Who Is Behind the Scenes?

The wife had no idea what Li Banfeng had actually said to the residence. Li Banfeng had intended to show her the oil the Portable Abode had stolen back, but in the time it took to turn around, all the oil in Room Three had vanished. Had the train taken it? Li Banfeng was currently inside the train. More precisely, the oil hadn't been taken by the train, but rather transported away by Room Three. Transported where? To the locomotive? And where was the locomotive? From the day he arrived at Yaowanggou, entered a pathway, and the peddler handed him the key, the Portable Abode had followed Li Banfeng wherever he went. Li Banfeng had never looked deeply into the origins of the Portable Abode, nor had he given much thought to its nature. The Portable Abode moved along with its owner—an unbelievable phenomenon in itself. Yet there were far too many unbelievable things in Puluo Province, and Li Banfeng had lacked the leisure to dwell on it. Now, it seemed, he truly needed to think it through. *** The Lu family's private train was speeding toward Heishipo. Sitting in such an opulent carriage for the first time, Lu Chunying felt somewhat out of place. She sat primly on the sofa, doing her best to maintain the poise expected of a lady from the main family. Tan Fucheng paced back and forth across the compartment, finding everything novel. "I'm only enjoying this luxury thanks to Miss Chunying. In the past, someone of my status wouldn't even have been qualified to step foot in this car." Ma the Fifth had ridden the Lu family's private train before, and the Ma family possessed their own as well, so none of this felt unusual to him. Instead, it was Monkey Qiu's demeanor that he couldn't quite understand. Throughout the entire journey, Monkey Qiu hadn't chatted, read the newspaper, eaten, or smoked. He simply stared at the scenery outside the window. What was so interesting about the view? Monkey Qiu had fought alongside Lu Dongliang for half a lifetime; he should have grown sick of the scenery along this route long ago. Just after the train departed Lüshuiwan and reached the bounds of Huangshiqiao, it ground to a sudden halt. Ma the Fifth started. Aside from crossing another train or taking on water, a private train had no reason to make midway stops. Glancing out the window, this didn't seem to be a station either. Monkey Qiu said to the group, "Let's get off and buy something to eat. The meat pies of Huangshiqiao are famous for their flavor." Huangshiqiao's meat pies truly were delicious, and sure enough, there was someone hawking pies outside the train. The four of them stepped down from the train together. Ma the Fifth looked around and realized this was a depot. Someone was actually selling food inside a train depot? Did all of them really need to get off just to buy meat pies? Couldn't they have sent any servant to do it? Ma the Fifth didn't ask questions. He knew Monkey Qiu had other arrangements. Monkey Qiu bought five jin of meat pies and whispered a few words to the vendor. Once the vendor left, Monkey Qiu led everyone across two sets of tracks and boarded another train. Monkey Qiu was switching trains mid-journey to guard against an ambush. The conditions on this train were wretched by comparison. It was a freight train. One of the boxcars was empty, airtight, and pitch-black. Stifling inside the car, the four of them washed down their meat pies with a kettle of boiled water. Once the train began moving, Tan Fucheng finally spoke up. "Chief Qiu, who are you being so cautious against?" Monkey Qiu smiled faintly. "Just taking precautions, not against anyone in particular. Miss Chunying is traveling to conduct business for the first time; it's better to be careful." With that, Qiu Zhiheng glanced at Lu Chunying. Lu Chunying nodded slightly. Not only did she approve of Monkey Qiu's approach, but she could also guess his intention. Monkey Qiu's actions were definitely aimed at someone. Ma the Fifth suspected he was guarding against Lu Maoxian, yet that felt counter to reason. The Lu family's private train was heavily guarded; would Lu Maoxian even have a chance to strike? If not Lu Maoxian, who else could it be? "Junyang," Qiu Zhiheng said, looking at Ma the Fifth, "I've heard about what happened at Lanyang Village. Find an opportunity to tell Li the Seventh that he should let things rest at Song Zhigang for now. Don't be in a rush