Tiemenbao or Xuemenbao

After lunch, Luo Zhengnan sat on the large terrace of the main hall, basking in the sun while listening to the radio. Did Puluo Province have radio broadcasts? It did. However, only a specific group of people could hear them, and there was no telling what might come over the airwaves. Luo Zhengnan happened to belong to that group, and he was an experienced listener. Today's program was quite good. The host's voice was sweet and melodic, with a tone that set Luo Zhengnan entirely at ease: "As our frequent-killer listeners well know, using poison is covert and unlikely to be noticed beforehand, but it often leaves behind clues afterward, creating tremendous difficulty for cleanup work. "The poison we are recommending today evaporates naturally in water within two hours, leaving absolutely no trace behind. "For instance, if you wish to see off your immediate superior, you need only add one or two drops of this product into his water cup. Remember: under no circumstances should you add more, or it will alter the flavor. "Once your superior drinks the water, he will perish within an hour. "During the hour that follows, you need only provide suitable cover to prevent Poison Cultivators or anyone with testing abilities from approaching your superior and his cup. "Once the poison evaporates, no one will be able to uncover a single clue, nor will anyone even determine your superior's cause of death. "Some listeners may question the product's efficacy: could a poison that evaporates in two hours suffer from issues with toxicity? "On this point, we can responsibly assure you..." Luo Zhengnan found the poison quite useful. He was listening with keen interest when a burst of ringing interrupted his train of thought. *Ring-ring-ring—* Accompanying the ringing, the head of Luo Zhengnan, Branch Master of the Medicine King Hall, began vibrating rapidly from side to side. After many twists and turns, Xiao Zhenggong had finally managed to reach him through other Scrying Cultivators within the gang. Deep down, Xiao Zhenggong wanted nothing more than to beat Luo Zhengnan senseless, dig a pit, and bury him alive. Yet his tone at this moment was exceptionally friendly: "Old Luo, why have you suddenly been so hard to reach lately?" Luo Zhengnan's tone sounded thoroughly anxious. "Chief, you were looking for me? I honestly had no idea! I don't know what's been going on in Yaowanggou recently, but the telephone signal has been terrible." "Don't worry, I'm not blaming you. Didn't we talk about that matter earlier?" "Which matter?" Luo Zhengnan played dumb. "The matter you mentioned a few days ago." Xiao Zhenggong still could not speak plainly; several Scrying Cultivators were relaying between them, and the affair could not be made known to them. "I mentioned quite a few things to you a few days ago. Hearing you put it like that, I can't recall which one..." Luo Zhengnan continued to play dumb. Xiao Zhenggong fell silent for a moment before saying, "Call me back. We'll discuss it in detail." Luo Zhengnan agreed immediately. "Easy enough. I'll place the call right away. I just don't know how the signal will hold up..." "The signal will definitely be fine!" Xiao Zhenggong chuckled. "How could the vice chief's signal be poor?" Now that sounded like something a decent person would say. Luo Zhengnan called back, and Xiao Zhenggong tactfully described the state of the Huangtuqiao branch. The state of it was that the Huangtuqiao branch no longer existed. Xiao Zhenggong instructed Han Jinwei, Branch Master of Huangtuqiao, to go to Yaowanggou and hand over all of the branch's official seals and tokens to Luo Zhengnan. From now on, the Huangtuqiao branch belonged to Luo Zhengnan. In other words, regardless of whether the mission succeeded, Luo Zhengnan would become the master of two branches. Beyond that, the personnel of the Heishipo branch were placed entirely at Luo Zhengnan's disposal. If the matter succeeded, Luo Zhengnan would immediately be promoted to vice chief, managing all of the gang's affairs in Puluo Province in Xiao Zhenggong's stead. Xiao Zhenggong had demonstrated more than enough sincerity, putting all his promises in writing as a covenant deed. The next day, Han Jinwei arrived in Yaowanggou, delivering the covenant deed and the seals to Luo Zhengnan, declaring that from now on he would follow Luo Zhengnan's every command. Luo Zhengnan told him to return to Huangtuqiao to recruit new men and rebuild his forces; he would not need to go on this errand to Tiemenbao. This was not out of politeness toward Han Jinwei; Luo Zhengnan simply had no regard for the man. He laid out his requirements to Xiao Zhenggong and handpicked ten men from various branches across the gang—ten true professionals who knew how to get things done. One of them was even from his own Second Division in Yaowanggou. Once his team was assembled, Luo Zhengnan