Li Banfeng was so exasperated by Pan Dehai that he laughed. "Old Pan, if I hand this prescription over to you today, can you guarantee you'll bring the insect blight under control?"
Pan Dehai let out a long sigh. "How this prescription is to be used, and where it is to be applied, will require careful deliberation."
"No!" Li Banfeng knew this old bastard had more tricks up his sleeve. "There's no time for careful deliberation. Sourcing herbs, compounding medicine, killing insects—it has to be done as fast as humanly possible."
"Right now, strife has erupted all across Toudaoling. Requisitioning and transporting medicinal herbs would be terribly inconvenient, I fear. We must wait until the turmoil in Toudaoling settles before formulating a plan."
Toudaoling was Haichiling's transportation hub; under normal circumstances, any shipment of medicinal herbs indeed had to pass through it.
Yet Pan Dehai possessed extraordinary means—why wasn't he using them?
"Why don't you requisition the herbs through the newland? The local spirits across the various regions should be willing to help you."
Pan Dehai shook his head. "This is an internal matter of Haichiling. It is improper to trouble outsiders."
What kind of nonsense was that?
"Didn't you just say we shared common hatred for a common enemy? Weren't you trying to steer the insect blight somewhere else before? How come you don't want to trouble anyone now?"
Pan Dehai still shook his head. "Back then, it was a desperate measure to unite everyone in a common cause. Now that we have a countermeasure, we ought naturally to plan with due prudence."
In truth, Pan Dehai's line of thinking was crystal clear, without the slightest contradiction.
Spreading the blight outwards and dragging everyone else down with him—that, he was more than happy to do.
Allowing other local spirits to meddle in Haichiling—that, he was completely unwilling to do.
The insect blight had to be eradicated, but only on the condition that his own standing in Haichiling remained unshaken.
Li Banfeng saw right through him. "If you treasure yourself so much, then this prescription can't be given to you."
Pan Dehai's expression darkened. "Young man, what did you just say? I didn't catch that."
Li Banfeng repeated it: "You're not getting this prescription."
"If you don't give me the prescription, how do you expect to relieve the disaster?"
"I'll go find the peddler. The peddler will definitely have a way to ship the herbs. If you're unwilling to treat the blight, I'll find someone to treat it for you."
Pan Dehai stared hard at Li Banfeng, speaking slowly. "Do you believe I can keep you from ever walking out of Haichiling? Do you believe I can leave you buried right here in Laobing Village?"
Li Banfeng remained expressionless. "I believe you. Come on, try it."
"Insolent fool," Pan Dehai fumed.
The liquor gourd was nervous as well.
Was this little brother out of his mind?
Why did he keep provoking a local spirit?
She rubbed frantically against Li Banfeng, but Li Banfeng ignored her completely.
He truly was mad.
Across from him sat the most powerful existence in Haichiling. If Li Banfeng were to offer even a single soft word...
If he actually offered a soft word, he would be dead meat.
Pan Dehai was best at seizing upon another person's meekness, guilt, and cowardice.
The liquor gourd suddenly realized this and stopped rubbing frantically against him.
This was the right way to deal with Pan Dehai.
Crazy as the little brother might seem, he wasn't doing the wrong thing.
Pan Dehai also gradually calmed down.
Angry as he was, he had not lost his senses.
Cultivation was invisible; he genuinely could not tell what level this young man had reached.
He could test him—in fact, a single glance from him could render Li Banfeng unconscious—yet he did not do so.
This fellow had been sent by Old Yao, and from the sound of it, his relationship with the peddler was far from shallow.
Offending Old Yao over him wasn't worth it, and offending the peddler was even less so.
After weighing the matter again and again, Pan Dehai nodded. "Fine. I will requisition medicinal herbs through the newland and begin treating the blight immediately."
"Put it in writing," Li Banfeng said, producing paper and brush.
Old Pan glanced at the white sheet on the table, unable to contain the surge of fury in his chest, and roared, "This is covenant paper!"
"It is covenant paper," Li Banfeng nodded. "Or were you planning to go back on your word?"
This was covenant paper refined from Liu Liangyi's contract. Although it had come from the Red Lotus, its tier might not be high enough.
Whether it was enough or not, he would use it first.
Pan Dehai was rendered speechless. He drew up the covenant and pressed his thumbprint onto it, then turned to ask Li Banfeng, "It wasn't easy for you to make the journey here. I intend to present you with an artifact as remuneration."
Li Banfeng didn't want an artifact, but before he could speak, Pan Dehai had already brought it out.
