Two Wars

Today, Li Banfeng heard a new term: the Second Puluo War. Speaking of the concept of the "Second Puluo War," Shen Jingye was also very cautious, constantly watching Li the Seventh's reaction. Seeing Li the Seventh so astonished, Shen Jingye felt a twinge of regret. He hadn't wanted to disclose too much top-secret information. "Bureau Chief Li, you didn't know about that war over forty years ago?" How could Li Banfeng answer that? In the Garrison Office's understanding, Li the Seventh was born and raised in Puluo Province. If he didn't even know about a war from forty years ago, his identity would make little sense. How could he offer a plausible explanation? Pressed for time, Li Banfeng couldn't come up with a good excuse and could only brush it off for the moment. "I heard some talk from the older generation, but they were all vague about it." In Li Banfeng's eyes, this hardly counted as a reasonable explanation; it was just a temporary delay. If Shen Jingye pressed further, Li Banfeng might reveal plenty of flaws. Yet unexpectedly, that was precisely the reality. Shen Jingye nodded. "That is the defining trait of the Second Puluo War, which makes it very different from the First Puluo War. Although the Second Puluo War lasted longer and saw fiercer fighting, the campaigns were fought in a completely fragmented manner. "Many people in Puluo Province knew there was a war, but as for how it was fought and against whom, none of them could say clearly. That has posed quite an obstacle to our investigative work." Within Shen Jingye's words, two crucial pieces of information were revealed. First, the Outer States' understanding of the Second Puluo War was also very limited; during that period, contact between the Outer States and Puluo Province may have been extremely sparse. Second, there really had been a First Puluo War. As for what the First Puluo War was, Li Banfeng was even less able to ask. Asking would only expose his ignorance further. No matter. As long as he held tightly to Comrade Little Shen, these questions would all have answers in the future. Shen Jingye continued, "The recording you just heard comes from Nelyashev, an early member of the Birch Hermitage. Though he didn't hold a particularly high status, he personally experienced multiple battles of the Second Puluo War. "He was an avid chronicler of his life, leaving behind many precious materials, including notes, audio recordings, and film reels, which have provided us with numerous clues for studying the Second Puluo War. "We once believed he had lived through the entire war, but this recording suggests Nelyashev very likely died in that battle. He didn't mention any dates in the recording, so we cannot determine the exact time the battle took place." Li Banfeng reviewed the translated transcript once more. "According to his description, he and everyone left behind died at the hands of an opera singer surnamed Huang. In that era, there shouldn't have been many opera singers in Puluo Province." This inference was undoubtedly correct. Forty years ago, there were hardly any opera singers even in Yuezhou. Shen Jingye shook his head. "That's an issue with the translation. Our translators tried to stick to literal translation to avoid misinterpretations. "What the Ravshans referred to as 'Puluo opera' was actually our traditional theater. This actor surnamed Huang should be the missing famous performer Huang Yuxian—the legendary Yin Actor of Puluo Province." "The Yin Actor took part in the Second Puluo War?" Shen Jingye nodded. "This is one of the biggest gains from this investigation. We are very eager to find out Huang Yuxian's ultimate fate. Through her, we might gain a deeper understanding of Puluo Province." After Shen Jingye left, Li Banfeng flipped through the materials he had left behind one by one. The Birch Hermitage's documents were extremely valuable, containing a large number of member dossiers, financial statuses, and several confidential letters. Yet Li Banfeng couldn't bring himself to read them. The name Huang Yuxian lingered in his mind, refusing to fade. The moment he thought of Huang Yuxian, he thought of his lady wife. He called Tangyuan over. Seeing Li Banfeng, Tangyuan was delighted and first reported a piece of good news to him: "Seventh Master, I've advanced. I'm a tier-five Polymath now." Li Banfeng was startled. "How did you rise so quickly?" "We've had many missions lately, and Bureau Chief Shen changed his management approach. The bureau distributed a lot of harmonizing agents. At first I was a bit worried that the agent wouldn't work on me, but then I found it was the same—" Li Banfeng interrupted Tangyuan. "Why wouldn't