Li Banfeng looked at Zhao Xiaowan while cradling the gramophone in his arms.
Zhao Xiaowan looked back at Li Banfeng, pursing her lips. "Your humble servant is right here. Doesn't my husband want to hold me?"
Hugging the gramophone, Li Banfeng replied, "Isn't this me holding you right now?"
Zhao Xiaowan glanced at the gramophone, then back at Li Banfeng. "Husband prefers holding that?"
Tightening his embrace around the machine, Li Banfeng said, "Haven't we always embraced like this?"
Zhao Xiaowan rubbed her forehead, waves of dizziness washing over her.
Hong Ying let out a soft sigh. "Xiaowan, he's the man you chose yourself. Even if you break your teeth biting down, you have to accept your lot."
Furious, Zhao Xiaowan raised a wooden plank to strike Hong Ying. In her agitation, her soul could no longer anchor itself to the puppet and slipped back into the gramophone in an instant.
"You madman! Am I not pretty? Am I not fair to look upon? Everyone else stared with their eyes popping out, so why couldn't you spare me another glance!" Waving her stylus, the gramophone began scuffling with Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng held the gramophone tightly, pressing his cheek against the brass horn. "Haven't I been looking at you the entire time? Come, my dear wife, let's go stroll through the night market!"
Back inside the gramophone's body, Madam was no longer so keen on going out. "Go by yourself. I'd rather stay home. You don't like it when I turn back into my original self anyway. Spend my whole life as a gramophone—that ought to satisfy you!"
"No matter what form you take, you are my precious wife!" Li Banfeng carried the gramophone to the doorway.
"Heh-ha-ha-ha!" The Old Master burst into laughter and swung the door open.
Once the two had stepped outside, the red lotus felt a pair of eyes watching her and the puppet.
"Hong Ying," the Old Master instructed, "take the red lotus and that contraption she made back to Room Nine. Since Ah Qi doesn't like it, don't leave it here to be an eyesore."
Hong Ying looked at the puppet, utterly unable to fathom it. "Such a fair woman—how could Brother Seven not like her? Could it be he dislikes delicate beauties and prefers valiant, martial women?"
At that thought, Hong Ying had a sudden epiphany. "Red Lotus, let's make a deal. Sometime soon, make me a puppet too, fashioned after my original appearance."
Before the red lotus could respond, the Old Master snorted. "Girl, you're truly hopeless. Ah Qi dislikes this kind of thing, so what's the use of having her make one for you?"
Hong Ying argued, "He dislikes Xiaowan's appearance, but he never said he dislikes mine."
The Old Master chuckled. "Indeed, he likes your sturdy frame—a master hand at hauling bricks and carrying dirt. Have you forgotten the muskmelon incident so quickly?"
Pouting in annoyance, Hong Ying hauled the red lotus over to Room Nine. More than half an hour later, the red lotus faintly heard the Old Master's snoring; he had fallen asleep.
The Lady of Room Nine, possessing the puppet, spoke up: "What on earth is that madman thinking? Casting aside such an exquisite beauty just to go out hugging a gramophone! You couldn't find another like him in all of Puluo Province!"
"Indeed, he's the only one of his kind in Puluo Province," the red lotus sighed. "All my hard work came to nothing this time."
"No! I have to think of another way. No matter what, I must make him take me outside!"
"Think of something yourself, but do not drag me into it again." The red lotus recalled that chilling gaze from the main room earlier—a gaze laden with mockery and killing intent that had struck cold into the very center of her lotus heart.
***
Li Banfeng strolled with Madam through the night market. Madam took a strong liking to two pieces of jewelry, but felt they were too expensive and agonized over them for a long time.
At a rouge shop, she spotted a box of rouge and found the color appealing, but thought the fragrance too strong, agonizing over it once again.
Li Banfeng said, "Precious wife, your husband has plenty of money. Don't torment yourself. Let's buy them all and take them home to choose."
