BokNokBokNok
Sign in

Chapter 539

Brethren and Blood

Once the distribution plan was settled, they first had to open Zhang Gunli's vault before dividing the spoils. Gui Jianchou and Mu Yuejuan each held a walnut. They tapped them together twice, but there was no response. They tapped them twice more, yet still nothing happened. Gui Jianchou complained that Mu Yuejuan wasn't using enough force, while Mu Yuejuan complained that Gui Jianchou wasn't lining them up properly. As both grew increasingly irritable, Mu Yuejuan simply handed her walnut over to Gui Jianchou. "Our shares have already been decided anyway. Open the door yourself." Gui Jianchou tried several times, but still there was no response. Mu Yuejuan looked toward He Jiaqing. "Young Master He, are these walnuts the real deal?" He Jiaqing frowned slightly. "Would I dare deceive two seniors such as yourselves?" Mu Yuejuan gave a cold sneer. "That's hard to say. Back on Sage Peak, the Sage and the Imperial Jade Seal vanished in the blink of an eye." He Jiaqing shook his head repeatedly. "That truly had nothing to do with me. At the time, I was trapped in a cage, without even food or water to rely on." Feng Chongli looked at the walnuts. "Could you let me give it a try?" Gui Jianchou handed the walnuts to Feng Chongli. Feng Chongli clicked them together a few times, and an object inside his sleeve resonated. Cradling the walnuts in his right hand, he thrust his left hand down between them. His left hand passed straight through the walnuts and through his right palm, reaching into places unknown. After groping around for a good while, Feng Chongli pulled a handful of silver dollars out from between the walnuts. "Everyone, the vault is right between these two walnuts." Gui Jianchou glanced at Mu Yuejuan. "Don't just stand there gaping—reach in and dig through it with me!" "Ptui! Shameless! Who'd want to touch you?!" Mu Yuejuan spat, but she still thrust her hand between the walnuts. There were things inside—lots of things. For more than half an hour, the two of them hauled things out, employing all manner of techniques before they finally emptied the vault. Neither Gui Jianchou nor Mu Yuejuan cared much about the amount of money; they simply left it to Feng Chongli to count, trusting he wouldn't pull any tricks with something like that. As for the magical treasures, spiritual items, and weapons, there were more than three hundred pieces in total, varying wildly in tier and quality. This came down to luck and discernment, so the four of them took turns selecting, taking whatever they picked. The remaining pile of elixir pills was divided among the four of them as well. There was still one thing left that wasn't easy to divide: the vault itself. The vault was a priceless treasure in its own right, as everyone present could see. Mu Yuejuan said, "I happen to be short of a place to store paintings. Give this vault to me!" Gui Jianchou refused. "Miss Mu, that hardly seems appropriate, does it? Such a fine treasure, just handed over to you like that?" Mu Yuejuan's face darkened. "Then tell me, who should it go to? Zhang Gunli's soul and body both went to you—you shouldn't be so greedy!" Gui Jianchou twitched an eyebrow. "I never said it had to belong to me either." Feng Chongli remained silent for a moment before speaking. "Seniors, I will give up all the silver dollars, magical treasures, spiritual items, and weapons I was just allocated. All I want in exchange is this vault. Would the two of you be willing to agree?" Mu Yuejuan said nothing. Feng Chongli was a Commerce Cultivator with a sharp eye; the items he had picked were bound to be good. Even so, she felt that making this trade would still let him get the better end of the bargain. Gui Jianchou didn't speak either; his thoughts matched Mu Yuejuan's. He Jiaqing looked around at everyone and said, "How about this: I will take my share out as well and gift it to you two seniors. Let Big Brother Feng have this vault." Feng Chongli was startled. "Young Master He, I wasn't asking for—" He Jiaqing waved his hand. "We can discuss our matters later. Seniors, Zhang Gunli's entire fortune has been handed over to the two of you. All we want is a vault—that isn't asking too much, is it?" Gui Jianchou nodded. Mu Yuejuan agreed as well. Gui Jianchou had plenty of ghost servants, who hauled everything away in short order. Mu Yuejuan had her paintings, and moving everything into them took little time at all. With their belongings gathered, the two departed separately. That left Feng Chongli holding the two walnuts, looking at He Jiaqing. "Write out a debt note. What I owe you, I