Li Banfeng stood at the door, observing the image of Ling Miaoying and marveling at the exquisite craftsmanship.
Her appearance, demeanor, clothing, movements, including her voice—Li Banfeng couldn’t spot a single flaw.
Based on the reaction from the Gloves, the texture of this image was also quite realistic.
"Master, save me! His grip is too strong; I’m almost crushed!"
Li Banfeng nodded. "I’d like to save you, too, but this image is impervious to blades and spears."
Previously, the Tang Sword had struck a blow at Xiaoyao Lodge and decapitated it, yet the entity could still move.
"Master, think of some other way."
Li Banfeng pondered for a moment. "How about I start a fire?"
The Gloves shouted, "No, you can’t start a fire; that would burn me too! Master, just find a way to turn off that Projector."
Li Banfeng said with a smile, "What Projector? When I came back, I checked all confiscated Magical Treasures and Spiritual Objects, but I didn’t see any Projector."
The Gloves explained, "I was keeping it for you, Master, seeing that you were tired."
Li Banfeng walked around Ling Miaoying and picked up the Projector from the corner of the room.
The Projector’s construction was complicated, but Li Banfeng had been studying videography and photography recently and knew where the critical part was.
He simply blew out the candle inside the Projector. Although it continued to operate, without a light source, it was unable to display an image.
With the image gone, the Gloves broke free. It looked eagerly at Li Banfeng as he took away the Projector and had to say sincerely, "Thank you, Master, for saving my life."
Although Li Banfeng was not fully awake, his strength had recovered by about seventy to eighty percent. Deciding not to sleep anymore, he ate something and then took out all of Ling Miaoying’s Spiritual Objects and Magical Treasures, examining them one by one.
He first studied the Projector carefully, found the compartment for the film, and just as he was about to pull out the film, the Projector cried out, "Hold on! Please flip the switch first; otherwise, you’ll damage the reel axle."
The voice was robust, deep, and sonorous, sounding like a male tenor.
Given the logic of its speech, this was a Magical Treasure.
Li Banfeng looked at the Projector. "Would you be willing to follow me from now on?"
The Projector adjusted to an appropriate angle and, pointing its lens directly at Li Banfeng, said, "That depends on whether you truly appreciate art."
Li Banfeng asked, "What if I do?"
"Then we are kindred spirits."
Li Banfeng then asked, "What if I don’t?"
The Projector raised its base, making itself appear slightly taller. "If I cannot find a kindred spirit, I would rather follow Miaoying into oblivion."
"Such affectation!" Clock Pendulum huffed.
"I can’t stand those who are so stubborn," the Teapot snorted with derision.
The Projector asked Li Banfeng, "Are you someone who understands art?"
Li Banfeng placed the Projector on the table and turned to get a roll of film from a box.
It was footage he had shot at Black Stone Slope, and by his standards, it was one of Li Banfeng’s superior works.
He inserted the film into the Projector.
The film lasted a little over three minutes and was more than three hundred feet long. Logically, such a small Projector shouldn’t be able to accommodate such a large reel of film.
But its film chamber’s capacity couldn’t be measured visually; the roll of film was quickly inserted, and there was still plenty of room to spare.
The Projector ran through the film once and described it with a single word: "Vulgar!"
Li Banfeng offered no explanation, waiting for the Projector’s next comment.
After viewing it a second time, the Projector’s assessment was, "Vulgar, yet with a touch of great elegance!"
Li Banfeng nodded slightly. "Now you sound like someone who knows quality."
The Projector said, "May I trouble you for a light?"
Li Banfeng struck a match and lit the candle. With the light source, the Projector displayed the image.
A young woman stood with her back to Li Banfeng, a hint of a smile on her face.
The light blue cheongsam she wore began to slip off.
The Tang Sword stood upright, watching the woman quietly.
The Gloves climbed onto the Tang Sword, and together they observed the woman.
WHOOSH!
The water in the Old Teapot boiled for a moment, and puffs of steam emerged from its spout.
"Old thing, you’ve got quite the stiff spout too," the Wine Gourd sneered.
The Old Teapot snorted. "Someone suddenly appeared; it gave me a startle! At my age, how could I still have such thoughts?"
The woman gently leaned forward, resting one hand on her knee and lifting her hair with the other, turning to give the onlookers a glance.
The Gloves shivered. "This... is it real..."
The Tang Sword shivered along with the Gloves and then scolded it, "What are you shivering for? Don’t fidget!"
The woman’s Conscience was slightly lowered, and her Peach was a tad raised.
"HMPH!" The Judge’s Pen suddenly grunted.
WHOOSH!
The Old Teapot spat out a mouthful of tea, which was slightly tinged red.
Clock Pendulum laughed. "Are you bleeding now?"
The Old Teapot coughed a few times. "No, I’m not! At my age..."
Li Banfeng handed a cloth to the Old Teapot. "If anything else comes out, remember to use this."
The Teapot gasped, "It can’t, nothing more will come out. I’ll just wipe the tea off."
The Wine Gourd laughed. "He’s not telling you to wipe the tea; he’s telling you to cover your face, you shameless old thing!"
During the film screening, the occupants of the room divided into two factions.
The Tang Sword, Gloves, Judge’s Pen, and Old Teapot watched with great seriousness.
Clock Pendulum, Wine Gourd, Earrings, and Month Plate, on the other hand, were busy making critical comments.
