After Chu Shaoqiang walked away, Sun Tiecheng turned to look at Shi Gongxing and said with a smile, "Remember what you need to, forget what you shouldn’t. You’ll stay here. If anyone wants to go to the Inner State, just let them go—send them to feed the fish in the pool."
Having said that, he gave Shi Gongxing a tap on the forehead. Shi Gongxing shivered, picked up a wrench, climbed under the lathe, and went back to work.
Sun Tiecheng chuckled and slowly walked out of the abandoned factory.
...
Bridge Yesong, Yanyun Tower, Li Banfeng invited Zheng Siyi for a meal.
Zheng Siyi naturally did not dare to neglect the invitation and brought gifts to the banquet. The two dined pleasantly, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
After three rounds of drinks, Li Banfeng began discussing business: "The reason I invited Brother Zheng here is for a favor. There’s a pavilion on Shuiyun Road with a special place I’d like to explore."
After Liao Zihui left, Zheng Siyi had sealed off the area around the pavilion, assigning guards to watch over it.
Those guards naturally couldn’t stop Li Banfeng, but Li Banfeng couldn’t find the entrance to that special place.
Zheng Siyi said, "According to Chief Envoy Liao’s judgment, that Hidden Form Space is the residence of the Local Deity of Bridge Yesong."
"Hidden Form Space?"
Zheng Siyi explained, "The Hidden Form Space is a special space beneath the normal dimension; finding its entrance with conventional methods is difficult, hence the name."
Li Banfeng asked, "Are there spaces not within the normal dimension?"
"Yes," Zheng Siyi nodded, "I’m straightforward, I’ll say what I know. There is a type of space not in the dimension we are familiar with, a dimension that cannot be observed with regular means. We call it the Dark Dimension Space. I can’t say much about it because I don’t know much,
Seventh Master wants to visit the Local Deity’s residence, I can have the guards withdrawn anytime to make it convenient, but there are two things I must tell you first. One, there is nothing much left in the Hidden Form Space. Chief Envoy Liao and Commander Xia have both been there, and most useful items have been taken,
Secondly, I cannot open the Hidden Form Space. Only the main hall has such special personnel, and there is someone by Chief Envoy Liao named Fu Qingguang who is quite special; he can open the Hidden Form Space using a technique,
I have little contact with Fu Qingguang. If Seventh Master could find him, it would be easier. If not, perhaps someone from the same Taoist Sect could also get it done."
"Which Taoist Sect?"
"I actually did some inquiries. The Outside Provinces call them Sensory Harnessers, and in Puluo State they’re known as Electric Cultivators. This sect is very rare; within the sect, they stay in touch and look after each other, but outside the sect, few know of them."
Sensory Harnessers? Electric Cultivators?
Could Luo Zhengnan be from this Taoist Sect?
While Li Banfeng was pondering, Zheng Siyi took out a box from his coat and opened it: "Seventh Master, please have a look at the quality of this item."
Li Banfeng took the box and saw it contained a Xuanyun Pill.
He recognized it, but in front of Zheng Siyi, Li Banfeng didn’t rashly speak: "Brother Zheng, this should be a very precious elixir, right?"
Zheng Siyi lowered his voice, "This elixir is extremely valuable, but we have no use for it. It has to be handed to a Cultivator Above the Clouds to be useful. Three were found at the Local Deity’s residence, Chief Envoy Liao submitted two, and gave one to me,
I figured it would be of no use to me, so why not gift it to Seventh Master as a goodwill gesture?"
Li Banfeng waved his hand repeatedly, "Such a valuable thing, I can’t accept it."
Zheng Siyi smiled, "I heard from Chief Envoy Liao that Seventh Master is acquainted with the Local Deity of Qi Qiu City, and knows quite a few Cultivators Above the Clouds. In your hands, this elixir would truly be valuable!"
Li Banfeng shook his head, "I can’t accept such a reward without merit."
Zheng Siyi said, "To be honest, I too have a favor to ask. I’ve been working in Puluo State since graduating from university and have made my home here for over twenty years. I’m used to it, and returning to the Outside Provinces, I can hardly sleep soundly,
Both Chief Envoy Liao and I wish to retire and settle in Puluo State. In the future, I’ll need Seventh Master to look after things when matters arise in Puluo State."
Even though Li Banfeng declined repeatedly, Zheng Siyi insisted, and the Xuanyun Pill was ultimately given to Li Banfeng.
Returning to his residence, He Yuxiu was looking for Li Banfeng to discuss something: "Old Qi, I really don’t want to deal with Bridge Yesong’s business anymore. The money isn’t much, and there are just too many issues. I’m planning to hand all the business over to Chunying."
With Lu Chunying beside her, she said nothing, though she wasn’t keen on taking over the business. But Sister Xiu had spoken, and she found it hard to refuse.
Li Banfeng said, "Leave the business to me. I quite like this territory."
"That’s settled then." That very day, He Yuxiu completed the transfer.
Li Banfeng handed the business to Ma Wu. Ma Wu also found it difficult, but with what Old Qi agreed to, he couldn’t say much.
Five days later, Ma Wu and Luo Zhengnan arrived together at Bridge Yesong. Ma Wu took care of business, while Li Qi informed Zheng Siyi and took Luo Zhengnan to find the Local Deity’s residence.
His assumption was correct; Luo Zhengnan indeed was an Electric Cultivator. Near the pavilion, they quickly noticed something unusual.
But Luo Zhengnan didn’t have all the excellent equipment that Fu Qingguang had; his gear was entirely homemade. It wasn’t until four in the morning, after nearly an entire night, that Luo Zhengnan barely managed to open an entrance. He himself couldn’t enter, needing to stand guard outside.
"Seventh Master, you should move quickly. I estimate I can only maintain this for about ten minutes."