A Man from Heaven?

In the parking lot of the Cultural Palace, a woman in her late twenties started her car. Just as she was about to pull away, she suddenly noticed a man sitting in the back seat. She moved to turn her head, but Li Qi warned her not to move. "You're here to deliver goods to Fourth Mother Yin?" The woman gave a slight nod. Li Qi asked again, "Who sent you?" Not quite understanding what he meant, she said, "This is just my line of work. I work alone on my own." "If you don't feel like telling the truth, we can go somewhere else to chat." Terrified, the woman stammered, "I am telling the truth! I'm not lying to you! You can go ask Fourth Mother Yin—I've been doing business with her for a long time." "What profession of dark adept are you?" "I'm a spirit medium." "What tier?" "Tier three." "Reaching tier three at such a young age?" "Every coin I earn goes toward buying harmonizing agents. After years of scrimping and saving, I only just reached tier three. I've been in this trade for years, and plenty of people know me. My name is Jin Shunying. Lots of people know who I am—I swear I'm not lying to you!" Li Banfeng glanced down at his pocket watch. Inside, Mengde nodded slightly at him. After feasting and living in luxury alongside Li Banfeng for so long, Mengde's strength was incomparable to the past; a tier-three demonic cultivator's lies could never slip past her. This woman was not very articulate, but her mind was exceedingly sharp. Li Banfeng had read plenty of files at the Dark Star Bureau, and among civilians in the Outer Province, tier-three dark adepts were already a rarity. She had strength, yet chose not to risk her life fighting Li Banfeng, proving she was a sensible person. Li Banfeng took out a sheet of covenant paper. "I want to do business with you." Jin Shunying shook her head. "I don't do piecemeal side deals. If my buyers find out, no one will ever take my goods again." "I'm not buying ghost servants from you. I want to buy something else. Press a blood thumbprint onto this covenant deed, and wait for me here tomorrow at the same time." Jin Shunying pressed her print, and in the blink of an eye, Li Qi vanished. She heard only the click of a car door, catching no glimpse of his silhouette whatsoever. *Why did I have to cross someone like this? Did Fourth Mother Yin set me up?* *He just used that special paper from Puluo Province. If I don't show up tomorrow, I'll probably lose my life.* Driving home, Jin Shunying could not stop shivering. *** "I'll see you off outside the village, we'll see you off just outside the little village, why see you off just outside the little village—" Fourth Mother Yin hummed a little tune as she sorted through the newly arrived ghost servants. This girl was quite pretty—a tier-one Literary Cultivator with poise and grace. She would fetch a good price. This man's combat prowess was well preserved—a tier-two Martial Cultivator, prime material for fighting. Even outside a scrap, putting him to hard labor would still be worthwhile, enough to fetch a decent sum. This young fellow looked ordinary, but he was generously endowed and a tier-two Joy Cultivator to boot. So long as the right buyer was found, he could sell for a fortune. This other man's facial features were somewhat blurred, likely because his soul hadn't been preserved properly. Looking like this, he wouldn't be easy to sell off. Fourth Mother Yin didn't seem to recall seeing him during the inspection just now. Still humming her tune, she was flipping through the roster when Li Banfeng could no longer bear it and spoke up: "Singing that single line over and over—can't you learn a few more lyrics?" Fourth Mother Yin jumped in fright, stumbling back several paces. "Big Boss! What brings you here?" "Came to buy some things from you. Don't you want me coming around?" "Of course! I missed you terribly! Take your pick of whoever catches your eye!" Li Qi said, "Show me all the fresh arrivals from tonight." Fourth Mother Yin was taken aback. "Only the new arrivals from tonight? I'm afraid these goods won't be up to your standards." "Display them first. Whether they're up to my standards is another matter." Fourth Mother Yin presented the ghost servants Jin Shunying had delivered one by one. Sure enough, Li Banfeng found them lacking; not a single one among them had a cultivation exceeding tier three. "Who brought you these goods?" Fourth Mother Yin shook her head. "By our rules, sir, you really shouldn't be asking that." "Is that so?" Li Banfeng smiled faintly. The moment she saw him smile, Fourth Mother Yin changed her tune at once. "Then again, with our relationship, I'll just tell it to you straight. The one who delivered them is an old friend