Chapter 200: Moistening Everything Silently

Blue Poplar Village, Dream Spring Garden.

Ma Wu and his men dismantled the phonographs from the dance hall and handed them over to Li Banfeng for disposal.

Little Chuanzi felt a pang of regret. "These are masterpieces from Miaosheng Phonograph Store. Such exquisite craftsmanship is incredibly rare in Puro Province."

"Fifth Master, without phonographs, what kind of dance hall is this? Are people supposed to just jump around?"

Ma Wu turned his face towards a corner of the dance hall. "Isn't the band practicing right now?" He had assembled a small band in Blue Poplar Village. It included violins and horns for Western music, as well as a dulcimer and pipa for folk music.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Plop! The trumpet sputtered.

Chuanzi shook his head repeatedly. "Fifth Master, can anyone listen to this?"

"There are barely any people who can dance properly anyway, so they'll have to make do with this," Ma Wu said, taking it in stride. "Go to Greenwater City and find Steward Qiu. Tell him to be wary of phonographs; they have hooks from the Ling family."

At Paramount Gate, Lu Yuanhai brought men to dismantle the phonographs. Yang Yanzheng grew anxious. "Second Young Master, what are you doing?"

Lu Yuanhai replied, "These phonographs produce too much static and are unpleasant to listen to. From now on, we'll replace them all with live bands." The large dance hall was too big for a phonograph's sound to fill; the noise wouldn't be enough. Lu Yuanhai ordered the dismantling of all phonographs in the ballroom and the prima donna's private rooms.

Yang Yanzheng desperately tried to dissuade him. "Second Young Master, shouldn't you discuss this with Second Miss first?"

"No need to discuss. I've already hired the bands for you."

"The ballroom might manage, but the prima donna's private rooms, they're... they're special."

"How are they special?"

Yang Yanzheng grew agitated. "You often come to Paramount Gate. The prima donna's private rooms are where the song queen performs solo. For a solo performance, she... she needs to do certain things. Is it appropriate for her to be performing in that way with a band playing right there?"

Lu Yuanhai chuckled. "Why wouldn't it be appropriate? I'll show you in a moment. Having a band nearby adds ambiance and power."

Nothing Yang Yanzheng said was effective; this was Monkey Qiu's order.

Monkey Qiu stood in the mansion's main hall, looking at the phonographs in the house. When Lu Dongliang had his accident, by the time Monkey Qiu arrived, a song was still playing on the phonograph—Lu Dongliang's favorite, "Dream Lover." When He Yuxiu confronted Lu Dongjun at Qianyue Tower, Lu Dongjun, disguised as Lu Dongliang, attended a banquet there. At Qianyue Tower, a song was also playing—He Yuxiu's favorite, "Full Moon and Beautiful Flowers." These were things Monkey Qiu had witnessed himself.

There was also something he had heard about. Lu Dongjun had killed the manager at Jiangyuan Tannery, leaving traces. At that time, a song, "Peaceful Spring," was also playing in the manager's office.

More than half of the phonographs in Puro Province originated from Miaosheng Phonograph Store. It appeared that all phonographs from their establishment had "hooks." All these matters were under the control of the Ling family. Both Lu Dongliang and Lu Dongjun likely died at the hands of the Ling family.

How exactly did the Ling family rise to power? How did businesses like newspapers, song and dance venues, and cinemas gradually fall into the Ling family's hands? Lu Dongliang might have known about these things, but Monkey Qiu had truly never paid attention to them.

There was good news now, however. Ling Miaowen was dead. Who killed him? Hundred Flowers Sect? Did Zhang Xiuling have that capability? The He family and the Ling family were not on good terms regarding their business at Haichi Ridge. Could the He family have done it? It was possible. To kill Ling Miaowen silently in Puro Province, only the He family could accomplish it, apart from the Lu family.

Regardless of Ling Miaowen's cause of death for now, Lu Yuanshan needed to seize control of the newspaper business as quickly as possible. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Monkey Qiu instructed people to dismantle the phonographs. First Madam Duan Shaoxia came down the stairs, sighing. "Dongliang used to love listening to music. If he saw these phonographs gone, he would certainly scold you a bit."

Monkey Qiu bowed respectfully. "Whatever the master scolds me for, I'll listen, but this item cannot stay."

Duan Shaoxia chuckled. "I was just joking, and you took it seriously. How could the master keep such a harmful thing? This time, it was all thanks to young Junyang for delivering the message. Otherwise, it's hard to say how much loss our family would have suffered because of these things. Junyang is a good boy. It's not easy for him to earn a few coins in that desolate place, Blue Poplar Village. I heard he still owes a lot of money to Yu Fangzhai, probably just to gather those ten thousand silver dollars for us. Zhiheng, as a woman, I shouldn't interfere with business matters. But today, I'm brazenly asking you for a favor: don't take Junyang's bonus anymore."

