Five days later, Liao Zihui looked out the window at the setting sun, picked up his teacup, and took a quiet sip.
His secretary, Ling Sujun, walked in, the hollows of her eyes ringed with dark circles.
"Commissioner, are all personnel still on combat readiness today?"
Liao Zihui pondered for a moment before asking, "Has the tea been distributed?"
"It went out the day before yesterday."
"Were the pills mixed into it?"
"They were, but the effect isn't noticeable. Do we need to increase the dosage?"
Liao Zihui took another sip of tea. "Call it a day. Go home."
Ling Sujun bowed deeply to him. Not daring to ask another question, she turned and left.
Liao Zihui put on his overcoat. Before leaving the office, he glanced at his desk drawer, wondering whether he should listen to the earpiece one more time.
He pulled the drawer open, hesitated for a moment, and closed it after all.
If he listened to the earpiece, he was bound to hear Li Qi's voice.
And Li Qi would undoubtedly drop some veiled hint about attacking the Garrison Office.
Then, over a single sentence from that man, nobody would get any sleep tonight.
No one knew what Li Qi was truly planning. But since no one knew, why torment themselves?
Better to pretend it simply wasn't happening.
Deputy Commissioner Xia Shumin stood waiting by the office door, holding two tickets to Xiaoyaowu. Seeing Liao Zihui emerge, Xia Shumin hurried forward.
"Commissioner, I heard you're fond of Jiang Mengting's singing. Tonight there's a special performance by Jiang Mengting at Xiaoyaowu. I bought two tickets for you so you and your wife can go unwind this evening."
Liao Zihui accepted the tickets and smiled. "Little Xia, you've got plenty of energy, don't you?"
Xia Shumin chuckled. "I used to have so many emergency assignments that I grew used to pulling all-nighters."
Liao Zihui nodded. "Youth is a fine thing. Truly a fine thing. My wife doesn't care for Jiang Mengting. Why don't the two of us go to Xiaoyaowu and listen to her tonight?"
Xia Shumin waved his hands. "To tell you the truth, I'm not keen on it either. I went to a concert once when I was young, and the place was far too noisy. We were so far from the stage that we just shouted along with the crowd, without even catching a glimpse of the singer."
"You'll be able to see her here! Concerts in Puluo Province are different! The hall doesn't hold many people, and there are no gadgets like microphones. What you hear is pure and authentic, and what you see is the real thing.
"Let's go together. We'll have a few drinks and a bite to eat at Xiaoyaowu first. In another two hours or so, the show should be starting."
***
"Mengting, the concert is about to start! You can't throw a tantrum now!" Manager Zhang of Xiaoyaowu was beside himself with anxiety. The show was on the verge of beginning, yet Jiang Mengting claimed her throat felt bad and she couldn't sing.
"Listen to my voice—it's hoarse! How am I supposed to sing? Put up a notice at the entrance and announce that we're rescheduling."
Manager Zhang cried frantically, "My dear lady, tickets were sold out a month in advance! You want me to reschedule now? It'll ruin Xiaoyaowu's reputation! I beg of you—I'll kowtow to you right now, all right? Just go up and sing two songs. Give the audience something!"
Jiang Mengting flatly refused to take the stage. Manager Zhang rushed off to inform Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng sat with Jiang Mengting through dinner and personally fed her a bowl of medicinal broth to clear her lungs and soothe her throat. Her ailment cleared up, and she was ready to perform that night.
When the concert began, Li Banfeng took a seat below the stage. Looking up, he spotted Liao Zihui in a second-floor private box.
Li Banfeng entered the box and sat down next to Liao Zihui. Glancing at the dark rings around his eyes, he asked, "Commissioner Liao, you don't look well. Have you been staying up late these past few days?"
Liao Zihui smiled. "Indeed. I've had you on my mind constantly these days, expecting you to drop by the Garrison Office for a visit, but you still haven't come."
Li Banfeng remarked in surprise, "Since you were thinking of me, why didn't you come looking for me at Xiaoyaowu?"
Liao Zihui gave a nod. "I came looking for you last time, and you didn't give me a pleasant reception."
Sensing how the wind was blowing, Xia Shumin chimed in from the side, "This must be Mr. Li?"
Li Banfeng turned to Xia Shumin. "And how should I address you?"
Liao Zihui answered, "This is Commissioner Xia, newly arrived."
Li Banfeng said in astonishment, "A new commissioner? Commissioner Liao, have you retired?"
