Breaking the Array!

Li Banfeng drew up a covenant deed, setting down every item in plain, unambiguous terms, recording both principal and interest with absolute clarity. He had borrowed money from the glove, so it had to be recorded clearly, and it had to be repaid. Beside him, the glove said, "Master, you're shaming me. When I spoke of borrowing earlier, that was just in jest! What's mine is yours—just take it and use it!" Li Banfeng shook his head. "What's yours is yours. What is borrowed must be repaid." With the covenant deed set down in black and white, Li Banfeng moved all the silver dollars and gold into the bedroom overnight, then summoned Feng Chongli and Feng Xincheng. Staring at the room full of silver dollars, Feng Xincheng was dumbfounded. He could not fathom where so much money had come from. If he were Feng Chongli, he wouldn't dare make this trade. But he was not Feng Chongli. Feng Chongli stared at the silver dollars for a moment, his expression solemn. He said to Li Banfeng, "Still short by three hundred and fifty-two dollars." Li Banfeng did not hesitate in the slightest, immediately taking out his wallet. Why so prompt? Because Li Banfeng and the glove had tallied it together beforehand, and it indeed fell short by three-hundred-odd dollars. Truly worthy of a high-tier Commerce Cultivator—his sensitivity to money was uncanny. Feng Chongli pocketed the banknotes and said to Li Banfeng, "Boss Li, please wait here a moment." Before long, Feng Chongli returned to the room holding a pair of rectangular huanghuali boxes and handed them to Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng opened the boxes. Inside each box lay an iron ruler. The iron rulers bore no bright luster; certain spots showed slight wear, and there was even a bit of rust. Shopkeeper Feng could not discern anything remarkable about them and dared not speak out rashly, truly unable to understand why this pair of iron rulers was worth so much. Li Banfeng put on an act of inspecting them for a long while, then nodded. "Boss Feng, please wait a moment as well." He couldn't tell the real from the fake at all; this was the first time he had ever laid eyes on an iron ruler. Leaving the room, he went downstairs to book another room, entered the Portable Abode, and first asked the glove, "Do you think these are real?" The glove straightened its form. "Master, what kind of talk is that? I've never seen an iron ruler before. How would I know if they're real or fake?" Li Banfeng nodded. "True. You haven't seen them. Then who do you think has?" The glove clasped its thumb and middle finger together, wagging its index finger. "If you ask me, since they belong to our residence, naturally we should ask the residence." Li Banfeng nodded in agreement. "But the residence has so many rooms. Which room would be the most suitable to ask about this?" The glove did its best to maintain a steady standing posture, thought for a moment, and replied, "Back when our residence stole the lamp oil, it placed it in Room Three. I feel Room Three has plenty of spirit." Li Banfeng felt that made a lot of sense. Carrying the iron rulers, he headed to Room Three and looked at the glove. "The residence doesn't respond to me all the time. How do you think we should ask it?" The glove did its best to steady its trembling form, pondered a moment, and answered, "I think, since they are the residence's belongings, why not set them on the ground and see what the residence does with them?" "Makes sense." Li Banfeng set the pair of iron rulers on the floor of Room Three. A moment later, the pair of iron rulers gradually melted, sinking into the floor and vanishing without a trace. *Chug! Chug! Chug!* *Hoo-oo-ooh!