Sleepless Town

Li Banfeng had broken the riddle. Guo Gaoge pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, there are some misunderstandings between Brother Shui and me, and between you and me as well. I never intended to seize Brother Shui's land, and his recent misfortune wasn't my—" Mid-sentence, Li Banfeng's figure vanished into thin air. Guo Gaoge clutched his chest and spat out a mouthful of blood. He had been blasted by Viewing Flowers from Horseback—and the timing was perfect. From the two sentences Guo Gaoge had just spoken, two riddles were about to be cast: first, who was actually trying to seize Shui Yongquan's land; second, why Shui Yongquan had met with misfortune in the first place. Li Banfeng had no interest in playing riddles with him. The red lotus had been right: when you see an opportunity, don't hold back; holding back only leads to regret. The previous riddle had already been solved, which suppressed Guo Gaoge's combat strength. Right now was the prime opportunity. Li Banfeng reappeared before Guo Gaoge, preparing to blast him once more with Viewing Flowers from Horseback. Guo Gaoge leaped into the air and kicked fiercely toward Li Banfeng. This leap was high and the kick brutal—evidently Guo Gaoge's killing move. Unfortunately for him, his strength was suppressed, so the kick didn't even brush Li Banfeng's shadow. "Chirp! Chirp!" Guo Gaoge lay prone on the ground, craning his neck as he let out several shrill cries. The sound was deafening and piercingly sharp; Li Banfeng felt a throbbing ache in his eardrums. What kind of technique was this? Could Guo Gaoge be more than just a Riddle Cultivator—was he a Sound Cultivator too? Guo Gaoge scampered on all fours, bounded upward again, and lunged directly before Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng intended to counter with Treading Ten Thousand Rivers, but before the kick could land, Guo Gaoge beat him to the punch, thrusting a kick into Li Banfeng's chest. Li Banfeng raised both arms to block, yet was still knocked back more than a zhang. Strange—how did he get the worse of that exchange? And lose out on speed, of all things? How had Guo Gaoge become so fast? While he was still pondering, Guo Gaoge lunged in once more. Li Banfeng tried again to unleash Treading Ten Thousand Rivers, only for Guo Gaoge to preempt him once more, ramming his head straight into Li Banfeng's chest. Having no other choice, Li Banfeng blocked again and was sent flying a good distance. After taking two successive hits, if not for his sturdy Residence Cultivator physique, Li Banfeng would have suffered severe injuries. Getting beaten to the draw twice wasn't just because Guo Gaoge was fast—Li Banfeng realized his own speed had dropped. Not only was he slower, but his techniques were sluggish. Previously, Treading Ten Thousand Rivers came at will, yet today he couldn't keep up with the rhythm. Was this the effect of a Sound Cultivator technique? Guo Gaoge bounded back and forth across the ground on all fours, shrill chirping ringing incessantly from his mouth. Was he a Riddle Cultivator and a Sound Cultivator? Looking at the way he moved, he behaved just like a katydid—and "katydid" sounded nearly identical to his surname, Guo. Could he also be a Physical Cultivator? Three pathways in total: Riddle Cultivator, Sound Cultivator, and Physical Cultivator. This man actually possessed three pathways, just like Li Banfeng! As they tangled, Guo Gaoge closed in again. Li Banfeng finally executed Treading Ten Thousand Rivers. *Crack!* His foot crushed a stone underfoot. A fragment shot out and struck Guo Gaoge in the face, leaving a bloody streak. Just that little power? The impact of Guo Gaoge's sound technique was far too great! Guo Gaoge spread both arms, his fingertips sharp as blades, slashing toward Li Banfeng's head from the left and right. Li Banfeng barely dodged, but Guo Gaoge's fingertips thrust toward his throat. Li Banfeng slipped aside with footwork, only for the fingers to drive toward his chest. Unable to dodge this time, Li Banfeng weathered it head-on with Kindred Heart, Stout House. The fingertips failed to pierce through. Thinking Li Banfeng wore armor, Guo Gaoge clawed down toward the crown