Li Banfeng looked at the calculation cultivator before him, remaining silent for a long time.
He recalled words the coachman had spoken to him back in Yaowanggou: "You look down on my line of work and think pulling a rickshaw is shameful, but I look down on you daredevils who risk your necks. I think your lives are cheap."
The coachman was indeed someone who disliked risking his life, but his cultivation was above the clouds, whereas this calculation cultivator before Li Banfeng was only at the ground-crust level.
Li Banfeng truly could not comprehend what reason the coachman had to flee from a ground-crust cultivator. No matter how cautious he was, he should at least have fought a round!
Convinced the calculation cultivator was lying, Li Banfeng said, "I'd very much like to know the whole story from start to finish. Why did the coachman run?"
The calculation cultivator said, "Because I told him that if he didn't leave Huangtuqiao, I would turn this territory into oldland."
Li Banfeng tilted up the brim of his hat with his right hand, revealing his eyes from beneath the shadow, and looked at the calculation cultivator. "Why don't you give it a try and see if I take your life first?"
The calculation cultivator said, "Taking my life won't help. The people of Beiqiao are all waiting at the railway station. They have magical treasures in hand; the instant I die, they'll know. Once they learn something has happened to me, they'll board the train immediately. As soon as they leave Huangtuqiao's borders, Huangtuqiao will become oldland."
Li Banfeng said, "So what if it turns? If the coachman conceded the land to you anyway, why would he care whether it becomes oldland? If he was throwing it all away regardless, why didn't he dare fight you?"
"It's not the same." The calculation cultivator held up the iron certificate in his hand. "Seventh Master, you've likely seen this before. It's called an iron certificate. There was originally a pair. I have one here, and the other remains in the coachman's hands. The coachman's rickshaw is very special—it shares a bloodline connection with Huangtuqiao. No matter who becomes the local spirit of Huangtuqiao, so long as one covenant deed rests on his rickshaw, the coachman can hold onto Huangtuqiao's status. As long as Huangtuqiao doesn't become oldland, the coachman's status won't slip away. But that rickshaw also comes with rules: if the coachman returns to Huangtuqiao, he must immediately remove the deed from the rickshaw and bury it in the earth. If the deed is dug up, it must immediately be placed back onto the rickshaw, and the coachman must leave Huangtuqiao at once. Hesitate even a step, and his status drops."
Li Banfeng considered how much importance the coachman placed on that rickshaw.
Did he never let the rickshaw leave his side because it allowed him to maintain his status?
Outside Huangtuqiao, did he always keep the rickshaw with him because the deed was inside?
Outside Huangtuqiao, did he keep it by his side so he could grab the deed and flee at a moment's notice?
Had the coachman been thinking about running away all along?
"Even if what you say is true, the coachman didn't need to be in such a rush to dig up his deed. He could have stalled and negotiated with you, waiting for me to arrive before figuring something out."
The pancake vendor nodded. "I calculated that as well. If the two sides dragged things out too long and you arrived, variables might arise. That's why I had to force the coachman to leave without delay. I had already calculated the approximate location where the coachman buried his deed. The coachman entered Huangtuqiao from the newland, and once he entered, he had to bury the deed immediately. The burial spot requires strict conditions: it must be secure, hidden, and at just the right depth. Based on the coachman's speed and his limited window of time, I deduced three possible locations where he could have buried the deed. I had already dispatched people to watch those three spots, and I told the coachman this to his face. If my calculations were correct, the coachman had to retrieve his deed immediately and leave Huangtuqiao; otherwise, once I dug it up, it would be too late for him to run. If my calculations were wrong, I'd have had no choice but to tell the people of Beiqiao to board the train immediately, and see if the coachman could still sit tight."
Li Banfeng frowned. "You calculated all of this?"
The calculation cultivator nodded. "For this single matter, I calculated for over a decade."
Over ten years of scheming—no wonder it was so meticulous.
