Li Banfeng could not wrap his head around the connection between popular sentiment and genuine feelings. In his view, the amount of sentiment was tied strictly to the number of people. If Lüshui Bay had a massive population, its popular sentiment was abundant. If Yesong Bridge had few people, its sentiment was scarce.
That was the most intuitive concept, and the most fundamental common sense across Puluo Province.
Pan Dehai waved a dismissive hand. "Brother, you see the surface, but miss what lies beneath. Yes, more people mean more popular sentiment. Put a hundred people in a single territory, and in one day they produce a hundred portions of sentiment. Ten thousand people produce ten thousand portions. That's an ironclad rule that holds true anywhere. But if a single person is moved by genuine, heartfelt sincerity, that person might generate a hundred portions of sentiment in a single day—or perhaps even more."
"One person generating a hundred portions?" Li Banfeng was still at a loss.
Old Pan sighed. "Hard to fathom, isn't it? I only figured it out myself quite recently. In the proper territories, Haichiling doesn't have a huge population, yet its popular sentiment isn't meager in the slightest. Why? Because when people are hungry, they want to eat! The desire to eat counts as genuine, heartfelt sincerity!
"Kudaikan has plenty of popular sentiment as well. Once people have had their fill of food and drink, they start thinking about other desires. That, too, is genuine sincerity!
"Yaowanggou has a fair number of people, yet hardly much popular sentiment to speak of. The folk there are lazy and idle; they don't have many things they truly wish to do. Without burning obsessions, no popular sentiment can gather.
"Green Water City, on the other hand, is crawling with ambitious people. Every single person has something they yearn to accomplish, and they yearn for it with all their hearts. That's why Green Water City boasts the most thriving popular sentiment.
"All these portions of sentiment have varied origins and drift wherever they please. A local spirit seal can collect them all, and whoever holds the seal gets to make use of them. But there is one category of sentiment that a local spirit seal cannot harvest. Such sentiment bears a name and a rightful owner.
"At the end of last year, tens of thousands of folk across Sandaoling offered incense to Lord Seven, every one of them filled with true devotion and sincerity. That was how you reaped this bountiful harvest of sentiment. A local spirit seal can't draw it in, and no one else can swallow a single bite of it..."
Here, Old Pan paused, looking as if he had let slip more than he intended.
Li Banfeng stared at Pan Dehai. "You just said no one else could swallow it. Did that include you? Did you hand this sentiment over to me only because you couldn't swallow it yourself?"
Pan Dehai shook his head. "Talking like that hurts our friendship! Even if this old man couldn't use it, wouldn't it have gone to waste if left alone? Gathering popular sentiment is no trivial task. Guided by my conscience, my virtue, and my genuine regard for a friend, I helped you accomplish this great deed. If you don't appreciate it, you'll chill my old heart!"
Li Banfeng nodded. "I do appreciate it. I certainly do. Whenever you need my help in the future, Elder Pan, just say the word. I won't hesitate for a moment."
These words came from the bottom of his heart. He was in desperate need of popular sentiment right now, and Pan Dehai had indeed done him a massive favor. It was rare for Li Banfeng to speak to Pan Dehai with such earnest sincerity.
After chatting a bit longer, Li Banfeng asked about Qin Tianjiu's current situation.
Pan Dehai replied tactfully, "Qin Tianjiu is extraordinarily gifted. Every day, he devours three oxen and six sheep. What little experience I've accumulated as a Food Cultivator is of little use to him. I wanted to recommend him as an apprentice to Lady Wangyou, that expert Food Cultivator over at Tiewangang. Unfortunately, Lady Wangyou has an eccentric temperament. She claimed Qin Tianjiu was pedantic and refused to take him in, so he has to settle for staying by my side for now."
Li Banfeng caught the hint immediately. Producing a checkbook, he wrote out ten thousand silver dollars on the spot and handed it over. "Consider this tuition. I will cover every expense for Fatty."
