Obsession

The Jiangxiang Gang's headquarters had been wiped clean. He Yuxiu suggested, "Let's burn this godforsaken place to the ground and leave the Jiangxiang Gang reduced to ash." Li Banfeng shook his head. "Such a fine garden—wouldn't burning it be a waste? Sister Xiu, haven't you been renovating an outer residence lately? Why don't I just give this estate to you?" "No way!" He Yuxiu waved her hand. "I find this place bad luck, and it's not just the bad luck." She left the rest of the sentence unsaid, as speaking it aloud would hurt her pride. Chu the Second finished it for her: "Seventh Brother, the Jiangxiang Gang might be second-rate, but they have a vast number of disciples spread far and wide. A hundred-legged centipede dies hard; their branches and altars across the region could easily rekindle the embers. If they ever seek revenge, this headquarters will inevitably be their primary target." This was a practical concern, and Li Qi had already made his plans. "Old Luo, you know the Jiangxiang Gang best. Starting today, get to work and sweep the Jiangxiang Gang out of Puluo Province once and for all." Pulling weeds by their roots—that was the proper attitude for handling business. Luo Zhengnan deeply agreed with Li Qi's resolve, but some things had to be stated upfront: "Seventh Master, this won't be an easy task." Li Qi nodded. "It certainly won't be easy. I'll cover all the manpower and money; you just focus on getting it done." With that assurance, Luo Zhengnan felt relieved. He Yuxiu chimed in, "Old Seven, you can't shoulder this alone. Count the He family in as well; your sister wants a share of the glory too." She was very frank; He Yuxiu genuinely wanted that reputation. Did reputation matter to the He family? In the past, it hadn't, but circumstances were different now. The prominent families had weathered all sorts of turbulence, and their prestige in Puluo Province was nowhere near what it once was. The monumental feat of eradicating the Jiangxiang Gang would help the families re-establish their authority. Lu Chunying said, "Count the Lu family in too." Chu the Second smiled. "Naturally, I stand with Seventh Brother." Everyone contributed funds and manpower to fully assist Luo Zhengnan in wiping out the remnants of the Jiangxiang Gang. Once the matter was settled, He Yuxiu said, "Old Seven, let's head home for dinner tonight and gather again another day." Everyone was starving; aside from Critick, none of them had eaten much of anything that evening. After the others departed, Luo Zhengnan accompanied Li Banfeng on a tour around the headquarters, turning every storeroom and hidden chamber inside out. Aside from title deeds and property deeds, they found nothing of value. Li Banfeng handed the deeds over to Luo Zhengnan. "This place is yours from now on. If you truly don't want it, you can appraise it and sell it off." Luo Zhengnan offered a wry smile. "I doubt anyone would dare buy it. The Jiangxiang Gang committed far too many atrocities against heaven and reason. I'd like to open a charity hall here to atone for a bit of their sins." Li Banfeng nodded. "Let's do that. I'll cover the expenses. Also, notify our newspaper office—the news of the Jiangxiang Gang's destruction needs to hit the press as soon as possible." Leaving Jiangxiang Garden, the glove said to Li Banfeng, "This doesn't make sense. How could a gang this massive have nothing good in its main headquarters? Even if there were no magical artifacts, they should have had some gold and silver at least!" Li Qi wasn't surprised. "Xiao Zhenggong wanted to discard the Jiangxiang Gang's brand, and he had no intention of keeping this headquarters either. The valuable goods were shipped away long ago." Returning to the companion dwelling, the Lady had already consumed Xiao Zhenggong's soul completely. "Oh, husband, judging from the quality of this soul, that man had reached the ninth layer. Since cultivation cannot be seen directly, there might be a slight deviation." Xiao Zhenggong was not old, yet his cultivation was remarkably high—a rare feat even among the prominent families of Puluo Province. Had this boon come from the Inner States, or had it been granted by the Outer States? Once the gramophone finished her meal, the others took up their chopsticks. Though his cultivation had been formidable, he was not above the clouds after all; as a family, they ate peacefully without squabbling, treating it as an ordinary home-cooked dinner. The glove wasn't in a hurry to eat. He spent a long time rummaging through Xiao Zhenggong's clothing. Li Banfeng