Li Banfeng said, "And the deed in your hand—did the coachman dig it up and gift it to you? He wouldn't be that absurd, would he?"
The calculation cultivator shook his head. "This isn't the coachman's. This belongs to the Star of Mourning. Through repeated calculations, I dug it up myself."
Li Banfeng scoffed. "Now that I truly don't believe. Since you calculated the locations of both deeds, why didn't you just dig up the coachman's directly instead of bothering to set up this whole game?"
The calculation cultivator tucked the deed into his robes and looked calmly at Li Banfeng. "Seventh Master, if I had actually done that, would you have let me off? If the coachman's status truly fell, wouldn't he fight me to the death? My cultivation is still at the ground-crust level, not above the clouds. I have no desire to stake my life against any of you—I couldn't win. From beginning to end, all I wanted was to drive the coachman away. I calculated every detail clearly; I never do what shouldn't be done. Just like when you first came to Beiqiao and ate a pancake wrap: I didn't poison it, because the probability of poison bringing you down wasn't high. I didn't want to arouse your suspicion, let alone forge a mortal feud. As for the coal I stole from you twice, put your mind at ease. The cost of the coal, the cost of the railcars, plus the lost profits from the business—I will compensate you double for all of it. I will never let you suffer the slightest loss."
What a rational man.
So rational that Li Banfeng couldn't pick out a single flaw.
Even so, Li Banfeng still didn't trust him.
He went to Miss Qin's courtyard and brought Ma the Fifth out.
The calculation cultivator remarked with admiration, "Seventh Master's men are truly ruthless. If I had arrived a step later, Fifth Master would have bedded my daughter."
Ma the Fifth cupped his fists. "I haven't asked how to address Senior yet?"
The calculation cultivator replied, "This old man's surname is Qin. My name is Qin Bulou."
It was a peculiar name, but Ma the Fifth appreciated it immensely. "Senior's work is watertight, leaving not a drop of leak—you truly live up to such a fine name."
Li Banfeng led Ma the Fifth out of Beiqiao.
Along the way, Ma the Fifth sighed with emotion. "I heard your conversation outside. I think Old Mister Qin is a decent fellow, far more reliable than that coachman."
Li Banfeng didn't answer. "Brother, head back to the mine first. Be careful on the road."
Reaching the intersection, Li Banfeng dashed over to Nanqiao and soon found the entrance to the newland.
The entrance to the newland here consisted of only a single mountain path. The coachman was a journey cultivator above the clouds; there was no telling whether he had truly fled, let alone how far he could have gotten.
After chasing for over a hundred li, Li Banfeng saw the coachman squatting on the ground, rolling dry leaf tobacco for a smoke.
Li Banfeng's cheek twitched for a moment. He hadn't expected the coachman had actually run away.
"Eldest Brother, what are you doing here?"
The coachman didn't look up. Knowing Li the Seventh had arrived, he felt somewhat embarrassed. "Well, Old Seven, I left in such a hurry that I didn't even say goodbye. The pancake vendor told you everything, right? That's just how things are. I truly had no choice."
Li Banfeng asked, "What do you mean, you had no choice?"
The coachman took a drag of his tobacco and spat out bits of shredded leaf. "I didn't do it for myself, nor am I afraid of losing my status. I did it for Huangtuqiao. I couldn't let Huangtuqiao become oldland. That territory was left to me by my master. I've failed the old man..."
Li Banfeng cut him off. "If you come back with me right now, I'll take you to that pancake vendor. I guarantee Huangtuqiao won't become oldland—I won't give him the chance. Do you dare fight him?"
"Dare? Of course I dare!" The coachman took another puff. His words carried plenty of bravado, yet he didn't stand up. "But if I go back, I have to bury the deed. There are only a few places where the deed can be buried, and that pancake vendor figured them all out. His calculations are remarkably accurate. If he digs it up..."
