Chen Changrui went through the contents of the document word by word with Li Banfeng. The dossier laid out an in-depth analysis and explanation regarding the imminent arrival of envoys from Tufang.
The Outer States took the matter very seriously, and it was indeed critical, holding ramifications for how Puluo Province, the Outer States, and Shang Country would fare in the coming period. Yet try as he might, Li Banfeng could not focus his mind.
His thoughts echoed ceaselessly with A'yu's words, turning over the origin of the Boundary again and again.
The one controlling the Boundary was a person, and that person was right inside the Dark Star Bureau. All those Boundary-controlling devices had no actual control capabilities whatsoever; they merely transmitted signals to A'yu, who then passed the message along to that woman, leaving the actual manipulation of the Boundary entirely to her.
Just who was this person?
To master every Boundary by her own power alone—how immense was her strength? Could the peddler even stand against someone like her?
The peddler...
As far as Li Banfeng knew, only one person could rival the peddler in strength: the legendary person from the heavens—the Heavenly Maiden.
Could the Heavenly Maiden truly be locked up in the Dark Star Bureau, held under Old Train's control?
Old Train's power was certainly nothing to scoff at!
And what was the one up in the clouds thinking? What was her origin, and why did she send him to the Dark Star Bureau every time he stepped through the door?
Did she want him to rescue the Heavenly Maiden?
A cascade of questions churned through his mind, so much so that Li Banfeng saw Chen Changrui's mouth moving constantly without hearing a word he said.
"Director Li?" Chen Changrui called out several times before Li Banfeng snapped out of his daze a little.
"Director Li, in your opinion, should we receive Tufang's envoys or not?"
Li Banfeng flipped through the documents. "We should receive them. Since they sent formal correspondence, we ought to talk with them."
"That's my thinking as well," Chen Changrui said. "I'll relay your recommendation to higher-ups right away."
They truly had to receive them. Tufang had reached out to the Outer States on its own initiative; refusing to even meet their envoys could easily escalate into a major incident.
If Tufang could not bring out overwhelmingly powerful weapons, the Outer States still had the strength to put up a fight—the battle at Ruirong Textile Mill was a prime example.
However, judging by the situation on the Suihuang Plains, the Boundary might not necessarily cover every entrance.
If Tufang managed to find an unbordered entrance in the Outer States and brought through their devastating armaments, the disparity in strength between the two sides would become far too great.
More critically, Tufang's military might was not what it used to be. Du Wenming had sold the formula for the guide agent to Tufang and very likely the formula for the reconciling agent as well; by now, Tufang might already possess a horde of formidable three-headed warriors.
Faced with such an imbalance of power, receiving the envoys first, playing along with them without making substantive commitments, and preserving strength while stalling for time was the best possible course of action.
As for how to play along and stall, Li Banfeng didn't need to worry about that—the Outer States were experts in that craft.
Having seen Chen Changrui off, Li Banfeng tidied up the documents and returned to the companion dwelling.
Jiu'er was hiding in Room Nine, refusing to come out, while Hong Ying stayed by her side to keep her company.
Li Banfeng sighed. "If you don't want to see her, then don't. Why feel aggrieved? It's not like I'm forcing you!"
The gramophone asked Li Banfeng, "Husband, who else do you think is in Cell Number Six besides A'yu?"
"I think it's the Heavenly Maiden," Li Banfeng replied.
"I think so too," the gramophone agreed. "Red Lotus, the Heavenly Maiden is your master. Do you think it's her?"
Red Lotus said, "Separated by the Little Train and that giant iron gate, who could know who's inside? Why don't you take me in to see? I could tell in a single glance whether it's the Heavenly Maiden."
*Whoosh!*
A jet of steam shot over, scalding Red Lotus's base. Red Lotus spread its lotus leaves, clutching its base as it scurried in circles.
The gramophone chuckled. "Sister Red Lotus, you must be beside yourself with impatience! You yearn for this day after day, yet you just can't get out!"
As she spoke, the gramophone flipped through the documents Li Banfeng had brought back.
"Tufang is sending an envoy to the Outer States?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "Tufang is going to war with Shang Country. Sending an envoy to the Outer States at a time like this carries deep implications."
The gramophone sounded a little worried. "Tufang is accustomed to being domineering. I fear their envoy won't be easy to entertain."
"No need to worry about that. When it comes to handling such matters, the Outer States have their ways." Li Banfeng sat at the edge of the bed, holding a small divine statue as he absorbed worldly vitality.
