Li Banfeng thought it was possible, because the cultivation level was invisible.
But the foundation for all this was Red Lotus taking action.
Li Banfeng moved the Copper Lotus Flower from the Liu Fang to the main room, and Red Lotus prepared herself, covered in dewdrops.
"Ah Lian, I have a favor to ask of you."
PFFT. Red Lotus gave Li Banfeng a dewdrop, spitting it right onto his face.
Li Banfeng wiped his face but wasn’t angry, though the Phonograph was.
"You wretch, how dare you spit on your husband? Who gave you the nerve?"
PFFT! Red Lotus gave the Phonograph a dewdrop too.
The Phonograph ejected steam, about to have a tussle with Red Lotus, when Li Banfeng shouted, "My dear, if Ah Lian refuses to help, I’ll have no choice but to send Hong Ying away."
HUFF. HUFF. My dear adjusted her breathing. The Big Horn turned toward Red Lotus, pulling a huqin and singing:
"Hey, sister, we’re all family here, so let’s not talk like strangers. Why do you still hold a grudge over past matters?"
PFFT! Another dewdrop.
"Sister, I was in the wrong before. Please don’t hold it against me anymore."
Li Banfeng also urged from the side, "I had my faults before as well, let’s consider this matter settled."
After pleading for a long time and getting sprayed with dewdrops, Red Lotus finally agreed.
The long spear, the button, and the belt were all collected into the Lotus Heart, and Red Lotus whispered a few words to the Phonograph.
The Phonograph used its needle to bring two collections of poetry and a stack of newspapers to Red Lotus.
It took almost two hours, but eventually, a long spear was refined.
This long spear looked exactly like Hong Ying. Even a high-level Peeping Cultivator might not be able to spot the flaw.
The Phonograph couldn’t stop praising Red Lotus’s skills, "You can’t deny that this wretch... sister, can be pretty useful."
Hong Ying woke up, but her body was bound by steam and she couldn’t move yet.
She sensed a might, but only her ears had recovered. She was still blind and did not know what had appeared before her.
After Red Lotus’s modification, the belt’s potential was fully unleashed, and in terms of might alone, it had already surpassed the real Hong Ying.
Hong Ying spoke up, "You vile woman, is this might yours? No, it doesn’t feel like you at all. What on earth is this?"
Li Banfeng, holding the long spear, also couldn’t define what it was.
Two highly levelled Spiritual Objects incorporated with a very ordinary Weapon by Red Lotus’s handiwork—what should this thing be called?
Li Banfeng gave it a name, calling it "Explosive Tiger."
Li Banfeng lifted the Explosive Tiger Spear, which then sounded a call.
"Snow darkens the painted flags, the wind mixes with the sounds of drums."
Hong Ying was anxious, "Where did this thief come from? You want to fight me?"
Li Banfeng was even more nervous than Hong Ying. He looked at Red Lotus and said, "Ah Lian, did you refine the Tang Sword too? That sword is still useful!"
Red Lotus didn’t respond, and Li Banfeng hurriedly rushed into the second room, finding the Tang Sword peeking out from the door.
The newly crafted Explosive Tiger Spear could recite poetry, and its recitation was so fascinating to the Tang Sword.
But the Spirit Attribute of this long spear came from two Spiritual Objects, not from a Magical Treasure. The Spiritual Wisdom of Spiritual Objects was very limited.
This long spear could recite poetry, confined to the two sets of poetry that were refined. Besides that, it was unable to speak on its own initiative.
It could exude a strong might, even stronger than Hong Ying’s own, and its voice was also quite similar to Hong Ying’s.
However, it was incapable of complex responses or autonomous combat. This was an unbridgeable chasm between Spiritual Objects and Magical Treasures.
Li Banfeng left the Portable Residence, calling over Wu Yongchao to prepare a banquet.
Wu Yongchao didn’t know the reason, but since the Fortress Lord didn’t say, neither did he ask.
With the food and drink arranged, Li Banfeng chose a large mansion for the gathering’s venue, setting up more than twenty tables on the first floor and even specially prepared a tea room in the east annex.
Li Banfeng’s explanation was that the issue with the large mansion had been resolved and from now on it would be where Iron Gate Fort handles official matters.
The Home Cultivation members were delighted. They had previously thought a Demon or evil spirit had appeared in the fort. They had even seen someone nailed to the gate, an event that had thrown the entire fort into a panic.
Now that the evil spirit was gone, it must have been eradicated by the Fortress Lord.
In awe, they all raised a toast to the Fortress Lord.
Hu Fangyuan lifted his cup and said, "Fortress Lord, this cup is a gesture of my respect for you. I don’t usually drink, but today I’m going to have this one drink just to show you respect. I’ll drink first, and you do as you please."
Li Banfeng eyed Hu Fangyuan and said, "Wouldn’t I look ungracious if I didn’t drink up?"
After downing one cup, the female Home Cultivator Li Zhijuan approached, "We ladies don’t drink, but out of my respect for the Fortress Lord, I’ll drink with you."
Having drunk, Li Zhijuan, with a flushed face, looked at Li Banfeng and said, "Fortress Lord, I really drank it."
"Alright..." Li Banfeng felt too embarrassed to refuse.
After the second cup, Wu Yongchao came over with a cup in hand, "Fortress Lord, I usually don’t drink either..."
Li Banfeng’s face grew stern, "If you don’t drink, then don’t."
"But today, I must have a drink with the Fortress Lord, no matter what."
"I don’t want to drink with you."
"When are you going to return the novel you owe me?"
Li Banfeng poured a glass of wine, "Chao, what are you talking about? What kind of bond do we have..."
