A Thief at Home

Late at night, Lu Maoxian stumbled into his estate, giving the steward such a fright that the man could barely speak coherently. "Master, what happened to you...?" Lu Maoxian pointed at his cheeks to show he could not speak, then pointed at his severed arm, signaling to stop the bleeding immediately. The steward hurriedly summoned a physician to treat Lu Maoxian's wounds. *** Inside a hospital room at Yuezhou Third Hospital. Taking advantage of He Haisheng stepping outside to smoke, He Jiaqing pinched the button on his chest to ask Ling Miaoying about the situation. Keeping his voice as calm as possible, Ling Miaoying replied, "Jiaqing, the matter with Lu Maoxian has been handled." "You didn't kill him, did you?" "No. I chopped off one of his arms, punched two holes through his cheeks, and killed a few of his men." As he said this, Ling Miaoying's cheek twitched; he was thoroughly disgruntled. He Jiaqing praised him, "Well done. Spread the word that Lu Maoxian has been gravely wounded. Be extra careful these days and keep an eye out for anyone looking for trouble. I'll arrange for people to protect you in secret." "Understood." He Jiaqing broke the connection. Ling Miaoying turned around to look at the motion picture building, a surge of irritation flaring up in his chest. This motion picture building had cost him immense effort, not to mention a fortune in money. He Jiaqing had told him to spare Lu Maoxian's life, and while Ling Miaoying had agreed out loud, he had never intended to follow through. Over this period, whether in the open or in the dark, in the newspaper industry or in cinema, the Lu family had caused him endless trouble. He had long wanted to settle scores with them. When the Lu family's direct lineage was still around, Ling Miaoying had harbored some dread. But now that the direct lineage was gone, if he took this chance to eliminate Lu Maoxian, the Lu family's banner would collapse completely. When that happened, the Lu family would scatter like loose sand. Ling Miaoying could take over their businesses and, by extension, their status. Only then could the Ling family undergo a true metamorphosis in Puluo Province. It had been a fine plan, but an unforeseen complication had arisen. He had been fully confident in killing Lu Maoxian, yet at the crucial moment, Lin Zhixiao had unexpectedly charged out of the building. By all rights, Lin Zhixiao should not have been able to escape anytime soon. The building held an endless supply of men to kill, as well as traps and mechanisms waiting for him. Yet someone had opened a hidden passage in the building, letting Lin Zhixiao out. Who on earth was secretly helping Lu Maoxian? A few names surfaced in Ling Miaoying's mind, but he could not be certain. Not only had he failed to kill Lu Maoxian, but the secret of the motion picture building had also been exposed, leaving Ling Miaoying infuriated. The motion picture building had to be relocated immediately and remodeled once more. The only piece of good news was that the outcome matched He Jiaqing's expectations, sparing Ling Miaoying the need to concoct explanations. Lin Zhixiao's corpse still lay by his feet. Lu Maoxian's men had been quite loyal. Looking at the motion picture building, Tu Yinghong said, "He fled from the second floor. I'd wager they left some clues behind." Ling Miaoying shook his head. "Forget the clues for now. Send the building away first." Tu Yinghong nodded. From beneath her skirt, she drew two iron rulers. After calculating the distance, she placed them on the ground. As if melting into molten iron, the two iron rulers seeped into the ground until they vanished entirely. Taking Ling Miaoying's hand, Tu Yinghong looked at him with tender affection. "I know you're upset, but you promised to keep me company tonight." "Of course." Wearing a gentlemanly smile, Ling Miaoying took Tu Yinghong by the hand and walked into the motion picture building. Before long, the building slowly melted away into the night. *** Inside the Portable Abode, Li Banfeng held the photographs taken at Heishipo, scrutinizing them closely. A single photograph could inspire many associations, and the deeper the associations, the better the cultivation results. The gramophone turned its horn toward him and asked in a soft, gentle voice, "Oh, my dear husband, you've