*Wuuu-oong!*
Two rows of massive bronze horns sounded in unison, sending a jolt straight through Li Banfeng's chest.
Li Banfeng had seen bronze horns on television before. Their tones were deep, grand, and steeped in ceremonial gravity.
Yet bronze horns that could make such an overwhelming racket without anyone blowing them truly shook Li Banfeng a little.
These horns were alive. They could walk, move, and make noise on their own. From the moment they passed through the First Gate of Chaoge, these bronze horns had taken over from the white horses, lining both sides of the road to welcome Li Qi and his entourage.
Li Qi asked Shaojun in an undertone, "Can these bronze horns fight?"
Luo Shaojun twitched her antennae. "They can. Their sound can shatter a person's internal organs."
First things that could run, now things that could fight.
The ceremonial guard Qiao Yi had prepared forced Li Banfeng to stay on high alert.
Yet this honor guard also proved Qiao Yi's strength. To orchestrate such a massive spectacle in Chaoge demonstrated just how high Qiao Yi stood within Great Shang.
Past the First Gate, factories stood in dense clusters, bearing a slight resemblance to Wubian City.
However, in Wubian City, most of the laborers were bondservants. Chaoge differed in that regard—Li Banfeng saw no bondservants, only vast arrays of machinery operating on their own.
There were no people in the factories, no people in the coal yards, and not a single dwelling for humans was visible within the city walls.
Lowering her voice, Luo Shaojun told Li Banfeng, "Those factories *are* people. They're considered commoners!"
Understanding dawned on Li Banfeng. He remembered Ruirong Textile Factory, where the centipede workshop could operate entirely on its own with extraordinary efficiency.
Once they passed through the Second Gate, the number of large factories dwindled, giving way to smaller workshops.
Some fired porcelain, some did embroidery, and others carved sculptures.
All these small workshops were up and running, but there was nobody inside; machines performed all the labor here as well.
One sewing machine was especially peculiar. It stitched garments while simultaneously embroidering them at astonishing speed, churning out over a dozen outfits in the blink of an eye, no two embroidered patterns alike.
Banfeng Two flattened himself against the wall and watched for a long time, genuinely enamored with the sewing machine.
"Do you see that? It's completely different from what machines embroider in the Outer States. There's real artistic value in this embroidery."
Banfeng Bing was somewhat scornful. "What are you looking at that for? Can that sewing machine take motor oil? And if that machine gets running, could you even handle it?"
The rest of the shadows weren't idling either. Clinging to walls or skimming along the ground, they darted and drifted under the glow of street torches, surveying the streets and alleys.
What origins did the entities working in these alleys have? Were they bondservants from Puluo Province, or natives of Great Shang? That remained unknown.
After passing the Third Gate, the city's scenery changed noticeably.
At first, Li Banfeng felt the buildings were denser. After walking a bit longer, he realized they were not only denser, but also smaller.
Along the streets stood teahouses, taverns, and restaurants. Clearly, these places did not cater to ordinary Inner Staters. Judging by the size of the teahouses, Luo Yanjun would struggle to squeeze through the doorway unless she took human form.
These establishments only served Great Shang royalty—the three-headed people. Though tall, the three-headed were far smaller than other Inner Staters, and the overall proportions of these buildings were actually much closer to those in Puluo Province.
The honor guard turned right at the end of the road. Luo Lijun said, "Over there is Hanmo Garden. While it is an imperial garden, it falls a bit short..."
When she said it fell short, she didn't mean its scenery was poor, but rather that its status was somewhat lacking.
Since Li Banfeng had come to Great Shang as the crown prince of Puluo Province, he ought to have been received past the Fifth Gate at the very least, not hosted at the Third Gate.
Luo Shaojun didn't see it that way. How much better could the Fifth Gate be? And how much worse was the Third Gate?
If the two sides fell out later, escaping was what truly mattered. The Third Gate was closer to the exit, making it far easier to flee than from behind the Fifth Gate.