"Husband, don't be too hasty. You haven't learned the Cloud Tier Four skills for Travel Cultivators yet. Without skills to support it, your cultivation isn't entirely stable."
Li Banfeng had been mulling over this as well. If neither Jiu'er nor Hong Ying knew the Travel Cultivator Cloud Tier Four skills, who else could he ask?
Finding Old Train was the best option, and Li Banfeng was already looking for a way to rescue him from Shang Country.
Having drawn in some vitality, Li Banfeng took a short nap. Between waking and dreaming, his thoughts continued to churn restlessly.
Only by freeing the person in Cell Number Six could there be any hope of fully controlling the Boundary. Any other plan was futile.
Only by gaining complete mastery over the Boundary could Puluo Province be saved. Otherwise, once war broke out, Puluo Province would be reduced to scorched earth.
Scorched earth.
What kind of scorched earth?
Li Banfeng saw Xiaoyaowu reduced to ruins.
He searched through the rubble, uncovering Ma the Fifth's woolen overcoat and catching sight of Jiang Mengting's satin qipao.
He saw the grand dance floor smashed to pieces, and strewn across the ground, corpses mangled worse than the floor itself.
If even Xiaoyaowu was like this, what about Green Water City?
And if Green Water City became scorched earth, what about everywhere else?
He saw Tiemen Fort, suffering devastation even more tragic than Green Water City, and Yaowanggou, leveled almost flat to the ground.
Li Banfeng sat bolt upright in bed, gasping for breath.
The gramophone picked up a towel and wiped away his sweat. "Husband, a nightmare?"
"Yes, a nightmare!" Li Banfeng hurriedly left the companion dwelling. He needed to head to the Dark Star Bureau and continue investigating the leads on Cell Number Six.
The moment he reached his office, the projector popped open its film compartment—an incoming phone call.
It was Teacher Song's number.
Right now, Li Banfeng only wanted to investigate Cell Number Six and hadn't planned to answer, but he worried her illness had flared up again.
When he picked up, Teacher Song spoke anxiously. "Banfeng, I've finally reached you! Come over to Huahu Park right away. I have something critical to tell you."
The moment he returned to the Outer States, Teacher Song was able to contact him.
Had she tracked his movements through the telephone lines, or learned of his return through the Dark Star Bureau?
Suspicion arose in Li Banfeng's heart, but he went nonetheless.
Whatever the case, Teacher Song had never sought to harm him.
At Huahu Park, Teacher Song was waiting at the entrance to the newland.
Waiting alongside her was the Earth God of Tiemen Fort, Song Qianhun.
"What happened?"
Teacher Song said, "It's hard to explain in a few words. Come with us and see for yourself."
Passing through Flower Lake, the three arrived at the newland together.
Standing on the newland and looking around, Li Banfeng was stunned.
He knew this stretch of newland better than anyone; it was the shortcut between Puluo Province and the Outer States, and he had traversed it countless times.
Yet this newland was different. Although it had identical trees and identical hills, Li Banfeng knew it was not the newland from before—because a Travel Cultivator never forgot a path he had walked.
"Why has this land turned out like this?"
Song Qianhun shook his head. "Brother, that's not quite the right way to put it. This land hasn't changed; there's more of it. The newland we're familiar with lies over eighty li to the east."
"Another piece of newland was slotted in?" Li Banfeng stood quietly by the lake, thoughts churning in his head.
Back then, he had harbored a question that had never been answered: why was there newland in the Outer States?
Previously, unaware of the mechanism behind newland formation, Li Banfeng had set the question aside.
Now, he knew that Shang Country used the altar in Haocheng to create living seed-soil, which they cast through passageways leading into Puluo Province, thereby giving rise to newland.
Had Shang Country's casting range extended all the way to the Outer States?
"Brother, when did this piece of newland appear?"
Song Qianhun answered, "Going by when I found it, three days ago. I travel frequently between Puluo Province and the Outer States. When I came to the Outer States three days ago, this land wasn't here yet. The next day, when I returned to Puluo Province, it had appeared."
Three days ago?
That made it even more impossible!
Three days ago, Shang Country had possessed no ability to generate newland—they lacked seed-soil.
Producing seed-soil required the altar in Haocheng, and that altar had been blown up—blown up by Li Banfeng's own hands!
Had they repaired it?
Li Banfeng had only just departed Xiaodu. During his time there, he had inquired into news from Haocheng: the altar was definitely not repaired!
It was precisely because the altar remained unrepaired and Qiao Yi could not produce newland that Qiao Yi had slaughtered a batch of Earth Gods to scrape together ten pairs of covenant deeds for Li Banfeng.
