Counting Ink and Tracing Lines

Early in the morning, Li Banfeng picked up the projector and prepared to head out. The projector lingered by the bed and said dejectedly, "Director Seven, pick someone else. The art in my heart has already withered." In the battle against Lord Mountain-Uprooter, among all the magical treasures, the projector had rendered the greatest service. Relying on the projector, Li Banfeng had altered the cave's layout, causing a pack of monsters to stray into the Portable Abode and bringing about a gluttonous feast for the entire family. Yet the projector had missed out on this feast. Li Banfeng had forgotten about him. The projector had remained on guard in the cave the entire time and hadn't gotten a single bite of meat. By the time he returned to the Portable Abode, Red Lotus had already swept the place clean, leaving behind not a single drop of blood. From then on, the projector's mood had grown thoroughly bleak. After Li Banfeng left, the projector remained sitting by the bedside, staring off into space. The glove came over and offered a word of comfort: "Little brother, don't keep wearing that face. It hurts my heart just looking at you. Let's find a place to chat." The projector's tone was flat and emotionless: "My art has turned to ashes. I have nothing to talk about with you." "Look at you! Where is your broad-minded manly spirit? Come with me. Talk things out, and your heart will feel bright and clear." With gentle coaxing and persistent urging, the glove persuaded the projector into Room Three. Closing the door, the glove lowered its voice: "Brother, don't say elder brother doesn't look out for you." With that, the glove spat out a piece of flesh and blood. "This is the flesh and blood of a local god, Lord Mountain-Uprooter. Have a bite and see its grade and flavor." The projector trembled, a layer of mist welling over its lens. "Brother Glove, how can I ever thank..." "Cut that out, hurry up and eat!" The glove was exceedingly generous. The projector summoned a woman, who placed the flesh and blood into the film chamber. Even after so many days, this piece of flesh was still fresh. Who knew what method the glove had used to preserve it? The flesh and blood of a local god was truly of exceptional quality. The projector had less than half its winding spring left, but now felt filled with vigor, its cultivation advancing swiftly. "Brother Glove, thank you so much." "Saying that treats me like a stranger." The glove wagged a finger. "We risk life and limb every day; none of our lives are easy. Sometimes the master of the house can't look after everything, so we have to look after each other." "Brother Glove, this meat is so precious. How can I repay you?" "No need to talk about repayment. I just have a few heartfelt words I want to share with you. "We live under one roof, both working for the master of the house. I'm not a greedy person. What ought to go to the master, I give. But keeping a little for myself once in a while is only human nature. "Sometimes when I stash a little something away, don't keep recording it from the side. It only irritates the master to see it, and it makes it hard for me to explain myself. Things like that simply shouldn't be brought to the master's notice." *** At Dongping Teahouse, Li Banfeng found Qin Xiaopang and inquired about Ling Family Pictures. Qin Xiaopang said, "Ling Family Pictures indeed hasn't closed down. Our silver badge sent people to check on this. Aside from Bloodblade Detective, they have two other motion pictures in production. Everyone from top to bottom is busy as can be." "Ling Miaoying is dead. Who is running Ling Family Pictures?" "I've heard two pieces of news, and it's hard to tell which one is true. "First, Ling Miaoying is still alive. His earlier death was just faked, and he was putting on a two-man show with Lu Chunying." This rumor was clearly put out by Lu Maoxian. It both justified his moves against Bloodblade Detective and smeared Lu Chunying's face with mud. "Second, there's another prominent figure behind the Ling family, possibly the movie queen Tu Yinghong." "Tu Yinghong..." Hearing this name, Li Banfeng recalled the ambush that day. Back then, he had first knocked down Ling Miaoying with Viewing Flowers on a Galloping Horse, then shot and wounded Tu Yinghong. Without the Portable Abode, it was entirely by seizing the initiative that he had clawed back his life. Could the black-clad figure who went to Xiaoyaowu also be Tu Yinghong? "Do you know Tu Yinghong's background?" Qin Xiaopang said, "Our silver badge is still looking into it. Earlier rumors said Tu Yinghong was originally an unlicensed prostitute in Lüshui City, and after serving Ling Miaoying well, she became a movie queen. "Now that we've dug deeper, that rumor turned out to be utter nonsense. Tu Yinghong wasn't originally from Lüshui City at all. She came out of Heishipo and is a Craft Cultivator. As for who served whom between her and Ling Miaoying, that hasn't been figured out yet." "Brother, look into this and get it sorted out as soon as possible." "Brother Seven, the moment there's news, I'll..." At this point, Xiaopang grew short of breath; he was hungry again. Li Banfeng looked at