Inside the cinema, a chaotic melee erupted between the Dwelling Cultivators and the members of the Brotherhood Alliance.
Everyone had assumed these people were merely laborers working under Shen Jiming. Who would have guessed that when fists started flying, not one of them hesitated, and their skills were remarkably sharp?
Hu Fangyuan, a Dwelling Cultivator, took a wound. As he fought, he shouted in complaint to Wu Yongchao, "Look at what kind of people you brought in! Are these honest Dwelling Cultivators? This is practically a whole rival sect!"
Shen Jiming had entered Tiemen Fort under the guise of a Dwelling Cultivator, presenting himself before Wu Yongchao as an honest, dutiful cinema enthusiast.
Wu Yongchao was filled with regret and fury, striking harder and harder with every blow. Outnumbered, Shen Jiming and his crew barely held out until the next morning. The moment the steam gates opened, the entire group bolted out of Tiemen Fort.
"Couldn't you see we were in the middle of a battle? What did you open the gates for?" Wu Yongchao yelled at the workers, his anger far from abated. He moved to lead a pursuit.
Yuan Zhenguang, another Dwelling Cultivator, urged him to stop. "Driving them off is enough. You were hitting too hard just now—I was honestly afraid you'd kill someone."
Hu Fangyuan bandaged his wound and glanced toward the cinema. "Why do I feel like someone did die? It seemed like one of their bouncers was killed last night."
Someone indeed had been killed.
During the melee, Li Banfeng had slipped inside to search for Smiling Thousand Hands's backup hand. He initially found nothing until Lü Keyong, the scout tasked with keeping watch for the Ghost Hand Sect, suddenly jumped out.
The young man tried an underhanded ambush, aiming to kill Wu Yongchao first to intimidate the other Dwelling Cultivators. He never anticipated that the glove would catch the scent of Smiling Thousand Hands on him. Before he could make a move against Wu Yongchao, Li Qi took care of him.
Hu Fangyuan only remembered that Lü Keyong seemed to have been beaten to death. How he died, where he died, and where his corpse went were things he couldn't explain.
Since there was no body to be found, no one paid it any mind. Yuan Zhenguang, however, recalled something else, grabbing Hu Fangyuan and asking, "Where did Li Zhijuan go?"
Hu Fangyuan snorted. "How would I know? She's not my wife—am I supposed to keep an eye on her?"
"I haven't seen her all night."
Hu Fangyuan retorted, "Isn't that obvious? In the middle of the night, why would a young woman let you see her? You spend all day staring at Li Zhijuan. If you've got feelings, go tell her yourself. Why keep bringing it up with me?"
Yuan Zhenguang grew flustered, his voice rising. "Who's talking about that? Li Zhijuan is a fine fighter and has never backed down from a brawl. Why didn't she show up tonight?"
Hearing this, Wu Yongchao also realized something was wrong. He quickly dispatched two female Dwelling Cultivators to check on Li Zhijuan's home.
Li Banfeng was troubled by this as well. Li Zhijuan's dwelling spirit had died; how was a situation like that handled?
Before long, several women walked out of Li Zhijuan's house. "Something terrible happened at Juanzi's place! The whole house is turned upside down!"
"Juanzi is lying on the bed, motionless, and her sewing machine won't move either."
"The room is covered in silk thread. There must have been a fierce battle!"
Wu Yongchao panicked. "How is Juanzi right now?"
"She's alive, and there are no visible wounds."
Yuan Zhenguang grew anxious too. "Bring her out quickly and find a doctor to examine her."
An elderly woman spoke up. "Where are you going to find a doctor? How many Dwelling Cultivators do you ever see looking for a doctor? Resting inside a dwelling is how a Dwelling Cultivator recovers fastest. We'll take turns looking after her. Don't go borrowing trouble."
Another middle-aged woman asked, "Is her dwelling spirit still alive?"
The old woman sighed. "The dwelling spirit is definitely gone. Once Juanzi regains her strength, we'll help her invite another one."
Yuan Zhenguang gritted his teeth. "Who did this? Who harmed Juanzi?"
