Riding the Wind and Charioting the Clouds

Using Lu Huowang's map, Li Banfeng found his covenant deed. The location was exceedingly discreet, hidden beneath a slab of bluestone at the foot of a desolate hill. The surrounding dead branches and fallen leaves were seven or eight feet thick; an ordinary person would never have spotted the bluestone. Moreover, layers upon layers of traps had been laid within the leaf piles. Li Banfeng spent a full six hours searching back and forth with the glove before finally uncovering the stone. "Master, this fellow's methods are truly rare. All his effort went into the most underhanded tricks." The glove uttered this lament because Lu Huowang's mechanisms were crafted with such cunning stealth that despite its extreme caution, it had still suffered a major blow. The covenant deed was weighed down beneath the large bluestone. The glove had devoted all its attention to examining the stone, never imagining that a rotten log nearby would suddenly detonate. The blast tore open the seams along the back of the glove and peppered it with splinters, leaving it stinging wherever it touched. After digging out the covenant deed from under the bluestone, Li Banfeng brought it back into the companion dwelling. The old teapot looked it over and couldn't help offering a few words of praise: "Who would've guessed? This kid was actually quite a scrapper!" The first line of text on the deed recorded Lu Huowang being enfeoffed here, meaning he was the very first local spirit of this territory. The following twenty-eight lines recorded his battles against neighboring local spirits. He had won twenty-three bouts, lost two, and fought three to a draw—yet unable to endure his relentless harassment, those three opponents had each ceded three to five li of territory to him. The Tang saber marveled, "He truly was someone who refused to take even the slightest loss." Hong Ying could relate deeply. "On the battlefield, a Fire Cultivator's guerrilla tactics are the most vexing. Just setting fires everywhere is tough enough to deal with." The pendulum sighed. "If someone softer-hearted had fought Lu Huowang today, beaten him, and decided not to take his territory just to make friends, this grudge still wouldn't have been settled." The liquor gourd swayed. "Certainly not. Lu Huowang had his sights locked on He Yuxiu's newland. If we'd spared him today, he'd be setting fires across her territory tomorrow, giving us no peace day or night. That's just the kind of wretched bird he was." Li Banfeng had no mind for idle chatter with them. Right now, he was pondering a matter of immense importance. He wanted this land. Sensing his thoughts, the gramophone advised, "Dearest husband, you'd better let this land go. Those twenty-eight lines of writing on the deed involve far too much." With those twenty-eight lines of text, forging the deed would be nearly impossible. If every instance of Lu Huowang's name on this covenant deed were replaced with Li Qi, it would clearly conflict with the other parties' deeds. Back then, Master Mountain-Puller had fought only a single battle against Bei Wushuang, yet even that slight discrepancy had become a persistent worry for Li Banfeng. Discrepancies with twenty-eight external battle records would be far too glaring—and far too risky. His lady wife advised further, "Husband, you hold quite a few territories now as it is. This piece of newland has barely any human presence; how much use could it really be to you?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "It isn't of much use, but we can't let it fall into the hands of the Inner States again." If they left this territory unattended, the Inner States would very likely dispatch another local spirit to take Lu Huowang's place. This newland lay along the road to Tiemen Fort; Li Banfeng could not leave himself such a grave hidden danger. "Since forging it is difficult, we'll make it genuine. We'll write it out openly and honestly: I killed him and claimed the territory in its entirety." The gramophone pondered. "Husband, the Inner States keeps watch even over cultivators of the ninth layer. Now that you've slain a local spirit of considerable renown, they will inevitably turn their sights on you as well. Thus, this name must be weighed very carefully." Li Banfeng had already considered this. He certainly couldn't use his real name, nor any aliases that could be traced back to him. After pondering a moment, Li Banfeng came up with a name: Chu Yaohan. Seeing this name, his lady flew into a fury on the spot: "Whose floozy name is this?! Just which little tramp are you acquiring land for?! You even dare write her name right in front of me—do you have any regard for me at all?!" Li Banfeng did not deny it. "Chu Yaoxian is indeed a floozy, but I've never seen him. My lady may have forgotten, but He Haiqin mentioned this floozy in our home before. This floozy brought A'rou along to cause trouble in the territory during the land reclamation—" "Hold it right