Chapter 118: Just Want You

Li Banfeng followed Ma Wu across the newly built road and arrived at a stretch of ruins. This area had only recently been demolished; debris and broken tiles were still unswept. An iron fence had been erected around it, guarded by security personnel, prohibiting unauthorized access.

"This is a rule of the Song family, called 'sealing the ground.' Before a duel, the ground is sealed off. The Song family chooses the site one day in advance, and no one is allowed to enter to prevent cheating or fraud."

Li Banfeng was taken aback; this was quite formal.

Through the fence, Li Banfeng saw Song Jiasen, the head of the Song family. Song Jiasen wore a blue cloth short jacket with a diagonally fastened front. Behind him were his two sons, Song Zhigang and Song Zhiyi, and behind them, twenty to thirty guards stood.

The crowd of onlookers grew steadily. At ten o'clock, Song Jiasen ordered, "Beat the drums!"

*Boom boom boom*

The drumbeats reverberated, and the two main combatants for the duel entered the arena. The "main combatants" were the hired fighters brought by the two families for the challenge. In a "Blue Sky Arena" daytime gambling duel, the parties involved could choose not to fight themselves but to select someone to duel on their behalf.

The duelists were the owners of two inns who had a business dispute. One inn chose a tall, dark-skinned man, who appeared to be 1.9 meters tall, robust with firm muscles, clearly a martial artist. The other inn chose a middle-aged man who was slender and clearly at a physical disadvantage, but likely had a high cultivation level.

Before the fight began, both sides stated their names and then explained the reason for the duel.

The middle-aged man spoke first: "Today I've come to this wilderness arena to seek justice for Liuyuan Inn. As everyone knows, inns are places for lodging. Our Lanyang Village doesn't get many visitors, so inn business is already tough. Cleaning rooms thoroughly and preparing abundant food and drinks—these are the fundamentals of our trade. But Huaxuan Inn, across the way, brings out several young women, dressed in scandalous attire, to solicit customers provocatively in front of their inn. Is this proper business for an inn? This tarnishes the reputation of Lanyang Village. I'm here today not for the money, but to uphold the good name of Lanyang Village and to secure justice for Liuyuan Inn!"

The man had good rhetoric, drawing cheers from many. The tall, dark-skinned man was not eloquent. He snorted coldly, "Why say so much? Just fight!"

The crowd craned their necks, waiting for the show to begin. After three drum rolls, the two officially started fighting. After watching for five or six minutes, the two still hadn't finished, and more than half of the onlookers had dispersed. It was boring. Neither of these men possessed cultivation. Two inns fighting over business was inherently uninteresting. The two main combatants were exchanging punches and kicks, fighting no differently than a street brawl. Such scenes were all too common in Lanyang Village.

The tall, dark-skinned man, with his good physique, held a significant advantage. The middle-aged man's experience was decent, allowing him to barely contend with the tall, dark-skinned man. Li Banfeng looked at the middle-aged man and asked Ma Wu, "Why did they choose someone like this to duel? He can talk, but he can't fight; he won't gain any advantage."

"Who knows..." Ma Wu wasn't even watching the duel. He was looking around at the onlookers, searching for potential helpers for his next trip to the New Land.

After another two minutes, an accident occurred. The tall, dark-skinned man landed a punch on the middle-aged man, who stumbled, nearly fell, and reeled behind a half-collapsed brick wall. The tall, dark-skinned man pressed his advantage, stepping on a loose brick. The brick suddenly gave way, and the brick wall collapsed with it, the falling bricks landing right on the tall, dark-skinned man. The tall, dark-skinned man was severely injured but managed to stand. The middle-aged man then leaped up, kicked the tall, dark-skinned man to the ground, and delivered two more kicks, prompting the tall, dark-skinned man to immediately beg for mercy.

The fight was over. Song Jiasen stood up and declared, "Duel concluded! Beat the drums! Liuyuan Inn wins!"

A dull duel thus ended. The winning party was jubilant, the losing party dejected, and all the onlookers dispersed. Li Banfeng was not in a hurry to leave. He stared at the ground for a long time. Stepping on one brick caused the entire brick wall to collapse. Something was wrong with that.