"Choosing at home sounds well and good, but what do we do with what's left over? If we throw them away, it would be terribly wasteful..." Madam fell into another knot of indecision.
"We'll give the leftovers to Hong Ying."
"Giving them to her is fine, but if the girl doesn't appreciate it, I'll only feel vexed."
Something was wrong.
Madam was usually somewhat frugal, but the trinkets at a night market would never drive her to such indecision.
Why was she acting so abnormal today?
Li Banfeng bought up everything Madam had set her eyes upon. Madam grew anxious. "If you keep throwing money away like this, I won't come out with you ever again!"
"How can you call this throwing money away?" Back at the residence, Li Banfeng laid out all the purchases before the gramophone. "We came to the market to buy things, and buying things means choosing things. One way or another, we have to choose. If choosing at the market isn't satisfying, we might as well bring it all home to pick at our leisure. From start to finish, there's not a single flaw in that logic."
The slope was built.
The gramophone pondered for a moment and found some sense in his words.
"Then what about the leftovers? We spent good money on them!"
Li Banfeng said, "Leave the leftovers for the household. Whoever pleases my wife will be rewarded with them. Consider it as though our entire family visited the market together."
Hearing this, Madam felt far more relieved. "Everyone usually stays cooped up in the house, so getting a treat from a stroll outside is only proper."
With that thought, Madam's mood brightened considerably, and her previous fretting vanished without a trace.
Watching Madam happily pick through her items, Li Banfeng wore a smile on his face, but his heart grew tense.
Earlier, the gramophone's mood had been like a bundle of tangled silk full of stubborn knots. Her mood had improved now because Li Banfeng had used the technique of Going Down the Slope with the Donkey to smooth out the silk and unravel the knot.
Yet where had that knot come from? Why did it require a Fool cultivator technique just to untie it?
"Husband, don't just buy things for your humble servant. Buy something you like as well!"
Li Banfeng thought for a moment. "There isn't really anything I need."
"Look at how torn your clothes are. Go buy a new set."
After his battle with the fake rickshaw pullers, Li Banfeng's jacket had been torn in several places, and mending it would indeed be difficult.
Arriving at a tailor's shop, Li Banfeng took a liking to a suit.
He truly favored the suits of Puluo Province; paired with a fedora, they looked striking. The jacket he was wearing felt more and more awkward by comparison.
Madam whispered behind him, "Husband, if you like it, buy it."
"Precious wife, aren't you worried about wasting money?"
"When it comes to spending money on my husband, your servant doesn't feel the slightest pinch."
Li Banfeng purchased the suit, then took the gramophone to a theater to watch a motion picture.
Inside their private box, the gramophone's mind was not on the screen; she merely felt that her earlier state had been wrong.
"Ever since I inhabited that puppet made by Red Lotus, my mind has been a chaotic mess. I'm afraid something foul was planted in that body."
Li Banfeng said, "I didn't think much of that puppet either. Wife, don't use it again. If you can't bring yourself to destroy it, I'll smash it to pieces myself."
"Husband, rest early. Your servant will handle this matter personally."
Having fought all night at Huangtu Bridge without closing his eyes, Li Banfeng was genuinely exhausted.
Returning to the companion dwelling, the gramophone prepared hot water, helped Li Banfeng bathe, made the bed, and lay down beside him to keep him company.
Once Li Banfeng fell fast asleep, the gramophone silently slipped out of the main room and made her way to Room Nine.
Aware of the hostile arrival, the red lotus snapped her petals shut, a faint halo of light churning between the seams.
The gramophone chuckled. "Sister Lotus, there's no need to be guarded. I was merely bored and wanted to chat with you."
"What do you want to talk about?"
"I want to talk about the man from heaven."
"There's nothing to say about that person. I told you before, I cannot even remember whether that person was a man or a woman."