been staring at that photograph for so long. What are you actually trying to do?" Li Banfeng said, "If I told you I'm cultivating, would you believe me?" *Hiss, hiss—* "Which pathway are you cultivating? The pathway of peaches?" Li Banfeng put on a grave expression. "What I'm cultivating is a conscience." "Yes, and quite a sizable conscience it is too. Husband, your humble servant has a private matter to discuss with you. Bring your ear closer." Looking at the gramophone's steaming horn, Li Banfeng was not particularly keen on leaning in. "Wife, there are no outsiders here. Just speak freely." "Husband~" the gramophone whined coaxingly. "I just had fresh machine oil applied a moment ago, so why are you suddenly being so distant with your servant?" Helpless, Li Banfeng put down the photograph and pressed his ear against the horn. The gramophone lowered its voice. "Husband, I've noticed lately that your physique has improved considerably." Li Banfeng's heart tightened. Glancing at the gramophone, he asked, "Is that so?" Could she have discovered his journey cultivation? The gramophone cooed, "Husband, bring your ear closer right now. The further you are from your servant, the colder my heart grows." Li Banfeng pressed his ear to the horn once more. Singing in a slow rhythm, the gramophone asked, "You mentioned before that you traded blows with Meng Qian, and your servant didn't press for details back then. Did you and that slut end up having..." "We did not!" Li Banfeng immediately set the record straight. "I only set fire to her clothes. I didn't lay a single finger on her." "Oh, goodness, husband, your servant isn't petty. Even if you did, let alone if you didn't, I wouldn't hold it against you." "Ha ha, you truly wouldn't hold it against me, wife?" "Hehe, did you truly do something with her, husband?" "I said no and I mean no. Do you not trust me?" "Oh, husband, your servant naturally believes you. Whatever the cause, it's a fine thing that your physique has improved. I'm inclined to add another room for you." Li Banfeng sat up straight and gently caressed the gramophone's turntable. "You truly are thoughtful, wife. When do you plan on adding this room?" This room was vital. After a trip to the Inner States, Li Banfeng's journey cultivation had reached the sixth tier with plenty of time to spare, already surpassing his dwelling cultivation. As a result, Li Banfeng did not dare take any pills right now. If his journey cultivation advanced any further and exceeded his dwelling cultivation by two tiers, he would once again face cultivation backlash. Since his wife had volunteered the advancement, Li Banfeng naturally would not refuse. He tidied his hair and was just about to crawl into the horn when he heard her stop him. "Husband, wait a moment. Advancing to the sixth tier still requires a medicinal catalyst." "What kind of catalyst?" "A fresh soul is needed." "That's easy enough." Lüshui City was crawling with scumbags. Snatching one back at random was child's play for Li Banfeng. Just as Li Banfeng moved toward the door, he heard his wife sing in a slow tempo once more, "Husband, this catalyst cannot be just anyone. Since your servant is to bring you to the sixth tier, you must bring back at least a sixth-tier catalyst." Li Banfeng returned to his wife's side and, facing the horn, lowered his voice. "Wife, what purpose does this sixth-tier catalyst serve?" His wife whispered back, "To resolve an urgent need of the moment." Sounding increasingly conspiratorial, Li Banfeng asked, "What urgent matter is there right now?" His wife replied just as mysteriously, "Your servant's stomach is rumbling." If she was hungry, she could have just said so—why dress it up as a medicinal catalyst? He had bought fewer "groceries" recently, and Li Banfeng felt a twinge of guilt about it. He squeezed the small horns on either side. "Wife, if you're hungry, that's easy to fix. I'll just go buy some groceries. Why are you suddenly being so picky, demanding sixth-tier or above?" In a voice full of grievance, the gramophone said, "This is a critical juncture! Anything of poor quality simply won't do!" What in the world was this critical juncture? Before Li Banfeng could make sense of the situation, Hong Ying burst into laughter. "It's because this wicked woman's cultivation has recovered quite a