Li Banfeng and Ma the Fifth were preparing to take over the railway. The prerequisite for the railway's smooth operation was the Heavenly Maiden's cooperation.
Using Extending the Wide Bridal Chamber, Li Banfeng went to the house in Hulu Village and spoke to A'yu about the railway.
A'yu was eating oil-splashed spicy noodles. The noodles were as wide as a belt, topped with bright, fresh red chili flakes. She slurped mouthful after mouthful with relish, making Li Banfeng's jaw tighten just watching her.
A'yi hurriedly scooped a bowl for Li Banfeng, and the three of them chatted as they ate.
After polishing off two bowls of noodles, a leg of mutton, and a jar of Nu'erhong wine, A'yu delicately wiped her mouth and said, "Opening the railway is a good thing. I'm willing to help you out, but I'll need to take the Heavenly Maiden along each line for an inspection. How the trains normally run, how the boundaries should clear them for passage—all of that needs to be sorted out in advance."
Li Banfeng said, "Sister, back when you and the Heavenly Maiden stayed in the Dark Star Bureau, it never affected train operations, did it?"
A'yu shook her head. "That was different. The Outer States understood railway dispatching, and transit schedules were fixed. I only had to grant clearance according to the rules. You newcomers don't know the first thing about it. If I don't handle things properly, lives could easily be lost. We can't be careless about this."
Li Banfeng said, "Sister, you're not joking, are you? When trains cross a boundary, they actually need you to specifically clear them?"
"What do you think?" A'yu said with a stern face. "If I don't let the Heavenly Maiden grant passage, who could possibly cross the boundary? Wouldn't an entire train full of people die right on the boundary?"
Beside them, A'yi gnawed on a mutton leg. "Sister, there are so many trains across all of Puluo Province. Do you help every single one of them cross the boundary? Don't you ever eat, drink, or sleep?"
A'yu frowned. "You studied engineering—how can you say something so amateurish? As long as dispatching is done right, the times all trains cross the boundaries are fixed. It hardly requires any effort from me at all."
A'yi shook her head. "It's precisely because I studied engineering that I know you're full of nonsense. When have steam trains ever run that punctually?"
A'yu raised her eyebrows. "Taking an outsider's side to corner me, are you? If you don't trust me, why come looking for me in the first place?"
Seeing A'yu grow angry, A'yi turned to glare at Li Banfeng and snapped, "Do you trust my mother or not?"
Li Banfeng lowered his voice and asked A'yi, "Do you think she's trustworthy?"
A'yi shook her head and whispered, "Definitely not. That woman is rotten to the core—"
*Wham!*
A'yu kicked A'yi and yelled fiercely at Li Banfeng, "If you don't believe me, then get out! Don't ever come to me for anything again!"
"Oh my, is that any way to speak to a Dwelling Cultivator?" came an old lady's voice from upstairs.
"That woman—if she goes a single day without a beating, her hide starts itching," a woman's voice drifted in from next door.
Li Banfeng said, "Sister, I'm a Dwelling Cultivator. We both know how trains actually cross the boundary. It doesn't depend on you opening or closing boundaries; it depends on the conductors aboard the trains."
As he spoke, Li Banfeng took out a crate of blending agent and handed it to A'yu.
That Li Banfeng could see through the secret of the train conductors caught A'yu somewhat by surprise.
Yet without batting an eye, she immediately spun her story around: "The method conductors use to cross boundaries also comes from the Heavenly Maiden. The reason I wanted to inspect each line was to check if those conductors are still working properly. If any aren't, the Heavenly Maiden would need to use her techniques to compensate. Everything I'm doing is for your sake."
A'yi marveled, "Brother, look at my mother's silver tongue! That's exactly how my father was swindled by her back then!"
A'yu grabbed a stick to hit A'yi, but A'yi shouted, "Sister, let's make a deal! I'll take you for a tour on the train, but you leave the Heavenly Maiden at home instead of bringing her out. How does that sound?"
"I don't need a tour anymore!" A'yu tossed the stick aside and huffed, "Go inspect the trains yourselves! If you find any conductor that isn't working properly, then come tell me!"
