Inside Xiaoyaowu, Li Banfeng patiently explained the sequence of events to Ma the Fifth. "You were preparing to ambush Ling Miaoying at the Lu residence, and Ling Miaoying turned around and ambushed our Xiaoyaowu instead. That's striking where the defenses are weak, luring the tiger away from the mountain, and making a feint to the east while attacking in the west. Do you understand?"
Ma the Fifth nodded. "Understood."
"He never expected that I had stayed behind to guard Xiaoyaowu. When he struck, he had let his guard down and got caught red-handed by me. You can make sense of that process, right?"
Ma the Fifth nodded again. "I can make sense of it."
Li Banfeng said, "So when it comes to Qiu Zhiheng and the others, you should be able to explain it clearly, right?"
Ma the Fifth shook his head. "I can't."
"How could you possibly not be able to explain it?"
"Old Seven, let's be reasonable here. What kind of cultivation and what kind of methods does Ling Miaoying have? The man is meticulous to a fault. How could he be ambushed so easily? So many people in the Lu family made a move and couldn't kill him, yet you casually ambushed him and took his life?"
Li Banfeng also felt that explaining the combat prowess was indeed rather difficult.
First of all, Ma the Fifth could not articulate Li Banfeng's actual cultivation.
Secondly, although Li Banfeng possessed the combined cultivation of Tier 6 and Tier 5, defeating Ling Miaoying had also involved a fair share of lucky coincidences.
"Ling Miaoying certainly wasn't killed by me alone. Someone stepped in to help, but that person has a sensitive identity, and I can't easily reveal their name. By rights, they shouldn't even have come to our territory." Li Banfeng fabricated a lie off the top of his head to brush Ma the Fifth off for the moment.
To his surprise, Ma the Fifth took it quite seriously. "Is it an expert from the newland?"
*The newland? What does this have to do with the newland?*
Still, as long as Ma the Fifth could accept it, that worked just as well.
"Indeed, an expert from the newland. A local god, and not one of the two we're familiar with. That local god had some friction with the Ling family, so they took this opportunity to eliminate Ling Miaoying—counting as a favor to us while also ridding themselves of a major worry. That local god doesn't want their name disclosed, but I can quietly tell you..."
Li Banfeng intended to make up a random name to deceive Ma the Fifth. With so many territories in the newland, Ma the Fifth could hardly go verify them one by one.
Unexpectedly, Ma the Fifth waved his hands repeatedly. "Don't say it. Don't tell me! If they don't want it disclosed, keep it to yourself, lest they come seeking vengeance against us later."
Li Banfeng truly admired this trait of Ma the Fifth's.
Li Banfeng helped Ma the Fifth patch up a few more details, and Ma the Fifth gradually sorted out his line of reasoning. "I'll tell Monkey Qiu the whole story from start to finish, and I'll present this severed head as a generous gift to him. With him, this thing will definitely be of great use!"
Li Banfeng smiled. "Then I leave it to you!"
***
Ma the Fifth returned to the dance hall and said to Lu Chunying, Qiu Zhiheng, and Tan Fucheng, "Two older brothers, Sister Chunying, could I trouble you to come with me to a private room?"
The three of them were taken aback, not grasping his meaning.
Right now they were already sitting in a private room. The kitchen had prepared the wine and food, and the three of them had been eating and drinking quite comfortably. Why switch to another private room?
Ma the Fifth added an explanation: "The other private room has better food and wine."
This time they understood.
There was something inside the other room.
The three promptly stood up and followed Ma the Fifth to the other private room.
Wine and dishes were laid out here as well. After waving away the idle staff, Ma the Fifth retrieved a box from under the table and said to the three in a low voice, "Don't blame me for spoiling your appetites, but this item must be brought out right now."
With that, Ma the Fifth opened the box. Inside lay Ling Miaoying's severed head.
The three were instantly stunned.
Monkey Qiu was struck speechless for a long moment. Tan Fucheng, the Service Cultivator, asked, "Old Fifth, where did this come from? Is it a wax figure?"
Ma the Fifth shook his head. "Brother Tan, feel it yourself."
Tan Fucheng touched it gently to confirm the texture, then looked at Monkey Qiu. "It's a real head!"
Qiu Zhiheng asked Ma the Fifth, "Junyang, what on earth happened?"
Ma Junyang recounted the concocted story in full detail.
"We had some bad blood with Ling Miaoying before, which I'm sure you all know."
Monkey Qiu and Tan Fucheng were both aware of this. The rift had mainly stemmed from the motion pictures. The two sides had constantly competed against each other in cinema. A few days ago, Ling Miaoying had shown up at the premiere to humiliate Ma the Fifth, and the two factions had nearly come to blows.
