The First Battle of Feng and Qing

"Fifth Master, someone broke into our warehouse! The shelves were knocked over, and goods are scattered everywhere." "The cashbox was broken into as well. All the cash is gone." Ma the Fifth rubbed his forehead. Having just woken up to so much bad news, he felt as if his home had been raided and ransacked. In fact, it really wasn't much different from a raid. Thieves had infiltrated the ten-li territory belonging to him and Li Banfeng, turning several critical locations completely upside down. Ma the Fifth's men wouldn't do something like this. The hunters who regularly did business here wouldn't dare do something like this. Then who did it? Needless to ask, it was certainly Lu Xiaolan. She had sent people into the territory last night, and Ma the Fifth hadn't known a single thing about it. If she had set out to kill someone last night, would Ma the Fifth have had any defense? Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ma the Fifth stared blankly, cold sweat pouring down his neck. He had slept with Ah Qin last night, so he had been relatively safe. From now on, except for Yanzi and Ah Qin, he couldn't casually stay the night with anyone else. *** Li Banfeng returned to the ten-li territory and entered his wooden cabin, only to find the room in utter disarray. "Who did this? They stopped just short of tearing up my floorboards..." *Crash!* Li Banfeng nearly fell through the floor. Several floorboards really had been pried up, and after being pried open, they had been put back exactly in place. *What are they trying to do? Demolish my house?* Beside the desk, Li Banfeng spotted a letter. He opened it, finding only three lines written inside: *First line: What is owed must be returned.* *Second line: A life owed must be repaid.* *Third line: Lu Xiaolan.* You had to hand it to Lu Xiaolan—she was quite polite, even leaving a signature. *Still, you come all this way, bringing nothing, yet demanding things from me. Is that appropriate?* *You say I owe you something. Do you mean the Red Lotus?* *You tell me to return it, but return it to you or to He Jiaqing?* It didn't matter. Regardless of who it was, Li Banfeng had no intention of returning it. *And what does 'a life owed' mean? Does it mean I owe you a life?* *That makes no sense. You were the one who tried to murder me back then. If anyone owes a life, it's you owing me.* While he was pondering, Ma the Fifth stepped into the room. "Someone came onto our turf last night. I suspect..." Seeing the scene inside Li Banfeng's cabin, Ma the Fifth knew no further explanation was necessary. "It's Lu Xiaolan," Li Banfeng said, waving the letter in his hand. "She even wrote me a letter saying I owe her a life." Ma the Fifth gritted his teeth. "What the hell does that wretched bitch want now? Old Seven, burn that letter right away! You can't keep things from a Scrying Cultivator—there might be hooks attached to it." Li Banfeng burned the letter and returned to the Portable Abode to clean the dust from his wife's cabinet. Lately, his wife had been somewhat resistant to being oiled, but daily maintenance like dusting was still acceptable to her. *Chzz, chzz—* His wife let out a couple of low hums. "Oh, husband, dusting is done with a feather duster and a brush. What kind of tool are you using behind your humble servant?" Li Banfeng replied in all righteousness, "A brush, of course!" *Whir—* His wife said crossly, "Aren't you just bullying me? When did our home ever have a brush this size? And you're using so much force—did something unpleasant happen?" Li Banfeng nodded. "There's a mole among my people." His wife could relate deeply to that. "Guarding day and night, it's hardest to guard against a thief within the house. Traitors are the most hateful of all. Husband, do you have any clues?" "It's precisely because I don't have any clues that I feel so irritated. Wife, have you ever encountered a mole before?" "I have. Such creatures are hateful, to be sure, but they can be quite entertaining too." "What's entertaining about it?" Li Banfeng didn't understand. "Finding the mole and killing them—there's no fun in that. But finding them and keeping them alive—now that is very entertaining." "Not killing them is entertaining?" "Of course! Keep them around to play with slowly!" Li Banfeng couldn't wrap his head around it. "What if I can't find the mole?" "If you can't find them, it lacks a bit of flavor, but you can still play along with them a little." Li Banfeng frowned slightly. "Wife, don't speak in riddles. Your husband doesn't understand. The opponent I'm facing this time is a Scrying Cultivator. She might have hooked onto the mole. If I don't root them out, my every move will be right under