"What’s the matter, Old Man?" Li Banfeng said. "Didn’t we agree on five stones? We use three to repair the station, and the remaining two are to get rid of Knife Ghost Ridge."
Portable Residence sobbed again. "Those are my stones."
"The stones were picked up. We picked up five and kept three; we’ve already made a huge profit."
The Old Man, in tears, said, "Those were all originally mine..."
Gloves wriggled out of Li Banfeng’s pocket and sighed. "Boss, you don’t understand the difficulty here. In our line of work, when something we’ve acquired is given away, it feels terribly awful."
"I am not of the same trade as you!" Portable Residence wept uncontrollably, yet didn’t forget to curse at Gloves in the process.
Li Banfeng took out a scroll and placed it on the ground. "These two stones aren’t being given for free; they are to be exchanged for something."
"I won’t exchange them! Why should I exchange them? What could possibly be worth these fine Sky Heart Stones? On what grounds do you..."
The crying stopped abruptly as Portable Residence took the scroll and spoke in a normal tone, "Ah Qi, where did you get this?"
Li Banfeng said, "The person who lost the Sky Heart Stones wants to use this scroll to exchange for two of them and take Knife Ghost Ridge away."
"Only two stones?"
"It’s agreed upon, just two stones."
"Hehehe!" Portable Residence suddenly laughed. "Ah Qi, that’s not a bad deal at all! Not just two stones, even if we gave him all five, we wouldn’t be at a loss!"
Gloves said, "Old Man, you were the one who said that the Sky Heart Stones used to repair the station could not be retrieved. Now you speak of giving all five to him. Something isn’t right about this..."
SMACK!
A broom smacked Gloves to the ground.
Portable Residence said, "Tell that person he can find two Sky Heart Stones tonight at the place where he lost them."
Li Banfeng asked, "Is this scroll truly a map of the Inner State?"
Portable Residence answered, "It’s genuine, absolutely. This item is incredibly rare."
Li Banfeng was reassured. "Old Man, when you go to deliver the stones, be extremely careful not to leave any traces that might lead back to us."
"Ah Qi, don’t you trust my work? Hehehe..."
Hong Ying was outside doing her makeup and couldn’t help complaining, "It’s a good thing I’m brave. This old man cries one moment and laughs the next; doesn’t he give you the creeps? If it were anyone else, they’d surely be scared to death."
The Phonograph stared at Hong Ying for a moment. "How many times have I told you not to apply your lipstick so thickly? It looks inelegant."
"Then what do you call elegant? I didn’t use this kind of stuff back in my day!" Hong Ying washed off the lipstick from the tip of her gun and redrew her lips.
「...」
After receiving the message from Li Qi, Chu Shaoqiang arrived that evening at the place where he had lost the Sky Heart Stones. He set up his Magical Treasure and waited in silence.
He waited until midnight, at which point his Magical Treasure sensed something.
He took out a shovel from the hem of his trench coat and dug it into the soil. The shovel began to dig downward on its own, going more than seventy feet before it emerged from underground.
The two Sky Heart Stones were beneath. Chu Shaoqiang smiled.
With these two stones, and using his Craftsmanship Method, he would be able to move Knife Ghost Ridge to Sage Peak.
It was no coincidence; the principle was simple. Two Sky Heart Stones could form a straight line, which would serve to direct Knife Ghost Ridge.
It was because Chu Shaoqiang hadn’t wanted to expose himself.
With five Sky Heart Stones, two would lock the direction, and three would be used for fine adjustments. Chu Shaoqiang could then let it go, and Knife Ghost Ridge would move automatically to Sage Peak.
In that case, even if the Inner State discovered Knife Ghost Ridge had reached Sage Peak, it couldn’t be connected to Chu Shaoqiang.
But now it was different. Two stones could only lock the direction; the fine adjustments would have to be done by Chu Shaoqiang himself.
Though there were risks, Chu Shaoqiang couldn’t afford to worry too much. He had to hurry and finish the task assigned by the Saint.
He proceeded with extreme caution. If Knife Ghost Ridge were discovered by the Inner State’s spies, Chu Shaoqiang would be in serious trouble.
He believed his Craftsmanship Method wouldn’t fail, but Knife Ghost Ridge was a bit peculiar.
Throughout the journey, faint roars constantly came from Knife Ghost Ridge, eerily similar to the Knife Labor Ghost’s cries. Yet, there was no rain in the mountains, which conflicted with the Knife Labor Ghost’s habits.
Once they reached Cheap Person Ridge, the noise from the mountain gradually subsided, and Chu Shaoqiang felt a bit more secure. After the Sky Heart Stones were set, Knife Ghost Ridge landed next to Sage Peak. Chu Shaoqiang then went to the Saint’s Residence to report in person.
The Saint seemed rather pleased with Chu Shaoqiang. "Although there were some complications along the way, the task was ultimately accomplished. Shaoqiang, I have noted your merit. I will deal with Ge Junma myself. From now on, you need not worry about this matter."
Chu Shaoqiang thanked him and added cautiously on his way out, "The Knife Labor Ghost is unpredictable; the Saint should be extra careful."
The Saint smiled and gave a slight nod.
Chu Shaoqiang continued, "On the way here, the weather changed a bit, and perhaps the Knife Labor Ghost’s habits have as well. The Saint needs to be very wary."
The Saint did not speak, nor did he show any other reaction.
Chu Shaoqiang pressed further, "The Knife Labor Ghost is vicious and ruthless, nearly impossible to tame. The Saint should think carefully before trying to form an army with them."
But the Saint was displeased.
"Aren’t you thinking a bit too much?"
Chu Shaoqiang remained silent, and the Saint, instead, reminded him, "The matter with Ge Junma has nothing to do with you anymore, and the same goes for Knife Ghost Ridge. Make sure you remember that."