Ma the Fifth continued, "Last night, when we went to Old Master Lu's place to plan our revenge, we were worried someone might take advantage of our absence, so we deliberately stepped up our defenses and hired a few experts to guard Xiaoyaowu. Who would have thought we'd actually catch Ling Miaoying?"
Tan Fucheng asked in astonishment, "Ling Miaoying came to Xiaoyaowu last night?"
Ma the Fifth nodded.
Tan Fucheng could hardly make sense of it. "He came to Xiaoyaowu in person to trash the place?"
This was the hardest part to explain.
It was inevitable that Ling Miaoying hated Ma the Fifth. *Bloodgun Detective* had practically ruined *Bloodblade Detective*, transforming *Bloodblade Detective* from a miracle in cinematic history into an arthouse film fit only for niche appreciation.
Yet no matter how much Ling Miaoying hated Ma the Fifth, given his cautious nature and the critical timing of last night, he never would have personally taken part in a petty raid on a venue.
Fortunately, Li Banfeng had already prepared an explanation for Ma the Fifth: "Ling Miaoying came last night for the film reels. To be honest with you two older brothers, more than half of my next motion picture has already been filmed. The reels are stored right here in Xiaoyaowu. With just a bit of editing, it can hit theaters."
Monkey Qiu and Tan Fucheng were blank for a moment; they knew little about motion pictures.
Lu Chunying suddenly cried out, "Good heavens, that was close! If he had stolen it, wouldn't the next *Bloodgun Detective* have become the property of his Ling family?"
With someone chiming in so naturally, things became vastly simpler.
Now Monkey Qiu and Tan Fucheng understood.
So what they were fighting over was this film, identical to poaching business.
Yet was a single motion picture truly worth Ling Miaoying intervening in person?
Perhaps it was. After all, *Bloodgun Detective* was raking in a fortune, a fact both Monkey Qiu and Tan Fucheng knew well.
Still, another puzzle lingered in Tan Fucheng's mind. "What sort of experts did you hire that could actually kill Ling Miaoying?"
Ma the Fifth pondered for a moment. "Not the kind of experts we would normally run into."
Experienced as Tan Fucheng was in the pugilistic world, he still could not follow. "Then how does one get in touch with them?"
Ma the Fifth said cryptically, "You have to seek out the administrator of the territory."
Tan Fucheng found himself completely lost in the fog. "Which territory's administrator are you talking about?"
As long as it was within Lüshuiwan, there was not a single territorial leader Tan Fucheng did not know.
Monkey Qiu held Tan Fucheng back and signaled him not to inquire further.
He had caught the hidden implication in Ma the Fifth's words. The "administrator" Ma the Fifth referred to was not a human gang leader of a territory, but a local god.
In Puluo Province, cultivators who had dealings with local gods were extraordinarily rare, yet Monkey Qiu was one of them; his ties with several local gods ran exceptionally deep.
If Ma the Fifth had engaged an expert through a local god, this matter must never be casually disclosed to outsiders. It brought no benefit to the teller, and no benefit to the listener.
The cause of Ling Miaoying's death was now accounted for. What remained was determining how to handle the head.
Monkey Qiu said to Ma the Fifth, "Junyang, this thing is of use to me—great use. Name your price, and I'll buy it."
Ma the Fifth shook his head. "Brother Qiu, bringing this before you was meant as a gift. If you talk about buying it, you're treating me like a stranger."
Qiu Zhiheng shook his head. "I never accept favors from others for nothing. Just name your price."
Ma the Fifth did have something in mind, having discussed it with Li Banfeng beforehand. "Old Seven and I have only just gotten our business started in Heishipo, and some of the connections have yet to open up."
Qiu Zhiheng glanced at Lu Chunying.
Lu Chunying said, "In a couple of days, Brother Qiu and I will make a trip to Heishipo together. It'll be a good chance for me to learn the ropes of doing business."
Tan Fucheng marveled inwardly. *This girl grasps things without ever needing to be taught.*
With the agreement settled between both sides, they resumed drinking.
Partway through, Ma the Fifth slipped away from the table to deliver the news to Li Banfeng, but upon entering the room, he found that Li Banfeng had vanished once again.
***
Li Banfeng had returned to the Portable Abode and was sound asleep on the bed.
He had sprinted through the entire night and fought a vicious battle against Ling Miaoying. The toll on his stamina was far too heavy; only a deep sleep would allow him to recover.
The wife was also sound asleep on her side. Having consumed Ling Miaoying, she was currently gathering strength; once she awoke, she would take Li Banfeng up to Tier 6.
The Red Lotus had devoured Ling Miaoying's corpse. The remains of Wu Decheng from earlier had also been refined, yielding over eighty Xuanzhi Pills.