The gramophone laughed. "If you can't remember, take your time to think. I heard my husband say that Lu Qianjiao recently brought up the person from heaven. She seemed to be the peddler's sweetheart as well. Since she was his sweetheart, that proves she was a woman. I've never seen her true face, so I'm truly curious—how exactly did she dote upon you back then?"
A ripple of light flashed across the lotus leaves, the red lotus's tone turning dark. "Zhao Xiaowan, did you come running over in the dead of night just to humiliate me?"
The gramophone vented a puff of steam, scorching the red lotus's body. "Yes, I came to humiliate you. What exactly did you slip into that puppet? Tell me, every last detail."
The red lotus remained silent.
The stylus lowered onto the record, playing a song she was exceedingly fond of: *Burying Flowers*.
*"Blossoms fade and flutter fill the skies, who pities the scent as beauty dies? Gossamer strands float soft past spring pavilions, fallen catkins lightly brush the embroidered blinds..."*
The gramophone did not sing it with sorrow; within the melody lingered an eerie menace.
***
At daybreak the next morning, the moment Li Banfeng opened his eyes, Zhao Xiaowan was standing before him once more.
Li Banfeng rubbed his eyes. He hadn't seen wrong—it wasn't the gramophone, but Zhao Xiaowan possessing the puppet.
"Husband, you're awake?"
Li Banfeng sat up and reached toward the bedside for the gramophone, but his hand grasped only empty air.
"Husband, I found that thing in the way, so I moved it to Room Two."
"Room Two..." Li Banfeng got up, went to Room Two, and carried the gramophone back.
Though displeased, Zhao Xiaowan kept a smiling face. "Since Husband cherishes your servant so, then leave this gramophone body in the main room as well. Yesterday at the night market, we bought clothes, rouge, and jewelry, but we haven't bought anything for the household yet. There's a furniture shop down the street with a bookshelf I fancied. Its dimensions are just right for Room Seven. Please come with your servant to take a look, Husband; if it suits your taste, let's buy it for our home."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "No need to go. In a little while, I'll tell my men to have the shopkeeper deliver it directly."
"Husband, they have many bookshelves. How do you know which one your servant meant?"
"I'll bring them all back. I love reading, and I love bookshelves." Li Banfeng put on his clothes, preparing to head out.
Zhao Xiaowan called out, "Husband, where are you going? Can't you take your servant with you?"
Li Banfeng turned with a smile. "Didn't we just agree? I'm going to have people buy the furniture."
"Since you have to make the trip anyway, why won't you let your servant go? Are you ashamed that your servant will embarrass you?" Zhao Xiaowan sat down by the edge of the bed, her eyes reddening and her voice trembling, as though she had suffered immense grievance.
It wasn't merely 'as though'; Madam genuinely felt wronged. Someone was feeding thoughts directly into her mind, making Zhao Xiaowan truly feel pitiable.
The treasures in the household peered over, and Hong Ying set down her eyebrow pencil, looking toward Zhao Xiaowan.
Her behavior was far too abnormal.
Last night they had agreed completely never to touch that puppet again, yet in the blink of an eye, Madam was possessing it once more.
For anyone else, it might have been an uncontrollable urge to reclaim a physical body.
Yet what manner of person was Madam? A famed general who had commanded battlefields! Her self-control was beyond question, which led Li Banfeng to suspect she had fallen under the influence of an art.
Madam's cultivation tier was exceptionally high; ordinary techniques could scarcely touch her. But there was one class of arts that bypassed cultivation tiers entirely.
Li Banfeng sat beside Madam, comforting her in a soft, gentle voice: "Precious wife, your husband knows you've been wronged. Your husband only feared you would tire yourself out, so I decided to buy the entire furniture shop and bring it here for you to choose at your leisure."
Hearing this, Madam seemed to regain some clarity. "That's right... Husband is doing this out of love for me."
Li Banfeng had employed the Fool technique, Inverting Cause and Effect.