must repay." He Jiaqing shook his head. "There is no need to repay me. You helped me avenge my grudge. Such friendship cannot be measured in money." "Then what should it be measured with?" Feng Chongli did not quite understand what He Jiaqing meant. He Jiaqing smiled. "I don't know what to measure it with either. In the future, if you think well of me and have need of me, Senior, just give me word. Your brother will come whenever called." Feng Chongli was taken aback for a moment. "At my age, calling you brother—is that appropriate?" He Jiaqing said, "Everyone around me addresses one another as brother, regardless of age or closeness." Feng Chongli looked at He Haisheng. "Does he call you brother too?" He Haisheng coughed twice and looked away. This man wasn't much of a talker. Feng Chongli looked toward Shen Rongqing. "Does he call you brother too?" He Jiaqing looked a bit awkward, but Shen Rongqing was not embarrassed in the least. "That's right. He and I address each other as brother as well." Having said that, Shen Rongqing went back to searching for her debt note. There were countless debt notes scattered across the floor. Shen Rongqing inspected them one by one, with no idea how long it would take. Aside from herself, no one else present seemed to care about the matter. "Let me help you look." Feng Chongli squatted down, his eyes rapidly sweeping across the stacks of notes. Shen Rongqing said, "Thank you, Senior. My name is—" "I know your name. The foremost talented woman of Puluo Province—it is Feng's honor to make your acquaintance." After scanning for a brief moment, Feng Chongli pulled one sheet from a stack of deeds and handed it to Shen Rongqing. "Is this the one?" Shen Rongqing took it and looked; it was indeed her debt note. "Thank you, Senior." Her heart settled somewhat. She was just about to tear the note up when Feng Chongli stopped her. "Miss, you cannot tear this up. There is an incantation woven into the debt note, and it might not even come from Zhang Gunli. That man always kept backup plans. Once the note is destroyed, you could be in danger." Shen Rongqing was momentarily at a loss. He Jiaqing asked Feng Chongli, "Does Senior have a way to dispel this incantation?" Feng Chongli naturally had a way; earlier, he had used his technique of Accounts Settled, Goods Cleared to burn his own debt note. "I can indeed do it, but let us be clear beforehand: are you asking me to do this, or is Miss Shen? If you are asking me, I still owe you a debt. If I dispel this incantation, how much debt does it offset?" He Jiaqing found himself in a bind. The moment Feng Chongli opened his mouth, it was all about money—no regard for face, no sentiment whatsoever. He Jiaqing had given up his share of Zhang Gunli's fortune specifically to win over hearts. But if Feng Chongli used Shen Rongqing's debt note to wipe the slate clean with He Jiaqing, He Jiaqing would feel he had taken a massive loss. It couldn't wipe out the whole debt, but how much should it offset? After hesitating for a moment, He Jiaqing noticed another serious problem: Shen Rongqing kept her head down, her face completely expressionless. She was waiting for He Jiaqing to calculate a price—to calculate just how much she was worth. He Jiaqing hurried to say, "Senior Feng, Rongqing is as close to me as my own flesh and blood. Whatever amount you say goes." Feng Chongli looked at Shen Rongqing. With her head lowered, Shen Rongqing whispered, "I must trouble Senior, then." "So it is you who wants me to do this?" Feng Chongli confirmed once more. Shen Rongqing nodded. Feng Chongli's tone was completely flat. "I never do work for others for nothing. Even with Miss Shen asking in person, payment must still be collected. From Miss Shen, I shall charge one silver dollar." Shen Rongqing looked at Feng Chongli in astonishment. He Jiaqing was also taken aback, but once the surprise passed, he bowed hurriedly. "Many thanks, Senior." Ignoring He Jiaqing, Feng Chongli continued speaking to Shen Rongqing: "One silver dollar—do you have it? If not, we can discuss it at leisure." The room was strewn with silver dollars; the coins He Jiaqing had dumped to pay off Feng Chongli's debt lay piled across the floor. Yet Feng Chongli did not cast a single glance at those silver dollars. He looked only at Shen Rongqing. Shen Rongqing's residence had been remodeled by He Jiaqing, and many of her personal belongings were no longer in the house, including her savings. She searched her person, and after digging around for a long time, only managed to pull a few loose banknotes from her pocket. She pressed all the banknotes into Feng