Hanmo Garden was an imperial garden built along a lake, its shores lined with peach, apricot, bamboo, and plum groves. Kept perpetually lush through special arts, Great Shang royalty frequently composed poetry, matched couplets, and studied calligraphy and painting here—a favorite haunt for scholars and wits.
Qiao Yi welcomed them at the entrance of Hanmo Garden and ushered Li Qi's party into the apricot grove, where a banquet had already been prepared.
"Prince Li Qi, it has been a taxing journey. We have awaited your arrival for a long time." Zhu Jin, Qiao Yi, and Xie Gong—smiles spread across all three of their faces—cupped their hands in greeting to Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng returned the salute. "Thank you all for waiting."
Zhu Jin glanced at Xie Gong, mildly displeased with Li Qi.
*We said we have awaited his arrival, and he just tosses back a casual 'thank you for waiting'—not a single extra word of courtesy.*
Qiao Yi didn't mind. Within the grove, the apricot blossoms were in full bloom. Though their fragrance was subtle, its purity and lightness lifted the spirits, taking some of the edge off their frayed nerves.
The hosts and guests took their seats. On the host side, the head seat naturally belonged to Qiao Yi, Zhu Jin, and Xie Gong, with the secondary seats occupied by other royals, all key figures of the peace faction.
On the guest side, Li Qi took the head seat, while chairs had also been placed for the second and third positions.
The awkwardness lay precisely in those chairs.
Luo Lijun and Luo Shaojun, being two giant river snails, couldn't sit on chairs.
Qiao Yi had clearly done this on purpose. If Luo Lijun and Luo Shaojun wanted to sit, they had to assume human form. If they didn't, standing beside Li Qi as river snails would make the scene utterly awkward.
While Luo Lijun hesitated, Luo Shaojun didn't overthink it. She shifted directly into human form, placed her snail shell behind her, and sat down on the chair.
Whether three-headed or single-headed, every host and guest in the grove was in human form; leaving two snails standing there would only make them stick out.
Seeing this, Luo Lijun had no choice but to transform as well. Once both sides were seated, two cameras walked over under their own power—one taking photographs, the other filming—while an adjacent gramophone cut into a disc, recording audio in real time.
Qiao Yi was the first to speak: "Your Highness has spared no toil, traveling here solely to cease hostilities. Such sincerity commands my deepest respect."
Hearing this, Luo Lijun froze in disbelief.
*Weren't we here today to discuss the succession of a new monarch? Weren't we here to negotiate how the Luo family can make a comeback? How did it turn into peace talks in his mouth?*
Luo Shaojun didn't know how to respond either. Both of them turned to Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng nodded. "Not fighting is good."
At those words, Qiao Yi promptly raised his cup. "Years of continuous warfare have subjected the common folk of Puluo to untold suffering. That we can meet today is truly a blessing for the people of Puluo."
Li Banfeng raised his cup. "And a blessing for the people of Great Shang."
Zhu Jin's brow furrowed slightly. Placing Great Shang and Puluo on equal footing displeased him.
Qiao Yi's smile never wavered as he drained his cup in one gulp.
Li Banfeng fed the wine to his liquor gourd. Even if it were poisoned, the gourd had ways to neutralize it. His movements were so deft that everyone present assumed he had drunk it down.
Next, following his prepared strategy, Qiao Yi began enumerating the benefits of peace, repeatedly stressing his pro-peace stance throughout.
Li Banfeng responded with easy poise, acting as though he had indeed come solely for peace talks, appearing just as thoroughly prepared as Qiao Yi.
Luo Lijun kept her eyes on Li Banfeng, unable to fathom his intentions.
Li Banfeng paid Luo Lijun no mind. He had plenty on his plate right now.
His shadows were flitting across the grounds, reporting their reconnaissance to him at regular intervals.
The Judge's Brush was busy inside Li Banfeng's sleeve, transcribing the conversation to prepare for whatever might come next.
Banfeng Bing darted through the peach grove, where he spotted numerous lizards armed with various weapons, already drawn up in battle formation among the trees.
Banfeng Ding returned from the plum grove and regrouped with Banfeng Bing.
