Chapter 210: Platform's Subtle Shadow

Three days later, in the early morning.

After the doctor on rounds left, He Jiaqing opened his eyes.

He wanted to confirm some matters with Ling Miaoying.

"My friend is a travel cultivator, skilled in techniques for seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune. Have you prepared for that?"

"Don't worry, I have ways to conceal my malice. Before I make a move, your friend won't sense any danger."

He Jiaqing was still uneasy. Li Banfeng had recently given him many surprises. "Travel cultivators are known for their speed. You still need to be cautious."

"You don't need to worry about your friend. His speed won't matter; once he's on my train, he won't be able to escape even if he had wings. As for Ma Wu, he's a bit of a problem. He's currently a prominent figure in Greenwater City and has connections with the customs official. Killing him at the station might displease the official. I've made preparations outside the station. As soon as he leaves, we'll act. Not one of him or his subordinates will escape."

"I don't care about anyone else; my friend's life must not be harmed. Our target is that item."

"Rest assured, I'll bring him back alive for you."

"The matter must remain secret; no unrelated parties should know."

"Since Ma Wu isn't coming, I'll act alone this time. Apart from a heads-up at the station, no one else knows."

With everything ready, He Jiaqing cut off communication and waited for news from Ling Miaoying.

Li Banfeng packed his bags, ready to leave. Ma Wu, too, was dressed and ready to depart.

"Where are you going?" Li Banfeng asked, puzzled.

Ma Wu, holding his backpack, said, "I'm taking you to the station. I've even prepared some food for you."

"I've brought food," Li Banfeng said, pointing to his suitcase. "You don't need to see me off; I know the way."

Ma Wu was silent for a moment, then looked up and said, "Seventh Brother, I've thought about it carefully. We have quite a few businesses now; Blue Poplar Village and Proper Village are already a lot to manage, and now we've added Carefree Hamlet. There's no rush with the Black Stone Slope business, and we can't really spare the time. It's better if you don't go."

Li Banfeng furrowed his brow slightly, then smiled. "What's wrong? What exactly are you worried about?"

"I just feel it's unsafe for you to go to Black Stone Slope alone." Ma Wu felt uneasy, as anxious as he had been during the war between Water Fountain and Autumn Leaves. He always had a feeling something bad would happen. It was that feeling that made him go to Hundred Vine Valley back then, and now he felt Li Banfeng might be in trouble again this time.

Li Banfeng shook his head. "If you come to the station to see me off, *I'll* be the one who's unsafe. Do you have any idea how many people in Greenwater City are watching you?"

Ma Wu thought it over carefully, but still insisted on going. "I'll disguise myself. I won't feel at ease until I see you board the train."

As they were speaking, Xiaochuanzi came to report: "Fifth Master, Fourth Master is here again, and he's brought people with him. He said he won't leave today until he takes you home."

Ma Wu looked at Li Banfeng and said, "Seventh Brother, my family is causing trouble again. You can't leave; let's deal with this first."

Li Banfeng was silent for a moment, then said, "Fifth Brother, when we were pioneering the new land, you told me you were my brother, a brother who could stand on his own. I believed you then, and I believe you now. You can handle this; I don't need to interfere."

Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his hat, picked up his suitcase, and walked out of Carefree Hamlet.

Watching Li Banfeng's retreating figure, Ma Wu couldn't shake the feeling that he might never see him again.

Chuanzi urged from the side, "Fifth Master, Fourth Master is getting impatient."

"If he's impatient, tell him to get lost! If he wants to see me, he can wait!" Ma Wu retorted impatiently, picking up his wine glass and taking a large gulp.

Outside Carefree Hamlet, a handyman pushed a cart to a corner, seemingly sweeping up trash. In reality, he was using the broom to transmit a message. His movements were so discreet that no one nearby noticed.

Ling Miaoying received the message and immediately informed He Jiaqing: "Ma Wu didn't go. Ma Junjiang arrived, probably holding him back. Only one person left Carefree Hamlet this morning, heading towards the train station. It should be your friend."

"What did he look like?"

"Wearing a fedora, with the brim pulled very low, so his face wasn't visible. He had a beard."

He Jiaqing pondered for a moment and said, "It's good that Ma Wu didn't go. Just focus on dealing with him. Remember, he must be alive."

Arriving at Greenwater City Station, Li Banfeng, holding his ticket and travel permit, walked directly into the waiting hall and let out a sigh of relief.

The last time he took a train was from Yuezhou to Puro Province, and half a year had passed in the blink of an eye.

Greenwater City Station was the largest in Puro Province, but there weren't many people in the waiting hall. In Puro Province, one needed a travel permit to take a train, and very few people could obtain one. There were only a few dozen people in the waiting hall; some were reading, some were looking at newspapers, and some were simply staring blankly.

