Li Banfeng searched all around inside the Portable Residence, feather duster in hand.
It wasn’t in the main room.
It wasn’t in the second room either.
When he reached the Third Room, Li Banfeng saw the Tang Sword leaning against the door, asleep, with a few torn rags beside it.
The Tang Sword loved cleanliness and liked to wipe itself with a cloth when it had nothing else to do. Li Banfeng glanced quickly around the Third Room, then closed the door and left. One of the "torn rags" beside the Tang Sword quietly moved.
This was not a rag. It was a glove. The caked-on dirt and grease made it inconspicuous.
It extended two fingers and began to crawl along the ground, intending to sneak into a storage box.
Suddenly, Li Banfeng pushed the door open, swung the feather duster high, and gave the Glove a ruthless beating.
The Glove shouted loudly, "Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! You catch a thief red-handed! You have no evidence! You can’t just hit someone like that!"
While shouting, he ran towards the entrance, rushed into the main room, and was enveloped by Steam, scalding him half to death.
In desperation, the Glove crawled towards the Portable Residence’s main door. He struggled near the crack for a while but couldn’t squeeze through.
Unless Li Banfeng carried him, no one could freely enter or leave the Portable Residence. In despair, the Glove curled into a ball and cried out, "You can’t hit me anymore! If you actually kill me, all of you will face the law!"
Li Banfeng pointed the feather duster at the Glove. "Where’s my wallet?"
"Who knows where your wallet went? Do I owe you something? Am I supposed to watch it for you day and night?"
The Glove stubbornly refused to admit it.
But Li Banfeng was sure he was responsible.
Li Banfeng had always been suspicious of the Glove’s Taoist Sect.
He moved fast, but there were differences compared to a Traveling Cultivator, especially in his movement techniques, which were clearly much stranger.
When facing danger, a Traveling Cultivator relied on speed and adaptability, while the Glove relied more on skill and insight. This reminded Li Banfeng of a Taoist Sect he particularly disliked—Thief Cultivation.
Li Banfeng had been duped by a Thief Cultivator in Greenwater City before. The encounter with the robber just now reminded him of his experiences with Thief Cultivators.
"You won’t admit it, huh? I’ll have Ah Lian deal with you!" Li Banfeng picked up the Glove and headed for the Sixth Room.
The Glove shouted at the top of his lungs, "It’s broad daylight, the world is clear and bright! How can you frame me like this? I truly didn’t take your wallet! I didn’t take it; I just happened to pick it up!"
Li Banfeng, holding the Glove, said, "You better explain clearly. Where did you pick it up?"
"I picked it from inside your clothes."
"Isn’t that just stealing then?" Li Banfeng raised the feather duster once more and delivered another fierce beating. "What I hate most are thieves! A man should be open and honest. If you’re short on cash, we should go rob someone openly. Why resort to the vile act of theft?"
The Glove’s fingers scrambled in all directions to dodge, and he spat out Li Banfeng’s wallet from his stomach. "Don’t hit me! Don’t hit me! To catch a thief, you need the stolen goods! Without evidence, what right do you have to hit me?"
Li Banfeng continued to whip him. "The wallet’s right here, and you still say I don’t have evidence?"
The Glove shouted, "I have something to say! I wasn’t after your few coins. I wanted to show you my true worth!"
"Your true worth?" Li Banfeng paused.
The Glove stood up on his thumb and little finger as legs, with his index and ring fingers clasped together as arms, and his middle finger held up as a head. He wobbled in front of Li Banfeng, saying, "Your cultivation level isn’t low, and the Magical Treasures you possess are quite substantial. Just look at that Phonograph; it’s clearly no ordinary thing..."
With a flick of the feather duster, Li Banfeng knocked the Glove to the ground. "Speak properly! Don’t give me the middle finger! Also, the Phonograph is my wife, not a Magical Treasure. From now on, you are to address her as ’Lady’."