of mine. "The girl is named Jin Shunying. Don't let her youth fool you; she's been in this business quite some time. Her reputation is impeccable, she handles matters meticulously, and she's quite handsome to boot. "Though she doesn't usually take odd freelance jobs, she and I are close. I'll have a word with her another day. If there's anything you want, you can go straight to her, and the price will be a whole lot cheaper than mine." Li Banfeng shook his head. "Her goods aren't up to par. For prime merchandise, I still have to come to you. Has the Ferry Gang delivered anything to you recently?" "Only that single time before! You were right there on the scene, sir! I was scared out of my wits, and you even threatened to sew my mouth shut. Ever since then, they haven't come back once." Chu Zikai was spooked. After such a major incident, being frightened was only natural. Li Banfeng pressed, "Aside from you, does the Ferry Gang deliver goods to anyone else?" "How would I know—" "Truly don't know?" Li Banfeng smiled again. "Oh, how do I put this..." Cornered without a way out, Fourth Mother Yin lowered her voice. "Yesterday, I was chatting with a few peers in the trade. Over in Jiacheng District, a batch of goods was just taken in, delivered in person by Boat Boss himself." "He delivered the goods in person again? Is he really that strapped for cash?" Fourth Mother Yin sighed. "Money—who isn't strapped for it?" Li Banfeng left a stack of bills for Fourth Mother Yin. "If you get any news about Boat Boss, be sure to let me know." *** The following night, Jin Shunying waited in the parking lot. Li Banfeng slipped silently into the car and sat in the back seat for a while. Catching sight of his figure, Jin Shunying gently rubbed her palms together as the ghost servants inside the car went on guard. She normally kept sixteen ghost servants at her side, each assigned to a fixed position within the vehicle. Normally, they left no trace, but when called to strike, each possessed lethal methods. Jin Shunying never expected these ghost servants to defeat Li Banfeng, but she was confident he wouldn't detect them. Catching him off guard in a critical moment with an ambush could at least buy her a little time to flee. "How long have these ghost servants been following you?" Li Banfeng said. With that single sentence, all of Jin Shunying's hopes were shattered. Li Banfeng had noticed the cluster of ghost servants long ago. Jin Shunying spoke the truth: "Ever since I became a dark adept, they've been by my side. I only want to run a small trade to feed myself. I don't know how I've offended you, but I beg you, spare my life." Judging by the sound of her voice, she was crying. Li Banfeng did not make things difficult for her, simply chatting casually. "Your business isn't small at all. A single delivery fetches hundreds of thousands." Jin Shunying sobbed, "The price is high, but the costs are huge too. Hunting a departed soul worth a hundred thousand costs seventy to eighty thousand. All the profits go toward buying harmonizing agents, which are shockingly expensive. What little remains barely covers food and clothing." Her words rang sincere. Li Banfeng pulled out a stack of banknotes and said, "I have a good venture here, and the capital required isn't that large. Can you tell me where you usually hunt departed souls?" Jin Shunying stared at the bills, not daring to take them, so Li Banfeng pressed the money into her hand. "I... I usually look for departed souls in Yanlou Village." *Yanlou Village?* He had some impression of the place from his school days; it seemed to be an internet-famous spot for tourists. Jin Shunying went on, "Yanlou Village has a peculiar geography, possessing a relatively stable source of dark energy. In terms of concentration, it's unfit for humans, but ideal for departed souls. Souls will actively flock toward Yanlou Village, so spirit mediums throughout Yuezhou go there to seek business." "Has the Ferry Gang been there too?" "Yes. Word is their Boat Boss is preparing to pull off a major score in Yanlou Village." "What score?" "It seems the vengeful spirit of a high-tier brawler has appeared in Yanlou Village, and many hunters have banded together to go after it." A high-tier brawler! A lead at last. Li Banfeng asked, "Do you want to give it a try? Capture that high-tier brawler?" Jin Shunying shook her head. "How could I possibly have the skill? That brawler reached tier seven, and it's a specialized departed soul. Going there would just be seeking my own death." "What do you mean by a specialized departed soul?" Jin Shunying explained, "When a dark adept dies, the dark abilities of their departed soul are severely diminished, causing combat power