After packing his baggage, Lu Yuanxin breathed a sigh of relief. "I never want to visit this place again."
Li Banfeng smiled and said, "Checking out a book occasionally isn’t such a bad thing."
While they were speaking, a quarrel erupted from the room.
Xiao Yeci refused to leave. "Nannan, stay with Mommy for two more days. There are so many books here that Mommy hasn’t finished reading yet!"
"Mom, let’s buy the books and read them at home. You can buy as many as you want."
"Some collections are not for sale, and some of them are not even shared with others. I spent a lot of money before they agreed to let me read them. Nannan, please stay one more night, just one night, okay?"
"No! No matter what book it is, I’ll figure out a way to get it for you, but now you must come with me!"
Lu Chunying dragged Xiao Yeci away, and Xiao Yeci became angry. "What a girl, when did you start bossing me around!"
Li Banfeng directly pushed open the door, stepped in, picked up Xiao Yeci, and tossed her into the carriage.
Xiao Yeci struggled in the carriage, while Li Banfeng found a chain and locked it, telling Lu Yuanxin to hurry with the carriage to the train station.
Listening to the crying inside the carriage, Lu Yuanxin whispered, "Seventh Master, if we go out on the streets like this, people will think I’m kidnapping someone." Indeed, it was improper to tie up the carriage with a chain.
Li Banfeng unlocked the chain, got into the carriage, gagged Xiao Yeci, and bound her with the chain.
After everyone left, Li Banfeng took a breath of relief and prepared to tidy things up and lay a trap in the garden at night.
In reality, there wasn’t much to pack; all his Weapons and Magical Treasures were inside the Portable Residence.
But Li Banfeng really wanted to bring a book; Sand Goose House did indeed have many good ones.
Li Banfeng had a bad premonition.
He was ready to head to Willow Garden. Just as he stepped out of the room, he suddenly saw the boss of Lu Family Bookstore standing in the corridor, smiling. "Boss Li, you’re also at Sand Goose House?"
"Boss Lu, what a coincidence. Are you here to read books?"
Boss Lu shook his head. "I’m here to deliver books to Miss Xiao, Xiao Yeci of Greenwater City. Do you know her?"
Li Banfeng nodded and said, "I know her. Has she been to your bookstore?"
"She came to my store yesterday, picked a few books, found them too heavy to carry, and asked me to deliver them. I just knocked on the door, but Miss Xiao doesn’t seem to be around."
Li Banfeng said, "Miss Xiao has gone back to Greenwater City."
Boss Lu sighed. "It’s my fault for being late. I intended to come here after lunch, but an old friend showed up and insisted on having a chat. Back in Greenwater City, this friend was also an important figure. I couldn’t just slight them. As a result, we ended up talking until now. That friend is still at my bookstore. Boss Li, are you familiar with Miss Xiao? Could I trouble you to bring these books to her? If it’s too much hassle, then I’ll just mail them to her."
"No trouble at all, just leave them to me."
Boss Lu handed over a few books to Li Banfeng and then left Sand Goose House.
Li Banfeng glanced at the few books in his hands. One of them was "Erudite Scholar," only the second volume and missing the first.
Li Banfeng had once bought the first volume at Lu Family Bookstore. At that time, he mentioned that carrying the second volume would be too cumbersome, so he did not purchase it.
Today, Boss Lu had brought the second volume over. Li Banfeng opened it to a page and noticed a crease.
It was a crease he had left before.
Boss Lu had not come to deliver books to Xiao Yeci; he had come to send a message to Li Banfeng.
Chu Shaoqiang is still at the bookstore at the moment, which proves Boss Lu has held him up, but it’s estimated that he won’t be detained for long.
Li Banfeng hurried to Willow Garden. The garden’s gate was tightly closed, not open to the public. However, coincidentally, a young couple had climbed over the fence and were nestled in the woods, admiring the snow.
Li Banfeng took out the Music Box, and to the tune of a beautiful melody, the couple fell asleep.
After he moved the lovers outside the garden, Li Banfeng took out the Projector and began recording the details of the various places in the woods.
He had to create some illusions. Neither the Greenwater Beggar nor Chu Shaoqiang could be allowed to find the special willow tree right away.
The Projector was a bit nervous. "Seventh Guide, if it’s an Earth Skin cultivation level, I’m confident I can fool them. But if it’s someone from Above the Clouds, I really can’t boast."
The Gloves snorted. "Brother, that’s where you’re wrong. You’ve had your share of good food from Above the Clouds. When it’s time to exert effort, you can’t start shirking!"
The Projector didn’t make excuses. He chose a suitable position to cast a projection, covering up both the willow tree and Li Banfeng completely.
Li Banfeng took out his phone and contacted Luo Zhengnan. "Old Luo, have you found the Peddler?"
Luo Zhengnan was almost frantic with urgency. From Hai Chi Ridge to Medicine King Valley, he hadn’t seen the Peddler in any territory.
Li Banfeng said, "The fight is about to start on my end. You keep looking; you must find him."
Luo Zhengnan really couldn’t think of a solution and dialed a number.
A familiar voice came over the earpiece: "Dear listener, welcome to the Afternoon Tea House. Is there anything you’d like to share with us?"
"The Peddler, I need to find the Peddler!" Luo Zhengnan hadn’t dialed the wrong number; he was calling the radio station. "If anyone has seen the Peddler, please tell him I’m looking for him in Medicine King Valley. It’s an urgent matter."
「...」
The sky gradually darkened, and Li Banfeng was accumulating energy and strength inside the Portable Residence. He put on the newly repaired Silk-pulling Earrings and quietly hid beside the willow tree.
With the Projector’s cover, ordinary people couldn’t see the willow tree at all, but today’s opponent was not ordinary.
Chu Shaoqiang entered the garden with a man dressed in black.
The man in black had big eyes, a long face, and a sharp jaw, resembling a bat – he was none other than Chu Shaoqiang’s personal messenger, Wang Fuqi.
Chu Shaoqiang had arrived at the Ink Shop this morning. He knew where Ge Junma was, and through Wang Fuqi, he had established contact with Ge Junma.
That was why Ge Junma was particularly well-behaved today. He was accumulating power, waiting to cooperate with Chu Shaoqiang from the inside out to take down Murong Gui.
But Chu Shaoqiang didn’t fully trust Ge Junma. He wanted to confirm Murong Gui’s actual situation, so he went to the Lu Family Bookstore to sound out Boss Lu.
No matter how much he asked, Boss Lu claimed ignorance. To avoid further complications, Chu Shaoqiang decided to act tonight.
Approaching the woods, Wang Fuqi didn’t rush in. He picked up a Stone from the ground and threw it into the woods.
The Stone didn’t trace a parabola but flew in a straight line, bouncing back and forth among the trees.
The Earrings warned, "Master, ’Tossing a Stone to Ask the Way’—that’s a high-level Peeping Cultivation technique."
Li Banfeng was ready to use the Deep House Technique, intending to borrow his wife’s Sound Cultivator techniques to inflict serious damage on the Peeping Cultivator.
Unexpectedly, while the Stone was mid-flight, it was suddenly grabbed by someone.
"’Consider it given!’ Green Flower laughed, holding the Stone!"
"’Greedy for More?’ Wang Fuqi was startled and quickly retrieved the Stone."
Chu Shaoqiang shouted, "Don’t rush; he’s not a Begging Cultivator!"
But it was too late. The Stone had already returned to Wang Fuqi’s hand, and his hand began to rot at an alarming rate, with finger bones leaking out.