Chapter 130: Peeking into the Cultivation Family

Li Banfeng sat quietly in the wooden cabin, reading the evening newspaper Ma Wu had brought back.

The newspaper reported on Lu Dongliang's attendance at the banquet, describing him as alive and in good condition, even capable of directly challenging He Yuxiu.

Ma Wu was very worried. "Yesterday, private detective Daboyens came to me, asking about you," he said. "He told me Lu Dongliang was still alive. I had heard similar rumors before and thought they were just whispers, but today's evening paper confirms that Lu Dongliang is indeed alive. It's very likely Daboyens was hired by him to investigate your whereabouts."

Li Banfeng put down the evening newspaper.

He was certain Lu Dongliang was dead; he had just consumed a Golden Yuan Pill yesterday, which theoretically meant the pill was a part of Lu Dongliang.

Where did the Lu Dongliang in the newspaper come from?

Evidently, someone was impersonating him.

But how did this person impersonate Lu Dongliang?

Li Banfeng's first thought was Lu Xiaolan's complete disguise; when she had impersonated He Jiaqing, Li Banfeng couldn't distinguish her from the real person based on appearance alone.

While Li Banfeng was still pondering, Ma Wu reminded him, "Brother Li, don't go to Greenwater City recently."

"If we don't go to Greenwater City, how will we ship our goods?"

"You don't need to worry about shipping for now. Chu Er came to the village today and cleared out the entire warehouse."

Seeing Ma Wu pull out several boxes of banknotes, Li Banfeng was delighted. "I knew it," he said, "you two really care for each other."

Ma Wu gave a wry smile. "She even brought reporters with her. This time, I'm completely entangled."

"Brought reporters?" Li Banfeng recalled something. "That's not so different from when you slept with Sister-in-law Seventeen."

Ma Wu lit a cigarette and took a deep drag; the sequence of events was now largely clear. "Aside from Third Brother, it seems none of my other family members were actually trying to target me," he mused. "From today's events, it seems Chu Er's relationship with the newspaper is quite unusual. It's very likely she instigated Third Brother to set that trap for me. Third Brother thought he had succeeded, but Chu Er immediately sent reporters to expose the matter, ensuring I was completely ousted from the Ma family. As for Third Brother's actual situation, Chu Er didn't care in the slightest."

Li Banfeng disagreed. "I suspect Chu Er did care about your Third Brother," he said. "She probably just hoped that imbecile would take charge of the Ma family sooner, so he'd squander all their assets to her."

Ma Wu flicked the ash from his cigarette. "It doesn't necessarily have to be my Third Brother," he said. "After I was expelled from the family, Second Sister took over my two dance halls. One has already been sold to the Chu family, and the other is expected to be sold next month."

"So, your Second Sister is also an imbecile."

Ma Wu nodded. "It appears so," he said. "Chu Er has been steadily acquiring the Ma family's businesses, and now she wants to use my name to create the false impression of an alliance between the Ma and Chu families, thereby seizing the opportunity to get involved in the Lu family's affairs. That woman is incredibly cunning."

Li Banfeng pondered, then lit a cigarette himself. "Actually," he said, "this is a good thing."

"How so?"

"For the next few days, keep an eye on the purchasing market trends, make a list, and notify Miss Chu Er to come pick up the goods. The Liu family wouldn't dare offend Miss Chu Er, so they certainly won't resort to foul play. If Miss Chu Er agrees, we won't have to worry about shipping goods ever again."

Ma Wu chuckled at this. "If she doesn't agree, I'll spread the word, and then the supposed alliance between the Chu and Ma families will just be empty talk."

Talking to smart people required no effort.

Ma Wu still had some concerns. "I expect Chu Er will agree, but it'll be difficult to explain to Yu Fangzhai. We can't just cut off his supply; that's the He family's business, after all."

The He family.

These powerful families were unavoidable, no matter where one went.

Li Banfeng snuffed out his cigarette and stood up. "I'll deliver Yu Fangzhai's goods myself."

"Brother Li, Lu Dongliang is still alive. Please, listen to me and try to avoid Greenwater City."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I want to see what kind of person Lu Dongliang is," he said. "Also, I'm not sure if you know, but what's the origin of these newspapers? How dare they report on everything?"