A'yi winked at Li Banfeng, and Li Banfeng immediately instructed Ma the Fifth to conduct test runs with the trains.
Returning to the Dark Star Bureau, the Lady arrived back with Room Two. Though Room Two was still trembling with trepidation, the Lady had observed his investigation firsthand and largely agreed with his deduction: "Husband, the locker in the campus supermarket is most likely not the shadow of the Dark Star Bureau."
Li Banfeng was taken aback. "Could it be the other way around—the Dark Star Bureau is the shadow of the locker?"
Room Two shook his head. "Neither. The Dark Star Bureau and the locker are both shadows. Where their true body lies, I haven't found yet."
"Both are shadows?" Shock written across his face, Li Banfeng knocked on the desk, stomped on the floor, touched the walls, and then went to press the elevator button.
How could such a solid, real building possibly be a shadow?
Li Banfeng was reluctant to believe it, but Room Two was supremely confident in his judgment. "Lord Seventh, to be frank, I've received the peddler's silver dollar, and I am the foremost of the Shadow Cultivators. Even if the founder of Shadow Cultivation were standing here today, his eyes might not be as sharp as mine. When I walked around this building with you, I could already tell back then that this entire structure was manifested from a shadow. Once we went to Yuezhou University and I examined that locker, I can swear I didn't misjudge it. The locker and this building are two shadows originating from the very same object! It's just like how shadows differ in size and shape under different angles of light!"
Li Banfeng had the Lady give Room Two a Xuanyun Pill. "You're the head of the Shadow Cultivators. If it were you, could you turn a shadow into a whole building?"
Room Two shook his head. "I cannot. This isn't something a single person could achieve. It involves methods from artisan cultivators and Illusion Cultivators, plus techniques from Daoist sects that even I cannot identify."
The Lady said, "This humble one would also like to study some of those techniques. Perhaps amidst the faint clues, we might uncover a trace of the true body."
Li Banfeng glanced at the Lady. "It seems the Outer States have quite a few powerful figures."
The Lady nodded. "Hard to say if they are of one mind, but hidden dragons and crouching tigers are bound to dwell among them. Precious husband, by seizing the railway into your hands, I fear you will offend quite a few people."
Li Banfeng grinned. "And what if I offend them? Am I supposed to be afraid of them?"
After two days of test runs, Ma the Fifth officially opened the first railway line.
Everyone around felt that Ma the Fifth was being too impatient. The people of Puluo Province had never run a railway business before. By any normal person's logic, one ought to inspect and test-run all the railways across Puluo Province section by section, ensuring nothing could go wrong before gradually opening each line.
Ma the Fifth also felt he had rushed things, but he had no choice—Old Seventh was pressing him too hard.
Perhaps having spent so much time around Li Qi, he felt Old Seventh's reasoning made sense: in business, you had to see business happening. Puluo Province was vast; checking everything thoroughly could take who knew how many months or years. Opening one line first was the way to go.
The He family, the Lu family, and the Chu family received the news one after another. Wishing to show support for Ma the Fifth, they sent congratulatory gifts and attended the banquet, but none dared board the train.
After the feast dispersed, He Yuxiu and Chu the Second went to the Lu family residence to play mahjong, still talking about the matter: "I reckon Old Fifth won't even sell tickets this time. Without the Border Defense Office watching over it, who would dare ride that train?"
Chu Huaiyuan said, "The business just started; there's no harm if ticket sales are slow at first. Things will gradually pick up later."
Xiao Yeci said, "But I heard the tickets are very cheap! A hard-seat ticket is only thirty yuan, much cheaper than before. A lot of people should buy them, right?"
Lu Chunying shook her head. "It's not a matter of cheap or expensive. If a mishap happens when crossing the boundary, the entire trainload of people will lose their lives."
Xiao Yeci said, "But I heard the trains underwent test runs!"
He Yuxiu lit a cigarette and lined up her tiles. "The Outer States have plenty of crafty tricks. They might let you pass during test runs, only to smash your sign once you officially open. If something really goes wrong, Old Seventh and Old Fifth will become the culprits responsible."
