Li Banfeng grabbed the tonearm once again, trying to pull the needle off the record. But the gramophone's needle elongated rapidly, keeping firm contact with the disc.
The eerie operatic singing never faltered. Hu Chihong and the five Luo sisters were battered continuously, while the worm that had transported the clockwork gramophone was on the verge of death.
Li Banfeng wanted to summon his shadow to tear the machine apart, but amid this shrill, grating music, he couldn't use his Body and Shadow Comforting Each Other technique.
*Smash it! I have to tear it to pieces!*
Li Banfeng's eyes burned crimson as he glared at the clockwork gramophone.
In the distance, Luo Shaojun shouted through gritted teeth, "Brother Seven, run! It's a second-class weapon!"
Luo Lijun called out, "Young Master Li, go! Don't let us drag you down!"
Luo Xiujun said, "Why don't the rest of us charge in and help Li Qi fight it out? Maybe we can pin it down!"
Luo Yujun retorted, "Stop talking nonsense! How could anyone pin down a second-class weapon? Anyone who touches that thing is dead! Let's run too—if even one of us makes it out, we're lucky!"
*Bang!*
*Clatter, clang, clink!*
Components scattered all over the ground. The clockwork gramophone had been smashed to pieces.
The sisters stood frozen in shock. Li Banfeng also stared blankly at the heap of parts.
The material of that gramophone had been extraordinarily tough, its construction intricate and tight. Just moments ago, Li Banfeng had strained with all his might, holding the needle in one hand and the platter in the other, barely able to force them apart.
And he hadn't even been able to summon his shadow back then.
So the question was: how had the gramophone been wrecked?
A single gear rocked slowly on the ground. Suddenly, its axle stood upright and began spinning rapidly across the flagstones.
Shaojun cried out, "Not good! It's reconstituting!"
*This machine can rebuild itself?*
Li Banfeng stomped down with Treading Ten Thousand Rivers, crushing the gear to powder. He was about to gather the rest of the pieces when the Glove whispered, "Master, leave the other pieces for now. Let me take them back to the Mistress. They might come in handy."
"Do you know whether the rest of the parts are alive or dead? Can you handle them?"
"From what I can tell, the rest should be dead. But there's no guaranteeing none of them are special. Let me collect them first. If I can't hold them, I'll ask you for help."
The Glove was truly capable of stuffing away an astonishing amount, scooping up every single component of the gramophone. The Luo sisters had no idea what technique Li Banfeng had used; they only saw the dust settle to reveal that all the parts had vanished.
The worm that had carried the gramophone lay on the ground. Using one leg, it fished out the jar of fat from inside its body.
It knew death was certain, and it wanted to return the fat to Li Banfeng.
Luo Yujun stepped forward and barked at the worm, "Who sent you?!"
The worm couldn't speak. A hissing sound escaped its body, accompanied by venting steam.
Luo Yanjun examined the worm. "He can't talk. His vocal cords have been cut out."
Luo Lijun gritted her teeth. "He's a sacrifice bondservant! I wonder who sent him!"
Li Banfeng asked, "What's a sacrifice bondservant?"
Luo Shaojun explained, "A sacrifice bondservant is an unattached, utterly devoted servant sent by their master on a suicide mission."
Luo Yanjun recalled the scene of their first encounter with this bondservant and pieced together the thread of events. "This person was likely dispatched by Bao Yingjun to intercept us halfway."
Luo Yujun asked, "Could he recognize us? Didn't we put on rouge?"
Luo Yanjun shook her head. "The rouge was useless. This servant couldn't smell it—even his antennae were plucked off. He can't smell a thing."
Luo Xiujun said, "How could he live without his antennae? Wouldn't he be completely crippled?"
Luo Yujun glared at her. "And people say you're thick-headed! He's a sacrifice bondservant. He was dead either way—what future did he have to worry about?"
Luo Yanjun made another deduction: "Even if he didn't recognize us, it wouldn't have mattered. He set up the music along our inevitable path. Unable to endure it and with no way around, we were very likely to be killed by this second-class weapon. Even if we'd managed to flee, we would've been severely wounded. If another sacrifice bondservant came after us, we still wouldn't have escaped death."
Luo Shaojun murmured, "Playing that music right by the road... how many people must have died?"
