Paying with a Life or Paying with a Person

Xia Shumin entered Xiao Yeci's residence to negotiate face-to-face with Li Banfeng. At his side, Deputy Chief Envoy Tang Huanjie quietly cautioned him, "Chief Envoy Xia, you've said all that needed to be said. Leave the rest to the men to handle, and let us wait outside for news." Xia Shumin cast a backward glance at him. "Scared, Deputy Chief Envoy Tang? If you're scared, go hide outside!" Tang Huanjie chose not to force the issue. He turned and left the courtyard, standing by outside the estate gates. Xia Shumin ordered his assistant, Ding Zhichuan, to relay instructions for everyone to heighten their vigilance and prevent Li the Seventh from escaping. Once the orders were dispatched, Xia Shumin fixed his eyes on Li the Seventh. "I know some of the things you've done, and I know how ruthless and sinister you can be. That is why I came to see you today in broad daylight. Li the Seventh, you have nowhere left to run. If you still wish to live, turning yourself in and returning with me to the Garrison Office is your final chance." Li Banfeng smiled faintly. "And how did you arrive at that conclusion?" Xia Shumin frowned. "This is no mere conclusion; it is common sense. Given today's circumstances, if you openly defy the Garrison Office, is there any possibility left for you to survive in Puluo Province?" Li Banfeng made no reply. His gaze remained locked on Xia Shumin, carefully sizing up the man's position and the deployment of the guards around him. He did not care in the slightest about Xia Shumin's threats. The only thing that concerned him right now was his combat strength. Li Banfeng had not recovered his power; his condition was considerably worse than when he had been at the ninth tier on the turf, and he could sustain combat for only twenty seconds or so. How to end the fight within twenty seconds was the most critical problem at hand. Xia Shumin had brought several hundred men with him. These people possessed cultivation bases and fine equipment; in Li Banfeng's current state, driving them all back within twenty seconds was completely impossible. The simplest solution was to take out Xia Shumin directly. Once their commander was killed, the crowd would plunge into chaos, and only then would Li Banfeng have a chance to lead the others in breaking out. Even if a breakout failed, they could at least hold out in a stalemate for a while, waiting until He Yuxiu and Ma the Fifth returned with reinforcements. Seeing Li Banfeng remain silent, Xia Shumin initiated a new wave of psychological intimidation. He intended to give Li the Seventh three minutes to consider. The first minute was the phase for building psychological pressure, forcing Li the Seventh to truly feel the crushing urgency of his situation. The second minute served as a buffer. This phase tested negotiating technique the most: he could not let Li the Seventh relax, yet he had to provide a certain window of time to prevent the man from taking reckless, drastic measures. The third minute was the decisive phase. In this stage, Xia Shumin planned to use his superb negotiating prowess and vast professional experience to thoroughly shatter Li the Seventh's psychological defenses, compelling him to surrender without resistance. Capturing Li the Seventh was of paramount importance to Xia Shumin. Perhaps Li the Seventh really had nothing to do with the red lotus affair, but an explanation regarding the red lotus had to be delivered regardless. Beyond the matter of the lotus, Li the Seventh had always posed a threat to the Garrison Office within Puluo Province, having even struck some special balance with Liao Zihui. His continued existence would create immense resistance when Xia Shumin took over Puluo Province in the future. Forcing Li the Seventh to shoulder the blame for the red lotus incident and publicly executing him would not only satisfy their superiors above, but also strike tremendous terror into Puluo Province. At the same time, it would dismantle Liao Zihui's local network and sweep clean the obstacles for administering Puluo Province in days to come. How could Xia Shumin pass up such a golden opportunity to kill three birds with one stone? No matter how peculiar Puluo Province might be, he firmly believed that with the correct strategy and methods, he could hold it securely in the palm of his hand. "Li the Seventh, I