The Gu Cultivator in the Textile Factory

Li Banfeng took his mobile phone out of the projector and used it to search for a song: "I Am Your Guokui." "Pure white memories linger in pure white flour, A handful of scallions scattered to mourn our curtains-drawn love. I count the black sesame seeds one by one, I know my world cannot be without you! I am your guokui, though cheap beyond measure, I can satisfy your hunger. I am your guokui, though you forget everything about me, never forget that familiar aroma..." Back when Li Banfeng had just started college, this song had swept across all of Huan Country. But because he had possessed neither a mobile phone nor any other music-playing device back then, he remained unfamiliar with the tune. He brought out his music box, recorded the song, brought it back into the companion dwelling, and played it. The gramophone listened through once and offered no comment. After hearing it, Hong Ying looked thoroughly disdainful. "The lyrics and melody are vulgar and shameless. What's so good about this garbage?" The gramophone said, "Darling Husband, play it again. This humble servant would like another listen." Hong Ying snorted. "What's so great about his singing? It's far worse than Xiaowan's." "Hold your tongue." The gramophone swatted Hong Ying with her wooden board, then listened carefully a second time. When the second playback ended, the gramophone still offered no assessment. The liquor gourd piped up, "Little Brother, Madam must not have heard it clearly yet. Let's play it one more time." Li Banfeng nodded. "One more time it is." After the third listen, the tang sword spoke: "Such a vulgar tune! Play it once more and this humble general could sing it too." The gramophone said, "Fine, then play it again." It was played six times in a row, yet the whole roomful still had not had enough. Even Li Banfeng felt like listening to it a few more times. Was this the legendary brainwashing earworm? The gramophone discerned the truth and said to Li Banfeng, "Darling Husband, this melody is indeed vulgar, and the lyrics are vulgar too—vulgar without courage, vulgar without grace, and carrying not a shred of elegance amidst all that vulgarity." Beside her, Hong Ying chimed in, "Xiaowan, but I actually think it sounds pretty nice..." The gramophone struck Hong Ying twice with her board. "Wretch, didn't you just say it sounded awful?" Hong Ying rubbed her behind, not daring to talk back. Li Banfeng said, "Wife, I also think this song is quite good." The gramophone said softly and gently, "Darling Husband, you think it sounds good because a Sound Cultivator art is hidden inside the music. Ever since phonograph records came into existence, Sound Cultivator techniques could be spread through them. Even after several re-recordings, the art can still be preserved. The person singing this song is a master of sound cultivation." Li Banfeng said, "The person who fought me today was also a master of sound cultivation." "How did the battle go?" "He used this song to block my Viewing Flowers from Horseback." The gramophone pondered for a moment before saying, "Husband, the person who crossed paths with you might be exceptionally skilled at this song, but he might not necessarily be the original singer." Her words made sense, and Li Banfeng refrained from jumping to conclusions. First, he asked Qiansi. Qiansi said, "Master, please allow me to hear the song once more." Li Banfeng played "I Am Your Guokui" again. The Qiansi Earring replied, "Master, Madam, I listened with utmost care. The person singing is the very same man who attacked Master! During the fight, he deliberately lowered his pitch and sang much slower, but I would never mistake his voice." Madam harbored no doubt. Among the many numinous treasures, the Qiansi Earring had the weakest foundation and the lowest origin. Even so, she had followed Li Banfeng through thick and thin for so long and had endured several rounds of Madam's discipline, so her fundamental skills were solid enough. If asked to spy on high secrets, she might fail to catch them if she encountered a true master. If asked to trace a hook in reverse, she might fail to track a first-rate one. Yet when it came to a person's vocal timbre, the gramophone believed the Qiansi Earring would not hear wrong. Li Banfeng said, "The singer's name is Chu Zikai. He was once a popular singing star." The gramophone said to Li Banfeng, "If Husband wishes to settle this grudge, go find this singer. I believe Husband can defeat him. However, his cultivation is likely no weaker than Husband's, so Husband must stay on guard against several of his arts. "First is Blood-Spattered Resounding Roar. This art is simple yet practical, and Husband has suffered at its hands before. With just a thunderous roar, it can heavily injure an opponent, though the Sound Cultivator must pay a price as well. I expect he