An Uninvited Guest

Lüshuiwan, the Lu family mansion, the dungeon. Eleven o'clock at night. Lu Xiaolan sat inside the cell. Opposite her sat Lu Dongliang's younger brother, Lu Dongjun. "Xiaolan, first tell your second uncle: how did you end up at the He family ancestral residence?" Lu Dongjun looked at Lu Xiaolan with an amiable smile. Lu Xiaolan shook her head. "I will only speak to my father. Why hasn't he come to see me?" Lu Dongjun sighed. "Xiaolan, your father heard some rumors, so there's been a slight misunderstanding between you two. Uncle came here precisely to help you clear it up." Lu Xiaolan turned her head away, unwilling to pay him any attention. Lu Xiaolan's mother, Zhuo Yuling, stepped into the cell. Frowning at Lu Xiaolan, she chided, "Xiaolan, don't forget your manners. Whatever your second uncle asks, you must answer honestly." "Mom..." Seeing Zhuo Yuling, Lu Xiaolan's eyes reddened. "Good child, Mom believes you. Speak properly with your uncle and tell the whole truth." Zhuo Yuling draped a coat over Lu Xiaolan's shoulders. The dungeon guard felt this was against the rules, but since it was just a mother draping a garment over her daughter, he didn't feel right objecting. Lu Xiaolan choked back a sob, adjusted her tone, and said to Lu Dongjun: "He Jiaqing and I boarded the train together. I was originally in the same car as him, but right after getting on, he said he had business outside. Once he left the carriage, he never returned. "I went to look for him and discovered quite a few He family members on board, all with cultivation above the fifth tier. They were clearly there to protect him. "With the train attendants constantly walking back and forth, I had no chance to kill He Jiaqing. Left with no choice, I played my backup card and derailed the train." This was one of the questions Lu Dongjun cared about most. "How did you manage to derail the train?" Lu Xiaolan was silent for a moment before saying, "Fifty-some minutes after the train departed, it was scheduled to pass a junction. One track operated normally, while the tracks on the other branch had been abandoned not long ago. "The worker responsible for throwing the switch that night was a trusted operative I had planted three years ago. I ordered him to divert the train onto the abandoned track. The tracks were severed, and the train flew off the rails. "While the crew was busy rescuing people and the He family hadn't realized what happened, I used the chaos to find He Jiaqing and struck him down ruthlessly." Lu Dongjun's face filled with shock. "You wretched girl! Not only did you offend the He family, but you also went and offended the Outer States! How dared you tamper with the train?" Lu Xiaolan looked up at Lu Dongjun. "Whether the Outer States were offended is a matter for later. But as for offending the He family, we need to get something straight. "Uncle, let me ask you: if my father was the one who told me to kill He Jiaqing, why is he afraid of offending the He family now? If they've already torn off the veil of civility, why make me take the blame?" Lu Dongjun pursed his lips. "The situation was different then. Back then, everyone thought He Haiqin was on his deathbed. Who could have known he would suddenly recover..." With tears in her eyes, Lu Xiaolan said, "So because circumstances changed for the He family, the blame falls on my head? Isn't the Lu family supposed to take control of all of Puluo Province? Is that all the Lu family is capable of—shoving a woman out to take the fall?" Lu Dongjun had no words in response. Zhuo Yuling snapped, "Xiaolan, watch your mouth!" After a long silence, Lu Dongjun resumed his questioning. "Then how did you end up at the He family ancestral residence?" Lu Xiaolan wiped her tears. "He Jiaqing didn't die. I had no idea his life was so stubborn. After I ambushed him, he was already unconscious, but a phone call from Li Banfeng woke him up. "I don't know what kind of artifact he used, but he gave me a push, and I went flying. "I flew for a long time. By the time I came to a halt, I had arrived at the He family ancestral residence. I wanted to escape, but I couldn't get out. There was a dwelling spirit in that house. I was trapped there for a whole month, surviving by eating cats, weasels, and rats." As she spoke, Lu Xiaolan could not help sobbing again. Lu Dongjun was in no mood to console her. He was pondering the situation back then. *He Jiaqing gave Xiaolan a push, sending her to the He family ancestral residence while sending himself back to his university dorm. How could he possess such a powerful artifact?