***

Qiu Zhiheng stood silently, lost in thought, in front of the main mansion gate. Zuo Wugang, the chief guard, looked uneasy, watching Qiu Zhiheng, wanting to speak but unsure how to begin.

A man in a blue long gown rushed up, shouting, "News! There's news!"

Zuo Wugang's face lit up with joy, "There's news?"

"Yes!" the man nodded repeatedly. "Someone said they saw Li Banfeng at the Bailongmen last night, carrying a gramophone. He looks exactly like the photo; this information definitely can't be wrong..."

So it was news about Li Banfeng. Qiu Zhiheng didn't want to speak.

Zuo Wugang stepped forward, kicked the man to the ground, and began to kick and beat him. "Li Banfeng, Li Banfeng again! What's the damn use of finding Li Banfeng? Didn't I tell you to find the Master? I told you to find the Master, not Li Banfeng!" Zuo Wugang unleashed all his fury on the man in the long gown.

The man in the long gown hadn't reacted yet. "I... um, yesterday, you... um, didn't you tell us to find Li Banfeng..."

"I'm telling you to find the Master now, do you understand? If you understand, hurry up and go!"

Zuo Wugang delivered two more kicks, and the man in the long gown quickly left. "He's gone to find the Master, he's gone," Zuo Wugang said, looking awkwardly at "Monkey Qiu" (Qiu Zhiheng).

Since the incident at the Lu family mansion, Zuo Wugang, as a firsthand witness and the chief guard, found himself in the most awkward position among everyone in the Lu family. He had experienced everything, yet seen nothing, and played no effective role. Lu Dongliang had been missing for a night, and his fate was now unknown. The Lu family, the foremost influential family in Puro Prefecture, seemed to have reached a critical juncture of survival or ruin overnight.

According to Lu Dongjun, Lu Dongliang was injured by He Yuxiu. As far as Qiu Zhiheng knew, Lu Dongliang's cultivation was superior to He Yuxiu's, and the battlefield was the Lu family mansion. There was no reason for Lu Dongliang to have lost to He Yuxiu. Even if Lu Dongliang had been careless and accidentally lost to He Yuxiu, he would certainly have found a way to escape unharmed, or at least find a place to hide temporarily, not vanish without a trace as he had now.

Had something truly happened to the Master? Qiu Zhiheng had sent people to investigate the He family, but they had not yet received a reply. To be honest, what "Monkey Qiu" cared about most now was not the He family, but Lu Dongjun. Why was Lu Dongjun at the mansion last night? Who told him to come?

Qiu Zhiheng had asked Zuo Wugang, who shook his head and sighed, "Chief Qiu, this is the Master's family matter; how dare I inquire?" Qiu Zhiheng didn't blame Zuo Wugang. He felt he had been careless. Although he felt self-reproach, he remained composed and could clearly assess the current situation.

Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying were missing, which wasn't a major concern. Zhuo Yuling and Lu Xiaolan were also missing; this was somewhat important, but not urgent. The most critical issue concerned Lu Dongjun. If he found Lu Dongliang first, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Lu Dongjun had searched all over Lushui City with his men but found no trace of Lu Dongliang. However, some of his intentions had already been discovered by those around him. Wan Jinxian, Lu Dongjun's advisor, reminded him, "Second Master, you can instruct us to handle the matter of finding the Eldest Master. What's most crucial now is to prevent the He family from attacking. A family cannot be without a master for a day; someone must take charge of the family now."

This suggestion perfectly aligned with Lu Dongjun's thoughts. Take charge of the family, and first seize the position of family head! Lu Dongjun ordered, "Go and inform all the elders and peers to gather at the Lu family mansion for a discussion."

Wan Jinxian reminded him again, "Is going to the Lu family mansion appropriate?"

"Why wouldn't it be appropriate?" Important members of the Lu family always held discussions at the main mansion; the rules hadn't changed for years. Lu Dongjun didn't understand Wan Jinxian's meaning. Wan Jinxian made his point more direct: "The First Madam is still at the mansion, and don't forget 'Monkey Qiu'."

