Life of the Inner States

The colossal workshop reared the upper half of its body before Li Banfeng, dozens of iron pipes shifting and crisscrossing before his eyes. Purely in terms of size, this immense workshop bore some resemblance to Ge Junma, who had invaded Moxiangdian. Yet in the details, the two were completely different. Ge Junma was very close to a toad—one could even say he was a mutated toad. This "centipede" before him now, however, was rather abstract. To be precise, it seemed more like a machine driven by steam. The reason for calling it steam-driven was that the roof of the "centipede" workshop spewed puffs of white mist from time to time. Qiu Luoye had once said that people from the Inner States could take the form of chickens, ducks, geese, dogs, and all sorts of creatures, but he had never mentioned that an Inner States person could turn into a machine. "Are you an Inner States person or not?" Li Banfeng asked once more. The workshop doors swung open, and a spherical object about two meters in diameter flew out from within, circling Li Banfeng twice. When he first saw the sphere, Li Banfeng thought the centipede had spat out another meatball. A closer look revealed that this sphere was vastly different from the earlier meatball. The meatball had been a single entity, a massive lump of flesh. This sphere was an aggregate—an agglomeration of tens of thousands of eyes clustered together. Every eye had an eyeball and irises of different colors. Tens of thousands of eyes swiveled in different directions, scrutinizing Li Banfeng intently. Out of politeness, Li Banfeng nodded at the massive cluster of eyes. Then, Li Banfeng vanished. In their shock, the gazes of all the eyes focused on a single point, then rapidly dispersed, searching for any trace of Li Banfeng. Bang! A third of the massive sphere blew apart. The entire workshop rolled over on the ground, splashing up a huge spray of mud before quickly righting itself. This was clearly a reaction to pain. This spherical object was likely the eye of the "centipede workshop"—an eye composed of tens of thousands of eyes. The peculiar structure reminded Li Banfeng of an insect's compound eye. Although this eye was not physically connected to the centipede workshop, it was plainly part of it. When damaged, the workshop felt the pain. Li Banfeng had deliberately blown apart only a third of the giant eye, leaving two-thirds intact. The "centipede workshop" seemed to sense that Li Banfeng had ulterior motives. The gigantic eye promptly broke apart, dissolving into tens of thousands of thumb-sized eyeballs that hovered all across the air. With the eye dismantled, each eyeball began moving freely and independently. Images from tens of thousands of angles stacked together in complete disarray, severely impairing the centipede's visual processing and causing its movements to slow considerably. Yet the advantage was that the eyeballs monitored Li Banfeng without any blind spots, making it difficult for him to unleash Viewing Flowers from Horseback. Even if Viewing Flowers from Horseback were successfully activated, wherever Li Banfeng's gaze focused, it would at most detonate one or two eyeballs. Such a loss was well within the workshop's tolerance. Sure enough, Li Banfeng activated Viewing Flowers from Horseback once more. Bang! Bang! Two muffled pops sounded as two eyeballs ruptured. The "centipede workshop" did not react in the slightest; such negligible damage was trivial to it. Using Viewing Flowers from Horseback again, Li Banfeng focused his gaze upon the factory building's walls. The walls remained unscathed. Although this constituted the "Inner States person's" physical body, it differed sharply from flesh and blood in the conventional sense. Li Banfeng inwardly marveled. This "centipede workshop" was quite intelligent, and its current countermeasures were remarkably sensible. The "centipede workshop" coiled its massive body, circling Li Banfeng in the center, seemingly poised to launch a counterattack. Though its reflexes were dulled, the dispersed eyeballs also provided the centipede workshop with more angles of attack. After a brief standoff, a length of steel rebar thrust out from the top of the "workshop centipede," stabbing toward Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng was in no rush to dodge; he heard the hiss of venting steam. Superheated steam emitted a piercing shriek when sprayed. Around Li Banfeng, beams of colorless, transparent, high-temperature steam cut through the air. These steam beams were expelled by the "centipede workshop" from gaps in its body, operating on a principle similar to a steam