There were no electronic screens, of course. Li Banfeng occasionally checked his pocket watch, afraid of missing his boarding time.

However, he soon realized his worries were unnecessary. Ma Wu had bought him a first-class sleeping berth ticket, and with such a high-class ticket, there was dedicated service for him.

"Sir, your train has arrived. Please follow me to platform three to board."

The station attendant led Li Banfeng to the platform, where a steam train was already stopped. Li Banfeng looked around. There were seven or eight other people boarding with him, two or three of whom seemed to be seeing someone off. A young woman was crying incessantly in a man's arms, her tears flowing in streams. Wait, was that line a bit too straight? Li Banfeng saw a black line flash across the young woman's face. Were those tears? No, they weren't tears.

Li Banfeng had seen similar black lines before. He Jiaqing liked film cameras and old movies shot on film. Once, Li Banfeng watched a movie with him and specifically asked, "Why do these old movies always have black lines and white spots?" He Jiaqing even gave him a scientific explanation: "These are caused by film wear and oxidation. Movie film, running at twenty-four frames per second, projects these smudges as spots and fine lines onto the screen. This phenomenon was very common in early film movies." Film movie!

Li Banfeng's mind reeled, and a series of thoughts flooded his mind. Lu Xiaolan went to cause trouble for Proper Village. Proper Village had a mole. The mole was a phonograph. The phonograph had hooks. The Ling family. Ling Miaoying of the Ling family, specializing in film!

Li Banfeng controlled his body, showing no outward reaction. He had fallen into a trap. This platform was fake! The train was fake too! Even the station attendant was fake!

The station attendant said to Li Banfeng, "Sir, you are in car number three. Please board as soon as possible."

Li Banfeng looked down at his shoes, handed his suitcase to the attendant, and said, "Could you please hold this for me? My shoelace is undone."

The attendant took the suitcase. Li Banfeng squatted down, suddenly pulled out a sickle, and slashed towards the attendant's ankle.

This was one of Li Banfeng's killing moves; an ordinary person would have no chance of dodging. Yet, the attendant lightly lifted his foot and managed to dodge it.

His reaction was that fast? And his speed? This wasn't speed and reaction. This was pre-cognition. The moment Li Banfeng drew his blade, it made a slight sound, which the attendant heard. This attendant was indeed Ling Miaoying, a seventh-level Peeker Cultivator.

If he had wanted to kill Li Banfeng, Li Banfeng would have been dead long ago. But He Jiaqing's order was to capture him alive. To be safe, Ling Miaoying planned to get Li Banfeng onto the train first. His method was the same as the one used to trick Lu Dongjun: lure Li Banfeng onto a disused platform and trick him into a specially modified train. This fake train was a prop from Ling Miaoying's plays and also a high-level magic artifact. It was filled with mechanisms and numerous seals; with Li Banfeng's cultivation level, once he boarded, he wouldn't be able to escape. Unexpectedly, Li Banfeng actually detected it. If he refused to board, then another method would be needed. Ling Miaoying's preparations were indeed thorough. Even if Li Banfeng didn't get on the train, he had contingencies, and there were other magic artifacts on the platform.

Before Ling Miaoying could act, the suitcase suddenly shattered, and a Tang saber emerged from it, slashing down towards Ling Miaoying's face.

Li Banfeng didn't need a suitcase; he had a portable abode and never carried luggage when leaving home. The suitcase's purpose was to deceive people: first, to make Li Banfeng look like a normal traveler, and second, to serve as a means of surprise attack at a critical moment.

Ling Miaoying hastily dodged, but the Tang saber still left a cut on his face. Fortunately, his cultivation was high, and he had heard the sound from inside the suitcase in advance. Otherwise, if he had been even slightly slower, half his face would have been severed by the Tang saber.

The Tang saber swept horizontally, aiming for Ling Miaoying's neck again. This strike connected, but Ling Miaoying's form shattered and suddenly vanished. What was happening? Is it Stride Step? And what about his form shattering?

Li Banfeng had no time to think. He retracted the Tang saber and immediately ran towards the platform exit. After only two steps, Ling Miaoying suddenly appeared in front of him.

So fast? Was he really a travel cultivator?

Unable to exit the platform, Li Banfeng turned and ran towards the railway tracks. He ran to the front of the steam train's locomotive, jumped off the platform, and landed on the railway sleepers. Ling Miaoying appeared in front of Li Banfeng once more.

Li Banfeng suddenly stomped his foot, crushing a pebble under the railway sleeper. 'Travel Cultivation Third-Layer Technique: Trample Ten Thousand Rivers.' The shattered pebbles, like bullets, struck Ling Miaoying's body, but he was completely unharmed.

Even if his body was tough enough to withstand it, were his clothes that tough too? He was hit by a shower of pebbles, yet not even a single mark was left? There was only one reasonable explanation: the opponent was too fast, dodging all the pebbles and moving beyond Li Banfeng's line of sight.