asked, "What are you looking for?" The glove propped his index finger with his thumb, lost in thought. "Boss, you say he didn't care about the headquarters anymore, so finding no treasures here makes sense. But Xiao Zhenggong had to have some good stuff on his person, right? There was no need to transfer away his personal magical artifacts, was there?" That was true. With Xiao Zhenggong's status, he certainly wouldn't have lacked personal artifacts. Li Banfeng searched Xiao Zhenggong's garments himself, but the glove wagged his index finger. "Boss, don't bother. I've already checked twice. Not even a wallet! Even if he were the chief of the Beggars' Gang, he'd still carry a couple of banknotes on him. There's something fishy here!" While they were pondering in frustration, a roar suddenly erupted from the companion dwelling: "Ah Tao! How long do you plan to hold onto that thing?!" They had nearly forgotten—the treasure had not yet been delivered to the companion dwelling. Li Banfeng and the glove headed to the Third Room together. The companion dwelling shuddered with an almost impatient restlessness. The glove, however, was in no rush. He first handed the pair of stone spikes to Li Banfeng. Even if the Old Master himself spoke up, the goods had to go to the Boss first. Li Banfeng placed the stone spikes on the ground. Flakes of stone began peeling away bit by bit, revealing the true appearance of the pair of treasures. They were not stone, but forged of iron, strikingly similar to the iron rulers he had previously bought from Feng Chongli. Watching the pair of treasures slowly melt away and vanish, the companion dwelling could no longer contain itself and burst into deafening laughter. "Bwahahaha, eight rails!" His laugh startled Hong Ying so much that she jumped. "Eight of Bamboo? What, you playing mahjong now? Why not the Nine of Dots?!" In the Third Room, Li Qi asked the companion dwelling, "Old Master, now that you have eight rails, your strength should jump up another level, right?" The companion dwelling did not rush to answer, instead telling the glove, "Ah Tao, go have your dinner." The glove didn't respond. "Ah Tao? Ah Tao! What on earth are you spacing out about?" The glove lifted his head. "Old Master, calling me?" "I told you to go eat!" "Alright!" the glove answered, heading back to the main room. The companion dwelling asked Li Banfeng, "What's the matter with that lad?" Li Banfeng replied, "He didn't find any good treasures in the Jiangxiang Gang's headquarters, and he didn't find any on the gang leader either. He's taking it a bit too hard." The companion dwelling snorted coldly. "I look down on thieves like him the most. Missing a meal doesn't bother them, but missing a single piece of loot makes them act like the world has ended." Li Qi smiled. "Let's talk about the rails first." The companion dwelling shielded their voices from everyone else inside the dwelling and said to Li Banfeng, "With eight rails, I should be able to smash through a boundary." "What boundary?" "The boundary leading to the Inner States." Li Banfeng was startled, and then joy swept over him. "If we can go to the Inner States, does that mean we can rescue Old Train?" The companion dwelling fell silent for a long time before asking, "You want to rescue Old Train?" "I do," Li Banfeng said without hiding his feelings. "He saved my life. I must rescue him." The companion dwelling sighed deeply. "I want to rescue him too, but the time isn't right." "Didn't you just say we can go to the Inner States? How is the time not right?" "It's not time for you, and it's not time for me. Your cultivation is inadequate; until you reach above the clouds, I wouldn't dare let you enter the Inner States. And I only have eight rails—the count is still short." "Eight still isn't enough? How many do you actually need?" The companion dwelling calculated. "Twelve rails in total. It's best to gather all of them; otherwise, once we enter the Inner States, coming back out will be exceedingly difficult." "My wife's cultivation has already reached above the clouds, and she's no ordinary cultivator above the clouds either. With her help, shouldn't our odds be much better?" The companion dwelling chuckled. "Ah Qi, don't talk to me about sincerity, and don't talk to me about husband and wife sharing one heart. I don't believe any of that. Even if you two truly are husband and wife, and even if your affection is genuine, I still don't believe it. Getting me to trust someone is far too difficult. As long as she remains a dwelling spirit here, I cannot easily let