to plummet. A tier-three dark adept might only retain the fighting strength of a tier one after death. "Yet there is an exceptional class of dark adepts. They were uniquely gifted in life, and after dying, their gifts are released all the more effectively. An adept who was originally tier three might possess combat power comparable to tier five in death. "When encountering such a soul, a hunter's past experience is useless; survival depends entirely on luck. Plenty of hunters have already died at the hands of that high-tier brawler." For a civilian dark adept, her grasp of specialized knowledge was remarkably solid. Li Banfeng said earnestly, "Shunying, if you want to make a name for yourself in this line of work, you have to reach for these big deals." Jin Shunying shook her head repeatedly. "I don't dare reach for it. I know my own limits." "Shunying, young people need to have dreams." Jin Shunying kept her head down. "I lack the courage for such dreams." "I'll lend you some courage." Li Banfeng took out paper and pen, drafting a covenant deed. "We'll do this venture together. If it succeeds, we split fifty-fifty. "If it fails, I'll put up a sum of money to compensate your losses. What do you think?" "I really can't—" Li Banfeng thrust the covenant deed into Jin Shunying's hand. Knowing she had no choice, Jin Shunying pressed her blood thumbprint and drove Li Banfeng toward Yanlou Village. On the road, she asked only one question: "How... how should I address you?" "I'm called Big Boss. Just call me Boss." Yanlou Village was an urban village—cramped alleyways, dilapidated buildings, electric scooters darting back and forth, and a tangled web of overhead power lines. All the hallmarks of an urban village were vividly displayed here. Jin Shunying found a small inn and asked for two rooms, but the innkeeper waved his hand. "Only one left." "You're fully booked?" Jin Shunying was astonished. This inn rarely had good business. "Today is the fifth, and tomorrow is the day the Great God descends. Coming at this hour, you're lucky to get even one room." Jin Shunying rubbed her forehead. Swept up in fear, she had completely forgotten about it. The descent of the Great God was an immensely significant occasion in Yanlou Village. The innkeeper added, "Besides, you're just one person. What do you need two rooms for?" *Just one person?* *There's a man standing right beside me—can't he see him?* Li Banfeng was standing right next to Jin Shunying, but the innkeeper truly couldn't see him. A homestead cultivator above the clouds possessed such abilities. If Li Banfeng didn't intentionally leave a trace, Jin Shunying wouldn't have seen him either when he got into her car earlier. The woman reacted quickly, immediately booking the last remaining room and completing the check-in. Once inside the room, Li Banfeng touched the Qiansi earring, then touched the projector in his pocket. The projector blocked the surveillance equipment in the room, while the Qiansi earring pulled a hook out of the wall. Li Banfeng asked, "What did he mean just now about the Great God descending?" Jin Shunying said, "Over ten years ago, a Great God emerged in Yanlou Village. He descends once every month on the sixth and stays for a single day. During that day, many people come to pray to him." "What's his background?" "His background is unknown. People say he isn't of earthly stock, but a man born of heaven." "A man from heaven?" Li Banfeng stared blankly for a good while, then asked, "What kind of methods does this Great God have? Can he make people rich, or help them get promoted?" If the answer was that he could refine pills for people, Li Banfeng would leave Yanlou Village immediately. Jin Shunying thought for a moment. "I don't know what abilities the Great God has, but the people who come to pray bring all sorts of desires—some seek official rank, some seek academic success, some seek wealth, and others seek cures for illness. "Some say he's remarkably efficacious, while others claim he isn't efficacious at all. Some worship with utmost devotion, while others just come to join the bustle." Li Banfeng asked, "Have you ever prayed to him?" Jin Shunying nodded. "Once. I felt it was quite efficacious. Not long ago, I saved some money and wanted to buy harmonizing agents to break through to tier three. I made a special trip to Yanlou Village to pray, hoping everything would go smoothly. "By rights, my little bit of money couldn't buy much. But for some reason, the sellers near the Cultural Palace had their reputations ruined by someone, and their goods couldn't sell. Some of the harmonizing agents were nearing expiration, so they sold them to me at an eighty percent discount! I made a huge profit