Catfish Envoy Nian Shangyou stalked out of the east courtyard, his face dark with fury. Layer upon layer of blue veins bulged across his flesh, and the eight thick, long whiskers by his mouth twitched erratically in all directions.
Luo Yanjun and Luo Shaojun were waiting by the doorway. Luo Lijun had also rushed over. The moment she saw Nian Shangyou in this state, she knew the negotiations had fallen through.
Luo Lijun hurriedly stepped forward to placate him. "Scholar Nian, what happened? Please tell me first, and I will discuss it properly with the Prince."
Nian Shangyou ground his teeth. "How can anyone be so insolent! How can anyone be so outrageous!"
With those parting words, Nian Shangyou marched out of the manor without looking back, summoned his subordinates, and left Boundless City altogether.
Luo Lijun grew frantic. "Li Qi is entirely too unreasonable! Meeting only twice and he's already slammed the door shut on talks! I have to go ask him what terms he actually wants!"
Luo Yanjun stopped her. "Elder Sister, there's no rush. This matter still has room for leeway."
Luo Lijun shoved Yanjun aside. "The man stormed off in a rage, and you're still talking about leeway?"
Luo Yanjun lowered her voice. "As long as Li Qi is still helping us, there is leeway. If Li Qi turns against us, then all hope is truly lost."
Luo Lijun understood Yanjun's point, but she could hardly suppress the burning anxiety in her chest.
"Shaojun, you are close to Li Qi. Go ask him what he said, and why he drove Scholar Nian away in such anger!"
Luo Shaojun remained silent. She didn't care about Nian Shangyou in the slightest; she only worried about Brother Seven.
When she saw Brother Seven walk out of the courtyard safe and sound, Luo Shaojun hurried up to meet him, asking if he was hungry or tired, ignoring everything else completely.
A large part of Li Qi's trust in the Luo family stemmed from Luo Shaojun. Watching how affectionate Shaojun was with Li Qi, Luo Yanjun couldn't quite decide which of the two—her eldest sister or her youngest sister—was truly the clever one.
Still, the current situation was undeniably difficult to handle. Nian Shangyou had left in indignation, and Li Qi might not be willing to back down. How was the Luo family to find an opportunity to turn their fortunes around?
Li Banfeng chatted briefly with Luo Shaojun, told her to keep people guarding the rear garden gates, and went alone to Yucui Building.
The three women were all staying on the second floor. His lady and Hong Ying were learning needlework from Jiang Ling'er.
Li Banfeng sat beside them and watched for a while. Jiang Ling'er looked up and said, "Faithless man, now that your business is done, you're leaving again?"
Hong Ying was startled. "Done what business? Brother Seven, did you just do it? Since when are you that fast?"
Had they not been in front of Jiang Ling'er, the gramophone would have gladly given Hong Ying a smack with her paddle.
Yet looking at Li Banfeng's expression, he truly intended to leave.
The gramophone was reluctant to part with Jiang Ling'er, and leaving just like this would hurt Jiang Ling'er's feelings too deeply.
"Husband, Sister and I get along so well. Would you let your humble servant stay here for a couple more days?"
Hong Ying chimed in, "I think Miss Jiang is wonderful, too. Brother Seven, call Jiu'er out so the few of us can get a table of mahjong going."
The gramophone pleaded from the side, "It's so rare for us sisters to come out together. Just let us enjoy ourselves for a few days, Husband... Husband~"
With just those two calls, Hong Ying felt weak to the bone. "Xiaowan, stop calling him like that. In a moment you'll be washing Brother Seven's trousers again."
Speaking of which, Li Banfeng actually paid attention. "Lady wife, call me once more!"
His lady brewed her mood just right, infusing tenderness sweeter than honey into that single cry: "Husband~"
Hearing it, both Jiang Ling'er and Hong Ying couldn't help but shiver.
Li Banfeng did not shiver.
He looked down for a long while, then looked up at the gramophone and asked, "Lady wife, why isn't there any reaction down here?"
"Well..." The lady clacked her slow beat, unable to answer.
Hong Ying looked toward Jiang Ling'er. Jiang Ling'er kept her head down, absorbed in her needlework.
Li Banfeng turned deathly pale, sweat streaming down uncontrollably. "Speak the truth to me, what on earth has happened?"
Jiang Ling'er spoke up. "You didn't have enough human qi and had to make up for it with yang qi. With your yang qi depleted so heavily, your manly vigor is naturally diminished."