her out. This is for the rules, and it is also for your sake. Obtaining these two rails reminded me of certain things, and after recalling them, I believe in sentimental affection even less. Furthermore, tell Ah Ji not to keep provoking that person in the Fifth Room." This was the first time the companion dwelling had proactively brought up the Fifth Room. Li Banfeng asked, "That person in the Fifth Room—who exactly is she?" "I have a vague impression. She seems to have been a passenger. As for her exact identity, I can't remember. I only know she stayed on the train for a very long time, and I don't know what she has turned into now. You don't need to worry about certain things—as long as she remains on the train, she won't be permitted to run wild. But Ah Ji had better not provoke her. His cultivation isn't high enough, and he doesn't know where to draw the line." Li Banfeng asked, "Am I considered a passenger too?" "Heh heh," the companion dwelling laughed. "You are not a passenger. You never were." Li Qi left the Third Room to find the family tucking into their meal. Only the glove remained staring blankly at Xiao Zhenggong's clothes, so deeply distraught that he couldn't even stomach his food. Arriving at the Fifth Room, Li Qi found the projector casting an image against the wall. On the screen, a beautiful woman dressed in white gauze was playing the piano by the seashore. Though the film was silent, Li Banfeng seemed to hear exquisite melodies, and even the ebb and flow of waves washing across the sandy shore. Beside the projector stood a neat stack of dozens of sheets of oiled paper—the kind used to wrap candles. In a corner of the room, film reel boxes were piled up against the wall; the projector had practically exhausted all the film reels in the house. "Brother, time to eat." Li Banfeng sat down beside the projector. The projector answered, "Director Qi, I'm not hungry. I want to polish the script with you." Li Banfeng nodded. "This room is a bit cluttered. Let's discuss the script in another room." "Then let's go to the Eighth Room," the projector said to the woman on the screen. "That's all for today." The woman turned her face toward the camera, nodded with a smile, and closed the piano lid. The projector snapped its lens cover shut, plunging the wall into pitch blackness. Floating in midair, he followed Li Qi to the Eighth Room. Once the door was closed, the projector suddenly began to tremble. "Director Qi, I'm terrified. This might not be art. I might have touched a demon." "Take it easy, brother. Take your time." Li Banfeng lit a cigarette and slipped it into the projector's film compartment. A wisp of smoke curled upward, and the projector calmed down slightly. "Director Qi, during the last battle, I seized a pearl hair ornament from the enemy. That wasn't my doing alone; the credit belongs mostly to the Tang dao. I kept that pearl hair ornament. It was a high-tier magical artifact with a very strong self-awareness. I presented it as a gift to the lady of the Fifth Room. It was wrong of me to do that—it was a precious spoil of war that should have been handed over to Director Qi to handle, but I truly did it for the sake of..." The projector's emotions flared up again. Li Banfeng consoled him, "It doesn't matter. Our household doesn't lack magical artifacts; don't take it to heart." The projector continued, "The lady of the Fifth Room loved the gift very much. She told me many things about herself, including her name and her origins. She said her name is Su Lijun, originally a rather wealthy woman who was murdered by a faithless lover, after which her resentful soul wandered among old, desolate mansions." Hearing this, Li Banfeng's brow furrowed slightly. This story sounded eerily familiar. If she had said her name was Luo Yuni, things would have been truly troublesome. The projector went on, "Later, through a series of accidents, she arrived at this mansion, trapped here ever since, never able to leave. Before meeting me, she said she never communicated with anyone in this house. She said she felt such an affinity with me because we share the same obsession with art." Li Banfeng said, "You don't believe what she said is true?" "I do believe it. I feel every word she spoke was true, but every single word she said matched what I had already envisioned!" At this point, the projector began trembling again. "She said her name was Su Lijun, and I felt she ought to be named that—even if she hadn't told me, I would have guessed it!" "You could even guess her name?" "I could! I really could! And her backstory