Luo Lijun sneered. "You think Bao Yingjun is some kind of good person? The coal yard over there is full of commoners. Why would he care whether commoners live or die?"
Li Banfeng looked up. "Besides commoners, I saw quite a few bondservants working there too."
Luo Lijun said nothing. In her eyes, bondservants were barely even human.
Hu Chihong spoke up to smooth over Luo Lijun's silence. "In Wubian City, the death of a bondservant or two has never been a big deal, and the loss of a few commoners can be glossed over easily enough. Matters concerning bondservants are always trifling. But if nobles are harmed, that's another matter entirely."
Luo Lijun sensed an underlying meaning in her words. "Speak plainly."
Hu Chihong said, "After Bao Yingjun sought refuge with the Bao family, he took their surname but kept his given name—something quite uncommon. He has publicly maintained that he never forgot the Luo family's kindness in raising him. Even after taking over Wubian City, he declared he would treat the Luo family's descendants well. By that logic, even if he wanted to move against our master, he wouldn't do it under his own name. He would look for a scapegoat. And who could that scapegoat be?"
Luo Lijun thought it over for a moment and found Hu Chihong's reasoning sound. "Wants to be a whore and still erect a chastity archway—that certainly fits Bao Yingjun's character. Are there still any old retainers of Wubian City at his side?"
Hu Chihong nodded. "There are the two Senior Officials, Bai Chenliang and Lü Mosheng."
"Lü Mosheng..." Luo Lijun's brow twitched. "That man is weak and incompetent. Prime material for a scapegoat."
With that in mind, Luo Lijun demanded of the worm, "Did Lü Mosheng send you?"
The worm remained silent for a long time before giving a slight nod.
Luo Shaojun said, "Sister, Old Donkey has followed our family for years. If we talk to him, maybe he could do something for us."
Luo Lijun shook her head. "Unlikely. Old Donkey has been timid his entire life; he doesn't have the guts to do anything."
"Since Old Donkey can't be relied upon, there's no reason to keep this worm around either." Luo Xiujun pulled a spike from her snail shell, preparing to finish off the worm.
Li Banfeng stopped her. "Spare his life. He spared ours."
If this worm had ambushed them while Li Banfeng was completely off guard, simply by assembling the gramophone beforehand, Li Banfeng would almost certainly have been badly wounded.
It was precisely because the worm had assembled the gramophone right in front of him that Li Banfeng had been given time to react.
And now, the worm was even trying to return the fat, feeling he was no longer worthy to consume it.
Li Banfeng pushed the jar back toward him.
Luo Yujun cautioned, "He failed his mission, so his master won't spare him. Dying for one's master is considered an honorable loyalty for someone like him. Better to grant him that."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "There's nothing honorable about it. His master won't shed a single tear for him. Loyalty like that isn't worth a copper."
Luo Yujun didn't agree with Li Banfeng's reasoning. "Just because his master won't cry doesn't mean loyalty isn't precious. That's a bit of a stretch!"
"Not at all," Li Banfeng said, shaking his head. "If you don't believe me, let's see if we can make his master shed a few tears. Then you'll see what's actually precious to him."
Luo Lijun asked in surprise, "Make who cry?"
"His master." Li Banfeng took out his liquor gourd to treat the worm's injuries.
Luo Yujun gasped, "You're going after his master?"
Li Banfeng asked, "He sent someone to kill me. Why wouldn't I go after him?"
Luo Xiujun said, "We're condemned criminals. If we cause such a massive disturbance in Wubian City, Bao Yingjun will never let us off."
Li Banfeng chuckled. "Listen to yourself. If you don't make a fuss, do you think Bao Yingjun is going to spare you anyway?"
Luo Yanjun nodded. "Young Master Li is right. Wiping us out quietly and without a fuss is exactly what Bao Yingjun wants."
Li Banfeng said to Hu Chihong, "Miss Hu, do you have another place to stay? This place isn't safe anymore. Let's move somewhere else to talk."
***
Marquis Residence, Mingxi Hall.
This had originally been the Luo family estate, and Mingxi Hall was where the head of the Luo family handled official affairs.
A leopard crouched on the floor, eyes closed in meditation. Moments later, it began pacing between the pillared corridors.
One of the pillars suddenly surged slightly higher, causing the hall's ceiling to groan and crack with splintering sounds.
