Li Banfeng prepared to set out for Medicine King Valley to seek Shopkeeper Feng from Feng’s Grocery Store.
Bai Qiusheng was having someone arrange for a Guide Token and train tickets when he suddenly heard someone report, "Mr. Ai from the Strict Law Society has come to discuss business."
Upon hearing Strict Law Society, Li Banfeng felt a wave of nausea, while Bai Qiusheng asked in surprise, "Ai Chixiang? What kind of business can they have with us?"
Yu Wenqi said, "Why not just kick them out? We already have a feud with them."
Li Banfeng took out the Contract Paper from his pocket and saw specks of rust.
This meant that Lu Yuesan was already dead.
"There’s no harm in talking to them," Li Banfeng said very calmly. "Let’s first find out what they want to do."
Bai Qiusheng went to talk business and soon came running back.
"Seventh Master, they want to take over our projector business! The brand, the Craftsmanship Method, the factory—they want it all."
Yu Wenqi clenched his teeth. "These vile wretches! Seeing us make a profit, they just want to extend their hand into it. Old Bai, I’ll step out with you and curse these bastards to death."
"Cursing them is useless. Ai Chixiang brought quite a number of people. They have surrounded our newspaper office, and Yue Qingsong has also arrived, saying that if we don’t agree, they will resort to dirty tricks."
Upon hearing that Yue Qingsong had arrived, Yu Wenqi fell silent.
Yue Qingsong, a disciple of Wu Decheng and a Poison Cultivation expert of the Fourth Layer, was more than Yu Wenqi and Bai Qiusheng could handle.
But with Li Qi here, they were not afraid. Although they did not know the details of Seventh Master’s cultivation level, they believed dealing with Yue Qingsong should not be an issue.
Both looked toward Li Banfeng, who was muttering to himself.
Yu Wenqi said, "Seventh Master, what’s wrong with you? Don’t be like this. When we encounter problems, we should think of solutions together. Don’t scare us."
Li Banfeng waved his hand, indicating not to disturb him, and continued to mutter:
Li Banfeng kept talking to himself, and both Bai Qiusheng and Yu Wenqi were frantic.
"Don’t worry," Li Banfeng returned to normal. "Stay with them and chat. Chat leisurely. See what they really want to do."
In Lu Maoxian’s Residence, in the study, a bamboo slip fell to the ground.
The head butler, Xu Yangbo, picked up the bamboo slip and brought it to Lu Maoxian’s bedroom.
Lu Maoxian’s face was ashen. After severing his root of worry, his injuries had never fully healed.
Taking the bamboo slip, Lu Maoxian saw a faint halo on it.
With an engraving tool, he carved a word onto the bamboo slip: "Read."
The word "Read" disappeared in a blink, and a line of text appeared on a bamboo slip: "Li Qi has arrived at Black Stone Slope."
Before severing his root of worry, Lu Maoxian had ordered the branches of the Strict Law Society everywhere to detain Li Qi if they learned of his movements and immediately report back.
The Strict Law Society had quite a few reliable members, but Lu Maoxian had not expected Tang Peigong to be the first to send news.
Lu Maoxian was also surprised.
Lu Maoxian wielded the engraving tool and replied, "Is the news accurate?"
Text emerged on the bamboo slip: "Absolutely true."
After pondering for a moment, Lu Maoxian replied, "Hold him off."
Putting away the bamboo slip, Lu Maoxian immediately called the butler. "Send someone to check on Lu Chunying, Ma Wu, and Tan Fucheng’s movements."
The butler went off immediately, and before long, news came back.
"Lu Chunying is in her own residence. Zuo Wugang and two Support members are also there."
This was within Lu Maoxian’s expectations. After Qiu Zhiheng had left, Ma Wu had Support members take turns protecting Lu Chunying’s safety, and it happened to be Zuo Wugang’s turn today.
The butler continued, "Ma Wu fell seriously ill a few days ago. He is somewhat weakened and currently recovering at Xiaoyao Lodge."
"Ma Wu is ill?"
The butler nodded. "He caught an acute disease and nearly lost his life."
A hint of joy appeared on Lu Maoxian’s face as he inquired further, "What about Tan Fucheng?"
"Tan Fucheng is managing business in his own territory."
Lu Maoxian still couldn’t put his mind at ease and asked the butler to bring the bamboo slip again, carving onto it the words, "Is the news accurate?"
The response from the other side was still, "Absolutely true."
Lu Maoxian replied, "Hold him until dawn!"
The butler suggested, "Master, Li Qi is at Black Stone Slope, far from here. What we should be worried about is Zuo Wugang."
Lu Maoxian shook his head. "Zuo Wugang is not hard to deal with. He has great Martial Arts but lacks decisiveness in critical moments. As long as the situation becomes more variable, he becomes useless!"