“Winter arrives, the snow falls vast and white,
My lord suffers, breaking my heart with sorrow.
Does my lord know my true and tender love?
I'll take yet another chamber for my lord.”
The gramophone finished its song and blasted Hong Ying with steam until she turned bright red. “Slut, why didn't you sing along with me?”
Hong Ying snapped back in fury, “I waited on him all night, up one moment, down the next, and now I have to sing for him too? What do I owe him?”
“Slut, serving your own man, and you feel wronged?! Sing along with me, louder! If you don't sing, it's a hundred strokes of the military cane—I'll beat you to death, you slut!”
……
Amid their bickering, Li Banfeng fell into a deep sleep, remaining out cold for three whole days.
Three days later, Li Banfeng woke up, glanced at the calendar poster, and asked Mengde, “What time is it now?”
“Sir, it is a quarter past midnight.”
A quarter past midnight—the liveliest hour at Xiaoyaowu.
The key was still inside Xiaoyaowu. If this were before, Li Banfeng would have avoided appearing at such an hour.
But now was not like before.
Li Banfeng was already a tier-eight Dwelling Cultivator. Even if he materialized directly in the main ballroom of Xiaoyaowu, ordinary people would never notice him.
To be safe, Li Banfeng chose not to appear on the dance floor. Before stepping out, he recalled the backstage area, where a large wardrobe stood. Emerging from inside a wardrobe would make him even harder to detect.
Once he stepped through the door, however, Li Banfeng discovered that things had gone slightly awry. He had indeed appeared inside a wardrobe, but not the large wardrobe in the general backstage area; it was the wardrobe in Jiang Mengting's private dressing room.
Jiang Mengting was currently changing clothes. Having just performed on stage, singing five songs in a row, she was soaked in sweat and had stripped down completely, leaving nothing on her body.
Li Banfeng made no sound, pulling the brim of his hat low and preparing to pass straight through the wall. Suddenly, Jiang Mengting cried out, “Seventh Master!”
*She actually saw me?*
As far as Li Banfeng knew, Jiang Mengting had no cultivation. How could she possibly notice him?
In truth, Jiang Mengting hadn't actually noticed Li Banfeng. She had been in a daze lately, seeing Li the Seventh in everyone she looked at, and whenever she was alone, she would constantly murmur his name.
Li Banfeng, unaware of this, simply owned up to it since he thought he had been discovered.
“It's me,” Li Banfeng said, nodding.
Hearing Li the Seventh's voice, Jiang Mengting shuddered and looked him up and down for a long moment.
“Seventh Master, it really is you…”
Li Banfeng pressed a finger to his lips, signaling her to keep quiet.
Jiang Mengting clapped a hand over her mouth and nodded vigorously, tears spilling from her eyes.
Li Banfeng felt a touch of bewilderment. He and Jiang Mengting were acquainted, but he was the boss and she was a singer; beyond that, they hardly had any other interaction.
Where had such deep emotion come from?
Where had it come from? From facing life and death together.
Forget talk of romance and solemn vows of love—Jiang Mengting had seen far too much of that. The men who had dropped to their knees swearing they would marry none other than her were beyond counting.
Yet when their lives hung by a thread, Seventh Master had refused to abandon her. That loyalty was something she could never forget.
Wiping away her tears, Jiang Mengting threw her arms around Li Banfeng. “Seventh Master, forgive my boldness, just let me hold you for a moment.”
Li Banfeng frowned slightly. “Holding me is fine, but put your clothes on first.”
While Jiang Mengting hurried into her clothes, Li Banfeng slipped out of the dressing room and went straight to the backstage exit.
The backstage exit opened onto a side door. Jiang Mengting poked her head out of the dressing room and whispered, “Seventh Master, please be careful. I don't know what's going on, but lately, once you go out through that side door, you can't walk back in.”
*Once you go out, you can't walk back in…*
Damn it!
Li Banfeng rushed out of the backstage area. Out on the dance floor, patrons were swaying to the music.
He first pried the key out from between the floorboards, immediately hearing a resolute murmur: “Even if the curtain falls on the stage, art holds the line.”
Li Banfeng had slept for three days, and the projector had stood watch here for three days.
“Brother, my fault,” Li Banfeng said, slipping the projector into his pocket.
Jiang Mengting had finished dressing, wearing a white trench coat and a white hat draped with a veil. Standing by the backstage doorway, she waved toward Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng led her to a private booth and asked, “Where is Ma the Fifth?”
“Fifth Master has been searching everywhere for you. Miss He is looking for you too, and so are the Garrison Commissioner and Sanying Gate. All of Lüshui City is talking about you.”
“What are they saying?”
“Some say you killed Sanying Gate's chief, and others say their chief killed you. Zhang Xiuling said you and Sanying Gate's chief, Bao Yingchen, hit it off, became sworn brothers, and retired from the Jianghu together to escape the turmoil.”