* Zhuo Yuling asked from the side, "Dongjun, have you ever seen an artifact like that?" Lu Dongjun shook his head. "Never. I doubt Eldest Brother has seen one either. Xiaolan, tell Uncle first: did you fly back along the railway line?" Lu Xiaolan shook her head. "The train was already on the wrong track, and that section of railway had reached a dead end. I didn't fly back along the tracks." Lu Dongjun found the matter even more bizarre. "If you didn't fly back along the railway, how did you cross the various borderlines?" Without special means, borderlines were insurmountable. Lu Xiaolan shook her head. "I don't know. I really don't know." Lu Dongjun suspected Lu Xiaolan was not telling the truth at all. "Xiaolan, tell Uncle the truth. Where did the Xuansheng Red Lotus go?" "It's in Li Banfeng's hands." "How did it end up in his hands?" Lu Xiaolan recounted the events: "The day before leaving school, He Jiaqing borrowed my necklace. My necklace is an artifact that can create a layer of false skin, which can imitate the build and appearance of an acquaintance. "Using my necklace, He Jiaqing disguised himself as Li Banfeng and stored the Xuansheng Red Lotus in the campus supermarket. "After he borrowed the necklace, I trailed him in secret, so I saw it with my own eyes. "The lockers in the campus supermarket are very peculiar. Inside the lockers is an artifact—an artifact of an extremely high tier. Those lockers cannot be broken into by force. As for what artifact it is and who left it behind, I don't know either. "He Jiaqing's trick was very clever: only he knew the Xuansheng Red Lotus was hidden in the campus supermarket, and only Li Banfeng's face could open the locker." In other words, without the consent of both He Jiaqing and Li Banfeng, no one could open the locker—unless they got their hands on Lu Xiaolan's necklace. On this point, Lu Dongjun believed Lu Xiaolan was telling the truth, because she did indeed possess such an artifact. Lu Dongjun had tested it personally; it had allowed him to take on Lu Dongliang's likeness, and as long as the false skin wasn't torn away, almost no flaw could be detected. Lu Dongjun asked, "Then why didn't you use your necklace to go straight to the locker and retrieve the Xuansheng Red Lotus?" Lu Xiaolan continued, "I thought about it, but He Jiaqing refused to return the necklace, claiming he had lost it. "When I ambushed He Jiaqing, I snatched the necklace back. Right then, Li Banfeng called, and until He Jiaqing shoved me away, Li Banfeng hadn't hung up the phone. "I was terrified at the time. In my panic, I attuned to He Jiaqing's phone, trying to attach a Clairaudience hook to it, but I never expected the Clairaudience would latch onto Li Banfeng's phone instead. "Through his phone, I overheard some developments. I learned that He Jiaqing had gone to the hospital, that He Haisheng had also gone to the hospital, and that people from the Dark Star Bureau had tracked down Li Banfeng. "I knew Li Banfeng was mentally deranged, and I also knew he and He Jiaqing were very close friends. I took advantage of this to trick Li Banfeng into coming to Yaowanggou. "I told him to bring the Xuansheng Red Lotus and trade it to get me out from the dwelling spirit's clutches. But I have no idea what method he used—he actually managed to escape the He family ancestral residence! "He must be a cultivator, and not of a low tier either. The Xuansheng Red Lotus is still in his hands. I don't know where he went, but without a travel permit, there's no way he can leave Yaowanggou." Having heard Lu Xiaolan's account, Lu Dongjun looked solemn. He still did not fully believe her. "Just who is this Li Banfeng? An officer from the Dark Star Bureau? Or a disciple of some gang or sect?" Lu Xiaolan shook her head. "He's nothing. He's just an orphaned little bastard!" When she uttered the word "bastard," Lu Xiaolan gritted her teeth viciously. Lu Dongjun frowned. "Then that makes no sense to me. If Li Banfeng isn't with the Dark Star Bureau and isn't part of any gang, where did he get a travel permit? Without a travel permit, how did he buy a train ticket? How did he board the train? How did he arrive in Yaowanggou? "Don't tell me you bought that ticket. You were trapped in that mansion, unable to contact anyone—how could you possibly have bought a ticket for Li Banfeng?" Hearing this barrage of questions, Zhuo Yuling also grew anxious. If the train ticket couldn't be explained clearly, no one would believe Lu Xiaolan. Lu Xiaolan's explanation was: "That ticket was bought in advance by He Jiaqing. Why he bought a ticket for Li Banfeng, and why for that particular day's train, I don't know either. "I saw the ticket information on his phone, and that's how I tricked Li Banfeng into boarding the train and coming to Yaowanggou." Lu Dongjun shook his head repeatedly. Judging from Lu Xiaolan's attitude, she seemed to be telling the truth. Yet it all sounded far too absurd. He Jiaqing bought a ticket for Li Banfeng in advance? What did he want Li Banfeng to do in Yaowanggou? Had he anticipated that something would happen to himself? Lu Xiaolan looked at Lu Dongjun in despair. "Uncle, you don't believe me?" "Xiaolan, I will convey everything you said to your father. As for whether he believes it, I