Turtling inside the Portable Abode seemed safe, but that approach wouldn't work.
Holed up in the Portable Abode, Li Banfeng would be completely cut off from the outside world. That was even worse than hiding at the Yu Family Stronghold. Knowing nothing about how events were unfolding, he wouldn't be able to prepare or respond effectively. Unless he stayed in the residence for the rest of his life, the moment he stepped outside, he risked losing his life.
Passive defense wouldn't work, so he had to switch strategies.
Li Banfeng looked down at the letter in his hand again. "Luyuan Inn, Xianle Dance Hall, Qingtang Teahouse—what kind of places are these?"
Shopkeeper Feng said, "They're all businesses belonging to the Jiangxiang Gang, all on this street and very close to the Yu Family Cloth Shop. I don't need to explain the inn and the teahouse. As for the dance hall, it's a place of singing, dancing, and revelry."
Li Banfeng nodded. "Named Xianle—Celestial Music—it sounds like a place dedicated to the study of music."
"Music... how should I put it?" Shopkeeper Feng found it difficult to explain.
Li Banfeng took a sip of tea. "If they're ambushing on this street, wouldn't it be better to just lie in wait right inside the Yu Family Cloth Shop?"
"That won't do!" Shopkeeper Feng shook his head. Had anyone else spoken like such an amateur, Shopkeeper Feng wouldn't have bothered to explain. But Li Banfeng came from the Outer States and genuinely didn't understand certain rules.
"The Jiangxiang Gang laid an ambush to deal with Shopkeeper Yu. If they stationed men directly inside the Yu Family Cloth Shop, people would inevitably have to go in and out to bring food and drink. If she spotted people coming and going from the cloth shop, would Shopkeeper Yu ever return?"
Li Banfeng nodded. What Shopkeeper Feng said made sense. Yu Nan was cautious and had left lookouts in Ligou; if anyone went in and out of the cloth shop, she would definitely know.
Shopkeeper Feng added, "Besides, ruthless as the Jiangxiang Gang may be, they are a gang of some standing after all, and they have to observe basic decorum.
"They are avenging the Geng Family Medicine Shop, not seizing Shopkeeper Yu's store. Taking over her shop while she's away wouldn't sit well in the jianghu."
Seeing that the incense was about to burn out, Li Banfeng asked one more question: "Where is the sub-branch altar for Medicine King Hall's Second Sub-Branch?"
"The Tailai Gambling Den on Yuanping Street. It's a grand mansion compound, very easy to spot. You'd best steer clear of that place too."
Li Banfeng nodded and handed Shopkeeper Feng five thousand dollars in cash.
Shopkeeper Feng waved his hands. "What are you doing? I wronged you earlier, and for just this bit of news, I can't take your money."
Just a bit of news?
That sheet of paper alone wouldn't have been expensive at five thousand.
When Shopkeeper Feng refused to take it, Li Banfeng shoved it firmly into his pocket. "Shopkeeper, I still have things to buy. Consider this a deposit."
"What would you like to buy?"
Li Banfeng whispered a few words into Shopkeeper Feng's ear.
Shopkeeper Feng frowned slightly. "Boss Li, here in Puluo Province, that sort of thing might not work very well. You'd better think it through carefully."
Li Banfeng smiled. "Buy enough and use enough, and some are bound to work."
The Geng Family Medicine Shop was gone, yet the Jiangxiang Gang still didn't intend to let the matter rest.
Now a fight was brewing again.
Fight if he could win; run if he couldn't.
Could he win this time?
Li Banfeng felt he could.
First, he had to pick the right opponent.
The Martial Cultivator was too high a level to confront head-on.
As for the Ascetic Cultivator, Li Banfeng couldn't wrap his head around how his abilities worked.
He locked his sights on Du Hongxi.
A Nightmare Cultivator was an ideal target.
Having chosen his opponent, he had to use the right method.
This blow had to hurt them.
Hurt them so badly that they wouldn't dare investigate him again.
***
Leaving the grocery store, Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his fedora and swiftly departed Paifang Street.
There was a noodle shop in Chaikou Lane. Li Banfeng ate two bowls of mutton noodles, and just as he was preparing to return to the Portable Abode, the crisp voice of a newsboy rang in his ear: "Mister, want a paper? Morning edition is thirty cents, evening edition fifty cents."
Yaowanggou actually sold evening papers.
The evening edition was printed later than the morning edition and carried fresher news, so it was slightly more expensive than the leftover morning papers.
Li Banfeng bought an evening paper. The front-page headline read: *He and Lu Turn Hostile: Where Lies the Road Ahead?*
It covered the feud between the He family and the Lu family.
Li Banfeng scanned the contents of the article, thoroughly startled.
The He family insisted that the Lu family's concubine-born daughter, Lu Xiaolan, had attacked the He family's eldest son, He Jiaqing, who was currently receiving medical treatment at a hospital in the Outer States.
The concubine-born daughter, Lu Xiaolan, was missing. The Lu family denied the He family's groundless accusations, remained fully committed to locating Lu Xiaolan, and promised to give the He family an explanation.
He Jiaqing lying in the hospital was real. The He family had already verified that, so Li Banfeng didn't need to worry about it.
Lu Xiaolan was still missing, and no one knew she was in the He family ancestral residence.
