Adding Another Room for Husband

"Do nothing at all?" Shi Boyu, the sub-branch head, was thoroughly displeased with Sun Xiao'an's response. "The dance hall was blown up, and the Geng Family Medicine Shop was burned down. Are we just going to leave this alone?" Sun Xiao'an shook his head repeatedly. "Boss, these might not even be related at all." "How could they not be related? The Geng Family Medicine Shop and the Yu Family Cloth Shop got into a fight. The medicine shop was definitely torched by that tomboy. I sent men to keep an eye on the cloth shop, and immediately the dance hall gets bombed. Isn't this that tomboy taking revenge?" Holding his water pipe, Sun Xiao'an let out a sigh. "Boss, I'll say it again: that tomboy doesn't have what it takes to bomb our dance hall. What is Du Hongxi, chopped liver? Could he really fall into her hands? Even if she did burn the medicine shop, that was a grudge between her and Geng Zhiwei. Geng Zhiwei is already dead, so that grudge is over and done with." Shi Boyu grew even more dissatisfied. "Over and done with? The Geng Family Medicine Shop is under our Jiangxiang Gang's protection! Now that lives have been lost, we just look on and do nothing?" Sun Xiao'an shook his head. "How can you say we did nothing? Have we done little? Three out of the four managers at our altar went over. Didn't we give them enough face? Going back further, the tomboy killed one Rong Jin'an, while Geng Zhiwei killed more than a dozen of her subordinates and went all the way to Baixiang Village to torch her ancestral home. The tomboy didn't dare make a peep and hid without daring to show her face. What do you think she was afraid of? Wasn't she afraid of our Jiangxiang Gang's reputation? We gave the Geng family plenty of face. Geng Zhiwei didn't know his limits and threw his life away. Who else can be blamed for that?" Shi Boyu kept a dark face and said nothing. Sun Xiao'an continued, "As for the dance hall, it might have something to do with Fatty Qin. And as for what kind of relationship Fatty Qin has with the tomboy, we don't know." Shi Boyu asked, "Who on earth is this Fatty Qin?" Sun Xiao'an packed a pinch of tobacco into the water pipe and took a puff. "Never heard of him before, but right now, he's a member of the Sanying Gate. I don't know if you've heard of the Sanying Gate back in Lüshuiwan, but if this matter has ties to them, we cannot make any reckless moves." Shi Boyu fell silent for a long time before saying, "Let's wait for the hall master's orders, then." He did not agree with Sun Xiao'an's assessment, but Sun Xiao'an didn't press the matter either, puffing away at his water pipe with gurgling sounds. In the afternoon, the hall master sent someone to the sub-branch altar. Shi Boyu, dressed neatly, was preparing to go see the hall master when the messenger informed him, "No need to see the hall master. The hall master says to let this matter drop. Pay no heed to the Geng Family Medicine Shop, and pay no heed to the Yu Family Cloth Shop either. Find Jia Quansheng to be the scapegoat, squeeze a sum of money out of old man Geng, and rebuild the dance hall." Shi Boyu was dumbfounded upon hearing this. "That's how we're handling it?" The messenger produced a letter. "Sub-branch Head Shi, this is from the hall master for you. He also gave you a word of advice: steady your heart, quicken your hands. Calm your mind first before settling the matter, then handle the rest step by step." ... Li Banfeng slept in the Portable Abode until the afternoon. Awakened by a full bladder, he was about to head out to relieve himself when he suddenly saw Zhou Yujuan, the owner of the dance hall, standing beside the bed with an expressionless face. How was she alive? Li Banfeng immediately sat up and snatched the sickle by his pillow. *Chhh-chhh-chhh—* The gramophone spoke: "Oh my, husband, do not be afraid. This woman has been subdued by your humble servant. In the future, she will serve you with all her heart and soul." Subdued? "Didn't you eat her?" "Her soul has already been consumed, but leaving her body along with a trace of spirituality can still be put to some use." "What use?" *Chhh-chhh—* The gramophone cleared its throat: "Husband, fetch that wretched Red Lotus, choose a fine weapon, and refine them together. It will add a dharma treasure for my lord." "What kind of dharma treasure?" "That depends on Red Lotus's abilities." Refining a dharma treasure using a weapon and a corpse. Li Banfeng scratched his head. "What kind of weapon is suitable?" "That pair of scissors from yesterday was quite good. That is a weapon with spirituality!" Li Banfeng asked in surprise, "Those scissors could actively slay enemies—weren't they already a dharma treasure?" The gramophone explained patiently, "My lord may not know, but a dharma treasure is like polished jade and pearls—it understands