Chu Huaiyuan scoffed, "Sister Xiu, the Outer States aren't that bold. I heard Brother Seventh put them thoroughly in their place. When Ma the Fifth opened for business, Liao Zihui didn't make a peep either, did he?"
He Yuxiu held her cigarette between her teeth and said, "I've heard the elders in my family say that the Outer States are far from simple, especially when it comes to the railway. It involves far too many ruthless characters. Old Seventh and Old Fifth reaching their hands into this will likely suffer for it."
Xiao Yeci felt indignant. "Benefactor is doing this for the good of Puluo Province! Tomorrow, I'll go buy a ticket to show my support for Benefactor!"
Lu Chunying glared at Xiao Yeci. "You are not allowed to go. What difference will one more ticket from you make?"
"Showing no respect for your elders—what right do you have to boss me around?"
Lu Chunying snapped, "I'm bossing you around today, and I won't let you go! Got a problem with that?"
Xiao Yeci said nothing more, but once the mahjong game broke up, she took Youtao along to sneak out and buy a ticket.
To her surprise, she couldn't buy one. All train tickets for the next three days were completely sold out, without a single one remaining.
Xiao Yeci exclaimed in surprise, "The tickets are selling so well! That's not what they said at all!"
Youtao wrapped her arm around Xiao Yeci's slender waist, giving it a gentle pinch. "You've lived the good life for too long to understand some things. Do you know how thrilled I was the first time I rode a train? Do you know how many people in Puluo Province have never ridden a train in their entire lives? At thirty yuan a ticket, people would scramble madly for them anywhere! On top of that, Ma the Fifth knows how to pick a destination. Opening this specific line was brilliant."
The first line Ma the Fifth opened led straight to Kudaikan.
Though Green Water City was the largest city in Puluo Province, Kudaikan's fame was no less prominent.
Even though Lüshuiwan bordered Kudaikan, travel permits had kept it restricted, so for the vast majority of people, Kudaikan existed only in legends.
And now the legend was about to become reality. Many were riding a train for the very first time and didn't understand train etiquette; people who bought tickets for three in the afternoon showed up to line up at six in the morning.
The station entrance was packed with a sea of people. Ma the Fifth even spotted a few familiar faces. One middle-aged man wore a blue cloth robe and carried a blue bundle with a rolling pin sticking out of it. Behind him followed several shop assistants, each carrying sacks of flour.
This was the noodle shop boss from Lanyang Village.
Ma the Fifth asked, "Are you heading to Kudaikan?"
Seeing Ma the Fifth take the initiative to speak to him, the noodle shop owner was delighted and proud. "Lord Fifth, we're planning to open an eatery in Kudaikan! We heard they don't have anyone selling noodles over there."
Beside him, Feng Daiku chuckled. "Nonsense!"
Ma the Fifth instructed the noodle shop owner, "Once you get to Kudaikan, sell your noodles by the bowl."
The owner patted his chest. "Rest assured, Lord Fifth! We do business fair to old and young alike—we definitely won't disgrace Lanyang Village!"
The first train departed at seven-thirty. Ma the Fifth boarded the lead carriage in plain view of everyone. Seeing Ma Junyang board the train, all the passengers felt their hearts settle with reassurance.
Feng Daiku also boarded the lead carriage. The train departed on time, and six hours later, it smoothly crossed the boundary between Lüshuiwan and Kudaikan.
Ma the Fifth wiped his sweat, pulled Feng Daiku into his arms, and gave her a fervent kiss. "This was our maiden run, so we prioritized safety and stability. Once we build up speed in the future, it'll run even faster."
Feng Daiku gazed at the scenery outside the window, pondering something else: "Wulang, you'll need to help look after Qishuiyao more often from now on."
Ma the Fifth was surprised. "You usually stay at Qishuiyao anyway. Why would it need me looking after it?"
Feng Daiku shook her head. "I'll be spending most of my time in Kudaikan from now on. I feel its bustling popularity won't lag behind Green Water City's."
As the two discussed the matter, the habitually taciturn conductor suddenly spoke: "Passenger trains are easy enough, but what about freight trains?"
Ma the Fifth looked up at the conductor. "Aren't freight trains even simpler? Transporting goods is easier than transporting people."