Where on earth did this newland come from?
Song Qianhun said, "According to my deduction, this newland was created by Tufang. I'm not speaking out of thin air; I have solid grounds."
"Tufang knows how to create newland?"
Song Qianhun said, "They didn't before. The newlands in the Land of Slumber, Folheim, the Holy Golden Land, the State of Nascent Life, and the Land of Warm Sun were originally all produced by Shang Country. Ever since Tufang took full control of those portals, no newland has appeared in any of those places. But now things have changed. Tufang has very likely acquired that technology, and they may well have opened a new outlet right here in the Outer States."
Song Qianhun was indeed not guessing blindly. As a unique figure traversing between Puluo Province and the Outer States, he held an immense amount of intelligence.
Li Banfeng immediately thought of the breach on the Suihuang Plains. In order to seal that outlet, someone as formidable as the peddler had been severely wounded.
Extrapolating further from Song Qianhun's judgment, that outlet was very likely created by Tufang as well.
The location of this new outlet remained unknown, yet just like the breach on the Suihuang Plains, it was highly probable that it wasn't restricted by any Boundary.
Song Shu said to Li Banfeng, "Our situation is extremely perilous. Whether in Puluo Province or the Outer States, we must unite to weather this crisis. Banfeng, do you know of the Brotherhood Alliance?"
Li Banfeng looked at Teacher Song. "I've heard of it."
"Banfeng, I know you harbor deep grievances with He Jiaqing. But the Brotherhood Alliance I speak of isn't the organization He Jiaqing founded; it's another, far more profound group. Many people you know are members, including me, and including Lucky Star, who saved you back at the train station. Everything we do is to forge a new Puluo Province.
"Our ideals do not conflict with what you have done; one could even say we are traveling different paths toward the same destination. Banfeng, are you willing to join us?"
Li Banfeng was silent for a moment, then turned to Song Qianhun. "Brother, are you a member of the Brotherhood Alliance too?"
Song Qianhun shook his head. "I am not. And it isn't appropriate for me to listen to the rest of your conversation."
Song Qianhun left the newland. Li Banfeng asked Song Shu, "Who is the leader of the Brotherhood Alliance? I mean the true leader."
Song Shu said, "Our true leader is the Heavenly Maiden. You must have heard her name. She is one of the founders of Puluo Province. She is the one who genuinely wants Puluo Province to thrive, and currently the only person capable of saving it."
Li Banfeng asked, "Do you know where the Heavenly Maiden is?"
"We don't," Song Shu sighed. "We've never been able to track down her whereabouts. Now that Tufang is poised to invade, what we need most is time. We must stand united and delay the war as long as possible, waiting for the Heavenly Maiden to repel the invaders. I believe we will achieve ultimate victory."
Li Banfeng said, "I have urgent business to attend to. Teacher, please let Brother Song know that if anything unusual happens with this newland, he must notify me immediately."
"Banfeng, are you willing to join the Brotherhood Alliance?" Song Shu asked once more.
Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his hat and shook his head.
Song Shu continued urging him. "Banfeng, the peddler's methods are flawed. Puluo Province has profound problems; nowhere in the world operates with such utter disorder. The peddler cannot defend Puluo Province. He cannot withstand the enemy, nor can he even organize an army capable of fighting. The scattered, disunited state of Puluo Province must change. Banfeng, please think it over."
Li Banfeng shook his head again, turned, and vanished into the night.
Returning to the Dark Star Bureau, Li Banfeng ran through the stairwell from top to bottom, but triggered no bizarre phenomena whatsoever.
*Does she not want to see me?*
Li Banfeng returned to his office. Holding the gold bar A'yu had given him, he repeatedly projected a single thought in his mind:
*A'yu is the foremost beauty in the world!*
After repeating the thought over a dozen times, Li Banfeng heard A'yu's chilling voice.
"Rake, you dare deceive me with sweet talk?"
"I'm not deceiving you! Every word I say comes from the heart!"
A'yu asked, "Is Zhao Xiaowan your mother or not?"
Li Banfeng answered, "No!"
A'yu asked again, "Then who is your mother?"
Li Banfeng replied, "I don't know."
"You won't even tell me who your mother is, yet you dare claim you're sincere!"
The connection broke off.
Every word Li Banfeng had spoken was true, yet she still accused him of being insincere.
Looking at the gold bar, he cursed under his breath, "I really hate dealing with lunatics!"
After calming down, Li Banfeng let out a self-deprecating laugh.
