He Smiled

Qiu Zhiheng followed Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying to the He family ancestral residence. Reaching the entrance to the compound, Qiu Zhiheng stopped in his tracks, shielding Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying behind him. He silently observed the residence, sensing something amiss. Hiding in the distance, Li Banfeng took out the Thread-Hook Earring and tapped it gently twice. A voice came from the earring. "Master, awaiting your orders." "Listen to what they're saying." The artifact possessed spirit nature; the Thread-Hook Earring trembled slightly, allowing Li Banfeng to clearly hear the conversation between Monkey Qiu and Xiao Yeci. Monkey Qiu said, "There is a dwelling spirit in this house. Its tier isn't very high, but this is its domain, so it won't be easy to deal with." Xiao Yeci said in surprise, "Steward Qiu, so Miss Xiaolan is a Dwelling Cultivator!" Qiu Zhiheng shook his head. "She isn't a Dwelling Cultivator, and this isn't her dwelling spirit. She's trapped inside this residence." Xiao Yeci quickly pulled Lu Chunying close and backed away in a hurry. "Good heavens, an unbonded dwelling spirit! Doesn't that make it an evil spirit?" Li Banfeng pondered silently: What is Monkey Qiu's purpose in coming here? Xiao Yeci called him Steward Qiu—could he belong to the Lu family? Did he come to rescue Lu Xiaolan? Qiu Zhiheng stood motionless before the courtyard gate for a long time. His gaze swept across every corner of the courtyard. Under his scrutiny, two cats began rolling on the ground. A clowder of cats paired off and started playing with one another. A rat scurried out from the base of the wall and wrapped its paws around a cat. Another solitary cat hugged a nearby large tree and began rubbing against it. The large tree stretched its branches to entwine another large tree. That tree reached out with its boughs to tangle with the vines climbing up the Western-style house. The vines wove and twisted around each other. Right then, an emaciated Lu Xiaolan shoved open the French window with all her might. "Brother Qiu, save me!" Lu Xiaolan poked her head out, saw Monkey Qiu, and cried out desperately. Qiu Zhiheng looked toward the French window, peering inside through the opening of less than ten centimeters. To Xiao Yeci, the interior of the window was pitch-black, revealing nothing. Yet Qiu Zhiheng seemed to glimpse where the dwelling spirit was, his pupils shrinking violently. The entire Western-style house trembled faintly. Gathering all the strength she had, Lu Xiaolan forced the French window wider, squeezing her entire body through an opening of less than twenty centimeters. The vines hanging on the wall tried to stop her, but they were hopelessly tangled together, unable to break free. Having escaped the Western-style house, Lu Xiaolan abandoned all the poise expected of a highborn lady. She sprinted madly out of the courtyard and threw herself toward Qiu Zhiheng's embrace. She knew this was unbefitting of her status, but she couldn't care less—all she wanted right now was someone to hold her. Yet Qiu Zhiheng had no intention of embracing her, not only because of her status, but also because of her current plight. Even though the young mistress had no idea what kind of situation she was in. Qiu Zhiheng politely dodged aside. Baffled, Lu Xiaolan remembered the boundary between men and women and self-consciously embraced Xiao Yeci beside him instead. Though she didn't recognize them, they were here, so they had to be her saviors. "Ah—" Flustered by the embrace, Xiao Yeci didn't know what to do. "Miss Xiaolan, oh my, look at you... What happened? Don't cry now, don't be afraid. Aren't you out now? It's wonderful that you're out, isn't it?" Lu Xiaolan wept for a good while, then turned to ask Qiu Zhiheng, "Brother Qiu, how did you know I was here? Did my father send you?" Qiu Zhiheng shook his head and glanced at Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying. "Madam Yeci and Miss Chunying brought me here. They said you wrote them a letter telling them to find you at the He family ancestral residence." *Madam Yeci?* *Miss Chunying?* *Who on earth are they?* Stunned, Lu Xiaolan looked at Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying. "I never wrote you any letter. I don't know you." Xiao Yeci frowned at her words. "Miss Xiaolan, you can't talk like that! We came all this way only because we received your letter. "We suffered so much trying to find you! Now that we've saved you, you turn around and pretend not to know us? That's really uncalled for!" Lu Chunying tugged at Xiao Yeci's hand, signaling her to mind her tone; the way she spoke right now didn't sound like a lady of a wealthy clan. Lu Xiaolan remained thoroughly bewildered. Xiao Yeci pulled out the handwritten letter and handed it to her. Lu Xiaolan looked at it—it truly was her handwriting! The letter roughly stated that Lu Xiaolan had been searching for her long-lost younger sister for years and had finally found word of her, requesting that Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying come at once to the He family ancestral residence for a reunion. Holding the letter, Lu Xiaolan shook her head repeatedly. "I didn't write this letter. I really don't know you." Xiao Yeci's eyes widened. She wanted to curse, yet couldn't bring herself to; that would be unfitting for an educated woman. "You... you person, doing this is truly disgraceful! What on earth is the meaning of this?!" Lu Xiaolan ignored Xiao Yeci and turned back to Qiu Zhiheng. "Brother Qiu, I need to find someone named Li Banfeng. He's still in Yaowanggou. Without a travel permit, there's no way he can get out. We have to find him." Qiu Zhiheng fell silent for a moment before saying, "Miss, come with me to Lüshuiwan first. We'll talk after returning to the mansion." Lu Xiaolan shook her head. "I can't go back to the mansion. My business isn't finished yet. I must find Li Banfeng. Brother Qiu, please help me." Qiu Zhiheng said nothing. Lu Xiaolan sighed. "If you won't help me, I'll figure it out myself." She had to find Li Banfeng. She had to recover the Xuansheng Red Lotus and give an account to the family. Her future standing in the Lu family depended on it! She turned to leave, but Monkey Qiu stepped forward, blocking her path. Lu Xiaolan was startled. "Brother Qiu, what is the meaning of this?" Monkey Qiu spoke expressionlessly, "Miss, you must return to the mansion with me. Whatever happens after you go back is beyond my control, but along the way, I can keep you safe." "Brother Qiu, what on earth happened?" Lu Xiaolan felt a pang of fear. She had thought that once she escaped the He family ancestral residence, there would be nothing left in this world to frighten her. Yet she was genuinely afraid now; Qiu Zhiheng's attitude terrified her. Qiu Zhiheng drew a pair of shackles from inside his robe. "Miss, come back with me. If you refuse to listen to reason, I'm afraid you will have to suffer." Lu Xiaolan stood frozen in shock for a long time, offering no further argument. She knew she was no match for Qiu Zhiheng. Qiu Zhiheng walked in front, Lu Xiaolan followed in the middle, and Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying trailed behind. As they passed a corner of the alley, Qiu Zhiheng glanced toward the wall, sensing that someone might be there. Dwelling Cultivators possessed the innate talent to avoid drawing attention, but Qiu Zhiheng's cultivation was so profound that he detected the faintest lingering trace. After a careful sweep revealed no sign of anyone, Qiu Zhiheng continued walking forward. Lu Xiaolan followed silently, countless questions churning in her mind. *What on earth happened?* *Why do they want me back at the mansion immediately?* *Where did this mother and daughter come from?* *Who wrote that letter to them?* ... Li Banfeng stepped out of the Portable Abode and lit a cigarette. The narrow, winding Xianchuanzi Alley felt as if it were draped in dark clouds, suffocating him. Lu Xiaolan was out. She would reveal everything. If the Lu family wanted the bronze lotus, they wouldn't let Li Banfeng off. Fight if you can win; run if you can't. Could Li Banfeng defeat the Lu family? Almost certainly not. The Lu family was the most formidable of the four great families of Puluo Province. Then he had to run. But run where? Without a travel permit, Li Banfeng couldn't even leave Yaowanggou. If he stayed in Yaowanggou, the Lu family would dig three feet into the ground to root him out. Wait. Dig three feet into the ground? Would they dare? The Jiangxiang Gang hadn't dared. They hadn't put up notices or posted bounties; from beginning to end, they hadn't dared make a fuss over the matter. The bronze lotus belonged to He Jiaqing. The Jiangxiang Gang didn't dare offend the He family, so they couldn't blatantly seize it in broad daylight. Was the Lu family afraid of offending the He family? Perhaps not, but they might not want to cause a stir either; otherwise, they wouldn't have hired a private detective to deal with him. If they didn't want to make noise, he could still keep hiding in Yaowanggou. Walking onto Paifang Street, Li Banfeng glanced at the Feng family grocery store. For now, he could only hope Shopkeeper Feng would secure a travel permit as soon as possible. Whether it cost twenty million or thirty million, before he got the permit, he had to find ways to hoard more cash; once he had it, he would leave Puluo Province immediately. Yet another question hung before Li Banfeng. Who on earth had summoned Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying? It certainly wasn't Lu Xiaolan. Aside from Li Banfeng, Lu Xiaolan had no way of contacting anyone—otherwise, she wouldn't have suffered here for so long! If not Lu Xiaolan, then who? ... In Room 302 of Yuezhou Second Hospital, He Jiaqing, lying on the hospital bed, showed a faint smile. He Haisheng, who was dozing beside the bed, suddenly startled awake. He checked He Jiaqing, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Yet he felt as though He Jiaqing had just moved.