of his head. Turning ten fingers into sharp blades, his moves were rapid and fluid, his onslaught seamless, fierce, and lethal. Could he be a Martial Cultivator as well? Could one person possibly cultivate four pathways? Li Banfeng grew slower and slower, unable to pull distance from Guo Gaoge. Under these circumstances, he had to rely more on Residence Cultivator techniques. First, use Sprawling Compound to break his sound technique. Li Banfeng opened his mouth, but no sound came out for a long while; he couldn't borrow his wife's technique. Such a situation was exceedingly rare! He wanted to use Close the Doors and Bar the Gates to create a halo, but Guo Gaoge struck too quickly; Li Banfeng was occupied entirely with defense, having no chance even to spill blood. He tried to use Body and Shadow Comforting Each Other to release his shadow. He tried multiple times, but the shadow wouldn't emerge at all. Li Banfeng was cornered at every turn, barely managing to hold out against Guo Gaoge using what little baseline speed he had left. Inside the wooden cabin, the stagehand crushed his cigarette with his foot and sighed. "A punk is a punk. Even if he switches his act, he's still a punk. How can he not see through it?" The wild boar walked over and asked the stagehand, "What are you muttering about? Who are you calling a punk?" The stagehand ignored the wild boar, gazing into the distance. "Chirp!" Li Banfeng heard the katydid-like cry again. His head throbbed, his thoughts thrown into chaos. This sound technique was vicious. Could Guo Gaoge's sound cultivation be higher than his riddle cultivation? And seeing how brutally he fought hand-to-hand, had his martial cultivation reached above the clouds too? Could he be— Wait, what was he doing? Was he guessing riddles? Li Banfeng finally realized what was happening: he had fallen into a Riddle Cultivator's technique. A Fool Cultivator could make a fool of others without uttering a word, and a Riddle Cultivator could draw an opponent into a riddle without speaking. Throughout the fight, Li Banfeng had been constantly speculating about Guo Gaoge's pathways and cultivation levels. That was equivalent to guessing riddles! Even though he hadn't spoken them aloud, the riddle technique had taken effect. From the current situation, Li Banfeng had clearly guessed wrong. His combat strength was heavily suppressed while Guo Gaoge's had surged across the board, opening a massive gap between them. How could he close this gap? Was it too late to guess again? If it was a binary choice, once guessed wrong, a second guess probably wouldn't count. Worse, there wasn't just one binary riddle: was he a Sound Cultivator? A Martial Cultivator? A Physical Cultivator? Li Banfeng didn't know which guesses were wrong and which were right. He had guessed wrong multiple times already; if he guessed wrong again, his combat strength might be wiped out completely. He couldn't be wrong. He had to have been right from the very beginning. "Li the Seventh, what are you thinking about? It's useless to think any more. You're wrong—wildly wrong!" Guo Gaoge clawed toward Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng dodged, and a tree behind him as thick as two men embracing was sheared in half by Guo Gaoge's swipe. Li Banfeng shouted, "Ten fingers turned to blades—you truly are a Martial Cultivator!" Guo Gaoge laughed. "I told you, you're wildly wrong. Prepare to die!" Indeed, this was a riddle Guo Gaoge had prepared in advance. Dodging, Li Banfeng yelled, "Practicing martial arts is cultivation, and possessing martial skills is cultivation! What's wrong with calling you a Martial Cultivator? I never said what level of Martial Cultivator you were!" "What nonsense are you spewing—" Guo Gaoge thrust out a hand, but suddenly felt the power drain from his arm. What was this? The riddle was broken? Guo Gaoge wasn't a Martial Cultivator, and Li Banfeng hadn't guessed correctly. How could the riddle be broken? "Practicing martial arts is cultivation, and possessing martial skills is cultivation"—such logic was far-fetched! How could that count as solving the riddle? Yet on closer reflection, what he said did make some sense... Guo Gaoge's speed gradually slowed, while