Lu Dongjun suddenly realized. The Lu family mansion was Lu Dongliang's home. Discussing matters in Lu Dongliang's home, Lu Dongjun might not hold as much sway as his sister-in-law, or even the chief steward. "Tell them to come to my residence for the discussion. Inform them the situation is urgent, and anyone in Lushui City must arrive before noon."

Lu Dongjun returned to his residence, preparing for the midday discussion. He had waited a long time for this day. Although he hadn't found Lu Dongliang, he felt uneasy. However, as long as the family members followed his instructions, didn't search everywhere for Lu Dongliang, and focused on dealing with the He family, Lu Dongjun's first step would be successful. The second step, naturally, was for him to personally find Lu Dongliang, eliminate him, and then frame the He family. The third step was for the Lu family, united in their hatred, to defeat the He family, with Lu Dongjun receiving great credit and ascending to the position of family head. Lu Dongjun had planned these three steps countless times and was confident.

But by noon, the first step encountered a problem. None of the Lu family's elders or peers showed up. No one gave Lu Dongjun face; no one came to his residence for the discussion. Instead, two elders went to the Lu family mansion to visit Lu Dongliang's sons.

Lu Dongjun's cheek twitched. Although something had happened to Eldest Master Lu, the family's attitude towards Lu Dongjun seemed unchanged; no one still respected him. Even if Lu Dongliang's body were found tomorrow, it was unlikely that Lu Dongjun would be chosen as the family head.

***

Li Banfeng had been operating the road roller for several days, feeling great. This afternoon, he planned to catch up on sleep, then visit the New Land tonight to retrieve the adhesive clay he hadn't gotten before.

Upon entering his portable residence, Li Banfeng found the bronze lotus blooming. There were two lotus seeds in its heart: one was ripe and could be peeled, while the other was still being refined. After Li Banfeng peeled off the ripe lotus seed, the petals quickly closed. After a long half-hour wait, the other lotus seed finally burst open. What burst out this time wasn't just one or two pills, but a handful—a total of thirty-eight pills! They were golden yellow beads, dazzling in color, each plump, too many to fit in one palm.

"What kind of pills are these?"

The gramophone replied, "Oh, my dear husband, these are Golden Essence Pills. One pill can equal a hundred days of cultivation. This handful of pills is enough for you to establish a family fortune."

One pill, a hundred days of cultivation? Such excellent pills certainly couldn't be sold. He should keep them for himself! However, eating pills had to be done behind his wife's back. Dwelling Cultivators normally couldn't improve their cultivation through pills. If the gramophone knew Li Banfeng was taking pills, it might expose his dual cultivation as both a Dwelling Cultivator and a Travel Cultivator.

Li Banfeng was very excited: "How did these pills come about? Were they refined from Lu Dongliang?"

"Lu Dongliang is still early. These were refined from that insect."

Insect? Madam Bagworm!

Li Banfeng collected the pills and handed them to the gramophone. In the matter of killing Madam Bagworm, his wife had made a great contribution, so the pills should also be distributed by her. Li Banfeng understood this clearly.

His wife laughed, "My good husband, although pills of such quality are rare, your humble servant still doesn't care for them."

Li Banfeng was a bit confused. Thirty-eight Golden Essence Pills, one pill for a hundred days of cultivation. If he consumed them all, his cultivation could advance by one level. The gramophone didn't even want these?

A cloud of steam swirled around Li Banfeng. "My lord, you care so much for your humble servant, I always feel a bit indebted."

"Indebted?" Li Banfeng chuckled, "Are your stomach and intestines feeling indebted? You haven't found any dishes these past two days, so I suppose you're hungry again."

"Your humble servant is not hungry; your humble servant doesn't want food."

Li Banfeng was stunned for a long time. What was wrong with his wife? Why was her appetite still so poor? Could just one Lu Dongliang make his wife so full? Li Banfeng asked again, "You don't want food? Then should I find a few more gramophones to replace your parts?"

"Your humble servant doesn't want replacement parts."

"Then what do you want? More oil?"

"Your humble servant doesn't want oil."

She doesn't want anything? There was nothing he could do then. Li Banfeng was happy to relax. He lay on the bed and said, "Wife, I'm going to take a nap. Tonight, I'll go to the New Land and see if I can find something fresh for you."

