Chapter 105: Auspicious Class Lecture

Chapter 106: Saying the Truth

The portable Curie, a phonograph, was happily ‘sucking souls’ and emitting steam.

On the second floor of the wooden house, Li Banfeng, mop in hand, was painstakingly wiping blood.

This blood was truly difficult to clean. Of the four people, only the leader was sensible enough not to leave any bloodstains. It was no wonder someone like him became a leader; he had foresight.

After the blood was completely cleaned, Li Banfeng still had to deal with the pair of leather shoes.

The leather shoes were firmly stuck to the floor, impossible to pry off even with a knife. Left with no choice, Li Banfeng had to cut off the uppers, leaving only the soles, and then find some miscellaneous items to cover them.

According to Ma Wu, the adhesive clay would dry after a full day and night. He would deal with it once it was dry.

Just as he finished tidying up, he heard someone knocking at the door. Li Banfeng went downstairs and found it was Landlord Wei.

“What are you doing here? The rent isn’t due yet.”

Landlord Wei replied, “Didn’t I tell you two that you don’t need to pay me rent while staying here? I heard gunshots just now and came to check if you were alright.”

Li Banfeng looked surprised. “You heard gunshots too? I was asleep just now and was woken up by them. I thought I was dreaming. Whose house was that coming from?”

“I thought it was from your house! Well, I’m relieved you’re alright. Where’s Young Master Ma?”

“He went to the Jiqing Troupe, to enjoy himself.”

“That’s good. See you.”

Landlord Wei left.

Li Banfeng stood at the doorway, watching Landlord Wei’s retreating figure for a moment.

The gunshots had occurred half an hour ago.

He came at this time.

About ten minutes later, Ma Wu returned. “Brother Li, how did it go?”

Li Banfeng replied calmly, “The matter has been resolved.”

“What about those people?”

“They’ve gone somewhere else. They shouldn’t be back anytime soon.” Li Banfeng’s reply was rather cryptic.

“Brother Li, did you ask who sent them?”

“I asked. The leader said it was Young Miss Ma from the Ma family who sent them.”

“Big sister,” Ma Wu pursed his lips. “I really didn’t expect it to be her.”

Li Banfeng said, “Don’t misunderstand. What I just said was that the leader claimed Young Miss Ma herself dispatched them. Who actually sent them is still unknown.”

Ma Wu was taken aback. “Brother Li, are you saying he lied?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t know how your prominent families handle these kinds of matters, but I doubt people of their status could even meet your elder sister.”

Li Banfeng didn’t believe the man in grey. Everything the man said was likely just to buy time. As for the supposed feud between Young Miss Ma and Ma Wu, it was probably made up on the spot.

Upon Li Banfeng’s reminder, Ma Wu considered another angle.

He was a broad-minded person, never putting on airs as a wealthy young master, and often interacted with people from the underworld.

But his elder sister wasn’t like that. She was a proper young lady from a distinguished family. How could she possibly meet with such underworld types in person?

Ma Wu couldn’t figure out the full story. Li Banfeng reminded him:

“Think carefully, who have you made enemies with?”

“Enemies?” Ma Wu thought carefully. “Excluding minor squabbles, I don’t seem to have any deep animosity with my siblings.”

Li Banfeng frowned. “Don’t keep thinking about your siblings. They might not want to kill you. You can’t inherit the family business anyway, so killing you wouldn’t be useful.”

Ma Wu rubbed his forehead, his thoughts becoming clearer.

Li Banfeng was right. He had been suspecting his family, but there was no real need for his family to force him to his death.

Given Ma Wu’s current situation, pressing him further would be of no use to his siblings.

“But if you mean having enemies outside the family, I don’t seem to have any either…”

Li Banfeng gave a wry smile. “Then this matter becomes difficult. I think we can ask Landlord Wei. He heard the commotion, and half an hour later, he came to find me.

He lives less than two minutes from here. If we shout twice outside, he can hear it inside his house.

If he truly cared about us, he should have come earlier. If he was afraid of trouble, he shouldn’t have come at all. Yet he dared to show up half an hour later. He seemed more like he was testing the waters.”

Ma Wu’s eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly. “Brother Li makes a good point. I’ll go and question him thoroughly now.”

Li Banfeng shook his head. “Brother Ma, if you just go to him like that, I’m afraid you won’t get any answers.

Landlord Wei is a clever man. He’s certainly prepared himself by now. Although he didn’t seem particularly strong during the chaotic fight that day, the fact that he survived the wild field confrontation suggests he probably has other methods. You might even fall victim to his schemes.”

Ma Wu knew Li Banfeng was right, but he couldn’t think of a counter-measure at the moment.