machine gun. Their exact locations could be deduced from sound. Yet knowing their positions did not mean Li Banfeng could easily evade them. These were not arrows or bullets; they were jets of steam. As long as they were blasting, they remained continuous. The scattered eyeballs allowed the centipede workshop to weave a virtually impassable net of steam. If Li Banfeng rashly dodged the rebar stabbing at his head, he would crash right into the web. If he didn't dodge, the combined assault of steam beams and rebar would overwhelm him before long. According to Li Banfeng's calculations, the moment he left his spot, he would hit at least one beam of steam. Then let's test it out! Li Banfeng dodged to the left, slipping past the overhead rebar at the cost of having a jet of scalding steam blast straight through his chest. At the moment of his dodge, his instinct to seek good fortune and avoid calamity frantically warned him not to go left. Yet after the dodge, the steam didn't injure him. Using Carefree and At Ease, Li Banfeng had shifted a portion of his chest to the back of his head. Hanging his chest on the back of his skull was a bizarre sensation. He could clearly hear his own heartbeat and feel the rise and fall of his chest with every breath. Li Banfeng's use of Carefree and At Ease seemed to have been anticipated by the "centipede workshop." It manipulated over a dozen steam jets closing in from left and right. One beam was about to sweep across his neck, another under his ribs, and yet another across his knees. Using Carefree and At Ease again would be too difficult—there were too many body parts to displace at once. Yet even without Carefree and At Ease, he had other options. Li Banfeng chose to endure it head-on with Benevolent Dwelling Heart. The steam swept across Li Banfeng several times; his skin flushed faintly red, but nothing else changed. The "centipede workshop" was taken aback. This was hardly the kind of response a Journey Cultivator should be capable of. As it adjusted the steam beams once more, Li Banfeng had already charged right up to the workshop's side. Sensing danger, the "centipede workshop" immediately sealed all its doors and windows. Li Banfeng triggered Half-Step and slipped directly into the workshop using Unhindered Passage. He had thought the interior would contain the "centipede's" internal organs. He was wrong. It truly was a workshop—a steam-driven workshop, something uncommon in the Outer States, but everywhere in Puluo Province. Li Banfeng was no stranger to factories. He first looked up toward the ceiling, where a silvery-white steam pipe ran, fitted with pressure gauges, stop valves, check valves, and drain pipes. Pipes of varying thickness branched off from the main steam line, connecting to the steam chest, cylinders, and pistons in the center of the workshop. This silvery-white line was the main steam pipe—the aorta of the "centipede workshop." Li Banfeng swung his Tang Dao, piercing a hole into the main steam pipe. The Tang Dao shouted, "Every strike takes the enemy's head... wait, this seems to be an intestine!" Rumble! The workshop shook violently. Escaping high-temperature steam pursued Li Banfeng in wild bursts. The temperature inside surged, while the pumping pistons gradually slowed, letting out shrill screeches. "Hurts, doesn't it?" Li Banfeng dodged the gushing high-pressure steam and looked back, only to find the puncture in the main steam pipe was gone, leaving behind nothing more than a faint scar. The wound healed? This pipe wasn't made of flesh and blood, yet it possessed life! The life forms of the Inner States were becoming increasingly abstract. Li Banfeng aimed at the pipe and lashed out with Treading Ten Thousand Rivers. Hundreds of holes burst across the main steam pipe. Overwhelmed by agony, the centipede workshop thrashed and rolled in place, venting steam in all directions to chase Li Banfeng. By the time Li Banfeng evaded the steam, the wounds on the pipe had healed again. Its regenerative capacity was absurdly strong! Inside the workshop, steam beams crisscrossed. Hampered by the confined space, Li Banfeng's evasive options were limited. Benevolent Dwelling Heart could not be used repeatedly in short succession, and his mastery of Carefree and At Ease was still raw, leaving him to rely solely on Half-Step to dodge. This centipede was far too troublesome. Moreover, this centipede was a Gu Cultivator. It hadn't used any Gu arts yet, meaning it might have displayed less than half its combat capability. He couldn't drag this out; he had to finish it fast. After a brief consideration, Li Banfeng drew the Judge's Brush