Xiao Zhenggong drove his car, speeding all the way to Earth Building Village.
The village had started relocation demolitions the year before last, and the residents had all moved away. Last year, the developer ran off, and the project was left half-finished.
Within the construction site, clouds of dust intermittently rose into the air, accompanied by strange roars.
A police cordon had been set up around the site. Old Chen had gathered over twenty team members and was deploying them for an operation. Seeing Xiao Zhenggong arrive, Old Chen chuckled, "Captain Xiao, what a rare guest."
Indeed, Xiao Zhenggong rarely showed up during missions.
Xiao Zhenggong glanced at the construction site; from the smell alone, he knew what was inside.
"Is it a donkey in there?"
Dumpling shook his head. "Chief Xiao, inside there is a modified mammalian vermiform abnormality, with a head like a mammal but a body more like a worm."
Xiao Zhenggong sneered. "That’s a donkey maggot. I’m used to calling these things donkeys. In Puluo State, they use them as beasts of burden."
What was inside the construction site wasn’t Xiao Zhenggong’s concern. He was more interested in Chen Changrui. "Captain Chen, when did you get here?"
"I’ve been here for a while, Chief Xiao. Since you’re so experienced and knowledgeable, why don’t you take this job then!"
Xiao Zhenggong’s eyes drooped, revealing a hint of cold light.
"Old Chen, if you have something to say, say it to my face. If there’s something to be done, do it in the open. Don’t try to trip me up behind my back. I’m not afraid of you. I’m being considerate because you’re getting on in years. I’m worried that if I really got physical, you wouldn’t be able to handle it."
Chen Changrui took out a cigarette, lit it, and said with a smile, "Xiao Zhenggong, I have real work to do now. I don’t have time to bother with you. Get as far away from here as you can."
Xiao Zhenggong wasn’t angry. "You really want me to leave that badly? You don’t want me to stay in the Public Security Team? Let me tell you, I won’t leave. I want to see what you can do about it."
The two men stared at each other. The team members were terrified, genuinely worried they would start fighting right there.
Only Qin Minghui’s eyes were fixed on the construction site, worried that the strange monster inside could burst out at any moment.
Chen Changrui knew Xiao Zhenggong’s cunning. Normally, he would have just ignored him.
But they were on a mission at the moment, with the donkey maggots wreaking havoc at the construction site, and Chen Changrui didn’t want to get entangled with Xiao Zhenggong.
Seeing Old Chen remain silent, Xiao Zhenggong smiled and was about to provoke him further when his phone suddenly rang.
The caller was Song Yuwei, the Hall Master of Hai Chi Ridge.
Song Yuwei was still in the Outside Provinces. He had just received the news: "Gang Leader Xiao, your Hall Entrance at Hai Chi Ridge has been destroyed."
Xiao Zhenggong’s head buzzed.
Being a Peeping Cultivator, Old Chen heard the phone conversation clearly and asked with concern, "Gang Leader Xiao, is there trouble in your Gang?"
Xiao Zhenggong hung up the phone and said to Old Chen, "I need to see the Bureau Chief."
Old Chen laughed. "Go ahead, you don’t need to ask for my leave. Just don’t cry when you see the Bureau Chief—it would be too embarrassing."
Xiao Zhenggong drove away, while Old Chen led his men to deal with the donkey maggots.
...
Within the Portable Residence, Li Banfeng was drenched in sweat, gently stroking the Phonograph and saying, "My dear, take it easy."
"Oh my, my husband," the Phonograph responded softly, "are you tired already?"
"Tired? How could I be tired? I just want to rest for a bit..."
"A man shouldn’t speak such words. We either commit fully or not at all; once committed, we must succeed! My husband, get up quickly, let’s go again. Promotion is something that requires one continuous, all-out effort!"
While speaking, the Phonograph sucked Li Banfeng’s head back into the horn.
This promotion process was especially long. Amidst the hot, humid environment, Li Banfeng convulsed continuously until he heard his wife’s sweet singing. His entire body finally relaxed amid the shaking.
"Winter comes with snow so vast,
A warm coat made, for my love to last,
Live in peace as years go past,
For my dear man, another room be cast."
The Portable Residence now had eight rooms. Although the layout of each room was the same, Li Banfeng couldn’t wait to take a look at Bafang.
After attempting to stand twice without success, the Phonograph quickly advised, "Oh my husband, you’ve just been promoted. You mustn’t walk about rashly. Rest in bed for a while, and let your little servant tell you about the Home Cultivation Technique of the Seventh Layer. The Seventh Layer Home Cultivation Technique is called Settling Down and Enjoying One’s Work. This level of technique doesn’t come from your little servant but from our very own home."
His wife explained: "There’s a saying that goes, ’Only by settling in one’s residence can one enjoy one’s work.’ To put it plainly, it’s about pleasing the home to earn auspicious fortune."
"How can I please the home?"
"Oh my husband, living peacefully at home is how you please it. If you and our home are in harmony, then as long as you continue to stay inside, the home will naturally bring you good luck."
At these words, Li Banfeng felt his excitement wane.