He produced a folding fan with red ribs and white paper, over a foot long, exuding a faint fragrance of ink.
Pan Dehai said to Li Banfeng, "This fan has followed me for many years, steeped in the aura of sacred virtue. Carried in hand, it serves as an excellent weapon suited for both offense and defense.
"After three exchanges, it can subdue an enemy with its aura of sacred virtue, causing their combat prowess to plummet."
Put simply, it was the most common technique of Virtue Cultivators—making opponents feel self-reproach and guilt so they would hesitate when attacking.
Quite an intriguing artifact.
"Plummet by how much?"
"It depends on the enemy's level, on your own cultivation, and most importantly, on the depth of your virtue. It cannot be explained in a few words; you will have to fathom it yourself."
The so-called depth of virtue simply meant the height of the moral high ground you occupied.
"What is the cost of this artifact?" Li Banfeng had not forgotten to ask.
"You must cultivate alongside this precious fan, meditating on concepts of sacred virtue for at least three hours each day."
Meditation?
Spacing out with a fan for three hours every day?
The price wasn't heavy, nor did it conflict with being a Dwelling Cultivator, but Li Banfeng felt a slight aversion to it. Still, that wasn't the main point.
Having handed over the artifact, Pan Dehai took his leave. "Go back and tell Old Yao that this old man accepts the favor."
Li Banfeng did not leave Haichiling. He still didn't trust Pan Dehai.
He returned to the Portable Abode and retrieved ten doses of insect medicine.
The gramophone caught an unfamiliar scent and asked, "Oh my~ husband, what have you brought back?"
The folding fan unfurled its leaves and bowed to the gramophone. "I am the fan of the one of sacred virtue. Greetings, Madam."
Hearing the voice of a young man, the gramophone scoffed. "Seems to know its manners well enough, though the voice is rather muffled."
The folding fan started, then cleared its throat. "The weather has been cold these past two days; I must have caught a chill."
"A chill? A chill it must be, with your speech carrying such a heavy nasal resonance." The wife smiled.
She was alerting Li Banfeng that the folding fan's voice echoed.
Why did it echo?
Because there was something hidden inside the fan's ribs.
Just as Old Yao had said, Pan Dehai's artifacts might possess recording capabilities. Something else was embedded within this folding fan. Li Banfeng couldn't tell, but it couldn't escape the wife's ears.
The fan grew nervous and quickly changed the subject. "My lord's residence is a veritable world unto itself."
"Not bad, right?" Li Banfeng smiled. "Let me show you around the rest of the place."
"Splendid." The fan hastily agreed, eager to gather more information.
The gramophone chided him gently, "Husband, you're actually showing him around?"
She worried Li Banfeng hadn't caught her hint.
Li Banfeng seemed as though he truly hadn't understood.
He took the fan into the outer chamber. "What do you think?"
"Remarkable! Marvelous! Such exquisite architecture. Might I ask what my lord's manor is called?"
"Don't worry about the name. Hurry and greet the Second Mistress."
Li Banfeng held the fan close to the Red Lotus. The Red Lotus slowly opened its petals.
"What level of artifact is this?" The folding fan was immensely astonished, yearning to record every single detail of the Red Lotus.
Li Banfeng smiled. "You'll know in a moment. Ah Lian, refine him."
Refine?
Before the fan could make sense of Li Banfeng's words, a whirlwind kicked up in the lotus heart.
"Refine" meant smelting it back into raw materials.
By the time the fan realized what was happening, it was already too late. "My lord, why treat me this way?! I only wished to serve my lord with all my heart—why do you treat me like this?!"
The fan was swept into the lotus heart, and its wails cut off abruptly.
A layer of white mist seeped from the gourd's surface, even more copious than her sweat earlier.
*This madman... he's truly a madman...*
*Chhh-chhh~*
The gramophone giggled. "Little Sister, don't be afraid. Our man has always had this temperament. Sometimes even I can't figure him out."
Li Banfeng patted the gourd, wiped away her sweat, and left the Portable Abode carrying the medicinal powder.
He placed the powder in Niu Fuzhi's hands, and Niu Fuzhi thanked him profusely.
"Benefactor, what would you like? So long as we have it, just say the word!"
Li Banfeng said, "There actually is something I'd like your help with. You mentioned earlier that there's a Mitang Village where they're still selling liquor. I'd like to go take a look."
He wasn't looking to buy liquor; he had no shortage of drinks.
He wanted to see if that village could still hold out.