Li Banfeng offered a hint: “Setting bait and hunting are what you do best. As for what kind of bait to use, that depends on what Landlord Wei wants.”

Ma Wu thought for a moment and then had an idea.

Late at night, Landlord Wei sat silently in his reclining chair, clutching a revolver.

Stumbling footsteps were heard outside, followed by an urgent knocking at the door.

Landlord Wei placed his hand on the trigger. “Who is it?”

Ma Wu’s voice came through: “It’s me, help me…”

His voice was very weak. Landlord Wei, holding his pistol, opened the door a crack and saw the battered and bruised Ma Wu standing at the entrance, on the verge of collapsing.

Landlord Wei immediately supported Ma Wu, casually put away his pistol, and helped Ma Wu into the bedroom. “Young Master Wu, what happened?”

Ma Wu sighed. “I was targeted again. I just earned a little money these past two days, and now it’s all been stolen.”

Landlord Wei clicked his tongue. “Who did this? Are they not letting you live? Where’s the boss you’re staying with? I’ll go call him over.”

Ma Wu shook his head. “Don’t go looking for him yet. There’s something suspicious about this.”

“Suspicious how?” Landlord Wei’s cheek twitched, and his hand unconsciously went back to his pistol.

Ma Wu gasped a couple of times. “I’ve always wondered about this: why does someone always come to rob me as soon as I make money?”

Landlord Wei’s eyes widened. “Young Master Wu, are you saying the person you’re staying with betrayed you?”

“I didn’t suspect him at first. Tonight, we went to the Jiqing Troupe together to enjoy ourselves. He said he felt unwell and left early.

He was perfectly fine when we left, but then suddenly felt unwell at the Jiqing Troupe. Don’t you think there’s something fishy about this?”

Landlord Wei sighed. “Young Master Wu, I think you should be more careful about this. This friend of yours helped you when you were in trouble. We can’t act without conscience.”

Ma Wu nodded. “I won’t forget the kindness I owe, but if he’s here to scheme against me, I’ll never forgive him. Boss Wei, do you have a weapon I can borrow? I want to go back and get to the bottom of this with him.”

Landlord Wei stopped Ma Wu. “You’re not going to question him; you’re clearly going to fight to the death. If he had no ill intentions, you’d be wrongly accusing a good person. If he does have malicious intent, do you think you’d come back alive if you went there?

How about this, Young Master Wu? Don’t be impulsive. I’ll go with you. If there’s reason, we’ll talk reason; if there’s a problem, we’ll discuss it. You saved my life, so when it comes to a desperate fight, I won’t hesitate.”

Ma Wu led Landlord Wei out the door and marched aggressively to the wooden house he shared with Li Banfeng. Once in the living room, Ma Wu called out, “Boss Wei is here. Let’s get things straightened out.”

Li Banfeng came down the stairs and nodded. “Yes, let’s get things straightened out.”

Landlord Wei’s face turned pale as he realized something was wrong.

His feet were stuck and he couldn’t move.

But Ma Wu moved freely.

There was adhesive clay on the floor, and Ma Wu was wearing iron shoe covers.

Landlord Wei looked from Li Banfeng to Ma Wu, a surge of panic in his heart.

“You two, what are you doing?”

Li Banfeng smiled faintly. “Nothing much. We’d like to invite Boss Wei for a cup of tea, and there are a few matters we’d like Boss Wei’s insights on.”

“Let’s talk this out. Why are you ambushing me?” Landlord Wei’s hand went to the pistol at his waist.

Li Banfeng was quicker, pointing his gun at Boss Wei. “In Puro Province, bullets sometimes work and sometimes don’t. Do you want to bet on a shot?”

Landlord Wei didn’t dare to move again.

Because Li Banfeng was a Tier Two House Cultivator, he had always been overlooked. Only today did he truly notice Li Banfeng’s appearance.

Li Banfeng usually wore a fedora, always pulling the brim low.

Today he wasn’t wearing a hat.

His features seemed familiar, as if he’d seen them somewhere before.

Perhaps in a photograph.

As he was pondering, Ma Wu spoke. “Boss Wei, from my very first day in Lanyang Village, I rented a room from you, right?”

Landlord Wei nodded. “That’s right. You asked for a room, and I charged you 800 yuan a month. The house had two rooms, so that price wasn’t expensive.

Later, you couldn’t pay the rent, so I evicted you. Young Master Ma, we need to be clear about this: you can’t blame me for being ungenerous. Renting out rooms for business is how I make a living. You can’t fault me.”

Ma Wu shook his head. “I’m not blaming you. There’s just something I don’t understand. On my first day renting your house, I paid you a month’s rent. Two days later, I was robbed. After I was robbed, you even came to visit me and gave me some trauma medicine, didn’t you?”