Liao Zihui sighed. "I yearn for that day."
Li Banfeng looked at Xia Shumin. "Are you yearning for that day as well?"
"I'm not..." Xia Shumin drew in a breath. He wanted to say he wasn't, but felt that wouldn't sound right either.
Liao Zihui said, "Matters like this are usually awkward to discuss in front of me. Tell you what—you two chat here, and I'll go downstairs to listen to the singing."
Li Banfeng seemed somewhat sheepish. "How could we make you move? Commissioner Xia and I can find a private place to chat. We certainly can't let you hear about this."
Xia Shumin forced a couple of chuckles. "Mr. Li is quite the joker. Let's just focus on enjoying the music."
Li Banfeng was eager to chat further on the subject of retirement, but mid-sentence, his heart suddenly fluttered.
The sensation was intimately familiar.
Someone was reclaiming land!
Excusing himself, he left the private box, rushed back to his room, and entered the companion dwelling. He said to the Old Man, "Take us to the station—the station on my territory."
A few minutes later, having borrowed Hong Ying's full aura of terrifying majesty, Li Banfeng stepped out of the companion dwelling onto his own land and walked in the direction of the reclamation resonance.
The first person to appear in his field of vision was Critick.
Li Banfeng instantly abandoned any thought of responding to the reclamation. Letting that man reclaim land here would be utter devastation for the monsters of this territory.
Yet Critick wasn't the only one who had come. Li Banfeng counted fifteen people in total. The one waiting before the offering altar for a response was Chu Huaiyuan.
*She came to reclaim land?*
He hadn't seen her for days; why had she run off to the newland?
Li Banfeng brought out the Judge's Brush and the projector. "Brushie, fly me over there. Projector, disguise me and put on the airs of a local spirit."
The projector quickly prepared. Using a cloud of black mist, it shrouded Li Banfeng's body and face, leaving only a cluster of teal flames drifting and flickering within the smoke.
All that remained was the flight. Li Banfeng said to the Judge's Brush, "The station stop has a time limit. Make it quick."
"Humph!" The Judge's Brush heaved a long sigh, stretched itself, and carried Li Banfeng through the air to the center of the plot. The projector found its own hiding spot, leaving Li Banfeng to appear before the crowd in the form of a mist-shrouded figure.
Looking down at Chu the Second, Li Banfeng asked, "You wish to reclaim land?"
Chu the Second had been wondering why the local spirit was so slow to respond, suspecting something was amiss with the offerings.
She had never anticipated the local spirit would appear in person, and all the reclaimers grew visibly nervous.
Chu the Second replied respectfully, "Yes. I wish to open up a plot three li across on your land."
"Why reclaim land on my territory?"
*He even asks about that?*
Chu the Second replied, "I came through an introduction by a friend."
This was the truth. Chu the Second had been introduced by He Yuxiu, who said this place was quiet and very suitable for her cultivation.
Li Banfeng asked, "Have your reclaimers been chosen?"
Chu the Second replied honestly, "All the reclaimers are here."
Li Banfeng said, "Foreigners cannot reclaim land here."
Critick was taken aback. He hadn't expected the local spirit here to discriminate against foreigners.
*Is this truly a local spirit?*
That aura of majesty was undeniably terrifying.
Critick answered, "Respected spirit, I am not a reclaimer. I am a physician hired by them."
Behind Critick stood two other people, both physicians.
If Critick was not taking part in the reclamation, the matter was still negotiable.
Li Banfeng said to Chu the Second, "In your covenant deed, state clearly the landowner's identity and the reclaimers' identities. Once everything is properly prepared, present your offerings again tomorrow."
With that, Li Banfeng vanished.
Chu the Second had some experience with land reclamation, but she knew little about local spirits and did not dare raise any doubts, so she had no choice but to draft a fresh covenant deed.
With the help of Lüshui Beggar, Critick had attained the ninth tier of cultivation. He could sense that the local spirit earlier had seemed somewhat unreal, but his experience with land reclamation was limited, and he didn't know what form a local spirit was supposed to take under such circumstances.
Gazing into the distance, he spotted the plots belonging to Zhang Wanlong and Xiao Genzi.
To find such lush crops in such a remote corner of the newland piqued Critick's interest, and he walked over to the fields for a closer look.
Shouldering a hoe, Zhang Wanlong walked up and greeted him with a grin. "Foreign friend, do you understand my speech?"
"I do!" Critick nodded.
"Are you here to buy grain, or vegetables and fruit?"
