Li Banfeng stepped out of the Portable Residence and arrived at the entrance of the estate.
A group of Home Cultivators stood neatly in front of the door, waiting for Li Banfeng’s commands.
"What are you all doing here? Have you carried out the tasks I assigned?"
Wu Yongchao stepped forward and said, "Everything’s been taken care of. Zhou Anju and Ma Dingfu’s subordinates have been dealt with, and we’ve sent someone up to the cliffside."
"How many people did you send?"
"One."
Li Banfeng frowned. "I told you to send people, and you only sent one? Add two more! Shifts of three, changing every three hours: one on lookout, one to send messages, and one on standby!"
Wu Yongchao nodded. "I’ll see to it right away."
"How many people are at the boiler room?"
"Five, all from the fortress, taking turns tending the boiler."
"Add two more sentries at the entrance. Remind them to be alert. At any sign of trouble, they are to close the doors immediately. Everyone else is to return to their rooms and remain vigilant. The Fortress Lord’s estate is henceforth off-limits. No one is allowed within a hundred meters of its perimeter."
Wu Yongchao acknowledged the order. He took two other men and meticulously measured out a hundred meters with a measuring tape, drawing a boundary. Everyone then retreated beyond it.
Li Banfeng entered the estate alone and wheeled the Windmill Phonograph out from the Portable Residence.
On the phonograph was a new record engraved by the Wife. As the evening breeze blew, the windmill turned slowly, winding the spring, and music began to play:
"I raise high a glass of bitter wine,
You know in your heart I am not drunk,
It is only for you, my lover,
That I drain this cup, that I drain this cup..."
This song was called "A Man’s Tears."
An ownerless House Spirit could turn into an Evil Spirit at any moment. Although the Wife’s strategy was thorough, Li Banfeng was very tense at this moment.
The music played for half an hour, but there was no sound from the annex building.
Li Banfeng returned to the Portable Residence and said to the phonograph, "Wife, this record of yours isn’t working. She refuses to come out."
"That shouldn’t be!" The Wife sounded somewhat surprised. "I sang that song with all my heart. Any Soul Spirit should be touched by it. Even if that House Spirit can’t leave its house, there should be some reaction. Husband, get closer to that house."
"Closer? If she really comes out, I’m afraid I’ll be done for! Are you trying to become a widow?"
The phonograph spoke with great confidence, "Husband, do not worry. When you reach the door of the annex, open it immediately and let Little Servant investigate."
Li Banfeng cautiously approached the door, a bone-chilling air rushing towards him.
He immediately opened the door of the Portable Residence, allowing the Wife’s singing to reach the annex entrance.
This wasn’t the Windmill Phonograph playing a record; this was the Wife singing in person.
In the past, when dealing with Lost Souls, the Wife’s singing had never failed.
Yet, there was still no sound from within the annex; it was as if the occupant truly hadn’t heard the Wife’s song.
Li Banfeng kept the door to the Portable Residence open and waited at the entrance of the annex for a moment.
The singing stopped abruptly. The Wife sensed a powerful, intimidating presence and shouted from within the Portable Residence, "Husband, fall back! I know who this is now! It’s that deaf and blind wretch!"
The sinister wind gusted again, and a woman’s voice came from the annex, "Wicked woman, is that you? I smell your cheap rouge—the cheapest kind from the street, two coppers for a large box. It suits you perfectly! How many years have I waited for you? Come in! Hurry! Let’s settle this!"
"Husband, quickly, let’s go!"
Li Banfeng retrieved his key, left the estate, and returned to the Portable Residence.
"Wife, do you recognize this House Spirit?"
"I do. That damn wretch!" The Wife was brimming with murderous intent; the percussion instruments in the phonograph clattered intensely.
"Wife, what’s the history between you two?"
"The grievance is immense. I was the one who blinded her."
"Then how did she become deaf?"
"She deafened herself to avoid my singing."
"It seems you won that battle decisively, Wife."
"We didn’t win," the Wife replied calmly. "It was my carelessness that led to my death at her hands!"
Li Banfeng was shocked. They had encountered a mortal enemy.
Li Banfeng asked, "Wife, do you intend to seek revenge on her?"
"Revenge must be taken, but now is not the time. Only by luring her into this house does Little Servant stand a chance of winning. If Little Servant were to enter her house, the current Little Servant couldn’t match her."
"It seems this Iron Gate Fort is a place we must abandon."
"Husband, don’t worry. That wretch’s Home Cultivator is dead, and she’s deaf and blind and doesn’t know the way. Even if her house has an opening, she can’t get out. Tell the Home Cultivators at Iron Gate Fort to stay as far away from this place as possible. If they must enter this estate, they must not enter this annex building. A contract can be formed between Home Cultivators and House Spirits. If any Home Cultivator carelessly calls out the House Spirit’s name, it’s tantamount to giving that wretch a new Cultivator, and then matters will become complicated."
HISS... HISS...
Red Lotus made a sound.
She seemed to recognize this House Spirit as well.
Turning its horn towards Red Lotus, the phonograph asked, "Little Sister Red Lotus, are you saying you have a way to deal with this wretch?"
HISS...
Red Lotus affirmed.
A long silence fell within the Portable Residence.
Li Banfeng spoke first, "The Wife doesn’t eat the dead."
The phonograph then said, "Red Lotus doesn’t eat the living."