Li Banfeng had the coachman drive to a desolate area in Waigou and unload the goods.
Since Chunsheng had paid enough for the ride, the coachman didn’t ask any questions. He dumped a cartload of items by the edge of the woods and drove off.
Li Banfeng looked around to make sure no one was in sight, then summoned his strength and hoisted the four-poster wooden bed.
It really must be said that a Traveling Cultivator’s ability to carry heavy loads is quite impressive. He was able to balance such a big bed frame and still managed to fish out his keys.
This solid wood bed was indeed heavy.
The fellow named Chunsheng, who was able to load the big bed onto the cart by himself, didn’t seem like an ordinary person either.
Li Banfeng carried the bed into his Portable Residence. The Portable Residence itself wasn’t large, only six to seven square meters. Together with a one-and-a-half-meter wide bed, the space got a bit cramped.
Li Banfeng then moved the phonograph inside, contemplating where to place it.
Li Banfeng placed the phonograph by the bed, so he could lie in bed and easily change the records, add water, extinguish the fire, and wind it up without ever having to get out.
After moving the phonograph and spreading the bedding, he dusted everything with a feather duster and folded the clothes the boss had given him neatly, placing them next to his backpack for now.
There were still many things to acquire: a wardrobe was needed, as well as a miscellaneous cabinet, and a set of tables and chairs...
Li Banfeng’s eyelids began to feel heavy; he was getting tired.
After descending the mountain, he and Little Fatty had rested for a day in the inn and only returned to Ligou the next day. Now, as dusk had just passed and night had fallen, it wasn’t reasonable for Li Banfeng to be this exhausted.
No matter how tired he was, he still had to meet Little Fatty. Having been in this place for such a long time, if there was one person who could be considered Li Banfeng’s friend, it truly would have to be Qin Xiaopang.
At the street corner steamed bun shop, Qin Xiaopang was still devouring his food, with several stacks of steamer baskets piled beside the table.
"How come you were gone for so long?" Qin Xiaopang asked, his words muffled by a mouthful of steamed bun.
"I was talking over prices with Shopkeeper Feng." Li Banfeng pulled up a chair, sat down, and ordered the shopkeeper to bring two more baskets of steamed buns.
The steamed bun shop was small, but the buns were exquisite. The beef-filled ones, when bitten into, released a savory broth that filled the mouth with a gentle sip. Paired with a couple of cloves of garlic, it was authentic local cuisine—simple and pure.
Li Banfeng ordered a pot of wine. He didn’t know which wine in the shop was good as he had never heard of any of their names; he simply asked the server to bring the best wine they had.
Qin Xiaopang felt a bit distressed; he hadn’t sold his Elixirs yet, and even the wine from this steamed bun shop seemed a luxury to him.
"Brother Qin, don’t worry, I’ll cover this meal." Li Banfeng poured himself a cup and took a sip. The wine was quite potent; it swirled around in his mouth for a moment before he swallowed it.
Seeing Li Banfeng’s generosity, Qin Xiaopang lowered his voice and asked, "What price did you sell it for?"
Li Banfeng gestured with his hand. "Six thousand."
There was no need to hide this from Qin Xiaopang; if he were to sell to Shopkeeper Feng in the future, he’d probably get the same price.
Qin Xiaopang shook his head. "Brother Li, not to criticize you, but you sold it for too little. These are not ordinary goods, and you really don’t know the ways of this place."
"What ways?" Li Banfeng asked.
It was getting dark, and since there was no one else in the steamed bun shop, Qin Xiaopang lowered his voice even further. "Just now, in this shop, I met an acquaintance and inquired about the market. It turns out I was right.
"The wealthy families of Puluo State purchase Elixirs by the hundreds every year and award them to deserving juniors in the household at year’s end.
"Throughout the year, everyone in a large family fights tooth and nail, all vying for more Elixirs to increase their cultivation level. But what if they don’t have any achievements? They have to buy them at high prices in the market.
"The market’s prices are not the same as those at the Medicine Shop. If the Medicine Shop sells for ten thousand, the market price is at least twelve thousand. They even sell for fifteen thousand, eighteen thousand, or twenty thousand. You sold yours for only six thousand; you really undersold it."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "Being able to sell the Elixirs means money. If I can’t sell them, what use is keeping them? I don’t lack those few days of cultivation, nor do I know any rich young masters."
