Chapter 113: Thievery and Repair

Xing Qiushan, a Little Pincer Hand from the Ghost Hand Sect, stumbled his way to an old residence east of Houtang City God Temple and knocked loudly on the door.

A doorman inside asked, "Who is it?"

"Little Pincer from Yangting Road," Xing Qiushan replied.

A "Pincer Hand" is a leader within the Ghost Hand Sect, and a "Little Pincer Hand" is a minor leader. Yangting Road, where Li Banfeng was robbed, is Xing Qiushan's territory.

Xing Qiushan was the man in the suit from last night. He had led five subordinates to rob Li Banfeng, but unexpectedly encountered a lunatic. Three of his five men died, the remaining two were injured, and he himself was wounded.

Entering the main hall, Xing Qiushan fell to his knees and wailed upon seeing the Sect Master, Xie Juncong.

"Master," he sobbed, "our brothers were merely 'eating' on our territory—we picked a pocket and took a wallet. But that villain used lethal force, resulting in three dead and two injured among our five brothers. Master, please seek justice for us!"

He meant that they were simply "doing business" (stealing) on their own turf, only taking a wallet, but ended up with three dead and two injured, and he was begging the Master to help them get revenge.

Xie Juncong, who was over sixty and whose hearing seemed to be failing, said, "Little Shanzi, what did you just say? I didn't quite catch it. You picked a pocket and took a wallet; logically, a fight shouldn't have broken out, right?"

Indeed, how could stealing lead to a fight?

Xing Qiushan replied, "That person was an 'experienced hand'; he caught us in the act."

Xie Juncong continued, "Since you were caught, why didn't you just drop the wallet and make a run for it?"

Right, wouldn't everything have been fine if you'd just dropped the wallet and run?

"Master," he said, "we tried to run, but he wouldn't let up. He insisted on fighting us to the death, and we couldn't get away."

"All six of you—five brothers plus yourself—couldn't get away?"

Xing Qiushan grunted, "Master, we were truly trapped in the alley at the time; we couldn't escape."

"When you made your move, didn't you check for an escape route? That can't be right, Little Shanzi; you're not a novice anymore."

"We hadn't had anything to eat for several days, so we were a bit desperate…"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Xie Juncong shook his head. "Little Shanzi, I'm old and confused. Tell me the truth: were you 'eating' [stealing], or were you 'blocking the beams' [robbing]?"

"Blocking the beams" refers to robbery.

The Ghost Hand Sect specializes in thievery; stealing is their profession, but robbery is strictly forbidden.

Xing Qiushan certainly couldn't admit he had committed robbery. "Old Master, it was truly just 'eating' [stealing]! How would we dare violate the sect rules? Old Master, do you still not believe me?"

Xie Juncong looked at Xing Qiushan, and Xing Qiushan met his gaze without a hint of evasion.

After a moment of silent appraisal, Xie Juncong sighed. "Little Shanzi, I really am confused, but I certainly believe you. How are those two injured brothers?"

"They can't even get up; their injuries are severe!" Xing Qiushan continued to wail.

"Give them more 'leaves' [money] so they can recover properly. As for the brothers who 'crossed the bridge' [died], have they been sent off yet?"

"No, no, there hasn't been time yet…"

"Send them off quickly, let them rest in peace. Oh, I truly am old and confused; I can't think of everything. You think for me again, see if there's anything I've forgotten, and go handle it right away."

Xie Juncong seemed to say a lot, yet also nothing at all.

Was he truly old and confused?

He was not confused in the slightest.

Having spent a lifetime in the Ghost Hand Sect, rising from a street pickpocket to the Sect Master, he had seen it all. Could Xing Qiushan possibly deceive him?

Xing Qiushan had indeed gone to rob, encountered a tough opponent, suffered heavy losses, and barely escaped with his life.

Logically, Xing Qiushan should have been severely punished according to the sect's rules, but Xie Juncong turned a blind eye and let the matter slide.

As for revenge, it was out of the question. Xie Juncong also wouldn't concern himself with the aftermath, which could be considered a form of punishment for Xing Qiushan.