Li Banfeng was dumbstruck. "You mean to say... it won't work from now on?"
Seeing this, Hong Ying hurried to comfort him. "Brother Seven, don't panic yet. You weren't all that useful to begin with!"
Smack!
Unable to bear it any longer, the gramophone struck Hong Ying with her paddle, then turned to Li Banfeng. "Though your yang qi is depleted, it can be replenished with human qi. Husband, you really mustn't fret over this."
Li Banfeng fell silent, a bitter taste lingering in his chest.
He got up to leave when the music box suddenly came before him.
During his advancement, Li Banfeng had relied entirely on the music box to keep him asleep. It had been left by the bedside all this time, and he had nearly forgotten her.
Li Banfeng left with the music box. The gramophone was worried sick, but Hong Ying didn't mind all that much. "Brother Seven is a capable man; gathering some human qi will be trivial for him. Then again, Brother Seven's bag of tricks has always been a matter of the blink of an eye anyway, so what does it matter whether he has manly vigor or not?"
The gramophone brandished her paddle. "When Husband returns, you'd better not utter another word of that, or I'll beat you to death, you wench!"
Li Banfeng found the sunflowers in the rear garden and saw that many seeds were still growing on the flower heads.
Acquiring some human qi was indeed not difficult, but Li Banfeng had no idea how much of it would be restored. If he couldn't regain his former prowess, what was he supposed to do?
The little figurine on the music box spun quietly upon her tray, playing a tune for Li Banfeng.
The melody was gentle and soothing, a lullaby, and the magical treasures he carried fell asleep one by one.
Following Li Banfeng as he rushed around and lived through frights over the past few days, the magical treasures were indeed exhausted.
Yet Li Banfeng felt no drowsiness whatsoever. He thought the melody was quite nice and was listening intently when the music abruptly cut off.
The little figurine sitting on the tray also ceased spinning. She raised her head, looking up at Li Banfeng as if she had something to say.
Li Banfeng assumed the clockwork spring had run down, but then a conversation drifted from within the music box.
"Have you been to the Crucible?" That was Jiang Ling'er's voice.
"Coming to the Inner Province and seeing you, Sister, reminded me of some things. I have been to the Crucible, but I cannot recall what it looks like. I only remember being tempered for three full years." That was his lady's voice.
"No one who has entered the Crucible can remember its appearance. I was also tempered for three years. But how did you get out?"
"Get out of where? The Crucible?"
"Not the Crucible. Puluo Province. First-rate weapons cannot go to Puluo Province."
"I've never remembered that part, and even now I don't know the reason. Perhaps it was—"
"Stop talking for now. That woman is here."
"Sister, Hong Ying is one of us, and so is Husband. There is no need to guard against them."
"This is the Inner Province. Even if there's no need, one must remain on guard."
The recording ended there. The tray resumed spinning, and the music played once more.
The music box had secretly recorded a conversation between Jiang Ling'er and his lady. Previously, she had also recorded conversations between his lady and Hong Ying, revealing some hidden truths of the past to Li Banfeng.
Today's recorded exchange astonished Li Banfeng.
According to the story his lady once told, Jiang Ling'er was the elder sister from her opera troupe. Both had been beaten to death by the troupe master, and their souls had traveled to the Inner Province and entered the Crucible.
But why had their souls entered the Crucible? Was it because they possessed cultivation before their deaths?
Could two wretched girls in an opera troupe actually possess cultivation?
Judging from the current situation, Jiang Ling'er had been forged into a first-rate weapon by the Crucible. Could his lady also be a first-rate weapon?
Li Banfeng harbored the exact same question as Jiang Ling'er: if his lady had become a first-rate weapon, how was she able to return to Puluo Province? And how had she become a renowned general of her era?
Numerous questions swirled in his mind when two small divine statues clattered to the ground, snapping him out of his thoughts.
These were not his divine statues; they were Jiang Mengting's. In Li Banfeng's recollection, Jiang Mengting's statues should have been kept in the companion dwelling. Why had they fallen out just now?
"Master, I dropped them," the glove said, having just awakened. He had slept too soundly moments ago and failed to hold onto the two small divine statues.
Li Banfeng asked, "What were you holding these for?"
This was human qi exclusive to Jiang Mengting. Whether to Li Banfeng or to the glove, these two statues held little practical value.
