Chapter 218: A Good Subordinate

Wu Yongchao led Li Banfeng to Fortress Master Zhou's residence.

Fortress Master Zhou's residence was deep within the valley, much larger than other house cultivators' homes. A five-story vermillion building, along with two three-story annexes, formed a large courtyard. Numerous smaller courtyards and Western-style houses were nested around the main compound.

Wu Yongchao said, "Every year, we contribute money and labor to build houses for the Fortress Master. Ma Dingfu and his associates always say that the larger the Fortress Master's residence, the higher his cultivation, and the better life will be for Iron Gate Fortress."

Li Banfeng chuckled, "Ma Dingfu truly is a good subordinate."

Lights illuminated the main building. Wu Yongchao lowered his voice and said, "These must be the Fortress Master's family members."

Li Banfeng observed the number of lights and asked, "Isn't your Fortress Master a house cultivator? He has quite a large family. Can the House Spirit tolerate so many outsiders?"

Wu Yongchao replied, "The Fortress Master once warned us that house cultivators should not marry, as it hinders their cultivation. He also set a rule that no house cultivators in Iron Gate Fortress should marry. Yet, he himself has married over thirty wives. Many people find this incomprehensible. But Ma Dingfu and his associates have said not to apply the Fortress Master's rules to the Fortress Master himself. The Fortress Master is different from us. The Fortress Master sets rules for our own good. We don't need to worry about the Fortress Master's affairs."

Li Banfeng sighed once more, "This Ma Dingfu truly is a..."

Wait...

Through his Threading Earrings, Li Banfeng heard Ma Dingfu's shouts. At least five other people were shouting with him. The sound was like that of a battlefield, a decisive moment for two armies.

One against five. How was that technically possible?

Li Banfeng looked at Wu Yongchao and asked, "How many wives did you just say the Fortress Master had?"

"Thirty-two or thirty-five, I think. Some say thirty-eight. I can't quite remember."

Zhou Anju had just died, and Ma Dingfu used five at once? It seemed Ma Dingfu wasn't such a loyal subordinate after all.

Li Banfeng had Wu Yongchao keep watch nearby while he quietly infiltrated the main building. He wasn't familiar with the layout of the main building, but bringing Wu Yongchao along would be useless, as Wu Yongchao wasn't familiar with it either. He was only familiar with his own residence.

According to Li Banfeng's speculation, secrets were usually hidden on the top floor. This was because far fewer people had been to the top floor than to the ground floor.

Li Banfeng's biggest concern now was that Fortress Master Zhou was not dead, or not completely dead. He still hadn't figured out why Luo Dagui was still talking to Zhou Anju just before he died. Even if Luo Dagui could alter his voice, the two voices didn't originate from the same source. Luo Dagui's voice came from the large loudspeaker he carried. Zhou Anju's voice came from deep within the valley.

After searching three rooms on the top floor, Li Banfeng found the answer. In the third room was a massive bellows phonograph. A stack of records lay next to it. The horn of this phonograph was over a meter in diameter. It was usually hidden behind curtains, and with some illusionary decorations, its presence was completely invisible from outside the window.

Li Banfeng took the stack of records back to his Portable Residence and had his wife play them one by one.

"Luo Paotou, what brings you to my Iron Gate Fortress?"

"We are all poor people; you're asking for ten thousand silver dollars. We can't afford that!"

"Luo Paotou, you're ruthless enough. I, Zhou, am afraid of you..."

Li Banfeng understood it all; he understood everything. No wonder the last line didn't quite fit the situation at the time. Luo Dagui hadn't done anything, yet Fortress Master Zhou claimed to be afraid of him.

Fortress Master Zhou used this phonograph to pre-record his own voice. Then, using voice-altering techniques, he went outside the valley to impersonate Luo Paotou, completing a call-and-response conversation with himself.

Why didn't he place the phonograph outside the valley and stay inside the fortress to perform the call-and-response? One reason was that the phonograph was larger than the loudspeaker, making it inconvenient to move. Another reason was that the situation outside the valley was complex. If he didn't go himself, it would be difficult to handle unexpected situations.

Con artist tricks, all con artist tricks. It didn't sound particularly clever, yet it deceived a group of house cultivators of considerable skill for decades.

Who taught him his voice-altering techniques? Fortress Master Zhou's voice and Luo Paotou's voice had no similarity whatsoever. Besides using techniques, Zhou Anju must have possessed a spiritual artifact or magic treasure for voice alteration.

A spiritual artifact or a magic treasure... A spiritual artifact that changes voices.

Li Banfeng wondered if he was being overly suspicious. Every time he encountered a spiritual artifact that changed voices or images, he would think of the Ling family. Thinking of the Ling family always made him think of hooks. Was he being too cautious?

Li Banfeng pushed the bellows phonograph out of his Portable Residence. He set the volume extremely low and played a song called "Feigning Seriousness." With a crisp snap, the hook broke. Zhou Anju's phonograph actually had a hook! This was a very delicate hook, completely different from Lu Xiaolan's rough, crude hook. If Lu Xiaolan's hook had broken, the sound would have been louder than a gunshot. Could this really be related to the Ling family?

With the hook severed, Li Banfeng felt much more at ease. He found many blank records in Zhou Anju's room. He took them back to his Portable Residence and asked, "Wife, could you help me record a few more, mimicking his voice?"

"Oh, my husband, that's easy! Your little servant has two trays!"

Li Banfeng placed two records on two separate trays. His wife, comparing them to Zhou Anju's voice, carved several more records according to Li Banfeng's instructions.

