At seven in the morning, an elderly man, stark naked, was sprinting furiously in front of Xiaoyao Lodge.
Li Banfeng ran shoulder-to-shoulder with the old man, a Projector filming them in sync.
"Isn’t this Xie Juncong, Sect Leader of the Ghost Hand Sect?" Li Banfeng introduced him comprehensively, his voice loud and clear.
Xie Juncong gave a dry laugh. "Seventh Master, I didn’t expect us to meet here."
"Sect Leader Xie, you’re in such a hurry. Is there something urgent?"
"Nothing urgent, just out stretching my legs."
"Sect Leader Xie, are you wearing so little because it’s so hot?"
"You’re not wrong, it really is quite hot today!"
"Sect Leader Xie, are you heading home? Shall I hire a car to give you a ride?"
"No need to be so courteous, I can walk back!"
This was the second time this old thief had stolen from Li Banfeng.
But the Gloves repeatedly pleaded with Li Banfeng, "Boss, we can’t kill this man yet. I still have some things I want to uncover through him. Besides, his cultivation level isn’t low. You might not gain an advantage if you fight him directly."
Li Banfeng chuckled. "With you here, why would I fear not being able to beat him?"
The Gloves sounded slightly ashamed. "Boss, I’m just a Magical Treasure. This body of mine is truly inadequate. In terms of skill, he’s no match for me. But when it comes to a life-or-death fight, I’m really not his equal. That old scoundrel definitely won’t dare come to Xiaoyao Lodge again. Please, just do me a favor this time and let’s not settle scores with him for now."
Li Banfeng agreed to the Gloves’ request and let Xie Juncong go for the time being. He extracted a photo from the recorded footage and sent it directly to the newspaper office.
That evening, Li Banfeng prepared some gifts and went to Lotus Study with Ma Wu.
Lotus Study was a mountain villa on Exquisite Mountain, east of Greenwater City. Its territory stretched from halfway up the mountain to the summit, covering more than half the slope. It boasted over a hundred structures, including Western-style houses, pavilions, and multi-story towers. Li Haoyun’s wealth was clearly evident.
Li Banfeng was a bit unsure about Li Haoyun’s identity: was he a merchant or a Gang leader?
Ma Wu couldn’t answer either.
In Puluo State, the boundary between the two had never been very clear. All Gangs had businesses, and all merchants had some involvement with Gangs.
Li Haoyun met them at the foot of the mountain. While they were still some distance away, Ma Junyang saw two women standing beside Li Haoyun. He turned to Li Banfeng and said, "Old Qi, those two women are Li Haoyun’s wives. Don’t ask about them during the meal."
Li Banfeng frowned. "Why would I ask about his wives?"
Ma Wu said, "There’s a story behind it. Li Haoyun’s wives don’t have the best backgrounds. Some people have joked with Li Haoyun about it, and he gets truly frightening when he loses his temper."
As they spoke, the two groups drew closer and exchanged a few pleasantries. Li Haoyun then led everyone up the mountain path to Lychee Garden.
Lychee Garden was large, but the path to it was genuinely difficult to traverse. Within Lotus Study, it was considered a relatively secluded spot.
In the garden stood a large residence, with the rest of the area planted full of lychee trees. Unfortunately, it wasn’t lychee season.
The host and guests were seated in the main hall, chatting idly, when one of Li Haoyun’s subordinates came to speak with him. Li Haoyun excused himself for a moment.
Ma Wu seized the opportunity to say to Li Banfeng, "Inviting us to Lychee Garden shows that Li Haoyun considers us his most honored guests. Whatever you do, don’t ask about the origin of Lychee Garden; there’s a story behind that too."
Li Banfeng naturally wouldn’t ask about the origin of a garden. However, based on Ma Wu’s description, Li Haoyun seemed to have too many particularities, which Li Banfeng found somewhat repellent.
Li Banfeng thought. But when Li Haoyun returned and they resumed their idle chat, Li Banfeng found him to be quite an easygoing person, not someone who seemed to have so many hangups.
After a short while, the food and wine were served, and it was a sumptuous spread.
Li Haoyun called over a few women to warm their wine and serve them food, attending to their every need.
Ma Wu was accustomed to such scenes. However, his cultivation couldn’t be neglected; after just two cups of wine, he had already begun his practice.
Li Banfeng had little interest in the women beside him, nor was he keen to speak much with Li Haoyun.
Seeing Li Banfeng’s lack of enthusiasm, Li Haoyun smiled and said, "Seventh Master, do you look down on me because you think my business isn’t clean?"
Li Banfeng smiled faintly. "That depends on what kind of business you’re in."
Li Haoyun looked at the young women beside him and said, "The women of Lotus Study are free to come and go. If they want to earn money here, I take them in. If they want to find another path in life, I don’t stop them; I even give them travel money. I think my business is quite clean."
Li Banfeng nodded slightly.
Li Haoyun continued, "To tell you the truth, my parents were in this line of work. They passed away early and left the family business to me. I truly despised the business back then, so I switched trades."
Ma Wu was taken aback.
Li Banfeng asked, "What trade did you switch to?"
Li Haoyun chuckled. "I went into commerce. I sold off my parents’ businesses and opened new shops. I sold Antiques, Calligraphy, and Paintings—lost money. Then I sold cloth and dyes—lost money. Then I sold rice, flour, grains, and oils—still lost money. With the last bit of money I had, I came up this mountain to grow lychees. To this day, I’ve kept Lychee Garden; this is the very place."
"But selling lychees isn’t shameful, is it?"
