Jianrengang, Peak of the Sages.
He Haiqin stood in the long corridor of the Sage's Manor, waiting for word from the Sage.
After waiting for a full hour or more without a single response from inside the room, the white-robed youth spoke up. "Growing impatient from the wait? Those people outside kneel for an entire day, and even then they aren't guaranteed an answer."
He Haiqin said nothing. He understood his present condition and knew what he was about to face.
The panting inside the room finally ceased, and the Sage let out a cough.
The white-robed youth said to He Haiqin, "Don't forget the rules!"
He Haiqin sank to his knees and kowtowed toward the room.
From the day he was born until now, aside from his own parents, he had never knelt before another soul.
Yet today, he knelt.
After he had knelt like that for more than half an hour, the Sage finally spoke: "In the end, he is a man of merit. Grant him a writ."
He Haiqin had rescued Lu Maoxian and mediated repeatedly between the Lu and Ling families, and all of that had now earned him this document.
The writ was sealed inside a lacquered box; He Haiqin was not qualified to view its contents. Taking the document, guided by the white-robed youth, he arrived at the back mountain.
Halfway up the slope was a cavern. The white-robed youth pointed to it and said, "Follow this cavern forward. Keep walking, do not pause, and whatever you do, never look back. Breaking from the cocoon into a butterfly, you have departed the mortal coil. Cherish this fortune well."
Bearing the document, He Haiqin made his way along the cavern. He was starving. Though he had lost his mortal body, a portion of his Food Cultivator cultivation remained—except at this moment, he had no idea what he could even eat.
Within the cavern, there was no telling day from night, and He Haiqin lost all track of how long he had walked. When he caught sight of a glow ahead, he broke into a swift run.
He thought he was approaching the cave mouth, but in truth, he arrived only at a bonfire.
Where had this bonfire come from?
The flames flared up violently, illuminating the path ahead.
Before him rose a sheer cliff face, pierced by more than a dozen arched gateways.
He Haiqin had no idea which way to go when suddenly, someone spoke to him:
"Give me the writ."
Who was that?
He Haiqin could not see so much as a shadow.
The voice sounded as though a seventy-year-old man and an eighteen-year-old girl were speaking from the very same mouth.
He Haiqin held up the document in his hands.
In the blink of an eye, the document vanished.
The sourceless voice rang out once more: "Take the third gate."
Which one was the third gate?
Counting from the left, a faint light rose within the third arched gateway. He Haiqin stepped inside.
After walking for a long time more, He Haiqin finally emerged from the cavern.
Outside, the world was still pitch-black. He Haiqin looked up at the sky, but he saw no stars—only a dusky yellow haze like clouds or mist.
"Are you the wagon driver?" someone asked.
He Haiqin looked around, but still saw no one.
"Are you the wagon driver or not?"
*Crack!*
A leather whip lashed across He Haiqin's face.
Bereft of flesh and blood, He Haiqin nevertheless felt an agonizing, unbearable pain.
From cheekbone to jaw, he felt a rough, lacerated welt across his face.
*Crack!*
Another strike fell.
"Are you the wagon driver or not?"
"I am!" He Haiqin shouted in reply.
"Then move forward! The wagon is up ahead!"
He Haiqin hurried forward and soon came upon a horse-drawn wagon.
The wagon was loaded with stones. He Haiqin took the reins and drove it forward.
He knew that he was no longer the master of the He family.
He knew that for some time to come, he would be a slave and a servant here.
And attaining the rank of a servant was only because he had performed meritorious service for the Sage.
Most people were denied even the chance to become servants.
They could only be beasts of burden.
Driving the wagon amid sharp reprimands, He Haiqin arrived in a barren wilderness.
Dozens of people, men and women alike, were carrying heavy stone blocks, constructing an enormous stone monument.
The monument took the form of a colossal ring—a silver-white ring.
"Unload the wagon!"
Accompanied by barking orders, several figures stepped forward to haul the stone blocks off the wagon.
One among them was a Strength Cultivator. He secretly invoked a technique to lighten the weight of the stone.
He did it with great stealth, yet he was still discovered.
Invisible lashes rained down upon the Strength Cultivator, accompanied by thunderous roars of fury: "How dare you use techniques in the sacred land! A scoundrel like you deserves to be beaten to death!"
He Haiqin watched with his own eyes and carved the lesson into his heart.