The Glove retracted his middle finger, replacing it with his index finger as the head, and continued wobbling. "Let’s not talk about your wife; let’s talk about cultivation. Since your cultivation level isn’t low, you must know how skilled I am. I stole your wallet from right under your nose, and you didn’t notice a thing. That’s my real skill! In the future, if you carry me with you, I can grab anything you want from your opponent. Especially when facing a powerful enemy, I can bring back things you can see and things you can’t. After just a couple of exchanges, you could have your opponent’s Magical Treasures. How could you lose such a battle? With such great skills, isn’t locking me in this room a waste of talent?"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "It’s not a waste of talent. At most, it’s a waste of good material."
The Glove huffed coldly, not too pleased with Li Banfeng’s phrasing.
Li Banfeng asked, "So, you’re a Thief Cultivator, not a Traveling Cultivator."
The Glove’s index finger wobbled slightly. "I don’t like the term Thief Cultivator. I think I am a Traveling Cultivator. Our sect also needs to change places frequently and move around often. Staying in one place too long makes it easy to get caught. Isn’t that just like a Traveling Cultivator?"
"Nonsense!" Hong Ying shouted angrily. "You scoundrel! Who the hell is like you? You damned thief, you’re courting death!"
The Long Spear’s imposing presence terrified the Glove, causing him to collapse to the ground. He shouted loudly, "You catch a thief with the stolen goods! You don’t have any evidence! What right do you have to hit me?"
Li Banfeng frowned. "Why are you bringing up that line again?"
The Glove picked himself up from the ground, repositioned himself, and shaking his head, said, "That’s what I always used to say when I would get beaten. It became a habit."
Li Banfeng nodded. "So, you’re saying you sincerely want to follow me now?"
The Glove nodded. "A good minister chooses his lord to serve; a good bird chooses a tree to perch. I think you’re a decent person. Charging into battle for you will be no problem at all."
"Isn’t that what you said to Wu Decheng too?"
Wu Decheng, an elder of the Strict Law Society, was the Glove’s former master. It was because at a critical moment, the Glove didn’t obey commands, meaning Old Wu didn’t even get a chance to retaliate.
The Glove shook his head. "Old Wu’s character was far inferior to yours. With him, I was just humoring him."
Li Banfeng nodded and smiled. "So you’re sincere with me?"
"Absolutely!"
"Every Magical Treasure in the world has its price. Tell me, what does it cost to use you?"
The Glove tapped the table with his ring finger, adopting the air of a magnate in negotiation. "Talking about cost makes us sound like strangers. We get along so well; surely we should consider our rapport. Whatever you want, I’ll help you get it. Afterward, just let me take one thing of my choosing from you, that’s all. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be something too valuable. You’ll get the better end of the deal, but you can’t let your brother here lose out completely. It’s only right you give me some reward."
Li Banfeng twirled his feather duster. "Can you be more specific?"
"Let me give you an example. You take me out to battle, and I steal a Magical Treasure for you worth one hundred thousand Ocean Dollars. Later, I take twenty thousand Ocean Dollars from you. That wouldn’t be excessive, right?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "Not excessive."
The Glove continued, "Sometimes it might not be Ocean Dollars I take. It might also be other things: gold and silver, gemstones, calligraphy and paintings, antiques, and the like. In any case, what I take won’t be worth more than what I stole for you. You definitely won’t lose out!"
Li Banfeng nodded again. "Apart from these items, there must be something else, right? Isn’t it true that occasionally you’ll also want to take some Magical Treasures from me?"
"Not necessarily..." The Glove’s voice became quieter; Li Banfeng had hit the nail on the head.
Li Banfeng continued to ask, "Is it also possible that sometimes you would take parts from my body, like my heart, liver, arms, legs, or eyes?"
"Usually not..." The Glove’s voice grew even quieter.
Li Banfeng then asked, "And if the price is right, could you take my life too?"
