On the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the snow fell exceptionally heavy.
Inside the grand conference hall on the sixteenth floor of Heping Mansion, Lu Dongjun and Chu the Second finalized the deal for the Paramount.
For eight hundred thousand silver dollars, the Paramount was transferred from the Lu family's name to Chu the Second.
The Paramount's land deed, property deed, and various operating covenant deeds were all transferred to Chu the Second. The notary issued the paperwork, and the reporters arrived on the scene to publish their coverage.
Eight hundred thousand silver dollars—Chu the Second had poured all her savings into it.
Except for the residence where she lived, all her other houses and farmlands had been completely sold off.
Apart from the businesses directly under her command, which she retained, she had liquidated all shares invested in other families' enterprises.
She was even saddled with more than two hundred thousand silver dollars in outside debt, but she had finally taken over the Paramount.
Did no one in the Chu family rein her in when she made such a fuss?
In truth, no one did.
Chu the Second's standing was very different from that of other young mistresses of prominent families.
Five years ago, while joining forces with the Lu family to clear newland, the Chu family patriarch—Chu the Second's father—had died of severe injuries. At present, the Chu family was jointly governed by her eldest brother and two paternal aunts.
After receiving a portion of the family estate, Chu the Second operated her businesses independently. For the past five years, she paid a set dividend to the Chu family each year; as for how she ran her businesses, no one was permitted to interfere.
With the Paramount in hand, Chu the Second was thrilled, pacing up and down inside the building well into the dead of night.
In truth, the Paramount was neither particularly tall nor excessively large, consisting of only three stories. But it was the hallmark of Lüshui City, a brand even more dazzling than Heping Mansion.
The people of Lüshui City might not necessarily envy the suits and leather shoes inside Heping Mansion, but they definitely yearned for the dazzling nightlife and neon glow of the Paramount.
The first floor was a restaurant featuring six banquet halls and more than a hundred private rooms of various sizes.
The second floor was the dance hall, the very essence of the Paramount. Here lay a grand dance floor, five round halls, and sixteen songstress private chambers.
The grand dance floor needed no introduction: accompanied by a live orchestra, song queens performed, primarily playing jazz, though elegant classical music and popular modern tunes were also common. The Paramount's grand dance floor could accommodate over a thousand people, and each year's Song and Dance Queen was selected right here.
The round halls were slightly smaller than the grand dance floor, each holding around a hundred people, making them suitable for gatherings, which the Outer States often called parties.
The songstress chambers were truly unique. Each chamber held a dozen or so people, where a renowned songstress would sing exclusively for VIP guests.
Imagine the sensation of having a reigning song queen sing exclusively for a single patron in a private room.
If things progressed smoothly, she might even offer something more.
The songstress chambers were reserved for song queens. Song Queen Xia Yijun's chamber was named Yijun Studio; as long as Xia Yijun remained under contract with the Paramount, this chamber's name would not change.
Only if Xia Yijun were dismissed by the Paramount or jumped ship of her own accord would someone else take over the room.
Of course, not every song queen was entitled to a chamber at the Paramount. Song queens emerged every year, but there was only one Paramount.
Back in the day, Song Queen Jiang Mengting had her own exclusive chamber at the Paramount, called Mengting Abode. Later, Chu the Second paid a steep price to poach her away.
Still later, through whatever means Ma the Fifth used, he managed to poach Jiang Mengting right out of Chu the Second's grasp.
None of that mattered anymore.
Now the entire Paramount belonged to Chu the Second!
Chu the Second climbed to the third floor, which held seventy-six suites. She opened the one with the finest view, looking down at the endless stream of pedestrians, carriages, and horses on the street below.
For a moment, Chu the Second was struck by the illusion that the entire city of Lüshui belonged to her.
As things stood, Lüshui City's most dazzling brand truly did belong to her.
Standing beside her, Yang Yanzheng said, "Miss, why don't we open for business today?"
Because Lu Dongjun had been embroiled in a series of scandals, the Paramount had been closed for several days.
With today's newspaper report just published, many people had already begun inquiring about booking tables and reserving rooms.
The Paramount was never short on business.
Yet Chu the Second did not wish to open today.
"We can't rush it. An opening needs proper momentum. Once an auspicious day is chosen, we'll host a singing gala, send out invitations to all the major families, and invite everyone of prominence!"
Yang Yanzheng furrowed his brow, not daring to speak.
Chu the Second had exhausted her family fortune, and now she wanted to host a singing gala.
The sensible thing was to open immediately to recoup the capital. Couldn't galas and the like wait until after the New Year?
Since the young mistress had ordered it, Yang Yanzheng could only see to the arrangements. Before he could step through the door, he heard Chu the Second specifically instruct:
"Send an invitation to Ma the Fifth. Tell him he must come. I want to see if his heart itches.