"There are many big figures who want to move cargo. Some of those big figures have identities you might not even know yet."
Having said this single sentence, the conductor said no more.
This conductor had given Ma the Fifth hints before, but each reminder never exceeded two sentences.
People from the Outer States indeed conducted business with Puluo Province via the railway, and Ma the Fifth only knew some of them.
***
Yuezhou, the Workers' Cultural Palace. Tang Changfa was playing cards with Yan Cuir'er and Yan Hong'er.
Relying on Li Qi's connections, Tang Changfa's business had grown bigger and bigger. Now he conducted his business from a private suite on the third floor, complete with inner and outer rooms as well as an attached restroom.
An old-fashioned cinema like this actually had such luxurious suites. Tang Changfa hadn't believed it at first, only to learn later that this wasn't the cinema's only luxury suite; there were quite a few suites even more extravagant than this one.
Sometimes Tang Changfa couldn't fathom just how huge this cinema truly was.
*Squeak.*
The door of the private suite was pushed open. Tang Changfa felt a surge of irritation—who had so little manners as to enter without even knocking?
Turning his head, he realized the person who had walked in was the snack vendor.
Tang Changfa hurried to stand and greet him. "You're here! Please, have a seat."
The snack vendor glanced at Yan Cuir'er and Yan Hong'er, unwilling to speak of certain matters in front of them.
Tang Changfa invited the snack vendor into the inner room. The snack vendor handed Tang Changfa a bottle of water: "Many guests lately?"
This wasn't idle chit-chat. Handing over water signaled that he was here to talk business.
Tang Changfa took the water and set it in the middle of the table. "Thanks to your blessing, business has been pretty good."
The snack vendor lit a cigarette. "Our boss's business hasn't been doing well lately, and his temper is flaring. You'd better be extra careful."
Tang Changfa pulled two stacks of banknotes from beneath the table and placed them beside the water bottle. "What's the cause?"
The snack vendor didn't touch the banknotes and gave a slight shake of his head. "Inconvenient to say."
Tang Changfa set another two stacks of banknotes beside the bottle, but the snack vendor still didn't speak.
It seemed something major was afoot.
Tang Changfa swept the banknotes back off the table, retrieved a small case from the safe beside the sofa, and popped open the latch right in front of the vendor.
The snack vendor cast a glance, deemed the amount satisfactory, closed the case, and said to Tang Changfa, "Some of our goods have had their supply cut off."
Tang Changfa said, "That's easy enough. Whatever you're lacking, just say the word, and I'll stock it for you."
The snack vendor shook his head. "It's not that we can't buy it; it's that we can't transport it in. If times were plagued by war, so be it, but during peaceful days like these, goods still can't make it through. Our boss is quite furious. If this issue isn't cleared up, trouble might just land on your doorstep."
Tang Changfa pondered for a moment and caught the vendor's drift. "I'll go inquire about this and get back to you with an answer."
Taking the case of money, the snack vendor stood up. "No need to get back to me. Just mind your business."
Once the snack vendor left, Tang Changfa immediately called Li Qi: "Boss, the black market owner might be looking for trouble."
Li Banfeng had already anticipated that people in the Outer States would cause trouble, and now it seemed the first to make a move was an acquaintance.
That evening, Li Banfeng arrived at the Cultural Palace. The cinema was screening a comedy, which meant that today's offerings were mostly numinous items and magic treasures.
He didn't stay on the first floor watching a movie while waiting for the snack vendor to approach as he usually did. This time, he went straight up to the third floor and walked into Lin Fojiao's office.
Lin Fojiao was sitting in his chair, fast asleep.
Li Banfeng sat across from him for a moment before Lin Fojiao opened his eyes. "Lord Seventh, you're here?"
"Long time no see, Boss Lin." Li Banfeng leaned against the backrest. An inexplicable sense of lethargic relaxation washed over him, making him suspect he might have fallen under a sloth cultivator technique.
Lin Fojiao normally kept his eyes only half-open, but today, remarkably, he had them two-thirds open. He poured a cup of tea for Li Banfeng and pushed it before him: "Lord Seventh, can business still be done?"