After a few polite refusals, Pan Dehai accepted the money. Ten thousand silver dollars wasn't an astronomical sum to him, but the gesture was made, and his heart felt noticeably lighter.
The old carriage sped up, and in less than two hours, it brought the two men to Qiemian Village.
North of the village lay Zhajiang Slope. Heavy snow had blanketed the mountain, leaving no visible path on the incline. Yet the carriage rolled along smoothly, its wheels gliding as though suspended above the snow drifts without leaving behind a single rut.
Near the summit, Pan Dehai led Li Banfeng out of the carriage. Pan Dehai glanced down at Li Banfeng's feet. This was where one's martial skill showed: the old carriage had left no tracks on the snow, and a man walking upon it couldn't leave footprints either.
Li Banfeng possessed the technique of Riding the Wind and Driving the Clouds, so floating over the snow was effortless for him. Pan Dehai had his own methods, though Li Banfeng couldn't tell which pathway they came from.
Arriving beside a boulder, Pan Dehai coughed three times.
As if understanding his voice, the boulder slowly rose from the ground to a height of over two meters, hovering suspended in midair. Behind it lay a cave. Walking roughly a hundred meters inside, Li Banfeng laid eyes on an old carriage.
It possessed the exact same dimensions and shape as the carriage they had ridden in earlier. Yet as Li Banfeng gazed upon it, an instinctive sensation told him that this vehicle ought to be remarkably light.
Why did he feel that way?
It was likely due to the color.
The carriage's shafts, cabin, and wheels were all of a single hue: white with a faint yellow tint.
Li Banfeng touched the shafts and asked Pan Dehai, "Is this carriage made of paper?"
Pan Dehai felt Li Banfeng's phrasing was somewhat disrespectful, yet he did not deny it. "It is indeed made of paper."
"This is the Haichi old carriage?"
Pan Dehai nodded. "This is the supreme treasure of Haichiling, capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people!"
How could a paper carriage hold tens of thousands?
Puluo Province was full of strange and wondrous things, but Li Banfeng still found the construction overly primitive. It didn't even have a wooden frame. A gust of wind seemed capable of tearing it to pieces.
Pan Dehai smiled. "Brother, don't think it's light just by looking at it. Why don't you see if you can pull it?"
Li Banfeng looked down. "Can the wheels turn?"
"They turn, and quite smoothly at that."
Li Banfeng gave advance warning: "If I pull too hard and break it, don't try to extort me."
Pan Dehai chuckled. "Use as much strength as you have. If it breaks, it's on me."
Li Banfeng had trained in the carter's footwork before. Gripping the shafts with both hands, he took a step forward. The wheels remained motionless, as though welded to the earth.
Li Banfeng turned back and inspected the carriage carefully. Even if the wheels didn't rotate, dragging such a lightweight cart ought to take negligible effort.
Why weren't the wheels moving? Was something sticking them to the ground?
Pan Dehai remarked, "Brother, hoping to pull the Haichi old carriage with only that much strength is a joke. Put a bit more back into it."
This time, Li Banfeng exerted greater force. If the wheels were truly glued to the floor, he could snap the shafts in two.
Yet the shafts did not break, and the wheels didn't budge.
Pan Dehai sighed. "Brother, you're an above-the-clouds Travel Cultivator. If this is all you've got, your elder brother will laugh at you."
Abandoning all reservations, Li Banfeng threw his full strength into the effort.
*Creak, squeak...*
The wheels turned, rolling forward alongside Li Banfeng.
Old Pan hadn't lied; the wheels spun very smoothly. However, the carriage possessed immense inertia, making it extremely difficult to control. When Li Banfeng tried to stop, the momentum from behind shoved him forward over a dozen meters.
Li Banfeng lifted the shafts and weighed them in his hands. High inertia meant tremendous mass, yet the shafts felt featherlight—undeniably the weight of pasted paper.
Could the cabin be exceptionally heavy?
Exerting strength in his wrists, Li Banfeng lifted the entire vehicle off the ground.