the enemy's nose." "A Scrying Cultivator? Then that makes it even more amusing! It all depends on where the hook is caught!" Li Banfeng leaned forward and hugged the gramophone. "Wife, what exactly do you mean? Explain it in detail." "Hu-hu-husband... take the brush out first before speaking... wr-wr-wrong place..." *** They took inventory of the warehouse, repaired the cashbox, and inspected every corner of the territory. Anything suspicious or unfamiliar was destroyed on the spot to prevent any Scrying Cultivator from leaving a hook behind. After a whole day of tossing and turning, Ma the Fifth returned to the meeting hall, slumped into a chair, and drank sullenly. Chuanzi brought over the newspapers again, and Ma the Fifth saw his name in the news once more, still on page two. Ma the Fifth gave a bitter laugh. "Goods can't get out, our turf was infiltrated, and I reckon in a few days when we go bankrupt, we'll finally make the front page." *** At the Lu family mansion, Monkey Qiu was reading the newspaper in his private building, with Lu Yuanshan and Lu Yuanhai keeping him company. In the past, Lu family business was always discussed in the main residence, but lately Monkey Qiu spent most of his time in this separate building. Lu Yuanshan remarked from the side, "There's quite a lot of news about Ma the Fifth lately. I hear his business in Lanyang Village is growing bigger and bigger!" Monkey Qiu nodded and asked, "What does Lu Maoxian have to say?" Lu Yuanshan was startled. "Why ask about Granduncle all of a sudden?" Monkey Qiu set down the paper. "Weren't these articles written for him to see?" Lu Yuanshan looked puzzled. Lu Yuanhai nodded repeatedly; he was in charge of gathering intelligence on Lu Maoxian. "Granduncle was complaining to the relatives just this morning, saying that we two brothers handed the Lanyang Village business to the Ma family on a silver platter, and that the Lu family's ancestral legacy will be ruined in our hands." Monkey Qiu sneered. "The old man is growing anxious. In the past, he only dared to curse me, but now he dares to curse you two brothers directly. He's forgotten his place. No matter how high his seniority, he isn't from the Lu family's main line." Lu Yuanshan smacked his lips. "Still, letting him keep cursing like this isn't a solution either. How about this: tomorrow I'll go negotiate with Ma the Fifth and have him hand over a bigger cut of the profits." Monkey Qiu lit a cigarette. "It doesn't matter how big a cut he hands over. Even if he gave ninety-five percent, the old master would still claim it's too little. Even if we took Lanyang Village back and drove Ma the Fifth out, the old master would still curse you for squandering the family fortune. He'd ask why you haven't taken back the Paramount, or why you haven't reclaimed all the businesses Lu Dongjun sold off." Lu Yuanhai nodded. "It's just as Uncle Qiu says. Granduncle said all of that right in front of the relatives. Whenever he's free, he brings it up again. In his eyes, we aren't worthy of running this household." Lu Yuanshan sighed. "It seems that no matter what we do, we can't shut Granduncle's mouth." Monkey Qiu took a deep drag on his cigarette. "The old man's mouth isn't even on his own face, so how could we shut it? Yet there's one thing he definitely won't say: he won't tell us to take back the business in Haichiling." Lu Yuanhai reflected on recent events, and it was just as Monkey Qiu said. "Granduncle never mentions Haichiling!" Monkey Qiu took another puff. "That's because the Haichiling business was snatched away by the Ling family." Lu Yuanshan had a sudden realization. "Granduncle is in league with the Ling family! His mouth belongs to the Lings!" Monkey Qiu stubbed out his cigarette and turned to Lu Yuanshan. "Yuanshan, earlier I told you to get the newspaper office running again. How is that going?" Lu Yuanshan looked troubled. "Uncle Qiu, it's not so easy to handle. The newspapers I ran were suspended for far too long. Picking them back up isn't something that can be done overnight. Besides, the Ling family's business is expanding rapidly. Never mind elsewhere—in Lüshui City alone, their papers sell for five mao each without ever lacking buyers. Mine are three mao, yet people still won't buy them. If we lower the price any further, there won't be any profit left. We simply can't compete with them." Monkey Qiu smiled. "And you call that unbeatable?" Lu Yuanshan said helplessly, "A paper that ceased publication loses its reputation. Longtime subscribers will think we lack credibility, and that's the greatest taboo in the newspaper industry." Monkey Qiu picked up his wine glass and took a sip. "What if the Ling family's newspapers cease publication as