Li Banfeng lifted the teacup and took a sip. "That depends on what business."
Lin Fojiao tapped the table. "Our current business."
Li Banfeng smiled. "That depends on your own capability. I never stand in the way. Once transit opens between the Inner States and the Outer States, this business might be even easier than before."
Lin Fojiao nodded slightly, and Li Banfeng felt the slackening relaxation within his body intensify.
"Lord Seventh, I have another venture here. Are you willing to do it?" Lin Fojiao brought out a stack of design schematics.
Li Banfeng flipped through a couple of pages. The schematics depicted a type of armor capable of flight and rapid locomotion, bearing a resemblance to armor from the Inner States.
"An Outer States imitation?"
Lin Fojiao nodded. "You could say that. The Outer States have produced quite a few good things recently. If you want them, prices are negotiable."
The Inner States had agreed to elevate the Outer States' technological level; it seemed the Outer States had indeed reaped substantial benefits.
Li Banfeng said, "That depends on how much stock you have. If it's just one or two pieces, forget it."
Lin Fojiao produced another stack of schematics. "As long as the bond between us isn't severed, any quantity you want can be arranged."
This batch of schematics illustrated a type of chariot—the very Wuchong Fuxu that Hong Ying had mentioned before.
"This is an imitation too?"
Lin Fojiao nodded. "Compared to the genuine article, it has about fifty percent of its combat power."
"Boss Lin, can you really get your hands on this many fine goods?"
"If I couldn't get them, I wouldn't dare spout nonsense before Lord Seventh." Lin Fojiao confirmed once more, "Lord Seventh, business can truly still be done?"
"It can. The road is even wider than before." Li Banfeng accepted the schematics and took a sip of tea.
Lin Fojiao nodded once and spoke no more.
Li Banfeng waited a moment, only to hear deep, steady breathing.
He had fallen asleep.
Reluctant to nod even a second time—among all the people Li Banfeng knew, only the Judge's Brush shared such an enlightened realm of sloth!
Li Banfeng left the Cultural Palace. Unsure whether he had succumbed to a technique or been infected by Lin Fojiao's aura, he felt overwhelmingly drowsy. Compounded by the backlash of Dwelling Cultivation, all he wanted was to return to his companion dwelling and sleep.
Yet before going back, he had to retrieve Room Two, who had been investigating the Dark Star Bureau building over the past few days.
Room Two's investigation wasn't finished yet; he had asked to stay two more hours in the building, and Li Banfeng had agreed.
While waiting for Room Two, Li Banfeng flipped through the schematics Lin Fojiao had given him, calculating how much gear to purchase, when the landline phone suddenly rang.
Li Banfeng glanced at the number, his brow furrowing slightly.
The incoming number was very familiar—it was Shen Jingye's.
Shen Jingye's office had been sitting empty. Why would a call come from there?
It was past three in the morning. Who had the audacity to play pranks on Li Banfeng at this hour?
Li Banfeng picked up the receiver, only to hear a sharp click—the other end had hung up.
Putting down the phone, Li Banfeng went straight to Shen Jingye's office. The door was locked.
To Li Banfeng, such a lock was practically nonexistent. With a gentle touch from the Glove, the lock popped open. Li Banfeng looked around the office, finding no one inside.
The furnishings of the office were almost unchanged, save for one new item on the desk: a folder.
Li Banfeng had uncovered numerous classified files in Shen Jingye's office in the past, but he had never seen this folder before.
Opening the folder, the very first document was a report—a report regarding the demolition of the Workers' Cultural Palace.
His heavy drowsiness vanished in an instant. Li Banfeng read through the document with rapt attention.
According to the report, the Yuezhou Workers' Cultural Palace had already been demolished ten years ago. The final page even bore the official seal of the Dark Star Bureau.
Several photographs were attached to the back of the report, clearly showing the Workers' Cultural Palace torn down into a field of rubble.
This was a top-secret document. Someone had intentionally left it for Li Banfeng to find.
What was this person's objective?
If the Workers' Cultural Palace had been demolished a decade ago, what was the Workers' Cultural Palace he had just visited?