from his waist and stabbed it into the main steam pipe. The Judge's Brush was stunned for a moment, then screamed, "Hot!" The scalding steam turned the Judge's Brush glowing red all over. Just as it prepared to curse Li Banfeng, it saw him aim the tip at the pipe again, preparing another thrust. "Stop!" Burned once more, the brush knew what was needed without Li Banfeng having to say a word. The two punctures it had stabbed did not heal. The pipe had fallen under a Sloth Cultivation technique—it had become lazy, completely unwilling to rush to heal itself. Brandishing his scythe, Li Banfeng carved over a dozen gashes along the main steam pipe. Copious steam gushed out, steam pressure plummeted, and every piston ground to a halt. This effectively ripped out the "centipede workshop's" spine, paralyzing the beast. While the workshop was immobilized, Li Banfeng moved to the heart of the steam plant: the boiler. The fire roared inside the boiler, fed steadily by an adjacent conveyor belt carrying coal. This conveyor belt was bizarre. Li Banfeng couldn't tell where its power originated, nor where the coal it carried came from. With a single slash, he severed the belt, cutting off the boiler's fuel supply. He then splashed some tea from his pot into the boiler, and the flames began to dim. Whoosh! Whoosh! The steam pipes emitted sharp shrieks, as if the workshop were wailing in agony. If the giant toad was Ge Junma's true form, was this workshop the true form of the Inner States person before him? If the workshop was his true body, did snuffing out the boiler mean snuffing out his life? The fire in the hearth was stubborn; even soaked in tea for quite a while, it refused to go out entirely. Li Banfeng was in no rush. He could sense the workshop trembling faintly, like a dying man in feeble throes. "I almost feel sorry for you," Li Banfeng stroked the teapot and sighed. "Tell me: are you an Inner States person or not? Just tell the truth, and I'll spare your life." The workshop did not respond. Li Banfeng nodded. "Fine. Then I'll let you keep soaking." Little remained of the boiler's flames. The workshop remained silent, but its shudders and twitches grew more pronounced. Li Banfeng's principles never wavered: clues could be found again if lost, but an enemy only had one life. Cherishing life was his steadfast choice. He could sense the workshop's life aura withering. Using Golden Eyes of Keen Detail, he swept his vision back and forth across the space, waiting for something akin to a soul to emerge. There was no room for negligence here; Sun Tiecheng had taught Li Banfeng that if an Inner States person's soul wasn't thoroughly cleared away, resurrection remained possible. Specks of light surfaced along the workshop walls. Was the soul beginning to coalesce? Li Banfeng readied weapons designed to deal with dead souls. Vaguely, singing drifted from outside the workshop. "My wounds, your tears, blood and tears mingling in the same salty taste..." These lyrics sounded familiar. Qiansi murmured in his ear, "It's him again. The one who sang about guokui." Chu Zikai was here? Why would he come? What connection did he have to the textile factory? Li Banfeng exited the workshop, but saw no sign of Chu Zikai. Using Discerning Spiritual Sound, he tracked the direction of the singing. Chu Zikai was still in the actual factory compound, roughly between Workshop Five and Workshop Six. To pinpoint his exact location required listening continuously to his singing, but doing so was extremely hazardous—he could be harmed at any moment. Especially since Li Banfeng was employing Discerning Spiritual Sound; if struck by Blood-Spattered Resounding Roar right now, the blast would likely rupture his internal organs. Li Banfeng glanced back at Tangyuan outside the perimeter wall. She actually hadn't left; having slain numerous centipedes, she was still trying to assist him in the fight. Li Banfeng looked into the distance, then back at Tangyuan, gesturing for her to run for her life. Tangyuan hesitated, but Li Banfeng glared at her. That glare gave her such a fright that she shuddered and turned to flee. Li Banfeng had no time to be distracted; Chu Zikai was already closing in. His singing had not stopped, yet Li Banfeng felt no discomfort from listening. What was the purpose of his song? Merely to guard against Viewing Flowers from Horseback? If so, he should have been singing "I Am Your Guokui." Li Banfeng turned to look at the centipede workshop. The green glow upon the walls was slowly dispersing, and the soul that was about to emerge was receding back into the body. This proved the centipede workshop's life was