Chongli's hand. Feng Chongli counted out five hundred yuan in Huan State banknotes and handed the rest back to her. Shen Rongqing refused to take them back, but Feng Chongli's expression turned serious. "Miss Shen, had you not risked your life setting this trap, plotting against Zhang Gunli would never have been so easy. By rights, I shouldn't even charge you this single silver dollar. But this is a matter between you and Young Master He, and it is not my place to interfere. I quoted one silver dollar, you did not bargain, so I collect this one silver dollar. That is the duty of a merchant." Tucking the banknotes into his robes, Feng Chongli took up the covenant deed, pinched it between his index and middle fingers, and gave it a firm rub. The deed caught fire and burned to ashes. Shen Rongqing hurried to thank him, but Feng Chongli waved his hand repeatedly. "Profits and losses balance out; the slate is wiped clean. Farewell, both of you." Feng Chongli departed. With the weight lifted from Shen Rongqing's heart, she felt vastly relieved. He Jiaqing said, "Rongqing, you deserve the top credit this time. Whatever you want, as long as you name it, I will grant it." What did she want? Right now, all Shen Rongqing wanted was Ma the Fifth. She wanted this man—the man willing to stake his life for her. Yet those words could not be spoken aloud. "Jiaqing, I know there is bad blood between you and Li the Seventh, and I know this matter will eventually drag Ma the Fifth into it as well. I ask only one thing of you: if one day Junyang falls into your hands, I hope that for the sake of our brotherhood, you will spare his life." He Jiaqing nodded. "Ma the Fifth and I have some history too, and he helped greatly with today's affair. I won't forget that kindness. Put his matter out of your mind for now—let's talk first about how to reward you." Shen Rongqing shook her head. "I have only this one request. I want nothing else." "Really don't want any more?" Ma the Fifth stroked the river snail shell. The River Snail Maiden shivered twice and said, "No more." Ma the Fifth chuckled. "You're the one who said no more. Don't go regretting it in a bit." The River Snail Maiden retorted defiantly, "What happens in a bit can wait until a bit!" In Greenwater City, Ma the Fifth and Shen Rongqing had staged a grand show, to the point where word of his death had already spread. Of course, he hadn't truly died; it was only done to make the act convincing. With the turmoil yet to settle, Ma the Fifth had come to Qishuiyao to steer clear of trouble, and also to pay a visit to this confidante from the Inner States. After several dozen rounds of battle, Ma the Fifth grew fiercer the longer he fought, while the River Snail Maiden could barely hold her ground. Taking advantage of the ceasefire, Ma the Fifth asked about a few matters. "That big crucian carp who used to guard the entrance here—what was his name?" The River Snail Maiden huffed, "What do you mean, 'big crucian carp'? You speak so unpleasantly! His name is Yu Songkai, and he's a person of status among our people." "If he's a person of status, why was he watching the front gate?" The River Snail Maiden twitched her antennae. "There's a particular reason behind it, though I don't know what that reason is." Ma the Fifth asked again, "Do you count as someone of status among your people?" "Of course I do!" the River Snail Maiden proclaimed rather proudly. "If I had no status, would I have dared settle such a massive deal with you and give you an entire piece of newland?" Ma the Fifth nodded. "Since you're a person of status, I've yet to ask your esteemed name, Miss?" The River Snail Maiden froze. "What do you mean by that? My name is Luo Lijun! You finish your business with me, and now you won't even acknowledge who I am?" Ma the Fifth gave a faint smile. "Miss, you aren't Luo Lijun." The River Snail Maiden grew a bit annoyed. "What are you trying to say?" Ma the Fifth was completely confident in his judgment. "Your looks, figure, voice, and even your habits and mannerisms are all very similar to Luo Lijun's. But you aren't her, because the taste is different. On that point, I never make a mistake." "I don't know what you're talking about—I'm going back!" The River Snail Maiden turned to return to the pool, but Feng Daiku appeared abruptly, blocking her path. Ma the Fifth continued, "Miss, we don't want to spoil our good relations either. I only wish to ask you one thing: where did Luo Lijun go?" The River Snail Maiden brandished her antennae, preparing to fight. "If you want a fight, I'll oblige! If you don't dare, get out of my way! I am Luo