Before this, he had racked his brains trying to figure out how to dissolve Boundaries.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that once he finally found the person capable of dissolving Boundaries, all he wanted was for her to create one.
The gold bar suddenly grew scorching hot, and Li Banfeng heard A'yu's voice again: "I was only teasing you just now. I talked to her. She's willing to place a Boundary over the entrance at the Suihuang Plains. It'll be finished in a few days."
Li Banfeng said, "I have another place here that needs a Boundary added."
A'yu grew displeased. "You make it sound so easy! Do you think we're making noodles on the street—you ask for a strand, and we just roll one out for you?"
"This place is an outlet opened by Tufang as well. If we don't block it, Tufang could attack through it at any moment."
"Where is this outlet?"
"There's a piece of newland at Huahu Park. It's right on that newland."
"Huahu Park? That's already the Outer States. It's too far."
"Too far from what? Isn't that right near you?"
A'yu said, "Being close to me is useless; it has to be close to home!"
"Close to home? What do you mean?"
"I'll go discuss it with her. Wait patiently."
The connection cut off once more.
Li Banfeng tried to reach A'yu again, but received no response.
He sat in his office, turning over a specific detail in his mind.
A'yu had said it had to be close to home to work. What on earth did that mean?
Boundary.
Home.
Li Banfeng remembered the Boundary he had created himself.
*Close the Doors and Bar the Gates!*
The Heavenly Maiden was a Home Cultivator!
She was a Home Cultivator!
Did the Boundaries of Puluo Province stem from the skill Close the Doors and Bar the Gates?
Were all the Boundaries created through her techniques?
The realization struck him in a flash, leaving Li Banfeng reeling in shock.
Chen Changrui pushed the door open and entered. "Director Li, everything is arranged!"
"Arranged for what?"
"The higher-ups have decided to receive Tufang's envoys. The meeting is set for tomorrow afternoon."
"So soon?"
Chen Changrui nodded. "The time was set by Tufang; they didn't leave us any room for negotiation."
His lady had been right—Tufang was indeed overbearing.
It was no surprise they had dispatched an envoy at this juncture; they had come fully prepared.
Fortunately, their earlier strategy was sound: at a time like this, the best play was to stall and humor Tufang, keeping up appearances.
Since a meeting was inevitable sooner or later, a single day was more than enough for the Outer States to make the necessary preparations.
Li Banfeng instructed, "Remind the higher-ups: try not to make any substantive commitments."
Chen Changrui glanced at the desk, then at Li Banfeng, his gaze darting shiftily and his tone hesitant. "About that matter... there's no need to rush to remind them."
Li Banfeng frowned. "The meeting is tomorrow, and there's no rush?"
Chen Changrui didn't know how to break it to him. "Director Gao is here. I'll let her explain it to you shortly."
"What do I have to talk to her about? I have no time to see her right now!"
Li Banfeng had no desire to meet her, but Gao Yina arrived anyway. "Dean Li, the venue for the conference has been finalized, and the list of attendees has been confirmed. Please take a look."
She handed Li Banfeng a folder.
Li Banfeng looked at her, deeply puzzled. "Why are you telling me this?"
"You will be receiving the envoys tomorrow, so naturally you must make proper preparations."
"Me? Receive them?" Li Banfeng failed to follow. "Why am I receiving them?"
Gao Yina explained, "The situation is like this. The original intention behind establishing the Comprehensive Research Institute for Equilibrium Work was to enhance the targeted precision and initiative of our equilibrium work, creating more favorable conditions for the next phase of—"
Li Banfeng cut her off. "Get to the point!"
Gao Yina tried to phrase it as plainly as possible. "Our primary objective is to fulfill the reception of the envoys in accordance with standard protocol, while simultaneously avoiding any direct expression of our official stance, so as to protect the interests of both parties."
Li Banfeng still didn't quite get it. Chen Changrui chimed in, "Because your position, Director Li, is quite special."
Now Li Banfeng understood.
As a man of Puluo Province, Li Qi's stance could not represent Huan Country. Yet with Li Qi's stature, he possessed the requisite standing to receive envoys.
Wanting to have it both ways—they truly had playing bureaucratic politics down to a science!
Li Banfeng wanted to refuse.
Yet if he truly refused, who knew what fallout might ensue?
In the end, it was all about playing dumb and stonewalling Tufang. Having spent so much time in the Dark Star Bureau, Li Banfeng had picked up a trick or two. He might as well go through with the meeting.
Returning to consult his lady, he found she took the matter exceptionally seriously. "Husband, playing along isn't an easy task, especially when dealing with people from Tufang. You must prepare well in advance."
