Li Banfeng was so angry he laughed. "Old Pan, if I give you the recipe today, can you guarantee you’ll control the pestilence?"
Pan Dehai sighed deeply. "How to use this recipe and where to use it still requires careful planning."
"No way!" Li Banfeng knew this old fellow still had tricks up his sleeve. "There’s no time for careful planning. Gathering herbs, preparing medicine, killing pests—the faster, the better."
"Now, with the conflicts at First Ridge, it might be inconvenient to transfer the herbs. We should wait until the turmoil at First Ridge has settled, then make plans."
First Ridge was a transportation hub for Hai Chi Ridge, and under normal circumstances, the transfer of herbs indeed had to go through First Ridge.
"Why don’t you allocate the herbs in New Land? The Local Deities there should help you."
Pan Dehai shook his head. "This is an internal matter of Hai Chi Ridge. We shouldn’t trouble outsiders."
"Didn’t you just talk about banding together against a common enemy? Didn’t you want to lure the pestilence elsewhere before? Why don’t you want to trouble others now?"
Pan Dehai still shook his head. "Initially, it was out of necessity to unite everyone. But now that we have a strategy, we should plan carefully."
Actually, Pan Dehai’s thought process was very clear and not contradictory at all.
He was quite willing to disperse the pestilence and drag everyone down with him.
However, he was reluctant to get other Local Deities involved in Hai Chi Ridge’s affairs.
The pestilence needed to be dealt with, but not at the expense of shaking his position in Hai Chi Ridge.
Li Banfeng understood his thoughts. "If you’re so protective of yourself, I can’t give you the recipe."
Pan Dehai’s expression darkened. "Young man, what did you just say? I didn’t hear you clearly."
Li Banfeng repeated himself, "I’m not giving you the recipe."
"If I don’t get the recipe, what will you use to combat the disaster?"
"I’ll go find the Peddler. He surely has a way to transport the herbs. If you’re unwilling to deal with the pestilence, I’ll find someone to help you."
Pan Dehai gazed at Li Banfeng intently and spoke slowly, "Believe it or not, I can ensure you never leave Hai Chi Ridge. Believe it or not, I’ll keep you stuck in Pancake Village!"
Li Banfeng’s face was expressionless. "I believe you. Try it."
"How arrogant you are," Pan Dehai fumed.
The Wine Gourd was also very nervous.
She rubbed against Li Banfeng repeatedly, but he completely ignored her.
Suddenly, the Wine Gourd understood this and stopped fussing over Li Banfeng.
Pan Dehai also gradually calmed down. He was angry, but he hadn’t lost his reason.
He could test him. Indeed, with just a glance, he could make Li Banfeng lose consciousness, but he didn’t do so. This person was sent by Old Yao, and from the sound of it, he had more than a passing acquaintance with the Peddler. Offending Old Yao for this young man’s sake wasn’t worth it, and offending the Peddler was even less so.
After much consideration, Pan Dehai nodded. "Fine. I’ll start treating the pests immediately by transferring medicinal herbs from New Land."
"You need to provide a written agreement." Li Banfeng took out paper and a pen.
Old Pan glanced at the white paper on the table and couldn’t contain his anger, bellowing, "This is Contract Paper!"
"It is Contract Paper," Li Banfeng nodded. "So what, you want to go back on your word?"
This was Contract Paper refined from Liu Liangyi’s contracts. Although it originated from Red Lotus, its quality wasn’t necessarily guaranteed. Regardless, it would be used.
Left speechless, Pan Dehai wrote the contract and pressed his handprint, then turned to Li Banfeng. "It wasn’t easy for you to come all this way. I’d like to give you a Magical Treasure as a token of my gratitude."
Li Banfeng didn’t want the Magical Treasure, but before he could speak, Pan Dehai had already taken it out.
He produced a Folding Fan with red ribs and a white surface, over a foot long, carrying a faint scent of ink.
Pan Dehai said to Li Banfeng, "This fan has been with me for many years and is permeated by the aura of saintly virtue. Holding it in hand, it’s a good Weapon for both offense and defense.
