Three days later, Liao Zihui’s secretary, Ling Sujun, arrived at Xiaoyao Lodge with a document in hand.
The Defense Agency had responded to Li Qi’s request: effective immediately, Li Qi’s business shipping fees would be halved.
Ma Wu was so excited he couldn’t even think about flirting with Ling Sujun. He went straight to find Li Qi.
Li Banfeng, however, remained very calm. "I estimate the major families will soon be knocking on our door."
The major families would definitely come calling. Li Qi was offering half price, while they couldn’t even secure shipments at the original price. They would certainly look for a way to get Li Qi to ship for them.
Ma Wu had been prepared for this. "For those with close relations to us, we can help them with their shipments and earn a margin. Sister Xiu will probably come today. We’ll discuss how much to charge then."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "He Yuxiu won’t be charged a margin; just a bit for labor will do."
Ma Wu was puzzled. "What’s the reason for that?"
"He Yuxiu has earned it; her contributions were significant in making this happen."
He Yuxiu’s contributions were indeed notable. Not only had she played a major role in the battle against the Three Heroes Gang, but more importantly, she had drawn a substantial amount of the Border Defense Envoy’s attention—and firepower—away from Li Banfeng.
"What about the other families?"
"Rewards will be based on merit; the greater the contribution, the smaller the margin."
Ma Wu rubbed his forehead. This was certainly mind-taxing work. However, upon reflection, the contributions of each family were traceable.
But Ma Wu was somewhat worried. "If we do this, the Border Defense Envoy is going to take a big hit. Won’t they cause trouble for us later?"
With all the major families shipping through Li Qi, there would be no shortage of trouble. As long as they controlled the Boundary, this issue wouldn’t be resolved.
While speaking, Li Banfeng looked towards the entrance where someone was sweeping the floor.
The sweeper, head down, clutched the broom while diligently cleaning the corner of the corridor.
"What is that?" Li Banfeng asked.
The sweeper, gripping the broom nervously, sweat beading on his brow, looked up and asked, "Seventh Master, are you referring to..."
Li Banfeng tapped a small puppet tied to the janitor’s waist. "This is quite distinctive, isn’t it?"
"You mean this?" The janitor untied the puppet. "There’s a vendor downstairs selling sundries. I thought this looked nice and it was quite cheap, so I bought it to take back for my child to play with."
"You mean downstairs?"
"Right by the roadside, he set up a small stall. He should still be there now."
Li Banfeng went downstairs and indeed saw a sundries stall, mostly filled with toys. He took a liking to a wooden train.
"How much for this?"
"Five Ocean Dollars, no haggling."
The items were indeed not expensive. Li Banfeng bought the wooden train, along with a jar of Glass Beads and two tin frogs.
After returning to Xiaoyao Lodge, Li Banfeng went straight into the Portable Residence and headed for the Third Room.
"Old Man, I brought you some things." Li Banfeng took out the wooden train and pushed it back and forth on the floor.
The Portable Residence showed no reaction.
"Here are some Glass Beads, too. You mentioned before they’re good for boredom. They really are quite fun."
Still no reaction from the Portable Residence.
Li Banfeng took out the tin frogs, wound them up, and they started hopping around on the floor with a little CLICK-CLACK. "Do you like this one?"
"If you have something to say, then say it!" The Portable Residence finally spoke.
"I wanted to ask about something. What’s the exact principle behind the Boundary?"
After a long wait, the Portable Residence replied, "I’ve studied it, but haven’t fully understood it. I remember some things, but most I’ve forgotten."
"That can’t be, right?" Li Banfeng held out the Boundary control switch. "Didn’t you make this?"
"I didn’t make that; I modified it. If something is broken, I can fix it. If it’s not working well, I can alter it. But to make something new from scratch isn’t that easy."
That was the truth. Creating something new from zero was much more difficult than repairing or altering.
The Portable Residence continued, "Moreover, this mechanism should be used with caution. What worked once might not work again the next time. People from other provinces like to play these little tricks."
Li Banfeng could understand this point; it was like different devices having different codes.
But Li Banfeng was keen on breaking through the restrictions of the Boundary. He was even willing to start from scratch. "Can you teach me some Craftsmanship Methods?"
"What do you need Craftsmanship Methods for? Isn’t running two businesses enough for you?"
"I want to build a railway that’s not controlled by the Boundary. Do you have a way?"
"Heh heh." The Portable Residence laughed. "Old Train spent so many years aiming to construct such a railway, and he never succeeded. Do you think you can do it?"
"Old Train?" Li Banfeng laughed. "You mean Grandpa Train? You refer to him like that too? Then how does he address you?"
"He calls me Little Train."
"HO HA HA HA!" Gloves laughed outright. "Old Man, at your age and still called Little Train? Truly shameless!"
A jar flew over, which Gloves dodged. "Old Man, that trick won’t work anymore! HO HA HA..."
A vase fell from the table, accurately hitting Gloves.
The Portable Residence sighed. "Ah Qi, you can’t handle the railway business. Craftsmanship Methods can’t be learned overnight.
"And I can’t take it on either; I’ve forgotten too much.
"See if your wife has the ability. She learns everything quickly.
"She’s also in need of an assistant. There’s another smart person in the family, but they might not be willing to help her."
Li Banfeng thought for a moment, realizing the Portable Residence was referring to the Ninth Room.
"Old Man, are you talking about Red Lotus? She’s probably still preoccupied with that old friend of mine."
The Portable Residence smiled. "Ah Qi, you spend too little time with Red Lotus; you truly don’t understand her temperament.
"I’ve never met that friend of yours, but I know for certain Red Lotus doesn’t have room in her heart for them.
"She only has room for that person in the Heavens. Aside from that person, she can accommodate no one else in her heart."
