Chapter 14: 照天光

This is a copper lotus with lotus leaves forming the base. It’s about ten centimeters in diameter. The flower bud rests directly on the lotus leaves. The flower hasn't opened, but you can feel the gaps between the petals.

So it’s made of such a large piece of copper. No wonder it’s so heavy!

Although Li Banfeng didn't know much about antiques, he could tell it was a very exquisite decorative piece.

But was this decorative piece really that important?

What did He Jiaqing mean by insisting I take it back to his hometown?

That Team Leader Xiao was going to shoot me for this thing?

What secret was hidden inside this lotus?

Having slept a lot these past few days, and with nothing else to do anyway, Li Banfeng spent his time studying the copper lotus.

He studied it from dawn until two in the afternoon, but the copper lotus still wouldn't open.

A screech.

The announcer's voice came on: "The train will soon arrive at Yaowanggou Station. Passengers arriving at this station, please gather your belongings and prepare to disembark."

They had arrived!

They were at Yaowanggou!

Li Banfeng quickly gathered the silk, yellow paper, and other items, wrapped the copper lotus, put it into his backpack, added the remaining three boxes of instant noodles, one box of potato chips, and one and a half bags of spicy strips, then pushed the door open and stepped out of the carriage.

Since boarding the train, this was the first time Li Banfeng had left his own carriage, and the first time he had seen other passengers on the same train.

Initially, Li Banfeng felt a bit uneasy, afraid of encountering unknown creatures like those with three heads.

There were quite a few people waiting by the train door to disembark, but they all seemed normal, at least outwardly.

Some people shouldn't have been getting off at this station, but they had to disembark early, because they were on the verge of starving.

A man in a suit, with his left hand in his pocket and a suitcase in his right, stood next to Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng glanced at him; the man was at least 1.9 meters tall, but probably weighed no more than 50 kilograms.

With such a gaunt physique, he'd easily be blown away by the wind when going out.

Behind him followed a woman, whose build was the exact opposite of the man's. She appeared to be less than 1.4 meters tall and certainly weighed over 70 kilograms.

The train jolted, and the man quickly steadied the woman beside him. Judging by their proximity and gestures, they seemed to be a married couple.

The woman held a child, who looked to be one or two years old, making it impossible to tell who the child resembled.

A hiss!

A long whistle!

With a long blast, the train arrived at Yaowanggou Station.

The train attendant lowered the steps, and Li Banfeng followed the crowd off the train.

The moment he stepped out of the carriage, the fresh air made Li Banfeng feel somewhat intoxicated. Even though it was mixed with a hint of coal dust and engine oil, it was far better than the air inside the train.

The weather was a bit gloomy, but it was still better than the dim yellow light in the carriage. What's more, in the following days, even that dim yellow light had disappeared.

After disembarking, Li Banfeng noticed the clothing of the people around him.

Their attire was very different from Li Banfeng's.

Many people were wearing suits: black, white, striped, checkered – all kinds of styles.

Quite a few people wore Zhongshan suits, with collars either standing up or folded down.

Some wore vests over their shirts, with bow ties around their collars.

Others wore long gowns, similar to the traditional robes worn by Quyi performers.

Many people wore hats, of varying styles; top hats were common, and there were quite a few flat caps.

There was also a type of hat similar to a flat cap, with a slightly narrower brim, and a button on the brim.

What kind of hat was that?

It seemed to be called a newsboy cap.

Li Banfeng wondered: *Everyone else is wearing hats; should I take out my hiking cap?*

The main thing was that his hiking cap's style was quite different from theirs.

And it wasn't just about the hats.

After boarding the train, Li Banfeng had taken off his shirt and trousers, changing into a T-shirt and sweatpants. Now, it seemed he looked completely out of place compared to the people around him.

*Maybe I should change back into my shirt and trousers now. After all, I'm someone who can change clothes on a subway; changing on a train platform would be no big deal.*

*Never mind, I won't change. Why do I have to dress like them? Isn't it good to have my own style?*

Li Banfeng felt he was the most striking man on the entire platform.

He really was bright; he even had a strange sensation, feeling as if his body was emitting light.