Lijun—ask me a hundred times, and my answer will be the same!" Ma the Fifth shook his head. "No need for a hundred times. Truly, there is no need." "Indeed, no need for a hundred times—three was enough." Out on the newland beyond Qishuiyao, upon a patch of wasteland, Gui Jianchou sighed with endless marvel. Ordinary people arriving at Qishuiyao certainly couldn't escape Feng Daiku's eyes. But Gui Jianchou was no ordinary man. Having just returned from Greenwater City, he had gone to Qishuiyao to scout for information; not only had he avoided detection by Feng Daiku, but he had also reaped a rich harvest. He had just been to the workshop and witnessed Ma the Fifth interrogating the River Snail Maiden. "Three times! Really, just three times! After three times, she answered whatever he asked. Tell me, could you have pulled that off?" These words were spoken to a ghost servant named Ah Xiong. In life, he had been a Joy Cultivator at tier one above the clouds, one of Gui Jianchou's fiercest subordinates. Seeing that Ah Xiong remained silent, Gui Jianchou grew even more dissatisfied. "Speak up—if this task fell to you, how many rounds would it take you?" Ah Xiong kept his head down and stammered, "That snail... I... I couldn't do it—" "And you still have the nerve to be picky?! You truly know no shame!" Gui Jianchou fumed. "Look at Ma the Fifth! Look at his methods, look at his technique, look at his sense of measure in every advance and retreat! I hear his cultivation is only tier five on the ground, and he's barely twenty-something this year! What's your cultivation? What's your age? How many battles have you been through? Comparing yourself to him, don't you feel disgraced? Over all these years, how much money have I spent on you, how many elixir pills have I bought, feeding them to you by the fistful? Tell me yourself: are you of any damn use?!" The other ghost servants pointed fingers and whispered around them: "Ah Xiong is useless, I know that for a fact." "How do you know? Did you try him or something?" "Does anyone even need to try? You can tell just by looking at him." "After passing on, his cultivation took a hit. He's far worse than when he was alive." "He wasn't much when he was alive either—most of that was just his own bragging!" Ah Xiong gritted his teeth. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't let a single one of these bastards off; he would pummel them into the dirt. But now that someone had caught his shortcoming, he had no room to speak. Gui Jianchou sighed, muttering to himself, "Should I tell Old Sun about this?" Ah Xiong said in a low voice, "Better tell him. If your eggs get smashed, nothing will be of any use anymore." Gui Jianchou kicked Ah Xiong. "Motherfucker, you're useless at work, but your mouth sure is sharp! Once this business is over, I'm giving you one month. Go and conquer Mu Yuejuan for me! If you can't take her down, I'm cutting off all your tonic pills from now on!" Ah Xiong wore a miserable expression. "A ruthless woman like Mu Yuejuan—how could anyone conquer her so easily?" Gui Jianchou grew even angrier. "You claimed the river snail wasn't good-looking—fine, I gave you that! But is Mu Yuejuan ugly too? Good-looking or not, you can't conquer either! What good does it do me to keep feeding you?!" *** Yuezhou, Hengchun Avenue, Yueshan Residential Community. Standing outside the community gates, Li Banfeng observed the location of Room 1605 on the sixteenth floor of Building Five. A man lived here named Quan Jinfeng. According to Tong Yousan's account, this was the person who had handed over the covenant deed for summoning Lu Dongjun, instructing Tong Yousan to resell it to the Chamomile Sorcerer Association, and even paying Tong Yousan a handsome fee for doing so. Li Banfeng had asked Candied Fruit to look into Quan Jinfeng's background. The man hailed from Puluo Province and was a tier-seven artisan who held legal residency in the State of Huan. He had even provided technical support to the Dark Star Bureau in the past. With his cultivation, he would certainly know what consequences that covenant deed would bring. What was his goal in doing this? An artisan was a Craft Cultivator. He might be a disciple of Grandfather Train, or perhaps one of Grandfather Train's subordinates, intending to release Lu Dongjun through the covenant deed and thereby transmit Grandfather Train's coordinates within the Inner States. This was Li Banfeng's deduction, but there was an obvious flaw in it. If the one who rescued Lu Dongjun truly was Grandfather Train, and Grandfather Train maintained some connection with the Outer States and