that time. "Boss, did I say something wrong? Boss..." Li Banfeng's expression was somewhat dazed. A homebody's expression was usually easy to overlook, but this time his distraction was noticeably pronounced. The man from heaven was the master of the Red Lotus. The Red Lotus possessed unmatched capabilities when it came to refining pills. Jin Shunying prayed to buy harmonizing agents and received the Great God's favor. Harmonizing agents were essentially the elixir pills of the Outer Province... There had to be a connection here. This Great God was very likely the master of the Red Lotus. Li Banfeng asked Jin Shunying, "When do you plan to hunt that brawler?" Jin Shunying pondered. "Today and tomorrow definitely won't do. There are too many people around, making it inconvenient to act, or else we'll draw the Dark Star Bureau. "I plan to observe the situation over these two days and strike the night after tomorrow. By then, most of the people in Yanlou Village will have cleared out." Li Banfeng suggested, "How about we wait until after the Great God leaves to come back?" Jin Shunying thought about it. "Since it's rare to come here, I'd like to pay my respects before leaving." What wish was she planning to make? Could she be wishing to shake me off? Li Banfeng nodded. "Very well. Get some rest here and wait for the worship." At the mention of resting, Jin Shunying's face flushed; two people couldn't sleep in the same room. "I'll go sleep in the car..." Just as she moved to stand up, Li Banfeng waved his hand. "You sleep here and make your preparations while you're at it. I'll return for you the night after tomorrow." Leaving the inn, Li Banfeng circled around the urban village and quickly returned to his residence. Entering the companion dwelling, Li Banfeng walked straight to the tenth chamber and sat down before the Red Lotus. The Red Lotus unfurled its petals, revealing a lotus seed—a Profound Accumulation Pill refined from the corpse of Lu Huowang. Li Banfeng looked at the pill and asked softly, "Has the man from heaven come to Yuezhou?" The Red Lotus remained silent for a long while before countering, "How did you know?" He truly had come! "Did he come for you?" The Red Lotus fluttered its petals. "I don't think he necessarily came for me. In fact, I don't think he wanted to come to Yuezhou at all. There must be another reason for his arrival." The Red Lotus seemed to know many things, and she seemed to have maintained some special link with the man from heaven all along. Under these circumstances, the wisest course of action for Li Banfeng was to leave Yuezhou immediately. Sensing Li Banfeng's thoughts, the Red Lotus spoke slowly: "Don't be in a rush to leave. If you leave, he might follow you." Li Banfeng stroked the lotus center. "Sister Lotus, are you joking? In a sea of people, could he really find me that easily?" The Red Lotus gently pinched Li Banfeng's finger with its core. "It can't be helped. Who told you to keep me in your hands?" Li Banfeng stood up and left the tenth chamber. Arriving in the main room, Li Banfeng lay on the bed without uttering a word. Hong Ying chuckled and asked, "What is it, Seventh Brother? Upset because you can't learn how to fly?" The gramophone gave Hong Ying a sharp slap with its board, then approached Li Banfeng, consoling him softly: "Precious Husband, I heard everything just now. You needn't listen to that wench's nonsense. That man in the heavens certainly didn't come looking for you." His wife was right; that man wasn't here for him. The tradition of worshiping the god in Yanlou Village had lasted over a decade. The man from heaven came once a month and had done so for ten-odd years. This was his routine, likely bearing no relation to the Red Lotus. Even so, the gramophone was somewhat worried. "Among those I know, the only one in this world who can contend with the Peddler is this man from heaven. For safety's sake, Husband, you should temporarily leave Yuezhou." Li Banfeng said, "I'm worried that leaving abruptly right now will draw his attention instead." The gramophone sighed softly, troubled as well, unable to devise a solution for the moment. "Ah-Qi, you don't need to go anywhere," the Old Master spoke up. "Stay home these couple of days. We haven't met in many years; I'd like to see if he can find me." The gramophone admired his resolve in secret, never expecting the Old Master to possess such confidence. "Husband, let us listen to our Old Master. Stay home these two days and study some scholarship with this humble slave." "What scholarship?" "Scholarship regarding techniques. Husband, your advancement came too swiftly, leaving certain techniques half-baked. Allow this slave to help patch them up." For