Li Banfeng said, "I'll have someone watch over the deed so no one can dig it up. Do you trust me?"
"I trust you, I certainly trust you! But this matter... we still need to think it through carefully. The territory must be preserved, and the deed must be kept safe too. If I stay in Huangtuqiao indefinitely, I'm afraid it won't work out. So as for this... Old Seven, don't rush off! Wait, let's talk it over some more!"
Li Banfeng turned and walked away without looking back.
...
Arriving back at Beiqiao, Li Banfeng walked up to the pancake stall and said to Qin Bulou, "Make a pancake, wrap a crispy cracker in it."
Qin Bulou deftly cooked the pancake and handed it to Li Banfeng. "Seventh Master, you're back?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "Calculate why I've returned."
"You came back to do business with me."
"Why couldn't I have come back to settle scores with you?"
Qin Bulou set down his spatula. "Actually, I was quite worried. The probability of you returning to settle scores was rather high, too. Your temperament is peculiar; many things about you cannot be calculated by common logic, and even if calculated, the results aren't accurate."
Li Banfeng finished the pancake in a few bites. "First, find us a place to talk."
The pancake vendor brought Li Banfeng back to his home—which was also Miss Qin's residence. Miss Qin came forward to welcome them. "You are Seventh Master?"
Li Banfeng nodded.
"I brewed a jug of wine and would like your help passing it to Fifth Master," Miss Qin said, handing the jug to Li Banfeng. "Could I trouble you to tell Fifth Master that I have no wish to entangle him? I only ask that the next time he comes, he pluck out the emotion root in my eyes."
The defining trait of Emotion Cultivator techniques was that they were hard to identify. Li Banfeng asked Miss Qin, "You can identify an emotion root?"
Miss Qin shook her head. "I cannot identify it, but I can deduce it. Fifth Master and I were complete strangers, and I am not a shameless woman. Yet after just two or three sentences, I nearly gave myself over to him entirely. There had to be other methods at play. I know how to guard against hallucinogenic incense, medicinal powders, and the like, and I've seen plenty of techniques from mind cultivators and Literary Cultivators. The only thing I likely couldn't defend against was an emotion root."
Li Banfeng smiled without answering, then turned to Qin Bulou. "Huangtuqiao has coal and ore. With the scheming minds of you and your daughter, running it shouldn't be difficult. Why insist on seeking me out?"
Qin Bulou said, "Seventh Master, you are well aware of Huangtuqiao's reputation. Even if we conduct business honestly from now on, none of the great families will invest their capital here; they might even trip us up at every turn. If Seventh Master isn't willing to lend us a hand, Huangtuqiao will never have a chance to rise again."
He had calculated correctly again. Without anyone else having to act, Li Banfeng had already been prepared to trip him up.
"Your reputation is ruined because of your own doing. You can't blame anyone else for that."
Miss Qin chimed in from the side, "Seventh Master, if we hadn't done this, Huangtuqiao would have been finished."
Li Banfeng frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
Qin Bulou said to Li Banfeng, "Seventh Master said earlier that my daughter and I have scheming minds. We'll take that as a compliment and accept it. I want the status of local spirit solely to ascend above the clouds. Given such scheming ability, tell me: why didn't I go to the newland to claim the status of a local spirit there? The local spirits of the newland have long been removed from the mortal world, making them far easier targets to plot against. Why would I insist on struggling bitterly right here in Huangtuqiao against the Star of Mourning and the rickshaw coachman? Neither of those two is only at the first tier above the clouds."
Li Banfeng pondered for a moment. "Did you do it so that after ascending above the clouds, you could absorb the human vitality of proper land?"