the harmonizing agent work?" Tangyuan whispered, "Lightbulb was always complaining that the harmonizing agent didn't work, so I took it seriously." Li Banfeng shook his head. "Lightbulb is a special case. His initiation powder is a family heirloom; he's different from the rest of you." Tangyuan nodded. "I know about that. Actually, I'm different from them too. When I was in Puluo Province, I took initiation powder. I'm no longer just a dark-energy user; I'm already a cultivator." "You took powder in Puluo Province? Did you go find the peddler?" "No, not really. The peddler isn't easy to find, and back then I was doing research at the Garrison Office. Without arrangements from the office, I couldn't just leave Green Water City as I pleased. "I received the powder at Xiaoyaowu. At the time, Fifth Master heard that I had... some connection with you, so he sent someone to ask if I had any requests. "Xiaoyaowu provided me with better quarters and raised my salary. I couldn't think of any other requests, so I asked for Literary Cultivator powder, and Fifth Master had someone deliver it." Li Banfeng was astonished. "You didn't tell me about this?" Tangyuan lowered her head. "Back then, I didn't trust you that much, Seventh Master. Later I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid you'd be angry and punish me—" Ma the Fifth had mentioned to Li Banfeng that the newly arrived girl had become a Literary Cultivator. Li Banfeng had misunderstood at the time because he had already known Tangyuan was a Literary Cultivator. "You were a tier-four Polymath, but after taking the Literary Cultivator powder, were you unaffected?" Tangyuan answered earnestly, "There was an effect. It hurt! It really hurt! You know I have plenty of meat there, but it still hurt so much I couldn't walk." "I'm not talking about pain. Literary Cultivators and Polymaths are two different things, as you should know." "I know, which is why I wanted to truly become a Literary Cultivator. After taking the powder, there wasn't much change at first, and I thought I had suffered for nothing. "But recently I noticed things were different. Many of my techniques have changed. Some things I couldn't control before, I can control now." Tangyuan spoke excitedly, describing every subtle change in detail. Li Banfeng heard it clearly: Tangyuan's control over her cultivation had strengthened, and she truly was more like a Literary Cultivator. Under these circumstances, the harmonizing agent still worked, allowing Tangyuan to rise to tier five. Guiding agents and initiation powders, harmonizing agents and medicinal pills—there really were countless tangled connections between them. Listening to Tangyuan talk about cultivation, Li Banfeng nearly forgot the other matter. "Have you heard of the two Puluo wars?" Tangyuan looked up at Li Banfeng, then lowered her head again. Her eyes darted around the room, seemingly worried about monitoring equipment. "Rest assured, the surveillance has been turned off." Tangyuan breathed a sigh of relief. "Seventh Master, that is top-secret material. I only saw it once before. Puluo Province has undergone two major wars. The time of the First Puluo War is unknown, while the Second Puluo War took place over forty years ago." "Who were the opposing parties in these two wars?" "The First Puluo War was an internal war within Puluo Province. The two warring sides were likely the Puluo royal family and the commoners. "The Second Puluo War was extremely complicated, with numerous participating factions. Besides the Puluo royal family and commoners, several outside forces also joined the war. External groups like the State of Ravsha's Light Chasing Society and Birch Hermitage were both participants." "Did the State of Huan not participate in the war?" "As far as I know, the State of Huan didn't participate in the fighting, but it was involved in post-war reconstruction. It was precisely starting from the Second Puluo War that the State of Huan and Puluo Province formally established cooperative relations. "As for later developments, I'm not too clear. It was only by a sheer coincidence that I managed to see that top-secret document." "Do you know where similar top-secret documents can be found?" "You'd have to go to the archives and use very high-level clearance to consult them." "The archives?" Li Banfeng still couldn't figure out just how many archives the Dark Star Bureau had, or which archive held genuine materials. To thoroughly uncover the truth of this matter, it seemed he had to think carefully of a way. Returning to his quarters, Li Banfeng went to the shaded room on the first floor. Xi Zhaofu was dancing in the room while a cluster of