to trace it further." *** Li Banfeng stretched and sat up from the bed. He had stayed inside the Portable Abode for three full days without stepping foot outside. Going out required caution, because once he left, there was no telling when he might be able to return. Last night, he had dreamt of the Outer States. In the dream, he had returned to his high school days, reliving an unpleasant sequence of memories like scavenging for trash and sleeping under bridge arches. For that, Li Banfeng had Hong Ying discipline Mengde. Compared to his wife, Hong Ying was somewhat gentler in this regard. She hauled Mengde out of the calendar poster, pinned him over her knee, and gave his peach a good spanking. Li Banfeng had accepted the fact that Hong Ying was growing limbs quite calmly. Hong Ying wasn't a spear, just as his wife had said. She was a young woman, so she ought to look like one. Not only had the shaft changed, but the spearhead was slightly different too—it had elongated, widened, and become rounder than before. At this rate, Hong Ying would probably grow a face before long. Li Banfeng didn't care about Hong Ying's changes; what truly troubled him was that nightmare. He had dreamt of the sea, and the Portable Abode had carried him to the oil lake. Now that he had dreamt of the Outer States, where would the Portable Abode take him? Li Banfeng still didn't dare bring the key into the house. Under the current circumstances, he had to adapt to the Portable Abode's changes. He turned on the projector and played the footage filmed in the warehouse before entering the Portable Abode. The footage wasn't long, just over two minutes, but Li Banfeng watched it ten times over until he was certain the scenes of the warehouse were looping firmly in his mind before cautiously opening the door. With one foot inside the doorway and one foot out, Li Banfeng gradually caught the distinct dusty scent of the warehouse before fully stepping out of the Portable Abode. Sure enough, he was still in the warehouse at Xiaoyaowu. Li Banfeng retrieved the key, confirming his deduction. The movements of the Portable Abode were clearly tied to his consciousness. Earlier, when he had thought of Heishipo, it had taken him there. Now, having fixed his thoughts on the warehouse, stepping out truly brought him to the warehouse. As for why it had gone to the oil lake last time, there had been another misunderstanding involved. But so long as he made proper use of this trait, Li Banfeng could still reliably return to the place where he had entered. After having a couple of drinks at Xiaoyaowu, Cao Zhida told Li Banfeng that Ma the Fifth had already gone to Heishipo with Qiu Zhiheng. Leaving Xiaoyaowu, Li Banfeng headed to Dongping Teahouse, ordered a pot of tea, and sat drinking for half an hour. Before long, a waiter approached and whispered, "Sir, please come upstairs to speak." On the second floor, Qin Tianjiu was already waiting inside a private room, hurriedly greeting Li Banfeng and inviting him to sit. When he had nothing to do, Qin Xiaopang spent most of his time at Dongping Teahouse. Barring special circumstances, if Li Banfeng lingered at the teahouse for a bit, he could always find him. It had been a while since they had last seen each other, and Qin Tianjiu had grown noticeably thinner. Li Banfeng pulled out a wad of bills and shoved it into his hand. "If you're short on cash, come find me at Xiaoyaowu. If you can't find me, ask Ma the Fifth for some. Don't skimp on your meals." Qin Tianjiu blushed and said, "Brother Seven, I... I'm not short on money..." "Cut the bullshit and take it. Any news on Lu Maoxian lately?" "Actually, yes!" Qin Xiaopang nodded. "Lu Maoxian invited Qiu Zhiheng to dinner yesterday, supposedly over the matter at Lanyang Village. Two guards under him went to stir up trouble there, and Lu Maoxian claimed it had nothing to do with him, saying both guards have already been removed from his retinue. He even specifically asked our chief to bear witness, but Monkey Qiu didn't seem to be in Lüshui City, so the banquet never happened." Lu Maoxian was a senior elder of the Lu family. If he had truly been behind this, there would be no need for him to yield to Monkey Qiu. It seemed he really hadn't known beforehand. Then who was pulling the strings behind the scenes? It certainly couldn't have been the chief steward's own idea. Qin Xiaopang added, "Brother Seven, there's