Li Banfeng looked at Tangyuan, contemplating how to lay out a slope for her.
She was a trained agent, so an ordinary slope probably would not suit her.
Tangyuan sat across from Li Banfeng, trying her hardest to maintain her composure.
From the day she entered the Dark Star Bureau, she had prepared herself mentally for the possibility that she might one day die in action on a mission.
Before falling in battle, how would she face the end of her life?
Whenever she was alone, Tangyuan had often indulged in such daydreams.
Especially in the shower, she would hold the showerhead, spraying it over herself like gunfire, pretending she had suffered a mortal wound and was mustering her final ounce of strength to take the enemy down with her.
Of course, having undergone professional training, she knew self-rescue procedures after being injured. Surviving was naturally ideal, but if she could not, she would do everything possible to deliver her dying words.
Her final words did not need to be long—just four words would suffice: "I did my duty!"
Every time she imagined this scene, Tangyuan would move herself to tears.
Now she was close to tears once more, but not out of emotional pride—out of sheer terror.
Reality was completely different from imagination. She was not nearly as brave as she had pictured, and dying in action was far more frightening than she had anticipated.
Li Banfeng handed Tangyuan a glass of water. "You don't need to be so nervous."
Holding the glass, Tangyuan asked in all sincerity, "Is it poisoned?"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I didn't poison it."
Tangyuan brought the glass to her lips, her teeth chattering against the rim in a continuous clatter.
Watching Tangyuan drink it down, Li Banfeng said, "I put laxatives in it."
Tangyuan's entire body tensed up, and a faint flush of color returned to her deathly pale face.
How could he do something like this...
Tangyuan felt a surge of warmth roiling in her abdomen and instinctively clamped her rear tight.
Li Banfeng continued, "This medicine works exceptionally fast, so we don't have much time. First, tell me: you came to Xiaoyaowu for the banquet with Dick Chen before, so why did you dare sneak back in as a songstress now? What made you think I wouldn't recognize you?"
Tangyuan answered truthfully, "I used disguise techniques. You shouldn't have been able to recognize my face."
"Why didn't you change your voice?"
My voice?
He recognized me by my voice?
"I didn't think you would pay attention to my voice."
Li Banfeng possessed the technique of Discerning Spirit Sound, and aided by the Thread-Hook Earring, he was extraordinarily sensitive to voices.
Tangyuan had spoken at the banquet table, and Lightbulb had later revealed her identity. Li Banfeng naturally kept Tangyuan's voice in mind. Added to her clumsy performance on stage, Li Banfeng had quickly spotted the abnormality.
"Did you come to Xiaoyaowu to spy on me?"
Tangyuan nodded.
"Have you gathered any useful intelligence?"
"Not yet."
"That Dick Chen who came with you earlier—who is he, really?"
Tangyuan did not want to answer.
The previous questions had concerned only herself; leaking information about herself was something she could accept psychologically.
Now, the question touched upon classified matters of the Dark Star Bureau and the Garrison Office. Tangyuan did not want to become a traitor.
This slope was indeed proving difficult to lay. Seeing Tangyuan remain tight-lipped, Li Banfeng said, "A word of warning: this laxative packs serious power. Your body might lift right off the chair."
Why would her body lift off the chair?
From the jet propulsion?
Tangyuan gritted her teeth as her stomach let out a loud rumble.
So what?
She was someone who did not even fear death; could she possibly be afraid of a little thing like this?
Li Banfeng looked at Tangyuan and asked, "Is Dick Chen from Puluo Province, the Huan Country, or somewhere abroad?"
Tangyuan said, "He's a foreigner. He mentioned it himself during your negotiations."
"Does he know you're an agent of the Dark Star Bureau?"
"Yes."
"Would the Dark Star Bureau disclose an agent's identity to a foreigner?"
"That's because his status is very special."
"Special in what way?"
Gurgle. Tangyuan's stomach rumbled once more.