If Old Pan refused to relieve the disaster, he would find a way to do it himself.
If Lu Dongjun's side yielded results, that would be even better. No matter who it was, someone had to end this catastrophe as quickly as possible.
...
Lu Dongjun arrived at the Jiangyuan Tannery. The tannery had originally been a property of the Ma family, but it had collapsed during the insect blight and now belonged to Lu Dongjun.
Still disguised as a guard, Lu Dongjun stepped into the tannery manager's office.
The manager sat behind an office desk. On a wind-up gramophone, a song titled "Peaceful Spring" was playing:
"A fair night bright as day, a crescent hooked like silver, all four seas ringing with joyous clamor..."
It was a very auspicious tune, yet not a shred of joy could be seen on the manager's face.
The tannery had only reopened two days ago. With the insect blight staging a comeback, the manager was contemplating whether to halt production once more.
Seeing someone push open the door and walk in, the manager grew irritated and snapped, "Who's there? What are you doing here? Where are your manners?"
Lu Dongjun walked up to the manager. "I am one of Second Master's men. Second Master sent me to collect the accounts."
"Collect the accounts?" The manager stared blankly for a good while.
Lu Dongjun had come prepared, knowing he couldn't collect money on word alone, and handed a document to the manager. "This is our Second Master's handwritten order."
It was indeed written in Lu Dongjun's own hand. The manager took it, gave it a casual glance, and handed it back to Lu Dongjun.
"I don't know where you got this order, but I doubt the Lu family's Second Master would write such a thing."
Lu Dongjun glared. "Are you saying my order is a fake?"
The manager sneered, "What if it's real? This factory already belongs to the Shen family. What accounts are you coming here to collect with an order from Lu Dongjun?"
"Belongs to the Shen family? Which Shen family?"
The manager frowned. "Is that any of your business? If you're coming to swindle money, you could at least do your research beforehand, or at least read the newspapers more often."
With that, the manager tossed a newspaper at Lu Dongjun.
On page two of the newspaper was a report: Lu Dongjun had resold the Jiangyuan Tannery to Shen Rongqing, accompanied by a photo of the two shaking hands.
Shen Rongqing was a woman in her twenties, quite attractive, but Lu Dongjun had never laid eyes on her in his life.
Where did this photo come from?
When had I ever shaken hands with this woman?
When did I sell the factory to her?
I gave orders to sell only shares, never the factory!
"Where's the contract? Where's the contract for buying the factory?" Lu Dongjun glared at the tannery manager.
The manager's face darkened. "If you're out here trying to make a living, know your place. Your trick's been exposed, so what's the point of throwing a tantrum? Before I call people in to beat you up, get the hell out of here, as far as—"
Before he could finish, Lu Dongjun stepped forward and clamped his hand around the manager's throat. "I asked you, where is the contract?"
The manager couldn't speak; he was an ordinary mortal with no cultivation.
Lu Dongjun tried his best to restrain himself, but he still failed to hold back his strength and strangled the manager to death.
"A thousand peaks vie in beauty, a hundred rivers race along, colorful candles blaze high, the tune of peace resounds..."
The gramophone's song hadn't stopped. Lu Dongjun cast the manager aside, pondering where the contract might be kept.
The contract wasn't in the factory at all.
Inside the manager's office, there was a hidden compartment where Lu Dongjun found over a hundred and sixty silver dollars.
That was the entirety of Lu Dongjun's harvest from this trip.
Lu Dongjun hurled the silver dollars to the floor, sending them clattering everywhere.
After a moment, he lowered his head and picked them back up.
He didn't have much cash on him, and the bank checks couldn't be cashed. Lu Dongjun had never imagined there would come a day when he would be strapped for money.
Pocketing the silver dollars, he left the Jiangyuan Tannery.
...
Half an hour later, lying in a hospital bed, He Jiaqing received word: the manager of the Jiangyuan Tannery was dead.
Having listened to the sounds of the scuffle at the scene, He Jiaqing determined the other party's identity.
The caregiver had been sitting by his bedside the entire time, making He Jiaqing feel somewhat awkward.
*Why does this auntie keep staring at me today?*
*Almost forgot—she's supposed to sponge down my body soon. She seems to rather enjoy the process.*
He Jiaqing snapped his eyes open, and the caregiver abruptly passed out.
He sat up and whispered softly, "Tell my father that Lu Dongjun has been found."
"What about the people from the other families?"
"Pay them no heed. The only one who truly wants Lu Dongjun dead is my father."
Chapter 164