Landlord Wei nodded. “Yes, that’s right! You’re my tenant, and I’m your landlord; there’s a friendship between us!”

Ma Wu nodded. “A month later, I paid the rent, and within three days, I was robbed again. That happened, didn’t it?”

Landlord Wei frowned. “I didn’t rob you, so how can you blame me? Besides, in the days before you were robbed, did you only meet me and no one else?”

Landlord Wei had a point. Ma Wu had met many people before he was robbed. If Li Banfeng hadn’t reminded him, he never would have suspected Landlord Wei.

But now that he had reason to suspect, some coincidences started to connect.

“After the second month, I couldn’t pay the rent, so you evicted me. I went to pick up scraps under the overpass and earned a hundred-odd yuan, just enough to get by.

That day, I ran into you at the noodle shop and chatted briefly. You mocked me because I had no place to stay. I even said then that I’d rent your house again next month. But just a few days later, I was robbed again, and even my meal money was gone. What do you say about that?”

Landlord Wei shook his head and sighed. “Young Master Wu, that’s just a coincidence. Perhaps our fates clash, and you’re unlucky whenever you meet me. But that’s not my fault, is it?

Every time you sold goods at the Song family’s place and met with their members, you earned a lot of money. You were robbed after earning money. Why don’t you suspect the Song family?”

This question truly stumped Ma Wu.

Li Banfeng interjected, “You also know he sells goods to the Song family?”

Landlord Wei replied, “That’s the rule in Lanyang Village. Anyone who hunts in the New Territory has to sell their goods to the Song family.”

Li Banfeng asked again, “You also know he hunts in the New Territory?”

Landlord Wei responded, “In Lanyang Village, the New Territory is the only place to make a living. What else would people rely on for money?”

Landlord Wei smoothly explained it away.

But Landlord Wei’s heart was already in his throat.

Hearing this, Li Banfeng said to Ma Wu, “What he said makes a lot of sense.”

Ma Wu replied, “It does make a lot of sense. How should we deal with him?”

Li Banfeng chuckled. “Since what he said makes so much sense, why don’t we just kill him?”

Ma Wu was stunned. Landlord Wei’s eyes widened. “I’ve explained everything clearly, and you still want to kill me?”

Li Banfeng looked bewildered. “Just because you’ve explained everything, does that mean you don’t have to be killed? What kind of logic is that?”

“This, this is common sense!” Landlord Wei was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

Ma Wu also felt that Li Banfeng was behaving abnormally.

But Li Banfeng believed he was perfectly normal.

“Boss Wei, when Ma Wu first rented your house, his money was stolen, and he couldn’t pay the rent. He explained this clearly to you, didn’t he?”

Landlord Wei nodded. “He explained it clearly.”

Li Banfeng continued, “So, since he explained it clearly, why didn’t you rent him the house anyway?”

Landlord Wei’s eyes widened. “As I just said, I rent out rooms to make money. He had no money, so why would I rent to him?”

“Exactly, that’s the point. I invited you here to question you, and you haven’t said a single useful thing. Why shouldn’t I kill you?” Li Banfeng pulled back the hammer of his revolver.

“Whether what you say makes sense or is clear, if it’s of no value to us, it’s like renting a house and not paying rent. Just talking reason won’t save your life.”

Landlord Wei panicked. He realized Li Banfeng wasn’t crazy.

“Gentlemen, this… this matter, you can’t ask me. You… you need to ask Young Miss Ma from the Ma family.” Landlord Wei changed his story.

“You mean my elder sister?” Ma Wu looked at Li Banfeng. This was exactly what the man in grey had said.

Since the stories matched, what he said must be true, right?

Li Banfeng fired his gun directly.

The gun didn’t fire. Landlord Wei was very lucky.

Landlord Wei peed himself out of fright.

His face deathly pale, he looked at Li Banfeng and stammered, “I’ll talk, I’ll talk! It’s not Young Miss Ma from the Ma family, it’s Fourth Young Master!”

Ma Wu was startled.

“My fourth brother?”

“How could I have overlooked my fourth brother…”

His fourth brother had always been overlooked within the family.

Ma Wu rubbed his forehead. He could see through other matters clearly, but when it came to family affairs, he couldn’t make sense of them.

Li Banfeng fired another shot.

Landlord Wei’s luck was indeed good; this shot also didn’t fire.

He fell to his knees with a thud, his entire knees stuck to the floor.

“Gentlemen, I’ll tell you the truth, I swear I’m telling the truth! It was Yang Yanzheng who told me to get information about you!”

Ma Wu was taken aback. “Who is Yang Yanzheng?”

Li Banfeng smiled.

Ma Wu asked, “You know Yang Yanzheng?”