She strained with all her might to maintain her focus and avoid slipping up in her replies, but found it exceedingly difficult.
She quickly realized what was happening.
Li Seven isn't threatening me with laxatives; he's using them to destroy my concentration.
This was a specialized interrogation method Tangyuan had studied before: using measures that caused low physical damage, an acute sense of urgency, and persistent torment to disrupt the subject's rhythm of thought and concentration, thereby causing them to make mistake after mistake under questioning.
Under agonizing restraint and endurance, Tangyuan gave her prepared answer: "Dick Chen is a merchant assigned by the Garrison Office. My mission back then was to ensure his safety."
Li Banfeng asked, "What area of business is he primarily engaged in?"
"You should know full well. He dealt with Ma Junyang before." Tangyuan was still somewhat lucid; avoiding details was one of the core strategies in withstanding interrogation.
Li Banfeng paused for a long time, quietly watching Tangyuan's reaction.
Gurgle, gurgle...
Tangyuan's face was bathed in sweat, and she seemed to be losing her lucidity.
Li Banfeng continued, "Why would the Outer States entrust matters of classified fields to a merchant—and a foreign merchant at that? What makes this foreign merchant so special?"
"He..." Tangyuan gasped for breath, the cramping in her gut blurring her consciousness. "I... I don't know much about his background. That's outside my scope of duty. If you want me to answer your questions, at least ask about things I know..."
Tangyuan was on the verge of collapsing.
"Then let me ask you something you do know," Li Banfeng said in all seriousness. "The tide at the Yellow Dragon Gate is rising; dare I ask, Miss, what will you use to hold it back?"
"Tighten the sluice gate first..." Tangyuan took a deep breath and shook her head, thoroughly mortified. She had no idea why she was suddenly talking about sluice gates with Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng smiled. The slope was smoothing out; she was about to speak the truth.
"Miss You Xuehan, you have been lying this entire time, and every lie is riddled with holes.
"Dick Chen's identity will be made public sooner or later. In fact, I've already uncovered a great deal of information about him. From you, I only need a few confirmations and supplements.
"As long as you tell me his identity truthfully, today's business ends right here. Why make things hard on yourself?"
Tangyuan shook her head. "You can kill me. I don't even fear death. Do you think this bit of humiliation and torture means anything to me?"
"Oh, it's not nearly as simple as right now." Li Banfeng shifted the plant stand beside the tea table, revealing a movie camera hidden in the shadows.
Li Banfeng adjusted the camera's angle. "You've investigated me, so you should know I own a film production company. I told you earlier that you might fly off that chair. That's a rare special-effects shot. I'll make sure to use it in our films—and I can tell you in all seriousness, I won't just use it once."
Tangyuan gritted her teeth, bead after bead of sweat dripping from her hair. "I don't care. I have done no wrong by my mission."
Li Banfeng nodded. "I know you've done no wrong by your mission. You can even firmly believe you're a hero. But some things cannot be washed away. Soaring into the air mounted on a golden dragon—that tale will circulate for many years, quite possibly far longer than your own life."
Tangyuan's trembling grew increasingly severe.
Li Banfeng laid down the final stretch of the slope: "I told you just now that I already know most of Dick Chen's background. He's balancing relations between various parties, and his identity will be made public sooner or later.
"Telling me what you know won't affect him in the slightest. Such a simple act is all it takes to escape your present predicament.
"But if you stubbornly grit your teeth and refuse, the consequences for you will be devastating. Once your reputation is destroyed, you might lose everything.
"The restroom is right over there. Don't pay an irreversible price for an irrelevant person and an irrelevant matter."
Another wave of cramping struck; the pressure on the sluice gate had reached its absolute limit.
Drenched in sweat, Tangyuan raised her head and blurted out rapidly, "Dick Chen's real name is Chen Weixin. He's the new deputy director of the Dark Star Bureau."