will give you three minutes. When three minutes have elapsed, if you surrender without resistance, I can at least guarantee your safety. But if you put up a stubborn fight..." Li the Seventh suddenly vanished. Xia Shumin froze. He had formulated a whole three-minute tactic beforehand—why was the man already moving now?! Two guards swiftly moved in to shield him behind their bodies. This was intended to obstruct Li the Seventh's line of sight and prevent Viewing Flowers from Horseback from taking effect. Li Banfeng had anticipated they would do this. He simply circled directly into the midst of the crowd and brought a foot down with Treading Ten Thousand Rivers. With a thunderous crash, guards collapsed in heaps. Several guards raised their shields, pre-emptively surrounding Xia Shumin in a tight shield wall. Before ascending above the clouds, Li Banfeng would have used Clearing Paths and Forging Trails to shatter the formation and force-kill Xia Shumin. But that would not work now; Clearing Paths and Forging Trails consumed far too much energy. Instead, Li Banfeng employed Unimpeded Passage, which demanded far less effort. He slipped right through the shields and entered the interior of the formation. The instant he caught sight of Li the Seventh, Xia Shumin nearly collapsed in fright, letting out a scream born of sheer terror. "Men! Quick, come—" Li the Seventh stomped out another Treading Ten Thousand Rivers, scattering the shield formation. Xia Shumin's garments were extraordinary, seemingly alive as they expanded automatically over his body to protect his vital spots. Even so, Xia Shumin suffered severe injuries, covered from head to toe in bloody gashes. Several guards attempted to counterattack, but Li the Seventh stood too close to Xia Shumin. Fearing they might harm their chief envoy, none dared strike. Li Banfeng stepped forward, raising his foot to finish Xia Shumin off, when a wave of dizziness hit him and his legs abruptly gave way. *This shouldn't be happening—it hasn't even been twenty seconds!* As cold sweat broke out across his skin, Li Banfeng found himself unable to channel his techniques. Seizing the opening, a crowd of guards swarmed around Xia Shumin and rushed him out of the courtyard. Dragging his legs, Li Banfeng forced himself to muster strength to give chase. The Garrison Office combatants surged forward in a mass, launching an all-out assault on Li the Seventh. Killing Xia Shumin on the spot was out of the question now. Li Banfeng could only rely on his limited stamina to barely hold them off. With the tide turned, the enraged Xia Shumin shouted from outside the estate, "Shoot to kill! You must shoot this man dead!" Seeing that things had taken a terrible turn, Lu Yuanxin turned back toward the guards. "Break out through the back door!" He swiftly laid out a battle plan: he would lead his guards to fight to the death at the rear gate, first helping Lu Chunying and Xiao Yeci break through, then drawing the enemy's attention away from Li the Seventh. Lu Chunying asked, "Brother, how will you get away?" Lu Yuanxin looked at her. "Little Sister, back then the whole family looked down on me. You were the only one who didn't. You being willing to call me your brother is enough for me in this lifetime. The Lu family's future rests on you now!" With that, Lu Yuanxin led a swarm of insects and was the first to charge toward the back gate. Beyond the rear entrance, the Garrison Office forces had already set up steam machine guns. Lu Yuanxin planned to use his insects to eliminate the two gunners first, allowing his men to hold off the other enemies while Lu Chunying escaped. The clash had barely begun when, without warning, the boiler of one of the steam machine guns violently ruptured. Scalding steam billowed in every direction. The gunner was killed instantly, and the people near the boiler were boiled alive. Over a dozen men were thoroughly cooked, and even the insects Lu Yuanxin had sent forward did not escape the blast. Several of Lu Yuanxin's subordinates suffered minor burns and scrambled back immediately. Unable to fathom what had happened, they assumed it was some new Garrison Office tactic. Just as the other steam machine gunner prepared to open fire, that boiler exploded as well, catching everyone around it in the blast. One boiler blowing up could be an accident, but two? What in the world was