The glove said, "Master, when I saw this human qi earlier, I felt it was special. I could sense the human qi moving."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "Even if you sense it, it's useless. This is Jiang Mengting's human qi; we can't use it."
"We can," the glove said, cupping the statues in his palm. "Other people's human qi can be stolen and used. Smiling Thousand Hands knew this technique, but he never taught it to me."
"Human qi can be stolen too?" Li Banfeng pondered for a moment, and something came back to him.
He returned to the companion dwelling and took a box down from the shelf.
Inside the box lay two magnets, two circuit boards, an earphone, an antenna, and six nails.
Huahu Park in Yuezhou was connected to a patch of newland, and within that newland lay a mountain cave.
Hidden inside the cave were numerous items, all used by He Jiaqing to gather human qi.
When Li Banfeng tailed Datou back then, he had entered the cave, cleared out all the stored human qi, and brought back a portion of the human qi-gathering equipment.
All that equipment was right here, but his lady had never managed to decipher how it worked. Li Banfeng had wondered back then why such devices could collect human qi; it turned out Thief Cultivator techniques were involved.
Li Banfeng picked up a magnet and inspected it for a long while. "Thief Cultivators truly are something."
Hearing this, the glove grew quite smug. Standing on the shelf and wagging his index finger, he said, "First Food, Second Joy, Third Thief. The Thief Cultivators are among the world's most ancient sects. As the saying goes, all things under heaven can be stolen. There is profound learning in this!"
Li Banfeng sighed. "The real question is, who can I learn this knowledge from?"
He Jiaqing hid beneath the soil, quietly listening to the conversation between Nian Shangyou and "Liu Bufei."
This "Liu Bufei" was an Opera Cultivator under He Jiaqing's command in disguise.
Meanwhile, this catfish-looking Nian Shangyou was the genuine article—a Scholar of the Hongwen Institute in the Shang State, currently visiting the newlands in the capacity of a special envoy.
This struck He Jiaqing as rather strange.
From what he knew, Shu Wanjuan had only just returned to Chaoge to report that the thirteen pieces of newland were safe and sound. Shu Wanjuan held no small standing among the feudal lords, nor had he backed the wrong side between the Cabinet and the Sage. He had barely reported that all was well when the imperial court dispatched an envoy to inspect the lands. Wasn't that an outright slap in Shu Wanjuan's face? They could have at least waited a month or so before checking, saving Shu Wanjuan some face.
Nian Shangyou was calculating in his speech, and He Jiaqing worried that "Liu Bufei" might slip up.
Fortunately, throughout their long conversation, Nian Shangyou did not probe too deeply, speaking mostly of the management of the newlands.
"Liu Bufei" was reasonably prepared for these matters: "Following Lord Qiao's instructions, your subordinate intends to first recruit a batch of strange creatures in the territory. The matter of land reclamation must not be rushed."
Nian Shangyou nodded repeatedly. "When I departed Chaoge, Elder Qiao repeatedly cautioned that you all must act with utmost prudence. I have recently heard that Puluo Province has suffered repeated incursions by the Tufang State, leaving the peddler stretched thin and in dire straits. If you act conspicuously, you will easily arouse suspicion, and the peddler might strike with lethal force. Given the present situation, set aside the recruitment of strange creatures for now as well."
Nian Shangyou was an imperial envoy, so whatever he said, "Liu Bufei" had to agree to.
Yet to He Jiaqing's ears, there was something amiss about those words.
Refraining from reclaiming land with great fanfare was meant to evade the peddler's gaze, but surely they didn't need to fear even recruiting strange creatures, did they?
That was standard practice for a local spirit managing their domain.
Furthermore, if they did nothing at all, what had been Chaoge's purpose in taking the risk to enfeoff these thirteen local spirits carrying seed soil in the first place?
There was something suspicious about this imperial envoy.
Nian Shangyou spoke with "Liu Bufei" for over an hour, then proceeded to other territories and met several other local spirits.
The next day, Nian Shangyou met with the local spirit Ji Yuren.
Ji Yuren was a physical cultivator with blue skin, round eyes, and multicolored, shimmering scales.
His original form was a crucian carp, so he got along quite well with Nian Shangyou. But He Jiaqing had no idea what Nian Shangyou's purpose was here, because Ji Yuren was not among the thirteen local spirits who had carried soil to receive enfeoffment.
He had been a local spirit in the newlands for over a decade. Since Nian Shangyou had come to investigate the thirteen newlands, what use was there in seeing Ji Yuren?