* A blast of the steam whistle rang out, and every room shuddered in response. The Portable Abode was thrilled. Li Banfeng had obtained the genuine article. He put on the glove and returned to the hotel room. Feng Chongli and Feng Xincheng were both waiting in the room. Seeing that Li Banfeng had not brought the iron rulers back, Feng Chongli frowned with displeasure. "Boss Li, our deal isn't finished yet." Li Banfeng said, "The deal is already done. I inspected the goods and confirmed they're genuine. You counted the money, not a penny short. Goods and coin are cleared between us, so we take our leave." As Li Banfeng moved to leave, Feng Chongli called out, "Hold on. We must still establish a covenant deed. Once goods and coin are settled, this pair of iron rulers has nothing more to do with me. Any future loss or damage will have nothing to do with me." "Agreed!" Li Banfeng concurred. "Eight hundred thousand silver dollars, paid in cash. You counted it in person. From now on, whether there's more or less has nothing to do with me either." Feng Chongli nodded. "For this deal, Feng Xincheng stands as witness. In the future, no matter what the reason, neither of us may take the witness's life!" *So there was such a rule.* No wonder Tu Shumei hadn't killed Lü Yuesan to silence him back then. As Tu Shumei's bookkeeper, Lü Yuesan had sticky fingers and a loose tongue; by all rights, Tu Shumei could not have spared him. Yet according to Feng Chongli's rules, there had to be a witness known to both parties. Tu Shumei had not known this rule beforehand, and the only suitable candidate at his side back then had been Lü Yuesan, so he was made the witness—and thus, could not be killed. What if one ignored Feng Chongli's rules and killed Lü Yuesan anyway? That would depend on the balance of strength between both sides. Tu Shumei's cultivation was not low, bordering on the eighth tier. But what was Feng Chongli's cultivation? He was Feng Xincheng's elder brother, yet looked younger than him. If he hadn't altered his countenance like Tu Shumei, then that proved Feng Chongli had already extended his lifespan, his cultivation reaching above the clouds. If it were merely to shut Lü Yuesan's mouth, there was no way Tu Shumei would offend Feng Chongli. That was why Lü Yuesan had survived. Yet why was Feng Chongli unwilling to disclose this rule to others? There was no way to deduce the reason, and Li Banfeng didn't have the luxury to dwell on it. They drafted the covenant deed, all three pressed their thumbprints onto it, and the deal was struck. Li Banfeng could not linger a moment longer. He immediately gathered Shopkeeper Feng, bought night train tickets, and headed back to Yaowanggou. Feng Chongli produced a money pouch from within his robes, scooped up handfuls of silver dollars, and shoved them inside. How many silver dollars could a single pouch hold? There were hundreds of thousands here, plus a large chest of gold. Yet Feng Chongli's pouch could truly hold every last bit. An hour later, once all the money was packed away, Feng Chongli returned to his room, slept the night through, and headed straight for the railway station at dawn the next day. Halfway there, he suddenly heard someone call out from behind: "Halt! Where do you think you're going?" Feng Chongli turned around and saw a rickshaw puller running up behind him with a rickshaw. "Oh, you're back," Feng Chongli greeted him readily. "Nonsense! How could I not come back? Didn't we agree to wait until tonight? Why are you leaving early?" "My apologies. The business here has already concluded." The rickshaw puller froze. "Business concluded? What do you mean by that?" "Meaning, that item has already been sold." "Sold to whom?" "That wouldn't be convenient for me to tell you." *Clatter!* The rickshaw puller slammed the rickshaw to the ground. "How can you be like this! Didn't we have an agreement? I went back to gather the money! One million silver dollars—I've brought it all for you!" Feng Chongli smiled faintly. "Can't be helped. You didn't leave a deposit back then, nor did you draw up a covenant deed. This customer came with cash in hand, so naturally I had to close the deal with him." The rickshaw puller's brows shot up. "Are you playing me?" Feng Chongli pulled back his smile as well. "Where does that even come from? I'm a businessman, and business has its rules. Who told you to be a step too late?" The two stared at each other for a long while before the rickshaw puller hauled the rickshaw back up. "This grudge, I'll remember it." Feng Chongli said, "Why harm our harmony? You still have great matters to attend to here, and we'll have plenty of dealings in the future. Besides, you shouldn't go slamming that cart around so often. Something so important is hidden inside—if you break it, where will you find another?" *** Upon arriving in Yaowanggou, Shopkeeper Feng returned to his grocery