"There are soldiers in the plum grove too—bats. If they attack from the sky, we might be at a disadvantage. Only Old Jia can fly."
Banfeng E also returned. "There are three-headed people in the bamboo grove. Some are painting, some are playing chess. Doesn't look like they're itching for a fight."
Banfeng Ding said, "If they're not here to fight, what are they doing? A spring outing? There's major business going on here—don't they know?"
Banfeng Bing said, "I'll report this to Old Jia first. You two scout further out."
Banfeng E said, "Better not stray too far. We'd best keep watch in the groves. I'm worried they might strike at any moment."
Banfeng Ding nodded. "True. The Earthly Branches bunch is outside the garden anyway. If anything needs checking, let them do it."
...
Outside Hanmo Garden, Banfeng Yin walked several streets away, spotting many soldiers lying in ambush throughout the alleys along the way.
*Whose ambushes are these?*
*Most likely Qiao Yi's.*
*Set up specifically for Old Jia?*
*Surely he wouldn't need such a massive show of force?*
*Could these troops be intended for someone else?*
Filled with doubt, Banfeng Yin pulled out the map hand-drawn by Luo Lijun and marked the ambush locations one by one.
There were quite a few ambushes and their positions were scattered. Worried he wouldn't remember them all, Banfeng Yin looked around for companions.
In an alley, Banfeng Yin spotted Banfeng Wu inside a teahouse listening to a storyteller.
The storyteller was an elderly gentleman who looked around seventy. His delivery was resonant and forceful, his words witty and humorous, drawing wave upon wave of laughter and cheers from the audience.
Unlike other Inner State creatures, this old gentleman had a completely human appearance; it was unclear whether he had assumed this form through shapeshifting or had originally looked this way.
Banfeng Wu lay flat on the floor, listening with relish.
Banfeng Yin flattened himself on the floor, slid up beside Banfeng Wu, and whispered, "Fine mood you're in. What did we come here to do?"
Banfeng Wu replied, "I'm not slacking off. There's something in this teahouse."
"What kind of thing?"
"I heard the customers talking. This old gentleman has never been here before; today's his very first time telling stories in this teahouse."
"Is that supposed to be important?"
Banfeng Wu added, "On the second floor, a good number of men are lying in wait. Just like this old gentleman, they're proper human forms. This group might have no ordinary background."
Banfeng Yin thought for a moment. "Where do you think they're from?"
Banfeng Wu said, "I suspect they might be from Puluo Province, with backgrounds similar to Chu Shaoqiang's."
If so, they certainly couldn't be underestimated.
Banfeng Yin whispered, "Keep an eye on them here. I'll take a look around the area."
Banfeng Wu said, "Stop looking around and hurry to deliver word to Old Jia! The area inside the Third Gate is a tiger's den. If we wait until they make their move, we'll never get out!"
Banfeng Yin left the teahouse and headed back to Hanmo Garden to deliver the message to Li Banfeng. Halfway there, he ran into Banfeng Chou.
Banfeng Chou had discovered quite a few ambushes as well. Handing the map he had drawn to Banfeng Yin, he said, "Pass this information to Old Jia too. I'm going to take a look past the Fourth Gate."
"Ah Chou, be careful."
Banfeng Chou said in annoyance, "I changed my name to Banfeng Jun! Don't call me Ah Chou from now on!"
Reaching the Fourth Gate, Banfeng Chou stuck flat to the ground and slipped past the gate behind pedestrians.
Unlike the bustle inside the Third Gate, it was exceedingly quiet past the Fourth Gate. Most of the buildings were residences—splendid courtyards, but none of them very large.
Occasionally, three-headed people walked in and out, their clothing crafted from exquisite fabrics with meticulous tailoring. This was likely where the royal clan resided.
Banfeng Chou muttered to himself, "These houses aren't all that impressive."
Over the past few days, from the Luo sisters' accounts, Li Banfeng had confirmed one thing: in Great Shang, royalty were first-class nobility. No matter how high a feudal lord's rank was, it could not surpass that of an ordinary member of the royal clan.