was completely identical to my assumptions! Even without her saying, I could even guess the scene of her murder!" The projector played a scene: the lady of the Fifth Room was combing her hair before a mirror when a man approached from behind and strangled her to death with a necktie. At least it wasn't eye-gouging and garroting. Li Banfeng said, "Brother, isn't this the script you wrote for the lady of the Fifth Room? She was merely acting strictly according to your script, and you're having trouble telling the script from reality." "None of these things appeared in the script! The scripts are all here; you can look through them yourself, none of these plot points exist!" The projector opened his film compartment, and a flurry of papers flew out. Many bore Li Banfeng's handwriting—scripts Li Banfeng and the projector had written together. "These scenes appeared in my mind! I never wrote them down, and I never mentioned them to the lady of the Fifth Room! I am certain she is not a character of my imagination—she truly exists! Yet her consciousness has been implanted with my thoughts! I know where my thoughts came from: I asked about Hanxue's past, and she shared some lingering memories with me. I originally wanted to use the pendulum's memories as material for a script, but who could have guessed that before the script was even written, the film had already taken shape?!" Li Banfeng felt the projector was still somewhat confused. "Perhaps you mentioned a certain scene to the lady of the Fifth Room, and perhaps she gave a performance following your ideas." "Director Qi, she isn't that obedient!" The projector played another clip. The lady of the Fifth Room was running through a field of flowers. She picked a bouquet, sniffed their fragrance, and revealed a sweet smile. The screen suddenly went black. The projector explained, "I closed the lens cover. I was exhausted that day, and I fell asleep." Before he finished speaking, the screen lit up on its own. Holding the flowers, the lady of the Fifth Room kept her head lowered as she walked toward the camera. Reaching the front of the lens, she slowly lifted her head. Her face was devoid of expression. She tilted her head to the left, and then to the right. She stared straight into the camera for a long time, the corners of her mouth curling upward, faintly revealing a sliver of a smile. The screen went pitch black once more. The projector said, "I was truly asleep at the time. That footage wasn't shot by me—she left it for me! I don't know what her purpose was in leaving it. I asked her, and she claimed she was performing according to my requirements. She lied! That wasn't my requirement! Director Qi, you might think my mind has gone bad, but I am certain I am normal!" Li Banfeng patted the projector. "Even if your mind went bad, you'd still be normal." "But something else has become abnormal," the projector said, pulling out the pearl hair ornament from his film compartment. "This magical artifact originally possessed strong self-awareness, but her consciousness has completely vanished! She has turned into a pure spiritual object now, lacking even the most basic ability to express herself! This led me to a bold conjecture: this pearl hair ornament's ordeal might be the exact opposite of the lady of the Fifth Room's! When I first met the lady of the Fifth Room, her consciousness was practically a blank slate! In the Fifth Room, there exists a miraculous power—a power capable of creating consciousness, and also capable of destroying it!" Li Banfeng roughly understood the projector's meaning, and followed with a question: "Are you sure this power comes from the Fifth Room, and not from you?" The projection froze, and the projector's thoughts ground to a halt as well. After a long pause, the projector replied, "I'm not sure. I can only say I shouldn't possess such an ability. I know many members of our family have extraordinary pasts—the Tang dao, the judge's brush, the glove, they were all major figures before. But I am different from them. I am a self-born spirit, just like the sickle. I call myself a shadow cultivator, but in truth, I don't know my own pathway at all, nor can I explain where my techniques originate." Magical artifacts were generally unwilling to speak of their pasts, constrained by both pacts and innate nature. The projector had spoken of his past so candidly only because he was genuinely terrified. Li Banfeng said, "From now on, do not go to the Fifth Room again." The projector said, "I know the Fifth Room is dangerous, and I keep reminding myself not