Late at night, Li Banfeng sat in the Fifth Room, enjoying a film with the Projector.
After editing, the story’s plot became more coherent, the characters fuller, and the frequent frame-dropping issue had greatly improved; the film’s heroine appeared more and more real.
Li Banfeng praised, "Creating such a complete film from just an idea on paper, your skills have improved so much. It seems you found a good teacher."
The Projector flickered its lens and said, "All thanks to Seventh Guide’s excellent guidance."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "Don’t flatter me; I don’t deserve it. When it comes to making films, I don’t even possess a tenth of your skill. Are you really unwilling to introduce that teacher to me?"
The Projector firmly replied, "You’re talking about that girl, aren’t you? She is indeed a figment of my imagination."
Li Banfeng looked at the Projector.
The Projector calmly said, "Seventh Guide, I am utterly loyal to you, and that has never changed."
The Projector might still harbor some dissatisfaction regarding past events, but he would never deceive Li Banfeng on account of it.
In his view, this woman truly was a product of his own imagination.
No matter her purpose, Li Banfeng had warned his wife to ensure this woman absolutely did not harm the Projector.
As the film neared its end, Li Banfeng noticed a vase on the heroine’s table that looked very familiar.
"Is that vase..."
"Seventh Guide, that vase is from our home. I borrowed it to use as a prop."
This was the missing vase that Gloves had mentioned.
"Seventh Guide, the newspapers from Black Stone Slope are excellent; they’re almost natural scripts."
Li Banfeng stood up. "I’ll go buy some more."
After leaving the newspaper office, just as Li Banfeng was about to go out and buy some newspapers, a rickshaw was parked at the door.
Rickshaws were rare in Black Stone Slope. People usually traveled by Little Train.
The short, stocky Coachman stood up. "Guest Master, where would you like to go? I’ll take you... Is it you?"
The Coachman recognized Li Banfeng. "Young man, you’ve come to Black Stone Slope?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "Brother, how come you’re pulling a rickshaw here now?"
"Good business to be done here, young man. Are you working at this newspaper office? That’s right. I told you before, getting a job is nothing to be ashamed of, much better than life-threatening ventures. Do you know the Shopkeeper of this newspaper office?"
Li Banfeng smiled. "At a newspaper office, they usually don’t say ’Shopkeeper.’"
"Yes, here they call him boss. The boss’s name is Li Qi. I’m here to see him."
Li Banfeng nodded. "Then you’ve found the right person."
The Coachman looked Li Banfeng up and down, noticing his suit, and said with surprise, "You’re Li Qi?"
Li Banfeng nodded slightly, and the Coachman said with joy, "Brother, quickly get on. I’ll take you for a ride."
"Where to?"
"To Loess Bridge!"
"In this rickshaw?"
"This cart is quicker than a train; I’ve got Fire Wheels under my feet!"
Li Banfeng and Ma Wu took a train to Loess Bridge.
Exiting the train station and seeing the deserted streets, Li Banfeng sighed, "Business isn’t good here."
Ma Wu knew that business at Loess Bridge was challenging, but he really wanted to give it a try. If New Land could become Qi Qiu City, perhaps Loess Bridge could also be revived.
The Coachman was waiting at the intersection with his rickshaw and greeted Li Banfeng from a distance, "Brother, you’ve arrived! And who is this friend?"
After Ma Wu introduced himself, the Coachman nodded. "So it’s Brother Ma Wu, I’ve heard much about you. Gentlemen, please get on; I’ll give you a tour around."
In the past, members of the Four Great Families had dealings with the Local Deity, but these were limited to core members of the families.
After getting to know Li Qi, Ma Wu had met quite a few Local Deities. It was one thing to call each other brothers on normal days, but today, with the Local Deity offering to personally pull the cart, Ma Wu dared not ride in his rickshaw.
"You’re too kind; we can just walk."
The Coachman was not pleased. "What’s wrong? Do you look down on me? Think I’m too shabby for pulling a rickshaw?"
Ma Wu shook his head quickly. "I’m just worried you’ll overexert yourself."