Qin Bulou shook his head. "Seventh Master, when the Star of Mourning was here, Huangtuqiao had almost no human vitality left. Even a land overrun by monstrosities wouldn't necessarily have less vitality than this place. Not only is human vitality weak here, but our fortune was thoroughly squandered by the Star of Mourning. If I were considering only myself, I wouldn't choose this place once out of a hundred times. But our family has lived in Huangtuqiao for generations. This is our home. I wanted to drive the Star of Mourning away, but I couldn't beat him in a straight fight. I had no choice but to deliberately worsen Huangtuqiao's decline until it teetered on the brink of becoming oldland, forcing the Star of Mourning to leave."
Li Banfeng looked at the father and daughter. "Are you telling the truth?"
Qin Bulou replied, "The people who remained in Beiqiao were all born and raised in Huangtuqiao. If Seventh Master doesn't believe me, you may verify it with each and every one of them. No matter how well a lie is spun, once it passes through so many mouths, cracks will inevitably show. I am also willing to establish a covenant deed. If there is half a word of falsehood, I will willingly accept punishment."
"A deed will certainly be established." Li Banfeng drew out deed paper. "I can manage this territory of Huangtuqiao, but the operating profits must be under my control."
Qin Bulou nodded. "Naturally. We only ask that Seventh Master leave us locals a bowl of rice to eat."
"Rest assured on that; I won't let you suffer. However, you must also agree to three conditions. The first, and most urgent: the Inner States have always wanted a piece of proper land. Now that the coachman has left, they are likely to take advantage of the opening. Huangtuqiao belongs to Puluo Province, and it must never be handed over to the Inner States."
Hearing this, Qin Bulou said, "Seventh Master, truth be told, my cultivation reached the tenth layer long ago. If I wanted to advance, I could simply shed my physical body and go to the Inner States. But my knees are too stiff to bend. As long as I live, I will never bow my head to the Inner States!"
Li Banfeng recorded this clause on the deed and continued, "The second matter: you were able to send all the people of Beiqiao to the station and even procure travel permits for them, proving you have some connections with the Garrison Commissioner. In running a business, dealings with external provinces are inevitable, but when major matters are on the line, you must clearly distinguish between insider and outsider."
Qin Bulou nodded. "Beiqiao has its faction rules. I will present them for Seventh Master's review shortly. All interactions with the Garrison Office remain within those rules. If there is anything inappropriate, I invite Seventh Master to correct it."
Li Banfeng said, "The third matter: you must let me know about your new pathway."
Qin Bulou froze. Beside him, Miss Qin bit her lip, astonished that Li Banfeng had deduced her father was creating a new pathway.
Li Banfeng knew this put them in a difficult position, but if they were to collaborate, it had to be made clear: "A new pathway is your own creation and tied to your cultivation. By all rights, I shouldn't pry. But this pathway of yours is too bizarre. If a rift forms between us in the future, I fear I'd suffer a terrible loss. I must take precautions in advance."
Qin Bulou fell silent for a good while before finally telling the truth: "I am indeed creating a pathway. The crux of this pathway is the thing this old man has done most since beginning my cultivation."
Li Banfeng thought for a moment. "You're a calculation cultivator. The thing you've done most is naturally calculating."
Qin Bulou asked, "Is calculating done to get the wrong answer or the right one?"
What kind of question was that?
"Naturally, it's to get the right answer."
Qin Bulou let out a bitter laugh. "Yet the thing I have done most in my life is calculate wrongly. For a single problem, making mistakes ten times might not even yield one correct answer."
Li Banfeng was taken aback for a moment. In truth, this situation was perfectly normal.
Back when he was in school, he too had agonized over solving problems. Solving a problem correctly was truly not easy, and making mistakes along the way only to start over was completely normal.
For someone like Qin Bulou, working on advanced calculations, the probability of error was bound to be even higher.