A donkey lay prone beside the leopard, whispering an entreaty: "My Lord Marquis, please appease your wrath."
This was the unique nature of Mingxi Hall: it could transmit information from throughout Wubian City, and it could also sense human emotions.
The leopard was Bao Yingjun.
The donkey was Lü Mosheng.
Bao Yingjun shook his head. "Mingxi Hall has one terrible flaw: everything I think and feel is laid bare right in front of you all, yet none of you have the sense to fathom my mind."
Lü Mosheng pressed his face flat against the floor. "This subordinate serves my Lord with heart and soul, never daring to slacken."
"Then tell me: why was I angry just now?" Bao Yingjun patted Lü Mosheng's head with a paw.
Lü Mosheng pondered for a long time before shaking his head. "This subordinate is dull-witted and truly could not guess."
"Stupid donkey!" Bao Yingjun struck Lü Mosheng with a paw, leaving bloody gashes across his left cheek. "You can't guess a single thing, yet you dare say you're not slackening?"
The figures standing in the hall were furious but dared not speak out. Bao Yingjun's conduct was utterly unlike that of a true lord and marquis.
Lü Mosheng lowered his head. "This subordinate devotes all his strength to serving my Lord. It is only due to my poor natural aptitude that I fail to grasp my Lord's intentions."
"If you can't figure out anything, what use is keeping you around?" Bao Yingjun slapped Lü Mosheng across the right cheek, leaving both sides of the donkey's face mangled and bleeding.
Nearby, a white horse sneered to himself. *This donkey is truly an idiot. The only reason he attained his current station beside our Lord is due to his seniority and dumb luck.*
This white horse was the Luo family's old acquaintance, Bai Chenliang.
The leopard stepped before Bai Chenliang and asked, "Guess why I'm angry."
Bai Chenliang replied, "My Lord just invoked the eyes of Wubian City, yet failed to locate the culprits. This proves that Wubian City is not sufficiently loyal to you. Bondservants who lack loyalty ought to be put to death."
Lü Mosheng was taken aback. "We cannot slaughter Wubian City! It is our foundation for the future!"
Bai Chenliang shook his head. "A foundation's value lies not in its size, but in its stability. If Wubian City harbors outsiders in its heart, it cannot serve as my Lord's foundation. A Wubian City that leans toward outsiders, no matter how prosperous, is nothing more than a disaster waiting to happen. This city shouldn't be spared—and if the people within it fail to understand reason, they shouldn't be spared either."
Bao Yingjun burst into hearty laughter. "With such insight, my efforts to groom you have not been in vain!"
Bai Chenliang bowed his head. "My Lord flatters me."
As he spoke, Bai Chenliang glanced at Lü Mosheng nearby, echoing his master's sentiment in his heart: *Stupid donkey.*
Suddenly, Bao Yingjun raised a sharp claw and struck Bai Chenliang across the face. "If you can guess everything, what makes you think you're so capable?!"
Bai Chenliang's face was clawed into bloody ribbons, and Bao Yingjun followed it up with a hard kick.
Bao Yingjun barked at the assembly, "All of you, listen closely! Thieves have infiltrated Wubian City, and they must be caught today! To eat the sovereign's grain is to serve the sovereign's cause—that is the duty of a minister and your bounden obligation. Do you all understand?!"
It was hard to understand what he truly meant. He didn't state who the thieves were, nor where they were. Yet none of them dared to ask further, only chorusing their agreement.
Bao Yingjun turned his gaze toward Lü Mosheng. "I told you to send a sacrifice bondservant to catch the thieves. Did you send one?"
Lü Mosheng nodded hastily.
"How many did you send?"
"One."
Bao Yingjun closed the distance to Lü Mosheng again. "I told you to send a sacrifice bondservant to catch the thieves, and you only sent *one*? Are you brushing me off? Or mocking me?"
Lü Mosheng kept his head low. "I had that bondservant carry a second-class weapon. It should have been more than enough to accomplish the task."
Lü Mosheng had deliberated extensively on this matter; he truly hadn't intended to brush Bao Yingjun off.
Bao Yingjun had ordered him to send a sacrifice bondservant to kill the Luo sisters, yet publicly claimed that the sisters were his own flesh and blood. Once word got out, the one left holding the blame would inevitably be Lü Mosheng.