"You see, the Conscience isn’t small, but they’re not symmetrical."
"Yeah, and that crease between her leg and the Peach doesn’t look too good!"
Hong Ying was very anxious. She couldn’t see and didn’t know what was happening.
"Wicked woman, wicked woman, wake up! Your man has brought another woman home!"
The Phonograph, however, was still sleeping soundly and didn’t wake up.
Li Banfeng’s film ended quickly, but the Projector’s screening was not over yet.
The girl in the image cupped her fists towards Li Banfeng and spoke, "Young Master, would you care for a sparring match of a few rounds?"
The Projector could control the characters in the film and even make them perform actions that went beyond the film itself.
Faced with the girl’s invitation, Li Banfeng shook his head. "Miss, I’m a married man..."
The Tang Sword leaped up, blocking Li Banfeng. "My Lord, you need not trouble yourself! Your humble servant is willing to give it a try!"
"Alright!" Li Banfeng agreed, but the Tang Sword was too slow; the Gloves had already moved.
The Judge’s Pen shouted lazily, "Wait a moment, I also..."
The Old Teapot coughed twice and sighed, "Look at all your eager faces, aren’t you ashamed? I’m so old, yet none of you thought to yield to me."
Before he finished speaking, the Gloves and the girl had exchanged over a dozen blows, with no clear victor.
Although the Gloves disliked fighting, it was skilled in combat, its moves swift and unpredictable.
It had been caught off-guard by Ling Miaoying’s image the first time, but this time it was prepared and handled the exchange with the girl with much more composure.
But composure or not, defeating the girl was not so easy.
The girl quickly adapted to the Gloves’ combat techniques, her attacks becoming rapid and her movements elusive. Occasionally, she even used her Conscience and Peach to distract the Gloves.
After a few more rounds, the Gloves suddenly darted out of the image’s range.
This made the Projector anxious.
It desperately tried to adjust the projection angle, but the girl in the image could never catch up to the Gloves.
This was the Projector’s greatest weakness: once an opponent left its projection angle, it was as if they had left the screen.
Characters created by the Projector could not leave the screen’s range. Until the projection angle was readjusted, the Projector was powerless in battle.
The sparring match ended there; the Projector had no intention of fighting the Gloves to a definitive win or loss.
"Seventh Guide, this film has been produced. You can use this girl to fight for you in the future. Please pay the production fee for this film."
"Is this the base cost?"
"Yes."
Li Banfeng was taken aback, then asked, "You charge based on the number of productions, not the number of fights?"
The Projector answered, "Seventh Guide, the fighting is free, but the production process incurs a fee."
"Seventh Guide? What kind of title is that?"
"Others call you Seventh Master; I call you Seventh Guide. That’s how directors are addressed on a film set."
Li Banfeng thought it sounded quite good. "What kind of payment do you require?"
"Footage and film. I need excellent quality filming footage and superior film. The footage must be at least three minutes long and must meet my approval. The amount of film required will depend on the footage."
This meant that for the Projector to produce a film, Li Banfeng had to shoot some good footage, and whether it would be approved depended on the Projector’s standards.
Previously, Li Banfeng had shot a lot of footage, totaling over a dozen hours.
He handed the film reels to the Projector. It inspected each one and sighed, "All so monotonous. I can barely extract three minutes. This footage isn’t excellent. Seventh Guide, I’ll require one thousand feet of film from you."
One thousand feet of film could shoot for eleven minutes. Li Banfeng had spare blank film and gave a roll to the Projector. The Projector accepted it, and its film chamber still had ample space.
To be honest, considering the combat power the Projector provided, the cost wasn’t high. It was a good Magical Treasure.
Li Banfeng cast an appreciative glance at the Projector. From behind him came a voice filled with admiration, "Well now, Husband, this item is quite good. Keep it well; it will be useful to Little Servant too in the future."
Li Banfeng was overjoyed. "Wife, you’re awake!"
The Projector looked at the Phonograph and praised, "The craftsmanship of Amikan Country truly has a special charm..."
Before it could finish speaking, a puff of Steam almost made the Projector explode.
The Tang Sword scolded, "In the presence of the Lady, you need to know your manners when speaking! Come with me to the second son’s rooms, and I’ll teach you properly."
The Projector slinked away dejectedly. The Phonograph said to the Wine Gourd, "Sister, please trouble yourself to take them all to wait in the outer room. I have something to discuss with my Husband."
Everyone followed the Wine Gourd out. The Phonograph then said to Li Banfeng, "Husband, Little Servant has regained some strength. Today, I shall take you to the Sixth Layer. Are you ready, Husband?"
Li Banfeng took off his top hat, straightened his hair, and leaned into the Phonograph’s horn.
"Summer arrives, and the willow branches lengthen,
Embracing my husband, the good Qi Lang,
Benevolent and Righteous, a sturdy defense,
I shall add another room for my husband."
「Twenty minutes later.」
Li Banfeng pulled his head out of the horn and asked his wife, "Benevolent and Righteous... does that mean I am a kind and honest person?"
"Well, Husband, it doesn’t necessarily mean thick in the middle; it could also mean thick on both sides. In short, it can make you a ’substantial’ person."
Li Banfeng couldn’t understand.
"It means it can help you, Husband, withstand a life-threatening blow."
Li Banfeng laughed. "Wife, how do I use this Technique? Teach me quickly. I’m in a hurry to go grocery shopping."