One must never use techniques in the Inner States. This had to be remembered at all costs.
No matter how agonizing it was, he had to endure.
All for three times the lifespan.
A year ago, as he lay bedridden, He Haiqin had been certain that death was upon him.
Only a man who had died once truly understood what a terrifying thing death was, and how precious it was to remain alive.
***
Inside the He family mansion, He Yuxiu sat listening to the accountant Sheng Shanzhou report the books.
For the first ten minutes, He Yuxiu listened attentively.
After ten minutes, she was yawning constantly, practically nodding off.
After another ten minutes, He Yuxiu cut Sheng Shanzhou off. "Stop your damn chanting! I don't understand a word of it."
Standing nearby, Head Guard Chen Jitai said, "Sister Xiu, you really have to listen. These couple of days are when all the factions send in their tribute dues."
"Tribute dues..." He Yuxiu scratched her scalp. "I almost forgot. Are they all delivering the tribute today?"
"Yes, they are."
"Spread the word far and wide: the He family recognizes only Lu Chunying. Tell the Lu family people not to deliver their tribute to the wrong doorstep."
Chen Jitai couldn't understand her reasoning. "Sister Xiu, that's the Lu family's internal business. We shouldn't interfere."
"We must. I promised Monkey."
"Monkey Qiu is no longer part of the Lu family! He isn't even in Lüshui City anymore!"
He Yuxiu looked at Chen Jitai and scolded, "That just goes to show how clueless you are. Just because he left, I get to break my word? Where would that leave the He family's pride?
"Besides, if Lu Chunying can't hold her ground, wouldn't that just force Monkey to come back? What would we do then if he returned? Keep fighting him?
"Duan Shaoxia doesn't have a functioning brain, but ours need to work properly! Stop standing there looking like a fool, and get to work!"
***
When the various families delivered their tribute dues, both the inner and outer factions of the Lu family were no exception. Sixty percent of them delivered their tribute to Lu Chunying; she was Lu Dongliang's flesh and blood, something Lu Dongliang had personally acknowledged.
The remaining forty percent was handed over to Lu Maoxian.
Not a single soul delivered tribute to Duan Shaoxia. She had brought back an adopted son, and by now, nobody could even tell whether her household went by the surname Lu or Zhang.
"That old bastard Lu Maoxian is a headache," Ma the Fifth said, pouring Li Banfeng a cup of wine. "I looked over the Lu family ledgers. This isn't something that started yesterday.
"Ever since Lu Dongliang vanished, plenty of people have been delivering tribute to Lu Maoxian. The old dog has been causing us grief non-stop. Once he builds up enough momentum in the Lu family, there probably won't be any room left for us in Lüshui City."
"Lu Maoxian, seventh tier..." Li Banfeng rubbed his chin. "This old bastard's flavor—no, wait, what am I saying—his caliber is actually quite decent."
"Not only is his caliber solid, but he has plenty of ruthless thugs under him. I suspect that woman who came looking for you at Xiaoyaowu was sent by him."
"That doesn't sound right," Li Banfeng doubted. "Lu Maoxian acts with seasoned cunning. That woman was completely reckless; it doesn't match his style at all."
Ma the Fifth shook his head. "Lu Maoxian doesn't always act shrewdly. Take *Bloodblade Detective*, for instance. Lu Maoxian led men straight into the cinema to raise hell. Making such a bitter enemy out of a movie made no sense whatsoever."
"*Bloodblade Detective*?" Li Banfeng asked. "They're still shooting that movie?"
"They are. The latest installment has had decent attendance—around fifty or sixty percent for every screening. I'll need to figure out some new tricks myself, or I won't be able to compete with him down the road."
"Ling Miaoying is already dead. Who's making *Bloodblade Detective*?"
"The Ling family's film company hasn't closed down yet. I'm guessing Ling Miaosheng is running it."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "It shouldn't be Ling Miaosheng."
"I'll look into it further. Speaking of motion pictures, someone brought something over from Heishipo yesterday and insisted I show it to you."
Ma the Fifth had someone bring in a film projector. It stood over a meter high on the floor, and once its frame was folded up, it could easily be carried by hand.
Li Banfeng was pleasantly surprised. "Did Chuanzi have someone send this over?"