It wasn't heavy at all!
He judged the whole carriage to weigh no more than five jin. "Carrying it would be far less trouble than pulling it."
Pan Dehai pressed his palm downward, gesturing for Li Banfeng to lower it. "Brother, remember my words well: the wheels of the Haichi old carriage must never leave the ground. Even when it's empty, if the wheels leave the dirt, the carriage will throw a temper. And if it isn't empty, the moment the wheels lift, whatever is inside will spill out, and you won't be able to pack it back in anytime soon."
This carriage certainly had a peculiar temperament!
Pan Dehai asked, "Brother, do you want to practice here a while longer, or come with me to case the route?"
Li Banfeng pulled the carriage back and forth through the cavern twice. The cave was deep, extending over two li. By the time he set the shafts down, he was drenched in sweat.
Pan Dehai remarked, "Once it's loaded, it'll be even harder to pull. Brother, if you intend to drag this through Santoucha, you'll have to put in some serious work."
"This isn't a matter of putting in work," Li Banfeng said, shaking his head repeatedly. He simply lacked the capability!
This carriage had to hold ten thousand people. How grueling would it be to sprint out of Santoucha hauling that kind of weight?
Li Banfeng practiced inside the cavern for over an hour without making much progress. Leaving the carriage inside for the time being, he went with Old Pan to scout the terrain.
Zhajiang Slope itself sat right along the border between Haichiling and Santoucha, but the terrain was rugged and far too close to Qiemian Village. Entering and exiting Santoucha from here was plainly an unwise choice.
Heading thirty li east along the slope, they reached Qingtanggou, the location Old Pan had chosen in advance. It was a mountain gully, named Clear Broth Ravine because there was no soil, meaning nothing could grow.
Pan Dehai explained, "Snow piles deep here in the winter, and rain is plentiful in spring and summer. But with no soil and only bare rock, it can't hold water. Everything runs down the slope. The runoff is crystal clear, which is why they call it Qingtanggouzi. Hardly anyone comes here all year round, and what's more, the Boundary here is relatively narrow."
"The Boundary varies in width?"
"Of course. The Boundary's width differs from place to place. It might not be obvious elsewhere, but around Santoucha, the difference is massive."
The two ventured five or six li deeper into the gully. Ahead of them lay a stretch of road devoid of snow, covered only in dust. That meant they had reached the Boundary.
Li Banfeng looked up. The snowless zone stretched at least a hundred meters wide. "Could all of this be caused by the Boundary?"
Pan Dehai sighed. "This is indeed the Boundary. The Boundary between Haichiling and Santoucha is exceptionally wide, and Qingtanggou is already one of its narrowest stretches."
"This counts as narrow?" Li Banfeng felt his confidence waver. He wasn't sure if the Dark Bridge Cannon could bridge a gap that wide.
Pan Dehai said, "Brother, I scouted a few other places, but their Boundaries are all wider than this, and none are as secluded."
Li Banfeng accompanied Pan Dehai to inspect several other spots. As Old Pan had said, Qingtanggou was indeed the most suitable.
Pan Dehai's work was finished. "I'll leave the Haichi old carriage in the cave for you. The great boulder at the mouth recognizes you. When you approach, cough three times and it will open up. Once you're done using the carriage, you must return it to the cave. It is the very foundation of Haichiling."
After Pan Dehai departed, Li Banfeng stood staring at the Boundary for a long time.
First, he pulled out his Boundary switch to test it.
Throwing the wooden lever, Li Banfeng sent a paper figure charging toward the Boundary.
*Whoosh!*
The moment the paper figure touched the Boundary, it was reduced to ashes.
Against the Boundary of Santoucha, his switch was useless.
He returned to the companion dwelling, brought out his lady, and hauled out the Dark Bridge Cannon as well.
His lady took in the width of the Boundary without showing surprise; she knew the Boundary around Santoucha was extraordinarily peculiar.