Li Banfeng's speed surged back. Not daring to delay, Guo Gaoge wanted to end the fight swiftly. Li Banfeng shouted again, "You're a Sound Cultivator!" Guo Gaoge outright denied it: "I am not a Sound Cultivator!" "Sound Cultivators defeat enemies with sound. Anyone who uses sound to defeat an enemy is a Sound Cultivator." "What kind of logic is that?" Guo Gaoge refused to admit it because Li Banfeng's reasoning was utterly absurd. Why would anyone using sound to beat an enemy be a Sound Cultivator? Yet denying it aloud was useless; in his heart, he had accepted it. In that moment, his mind couldn't keep up, unable to find a flaw in Li Banfeng's argument. Without a flaw, it counted as sound and reasoned, which proved Li Banfeng had guessed correctly from the start. The riddle was broken again. Guo Gaoge fell into a brief daze. *Boom!* Li Banfeng's Treading Ten Thousand Rivers successfully triggered. Amidst the dust, Guo Gaoge was injured. Seeing Li Banfeng slow to recover from the move, he endured the agony and clawed at Li Banfeng's crown. The swipe hit empty air; Li Banfeng evaded it with Carefree and Unfettered. His speed was still somewhat lacking, but his techniques had largely returned. Li Banfeng chatted as he fought: "Tell me, doesn't your fighting style have some heritage to it? Darting and leaping, tearing with claws—is that called katydid boxing? You must be a katydid, right?" Guo Gaoge had no time to reply. His fighting style was indeed deliberate: he had purposely mimicked a katydid to mislead his opponent into thinking he was a Physical Cultivator. In truth, this was part of the riddle, designed to make his opponent fall into the trap. Yet Li Banfeng didn't see it that way: "To pull off katydid boxing so smoothly, you've definitely got talent. You're a Physical Cultivator whose true form is a katydid. Am I right?" A Physical Cultivator? With a katydid as his true form? This was completely absurd. Guo Gaoge leaped high into the air, bringing sharp claws down. "I am not a Physical Cultivator! Stop making wild guesses!" This was even more ridiculous. Even Guo Gaoge himself felt it was absurd. Why did he need to explain this to Li Banfeng? Actually, he wasn't explaining to Li Banfeng; he was reminding himself, emphasizing that he truly was not a Physical Cultivator. He didn't know what sorcery he had fallen under. Whatever Li the Seventh said, he ended up believing. He had to snap out of it immediately. "Physical Cultivators don't need entry powder. You've got great talent, so you stepped onto the pathway without even realizing it. Look at yourself—slap a coat of green paint on you, and you'd look just like a live katydid. Nurture this talent, and you'll achieve great things in the future." The more Li Banfeng spoke, the more Guo Gaoge's movements resembled a katydid, his footwork growing increasingly practiced, yet his combat strength deteriorated further. Originally, Li Banfeng had guessed the riddle wrong—three times in a row, no less. But he had stubbornly argued the false into true, which amounted to cracking three riddles consecutively. Guo Gaoge grew weaker with every blow, while Li Banfeng quickly returned to peak condition, his combat strength even seeing a substantial boost. In the small wooden cabin, the stagehand looked into the distance; the battlefield had gone quiet. He turned to the wild boar and said, "Let's get to work." The wild boar shook its head. "Seventh Master hasn't given the word. Who dares start work? Let's wait." The stagehand chuckled, gazing into the distance, and muttered, "You Riddle Cultivator bastards only have this little bag of tricks. If you'd fought a bit longer, I'd have felt embarrassed on your behalf." Inside the companion dwelling, Li Banfeng looked at Guo Gaoge with a stern face. "Where did Shui Yongquan go?" Guo Gaoge gritted his teeth. "Take a guess!" A blast of steam scalded Guo Gaoge, making him shriek in agony. The gramophone let out a cold laugh. "Death staring you in the face, and you still dare use your techniques? Yingying, go back to sharpening the knife. One meal after another today—we won't run out of good food." "You two eat," Hong Ying said, examining her waist in the mirror. "If I get too fat, Master Seven