Hu Fangyuan glanced at Wu Yongchao. "Who else could it be? It has to be that bunch of cinema folks. Yongchao, you handled this horribly! How could you let people like that in? Just wait until the Fort Master looks into this—let's see how you explain it!"
As the crowd chattered and scolded him from all sides, Wu Yongchao kept his head lowered, uttering not a single word.
The old woman shouted, "Everyone, say less! Take care of Juanzi first, and we can discuss the rest later!"
Li Banfeng looked at the old woman. He had never seen her before; she had likely moved in recently as well.
The voice of the companion dwelling sounded by his ear. "These veteran Dwelling Cultivators have tumbled through their path for many years. They can help handle matters great and small, so you needn't worry. However, there are things we need to discuss together. We have an extraordinary figure staying under our roof."
"What kind of figure?"
Just as the companion dwelling was about to speak, the projector began flickering.
"No rush. Let me sort through everything, and when there's time, I'll confer with you and your wife together. Take a look at Little Machine—did a call come in?"
Li Banfeng retrieved the simple telephone from the film compartment. It was Bolo calling through the hook. "Seventh Master, we spotted a peculiar passenger ship leaving Chaoge."
Li Banfeng asked, "Peculiar in what way?"
Bolo did not say much and handed the hook to Ba Suan. Ba Suan had discovered the vessel, and the deductions were his.
Ba Suan reported to Li Banfeng, "Seventh Master, it's a passenger liner. Based on its external characteristics, I calculated the dimensions of the cabins. The cabin dimensions on this ship are somewhat larger than those typically seen in Puluo Province, but considerably smaller than those in the Inner States. Clearly, it was built for a specific class of people—the royalty of the Inner States, the three-headed people."
Li Banfeng considered this. "Isn't it normal for royalty to have their own dedicated passenger ship?"
"We've been observing near the docks for a long time, and this is the first time we've seen a large passenger liner of this type put out to sea. The ship rides very deep in the water, meaning there are likely many people aboard. For the royal clan to venture out to sea en masse is highly unusual."
His reasoning was sound; this was indeed unusual. According to what the Luo sisters had said before, the royal clan could not easily leave Chaoge.
"Ba Suan, keep a close watch on that liner with Bolo. The moment you have news, let me know immediately."
Just as he hung up, Li Banfeng noticed a newcomer entering Tiemen Fort.
To be precise, it was a deceased spirit.
Carrying two reels of film in hand, the spirit stood on the street of Tiemen Fort, gazing all around.
Li Banfeng approached noiselessly and asked in a low voice, "Who are you looking for?"
The deceased spirit gave a start. He had seen Li Banfeng before, but looking at the man in the black suit today, he failed to recognize him for a moment.
"I just came over to see what the commotion was about," the spirit answered evasively, putting his guard up. Anyone who could perceive his form was no ordinary person.
Li Banfeng lowered his voice further. "Then let me put it more plainly. Which Nightmare Cultivator do you serve?"
Seeing that his background had been laid bare, the deceased spirit hid nothing more. "I am a ghost servant of the local deity Song Qianhun. Hearing that a battle broke out here, I was ordered to come inspect the situation."
Li Banfeng said, "I'm a friend of Brother Song. Could you take me to see him?"
The ghost servant looked Li Banfeng up and down. "May I ask your esteemed name?"
Li Banfeng tipped the brim of his hat and looked at the ghost servant. The spirit started, then hastily bowed. "So it's Seventh Master! Please follow me."
The ghost servant led Li Banfeng out of Tiemen Fort. Along the road, Li Banfeng asked, "Where did those film reels come from?"
"Intercepted along the way. These reels carry Passion Cultivator methods. Lord Song was furious when he learned of it, so he sent me to Tiemen Fort to check how many people were struck by love roots."
The two passed through the marketplace and traveled twenty li eastward, arriving at an estate. The ghost servant ushered Li Banfeng into the courtyard.
Song Qianhun walked out from the house. Seeing Li Banfeng, his face lit up with pleasant surprise. "Old Seven, you're here!"
Li Banfeng nodded. "I'm here. I just checked on Tiemen Fort."
"How are the people in the fort? How many caught a love root?"