The Dark Star Bureau frequently raided the Cultural Palace to crack down on the black market—did they not know it had already been demolished?
With so many pedestrians passing the Cultural Palace every day, had none of them found it strange? Could it be that in all of Yuezhou, not a single person remembered the Cultural Palace being torn down?
Li Banfeng returned to his office and laid out his magic treasures on the desk one by one. "Brothers and sisters, when we went to the black market earlier, did any of you notice anything unusual?"
The Glove spoke first: "Master, he had plenty of valuable stuff there, but since we went to talk business, I felt embarrassed to make a move."
The Earring had stayed on guard the whole time: "Lord, I didn't hear a peep of suspicious noise."
Mengde poked his head out of the pocket watch: "I felt something was slightly off, but as for what was off, I can't quite put my finger on it."
The Projector chimed in: "I wanted to record a clip of footage! The architectural style of that Cultural Palace is quite artistic!"
None of the magic treasures had detected anything glaringly amiss. Li Banfeng pinned all his hopes on the Judge's Brush, since the Judge's Brush and Lin Fojiao belonged to the same lineage; if Li Banfeng had fallen under Lin Fojiao's technique earlier, the Judge's Brush would certainly have noticed.
Yet after asking several times in a row, the Judge's Brush gave no reply. Listening closely, his breathing was deep and rhythmic—he seemed to be sound asleep.
The Glove said, "Master, don't bother asking. He fell asleep the moment he entered the Cultural Palace and hasn't woken up since."
Li Banfeng addressed the companion dwelling: "Old Master, did you notice anything off?"
The Old Master's response was much like Mengde's: "It indeed felt a bit unusual there, but I can't say for sure what was different."
Li Banfeng recalled every detail of his visits to the black market, his thoughts wandering for over an hour before he realized it.
Room Two slipped into the office through the gap beneath the door and handed Li Banfeng a blueprint. "This is a rough draft of the physical entity I drew based on my analysis and comparison of the Dark Star Bureau and the locker. Some of the details are a bit rough. If you need precise dimensions and proportions, I'll need Room Eight's assistance."
Room Eight was still in Tianyi City. Calling him back wouldn't be difficult.
However, Li Banfeng felt there was no great need. What Room Two had drawn was a three-story building; though it was only an outline, it looked strikingly familiar to Li Banfeng.
It was the peddler's house up in the clouds. Li Banfeng had visited it many times and gazed at it just as often.
Certain matters gradually became clear.
Both the Dark Star Bureau and the campus supermarket locker were shadows cast by that house.
Could the Workers' Cultural Palace be a similar case?
The real Cultural Palace had already been demolished; what remained now was merely a shadow!
Li Banfeng said to Room Two, "I'll take you to another place. See if that's a shadow too."
"That's easy enough," Room Two agreed.
Just as the two were about to set off, Little Train suddenly spoke up: "Old Seventh, proceed with caution. Lin Fojiao is no ordinary character. Investigating him on his own turf could make you suffer a loss."
"If I investigate him, I naturally won't let him know." Li Banfeng was about to pack up all his treasures when he suddenly saw the lid of the Music Box pop open.
The little figurine inside sat on her tray, her left hand draped by her knee and her right hand propping up her chin. Dazed and sluggish, she looked as though she had just woken up.
The Music Box first played a snippet of music. Half a minute later, the tune came to an abrupt halt, and Li Banfeng heard voices speaking.
"Lord Seventh, can business still be done?"
"That depends on what business."
It was the dialogue between Li Banfeng and Lin Fojiao, only Li Banfeng noticed the cadence was odd. The tempo of speech was slower than usual, and the voice was more muffled.
After speaking those two lines, neither Li Banfeng nor Lin Fojiao said another word for a very long time.
Li Banfeng pressed his ear to the Music Box and listened intently. He heard breathing—the deep, even breathing of two people.
The Old Master spoke in his ear: "Ah Qi, it seems we all fell asleep just now!"
Li Banfeng gently patted the Music Box. "She is a Sleep Cultivator. The only one capable of steadily channeling power even while asleep is her."
***
*P.S.: Someone has walked the right path in Dream Cultivation, and has walked quite far...*
Chapter 786