Where Is Your Body?

Li Banfeng brought the Imperial Jade Seal to Soil Exchange Island. He intended to seal off the passage connecting Soil Exchange Island to the Inland State. Sealing a passage was not difficult; all it required was an official document. The passage's opening lay on a reef less than ten li east of Soil Exchange Island. Li Banfeng wrote up the document, stamped it with the Imperial Jade Seal, and tossed the document into the passage. That sealed it. The problem was that this wasn't the only passage that needed sealing. Exactly how many there were, even Li Banfeng himself could not say for sure. The passage at Sage Peak had to be sealed, and the one at Suihuang Plain certainly had to be sealed as well. There were also passages near those thirteen newlands, though Li Banfeng had yet to determine their precise locations. And those were only the passages the Inland State had already put into use. There were others whose whereabouts Li Banfeng did not know at all. Even if he probed across the entirety of Puluo Province with the Imperial Jade Seal to seek out every last passage, he still wouldn't know where each one led. "My darling wife, it truly fits the saying: a thief only needs to steal once, but a guard must stay vigilant a thousand days." He couldn't just keep plugging holes; he had to tackle the passages themselves. His wife studied the Imperial Jade Seal for several days, feeling more and more that the object looked somewhat familiar. "Husband, could you let your humble servant take the seal to Hulu Village for a trip? I'd like to study it with A'yi for a few days." Li Banfeng nodded. "Be careful when you study it, and don't break it. Of the two Imperial Jade Seals, one belongs to Boss Lu, and it still needs to be returned to him." Upon arriving at Hulu Village, A'yi examined it for a long time and noticed a few clues. "This isn't as simple as an ordinary stamp. It should be a machine—the craftsmanship is just so intricate that there are parts I can't see clearly." "Then let's find someone who can see clearly." Li Banfeng summoned A'yu down. A'yu stared at it for an entire day until her eyes turned bloodshot. "It really is a machine!" A'yu declared with absolute certainty. "I saw gears. A machine this precise is a first even for me." "Husband, go tend to your business first. Once we sisters figure out more clues, we'll discuss it with you properly." Zhao Xiaowan was captivated by the machine. Following A'yu's descriptions, she had already drawn a preliminary sketch. Looking at the sketch, Li Banfeng found it looked somewhat familiar as well. Professional tasks were best left to professionals. Li Banfeng didn't meddle further. Leaving Hulu Village, he used the contact information from before to track down Zuo Anna. Zuo Anna lived in Green Water City, renting a room near Boundless Hospital. The hospital was still operating, but without Critic present, its treatment methods were hardly advanced, no different from an ordinary hospital. There were far fewer patients than before. Zuo Anna spent a long time in the hospital every day, to the point that when she met Li Banfeng, she still smelled strongly of disinfectant. The makeup on her face was exquisite, and she spoke with steady poise, measuring every word: "Mr. Li, I am currently carrying out a very important mission and my time is limited. Please, speak plainly." Li Banfeng went straight to the point: "I want to know the whereabouts of the founder of the artisan cultivators." Zuo Anna pondered for a moment. "Duan Tielu, founder of the artisan cultivators. I've heard of him. He possesses profound mastery in crafts and engineering. Regarding his whereabouts, there are many rumors. The most credible claim is that he currently resides on the border between Shang State and Tufang State. He maintains relatively close ties with both nations." The border between Shang State and Tufang State was vast. Li Banfeng asked, "What is his exact location?" Zuo Anna shook her head. "There is no way to pin down his exact location. The boundary line between Shang State and Tufang State shifts at any time—that is a characteristic of the Inland State. Supposedly, Duan Tielu has a special method to relatively solidify his own location. Do you understand what relative solidification means?" Li Banfeng nodded. "I understand." Zuo Anna stared directly at Li Banfeng. "What do you mean by that? Was I not clear enough?" Li Banfeng was taken aback. He felt he had spoken plainly enough. "You were very clear, so I understand clearly." "Why bother trying to comfort me? Why can't you just be direct?" Zuo Anna scrutinized Li Banfeng's facial features, searching for any slight change in his expression that might reveal