"Our dark bridge can cross it, but it will take some finesse." She adjusted the angle and fired a shot toward the Boundary. The shadow created by the dark bridge was only about five meters in diameter, nowhere near enough to span the gap.
"Again!" She adjusted the angle and fired another round. This attempt yielded better results, the shadow's diameter reaching over thirty meters.
Yet it remained far short of the hundred-meter span.
"Again!" His lady worked over a dozen dials, tweaking the angles bit by bit. When this shot fired, the shadow measured a mere three meters across.
A miss.
His lady complained, "This stylus won't do. It slipped on the dials several times; I can't calibrate it accurately at all."
Li Banfeng went back inside the companion dwelling and carried out Zhao Xiaowan's puppet body.
Once inside the puppet body, his lady flexed her fingers. Her precision in manipulating the dials was restored, but her speed dropped significantly—the puppet's arms lacked the mechanical strength of the gramophone's moving parts.
"Shall we switch back, then?"
"No need. It's just a bit slower; no harm done." She tested it more than thirty times before finally achieving success. The shadow extended outward, ultimately draping across the entire Boundary.
"I'll step through to test it!" Li Banfeng moved toward the wormhole, only for his lady to stop him.
"Husband, you mustn't! Over such a distance, we don't even know if the dark bridge is stable. Wait until this humble servant fine-tunes the parameters."
She adjusted the settings continuously. The dark bridge held for barely a minute before collapsing and vanishing.
It was entirely thanks to her intimate familiarity with the bridge that it had stayed open that long.
"I need to practice several more times. When the dark bridge is pushed to its absolute limits, variables shift constantly. In a crucial moment, I can't guarantee I'll be able to handle every fluctuation."
A critical question occurred to Li Banfeng.
If the Peddler needed to pass through the dark bridge into Santoucha, who would operate the cannon then?
The following day, the Peddler arrived at Qingtanggou.
Li Banfeng explained the situation regarding the Haichi old carriage. The Peddler laughed. "Don't fret. You won't have to pull it. I've found another helper. What you and I need to do is rescue that group of three-headed people."
The Peddler unfurled a map of Santoucha. "Twenty li north from here sits Mount Zhouzi. There are roughly ten thousand people on that mountain. The Outer States want to drag them off to Sinners' City, but they refused to go. They fled up the mountain and fought several bloody skirmishes against the Outer States.
"This time, the Outer States are playing for keeps. They intend to wipe them out completely. Our mission is to extract them. The primary difficulty lies in one factor: there are over three thousand three-headed people stationed on that mountain, and they are extremely difficult to deal with."
Li Banfeng was thoroughly confused. "We're going to rescue three-headed people, so why do we have to fight three-headed people?"
"The ones we must fight have already surrendered to the Outer States. They are called the Sinless Army. Their weapons are top-notch, and their tiers are not low."
Tiers?
"Senior Brother, are you mistaken? Since when do three-headed people have tiers? Not even the ones in the Inner States have tiers, let alone those in Santoucha."
"I'm not referring to the tiers of cultivators. The three-headed folk have never had suitable initiation powders; neither those in the Inner States nor those in Santoucha can step onto a pathway. But the channeling agents of the Outer States work on them. The Outer States call them dark-energy users. You should know all about that."
Channeling agents worked on three-headed people!
Li Banfeng had never imagined such a thing.
And he possessed the formula for the channeling agents!
The Peddler continued, "That is precisely why the Outer States refuse to relinquish their hold on the three-headed people. They are the Outer States' most vital combat force along the border."
"Using their most vital combat force just to guard against Puluo Province?"
The Peddler shook his head. "Not just Puluo Province."
"Santoucha is the Boundary between Puluo Province and the Outer States. If not against Puluo Province, who else would they be guarding against?"
"Santoucha is the border shared by the Outer States, the Inner States, and Puluo Province."
Li Banfeng froze, his fundamental perception shattered once again.