Xiaopang's build; he was nearly matching Qiu Zhiheng's size. "Didn't I tell you? If you're out of money, ask me. Don't be stingy about eating. Last time I asked you to inquire about qualifications, what did your silver badge say?" "Brother Seven, our silver badge is actually a straightforward man. He said I'm an unassigned bronze seal, so promoting me to an official bronze seal is perfectly reasonable. But he needs money to grease the wheels, and it's not a small sum, so I felt embarrassed to bring it up to you." Li Banfeng set down his teacup. "Aren't you holding up our business? How much is it, exactly?" Xiaopang held up a finger. "One thousand silver dollars." "I'll cover it. Go to Xiaoyaowu this afternoon to draw the money. Take fifteen hundred and pick a good territory." Qin Xiaopang thanked him profusely, and Li Banfeng returned to Xiaoyaowu. Qiu Zhiheng had once mentioned that the attacker who ambushed them was a high-tier Craft Cultivator possessing a concealment artifact. Sanying Gate had investigated Tu Yinghong's background, and she was indeed a Craft Cultivator. Along the way, Li Banfeng could basically conclude that the black-clad person that day was Tu Yinghong. Had she come to avenge Ling Miaoying? He couldn't just wait for her to come knocking; he had to find a way to bait her out. Li Banfeng entered the Portable Abode and used the projector to project an image of Ling Miaoying. *Whirr!* The gramophone asked, "Husband dear, this person has already been refined into a pill. Why bring him out again?" "As bait. His lover has come looking for me for revenge, so I want to lure her out." "This motion picture looks just like a living person; it really is hard to tell apart. But since she was the original master's lover, she must be very familiar with this motion picture machine, wouldn't you say?" Li Banfeng looked at the projector. The projector's mood had improved, and he answered in a solemn tone, "I do know a thing or two about Ms. Tu Yinghong. Top to bottom, front to back, advances and retreats, offense and defense—I've filmed it all. It's a pity I don't have those film reels on me." Li Banfeng was worried about precisely this. Tu Yinghong was intimately familiar with the projector, so she most likely wouldn't fall for it. Regarding this situation, however, the gramophone had a strategy: "Oh, Husband, bait isn't used only to catch fish; it can also catch shrimp." Li Banfeng understood his wife's meaning. An image of Ling Miaoying could lure other people too, but the one they needed to deal with right now was Tu Yinghong. "Wife, I don't want to catch shrimp. I only want to catch fish." "When the shrimp eat the bait, they'll pass the scent on to the fish. The bait may not deceive the enemy's commanding general, but it might very well fool the enemy's scouts." Li Banfeng smiled, hugging the gramophone affectionately. "In the end, it's my wife who knows how to fight a war!" *** Lu Maoxian walked out of the Mingzhu Courtesan House. Beside him, the courtesan lavished praise: "Old Master's learning is profound indeed. This disciple has learned much this time." Translated: Lu Maoxian had demonstrated a new repertoire of secret skills last night. Lu Maoxian nodded with a smile. "You are also a diligent scholar. Reading by candlelight through the night until dawn, not once did I see you complain of bitterness or fatigue." The courtesan said bashfully, "Crying out I did, but this disciple didn't feel it was bitter." Lu Maoxian stroked the courtesan's cheek. "You do everything well, but reading by candlelight requires good candles. The candles here are a bit lacking in quality." The courtesan quickly made a note of the candle matter. Lu Maoxian was the Mingzhu Courtesan House's most important regular; not a single request he raised could be taken lightly. Outside the courtesan house waited thirty-three guards. For Lu Maoxian to bring so many people when going out for such business—was it appropriate? In the past, Lu Maoxian would have brought two guards at most; he didn't want to make such a commotion either. Yet ever since his clash with Ling Miaoying, Lu Maoxian had gained a new perspective. At the theater, Ling Miaoying had shown that motion picture, which had ruined Lu Maoxian's reputation. But so what? Everyone in the Lu family still praised the Old Master for being hale and hearty in his old age. The hand chopped off by Ling Miaoying had still not healed properly even now, and that was what truly tormented him. Now that the motion picture affair had not yet settled down, taking extra precautions was of utmost importance. Lu Maoxian rode in a rickshaw, with guards watching over front and rear, left and right. The night was late, and no other pedestrians walked the street. Still a street away from his mansion, a guard suddenly clutched his neck and collapsed to the ground, blood streaming through his fingers. Another guard stepped forward to check. The moment he crouched down, his head rolled onto the ground. Lu Maoxian sensed disaster and shouted, "A gentleman is open and poised!" The technique of Common Script, Shared Rule—he wanted to force his opponent into the open for an upright battle. Yet the technique seemed ineffective. The guards beside Lu Maoxian dropped one after another. In the blink of an eye, of the thirty-three, only two remained. These two stood to the left and right of the rickshaw. Though ostensibly protecting Lu Maoxian, they were actually protecting their own lives. If they stayed still, they wouldn't die; the moment they moved, certain death awaited them. The two men saw this with absolute clarity. Lu Maoxian produced a writing brush and wrote the character "Prohibit" upon the rickshaw! A barrier formed around the rickshaw. Just as Lu Maoxian was contemplating his next move, he suddenly heard someone whisper by his ear: "All taboos null." *Bang!