Xing Qiushan left the Ghost Hand Sect's old lair, feeling disgruntled. Suddenly, an injured subordinate named Deng Jingcai handed him a photograph. "Big Brother," Deng Jingcai said, "this came from Huashezi. This person is Li Banfeng, the one the Lu family is looking for."

Xing Qiushan frowned. "Why are you showing this to me?"

"Big Brother, take a closer look. Doesn't this person look quite similar to that lunatic from last night?"

"Similar?" Xing Qiushan thought the differences were quite significant. "Last night's person had a big beard."

Deng Jingcai pointed at the photo. "Big Brother, a beard can be grown or shaved at will. Look at these facial features, and these eyes and eyebrows—see how much they resemble each other!"

After Deng Jingcai's reminder, Xing Qiushan also began to notice a resemblance.

Deng Jingcai continued, "Big Brother, if we hand this photo to the Old Sect Master, it will definitely be considered a great merit."

"Hand it to the Old Sect Master? Look at your meager ambition," Xing Qiushan asked in a low voice. "How much is the bounty on this person?"

Deng Jingcai thought for a moment and said, "I heard it's two thousand for a live capture, one thousand if he's dead, and even three hundred for just informing the Lu family."

Xing Qiushan frowned. "Only this much money?"

"That's a lot! I'm talking about silver dollars!"

"Silver dollars!" Xing Qiushan smiled. "Brother, we'll not only get our revenge, but we'll also get rich this time!"

Li Banfeng, still wearing heavy makeup, opened his eyes.

He rubbed his stomach, feeling a dull ache.

His wound had scabbed over, and the bloodstains on his clothes and the bedsheets had been thoroughly washed clean.

The phonograph lay quietly by the bed, seemingly asleep.

Li Banfeng pressed open his pocket watch and glanced at it; it was ten o'clock.

Ten o'clock.

This was a bit of a problem.

Li Banfeng didn't know how long he had been asleep.

His gold-plated pocket watch looked quite classy, but its actual craftsmanship was very rough. It didn't even have a calendar, so Li Banfeng didn't know if it was ten in the morning or ten at night.

Normally, he would just step outside and check.

But now, he had to be cautious about going out; he was still in Lushui City.

Li Banfeng carefully pushed open the room door.

If it was dark, he would immediately set off for Lanyang Village and then focus on repairing his "wife" [the phonograph].

If it was light, he would repair his "wife" now and leave Lushui City when it got dark.

Li Banfeng pushed open the door and saw that the sky outside was bright; it was ten in the morning.

He immediately retreated into his portable residence, opened a can of food for a quick bite, then took out a screwdriver and wrench, preparing to dismantle the two phonographs and one projector.

The idea was good, but it wasn't that easy to execute. Li Banfeng had learned some mechanical knowledge in college, but it proved largely useless in front of these three machines.

Puluo Prefecture's inability to widely use electricity led them to push mechanics to their limits. These three machines were so complex that even professional technicians from Yuezhou might not understand them.

Li Banfeng held the wrench, wondering where to begin, when he suddenly heard the phonograph hiss behind him.

"Husband,"

The voice was irresistibly sweet.

So sweet.

Li Banfeng shivered, turning to his "wife." "You're awake?"

"Husband, you're newly recovered from a serious injury; don't get out of bed and walk around. Come rest by your servant's side."

Li Banfeng crawled into the front cabinet of the bellows phonograph, just as he was about to dismantle the pull rod, when a gentle stream of steam stopped him.

"Husband, why would you need to do such heavy work? Please bring that b**** Honglian here."

"What for?"

"Husband, just bring that b**** Honglian here."

The "wife's" voice still occasionally had a slight inflection, but it was truly irresistibly sweet.

Li Banfeng didn't ask any more questions and quickly moved the copper lotus closer.

The copper lotus had a halo around it; she was still refining Madam Suo'e's corpse.

The "wife" said softly, "Sister Honglian, your older sister has something to ask of you."