"A good many did, but fortunately the love roots have all been pulled. After all, they're Dwelling Cultivators. As long as they're inside their dwellings, they have ways to manage."
Song Qianhun summoned several ghost servants, having them pour tea, warm some wine, and prepare a few side dishes.
After downing two cups of wine, Song Qianhun turned to serious matters. "Ever since those cinema folks arrived, I've had a knot in my chest. Hearing there was a fight in Tiemen Fort, I sent out my ghost servants this morning. We intercepted those cinema people and gave them another beating. They admitted themselves that they put Passion Cultivator tricks into the film reels. I truly wanted my ghost servants to kill them all, but I didn't want to hear Song Shu nagging my ears off. I left a mark on them and let them go. But this matter isn't finished. Tomorrow, I'm going to warn Song Shu to her face that no one from the Brotherhood Alliance is ever allowed into my territory again. These film reels are the physical evidence. Old Seven, you have to be my witness."
A warning?
A witness?
Li Banfeng was thoroughly confused. "Brother Song, isn't Teacher Song your daughter?"
"She is my daughter," Song Qianhun said, his face darkening. "But some things must be made clear. That Brotherhood Alliance lot—I've never thought highly of them. Day in and day out, she buzzes in my ear, always trying to drag me into their fold. This time, she needs to learn a lesson. If she brings up the Brotherhood Alliance to me again, she shouldn't blame me for turning hostile."
Li Banfeng asked, "When did Teacher Song join the Brotherhood Alliance?"
"Back when she was studying at university."
"How old is Teacher Song?"
Li Banfeng had always been curious. In appearance, Song Qianhun looked middle-aged, but given his cultivation, one could not judge age by looks alone. He was Gui Jianchou's junior brother, and Gui Jianchou belonged to the same generation as Sun Tiecheng. As Song Qianhun's daughter, Song Shu shouldn't have been too young.
"She is twenty-eight this year."
The answer was unexpected; Song Shu was far younger than imagined. Li Banfeng stared at Song Qianhun. "Is she your biological child?"
"Could that be fake?" Song Qianhun puffed out his chest. "Back then, I made a bet with her mother. If I won, she would become my wife; if I lost, I would become her apprentice!"
Li Banfeng praised, "When it comes to crucial wagers, Brother Song truly doesn't mess around."
Song Qianhun's face reddened. "Actually, I did mess around. I lost that bet."
Li Banfeng was taken aback. "You lost and still got to marry her?"
"Her mother said... sleeping with an apprentice was far more thrilling—" Song Qianhun's voice grew fainter and fainter until at last, he lifted his wine cup. "Brother, drink."
Li Banfeng said nothing, silently draining his cup.
Song Qianhun sighed. "Her mother is from the Outer States, and I've had plenty of dealings with the Outer States myself. Song Shu spent most of her time there, only coming to Puluo Province during winter and summer vacations. She has deep affection for Puluo Province. Every time before school started, she hated to leave. Once she became a cultivator, she loved Puluo Province even more. For a period, her schooling was intermittent just so she could cultivate here. But once she went to university, her temperament changed entirely. All day long she talked to me about the faults of Puluo Province. Even as she spoke, she was reluctant to give it up, but the more reluctant she felt, the more she insisted on talking. She always said Puluo Province had to change, but what it was supposed to change into, she couldn't explain clearly either. Only later did I learn she had joined the Brotherhood Alliance."
Li Banfeng asked, "Had you heard of the Brotherhood Alliance before that?"
Song Qianhun replied, "Of course I had. The Brotherhood Alliance has quite a reputation in Puluo Province. Back when I was still at the ground level, I heard that Lucky Star could travel between the inside and the outside. At that time, she was already part of the Brotherhood Alliance."
Li Banfeng was surprised. "What does 'travel between the inside and the outside' mean?"
Song Qianhun gave an example. "Brother, you know Shan Chengjun, right? Is he famous?"
"He's plenty famous!" Li Banfeng nodded. In Puluo Province, aside from the Heavenly Maiden who claimed equal footing with the peddler, the strongest fighter beneath the peddler seemed to be Shan Chengjun.