Could Ji Yuren have uncovered a flaw?
He Jiaqing grew extremely tense. If Ji Yuren really had discovered any suspicions, He Jiaqing planned to silence both him and Nian Shangyou together if necessary.
Nian Shangyou and Ji Yuren chatted for a long time, also discussing the management of the newland.
"Brother Ji, we are old acquaintances, so let me give you a word of warning. The peddler has been exceedingly irritable lately. Be extra careful in your conduct and do not provoke him."
"Rest assured, Brother Nian. Ji has never violated the rules in his actions. Even if the peddler wanted to move against me, he wouldn't find an excuse."
Nian Shangyou shook his head. "Brother Ji, you must not let your guard down. I heard something happened to the peddler recently."
"What happened?" Ji Yuren leaned in, listening intently.
"It is..." Nian Shangyou drew close to Ji Yuren's ear, dropping his voice to a whisper—and shoved a whisker straight into the carp man's ear.
The whisker pierced through the right ear and came out the left. It bore barbs, and on those barbs hung traces of brain matter.
Nian Shangyou pulled his whisker back, and Ji Yuren perished on the spot.
Confirming that Ji Yuren was thoroughly dead, Nian Shangyou walked over to a water well.
The well was crudely dug, lacking even a raised rim; without paying attention, one could easily fall in. It seemed to have been dug by hunters who had succeeded in reclaiming the land.
Nian Shangyou transformed into a catfish and dived into the well. Searching for over half an hour, he retrieved the covenant deed and the local spirit seal from beneath the water.
These were fine treasures!
He Jiaqing truly wanted them, but he could not take them.
He was confident he could defeat Nian Shangyou, but Nian Shangyou had killed a local spirit on his own territory. If He Jiaqing took the deed and seal, there would be no explaining the matter.
What on earth was Nian Shangyou trying to do? Had Ji Yuren betrayed Chaoge? Or had he offended Nian Shangyou somehow?
How should this be handled?
Informing the peddler was a good option.
But was telling the peddler directly appropriate? Or should he find someone else to pass the word along?
Inside Yucui Building, Li Banfeng was learning embroidery from Jiang Ling'er, executing each movement with decent form.
Hong Ying watched in fascination from the side, occasionally offering commentary to the gramophone: "You know, Brother Seven might be short on yang qi, and little Brother Seven might not be working, but his needlework is getting better by the minute."
The gramophone pinched Hong Ying. "Stop talking nonsense. Once Husband replenishes his human qi, his masculine might will return."
Hong Ying shook her head slightly. "This is the territory of the Inner Province. Where is he going to find human qi?"
Little did she know, this very place was where human qi accumulated the fastest.
Li Banfeng stayed in Boundless City for several days. A few more small divine statues formed on the sunflower heads. After swallowing down their human qi, his yang qi recovered considerably.
There was still much to do outside. Li Banfeng planted two more sunflowers in Boundless City and reminded his lady that it was time to head home.
However reluctant his lady was to leave, she could only bid Jiang Ling'er farewell.
Back in the companion dwelling, the lady said to Li Banfeng, "Husband, Jiang Ling'er is an old friend of mine and your residence spirit. Come visit her often in the future, and do not leave her neglected."
"Since you've said so, Lady wife, I will certainly do as you ask." Li Banfeng brought out the tools He Jiaqing had used to steal human qi. "These items have been sitting in our home for some time. Did you manage to figure anything out from them?"
Had Li Banfeng not brought it up, the gramophone would have nearly forgotten.
"That is your humble servant's fault. I didn't put much thought into these gadgets. Once the Old Master is repaired, I will take a closer look at their inner workings."
Li Banfeng said, "These things incorporate Thief Cultivator techniques; the mechanics might not be easy to grasp."
The lady examined the equipment, seeming to realize something. "In the past, Thief Cultivator techniques were indeed hard to fathom. But coming to the Inner Province this time reminded me of many things.
"There are matters I do not wish to hide from Husband. I entered the Crucible back then, so I must have seen some Thief Cultivator methods. Allow me to ponder it carefully. If I can unravel the principles behind them, these things could be of great use."
Li Banfeng smiled. His lady was still of one mind with him, hiding nothing.
"There is no hurry. Take your time studying them, Lady wife. I'll take Jiang Mengting's human qi to another friend to see if he knows how to use it."
