By dusk, the large iron gate opened.
HUFF... PUFF...
It was still a side door.
The steward Ma Dingfu shouted, "Two out of ten people within the fortress want to fight, but eight out of ten want peace. The Fortress Lord is listening to the majority and has gone to negotiate peace with Flying Eagle Mountain. All outsiders, leave! The fortress will be closed for the entire day tomorrow!"
Li Banfeng was feeling suspicious when Ma Dingfu approached him and said, "Friend, you’re doing business here. Have you paid the rent?"
"Isn’t the rent due at the end of the month?"
"There’s the end-of-month rent, and there’s the entry down payment. Everyone who enters for the first time pays the down payment. Even if you’re only selling here for one day, the down payment is mandatory. If you don’t want to pay, you won’t be leaving today."
Li Banfeng nodded. "Alright, I’ll pay. How much is the down payment?"
"Five hundred!"
"This is just a one-time payment, right?"
"That depends on whether you’re an honest businessman. If you conduct your business honestly, you’ll only need to pay the monthly rent from now on. If not, well, we’ll have other things to discuss."
Li Banfeng was taken aback. "You think I’m not an honest person?"
Ma Dingfu chuckled. "I really don’t think you’re entirely honest. You come here, don’t sell much, ask a lot of questions, and you’re involved in quite a few things."
Li Banfeng glanced at Sui Donglan. "Do you think she’s an honest person?"
Ma Dingfu’s face darkened. "I think you talk too much. Hurry up and pay!"
Li Banfeng gave Ma Dingfu five hundred and left the fortress with Sui Donglan.
As they walked along the road, Sui Donglan pushed the cart, looking at Li Banfeng with some disdain.
"They ask for money, and you just hand it over. And you call yourself a Peddler’s senior brother?"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "I wasn’t giving it to him; I was lending it. He’ll have to pay it back."
"You can only bully people like me," Sui Donglan snorted coldly. "Lord Zhou of Iron Gate Fort dares to challenge Flying Eagle Mountain. Would you dare touch his people?"
Li Banfeng shrugged. "He didn’t challenge them, did he? Isn’t he seeking peace?"
"The fact that he can even negotiate for peace is a testament to his standing! You have no idea how cruel the bandits of Flying Eagle Mountain are!"
"Have you seen them?"
"Seen them? The village I used to live in was raided by He Zhenlei, the Big Dipper of Flying Eagle Mountain. It was plundered clean, and more than half the people were killed."
Li Banfeng was startled. "How much gold and silver did your village have?"
"It wasn’t about gold and silver. During the autumn harvest, the bandits came to steal our grain. They demanded too much, and a few families refused to give in. Things escalated, and the entire village was wiped out. It’s a good thing Lord Zhou of the Fortress has foresight and knows not to confront the people of Flying Eagle Mountain directly. Those bandits are like reincarnations of the King of Hell. When you have to yield, you yield."
"What’s this Lord Zhou’s name?"
"His name is Zhou Anju. Within a radius of hundreds of miles, everyone knows his name!" Whenever she mentioned Lord Zhou of the Fortress, Sui Donglan’s face filled with admiration.
Li Banfeng didn’t ask any more questions. He offered Sui Donglan a cup of wine. "Rest well at home tomorrow. Come find me at Iron Gate Fort the day after tomorrow. If you dare not come, your face will continue to hurt—hurt until you die."
After Li Banfeng left, Sui Donglan snorted. She went back home and, facing the mirror, rubbed her face for a long time, but the two words wouldn’t come off.
「...」
Li Banfeng returned to his Portable Residence and reviewed the day’s events and observations.
Li Banfeng asked the Phonograph, "My dear, have you ever heard of Iron Gate Fort?"
"I’ve heard of it. Many Home Cultivators wish to go there. It seems you’re tempted too, Husband."
"I’ve already been. I’m near Iron Gate Fort right now. Their Fortress Lord is called Zhou Anju. Have you heard of this person?"
"Zhou Anju? That name does sound like a Home Cultivator."
"He is indeed a Home Cultivator, said to have Eighth Layer Cultivation."
"An Eighth Layer Home Cultivator?" The Phonograph sounded shocked. "This Little Servant has truly never heard of him. Home Cultivators rarely show their faces. Although I haven’t heard of him, that doesn’t mean he lacks real skill."
"My dear, have you ever heard of He Zhenlei from Flying Eagle Mountain?"
"I’ve heard of Flying Eagle Mountain; it’s a place name. But I haven’t heard of He Zhenlei."
Li Banfeng asked the Wine Gourd and the Old Teapot, but neither of them knew.
「...」
That night, Li Banfeng followed a mountain trail and climbed the cliffs of Iron Gate Fort.
This trail was not easy. Even as a Fourth Layer Traveling Cultivator, Li Banfeng found the climb quite taxing.
When he reached halfway up the mountain, the terrain changed. There was a platform, about five to six meters wide, clinging to the cliff face and stretching out into the canyon.
Li Banfeng realized.
His guess was correct: on the platform lay carrying poles, ropes, crowbars, and several large stones, evidently prepared for use.
Li Banfeng thought.
As Li Banfeng sat on the platform, mulling things over, his Earrings suddenly spoke, "Master, there’s movement."
Li Banfeng was startled.
He was still wondering where to hide the key when he realized the sounds weren’t coming from uphill. Instead, a quarrel had broken out below.
"I’m not paying this money! Let them come and fight me!" It was Wu Yongchao’s voice.
"Not paying!"
"Absolutely not paying!"
Many people were shouting in agreement.
"We all agreed to make peace before. Why are you refusing to pay now?" It was the voice of Ma Dingfu, Lord Zhou’s manager.
"Who agreed with you? I want to fight! We all want to fight!"
"This was decided by everyone! If you don’t want to pay, then you’d better move out now!"
"Why should we move? This land is ours! These houses are ours! You can’t just tell us to pack up and leave!"
"I’ve been in Iron Gate Fort for fifty years! Lord Zhou of the Fortress wasn’t even here when I arrived! If there’s trouble, we fight! Why should we let these bandits bully us?"
Li Banfeng sat silently on the platform, lost in thought.
He glanced back at the tools on the platform.
「...」
At Yuezhou Sanatorium, He Jiaqing lay on his sickbed and chuckled. "A slip-up. Another slip-up."
Ling Miaoying explained, "I did make complete preparations. It’s just that I didn’t expect..."
"It’s fine. It doesn’t matter. Let’s put that friend aside for now. Focus on getting the newspaper established first. Be more wary of the Lu Family, and be more meticulous. You’ve worked hard, Brother."
"Understood."
Ling Miaoying wiped the sweat from his brow and cut off the communication.
PS: An unseen enemy is truly terrifying.