going on? Before the steam had even dispersed enough for anyone to analyze the cause, Wen Hongyan charged in with several hundred fighters, scattering the Garrison Office's cordon. In the thick of the slaughter, Wen Hongyan reached Lu Yuanxin and asked, "Where is Seventh Master?" Lu Yuanxin pointed toward the front courtyard. Wen Hongyan tried to lead her men forward, but the scattered Garrison Office ranks quickly regrouped, and both sides fell into a ferocious melee in the back garden. In the front courtyard, besieged from all sides, Li the Seventh was thoroughly depleted. With every step, his frame swayed precariously. He now faced two choices. One was to escape using Parting Ten Thousand Li—no matter where it took him, so long as he got away from this estate. Yet he lacked the stamina to trigger the technique. The other choice was to duck directly into the companion dwelling. That would be the safest course, but he had no opportunity to hide the key. In the midst of this dilemma, a voice suddenly shouted from beyond the outer wall: "Chief Envoy Xia, whatever the matter is, we can talk it through! There's no need to cause such an enormous commotion!" Chu the Second had arrived. Behind her followed some two hundred fighters. How had she arrived so conveniently? In truth, it was no coincidence at all. Chu the Second had reached Yesong Bridge two days ago and had been lying low near Xiao Yeci's residence, waiting for her men to arrive in batches. She had assembled over seven hundred people in total, but they could not arrive all at once without Xia Shumin noticing. She had instructed them to travel in small groups by way of Kucaizhuang. Kucaizhuang held a unique geographic position, with roads connecting it to every town and city in Puluo Province, but passage required the explicit permission of Granny Kucai. Chu the Second had pleaded bitterly, agreeing to have five hundred strokes of the rod put on her tab at Granny Kucai's place, to be received once the business was done. Over the course of two days, more than three hundred had trickled in. Chu the Second had been exceedingly patient; had she not seen Xiao Yeci's residence suddenly surrounded, she would not have acted rashly. Now, lacking the advantage in numbers while Li the Seventh remained trapped in the courtyard, Chu the Second chose not to be reckless and took the initiative to negotiate with Xia Shumin. Xia Shumin had no interest in negotiating. He was wounded and furious, and he no longer cared about taking Li the Seventh alive. "Not another word to these savages! Only when every last one of these barbarians is butchered will peace and tranquility return to Puluo Province!" Kill them all! That was Xia Shumin's order. His assistant, Ding Zhichuan, gave the command to attack. More than three hundred men surged forward, killing anyone in their path. Attempting to negotiate with Xia Shumin had already stretched Chu the Second's restraint to its limit. Now that talks had failed, Chu the Second lowered her head, rolled her eyes upward, and led her men straight in a charge toward Xia Shumin. A savage bloodbath ensued. Xia Shumin bellowed, "Set up the steam machine guns! Wipe out the enemy forces!" Deputy Chief Envoy Tang Huanjie stared in disbelief. "Chief Envoy Xia, what about our own men?" Steam machine guns did not distinguish between friend and foe. If they fired into the melee, their own forces would be shredded as well. Xia Shumin roared, "Execute the order!" While the men scrambled to mount the guns, Xiang Fenglan unslung a carved bow from her back, nocked an arrow, and loosed a shot straight at Xia Shumin. How could they let her hit him? A Martial Cultivator guard reached out a hand and snatched the feathered shaft cleanly out of the air. Xiang Fenglan called out, "Split!" The arrowhead detached from the shaft and continued hurtling toward Xia Shumin. Several guards raised their shields, hemming Xia Shumin in behind solid metal. Xiang Fenglan called out, "Bore!" As if answering her command, the arrowhead burrowed through the gaps between the shields. Beyond that, Xiang Fenglan could no longer direct it, for the arrowhead was hidden inside the shield wall. She shouted, "Burst!" The arrowhead detonated on the spot, spraying fragments across everyone inside. Large shards might have been deflected, but a single arrowhead shattering produced a hail of iron grit. Every