wished to coordinate from the inside to effect his escape, why hadn't he simply revealed his location directly to Quan Jinfeng? Why go through the trouble of passing those coordinates through Lu Dongjun? Perhaps this was due to the unique nature of the Inner States. Chu Shaoqiang had once given Li Banfeng a map of the Inner States; locations there could not be described directly by direction and distance, and maps of the Inner States were functional only when within the Inner States itself. Inferring from this, it was also possible that Grandfather Train could only send coordinates out of the Inner States through a certain medium, and that medium was Lu Dongjun. Yet why had Grandfather Train chosen Lu Dongjun? A figure like Lu Dongjun arriving in the Outer States was bound to cause an uproar. If the coordinates fell into the hands of certain particular individuals, Grandfather Train might not be saved at all, and it might even precipitate a much graver crisis. Answers were needed for this series of inexplicable questions, and the answers might well lie with Quan Jinfeng. Of course, Quan Jinfeng might not hold answers; there could also be a trap. Thus, this probe had to be conducted with the utmost caution. Li Banfeng walked a circle around the perimeter of the community. Finding a spot with no one around, he was just preparing to vault over the fence when he heard the projector whisper, "Director Seven, the simplified phone is ringing." Stepping away from the community, Li Banfeng picked up the call and heard Ma the Fifth's voice: "Old Seven, an unexpected change happened with the Inner States. They swapped out Luo Lijun. The Inner States might have other designs. Be extremely careful, and if possible, come to Qishuiyao." Pocketing the phone, Li Banfeng looked up at the community. He did not hop the fence, but turned around and headed for Huahu Park. Ma the Fifth paced back and forth inside the factory workshop, anxious and ill at ease. Feng Daiku consoled him, "Fifth Brother, there's no need to worry too much. Li the Seventh is a smart man, and his cultivation is by no means low. If the Inner States wants to touch him, it won't be that easy." Ma the Fifth could not put his mind at ease; he had just received word from Shen Rongqing. "Zhang Gunli was also a smart man with cultivation that was absurdly high, yet didn't he still fall into He Jiaqing's hands? What I fear is someone calculating against an unsuspecting target." After waiting for a while, Li Banfeng arrived at Qishuiyao. Ma the Fifth recounted the matter of Zhang Gunli first: "Shen Rongqing wasn't very detailed, but Zhang Gunli is definitely dead, and the Smiling Face Ghost King was involved as well. Miss Feng told me these are all legendary figures of Puluo Province." *The Smiling Face Ghost King should be Ah Gui, right?* *He's Senior Brother Sun's subordinate now. Why did Senior Brother Sun get involved in this?* *Short of money?* *Senior Brother Sun certainly has plenty of ways to acquire money.* *Short of magical treasures?* *How useful could Zhang Gunli's magical treasures be to Senior Brother Sun?* *Back then, Feng Chongli sold Li the Seventh a pair of judge's brushes and made eight hundred thousand silver dollars. He handled major business exclusively, and he was someone from Xuehuapu. With that kind of status, would he stoop to taking out usurious loans?* Li Banfeng grew deeply suspicious of the situation in Xuehuapu. Putting that matter aside for the moment, the main purpose of Li Banfeng's visit was the River Snail Maiden. Ma the Fifth made the introduction: "Her name is Luo Yanjun, Luo Lijun's twin sister." Li Banfeng stared at Luo Yanjun, looking her up and down several times. He truly could not discern any difference between her and Luo Lijun, and had no idea how Ma the Fifth had told them apart. "Your name is Luo Yanjun?" "Yes." Even her voice was identical. "Why did you take over for Luo Lijun to be the gatekeeper here?" Luo Yanjun shook her antennae. "Neither my sister nor I are gatekeepers. A new gatekeeper was arranged separately for this entrance. He is of the lower clans, staying inside the gate the whole time and never showing his face. Our family belongs to the upper clans; matters like guarding a gate aren't something we do." Li Banfeng didn't quite understand. "What are upper clanspeople?" Luo Yanjun explained, "Our clan is divided into upper and lower clans. The Luo family belongs to the upper clans and holds high status among them. My sister once achieved great merit as well, so her words carried significant weight in the clan." These words of hers did not directly answer Li Banfeng's