won't resort to it lightly. "Second is Resounding to Halt Drifting Clouds. This art is difficult to execute, but it counters Viewing Flowers from Horseback. A great song can halt drifting clouds in the sky, so naturally it can also halt Husband's art. By relying on his singing, he caused Viewing Flowers from Horseback to pause slightly, and through that pause, deflected its trajectory. To counter this art, Husband has two approaches..." Hong Ying squatted beside the gramophone, listening with intense concentration. The gramophone snapped harshly, "Go squat in the Tenth Room! Don't come back until I call you!" Hong Ying was infuriated, but she dared not disobey, sulking off to the Tenth Room alone. The gramophone lowered her voice. "To deal with this art, there are two approaches. First, put on the momentum of Viewing Flowers from Horseback, but do not actually unleash it. Trick him into countering with Resounding to Halt Drifting Clouds. That art is slow to release and retract, leaving Husband with ample time to strike him down." This tactic was indeed very practical. Imagine Li Banfeng assuming the stance of Viewing Flowers from Horseback, only to suddenly unleash Heart Arrowing Home—dragging Chu Zikai into the dwelling while he was still singing! Yet as good as this method was, Chu Zikai would likely be on guard against it. Knowing his own weaknesses, baiting out Resounding to Halt Drifting Clouds might not be so easy. "Darling Wife, besides this, what is the other approach?" Madam continued, "The second approach is the exact opposite. Husband needn't put on a show; unleash Viewing Flowers from Horseback directly and gamble on luck with him. When cultivation levels are evenly matched, Resounding to Halt Drifting Clouds can completely deflect Viewing Flowers from Horseback three times out of ten. Another four times out of ten, it cannot deflect it completely, and the Sound Cultivator will suffer injuries taking the brunt of the blow. The remaining three times out of ten, it cannot deflect it at all; taking the art head-on might well get him killed. "That girl Hong Ying is stubborn. If once doesn't work, she will definitely strike a second time; if twice doesn't work, there is a third. Back when we fought, this humble servant couldn't outgamble her, so I had to cripple both her eyes first. Husband can certainly take a gamble with this Sound Cultivator. If your stamina is sufficient, unleash Viewing Flowers from Horseback several times in succession. As long as one connects, it will claim this Sound Cultivator's life." Taking mental notes, Li Banfeng explained, "Wife, your husband doesn't actually know Viewing Flowers from Horseback." The gramophone said, "This humble servant knows." "Those Travel Cultivator arts your husband uses were all borrowed from Hong Ying." "This humble servant trusts Husband." Once Li Banfeng committed these two arts to memory, the gramophone added, "Besides these two methods, False Bluster is another art Husband must guard against." "False Bluster is an art too?" "It is. This art uses sound to create illusions. If you fail to recognize it amidst the panic, it will plunge Husband into grave peril. In addition, there is the art of Echoing in Accord. If the Sound Cultivator has an accomplice, Husband must be extremely careful. Once Husband is wounded by the accomplice, the Sound Cultivator can use Echoing in Accord to amplify the accomplice's art, piling injury upon injury." With all four arts memorized, the gramophone considered the matter carefully. "The other arts of a Sound Cultivator hold no restraint over Husband, nor would he easily employ them against you, so Husband need not worry. But since your opponent is above-the-clouds, Husband must exercise the utmost caution if you wish to prevail. This humble servant will carve two extra records for Husband to keep for emergencies." *** While the gramophone carved records, Li Banfeng pondered his battle tactics. The glove came over to Li Banfeng's side and, with a whoosh, spat out a massive pile of banknotes. Li Banfeng froze. "Where did this money come from?" "Master, while you were fighting them, I took the opportunity to grab it. Afraid they'd notice, I even stuffed some stones into the suitcase." Li Banfeng sorted through the banknotes. With such a massive sum, counting it all would take far too long, so he simply rewarded it all to the glove. The glove was overjoyed, but after taking the money, it voiced some doubts: "Master, both people who fought you today possessed high cultivation. For people at their level, is it worth personally intervening just for money?" This was something Li Banfeng had not figured out either. The black-robed Food Cultivator's motive remained hard to determine, but Chu Zikai had clearly been there to do business and make a profit. Whatever other reasons might be involved, he placed tremendous importance on