Yet judging by the scale of the estates, the living conditions of the royal members residing past the Fourth Gate didn't seem comparable to a regional lord like Luo Lijun.
"Not only do their lodgings fall short," Banfeng Mao said, suddenly appearing and startling Banfeng Chou, "their food isn't great either—barely enough to fill their stomachs. If you converted their meals into the oil, grease, and coal used outside, it's probably not much better than what the scholar-officials in Wubian City get."
Banfeng Chou analyzed, "Could it be caused by a scarcity of food in Chaoge?"
Banfeng Mao shook his head. "I don't think so. My guess is that those living here are peripheral figures of the royal clan. The core royals don't live here. If we want to dig up useful intel, we'll have to take a look past the Fifth Gate."
Banfeng Chou said, "Then what are you standing around for? Let's head for the Fifth Gate!"
Banfeng Mao said, "Don't rush. The Fifth Gate won't be easy to pass. The earlier gates weren't strictly guarded, but at the Fifth Gate, inspections happen layer by layer. I reckon things inside are completely different, tied up in real secrets."
Banfeng Chou let out a laugh. "If you don't have the skill to get in, just wait here at the Fourth Gate. You've only got your own sloppy skills to blame."
Banfeng Mao snapped in irritation, "I pour my heart out telling you the honest truth, and you have to be so obnoxious?"
Following the map, Banfeng Chou made his way alone toward the vicinity of the Fifth Gate, faintly catching the sounds of an argument.
"Lord Jia gave the order: the Heavenly Stems corps holds inside the garden, while the Earthly Branches corps scouts outside. Why, then, have you come here?"
That was Banfeng Zi.
"Lord Jia? Why don't you call him a pimp? Where I go is none of your business!"
That was Banfeng Two.
Banfeng Chou ignored the pair and glanced toward the Fifth Gate.
Several hundred guards stood before the gate, interspersed with numerous machines. Slipping through would indeed be no easy task.
Banfeng Two was still bickering with Banfeng Zi. Banfeng Zi grew more furious as they argued, his voice trembling: "Insolent cur! You are overstepping your bounds!"
Banfeng Two snorted. "I don't have time to waste my breath on you. Time's about right—I'm heading into the gate!"
The reason he had been willing to argue with Banfeng Zi here was that the Fifth Gate was so heavily guarded it was difficult to force a way through.
Just then, two squads of guards happened to change shifts. Seizing the opportunity, Banfeng Two flattened himself to the ground and dashed straight through the Fifth Gate.
He made it. But Banfeng Chou didn't dare move; he lacked Banfeng Two's skill.
Banfeng Two was highly accomplished in Travel Cultivation. When venturing out to fight for their lives, he could even keep up with Old Jia's speed.
Banfeng Chou's speed fell far short, so he had no choice but to consult Banfeng Zi: "Brother Zi, let's put our heads together and find a way across."
Banfeng Zi pondered for a moment, then said, "The sages say: a man must stand on his own two feet."
Banfeng Chou was stunned. *What does that mean?*
The meaning was simple: Banfeng Zi didn't want to help him.
Before the two squads of guards had finished their shift handover, Banfeng Zi skimmed along the ground and slipped past the Fifth Gate.
Banfeng Zi was highly accomplished in Homestead Cultivation, gifted with an exceptional talent for going unnoticed, and slipped inside amid the commotion just like that.
Both of them had gotten in. What was Banfeng Chou supposed to do?
Barge in, or sneak in?
Banfeng Mao walked up from behind and snorted. "Out of ideas, aren't you? How much better than me did you think you were? Just stay on watch here at the Fourth Gate—who knows, you might still turn up something."
Banfeng Chou looked around. "This is just a residential compound. What's the point of hanging around here?"
...
Banfeng Zi made it past the Fifth Gate. This place was indeed different.
There were many government offices here, some of which Banfeng Zi even recognized.
"This is the Ministry of Personnel yamun, and ahead lies the Ministry of Rites. Great Shang has gone through quite a few dynastic evolutions—even the Three Departments and Six Ministries are in use here..."