question, but they conveyed a piece of information. Luo Lijun was not a mere mouthpiece; in the matter of trading newland for Li Banfeng's guarantee, Luo Lijun had played no small part. Li Banfeng said, "Keep talking. I'm listening." Luo Yanjun said, "As for why I was sent to replace my sister, I'm not clear on that either. The court issued an official dispatch, so I came. The dispatch stated clearly that I was to assume my sister's identity. My sister and I grew up together, and this wasn't my first time impersonating her. Needless to say our appearances are the same, and I can mimic even her disposition without a flaw. Once, my sister committed a serious offense, and I took the family punishment in her place; while I was being beaten, not even our own mother could tell us apart. Who would have guessed that Ma the Fifth could actually test it out..." Li Banfeng glanced at Ma the Fifth, quite curious about that himself. With an impassive expression, Ma the Fifth asked, "Stop spouting all this useless chatter. I only asked why they swapped Luo Lijun out." "I truly don't know," Luo Yanjun shook her head repeatedly. "Ever since I received the dispatch, I haven't seen my sister. I suspect she might have been imprisoned." Li Banfeng was taken aback. "Your sister is an important figure of the upper clans. How could she be locked up?" Luo Yanjun's communication skills seemed rather poor. She tried her best to explain, "There isn't just one important figure in the upper clans, and what they wish to do isn't always the same either. Just like my father—at his most formidable, the clan listened to him on everything, but when he fell on hard times, he became a prisoner as well." Her words were disjointed, as if she were constantly talking around the questions. Did this young woman truly suffer from a speech impediment? She was the daughter of a prominent family and held considerable status even within the Inner States; she shouldn't be incapable of explaining a single matter clearly. Carefully sifting through her words from start to finish, Li Banfeng uncovered a great deal of information—information concerning the Inner States. From the perspective of the Outer States and Puluo Province, the Inner States appeared as a unified whole: pureblood Inner Staters occupied the upper crust, while cultivators from Puluo Province who traveled there were enslaved by them. In reality, however, different strata and factions existed even among the pureblood Inner Staters, and struggles and internal conflict raged between them as well. After a long silence, Li Banfeng said to Ma the Fifth, "I suspect she still isn't telling the truth." Ma the Fifth nodded. "I feel the same way. Old Seven, step aside for a moment. I'll question her more thoroughly." Luo Yanjun said in a fluster, "Don't do it again! I'm truly speaking the truth! I can only say this much—I haven't lied to you!" "You can only say this much?" Ma the Fifth chuckled. "Just hearing that tells me there must be something hidden here! Old Seven, no need to step aside. I'm getting to work right now!" Luo Yanjun waved her antennae. "I truly don't want to deceive you, and even if I have, it wasn't my intention." Ma the Fifth had no desire to waste more breath and was ready to whip out his tools directly! "Hold on a second!" Li the Seventh held Ma the Fifth back, then asked Luo Yanjun, "What is your purpose in telling us all these things?" Luo Yanjun pointed her antenna at Ma the Fifth. "For him." "Is that the truth?" Luo Yanjun shook her head. Ma the Fifth grew even angrier. What was the meaning of this? Plainly telling him that she was lying? Li Banfeng asked again, "Are there certain things you cannot say of your own accord?" Luo Yanjun raised her body. "Things I cannot say on my own, you can ask. And the things you ask, I might not be able to answer in full, but I can answer part of them." Ma the Fifth grew increasingly bewildered as he listened, but Li Banfeng understood a bit of it. "They have taboos—taboos that we cannot yet comprehend." Ma the Fifth understood. This was a taboo where words could not be spoken directly, somewhat similar to certain curses in Puluo Province. It wasn't that Luo Yanjun had trouble expressing herself; she simply was forbidden from doing so freely. Li Banfeng pondered for a moment and asked, "In saying all this, are you trying to seek help from us?" Luo Yanjun still did not answer the question directly, speaking instead of family matters: "My father became a prisoner. He said he would definitely reclaim justice, but later, he died in the dungeon." PS: Luo Yanjun is a smart person, smarter than her sister.