Previously, he had always assumed this world was built in concentric circles: the Outer States on the outermost rim, Puluo Province in the middle, and the Inner States at the center.
It seemed that understanding was completely wrong!
Factoring in his earlier deductions, the Inner States and the Outer States did not even gaze upon the same star. Their star was very likely the dark star that the Dark Star Bureau had been studying all along, and the boundary between them was something Li Banfeng could not yet comprehend.
Now was not the time to dwell on such matters; what mattered most was understanding the Peddler's battle plan.
Li Banfeng studied the map. "Mount Zhouzi isn't inside Sinners' City?"
The Peddler shook his head. "Far from it."
"If it isn't in Sinners' City, wouldn't it be better to skirt around through a newland?" According to the map, there were newlands surrounding Santoucha as well. That would be much safer than crossing the Boundary with a dark bridge.
The Peddler shook his head. "Every single newland entrance around Santoucha is blocked by a Boundary. I can cross, but the Haichi old carriage definitely cannot. If we want to save these three-headed people, we must breach the Boundary.
"We need to bring those ten thousand-odd people down the southern slope of Mount Zhouzi, but we cannot fight the Sinless Army too brutally. Fighting too hard is equivalent to declaring war on the Outer States. If that happens, the Inner States will surely join in the attack, and life in Puluo Province will become unbearable.
"Therefore, the best tactic is for me to lure the Sinless Army away while you escort the carriage toward the border. I will try to leave the ones chasing me alive, but anyone blocking your path can be dealt with without mercy.
"Once you reach the border, I will regroup with you. Remember this: whether I arrive or not, take them across the border immediately. Do not wait for me under any circumstances.
"I can only say this to you. Once our helper arrives, she won't listen if I say it in front of her. You must trust me. I have countless ways to escape Santoucha. If even I can't make it out, the rest of you certainly won't be able to save me. Have you got that?"
Li Banfeng gave a slight nod, deeply curious about the helper the Peddler had enlisted.
By afternoon, the helper arrived: Lu Qianjiao, a powerful Arrow Cultivator residing in Jiaoqichuan. She was the Peddler's lover, a woman of fierce and unyielding spirit.
No wonder some things could only be said to Li Banfeng in private; there was no way she would ever abandon the Peddler in Santoucha.
"Senior Brother, you truly hold nothing back, bringing Sister-in-Law along!"
Hearing herself addressed as 'Sister-in-Law,' Lu Qianjiao blushed with a touch of shyness, but smiled sweetly. Li Banfeng added, "Sister-in-Law can be a bit unhinged at times. Going to Santoucha like that, won't she botch the job?"
Lu Qianjiao pulled a fletched arrow from behind her back and smiled warmly at Li Banfeng. "Who did you just call unhinged?"
Li Banfeng looked over Lu Qianjiao's figure. "All jokes aside, Sister-in-Law has quite the sturdy build. She's prime material for pulling a cart."
Drawing a second arrow, Lu Qianjiao glared at the Peddler. "You want me to pull a cart?"
The Peddler hastened to explain, "Don't listen to that boy's nonsense! How could I ever make you pull a cart?"
Li Banfeng countered, "If you're not pulling and I'm not pulling, who else is left?"
The Peddler snapped crossly, "I have another helper!"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "What helper could be better suited than Sister-in-Law? An ordinary person can't even budge that carriage, let alone haul it twenty li."
The Peddler took an alarm clock from his handcart and checked the time. "He should be here any minute now."
Half an hour later, braving the wind and snow, the Rickshaw Man strode into Qingtanggou pulling his rickshaw.
The snow was deep, yet his footing remained rock-solid. The north wind blew fiercely, yet his back stayed ramrod straight. Other carters hunched their backs when running, but he alone stood upright!
Spotting the Peddler, Li Seven, and Lu Qianjiao, the Rickshaw Man wasn't surprised in the least; he knew all three of them. Without bothering with pleasantries, he cut straight to the chase: "Where is the carriage?"