Monkey Qiu nodded. "As madam wishes."

"Find some time to invite Junyang over for a meal." As she spoke, Madam Duan straightened Qiu Zhiheng's collar, then turned and went upstairs.

This gesture was a bit strange, a little out of line. Qiu Zhiheng froze for a moment, his cheeks reddening. What was happening? How could I... Qiu Zhiheng rubbed his forehead, trying to distract himself. He thought of Ma Wu again and nodded slightly. Ma Wu was indeed a good boy; he really should invite him for a meal another day. If that young brother could also come, that would be great.

Li Banfeng sat in his Portable Dwelling, fanning himself beside a phonograph. Two windmill phonographs were dismantled. One was refined by Honglian and given to his wife, who then evolved a fan function. The other phonograph was not refined and remained in the Portable Dwelling.

"Wifey, what are we keeping this thing for?"

"It's useful. I've already removed the hooks from it. In the future, you can take this out, dear husband, and have it do things for your humble servant."

"It's just an ordinary phonograph. What can it do?"

"I left a bit of my essence on this phonograph. It can help you clear your territory, dear husband. The record I previously carved used ninety percent of its magic. It's no longer powerful enough to kill, but it's still sufficient for removing hooks. Husband, you just need to push this phonograph, put on that previous record, and walk around your territory. It will remove all the hooks. However, after playing one song, the phonograph needs three days of rest. If you want to remove more hooks, dear husband, you'll have to walk faster."

"Walk faster, that's... quite difficult!" Li Banfeng had originally intended to say it was easy, but he quickly swallowed his words.

The phonograph's ability to directly kill enemies with a single record was one of her killer moves. However, Li Banfeng still hadn't figured out the principle behind this killer move.

"Wifey, what exactly is the secret behind your killer move? Can you tell me?"

"Oh, dear husband, there's nothing we can't tell each other as husband and wife. The secret to this technique lies in carving a good record, tracking back along the 'hooks,' and savagely stabbing the opponent."

"Did it kill him?"

"Let your humble servant smell it first." The stylus glided across the record. The phonograph sniffed for a moment, then sang, "One is dead, and one is still alive."

"You can smell that?"

"There's a scent of blood on the record."

Li Banfeng held the record and sniffed it for a long time but couldn't detect any scent.

"Wifey, how long will it take if I want to use this technique again?"

"Your humble servant needs some time to recover. In the past, when my body was whole, two or three months would have been enough. Now, it's hard to say. It depends on your methods, dear husband."

Depends on my methods? Li Banfeng was startled. Did his wife need him the most? Would her technique recover faster if he served her well? Were his previous methods not enough? Did he need to ask Ma Wu for some special techniques, like heating the machine oil a bit?

"Wifey, the method you want is..." Li Banfeng asked nervously.

"Oh, dear husband, you need to buy groceries! The better your humble servant eats, the faster she'll recover."

"Alright."

"Husband, what's wrong? Why do you sound so weak?"

"I'm fine, really... Wifey, please teach me this technique."

"Don't rush, dear husband. You can't learn this technique yet. It won't be too late for your humble servant to teach you once your cultivation reaches the required level."

One was dead, and one was still alive.

At Yuezhou Third Hospital, medical staff crowded the ward. There were bloodstains on He Jiaqing's bed, but their origin was unknown. The Dark Star Bureau received the news and asked Big Head to come and investigate.

Big Head questioned the attending physician, who replied, "He Jiaqing's vital signs were abnormal last night, and there were bloodstains on his bed. The cause is unknown."

"You mentioned abnormal vital signs. Is it possible the medical equipment was interfered with?"

"We can't rule out that possibility, but I'm confident in the reliability of our equipment."

Big Head nodded. "I'll report this situation to the bureau."

After the medical staff dispersed, Big Head remained in the ward for a moment. He Jiaqing, who had been sleeping soundly in the bed, suddenly opened his eyes and glanced towards the park. Big Head said nothing and quietly left the hospital.

Late at night, Big Head arrived at Hualake Park, walked behind the Western-style building, and slowly approached the weeping woman. The ground sank, and Big Head submerged himself in the water. He didn't go to the bottom of the lake. After confirming his direction, he swam straight south. A martial cultivator's physique was astonishingly strong. He quickly swam ashore, sat by the bank, and panted heavily. This wasn't his first time coming ashore; He Jiaqing had taught him the method before.

