All I Want Is You

Li Banfeng followed Ma the Fifth across the newly paved road into a field of ruins. The area had only recently been demolished, leaving broken bricks and shattered tiles strewn about. An iron railing had been erected around the perimeter, guarded by sentries who forbade strangers from approaching. "This is the Song family's rule. It's called cordoning the grounds," Ma the Fifth explained. "Before a duel, the grounds are cordoned off. The Song family selects the site a day in advance, and no one is allowed inside. No cheating, no foul play." Li Banfeng was taken aback. They certainly conducted things with proper form. Through the railing, Li Banfeng spotted Song Jiasen, the head of the Song family. Song Jiasen wore a front-buttoned green cloth short jacket. Behind him stood his two sons, Song Zhigang and Song Zhiyi, and behind them lined twenty to thirty guards. More and more onlookers gathered. When ten o'clock arrived, Song Jiasen gave the command: "Beat the drums!" *Thump, thump, thump!* The deafening drumbeats reverberated as the two champions entered the ring one after the other. The so-called champions were hired fighters brought in by the opposing parties. In a daytime arena, the disputants did not have to fight in person; they could choose proxies to duel on their behalf. The duel was between the proprietors of two inns who had clashed over business matters. One inn had chosen a tall, dark brute as their champion. Standing roughly one-meter-ninety, he was brawny and heavily muscled, clearly possessing martial training. The other inn had chosen a middle-aged man of slight build, noticeably outmatched in physical stature. Presumably, his cultivation was not low. Before engaging, both sides announced their names and then declared the grievance behind the fight. The middle-aged man spoke first. "Today, I have come to this wasteland to duel and seek justice for Liuyuan Inn! As everyone knows, an inn is a place of lodging. Guests are few and far between in our Lanyang Village, and business is hard enough as it is. Keeping the rooms clean and preparing hearty food and wine—that is the duty of honest trade! Yet Huaxuan Inn across the way summoned several girls, dressed them in indecent rags, and had them strutting before their doors to flirt and snare customers! Is that how an inn should do business? It ruins the reputation of Lanyang Village! I didn't come here today for mere coins—I came to uphold our village's good name and demand justice for Liuyuan Inn!" He was an eloquent speaker, and his words drew cheers from many in the crowd. The tall, dark man was not gifted with words. He gave a cold snort. "What's the point of all that blabber? Let's just fight!" The crowd craned their necks, waiting for the show to begin. After three drum rolls sounded, the two men formally began their clash. After five or six minutes, the match was still dragging on, and more than half the spectators had already drifted away. It was boring. Neither of them possessed cultivation. A spat between two inns over business was hardly exciting to begin with. The two champions traded punches and kicks like brawlers in a street scuffle. Such sights were far too common in Lanyang Village. The tall, dark man had the advantage in size and physique. The middle-aged man had decent combat experience and barely managed to stay on his feet, circling and fending off his opponent. Watching the middle-aged man, Li Banfeng asked Ma the Fifth, "Why did they pick a fellow like that to duel? He's all talk and no real skill. He can't gain any advantage at all." "Who knows..." Ma the Fifth wasn't even watching the fight. He was scanning the onlookers, searching for helpers for his next trip into the newland. After two more minutes, an unexpected turn occurred. The tall man landed a punch on the middle-aged man, sending him stumbling back. Seemingly on the verge of collapsing, the middle-aged man tottered behind a half-broken brick wall. The tall man pressed his advantage and stepped onto a pile of rubble. A loose brick abruptly gave way, and the wall collapsed with it. The falling masonry struck the tall man square on the body. He was badly hurt, struggling just to keep his footing. The middle-aged man leaped forward, kicked the giant flat onto his back, and followed up with two more kicks. The tall man immediately begged for mercy. The fight was over. Song Jiasen rose and shouted, "Clear the arena! Sound the drums! Liuyuan Inn is victorious!" And so, a dull duel came to an end. The winning side rejoiced, the losing side hung their heads in dejection, and the spectators all dispersed. Li Banfeng did not rush to leave. He stood staring at the arena for a long while. A single loose brick had brought down an entire wall. Something was wrong there. *** Qiu Zhiheng stood before the main