there!" his lady snapped angrily. "Who on earth is A'rou?!" "A'rou is another floozy. Ma the Fifth handled her. Even though she's submitted, this score still had to be settled. That local spirit is named Chu Yaoxian, so I gave myself the name Chu Yaohan. Lady wife, write the brushstrokes a bit sloppily so that even if the Inner States sees it, it won't be easy to tell apart. Down the line, even if the Inner States comes looking for trouble, they'll go after that floozy Chu Yaoxian. It protects us and dumps the blame on that floozy—isn't that killing two birds with one stone?" His lady thought for a moment, still finding it flawed. "Precious husband, even though those two names might easily confuse the Inner States, if you don't acknowledge it yourself, it won't work!" Li Banfeng straightened his expression. "It's a name I came up with myself—why wouldn't I acknowledge it?" "Your humble servant told you before that the name cannot be something you just casually made up." Li Banfeng shook his head. "I made it up with utmost seriousness!" "Husband, if you don't accept it from the bottom of your heart, no matter how seriously you made it up, it's useless!" Li Banfeng stroked the gramophone's belly. "Precious lady, why do you always worry I won't accept it?" "Chu Yaohan—that is clearly a woman's name! How could you possibly acknowledge it?" "Who says it's a woman's name?" Li Banfeng wiggled his waist. "Can my waist not count as a slender waist?" "Madman, you're angering me on purpose!" The gramophone lost her temper and grabbed her board to swat Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng twisted his hips, dodging lithely. The gramophone swung several times in succession without landing a blow. With his cultivation now above the clouds, Li Banfeng could indeed trade moves with his lady for a few rounds on agility alone. Seeing the gramophone grow angrier with every miss, Hong Ying picked up her staff nearby. "Xiaowan, let me!" Thump! With a single strike from Hong Ying's staff, Li Banfeng was plastered against the wall. Zhao Xiaowan flared with rage. "You wretched wench, are you trying to rebel?! Who told you to lay hands on my husband?!" Hong Ying said, "Wasn't I just venting anger for you!" "We husband and wife were just playing around; did we need your help?! If anything happens to my husband, see if I don't beat you to death! Husband, husband, say something to me! Husband, don't scare me like this!" Hong Ying pried Li Banfeng off the wall and stared at him for a long moment. "I think he should be fine!" The gramophone raged, "How could he be fine?! My husband has passed out!" Hong Ying looked a moment longer. "He passed out because he broke through." Li Banfeng slept for over an hour before opening his eyes. He looked first at Hong Ying, then turned his gaze to the gramophone. His breath was exceedingly weak. Hugging the gramophone and pointing at Hong Ying, he said weakly, "Lady wife, she hit me!" "Don't be afraid, husband. I'll get back at her for you right now!" The gramophone pinned Hong Ying down, yanked down her trousers, and began spanking her with the board. Enduring the pain, Hong Ying said to Li Banfeng, "Seventh Brother, don't be angry yet. Check your cultivation yourself—have you reached the second tier?" Reached the second tier? Li Banfeng didn't feel so weak anymore. He sat up, stretched his legs and feet, and didn't notice any particular change. "Yingying, you wouldn't be deceiving me, would you?" "I'm not deceiving you." Hong Ying climbed up from the stool, pulled up her trousers, and said, "Back when I broke through to the second tier of the Traveler pathway, it was just like this. For reasons unknown, I suddenly blacked out." Li Banfeng said indignantly, "What do you mean 'for reasons unknown'?! You knocked me out with a staff!" Hong Ying shook her spearhead. "The reason isn't important; what truly matters is the symptom. When you blacked out, your eyes were shut, you couldn't speak, and your body couldn't move. That symptom is identical to mine back then." Li Banfeng was startled. "Really?" The gramophone snorted. "Listen to the nonsense out of this girl. No matter who passes out, aren't those always the symptoms?!" "Xiaowan, you don't understand the matters of us Travelers," Hong Ying paced back and forth across the room in all seriousness. "Seventh Brother, I reckon the time is about right. It's time to pass on another Traveler technique to you." The gramophone swayed her horn. "No, you're rushing it!" "Xiaowan, there really are things about Travelers you don't understand. Some techniques aren't strictly bound by pacing. When Seventh Brother broke through to tier one above the clouds, I wanted to impart this technique to him, but I felt Free and Unfettered was more crucial, so I had him learn that first. Now that he's reached tier two above the clouds, Seventh Brother can shoulder an additional technique. Teaching him Riding the Wind and Charioting the Clouds is completely fine." The gramophone