"When the time comes, I'll negotiate a price with him. If he can make the Paramount even grander, I'm willing to return Xiaoyaowu to him!"
***
Ma the Fifth was reading the newspaper in Lanyang Village. When he saw that Chu the Second had bought the Paramount, the paper nearly slipped from his hands.
*Not good!*
*That madwoman really has stirred up a hornets' nest.* Chu the Second had tumbled through the business world for so many years; how could she make such a blunder?
She wanted the Paramount too badly.
In truth, Ma the Fifth could understand. If he were in Chu the Second's shoes, he might also have spared no expense to claim the Paramount. The temptation it held for any businessperson was simply overwhelming.
While Ma the Fifth was deducing how events would unfold, he soon noticed a novel on page four.
*The Grievances and Passions of a Down-and-Out Young Master and an Infatuated Young Lady.*
Ma the Fifth had never paid attention to this novel before, but today it caught his eye.
Its placement had shifted. It was not a short story, having been serialized over several installments, and had usually sat in an inconspicuous corner; today, it occupied the headline spot on page four.
The placement alone would not have drawn his attention. The crucial detail was that this installment mentioned Lanyang Village.
Ma the Fifth read through the chapter. Though neither Ma the Fifth's nor Chu the Second's names appeared, it clearly told the story of the two of them.
He flipped through back issues of the newspaper and discovered that as coverage of Chu the Second increased, the prominence of this novel had soared along with it.
Today, news of Chu the Second's acquisition of the Paramount took the front page headline, and this novel had been elevated to the headline of the supplement page.
Ma the Fifth had to confront a harsh reality: in the eyes of outsiders, his relationship with Chu the Second was no longer so simple.
Now that Chu the Second had poked a hornets' nest, would it drag him into the mess?
Sure enough, it did.
Come evening, Ma the Fifth had someone fetch an evening paper, only to be confronted by a report on page two: *Ma Junyang May Step Forward to Champion Paramount Banner for Chu Family.*
*Who the hell fabricated this rumor?*
*Who said I was going to carry the Chu family banner?*
*My surname isn't Chu; why would I raise their banner? Did I marry into her family or something?*
Ma the Fifth had a premonition that the hornets were about to descend.
No, he had to find a place to lay low. The major families could strike at him at any moment.
Although he had hired Zuo Wugang, a layer six Martial Cultivator might not guarantee complete safety. Just as Ma the Fifth was fretting over where to hide, he saw Li Banfeng pushing open the door, dressed in a Western suit and a fedora, holding a feather duster.
Using the feather duster to brush the snowflakes from his coat, Li Banfeng sat down by the fireplace and warmed himself by the fire for a while.
Delighted, Ma the Fifth exclaimed, "Brother Li, you're finally back!"
Li Banfeng had been gone for a full eighteen days: three days on the way there, and half a month on the return.
His journey back took so long for a single reason: he had to consume one Golden Origin Pill each day.
Over the course of the journey, he had taken fifteen pills in total, earning four years, one month, and six days of cultivation. Combined with the time he had previously accumulated, his cultivation as a journey cultivator now stood at sixteen years, eight months, and seventeen days, bringing him closer and closer to layer three.
Layer three required twenty years of cultivation. Even if Li Banfeng had entered the discipline at age ten and cultivated by the book, he would have had to reach at least thirty years old.
Now in his early twenties, layer three as a journey cultivator was within his grasp, while layer three as a Dwelling Cultivator was already achieved. If outsiders learned of this, they would either fall to their knees in worship—or, more likely, Li Banfeng would not live very long.
This also sparked an idea in Li Banfeng: he wanted to clear a piece of newland, staying as far from other people's sight as possible.
The newland was exceedingly well-suited for cultivation. In his spare time, he could capture wandering ghosts to feed the wife, track down rare beasts for the Red Lotus to refine into pills, and earn abundant time in treacherous territory as a journey cultivator without neglecting his pill supplements. Wouldn't such a life be perfect?
Beyond cultivation, he also wanted to build a sanctuary in the newland. Should an unmanageable crisis arise, retreating into the newland would offer an escape route.
Li Banfeng had mapped it out on the road, but he lacked land-clearing experience, so he needed to consult Ma the Fifth.
At first, Ma the Fifth was opposed.
The upbringing he had received since childhood left him deeply prejudiced against the newland; in his eyes, it was a perilous realm not to be entered lightly.
Yet after a few seconds of hesitation, Ma the Fifth suddenly snapped to his senses.
*Wasn't I just looking for a place to take refuge?*
*Isn't the newland one of the best options?*
Clearing newland had indeed been a gamble before, but circumstances were different now—they had Zuo Wugang on their side!
After pondering for a moment, Ma the Fifth nodded. "I'll go summon the head guard and take Zhen Jincheng and Cao Zhida along too. That gives us a proper squad to go clear land!"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "Zuo Wugang can't go. If he leaves, no one will be holding down Lanyang Village, and someone might come looking for trouble."