The gramophone pondered for a while. "Husband, other than He Jiaqing, do you know any other Thief Cultivators?"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "No Thief Cultivators, but I do know an Oil Cultivator. If all things under heaven can be stolen, perhaps all things can be slipped away, too."
Leaving Boundless City, Li Banfeng went to Santoucha and arrived at the New Monarch's manor.
Under the instruction of Luo Yujun and Luo Xiujun, the New Monarch was gradually taking on an imperial bearing. Luo Lijun was very pleased with this. She frequently exchanged messages with the two sisters, showing great concern for the New Monarch's state while sharing critical news from the Inner Province with them.
And all of those critical matters had been coaxed out of Luo Xiujun by Xiaoshan.
"Seventh Master, Sister Xiujun said Qiao Yi won't be able to come to Puluo Province anytime soon. The Shang State's Ministry of Works keeps claiming they lack materials, so the altar cannot be repaired on schedule. Qiao Yi is burning with anxiety, and his illness has worsened again."
The matter of the altar had struck Qiao Yi that hard! The previous deduction had proven entirely accurate: he truly had poured most of his life's blood into the newlands.
Li Banfeng took out a Golden Origin Pill and handed it to Xiaoshan. "Well done. Keep inquiring into news like this."
Locating Lian Buda, Li Banfeng showed him Jiang Mengting's statues.
Lian Buda marveled in astonishment. "How can there be human qi inside this thing? Sniffing it, it smells like melon seed oil."
Li Banfeng nodded. "Of course there's melon seed oil, because this is a melon seed. This is someone else's human qi. See if you can convert it into human qi I can use."
Lian Buda studied the statues for three full days before getting back to Li Banfeng: "This human qi already has an owner. No matter how I try, it won't slide over."
He was an honest man; if he couldn't do it, he couldn't do it.
"Yet this object is truly fascinating—a melon seed that knows techniques! I want to study it further."
Li Banfeng agreed and left the two statues with Lian Buda for the time being.
According to Qiu Zhiheng, the Border Defense Bureau had been frequently active in the dungeon's Mortal Market over the past couple of days. That evening, Li Banfeng went to the Mortal Market and indeed spotted several Bureau agents pacing back and forth along the streets.
Li Banfeng recognized these individuals; they came from the Head Bureau. What were they doing in the dungeon?
Once it grew late into the night, he would find a suitable opportunity to question them.
Right by the street was Chen Yongnian's restaurant. Li Banfeng had a meal there and asked Chen Yongnian to prepare a room so he could rest for a while.
Normally, Li Banfeng slept inside the companion dwelling, but Chen Yongnian was extraordinarily enthusiastic toward him today, bringing wine one moment, dishes the next, and charcoal brazier heat after that, constantly bustling into the room. If he discovered Li Banfeng had vanished into thin air, Old Chen would probably be frightened out of his wits.
Since he only intended to stay for an hour or two anyway, Li Banfeng didn't want to arouse suspicion and simply lay down on the bed to rest.
He had only been asleep for half an hour or so when he snapped his eyes open, only to see Ayi sitting on the bed, staring at him wide-eyed.
Li Banfeng stared right back at Ayi with wide eyes.
Ayi yelled in outrage, "You scared me to death!"
Li Banfeng closed his eyes. "Shall I go back to sleep, then?"
"Don't sleep yet! I have something wonderful to show you." Ayi handed Li Banfeng a cloth pouch.
Li Banfeng opened the pouch to look; inside was dirt.
"What kind of soil is this?"
Ayi said excitedly, "It's seed soil! Seed soil that can produce newlands!"
Li Banfeng was taken aback. "You made this?"
Ayi nodded. "That's right! I made the sacrificial altar, using the stones we brought back last time! Old Seven, when you go mad, it really makes one fond of you. If you hadn't gone mad that once, who knows when I would ever have finished making the altar..."
"Wait a second!" Li Banfeng was not as thrilled as Ayi; he sensed something was off. "You finished the sacrificial altar this quickly?"
Ayi patted her chest and boasted, "Brother, that is your elder sister's skill!"
"That shouldn't be!" Li Banfeng squatted on the bed, recalling the news Xiaoshan had gathered earlier.
Ayi pouted in displeasure. "What do you mean 'shouldn't be'? You think I shouldn't be this capable?"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I know you're capable, but Chaoge doesn't lack capable people either. Why are they repairing their altar so slowly?"
Chapter 719