Critick sized Zhang Wanlong up and down. "I'd like to buy some of both."
***
Departure time arrived. Li Banfeng returned to the companion dwelling, waited a few minutes, and returned to Xiaoyaowu.
He handed over business matters to the manager, restocked provisions for the companion dwelling, and set off immediately for the newland.
Reclamation required a trial. That was not something he could resolve within the brief window of a train stop; Li Banfeng had to make the trip in person.
He emerged just as the concert was letting out. Traffic outside Xiaoyaowu was bustling with carriages and cars. Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his fedora and walked forward, only to notice a man standing beneath a streetlamp, his massive eyes darting in every direction.
Those eyes were impossibly large.
If he had spicy gluten strips on hand, Li Banfeng would have loved to test whether his five-meter trick had grown rusty.
*Isn't that Lightbulb?*
When did he come to Puluo Province?
Li Banfeng stepped up and stared at Lightbulb for a moment.
Seeing the bearded man before him in a black suit and black fedora, Lightbulb felt wave after wave of nervous panic.
Li Banfeng asked, "Did you come looking for me?"
"N-no, I didn't." Lightbulb turned his head the other way.
Li Banfeng confirmed once more, "I am Li Qi. Are you truly not here for me?"
"N-no, I'm not." Lightbulb's voice grew fainter and fainter.
He had come looking for Li Qi; Xia Shumin had assigned him the task of keeping watch on the man.
This suited man had admitted to being Li Qi. What did that mean for Lightbulb?
It meant he was in deep trouble.
If this person wasn't Li Qi, it meant Lightbulb's identity was exposed while he still knew nothing about the other party.
If this person was Li Qi, it meant Lightbulb was very likely about to lose his life.
Oil began oozing all over Lightbulb's body as he prepared to flee.
Li Banfeng offered a suggestion: "I'll find you a fine place. Flee there, and ordinary people won't be able to track you down."
"What?" Lightbulb froze.
Li Banfeng grabbed Lightbulb and took off at a sprint.
Lightbulb had ridden in Xiao Zhenggong's convertible, and even with Xiao Zhenggong flooring the gas pedal, it had never been this fast.
Worst of all, Lightbulb's legs couldn't keep up. He had no time to pump his feet and could only slide along the ground.
The layer of oil over him hadn't fully spread yet, leaving Lightbulb with no idea how to break free.
Li Banfeng cautioned, "Conserve your oil. Channel it all to the soles of your feet. We have quite a distance to cover."
Lightbulb had no concept of how long they traveled or how far they went. When they finally came to a halt, his oil was utterly depleted and the soles of his shoes were worn right through. Mucus and tears had poured out, dried in the wind, and poured out again, crusting layer upon layer into a hard shell over his face.
Sitting on the ground, Lightbulb wheezed for a long time, his mouth twisted as he burst into tears.
"Wahh—aah!" Lightbulb pointed at Li Banfeng, looked around, and slapped his thighs several times, unable to get a word out for the longest time.
Li Banfeng gave him a canteen, two cans of food, and a piece of bread.
"This is the newland. There are plenty of hunter camps nearby. If you can find a way to walk out of here, you live. If you can't, you remain here for good. Got that?"
Lightbulb looked up at the bearded man, still sniffling.
Li Banfeng frowned. "What are you crying for? Running into me was vastly better than when I ran into you!"
Lightbulb had no idea what the bearded man meant, and Li Banfeng was in no mood to explain.
Watching the bearded man gradually walk off into the distance, Lightbulb didn't know whether he should follow.
Weighing his options, he decided against it. The gap in strength was far too vast; taking a single step after him might get him killed.
After running all this way, Lightbulb was indeed starving.
Tearing open the bread, he shoved it into his mouth in three quick bites and washed it down with water.
He was about to eat a bite from a tin when he suddenly felt something slimy shifting beneath him.
*An oil leak?*
That shouldn't be; what little oil he had had run out long ago.
Lightbulb looked down and discovered a patch of blood-red ground shifting beneath him.
Why would the ground shift?
Glancing back, Lightbulb gradually came to understand his current predicament.
What was shifting wasn't the ground—it was a gargantuan blood-red worm.
*Was I sitting on this worm just now?*
*It seems I'm still sitting on it...*
Looking at the worm's proportions, it was several times larger than the silkworm he had seen in the factory.
Lightbulb felt like crying again.
Yet he choked back his tears and prepared to run for his life.