to go. But I can't control myself. I am shaping a soul! I can sense the terror, yet I cannot resist the temptation!" Li Banfeng drew his pistol and placed it before the projector. "Do you recognize this gun?" The projector certainly did. "That's Ling Miaoying's gun." "This is a spiritual object—a very pure spiritual object. I've tried communicating with it many times, but it cannot respond in any way. If you crave shaping a soul so badly, go shape its soul. Do not go to the Fifth Room again." "Director Qi, this is a weapon you find very handy. I don't want to ruin it..." "It doesn't matter. I'm giving it to you." Li Banfeng opened the projector's film compartment and removed all the film reels concerning the lady of the Fifth Room. The Old Master had been right: there were boundaries the projector truly could not gauge properly. "Come out for a stroll with me tomorrow; I'll buy you some more film reels." Returning to the main room, the family had all eaten their fill. Having consumed flesh and blood, the projector finally calmed down. The leftovers were left for Red Lotus to clean up. On his way to the Ninth Room, Li Banfeng passed the Fifth Room once again. A salty sea breeze brushed against Li Banfeng's cheek, and a faint halo of light shimmered across the wall, as if a film were about to begin. Li Banfeng looked at the wall, tipped up the brim of his hat, curled the corners of his mouth, and smiled with glittering eyes. "Care to come out for a chat?" Li Banfeng asked. The cold breeze vanished, and the halo on the wall disappeared as well. Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his hat and took Red Lotus to the main room. "Ah Tao, if you don't eat soon, once Red Lotus comes to the table, there won't be a scrap left." The glove was still examining Xiao Zhenggong's clothes. "Boss, I really don't feel like eating, and missing this meal won't hurt. Just leave me be." ... The next morning, Li Banfeng woke up and prepared to head out. The gramophone said, "Darling husband, take out the trash." The trash referred to Xiao Zhenggong's clothing. Just as Li Banfeng was about to gather them up, the glove pleaded, "Boss, wait, don't rush! Let me inspect them for one more day, and you can toss them tomorrow!" Li Banfeng sighed. "What has gotten into you? He might truly have had no magical artifacts on him; they could have been transferred away in advance." The glove wagged his index finger. "Impossible! Last night when you fought him, I caught the scent of treasure! If I got that wrong, how am I supposed to make a living in this line of work?!" Li Banfeng stopped trying to persuade him. The glove had his own temperament and his own stubborn streak. Taking the projector along, Li Banfeng stepped onto the street and casually bought a newspaper. It was published by his own newspaper office; last night's events at the Jiangxiang Gang's headquarters had already made the headlines. The front-page headline was blunt and direct: *Jiangxiang Gang Reduced to Ash, Xiao Zhenggong Left Without a Trace of Bone*. The article pulled no punches either, directly stating that Li Qi, He Yuxiu, and others had washed the Jiangxiang Gang's headquarters in blood, eradicating a major menace of Puluo Province. This had been authorized by Li Banfeng. Knowing the matter couldn't be kept quiet, he had decided to broadcast it widely. The newspapers were selling like wildfire today; who could have guessed that the notorious Jiangxiang Gang would be eradicated overnight? The report also mentioned the Flying General Battalion, detailing portions of Yao Zhiyi's confession. Li Qi intended to thoroughly expose the conspiracy. The morning edition's print run had been doubled, yet it still sold out completely. Li Banfeng bought a copy of the newspaper run by Shen Rongqing's subordinates, only to find no mention of the Jiangxiang Gang on the front page. "Can't even seize such a prime business opportunity—how do you expect to make a living in this line of work?" Li Banfeng casually tossed the paper into a rubbish bin. Shen Rongqing had indeed received the news of the Jiangxiang Gang's destruction, but she was still hesitating over whether to publish, especially since the news about the Flying General Battalion conflicted severely with reports she had published earlier. She wanted to consult He Jiaqing, but after spending the entire morning trying, she couldn't reach him. Where had he gone? Shen Rongqing was fraught with anxiety, wavering over how to handle the evening edition. ... Li Banfeng arrived at the Miaosheng Gramophone Shop and bought up all the movie