money. Cultivation aside, he had once been a wildly popular entertainer. Could he truly be that desperate for cash? *** The next morning, Li Banfeng went to the Dark Star Bureau and phoned You Xuehan, asking her to gather background information on the entertainer Chu Zikai. You Xuehan brought the files over, then immediately reported a major piece of news: "Seventh Master, something happened to our captain." "What happened?" "You didn't come to work yesterday, and another incident broke out at the textile factory. A large swarm of centipedes suddenly appeared across the plant grounds. Director Shen worried they might be deviant creatures and ordered Captain Chen to lead a team to cleanse the grounds. Yet on a minor assignment like this, Captain Chen actually suffered a mishap." Li Banfeng set down the files. "What do you mean by a mishap?" You Xuehan explained, "I mean the whole thing is deeply abnormal. Something so simple shouldn't have been bungled by Captain Chen, and I don't believe he could mess it up. There must be a misunderstanding." Li Banfeng smiled. You Xuehan had not come here to gossip; she had come to plead for Captain Chen. Straightening his expression, Li Banfeng said, "First explain the actual facts clearly. Where exactly did Old Chen mess up?" You Xuehan recounted the sequence of events. Chen Changrui had led his team to the textile factory. First, he had Fire Cultivators coordinate with Liquor Cultivators and Water Cultivators to wash the grounds, then had Cold Cultivators coordinate with Water Cultivators to wash them a second time. Afterward, Chen Changrui deployed his scrying arts to detect any surviving centipedes, allowing the security officers to carry out targeted clearances. Listening to the account, Li Banfeng nodded repeatedly. The entire operation was clear and straightforward, with no apparent flaws. So where had the problem arisen? It had occurred at the final step. After two rounds of cleansing the grounds, Chen Changrui sensed that some centipedes were still alive in Workshop Three, so he led his team there to purge it. Yet upon reaching Workshop Three, they found not a single centipede inside. Chen Changrui activated his art again and sensed the centipedes in Workshop Six. On the way to Workshop Six, as they passed Workshop Five, over a hundred centipedes suddenly burst out. Two security officers failed to react in time, were bitten, and suffered severe poisoning. They were currently in the hospital undergoing emergency resuscitation. According to the Dark Star Bureau's records, Chen Changrui was a Rank 7 Scrying Cultivator. If tasked with tracking a highly concealed cultivator or spirit creature, some degree of error would be understandable. Yet this time he had been tracking a swarm of centipedes—creatures of very limited intelligence. Making such an elementary blunder was baffling. Moreover, it had not been just one mistake. Centipedes had appeared in Workshop Five, but Chen Changrui had heard them as being in Workshop Three—a rather absurd error. Arriving at Workshop Three and finding no centipedes, Chen Changrui had heard them in Workshop Six—a second mistake. En route to Workshop Six, passing Workshop Five, his vision failed to spot the centipedes lying in wait, resulting in his subordinates getting injured—a third mistake. Three consecutive blunders like this were truly ridiculous given Chen Changrui's pathway and standing. Li Banfeng remained silent for a long time. You Xuehan asked cautiously, "Seventh Master, do you hold a poor opinion of Captain Chen?" "Why ask that?" You Xuehan lowered her voice. "Many in the team say Captain Chen is too soft-spoken, that he never fights for anything. Even the harmonizing agents this time were secured for us by you. You must think Captain Chen is somewhat weak as well, don't you?" Li Banfeng smiled faintly without answering. You Xuehan said, "Actually, Captain Chen treats us very well. You've seen our level of ability. Over these years, without Captain Chen leading us, who knows how many disasters would have happened? Captain Chen is getting on in years, and he truly didn't handle this mission well, but you can't ruin a man's entire life over a single failed mission. That's simply too unfair to him." Li Banfeng said expressionlessly, "If those two injured security officers can't be saved, won't their lives be ruined as well? Is that fair to them?" You Xuehan said anxiously, "But that was an unexpected accident! No one could have anticipated it..." "A captain leads a mission in person precisely to prevent unexpected accidents from occurring. If this matter truly resulted from Chen Changrui's dereliction of duty, it must be handled with utmost severity!" *If this matter truly resulted from Chen Changrui's dereliction of duty...