought he had real ability, but he's just leaning on the Ma family name to act like a rogue at my door! Dammit, who indulged him into such foul habits?"
"Master, the thing is, he truly is a son of the Ma family."
Song Jiasen sneered. "So what if he is? This is Lanyang Village! In this village, things go by my rules! Tell the scale-keeper to look sharp—account for every single jin and liang! If he doesn't want to sell, let him haul them back home himself and let them rot on his hands!"
Left with no choice, Luo Sancai could only settle the payment at the market rate.
"Just you wait! When this young lord turns his luck around, I'll teach you what regret means!" Having failed to squeeze out any extra profit, Ma the Fifth collected the money and left, cursing under his breath.
That night, Li Banfeng and Ma the Fifth took a sack of rotting fish and headed out to the newland once more. Having caught wind of it early this time, the steward hurried to report the news to family head Song Jiasen.
Hearing this, Song Jiasen sneered. "Seeing that it doesn't turn a profit, he can't bear to hire anyone anymore. Let him go. If he catches any peaches, we'll still buy them at market price. We wouldn't want anyone saying we didn't spare him money to eat."
Ma the Fifth and Li Banfeng picked their way through the woods, walking at a brisk pace as Ma the Fifth repeatedly verified their direction with Li Banfeng.
"Brother Li, if not for you, I'd never dare cross this forest alone. Let's move a bit faster so we don't lure the peach trees over."
"Brother Ma, I can go as fast as you want. I'm just worried you won't keep up."
"My constitution is too weak. How about you carry this sack?"
"Not up for discussion. You carry the rotten fish, no exceptions."
At two in the morning, the pair emerged from the forest and arrived at the edge of a lake.
The lake was by no means small, stretching more than three li across. Its waters were exceedingly murky; scoop up a handful, and you couldn't even see your own palm.
Li Banfeng produced a fishing net, baited it with the tiger-head lice plucked from the peaches, and began fishing.
"In the Lanyang Village newland, tiger-head lice are best for angling snake-head eels. With the bugs we have, we can catch dozens." Ma the Fifth was full of confidence.
Yet after waiting an hour, not a single fish took the bait.
Such was the nature of business; there were always risks.
If they failed to catch any snake-head eels tonight, all their earlier efforts would come to naught.
"The fish aren't biting quickly today. Brother Li, keep your cool and wait a little longer."
Li Banfeng twitched his nose, looking at Ma the Fifth. "What's that smell? Why is it so fishy?"
Ma the Fifth looked delighted. "Brother Li, you smell it? The snake-head eels are coming! Those fish reek of it!"
Li Banfeng sniffed carefully for a moment, then shook his head. "Not on this side. It's across the lake."
Ma the Fifth was astonished. He hadn't smelled anything at all—how could Li Banfeng pick up a scent from the other side of the lake?
Following Li Banfeng to the opposite shore, they cast the net again. With a single haul, two black-scaled eels were pulled from the water.
Snake-head eels—the name did not lie. Each creature bore the head of a serpent, complete with two snake-like fangs, and even flicked a forked tongue just like a snake.
Li Banfeng suspected these were simply snakes to begin with—snakes that had grown fish bodies.
Ma the Fifth quickly stepped in. "Brother Li, don't touch them yet! These fish are deadly venomous. One bite, and you're dead within the hour, guaranteed."
Wearing gloves, he packed the fish into a sack while Li Banfeng continued baiting and casting.
Two hours later, they had caught thirty-one snake-head eels in total.
Having gathered enough, Li Banfeng slung the snake-head eels over his shoulder, Ma the Fifth carried the rotten fish, and the two headed back to Lanyang Village.
When Tang Tianjin, the head steward of the Song family, saw Ma the Fifth, he went out of his way to greet him. "Fifth Young Master, back so early? Oh my, why'd you bring that sack of rotten fish back again? Didn't catch any peaches last night?"
Ma the Fifth gave a cold scoff, remaining silent.
Tang Tianjin stayed effusive. "Fifth Young Master, don't be downcast, please don't! Just make another trip tonight. Catch some peaches, and we'll be waiting to buy your goods."
During the day, Ma the Fifth slept downstairs while Li Banfeng returned to the Portable Abode. He said to the gramophone, "Wife, I'm covered in a fishy stench. Heat up some water for me to wash."
Chiss—chiss—
The gramophone fumed, "Hot water, hot water! Why don't you buy a boiler and bring it home? Do you have any idea how many days it's been since I last ate?"
Come to think of it, ever since arriving in Lanyang Village, apart from those few highwaymen, Li Banfeng truly hadn't fed his wife anything.
"Don't fret, Wife. In the next couple of days, I'll definitely treat you to a proper feast."
The gramophone snapped, "If you don't buy groceries and bring them back within these two days, I'll eat you!"
Li Banfeng bristled. "What kind of talk is that? Murdering your own husband?"
Chiss—chiss—
"So what if I murder you? Once you're dead, I'll marry someone useful! Then I won't have to starve one meal and feast the next, living through such hardship!"
That said, the gramophone still heated a basin of hot water for Li Banfeng. After a thoroughly refreshing wash, he was just about to lie down when he suddenly saw the Tang dao glide before him. It declared in a resonant tone:
"'Kill a man every ten paces; leave no trace for a thousand li!' The time for the decisive duel has arrived!"
"What decisive duel?" Li Banfeng blinked, staring at the Tang dao in bafflement.
"If you dare not battle me, I shall never submit to your command." The Tang dao stood upright before Li Banfeng, looking just as it had when they first met.
Did this thing just reboot?
Chiss—chiss—
The gramophone sneered from the side. "Oh, dear Husband, didn't I tell you this magical artifact isn't worth keeping? It can only be used three times, and only strike one blow each time. Once it delivers three cuts, it becomes a stranger again, and you have to subdue it all over."