Even though the furniture had not yet arrived, Li Banfeng took that outcome as a premise to deduce the cause in reverse: instead of framing it as refusing to let Madam go outside, he framed it as bringing the entire shop to her.
Madam had only calmed for a brief moment before she sobbed twice and began weeping again.
Hong Ying was stunned. Zhao Xiaowan was never one to weep.
The glove murmured softly, "The mistress isn't right."
The projector marveled, "This is the art of a peerless beauty. Just two trails of tears, yet enough to break one's heart. Only..."
Mengde asked, "Only what?"
The projector said, "Crying shows the color blue, while laughing is red. What does it mean when red bleeds through blue?"
The pendulum wondered, "What red bleeding through blue? How come I can't see it at all?"
Li Banfeng glanced at the projector, then turned back to Zhao Xiaowan. "Precious wife, what is it now?"
Wiping her tears, Zhao Xiaowan said, "For all these years, anyone who saw your servant took me for a monster inside a gramophone. Your servant truly feels wronged. I wish to be seen in my original form, to restore my reputation."
The glove lowered its voice. "Has the mistress gone mad? Does she want to reveal her identity?"
Zhao Xiaowan glared at the glove. "I'm not revealing every detail! Just dropping a few words and letting them figure out the rest. I just need to win back my dignity!"
Hong Ying said softly, "Xiaowan, what's gotten into you? Those words don't sound like you at all."
"Wretched wench! I say whatever I please, what business is it of yours?"
With Zhao Xiaowan's emotions so volatile, no one in the household dared utter a sound. If Li Banfeng tried to offer gentle persuasion, he would fall right into the trap, because no matter how he persuaded her, it might only provoke her further.
Living as a gramophone for so many years had subjected her to countless misunderstandings—a knot in her heart she usually kept buried deep, but today, a Fool cultivator was exploiting it.
This knot was not easily untied. Lacking a direct way to undo it, Li Banfeng simply leaned into the flow, tying another knot on top of it.
"Wife, whom do you wish to see?"
The gramophone thought for a moment. "Let's start with the owner of that furniture shop. When he delivers the goods, a single meeting will do."
Li Banfeng said, "Did that furniture shop owner ever take you for a monster inside a gramophone?"
Madam hesitated. "Well, no. He's never seen me before."
"If he's never seen you, how could he restore your reputation? We must let him see you first—let him see what you look like as a gramophone."
Madam nodded. "Husband speaks the truth! We must first let him see what the monster looks like, and only then let him see what I truly look like!"
The slope was built, and Madam stepped down it. Li Banfeng pushed the gramophone before her.
Madam hesitated, caught in a struggle over whether to leave the puppet's body.
This hesitation was also caused by the Fool technique; the Fool cultivator lurking within the puppet was constantly manipulating Madam's thoughts.
After a long pause, Madam abruptly separated from the puppet and slipped back into the gramophone.
Li Banfeng felt a surge of pleasant surprise. The Fool cultivator seemed to have let go, no longer entangling Madam.
Yet why had she let go?
Back inside the gramophone's body, Madam's mind cleared instantly.
She looked up at the puppet, then turned toward Li Banfeng. "Your servant doesn't know what came over her just now, speaking so willfully and putting my husband in a difficult spot."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "That wasn't willful. You have indeed suffered grievances all these years. Wait until I deal with this puppet, then I will listen to you tell me of your past sorrows."
Having comforted his wife, Li Banfeng turned to face the puppet.
The gramophone raised its stylus. "There is no need for my husband to dirty his hands. Your servant can dispose of her personally."
Hong Ying pushed the gramophone aside. "Xiaowan, go hide in another room."
"Why should I hide?"
"Because you can't bring yourself to do it!" Hong Ying stared at the puppet. "Not just you—even I can't bring myself to strike it. It looks too much like you! Xiaowan, hurry and get out of here!"