residence, staring blankly into space. Head Guard Zuo Wugang looked uneasy. He glanced at Qiu Zhiheng, wanting to speak, yet at a loss for words. A man clad in a green cloth gown came shouting as he rushed before Qiu Zhiheng. "We have news! We have news!" Joy flickered across Zuo Wugang's face. "News?" "Yes!" The man nodded repeatedly. "Someone said they saw Li Banfeng at the Paramount last night! He was carrying a gramophone, and his face matched the photograph exactly! This news is definitely solid..." So it was news about Li Banfeng. Qiu Zhiheng did not utter a word. Zuo Wugang stepped forward, kicked the man to the ground, and began beating him furiously. "Li Banfeng, Li Banfeng! What bloody use is finding Li Banfeng right now? Didn't I tell you lot to search for the master? I'll give you Li Banfeng!" Zuo Wugang vented all his frustration on the gown-wearing man. The man was stunned. "I—well, didn't you—yesterday, didn't you tell us to find Li Banfeng..." "I'm telling you to go find the master now! Did you hear me? If you heard me, then get the hell moving!" Zuo Wugang delivered two more kicks, and the man scrambled away as fast as his legs could carry him. "He's gone to look for the master. He's on it," Zuo Wugang said, looking awkwardly at Monkey Qiu. Ever since the incident at the Lu family mansion, as someone who had been present throughout, the most awkward person from top to bottom in the Lu household was Head Guard Zuo Wugang. He had lived through the entire ordeal, yet he had seen nothing and accomplished nothing. Lu Dongliang had been missing for an entire night, his life or death unknown. Overnight, the Lu family—the foremost prominent clan of Puluo Province—seemed to have arrived at a critical junction of survival and ruin. According to Lu Dongjun, Lu Dongliang had been injured by He Yuxiu. As far as Qiu Zhiheng knew, Lu Dongliang's cultivation surpassed He Yuxiu's. The battlefield had been the Lu family mansion itself, so there was no reason Lu Dongliang should have lost to her. Even if Lu Dongliang had been careless and suffered an accidental defeat, he surely would have had the means to retreat safely. He could at least have found a place to hide temporarily, rather than disappearing completely without a trace like this. Had something truly happened to the master? Qiu Zhiheng had sent men to investigate the He family, but they had not yet received a reply. To tell the truth, what Monkey Qiu cared about most right now was not the He family, but Lu Dongjun. Why had Lu Dongjun appeared at the mansion last night? Who had told him to come? Qiu Zhiheng had asked Zuo Wugang, who had only shaken his head with a sigh: "Chief Qiu, that's the master's family business. How would I dare pry?" Qiu Zhiheng did not blame Zuo Wugang; he felt the fault lay in his own carelessness. He blamed himself, yet his mind remained composed. Qiu Zhiheng could clearly appraise the situation before him. Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying were gone, but that was of little consequence. Zhuo Yuling and Lu Xiaolan were also gone. That was somewhat urgent, but not an immediate peril. The most pressing danger lay with Lu Dongjun. If he found Lu Dongliang first, the consequences would be unthinkable. *** Lu Dongjun led his men on a search across all of Lüshui City, but found no trace of Lu Dongliang. However, some of his intentions had already been noticed by those around him. Wan Jinxian, an advisor at Lu Dongjun's side, cautioned him in a low voice, "Second Master, finding the eldest master is a task that can be left to us. Right now, the most critical matter is preventing the He family from attacking. A family cannot go a single day without a master. Someone must step forward to take charge." This suggestion aligned perfectly with Lu Dongjun's thoughts. Take charge of the family—and seize the position of family head first! Lu Dongjun instructed, "Go notify the elders and our generation to assemble at the Lu family mansion to discuss affairs." Wan Jinxian gave another reminder: "Is going to the Lu family mansion appropriate?" "Why wouldn't it be?" Important family councils of the Lu family had always taken place at the main mansion. The rule had never changed in all these years. Lu Dongjun did not understand Wan Jinxian's point. Wan Jinxian spoke more bluntly: "The first madame is still at the mansion. And don't forget Monkey Qiu is there as well." Understanding dawned on Lu Dongjun. The Lu family mansion was Lu Dongliang's home. Conducting business under Lu Dongliang's roof, Lu Dongjun's authority might not carry as much weight as his sister-in-law's, or even that of the head steward. "Tell them to come to my residence for the council. Tell them the situation is dire. Anyone currently in Lüshui City must arrive before noon." Lu Dongjun returned to his