“What is that woman thinking…” Li Banfeng felt completely helpless; he could never grasp that celebrated lady's train of thought.
“How is Sanying Gate doing right now? What are you staring off for? I'm asking you a question.”
Jiang Mengting had been gazing at Li Banfeng in a trance. “Ah, Sanying Gate… Sanying Gate is currently being run by the second master, Shen Jinzhong. But he's only managing affairs; he can't become the chief yet.”
Li Banfeng's brow furrowed. “What about Sanying Gate's third master, Yang Xingbo?”
“Yang Xingbo was killed by He Yuxiu. I heard he died a gruesome death. To track you down, He Yuxiu had her men torture him for a whole day.”
Sanying Gate had three gold seals in total, and two were already gone. Why couldn't the second master, Shen Jinzhong, take over the top position?
Li Banfeng couldn't make sense of it.
Jiang Mengting, however, knew a thing or two about the internal strife of Sanying Gate. “Chu Huaijun nominated an elder of Sanying Gate to take over as the third master.”
“Sanying Gate has elders?”
“They're actually very senior silver badges. Those who couldn't advance to gold seal became elders. This elder is named Dong Kaibin. His cultivation and seniority are both formidable; supposedly, he joined the gate even earlier than the second master.”
The Chu family was still stirring up trouble. Chu Huaijun putting Dong Kaibin forward meant he still wanted to keep Sanying Gate clenched in his palm.
If Bao Yingchen could be found, Chu Huaijun hoped he would continue to lead; if he couldn't be recovered, he would let Dong Kaibin tear into Shen Jinzhong.
Bao Yingchen's head was still intact. Li Banfeng had intentionally told Red Lotus to spare it. Though battered and mangled, with a bit of restoration, it could still be used.
If he handed Bao Yingchen's head over to Shen Jinzhong right now, would it help him rise to power?
No, absolutely not.
Doing so wouldn't help him ascend; instead, it would saddle him with the grave crime of murdering a Great Gold Seal. For Shen Jinzhong, not only would he forfeit his eligibility to vie for the title, but he would also become Sanying Gate's mortal enemy.
What should be done now? Was Bao Yingchen's head entirely useless?
Li Banfeng pondered for a long while before asking Jiang Mengting, “Where did you see that story Zhang Xiuling wrote about me and Bao Yingchen becoming sworn brothers?”
“In *Xiuling Night Talks*. It's a magazine published by Zhang Xiuling. Seventh Master, if you want to read it, I have copies right here.”
Jiang Mengting fetched several issues for Li Banfeng, and he flipped through them briefly.
To give credit where it was due, Zhang Xiuling's yarn was spun with vivid flair, bringing the blood and storms of the Jianghu right off the page.
If this spread far and wide, Li Banfeng and Bao Yingchen would truly go down as sworn brothers who turned from foes to friends.
Li Banfeng pocketed the magazines and told Jiang Mengting, “I have business to attend to. Don't tell anyone that I've returned.”
Jiang Mengting blinked her wide, luminous eyes in astonishment. “Not even Fifth Master?”
“Not even him.”
Jiang Mengting's heart pounded furiously.
Seventh Master was back, and he hadn't told anyone—not even Fifth Master—only her.
Did he sneak into the backstage of Xiaoyaowu and slip into her dressing room just to let her know he was safe?
*Could I be overthinking things…*
While Jiang Mengting was lost in her wild thoughts, Li Banfeng stood up, pulled his hat down low, and departed.
Watching his receding figure, Jiang Mengting felt a burning heat rush to her cheeks.
Back in the dressing room, the stage manager was frantic with worry. “Miss Jiang, it's your turn to go on!”
“Which song is it again?”
“‘Rose, Rose, I Love You’! Dozens of guests requested it together!”
“Tell the band to push that back. For the next song, I'll sing ‘Full Moon and Lovely Flowers.’”
“Change it now?” The manager was stunned.
“Hurry up and go!”
Jiang Mengting changed into a qipao and took up a round silk fan. Flanked by her backup dancers, she stepped onto the stage and, to the sound of the instruments, began to sing “Full Moon and Lovely Flowers.”
“Floating clouds disperse, the bright moon shines upon us,
Reunion and bliss are at their height today.
In the shallow, clear pond, mandarin ducks play in the water,
Red skirts and emerald canopies, twin lotuses bloom on a single stalk.”
The patrons listening below stared wide-eyed.
Why was Jiang Mengting so extraordinarily sweet tonight?
Her smile was sweet, and her singing was even sweeter.
……
Li Banfeng headed to Dongping Teahouse.
The moment he saw Li Banfeng, Qin Xiaopang dropped straight to his knees inside the private room. “Brother Seven, you're alive! I knew you were alive!
“I brought disaster upon you, Brother Seven. A traitor cropped up among my men, someone planted by the chief… If anything had happened to you, I wouldn't have wanted to go on living.”