bit, and her appetite has changed with it! Eight or ten ordinary living spirits would barely be enough to get stuck between her teeth. "If you want to feed her a full meal, you'll have to put in some real effort. If she can't eat her fill, she won't be able to carry you to the sixth tier either. Marrying this spendthrift woman into your house, I'd like to see how you afford to feed her down the road!" The gramophone let out a couple of sobs, at a loss for how to defend herself. Hong Ying was telling the truth. The gramophone's appetite had indeed grown, but she hadn't dared mention it to Li Banfeng, enduring quite a bit of hunger lately. Li Banfeng gently stroked the needle. "If you're hungry, why endure it? If top-grade ingredients of the sixth tier can't be found, ordinary ingredients can still tide you over." Sobbing once, the gramophone said, "Then I won't be able to help my master advance." "Whether I advance or not, we can talk about that later." The gramophone puffed out a cloud of steam that swirled around Li Banfeng. "Master is still the one who dotes on me most." "Don't fret, wife. Wait here while I go buy groceries." Li Banfeng stepped out of the Portable Abode. Just as he was looking for a scumbag to negotiate the price of groceries, he spotted a newspaper vendor ahead and bought a copy of *Night Fragrance*. Unlike in Heishipo, the Lüshui City edition of *Night Fragrance* was relatively conservative, focusing primarily on serious news, with only page four having a bit of sensational impact. The reporters in Lüshui City were well-informed. The Ling family's papers had run the story, and *Night Fragrance* had followed right on their heels. The front-page headline was the news of Lu Maoxian's ambush. "Lu Maoxian was hurt pretty badly. He should be a seventh-tier Literary Cultivator, right? If only I could run into him. "Such a precious ingredient can't just be expected to deliver itself to my doorstep. Should I go to his estate and place an order in advance? "The trouble is, he must have tightened his security by now. If I just waltz over, I'm afraid the price won't be easy to negotiate..." As Li Banfeng muttered to himself, a man behind him pressed a knife against his spine. "Brother, spare some cash to spend." In Puluo Province, whenever one walked into a secluded spot, there was never any shortage of such people. Li Banfeng asked, "How much do you want?" The man countered, "How much do you have?" Li Banfeng considered the state of his wallet. "Around two thousand-odd dollars." "Hand it over." Li Banfeng patted the inner pocket of his suit jacket. His wallet wasn't there. Strange. Li Banfeng rarely forgot his wallet. When he returned home this morning, it had still been on him, and he hadn't changed clothes today... While he was pondering, the man behind him grew impatient, poking Li Banfeng with the tip of his blade. "Where's the money?" "Come on, follow me to get it." "Where do you think you're going?" The man grew agitated. Li Banfeng suddenly slipped behind the man, grabbing his neck with one hand. "Just rest assured and come along with me. I never skip out on paying for groceries; I'll give it to you in a moment." Bringing the man into the Portable Abode, his wife swallowed the soul in a single gulp. The man had no cultivation, and just as Hong Ying had said, this single mouthful wasn't even enough to get stuck between her teeth. The gramophone didn't complain, however, since her husband had worked hard to buy it for her. Li Banfeng sat by the bed and pondered for a long time before suddenly asking, "Wife, did you wash my clothes today?" *Whoosh—* "Husband, are your clothes dirty? Your servant will wash them for you right away." "The clothes aren't dirty, but something's missing." Li Banfeng went silent for a moment, then added, "Wife, where is that glove?" "Your servant has it stored away. You don't have any use for such a thing yet, husband." "Bring it out and let me have a look first." The gramophone opened the storage cabinet and lifted a plume of steam from within. The steam bobbed up and down as the gramophone seemed to weigh it. "Oh, husband, the weight is wrong!" the gramophone cried out in alarm. Dispersing the steam, she found that the glove was gone. Li Banfeng casually drew out the feather duster, glancing all around. "A thief has gotten into our home!"