thought about it. "If it's Riding the Wind and Charioting the Clouds, learning it does no harm, except that this technique is quite difficult." Li Banfeng didn't quite understand. "The tier-one technique above the clouds is Free and Unfettered, and the tier-two technique is Riding the Wind and Charioting the Clouds. Is there no fixed order between the two? Can either be learned first?" The gramophone explained, "Techniques above the clouds have no set sequence. For every tier of cultivation gained, one can learn one technique. As for which one ought to be learned, it depends on foundation and talent." Hong Ying stroked Li Banfeng's leg, feeling from his thigh down to his calf. "Seventh Brother, your talent is fair, but your foundation is mediocre. I truly want to teach you Riding the Wind and Charioting the Clouds, yet I worry you won't be able to grasp it." Li Banfeng was unconvinced. "My Traveler foundation isn't bad at all." "Truly? Let me feel!" The gramophone whacked Hong Ying with the board. "Can foundation be felt by groping?!" Hong Ying rubbed her backside and said in a grave tone, "When it comes to Seeking Good and Avoiding Calamity, Seventh Brother's foundation isn't half bad. But as for Wind Rising from Still Earth, his foundation is genuinely lacking. Yet Riding the Wind and Charioting the Clouds relies primarily on the foundation of Wind Rising from Still Earth. I'm afraid learning it will be truly pushing it for him." Li Banfeng looked disdainful. "You make it sound as if I couldn't handle learning it. What's this technique good for anyway?" Hong Ying sat beside Li Banfeng and whispered gently, "Seventh Brother, once you master Riding the Wind and Charioting the Clouds, you'll be able to fly." Li Banfeng instantly wore an expression of devout sincerity. "Yingying, my foundation in Wind Rising from Still Earth is exceptionally profound. You've rarely seen me sprint; once I stretch my legs and run, even I can't see myself clearly." Hong Ying sighed. "Seventh Brother, don't be stubborn. When you took that staff blow from me just now, did you sense the danger?" Li Banfeng nodded. "I did!" "Then why didn't you dodge?" "I couldn't dodg—" Li Banfeng was struck speechless. He truly hadn't been able to dodge. "Seventh Brother, it was precisely because you felt the danger yet couldn't evade it that the cultivation within your body was triggered, causing you to leap straight to tier two in one go. In the words of scholars, this is called 'adaptation born of desperation,' 'courage spurred by shame,' and 'the spirit willing but the flesh weak.' Wouldn't you say that makes sense?" With a touch of mockery, Hong Ying chucked Li Banfeng under the chin. Li Banfeng gave a bland smile, turned to the gramophone, and said, "Lady wife, she's teasing me!" "Don't be upset, husband. I'll beat this wench to death!" The gramophone swatted Hong Ying several more times. Hong Ying rubbed her backside and explained the essentials of the technique: "To ride the wind and chariot the clouds, first there must be wind. The wind rises from still earth, so your footwork must be swift. Once the wind arises, you tread against the wind with your footsteps until you advance by harnessing its force—only then can it truly be called riding the wind." "And charioting the clouds?" "Clouds arise from the wind. When the wind picks up, the clouds billow forth. Once the force of the wind beneath your feet reaches a certain degree of maturity, it will naturally gather into cloud masses. Treading on clouds to advance is steadier than riding the wind, and it saves more effort. But whether you can conjure clouds depends on your own skill, Seventh Brother." Having imparted the technique, Hong Ying looked closely at Li Banfeng, a faint trace of skepticism in her gaze. The gramophone sighed softly. "Husband, the techniques of the Homebody pathway also include means of flight. Riding the Wind and Charioting the Clouds is indeed difficult to master. If you truly cannot learn it, then forget about it..." Li Banfeng put on the glove and quietly walked out of the companion dwelling. From behind him, the gramophone coaxed, "Don't be angry, husband; your servant spoke out of turn. Don't be upset! The deed has been altered—would husband care to take it along first?" The deed certainly had to be taken along. Li Banfeng wasn't really angry. Carrying the bowl, he went outside to find a spot to bury the covenant deed. The gramophone reproached Hong Ying, "If you're going to teach a technique, just teach it properly. Why say all that useless nonsense?" Hong Ying picked up a newspaper. "It says in here that for a woman to be loved by a man, she must first draw his resentment. Treating him like this will surely make him resent me, and once he resents me, he'll dote on me later." The gramophone snatched the newspaper and flipped through it. "Who wrote this garbage?!" "The talented lady Zhang Xiuling! She's quite famous!" "Stop reading this rubbish; it rots your brain!" The gramophone tossed the