reviving; it was pulling back from the brink of death. Chu Zikai was using song to save this Inner States person. A Sound Cultivator's techniques could actually produce such an effect! No wonder Madam was always singing into his ear whenever he was hurt. Li Banfeng unleashed Treading Ten Thousand Rivers, kicking the workshop repeatedly. Tough as the "centipede workshop" was, large sections of brick and stone sloughed off its body. Chu Zikai's silhouette flashed in midair. He still wore a conical bamboo hat, beneath which was a mask with large eyes, a high nose bridge, no lips, and protruding fangs. Seeing the man before him, Chu Zikai was startled. He didn't know this man's identity, but he had fought him before. Why him again? The two stared at each other for a moment before Chu Zikai looked toward Tangyuan fleeing outside the wall. "I can kill her first." He was threatening Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng nodded. "Go ahead. Let's see whose hand is faster." With that, Li Banfeng vanished. Chu Zikai immediately burst into song. He had prepared thoroughly against Viewing Flowers from Horseback. This time, he wasn't singing a single song—he was singing "I Am Your Guokui" and "You Are My Medicine" simultaneously. The two songs intertwined. "I Am Your Guokui" was catchy and grand, while "You Are My Medicine" was mournful and suppressed beneath it, almost inaudible to Li Banfeng. Yet the centipede heard it. To the melody, the steam pipes slowly mended, the conveyor belt repaired itself, coal fed into the boiler once more, the pressure gauges climbed, and the pistons in the cylinders began their steady chug. The "centipede workshop" was regaining signs of life. If it was truly revived, two against one—the centipede workshop and Chu Zikai together—Li Banfeng would have next to no chance of winning. Chu Zikai's nerves were wound tight. Even while healing the "centipede workshop," he remained vigilant against Viewing Flowers from Horseback. Yet Li Banfeng had not struck. Why hasn't he attacked yet? Is he trying to exhaust me? Halting the Passing Clouds carried a heavy toll. Chu Zikai didn't want to drag things out, yet he dared not slacken in the slightest. He raised the volume of "You Are My Medicine." The iron pipes on the workshop shifted slowly, and the centipede workshop looked ready to rise again. Li Banfeng suddenly materialized in a tree near the perimeter wall. Chu Zikai immediately countered with Halting the Passing Clouds. Yet Li Banfeng unleashed no technique at all. He vanished from the tree again, leaving only his glove behind. The glove quietly spat out a hand-cranked gramophone, turned the crank, and began playing music—the tune pressed by the mistress of the house. Chu Zikai wanted to finish healing the "centipede workshop" as quickly as possible. The volume of "You Are My Medicine" grew louder and louder, but the sound of "I Am Your Guokui" grew louder as well. Someone was singing along with him! The sound came from that tree. Was this an accomplice his opponent had brought, or some spiritual artifact? The voice sounded remarkably like his own, matching his tempo and melody exactly. What was this about? Chu Zikai couldn't fathom his enemy's intent when Li Banfeng abruptly unleashed Viewing Flowers from Horseback. Well-prepared, Chu Zikai used "I Am Your Guokui" to freeze Viewing Flowers from Horseback before it could take effect. Buzz! With a shift in pitch, Chu Zikai prepared to redirect the technique toward his flank. The moment the technique was diverted, however, its direction was off. Instead of striking Tangyuan, the redirected art slammed directly into the "centipede workshop." Chu Zikai was horrified. His own singing had been pulled off-key by the gramophone, skewing his technique's trajectory! Just like the off-road vehicle that had exploded previously, Viewing Flowers from Horseback—originally ineffective against the workshop—dealt catastrophic damage to it after being redirected by Chu Zikai. Boom! The centipede workshop shuddered as an entire wall was blown to smithereens. The freshly restored main steam pipe was severed, scattering equipment and gauges all over the floor. The steam chest and cylinders in the center of the workshop were blasted to pieces, yet that was not even the most lethal blow. The deadliest blow struck the boiler. The explosion's shockwave snuffed out the flames within. Chu Zikai moved to rush forward and rekindle the boiler, but Li Banfeng's figure materialized near the "centipede workshop." Had Chu Zikai focused entirely on defense, Li Banfeng would have had few options against him, and a single slip could result in