The Peddler praised, "Look at that! That's what a man ready for business looks like!"
Li Banfeng led everyone to Zhajiang Slope. He coughed three times before the cave, the boulder hovered into the air, and they made their way inside.
The Haichi old carriage rested within. The Rickshaw Man lifted the shafts, gave them a few test flexes, and nodded. "A fine carriage. Pulling it takes a bit of skill."
Gripping the shafts with both hands, he took a single step forward, and the carriage moved.
It moved just like that!
Taking a dozen more paces forward, the carriage began rolling right along with him.
He planted one foot, coming to an abrupt halt, and the carriage stopped dead in its tracks!
Li Banfeng was dumbfounded. "Brother Carter, your driving technique is incredible! It moves when you want it to move and stops when you want it to stop! Let me try again."
The Rickshaw Man waved him off. "Don't bother trying, brother. You can't pull this carriage. I taught you a bit of the basics of footwork before, but this carriage cannot be handled with mere surface tricks."
Lu Qianjiao scoffed, "Making it sound so profound, as if it's some grand, miraculous art."
The Rickshaw Man smiled. "It truly is miraculous. Even if I gave you several decades, you still wouldn't learn it."
"Several decades?" Lu Qianjiao flared up. "Hand the carriage to me! I'll pull it right now and show you!"
The Rickshaw Man blocked her, refusing to let her touch it. "Don't mess around. This isn't an ordinary carriage; it comes with many rules. Its wheels cannot leave the earth. Don't break it with your clumsy hands and feet."
Lu Qianjiao fumed, "Who are you calling clumsy?"
Li Banfeng stood stunned for several moments. "Brother Carter, how did you know the wheels can't leave the ground?"
The Rickshaw Man stroked the shafts, then touched the cabin. "The carriage told me."
"This carriage can speak?" Li Banfeng listened intently with Discern Spirit Sound for quite some time, but heard not a whisper.
Caressing the cabin, the Rickshaw Man wiped away a tear. "The moment this carriage saw me, it wept. It was our destiny to meet in this lifetime; it's only a pity we met so late."
Lu Qianjiao felt a pang of melancholy listening to him. Taking the Peddler's arm, she spoke softly, "Destiny should never be missed. For us, it's not too late."
The Peddler chuckled. "Not too late at all; we're right on time. Now, cart-puller, stop crying over that carriage. Let me lay out the battle plan first so you know what we're doing tonight."
The Peddler explained the plan in meticulous detail. The Rickshaw Man didn't care much for the specifics; he only wanted to confirm one point: "For this job, I only pull the carriage—I don't have to fight, right?"
Lu Qianjiao remarked, "Listen to you! If the fire reaches our eyebrows, are you just going to stand by and watch without lifting a finger?"
The Peddler quickly clapped a hand over Lu Qianjiao's mouth. One more word and the Rickshaw Man might turn around and walk away. "Brother, you only pull the carriage. No fighting!" the Peddler stated unequivocally.
The Rickshaw Man glanced at his rickshaw. "This cart never leaves my side. I sleep in it, eat in it, park it outside the outhouse when I relieve myself, and set it by the riverbank when I bathe. But I can't pull two carriages at once. Where am I supposed to leave it?"
The Peddler suggested, "Pack it right inside the Haichi old carriage and bring it along."
The Rickshaw Man shook his head. "That won't do. Once the carriage is packed with three-headed people, I'm afraid they'll mess with my cart."
After some thought, the Peddler told Li Banfeng, "Leave his rickshaw in this cave. Ordinary people can't open the entrance anyway."
The Rickshaw Man remained uneasy. "What if Pan Dehai tampers with my cart? He can open this cave!"
The Peddler frowned. "Then what do you propose? Should I hire someone specifically to guard it for you?"
After agonizing back and forth, the Rickshaw Man finally agreed to leave the cart in the cave. When parting, he was utterly reluctant to let go, hugging his rickshaw and kissing it repeatedly.
