"It’s over."
"Did we win?"
"Brother, we won!"
"That’s good." The Projector’s voice was somewhat weak, carrying fatigue, but also the pride of a victor.
Last night, the Projector had seen the corpse of the Big Toad and had also seen the Peddler easily defeat He Caiyuan.
But as long as Li Banfeng didn’t give the order, the Projector wouldn’t slack off; it remained steadfastly perched in the tree, meticulously carrying out its cover mission.
Li Banfeng, holding the Projector, nervously opened the Portable Residence, finding the room inside exceedingly neat.
He tentatively asked, "My dear, have you eaten everything?"
"Uh..." The Lady glanced at the light behind the lens and sang slowly, "Brother Projector, why have you only just returned? It’s quite cold outside, isn’t it?"
The Projector replied, "Thank you for your concern, Lady. Did I return too late?"
"Too late?" The Phonograph’s voice contained a trace of guilt. "My beloved husband, handling the Soul is my duty; as for the other matters, you should ask Ying Ying."
Li Banfeng looked towards Hong Ying. "Such a big toad, you ate it all?"
Hearing the anger in Li Banfeng’s voice, Hong Ying nervously responded, "I didn’t know! I didn’t see how big it was then. You should ask Red Lotus; she cleaned up."
"What about the old man’s corpse?"
"There was an old man?" Hong Ying recalled last night’s events. "I remember now. We all found the toad meat too greasy after eating so much of it, so we switched things up for a change of flavor, and then... it was gone."
"What about the Poison Cultivation?"
"That thing was spicy and crispy. We had it as an appetizer; it’s long gone."
The room fell silent for a while, then the Portable Residence spoke up, "Ah Tao, you always like to hide things. Don’t think I don’t know. Hurry up and give it to Ah Ji; Ah Ji made a great effort last night!"
The Gloves said, "Old Man, I did hide a piece of meat, but Tang Sword, being greedy, stole and ate it!"
Tang Sword burped contentedly, leaning against the wall without speaking.
"Ah Ji, try not to take it so hard..." The Portable Residence sighed softly and then fell silent.
Li Banfeng looked down at the Projector, his voice trembling. "Brother, I’m sorry..."
"Art... has withered." The light behind the lens extinguished.
「...」
「On Loess Bridge, the Peddler pushed his cart through the streets, calling out: "Soap, Snow Cream, Snow Cream..."」
The Peddler’s call was lifeless.
After pushing his cart through two streets and not even seeing a beggar, the Peddler prepared to leave.
Passing through an alley, just as the Peddler was about to go, a Rickshaw Puller approached with his vehicle. "Sir, do you need a ride?"
The Peddler smiled. "Do I look like I need a ride?"
"Sir, rest assured, I came out today to learn the route. I’ll take you for no charge, a free ride!"
The Peddler frowned. "Even if you give me a free ride, I can’t take it. What about my cart?"
"Your cart? I’ll pull it along with you. Please get in quickly."
The Peddler stuck a rattle on his cart and eyed the Coachman, frowning slightly. "Stop talking nonsense. If you’ve got something to say, say it quick, or I’m leaving!"
The Coachman put down the rickshaw. "Peddler sir, please give me a hand. My place here can’t hold on much longer. If it keeps going like this, it’s going to become Old Land."
The Peddler chuckled. "No wonder you’re so polite today. You’ve run into trouble. It’s better if it becomes Old Land; that saves me the trouble of another visit. Besides, I can’t sell anything here—just wasting my time."
The Coachman said, "Peddler sir, you and my master are old friends. You can’t just stand by and watch me perish!"
The Peddler frowned. "You still have the nerve to mention your master? Your master entrusted you with a Proper Land, and look how you’ve ruined it! What a mess you’ve made of it."
"That’s not my fault! For these past years, I wasn’t the one in charge of Loess Bridge. It was all messed up by that bastard Deathgate Star!"
"Not your fault?" The Peddler laughed. "Instead of staying in your territory like you should have, you had to go out pulling rickshaws, letting Deathgate Star take advantage. Now tell me, whose fault is that?"
The Coachman hung his head. "I was careless for a moment, but haven’t I taken back the territory now?"
"Don’t flatter yourself," the Peddler scoffed. "Deathgate Star was killed by Yao Xin. You just picked up the territory. You think I don’t know that?"
The Coachman kept nodding. "It was picked up, yes, but in the end, it’s back, right? You can’t just watch this Proper Land turn into Old Land, can you?"
The Peddler sighed. "With no one here, what good can I do? You need to find someone who can bring in some human energy to help you out."
The Coachman said, "I actually do have someone in mind. I heard there’s a person in Greenwater City named Li Qi. That man is formidable; he single-handedly carved out the Qiu Luoye territory. You have a good relationship with him, could you put in a word for me?"
"Put in a word? How am I supposed to do that? Should I say, ’Hey, Li Qi, do me a favor and help that Rickshaw Puller out, will you?’ Is that what you expect?"
"Yes!" The Coachman said, nodding. "In the entire Puluo State, who has more clout than you?!"
The Peddler laughed. "Even if I really had that kind of influence, why should I put my reputation on the line for you?"
The Coachman, still looking downcast, said, "Then could you suggest another way? What should I do about this?"
"Go find Li Qi yourself."
"I’m afraid he won’t pay me any attention."
"With just empty words, why should he bother with you? It’s a fair exchange; no one owes anyone anything for free. If you want someone to do something, you have to offer compensation."
The Coachman nodded. "As long as you can introduce us, Li Qi can take whatever he wants from my possessions."
The Peddler looked around. "Give your rickshaw to Li Qi then."
"That’s impossible!" The Coachman was anxious. "That’s what my master left for me! I can’t just give it to someone else!"
The Peddler said helplessly, "Then you tell me, what else of value do you have in this shabby place?"
「...」
「Early in the morning, Li Banfeng woke up and went to the study room to read.」
The whole family, having eaten too much, had grown a bit sleepy these past two days and weren’t very active.
Behind the lens of the Projector, a cluster of firelight suddenly lit up.
It floated in mid-air, silently entering the Fifth Room.
The Fifth Room, one of nine, was in the center and didn’t adjoin any others, making it the quietest.
The room didn’t have much furniture: just a leather sofa set, a mahogany table, and a vase.
The Projector landed on the table, its lens displaying the image of the vase.
"HEHEHEHE." The Projector chuckled.
The low, hoarse chuckle woke the Gloves, who followed the sound to the Fifth Room.
Inside the room, the Gloves saw the Projector on the table, the firelight in its lens glowing as it scanned back and forth across the sofa.
"Brother, what are you doing here?"
The Projector, with a melancholy voice, said, "I’m here, contemplating the philosophy within art."
The Gloves sighed. "Don’t overthink it. What’s done is done. With our boss, we’ve got plenty to eat and drink. Why worry over one meal?"
"Brother Tao, you’re right. You go and rest. I just hope that through this incident, I can come to understand more about the essence of art."
The Gloves left the Fifth Room. As he reached the doorway, he looked back.