"How long do I need to stay at home each day?"
"You are now a Seventh Layer Home Cultivator. By the usual standards, out of twenty-four hours in a day, you should at least spend twenty hours at home."
His wife then said, "Our home is rather lenient, so it isn’t too strict on this point. However, your little servant has calculated that you, my husband, should spend at least twelve hours a day at home. For every additional hour beyond twelve, your fortune will increase by one point. But if it’s less than twelve hours, for each hour missed, your fortune will decrease by one point."
After prolonged use of elixirs, Li Banfeng had identified a pattern: indeed, the elixirs could offset a period of fundamental cultivation, but only for a limited time.
If he stayed inside for three to five days, the situation would still be manageable. But after five days, Li Banfeng would start to feel agony. His limbs and torso would feel as though they were trying to detach from one another, a sensation very similar to cultivation backlash. The longer he stayed, the more severe the symptoms became.
"Aside from staying at home, what other methods are there to please the house?"
"Oh dear husband, you’re already at the Seventh Layer of Home Cultivation. If you’re not staying at home to accompany your little servant, do you intend to meet some wild woman outside?"
"Going out isn’t necessarily for women; perhaps it’s for buying groceries. What if I encounter something tough and can’t return home, yet my fortune decreases? Wouldn’t I suffer a great loss?"
"You have a point, my husband. There are indeed other ways to please the house. You can acquire more household items."
"What kind of household items?"
"That’s hard to say; it depends on the house’s fancy. If the items are to its liking, then even if you don’t come home for a day, my husband, your fortune will still be abundant. If the items are wrong and the house dislikes them, then even if you stay at home every day, my husband, you will only incur the house’s displeasure."
After resting for half a day, leaving the Portable Residence, and freshening up at the inn, Li Banfeng and Luo Zhengnan went to a restaurant.
In Hai Chi Ridge, people get hungry easily. They each devoured three large bowls of mutton stew with bread.
After eating their fill, Li Banfeng and Luo Zhengnan went to the train station, where they both bought first-class tickets, each with a private compartment.
On the platform, Li Banfeng bought a newspaper; news about the Jiang Xiang Gang filled the front page.
"It’s rare," Luo Zhengnan sighed lightly, "rare for anyone to pay this much attention to the Jiang Xiang Gang."
In the train carriage, Li Banfeng asked Luo Zhengnan, "Are you familiar with the Hall Entrance at Black Stone Slope?"
"Familiar." Luo Zhengnan nodded, pointing out the locations of various helm ports on a map.
The map was stained with blood, remnants from the Hai Chi Ridge Hall Entrance.
The Hall Master of Hai Chi Ridge was absent, but his men had already met their end.
There were twenty-two Hall Entrances belonging to the Jiang Xiang Gang in Puluo State, and Li Banfeng had already eradicated two.
Luo Zhengnan thought, his conviction solidifying. He then meticulously described every helm port of the Black Stone Hall to Li Banfeng.
"Seventh Master, the people of Black Stone Slope are tough. It’s difficult for the Jiang Xiang Gang to conduct their business there. Their hall is small and has only two helm ports..."
...
In the Dark Star Bureau, Bureau Chief Shen Jingye was advising Xiao Zhenggong, "Zhenggong, if you have any issues with Changrui, you could have reported them to the Bureau. If you have any requests, you can also put them forward to the Bureau, but it’s really not good for you to argue with Changrui in front of your subordinates during missions. After discussions, the Bureau feels that this matter needs to be handled seriously. Zhenggong, the Bureau believes you are no longer suitable for the Public Security Team."
Xiao Zhenggong looked at Shen Jingye and asked, "Do you think this is my fault?"
"Let’s not discuss whose fault it is for now. The relationship between you and Changrui has deteriorated to such a state that continuing to work together wouldn’t be beneficial. The Bureau has arranged a more suitable position for you, with a higher rank and better compensation."
"Are you joking?" Xiao Zhenggong frowned. "Do I look like I care about rank and compensation? I won’t leave. I want to stay in the Public Security Team, and I won’t go anywhere else. I came to you not to address my conflict with Chen Changrui."
Shen Jingye said, "You’re talking about the Puluo State situation? I’ve only just heard about it myself. I’m not very familiar with the Puluo State environment, nor do I know much about your Gang’s affairs. I’ve informed the Border Defense Envoy about this matter, and I believe he will give you a satisfactory response."
"When can I expect a response?"
Shen Jingye’s brows furrowed slightly as he said, "Zhenggong, there needs to be a process for these things..."
"I don’t want to wait for any process! I’ve lost two Hall Entrances, and my resources are nearly depleted!" Xiao Zhenggong took a seal out of his pocket. "I want to use the Equilibrium Seal, and I demand the immediate arrest of He Jiaqing and his subordinates in Puluo State!"
Shen Jingye looked at the seal in Xiao Zhenggong’s hand. "Are you sure you’ve thought this through?"
Xiao Zhenggong nodded firmly. "I’ve thought it through very clearly."
PS: The cost of using the Equilibrium Seal is indeed very high.