"Within three exchanges, it can make the enemy submit to the aura of saintly virtue, sharply reducing their fighting strength."
To put it bluntly, it was the most common tactic used in Virtue Cultivation: causing opponents to feel self-reproach and guilt, making them hesitant in their moves.
An interesting Magical Treasure indeed.
"How much does it reduce their strength?"
"It depends on the enemy’s level and your own cultivation level. Most importantly, it depends on the depth of your own virtue. This isn’t something that can be explained in a few words; it must be understood through personal experience."
The so-called depth of virtue referred to the height of one’s moral standing.
"What’s the cost for this Magical Treasure?" Li Banfeng hadn’t forgotten to ask.
"You must cultivate alongside this Treasure Fan and meditate on thoughts of saintly virtue for at least three hours every day."
After giving out the Magical Treasure, Pan Dehai took his leave. "Go back and tell Elder Yao that I appreciate this favor."
Li Banfeng did not leave Hai Chi Ridge; he still didn’t trust Pan Dehai.
He returned to his Portable Residence and took out ten doses of Pest Medicine.
Catching an unfamiliar scent, the Phonograph asked, "Hey~ my dear husband, what have you brought back?"
The Folding Fan unfolded its surface and bowed to the Phonograph. "I am the Fan of Saintly Virtue. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady."
Hearing a young man’s voice, the Phonograph snorted coldly. "You seem to know your manners, though your voice is a bit muffled."
Startled, the Folding Fan cleared its throat. "It’s been cold these past few days. I must have caught a chill."
"A chill? It really seems like a chill, with your voice so nasal," his wife laughed.
She was hinting to Li Banfeng that the Folding Fan’s voice had an echo.
The fan became nervous and promptly changed the subject. "My lord, your residence is quite a unique realm of its own."
"Not bad, right?" Li Banfeng laughed. "I’ll take you to see some other places."
"That would be marvelous." The fan quickly agreed, eager to gather more information.
The Phonograph chided, "My dear husband, are you really taking him to see other places?"
She worried Li Banfeng might not understand her hint.
Li Banfeng seemed to have indeed missed her point.
He took the Folding Fan to the outer room. "What do you think?"
"Wonderful and marvelous indeed, with such an exquisitely intricate layout! If I may ask, what name has the master given this residence?"
"Never mind the name. Hurry up and meet the Second Lady."
Li Banfeng brought the Folding Fan close to Red Lotus, who slowly unfolded its petals.
"What level of Magical Treasure is this?" The Folding Fan was astonished, wishing to record every detail of Red Lotus.
Li Banfeng smiled. "You’ll know soon enough. Ah Lian, refine him."
Before the Folding Fan could grasp Li Banfeng’s meaning, a whirlwind had already stirred within the Lotus Heart.
To ’refine’ meant to reforge anew.
By the time the Folding Fan realized, it was too late. "My lord, why treat me this way? I wished only to serve you! Why have you done this to me!"
The Folding Fan was absorbed into the Lotus Heart, and its wailing abruptly ceased.
A layer of white mist emanated from the Gourd, even more abundant than her sweat from before.
TEE HEE. The Phonograph laughed. "My dear sister, don’t be afraid. Our man just has this kind of temperament. Sometimes even I can’t figure him out."
Li Banfeng touched the Gourd, wiped off her sweat, took the Medicinal Powder, and left the Portable Residence.
He gave the Medicinal Powder to Niu Fuzhi, who thanked him profusely.
"Benefactor, what do you wish for? As long as we have it, just say the word!"
Li Banfeng said, "Actually, there is something I need your help with. You mentioned earlier that Rice Soup Village is still selling liquor. I’d like to take a look."
He didn’t want to buy liquor; he didn’t lack for drink. He wanted to see if that village could still hold on. If Old Pan refused to aid in the disaster relief, he would find a way to help himself. If Lu Dongjun’s efforts were truly yielding results, all the better. Regardless of who, the disaster had to be brought to an end quickly.