had them head toward Tiemenbao along separate routes. After arriving at Tiemenbao, the men did nothing for the first three days. Each stayed in the surrounding villages, learning the local accent and customs from the residents. Although it was part of the Rear Three-Tenths of Puluo Province, Tiemenbao's customs were largely identical to Yaowanggou's, and the accents were very similar. Yet Luo Zhengnan's standards were extremely strict: neither their speech nor their mannerisms could give away that they were outsiders. Three days later, the ten men prepared to enter Tiemenbao, but Luo Zhengnan was still uneasy. He sent them to the market to practice for three days—some buying goods, others selling. Out of the ten, three showed no flaws, while Luo Zhengnan felt the remaining seven still needed polishing. After another three days of practice, Luo Zhengnan went into the field himself, carrying two baskets of greens on a shoulder pole as he headed into Tiemenbao. He went to sell his vegetables, and his produce had no sand, no mud, and no rotten leaves mixed in. Such an honest merchant was a rare sight in Tiemenbao. The Dwelling Cultivators flocked to buy his vegetables, and in the blink of an eye, both baskets were sold out. Luo Zhengnan was very pleased with his performance, but the other vegetable peddlers were not. They had come to Tiemenbao precisely because the money was easy to make here. Now that someone like him had arrived, earning money wouldn't be so easy anymore. Several vegetable peddlers blocked Luo Zhengnan's path and demanded, "When did you get here? Who told you that you could come? Did you ask the fort lord? Did you pay your rent?" Looking like an honest, simple farmer, Luo Zhengnan kept his head bowed and said, "I only came to sell greens I grew myself. I have to pay rent too?" "If you don't pay rent, what gives you the right to sell vegetables here? We've all paid rent. Doing business here means taking food out of our mouths, and we're not letting this slide!" The crowd jostled and shoved, pressing Luo Zhengnan together. The nearby Dwelling Cultivators couldn't bear to watch and stepped forward to argue on Luo Zhengnan's behalf. The commotion reached the fort lord. Li Banfeng had long wanted to deal with these unscrupulous merchants, but he had never found a good opportunity. Now was a fine opportunity, yet Li Banfeng did not particularly want to meet outsiders. He had Wu Yongchao step in to handle the matter. The resolution was simple: from now on, merchants doing business in Tiemenbao would no longer be charged rent, but they had to post a deposit. If any merchant attempted to pass off substandard goods, mix in dirt or sand, or arbitrarily hike prices, their deposit would be forfeited, and they would never be permitted to set foot in Tiemenbao again. Several old merchants refused to accept this and shouted threats of a market strike, but Li Banfeng paid them no mind. Merchants were driven by profit; if these left, others would take their place. When the next day arrived, the old merchants had not left after all—they couldn't bear to abandon this place. Many new vendors arrived as well, mostly farmers from the surrounding area who had long wanted to sell their goods in Tiemenbao but could never afford the rent before. With competition introduced, rice sellers didn't dare mix in sand, vegetable sellers didn't dare mix in rotten leaves, selling prices dropped significantly, and purchase prices rose a bit. Life improved for the Dwelling Cultivators. Li Banfeng walked along the street, watching the vendors come and go, feeling quite satisfied with the outcome. Among them were familiar faces, strangers, and old acquaintances. Strange. Why would there be an old acquaintance? Li Banfeng stared at a sundries vendor for a good while, his brow suddenly furrowing. The man looked around sixty years old, holding a water tobacco pipe, with graying hair and beard, and a modest, amiable smile always on his face. It was Sun Xiao'an, trusted counselor of the Second Division of the Jiangxiang Gang's Medicine King Hall! He had entered the fort! Li Banfeng's heart churned. The Jiangxiang Gang had actually slipped in. This man could not be allowed to stay. The critical question was whether he had slipped in alone, or if a whole nest of them had infiltrated. Li Banfeng was about to alert the Dwelling Cultivators on watch at the boiler room, telling them to shut the gates immediately and prepare to corner the dogs. Just then, Wu Yongchao walked over and said to Li Banfeng, "Fort Lord, two vegetable sellers are making trouble. Would you go take a look?" Normally, Li Banfeng wouldn't bother with such trivial matters. Now that members of the Jiangxiang Gang were inside the fort, he had to pay attention to any anomaly. When he reached the scene, two women selling vegetables were brawling, their baskets overturned, their voices hoarse from