***
The next morning, Li Banfeng returned to his territory. Chu the Second had laid out the offerings early on, waiting for the local spirit's response.
Transforming into a mass of black cloud, Li Banfeng carefully examined the covenant deed. Confirming that Critick and the others would not participate in the reclamation, Li Banfeng illuminated the plot.
With the reclamation settled, the next step was the trial. Li Banfeng returned to Mountain Plucker's dwelling, retrieved the local spirit seal, and went to find monsters.
The local spirit seal contained the territory's cultivation power, which served as capital for hiring monsters.
Who would be suitable to hire?
Fly a lap around the territory and make an announcement?
No!
Hawking his wares through the streets like a peddler was beneath his station.
Post a notice?
How many monsters could even read a notice?
Come to think of it, one of them really was literate—at least enough to recognize the character for "leaf."
Li Banfeng remembered the Bull-Headed Man. Expecting him to understand a written notice was a tall order, but he should be well up to the task of acting as a herald.
Walking a circle through his territory, Li Banfeng found the Bull-Headed Man in a forest, playing chess with the Jujube Tree Monster.
The chess pieces were made of stone, each having his own board.
The Bull-Headed Man hurled a stone at the Jujube Tree Monster. "I deploy my Cannon!"
The Jujube Tree blocked it with its board and hurled a stone in return. "I deploy my Chariot!"
The Bull-Headed Man charged headfirst into the Jujube Tree. "I advance my Pawn!"
The Jujube Tree staggered a few steps, grabbed a wild horse beside it, and threw it at the Bull-Headed Man. "I leap my Horse!"
Taking a heavy blow from the impact, the Bull-Headed Man tossed his board aside and shouted, "I fly my Elephant!"
The Jujube Tree sneered, "You dare fly an Elephant? If Master Qiu hears of this, won't he slaughter you?"
The Bull-Headed Man barked, "Master Qiu isn't here! I'm going to fly my Elephant!"
Just as he was about to go looking for an elephant, Li Banfeng manipulated the projector, the Judge's Brush, and the liquor gourd, transforming into a burst of green fire that materialized before the Bull-Headed Man. "Where are you going?"
"To fly an Elephant..." The Bull-Headed Man paused in a daze, then asked in return, "Who are you?"
Li Banfeng said, "I am the local spirit of this territory."
The Bull-Headed Man let out a cold laugh. "Another one posing as the local spirit. Does the local spirit look like you?"
*Whoosh!*
A surge of majestic aura rolled over him, forcing the Bull-Headed Man back several paces.
Li Banfeng smiled. "You signed a covenant deed with me back then. Have you forgotten so soon?"
The Jujube Tree muttered from the side, "Brother, this voice is the same as the local spirit back then!"
The Bull-Headed Man lowered his head. "To what do we owe the honor of your visit?"
Li Banfeng sighed. "If you've never studied, don't try to show off your vocabulary. Is that how you use the word 'visit'?"
The Bull-Headed Man glanced at the Jujube Tree.
The Jujube Tree snorted. "What's the use of looking at me? I don't know what a 'visit' is either."
Li Banfeng said, "I have business for you. East of the forest, someone is reclaiming land—a plot three li across. Gather some hands to test them in a trial, and you will be rewarded afterward."
Hearing this, the Bull-Headed Man delighted. "Let's discuss the price first. For a three-li plot, what kind of reward are you offering?"
How much was appropriate?
When He Yuxiu, Zhang Wanlong, Youtao, and the others had reclaimed land in the past, Meng Yuchun had recruited all the trial monsters, and none had earned a reward. Li Banfeng truly had no memory of the going rate.
Now that the Bull-Headed Man was asking, going back to ask Meng Yuchun would hurt his dignity. Pondering for a moment, Li Banfeng named a figure: "If you succeed in the trial, I will grant three months of cultivation power."
The old jujube tree's branches and leaves shivered, and the Bull-Headed Man asked, "Is three months the total, or does everyone get that?"
If it was the total, three months was rather meager.
Yet if everyone received it, there was no telling how many hands the old bull might recruit. If he brought a thousand or eight hundred, Li Banfeng couldn't afford it, nor could Chu the Second withstand them.
Li Banfeng said, "Everyone gets it, but capped at ten individuals."
The Bull-Headed Man nodded. "I'll go gather the hands at once!"
The Jujube Tree shifted its trunk. "I'll go with you."
Seeing them so enthusiastic, Li Banfeng suspected he had offered too much.