Once again, the Red Lotus had produced a massive drop of Xuanzhi Pills, leaving Li Banfeng thoroughly displeased.
If Ling Miaoying's corpse yielded nothing but Xuanzhi Pills as well, Li Banfeng would need to have a serious talk with the Red Lotus.
None of that was the crux of the matter, however. The true concern was the current state of the Portable Abode.
Why had it suddenly traveled to Heishipo? It was supposed to follow the key. Why had its characteristic changed this time?
Li Banfeng could not figure it out and felt deeply uneasy.
If one day he suddenly thought of the Outer States while inside the Portable Abode, and did so with extreme focus, could the Portable Abode return directly to the Outer States?
How would he ever come back to retrieve his key then?
Or perhaps the Portable Abode had altered its trait of following the key, meaning he could bring the key inside with him from now on?
This notion had lingered in Li Banfeng's mind for a long time.
During his year and more in Puluo Province, one of Li Banfeng's greatest worries had been the key.
Every time he entered the Portable Abode, a trace of anxiety remained in his heart because his key was still outside.
His key had been stuck to a black bear, dragged away by insects, and picked up by Chu the Second.
If he could keep the key on his person at all times, that greatest hidden danger would be eliminated.
Before going to sleep, Li Banfeng had stood by the doorway of the Portable Abode holding the key for a long time, but ultimately, he had not brought it inside.
When the peddler handed the Portable Abode to him, he had repeatedly warned that the key must never be brought into the dwelling, or else one would be trapped inside, unable to leave.
Even though changes had occurred in the Portable Abode, would this ironclad rule change along with them?
Li Banfeng dared not gamble.
Moreover, he could not fathom the reason behind the Portable Abode's transformation.
Who could give him the answer?
As far as Li Banfeng knew, there were three people.
One was Grandpa Train, but he was in the Inner States, leaving Li Banfeng no way to inquire.
Another was the peddler. Finding the peddler was not overly difficult since his movements followed regular patterns.
Yet would the peddler be willing to speak on the matter?
There was one more person who might not know the entire story, but certainly knew part of it, because the Portable Abode got along with her wonderfully and cooperated with her seamlessly.
Would she be willing to tell him the truth?
Amid these thoughts, Li Banfeng felt his consciousness gradually grow hazy.
He looked toward Mengde on the wall and instructed, "Let me have some sweet dreams."
Mengde nodded and played a soothing melody, lulling Li Banfeng to sleep.
***
As soon as Li Banfeng drifted off, the glove slipped silently toward Room Two.
Room Three was off-limits. That place was far too wicked; it had actually swallowed up a perfectly good pair of iron rulers.
Room Two had a bit too many magical treasures—the clock pendulum, the gourd, and the teapot were all there. The glove then sneaked into Room Four.
The Tang dao was lying asleep in Room Four, so the glove scurried off to Room Five.
With no one in Room Five, the glove let out a long breath of relief and spat out the projector.
"Good stuff!" the glove marveled. "A fine piece of treasure!"
*Click—*
*Whirrrr—*
The projector's mainspring suddenly began to turn, and the lens cap flipped open.
Only then did the glove notice that inside the palm-sized projector stood a candle.
The candle had been burning the entire time and somehow had not gone out.
As the spring unwound, an image was cast upon the wall. With no other light source in the room, the projection appeared extraordinarily sharp.
"Good heavens..." The glove gasped.
In the projection, Ling Miaoying was walking straight toward the glove.
The glove tried to flee, but the projector abruptly shifted its angle.
Ling Miaoying shifted his direction accordingly, blocking the glove's path of retreat.
***
Li Banfeng was having a sweet dream in bed. In his dream, he stood upon the deck of a passenger liner, quietly feeling the ocean breeze amidst the glow of the setting sun.
The wife murmured softly, "Husband, the scenery here is so beautiful."
Li Banfeng held an oil can and said, "Wife, the scenery right here is quite nice as well."
The wife chided with playful embarrassment, "Is such a place even suitable?"
"Suitable! Why wouldn't it be!"
"Be careful, Husband, don't let anyone see."
The machine oil had all been applied, and the gramophone was ready.
Then a wail from the glove jolted Li Banfeng awake.
"Save me!"
*What the hell is that scoundrel hollering about now?*
Following the sound, Li Banfeng went to Room Five. The moment he opened the door, he was startled as well.
Ling Miaoying had the glove gripped tightly in his hand and was staring right at Li Banfeng from inside the room.
Struggling frantically, the glove shouted toward Li Banfeng, "Master, my loyalty to you is absolute! You can't just stand by and watch me die!"
Chapter 297