deceased spirits watched intently. Truth be told, whether in face or figure, Xi Zhaofu was beyond reproach. Even Li Banfeng wanted to look a bit more... Look at what? He was a man! Li Banfeng coughed, and all the deceased spirits returned to their jars. These deceased spirits had been bought from Fourth Mother Yin and usually stayed in the room. As long as they caused no trouble, Li Banfeng didn't supervise them closely. Li Banfeng called Xi Zhaofu out of the room alone, led him to the living room, and turned on the television. After careful selection, he found a television drama and pointed at a scene. "This is procurement in the Outer States. Inquiring for prices, negotiating, signing contracts... Can you understand the process?" Xi Zhaofu nodded. "I understand this. When you aren't home, I watch television often too." Not bad; he was honest. "If I have you help me buy something now, do you know how to operate according to this process?" Xi Zhaofu pondered the entire process carefully. "Acting the part is easy enough, but I don't know the market rates. If I buy something too expensively or get the wrong thing, I won't have a steady grasp on it." This matter couldn't be forced. Xi Zhaofu hadn't received much schooling to begin with; expecting him to master knowledge of physics was asking too much. Moreover, Xi Zhaofu had another concern: "From what I saw on television, large-scale procurement always needs a company backing it, or the suppliers won't trust us." "You know quite a bit." Seeing that Xi Zhaofu had thought things through so thoroughly, Li Banfeng felt considerably relieved. "Leave the company to me. Just play your part well." Come nightfall, Li Banfeng sought out Tang Changfa and asked, "Do you have connections on the black market to get me a company? I need to buy some things under a company's name." Tang Changfa chuckled. "Why would we need connections for that? Our family already has a company!" Li Banfeng shot Tang Changfa a glare. "Do you even know what a company is?" "What's not to know? When stepping out to do business, we need our own storefront. With a company backing us, people will let us handle large transactions." Li Banfeng stared blankly for a long while. Having not seen him for some time, Tang Changfa's state was vastly different from before. "We really have a company?" "We do! I spent money and asked Lin Fojiao to set it up for us. All the paperwork is completely in order. Shopkeeper, just say what you want to buy!" Li Banfeng said, "I want to buy some scientific research equipment." Tang Changfa thought for a moment and asked, "Scientific research equipment... that's for studying science, right? That's included in our business scope. We can just buy it directly! "It's just that I don't understand a thing about science. When the time comes, we'll need someone who knows the field to negotiate for us." Li Banfeng nodded. "I have someone ready to negotiate. You guys try not to show your faces. Also, keep an eye out for another matter—see if you can find any information on Nelyashev in the black market." "What... what-shev?" Li Banfeng wrote it out for Tang Changfa. After looking at it, Tang Changfa scratched his scalp. "This is too much of a mouthful. I'll have Yan Hong'er ask around. Her tongue is sharp and quick." Li Banfeng asked, "A-Fa, over forty years ago, a war was fought in Puluo Province. Do you know about that?" Tang Changfa thought it over. "A war? Doesn't Puluo Province fight every day? I really don't recall." The City of Fools was closed off from the outside world. It had likely already become completely isolated by the time of the Second Puluo War. Tang Changfa said no more and hurried off to attend to business. Li Banfeng brought out the Old Teapot. Being old, it should know more. "Forty years ago, was there a war in Puluo Province?" "Forty years ago... when was forty years ago? Was I still in Kucaizhuang?" This was a common issue with numinous treasures; their concept of time was none too clear. Despite Li Banfeng's repeated prompts, the Old Teapot still couldn't recall. Li Banfeng turned to ask the glove. "Forty years ago, I don't think I was even a glove yet. Had I entered the Ghost Hand Sect back then?" The glove had suffered severe trauma, leaving serious blind spots in its memory. Luo Yuni the pendulum had a faint impression: "Back then, I was considered a talented scholar. I seem to recall writing some articles about the war, but I don't remember what I wrote specifically." She had likely written anti-war poems and essays as a literary talent. Luo Yuni might know some things; once her memory recovered, he could learn more from her. The other numinous treasures either lacked