Li Banfeng and Ma Wu took the train to Black Stone Slope.
In the past, when taking the train, Li Banfeng never found it dull. Whenever he felt bored, he would return to the Portable Residence to enjoy some time with his wife.
Today, thinking of returning was futile; he didn’t have the key on him.
Fortunately, Ma Wu was thorough. Before boarding, he had bought a stack of newspapers and magazines, which occupied the two of them throughout the journey, while Li Banfeng listened to the Gloves panting the entire way.
It wasn’t just the Gloves that were panting; Ma Wu, too, was gasping, his face glistening with cold sweat.
"Old Five, what’s wrong?"
Wiping away his sweat, Ma Wu said, "It seems I might be about to advance."
Li Banfeng chuckled. "Considering the way you’ve been sleeping, you should’ve advanced quite some time ago. Once we’re at Black Stone Slope, you should rest for a couple of days first."
"I can’t rest," Ma Wu shook his head. "We need to quickly take over all of Lu Maoxian’s business deals. He was a significant figure in Black Stone Slope and had numerous trades at his fingertips."
"What’s the rush? This business was handed to us by the Lu Family. Are we afraid someone will snatch it away?"
Lu Maoxian had plotted against the main family. By family law, he should have been stripped of his name and all his assets reclaimed by the main family. To repay Li Qi and Ma Wu, Lu Chunying gave them all the businesses in Black Stone Slope.
Ma Wu shook his head. "You don’t know. The Strict Law Society may indeed come to snatch it. One of their disciples died, and they will go to seize the property, let alone the fact that Lu Maoxian was an elder of the Strict Law Society."
So, the Strict Law Society intended to snatch it.
Li Banfeng frowned slightly. "We haven’t even finished negotiating the last deal, and now new business has already come our way."
Ma Wu was startled. "Negotiate what business with them?"
Li Banfeng replied, "They want to take over our projector trade."
Ma Wu laughed. "What are they thinking?"
Li Banfeng didn’t laugh.
The Saint stood behind the Strict Law Society.
「...」
Cheap Person Ridge, Sage Peak, Saint’s Residence.
The Disciple in White reported the death of Lu Maoxian.
The panting in the room came to a sudden stop. The Saint asked, "Do you know who did it?"
"Lu Maoxian hired assassins to kill Lu Chunying in his struggle for the position of Family Head. This matter cannot be separated from Lu Chunying."
The Saint questioned, "Lu Chunying killed Lu Maoxian, then turned around and made a great show of demanding an explanation from Lu Maoxian’s side. Do you think that’s logical?"
"Perhaps Lu Chunying did it deliberately to mislead others."
"Both parties were at a point of life and death, and the matter has already alarmed the Outside Provinces. Yet you still talk about misleading others?"
The Disciple in White thought for a long time but didn’t know how to respond. This matter indeed had logical problems.
SLAP!
Two slapping sounds came from inside the room. A woman, covering her peach, hurried out.
The Saint spoke slowly, "This was someone taking advantage of the chaos."
"Who?"
"Who else could it be?"
His tone was very calm, but it was obvious the Saint was angered.
He was speaking of He Jiaqing.
The Disciple in White said, "Master, before, when He Jiaqing attacked Lu Maoxian, he didn’t kill him."
He Jiaqing had only castrated Lu Maoxian. Lu Maoxian had complained about it for a long time, but at that time, He Jiaqing indeed hadn’t killed him.
The Saint sneered. "At that time, He Jiaqing didn’t dare to kill Lu Maoxian because he was intimidated by the Greenwater Beggar. But now, taking advantage of the chaos within the Lu Family, He Jiaqing has acted again, killing Lu Maoxian when he least expected it, and has even managed to frame Lu Chunying for the deed. He’s determined to accomplish whatever he sets out to do. In that regard, I do admire He Jiaqing."