newspaper aside. "You barely had enough brains to begin with. Don't go picking up such crooked tricks." Lu Huowang's territory wasn't small, yet Li Banfeng found only a single dark-dimension space—and the most mediocre sort at that. A so-called mediocre dark-dimension space meant that the outside could not see inside, and the inside could not see outside. Within the dark-dimension space, all was pitch-black. The advantage of such a space was that external observers could not see what was happening inside; the disadvantage was that those inside could not react to changes in the outside environment. Fortunately, all dark-dimension spaces were sufficiently secretive. After burying both the covenant deed and the local spirit seal, Li Banfeng returned to the campsite to look for Tang Changfa and the two girls. Tang Changfa was sick with worry. "Shopkeeper, you were gone for so long, I thought you'd abandoned us!" "How could I leave you behind?" Li Banfeng brought out the glove, which handed over a clump of Lu Huowang's flesh and blood to Li Banfeng. "Divide this among Yan Hong'er, Cui'er, and yourself. This is good stuff from someone above the clouds. You did well, so you take the lion's share." Tang Changfa hastily offered his thanks. After dividing the flesh and blood of one above the clouds, the three gained a bit more vitality. With sufficient vitality restored, they weren't quite so fearful walking along the road. The three packed their belongings and set out with Li Banfeng. Along the way, Li Banfeng kept turning the technique of Riding the Wind and Charioting the Clouds over in his mind. He had learned his technique of Wind Rising from Still Earth from the coachman, and it had later seen some refinement under Old Train's guidance. Yet because his breakthroughs had come so fast, most of Li Banfeng's techniques were not fully solid. When Hong Ying's staff swung toward him, Li Banfeng had known he was about to get hit, but simply couldn't evade it. In truth, she was right: the spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak. Wind rising beneath one's feet—wind truly had to be generated. How great a wind was needed? And what did it feel like to kick against the wind? Li Banfeng tested it twice and realized Tang Changfa and the girls had vanished. After waiting a good while, Tang Changfa finally caught up from behind: "Shopkeeper, please walk a bit slower! We can't keep up with you." Making their way all the way to the lakeshore, Li Banfeng asked, "You all know how to swim, right?" Tang Changfa and Yan Cui'er nodded; both had good water skills. Yan Hong'er kept her head down without a word. Li Banfeng said, "It's fine if you can't swim. I'll carry you on my back." Yan Hong murmured, "I'm quite heavy." "Don't worry, I have plenty of strength for that." Tang Changfa and Yan Cui'er entered the water first, and Li Banfeng hoisted Yan Hong'er onto his back. Flustered, Yan Hong'er didn't know where to put her hands, afraid of hindering Li Banfeng's swimming, yet terrified of slipping off his back. Truth be told, Yan Hong'er really was heavy. Once in the water, she froze completely and lost all control of her center of gravity; carrying her felt like bearing a slab of rock. Fortunately, Li Banfeng had real skill in his feet and kicked water with tremendous force. Water... Didn't this feeling resemble kicking against the wind? Once they broke the surface, Tang Changfa looked around and asked timidly, "Shopkeeper, this is the Outer States?" Li Banfeng nodded. Red flowers and green trees—it didn't seem all that different. Tang Changfa turned to Yan Cui'er and Yan Hong'er. "We've reached the Outer States. Straighten yourselves up and look sharp! Don't embarrass the shopkeeper!" Yan Cui'er touched her cheek. "Oh my, my rouge is all smeared." Yan Hong'er took out her rouge box. "My rouge got soaked in the water. It's too late to fix it." Tang Changfa snorted. "Just as I said, you women are nothing but trouble." He wiped his face with the hem of his long gown, wrung the water from his clothes, and pulled a skullcap from his bosom to place upon his head. Calling it a melon-rind cap didn't sound particularly elegant, but call it a "six-panel unity cap" and the status immediately went up. During the previous dynasty, this hat was wildly popular, and in today's Puluo Province, plenty of people still fancied skullcaps. The two girls were still trying to fix their makeup. Li Banfeng urged them, "No need to fuss over that here. We'll sort it out when we get home. We're going to catch a car on the street in a moment—don't make a scene." Li Banfeng led the three out of the park, and their composure began to waver. The vehicles speeding past one after another on the street were cars—something they had never seen before. How could these things move so fast? Why were the lights so bright? Why was the racket so loud? Why was the smell so strange? Yan Cui'er had countless questions to ask, but Yan Hong pinched her, warning her to stay quiet. Tang