a concept of time or had no memory of the war. The Tang dao seemed to have heard news of the war, but he had spent most of his time wandering the jianghu and had never been on a battlefield. Only one treasure was an exception. The liquor gourd. "Little brother, I fought in a war. I don't remember the time, but I definitely fought alongside Old Yao." The Tang dao chimed in beside them, "Local spirits slaughtering one another occasionally isn't anything rare, is it?" "This wasn't occasional slaughtering. I went onto a real battlefield! Back then, Old Yao still had soldiers under him. Those soldiers hadn't been in Yaowanggou originally, but when they learned there was going to be a war, they all arrived. Once the war ended, nobody knew where they went." Li Banfeng asked, "Who were you fighting against?" "A bunch of foreigners. At first, they came to Old Yao's dwelling and talked about many things. I wasn't really listening at the time. "Old Yao lost his temper badly. That group of foreigners acted wild in Old Yao's dwelling, so Old Yao killed two of them, and the rest were frightened away. "Two days later, a contingent of soldiers arrived. Without saying much, they set up camp directly on the mountain and obeyed Old Yao's command in everything. "Only then did I learn that war is a complicated business, completely unlike ordinary brawls. Old Yao had to find food for these soldiers, procure weaponry, and allocate forces according to Yaowanggou's terrain. "When the fighting actually started, I remember we fought more than thirty battles in all. I went to all thirty-odd battles, though unfortunately I never charged onto the front line. "At the time, many soldiers were wounded, and I was responsible for preparing medicinal liquor for them. Some soldiers drank the liquor and pulled through; some didn't; and some died before they could even take a sip. "At first, I wanted to charge onto the front lines with Old Yao once, but later I was genuinely terrified. Just hearing about a battle made me tremble all over. "That day, after the final battle was fought, Old Yao told me we had won. He brought out all the fine liquor in the courtyard to lay out a victory banquet. Everyone drank until they were dead drunk. When we woke up, none of those people were there anymore. "Old Yao went back to the way he was before—singing opera, drinking wine, gathering herbs on the mountain—as if none of it had ever happened." Was this the Second Puluo War? Which side did Old Yao stand on during the Second Puluo War? And which side were those foreigners on? The only inference he could make right now was that Old Yao and Huang Yuxian must have belonged to the same camp, and the Lavshans were likely their common enemy. He would head to Puluo Province first to look for clues. Li Banfeng took out paper and pen and wrote down a list of names. The people on this list had likely lived through the war and should have some understanding of the circumstances back then. Yet trying to trace a coherent thread from a heap of scattered information wouldn't be easy. To discover the truth, he at least needed to know the general outline. He still had to find a way through Little Shen. Xi Zhaofu put on a western suit and accompanied Tang Changfa to negotiate business. Tang Changfa had even sought out professionals on the black market; meeting venues, office space, cellphones, and landlines were all arranged flawlessly. In just one week, they bought the magnetometer. This piece of equipment cost over thirty-nine million. Compared to the other instruments in the laboratory, it was considered relatively inexpensive. Li Banfeng was not short on money, but the figure still surprised him. No wonder Snowflake Pu had been bled dry; scientific research was truly a money-burning affair. Having obtained the new equipment, his lady wife happily headed into the laboratory. Once she went in, who knew how many days would pass before she was willing to come out. The companion dwelling reminded him, "A-Qi, you've been running off to Qiqiu City whenever you have free time lately. Coming and going like this is a bit too frequent." "There's no helping it. The laboratory is in Qiqiu City." "That laboratory is precisely what I'm talking about. Don't think that having an unnameable land means you can sit back and relax. There are many ways in this world to enter an unnameable land, and plenty of people wish to learn the secrets of the Boundary. You mustn't get careless." The old gentleman's reminder was sound. He needed to find a more foolproof method to conceal the laboratory. What other ways were there? Formations! Set up a Three Doors Three Openings Formation in front of the laboratory