* The barrier shattered! The opponent used Words Become Truth? Was the opponent a Literary Cultivator? No matter what pathway the opponent belonged to, his chances of escape were rapidly vanishing. Lu Maoxian flicked his writing brush, spraying the ink from its tip. Across a radius of more than ten meters, countless characters sprang to life, baring fangs and claws like pitch-black evil spirits, lunging into battle the moment they encountered anyone. Literary Cultivator technique: Counting Ink and Tracing Lines. Literary Cultivators were not skilled in close-quarters combat. Once closed in on, the technique of Counting Ink and Tracing Lines was the premier escape art. Within the technique's area of effect, characters formed from ink would gain spiritual sentience and combat anyone present. These characters could express both meaning and form, possessing extraordinary combat prowess. The only drawback was that they did not distinguish friend from foe. A character for "Big" stretched its arms wide, seized a guard, and tore at him relentlessly. An "Elephant" character morphed into a tusked elephant, crashing through and overturning another guard. A "Swarm of Bugs" character split into three "Bug" characters, each transforming into a massive cloud of buzzing insects flitting in all directions. These characters even attacked Lu Maoxian, but Lu Maoxian could navigate an escape route between the characters and lines. He quickly broke free from the technique's range and sprinted toward his mansion. He ran extraordinarily fast along the way, far faster than usual. The Counting Ink and Tracing Lines technique lasted only a few seconds before dissipating, but Lu Maoxian had already reached the mansion entrance. Why did he run so fast? It felt as if he were carrying a bit less baggage than usual. Lu Maoxian looked down and realized something was truly missing. Blood soaked through his trousers. Lu Maoxian collapsed before the gates. Only at this moment did profound despair and agonizing pain wash over him. Hale and hearty in old age was no more. Disguised as a middle-aged man, He Jiaqing walked over to Lu Maoxian's side and chuckled. "Old Master Lu, congratulations! From this day forth, you're rid of that root of vexation." Lu Maoxian did not dare resist. Clutching his groin, he ground his teeth in silence. He Jiaqing did not kill him. He turned and departed alone. Reaching the street corner, he suddenly spotted a beggar dozing off. He Jiaqing's heart tightened as he carefully sensed his present location. Was this Lüshui City, or Lü Huazi's dwelling? The beggar opened one eye, swept a glance over He Jiaqing, and closed it again. What did that mean? He didn't want to fight me? Was the Lüshui Beggar trying to make a friendly gesture? *** News spread across the major newspapers: Lu Maoxian had been ambushed again, suffering severe injuries, while the perpetrator's identity remained an enigma. He Jiaqing laid down the newspaper and said to Old Wan, "You're the most prudent. Remember this above all else: until we uncover their bottom line, Lu Maoxian cannot be killed." Wan Jinxian nodded repeatedly. That day, He Jiaqing toured the cinemas. Attendance for Bloodblade Detective was quite good, hovering around seventy percent across the major theaters. He Jiaqing was very pleased with this result. Taking advantage of an intermission during the screening, he quietly slipped into the projection booth. The workers responsible for running the film were chatting idly and completely failed to notice He Jiaqing. He Jiaqing tore a single frame of film from the projector and brought it to a private box in the theater. Drawing a dropper from his robes, he deposited a drop of liquid medicine onto the film. Upon the film, a silver ring manifested. He Jiaqing pressed the ring against the crown of his head, his body trembling for a few moments. "The quality isn't bad!" He Jiaqing praised. Rubbing his fingers together to ignite a puff of flame, he burned the film to ash. At noon the following day, He Jiaqing set out to return to Yuezhou. Wan Jinxian saw him off at the station. Before departing, He Jiaqing repeatedly exhorted, "Keep an eye on Tu Yinghong. Do not let her leave the building." Returning from the station, Wan Jinxian entered Tu Yinghong's room. Tu Yinghong was tidying her personal weapons. She snapped at Wan Jinxian, "Don't you know to knock before coming in?" Wan Jinxian said, "My men spotted Ling Miaoying." "Where?" "At Xiaoyaowu. They saw him once yesterday and again today. Do you want to go see him?" PS: What is Wan Jinxian trying to do?