won't like it." The gramophone gave Hong Ying a light swat with her board. "Eat with an easy mind. Put the meat in the right places, and Husband will love it to pieces." "Really?" Hong Ying looked closely at Guo Gaoge, contemplating cooking methods and techniques. Terrified, Guo Gaoge dared not offer any more riddles and stammered out the truth: "My real name isn't Guo Gaoge. It's Guo Erning. The name 'Guo Gaoge' was part of the riddle." Hearing the name "Guo Gaoge" naturally made people think he was a Sound Cultivator. Guo Gaoge continued, "I really didn't want to kill Shui Yongquan. I only wanted his territory. Shui Yongquan agreed to hand it over—he truly agreed. He gave me both the iron tally and the local spirit seal. I even specially arranged a place for him to recuperate from his injuries." Li Banfeng frowned. "Did you specially arrange a place for him, or did you lock him up?" Guo Gaoge lowered his voice. "I didn't originally want to lock him up. I was just afraid he'd go to Qiqiu City and bring Qiu Luoye over." Now Li Banfeng understood what Shui Yongquan had endured. The Inner States had cast a curse that destroyed his cultivation, and Guo Gaoge had seized the opportunity to force him to give up his territory. Shui Yongquan had been forced to surrender his land, only to be imprisoned by Guo Gaoge anyway. Li Banfeng asked, "Even after locking him up, you still weren't at ease, so you killed him?" Guo Gaoge shook his head. "I truly had no intention of killing him. But the Inner States wanted his identity. They sent Lord Ni Shangqiu to pose as Shui Yongquan. Afraid of giving himself away, Ni Shangqiu told me to kill the real Shui Yongquan." The gramophone asked, "Did you kill him or not?" Guo Gaoge mumbled, reluctant to speak. Hong Ying raised her knife. "Xiaowan, you're right. Eating meat puts on flesh. Let's eat first, and I'll make sure the flesh grows where Master Seven likes it." She sliced him a dozen times until Guo Gaoge couldn't bear it any longer. "I told Lord Ni Shangqiu I killed him, but I didn't!" Hong Ying rubbed the blade. "You let him go? Could you possibly be so kindhearted?" "I didn't let him go. Someone snatched him away." Li Banfeng asked, "Who?" "The local spirit of Sleepless Town, Wang Zimian." Sleepless Town? Li Banfeng had heard Ma the Fifth mention this place. It was one of the Front Three Lands, but Li Banfeng didn't really know what kind of territory it was. "What kind of person is Wang Zimian?" Guo Gaoge said, "I'm not very familiar with him. I only know he has great renown and immense prestige. When he wanted to take Shui Yongquan away, I didn't dare refuse." Li Banfeng's brow relaxed. He patted Guo Gaoge and said, "Listening to you talk is such an ordeal—you gave me quite a scare. So Shui Yongquan is still alive?" "Alive," Guo Gaoge nodded. Li Banfeng smiled. "If you'd spoken the truth earlier, you wouldn't have suffered so much." Guo Gaoge said, "Once you go out, you mustn't say a word about this. If Lord Ni Shangqiu finds out, he'll never forgive me." Li Banfeng waved his hand. "Don't worry. Ni Shangqiu is right here in my house. When you two meet in a moment, you can discuss it at your leisure." Guo Gaoge shuddered. "Lord Ni is here? What should I do? What if he finds out?" Seeing how pitiful Guo Gaoge looked, the gramophone offered comfort as well: "Don't be afraid. You really don't need to fear this. Lord Ni certainly won't blame you." Li Banfeng asked Guo Gaoge, "First tell me, where is Shui Yongquan's covenant deed buried?" Guo Gaoge was reluctant to say; after all, this was territory he had fought hard to snatch. Li Banfeng frowned. "If you don't speak now, once you meet Lord Ni, it'll be too late." What did that mean? Why did it sound like Li the Seventh had dealings with Lord Ni? Could it be that Li the Seventh had also defected to the Inner States? Though still reluctant to part with the territory, Guo Gaoge revealed the location of the covenant deed to save his life. Li the Seventh stepped outside, and Guo Gaoge wanted to leave too, but couldn't open the door of the companion dwelling. Guo Gaoge wept, "I told the truth! Why won't you let me go?" Venting steam, the gramophone said, "Don't be afraid. I'm taking you to see