guard inside the shield wall was injured, and Xia Shumin's garments failed to expand in time, leaving half his face shredded into a bloody pulp. While the crowd still wondered what sort of magic treasure this arrowhead could be, Xiang Fenglan drew her bow and fired another. Once more, the arrowhead penetrated the shield array and detonated, tearing away a chunk of Xia Shumin's scalp. This arrowhead did not seem to be an artifact. A guard in his fifties murmured under his breath, "This looks like an Arrow Cultivator." The others had never heard of this pathway, and in the chaos of battle, none had time to ponder it. Xiang Fenglan loosed arrow after arrow. Battered and bleeding, Xia Shumin could no longer endure the agony. He bolted from the shield formation, seeking another place to take cover. Behind him, Tang Huanjie shouted, "Don't panic, Chief Envoy! She's out of arrows!" Xiang Fenglan had indeed expended her supply. She scooped up a stone from the ground and hurled it toward the back of Xia Shumin's head. *Crack!* The stone embedded itself in the back of his skull, and Xia Shumin dropped like a felled log. The veteran guard froze in stunned disbelief, not daring to rush forward to save him. He stared at Xiang Fenglan. No matter what she threw, it struck its mark without fail. This woman was indeed an Arrow Cultivator. That pathway had been extinct for so many years, yet a living practitioner still walked this world. Xia Shumin was still breathing. Though he had lost the power to move, his consciousness remained. A Healer Cultivator rushed over to treat the wound, but Xiang Fenglan's finger twitched. The stone inside Xia Shumin's skull exploded. Now, there was no need for medicine. Tiny pebbles blew out from inside his skull. The skeletal frame of his head remained mostly intact, but Xia Shumin's brain had been blasted into a honeycomb. Seizing the moment, Chu the Second darted forward, severed Xia Shumin's head with a single blade stroke, and hoisted it high, glaring fiercely at the Garrison Office forces. The battlefield abruptly fell silent. The men of the Garrison Office stopped fighting. The Chu family fighters stopped fighting as well. A Garrison Chief Envoy had been slain. Nothing like this had ever occurred in Puluo Province. The Garrison Office men had no idea what to do next. The Chu family fighters were equally stunned, and even Yang Yanzheng was at a complete loss. Dangling Xia Shumin's head, Chu the Second rasped, "Still want to fight? Then fight! Come at me!" With Xia Shumin dead, was there any point in continuing this battle? The Garrison Office held the upper hand; had they pressed on, they might very well have won. Every pair of eyes turned toward Xia Shumin's assistant, Ding Zhichuan. Ding Zhichuan wanted to retreat. By all rights, he should at least have apprehended Chu the Second, or there would be no answering for Xia Shumin's life. Yet Ding Zhichuan gave no thought to that. Like Xia Shumin, he understood very little about Puluo Province. Staring at Xia Shumin's severed head, Ding Zhichuan only felt that Puluo Province had grown even more terrifyingly alien. Her face drenched in blood, Chu the Second stared back at him with upturned eyes. Without even issuing an order, Ding Zhichuan turned on his heel and fled. The rest of the men stood rooted to the spot until Deputy Chief Envoy Tang Huanjie assumed command. He shouted aloud, "Miss Chu, please leave the Chief Envoy's head behind." Gritting her teeth, Chu the Second set Xia Shumin's head upon the ground. Tang Huanjie had his men collect the corpse, then declared a ceasefire: "Li the Seventh, Chu Huaiyuan, today's battle ends here. We are pulling out." Chu the Second stood outside the gates, and Li the Seventh stood in the courtyard; neither moved an inch. Tang Huanjie gave the order to withdraw, and the Garrison Office forces swiftly cleared out of the estate. Once they were far in the distance, Li the Seventh could no longer keep his feet and collapsed to the flagstones with a thud. Chu the Second rushed over and caught him in her arms, calling to the others, "We're leaving too! To Kucaizhuang!" Li the Seventh shook his head. "I can't leave. I have to stay in Yesong Bridge." Chu the Second frowned. "Why?" Li the Seventh managed a strained smile. "I truly cannot leave Yesong Bridge. If I leave this place, I won't survive. "Get out of here quickly. Go into hiding. The Garrison Office is bound to retaliate. Once I've recovered, we'll fight them together!" Chu the Second could not bring herself to abandon him. She had her subordinates withdraw first while she stayed by his side to watch over him. Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying returned, and He Yuxiu arrived shortly after with Ma the Fifth and the others. Chu the Second recounted the battle: "I killed Xia Shumin. I cut his head off. He is dead through and through." Ma the Fifth had just lit a cigarette; it slipped from his fingers and hit the ground. Lu Chunying fell silent, while Xiao Yeci struggled to keep herself from trembling. He Yuxiu remained relatively composed. She asked, "Xia Shumin was supposed to be a Garrison Chief Envoy, just like Liao Zihui, wasn't he?" Silence fell over the room. Everyone present had clashed with the Garrison Office before, but slaughtering a Garrison Chief Envoy in broad daylight was an entirely different beast. This went beyond anything Puluo Province had ever witnessed. It was tantamount to declaring war on the Outer Province. To Puluo Province, the Outer Province meant the State of Huan, whose sheer might was beyond their wildest imagination. And what was Puluo Province? Puluo Province was nothing more than a loose heap of sand—magnates, gangs, and common folk—an unruly, undisciplined rabble. With a province like this, what did they have to stand against the Outer Province? Holding Li the Seventh close, Chu the Second said, "You don't need to worry. I'll shoulder this myself. Isn't it just paying with my life? It's nothing!" He Yuxiu said, "Sister, don't talk like that out of spite. Whatever comes, we shoulder it together!" Lu Chunying added, "Let us return to Greenwater City first and rally all the families' forces to prepare for war with the Outer Province." Ma the Fifth nodded. "Not just men—we must prepare weapons, coin, and provisions!" Li Banfeng said, "You go back to Greenwater City and get ready. I will stay in Yesong Bridge." He Yuxiu asked in surprise, "What are you staying here for?" Li Banfeng answered, "So the Garrison Office can find me." Lu Chunying looked at him in bewilderment. "Seventh Brother, what do you mean by that?" Li Banfeng looked around at them. "From this moment on, let everyone remember: Xia Shumin died at my hands. It has nothing to do with anyone else!" Xiao Yeci cried out in shock, "Benefactor, how can you do this? Now that trouble has come, we must find a way together!" Chu the Second looked at Li the Seventh and smiled. "What, feeling tender toward me? Wanting to take the fall for my sake?" Li the Seventh chuckled. "Who's feeling tender toward you? This was my business to begin with." Chu the Second gave a huff. "This isn't your business. I was the one who killed him." "I said I killed him, and none of you are taking the credit," Li Banfeng said, pushing himself upright and looking at them all. "Leave Yesong Bridge at once. Remember this well: no matter how the Garrison Office threatens you, I did this. "You cannot fall into their traps, nor can you suffer losses. If one of you is in trouble, you all must stand together; do not let them pick you off one by one." Ma the Fifth sat down beside Li the Seventh and passed him a fresh cigarette. "I don't care what anyone else does, but there is no way I'm leaving you behind." Li the Seventh took the smoke and drew a breath. "Go back first. I can weather this." "Weather it with what? We two brothers have fought our way up side by side. Even if the sky falls, we hold it up together." "The sky hasn't fallen! Some worthless clown just died, that's all!" Li Banfeng stared at Ma the Fifth. "What did we agree on before? When major matters arise, aren't you supposed to listen to me?" Ma the Fifth had no answer for that. He Yuxiu chimed in, "Old Seven, whatever it is, we face it togeth—" "Xiur, have you forgotten the house rules?" Li Banfeng glared at her, and He Yuxiu fell silent. Chu the Second kept her head down. "Say whatever you like; there is no way I'm leaving." Li Banfeng said, "If your heart truly aches for me, go find Second Aunt and ask her to lend us a hand. That is the proper thing to do." Chu the Second thought it over. What Li Banfeng said actually made sense. Li Banfeng turned back to Ma the Fifth. "Old Five, take them away. Your homes are here, your roots are here, and you cannot weather