Xiao Zhenggong sped along in his car until he arrived at Tulou Village.
Demolition and relocation in Tulou Village had begun the year before last, and all the villagers had moved away. Last year, the developer had skipped town, leaving the construction project abandoned halfway through.
Inside the construction site, clouds of dust kicked up from time to time, accompanied by bursts of snarling roars.
A cordon had been strung up around the perimeter. Old Chen had gathered more than twenty team members and was deploying them for the operation. Seeing Xiao Zhenggong arrive, Old Chen chuckled. "Captain Xiao, what a rare guest."
Whenever the team went on missions, Xiao Zhenggong rarely showed his face.
Xiao Zhenggong cast a glance into the construction site. A single whiff told him what was inside.
"Is that a donkey in there?"
Tangyuan shook her head. "Captain Xiao, that's a mammalian vermiform anomaly. Its head looks like a mammal, but its body is more like a worm."
Xiao Zhenggong scoffed. "That's a donkey-headed maggot. I'm used to calling them donkeys. Over in Puluo Province, they put them to work like livestock."
Whatever was inside the construction site was of no interest to Xiao Zhenggong. What he cared about was Chen Changrui. "Captain Chen, when did you get here?"
"Been here a little while. Captain Xiao, you're well-traveled and knowledgeable—how about I hand this job over to you?"
The corners of Xiao Zhenggong's eyes drooped as a cold glint flashed in his gaze.
"Old Chen, let's say what we have to say to each other's faces and handle our business out in the open. Don't go tripping me up in secret. I'm not afraid of you. I'm deferring to you because I see you're getting old, and I'm worried that if I actually make a move, you won't be able to take it."
Chen Changrui took out a cigarette, lit it, and said with a smile, "Xiao Zhenggong, I have official business to conduct right now and no time to deal with you. Get the hell as far away from here as you can."
Xiao Zhenggong didn't get angry. "You want me gone that badly? You don't want me staying in the security squad? Let me tell you, I'm not going anywhere. I'd like to see what you can do about it."
The two stared each other down. The squad members were terrified, genuinely worried they might come to blows on the spot.
Only Qin Minghui kept his eyes glued to the construction site, worried that the anomaly inside might charge out at any moment.
Xiao Zhenggong was curious to see how Chen Changrui would react.
If Chen Changrui swallowed his temper, Xiao Zhenggong would continue to provoke him, seeing whether Chen Changrui could still hold his head high before his squad members.
If he couldn't swallow it and struck Xiao Zhenggong, Xiao Zhenggong could force Chen Changrui out of the Dark Star Bureau.
Chen Changrui saw right through Xiao Zhenggong's schemes. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have simply ignored him.
Yet right now they were in the middle of a mission, and the donkey-headed maggot was running amok inside the construction site. Chen Changrui had no desire to get tangled up with Xiao Zhenggong.
Seeing Old Chen stay silent, Xiao Zhenggong smirked. Just as he was about to provoke him further, his mobile phone suddenly rang.
The caller was Song Yuwei, the hall master of Haichiling.
Song Yuwei was still out of province, and he had only just received the news. "Gang Leader, our Haichiling branch has been wiped out."
Xiao Zhenggong's head buzzed.
Another branch gone!
Old Chen was a Scrying Cultivator, so he heard the voice from the receiver loud and clear. He asked with feigned concern, "Gang Leader Xiao, has trouble struck your gang?"
Xiao Zhenggong lowered his phone, looked at Old Chen, and said, "I want to see the director."
Old Chen smiled. "Go right ahead, no need to ask me for time off. Just don't go crying when you see the director—it'd be far too embarrassing."
Xiao Zhenggong drove off, while Old Chen led his team to deal with the donkey-headed maggot.
***
Inside the Portable Abode, drenched in sweat, Li Banfeng gently stroked the gramophone. "My dear, let's take a breather."
"Oh, my husband," the gramophone crooned softly. "Tapped out already after just this little while?"
"Tapped out? How could I be tapped out? I just want to rest for a moment..."
"A real man must never say such things. Either fight not at all, or fight to win! Quick, husband, get up, let us go again. When it comes to advancing, one must press on in a single burst of vigor!"