shop, while Li Banfeng hid his key and entered the Portable Abode. He stared fixedly at the bag of bloodstained soil before him, banishing all stray thoughts and simply watching it. Blood in his eyes, blood in his mind, Li Banfeng sought the next patch of bloodstains. The next patch would certainly differ in shape and lie in a different environment, meaning the variance could be substantial. Could he actually find it this way? With two more iron rails now, this came down to the Portable Abode's capability! After waiting several minutes, the sound of a steam whistle drifted into his ears. Li Banfeng grabbed his shovel and was just about to head outside when the wife called out, "Aiya, my husband, wait a moment!" A plume of steam enveloped the soil, two phonograph needles darting up and down in a blur. A few minutes later, the wife had picked out every bit of bloodstained soil, returning the untainted dirt to the bag. "Precious husband, after you dig up the bloodstains, fill the holes back in with dirt, lest that dog of a Star of Mourning suspect anything!" "Wife thinks of everything!" Li Banfeng slung the bag of dirt onto his shoulder. The gramophone gave another instruction: "Little Sister Hanxue, help husband disguise the spots. With over a hundred scattered bloodstains, the Star of Mourning won't look too closely. Blend fresh dirt and old soil so it looks proper for husband!" The Hanxue Pendulum replied, "Don't worry, Madam!" "Erdao, brace the doorway! Until husband returns, by no means let the main door shut!" The tangdao barked, "Understood!" "Husband, Erdao can't hold out for long. Go and return quickly!" The tangdao truly couldn't hold out long; the Portable Abode only answered to Li Banfeng. With one foot outside the threshold and one foot inside, Li Banfeng dug like mad. A dozen minutes later, Li Banfeng returned carrying a bag of blood-soaked soil. "Find the next one!" *** At Qiu's Medicine Shop, Luo Zhengnan and his men were fully prepared. Today they were going to take a gamble: take a Mourning Cultivator out of the Medicine King Valley to test the waters. Qiu Zhiheng was currently selecting someone in the medicine shop, looking for one whose cultivation wasn't too high and whose skills weren't too sharp, to prevent them from fleeing en route. He searched for a long time without settling on anyone, sweat beading on his forehead. Luo Zhengnan stepped forward to assess the situation. "Old Qiu, what's going on?" "Hall Master Luo, we captured thirteen Mourning Cultivators in total. Why are there fourteen people here?" "What are you talking about, Old Qiu? With just this handful of people, you can't even count straight?" Luo Zhengnan counted them once himself, and when he finished, he froze dumbfounded as well. There really were fourteen? "Old Qiu, this is no time for jokes!" "I'm not joking! There really is an extra one!" "Old Qiu, these people have been with you the whole time. Which one's extra—can't you tell?" Qiu Zhiheng stood in utter shock for a long while. He truly couldn't tell. He recognized all fourteen of them! Luo Zhengnan shouted, "Bring the roster! Check them one by one!" Before the roster could be brought, an old man suddenly curled his lips into a faint smile. Luo Zhengnan lowered his voice. "Who is this old bastard?" Qiu Zhiheng went completely blank. He couldn't name this person. "Get him!" Qiu Zhiheng charged before the old man in an instant, slapping a hand onto his shoulder. The old man's veins bulged wildly. His blood surged violently upward, his vessels threatening to burst at any moment. Yet the old man showed no panic whatsoever; instead, he praised, "What an impressive Joy Cultivator. Tier eight already, aren't you?" The moment the words left his mouth, Qiu Zhiheng's foot slipped, and he crashed heavily to the ground. The hailstorm several days ago had smashed a roof tile, leaving a trace of standing water that had collected in the seam between the floor tiles, completely unnoticeable—and Qiu Zhiheng had stepped right into it. How could it be such a coincidence? In a room packed with Mourning Cultivators, how could coincidences be avoided? The old man paid no further mind to Qiu Zhiheng, casually shoving one of the Mourning Cultivators. Stumbling forward, the cultivator slammed headfirst into a pillar, dying on