Furthermore, he had received intelligence that the Luo sisters were with Li Qi. Li Qi was an esteemed guest invited by Qiao Yi; harming Li Qi was tantamount to offending Qiao Yi. Therefore, this matter couldn't be allowed to cause a huge stir.
Besides, Lü Mosheng's handling had been technically flawless. He had sent the person, supplied the weapon, and executed the order. Whether it succeeded was another matter entirely.
Bao Yingjun asked him, "Any news yet?"
"Not yet." Lü Mosheng shook his head slightly.
"Then send a few more," Bao Yingjun said, patting Lü Mosheng's head once again. "Matters concerning bondservants are trifling matters. No need to be so terrified—sending a few more won't hurt!"
***
Aside from her primary residence on Ninth Left Street, Hu Chihong possessed an additional estate on Thirteenth Right Street.
Luo Yanjun voiced her admiration: "Chihong, this secondary residence of yours is quite nicely built. Pavilions and courtyards laid out with great taste, if a bit on the small side."
Hu Chihong quickly explained, "This is where I practice my transformation. It can hardly be considered a proper estate. Once transformed, my body becomes much smaller, so I don't need much room."
Luo Yanjun laughed. "I was only praising your home, not accusing you of exceeding your station. What are you frightened of?"
Hu Chihong's heart remained in her throat. Even though the Luo sisters had lost power, exceeding sumptuary regulations was a grave crime in Great Shang. The matter had to be made clear.
From inside the room came Shaojun's voice: "Brother Seven, your shape isn't right. You don't look like a worm; you look more like a chest."
Li Banfeng replied, "A chest is precisely what I'm aiming for."
This was quite a complex process: Li Banfeng intended to disguise himself as a wooden chest.
It required two steps. First was the visual alteration, which the projector could handle.
The second problem was modifying his scent, which proved rather tricky. It required the Hanxue Pendulum to help concoct some rouge, along with Luo Shaojun's assistance.
Li Banfeng couldn't see what he smelled or looked like through Luo Shaojun's eyes, so he had to rely on her descriptions to fine-tune the rouge's ingredients.
After dozens of attempts, Luo Shaojun finally nodded. "Now it looks right! It really does look like a chest—identical to the one he carried before."
Li Banfeng climbed onto the worm's back and instructed him to return and report his mission.
This was an extremely risky move. A sacrifice bondservant was never supposed to return to report, nor did he have the courage to do so on his own.
However, Li Banfeng had fed the worm two jars of fat in succession, followed by a flask of strong alcohol. Whether it was the effect of the alcohol or the fat, the heavily wounded worm found his courage and actually set off to carry Li Banfeng back to report.
All five Luo sisters felt this was ill-advised. Luo Lijun said, "He's a sacrifice bondservant sent out to die. If you let him go back now, it's bound to arouse suspicion."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "Not necessarily. We'll just say he feared death, didn't want to die, and came back to beg his master for mercy."
Luo Lijun said, "What kind of absurd nonsense is that? To a bondservant, their master is the heavens themselves. If a servant fears death, how could he ever dare speak such words to his master?"
Li Banfeng chuckled. "The heavens aren't that small, and masters aren't that big. All living beings are fundamentally the same—who is truly better than anyone else?"
Luo Lijun urged, "Young Master Li, matters concerning bondservants are minor, but matters concerning nobles are major. You must think this through!"
"Matters concerning bondservants are minor, but matters concerning nobles are major..." Li Banfeng nodded slightly. "Then let's shrink the major matter first, and blow the minor matter up."
Luo Shaojun said, "Brother Seven, I'm coming with you!"
"Wait here for my word first." Li Banfeng sat astride the worm's back, uncorked the liquor gourd, and fed the creature another gulp of strong spirits. The worm bore Li Banfeng along, crawling toward Sixth Right Street.
The Luo sisters wanted to follow, but Li Banfeng waved them back.
Perched on the worm's back, Li Banfeng pulled out the map to inspect it.
Sixth Left Street and Sixth Right Street housed many Senior Officials enfeoffed by the Luo family. The worm came to a halt before the gates of a large compound—the household of Senior Official Lü Mosheng.
Just as the worm prepared to crawl through the doorway, a flea hopped out from the house and shouted at him, "Xi! What are you doing back here?! What did the master instruct you to do?!"