The puppet, which had stood motionless, suddenly spoke: "None of you need hide. Let me hide for a moment. Li Qi, may I have a word with you alone?"
The household treasures were dumbfounded. Hong Ying instantly drew her sword.
A person was hidden within the puppet—the soul of another person!
The gramophone blocked Li Banfeng. "Husband cannot go."
The companion dwelling suddenly chimed in: "Girl, let him go. I am watching."
Li Banfeng embraced his wife, then walked over to the puppet. "What do you want to say? Where do you want to speak?"
"Go to where I reside." With those words, the puppet fell silent.
The soul within had departed.
Hong Ying asked, "Where does she reside?"
Li Banfeng replied, "She resides in Room Nine."
The one hidden within the puppet was the Lady of Room Nine. It was she who had used a Fool technique on Madam, causing her to act so abnormally.
The very first time he had visited Room Nine, it was to have her translate the blackboard writings of the Birch Hermitage. She had produced a nonsensical translation, inventing an entirely unrelated passage that had nearly deceived him.
None of the household had seen through her trickery, yet she alone could not fool the Judge's Brush, for sloth cultivators countered Fool cultivators. From that moment on, Li Banfeng had known for certain that the Lady of Room Nine was a Fool cultivator.
Though Li Banfeng was also a Fool cultivator, he harbored a degree of wariness toward his own kind. He had been guarding against Room Nine all this time, never expecting she would use the puppet to strike at Madam.
Li Banfeng entered Room Nine. The gramophone and Hong Ying stood outside the door, listening intently, yet they could hear nothing from inside; the sounds of Room Nine were shielded by the companion dwelling, and the red lotus had already been moved out by Li Banfeng.
Shutting the door, before Li Banfeng could speak, the Lady of Room Nine took the initiative: "Just now, the techniques you used on your woman were Inverting Cause and Effect and Going Down the Slope with the Donkey, correct?"
Li Banfeng said nothing. The Lady of Room Nine asked again, "Whom did you learn your techniques from?"
Li Banfeng remained silent.
The Lady of Room Nine ventured a guess: "Was it from Sun Tiecheng?"
Seeing Li Banfeng remain mute, the Old Master spoke up: "Ah Qi, if you trust me, tell her."
Li Banfeng gave a slight nod.
"He's still alive?" The Lady of Room Nine's voice trembled slightly.
Li Banfeng said, "I don't know whether it counts as alive. He eats, sleeps, walks, and fights."
The Lady of Room Nine fell silent for a long while before asking, "Is the City of Fools still there?"
"It's there. Inns, taverns, all kinds of trades."
"There was a great clock tower in the city. Is it still there?"
"It's there. Still the tallest place in the city."
"There was also a small market. Is that still there?"
"It's there, though not many people buy vegetables..."
The Lady of Room Nine asked about this and that for a long time, as though wishing to inquire about every corner of the City of Fools.
Having asked about the city, she turned her questions back to Li Banfeng: "You have taken the pathway powder, haven't you? Are you a disciple or a cultivator of our pathway?"
For Fool cultivators, there was a stark distinction between a disciple and a cultivator: a disciple merely mastered a few techniques, whereas only a cultivator was considered to have truly entered the pathway.
The companion dwelling said, "Ah Qi, tell her."
After a moment of silence, Li Banfeng said, "I am a cultivator."
Room Nine was quiet for a long time. Li Banfeng was not wearing the Qiansi earring, nor did he carry any treasures on him.
Yet he faintly heard soft sobbing.
She was crying?
Why was she crying?
"The... the technique I used earlier is called Speaking of Sour and Bitter. It draws out the other party's grief and heartache, throwing their mind into disarray amidst the bitterness. The key to the technique lies in seizing the enemy's vital sorrows. If facing an unfamiliar foe, one must find ways to make them pour out their bitterness."
The Lady of Room Nine earnestly explained the art of Speaking of Sour and Bitter to Li Banfeng. After listening, Li Banfeng asked impassively, "Why did you harm my wife?"