Li Banfeng recalled his wife mentioning it before.
"You mean the one that bathed me in the Heavenly Light?"
"Exactly. In Puluo State, whenever Red Lotus is touched, she sends messages to the Heavens, and then a divine light shines down from above.
"But here, Red Lotus can’t send messages to the Heavens. She’s anxious. And seeing her so anxious... well, I can’t tell you how happy that makes me."
Li Banfeng was silent for a long while and then shared a knowing smile with the Portable Residence.
After the laughter, Li Banfeng thought of Grandpa Train again. "Where exactly is Old Train now?"
The Portable Residence said, "Don’t worry about him for now. You can’t reach where he’s gone."
"Who has trapped him?"
The Portable Residence sighed. "I’ve forgotten. It’s not that I don’t want to tell you; I truly have forgotten.
"Back when I followed Old Train, we fought a battle against them. I lost most of my combat power and a great deal of my memory in that fight.
"If I were to encounter them again, I’m not confident I could get us out of there alive."
"So, what should we do then? You’ve forgotten the Craftsmanship Method for the Boundary, we can’t find Old Train, and we’re just supposed to count on my wife to figure it out on her own? How long will that take?"
The Portable Residence remained silent. He also couldn’t come up with a good idea.
Li Banfeng looked up. "I have an idea. I’ve already started working on it, but I don’t know if it will work.
"If you were to see a newly formed Boundary, would it help you recover some of your memories?"
After a long silence, the Portable Residence said, "It’s worth a try."
Li Banfeng returned to the main room and was intimate with his wife twice.
Biting her lip and sweating, his wife said, "It’s fine without the Joy Soil. I can still hold on."
Gloves crawled out from underneath the vase, finding that the wooden train, Glass Beads, and the tin frogs left on the ground had all disappeared.
...
Li Banfeng left the Portable Residence.
In the main room, Hong Ying hadn’t heard the Portable Residence’s words, but she could hear the conversation between Li Banfeng and Gloves.
While Li Banfeng was away, Hong Ying whispered to the Phonograph, "That evil woman, I heard that madman and that cheap glove talking about Old Train and Little Train. They’re not referring to that Madman Craftsman and his train, are they?"
The Phonograph scoffed and sang in a slow tempo, "What ’Madman Craftsman’? Don’t you have any manners? That’s a senior from your Taoist Sect."
Astonished, Hong Ying said, "I should have realized! We’ve fallen into that madman’s train! Zhao Xiaowan, aren’t you the least bit scared?"
"Scared of what? Isn’t that senior being quite kind to us?"
"Have you forgotten what they were like on the battlefield? Apart from that merchant, it was that old craftsman and his train who were the fiercest."
PFFT! The Phonograph sang, its voice dripping with disdain, "You vile person, deaf and blind for all these years. Times have changed; stop bringing up those outdated affairs."
Hong Ying huffed coldly. "If we stop referring to the old affairs, does that mean our grudge is also gone?"
The Phonograph let out another derisive sound. "You vile person, you’re truly delusional. Even if you fell into the eighteenth level of Hell, our grudge would still not be resolved."
...
He Jiaqing was sitting in a small tavern, gnawing on skewers of mutton and drinking beer while reading the newspaper.
This tavern wasn’t very popular, and He Jiaqing was here purely for a meal.
However, the news in the newspaper slightly upset his stomach—it was from Puluo State’s paper, dated three days ago. The headline read: "Septuagenarian Ghost Hand Sect Leader Runs Naked in the Street—What’s Hidden Behind?"
Struggling to keep calm, He Jiaqing finished reading the entire article.
After finishing his meal, He Jiaqing walked toward the stadium. On his way, he received a message from Shen Rongqing.
"Jia Qing, the Border Defense Envoy halved Li Qi’s shipping costs, so Li Qi doesn’t need our shipping services anymore."
He Jiaqing smiled. "We can still ship through him. Business, after all, is about making money however we can!"
Shen Rongqing sighed. "I went to talk to Ma Wu, but he was reluctant to see me. He said it’s not about sentiment, it’s about rewarding merit. At most, he can offer us a twenty percent discount on shipping fees."
"Twenty percent isn’t bad. Let Li Qi make some profit margin; let’s just keep the business going."
Still dissatisfied, Shen Rongqing said, "Jia Qing, He Yuxiu’s business with Li Qi got a fifty percent reduction in shipping costs, and he only charged her a nominal personnel fee. Li Qi didn’t make any profit margin off her."
"What’s the reason for that?" He Jiaqing was taken aback for a moment before suddenly asking, "What’s the relationship between Li Qi and my aunt?"
"Rumors say they are quite close. You know your aunt’s nature—once she takes a liking to a man, she... well..."
"Dares he!" He Jiaqing got worked up. "If Li Qi dares sleep with my aunt, I’ll definitely..."
He Jiaqing was at a crucial stage and couldn’t return to Puluo State now.
Shen Rongqing asked, "Jia Qing, are we still doing business with Li Qi?"
"Yes, of course! Isn’t it all about rewarding merit? Why shouldn’t we make the money that’s rightfully ours?
"This business won’t last long anyway. The Border Defense Envoy agreed to a fifty percent shipping cost today, but tomorrow it could be five times that. We need to hurry and ship while we can. Every bit more we earn is a plus."
...
Ma Wu recruited nearly a thousand pioneers from all over Greenwater Bay, gathering them in Blue Poplar Village.
Li Banfeng held a grand pioneer assembly, laying out the rewards directly before them.
"You know the rules of land reclamation, and you understand mine," he declared. "The gleaming Ocean Dollars are right here. You’ll get your reward based on the size of the land you reclaim. The carts and horses are ready. Pack your things and hit the road!"