reason, possesses temperament, perceives situations, recognizes a master, and can improve itself. A weapon with spirituality can only be considered unhewn jade: dull and foolish, recognizing no master. The two are worlds apart in tier." So there was such a difference between dharma treasures and spiritual weapons. Li Banfeng brought the bronze lotus out from the outer room. Its petals were open, revealing three lotus seeds inside—yesterday's harvest. One belonged to Du Hongxi. He was a tier-two Nightmare Cultivator. As the seed burst open, four Xuanzhi Pills emerged. The number of pills refined scaled exponentially with cultivation level. If he killed a tier-nine one day, wouldn't it yield five hundred and twelve Xuanzhi Pills? One Xuanzhi Pill was worth ten days of cultivation; five hundred and twelve would equal over five thousand days of cultivation—that was equivalent to advancing by a tier and a half in one go. What was he thinking? Kill a tier-nine? Were tier-nine cultivators so easy to kill? Next, the remaining two lotus seeds cracked open one after another, each popping out two Xuanzhi Pills. In total, Li Banfeng now had twenty-four Xuanzhi Pills. Slowly accumulating them like this wasn't bad either. Along with that Zihuan Pill, he could earn nine months of time. If he kept accumulating like this, a year's worth of cultivation would be earned in no time. Of course, if he could sell them smoothly for cash and return directly to the Outer States, that would be even better. Stowing the pills into his cloth pouch, Li Banfeng set the bronze lotus next to Zhou Yujuan's corpse, and placed the bloodstained scissors beside her as well. Sensing them, Red Lotus took in Zhou Yujuan, but ignored the scissors. *Clatter!* The gramophone cried out in alarm, "Aiya, husband, quickly stop that wretched Red Lotus! She is trying to cut corners and is only refining the corpse! In a moment, it will only yield two Xuanzhi Pills, which won't be of much use!" Stop the bronze lotus? Was it that easy to stop? The petals had already closed, and Li Banfeng didn't even know how to pry them open. The gramophone scolded furiously, "That wretched woman knows no gratitude! Husband, do not fear; your servant will enforce house rules on your behalf. Watch me beat her!" At the mention of a beating, the bronze lotus lost its temper. Dewdrops danced across its surface, keeping Li Banfeng from approaching. The gramophone was enraged: "Oh my, husband, look at how spoiled you've let this wretched creature become! Now she doesn't even show you any respect! Allow your humble servant to discipline her properly!" Steam surged, roasting the bronze lotus bright red. The bronze lotus spat out dew, pelting the gramophone's horn with sharp *ding-ding* chimes. "Aiya, what an insolent hussy!" the gramophone roared. "Husband, help me!" "Right!" Li Banfeng agreed, then turned on his heel and bolted to the outer room. The gramophone shrieked, "Husband, where are you going? Husband, you're abandoning your humble servant!" Li Banfeng shut the door, lit a candle, and quietly leafed through a newspaper beside the table. Domestic affairs were all about human relationships and tact, not fighting and killing. Once their tempers cooled, he would have a good talk with them. After waiting for an hour, the noise outside finally died down. Li Banfeng cautiously returned to the main room. The steam had not yet dissipated, and the bronze lotus had not yet cooled. The gramophone whimpered softly: "Flowers fade and fly, drifting across the sky, Fragrance gone and beauty spent, who will mourn and sigh? Soft floating gossamers drift round spring bowers, Fallen catkins gently brush embroidered towers." "Burying Flowers." One of the most sorrowful songs in Puluo Province. "Wife, there's no need to feel so wronged, is there?" The gramophone wept, "Husband, how cruel of you! That wretched hussy is arrogant and domineering. When your servant enforced house discipline for you, you didn't even lend a hand." From the sound of it, one would think she had suffered a terrible loss. Although he hadn't witnessed the brawl firsthand, from the state of things, the gramophone didn't have a single scratch on it, while the bronze lotus was still glowing blazing red. "Family matters, it's all family matters," Li Banfeng consoled her with a few words, then noticed the lotus slowly opening its petals. In the center of the lotus sat a single seed. The bronze lotus had only consumed the corpse without taking the scissors. By rights, it should have only refined two red pills. Yet when the seed burst open, out popped a gold earring. Li Banfeng picked up the earring and examined it. The hoop was roughly the size of a silver dollar, with an opening in the middle meant for clipping onto an ear. Where did this earring come from? Li Banfeng thought back carefully. This earring