As she spoke, the gramophone drew Li Banfeng's head back into her horn.
The advancement process this time was extraordinarily long. In the sweltering, damp environment, Li Banfeng convulsed repeatedly until he heard his wife's sweet singing voice, whereupon his entire body finally relaxed amidst the trembling.
"Winter arrives, snow blankets the earth so vast,
Warm clothes sewn and sent to my sweetheart at last.
In peace we dwell, our labors sweet and long,
Adding another chamber where my master belongs."
The Portable Abode now had eight rooms. Though each room shared the exact same layout, Li Banfeng could hardly wait to go take a look at the eighth room.
He tried to stand up twice, but his legs gave way. The gramophone hurried to advise him, "Oh, my husband, you have only just advanced. You must not wander about recklessly. Rest on the bed for a while and listen to your humble servant explain the Seventh-Tier Dwelling Cultivator technique.
"The Seventh-Tier Dwelling technique is called 'Live and Work in Peace.' This tier of technique does not come from your humble servant; it comes from our home itself."
Live and Work in Peace—a technique originating from the dwelling itself.
It sounded somewhat abstract.
The wife explained, "As the saying goes, only when one dwells in peace can one work with joy. To put it plainly, it means pleasing the dwelling to earn good fortune."
Good fortune!
Now this was an excellent technique!
"How does one please the dwelling?"
"Oh, my husband, dwelling peacefully at home is how you please the dwelling. You and our home get along in harmony; so long as you remain at home, the dwelling will naturally grant you good fortune."
Hearing this, Li Banfeng's excitement cooled significantly. He couldn't possibly stay home all the time.
"How long do I need to stay home each day?"
"Husband, you are already a Seventh-Tier Dwelling Cultivator. By standard convention, out of twenty-four hours in a day, you ought to stay inside for at least twenty hours."
Twenty hours?
That was out of the question!
He wouldn't even be able to satisfy the daily cultivation requirements of a journey cultivator.
The wife continued, "Our home is rather generous and doesn't nitpick too much over this. However, by your humble servant's reckoning, husband, you must stay inside for at least twelve hours a day.
"Once past twelve hours, for every extra hour you stay, your fortune will rise by one point. If you stay less than twelve hours, your fortune will decrease by one point for every hour you fall short."
Twelve hours was no short duration either. Li Banfeng was a Seventh-Tier journey cultivator. By his own estimate, assuming he was not in danger and not sprinting, his normal walking time outside each day could not be less than twelve hours.
If some unexpected incident occurred and he couldn't make it back, wouldn't his fortune take a hit?
The incompatibility between a journey cultivator and a Dwelling Cultivator had begun to rear its head.
Was there a solution?
The cultivation of a journey cultivator could be propped up with medicinal pills, but that was no long-term fix.
Through extended consumption of pills, Li Banfeng had discovered a pattern: taking pills could indeed offset basic cultivation for a certain period, but that period was limited.
Staying indoors for three to five days was manageable. Beyond five days, Li Banfeng would feel agony, as though his limbs and torso possessed an urge to tear themselves apart—a condition remarkably similar to cultivation backlash. The longer he stayed inside, the more severe the symptoms grew.
What would happen if he didn't go out for more than ten days?
Li Banfeng had never tested it, but the fate of the famous sprinter Qiao Yuesheng was still fresh in his memory. This was a matter of life and death.
Were there other ways to maintain journey cultivation?
Yes.
Looking at photographs and watching shadow plays or films could provide a journey cultivator with a certain amount of cultivation benefit, but the effect was very modest.
There weren't many options on the journey cultivator's side. What about the Dwelling Cultivator's side?
"Besides staying home, is there any other way to please the dwelling?"
"Oh, husband, you are already a Seventh-Tier Dwelling Cultivator. Instead of staying home to keep your humble servant company, which wild woman are you planning to go meet outside?"
"Going out isn't necessarily for women; it could be to buy groceries. If I run into some tough dish and can't make it home, and end up losing fortune on top of it, wouldn't your husband be taking a massive loss?"