Lord Ni." Li the Seventh dug up Shui Yongquan's covenant deed in Baiman Valley. Li Banfeng was familiar with this place. Back then, to earn a Xuanqing Flower from Shui Yongquan, Li the Seventh had fought Qiu Luoye in this valley and nearly lost his life. Afterward, Shui Yongquan kept his word, giving Li Banfeng the Xuanqing Flower as well as ten li of territory. Relying on those ten li, Li the Seventh and Ma the Fifth had built up Zhengjing Village. Recalling those events, they felt like yesterday, yet now Shui Yongquan had ended up in such a state. Holding Lüshuigong's alms bowl, Li Banfeng found a dark-dimension space in Shui Yongquan's territory and buried Shui Yongquan's covenant deed. Having turned into an Injured Demon Fiend, by all logic, his cultivation would never change again; in other words, Shui Yongquan could never be a local spirit again. Yet rumor had it that certain esoteric arts might bring a turning point. Gao Shuxia was an example: despite being an Injured Demon Fiend, she had been constantly searching for territory, striving to secure status for herself, proving that she still possessed means of advancement. In any case, they had to bring Shui Yongquan back first. Whether he could recover was uncertain, but with Guo Gaoge and Ni Shangqiu both dead, the Inner States would likely come knocking soon, so precautions had to be taken early. Li Banfeng instructed the mother and daughter to let the film crew begin work, and told Swallow to restore order in the village as quickly as possible. The wild boar was surprised. "Who was it earlier saying we should start work? We really are starting today. Where did that stagehand go? The one standing by the door just now?" The crew foreman beside him said, "Lord Pig, not a single one of our stagehands is missing. They're all right here." The wild boar checked each one; none of them was that stagehand from earlier. "Was he a newcomer?" The foreman shook his head. "There are no new stagehands today." The wild boar felt the man didn't seem like a newcomer either; it was as though he had known him before, yet for the life of him he couldn't recall the man's name. Li the Seventh returned to Chu the Second's newland, called over Ma the Fifth, and said, "Something happened to Brother Shui. He lost his status and cultivation, and his territory was stolen." Hearing Li the Seventh's explanation, Ma the Fifth was greatly alarmed. He turned to Feng Daiku and said, "Miss Feng, I have a favor to ask." Feng Daiku assumed they needed to fight for the territory and planned to probe the opponent's strength first. Li the Seventh shook his head. "I've already reclaimed the territory. Now I intend to bring the man back. Shui Yongquan is currently in Wang Zimian's hands. I wonder if Miss Feng is acquainted with him?" Hearing that Li Banfeng had already taken the land back, Ma the Fifth was startled. That meant Li the Seventh had defeated a local spirit. The two of them had entered their pathways on the same day. Back in Lanyang Village, the gap between them hadn't been that wide. In less than three years, Li the Seventh was already able to defeat a local spirit? Of course, it was also possible Li the Seventh had enlisted help. Everyone said he was close with the peddler, so the peddler had likely stepped in. Feng Daiku wasn't particularly surprised; she had long known Li the Seventh was extraordinary. "Young Master Li, is the Wang Zimian you mentioned the local spirit of Sleepless Town?" Li Banfeng nodded. Feng Daiku said, "This man enjoys immense prestige among local spirits, but I don't have much contact with him. Perhaps because he looks down on Kudaikan, he has always held some disdain toward me." Li Banfeng said, "Then we won't put Miss Feng in an awkward position. I'll find another way." Feng Daiku shook her head. "It's hardly an awkward position. I'm not that delicate. That he saved Shui Yongquan in his hour of need shows he is upright and righteous; with such a good reputation, he deserves it. I have met him and know where he resides. I can introduce the two of you, which should save you a lot of trouble." Feng Daiku led the two through the newland toward Sleepless Town. On the way, Li Banfeng asked Ma the Fifth, "Does one not need