"I didn't want to harm her. I only wanted to get out of here. I wanted to see the City of Fools again, even if just for a single glance."
"Do you miss the City of Fools that much?"
"I do, I truly do," the Lady of Room Nine said sincerely, believing Li Banfeng might release her. "Ever since the day disaster struck the City of Fools, I've wondered whether I would ever see it again in this lifetime. Even in my dreams, I—are you using a technique on me?"
"Yes." Li Banfeng nodded. He had never intended to release the Lady of Room Nine. He had been listening to her pour out her bitterness, waiting for her mind to unravel so he could obliterate her directly.
"You want to kill me?" the Lady of Room Nine asked in a trembling voice.
"You laid hands on my wife. I have no reason to let you live." Li Banfeng's expression remained cold.
"Could you let me see the City of Fools just once more?" Her voice was filled with pleading.
"No." Li Banfeng's tone was calm, yet unyielding.
"So be it. Knowing that the City of Fools still stands is enough to satisfy me. Having learned your arts from Sun Tiecheng, you should know how to deal with deceased spirits. You can destroy me with Ironclad Evidence."
Li Banfeng's eyes reddened as he prepared to shed tears; once he wept, the Lady of Room Nine would be thoroughly dead.
"Ah Qi!" The companion dwelling intervened. "For my sake, spare her life. She may still be of use to you in the future."
After a full ten minutes of silence, Li Banfeng gave a slight nod. "Fine. I'll spare your life for now. We establish a covenant: never touch my family again!"
The companion dwelling said, "I shall bear witness to this."
With the matter settled, Li Banfeng left Room Nine. At the door, he picked up the red lotus. "Hua Jiu'er, another debt has been added to our ledger. It's time we settled it."
The red lotus offered no explanation; explaining was useless, as little could be hidden from the Old Master.
The gramophone stopped Li Banfeng. "Husband, let's settle this account later. Falling into their plot was my own uselessness; I will claim this debt back myself."
Li Banfeng handed the red lotus over to Madam. The gramophone slowly dragged its stylus across the red lotus. "Sister, I've noted this grudge. From now on, do you want to move in with me, or do you still want to stay in Room Nine?"
The red lotus replied in a small voice, "Whatever you command."
"Sensible enough," the gramophone laughed. "Fine, I'll let you stay in Room Nine. Counting the Profound Accumulation Pill from before, you've plotted against me twice. Let's see if you have the skill to plot against me a third time!"
The gramophone tossed the red lotus back into Room Nine, then turned toward the puppet in the main room. "Husband, do you truly dislike my original appearance?"
Li Banfeng embraced the brass horn, pressing his cheek against it. "Wife, I love whatever you look like."
"Then shall we keep this puppet for now?"
"If my wife wishes to keep it, we keep it. In this household, my wife calls the shots." Carrying the gramophone, Li Banfeng waltzed out the door, taking his wife to the furniture shop to buy the bookshelf.
***
Inside Room Nine, the red lotus slowly relaxed her petals, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from her heart.
The Lady of Room Nine whispered, "Don't lose heart. We still have a chance."
The red lotus gave a cold chuckle. "Whether you have a chance depends on your own ability. Do not drag me into your schemes again."
"If one day you could leave this place, who is the person you would most want to see?"
"Why do you ask?"
"You must want to see the person from heaven, just as I want to return to the City of Fools. Some attachments cannot be let go of in this lifetime."
"Yes... cannot be let go," the red lotus murmured.
"Where exactly is that person from heaven? Was she so good to you that she's worth such lingering longing?"
"Was she good? Perhaps she was. She—" The red lotus paused, her tone suddenly shifting. "Are you fishing for information? Are you probing me on behalf of that madman?"
"You're too suspicious," the Lady of Room Nine chuckled softly. "I only wanted to speak a few words from the heart. I truly consider you a sister."
Chapter 583