Li Banfeng pulled Qin Xiaopang up. “I'll say it once more: you're not to kneel to anyone. Go arrange a meeting with your second master. I have business to discuss with him. Remember, the location must be kept strictly secret.”
……
Li Banfeng entered one of his outer dwellings, an empty residence that had remained unattended and vacant.
After concealing the key, Li Banfeng stepped into the Portable Abode. The clock pendulum was still repairing Bao Yingchen's head. Li Banfeng caressed the pendulum's cheek. “No need to fix it anymore.”
The clock pendulum blushed. “Master, did I work too slowly?”
Li Banfeng shook his head. “It's not that you were too slow. Circumstances have changed.”
He pulled a seed from his pouch, took a bit of Bao Yingchen's blood, and sprinkled it over the seed.
He buried the seed in the courtyard and dripped two drops of medicinal fluid over it. Before long, a head of Chinese cabbage sprouted from the soil.
The cabbage split open, and out crawled a cabbage person clad in a white-and-green jacket and trousers, staring blankly at Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng chewed two cabbage ribs. Beneath the sweet crunch lingered a unique astringency that brought on a sweat, causing his body to exude the distinctive, grassy odor of cabbage from within.
“Let's go,” Li Banfeng commanded.
The cabbage version of Bao Yingchen followed Li Banfeng into the Portable Abode.
Could this cabbage person truly stand in for the real Bao Yingchen?
Obviously not. It wouldn't even take an acquaintance; anyone who had ever laid eyes on Bao Yingchen would spot the flaw instantly.
Li Banfeng started up the projector, projecting the footage of his life-and-death clash with Bao Yingchen.
Bao Yingchen's attire and features were displayed in complete detail.
Facing the projection, the gramophone helped the clock pendulum dress and groom the cabbage person. During the process, she stared at the halo of light in the footage for a moment, finding its shape somewhat hard to fathom.
“Husband, tier-eight arts are honed together with one's dwelling. Our home is rather special, so I can't quite explain the essentials of cultivating it. In the future, Husband should consult the Old Master more often.”
Li Banfeng nodded, wrapping his arms around his wife from behind and holding her intimately for a good while.
The wife gave a soft huff. “You carry the scent of rouge and powder. Who knows which slut left it on you? With so many sisters here waiting on Husband together, is Husband still unsatisfied?”
The scent of rouge had been left behind by Jiang Mengting.
Hong Ying let out a cold sneer. “With neither a door nor a portal, what can you two possibly serve him with? You're just flapping your lips!”
The gramophone looked at the seeds in the pouch and chuckled. “Slut, no need to be arrogant. Our portals will be here soon—every sister will have one!”
Li Banfeng paid no mind to the matter of portals; his thoughts were entirely on Bao Yingchen.
“Can you make him speak?”
The wife possessed the arts of a Sound Cultivator, so making the cabbage person speak was hardly difficult. However, she had never heard Bao Yingchen speak; by the time he had been brought inside, he was already incapable of speech.
“Oh, Husband, this projector of yours needs an overhaul. In the future, it must be made capable of recording sound.”
“We'll deal with future matters later. Let's solve the problem in front of us first. Wife, have him say a few words to test it out.”
The gramophone pricked the cabbage person with its needle, and the cabbage Bao Yingchen spoke: “Brother Li the Seventh, I will follow your lead.”
It was the voice of an old man, but it sounded nothing like Bao Yingchen.
“Make the voice a bit clearer and more resonant. That old bastard was full of vigor.”
The wife adjusted the flow of steam, but after Li Banfeng listened again, it was still missing something.
Although the projector hadn't recorded the audio, it was extremely sensitive to sound.
“In the lower registers, add a hint of rasp. In the higher registers, introduce more breathiness. And the cadence needs to be slightly slower…”
The gramophone tapped the projector with its needle. “Don't you go talking to me with that foreign devil's accent!”
Despite the jarring tone, the projector was entirely correct. Adjusting step-by-step according to its description, Bao Yingchen's voice and manner of speech were gradually restored to life.
Could this Bao Yingchen be used now?
Not yet. The cabbage person still lacked spirit.
Li Banfeng flicked a drop of blood onto the cabbage person, casting the art of Golden House Conceals a Beauty.
This time, the cabbage person took on a true spark of spirit.
“Oh, Husband, running through a brief routine with this thing might pass, but if you want to fool everyone in Sanying Gate, it probably won't hold up.”
Li Banfeng handed a magazine to the gramophone. “There's no need to fool all of them. We only need the obedient one to shut the mouths of the disobedient.”
After reading the story in the magazine, the gramophone pondered for a moment and said, “This servant happens to know that game well. Let's write the play first, then find that obedient fellow and rehearse the script properly.”
PS: This magazine also smells of that rouge and powder! It was definitely this slut who seduced our husband!
Chapter 396