to sleep once we reach Sleepless Town?" The Front Three Lands were peculiar; like Haichiling and Kudaikan, they had unique influences on people. Ma the Fifth said, "It's not that they don't sleep at all, but people there sleep very little—only two or three hours a day." "Then it must be lively there at night. Opening a dance hall would probably make a fortune." Ma the Fifth shook his head. "You can't open a dance hall there. The people there have no taste for that sort of thing. I don't want to do business there either; that place makes me uncomfortable." "Uncomfortable in what way?" "Hard to say. You'll know once you get there. I just feel business shouldn't be done that way, and people shouldn't live that way." Feng Daiku knew the way and carried traveler magical treasures. In less than a day, the three arrived at Sleepless Town. The town was roughly the size of Yaowanggou, packed with factories, giving Li Banfeng the illusion of having arrived at Black Rock Slope. No, this was somewhat different from Black Rock Slope. Li Banfeng checked his pocket watch: two-thirty in the morning. Factories great and small were brilliantly illuminated, billowing smoke and dust, bustling with crowds, the roar of machinery ringing endlessly in the ears. This place was indeed bustling, but not the kind of bustling Li Banfeng had imagined. A man with graying hair was sleeping by the roadside. In such a noisy environment, he slept deeply and soundly. He clutched blueprints in his arms, dressed in work overalls. As the night wind blew, he curled up by the curb, shivering in spasms, yet never woke. A woman in similar work overalls, wearing thick glasses, came over to the man and shoved him awake with force. "Xiao Liu, why are you sleeping here?" The gray-haired man rubbed his eyes and looked at the woman. "I was a bit tired and wanted to sit by the road for a moment. I didn't expect to fall asleep just like that." Disappointed, the woman shook her head. "Xiao Liu, you can't be like this. Over a hundred people in the factory are watching you! When I recommended you for the job, it was because I saw that you could endure hardship and had an unyielding drive. Our factory just took on several major orders; how many people haven't closed their eyes for half a month, yet have you ever heard any of them complain? Now you tell me you're tired—if others hear that, what will they say about you? And what will they say about me? What kind of person did I recommend? Three silver dollars a month—go ask around, where else pays wages like that?" The man lowered his head. "Sister, I've shamed you. I've let you down." The woman shook her head. "You haven't let me down; you've let yourself down! If you don't fight while you're young, when you're old and have accomplished nothing, regret will come too late. Hurry and deliver the blueprints. Whatever revisions they suggest, we'll listen. If we can change it on the spot, change it immediately; if we really can't, come back and discuss it slowly. We need to show people our drive and resolve!" The man nodded repeatedly and trotted off with the blueprints. Li Banfeng watched from the roadside. The two who had just spoken couldn't notice Li Banfeng or Feng Daiku, and Feng Daiku had also used special methods to conceal Ma the Fifth. "Young Master Li, we came to find the local spirit. Don't linger on the spectacle," Feng Daiku urged. Li Banfeng was curious. "That man just now looked at least fifty, yet that woman called him Xiao Liu, meaning she's even older. Looking so young at that age, she must have considerable cultivation." Ma the Fifth shook his head. "Your eyes deceived you on that one, Old Seven. That man isn't in his fifties. If I'm not mistaken, he's barely in his early twenties." Li Banfeng was stunned. "In his early twenties and looking like that?" Ma the Fifth sighed. "That's why I said I don't want to do business here. Business isn't done like this, and people shouldn't live like this." Feng Daiku reminded them, "Wulang, when we meet the local spirit in a moment, don't speak carelessly. Wang Zimian sets great store by etiquette, and being from Xuehuapu, he carries a degree of pride. Whatever you do, don't offend him with your words." Ma the Fifth