Lu Dongliang didn’t stop him and saw Ma Chunting out.
After Ma Chunting had left, the guests began to leave, one by one, until nearly everyone was gone.
Eventually, Lu Dongchun dug up the news: "Lu Chunying is holding a banquet at Xiaoyao Lodge the day after tomorrow to welcome the family head back home."
"Welcome who?" Lu Dongliang didn’t understand.
Lu Dongchun knew it was awkward, but he repeated, "The Lu Family’s Head, Lu Dongliang."
"Where did this Lu Dongliang come from?"
Lu Dongchun couldn’t explain. "You’ll have to ask Lu Chunying about that. The ’Lu Dongliang’ they found has been acknowledged by Duan Shaoxia and has moved into the Lu Family Mansion. The invitations just arrived. I guess the people here left after receiving the news."
Lu Dongliang looked at the invitation and cursed through clenched teeth, "This person deserves to die!"
"Big Brother, are you talking about Lu Chunying or Duan Shaoxia?"
"They both deserve to die, but killing them is pointless," Lu Dongliang pocketed the invitation. "The banquet at Xiaoyao Lodge was Li Qi’s idea."
Lu Dongchun said, "Since they dare to send us an invitation, let’s attend the banquet. At Xiaoyao Lodge, we can confront them face-to-face and expose their lies. Duan Shaoxia allowed a man of unknown origin to enter the Lu Family Mansion, so her innocence is no longer intact. She must be eliminated. Lu Chunying recognizes a thief as her father; she cannot be spared either. Li Qi stirs up trouble from the shadows. He will become an enemy of our Lu Family, and every member of the Lu Family must seek to execute him!"
It was rare for Lu Dongchun to speak so much, but to Lu Dongliang, the first suggestion was unfeasible.
"At Xiaoyao Lodge, confronting a fake Lu Dongliang in front of Li Qi, what do you take me for? The moment I do that, I’ve lost."
"Then what do you plan to do, Big Brother?"
"First, I must find a way to eliminate Li Qi."
"He has a way of appearing and disappearing unpredictably, and it’s not easy to catch him. Plus, he’s a Traveling Cultivator, very skilled in escaping."
Lu Dongliang’s eyes gleamed coldly. "I have a way to make sure he can’t escape."
...
Two days later, at Xiaoyao Lodge, guests arrived one after another, filling up the hall.
Lu Chunying was greeting guests at the entrance, while Duan Shaoxia, arm in arm with "Lu Dongliang," went from table to table toasting guests.
Every time Duan Shaoxia greeted the guests, "Lu Dongliang" would say only one sentence: "Everyone willing to come today is my Lu Family’s kin!"
This was a new tactic he learned. For a Sweet Melon Person, the responses he could make were limited. If he spoke too much, he’d risk giving himself away.
He Yuxiu and Chu Huaiyuan raised their glasses one after another, boosting the atmosphere of the event.
But atmosphere alone wasn’t enough. This "Lu Dongliang" seemed a bit wooden, and the suspicions of those present were inevitably aroused.
It was said that the fake "Lu Dongliangs" had been deceiving people all over Puluo State. Why should they believe that this one was the real deal?
The guests couldn’t stop whispering to each other. Duan Shaoxia, looking anxious, asked in a low voice, "Where has Li Qi gone?"
...
In the basement of Xiaoyao Lodge, Luo Zhengnan poured coal powder, finer than flour, into the furnace through a coal chute.
The fierce flames heated the boiler tubes, causing the water inside to boil vigorously.
As the steam pressure reached the required level, the main steam valve opened, and the steam turbine began to rotate.
All of the Sound Cultivation Treasures operated at full capacity to block out noise.
Luo Zhengnan drew two wires from the end of the generator—one connected to Li Banfeng’s head, and the other to his own.
"Seventh Master, I’d still like to remind you that your method is too risky. If there’s something you want to say, just tell me. I can convey everything I hear to them. I can even relay the music from your Music Box. There’s no need for you to suffer along with me."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "This matter can’t be conveyed. I must tell them myself, and they cannot know it’s me speaking. I need them to feel as though they’ve realized it themselves."
Luo Zhengnan understood Li Banfeng’s strategy. He intended to make the people in the ballroom hear a particular voice, as if it came from within, not imposed by another.
Luo Zhengnan was capable of this, just as he could make people hear the music of a Music Box in their minds. But with so many people in the ballroom, the toll on Luo Zhengnan would be immense.
"Seventh Master, if we run the current as per your method, I’ll pass out the moment it starts. Please be very careful, and do not exceed one minute, or we’ll both be doomed!"
Since Luo Zhengnan trusted his life to Li Banfeng, Li Banfeng naturally wouldn’t take it lightly.
Once the electricity was turned on, Luo Zhengnan’s eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
Li Banfeng’s eyebrows twitched, revealing a trace of a smile.
He first put on his top hat to prevent the wires from falling off, then started repeating a phrase in his mind:
"Lu Dongliang is here! His stature is physical evidence, his appearance is physical evidence, the yellow woolen overcoat is physical evidence!
The Lu Family members are here! His wife is a witness, his daughter is a witness, all of the Lu Family are witnesses!
Witnesses and physical evidence—Ironclad Evidence as Firm as a Mountain! This is Lu Dongliang!"
After repeating it three times, in just over thirty seconds, Li Banfeng quickly turned off the power, removed the wires, and woke up Old Luo. Old Luo gasped for breath and stared at Li Banfeng for a long while before finally recognizing him.
"Fortress Lord, I wish to follow you. If you are willing to agree, I will be Iron Gate Fort’s man from now on!"
Li Banfeng paused for a moment, then helped Luo Zhengnan to sit down. "Old Luo, rest for a while. You’ll feel better after you catch your breath."
He pulled the lever, bringing the steam turbine to a halt.
WHOOSH.
The boiler’s steam release valve expelled a large cloud of mist, sucked up by the exhaust fan and fed into the ventilation shaft, eventually pouring into the sewer.
The mist rose continually inside the sewer until it spewed out from the ground. From the outside, Xiaoyao Lodge appeared like a realm Above the Clouds, frightening the cleaner at the entrance into running up to the second floor.