the truth. Li Banfeng's expression did not waver. He stood up and said, "Thank you for the clues. If you ever need help, feel free to contact me." He had asked what he needed to ask and said what needed to be said. It was time for him to leave. "Leaving just like that?" Zuo Anna found it unbelievable. "Beating around the bush severely hinders communication efficiency. Why can't you just speak directly?" Li Banfeng said in a calm tone, "Every word I've said has been direct. I want to find the whereabouts of Duan Tielu." "Regarding Duan Tielu's whereabouts, there are many accounts. Among them, the more credible one is—" "You already said that." "It's because you're beating around the bush!" Zuo Anna cried, her eyes red. "Why can't you just say what you want to say?" "What do you want me to say?" Li Banfeng looked at Zuo Anna in bewilderment, having no idea what was wrong with this woman. "He's dead, isn't he? I did a lot of investigating in Shang State, and they all say he's dead." Despair was written across Zuo Anna's face as she looked at Li Banfeng. She wanted an answer from Li Qi, yet feared he would confirm her worst suspicions. Only now did Li Banfeng understand. "You're talking about Critic?" Zuo Anna nodded slightly, terrified of the answer, yet desperate to hear it. Li Banfeng looked at Zuo Anna with utter gravity. "He is alive." Zuo Anna's body trembled violently as tears rolled down her cheeks, drop by drop. "Where is he?" This question truly stumped Li Banfeng; he did not know where Critic was. "I cannot tell you right now." He thought Zuo Anna would keep pressing him, but to his surprise, she swiftly wiped away her tears, sat down before the vanity mirror, and began meticulously touching up her makeup. "It doesn't matter. I can find him. As long as he's alive, that's enough. Once I find him, I will marry him." Li Banfeng was stunned. "You're going to marry him?" Zuo Anna picked up an eyebrow pencil. "I know I don't deserve him. Even if he doesn't want me, it doesn't matter. I will stay by his side, follow him—follow him wherever he goes." Li Banfeng knew that Zuo Anna and Critic were not related by blood, but he still couldn't resist asking, "Haven't the two of you always referred to each other as brother and sister?" "I never wanted to be his sister. Never!" Zuo Anna shook her head as she worked on her makeup. "I'm not his sister. I just lived in the same village as him. I've liked him since I was very young, and even back then, I wanted to marry him." "How young?" "Fifteen. Back then Critic was twelve—or about twelve, he couldn't say his exact age either." Li Banfeng was no stranger to people being unsure of their age. "He was an orphan?" "He had parents, but they died young, both from illness. Critic and his younger brother, Loreid, fell ill very easily. My father told me the two brothers were sons of a demon, carrying a demonic curse that killed their parents. Even though my father said that, I still liked him. When he came to sell apples, I secretly bought some. When he came to do odd jobs, I secretly paid him wages. Critic did everything he could to support his younger brother. Later on, his brother fell sick and broke out in rashes. Even though Critic tried explaining that the rash wasn't contagious, no one believed him. No one bought his goods, and no one hired him for work. He begged everywhere for food, and I gave him extra bread. That was when he started calling me sister, though I never liked him calling me that. Later still, Critic fell ill too and broke out in rashes. The villagers said it was a pestilence that would spread to others. Some wanted to burn them alive, but didn't dare act. They feared the smoke and fire would trigger the demon's curse and invite retribution. Some wanted to drive them out of the village, but the villagers knew Critic and Loreid had never left before, and the nearest village was a hundred li away. They worried the brothers would just return to beg. So someone came up with a scheme. They lied to Critic, claiming they had found him a logging job, and lured him up the mountain. There, they broke his legs and threw his gravely ill brother onto the mountain with him. With broken legs, Critic couldn't climb down, and severely ill Loreid couldn't go anywhere. The two of them were left to starve and die on the mountain." Li Banfeng couldn't quite fathom the mindset of these villagers. "If they did something like that, weren't they afraid the demon would retaliate?" Zuo Anna shook her head. "The villagers claimed they hadn't done anything wrong. They said they had merely moved the two children to a different residence, which wouldn't offend the demon. Even if it did offend the demon, they weren't