Qin Bulou sighed. "The pathway of a calculation cultivator is truly not easy. I have spent my entire life tormenting myself within mathematics. From the foundational mathematics when I first entered the door, I made constant errors. Even at my age now, working on difficult problems, mistakes still never cease. Error clings to me like a shadow. In ordinary times, a mistake is just a mistake, but at a life-or-death juncture, a single miscalculation costs your life. Sometimes, I'd wake in terror from nightmares. Later, I thought: getting it right is hard, but getting it wrong is far easier. Why shouldn't I cultivate toward making mistakes? It sounds absurd, but I actually did it. I deliberately calculated wrongly to see what consequences it would trigger, and what kind of shifts would emerge if error was piled upon error. Deliberately miscalculating felt like mocking the art of calculation itself; it violated my pathway, yet doing it was quite exhilarating! As time went by, my cultivation as a calculation cultivator showed no progress, but another branch of cultivation began to take shape."
"Hold on," Li Banfeng said, raising a hand. "Making mistakes counts as cultivation?"
"Of course it does!" Qin Bulou said proudly. "Seventh Master, during your first shipment, when you found the rails broken, did you never wonder why rails that had just been repaired would snap again?"
Li Banfeng recalled the event; indeed, he hadn't thought much of it at the time. "The old railway had been abandoned for years. Things breaking and being repaired, then breaking again—isn't that only natural?"
Qin Bulou said, "Most mistakes occur within what seems 'only natural.' You thought it was natural, and the railway repair workers thought it was natural too. Their vigilance against mistakes dwindled, and the opportunities for my new pathway multiplied. The tracks broke not because of tampering after the fact, but because the workers grew careless during repairs. It held fine when tested with an empty train, but once the train loaded with coal passed over, the rails couldn't bear the load and snapped on the spot. After the train derailed, everyone rushed in a panic to fetch help, leaving no one behind to guard the scene—that was an error piled upon an error. While everyone was busy dealing with the tracks, I seized the chance to steal the coal. The second shipment used the exact same method. The workers under Seventh Master made mistakes again while repairing the train. They had grown accustomed to mistakes and took no precautions. The train suffered constant breakdowns along the way, and they rushed to fix them and keep driving, never stopping to ponder the reasons. I seized that very opportunity to steal away both the railcars and the coal."
Li Banfeng re-evaluated the entire sequence of events and asked, "Inducing people to make errors, and then compounding those errors—are those your two techniques?"
Qin Bulou shook his head. "The pathway hasn't fully taken shape yet, so they can hardly be called techniques—only methods. I call this pathway the Error Cultivator."
The Error Cultivator.
This was what Li Banfeng had previously conceived of as a Chaos Cultivator.
What had been the key to Qin Bulou creating this pathway?
His talent?
His intellect?
Likely neither.
He had taken the thing he was most familiar with, hated most, and understood most deeply, made it his method of cultivation, and became utterly obsessed with it. Perhaps that was the true key to forging a new pathway.
"Then how did you apply your methods to us? Before the first shipment, we shouldn't have had any contact. Surely you didn't calculate a formation and cast a curse?"
Qin Bulou shook his head. "There was contact; Seventh Master simply overlooked it. Your workers needed to eat. In Huangtuqiao, the only functioning territory was Beiqiao. All their foodstuffs were purchased from me, and the methods were embedded in the ingredients."
"You poisoned the ingredients?"
"It wasn't poison. The ingredients were all quality goods, but they carried invisible methods. Take this jar of pickled vegetables, for example: how much coarse salt and how much fine salt went into it, and how many days it was cured—every detail was calibrated. Anyone who ate the pickles from this jar became prone to making mistakes—common, hard-to-detect mistakes. And after making a mistake, irritability would cause them to compound the error."
Li Banfeng examined the pickle jar closely and asked, "The pancakes you made had similar methods in them, didn't they? The coachman ate three or four in a row. If it had been poison, he certainly would have tasted it, but he had never encountered your Error Cultivator methods."
Qin Bulou smiled. "Seventh Master is correct. The coachman indeed fell under my methods, but his cultivation was too high, so he wasn't affected much."
"Why did you place your methods into food?"