Qin Xiaopang took a sip of his wine. "How about this: after we rest for a couple of days, I’ll take you around Medicine King Valley. We might not be able to mingle with the extremely wealthy, but I know quite a few sons from less affluent rich families."
Li Banfeng ate a steamed bun and said with a smile, "Thank you for the offer, but I’m returning to Yuezhou tomorrow."
"Yuezhou?" Qin Xiaopang had never heard of this place.
"Yuezhou is a place in the Outside Provinces; I came from there," Li Banfeng explained.
"You’re going back already? So soon?" Little Fatty felt somewhat disappointed. But after eating another two steamed buns, he seemed somewhat reconciled.
"That’s right. You’re from the Outside Provinces; you’ve seen the world and surely look down on a place like Puluo State.
"Someday, I want to go to the Outside Provinces and see for myself. If I never visit such a great place, it would be as if I’ve lived my life in vain."
Li Banfeng felt that Yuezhou was indeed a good place, but if you asked him what exactly was so good about it, he couldn’t quite articulate it.
They continued eating until the steamed bun shop closed, and then they said their goodbyes.
Qin Xiaopang said, "You know where my house is; make sure to look me up the next time you’re in Puluo State."
The effects of the alcohol slowly kicked in, and combined with his exhaustion, Li Banfeng lay down in bed, ready to fall asleep.
Yet as he was about to drift off, he felt as though something was amiss.
Li Banfeng sat up, grabbed the crank, and inserted it into the phonograph, winding it up.
That’s what was missing: the music before sleep.
He specifically chose a record, which was wrapped in stiff paper, featuring a painted cover.
On the cover were red and yellow flowers with a graceful long-skirted lady dancing in their midst.
Li Banfeng pulled out the record, placed it on the phonograph’s turntable, flipped the switch, and through the initial crackling background noise, a beautiful song began to play:
That southern wind, so cool and light!
That nightingale’s song, so soft and bright!
Moonlit flowers all drift in dreams,
Only the Night-blooming Jasmine, its fragrance streams!
"Night-blooming Jasmine"!
He had heard this tune before but never liked it as much as he did tonight.
Before the song even finished, Li Banfeng had already entered dreamland.
He used the spring mechanism instead of the steam engine because he feared falling asleep at any moment.
With the spring, there was no need to worry about extinguishing a flame, and Li Banfeng could boldly enter his dreams.
"I sing for you, my thoughts for you entwine, Night-blooming Jasmine~~"
The song came to an end.
The needle reached the end of its track.
The spring had completely unwound, and the phonograph stopped playing.
In the pitch-black Portable Residence, only Li Banfeng’s steady and deep breathing could be heard.
SPLASH...
There came a sound like water from the phonograph, as if someone was pouring water into its horn.
HISS...
A match was struck, igniting the wick inside the oil tank.
HISS... HISS... HISS...
Puffs of steam billowed out from the small horn on the right, and the phonograph’s turntable began to slowly rotate.
The needle was moved back to the Starting Point, and amidst the initial buzzing background noise, the phonograph once more emitted the sound of music:
"World’s end, heaven’s corner,
Search, search for a kindred soul,
Little sister sings, brother plucks away,
Oh, our hearts as one shall sway!"
The lovely song continued to resonate within the Portable Residence.
SSSSSS...
The petals of the Copper Lotus Flower slowly unfolded, and a whirlwind emerged from within the Lotus Heart.
The whirlwind passed over the phonograph, causing the song to go slightly off-tune.
After about ten seconds, the music gradually returned to its steady rhythm.
The petals of the Copper Lotus Flower trembled briefly before closing back up.
The phonograph continued to play the sweet melody:
Who in life~does not~cherish youth with zest,
Little sister like thread, brother like needle pressed,
Linked forever, never to part!
Amidst the melody, Li Banfeng slept soundly, his face always bearing a contented smile.
PS: Everyone keeps asking whether this book has a female lead. Shala tells you, yes, there is; she has come! She emits steam and she has arrived.