entrance? First of all, the duration of that formation was very limited. Second, if someone passed by the entrance, they would be teleported straight out, which was practically announcing to others that good things were hidden here. This formation wouldn't do; he had to learn a new one. Li Banfeng went to Room Nine. The room was in complete disarray. "What happened here?" The maiden of Room Nine said in a coquettish, reproachful tone, "Junior Brother, Sister Red Lotus and I were chatting quite nicely when she suddenly had a burst of enthusiasm and insisted on sparring with me. "I thought to myself that after staying here all these years without stretching my limbs, I might as well exchange a couple of moves with Sister. Who knew Sister's hands would be so ruthless? She ended up injuring me." Red Lotus fumed, "Where are you injured? Show me!" The maiden of Room Nine acted utterly wronged. "This room is my flesh and blood! Look at that wall—that's my back! Look at that brick—that's my bone! Look at that table—that's my arm!" "Nonsense!" Red Lotus ground her teeth. "That table was just bought recently! Don't tell me you didn't have an arm before?" Ninth Miss sighed. "Junior Brother, you heard it yourself. See how unreasonable this person is? I speak to her nicely, and the moment she opens her mouth, she picks a fight with me." Red Lotus snapped, "Who wants to talk to you? I stayed here just for some peace and quiet. Who could stand you blabbering day and night without stopping?" Ninth Miss huffed, "Oh my, the mouth is on my own body, and I don't need to eat. Aside from talking, what else is this mouth good for? What right do you have to stop me from speaking?" Red Lotus was about to burst with rage. Li Banfeng moved her to Room Eight. When he returned to Room Nine, Ninth Miss was still displeased. "Junior Brother, I had just this one person to relieve my boredom, and you went and moved her away. Are you trying to bore me to death?" Li Banfeng said, "Haven't I come to keep you company and relieve your boredom? I've been practicing formations lately, and I've mastered the Three Doors Three Openings Formation thoroughly." "Junior Brother, mastering one is enough. Don't tell me you've come to sponge off me again?" Li Banfeng pulled up a chair, sat in the center of the room, and patiently explained, "Jiu'er—" "Call me Senior Sister! What's with 'Jiu'er'? Anyone hearing that would think I'm your concubine!" "Ninth Senior Sister, among the living disciples of our pathway, I'm the only one left. The formations of our pathway are supreme arts. If these arts aren't passed on to me, could they possibly be passed to anyone else?" "Junior Brother, passing them to you isn't out of the question, but teaching the apprentice starves the master. If your Senior Sister teaches you all her real skills, what if you turn hostile one day, decide I'm useless, and wipe me out with Ironclad Proof? Where would I go to seek justice?" "What happened in the past is already over. Are you still holding a grudge, Senior Sister?" "I really am a petty person. I'm afraid I won't forget that matter for the rest of my life." "Back then, you were the one who made a move on my lady wife first. If anyone was in the wrong, it was you, wasn't it?" "That's true! Your lady wife is family, so why should an outsider like me join in the fuss? Go learn formations from your lady wife!" "Ninth Senior Sister," Li Banfeng sighed softly. "To be frank, I'm a person who cares about saving face. I really don't want to pester you here, but what other choice do I have? "To protect the City of Fools, I don't know how many people I've offended. Now I'm hiding everywhere outside, barely able to guard my own front door. "I was counting on laying down a formation at my doorstep so that if enemies come, I can hold them off for a while. Yet when I beg my sister for a few pointers, she refuses flatly. "If you won't agree, then forget it. Treat it as if I never said anything. No one cares anyway, no matter how much I say. I'll figure out a way myself." Li Banfeng rose to leave. An invisible hand stroked his back, soothing him into sitting back down. "Junior Brother, I was only joking with you. Why take it so seriously? What technique do you want to learn? Your sister will teach you." "Sister, are you truly willing to teach?" "You play the aggrieved victim so well—how could I have the heart to refuse?" She had seen through him. It didn't matter that she saw through it, as long as she was willing to teach. "Ninth Senior Sister, I want to learn the Formation of Balanced Pace." This was a great formation, just like the one in the City of Fools: only at a specific speed could one find the entrance. Going