The Glove sighed. "What can I say to that..."
SPLASH!
Li Banfeng splashed tea on the Glove, scalding him and causing him to wail and hiss. "Even if you catch a thief with the stolen goods, you should still report it to the Official Residence! You can’t carry out lynchings!"
Li Banfeng said to the Phonograph, "My dear, give him a good thrashing. First, teach him the rules of our house."
The Glove tried to escape but was trapped by the Old Teapot’s barrier. The Old Teapot advised earnestly, "Young brother, these rules of yours about your ’cost’ need to be changed."
The Glove shook his fingers. "These rules can’t be changed! This is the bedrock of my existence!"
"Young brother, I used to think the same, but then I was disciplined for several months. I don’t think that way anymore. It’ll be the same outcome for you anyway. Why make things so hard for yourself?"
The Glove snorted coldly. "People are different, and Gloves are different from Teapots. I’m not that spineless!"
The Teapot helplessly poured another pot of tea over him.
His beloved wife chuckled and sent a blast of Steam his way.
「Half an hour later.」
All the Glove’s fingers drooped to the ground; only his index finger remained raised, trembling. He shivered as he addressed Li Banfeng, "Master, what are your orders?"
Li Banfeng said, "It’s only right that I compensate you for your work, but you don’t get to decide the terms. You’ll take whatever I give you. Understood?"
The Glove nodded repeatedly. "Whatever the master tells me to do, I will do. I’ll listen to you from now on."
Li Banfeng said, "Talk is cheap. Let’s draw up a Contract Book."
Normally, there should be a Contract Book between a Magical Treasure and its master. However, Li Banfeng trusted the Magical Treasures under him and hadn’t required them to sign one. But the Glove was an exception; this one was high-level and full of schemes, so precautions were necessary.
Writing the Contract Book was easy. The Wine Gourd had made such a contract with Elder Yao. The terms were settled in just a few words, the main point being that the Magical Treasure could not betray its master.
The Glove read it carefully twice; who knew if he was trying to find loopholes.
He picked up a fountain pen from the table. Just as he was about to sign, Li Banfeng took the pen away and replaced it with an ink pad. "Don’t try to trick me with a fake name. Give me your handprint!"
The Glove looked at the ink pad with revulsion. "If I get that stuff on me, it’s hard to wash off!"
"I have a way to wash it for you," Li Banfeng smiled. "Stop dawdling. Press it quickly."
The Phonograph was still worried and reminded Li Banfeng, "Husband, this Glove is too devious. It’s better to keep him under control at home for a while. Wait until you’ve reached the Sixth Layer, then it won’t be too late to take him out."
「...」
In the Lu Family Mansion, Duan Shaohong was still wiping her tears before Duan Shaoxia. "Little sister, please, take pity on your elder sister! Just let me take Huai Yi away!"
Duan Shaoxia maintained a stern face and remained silent. She’d had enough of Duan Shaohong’s nagging, especially not wanting to see Duan Shaohong groveling before "Zhang Huaiyi."
When Monkey Qiu entered the main hall, Duan Shaoxia quickly changed the subject. "Xiao Qiu, is the date for the banquet set yet?"
She had also heard the news about Lu Maoxian’s severe injury and thought it was a good opportunity to hold the banquet.
Qiu Zhiheng said, "Lady, we can discuss the banquet later. Miss Lu Dongchun is here."
Duan Shaoxia was startled. "Lu Dongchun? What is she doing here?"
"She’s here to discuss the Old Master’s affairs with you."
Duan Shaoxia waved her hand. "I won’t see her. She’s disgusting!"
PS: Who is Lu Dongchun? Why is the Lady so averse to seeing her?
Thanks to Alliance Hierarchs Xiyuzhou, SnowChild Powder, and 20170316211056786 for their generous support.
For the added Chapters from the Alliance Hierarchs, please allow Shala a few days to deliver.