afraid. Our village was blessed by the deities. As long as they hadn't personally slaughtered the two boys with their own hands, they could justify their actions, and the demon wouldn't harm them." Li Banfeng had heard Critic speak of his past before, so he could roughly guess the outcome. "Critic couldn't move, and his brother starved to death." Zuo Anna set down the eyebrow pencil. After a long silence, she stared into the mirror and said, "It was my fault." Li Banfeng was puzzled. "How could it be your fault?" Zuo Anna lowered her head. "I knew where they were. I went up the mountain to see them, bringing him bread. Critic was so strong. His legs were broken, yet he still smiled at me. Cradling his brother, he kept thanking me over and over. I promised I would come see them again tomorrow, bring more bread, and even sneak some ham from home for them. Critic kept saying thank you—he said thank you so many times. When I headed down the mountain, he crawled along the ground, wanting to see me off, watching me the entire way. He trusted me so much, but I never went back to that mountain. When I returned home, my family locked me up." As she spoke, Zuo Anna's voice was calm, yet tears streamed down continuously. "I knew he was waiting for me on the mountain, waiting the whole time. He believed I would definitely come. Every day I stared up at the mountain, thinking I would never see him again. Until that night. My father was drinking wine, and my mother was listening to the radio. Outside, someone began screaming that the demon had returned—he had crawled back. I thought it might be Critic. I was so happy; I wanted to run out and see him, but my family wouldn't let me leave. By the next day, when I finally got outside, Critic was gone. From that day forth, the villagers fell victim to a strange illness one after another. Rashes covered their bodies, causing unbearable pain and itching. Nothing could cure the rashes, and praying to the deities proved utterly useless. My father took our family and fled the village. Later, I heard everyone in the village died. Aside from our family, not a single person survived." Li Banfeng had intended to leave earlier, but hearing this sparked a doubt in his mind. "You said Critic had never left the village. He was just a teenager—how did he gain the abilities of a Disease Cultivator?" Zuo Anna shook her head. "I don't know. For a long time after that, I didn't hear a word about him. When I saw him again, it was years later, and he had already grown up. My parents were murdered by Tufang people, which led me to join the White Falcon League. At the time, I was just a nobody who could die on a mission at any moment. The White Falcon League desperately wanted to recruit Critic. Knowing the special relationship between us, they began promoting me and used me to collaborate with him. Although Critic repeatedly refused to join the White Falcon League, I used my position within the league to provide him with a great deal of assistance. I wanted to make it up to him; I hoped he could..." Zuo Anna continued to ramble on about her past with Critic, but Li Banfeng's thoughts remained fixed on a single question: How on earth had Critic become a Disease Cultivator? Before being tricked onto the mountain, he had just been a boy. If he had already been a Disease Cultivator back then, he wouldn't have had his legs broken, much less watched his younger brother starve to death. He wouldn't even have needed to stay in that village; he could have healed his brother first and then made a living through the methods of a Disease Cultivator. That proved he had been an ordinary child before going up the mountain. But if he wasn't a Disease Cultivator before ascending the mountain, what had happened during his time up there? Who initiated him into the path? Had the Peddler visited Inner Amikan? Perhaps that was a possibility—the Peddler might have run off to Inner Amikan to settle debts. Yet back then, Disease Cultivators had no medicinal powder. The inheritance of their path was truly a transmission of flesh and blood; the successor had to consume their own master to enter the path. The Peddler had no way to turn Critic into a Disease Cultivator. Did the Peddler procure a piece of flesh and deliver it to him? Why would the Peddler cultivate a Disease Cultivator for Amikan? What benefit would that bring Puluo Province? Wait a second. Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead. His thoughts couldn't remain confined to the Peddler alone. Could someone else have done this? Did Lühuazi go in person to transmit the path? Or was it some disciple of the Disease Cultivators? Regardless of who went to preach the path, why choose Critic? Why pick an unfortunate soul from a remote mountain village? Perhaps only Critic himself could explain this. "He's still alive, right?" Zuo Anna sought confirmation from Li Banfeng once more. Li Banfeng nodded. "Alive. I believe that one day you will meet again, and I believe Critic doesn't hate you." Zuo Anna stared intently at Li Banfeng. "I believe you aren't lying to me. I will help you locate Duan Tielu. If I find him, please promise me that you'll let me see Critic." "I will do my best to arrange it." Li Banfeng made no definitive promise, and departed from Zuo Anna's residence. Yet Zuo Anna was filled with hope. She carefully applied her makeup, as though Critic would appear before her in another hour. Less than an hour later, Li Banfeng returned. "Is he here?" Zuo Anna looked at Li Banfeng with excitement. Li Banfeng shook his head. "He hasn't come. There's something I want to ask you. The night Critic returned to the village, what was your mother doing?" Zuo Anna said, "She was listening to the radio." "Your village could receive radio broadcasts?" Zuo Anna nodded. "Like Puluo Province, Inner Amikan has radio stations, though ordinary people cannot hear them. Our village was blessed by the deities. As long as a household had a radio, it could tune into the stations." Li Banfeng nodded slightly. He had no further questions. Leaving Zuo Anna's residence, Li Banfeng returned to the companion dwelling. He carried Yuan Miaoping into the main room and gazed at her quietly for a long while. Yuan Miaoping hung her head, her cheeks flushing red. "Chief, looking at me like that makes a girl blush..." Hong Ying grew anxious. "Qilang! Xiaowan isn't here, so you're sneaking a bite on the side? Even if you want a taste, it shouldn't be her turn—I'm right here!" Li Banfeng stroked the casing of the television and chuckled. "Even if I wanted to sneak a taste, does this body of hers offer anywhere to lay hands on?" Hong Ying huffed, "You never know—is there anything you wouldn't do?" Yuan Miaoping was displeased and glared at Li Qi. "Looking down on me, are you? Is my figure lacking? Take a good look—where am I lacking?" A disco beat started playing from the television. The screen continuously shifted angles as Yuan Miaoping launched into a sultry dance inside the TV, showing off her curvaceous figure to the fullest. The more Hong Ying watched, the angrier she became. "I knew this little minx was up to no good! If she ever crawls out of that television one day, she'll charm Qilang's soul right out of him!" Li Banfeng happened to be curious about that very thing. "Indeed. Why haven't you crawled out of the television?" Yuan Miaoping halted her dance and gave a dry laugh. "I don't have a body, so I can only stay inside the television." "Where is your body?" Li Banfeng tilted up the brim of his hat and looked at Yuan Miaoping. Hong Ying held her tongue, sensing that Li Banfeng's demeanor was unusual. Yuan Miaoping grinned playfully. "Lai Wuju ate my body!" The Fifth Lady glanced at Yuan Miaoping, her eyes filled with resentment. Li Banfeng didn't verify it with the Fifth Lady; he felt this matter had nothing to do with her. "Did Lai Wuju really eat it?" Yuan Miaoping stopped smiling. "Chief, what's gotten into you? I'm getting a little scared..." "Don't be afraid. I only want to know where your body went." Yuan Miaoping pursed her lips. "My path emerged late, and it got entangled in conflicting interests with other paths. You know what the climate is like in Puluo Province, Chief. Everyone has tasted their share of bloodshed. Back then, during a vicious battle, I lost my body in the fight and could never find it again. As for who actually took my body, there's no trail to follow, nor do I have the ability to investigate." Li Banfeng didn't buy it. "You had the ability to help Dan Buda siphon popularity across the entire Outer States, yet you lack the ability to investigate the whereabouts of your own body? That sounds a bit far-fetched, doesn't it?" Yuan Miaoping put on a wronged face. "The point is, finding out wouldn't do any good! Look at me now—could I even seek revenge? I'm broad-minded by nature. What's done is done, and I don't care to dwell on it." Li Banfeng said, "You don't care to dwell on it not because you're broad-minded, but because it didn't end up benefiting an outsider, right?" Yuan Miaoping blinked, playing along with his line of thought. "That might actually be true. After all, I'm the founder of a path. If my body was eaten by a disciple of my own path, it could at least be considered passing down my cultivation." Li Banfeng nodded repeatedly, playing along as well. "It truly was passed down. Though not of your path, he was indeed your disciple!"