Song Qianhun said, "If Shan Chengjun went to the Outer States, practically no one would have heard of him. Even if he walked right up to them, few would recognize him. But Old Mother Ku's fame in the Outer States is massive. Anyone in the trade has heard of Lucky Star. Several veterans in the Dark Star Bureau could recognize Lucky Star face to face. There are other things you might not know: the Outer States have Kucaizhuang manors too. That Lucky Star has such deep roots in the Outer States was all provided to her by the Brotherhood Alliance."
Li Banfeng asked, "When you say the Brotherhood Alliance, you mean the real Brotherhood Alliance, right?"
Song Qianhun understood Li Banfeng's meaning. "Many say there is a real Brotherhood Alliance and a fake one, but in my eyes, there's little difference between the two. He Jiaqing stole the name and pulled together a band of his own, which looked like a counterfeit Brotherhood Alliance, but in truth, it received the blessing of the genuine Brotherhood Alliance and counts as a branch."
Li Banfeng asked, "Who is the leader of the real Brotherhood Alliance? Is it the Heavenly Maiden?"
Song Qianhun was reluctant to bring the subject up, but since Li Banfeng asked, he revealed a little: "Rumor says it is the Heavenly Maiden. Supposedly, after she and the peddler had a falling out, she founded the Brotherhood Alliance."
"Why did the two of them fall out?"
Song Qianhun shook his head. "There are many versions of that story. Some say the peddler was unfair in his dealings—that once the realm was won, he neglected the Heavenly Maiden. Others say the Heavenly Maiden was overly ambitious, wanting to eliminate the peddler and take his place. Still others say the peddler lacked vigor in the bedchamber, and the Heavenly Maiden, unwilling to live like a widow, sought to kill him and find a new lover."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "The third explanation is utter nonsense. Over a trivial matter like that, it wouldn't escalate to a fight to the death."
Song Qianhun sighed. "In short, the Brotherhood Alliance has made plenty of trouble for the peddler over the years. But speaking of which, brother, you've done quite a few major things across the Inner States, Outer States, and Puluo Province lately. What are your plans for the future?"
Li Banfeng replied, "My plan is to keep doing what needs to be done. Not letting Puluo Province take a beating, and not letting Puluo Province be bullied."
Song Qianhun said, "Don't you have any other thoughts? Some conditions in Puluo Province are indeed not very good."
Li Banfeng smiled. "How could there be so much perfection in this world?"
***
Li Banfeng conducted a thorough inspection of Tiemen Fort to make sure no loose ends remained. When he walked up to Li Zhijuan's doorstep, the battered sewing machine had already been carried outside.
Li Zhijuan was clutching the sewing machine, her eyes red from weeping. Beside her, Wu Yongchao kept his head lowered, saying, "I let you down. I'll buy you a new one—"
"Buy a new one? That was my father! Where are you going to buy another father?" Li Zhijuan grabbed Wu Yongchao, clawing and hitting him relentlessly.
Li Banfeng asked an elderly woman beside him, "Was that sewing machine really her father?"
The old woman sighed. "Not by blood, but when the bond between a Dwelling Cultivator and their dwelling spirit runs deep, sometimes it's just like flesh and blood. In the past, I treated my dwelling spirit like my own daughter. On the day we parted, the heartbreak felt like a knife twisting inside me."
Li Banfeng asked, "Why did you have to part?"
"There was no choice. If we hadn't parted back then, she wouldn't have survived." The old woman shook her head and walked away.
Li Banfeng looked at Wu Yongchao. His face was covered in bloody scratches, yet he never spoke a single word in his own defense.
From Li Banfeng's perspective, he could see Wu Yongchao's grievance. A person like Smiling Thousand Hands was not someone he could have guarded against.
Li Banfeng took out three Golden Origin Pills and quietly slipped them into Wu Yongchao's pocket. He intended to find a chance to offer a couple of comforting words, when he suddenly noticed the projector flashing with light.
Another call?
Had Bolo and Ba Suan found out where that passenger liner was headed?
The projector opened its film compartment, but what came out was not Luo Zhengnan's simple telephone; it was Li Banfeng's own mobile phone.