Was it too much?
That depended on the comparison.
Compared to Qiu Luoye, the amount was certainly excessive. Qiu Luoye didn't withhold larger rewards out of stinginess; he simply didn't want the trial to be excessively difficult.
Yet some local spirits offered even more than this, because some nurtured people, while others nurtured monsters.
Local spirits who nurtured people sought to lower trial difficulty and bring as much human presence to their territory as possible. Naturally, a basic baseline was required; one couldn't simply allow just anyone to take land, only for the plots to end up deserted.
Local spirits who nurtured monsters never expected their territory to become proper land. They preferred to temper their monsters through generous bounties.
A larger monster population brought greater activity, and more importantly, bolstered the local spirit's own power, allowing them to expand their domain and even completely swallow surrounding lands.
Whether to nurture monsters or people was a consideration for after reaching above the clouds. Leaving the trial in the Bull-Headed Man's hands, Li Banfeng returned to the companion dwelling, only to immediately sense that the atmosphere was off.
Excitement.
The walls were running hot, emitting faint rumbles and tremors from time to time. Though he couldn't hear the Old Man's voice, Li Banfeng could sense that the entire companion dwelling was in a state of high excitement!
Whenever the Old Man grew overly excited, everyone in the household felt terrified, barely daring to speak above a whisper.
The glove woke up, scuttled from the shelf to Li Banfeng's side, and murmured in a low voice, "The Old Man found something good. It's in the Third Room."
"What good thing?"
*Did he find rails on his own?*
The glove said, "We don't dare go in. The Old Man doesn't want us to see."
As Li Banfeng walked toward the Third Room, the Lady cautioned him, "Husband, don't go look. The old master probably just picked up some trinket outside. There's nothing special about it."
Hearing her say that only made Li Banfeng all the more curious. What kind of trinket could get the Old Man this worked up?
The moment he stepped inside, Li Banfeng froze.
Five large stones rested inside the Third Room.
Li Banfeng said in surprise, "Old Man, what did you haul these stones back for?"
"Ah Qi!" The Old Man lowered his voice, sounding intensely mysterious. "These are Heavenly Heart Stones."
*Heavenly Heart Stones?*
He seemed to recall the name.
The Old Man prompted him, "I told you before: the price of a single Heavenly Heart Stone rivals a pair of rails!"
The price of a pair of rails equaled a Paramount.
Li Banfeng rejoiced, hugging a stone with a grin. "Let's go to Yaowang Ravine first to find Shopkeeper Feng's elder brother and negotiate a price with him."
The Old Man asked, "Why negotiate a price?"
"To sell them! We must ask him for at least a million silver dollars a piece!"
"Sell them? Nothing of the sort!" The Old Man snapped angrily. "I'm saving them to build a station!"
Li Banfeng still remembered that: three Heavenly Heart Stones were enough to build a major station, where the companion dwelling could stop for a full hour.
Yet was there that much difference between an hour and half an hour?
Using all these Heavenly Heart Stones to build a station made Li Banfeng wince.
"Let's wait until we move to another place before building the station!"
The companion dwelling said, "Ah Qi, take the long view. This is your territory, and you'll have plenty of business to handle here in the future. Building a major station will give you more breathing room."
Li Banfeng smacked his lips. "The key issue is that there's already a station here."
"The Joyous Soil from before can be recovered. We can pick another spot to build the station. It won't go to waste."
Further argument was useless. The companion dwelling was itching with impatience, wanting to build a major station right this instant, and Li Banfeng had no choice but to agree.
Yet what struck Li Banfeng as strange was where these Heavenly Heart Stones had come from.
"I've walked this territory countless times. Wherever I go, you follow. Why didn't we ever find any Heavenly Heart Stones before?"
"Heavenly Heart Stones are unnameable objects. Their locations are never fixed. Our luck simply happened to be good this time, bringing five stones together right on your land!"
Li Banfeng couldn't quite wrap his head around what 'unnameable' truly meant.
While the companion dwelling began constructing the station, Li Banfeng went to observe the trial.
The old bull had brought ten monsters, all primed and ready.
Assuming the guise of the local spirit, Li Banfeng said to the old bull, "If you can't beat them, break off quickly. Don't throw away your lives over this."
The old bull chuckled. "I'll pass along the word, but whether they can rein themselves in is hard to say."
Three months of cultivation power was an immense temptation. When the appointed hour arrived, the monsters charged into the plot together.