estate and made preparations for the noon council. He had waited for this day for a very long time. Although failing to find Lu Dongliang left him uneasy, as long as the clan obeyed his orders, refrained from searching high and low for Lu Dongliang, and focused entirely on dealing with the He family, his first move would be successful. The second move, naturally, would be for him to personally locate Lu Dongliang, eliminate him, and pin the blame on the He family. The third move would be for the Lu family to unite against their common foe, defeat the He family, and see Lu Dongjun take the seat of family head with supreme merit. Lu Dongjun had rehearsed these three moves countless times in his head, entirely confident of success. Yet when noon arrived, the first move ran into a problem. Neither the elders nor the peers of the Lu family showed up. No one gave Lu Dongjun any face. Not a single person came to his estate for the council. Instead, two elders had gone to the Lu family mansion to visit Lu Dongliang's sons. Lu Dongjun's cheek twitched uncontrollably. Even though Elder Brother Lu had met with disaster, the family's attitude toward Lu Dongjun had not changed in the slightest. Still, nobody thought anything of him. Even if Lu Dongliang's corpse were discovered tomorrow, the position of family head would likely never fall to Lu Dongjun. *** Having driven the steamroller for several days straight, Li Banfeng was in high spirits. He planned to catch up on his sleep this afternoon, then head into the newland tonight to retrieve the bonding mud he had missed earlier. Entering the Portable Abode, Li Banfeng discovered that the bronze lotus had bloomed. At its center rested two lotus seeds. One was ripe and ready to be plucked, while the other was still being refined. When Li Banfeng plucked the ripe seed, the petals snapped shut. After waiting anxiously for half an hour, the seed finally burst open. What emerged this time was not one or two medicinal pills, but a whole handful—thirty-eight pills in total! They were dazzling, plump golden spheres, so numerous that a single palm could barely hold them. "What kind of pills are these?" *Hiss, hiss—* The gramophone replied, "Oh, Husband, these are Golden Origin Pills. A single pill is worth a hundred days of cultivation. This handful is enough for Husband to establish an entire estate." A single pill equaled a hundred days of cultivation? Pills this good certainly couldn't be sold. He had to save them to consume himself! However, taking these pills had to be done behind his wife's back. Normally, dwelling cultivators could not advance their cultivation through medicinal pills. If the gramophone learned he was consuming them, it might very well expose his status as a dual cultivator who also practiced journey cultivation. Li Banfeng felt thoroughly invigorated. "How did these pills come about? Were they refined from Lu Dongliang?" *Hiss, hiss—* "Lu Dongliang is still a long way off. These were refined from that bug." The bug? Madam Bagworm Moth! Li Banfeng gathered the pills and presented them to the gramophone. In slaying Madam Bagworm Moth, his wife had played the greatest role, so the pills rightfully belonged to her to distribute. Li Banfeng was very clear on this point. *Hiss, hiss—* The wife gave a soft laugh. "Good Husband, rare as pills of this quality may be, this humble servant still looks down on them." Li Banfeng struggled to comprehend. Thirty-eight Golden Origin Pills, each worth a hundred days of cultivation. Consuming all of them would raise a cultivator by an entire tier. Even these, the gramophone didn't want? A plume of steam curled around Li Banfeng. "My lord, you cherish this servant so dearly that my heart can't help feeling a sense of debt." "A sense of debt in your heart?" Li Banfeng chuckled. "More like an empty stomach, isn't it? We haven't found any dishes these past two days, so you must be hungry again, Wife." "This servant is not hungry. This servant does not want food." Li Banfeng froze for a long time. What had gotten into his wife? Why was her appetite still so poor? Could that single Lu Dongliang really have stuffed her that full? Li Banfeng asked again, "If you don't want food, should I find a few more gramophones to replace your parts?" "This servant does not want new parts." "Then what do you want? Some machine oil?" "This servant does not want oil." She didn't want anything at all? Well, that left him out of options. Li Banfeng was glad for the leisure. Lying down on the bed, he said, "Wife, I'll take a nap first. Tonight I'll head into the newland to see if I can find you something fresh." "This servant doesn't want anything fresh. All this servant wants is you." Li Banfeng patted the gramophone's turntable and nodded. "Now that's the kind of talk I like to hear." "This servant isn't merely speaking. I truly want you." *Clang! Clang! Clang!