nodded, his expression somewhat displeased. He truly disliked this place, but for Shui Yongquan's sake, he had to make the trip regardless. "Old Seven, you keep sharp too. Let's speak as little as possible—" Ma the Fifth turned his head and found Li the Seventh had stopped in his tracks. Feng Daiku said, "Young Master Li, what is it...?" Li Banfeng said, "Did you just say Wang Zimian is from Xuehuapu?" Feng Daiku nodded. "Xuehuapu's status in Puluo Province shouldn't require explanation." Li Banfeng asked, "What pathway does Wang Zimian belong to?" Feng Daiku said, "He is a Diligence Cultivator." "What is a Diligence Cultivator?" Li Banfeng had never heard of this pathway. Ma the Fifth said, "That woman just now was a Diligence Cultivator. See how nicely she spoke?" Feng Daiku frowned. "Wulang, I just warned you to watch your tone here. Diligence Cultivation is a good pathway that urges people to be diligent and enterprising. Sleepless Town is full of Wang Zimian's disciples. Be very careful with your words." Li the Seventh asked no more and followed Feng Daiku to the center of town, stopping before the gates of a large manor. The estate was immense. The main residence was a five-story Western-style building flanked by two three-story wings. Behind the main residence lay a garden housing roughly a dozen Western-style houses of varying sizes. This estate was far more lavish than those of the He or Lu families. Feng Daiku did not enter directly. Even with her standing, she had to have a gatekeeper announce them first: "Feng Daiku of Qishuiyao, bringing two friends, Li the Seventh and Ma the Fifth, requests an audience with Senior Wang." The gatekeeper went to deliver the message. Ordinarily, one wouldn't pay a visit at this hour, but in Sleepless Town, the concept of time was different; two or three in the morning wasn't considered late at all. After waiting over half an hour, the gatekeeper emerged and led the three into the main hall. Wang Zimian sat in the hall, dressed in a white Western suit, his long hair neatly combed back, with thick brows, large eyes, and an eight-character mustache. In appearance, he was a civilized gentleman in his forties. After exchanging courtesies and taking their seats, Wang Zimian said, "Miss Feng, what brings you to see me?" Feng Daiku replied deferentially, "Calling late at night was to introduce two friends to you, sir." She briefly introduced Li the Seventh and Ma the Fifth. Wang Zimian looked at Li the Seventh. "You are Li the Seventh?" Li Banfeng gave a slight nod. Wang Zimian lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and said, "I have heard your name. Young and promising—truly praiseworthy. But you must never become complacent over a little current success and squander the prime of your youth." Li Banfeng said, "I came to ask you about Shui Yongquan." Feng Daiku froze and looked at Li the Seventh. His manner of speaking was far too blunt. Ma the Fifth wasn't surprised; toward people like Wang Zimian, Old Seven had always spoken this way. Li Banfeng continued, "I heard from Guo Gaoge that you saved Shui Yongquan. For that, I am deeply grateful, and I will certainly present generous gifts in thanks in the days to come. Today, I wish to take Shui Yongquan back. I hope Boss Wang will do me the courtesy." Boss Wang? Feng Daiku's heart tightened again. In her eyes, such a form of address was inappropriate. Wang Zimian's expression darkened as well. Tapping his cigarette ash, he nodded. "I did save Shui Yongquan, but he is not with me now. He has gone to the Outer States." The Outer States? Both Feng Daiku and Ma the Fifth were taken aback, but Li Banfeng remained surprisingly calm. "What did he go to the Outer States for?" Li the Seventh asked. "He was disillusioned with Puluo Province and wanted to travel the Outer States to dispel his melancholy." Li Banfeng said, "Boss Wang, are those words true?" "Whether they are true or not, ponder it yourself," Wang Zimian stubbed out his cigarette. "What an arrogant young man. Did you come here to ask for information, or did you come to demand accountability?" "Either works," Li Banfeng pulled out a cigarette and lit it himself. "That depends on whether you saved Shui Yongquan, or sold him."