"What husband says is reasonable. There are indeed other ways to please the dwelling: you may furnish it with more household assets."
"What kind of household assets?"
"That is hard to say; it depends on the dwelling's own preferences. If you furnish it with the right things, even if husband doesn't return home for an entire day, your fortune will remain bountiful. But if you furnish it with the wrong things that the dwelling dislikes, even if you stay home every day, you will only earn its disgust."
There was risk involved in this!
What did the Portable Abode like?
It was a train. What did a train need?
Train tracks?
Those things were far too expensive; two rails cost more than a Paramount ballroom.
More importantly, there was nowhere to buy them.
This required careful consideration.
After resting for half a day, Li Banfeng stepped out of the Portable Abode, freshened up at the inn, and headed to a restaurant with Luo Zhengnan.
In Haichiling, one got hungry all too easily. He ate three whole bowls of mutton stew with chopped steamed buns.
Full and satisfied, Li Banfeng and Luo Zhengnan headed to the railway station. Both purchased first-class tickets, securing a private compartment each.
On the platform, Li Banfeng bought a newspaper; news regarding the Jiangxiang Gang already dominated the front page.
"A rare sight," Luo Zhengnan remarked with a sigh. It was rare for anyone to pay this much attention to the Jiangxiang Gang.
Inside the train compartment, Li Banfeng asked Luo Zhengnan, "Are you familiar with the branch at Heishipo?"
"Very familiar." Luo Zhengnan nodded, tracing the locations of the various sub-branches on a map.
There were traces of blood on the map, left behind at the Haichiling branch.
The branch master of Haichiling hadn't been present, but his brothers had all set off on the road to the afterlife ahead of him.
The Jiangxiang Gang had twenty-two branches across Puluo Province, and Li Banfeng had already wiped out two.
The branch at Heishipo had to be eradicated as well. That was Li Banfeng's territory, and he would never tolerate the presence of the Jiangxiang Gang there.
This revenge was thoroughly exhilarating. Luo Zhengnan was convinced that he had followed the right person, and he meticulously explained every single sub-branch in Heishipo.
"Seventh Master, the folks in Heishipo have backbone, so business isn't easy for the Jiangxiang Gang there. Their branch isn't large, with only two sub-branches in total..."
***
Inside the Dark Star Bureau, Director Shen Jingye was counseling Xiao Zhenggong. "Zhenggong, if there is any friction between you and Changrui, you can report it to the bureau. Whatever requests you have, you can raise them with the bureau as well. But arguing in front of the team members while carrying out a mission creates a terrible impression. After deliberation, the bureau feels this matter must be dealt with seriously. Zhenggong, the bureau does not think it suitable for you to remain in the security detachment."
Xiao Zhenggong looked at Shen Jingye. "You think I'm the one at fault here?"
"Let's set aside who is at fault for the moment. Your relationship with Changrui has already deteriorated to this point; continuing to work together will hardly benefit our operations. The bureau has already arranged a more suitable position for you, with a higher rank and better benefits."
"Are you joking?" Xiao Zhenggong's brow furrowed. "Do I look like someone who cares about rank and benefits? I'm not leaving. I intend to stay right here in the security detachment, and I'm not going anywhere. The matter I came to you for isn't my conflict with Chen Changrui."
Shen Jingye said, "You mean the situation in Puluo Province? I've only just heard about that as well. I'm not very familiar with the environment in Puluo Province, nor do I know much about your gang's affairs. I have already informed the Garrison Commissioner of this matter, and I believe he will give you a satisfactory answer."
"When will I receive an answer?"
Shen Jingye frowned slightly. "Zhenggong, things have to go through proper procedure..."
"I don't want to wait for any procedures! I've lost two branches, and my foundation is nearly gone!" Xiao Zhenggong pulled a seal from his robes. "I want to use the Balancer's Seal. I demand the immediate arrest of He Jiaqing, as well as the arrest of his subordinates in Puluo Province!"
Shen Jingye looked at the seal in Xiao Zhenggong's hand. "Have you truly thought this through?"
Xiao Zhenggong nodded. "I have thought it through completely."
Chapter 358