Changfa, for his part, remained thoroughly calm. The shopkeeper had said not to make a scene, so he simply stood by the roadside without the slightest expression on his face. Li Banfeng hailed a taxi, and they all piled inside. Tang Changfa and the two girls squeezed into the back, while Li Banfeng sat in the front passenger seat. Tang Changfa wore a black long gown and a six-panel unity cap. The two girls wore qipaos with their hair pinned up, their freshly patted face powder deathly pale. All four of them were dripping wet. The driver was silent for a moment before saying to Li Banfeng, "Mister, I'm on the day shift... Actually, my shift already ended..." Li Banfeng frowned. "Your shift ended, yet your vacant light was still on? You doing that on purpose?" "No, no," the driver shook his head frantically. "I... well... I was just... Where are you all headed?" Li Banfeng gave the address. The driver didn't dare say another word, stomped on the gas, and set off. Once the car started moving, Yan Cui'er panicked. Her stomach churned violently, and nausea surged. Yan Hong'er kept glaring at her, forcing Yan Cui'er to hold it in. Tang Changfa possessed profound composure; his face remained entirely devoid of expression. Yan Hong'er signaled Yan Cui'er to take a cue from him, and both girls tried their best to keep straight faces. Through the rearview mirror, the driver saw three passengers with deathly pale faces sitting stiff and expressionless. He glanced over at Li Banfeng, who looked back at the driver. The atmosphere was rather tense, so Li Banfeng took the initiative to strike up a conversation: "It's not easy working in this trade. Must be tough." The driver sniffled and burst into tears on the spot: "Isn't it all just to make a living? I'm an honest man! I've hardly ever done anything against my conscience... Taking the long route occasionally—that was ages ago..." Watching the driver weeping his heart out, Tang Changfa felt deeply touched. Outer Staters truly possessed no scheming minds; they'd pour their hearts out to anyone. Such people would be easy to do business with. Arriving at the destination, Li Banfeng handed over a hundred-yuan banknote. Looking at the cash, the driver cried even harder. Who on earth paid in cash these days? This money definitely came from no good source. Come daybreak, it would surely turn into hell bank notes, and he might even bring a curse upon himself. "Big brother, I've got kids at home!" He tried to return the money to Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng had no idea what he meant. "Then you really have it rough. Keep the change." The four got out of the car and arrived at Li Banfeng's residence. Having no women's clothes, Li Banfeng grabbed a few pieces of his own clothing for them to change into first. Tang Changfa inspected Li Banfeng's duplex apartment and sighed. "This place isn't particularly spacious. The shopkeeper has been slumming it." Yan Cui'er stood under the air conditioner, enjoying the breeze. "This thing is quite refreshing." Tang Changfa glared at her. "Don't be so provincial! You can't stand in front of that cold-wind box for too long; that's a magical treasure of a Frost Cultivator! Standing in its breeze too long depletes your vital energy!" Li Banfeng brought out some pastries, canned goods, and instant noodles to make do for a meal. Tang Changfa felt guilty: "Shopkeeper, we didn't come here to be a burden; we came to help you. You won't need to worry about food and drink in the future. Tomorrow, we'll go out, find a location, and get a business up and running first." Li Banfeng smiled. "Ambitious. What kind of business do you plan to run?" Tang Changfa had long made plans: "Since we've come to the Outer States, we ought to run a respectable business. We plan to open a shuyu courtesan house." Li Banfeng frowned. "How on earth is that a respectable business?" Tang Changfa replied, "Our shuyu won't be like the ones in the City of Fools. We'll only rob people of their money; we won't kill them." "Still no!" Li Banfeng refused. "Pick another line of work!" Tang Changfa had a backup plan. He fetched a wicker chest: "Then we'll open an eatery. I brought all the cooking gear with me." "Now that's a proper livelihood," Li Banfeng said, somewhat surprised. "Old Tang, you know how to cook?" "Of course!" Tang Changfa opened the chest and took out a paper packet. "I have premium stupor powder here. Slip it into the liquor, and no matter how burly the man, one cup and he's out cold." "And after he's out cold?" Tang Changfa thought for a moment and answered firmly, "We'll do our best not to kill him." Li Banfeng fell silent for a moment. "Pick another trade." Seeing Li Banfeng's dissatisfaction, Tang Changfa lowered his head. "I don't know how to do anything else. I can only go back to my old trade." "What old trade?" "I'll open an inn!" Tang Changfa had originally been the boss of the Youlai Inn in the City of Fools. Having stayed there himself, Li Banfeng had already