* The rapid, frantic clashing of gongs and drums showed that his wife was growing impatient. The crisp, forceful cadences of her singing showed she was deadly serious. "Well, uh... wait until your body has recovered..." Li Banfeng sprang up and bolted toward the door, unsure of what state of mind his wife was in. *Clang! Clang! Clang!* "I cannot wait! This servant wants you right now!" *Whoosh!* A surge of steam billowed toward him, wrapping around Li Banfeng and dragging him straight toward the horn. This madwoman wanted to eat a person! No matter how Li Banfeng struggled, it was futile. Under the relentless tug of the steam, half of Li Banfeng's body was pulled into the horn at the center of the gramophone. "Murdering your husband! You wicked woman, you're murdering your own husband! That's a felony, a felony!" Li Banfeng braced his hands against the rim of the horn and kicked his legs frantically. After struggling for a few minutes, he gave up. The situation wasn't as dreadful as he had imagined. The steam wasn't as scalding as he feared. And inside his wife, it was actually rather warm. *** Half an hour later, Li Banfeng broke free from the horn. His black hair had been curled by the heat, steam wafting from his head. "Wife, don't you think an explanation is in order for what just happened? I dote on you so much, how could you treat me like this?" *Hiss, hiss—* The gramophone fell silent for a long moment, then abruptly burst into song. "Autumn arrives with the scent of lotus blooming, Night after night the maiden dreams of home, Waking to see neither father nor mother, Only bright moonlight before the window pane!" The "Song of the Four Seasons"! Why was she singing the "Song of the Four Seasons"? To his gramophone wife, this song was never sung lightly. Could it be... *Hiss, hiss—* The wife's modified lyrics arrived: "Your servant loves her beau with all her heart, Husband and wife bound by love that will never part, Who can bar a heart arrowing home like a dart? Once more I add a chamber for my lord!" Another chamber? Li Banfeng glanced around the main room of the Portable Abode, but saw only three doors. One was the main entrance leading to the outside world. The other two doors led to the outer room and the third chamber respectively. No new door had appeared. After a moment's thought, Li Banfeng stepped into the outer room. At the far end of the room, he spotted a door. Pushing it open, Li Banfeng saw an identical room, completely empty. Gaining another room was a good thing, but that wasn't the main point. The main point was that adding a chamber meant advancing by a tier. He was now a third-tier dwelling cultivator! Third tier! Li Banfeng nearly jumped for joy! In the short term, he no longer had to worry about his dwelling cultivation being suppressed by his journey cultivation, nor did he have to fear cultivation backlash... Cultivation backlash. Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead. Now he had a different problem to worry about. His journey cultivation was only at the first tier, while his dwelling cultivation had reached the third tier! According to the peddler, when cultivating two paths simultaneously, the difference in tier between them could not exceed three. A difference of one tier was manageable, causing no noticeable discomfort. A difference of two tiers triggered backlash. A difference of three tiers could be life-threatening. Exceeding three tiers meant certain death. Previously, Li Banfeng had worried that his dwelling cultivation would fail to advance and hold back his journey cultivation, though he thought that would be an issue ten or twenty years down the line. Who could have guessed that his dwelling cultivation wouldn't just keep up, but would overpower his journey cultivation entirely? Li Banfeng walked back into the main room, sat down by the edge of the bed, and stared silently at the gramophone. The gramophone sang in a slow, sweet lilt: "Oh, Husband, your cultivation has advanced once more, so why don't I see you rejoicing?" "I am rejoicing!" Li Banfeng forced a smile. "Wife, do third-tier dwelling cultivators possess a technique?" "Of course. Wasn't it stated just now? The technique is called Heart Arrowing Home. All third-tier dwelling cultivators possess this skill. When they wish to return home, ordinary people cannot stop them. "My lord, what is wrong with your legs? "My lord, why do you keep trembling?" Both of Li Banfeng's legs were trembling. They wanted to walk. They wanted to carry Li Banfeng into a mad sprint. His journey cultivation was being suppressed, and the backlash had set in. His legs were nearly spinning out of control. P.S. Li Banfeng had underestimated the cultivation backlash—the greatest hurdle for dual cultivators.