another matter with the Lu family. Madam Duan took on a godson. Did you know?" Li Banfeng nodded. "I know about that. It's Zhang Huaiyi, her nephew." Qin Tianjiu continued, "Duan Shaoxia has been lavishing status on this godson of hers lately. Just last night, she even brought him to dine with the Lu family!" That was understandable. Duan Shaohong's son was Duan Shaoxia's nephew. Compared to Lu Chunying, Duan Shaoxia found Zhang Huaiyi far more acceptable. Taking this opportunity to build connections for her nephew was only natural. Wait... Duan Shaoxia. Li Banfeng rubbed his temples as a train of thought entered his mind. Could the mastermind behind the attack on Lanyang Village be Duan Shaoxia? Could she have bribed Lu Maoxian's chief steward to falsely convey Lu Maoxian's order, egging Song Zhigang on to make trouble in Lanyang Village? Her objective wouldn't have been to escalate conflict between him and Lu Maoxian, but rather to inflame tensions between Monkey Qiu and Lu Maoxian. Monkey Qiu strongly backed Lu Chunying. By dragging Lu Chunying into the center of the conflict, Duan Shaoxia could isolate her on the surface, and in secret, even kill Lu Chunying and pin it on Lu Maoxian. Was that possible? Yes, it was! Pulling that move could indeed eliminate Lu Chunying and clear a path for Zhang Huaiyi. How would Monkey Qiu respond? Monkey Qiu hadn't taken the bait at all. He had gone to Heishipo. He had taken Lu Chunying away to avoid the conflict. Duan Shaoxia's scheme had come to nothing. Yet her scheme carried no small risk. Following the trail of those two guards led to Lu Maoxian's chief steward, and tracing the chief steward would lead directly to Duan Shaoxia. Then again, what method had Duan Shaoxia used to bribe Lu Maoxian's chief steward? For someone that loyal, could money alone really buy him? There was no need to dwell on that for now; he first had to consider his next move. "Fatty, how long have you held that unassigned bronze seal? When can you become a proper bronze seal?" Qin Tianjiu shook his head. "Brother Seven, I've only been a bronze seal for a few months and haven't accomplished any great feats. The silver badge says my seniority is lacking. Getting territory right now is probably too difficult." "Seniority requires capital before history. Talk with your silver badge—ideally get a clear price, and just tell me the amount." The Sanying Gate connection couldn't be let go; it was far too useful. Returning to Xiaoyaowu, Cao Zhida handed Li the Seventh an invitation. "Sent by Madam Duan. She's hosting a banquet at Yuelai Tower tomorrow and inviting you to dine." Seeing this invitation, Li Banfeng could practically confirm his suspicion was correct. Naturally, he wouldn't attend; otherwise, he might never return. Li Banfeng told Cao Zhida to reply to the messenger: "Tell them we have urgent business and can't make it tomorrow." Cao Zhida rubbed his hands together. "Seventh Master, Madam Duan is the principal wife of the Lu family. I'm afraid an excuse of 'urgent business' won't brush her off." "What do you mean 'brush her off'? We really do have urgent business. We're going to the newland to clear land. Call a few trustworthy brothers to come along; we set out tonight." A promise made had to be kept; Miss Meng was still waiting! Zuo Wugang, Zhen Jincheng, and Huo Ling had all gone with Ma the Fifth to Heishipo, leaving few capable fighters behind at Xiaoyaowu. Cao Zhida tallied their available hands for a while, then said to Li Banfeng, "Seventh Master, we'd best bring Genzi along. He's an expert at clearing land." "Bring him, definitely bring him. We'll also need to prepare some materials for him." *** Genzi was currently cultivating in Lanyang Village. His ladle had been broken, so he had fashioned a new one himself, though it didn't handle as smoothly. Having gathered most of the night soil in the village, Genzi headed into the newland again. An old man farming the soil waved to him. "Little brother, are you a Gold Cultivator? I'm running short on night soil here." Farming in the newland? This had to be a Farm Cultivator, and one of no low tier either. Xiao Genzi stepped forward with his bucket on his back and gave the old man a ladleful. The old man inspected the night soil and shook his head. "Inferior quality." "Inferior?" Genzi frowned. "How so?" The old man chuckled. "How else to say it? Plainly! Inferior is inferior!"