injury. Now that Chu Zikai wanted to take the offensive, however, it was a different story. Li Banfeng would never let him near the workshop; one attempt might cost Chu Zikai his life. Li Banfeng stood beside the boiler, waiting quietly for Chu Zikai to see what other tricks he had up his sleeve. Around the centipede workshop, the green glow lit up again. The "centipede workshop" had completely lost its life; its soul was about to emerge. Chu Zikai abruptly switched songs. Singing "I Am Your Guokui" on one side, he sang "Follow Me in the Next Life" on the other. "Though we cannot hold hands in this life, in the next we shall grow old together..." "Follow Me in the Next Life" wasn't Chu Zikai's song; it had been a massive hit the previous year. Li Banfeng hadn't listened to it much and couldn't make out the lyrics clearly, but he noticed that the centipede's departing soul ripped free from the workshop and rushed toward Chu Zikai. This song could summon souls. Realizing the centipede workshop was beyond saving, Chu Zikai had settled for the next best thing: taking its soul. Li Banfeng drew the horsewhip Prince Chun had gifted him and cracked it over a dozen times at the centipede's soul with blinding speed. Injured, the centipede's soul was rendered immobile. A scent of blood wafted from Chu Zikai. He was about to unleash Blood-Spattered Resounding Roar for a desperate clash with Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng was waiting for just that. Up in the tree, the glove was ready, having loaded a new record. This was a record Madam had specially cut to counter Blood-Spattered Resounding Roar. After Li Banfeng and Qiansi had suffered at the hands of that technique, Madam had studied it for days and devised a method to neutralize it via record. The record held an excerpt from the opera Silang Visits His Mother. So long as the glove timed the playback right, the opera singing would weaken the destructive power of Blood-Spattered Resounding Roar. Employing Blood-Spattered Resounding Roar came at a price: Chu Zikai himself would be injured. Once injured, he wouldn't be able to use Halting the Passing Clouds, which demanded exceptional physical stamina. Without Halting the Passing Clouds, Chu Zikai would be defenseless against Viewing Flowers from Horseback. Chu Zikai gathered power for Blood-Spattered Resounding Roar, the glove positioned the needle, and Li Banfeng readied his strike. Wuu-aaoo! Alarms suddenly wailed outside the walls as a large force of peacekeepers surged into the factory grounds. What was going on? Backup from the Dark Star Bureau? Who had called them in—could it have been Tangyuan? Why was the siren so loud? And so ear-piercing? Why did the siren sound as though it carried a cultivation technique? Hearing the sirens, Chu Zikai seized the chance to change tactics, switching to Echoing Accord to amplify the alarm dozens of times over. The glove cranked the gramophone, hoping to neutralize Chu Zikai's technique, but the opera on the record was ineffective against Echoing Accord. Seeing this, the glove didn't linger. It quickly swallowed the gramophone and slipped into Li Banfeng's pocket. The deafening siren left Li Banfeng dizzy. The previously paralyzed soul of the "centipede workshop" was jolted awake and rushed toward Chu Zikai once more. The sudden turn of events threw Li Banfeng's plans into complete disarray. Li Banfeng lashed his horsewhip, wrapping it around the workshop's soul, and yanked it—whip, soul, and all—into his sleeve. Amplifying the sirens again and again, Chu Zikai charged toward Li Banfeng under cover of the acoustic assault. Continuing to fight in these conditions would put Li Banfeng at a severe disadvantage. Rather than trading blows with Chu Zikai, Li Banfeng planted a kick into him. Chu Zikai went flying—and so did Li Banfeng. Ninth-tier Journey Cultivator technique: Parting by Ten Thousand Li. Soaring through the air, Li Banfeng looked down at the peacekeepers swarming into the factory area. They blundered about, unable to locate where he and Chu Zikai had been fighting. The siren continued wailing incessantly, leaving one to wonder whom it was even meant to warn. Carrying the soul of the centipede workshop, Li Banfeng flew for who knew how long before splashing into a paddy field. Crawling out of the paddy, Li Banfeng looked around for a long time. "Where on earth is this?" Nearby, an elderly man splattered with muddy water stared at Li Banfeng and snapped in dialect, "Damn it, what the hell is going on here?" Li Banfeng shoved fifty bucks into the old man's hand as compensation, found a secluded spot, and brought the soul of