Li Banfeng was surprised. "Xiao Zhenggong was merely a deputy team leader before. How could Chen Weixin secure such a high position?"
Tangyuan shook her head. "That's beyond what I could know, but I've heard rumors that balancers can choose their own posts. Xiao Zhenggong could have held a higher office too, but he insisted on staying with the team."
"Go on."
Tangyuan stared toward the restroom, her eyes brimming with desperate longing as she spoke: "Chen Weixin is the new balancer who succeeded Xiao Zhenggong. He was born in Qishuiyao, studied abroad in countries like Amikan, Autreli, Spanie, Ingli, and Frenchi, and subsequently lived in Lavsha for a long time. He is a former classmate of Director Shen Jingye.
"After taking office, he established contact with the Inner States, and negotiations between the Inner and Outer States, which had been suspended for years, have resumed."
"What kind of negotiations?"
"The Outer States will help the Inner States open up a route into Puluo Province, and the Inner States will provide the Outer States with high-purity dark-energy carriers."
"By dark-energy carriers, do you mean magical artifacts?"
"Not magical artifacts." Tangyuan clutched her belly, her eyes rimmed with red as she looked at Li Banfeng. "Ores. Extremely rare ores. These ores can be used to manufacture specialized equipment and weapons, though the exact applications are known only to top leadership. Such materials are extraordinarily rare in Puluo Province and nonexistent in the Outer States."
Hearing this, Li Banfeng's cheek twitched slightly. "They've only resumed negotiations; nothing has been finalized yet, right?"
"It's nearly finalized. Dick Chen works very efficiently, and communication between both sides has been exceptionally smooth." Tangyuan spoke faster and faster.
A cold glint appeared in Li Banfeng's eyes. "Do you people have any idea what Inner States dwellers will do once they arrive in Puluo Province? Do you know that to them, the lives of Puluo Province people are no different from dirt on the ground? The Outer States trade with the Inner States for ore, and in the end, it's Puluo Province that suffers? What do you take Puluo Province for?"
With tears in her eyes, Tangyuan trembled all over. "That... that isn't something I can decide..."
"Then what can you decide?"
"The sluice gate! The sluice gate is still something I can decide, but I won't be able to for much longer...!" Tangyuan burst into sobs.
Li Banfeng raised a hand, gesturing toward the restroom.
Tangyuan took off at a dead sprint. Judging by the sounds emanating from the restroom, she seemed to have achieved brief liftoff.
Li Banfeng thought this matter ought to be relayed to Sun Tiecheng.
When the Down the Slope technique laid a slope in the proper place, it could branch into a brand-new technique called A Torrent of a Thousand Li. Its efficiency was visibly far superior.
Ten-odd minutes later, Tangyuan returned before Li Banfeng with a calm expression and sat down in the chair, the sweat on her hair not yet fully dry.
Li Banfeng said, "Go back and rest a bit. Tonight you're arranged to sing a solo. You need to coordinate the song with the band. Be sure to pick the one you're best at; forgetting the lyrics during a solo is an embarrassment you don't want."
Tangyuan stared at Li Banfeng in astonishment.
He's telling me to go back and sing?
Has he gone mad?
Does he even know what he's saying?
"You're not going to interrogate me further?"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "Not for now."
"You aren't going to kill me to silence me?"
"Not at the moment either."
"Then... can you let me go?" Tangyuan saw a glimmer of hope for her life once again.
Li Banfeng nodded. "I can let you go, but not unconditionally, and you'll need to wait for a while.
"If I release you right now and you suddenly abandon your investigation without having achieved any progress, it will arouse suspicion from both the Dark Star Bureau and the Garrison Office."
Tangyuan agreed completely with Li Seven's reasoning. If she went back now, Liao Zihui certainly would not let her off lightly. She would face a battery of investigations and might even be permanently expelled from the agent corps.
Yet was it too early to think about such things?
Could Li Seven truly intend to let her go?