Banfeng Two sidled up and asked Banfeng Zi, "You're well-read. What is that place called Wenyuan Pavilion for?"
Banfeng Zi glanced at Banfeng Two. "Why do you keep following me?"
Banfeng Two grew slightly annoyed. "What kind of talk is that? What do you mean 'following you'? Does your family own Chaoge? We walk our own paths, and just happened to cross each other!"
Banfeng Zi didn't want to engage with him. "You act rashly. I have a heavy responsibility on my shoulders—do not drag me into your mess."
Banfeng Two said impatiently, "Relax, I won't get in the way of your work. Just tell me what Wenyuan Pavilion does. If you know, say so; if you don't, forget it."
Banfeng Zi looked toward Wenyuan Pavilion. Compared to the surrounding offices, Wenyuan Pavilion was indeed striking: tiered eaves interlinked, bracket sets interlaced, walls painted vermilion, and lintels carved with dragons and phoenixes, exuding the grandeur of an imperial palace.
A squad of soldiers patrolled past Wenyuan Pavilion—leopards, gray wolves, jackals, all swift and agile.
Banfeng Zi pondered for a long while before speaking: "Wenyuan Pavilion is a place for storing books. But what books could be so precious that they require so many guards?"
"What books?" Banfeng Two lowered his voice. "I'm going in to see."
Banfeng Zi said in surprise, "What are you going in there to see? You're not someone who likes reading!"
Banfeng Two snorted. "Oh, as if you're the only one who reads. Back when Old Jia was tutoring Zhang Xiuling, you were jumping up and down in an agony of impatience, just about ready to pin her to the desk."
Banfeng Zi fumed, "How dare you besmirch my integrity!"
Banfeng Two carefully observed the layout of Wenyuan Pavilion and said to Banfeng Zi, "Just now, I saw an old friend of ours circle Wenyuan Pavilion several times. I'm guessing there's good stuff inside."
Banfeng Zi started. "How old of a friend?"
Banfeng Two grinned. "This friend goes back quite a way. I'm heading in to see what he's up to."
...
In an alley next to Wenyuan Pavilion, He Jiaqing drew three palm-sized pouches from his sleeve and gave them a shake.
*Snap!*
The three pouches expanded until each could hold at least a twenty-jin watermelon.
What was to go inside certainly wasn't watermelons, but things of paramount importance that He Jiaqing had kept hidden up his sleeve the whole way.
The reason he took them out outside Wenyuan Pavilion was that expanding or shrinking these three pouches produced a faint noise—and that tiny sound alone could ensure He Jiaqing never walked out alive.
He Jiaqing had suffered at Wenyuan Pavilion before, so he had to be cautious to the extreme.
Slapping the three bags onto his back, he vaulted over the wall and entered Wenyuan Pavilion.
One squad of guards patrolled outside Wenyuan Pavilion and another inside, yet neither squad noticed any trace of He Jiaqing.
This was the Thief Cultivator technique Scale Walls and Leap Houses. From the very moment he crested the wall, He Jiaqing's body blended seamlessly with his surroundings, leaving no trace, making not a sound.
Wenyuan Pavilion comprised three main pavilions and over twenty small and medium pavilions.
The small and medium pavilions housed miscellaneous folk literature. Among the three main pavilions, the first stored classics passed down through generations, and the second held royal volumes.
These books possessed tremendous value, but they were not He Jiaqing's objective.
He Jiaqing's target was the third pavilion. This pavilion had two stories: the first floor stored numerous taboo arts, and the second floor held many taboo formations. He Jiaqing had no interest in visiting either floor.
Where he wanted to go was an Unnameable Land situated between the first and second floors.
The entrance to this Unnameable Land lay behind the third row of bookshelves. An ordinary person would never find it. On his first visit to Wenyuan Pavilion, He Jiaqing had staked out the building for three whole days before locating it.
Today, that wasn't necessary. He remembered the entrance's location; the critical challenge was picking the lock that sealed it.