Xi was the worm's name, a common appellation among bondservants.
This flea was a petty supervisor over the bondservants, holding a status slightly higher than theirs—barely qualifying as a commoner.
Having had his vocal cords removed, Xi couldn't answer.
The flea knew Xi had been made a sacrifice bondservant burdened with an important task. Daring not make a scene, he pointed at Xi. "Get inside before speaking!"
As Xi moved to follow the flea into the courtyard, the flea turned and cracked a whip across the worm's back. "You dare use the main gate?! Crawl through the hole!"
Beside the main gate was a hole. The flea pulled a cord, raising a grate just large enough for a bondservant to crawl through.
Xi was a bondservant. This was the path he was meant to take, and he had long grown accustomed to it.
Yet today, he suddenly didn't want to crawl through it.
Xi crawled straight toward the main gate.
The flea raised his whip and struck again. "Do you want to die?!"
It was an absurd question. Xi had already been made a sacrifice bondservant—he had long ceased to value his life!
Taking the lash squarely, Xi barged past the flea and entered the front courtyard.
The flea scrambled to his feet and glanced around, terrified that other bondservants might have witnessed it.
In this mansion, though this flea spent all his time among the bondservants, he considered his status far superior to theirs.
Once, his master had rewarded him with two bites of leftover fat, leading him to believe he was practically half a scholar-gentry.
With his current standing, he could never permit a bondservant to look down on him, much less physically shove him. This offense had to be severely punished!
Yet Xi's circumstances were somewhat peculiar.
His parents were dead, he had no family of his own, and now he had been designated a sacrifice bondservant. If he didn't even care about his own life, what could possibly intimidate him?
Seeing Xi advance deeper into the estate, the flea had no time to ponder. To repay his master's benevolence, he had to stop this mad bondservant at all costs!
With a high leap, the flea landed in front of Xi. "Halt! Take one more step forward, and I'll grind you to dust!"
*Bang!*
With a single stomp of Treading Ten Thousand Rivers, Li Banfeng pulverized the flea into dust. Because the movement was so blindingly fast, none of the bystanders saw Li Banfeng's form—even Xi himself didn't catch it.
Not seeing it didn't matter. Bolstered by the surging alcohol, Xi crawled straight into the main courtyard.
A lion-dog entered the yard. This creature was truly a person of status—the head butler of the estate. Normally, ordinary bondservants never even had the chance to lay eyes on him.
Experienced and well-traveled, the butler barked at the bondservant, "If you have something to say, come to the side courtyard! Don't make a scene here!"
If he truly went to the side courtyard, Xi would be pinned down by the guards, beaten within an inch of his life, pierced through the body with iron rings and chains, and locked in the dungeon. There, he would wait until his master ordered him tortured to death—or perhaps die of torment before an order ever arrived.
In the past, even knowing this outcome, Xi would have followed the butler. Because in his eyes, the butler's command was his master's command, and a master's command was inviolable.
Yet now, Xi hesitated.
*Should I really follow the butler? Do I still need to fear him? Do I still need to fear the master?*
The rush of alcohol surged into his head. Xi realized he was a man who no longer cared about surviving...
The butler didn't know the bondservant's name, so he adopted an elder's lecturing tone: "Child, we cannot compound error upon error. Without the master, we are nothing. Failing to properly carry out the master's task means we have no right to exist in this world. And now you come causing a ruckus in the master's household? Even if you are smashed to powder and reduced to ash, could you ever wipe clean such guilt?!"
*Crack!*
Li Banfeng broke one of the lion-dog's legs with a swift kick.
The lion-dog howled in agony. "Brute! Are you trying to rebel—"
Before the words finished, Li Banfeng snapped his other leg.
"You deserve death—"
*Crack!*
The butler's arm snapped next, and he dared not utter another word.
Inside the compound, a swarm of grasshoppers converged, armed with iron hooks and ropes to seize the bondservant.
These grasshoppers were the mansion's guards. The iron hooks in their hands were considered third-class weapons in Great Shang.
Even third-class weapons were far from ordinary. Once hurled, the iron hooks could track targets on their own, sinking deep into flesh upon contact and threading cords through muscle and bone. They were more than sufficient to subdue a bondservant or two, but using them to ensnare Li Banfeng proved far too difficult.