* You Xuehan brightened. "Seventh Master, you mean there's still room for leeway? It might not be Captain Chen's fault!" Li Banfeng frowned. "How could it be that simple? Whether it's his fault or not will only be known after an investigation. Tonight after work, don't leave. Wait for me." At these words, You Xuehan's face flushed crimson. What did this mean? What did Seventh Master intend to do? Keeping me behind tonight... could he want to...? Was Seventh Master that sort of person? Leaving Li Seven's office and returning to her desk, You Xuehan felt deeply unsettled. She somewhat regretted her rashness in seeking out Seventh Master. Seventh Master shared no special ties with Captain Chen. Asking him for help out of nowhere was bound to come at a price. And the price was actually going to be herself... You Xuehan took off her glasses, rubbed her forehead, and felt a wave of grievance. *I went to plead with Seventh Master for the sake of the Security Team. Why should I have to sacrifice myself? I can't agree to this!* *Yet if I refuse, it'll mean offending Seventh Master, and he'll never treat me as one of his own again.* *Actually, back at Xiaoyaowu, with just a single word from Seventh Master, I would have already become his woman...* *If Seventh Master truly wants me, I certainly won't be able to escape. But now that the moment has arrived, it's truly terrifying.* You Xuehan put her glasses back on and sighed repeatedly at her desk. Night was fast approaching. How was she supposed to get through tonight? What would Seventh Master do to her? *** Late at night, sweat streamed down You Xuehan's face as she panted continuously. "Seventh Master, slower, please." Li Banfeng looked at You Xuehan and halted his pace. Standing beside Li Seven, Lightbulb urged You Xuehan, "You're a Rank 4 cultivator, yet carrying just this little bit of gear has you struggling like this? With what little skill you have, no one in Puluo Province would even hire you as a coolie!" "Get lost!" You Xuehan flared up. "I've been to Puluo Province too—don't put on airs with me!" Late in the night, Li Seven had brought You Xuehan, Lightbulb, and Mingxing to the Ruirong Textile Factory. Li Banfeng did not care much about Chen Changrui's safety, but he was keenly interested in the Ruirong Textile Factory. This abandoned factory on the distant outskirts was gradually taking on the characteristics of Puluo Province. The roads surrounding the textile factory were all sealed off, turning it into a veritable restricted zone where vehicles could not enter. You Xuehan had requisitioned over a hundred kilograms of equipment and had no choice but to carry it in on her back. After carrying it seven or eight hundred meters, Lightbulb had refused to lend a hand and had even dropped sarcastic remarks, infuriating You Xuehan to the point of wanting to hit someone. Mingxing was clever at currying favor and stepped forward. "Big Sister, let me carry it for a bit." You Xuehan disliked Mingxing intensely, so she ignored him and kept trudging forward with the equipment. The textile factory's main gates were completely sealed, and drones were patrolling nearby. Li Banfeng selected a spot along the perimeter wall. Seizing the gap just after a drone flew past, he sent the equipment over first, followed by You Xuehan. According to the plan, Lightbulb and Mingxing did not need to go inside; their role was to keep watch outside the wall and handle any sudden developments. Li Banfeng vaulted over the wall and spotted a massive willow tree beside it, gesturing for You Xuehan to memorize this location. The two entered Workshop Three together. Li Banfeng instructed You Xuehan to measure the workshop's width first. The equipment You Xuehan carried was a set of high-precision surveying instruments. While she assembled the gear, Li Banfeng walked a circle around the workshop. Due to the repeated purges over the past few days, scorch marks covered the floor and machinery. Far from being unsightly, these charred burns lent a rare hint of life to the dead, desolate workshop. Li Banfeng asked, "When did the Ruirong Textile Factory go out of business?" Calculating the distance, You Xuehan replied, "According to the records, this textile factory shut down twenty years ago." "Why hasn't a factory closed for twenty years been demolished?" "A lot of incidents occurred at the Ruirong Textile Factory. I remember the captain once mentioning that this place holds high research value." You Xuehan could not explain what research value it held, but the width had already been measured: "Seventh Master, the workshop width is 12.3 meters." Twelve meters was the standard width for such workshops. Minor construction discrepancies were inevitable, and an error of thirty centimeters fell well within normal range, meaning You Xuehan's measurement was sound. Li Banfeng said, "Switch spots and measure again." Hoisting the surveying equipment, You Xuehan moved along the wall to find a second measurement point. The reading came out to 