"Your humble servant doesn't want anything fresh; your humble servant only wants you."

Li Banfeng touched the gramophone's platter and nodded, "I like hearing that."

"Your humble servant isn't just saying it; your humble servant truly wants you."

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The rapid gong and drum sounds indicated his wife's urgency. The powerful and emphatic singing proved his wife was very serious.

"Um, well, after you've recovered..." Li Banfeng suddenly got up and bolted towards the door. He wasn't sure what his wife's current mental state was.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

"Can't wait! Your humble servant wants you now!"

A cloud of steam surged forward, enveloped Li Banfeng, and pulled him towards the gramophone's horn. This crazy woman was going to devour him! No matter how Li Banfeng struggled, it was useless. The powerful steam attacked, and half of Li Banfeng's body was sucked into the central horn of the gramophone.

"Murdering your own husband, you wicked woman! You're murdering your own husband! This is a grave crime, a grave crime..."

Li Banfeng braced his hands against the horn's opening and kicked his legs furiously. After struggling for a few minutes, he gave up. The situation wasn't as bad as he'd imagined. The steam wasn't as hot as he thought. And it was quite warm inside his wife.

Half an hour later, Li Banfeng emerged from the horn, his black hair singed and curly, steaming with heat. "Wife, shouldn't there be an explanation for what just happened? I love you so much, how could you treat me like this?"

The gramophone was silent for a moment, then suddenly began to sing.

"When autumn arrives, the lotus blossoms fragrant,The young maiden dreams of her hometown every night.Waking, she sees no parents' faces,Only the bright moonlight outside the window!"

"Four Seasons Song!" Why was she singing "Four Seasons Song"? For the gramophone wife, the "Four Seasons Song" wasn't sung casually. Could it be...

His wife's revised version began:

"Your humble servant's heart is devoted to her lover,Husband and wife, our love runs deep and long.Who can stop a heart eager to return,To add another dwelling for my lord."

Another dwelling? Li Banfeng scanned the main room of his portable residence, seeing only three doors. One was the main entrance, leading outside. The other two doors led to the outer room and the third room, respectively. He didn't see any new doors appear. Li Banfeng thought for a moment, then entered the outer room, where he saw a door at the far end. Pushing it open, Li Banfeng saw an identical room, empty inside.

More rooms were good, but that wasn't the main point. The key was that adding a dwelling meant advancing one level. He was now a third-level Dwelling Cultivator! Third level! Li Banfeng was so excited he almost jumped! In the short term, he no longer had to worry about his Dwelling Cultivation being suppressed by his Travel Cultivation, nor about cultivation backlash...

Cultivation backlash. Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead; now he had something else to worry about. His Travel Cultivation was only at the first level, but his Dwelling Cultivation was already at the third! According to the peddler, when cultivating two paths simultaneously, the cultivation gap shouldn't exceed three levels. A difference of one level was acceptable, meaning no discomfort. A difference of two levels would lead to backlash. A difference of three levels could endanger his life. More than three levels, and death was certain.

Previously, Li Banfeng worried that his Dwelling Cultivation wouldn't advance, holding back his Travel Cultivation, but that was supposed to be a concern for ten or twenty years later. Who would have thought that not only did Dwelling Cultivation not hold him back, it completely overwhelmed his Travel Cultivation?

Li Banfeng walked back to the main room, sat on the edge of the bed, and quietly watched the gramophone. The gramophone slowly sang, "Oh, my lord, your cultivation has advanced again, why are you not happy?"

"I am happy!" Li Banfeng forced a smile. "Wife, does a third-level Dwelling Cultivator have any techniques?"

"Of course, the technique was just mentioned, wasn't it? Its name is 'Eager Heart's Return.' All third-level Dwelling Cultivators possess this technique. If they wish to return home, ordinary people cannot stop them. My lord, what's wrong with your legs? My lord, why are you trembling constantly?"

Li Banfeng's legs were trembling. They wanted to walk, wanted to carry Li Banfeng and sprint. His Travel Cultivation was suppressed, experiencing backlash, and his legs were almost out of control.