A grasshopper sprang into the air and cast an iron hook toward the worm's head.
Mid-flight, the iron hook abruptly veered off course and embedded itself into the butler's arm.
The butler only had one good arm left. The hook punctured his hide, burrowed inside, and dragged a length of rope through the muscle.
The agony was excruciating. The butler had hooked many a bondservant in his time, but being hooked himself was a first. The piercing, bone-deep torment was so intense he could barely squeeze out a sound.
The grasshopper rushed over to remove the hook from the butler, while the other guards continued their assault on the worm. Another hook went astray, sinking into the butler's cheek.
Before the hook could be removed from his face, yet another hooked into his belly.
The grasshopper attempting to rescue him was struck in the back by another stray hook, tumbling to the ground alongside him.
The butler shrieked, "Are you... are you all trying to rebel?!"
The guards froze, not daring to move.
None of them understood why their hooks had gone wild the moment they threw them—and why every single one had struck the butler.
A guard lowered his voice: "I think I saw... the chest on his back moved."
"Could it be the weapon on his back?"
Quite a few people knew Xi had been made a sacrifice bondservant, and many knew he carried a lethal weapon.
Yet what that lethal weapon actually was, not even the head butler knew.
Amid the hushed murmurs, Xi bore Li Banfeng into the rear courtyard.
The guards asked the butler, "Should we pursue him inside?"
"Of course! Pursue him!" The butler couldn't move, yet he still worried for the master's family.
The guards asked again, "Do we attack once we're inside?"
"Attack what?! If you harm the young masters or the mistresses, can you bear the responsibility?!" The butler tried to pull himself up, but failed.
The guards were at a loss. "If we can't attack, what's the point of pursuing him?"
"Keep an eye on him first, and call the master back!"
***
Marquis Residence, Mingxi Hall.
Lü Mosheng and Bai Chenliang were still waiting for news of the Luo sisters when a scholar-gentry entered to deliver a message to Lü Mosheng: "My Lord, there's trouble at home."
Bao Yingjun had keen ears. He walked over and asked, "What happened?"
Daring not conceal the truth, the scholar-gentry answered, "Xi came back. He's making a scene at the estate."
Lü Mosheng was taken aback. "Who is Xi?"
"The sacrifice bondservant you dispatched, my Lord."
The gray donkey was scared out of his wits.
He wasn't afraid of a bondservant; he was terrified of the second-class weapon the servant carried.
Hearing this, Bao Yingjun burst into booming laughter. "Look at the person you chose! Look at your ability to manage people! You can't even keep a single bondservant under control. Old Donkey, I truly feel embarrassed for you."
The gray donkey turned pale and uttered not a word.
Bao Yingjun waved a dismissive paw. "Scram back and deal with your bondservant. Matters concerning bondservants are never of any great importance, and a person like you will never accomplish anything grand anyway. I have no need for so many Senior Officials under me. I want to see which of you can actually handle proper business!"
Lü Mosheng ordered his men to bring three second-class weapons and returned to his estate.
He didn't wish to unleash such weapons inside his own household; a single misstep could wipe out his entire family.
There were many ways to subdue a bondservant. Done properly, a few stern words were more than enough.
Lü Mosheng had his subordinates wait in the front courtyard while he proceeded alone into the rear. There, he saw a group of guards lying lifeless on the ground, along with his family members trembling in sheer terror. Facing the bondservant Xi in the yard, Lü Mosheng shouted, "Do not forget who raised you! Do not forget who gave you food and clothing! If you repay kindness with enmity, you shall find no peaceful end in this life, and retribution will surely claim you in the next!"
*Slap!*
Li Banfeng struck Lü Mosheng across the face with a resounding backhand. "Who do you think you're talking to?"
Lü Mosheng looked Li Banfeng up and down, asking, "Who are you?"
*Slap!*
Li Banfeng delivered another hard slap to Lü Mosheng's face. "You don't even know who I am, and you dare lecture me about this life and the next?"
Dazed and dizzy, Lü Mosheng stammered, "This is my house—"
*Slap!*
Li Banfeng slapped him a third time. "Just because you're in your own house, you dare treat human lives like grass?!"
Lü Mosheng stared at the corpses littering the ground, entirely at a loss for words.
Chapter 669