After contemplating for a moment, the Disciple in White asked the Saint, "Since he’s so capable, why not recruit him under your command to serve you, Master?"
The Saint laughed. "This man has great ambition. Even if he were recruited, he’d be difficult to tame. However, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to use this as bait to eliminate him. Find a way to contact him and have him visit Puluo State."
「...」
Li Banfeng arrived at Black Stone Slope and went to his residence first to look for the key.
The key was under the bed. Li Banfeng hurried back to the Portable Residence.
Once inside the house, his wife was not angry. Li Banfeng had said he would be away for a few days before returning.
The Portable Residence wasn’t angry either.
Li Banfeng had hardly sat on the bed when he saw the panting Gloves approach him. "Master, now that I’m home, I won’t hide it any longer. Good things should be brought out."
"What good things?"
"Master, take a look!" The Gloves spat out a box about a foot square, still secured with an iron lock!
Li Banfeng could not comprehend how much capacity a single glove could possibly have.
"You’ve been panting all this way because you were stuffed full?"
"Not because I was stuffed, but because it’s too heavy!" With that, the Gloves took a hairpin from the table.
Hong Ying said angrily, "What are you doing? That’s mine!"
"Just borrowing it. I’ll have Master buy you a whole box of them tomorrow!"
Hong Ying snapped, "A whole box? Are you paying for it?"
"I have! I’ve brought money back for Master!" Using the hairpin, the Gloves inserted it into the lock and jiggled it a bit, and the lock opened.
The box was full of Gold Bars, brimming with them.
The Gloves drew its thumb to its chest and bowed deeply. "Master, this is a token of my devotion to you. Please take a look."
Li Banfeng picked up a gold bar. Even though it wasn’t very big, it was still quite heavy—no wonder the Gloves were so exhausted.
"Where did these Gold Bars come from?"
Standing upright, the Gloves replied, "Taken from that old man’s house—right from under his bed!"
"How did you know there was gold under his bed? Besides, this box was locked until you just opened it."
In a humble tone, the Gloves said, "If I encountered gold and couldn’t even smell its presence, how could I dare to freeload off you, Master?"
Li Banfeng laughed. "You’ve exhausted yourself all this way just to carry this box of gold?"
The Gloves’ index finger trembled, nodding as it said, "As the saying goes, ’Wealth should not be flaunted.’ Outside, I couldn’t simply take it out, fearing I’d bring disaster upon Master."
Li Banfeng laughed and said, "Good! As a reward, this box of gold is yours!"
The Gloves remained stunned for a long while. "Master, you mean it’s all mine?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "It’s all yours."
"That won’t do. This is my token of respect for you."
"What’s wrong with that? This is my way of rewarding you."
Still feeling uneasy, the Gloves suggested, "Maybe I should keep half of it, Master. After all, I should leave half for you."
Li Banfeng chuckled. "Half of it you earned with your abilities; the other half is my gift to you. So, you see, the box of gold still belongs entirely to you."
The Phonograph by the side interjected, "My dear husband, what’s the use of giving him so much gold? He has nowhere to spend it!"
Li Banfeng replied with a smile, "My dear, that’s where you don’t understand. Things you like, you must possess them. It’s not always necessary to use them. As long as you have them, clutching them in your hand, your heart feels content!"
Hearing this, the Gloves looked up at Li Banfeng with its middle finger raised.
Some things, not everyone can understand.
Yet Li Banfeng actually understood the temperament of the Gloves.
Li Banfeng closed the lid of the box and handed the case of Gold Bars very solemnly to the Gloves.
The Gloves swallowed the box. Its thumb and little finger stood on the ground, while its index and ring fingers drooped. It straightened up and looked earnestly at Li Banfeng.
Today, the Gloves felt that Li Banfeng was particularly imposing and had to stand ramrod straight to look up at him.
"Master, I..."
"Don’t point your middle finger at me!" Li Banfeng twirled a feather duster and flicked the Gloves to the ground.