guessed his business model. "How do you plan to run an inn?" Tang Changfa said, "It's simple. Our inn provides food and lodging. Once guests arrive, we take this stupor powder—" "Put that stupor powder down!" Li Banfeng snapped in frustration. "Why is it so hard to get you to run an honest business?!" Tang Changfa didn't dare speak. Yan Cui'er whispered, "We don't know how to do any other business." "If you don't know how, can't you learn?" Li Banfeng assigned them their rooms. "Get a good night's sleep tonight. Tomorrow, I'll find you a proper line of work." The following evening, Li Banfeng brought the three to the Cultural Palace black market. Tonight, the Cultural Palace was screening an action film that regular theaters weren't allowed to show, which signaled that elixirs were on sale tonight. The four sat together in the back row of the theater watching the movie. Yan Cui'er curled her lip: "The Outer States don't have many tricks either. Look at their few moves—how cliché." Yan Hong'er kept silent, while Tang Changfa scoffed, "You think you're not cliché? All you do every day is fool around with each other. Do you have any real skill?" While they spoke, the snack vendor came over. Li Banfeng bought a bottle of water. Taking the money, the vendor gestured that they could move up to the front rows. Sitting in the front rows meant talking business. "No rush to talk business. Please take a look at this." Li Banfeng handed a letter to the snack vendor. This letter was left for Li Banfeng by Qiu Zhiheng. Having been in Yuezhou for so long, Li Banfeng had never taken it out until now. The snack vendor opened the letter, looked it over, and walked away. Before long, the snack vendor returned and said to Li Banfeng, "Sir, our manager invites you in." Li Banfeng stood up. Tang Changfa moved to follow, but the snack vendor shook his head: "The rest of you, please continue watching the film here for a while." This meant they could not accompany him. Li Banfeng signaled Tang Changfa to stay behind, then followed the snack vendor up to the third floor of the Cultural Palace. On the third floor were a conference room and several offices. The snack vendor led Li Banfeng into one of the offices and said with great respect, "Manager, this is Boss Li." The manager was a middle-aged man around fifty. In his letter, Qiu Zhiheng had stated that this man's surname was Lin, without revealing his given name, mentioning only his nickname: Lin Fojiao. Seeing Lin Fojiao keeping his head bowed the whole time, Li Banfeng thought he was deep in thought. But after looking closely for a moment, he noticed the man's eyes were closed. Was he asleep? "Manager Lin?" Li Banfeng greeted him. "Ah!" Lin Fojiao opened his eyes, looked at Li Banfeng, and asked, "Who might you be?" Li Banfeng said, "My surname is Li, introduced by Boss Qiu." Lin Fojiao yawned. "What can I do for you?" "I'd like to rent a stall here." Lin Fojiao picked up the letter and glanced at it for a moment. "Sure." "Just like that?" Li Banfeng was amazed by Lin Fojiao's efficiency. "Boss Qiu introduced you, so of course it's fine!" Lin Fojiao looked at the snack vendor. "Take care of the rest." With that, Lin Fojiao made a gesturing motion inviting him out. Li Banfeng stood up, and before he even reached the doorway, Lin Fojiao was already asleep again. This man was remarkably easy to get along with. Leaving the office and descending to the second floor, the snack vendor opened an empty private box and began discussing business: "Will you be moving large batches of goods through us, or handling resale trade?" That was their jargon for wholesale and retail. "Mainly resale, though if rare items come up, I'll deal in first-hand sales as well." The snack vendor asked further, "What line of merchandise do you deal in?" "Mainly medicinal ingredients, weapons, and supplementary materials for spiritual items. I know the market rates." "You understand our commission rules, correct?" Li Banfeng nodded. "I know all of that." The snack vendor produced a movie poster marked with numbers—Room 206: "This is tomorrow's screening schedule. If it suits you, you can open for business tomorrow." Li Banfeng accepted the movie poster; the matter was settled. Returning to his apartment, Li Banfeng briefed Tang Changfa on the rules of the black market. Tang Changfa marveled in wonder, "This truly is an honest business! But does such business really warrant sneaking around in secret?" In Puluo Province, as long as one had money, such items could be bought anywhere. If nowhere else, Lanyang Village had them by the armful. "The Outer States have the Outer States' rules," Li Banfeng said, handing some medicinal ingredients over to Tang Changfa first. "You'll open for business tomorrow. You don't need to worry about whether you turn a profit. The key is to keep an eye on a certain person for me." "Which person?" "Yin Siniang. She sells ghost servants. The moment she receives a new shipment of stock, notify me immediately."