11.8 meters. The variance was somewhat large, but still within acceptable bounds. You Xuehan explained, "Seventh Master, this workshop has been abandoned for years. Localized structural deformation is only normal." Li Banfeng did not draw a conclusion. He had You Xuehan take measurements at six different locations. Each result hovered around twelve meters, yet every final figure was different. You Xuehan maintained that this was caused by measurement error. Li Banfeng compared the six sets of data repeatedly, then told her to move the equipment back to the very first point and measure again. Had anyone else told her to drag the equipment back to the starting point, You Xuehan would have felt toyed with. Yet following Li Seven never led to a loss, so she carried the equipment back to the first point. Once the measurement finished, You Xuehan looked at the reading on the display: 13.1 meters. Between 12.3 and 13.1, the difference was massive. You Xuehan measured several times, yet the readout consistently remained 13.1 meters. Such high-precision electronic surveying instruments could never produce such a glaring discrepancy unless the device was broken. You Xuehan looked at Li Banfeng, unsure how to explain it. Li Banfeng, however, was not surprised by the outcome. You Xuehan measured with instruments; Li Seven measured with his footsteps. At the very same location, after an interval of time, the distance truly changed. Unnameable! This matched Luo Zhengnan's experimental results completely. Li Banfeng did not rush to offer an explanation. Leading You Xuehan through the corridor, he headed toward Workshop Four. At the entrance of Workshop Four, Li Banfeng tapped the Qiansi Earring. "Master, no movement nearby." The Qiansi Earring detected nothing amiss. Discerning Spirit Sounds caught no anomalies either. If he couldn't hear anything, he could still smell. Li Banfeng activated Hundred Flavors Exquisite. All bugs carried distinctive odors; so long as even the faintest scent emanated, it could not escape his nose. Were there bugs? Indeed there were. A few mosquitoes lingered nearby, giving off a sharp, fishy stench. Even after repeated purges, such pests refused to go extinct. Aside from these mosquitoes, Li Banfeng caught no other insect scents. If he couldn't smell anything, he could still look. Stepping out of Workshop Four and arriving at Workshop Five, Li Banfeng's pupils constricted as he activated Golden Eyes of Keen Detail. Chen Changrui had encountered the centipedes in Workshop Five. According to Madam's assessment, the meatball that had appeared previously was an insect pouch cultivated by a high-ranking Gu Cultivator. Combining that with Chen Changrui's experience, Workshop Five was likely where this Gu Cultivator bred centipedes. The Gu Cultivator had used some special method to conceal the unformed centipedes, bypassing Chen Changrui's scrying and successfully ambushing his subordinates. Back in Puluo Province, Pan Dehai and Bei Wushuang were both adept at concealment, yet Li Banfeng could still see them. He did not know what caliber this Gu Cultivator was, but he doubted the man could evade Golden Eyes of Keen Detail. After lingering in Workshop Five for a moment, Li Banfeng saw neither the Gu Cultivator nor any insects. Walking past a lathe, Li Banfeng stepped on a pebble and slipped, stumbling slightly. An above-the-clouds Travel Cultivator stumbling from stepping on a pebble? This was utterly irrational. According to the principles of seeking the auspicious and avoiding calamity taught by the coachman, whenever abnormal behavior occurred, one had to pay close attention. Li Banfeng stood in the workshop for a moment as a chill slowly crept up his spine. "Go!" Li Banfeng brought You Xuehan back to Workshop Three, where she hurriedly packed up her gear. Before the equipment was fully packed away, a shudder ran through Li Banfeng. He turned to You Xuehan and said, "Leave the factory grounds immediately." Still unaware of what was happening, You Xuehan reminded him, "The surveying equipment is very expensive. If it gets damaged, we won't be able to answer for it." "No need to worry about that. I'll talk it over with Shen Jingye and have him provide an explanation." "Should we call Director Shen to request backup?