Ma Wu actually knew about this. "In the entire Puluo Province, all newspapers and periodicals are controlled by Ling Miaowen."

Ling Miaowen, that name sounded familiar.

"What's his relationship with Ling Miaosheng, the phonograph seller?"

"Ling Miaowen is Ling Miaosheng's older brother. Ling Miaosheng also has a younger brother named Ling Miaoying. Each of the three brothers specializes in a different field. Ling Miaowen manages newspapers, magazines, and various books; he has a hand in anything related to text. Ling Miaosheng outwardly only operates phonograph shops, but in reality, most records produced in Puluo Province come from him; kings and queens of song, bands, opera troupes—anyone with a bit of fame has connections with him. Ling Miaoying outwardly only sells cameras and film equipment, but Puluo Province's movies, cinemas, and both major and minor stars are all under his control. To put it simply, if it has words, it's Ling Miaowen; if it has sound, it's Ling Miaosheng; if it has pictures, it's Ling Miaoying. The three brothers have considerable backing."

Li Banfeng nodded. "With such backing, their cultivation must also be profound."

In Puluo Province, one couldn't run a business without true hard power.

Ma Wu nodded. "The Ling family are 'Peeking Cultivators' and an established clan. It's said that none of the three brothers' cultivation levels are below the seventh tier. Some even say they can be considered the fifth largest family in Puluo Province."

To expand a business, hard power truly was essential.

What about Li Banfeng and Ma Wu's current hard power?

Their cultivation relied entirely on Li Banfeng: third-tier Domestic Cultivation and second-tier Travel Cultivation.

Ma Wu's cultivation was negligible; he could only leverage the Ma family's name to act with false authority.

With such limited strength, it was already a miracle they could hold onto Lanyang Village.

Was there a shortcut to improving their strength?

There was, but the side effects were too severe.

"Brother Ma, do you have any methods to neutralize pill toxins?"

Ma Wu frowned slightly. "That's complicated. Different pills have different ways to neutralize their toxins, and the nature of the pill toxins also varies depending on which pharmacy they come from. The Profound Crimson Pill you gave me before, Brother Li, its quality was very pure, so neutralizing its toxins wasn't difficult."

Li Banfeng was slightly excited. "Tell me," he urged, "how is it not difficult?"

"Just let time pass. After I took the pill, I slept for a day, and as long as I didn't take any other pills within the next three days, the toxins would gradually dissipate."

Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead. That was as good as saying nothing.

He couldn't afford to wait. He had to return to his Portable Residence every day, and if he took pills indiscriminately, the phonograph would definitely discover it.

Seeing Li Banfeng remain silent for a while, Ma Wu quickly added, "I'll try my best to look out for other methods to neutralize pill toxins. This kind of information isn't written in books, so I'll ask some friends."

"Try my best to look out for."

That was as good as saying nothing.

Li Banfeng took out a pill and placed it before Ma Wu.

Ma Wu picked it up and glanced at it; the abundant golden glow made his fingertips tremble.

Even a young master from a wealthy family would shiver at the sight of this Golden Yuan Pill.

"Brother Li, where did this pill come from?"

"A friend gave it to me. It's yours now."

Ma Wu waved his hands repeatedly. "I can't accept this. This is such a valuable item, you might not even be able to buy it with money."

"I'm not giving it to you for free. Find a method to detoxify this pill."

Only in the face of such immense temptation would Ma Wu genuinely apply himself to the task.

Back in his Portable Residence, Li Banfeng lay down on his bed, just about to fall asleep, when he heard the phonograph slowly begin to sing:

"Brother, don't forget me,I am your beloved Mei Niang,I once sat upon your family's window,chewing on that delicious lover."

*The Ballad of Mei Niang*.

Wasn't the last line "chewing betel nuts"? How did it change to "chewing on a lover"?

"Wife, did you sing that incorrectly?"

"Oh, husband, your little servant didn't sing it wrong. You remembered it incorrectly. Your little servant did get a good meal recently, but my lord hasn't bought groceries for quite some time."

"Buying groceries is easy to discuss."

"Lovers are also delicious."

"Wife, you always say such angry things."