"It isn’t shameful, but I lost money selling lychees too. I lost so much that all I had left were the lychees; I didn’t even have money for food. My name is Li Haoyun, but people who knew me back then called me Lizhiyun. Being called that once or twice wasn’t a big deal, but their constant mockery really angered me."
Li Banfeng smiled. "After you lost money selling lychees, did you try any other trades?"
Li Haoyun shook his head. "I wanted to, but I couldn’t. I’d lost all my money. I still had two maidservants by my side who had served me since childhood. I gave them my last savings and told them to return to their hometowns, but they wouldn’t listen. They sold themselves to raise capital for me. I didn’t dare squander that money. I couldn’t afford to lose again; I simply couldn’t bear it. I had no choice but to pick up my old trade again, this line of business.
"Once I got back on my feet, the first thing I did was marry those two maidservants. Some people say their backgrounds aren’t good. I can’t control what they say behind my back, but if they say it to my face, I’ll fly into a rage. They can look down on me, but they can’t look down on my wives. That’s my one peculiarity."
As he finished speaking, Li Haoyun smiled and raised his wine cup.
Li Banfeng also raised his cup and drained it in one gulp.
This was the first cup of wine Li Banfeng had drunk that evening.
The atmosphere eased instantly. Li Banfeng then asked, "Shopkeeper Li, since you’re skilled in this business, why did you try to switch trades back then?"
Li Haoyun sighed. "Seventh Master, there’s something you don’t know. My parents’ business was quite different from mine; their trade wasn’t clean at all. The young women they had were all bought from Human Traffickers. Once bought, a woman was theirs for life. When she was useful, they used her to make money. When she was no longer useful, they’d sell her off to someone else. Obedient women were ’persuaded’; disobedient ones were beaten into submission. Twelve whips hung in our house, every one of them bloodstained.
"There was one young woman who was particularly defiant. She was beaten half to death but still wouldn’t submit. But my mother had her methods; she had healing salves, top-quality ones. First, she would apply the salve to the woman’s wounds. Then, she would tend to her, serving her food and drink, bringing her soup and water every day, even helping her to the latrine. After some days, the woman recovered. And guess what? That woman came to see my mother as her savior. She did whatever my mother said and told everyone that my mother had saved her. But how could she forget who had beaten her into that state in the first place?
"Seventh Master, this trick works, it works exceptionally well. So many people are deceived this way, deceived into willingly believing the lie. Tell me, isn’t that infuriating?"
Ma Wu started, realizing Li Haoyun’s words held a deeper meaning.
Li Banfeng raised his wine cup and once again drained it.
...
「The next evening」
Liao Zihui came to Xiaoyao Lodge. He left his chauffeur and bodyguards downstairs and went alone to the private dining room for the banquet.
Once they were seated, Liao Zihui spread his hands. "I came in a hurry and didn’t prepare a gift. I hope you two won’t mind."
Ma Wu smiled. "No need for such courtesies."
Li Qi nodded. "Actually, I do mind."
Liao Zihui was taken aback. "Are you blaming me for a breach of etiquette?"
Li Qi retorted, "And you think you haven’t been rude?"
Liao Zihui chuckled. "Well, if you put it that way, I actually did bring a gift for you both."
"Then let’s see it?"
Liao Zihui took out a document. "Starting today, the transport fees for your subordinates’ businesses will be restored to their original rates."
Ma Wu was very pleased to hear this; the biggest obstacle to their businesses had been removed.
He was just about to raise his cup for a toast when Li Banfeng stopped him.
"Chief Envoy Liao, what kind of gift do you call this?"
Liao Zihui was stunned for a long moment.
He had wanted to change his strategy towards Li Qi and had proactively made a concession, but he hadn’t expected this kind of attitude from Li Qi.
"Transport fees reverting to the original price—are you still not satisfied?" The smile vanished from Liao Zihui’s face.
Li Banfeng laughed. "The original price is just that—the old price. What advantage have we gained from that?"
Liao Zihui frowned. "What I charged you before wasn’t the original price."
Li Banfeng said calmly, "That just proves you were wrong before."
"Must we go over past matters one by one?"
"Let’s count them up. I’m quite good at arithmetic; I shouldn’t miscount."
Liao Zihui’s cheek twitched. "I don’t want to bring up past matters again. I came with sincerity; I genuinely want to smooth things over."
Li Banfeng remained calm. "If you feel that smoothing this over would put you at a disadvantage, then we don’t have to smooth it over."
Ma Wu didn’t dare say a word. The atmosphere was suffocating.
Liao Zihui took a deep breath. "What do you want then?"
Li Banfeng said, "Cut the transport fees by half."
Liao Zihui laughed. "Do you think that’s achievable?"
Li Banfeng also smiled. "I think it’s very likely."
Liao Zihui was silent for a long time, then shook his head. "You’re making things difficult for me. I can’t do that."
Li Banfeng said earnestly, "One shouldn’t shrink back from difficulties. You need to use your initiative. If you don’t try, how will you know you can’t do it?"
Liao Zihui gritted his teeth, stood up, and left.
The sound of a steam car starting up came from outside the window. Liao Zihui was gone.
Ma Wu knew he couldn’t persuade Li Banfeng, but he still couldn’t help saying, "Old Qi, this might genuinely be too much for him. He definitely can’t make the decision to cut transport fees by half on his own."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "If it were about cutting transport fees by half for all of Puluo State, he indeed couldn’t do it. But just for our business alone, he should have the authority to do that."
Ma Wu sighed. "How are we going to deal with them in the future?"
Li Banfeng smiled. "He’ll have to learn to get used to it. This is just the beginning."