the "centipede workshop" into the companion dwelling. "Madam, I brought back an Inner States person." "Is it a toad?" Madam was overjoyed, as was the whole household. Having grown accustomed to delicacies, even if an above-the-clouds cultivator were delivered, they could treat it with nonchalance. But the flesh of someone from the Inner States made it impossible to stay calm; they still remembered the taste of that toad. The gramophone said excitedly, "Projector, you missed the last meal. Once I finish, you get first bite this round." The projector looked at Li Banfeng, stayed silent a moment, and said, "Regret is a beauty belonging to art." "What regret..." Li Banfeng released the soul of the "centipede workshop"—only a soul. Clicking her wooden clappers slowly, the gramophone sang softly, "Oh, Husband dear, was this meal prepared exclusively for your humble servant?" Hong Ying protested, "Seventh Brother, you can't do this! That wicked woman eats meat, and you won't even give the rest of us a sip of broth?" The gramophone raised her clapper to strike, and Hong Ying yelled, "Brothers and sisters, fight this wicked woman! Don't let her hog it all to herself!" The companion dwelling erupted into pandemonium. Li Banfeng let out a long, wordless sigh. ... The Dark Star Bureau searched for a day and a night without finding a trace of Li Banfeng. Director Shen Jingye sat in his office, his right hand gripping his chin tightly, his expression intensely somber. Deputy Director Wang remarked from the side, "Judging by You Xuehan's description, an extremely fierce battle took place at the scene. The stealth space she mentioned has yet to be located. I fear Director Li has met with misfortune." Shen Jingye didn't utter a word, still gripping his chin tightly. Li Seven was missing. He had actually gone missing! He had to keep a firm grip on his jaw, or Shen Jingye would burst out laughing. ... At her desk, Tangyuan had cried her eyes red. She regretted leaving the battlefield at the final moment; otherwise, she surely could have saved Seventh Master, or at least known where he had gone. After crying, Tangyuan gathered her senses. Seventh Master was alive—he had to be alive. She would search again tomorrow, at least find the scene of the incident. Maybe Seventh Master was still in that courtyard, maybe the battle wasn't over, maybe he was still waiting for her... The landline rang. Tangyuan froze. It was an internal call from Director Li's office. Who could it be? Tangyuan picked up the receiver and heard Li Seven's voice: "Tangyuan, come to my office." Clatter! The receiver slipped from her hand to the floor. Tangyuan couldn't believe she was truly hearing Li Seven's voice. She picked up the receiver again, only to find the line had already gone dead. Sitting at her desk for a moment, Tangyuan wiped away her tears, took out a compact mirror, and fixed her makeup. Out of habit, she took her notepad, tucked a pen into her breast pocket, pushed up the nose pads of her glasses, straightened her back, and walked toward Li Seven's office. The office light was on. Was it him? Was it truly him? Tangyuan took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Come in!" Tangyuan stepped inside and saw Li Seven seated behind the desk. Her body trembled uncontrollably. She wanted to throw her arms around Li Seven, but lacked the courage. Li Seven was exceedingly calm. He first poured a cup of water for Tangyuan. "Sit. Have some water." Tangyuan sat down, took the cup, and took a sip. The water tasted salty, because she wanted to cry so badly. Swallowing the water down, Tangyuan tried to compose herself. Li Banfeng remained calm throughout. Looking at the cup, he said, "Tastes a bit off, doesn't it? I put a laxative in the water." Tangyuan froze. Her already racing heart beat even faster now. "Seventh Master, why did you..." Li Banfeng's face darkened. "Were you the one who called bureau personnel to the textile factory?" Tangyuan shook her head. "It wasn't me. Without your orders, I would never call the bureau for backup." "Then who notified them? Lightbulb and Bright Star?" Tangyuan shook her head repeatedly. "I don't know that. It really wasn't me!" Li Banfeng gave a sinister grin. "If you don't tell the truth, you're going to suffer." "Seventh Master, it truly wasn't me! If you don't believe me, I'll drink the whole cup!" Tangyuan grabbed the cup and downed every drop. Li Banfeng was taken aback. Blushing furiously, Tangyuan said, "I'll hold it in right here in front of you! I didn't lie to you—believe it or not!" Seeing Tangyuan act so fiercely resolute, it truly seemed she hadn't been the one to do it.