screaming, their faces scratched bloody. Li Banfeng couldn't detect anything unusual about the two women; they seemed no different from ordinary shrews. However, on another old farmer selling vegetables, Li Banfeng noticed a telling detail. Rather than saying he noticed it, it was more accurate to say the other man had revealed it intentionally. That old vegetable farmer was none other than Luo Zhengnan. He was smiling at Li Banfeng. Had he not actively exposed himself, it would have been hard for Li Banfeng to see through him. Now that he had revealed himself on purpose, it meant he wanted a word with Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his hat, gave a slight nod, and led him toward an empty house deep in the valley. The house had been vacated by a Dwelling Cultivator who moved out earlier. Its dwelling spirit had also been taken away, making it no different from the residences of the other Dwelling Cultivators. Li Banfeng lived here in name, but in truth, he resided in his Portable Abode. Li Banfeng never kept servants around, nor was there any tea prepared in the house. Once seated, the two went straight to the point. Luo Zhengnan made no attempt to conceal his identity: "I am a branch master of the Jiangxiang Gang, named Luo Zhengnan." Li Banfeng did not hide his identity either: "I am the fort lord of Tiemenbao, named Fort Lord." Luo Zhengnan nodded. With anyone else, he would have found this absurd. Yet here in Tiemenbao, putting it that way was not far off the mark. Everyone in Tiemenbao knew they had only one fort lord, whose name was Fort Lord. Luo Zhengnan said, "Fort Lord, I have come to your esteemed place for an item. I believe you already know what it is without me saying so." Li Banfeng shook his head. "If you don't say, I really won't know." Luo Zhengnan spoke a little more plainly: "This item looks like a weapon, but in reality, it's a soul. Have I made myself clear?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "I still don't understand." Though he said this, Li Banfeng had already thought of something—he thought of Old He's dwelling spirit. A dwelling spirit could possess a physical object. That had to be what the man was referring to. Luo Zhengnan sighed. "Then I'll be even more direct: I came for Zhao Xiaowan." *Who is Zhao Xiaowan?* Li Banfeng's heart churned. So that dwelling spirit was named Zhao Xiaowan. Luo Zhengnan chuckled. "The renowned general of her generation, Zhao Xiaowan—you don't know her? If you talk like that, this won't be interesting. "I know this item is exceedingly important, and I know you won't part with it easily. I wouldn't dare ask you for it with empty words and bare teeth. I came to Tiemenbao to buy it with cash." Li Banfeng's brow twitched slightly. "How much can you offer?" "I won't quote a deceitful price; I'll give you an exact figure straight out: eight hundred thousand silver dollars," Luo Zhengnan offered an honest price right off the bat. "With that sum, you could buy the Paramount, the crowning jewel of Lüshui City. "I'm not spouting nonsense. When Lu Dongjun sold the Paramount to the Chu family, that was the exact price!" "Eight hundred thousand silver dollars!" Li Banfeng drew a deep breath. "That's enough money to last several lifetimes." Luo Zhengnan nodded. "I only await your word. Tomorrow, I can have someone bring the cash." Li Banfeng sat in silence for a moment before asking another question: "What if I don't want to sell? Will you people try to take it by force?" Luo Zhengnan shook his head. "To tell you the truth, I don't have the guts." Li Banfeng let out a cold laugh. "Your men have already entered my village, and you tell me you lack the guts?" Luo Zhengnan's expression turned solemn. "If I truly had the guts, I certainly wouldn't have let those two vegetable-selling women cause trouble on your territory. "I purposely had them expose their presence to demonstrate my sincerity. I brought only those two subordinates with me—no one else. I came with genuine intent to close a deal. "If you don't wish to sell to me, that's fine. I'll simply leave and certainly wouldn't dare cause you any trouble. "However, let me offer you a word of warning: if I can slip into Tiemenbao today, others can slip into Tiemenbao as well. I may not dare seize your treasure by force, but others might not share my restraint. "You may look down on the Jiangxiang Gang. But once the Jiangxiang Gang leaves, the Sanying Gate might come. Once the Sanying Gate leaves, the Qingyun Association might come. "You may despise the rabble of the major gangs, but if the great clans arrive—the Lu family, the He family, the Ma family, the Chu family—things won't be nearly so easy to handle. "You took over Tiemenbao wishing to give these Dwelling Cultivators a good life. But once word gets out, Tiemenbao might turn into Xuemenbao, a fort of blood. "Fort Lord, please think it over carefully."