He had picked the lock once before, but because he hadn't been cautious enough when stealing the covenant deeds, his tracks had been discovered.
Knowing items had been stolen, Wenyuan Pavilion naturally changed the lock, so this time he would have to pick it anew.
Although He Jiaqing had lockpicking tools of his own, they couldn't compare to Lüshui Beggar's bowl; picking this lock would take some work.
His luck today was quite good. The lock He Jiaqing encountered had a very peculiar design known as the Nine-Turn Throat Lock, an extraordinarily difficult variety to pick.
Yet it so happened that He Jiaqing had specifically learned the mechanics of the Nine-Turn Throat Lock from Xiao Qianshou. Aided by his specially crafted ring, he had the lock open in under ten minutes.
Entering the Unnameable Land, He Jiaqing continued to maintain Scale Walls and Leap Houses. This technique consumed tremendous energy, but He Jiaqing dared not let down his guard in the slightest, for inside this dark-dimension space, two three-headed people were patrolling between the bookshelves.
Inside the Unnameable Land stood six bookshelves, every one filled with covenant deeds belonging to local spirits of the newlands.
Everything up to now had been small work; now came the real task.
These shelves were riddled with traps and mechanisms. An accidental touch could easily alert the two guards.
This was where true mastery was tested.
His hands had to be fast: seizing moments when the two guards were elsewhere, he had to take the deeds from the shelves with the utmost speed.
His movements had to be light: he couldn't trigger a single mechanism on the shelves. If he alerted the guards, they would seal the gate of the Unnameable Land from the inside, and He Jiaqing would never get out.
In total, he needed to retrieve thirty deeds this time. He remembered the thirty names with absolute clarity, and he knew the arrangement system of Wenyuan Pavilion's deeds just as well.
Before coming, he had deduced the exact positions of all the deeds and even set up an identical pavilion in Green Water City, rehearsing countless times within it.
He employed the Thief Cultivator technique Untouched by Dust, plucking Chu Yaoxian's covenant deed from the shelf in the blink of an eye.
It truly lived up to its name—not a single speck of dust on the shelf was disturbed, resting in its original position without moving a millimeter.
He wasn't done yet. With one deed missing, a gap was left on the shelf. It was precisely because He Jiaqing had overlooked this detail previously that the guards had discovered the theft, nearly costing him his life.
Having learned his lesson, he immediately slipped the stolen deed into a pouch while retrieving a counterfeit deed bearing Chu Yaoxian's name from the bag, setting it back on the shelf.
This deed was a fake. Though it lacked the power and function of a true deed, its appearance was indistinguishable, and it had been artificially aged so thoroughly that hardly any flaw could be detected.
He Jiaqing remembered the arrangement of the fake deeds in his pouches just as clearly. With blindingly swift hands, he swapped out three deeds in succession, stashing them all in the first pouch.
Tying the pouch shut, he slung it onto his back, carefully sidestepped the patrolling three-headed guard, and moved to another row of shelves.
From this row, He Jiaqing gathered five more deeds. Slipping behind to the next row, he took another two.
Genuine covenant deeds were heavy. With ten deeds inside, the first pouch had reached its limit; packing any more would tear it open.
He Jiaqing tied the pouch shut and set it aside, then set down the second pouch and swapped two more deeds on the shelf.
A patrolling three-headed guard was approaching. Just as He Jiaqing prepared to change positions, he suddenly saw a shadow on the floor clutching the pouch and racing away from him!
*What is happening?*
He Jiaqing blanched in shock.
*A Shadow Cultivator came in to steal my prize?*
*How did a Shadow Cultivator even get in here?*
*Through the Follow Form and Shadow technique?*
Having gone to such lengths to get his hands on these deeds, how could He Jiaqing let someone else make off with them?
He darted forward to retrieve the deeds, only to see the shadow clutching the pouch and running straight toward the guards!
*What in the world is this?*
*Has this shadow lost its mind?*
The shadow's intention was crystal clear:
*If you keep chasing me, I'll yell for the guards, and we'll both go down right here!*
Chapter 673