She looked nervously at Li Seven, only to hear him offer a piece of advice: "You should adjust your diet properly from now on."
Tangyuan froze. "My diet... is there something wrong with it?"
Li Banfeng pointed at the water glass. "There was no laxative in the glass."
"Then... then why just now...?"
Li Banfeng said nothing.
Because he had laid out an extraordinarily steep slope for her.
***
Tangyuan went backstage in a daze. A songstress came up and asked, "How was Seventh Master's taste?"
Another woman beside her chimed in, "Oh my, why are your eyes so red? Did Seventh Master play too rough with you?"
Tangyuan said nothing, walking to the dressing table to prepare her makeup. Manager Zhang stepped forward and said, "Miss Taohong, Seventh Master instructed that you're to perform a solo tonight. Which song would you like? I'll have the band prepare."
Tangyuan stared blankly, remaining silent for a long time.
Several songstresses whispered among themselves nearby:
"What could she possibly sing? In yesterday's six-person chorus, she went off-key the moment she opened her mouth, forgot the lyrics halfway through, and didn't dare make a peep after that."
"Well, she went into Seventh Master's room and now she gets a solo tonight. What can you do if you're not satisfied?"
"Let her sing! A solo will only make her look more ridiculous. Who knows what Seventh Master even sees in her!"
"Can't you tell? Look at how much meat she has on that peach of hers; she could press two dents right into a wooden chair."
"Fine, let her sing with her peach if she's so capable."
Tangyuan originally had no intention of choosing a song; she had wanted to decline tonight's solo.
She had come to investigate Li Seven, not to be a songstress.
She had just leaked vital state secrets.
Having barely crawled back from the gates of the underworld, she had no appetite for petty squabbling with these vulgar singers.
Yet for some reason, hearing these women talk made Tangyuan's fury flare up.
She said to Manager Zhang, "Please let the band know: tonight, I will sing 'The Full Moon and Blooming Flowers'!"
"The Full Moon and Blooming Flowers" was one of the few Puluo Province songs Tangyuan was reasonably familiar with.
Hearing that she wanted to sing that song, the surrounding songstresses all burst into laughter.
"She really doesn't know her place. Is that song meant for the likes of her to sing?"
"Just because she crawled into Seventh Master's bed, she thinks the sky's the limit."
Manager Zhang looked somewhat awkward as well. "Miss Taohong, you had better choose another piece."
Tangyuan frowned. "I want to sing 'The Full Moon and Blooming Flowers.' Is that not allowed?"
Manager Zhang said, "You've just arrived and don't know the rules yet. Here at Xiaoyaowu, 'The Full Moon and Blooming Flowers' is Miss Jiang Mengting's signature piece."
Tangyuan sighed, originally intending to switch songs, when she suddenly saw Jiang Mengting push open the door of her dressing room.
Jiang Mengting had her own private dressing room and had heard everything outside.
Jiang Mengting looked at Tangyuan and smiled. "Let Taohong sing it. We don't have so many strict rules here at Xiaoyaowu. Good songs are meant for everyone to sing."
Tangyuan turned to look at Jiang Mengting. Her smile appeared warm, yet there was a faint chill in her eyes.
Having worked as a secretary for so many years, Tangyuan naturally knew how to read people; she knew Jiang Mengting was deeply displeased with her.
Once Jiang Mengting returned to her dressing room, Manager Zhang advised, "Miss Taohong, choose another song."
Choose another?
Tangyuan gritted her teeth.
First I'm kept from the toilet, and now I'm forbidden from singing a song?
Does bullying have to go this far?
Suffering Li Seven's bullying was one thing, but why should I take abuse from you wretched harpies?
Casting aside all reason, forgetting her identity, and letting go of every mission she bore, she now wished for nothing more than to tear their faces to shreds!
Tangyuan lifted her chin and declared, "I won't switch! I'm singing 'The Full Moon and Blooming Flowers'!"