Leading eleven subordinates, Chu the Second surged forward to meet the enemy. Across the three-li plot, a chaotic brawl broke out.
Watching for over half an hour without seeing either side gain the upper hand, Li Banfeng departed. He wanted to wander around the territory to see if he could stumble upon more good things like Heavenly Heart Stones.
Walking south for three li or so, the silhouette of a massive mountain emerged in the hazy darkness.
Where had this mountain come from?
Li Banfeng knew his territory intimately. There shouldn't be a mountain here; this was supposed to be a grassland.
*Could I have misremembered?*
He walked closer to inspect it. The mountain was thick with lush vegetation, leaving scarcely any visible path up its slopes.
There was definitely no such mountain on his land before. This peak had sprung up out of nowhere.
Not daring to scale the mountain recklessly, Li Banfeng immediately made his way to Meng Yuchun's dwelling.
Meng Yuchun was honing herself before a mirror. Li Banfeng waiting outside the door spoiled her mood.
Sending off her two sisters, Meng Yuchun wiped the sweat from her brow. "You came looking for me just to ask about a mountain? There are plenty of hills on your territory. What's so strange about that?"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "This mountain doesn't belong to my territory."
Meng Yuchun scoffed, "A territory a hundred li across isn't small. Who could remember every detail clearly? Isn't it only natural to misremember a few spots?"
Meng Yuchun was speaking the truth. For a homestead cultivator, misremembering places was common; she didn't have a crystal-clear memory of her own territory either.
Li Banfeng said, "I'm a journey cultivator. How could I fail to remember an entire mountain?"
"What of being a journey cultivator? Think that makes you special? If you misremembered, just admit it. Would I laugh at you?" Bristling with irritation, Meng Yuchun followed Li Banfeng to the foot of the mountain, looked up at the towering peak, and fell silent for a long while.
There truly was no mountain this tall on Li Qi's territory.
Rubbing her chin, Meng Yuchun strained to produce a plausible explanation: "The newland is in constant flux. A mountain occasionally popping into existence is perfectly reasonable."
Li Banfeng knew Meng Yuchun was a woman who valued face. Spouting a bit of nonsense to save face was understandable.
But this was stretching it far too thin!
From what Li Banfeng understood, the flux of the newland meant new plots were continually coming into being. He had never heard of an established plot of newland changing after it had already taken shape.
After her bluster, Meng Yuchun also felt the matter was somewhat bizarre. "Wait until I go back and ask the Cook. He's well-traveled and knowledgeable; he should know about things like this."
Meng Yuchun departed. Li Banfeng circled the mountain and found a spot where the trees were relatively sparse, then unleashed his skill, Severing the Path to Open a Trail.
The trees parted to either side, opening a small path before him.
The path was seventy to eighty meters long. The moment Li Banfeng stepped through, the technique deactivated, and the mountain forest returned to its original state.
Carving a path step by step, he climbed all the way to the mountainside. The exertion drained Li Banfeng considerably, but ahead, the woods grew noticeably thinner, passable even without using the skill.
A few drops of water struck his face, making Li Banfeng think it had started raining.
It did rain in the newland, and rain was sometimes a lifesaver for hunters, but today the sky was completely clear. The droplets came from the mist weaving through the mountain forest.
Continuing toward the peak amidst the dense fog, Li Banfeng saw no living creatures among the vegetation—not even an insect.
Nearing the summit, he caught a scent: the smell of ink.
Following the scent, Li Banfeng discovered a desk standing amidst the woods. Upon the desk lay an unfinished ink wash painting.
Depicted on the paper was a young man in a long gown and scarf, his eyes bright and resolute as he gazed into the distance, his expression brimming with the spirited vigor unique to scholars.
Because the arms remained unfinished, Li Banfeng could not tell what he held, nor what gesture he was making.
Beside the scroll sat an inkstone, its ink still wet.
There was someone on this mountain, and they likely hadn't gone far.
Li Banfeng looked around, and his gaze settled back onto the painting.
The man in the painting, who had originally been staring into the distance, had at some point shifted his eyes slightly and was now gazing straight at Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng stared at the ink wash painting for a long time, suddenly sensing someone approaching.
From deep within the forest, a figure slowly manifested, growing clearer and clearer.
An elderly man in his sixties, his grizzled hair hanging loose and holding a calligraphy brush, walked up before Li Banfeng.
Painter Fu Taiyue. Li Banfeng recognized the man.
How could he be on this mountain?
Chapter 474