Ma the Fifth nodded. "Little Chuanzi worked himself ragged making this. He made a point of telling me that one machine, labor and materials included, costs three hundred and twenty dollars."
"Three hundred and twenty!" Li Banfeng nodded. "That's a fair price!"
Ma the Fifth said, "Unfortunately, the materials are too cheap, and the clockwork spring can't hold out. Fully wound, it can only play for fifteen minutes."
"Fifteen minutes is plenty! You think everyone's like you, unable to finish a round in fifteen minutes?"
"Finish a round of what?" Ma the Fifth didn't catch his drift.
"Watching a film, of course!"
"Where in the world are there films like that? The shortest ones run at least half an hour!"
"You're talking about proper films." Li Banfeng stared at the projector for a long moment, growing more delighted by the second. "Tell Chuanzi to get the factory running and specialize in making this projector.
"Have the workers manufacture the parts separately. Don't let them learn the full assembly technique.
"Then tell Bai Qiusheng to shoot films. However those magazines take their pictures, that's how he should shoot the movies. Ten or twelve minutes per reel is plenty."
Ma the Fifth caught on to Li Banfeng's meaning. "You mean... let buyers play movies in their own homes? In the Outer States, they call that television, don't they?"
"It's not quite the same as television. There are lots of things television isn't allowed to broadcast, but ours can!"
Ma the Fifth sprang to his feet. "I have to head to Heishipo! This is massive business—bigger even than *Bloodgun Detective*!"
***
Inside the top-floor office of the film company, Tu Yinghong sat on the sofa, her face filled with impatience. "I've finished filming the scenes. When are you going to let me leave?"
Brewing tea, He Jiaqing said, "If I let you go, will you head back to Xiaoyaowu?"
"Where I go is none of your business!"
Sitting to one side, Wan Jinxian said with a dark expression, "Why are you so ungrateful? If we hadn't saved you, you would have lost your life long ago!"
Tu Yinghong glared at Wan Jinxian. "I never begged you to save me!"
Wan Jinxian bristled with anger, but He Jiaqing intervened to soothe him. "We're all on the same side, no need to harm our harmony. Movie Queen Tu, there's just one thing I want to know: what exactly took you to Xiaoyaowu?"
"I already told you, I went to find Miaoying!"
He Jiaqing raised his eyebrows. "It seems the two of you truly shared deep feelings."
"What if we did? Let me tell you, I am Ling Miaoying's woman, and I will be his woman for the rest of my life! As long as I haven't found him, I'm not finished with Xiaoyaowu!"
He Jiaqing sighed. "What a woman of loyalty and passion. Once the next film finishes shooting, I'll let you go."
Tu Yinghong turned and left the office, returning to her room.
This building had been constructed by her; by rights, she should have known a hundred ways out.
Yet for some unknown reason, she had never been able to walk free, completely in the dark as to what technique had trapped her.
***
Wan Jinxian asked He Jiaqing, "Do you believe she really went to Xiaoyaowu for Ling Miaoying?"
He Jiaqing shook his head. "She's lying. She and Ling Miaoying might have had some affection, but it was just the kind of affection built from sharing a blanket—it wouldn't make a difference if she slept with someone else.
"She must have gone to Xiaoyaowu for that item."
"You mean the Red Lotus?"
He Jiaqing nodded. "Otherwise, she wouldn't have kept her eyes fixed on Li the Seventh."
Wan Jinxian said, "Why not seize this opportunity to take the Red Lotus back?"
He Jiaqing shook his head. "The time isn't right yet. When the moment comes, I'll let you know."
Wan Jinxian gave a slight nod, convinced that He Jiaqing's deduction was sound.
In reality, however, they had both misjudged Tu Yinghong.
Tu Yinghong truly was a loyal, affectionate woman. She had gone to Xiaoyaowu not for the Xuansheng Red Lotus, but to recover her iron ruler.
The tea was ready. Just as He Jiaqing poured a cup for Old Wan, he felt a button on his chest vibrate.
Pinching the button, He Jiaqing listened intently for a moment before slamming the teapot down onto the table. "Lu Maoxian went to the cinema to make trouble again. Why is that old cur so relentless?"
Wan Jinxian said, "We still haven't found out who is backing Lu Maoxian."
"Give him another warning, and hit him hard this time."
Wan Jinxian nodded faintly, but his thoughts were not on Lu Maoxian at all.
Chapter 320