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "Not for now. Go outside the plant grounds first, rendezvous with Lightbulb and the others, and await my word." Asking no further questions, You Xuehan ran to the large willow tree, leaped, and cleared the perimeter wall. *** At the foot of the wall outside, Lightbulb was chatting with Mingxing: "Do you think Captain Chen can be reinstated?" Mingxing shook his head. "Looks tough to me. Under normal circumstances, a small screw-up might pass. But what kind of critical juncture are we in right now? Nine lives were just lost in the demolition team, and now our Security Team has two more critically injured. Isn't this openly smearing dirt on Director Shen's face?" "What if Director Li is willing to lend him a hand?" Mingxing thought about it. "Director Li rushed out here in the middle of the night—judging by this posture, he truly wants to help Captain Chen. But I just don't get it. Director Li came from Puluo Province, so why would he help Captain Chen? Are they relatives? Or did they have dealings in the past?" The two squatted at the foot of the wall shooting the breeze, yet neither saw You Xuehan come flying over the wall. Because You Xuehan had never flown out at all. Landing on the ground, You Xuehan discovered she was not outside the textile factory. She was still in a courtyard. Only this courtyard differed from the factory compound: many machines and pieces of equipment were missing. The factory compound had originally contained six workshops, but now only a single workshop remained, standing desolate in the center of the yard. "Seventh Master..." You Xuehan called out softly, not daring to make too much noise. Where was this place? You Xuehan rapidly regained her composure and began analyzing her position. *Just now I walked to the perimeter wall, and by the wall stood a massive willow tree. That location was definitely correct.* *I jumped out from that spot. Reason dictates I should have left the factory grounds, yet I failed to leave.* *Outside the perimeter wall and outside the factory grounds are two different places.* *Between the outside of the wall and the outside of the factory grounds lies a stretch of invisible space—academically, it should be called a stealth space, or an existence even more concealed than a stealth space.* *Is it truly so?* *Is my judgment correct?* You Xuehan's thoughts remained fairly lucid. Whether her judgment was right or wrong, she needed to make a decision immediately: should she leap back over the wall, or explore this suddenly materialized factory compound? After a moment's hesitation, she decided to jump back over the wall. Investigating this unknown space was clearly far beyond her current capabilities. She turned around, preparing to leap over the wall, only to find the brick wall densely crawling with centipedes. The centipedes dropped from the top of the wall and swarmed straight onto You Xuehan. You Xuehan shook off the centipedes and backed away from the wall immediately. After just a few steps, she felt a numb itching across her calves. Swaths of centipedes were crawling over her shoes, wriggling up her trouser legs, and ascending her skin. The centipedes here were violently venomous; a single bite could prove fatal. You Xuehan used a knife to slash open her trouser legs, flinging the centipedes away. Then she drew a fountain pen from her breast pocket and flicked out ink. The splattered ink transformed into massive Chinese cross characters, pinning the centipedes to the ground. Freeing herself through the gaps between the characters, You Xuehan wielded her pen rapidly in midair, writing out lines of text to launch a second wave of attacks. After two rounds of Counting Ink and Tracing Lines, many centipedes lay dead, earning You Xuehan a brief window of time. She sprinted along the base of the wall, searching for an exit. After barely a dozen steps, the workshop standing in the center of the courtyard suddenly shuddered. Across the workshop, dozens of windows flew open simultaneously. From every window thrust an iron pipe, slamming into the ground like two rows of legs mounted along the workshop's flanks. *Whoosh!* The dozens of iron pipes successively belched plumes of white mist, as though driven by steam machinery. *Screech, clatter, thunk!* The iron pipes moved in alternation like dozens of legs, carrying the rectangular workshop as it crawled slowly toward You Xuehan. You Xuehan dared not linger, sprinting wildly along the wall, but after just a few paces, the crawling workshop cut off her path. How could this thing crawl so fast? You Xuehan wheeled around to run again. The workshop pursued her from behind, while centipedes large and small followed in its wake, surrounding her. The workshop raised a massive steel pipe, thrusting it straight toward her back. With no way forward and no retreat, You Xuehan prepared to fight to the death with Counting Ink and Tracing Lines. Suddenly, the wall beside her erupted with a shattering blast. *Boom!* A cloud of dust settled, revealing a breach torn open in the wall. The art of Sever Path to Open a Road. Li Banfeng grabbed You Xuehan and pulled her back into the original factory compound. Through the opened passage in the wall, that centipede-like workshop remained visible. Li Banfeng stepped through the wall and addressed the centipede workshop: "Are you from the Inner States?" The workshop writhed for a moment, then reared the front half of its body up before Li Banfeng.