Lu Qianjiao looked at the Peddler. "I have to hand it to him. He's closer to that rickshaw than you are to your handcart!"
The Peddler pulled Li Banfeng aside to speak privately. "Everything is prepared. We strike tonight. Doing business requires mutual consent, and I never force anyone.
"Those ten thousand people are yours to save, but no one can force you to do it. Because saving people sometimes ends up harming them, though that wouldn't be your fault."
Li Banfeng was startled. "What do you mean by that?"
The Peddler smiled. "It means that if tonight's business succeeds, I have a generous gift for you. But if you don't wish to go through with it, it's not too late to back out."
That didn't seem to be what he had meant a moment ago.
Li Banfeng truly felt a bit apprehensive. "Senior Brother, I need to fetch a helper as well. Grant me time to discuss this with them."
"Is this helper reliable?"
"More reliable than Sister-in-Law!"
The Peddler nodded. "Go then, and return quickly."
Li Banfeng returned to the companion dwelling and explained the situation to his lady.
His lady hesitated as well. Her counterpart was the Peddler, an enemy from years past.
Li Banfeng didn't want to make things difficult for her. "Precious Lady, teach me how to operate the Dark Bridge Cannon. Once I fire the bridge and lead them across, you can come out, pack away the cannon, and wait by the Boundary to receive me."
The gramophone swayed side to side. "Husband, that will never do. Once you enter the dark bridge, this humble servant must maintain continuous control over the cannon. Even the slightest electromagnetic deviation could leave you trapped forever, unable to return."
In other words, while Li Banfeng, the Peddler, and the others traversed the Boundary, someone had to operate the Dark Bridge Cannon from start to finish.
"Precious Lady, if you step outside in your gramophone body, can you operate it properly?"
The gramophone looked down at its stylus. "Husband, I fear I cannot. There are numerous delicate adjustments involved; they must be done with fingers."
That meant she had to operate the Dark Bridge Cannon in the form of Zhao Xiaowan.
Which meant she would come face-to-face with the Peddler, Lu Qianjiao, and the Rickshaw Man.
Li Banfeng asked gingerly, "Lady, have the old grudges from back then been resolved?"
Before the gramophone could speak, Hong Ying cut in, "How could they ever be resolved? That was a fight to the death! If you let me see that peddler right now, I'll tear into him with everything I've got! Xiaowan, you must not go!"
They had been mortal enemies on the battlefield back then; such hatred was indeed hard to dispel.
Yet if his lady refused to operate the Dark Bridge Cannon, the entire operation would fall apart.
The household racked their brains without finding an answer. Before they knew it, six o'clock arrived, and dusk was falling.
The gramophone made up her mind. "After that war ended, I experienced many things. I cannot say the old grudges have vanished, but no new hatred has been added.
"Since the Peddler proposed this transaction himself, he won't tear down his own reputation. Given his style, he shouldn't use this business deal to seek revenge against me. Husband, I can go."
Hong Ying said, "Even if you can go, you can't go like this! Old Master, at least grant Xiaowan some combat strength! If that peddler turns hostile, Seven won't be able to hold him off alone!"
The companion dwelling remained silent for a long time before speaking:
"Zhao Xiaowan, you may step outside with your full combat strength."
The companion dwelling had made an exception!
It was allowing his lady to carry combat strength outside—and her full strength at that.
What was the reason for this?
Hong Ying had been the Peddler's mortal enemy back then, so it made sense for her to distrust him. Why did the companion dwelling distrust the Peddler as well?
His lady hastily voiced her gratitude. Yet as she followed Li Banfeng out the door in the puppet body, her gait left the companion dwelling feeling uneasy. "This body is hardly suitable..."
Hong Ying grew anxious as well. "That puppet can barely walk! How could it possibly do the job?"
After another lengthy hesitation, the companion dwelling spoke once more:
"Hong Ying, you shall take your full combat strength outside as well, and accompany Zhao Xiaowan!"
Chapter 623