two whole days, Li Banfeng studied techniques with his wife inside the companion dwelling, not stepping outside once. Under his wife's guidance, Sprawling Compound, Golden House for a Hidden Beauty, Expand the Domain and Open the Frontiers, and Comforting One's Own Shadow all saw considerable progress. The most noticeable improvements were in Sprawling Compound and Comforting One's Own Shadow. The variety of techniques that Sprawling Compound could borrow increased, and their potency rose significantly. The technique of Comforting One's Own Shadow was streamlined; before summoning the shadow, so long as no specialized tactical coordination was required, the meeting segment could essentially be skipped. On the night of the seventh, Li Banfeng headed to Yanlou Village and found Jin Shunying at the inn. Jin Shunying had already prepared the bait, organized her gear, and gathered intelligence: "That high-tier brawler has been lingering around the construction site east of the village lately. A band of hunters clashed with him a few days ago. They failed to beat him, but suffered no casualties either, managing to pull back intact." Li Banfeng looked over Jin Shunying's gear, genuinely admiring her professionalism. "When the Great God descended, what wish did you make?" Jin Shunying looked at Li Banfeng. He raised an eyebrow. "If it's inconvenient, you don't have to say." "It's not really inconvenient. I just didn't want to speak it aloud for fear it wouldn't come true. But keeping it bottled up feels stifling too. "Boss, you were right. If you want to make a name for yourself, you have to reach for big business. I'm still young, and I still have dreams. The wish I made was that we will definitely capture that high-tier brawler this time." "You wished for that?" Li Banfeng's cheek twitched. "Was it a bit too greedy?" Jin Shunying lowered her head. "I heard from the innkeeper that right here in this inn, a woman blind for years prayed to the Great God, and overnight, her eyes could see again! "The Great God's visit this time was exceptionally efficacious. It wasn't just the innkeeper saying so. I believe he'll be watching from above the entire time, blessing us to accomplish this great feat." "Watching the entire time..." Li Banfeng took a deep breath. Embarrassed, Jin Shunying said, "I was just speaking offhandedly." Surely it was offhanded. The Great God had a rule: arrive on the sixth, depart on the seventh. It was already the night of the seventh; how could he linger until now just for Jin Shunying's single wish? Even so, Li Banfeng hesitated. "Let's move the operation to tomorrow." The sudden change in plans caught Jin Shunying off guard, but she asked no questions and agreed immediately. *** On the night of the eighth, Li Banfeng and Jin Shunying arrived at the construction site east of the village. The site was stalled at the demolition stage. A compensation agreement had been struck with the villagers back then and construction had begun, but unforeseen financial troubles halted the project, leaving the grounds abandoned. Jin Shunying lit incense candles she had personally crafted from high-grade materials. This was her signature method for summoning spirits, and also one of a soul hunter's operational costs. Li Banfeng walked a circuit around the site, finding no one else. Returning to Jin Shunying's side, he found numerous departed souls already gathering around the incense candles. Though she had spoken of it casually before, she had made thorough preparations. Her intelligence had been bought at a high price, and having received ample payment, the informant had kept quiet, ensuring there were no competitors at the site tonight. More and more departed souls clustered around the candles. Jin Shunying drove away those lacking sentience. For the remaining souls with adequate awareness, she released two ghost servants to screen them. The screening process was simple: any soul capable of trading a couple of blows with a ghost servant proved it possessed combat strength, and such souls could be kept. Those terrified witless or incapable of offering any resistance were chased off immediately. As for those who could fight a ghost servant to a standstill or even gain a slight upper hand, they had to be handled with extreme caution, for Jin Shunying did not know if she had the ability to control them. Watching the clashes between ghost servants and departed souls, Li Banfeng knew full well that the soul of that high-tier martial adept was certainly not among them. The screening was nearly complete. Only a single soul had managed to trade a few moves with the ghost servants, so Jin Shunying took him in and drove the rest away. Jin Shunying checked the time; it was