***
Li Banfeng phoned Luo Zhengnan, instructing him to go to Qishuiyao to investigate Chen Weixin's background.
With instructions in place, Li Banfeng exited Xiaoyaowu, intending to check on the Garrison Office's progress through other channels.
The Outer States helping the Inner States build a passage was a deal that had to be ruined at all costs. An extra exit for the Inner States meant an extra catastrophe for Puluo Province.
Just as he walked out the main entrance, Li Banfeng faintly heard the chime of a bell.
Tinkle...
The sound was extraordinarily faint, so much so that Li Banfeng momentarily wondered if he had misheard.
Yet the Thread-Hook Earring reminded him, "Master, the sound is coming from the base of the wall."
Li Banfeng walked along the foot of the wall for a moment and found a bell resting on a patch of weeds.
The bell was palm-sized. Li Banfeng felt as though he had seen it somewhere before, but could not recall where for the life of him.
He inspected the bell thoroughly from top to bottom and spotted three characters inscribed on its inner wall: Tiemenbao.
What had happened at Tiemenbao?
And who had sent this bell?
Holding the bell, Li Banfeng fell into contemplation.
Ding-ding!
A guest walked out of Xiaoyaowu and boarded a rickshaw.
The coachman shook the vehicle's bell and pulled the carriage onto the road.
***
Tangyuan truly put in earnest effort. She borrowed a private room from the manager and practiced word by word, verse by verse, for the entire afternoon.
By the time she took the stage that evening, Tangyuan was drenched in sweat and felt her stomach churning once more.
Could I really have eaten something bad?
Not necessarily; whenever she got nervous, her stomach tended to act up as well.
Put the stomach aside for now; focus on singing first.
Tangyuan stood at the center of the stage, all the lights and gazes converging upon her.
She was a secretary. Under normal circumstances, she was required to walk behind leadership, only stepping ahead to press elevator buttons or open car doors. Her job was to make her superiors aware of her presence while remaining virtually invisible to everyone else.
Yet now, she stood front and center—a little terrified, but undeniably thrilled.
The prelude began to play. Where was Li Seven?
Did he not come to hear her sing tonight? Where had he gone?
***
"Where did the fort master go? When will he be back?" Wu Yongchao sat in his house, rubbing his chin with a furrowed brow.
Li Zhijuan, a female Dwelling Cultivator, asked, "If that fake foreign devil really defeats the fort master, are we supposed to obey him from now on?"
Hu Fangyuan, another Dwelling Cultivator, said, "What else can we do? They've issued a challenge right to our doorstep."
Dick Chen had arrived at Tiemenbao with Daboynes, calling for the fort master to come out and exchange martial arts techniques.
The group of Dwelling Cultivators had genuinely thought it was a simple duel. With the fort master absent, they had even considered stepping up on his behalf.
Only after asking for clarification did they understand the other party's intention.
The visitors had not traveled all this way for a friendly spar; they had come to seize territory.
The condition Dick Chen laid out was simple: if he won, Tiemenbao would belong to him, and he would be its new fort master.
If he lost, he would offer up his entire fortune of six hundred thousand silver dollars.
The sudden development had caught the Dwelling Cultivators entirely off guard.
One could hardly blame them for being naive; anyone else in their shoes would have been caught unprepared, because such a thing simply should not happen at Tiemenbao.
Tiemenbao was remote and isolated. Dwelling Cultivators were not adept at commerce; beyond eking out a living, they had only modest savings. Long-term extortion might squeeze out a bit of profit, but wagering six hundred thousand silver dollars here made no sense whatsoever.
Was a place like Tiemenbao even worth six hundred thousand silver dollars?
Regardless of its worth, the challenger had arrived, and with the fort master away, how were they supposed to handle it?
Jin Yuankang, an elder Dwelling Cultivator, said, "Someone came to our doorstep to challenge us. If the fort master doesn't come out to accept, it naturally counts as a forfeit. By the rules of the pugilistic world, that man named Chen becomes our fort master from now on."