"Because when I was young, I was a cook. I wanted to become a Chef Cultivator. I saved up money and went to the peddler to buy medicine powder. That day, the peddler had had a few cups too many, and with a shake of his hand, he grabbed calculation cultivator powder by mistake. Pity me, a cook who spent his entire life doing sums."
Could the peddler really make such a mistake?
Had he intentionally given the calculation cultivator powder to Qin Bulou?
Had he intentionally given the powder to the right person?
What Qin Bulou said still required verification, but if it was true, he would indeed make a suitable partner.
Li Banfeng reviewed Beiqiao's rules regarding dealings with the Garrison Office, made minor adjustments, and wrote them into the covenant deed.
He spent the entire day in Beiqiao, making inquiries and investigating everywhere, before finally finalizing the agreement with Qin Bulou.
Two days later, Qin Bulou personally led a crew driving a small train carrying twenty railcars of coal down to the foot of the mountain.
"Fifth Master, this is the first shipment of coal. There are three more shipments, which will be delivered in full over the coming days."
Ma the Fifth smiled. "Your sincerity is what counts; no need to fret over small details. Today, allow me to treat Senior to a simple meal on the mountain. Tomorrow, I shall pay a visit in person, first to dissolve Miss Qin's emotion root, and then to sample Senior Qin's culinary skills."
Qin Bulou laughed. "Fifth Master is most generous; this old man would be rude to refuse."
Talking with Qin Bulou left Ma the Fifth feeling thoroughly uplifted.
During the banquet, seeing no sign of Li the Seventh, Qin Bulou asked, "Is Seventh Master still in Huangtuqiao?"
Ma the Fifth said, "It seems he went to the town to pass the time."
Where in Huangtuqiao could someone go to pass the time? Qin Bulou couldn't fathom it.
Li Banfeng was indeed in the town. Inside an abandoned hotel, he was currently trading blows with Chu Shaoqiang.
Chu Shaoqiang whipped his gray overcoat, sending out a flurry of shuttles. Li Banfeng dodged swiftly.
The shuttles flew thick and fast in an endless barrage without a single gap, giving Li Banfeng no opening to close in.
Li Banfeng activated his technique, Thousand Mountains of Mindful Movement, altering Chu Shaoqiang's surroundings to transform the floor beneath his feet into a tightrope.
Unable to keep his footing on the tightrope, Chu Shaoqiang teetered. Li Banfeng leaped onto the tightrope and swung his sickle, cutting him down.
"Director Seven, a splendid duel!" the projector praised.
Li Banfeng sat beside the projector, saying nothing.
The Chu Shaoqiang just now was merely an image produced by the projector, a rehearsal governed by set rules.
The rehearsal was naturally destined to end with Li Banfeng's victory, but actual combat would be another matter entirely.
In real combat, Chu Shaoqiang rarely relied on shuttles. The weapons at his disposal were bizarre and endless, not something that could be handled simply by dodging.
Furthermore, the tightrope Li Banfeng brought in might not seriously hinder Chu Shaoqiang at all; in true combat, Chu Shaoqiang would most likely balance securely on the wire and fight Li Banfeng with unhurried ease.
If not a tightrope, what else could he bring over?
He had been able to import this tightrope only because he had stared out the window at a steel wire for a good while beforehand. In the midst of battle, without time to contemplate and prepare, the environments he could manifest were severely limited.
With his current strength, if he were to clash with Chu Shaoqiang, even if he seized the upper hand early on, finding a path to victory would be exceedingly difficult. And Chu Shaoqiang bore orders from the Inner States to find a piece of proper land for them. His earlier warning to Qin Bulou had been no idle threat; Li Banfeng genuinely worried that Chu Shaoqiang would come to Huangtuqiao.
Why had the peddler let Chu Shaoqiang go back then?
And what was the purpose of making him eat a bar of soap?
After resting for a moment, Li Banfeng asked the projector, "You can turn imagined things into reality. What is the trick to it?"