Li Banfeng placed his hand on the wooden cabinet beneath the phonograph's tray and gently scratched it.

The phonograph giggled, exhaled a puff of steam, and nestled close to Li Banfeng as he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Liu Liangyi, the old shopkeeper of the Liu family's Paper Horse Shop, arrived at the Ma family mansion alongside Si Wennian, the head of the Si family.

They were received by Ma Junjiang, the Ma family's fourth son.

Liu Liangyi first presented a pair of jade ornaments to express his sincerity, then informed Ma Junjiang about Ma Wu seizing Lanyang Village.

Ma Junjiang was quite annoyed upon hearing this. "That troublemaking brute! I can't believe he did such a thing."

Liu Liangyi sighed deeply. "We didn't intend to trouble Fifth Young Master. Lanyang Village is something he earned himself. We simply approached him to collect the monthly fee, as per the rules. But then my son was beaten into a cripple, and over a dozen of my men were killed…"

At this point, Liu Liangyi's voice trembled slightly, and old tears nearly streamed down his face.

This was a trick of rhetoric, but it didn't fool Ma Junjiang.

"Shopkeeper Liu, I didn't quite understand just now. Are you saying Junyang severely injured your son? And wounded over a dozen of your men? I know Junyang's cultivation level; he shouldn't have that kind of ability, should he?"

Liu Liangyi lowered his head and remained silent. Si Wennian, standing nearby, spoke the truth. "It was Miss Chu Er from the Chu family who injured Changyu. I don't know what kind of relationship she has with Fifth Young Master, that she would be willing to stick her neck out for him."

Ma Junjiang then asked, "Are you saying Junyang sought out Miss Chu Er specifically to beat Liu Changyu?"

"Well…"

Ma Junjiang wasn't very good at business, but he was quite experienced. It was impossible to deceive him with mere rhetoric.

With no other option, Liu Liangyi recounted the entire incident from beginning to end.

Ma Junjiang shook his head upon hearing this. "Elder Liu, I can't help you with this," he said. "It was your son who blocked the road in the mountains and picked a fight right in front of Miss Chu Er. If there are any grievances here, you should clarify them with Miss Chu Er. As for Junyang's relationship with Miss Chu Er, I don't wish to know. He is no longer a member of the Ma family, and his actions have nothing to do with us."

With the conversation at an impasse, further persistence was useless. Ma Junjiang returned the pair of jade ornaments to Liu Liangyi, and both parties parted ways unhappily.

Outside the Ma family mansion, Liu Liangyi gnashed his teeth. "Ask Chu Er to clarify? Is that even a human thing to say? What could possibly be clarified with that demoness?"

Si Wennian advised, "Brother, don't be so anxious. It's impossible to make sense of this with outsiders. Let's go to Second Master Lu of the Lu family; the Lu family are our own people!"

Liu Liangyi was not very optimistic. "If Eldest Master were here, this matter could be resolved, but Second Master…"

"Don't say that when we meet Second Master later!" Si Wennian glared at Liu Liangyi.

In fact, Si Wennian's worry was unnecessary. Liu Liangyi wouldn't say anything wrong in front of Lu Dongjun because Lu Dongjun didn't meet him at all.

Last time, having successfully impersonated Lu Dongliang, Lu Dongjun believed he had paved his way forward. However, he hadn't expected that when he tried to audit the Lu family's assets a couple of days ago, Monkey Qiu wouldn't even show him the account books. Qiu Zhiheng was so brazen, yet he still commanded the full support of the Lu family. Lu Dongjun, utterly fed up, was looking for an opportunity to strike at Monkey Qiu in the past two days; he had no mind to deal with the Liu family's trivial matters.

Si Wennian tried to appease Liu Liangyi. "Second Master Lu is not in a good mood today. Let's discuss this another time."

Liu Liangyi snorted coldly. "Another time? Who knows what year or month that will be!"

Si Wennian frowned. "Old Liu, if you're going to talk like that, then I don't want to get involved in your family's affairs either."

Liu Liangyi gritted his teeth. "Fine, no one will get involved. I'll handle this myself! Didn't Ma Junjiang say that Ma Junyang isn't a member of his Ma family? Then let them wait to collect his corpse!"