"Mommy, that man has light on him!" A child behind him stared at Li Banfeng.

"See? Even a child says I have light on me. This proves..."

This proved it wasn't an illusion!

Li Banfeng extended his right hand. Under the dim sky, his right arm was indeed emitting a pale, dazzling halo.

Not just his right arm, his entire body was glowing.

But after observing carefully for a while, Li Banfeng realized that he wasn't the one glowing; instead, a beam of light was constantly shining on him, like a spotlight on a stage.

Where was this light coming from?

Li Banfeng looked up at the sky. The light projected from above was so intense it made him unable to open his eyes.

Was it a searchlight from a helicopter?

Was a helicopter tracking him?

The light shining on him suddenly went out. Alarmed, Li Banfeng quickly rushed towards the ticket gate.

Many people were originally standing at the ticket gate, and just then they had all been looking back at Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng was eager to leave the station, but to his surprise, these people voluntarily made way for him.

"Stay back, everyone, stay back! He's been lit by the heavenly light."

"Could he be a white lamb?"

"Stay away from him, don't get splattered with blood!"

What did that mean?

Did they also know there was a helicopter overhead?

Li Banfeng grew even more nervous, took out his ticket, and immediately handed it to the ticket collector.

The ticket collector took out a pair of pliers, clipped another notch in the ticket, and returned the stub to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng paid no attention to the ticket stub, and walked straight out of the station. He saw many people approaching him at the station entrance.

They were wearing vests, but no shirts; there was nothing underneath their vests.

They also wore hats; he couldn't quite place the material, but the style was very similar to Li Banfeng's hiking cap.

Was this their uniform?

Were they going to wear this to arrest him?

A man stepped forward and spoke up: "Sir, do you need a ride?"

Li Banfeng, ready with his spicy strips, answered with extreme caution: "A ride to where?"

"Anywhere you like, just name a place!"

It turned out to be a taxi driver.

Li Banfeng was in a hurry to get going, and told the driver, "I'm going to Yaowanggou."

The driver chuckled: "Sir, this is Yaowanggou; this entire area is called Yaowanggou. Where in Yaowanggou do you want to go? Inner Gully or Outer Gully?"

Inner Gully or Outer Gully?

Li Banfeng recalled the message He Jiaqing had sent.

He Jiaqing had once sent the address to Li Banfeng, and this phrase somewhat jogged Li Banfeng's memory.

"Inner Gully, a place called Pai-something Street."

"Paifang Street, right?" The driver smiled. "No problem, that'll be eight kuai!"

"Eight kuai, alright!"

The driver's smile widened; this customer was quite straightforward and didn't haggle.

Li Banfeng indeed didn't want to haggle. Eight kuai wasn't expensive! It was just the starting fare for a taxi.

The driver led Li Banfeng down the station plaza, to his vehicle.

Li Banfeng looked at the vehicle.

This vehicle had two wheels, one seat, two shafts, connected by a crossbar in the middle.

"Is this vehicle fast?"

"Fast!" The driver draped a hand towel over his shoulder, pointed at the vehicle, and said, "Go ask around about the rickshaws in front of the station—whose vehicle can be faster than mine?"

This driver was a rickshaw puller.

There were still rickshaw pullers in this era!

But he had already ridden a steam locomotive, and seen people with three heads; riding a rickshaw wasn't really that strange in comparison.

It was just that Li Banfeng found it slow.

"Is there anything faster?"

"You want to ride a horse carriage?" The rickshaw puller waved his hand. "They don't allow horse carriages in front of the station; those things are unclean, unless someone is here to unload goods. And it wouldn't be appropriate for someone of your status to ride one."

Li Banfeng's intention was to ask if there was a motorized vehicle. Just as he was about to speak, he found his jaw wouldn't cooperate, and his mouth wouldn't open.

Not only his mouth, but his hands and feet couldn't move either. His body felt as if it had solidified in a cart full of cement.

Seeing Li Banfeng standing stiffly in place, the rickshaw puller asked: "Sir, what's wrong? Sir, sir... You haven't been lit by the heavenly light, have you!"