This phone had no signal in Puluo Province, but Li Banfeng would periodically charge it using the storage batteries in the companion dwelling to ensure it would be ready whenever he reached the Outer States.
The caller was Teacher Song. On the other end of the line, her voice was laden with guilt.
"Banfeng, I heard from my father. The Brotherhood Alliance caused quite a bit of trouble for Tiemen Fort. I never expected something like this to happen. I want to apologize to the Fort Master of Tiemen Fort—"
Li Banfeng glanced at Li Zhijuan and said to Song Shu, "The Fort Master doesn't need your apology. Can you hear the crying? A Dwelling Cultivator lost her dwelling spirit."
"I truly had no idea... I will make whatever compensation I can to Tiemen Fort. In the storage lockers at the campus supermarket, I left some things for you. Those are materials I gathered this semester, including academic research as well as other information—"
"Those lockers rely on facial recognition. Can I take them out?"
"You can. I had it record your face." At this point, Teacher Song didn't sound entirely confident. "If you can't open it, you must call me. Don't try anything reckless. The lockers at the campus supermarket cannot be forced open with violence, and there are several locker doors that must never be opened under any circumstances."
Li Banfeng was curious. "If it's so troublesome, why didn't you just hand them to me directly? I can go to the school and find you today."
"I'm not at the school right now. I've already arrived in Puluo Province."
"Then that's even more convenient. I'll find you in Puluo Province."
"Banfeng, that... won't do—" Teacher Song stammered, seemingly with reasons she could not explain.
Li Banfeng knew the reason. "Once you reach Puluo Province, you're not Teacher Song anymore. You become Ah Hui, don't you?"
"If there are troublesome matters, you can also reach me through the radio station..." Teacher Song's tone carried some embarrassment.
"I'd quite like to visit the radio station, too."
Just as Li Banfeng was about to hang up, Teacher Song said, "Banfeng, don't let this incident sour your impression of the Brotherhood Alliance. The genuine Brotherhood Alliance is still different from the organization under He Jiaqing. Banfeng, I truly hope you can become a member of the Brotherhood Alliance. Puluo Province needs to change, especially now that the Inner States are stirring. Puluo Province is truly not prepared to face a war."
Li Banfeng was silent for a moment before replying, "The Brotherhood Alliance was driven out by Tiemen Fort. Puluo Province is prepared to face a war at any moment."
***
Li Banfeng returned to the companion dwelling and first went to check on his wife.
Before entering, the old master instructed Li Banfeng to leave all his magical treasures in Room Twelve, permitting only him to enter Room Thirteen alone.
Inside the room, his wife was sound asleep. Listening to her even, gentle breathing, Li Banfeng felt somewhat more at ease, and he tenderly stroked her belly.
She had gotten plumper!
Li Banfeng nodded in satisfaction. Just as he turned to leave, the companion dwelling suddenly spoke up. "Old Seven, I found Lai Wuju."
Li Banfeng was startled. "Where did you find her?"
The companion dwelling followed the key; wherever Li Banfeng went, it went. If it had found Lai Wuju, that meant Li Banfeng had encountered Lai Wuju as well.
The old master said, "Lai Wuju is right here in our home—the one in Room Five."
"The girl in Room Five?" Li Banfeng was dumbstruck. "Old Master, are you talking in your sleep?"
"He's not talking in his sleep!" His wife suddenly spoke, giving Li Banfeng a jolt. "She truly is Lai Wuju. Smiling Thousand Hands recognized her. At the time, I wanted to listen a bit longer, but I was worried Smiling Thousand Hands would be eaten by her, which was why I rushed into the room to snatch him away."
Li Banfeng scratched his head, pondering for a long time. "The appearance of the girl in Room Five doesn't seem connected to Food Cultivators at all, does it?"
"Husband, you can't judge a pathway by appearance. Some Food Cultivators grow thinner the more they eat, and some Travel Cultivators don't even have legs."
That made sense. Xiao Pang had been emaciated beyond human recognition for a while, and nothing in his appearance suggested he was a Food Cultivator.
"But I've never seen Miss Five eating anything. If she doesn't eat, how can she be called a Food Cultivator?"
The old master said, "Ah Qi, have you ever considered why everyone in the house becomes such big eaters once they return home?"