Was it good or bad for Lu Xiaolan that no one knew?
In Li Banfeng's eyes, it was good.
The Lu family owed the He family an explanation. Once they found Lu Xiaolan, they would likely make her a scapegoat. Scraping by in the He family ancestral residence might not be a bad outcome for her.
Was this good or bad for Li Banfeng?
It was good as well.
If Lu Xiaolan reemerged, the Lu family would probably come knocking on his door.
What surprised Li Banfeng wasn't just the news itself, but the fact that newspapers—a medium phased out over a decade ago back home—carried such a massive amount of information here.
Information...
Seeing that the newsboy hadn't gone far, Li Banfeng hurried after him and called out, "I'll take a morning paper too."
The newsboy was overjoyed. At this hour, morning papers were hard to sell. He quickly handed Li Banfeng a copy.
Li Banfeng skimmed through the morning edition. Aside from the front-page story on the He and Lu families, he found reports on the Geng Family Medicine Shop.
*Geng Family Medicine Shop Reduced to Scorched Earth: The Mastermind Surfaces.*
It was a commentary piece. The author made deductions about the culprits behind the fire, and while not asserting definitive conclusions, every angle of analysis pointed straight at the Yu Family Gang.
This came as no surprise to Li Banfeng. The commentary mentioned the Jiangxiang Gang, and someone even boldly speculated that the Jiangxiang Gang would completely wipe out the Yu family within a month.
What kind of background did this newspaper office have? Who backed them? Weren't they afraid of the Jiangxiang Gang's power?
Li Banfeng spotted an advertisement for the Xianle Dance Hall in the paper.
Starting tomorrow, the Xianle Dance Hall was holding a three-day grand promotion, with prices starting at thirty percent off.
So even places dedicated to the study of music offered discounts.
With such a rare learning opportunity, he simply had to check it out.
The contents of the morning paper didn't differ much from the evening edition. Li Banfeng asked the newsboy, "Do you have earlier papers?"
The boy shook his head. "No more."
Li Banfeng asked, "Do you know where I can buy old newspapers?"
"I do." The newsboy was cradling a heavy stack of papers and was about to point the way when Li Banfeng took out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it over. "Take me there."
Delighted, the newsboy led Li Banfeng through two alleys to the entrance of a shop.
The shop sign read: *Lu Family Bookshop*.
Li Banfeng entered the shop and saw the owner preparing to close for the day.
"Looking to buy books?" Boss Lu came forward to greet him.
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I'm buying newspapers."
Boss Lu smiled. "I don't sell new papers here."
Li Banfeng said, "Old newspapers are exactly what I want. One copy for every single day of the Yaowanggou Evening News from the past three years."
"Three years of papers?" Boss Lu raised an eyebrow. That was no small business. "Boss, you'd better think it over. Old newspapers are more expensive than new ones."
He didn't sell scrap paper; he dealt in collectibles.
"Just name your price."
Boss Lu quoted his rates on the spot: this year's papers doubled in price to one dollar each; last year's doubled again to two dollars each; the year before that doubled to four dollars each; and three years ago cost eight dollars each.
Without hesitation, Li Banfeng spent five thousand three hundred and fifty dollars to buy all the newspapers from the past three and a half years.
Carrying them by hand and shoulder in several massive bundles, he found a deserted spot and hauled them into the Portable Abode.
Lighting a candle in the Portable Abode, Li Banfeng began flipping through the newspapers one by one.
The papers published in Yaowanggou were divided into four pages. The front page covered major news from across Puluo Province. As two of Puluo Province's preeminent clans, the conflict between the He and Lu families naturally dominated the headlines.
The second page featured analyses of major news by Yaowanggou's well-known commentators. One critic using the pen name "Ligou Madman" traced a century of history to recount the feud between the He and Lu families.
In that commentary, Li Banfeng noticed a phrase: *The Darkest Era*.
What the Darkest Era actually meant required further investigation.
The third page was local news from Yaowanggou.
The fourth page was a supplement containing essays by renowned writers, serialized novels, and numerous advertisements.
*Read more books, read more papers, eat fewer snacks, and get plenty of sleep.*
That saying proved just as fitting in Puluo Province.
If Li Banfeng had read more newspapers, he wouldn't have repeatedly shown his ignorance in Puluo Province.
Having finished reading that day's evening paper, Li Banfeng felt he had learned a great deal.
Flipping back three days, Li Banfeng found another story about He Jiaqing.
*He Family's Heir Attacked: In-Laws Bound in Blood Debt.*
The news of He Jiaqing's assault had arrived a bit late, but it took up the entire front page.
It provided detailed coverage unavailable in the Outer States, including the derailment of Train 1160 and the mysterious disappearance of both He Jiaqing and Lu Xiaolan.
Li Banfeng continued flipping backward through the papers, hoping to dig up more information, when the gramophone suddenly hissed with a sharp *skrr! skrr! skrr!*
"Clang-a-lang-lang~
Raise a rooster that won't crow,
Keep a dog that won't guard the home,
Marry a man who buys no food,
Better to take a turtle as a mate!"
Li Banfeng flared with rage. "You shrew, who are you calling a turtle?"
"Waaah~ This lady is practically starving to death! Can't I scold you a little?"
Chapter 76