impact. The collision was violent; roof tiles plummeted from the ceiling, crushing two more Mourning Cultivators to death. The old man was about to strike again when he suddenly felt a wave of numbness wash over his body. Turning his gaze, he saw sparks flying from Luo Zhengnan's ten fingers, arcing straight into him. The old man was genuinely astonished; a cultivator like Luo Zhengnan was exceedingly rare in Puluo Province. "What pathway is this of yours? Electric Cultivator? Does Puluo Province even have such a pathway?" Qiu Zhiheng struck once more. The old man leapt upward, bursting straight through the roof. Roof tiles rained down in all directions as the Mourning Cultivators scattered in panic. The falling tiles pointed sharp corners downward, every single one smashing squarely onto the crowns of the Mourning Cultivators' heads. Just that coincidental. Just that uncanny. Just that wretchedly ill-omened. Of the remaining eleven Mourning Cultivators, not a single one was spared—all were crushed to death by the falling tiles. This was the prowess of the Star of Mourning. Qiu Zhiheng was drenched in blood; fortunately, the Zhongshan suit he wore was a dharma treasure that absorbed the fatal blows on his behalf. Luo Zhengnan avoided the tiles, but was drenched from head to toe by the water collected on the roof, immediately convulsing as he electrocuted himself. Standing atop the roof, the old man looked down at the two of them. "Wasting so many days of my time. You bird bastards should have died long ago. Just wait until I come back to settle with you in a bit!" The old man vanished. Luo Zhengnan felt a change sweep through the room. He put on a pair of glasses, his fingers sparking to charge them. Through the lenses, he saw a swarm of departed souls in the room flying out through the roof, trailing after the old man. Luo Zhengnan wanted to stop them, but had no way to do so. Whoever killed a Mourning Cultivator, that cultivator's departed soul would haunt them—this was the innate trait of Mourning Cultivators. It had all unfolded too quickly, leaving Luo Zhengnan utterly shaken. Qiu Zhiheng came to his senses. "The Mourning Array!" Murky, ominous gloom surged thick and heavy; even white lambs who weren't cultivators could sense the anomaly settling over Yaowanggou. With thirteen Mourning Cultivators slain, the Mourning Array would unleash an unimaginable catastrophe. Qiu Zhiheng scrambled to his feet unsteadily, pulled out a slip of yellow paper, and burned it at once to send word to Old Yao. The Star of Mourning was bound to seek out Old Yao. If Old Yao killed the Star of Mourning, perhaps there would still be a turn for the better. Yet Luo Zhengnan shook his head repeatedly. He understood the Mourning Array far better. "Killing the Star of Mourning won't help. Even if the array's caster dies, the Mourning Array won't stop. "It's over. Yaowanggou is finished." Qiu Zhiheng stood stunned for a long moment, then bolted out of the medicine shop. "Hurry and break the Mourning Array!" "How do we break it?" Luo Zhengnan fell into bewilderment. The Mourning Array spanned over a hundred scattered bloodstains—how could it possibly be broken? *** Covered in grime and mud, Li Banfeng returned to the Portable Abode, exhausted to the bone. He had dug up a total of one hundred and seventy bloodstains, his back so sore he couldn't even stand straight. The gramophone picked out the blood from the soil, made an estimation, and said, "Husband, at most three more spots, and the array will definitely be broken!" "Good! Wife, lend me some strength!" *Boom! Boom!* The gramophone struck up war drums, the rolling cadence driving the exhaustion straight from Li Banfeng's bones. *Hoo-oo-ooh—* Amidst the thunder of war drums, the steam whistle sounded clearer and louder than ever before! Li Banfeng stepped out of the Portable Abode once more. Hong Ying could hardly believe her eyes. "He's really breaking the Mourning Array?" "Aiya, you slut, that's my man!" The gramophone's singing voice rang out bright and proud. "Don't go thinking this is your man's doing alone! Without this residence, he couldn't do it either!" "Let me tell you, you slut, in a few more days, he'll be able to do it even without the residence! That's my man!" The gramophone's singing rang even louder.