"Do they?" Li Banfeng thought the family's appetites were quite normal.
His wife explained, "Husband, by rights, not every family member can cultivate by eating. Yet as long as they are inside our dwelling, eating flesh and blood increases their cultivation. The family eats, and she eats too. She has consumed quite a lot of good things."
His wife had mentioned this before, and Li Banfeng had pondered it, though not for long.
Eating food and growing cultivation seemed to Li Banfeng as natural and logical as eating meals to grow a body.
"Could this be caused by a Food Cultivator technique?"
The companion dwelling retrieved some memories. "Ah Qi, if I remember correctly, this is the most formidable technique in the entire Food Cultivator pathway. It is called Food Is Heaven. Within the effective range of Food Is Heaven, everyone becomes a Food Cultivator."
Li Banfeng thought it over for a long while before asking the companion dwelling, "Lai Wuju is a passenger of Room Five. Didn't you know her identity before?"
"Ah Qi, to tell you the truth, there are many things I don't know. I've lost too many memories. I don't even remember how many train cars I have, only that every time you advance, I can reclaim one. In my memory, Room Five was originally a Nightmare Cultivator. At first, I thought those scenes inside the room were created by her using ghost servants. Only later, when Little Machine underwent changes, did I realize something was amiss. That was when I understood I might have remembered wrong, or perhaps the occupant of Room Five had changed."
Li Banfeng thought about it and still found the matter strange. "Old Master, is it possible that your memory wasn't wrong, that Room Five truly is a Nightmare Cultivator, and Smiling Thousand Hands was just making a wild guess?"
"Ah Qi, Little Machine can swallow living people whole and turn them into pills. Do you really think that was a technique he invented on his own? Miss Five taught it to him. That was Lai Wuju's signature technique back in the day, called Hundred Flowers Slay."
His wife added, "When Smiling Thousand Hands was captured, I saw Miss Five unleash a technique identical to the Withering Technique used by the projector. Withering Technique, Hundred Flowers Slay—even the names are practically the same. It's just that neither of us had heard that technique's true name before."
"A signature technique..." Li Banfeng asked the companion dwelling, "Then what about Red Lotus? Swallowing people and turning them into pills—isn't that her special skill?"
The old master sighed. "Red Lotus's origins are likely even harder to explain. I don't have a shred of memory regarding that."
Li Banfeng looked at his wife. Her breathing had steadied, and she had drifted back into slumber.
Reorganizing his thoughts, Li Banfeng suddenly felt a shiver.
"Old Master, can you suppress Lai Wuju?"
"Hard to say," the old master sighed. "I don't even know where she came from. We can only take it one step at a time."
Li Banfeng sat by the wall, contemplating their current predicament. "With Lai Wuju right inside our house, I feel our current situation is rather precarious."
The old master grew displeased. "What kind of talk is that? What do you mean 'rather precarious now'? Did you think things weren't precarious before? Let me tell you the truth: when you first stepped inside, I couldn't even remember my own name! Later, you brought that madwoman Zhao Xiaowan into the house. Do you know how terrified I was back then? If the two of you hadn't become husband and wife the moment you met, I would have killed her long ago!"
Li Banfeng said, "So in the end, we were feeling our way through the dark the whole time?"
The old master gave a dry chuckle. "We're still feeling our way through the dark right now."
"Then let's keep feeling our way and keep moving forward." Li Banfeng stroked his wife's belly once more, then stood up and left Room Thirteen.
Passing Room Five, Li Banfeng saw the projector still studying techniques with the girl of Room Five.
Holding fresh flowers in her hands, the girl of Room Five gave Li Banfeng a sincere smile.
Li Banfeng suddenly remembered something Ah Yu had said before: Lai Wuju had come looking for her.
At the time, Li Banfeng had been astonished, but thinking carefully now, Lai Wuju had been right before her eyes all along. Li Banfeng had personally brought Lai Wuju to find her.
Li Banfeng looked back at the girl in Room Five and smiled as well.
Should he take her to see Ah Yu again?
Going was fine, but he wondered whether Broadening the Bridal Chamber had enough capacity now.
Chapter 759