「 」
Lu Dongjun arrived at Jiangyuan Leather Factory. It had originally belonged to the Ma Family but had unfortunately closed during the pest infestation and now belonged to Lu Dongjun.
Still in his disguise as a subordinate, Lu Dongjun entered the factory’s manager’s office.
The manager sat behind his desk. A wind-up Phonograph was playing a tune, "A night as clear as day, crescent moon like a hook, joy and laughter abound throughout the lands..."
It was a very auspicious song, yet the manager’s face showed not a trace of happiness. The factory had only resumed operations for two days, and with the pest infestation returning, the manager was contemplating another shutdown.
Seeing someone push the door open and enter, the manager was displeased. "Who’s there? What do you do? Have you no manners?"
Lu Dongjun approached the manager. "I am one of Second Master Lu’s men. The Second Master sent me to collect a debt."
"Collect a debt?" The manager was stunned for a good while.
Lu Dongjun was prepared. Understanding that a mere verbal claim wouldn’t suffice to collect the money, he presented a document to the manager. "This is an order from our Second Master."
It was indeed written by Lu Dongjun himself. The manager took it, glanced at it briefly, and handed it back to Lu Dongjun.
"I don’t know where you got this order from, but I doubt Second Master Lu would issue such a thing."
Lu Dongjun glared. "Are you saying my order is fake?"
The manager chuckled. "Even if it’s real, so what? This factory now belongs to the Shen Family. Why are you here with Lu Dongjun’s order to collect a debt?"
"Belongs to the Shen Family? Which Shen Family?"
The manager frowned. "Is that something you should be asking? You’re trying to swindle money, and you didn’t even do your homework beforehand? You should at least read the newspapers."
With that, the manager carelessly tossed a newspaper to Lu Dongjun.
On the second page of the newspaper was a news item: Lu Dongjun had transferred Jiangyuan Leather Factory to Shen Rongqing, accompanied by a photo of the two shaking hands. Shen Rongqing was a woman in her twenties, quite pretty. Lu Dongjun had never met her.
"Where is the contract? Where’s the contract for selling the factory?" Lu Dongjun glared at the factory manager.
The manager’s expression darkened. "When you’re out scraping a living, you need to have some sense. You’ve been exposed, so why make a scene? Scram as far as you can before I call someone to beat you up..."
Before he could finish, Lu Dongjun lunged forward and grabbed the manager’s throat. "I asked you, where is the contract?"
The manager couldn’t speak; he was a man with no cultivation level. Lu Dongjun tried hard to control himself, but he still couldn’t restrain his strength and ended up strangling the manager to death.
"Peaks competing in splendor, myriad rivers vying in flow, colorful candles burning bright, music of peace and joy playing on..."
The Phonograph’s song continued unheard. Lu Dongjun tossed the manager aside, mulling over where the contract could be.
The contract wasn’t in the factory at all.
In the manager’s office, there was a secret compartment. Inside, Lu Dongjun found over one hundred and sixty Ocean Dollars.
This was the sum of Lu Dongjun’s gains from this trip.
Lu Dongjun flung the Ocean Dollars on the floor, scattering them everywhere. After a moment, he lowered his head and began picking them up again. He wasn’t carrying much cash, and he couldn’t cash the bank checks. Lu Dongjun had never thought he would be short of money.
He pocketed the Ocean Dollars and left Jiangyuan Leather Shop.
「 」
Half an hour later, He Jiaqing, lying on his sickbed, received the news that the manager of Jiangyuan Leather Factory was dead. Having heard the sounds of the fight at the scene, He Jiaqing had determined the assailant’s identity.
The care worker had been sitting by the bed all along, making He Jiaqing feel a bit awkward.
He Jiaqing’s eyes suddenly flew open, and the care worker abruptly fainted.
He sat up, whispering softly, "Tell my father Lu Dongjun has been found."
"What about the people from other families?"
"No need to mind them. The only one who truly wants Lu Dongjun dead is my father."
PS: Ban Feng is just that kind of person; sometimes even I can’t figure him out.