well?" "How could their papers cease publication? They put out issues every single..." Lu Yuanshan froze for a moment, then caught Monkey Qiu's meaning. He smoothed his clothes and rose to leave, but Monkey Qiu called him back. "Don't do it yourself. You can't ruin your reputation over something like this. Dirty work needs specialists. Zhang Xiuling of the Baihua Sect has always wanted to build ties with the Lu family. We might as well give her a chance." *** In the meeting hall, the gramophone played a melodious dance tune. Ma the Fifth was playing chess with Li Banfeng; Ma the Fifth was absentminded, while Li Banfeng played with great focus, considering every move carefully. Near the endgame, Li Banfeng called check, and Ma the Fifth conceded the match. "Old Seven, I want to discuss something with you. For the next shipment, I plan to escort it in person." Li Banfeng frowned. "If you escort it personally, do you think Lu Xiaolan won't try to rob it?" "She definitely will. That's why I plan to put myself on the line to draw her out. I'll take Yanzi, Ah Qin, Qianqian, and Qiaocui—I refuse to believe we can't kill her!" "What about Zuo Wugang?" "I'm not taking him. I still don't trust him." Li Banfeng pinched a chess piece, studying the board closely. "Inside the newland, all these people are effective, but what happens once you leave the newland? I don't know about Ah Qin, but Madam Bagworm Moth cannot leave the newland." "Ah Qin can't leave the newland either; she has a contract with Qiu Luoye," Ma the Fifth said, having already thought of this. "Lu Xiaolan is also wanted by the Lu family, so I reckon she wouldn't dare leave the newland either. If she dares to strike outside the newland, I'll accept my fate—it just means I wasn't as crazy as her!" Li Banfeng set the chess piece back onto the board and nodded. "That's one way to do it. I'll go with you." Ma the Fifth was taken aback, then shook his head. "You can't go. We can't let Lu Xiaolan know you're here." Li Banfeng chuckled and shook his head. "Old Fifth, your head is spinning. She already wrote me a letter; she definitely knows I'm here." Ma the Fifth rubbed his forehead. His thoughts truly were scrambled. "If you go, who will guard our territory?" The territory had only two masters; at least one who could offer blood had to stay behind. Li Banfeng put the pieces into the chess box, lit a cigarette, and looked at Ma the Fifth. "This territory was fought for and won by both of us brothers. If something happens to you, what's the point of keeping the land? As long as we join hands, we can definitely kill Lu Xiaolan. Inside the newland or outside, whom have we brothers ever feared?" Ma the Fifth clenched his fists and nodded. "All right!" As they spoke, Li Banfeng began setting up the pieces on the board again. "Brother, another game?" "Another one?" "What else is there to do? Just to pass the time." A few moves in, Li Banfeng kept moving his horses, but he hadn't deployed a chariot once. Ma the Fifth gave a chuckle. "These opening moves of yours aren't looking so great." Li Banfeng raised his brow. "Let's play it out and see who wins in the end." Ma the Fifth paused, staring at the chessboard for a moment. *** In the hospital, He Jiaqing was listening to the live broadcast. As he listened, he smiled. "He's still as crazy as ever. Provoked just twice, and he's already ready to risk his life." Another voice came through his ear: "I'll have Iron Sheep Mountain send a few capable fighters to finish off Ma the Fifth directly this time." "No matter how capable Iron Sheep Mountain's fighters are, can they beat Madam Bagworm Moth? Ma the Fifth has three bagworm moths in his grasp." "Then fight outside the newland. None of them will get away." "Outside the newland, how big of a commotion would that cause? Are you afraid others won't realize what kind of treasure we're searching for?" "Then what do you say we do?" "He and Ma the Fifth are fully prepared, just waiting to risk their lives against you. Why meet them head-on? Their territory is already empty, leaving at most Zuo Wugang, a man with no backbone. Would he be hard to deal with? Ransack their turf, burn down their houses and goods, kill a few hunters, and warn the rest never to trade here again. Won't their meager livelihood be wiped out completely? Leaving this to the bandits of Iron Sheep Mountain—that is what they do best." "You mean we should still send Lu Xiaolan?" "How many days has Lu Xiaolan been on that mountain? She won't do. Tell their chief to send the Three Paragons of Iron Sheep. They have the most experience with this kind of work. Once the deed is done, have Lu Xiaolan demand the item from my friend again. Could he possibly refuse then?" "Understood."