"The trick is to meticulously portray every external detail. Even so, I can only depict an exterior. Things on an internal level require far more polishing in the script."
Internal...
Li Banfeng was intimately familiar with his wife's interior. Could he attempt to bring Madam over in battle?
Yet that contradicted the principle of the technique. Thousand Mountains of Mindful Movement was meant to alter the combat environment, not summon outside help for reinforcement. Even if Li Banfeng brought Madam out, she would only be an ornament, incapable of exercising combat power.
Internal... this concept of the internal seemed deeply inspiring.
Li Banfeng rose. "Let's try once more."
The projector produced an image of Chu Shaoqiang. Li Banfeng's original tactic had been to directly project the combat environment of the companion dwelling.
He was intimately familiar with the companion dwelling, so manifesting it shouldn't be too difficult.
Yet what good would manifesting it do?
Could the companion dwelling be considered a hazardous place for an enemy?
It was indeed perilous.
However, the perils of the companion dwelling stemmed primarily from Madam and the various family members, as well as the enhancement of his own combat prowess within the house. None of that had anything to do with the basic environment of the rooms.
Manifesting the companion dwelling seemed unfeasible as a tactic; the only viable environments he could think of remained mountain ravines, cliffs, and marshes—places where a journey cultivator's strengths could shine.
While Li Banfeng was still adjusting his tactics, Chu Shaoqiang struck first.
He extended both hands, and the gloves slipped from his hands, turning into a pair of giant palms over two meters tall that slammed toward Li Banfeng from left and right.
Li Banfeng didn't dodge, knowing Chu Shaoqiang would certainly have a follow-up.
Sickle in his left hand, Tang dao in his right, he thrust against both gloves, keeping them from closing in on him.
Chu Shaoqiang stepped through the gap between the two gloves. He untied his bow tie and tossed it casually into the air.
The bow tie twisted and folded in midair, transforming into a black butterfly that lunged toward Li Banfeng with fine powder fluttering between its wings.
Li Banfeng took off his fedora, trapped the black butterfly, and gave a light flick. As if performing a magic trick, the butterfly vanished on the spot.
Chu Shaoqiang lightly clapped his hands. "A fine response."
The projector said, "Director Seven, this is..."
Li Banfeng pressed a palm downward, signaling the projector not to panic.
This was not an image conjured by the projector. The real Chu Shaoqiang had suddenly appeared.
Why had Chu Shaoqiang come to Huangtuqiao? How had he found him so easily? Had he just arrived, or had he already laid an ambush?
A barrage of questions churned in his mind. The answers to those questions bore upon whether he could retreat unscathed from this hotel and then, together with Qin Bulou and his people, find a way to hold Huangtuqiao.
The two stared at each other for a moment. Chu Shaoqiang coughed, wiped away rose-scented lather from the corners of his mouth, and said to Li Banfeng, "Don't be nervous. I didn't come to cause trouble today. I have a piece of news for you: within the next few days, the Inner States will send someone to Huangtuqiao. Given your current strength, my advice is to leave this place immediately and not involve yourself in this struggle."
Li Banfeng frowned. "You came to deliver a message to me? Since when have we had such good relations?"
Chu Shaoqiang had his excuse ready: "My daughter is very fond of you, and I would love nothing more than to facilitate your marriage. Consider this the beginning of our reconciliation."
When he spoke the word "marriage," his breath was a bit too forceful, and a multicolored soap bubble popped from Chu Shaoqiang's mouth.
Li Banfeng seemed to understand the function of that bar of foreign soap. "Since you're already here, why not tell me which expert the Inner States will send to Huangtuqiao, so I can prepare in advance?"
Chu Shaoqiang said, "A senior from your own pathway: Lu Dongliang."
"Who?" Li Banfeng asked once more.
"Lu Dongliang, the former head of the Lu family."
Whoosh.
Li Banfeng remained expressionless, but his nostrils flared ever so slightly.
Chapter 463