The others exchanged glances, feeling that Jin Yuankang made sense.
Wu Yongchao, however, disagreed. "You just said 'by the rules'—whose rules are you following?"
Jin Yuankang replied, "Isn't that how rules work across the martial world?"
Hu Fangyuan added, "The senior has traveled the pugilistic world and seen much; he surely knows more about these customs than we do."
"Bullshit!" At the mention of rules, Wu Yongchao suddenly snapped to his senses. "This isn't the open martial world—this is Tiemenbao! The rules of the pugilistic world don't apply here. We have our own rules!"
Li Zhijuan nodded. "That's right. Our fort master set rules for us."
Outside the house, Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his hat and melted soundlessly into the night.
***
In a village outside the fort, Dick Chen had rented a peasant cottage, organizing the magical artifacts he carried as he prepared for tomorrow's battle.
Daboynes found it difficult to grasp Dick Chen's thinking. Why did he insist on taking action against Tiemenbao?
With operations against Tiemenbao slated for tomorrow, Dick Chen finally disclosed the whole story to Daboynes: "I came here for that top-tier weapon you obtained."
"You mean the spear, Zhao Xiaowan?"
Dick Chen nodded. "Thus far, aside from displaying an astonishing aura of power, that weapon hasn't shown me much combat utility."
Daboynes explained, "That is because the weapon's grade is simply too high. There are powers within it that we cannot yet command."
Dick Chen smiled. "Dabo, as I've told you, we are close comrades-in-arms. When an issue arises, there's no need to rush to defend yourself, nor have I ever doubted your capability.
"The spear Zhao Xiaowan holds extraordinary significance for us. Many of our upcoming operations will revolve around this weapon.
"The reason I came here is to trace its origins, verify its authenticity, and learn how to wield it.
"Xiao Zhenggong purchased the spear Zhao Xiaowan from Tiemenbao at an exorbitant price. As for how Tiemenbao acquired it, that inquiry must begin right here.
"I don't know this newly appointed fort master of Tiemenbao, but I do know he killed the previous fort master, Zhou Anju, and wiped out a band of brigands from Feiying Mountain.
"A man like that won't cooperate easily with our investigation, so extraordinary measures are required. His absence from Tiemenbao right now presents a prime opportunity. I will capture Tiemenbao first, and once he returns, I will question him about the spear's origins."
"If this fort master speaks the truth, will you return Tiemenbao to him?"
"Not necessarily," Dick Chen chuckled, shaking his head. "This group of Dwelling Cultivators at Tiemenbao has a certain utility value as well."
Daboynes voiced his concern: "Tiemenbao is easy to defend and hard to attack. Capturing it may not go smoothly."
Dick Chen sighed. "Dabo, I've told you repeatedly: we need to rebuild a brand-new Puluo Province, but the prerequisite is that you must understand the current Puluo Province well enough.
"Why is Tiemenbao easy to defend and hard to attack? Is it merely because of geography?"
Daboynes said, "The main reason is the Dwelling Cultivators inside. That pathway is naturally skilled at defense."
Dick Chen nodded. "Correct. The key lies in those people. But do you know where Tiemenbao's Dwelling Cultivators came from?
"They are outcasts who couldn't survive elsewhere. When their fort master is present, they can form a formidable fighting force.
"Now that the fort master isn't here, they are nothing. A few threats will terrify them thoroughly. Tomorrow, we will see the results.
"This battle won't be difficult. It will take only a few hours to take Tiemenbao completely. And should any unexpected turn arise, I have a backup plan. I've invited a helper, and he should be arriving soon."
Around five o'clock in the morning, the chime of a rickshaw bell sounded outside the cottage.
Dick Chen pushed open the door and smiled at the coachman standing outside. "Care to come in and rest a while?"
The coachman shook his head. "No need. I'll just sleep on the carriage. Call me when it's time to work."
Chapter 485