film. Ling Miaosheng poured a cup of tea for Li Banfeng. "Boss Li, could you stay a moment longer? I have a favor to ask." Li Banfeng found it odd. Throughout their acquaintance, Ling Miaosheng had always kept his distance; for him to suddenly speak up and ask a favor took Li Banfeng by surprise. Ling Miaosheng produced a covenant deed. "Boss Li, I wish to temporarily entrust the gramophone shop to you. Of course, this isn't a request without compensation. First, all proceeds from the shop during this period will belong to you. If poor management leads to losses, I will bear them. Beyond that, I also have a gift for you." With that, Ling Miaosheng brought out a crank gramophone. "This is a spiritual object. I have always called it the Retrospector. This gramophone can trace certain Scrying Cultivator techniques—simply put, it can reproduce portions of what is caught in a hook. My two brothers once planted many hooks in my gramophone shop. At the time, I didn't understand their purpose; only after suffering the fallout did I hire a craft cultivator to fashion this spiritual object. It is a powerful tool for guarding against Scrying Cultivators. I hope this spiritual object will be of some help to you in the future." Li Banfeng asked, "Why entrust the shop to me?" Ling Miaosheng said, "I want to go search for art—art that originally belonged to me, yet was lost. It might sound absurd, but during our last meeting, I mentioned to you some of my experiences in Amikan. Ever since then, memories that were stolen from me have been resurfacing repeatedly in my dreams. I left too many regrets there, and I want to make amends for those regrets while I still live. If I fail, and if my life ends in a foreign land, my gramophone shop will belong entirely to you. All of this is clearly laid out in the covenant deed." Li Banfeng thought for a moment. "I am merely one of your customers. Why do you trust me so deeply—to the point of handing over your most precious livelihood?" Ling Miaosheng smiled. "Don't laugh when I say this, but I did consider entrusting the shop to someone more dependable. Yet as I went through everyone around me, not a single one was more reliable than you. When no one else believed me, you believed me and were willing to buy my gramophones. When it comes to entrusting these most precious works of art, I believe in you as well." After a moment of silence, Li Banfeng nodded and put away the covenant deed. "Before you return, I can guarantee your gramophone shop will come to no harm. When you return, share the art you found with me." "It's a deal." Ling Miaosheng removed his top hat, pressed it against his chest, and offered Li Banfeng a bow. ... Back at the companion dwelling, Li Banfeng began studying the gramophone called the "Retrospector." Ling Miaosheng had explained how to use it, but Li Banfeng had only half-understood; the mechanics were slightly complex. Moreover, this gramophone was a pure spiritual object incapable of expressing itself, so Li Banfeng couldn't communicate with it either. Fortunately, his Lady was skilled in craft techniques and quickly summarized several operating knacks for the device. The couple studied it late into the night. The white glove remained staring at Xiao Zhenggong's clothing, barely shifting from his spot. Seeing the glove covered in loose threads and wrinkles, Li Banfeng felt the glove had aged considerably. "Ah Tao, this won't do. Tomorrow I'm throwing Xiao Zhenggong's clothes out, and this matter needs to be put behind us." "It's behind us," the glove replied, sounding utterly dejected. "I'll listen to the Boss. It's behind us. I'll just take it that my eyes failed me." With that, the glove flopped down beside the judge's brush, lying motionless like a scrap of tattered rag. Li Banfeng genuinely worried that, in his despair, the glove might give up entirely and slack off alongside that wretched brush. Late at night, while the family was sound asleep, the door to the main room suddenly opened a crack. This was an impossible occurrence. Inside the companion dwelling, aside from Li Banfeng and the Old Master himself, no one could open the door. Everyone was deep in slumber—except the glove, who suddenly startled awake and lunged toward the doorway. "Dog thief! Where do you think you're running?! I fucking knew something was off! Stealing from under my nose—I'll beat you to death today!" Hearing the sounds of combat, the gramophone's flames flared instantly. Li Banfeng woke as well, only to see by the doorway: one white glove and one black glove, locked in a fierce brawl.