A seventh-level Peeker Cultivator, who also cultivates the travel path, and whose travel cultivation is even higher than mine?

Li Banfeng felt a touch of despair. If the opponent was a high-level travel cultivator, he would have no chance of escape.

Ling Miaoying smiled faintly. He didn't seem to be in a hurry to attack; he was waiting for Li Banfeng to give up resisting on his own.

The Threaded Earring suddenly prompted, "Master, he has no footsteps."

No footsteps? No matter how fast a travel cultivator moved, footsteps were unavoidable. Although the Threaded Earring's level wasn't high, she had eaten the flesh of the Insect Overlord and gained the improvements she should have, so she wouldn't be unable to hear footsteps. He wasn't a travel cultivator. This was still a movie! What he saw was likely an image of Ling Miaoying.

This time, Li Banfeng didn't panic. He charged directly towards Ling Miaoying.

Ling Miaoying's body rapidly expanded in all directions, transforming into three walls—one in front, one to the left, and one to the right—blocking Li Banfeng's path.

Regardless of what the opponent transformed into, Li Banfeng swung his Tang saber and slashed directly at it. If it was truly Ling Miaoying, he would hack him to death. If it was just an image, he would charge through.

*Clang!*

The Tang saber struck the wall, sending out a shower of sparks. Li Banfeng was stunned. The wall was real!

After three strikes, the Tang saber retracted into Li Banfeng's pocket. Ling Miaoying smiled. "Did you think movies were always fake?"

In a corner of the platform was a projector, which was Ling Miaoying's magic artifact. Some of the images projected from it could transform into tangible objects. Li Banfeng was in a desperate situation. In front, to the left, and to the right were walls, and behind him was the locomotive.

According to Ling Miaoying's prediction, Li Banfeng's only way out was to climb onto the train. The train was full of mechanisms; as soon as Li Banfeng climbed aboard, he would be instantly trapped. Unexpectedly, Li Banfeng charged directly at the wall. 'Travel Cultivation Fourth-Layer Technique: Unhindered Movement'. Li Banfeng passed through the wall and sprinted forward along the railway tracks.

A fourth-layer technique? Ling Miaoying frowned. He Jiaqing had said his friend's cultivation wouldn't exceed the third layer, but it seemed his estimation was inaccurate now.

No matter if it was inaccurate, Ling Miaoying had other preparations, and he pursued closely from behind.

Li Banfeng heard footsteps closing in. This was indeed Ling Miaoying's true self. Their speeds were comparable, so why could he catch up to me? Because Ling Miaoying's shoes were special; they were also one of his props, a spiritual artifact capable of extreme speed.

In the blink of an eye, the two ran over a hundred meters along the tracks, already beyond the projector's range. The formerly gleaming tracks lost their disguise, becoming heavily rusted. This was a disused railway line. Beside the abandoned tracks, a new set appeared—this one was the active railway. A coal train was approaching from the opposite direction. This was a real, moving train.

Ling Miaoying frowned deeply, worried that Li Banfeng would jump onto this train. He couldn't hesitate; he had to go for the kill. As long as he left him breathing to find out Red Lotus's whereabouts, even if he crippled Li Banfeng, it would be fine. Ling Miaoying pulled a pistol from his pocket. This pistol was also a spiritual artifact; once the powder ignited, the bullet was guaranteed to hit and was extremely powerful. Just one shot could cripple Li Banfeng, rendering him immobile for life. The gun's only drawback was its loud report. On the railway tracks, Ling Miaoying originally didn't want to cause such a commotion. Railways were controlled by outside provinces, and he didn't want to offend the customs official over this. He had wanted to capture Li Banfeng quietly, but now he couldn't afford to worry about such things.

*Click!*

The first bullet didn't fire. The train roared closer, passing right beside the two of them.

Ling Miaoying was about to fire a second shot when he saw Li Banfeng's figure vanish. Where did he go? Did he jump onto the train?

Ling Miaoying immediately stopped, watching the roaring train depart. He didn't see Li Banfeng's figure, nor did he hear Li Banfeng's voice. But he had just heard the sound of metal clanging. Li Qi seemed to have thrown something onto the train.

Ling Miaoying was about to jump onto the train to investigate closely when he suddenly saw a uniformed man standing at the edge of a carriage, watching him coldly. The conductor. Ling Miaoying frowned and took a few steps back, moving away from the tracks. Under no circumstances should one provoke a conductor; this was an iron rule for survival in Puro Province.

The conductor patrolled each carriage, found nothing unusual, then returned to his rest room, brewed a cup of tea, and resumed reading his newspaper. He didn't notice that an extra key was lying in one of the coal cars. Sixteen hours later, Li Banfeng reappeared inside the carriage and picked up the key.