already past midnight. The incense candles were more than half burnt down. Any souls that could be drawn should have arrived long ago. As for that high-tier brawler, perhaps his tier was too high for him to bother showing up, or perhaps he wasn't in this area at all. The intelligence she had bought at great expense had gone down the drain. Jin Shunying felt despondent; the single ghost servant she had captured wouldn't even cover the cost of the candles. Yet after working as a hunter for so many years, she was accustomed to such setbacks. Packing her gear, Jin Shunying prepared to leave, only to notice that Li Banfeng was gone. *** Li Banfeng had heard a disturbance. Someone was walking toward the incense candles, only to stop abruptly halfway. Following that came the faint sound of shifting bricks, tiles, and rubble. The sound was minute, but the Qiansi earring heard it with crystal clarity. Following the sound, Li Banfeng caught intermittent singing: *I am your guokui, though cheap and humble, yet I can stave off your hunger...* "Master, it's him." The Qiansi earring identified the timbre, certain that the person was Chu Zikai. Chu Zikai was employing a Sound Cultivator technique. Li Banfeng mobilized the full resistances of a homestead cultivator, paired with the shielding from the Qiansi earring, reducing the influence of the Sound Cultivator technique to a minimum. Reaching a vantage point where he could faintly see Chu Zikai, Li Banfeng witnessed the battle between him and a departed soul. Chu Zikai was still dressed as a boatman, clad in a coarse sleeveless jacket, wearing a bamboo hat and a mask, using his song to pin down the soul amidst the rubble. The soul seemed immobilized by the melody, yet his feet were still struggling against the debris—which was why Li Banfeng had heard those faint scraping sounds. Singing his tune, Chu Zikai pulled out a cloth sack, preparing to capture the soul. It seemed he truly was desperate for money, not only engaging in the trade himself, but even personally participating in the hunt. The sack opened its mouth toward the departed soul, whose outline began to warp slightly. He was about to collect his prize. Li Banfeng certainly couldn't let him bag the soul. He opened his throat, adjusted his breath, and unleashed a low, resonant howl. Such a prolonged tone seemed crude, but it easily threw a singer off key. Chu Zikai was a Sound Cultivator above the clouds and by rights shouldn't fear such disruption. Yet the technique Li Banfeng borrowed was fierce enough that after two long howls, Chu Zikai genuinely fell out of tune. The moment his singing slipped, the binding force weakened drastically. The trapped soul suddenly regained mobility and kicked up a shower of bricks and stones straight at Chu Zikai. *Hum!—* Chu Zikai let out a low drone. The flying debris shattered layer upon layer before him, disintegrating into fine powder. It had to be ground down to utter dust, or else every single shard of brick and tile thrown by the opponent could transform into a deadly weapon. The soul's assault was far from over; he hurled rubble continuously at Chu Zikai. Not daring to show the slightest carelessness, Chu Zikai relied continuously on his vocal techniques to reduce the flying debris to powder. As the dust grew thicker, Chu Zikai sensed a shift in the situation. The soul's figure had vanished. When the soul reappeared, he was clutching a brick and had already closed in beside Chu Zikai. Chu Zikai praised with a trace of mockery, "A fine vicious ghost you are! To think you have such skill, and brought along such a fine helper too." Keeping his eyes fixed on the brick in the soul's hand, Chu Zikai was fully on guard; no matter what kind of weapon the soul turned that brick into, Chu Zikai was prepared to counter it. At the same time, he began guarding against Li Banfeng lurking in the shadows. "Who are you calling a vicious ghost?" the soul retorted, and the tattered clothes on his body abruptly burst apart. This time, Chu Zikai was caught unprepared. Shredded threads pierced into Chu Zikai's flesh one after another. The soul demanded, "Do you recognize your Second Master Lu?" Second Master Lu... Li Banfeng recalled the summoning covenant deed from the Wizard Association. Its final line spoke of a handsome man from an ancient world. That translation had likely been corrupted, just as the patrolman Zhuang Shuxing had said: passed through three, five, seven, eight hands, until the final meaning was entirely distorted. What they had summoned was not a handsome man, but a man named Jun. And herein lay the crux of the matter: how on earth had Lu Dongjun been summoned here? And where had Lu Dongjun's departed soul been before this?