They drank into the night, and of the three hundred Home Cultivators, more than half were drunk.
The next day the market opened, but the Home Cultivators were all lying at home, not coming out. Luo Zhengnan, squatting by the street selling vegetables, heard an old oil vendor by his ear say, "There was a celebration banquet yesterday, everyone got really drunk, a girl just told me."
Luo Zhengnan didn’t make a sound, for he saw Li Banfeng strolling around the market.
Without much conversation, Luo Zhengnan followed Li Banfeng into the house where they previously met.
Once they were seated, Li Banfeng cut to the chase, "I’ve sold the item, have you gathered the money?"
Luo Zhengnan laughed, "It’s all here, and not only that, I’ve brought it with me!"
Li Banfeng was taken aback, "Eight hundred thousand Ocean Dollars?"
Luo Zhengnan bowed his head, pulling out a pouch from his waist.
He untied the drawstring of the pouch, but it didn’t open.
This pouch was a Spiritual Object, and to open it, there was a verification process.
Luo Zhengnan pressed the pouch against his forehead, and they communicated for a moment.
Li Banfeng watched the whole process and ventured a question, "What kind of method is this?"
Luo Zhengnan was not secretive, "It’s called short-range wireless communication. Outside Provinces refer to this technology as Bluetooth. I really like things from the Outside Provinces. Though I am old, I still like to keep up with the times."
Li Banfeng stared at Luo Zhengnan’s head, carefully searching for the Bluetooth switch.
After the Bluetooth was verified, the pouch opened.
Luo Zhengnan reached into the pouch and took out a tray.
The pouch convulsed, as if it was about to vomit.
Luo Zhengnan admonished softly, "Don’t rush."
He first placed the tray flat on the ground. Underneath it was a mechanical counter, the current reading was zero.
This tray looked like a scale, but it wasn’t. It was a mechanical counter.
Every time the tray received a certain level of impact, the counter’s number would jump once. The digits could go as high as ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine, meaning that every time it counted to one hundred thousand, it had to reset to zero.
Luo Zhengnan inserted a pipe into the pouch, which convulsed again.
This time, the pouch couldn’t hold back, spitting out Silver Yuan through the pipe.
DANG, DANG, DANG. The Silver Yuan fell onto the tray, causing continuous clanging sounds, and the counter jumped continuously as Li Banfeng and Luo Zhengnan watched the pouch vomit eight hundred thousand Ocean Dollars in a continuous stream.
Eight hundred thousand Silver Yuan piled on the ground, leaving hardly any room to stand in the room.
Luo Zhengnan laughed, "Fortress Lord, the money has been delivered. My sincerity should be enough, right?"
Wasn’t he afraid the Fortress Lord would cheat him?
He was afraid!
But Luo Zhengnan had a contingency in place. There were still things inside the pouch, though he wouldn’t use them unless absolutely necessary.
Now that the money was in place, Li Banfeng didn’t dawdle.
He walked upstairs, locked the room, entered his Portable Residence, and brought out the Long Spear.
When he placed the Long Spear in front of Luo Zhengnan, its formidable presence made Luo Zhengnan shiver, nearly falling under the table.
Luo Zhengnan calmed himself, and after straining twice, he finally received the Long Spear in his hands and stored it in the huge pouch.
The pouch convulsed severely, barely managing to swallow the Explosive Tiger Spear.
Luo Zhengnan was terrified. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to Li Banfeng, "Fortress Lord, I don’t mean to criticize your gift, but the next time you hand over such an item, you might want to find something to seal it in. Just giving it to me like this, with one touch, I nearly lost my Soul! I fear this pouch won’t hold much longer."
Li Banfeng sighed, "The only thing that could seal this Long Spear is the auxiliary building next door. But the seal was broken by me, and now I can’t think of anything that could hold it."
Luo Zhengnan looked at his pouch.
The pouch was still convulsing, seeming very weak.
This was his most important Spiritual Object, and Luo Zhengnan looked at it with distress.
"It’s getting late, I should be going. Since we have met, we are friends. The path of Jianghu is long; let’s look out for each other in the future. Fortress Lord, until we meet again."
Seeing Luo Zhengnan about to leave, Li Banfeng was polite once more, "Hall Master Luo, don’t rush. I’ve prepared some light drinks; let’s enjoy a couple of cups together."
Luo Zhengnan waved his hand, "I’m a straightforward person, so let’s speak frankly. With this item on me, I am anxious every moment. Once I’ve dealt with it, I’ll come to visit your mansion."
After speaking, Luo Zhengnan left.
When he came out of the fort, Wan Jinxian was still fortune-telling by the street.
Seeing Luo Zhengnan leave in a hurry, Wan Jinxian quickly sent a message to He Jiaqing, "Jia Qing, Old Luo has come out from the fort, looking hurried. I bet the deal is done."
"It’s done? So soon?" He Jiaqing felt that Luo Zhengnan wasn’t one to act so hastily.
"I don’t think it was quick at all!" Wan Jinxian was very worried. "It wasn’t just Luo Zhengnan who came out; other members of Jiang Xiang Gang have left the fort too."
He Jiaqing was shocked, "Are they pulling out?"
Wan Jinxian said, "Yesterday Iron Gate Fort had a celebration, many Home Cultivators were half dead drunk, and the seals on the forbidden area were also torn off. Today, Luo Zhengnan entered the fort in the morning and by noon he was rushing out. I’m worried that the deal wasn’t just done; it might have been completely finalized!"
He Jiaqing clenched his teeth, almost falling from his sickbed. "Old Wan, you must immediately keep an eye on Luo Zhengnan; he cannot be allowed to leave Iron Gate Fort. If the item is on him, we must get it back at all costs!"