The copper lotus saw the steam phonograph, and clear dewdrops formed on its tightly closed lotus leaves.

Was this a sign of excitement upon seeing his "wife"?

It seemed their relationship was quite good.

"Oh, sister, look at these machines! They are exquisitely crafted and made from fine materials. Why don't you take them?"

The copper lotus could take machines?

Its petals remained motionless; the copper lotus seemed unwilling.

"Oh, sister, I know you disdain these mundane objects, but you heard last night that these things were obtained by Husband at the risk of his life."

A few more dewdrops appeared on its petals, poised to fall.

It seemed to be speaking to the phonograph.

The phonograph listened for a moment before responding, "That's not how it is. Although Husband says it's for me, aren't I also for our family? If we sisters squabble over this, wouldn't outsiders laugh at us?"

Someone really was laughing.

Li Banfeng vaguely heard a voice.

"Meteors fly like jade bullets, precious swords fall like autumn frost! Fight! This matter must have a winner and loser; no one can yield to anyone!"

It was Tangdao.

Li Banfeng pulled Tangdao out of his pocket and kicked it aside.

The copper lotus still didn't respond, and the "wife" grew a bit annoyed.

"If you won't give me face today, I won't beg you! Husband, go to the outer room and take cover for now. I'll have a good fight with this b****!"

Li Banfeng frowned. "You're so injured, what fight can you have?"

"Not for victory or defeat, but for dignity! Husband, today your servant will fight with her life here; let's see if Honglian dares to fight me in this very room!"

Clang, clang, clang!

Although the gongs and drums clanked awkwardly, their momentum was strong. His "wife" was serious.

Li Banfeng stood between them, unsure how to mediate the situation.

After a long stalemate, the petals hissed, and the red lotus bloomed.

Tangdao instantly rose, transformed into a flash of lightning, darted into the outer room, and closed the door.

A wave of energy rose from the lotus core, sweeping up the two phonographs and one projector, and sucking them all into the lotus core.

Li Banfeng had always thought that the copper lotus couldn't digest inanimate objects.

Now he realized that unwilling and unable were two different things.

In less than a minute, the lotus bloomed again, revealing two lotus seeds in its core.

One was fully ripe, and Li Banfeng peeled it off.

The other was unripe and stuck very tightly; Li Banfeng couldn't peel it off.

"Oh, Husband, that lotus seed isn't ripe yet; you'll have to wait a few more days. First, give this pill to your servant to eat."

Li Banfeng held the lotus seed in his hand, while the copper lotus closed its petals and continued refining the pill.

Before long, the lotus seed in Li Banfeng's hand exploded, producing a light yellow pill with a hint of shiny silver.

What color was this?

It seemed to be a mix of wood and metal colors.

He looked at it under the phonograph's firelight; it seemed there were gears turning inside the pill, and steam swirling around.

A mechanical pill?

Li Banfeng opened the phonograph's rear compartment, just as he was about to insert the pill, when his "wife" cried out, "Oh, Husband, what are you doing putting it there? Just let your servant eat it!"

So, she just had to eat it.

Li Banfeng placed the pill into the phonograph's horn. The phonograph was enveloped in mist and said softly, "Your servant will rest for a moment, and Husband, you should also rest well. When you wake up, we husband and wife will surely be fully recovered."

Steam caressed Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng held the phonograph.

The two sweetly fell asleep.

The copper lotus released two clear dewdrops, which fell onto Li Banfeng and the phonograph respectively.

At the Lu family's grand residence, Lu Dongliang was organizing the cultivation rules for Lu Chunying, who had just begun her travel cultivation.

Head Steward Qiu Zhiheng approached Lu Dongliang and whispered, "Xing Qiushan, a Little Pincer Hand from the Ghost Hand Sect, wishes to see you."

"I won't see him!" Lu Dongliang immediately refused.

He wasn't in the mood to see guests today, much less a minor figure like Xing Qiushan.

Qiu Zhiheng added, "Xing Qiushan said he saw Li Banfeng on Yangting Road."

Lu Dongliang was astonished. "Saw who?"