The Gloves quickly switched its head to its index finger and ran off alone to the Fifth Room, joyfully counting its Gold Bars.
「...」
Ma Wu went over the accounts and took over a coal mine from one of Lu Maoxian’s subordinates. The progress went smoothly; the Strict Law Society had yet to bother him.
With his advancement imminent, Ma Wu dared not overexert himself. He left the remaining business for his subordinates to manage and went to rest at the newspaper agency.
Black Stone Slope was calm, and Li Banfeng took this opportunity to clarify the ins and outs of Shumei Paper Mill.
The news in the paper was indeed true; the paper mill was sold to the He Family by Tu Shumei, but why did it end up in Shen Rongqing’s hands?
Searching through old newspapers was a laborious task, requiring the integration of seemingly unrelated news. From the timeline in the news, Li Banfeng finally traced a clue.
Not long after acquiring the paper mill, He Haiqin fell ill.
At that time, the struggle between the He Family and the Lu Family was especially fierce, focusing on Greenwater City.
The He Family’s businesses were too spread out. After He Haiqin fell ill, many businesses were neglected, and they were losing money instead of making it.
Under He Haiqin’s instruction, the He Family sold a large number of assets, and Shumei Paper Mill was among them.
The paper mill was sold to Shen Rongqing.
Qian Xiangjun, Duan Shuqun, Luo Suxuan...
Familiar names, again appearing in the news.
Linking together the cause of He Haiqin’s illness, the course of events became clear.
He Jiaqing used Wan Jinxian to bring down He Haiqin, not only changing the situation in Puluo State but also making a hefty profit for himself.
After scheming against the He Family, he outwitted the Lu Family too. Roughly reckoning the assets, in terms of wealth alone, He Jiaqing might already be the foremost figure in Puluo State.
The economic lifeline is held by the Outside Provinces, and the cultivation level lifeline is controlled by the Inner State. If He Jiaqing returned now, he would be no different from He Haiqin and Lu Dongliang—just someone to be manipulated.
Li Banfeng began to talk to himself.
"Sooner or later, he will inevitably make a move against me.
"And if I were to confront him head-on now, I truly couldn’t beat him.
"He would use ’Thousand Mile In A Step’ to prove he has reached at least the Ninth Layer.
"If it’s a contest of cultivation level or of wealth, I can’t compete with him.
"With Red Lotus in my hands, I’ve clearly disrupted his plans.
"What exactly his plan is, it’s still unclear right now.
"Should I continue the investigation?
"There are clues everywhere, but tracing each one to its origin is difficult; He Jiaqing’s scheme is too vast.
"I can’t rush this; there are more pressing matters at hand."
Having had a taste of success, Li Banfeng recalled the appearance of Feng’s Grocery Store and prepared to head straight for Medicine King Valley.
After pondering for over ten minutes, Li Banfeng confirmed that every detail was perfectly clear in his mind.
He informed his wife of his plans, equipped himself with his Magical Treasures, and left the room.
Once outside, he found himself still at the Night-blooming Jasmine Newspaper Agency, in his own room.
Li Banfeng returned to the Portable Residence and thought it all through again very carefully.
Not just thinking, he even muttered a few words, "Medicine King Valley, Li Gou..."
After muttering these words, Li Banfeng was about to leave when a hoary voice suddenly entered his ears, "You can’t go!"
"Why can’t I go?"
"Too far!"
"Medicine King Valley is considered far?"
"With only two rails, what more do you expect?"
Li Banfeng quickly asked, "How can I bring my key inside?"
The Portable Residence gave no response.
It seemed the Portable Residence didn’t want to talk about it.
"It’s not enough," mused Li Banfeng, feeling the Gloves.
The Gloves was startled, "What’s not enough? Are you talking about gold?"
Li Banfeng laughed, "I mean, two rails aren’t enough."
PS: Some things are best left unsaid.