too fast wouldn't work, nor would going too slow. It was extremely well-suited for the laboratory. The maiden of Room Nine pondered for a moment. "Junior Brother, this won't do. I'm not brushing you off, but you haven't mastered the touch of balancing fast and slow yet." "How haven't I? My control between fast and slow is quite decent." "What control? Never mind anything else—just look at how you aired your grievances just now. You simply charged forward wave after wave without caring whether I could take it. Where was the measure of fast and slow in that? "Your mind is too impatient. This formation really isn't suitable. Listen to your sister and pick another." What should he switch to? "Then let's learn the Dazzling Flowers Formation." Sun Tiecheng had used this formation; by sticking two tree branches into the ground, he had managed to hide the spot where Li Banfeng buried the covenant deed. The formation looked perfunctory, yet it was remarkably effective, and Ye Songqiao's deed had never encountered any trouble. Yet Ninth Miss still didn't want to teach it. "Junior Brother, I told you already, the Dazzling Flowers Formation requires solid mastery too. Without eight or ten years, you won't be able to learn it." Li Banfeng grew displeased. "You won't teach this, and you won't teach that. What am I supposed to learn?" "Junior Brother, are you angry again? Fine, I'll teach you the Dazzling Flowers Formation. Do you remember how Sun Tiecheng set up the formation?" "He just held two branches and stuck them in—" "The key to sticking those two branches in lies in choosing the proper position, depth, and force to tear open an unnameable fissure. Unnameable power is then released from the fissure to dazzle the eyes of others. "Therefore, the essentials of the formation consist of three things: position, depth, and force. Junior Brother, find an implement first and try sticking it in." Li Banfeng brought over two wooden sticks. "Where do I stick them?" "Here." A flowerpot dropped in front of Li Banfeng, housing a Chinese rose blooming in full splendor. Even though the companion dwelling saw no sunlight year-round, the flower still bloomed. This came from seeds bought from Zhang Wanlong; in the newland where there was no sunlight, any crop bred by Zhang Wanlong could grow. Ninth Miss dipped a calligraphy brush in cinnabar and made two marks in the soil of the pot. "I'll choose the positions for you first. Gauge the depth and force yourself. I'll close my eyes, and when you're done sticking them in, let me know. "If the formation succeeds, I shouldn't be able to see this Chinese rose when I open my eyes." Gauge the depth and force. She hadn't clearly explained what rules to follow. Li Banfeng could only feel his way through by intuition. After several attempts, the rose remained completely visible. Ninth Miss then made marks on the wooden sticks. "I've set the depth for you as well. Just gauge the force and try again." With position and depth both set, gauging only the force shouldn't be too difficult. After a few tries, Ninth Miss urged, "Are you done yet?" Li Banfeng felt it was about right. "Sister, open your eyes and take a look." The room fell quiet for a moment. Li Banfeng asked, "Sister, can you see it?" Ninth Miss said in a chilly tone, "Do you think I'm blind? Can't I see such a huge Chinese rose? After teaching you for so long, what on earth did you learn?" She accused Li Banfeng of being impatient, yet her own temper was hardly any better. After studying for a day with no progress, and having been nagged by his senior sister to the point of utter exasperation, Li Banfeng went to the laboratory. His lady wife wasn't in the best of moods either. She had run into some troubles, and several experiments had stalled. "Husband, you must let your humble servant stay a few more days. If I don't work through this matter completely, my heart will remain hanging on edge." Since his lady wife requested it, Li Banfeng naturally agreed. To be safe, he also left the Tang dao and the Old Teapot in the laboratory—one for offense, one for defense—to protect her together. Li Banfeng returned once more to the Outer States and went to the Dark Star Bureau. He called Shen Jingye into his office and specially poured him a cup of tea. Shen Jingye didn't dare drink it. "Bureau Chief Li, what exactly did you call me here for?" Li Banfeng asked earnestly, "Little Shen, just how many archives does our Dark Star Bureau have?" Shen Jingye felt rather awkward. "Bureau Chief Li, this concerns classified matters. Are you really asking me so directly?" Li Banfeng pushed the teacup closer to Shen Jingye's hand. "Aren't we true, honest friends?"