"I’d be overexerting myself having to walk slowly with you. Come on, get in the rickshaw."
Li Banfeng and Ma Wu got into the western-style cart and followed the Coachman for a tour around the town.
Loess Bridge was rich in coal and yellow clay, with the Meisha River winding through the town. There were over a dozen bridges, big and small, with the largest four—East, South, West, and North—dividing the town into four sections.
Loess Bridge was not deserted everywhere. The areas near Dongqiao, Xiqiao, and Nanqiao were relatively barren, but North Bridge had a fair number of residents, and occasionally one could see people setting up stalls to do business.
Ma Wu asked, "What do these people live on?"
The Coachman replied, "There are a few coal mines nearby where they work. They don’t make much, barely enough to scrape by."
Ma Wu asked again, "Do they control all the coal mines at Loess Bridge?"
The Coachman shook his head. "How much could they possibly have? Not even ten percent! If you two want to get into the coal business, I’ll take you. Vast tracts of mines can be all yours."
The Coachman pulled the two of them towards Xiqiao, leaving the town and reaching the edge of Loess Bridge, where they finally saw the mines.
The place was indeed vast. Upon seeing the mines, Ma Wu’s eyes lit up as if he were looking at Golden Mountain.
The Coachman continued his introduction, "Look at these mine shafts, tracks, mining cars—all ready to use..."
CRASH!
The mining car fell apart.
The Coachman said, slightly embarrassed, "These are small issues. A little fix, and they’ll still be usable."
Li Banfeng did not understand coal mining, but Ma Wu knew the trade.
"Old Qi, this brother didn’t fool us; this is a good mine. Though most of the equipment here is broken, if we call over our Craftsman Cultivation to tidy it up, we can open for business in no more than half a month."
Li Banfeng asked, "Why start with the coal mine?"
Ma Wu said, "For one, coal mining is profitable. Second, coal mines employ many people. A mine of this size can accommodate 3,000 to 5,000 workers. Once the workers arrive, food, clothing, shelter, and transportation must all follow suit. As the town’s commerce gradually thrives, Loess Bridge will see a surge of vitality."
Ma Wu was full of confidence, but Li Banfeng was somewhat worried. "If the coal mining business is so simple, why hasn’t anyone else taken it up?"
Ma Wu shook his head and laughed. "This business isn’t for just anyone. Ordinary folk might empty their purses and only manage to start a small coal pit. Operating a mine requires huge initial investments. We have the capital, so we dare to make such plans."
Li Banfeng remembered Qiu Zhiheng once saying that doing business in Loess Bridge was very troublesome.
Ma Wu also knew the inside story. "Loess Bridge has too few people, so relying on local recruitment won’t work. Recruiting from outside the area means covering food, lodging, and travel expenses, which raises operational costs compared to other places. In addition, I’ve heard that the local merchants in Loess Bridge are not to be trifled with and always try to trip up outsiders."
As they spoke, Ma Wu looked at the Coachman.
The Coachman waved his hand. "There’s nothing tough about them. Isn’t it just those few small coal pits on North Bridge? Leave it to me. If anyone dares to start trouble, I’ll send them on their way. Brothers, go ahead with your work!"
Ma Wu was keen to get started, but Li Banfeng first settled terms with the Coachman. "Regarding the territory of Loess Bridge, except for what’s currently claimed, the rest must be left for us to operate."
The Coachman slapped his chest. "Even the places that are claimed will be yours! I will drive them all out!"
Li Banfeng waved his hand. "We’re not interested in territory that is already claimed; we are doing legitimate business here."
They agreed upon the terms and drew up a Contract Book. With the Local Deity watching over them, Ma Wu was confident. He immediately took a Little Train to Black Stone Slope to recruit workers.
Mining was tough work, and it was even harder to find people willing to go to a place like Loess Bridge. Ma Wu doubled the wages, but in three days, he only managed to recruit a little over 200 people.
A little over 200 people would do for a start; the main thing was to get the coal mine operating. Ma Wu was optimistic. "Old Qi, coal mining is a good business. Once it’s up and running, we can have our men watch over it. I still need to return to Qi Qiu City; that’s our most critical location."