seemed to have been worn on Zhou Yujuan's ear all along; he had forgotten to remove it. The bronze lotus had eaten the corpse and left behind the earring—what was the meaning of this? *Chhh-chhh—* The gramophone couldn't help but chuckle: "Oh my, husband, the earring was worn on that Scrying Cultivator for so long that it must have absorbed some spirituality. Red Lotus actually proved useful, refining the earring together with the Scrying Cultivator into a dharma treasure." Li Banfeng asked, "What use does this earring have?" "In life, this woman was a Scrying Cultivator possessing the fine art of Clairaudience. If my husband wears this earring on his ear, you can inherit seventy to eighty percent of that wretched woman's techniques." Wearing this gives Clairaudience? Li Banfeng hurried to pinch the earring onto his earlobe. Though he didn't have pierced ears, the earring was quite heavy, and clipping it onto his ear hurt quite a bit. After listening intently for a long while, Li Banfeng heard nothing. "Wife, this thing doesn't work?" "Oh my, husband, you are a Dwelling Cultivator, while she was a Scrying Cultivator. Different pathways have different mechanics." Li Banfeng took off the earring. "Then isn't it still useless?" "Do not fret, husband. Bring your ear close!" "Rubbing temples again?" Li Banfeng felt a bit reluctant. *Chhh-chhh—* The gramophone sounded a little hurt: "Husband, could it be that you have found a new love outside and grown tired of your old one?" "It's not that I'm tired of you, it's just that I feel you're a bit too enthusiastic, Wife..." Before he could finish, the gramophone wailed loudly: "Your servant's lot is bitter! Your servant's lot is so bitter—!" *Ssssshh!* A massive blast of steam engulfed Li Banfeng. A sharp agony surged across his entire body, feeling as if a layer of skin were being peeled off. She was serious! Why had this gramophone suddenly gone mad? Li Banfeng didn't stop to think; he turned on his heels and ran for the door. Before he could reach it, he heard the gramophone crying and screaming again: "Husband, where are you going? Husband, do you truly not want your humble servant anymore? Husband!" The wails were shrill and sorrowful as steam billowed. Steamed by the blistering heat, Li Banfeng lost consciousness. Hadn't they been getting along so harmoniously just before? Hadn't they been rubbing temples intimately? How could her mood turn on a dime like this...? In the dead of night, Li Banfeng woke to the sound of singing. "Autumn arrives with lotus fragrance sweet, Every night a maiden dreams of home in sleep. Waking, no mother or father does she see, Only the bright moonlight upon the window screen." "Song of the Four Seasons." Why was she singing "Song of the Four Seasons"? I can still hear singing. I'm still alive; she didn't kill me. Wait, can't be blindly optimistic. Maybe only my soul is left, or maybe even my soul has been swallowed by her. Li Banfeng struggled to push himself up. By the fiery glow of the steam gramophone, he looked around at his surroundings. It was the Portable Abode. He was still inside the Portable Abode, not inside the gramophone's big brass horn. Li Banfeng touched the flesh on his body. His skin and flesh were still there, and there was sensation. Not only was there sensation, but he was completely unharmed—not even a burn mark was left behind. Good, still alive. Li Banfeng felt his way along the wall, creeping quietly toward the door. While the gramophone's mood was relatively stable, he intended to leave the Portable Abode immediately. *Clang-clang-clang-clang—* The singing cut off abruptly, replaced by the clatter of gongs and drums. Terrified, Li Banfeng pressed himself tightly against the wall. He pressed back with a bit too much force, and suddenly felt emptiness behind him as his whole body pushed an opening right through the wall. Did I have such great strength? Of course not. Li Banfeng examined the hole he had knocked through; its edges and angles were extraordinarily neat and straight. This was a door! Another door had appeared in the Portable Abode! What did an extra door mean? Li Banfeng glanced around. Though it was pitch black, he clearly sensed a change in the space. The Portable Abode had gained another room. The gramophone hissed and crackled as it broke into song: "With my lord away, your servant's heart is tossed, A devoted heart speaks of sorrow and frost. A woman without a husband has no guide or room, So I add another chamber for my bridegroom." Adding another chamber? The gramophone added another room to the Portable Abode? Just how much unrevealed power did she possess? *Chhh—* The gramophone sighed softly: "Husband, do not be angry with your humble servant. Your servant presents you with tier-two cultivation." What tier-two cultivation? How had it suddenly become tier-two cultivation?