this storm. "I am all on my own. This trouble began with me, and only I can carry it!" The group fell silent, yet they remained standing where they were, refusing to budge. Since they would not leave on their own, he had to find another way to move them. "I'm a Traveler Cultivator. You all know that, right?" Lu Chunying said, "I'm a Traveler Cultivator too." "Your tier is too low; we're not counting you for now," Li Banfeng continued. "Traveler Cultivators are hard to catch. I run fast and can phase through walls. If I want to slip away, I have plenty of ways. Having you here would only make you a burden to me. "Once you're back in Greenwater City, I'll stay here to drag them out. When the worst blows over, I'll return to Greenwater City to find you. Wouldn't that settle everything?" With that, Li Banfeng looked toward Yang Yanzheng. "Brother Yang, you're a Traveler Cultivator too. You understand the logic behind this, don't you?" He needed a witness. With Chu the Second having slain a Garrison Chief Envoy, Yang Yanzheng's mind was in utter turmoil. Hearing Li the Seventh ask, he lowered his head and murmured to Chu Huaiyuan, "Seventh Master speaks the truth." With Speaking with Utmost Certainty bolstered by Ironclad Evidence, Li Banfeng finally persuaded the group to leave. After resting for a short while in the courtyard, Li Banfeng leaned upon his Tang dao, walked out of the estate, and stepped onto the avenue. He truly had not expected such a massive upheaval to erupt right after his breakthrough above the clouds. Yesong Bridge was vast; where should he go? Not only did he have to stay in Yesong Bridge, but he also needed to show his face periodically to keep the Garrison Office's attention pinned right here. If they wanted a fight, they would fight to the end! Li Banfeng's only hope was that he could advance to the first tier above the clouds before the final battle arrived. *** In Greenwater City, Ma the Fifth, He Yuxiu, and Lu Chunying rallied all their manpower, waiting for war with the Garrison Office to erupt. Chu the Second remained in Kucaizhuang. Following the strategy worked out with Li the Seventh, she sought out Granny Kucai for help. Li the Seventh had only said that to get Chu the Second to leave; he knew full well in his heart that Granny Kucai owed him nothing, and had no reason to intervene. After listening to Chu the Second's story, Granny Kucai hefted a wooden rod. "Go lie face down on the bench. Five hundred strokes, and we'll talk after!" Chu the Second pleaded bitterly, "Granny, please hold the punishment for two days! Once Li the Seventh is safe, I'll fetch the rod myself and take my beating. Five hundred is fine, a thousand is fine—as many as you say!" Granny Kucai poked Chu the Second with a finger. "Look at you, utterly useless! I counted on you to lure a man back, and instead you went and let yourself get reeled in!" Chu the Second wept, "Granny, the trouble was my doing. Please, just help us this once!" Granny Kucai sneered coldly. "Why should I help him? Is he a disciple of mine? If he wants to dodge calamity, he can come hide in Kucaizhuang. What is he lingering in Yesong Bridge for?" *** "Old Seven is being a bloody fool too. What is he staying in that miserable place for? Come on back to our own home! As for those sons of bitches from the Outer Province, however many show up, I'll chop down every last one!" In Qiqiu City, Qiu Luoye's health had mostly recovered, and he was currently scouring for weapons to supply the three-headed folk. Juanzi said, "Master Qiu, if all else fails, let's fight our way to Yesong Bridge. We can't let Seventh Master fall into the Outer Province's hands." Qiu Luoye gritted his long teeth, truly feeling the urge to mobilize his forces. Shui Yongquan arrived in Qiqiu City and managed to talk Qiu Luoye down. "Old Five already told me about the situation. You must not act rashly. You have to trust Old Seven—he surely has a way." Qiu Luoye said, "Then I can't just sit here doing nothing either! I can't watch Old Seven take on the entire Outer Province by himself!" Shui Yongquan said, "I'm not telling you to sit around doing nothing. You must find a way to hold Qiqiu City, and I'll find a way to hold Zhengjing Village. We have to secure an escape route for Old Seven!" *** "This place is Seventh Master's way out!" Qin Bulou instructed his daughter, Xiao Qin. "Tell the