Sitting by the shore, he looked around. There was only darkness and desolation. In the distance, there was a faint bonfire. Big Head walked towards the light.

He Jiaqing sat by the bonfire, smiling. "Thank you for helping me cover things up today."

Big Head shook his head. "I'm afraid it won't be covered up. The hospital called the bureau and informed Captain Chen about your situation. He's been watching you for a long time and might send a healer to investigate your condition."

"A healer? You mean a medicine cultivator, right? What level?"

"Given how seriously they're taking your case, I estimate the person they send won't be below the sixth level."

"I'm not afraid of a sixth-level one."

"You should still be careful. I'm worried the healer might bring forbidden items."

"Forbidden items? Aren't those just magic artifacts? It depends on what level of artifact it is."

"The level won't be low. In any case, be extra careful."

He Jiaqing sighed. "It seems I truly need to be sick for a while."

Big Head remained silent for a long time, then advised He Jiaqing, "You should return to Puro Province. Hiding like this isn't a solution."

He Jiaqing shook his head. "I can't leave yet. I still have unfinished business."

"What business?"

"I want people who deserve dignity to live with a bit more dignity, like you."

"I'm... I'm quite alright," Big Head said, looking down. "The bureau treats me well. I'm a special person, and the bureau has never discriminated against me."

"Why would they discriminate against you?"

"I'm different; I'm not a normal person. I once accidentally killed someone during work. It wasn't intentional, but I couldn't control myself. People like me are like that—a hidden danger, a calamity, a threat to this world. People like me should be eliminated, but the bureau didn't abandon me, didn't give up on me. They gave me a way out. What more could I ask for?"

He Jiaqing frowned. "Is that what the bureau taught you?"

Big Head looked at He Jiaqing. "Isn't it right?"

"No!" He Jiaqing shook his head. "You are not a calamity, not a hidden danger, nor a threat. You are an elite of this world. You can't control your power because your talent is too exceptional, and it hasn't received proper cultivation and guidance. You deserve the respect and dignity due to you. You don't need others to grant you a way out. This is what I intend to do."

Big Head remained silent.

He Jiaqing smiled. "You look so drawn. Haven't you been sleeping well these past couple of days?"

"My wife's workplace is a bit far. I have to wake up early every day to drive her to work."

He Jiaqing pondered for a moment. "I heard that hotel will be allocating dorms in a couple of days, very close to the hotel. Have your wife pick a good spot."

Big Head's eyes lit up. "How big is the dorm?"

"Around one hundred and twenty square meters, three bedrooms and a living room. You should all move there. Your child hasn't even finished primary school, but I hear the primary schools nearby are also good."

Big Head's eyes dimmed again. "My child's school district isn't there..."

"The hotel will resolve the school district issue. They can handle middle school, so primary school will be even easier," He Jiaqing said, standing up. "Come on, let's walk around. I'm not too familiar with this area either."

Dorms being allocated, three bedrooms and a living room. Even primary school enrollment would be taken care of. Big Head was not a fool. He knew He Jiaqing was helping him. He looked up at He Jiaqing. "I... I can't accept any more... I owe you too much already."

"Don't talk about owing anything. Between brothers, we don't say such things," He Jiaqing said, pulling Big Head up. "I consider you a brother. I just want you to live with dignity."

Brother... At Big Head's age, the word felt a little foreign to him.

"Well, I..."

He Jiaqing pointed to his ear. "Could you speak a bit louder in the future? I'm deaf in one ear, completely deaf. It can't be restored."

After handling Ling Miaowen's funeral arrangements, Ling Miaosheng returned to the phonograph store, feather duster in hand, meticulously cleaning each phonograph. He had already received some news: his phonograph store would struggle to find business from now on, and soon, the Lu family would likely come knocking.

"Second Brother, how do you plan to handle things next?" Third Brother Ling Miaoying arrived.

"My plans?" Ling Miaosheng scoffed. "Does what I plan matter? When have you and Elder Brother ever asked for my opinion when doing things?"

"Aren't I asking you now? Elder Brother is gone, and our Ling family is about to suffer."

Ling Miaosheng sighed. "I told you not to put 'hooks' on my phonographs, but you didn't listen. Now my business is completely ruined. What was wrong with doing business honestly? What exactly did you achieve by causing all this trouble?"

Ling Miaoying's face darkened. "Second Brother, speak with a conscience. If we brothers had always been scrupulously 'honest,' we would have starved to death on the streets long ago. Elder Brother is gone, and it'll soon be our turn. If you want to be 'honest,' then let's just wait here to die. If you come to your senses, find me at the main residence!"