Without Zuo Wugang, Ma the Fifth felt a knot of dread in his chest. "Relying only on Zhen Jincheng and Cao Zhida might not be dependable for land clearing."
Li Banfeng gave a slight shake of his head. "By my reckoning, we shouldn't even take the two of them."
"Not even them?" Ma the Fifth said in astonishment. "Brother Li, you mean just the two of us will go clear land?"
A layer one Joy Cultivator plus a layer two journey cultivator—Ma the Fifth felt relying on just the two of them to open up land was far too reckless.
Li Banfeng said, "My thought is for you to explain the land-clearing process to me, and I'll go clear it on my own. You won't even need to come."
"That won't do! Some things can't be explained clearly; I have to handle them in person." Ma the Fifth needed to seek refuge in the newland, so he had to go along.
"If you come with me, what about your cultivation?" Li Banfeng was a journey cultivator, so walking counted as cultivation; Ma the Fifth was a Joy Cultivator, and he certainly could not bring women on this trip.
Ma the Fifth considered this and said, "I'll hold over with medicinal pills. The Golden Origin Pill I took before earned me a hundred days of cultivation time. Land clearing takes at most a month; I'll treat it as recuperation. I can endure it."
Li Banfeng agreed. "Alright, we'll go together. First explain the rules of land clearing. Do we need to prepare offerings first?"
Ma the Fifth nodded. "Offerings are simple enough. All we need are food and wine. The more lavish the spread, the faster the wild land's local spirit will respond."
Li Banfeng thought this sounded straightforward. "Then let Xiao Chuanzi prepare it. We'll take the very best food and drink we can muster."
"Brother Li, we still have to act within our means."
"It's just food and drink—what's there to act within our means about? Can't we afford it?"
"We can afford the food and drink, but I'm afraid we won't be able to handle what follows. Within a hundred li of wild land, there is usually only one local spirit.
"If this local spirit accepts our offerings, it will bestow a plot of land upon us. The more offerings we provide, the larger the plot will be."
Li Banfeng nodded with satisfaction. "Bigger is good. The bigger, the better!"
Ma the Fifth shook his head. "Bigger is good, but you have to be able to keep it. The local spirit doesn't give land away for nothing; we have to pass a trial.
"We spill blood on the plot to establish a covenant, which takes effect one day later.
"The land reclaimers enter the plot, and the local spirit summons surrounding anomalies to lay siege to them. If the reclaimers hold out for three days without stepping past the boundary line, the plot is ours. In trade terms, that's called a trial."
Li Banfeng understood this rule. The old gatekeeper at Yu Family Stronghold had told him that the reclaimers and the owner of the newland did not necessarily have to be the same people; the owner would go first to spill blood and seal the covenant, and the reclaimers would enter the newland the next day.
Ma the Fifth continued, "Plots are generally divided into four classes. The smallest class is one li across. The local spirit will summon ordinary anomalies for the trial. Usually, surviving three to five waves is considered a success; lucky folks might face only one wave, while the unlucky might face more than a dozen.
"For wild land of this class, gathering five or six layer one cultivators is enough to clear it. If you truly can't find cultivators, finding a few dozen stout men also gives you a fighting chance. But having too many people brings other complications, which we'll discuss on the road."
Li Banfeng recalled Yu Nan's Yu Family Stronghold in the newland. It looked to be less than one li across, likely because some areas were not yet fully developed; it was probably wild land of this smallest class.
Ma the Fifth went on, "The second class is three li across. The difficulty of this type of wild land is vastly higher. In a single day, the local spirit will summon over a dozen types of anomalies to assault the reclaimers in waves.
"To clear a territory three li across, one must hire professionals like Daboyins. Daboyins's fees are steep, and he usually only provides guidance rather than taking action personally; even then, success isn't guaranteed.
"Even larger are plots five li across. For land like that, one must have at least an eighth-layer cultivator holding the line to have any hope of clearing it. The forces sent by the local spirit are all ruthless monsters—even Madam Bagworm Moth wouldn't be out of the ordinary.
"The largest are ten li across. That's beyond my grasp. It's said the Lu family once teamed up with the Chu family to clear a ten-li expanse, but they failed, and that was how the Chu family patriarch died.
"Brother Li, with our current strength, clearing a plot one li across would already be a stroke of tremendous fortune. That's why the offerings must be chosen in moderation.
"If we prepare too lavish an offering and the local spirit is so delighted that it grants us a plot ten li across, the reclamation will be doomed to failure."
"If we fail, we fail; we can just try again," Li Banfeng said, taking a relaxed view.
Ma the Fifth shook his head. "You cannot try again. If the reclamation fails, the local spirit will look down on you. Within a hundred li, neither of us will ever be allowed to clear land again—not as an owner, nor as a reclaimer."
Chapter 143