old brothers in Beiqiao to keep their eyes on the Garrison Office. If Seventh Master returns, we must receive him. If the Garrison Office tries to cut off his retreat, we fight them to the death!" Xiao Qin said, "Father, we've always gotten along well with the Garrison Office. If something happens, we can talk things out." Qin Bulou shook his head. "Daughter, so long as no fighting has started, anything can be discussed. But when the day comes that the fighting begins, it becomes a matter of life and death, and there is no room left for discussion. "Seventh Master helped us protect our territory, and we must help him preserve his life." *** "This territory won't be held for long," Sun Tiecheng said, tossing the newspaper onto the table. "Reckless boy. The moment you advance above the clouds, you stir up such a massive catastrophe. You're the only disciple I have left; if all else fails, I'll just bring you back to the City of Fools." *Clack-clack-clatter, clack-clack-clatter!* The sound of a pellet drum echoed along the streets of the City of Fools. An old woman snatched a bar of soap from a peddler's cart, turned around, and walked off. The peddler grew exasperated. "Elder Sister, that's not right of you. I don't care about the amount, but you have to give at least a little!" The old woman snorted and tossed him two jiao. Pocketing the coins, the peddler asked, "Is your City Lord home?" "Not home!" The old woman took off at a sprint. The peddler chuckled coldly. "Seeing how fast you run, I know he's home." Sitting inside his residence, Sun Tiecheng let out a cold laugh, muttering to himself, "So what if I'm home? Want to take the red lotus back? In your dreams!" *** At the Garrison Office, Tangyuan returned to the office dressed in work overalls. Lightbulb walked up to greet her with a look of surprise. "You came in to work yourself?" Tangyuan frowned. "Which day don't I come to work? Haven't I been tracking Li the Seventh's matter all along? How are things going now?" Lightbulb blinked. "How is what going?" "Didn't something happen to him?" Tangyuan lowered her voice. "What is the office's stance?" Lightbulb blinked his large eyes. "Why are you asking about this?" Tangyuan dropped her voice even further: "I've been investigating Li the Seventh. If a real crisis breaks out, I need to be prepared in advance so I don't get hurt by our own people when the time comes." Lightbulb nodded. "It's true that we should get the facts straight. The trouble is, I don't know much either." Tangyuan pondered for a moment. "Don't you have a good relationship with Deputy Chief Envoy Tang's secretary? She's always praising your handsome looks. "Deputy Chief Envoy Tang is calling the shots in the office right now. Can't you dig up some news from her?" Lightbulb shook his head. "Even Deputy Chief Envoy Tang doesn't know much. I heard Chief Envoy Liao is back." Tangyuan started in surprise. "Wasn't Chief Envoy Liao sick?" *** "Are you feeling better?" Li Banfeng set down the book in his hands and lifted the kettle from the tea stove. "Not fully recovered, but people invited me back to work." Liao Zihui entered the Lu Family Bookstore, took a seat across from Li Banfeng, and poured himself a cup of tea. Li Banfeng smiled faintly. "It seems the Garrison Office truly cannot do without you." "Don't mock me. Originally, they planned to push me out of the Garrison Office to make room for Xia Shumin. "Now Xia Shumin has lit a fire and burned himself up in it. The flames got out of hand, and they forced me to come back and put out the blaze." Li Banfeng asked point-blank, "Did you come to see me over Xia Shumin's death?" Liao Zihui took a sip of tea. "An explanation has to be given for this matter after all." "What kind of explanation? You want me to pay with my life?" Li Banfeng chuckled. "I certainly cannot give you this life of mine!" Liao Zihui shook his head. "Not with your life—you must compensate with a person." "What person?" Li Banfeng assumed he meant Chu the Second. Liao Zihui set down his teacup and enunciated each word: "Xia Shumin is dead. I have ways to account for that. But Puluo Province spinning out of control is something I cannot answer for. "The Outer Province wants Puluo Province to restore its balance, so someone needs to make compensation with a balancer. Brother Li, now that I've spelled it out this far, you understand, don't you?"