Li Banfeng looked at the Tang dao. "Every three slashes, I have to duel you? Isn't that a rather poor rule?"
The Tang dao's tone was resolute. "This is the way of the sword for our kind!"
Li Banfeng grew even more annoyed. "You're clearly a saber! Why do you keep talking about swords?"
The Tang dao straightened its form. "So long as the artistic conception is reached, it suffices! Now tell me, where shall we duel?"
Noticing the Tang dao's exaggerated movements, Li Banfeng caught a small detail: its scabbard was fitted extraordinarily tight, seemingly locked onto the blade by some mechanism.
Li Banfeng said, "Today we duel in the outer chamber."
"Splendid!"
The Tang dao followed Li Banfeng into the outer chamber. The gramophone let out a couple of cold chuckles, offering no words.
In the outer chamber, man and blade took their stances. Li Banfeng asked, "Weren't we going to have a decisive duel? Why haven't you unsheathed yourself?"
"Hahaha..." The Tang dao sneered. "If I unsheathe, wouldn't I fall victim to the threat of that pill of yours again? The gap in martial prowess between us is vast. Even without unsheathing, I can still slay you!"
The Tang dao was not boasting. A vast disparity in combat power truly existed between Li Banfeng and the weapon. Without unsheathing, it was essentially a wooden staff, yet even a staff like this could beat Li Banfeng to death.
Maintaining the poise of a martial artist, the Tang dao shouted toward Li Banfeng, "Make your move!"
Li Banfeng spoke toward the bronze lotus: "Take him."
Hiss—hiss—hiss—
The bronze lotus had waited for this day for a very long time.
She, too, had gone without food for quite a while.
Her petals unfurled, the center of the lotus gleaming with light.
A whirlwind whipped up, dragging the Tang dao straight toward the heart of the lotus.
The Tang dao screeched, "A one-on-one duel, a fair contest! Calling in help—what kind of hero does that make you?"
Li Banfeng said, "The previous duel was an agreement between you and me. This time, it was entirely your own one-sided notion."
Drawn ever closer to the lotus heart, the Tang dao struggled violently. "Your victory is dishonorable! I shall never yield to you!"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I don't need you to yield. I just think you're too much trouble for a blade, so I'm sending you back to the furnace to be reforged."
Watching the red lotus loom closer and closer, the Tang dao had no idea what this thing's origins were, but could sense that it was about to be reduced to ash. "If you put me inside this thing, whatever comes out won't be a magical artifact anymore!"
Li Banfeng nodded. "Doesn't matter. Even if it refines two pills, they'll still be more useful than you."
Powerless to resist, the Tang dao shouted at the top of its voice: "This subordinate has drifted all his life, only to finally find an enlightened master! I am willing to serve you faithfully as horse and hound..."
Li Banfeng signaled the bronze lotus to pause, then had a proper discussion with the Tang dao.
"Every three strikes, you demand a duel with me. I dislike that very much. Starting today, that rule of yours has to change."
The Tang dao explained, "I am a magical artifact; my rules are the bedrock of my existence. If altered, my spirituality will have nowhere to anchor. Therefore, this rule absolutely cannot—"
Li Banfeng turned his head. "Ah-Lian, hungry, aren't you?"
The Tang dao immediately changed its tune: "The rule cannot be changed, but there is room for flexibility in practice! In all future duels with my Lord, we need not exchange real blows—I shall simply concede on my own!"
Li Banfeng nodded. "Not a bad attitude. Also, you can only deliver three strikes—isn't that far too few?"
The Tang dao swayed its body repeatedly. "My Lord, that is an immutable rule; this subordinate possesses no further power beyond that."
"Who says the rule can't be worked around? Next time I deploy you in battle, you strike three times first, then duel me. You concede, and wouldn't you be able to strike three more times?"
The Tang dao explained, "My Lord is wise, but that method is truly unfeasible. After delivering three strikes, I must rest for several days before I can fight again."
In other words, the Tang dao only had enough strength for three blows. If not allowed to rest sufficiently, it could not fight for Li Banfeng.
This time, no matter how Li Banfeng pressed, the Tang dao had no workaround. Seeing that it was full of sincerity, Li Banfeng stopped making things difficult for it.
That evening, Li Banfeng and Ma the Fifth carried the rotten fish into the newland once more. This time, they cut through the forest from the west, heading not toward the lake, but out into a barren desert.
Night winds swept past, swirling the yellow sand. It was hard to imagine such a desert existing right alongside a dense forest.
Ma the Fifth tossed the rotten fish aside.
Li Banfeng brought out the snake-head eels and laid them beneath a patch of cacti.
In the boundless desert, hardly any other plants could be found besides cacti. Ma the Fifth counted them first: "One, two, three..."
There were twelve cacti in total in this patch. After counting, the two lay down on the yellow sand with their backs to the cacti and began chatting idly.
Li Banfeng said to Ma the Fifth, "Actually, there was no need to return to the village last night. We could have just kept watch right here in the newland."
Ma the Fifth shook his head. "That wouldn't do. Song Jiasen would get suspicious. In Lanyang Village, dredging up treasures from the newland isn't the hard part; the hard part is slipping past the Song family's eyes.
"Take the Citun pearls we're looking for—a pearl of prime quality sold to the Song family would fetch twenty thousand at most. But if we deliver it to Lüshui City ourselves, it can sell for two or three hundred thousand.
"If you want to make money in Lanyang Village, the difficulty doesn't lie in the methods, but in the smoke and mirrors, in—"
Mid-sentence, Ma the Fifth glanced back over his shoulder. "One, two, three..."
He counted once more.
"Twelve, thirteen." Ma the Fifth smiled. "It's here!"
The cactus had arrived.
Chapter 102