With the miners in place and digging for coal underground, Ma Wu brought over the Craftsman Cultivation, purchased equipment and materials from outside, and repaired the railway line from the mine to the station.
This wasn’t a railway operated by the Outside Provinces, but a Little Train railway for transporting coal. The craftsmanship wasn’t as complex; some sections were decayed, but once repaired, they were ready to use.
Once the railway was fixed, the first batch of coal was dug out. Ma Wu had already arranged for buyers in Greenwater City, and thus the first deal was struck.
The costs were slightly higher, but because Li Qi and Liao Zihui had an agreement, they saved on shipping costs, and the business still turned a profit.
Watching the first coal car leave the mine, Ma Wu was in high spirits.
After leaving the mine and traveling less than a mile, there was a problem with the railway, and the mine car overturned.
Issues were to be expected with such a long-neglected railway; fortunately, there were no casualties.
Ma Wu had people investigate the cause and repair it overnight.
That evening, the railway was fixed, but all 16 coal cars had been stolen.
The situation was absurd, so absurd that Ma Wu couldn’t believe it. "Sixteen coal cars! How could they possibly be stolen? Even if you just stood by and watched them try to carry it away, they couldn’t have managed it!"
The train driver said, "I don’t know what they used, but in the blink of an eye, the coal vanished, and then in another blink, the people were gone too."
Ma Wu frowned. "Could it be those people from North Bridge causing trouble?"
Li Banfeng wasn’t concerned about the 16 coal cars; what concerned him were the methods of the opposition.
To transfer all 16 cars worth of coal, the opposition certainly had a High-Level Magical Treasure at their disposal.
Anyone with such a High-Level Magical Treasure was definitely no ordinary individual. It seemed they had underestimated these coal magnates.
The Coachman, still nearby, consoled, "Brother Ma Wu, this is my fault. I should have followed the train the whole way. It was an oversight on my part."
Ma Wu didn’t complain; a bit of adversity in a new business was normal. He first went to the station. Supplies had to be sent out that night, and he needed to explain the situation there. Greenwater City was also waiting for the shipment and needed an explanation.
After dealing with these matters, Ma Wu returned to the mine to continue digging coal, while Li Banfeng intensified security to prevent any further attempts on the mine.
True enough, that night, something did happen at the mine—not in the tunnels, but in the residential area.
The workers’ barracks caught fire, meaning the workers had nowhere to sleep.
Ma Wu rushed with some men to fight the fire. When he returned, he saw that the mine cars had been smashed, the locomotive’s steam dome had been chiseled open, and the connecting rod had been broken.
Xiao Chuanzi cursed, "Those bastards! They always aim for the vital spots!"
The steam dome and connecting rod were special parts, difficult to replace or repair.
Even worse, the adversary had struck right under Li Banfeng’s nose. Li Banfeng, with his Eighth Layer cultivation level, had not detected their presence.
Chuanzi was busy contacting people to repair the train when the foreman came running in a panic, saying to Ma Wu, "The ledger is gone!"
The foreman’s ledger recorded every worker’s output. Without it, there was no way to calculate wages.
These were workers hired from Black Stone Slope. They wouldn’t stand for such injustice and crowded around Ma Wu, demanding an explanation.
One worker, somewhat agitated, pushed Ma Wu.
Ma Wu took no offense, but he was angry. "This is damn bizarre! Could there be a Grieving Cultivator in this place? I reckon they aren’t low-level either!"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "This isn’t the work of a Grieving Cultivator."
Having fought with Grieving Cultivators in Medicine King Valley, he was very familiar with their methods.
Ma Wu asked, "Then which Taoist Sect is responsible for this?"
"I can’t tell which Taoist Sect it could be, but I do feel there’s a ruthless person causing trouble."
Li Banfeng couldn’t make heads or tails of it for the moment.
As he pondered, the Tang Sword at Li Banfeng’s waist trembled continuously.
PS: The Tang Sword seems to have recalled something.