What his lady meant was not psychological preparation, but concrete written preparation.
Li Banfeng took the Judge's Brush down from the shelf. "Ah Bi, I'm counting on you for this."
"Humph!" The Judge's Brush rolled over and retorted, "Not doing it."
"Why not?"
"Too convoluted!" The Judge's Brush went back to sleep.
Back when it served as the Earth God in the Fragrant Ink Shop, scholars would only say three tenths of what they meant, leaving the remaining seven tenths cloaked in tortuous twists and turns to force the other party to guess. The Judge's Brush despised that more than anything.
Such was its temperament. Since it refused to help, one couldn't force it, leaving Li Banfeng no choice but to find someone else.
Hong Ying carried her club into Room Twelve, rapped on the desk, and said, "Come out."
A woman's voice came from the room. "Mistress, what are your orders?"
"Work!" At Hong Ying's command, brush, ink, paper, and inkstone automatically materialized on the table.
The occupant of Room Twelve was a Literary Cultivator. Though her talent couldn't rival that of the Judge's Brush, composing this sort of bureaucratic prose was child's play for her.
That very day, she drafted a ten-thousand-word talking-points brief for Li Banfeng, complete with tailored responses for various potential scenarios and questions.
Li Banfeng reviewed the brief several times to familiarize himself with it. He had planned to get a good night's sleep to gather his strength, but ended up sleeping poorly once again that night.
He had another nightmare. This time, he dreamt of Yuezhou reduced to rubble.
The parks were in ruins, the shopping malls were in ruins, and even his university was reduced to debris.
Amid the devastation, he found many corpses, among them numerous familiar faces.
*I have to rescue the Heavenly Maiden. I must get her out as soon as possible.*
Waking with a start from the nightmare, Li Banfeng stepped out of the companion dwelling drenched in cold sweat.
The gramophone noticed Li Banfeng's condition was off and was pondering the cause.
Pineapple from Room Seven spoke up. "Mistress, in a couple of days, I'd like to go outside and inspect my hook."
"Very well. When my husband returns, I will discuss it with him."
Pineapple had noticed something amiss, but couldn't state it outright.
The gramophone understood what he meant and was deducing where the anomaly lay.
Amid her pondering, she suddenly heard a cold sneer.
"Humph!"
That sneer had not come from the Judge's Brush.
The next afternoon, Li Banfeng received the Tufang envoy.
The protocol was of a high standard, the retinue members were of high rank, and the envoy from Tufang was also tall—standing over three meters high.
This envoy hailed from royal blood. Though also a three-headed person, his appearance was far more burly and ferocious than Qiao Yi's; dense muscles rippled beneath his crimson robe, bulging in sharp contours.
Their features and clothing closely resembled those of the Lavsha people, making it hard to tell who had integrated whose culture and bloodline.
Once host and guest took their seats, the envoy's three heads spoke in turn from left to right:
"We are of royal descent."
"You should show us greater courtesy."
"You must observe a higher tier of protocol."
A higher tier of protocol?
Bowing, or kneeling?
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I have no such habit."
The atmosphere in the conference room grew tense. The aides seated behind Li Banfeng exchanged anxious glances.
The Tufang envoy continued speaking head by head:
"We have heard of you. You are a man of Puluo Province, hailing from the ignorant and barbaric Puluo Province."
"Your status is unique; you hold standing in both Puluo Province and the Outer States. We convey our king's command directly to you."
"We require two armies to take part in the war—one from the Outer States, and one from Puluo Province. We require two cities to administer our affairs—one in the Outer States, and one in Puluo Province."
"Mark this well: this is an order. There is no room for negotiation. This is also the foundation upon which our friendly alliance shall be built."
Li Banfeng kept his head lowered, thumbing through the talking-points brief prepared by Room Twelve.
After flipping through a few pages, he set the brief aside. Under these circumstances, the document seemed to offer little reference value.
He raised his head, smiling as he looked at the three-headed envoy. "What did you just say? I didn't quite catch that."
"Such a simple matter, do we really need to repeat—" The left head stopped mid-sentence.
A chilling edge in Li Banfeng's smile left it struggling to breathe.
The middle head spoke up. "We are merely conveying our king's will."
The right head added, "Your Huan Country has a saying: 'When two states are at war, they do not execute envoys.' This is the most fundamental courtesy."
"'When two states are at war, they do not execute envoys,'" Li Banfeng echoed, his smile vanishing. "Are our two nations currently at war?"
The envoy did not know how to respond.
Li Banfeng asked again, "Can I execute you now?"
Chapter 732