can't make any promises. Get some good rest for now." With that, Lu Dongjun stood up and left the cell. Zhuo Yuling looked at Xiaolan and sighed softly. "Don't be afraid, Xiaolan. Your father definitely won't wrong you. Get some sleep first; Mom will come see you again tomorrow." Zhuo Yuling left as well. The coat she had given Lu Xiaolan was still draped over her shoulders. She stroked the fabric, and in her ear, she heard her mother's voice again: "Don't be afraid, Xiaolan." This was neither a hallucination nor her imagination; Lu Xiaolan truly heard Zhuo Yuling's voice. There was a hook on this garment—a Clairaudience hook. Lu Xiaolan clutched the garment and listened intently. Soon, her mother's voice came through again: "Your father wants the Red Lotus. As long as it hasn't been found, he definitely won't harm you; he doesn't know whether the Red Lotus is still on you or not. "As long as I kill Li Banfeng first, your father can give up on ever finding the Red Lotus, and Mom will definitely find a way to get you out." ... The famous detective Daboyins arrived in Ligou. After walking a stretch along Paifang Street, he stepped into Feng's Grocery Store. Shopkeeper Feng greeted him with a smiling face. "What can I get for you, sir?" Daboyins lowered his voice. "I'd like to buy some pills from you." Shopkeeper Feng raised his eyebrows. "You must have the wrong place, sir. This is a grocery store." It wasn't that Shopkeeper Feng didn't sell pills, but he wouldn't easily sell them to strangers. Daboyins smiled. "Sixth Brother Zhang from the Sanying Gate recommended I come here. He said the quality of pills you carry is quite exceptional." Zhang Liuze was a friend of Shopkeeper Feng, and he had indeed bought pills at Feng's Grocery Store. With this connection established, Shopkeeper Feng grew no longer suspicious. Leaving the front counter business to Chunsheng, he led Daboyins into the back room. Once tea was poured, Shopkeeper Feng asked, "May I ask what kind of pills you're looking for?" "Snake-spot pills." "How many do you want?" "Could I inspect the quality first?" Shopkeeper Feng brought out a snake-spot pill. Daboyins examined it and nodded. "Top-grade quality. Name your price." "Fifteen thousand apiece." This wasn't the first time Shopkeeper Feng had sold snake-spot pills. His usual price was twelve thousand, but since the customer was a stranger, he marked it up by three thousand to see how the man would bargain. Daboyins didn't haggle. "A bit steep, but the quality is genuinely good. I'll take them." "How many do you need?" "Twenty." "Twenty pills come to three hundred thousand. Quite a major deal." Shopkeeper Feng shot him a meaningful look; for a deal this large, he wouldn't accept credit. Daboyins pulled a check from his breast pocket and wrote down the amount. "Send your clerk to Baocang Bank to cash it. Once the cash arrives, I'll take the pills." "Straightforward!" Shopkeeper Feng handed the check to Chunsheng. In less than half an hour, Chunsheng returned with three hundred thousand Huan Country notes. Payment in one hand, goods in the other. Shopkeeper Feng found a wooden box, sealed the pills inside, and handed them to Daboyins. Daboyins was very pleased and asked further, "A friend of mine also wants to buy some Xuanchi Pills. Do you have any in stock?" Shopkeeper Feng nodded. "I have Xuanchi Pills as well. How many does your friend want?" Daboyins held up two fingers. "Also twenty." Shopkeeper Feng's brow furrowed slightly. "Twenty? Are you quite sure? A single Xuanchi Pill goes for two hundred and fifty thousand." This price was set somewhat high as well; Shopkeeper Feng was still probing the other man's attitude. Daboyins laughed. "As long as the quality is good enough, I won't haggle at all." Shopkeeper Feng nodded. "Straightforward. The shop doesn't carry that much stock on hand, but I can ask around for you." "Splendid. I'll come back in a couple of days to hear your news." Daboyins left the grocery store. Having walked only a few paces, he ran into a foreigner on the street. Perhaps noticing that Daboyins was dressed quite like a gentleman, the foreigner took the initiative to approach and greet him: "Excuse me, sir. This is my first time visiting Yaowanggou, and I'm looking to buy some medicine. Do you know where I might find a pharmacy?" Daboyins looked the foreigner up and down, then smiled. "Yaowanggou is full of pharmacies everywhere. What kind of illness are you seeking medicine for?" The foreigner rolled up his sleeves, revealing a dense rash covering his arms. "I've come down with a strange herpes rash, and I don't know what medicine might work." Daboyins knitted his brows and took two steps back, pointing toward the far end of Paifang Street. "Andetang Pharmacy has an excellent resident physician. Go let him take a look." "Thank you very much." The foreigner tipped his hat in a bow. "Think nothing of it." Daboyins tipped his hat in return.