After Ma Dingfu finished his business, he called the Fortress Master's butler over.

"Old He, tell the other wives not to worry. I certainly won't treat them unfairly."

The butler repeatedly affirmed.

"Also, I plan to select two for you. These aren't my leftovers. I think two of the wives are truly compatible with your temperament."

The butler quickly bowed and said, "Thank you for your generosity, Fortress Master."

"The mountain bandit stronghold will be sending people here again in a couple of days. Don't say what shouldn't be said, and don't ask what shouldn't be asked. You are the Fortress Master's butler; the mountain stronghold's affairs have nothing to do with you."

"I understand all this. Fortress Master Zhou explained it before, that..." The butler accidentally mentioned Fortress Master Zhou, and fearing that the newly appointed Fortress Master Ma would be displeased, he quickly shut his mouth.

Seeing this, Ma Dingfu smiled and said, "Old He, you're overthinking it. I'm not a petty person. At tomorrow's banquet, I'll specifically toast Fortress Master Zhou. Even though Fortress Master Zhou didn't have much cultivation on him, his mental cultivation was truly profound. Over all these years, he's the one who gradually guided me! I'm telling you, outward cultivation truly can't compare to mental cultivation. Old He, even if you have five layers of cultivation, would you dare show any temper in front of Fortress Master Zhou? Forget five layers; even if an eight-layer cultivator came, they would have to bow their heads in submission and act subserviently before our Fortress Master Zhou! My admiration for Fortress Master Zhou comes from the bottom of my heart!"

Butler He nodded repeatedly, "Fortress Master Ma, you don't forget old kindness. Having a Fortress Master like you is a blessing for our Iron Gate Fortress!"

Ma Dingfu laughed, "You can't say that yet. The matter isn't concluded, and my position isn't yet fully legitimate. For the banquet three days from now, prepare a detailed list. Note clearly who attended, who didn't, and how much tribute each brought. I'm not one to be nitpicky, but there are some things I need to be aware of..."

Li Banfeng crouched on the rooftop, wearing his Threading Earrings, hearing every word distinctly. This Butler He was a five-layer cultivator. However, it was unknown what cultivation path he followed. No wonder Fortress Master Zhou didn't allow anyone above the fourth layer of cultivation in the fortress. Butler He was the strongest fighting force at his disposal. A five-layer cultivator serving as a butler for a mere novice? Li Banfeng increasingly admired the methods of these fraudulent cultivators.

Wait, there's a variable here. According to Wu Yongchao, Fortress Master Zhou had set a rule over a decade ago that no house cultivator above the fourth layer was allowed in Iron Gate Fortress. Over a decade ago, Butler He was already at the fifth layer. What about now? Could he be beyond the fifth layer now? It was hard to say.

It was strange. With Butler He so powerful, why didn't Zhou Anju take him out to handle matters? At the canyon entrance, if Old He had been with Zhou Anju, Li Banfeng might not have been able to kill him. There was a reason for this.

Three days later, Iron Gate Fortress held a banquet. Butler Old He stood at the entrance, holding a ledger and collecting gifts. Gifts of one silver dollar or more were recorded in one book, while those below one silver dollar were recorded in another. Those who didn't attend were identified one by one from Iron Gate Fortress's roster. Once his position as Fortress Master was confirmed, Ma Dingfu would deal with them individually.

He had assumed Wu Yongchao wouldn't come, but he actually did. He presented a congratulatory gift of two silver dollars. The butler specifically reported this to Ma Dingfu. Ma Dingfu sneered, "Now he's afraid? Too late. Are two silver dollars enough to buy his life?"

"You mean to act today?"

Ma Dingfu shook his head. "It's such a good day today; we can't let him spoil the mood. Let's wait two more days."

Old He repeatedly affirmed, "Whatever the Fortress Master says."

See how obedient this butler was. Zhou Anju, truly, for such an obedient person, he just couldn't trust him. He didn't take him along when going out, didn't use him for killings, only made him guard the entrance. Li Banfeng really didn't know what he was thinking.

The banquet began, and Ma Dingfu raised his cup to toast. The first toast was to the deceased Fortress Master Zhou.

"Fortress Master Zhou toiled and suffered his entire life for our Iron Gate Fortress. For our sake, he sacrificed his life. Without Fortress Master Zhou, there would be no Iron Gate Fortress. But our Fortress Master Zhou's body hasn't even been fully recovered. When I think of this, my heart aches..." At this point, Ma Dingfu choked up, tears streaming down his face, unable to speak for a long time. "I... when I think of this, I... I just..."

"You occupied my house, slept with my wives, and damn it, you slept with five at once!" Fortress Master Zhou's voice suddenly rang out, echoing throughout the entire building and across all of Iron Gate Fortress.

Ma Dingfu's hand trembled, and his wine cup fell to the floor. Everyone's gaze fixed on Ma Dingfu. He slept with Fortress Master Zhou's wives? He occupied Fortress Master Zhou's house? The younger house cultivators found it unbelievable. Fortress Master Zhou's body was barely cold! The older house cultivators remained calm. They found it reasonable for a new Fortress Master to take possession of the previous one's assets upon ascending to power. The crucial point was, wasn't Fortress Master Zhou dead? How was he suddenly speaking again? Was this his ghost manifesting?

"Who, who is impersonating Fortress Master Zhou? You, this is slander..." Ma Dingfu regained his composure and quickly defended himself.

Fortress Master Zhou's voice rang out again: "Little Ma, I told you to go to the mountains for reinforcements, why didn't you go? We worked ourselves to death for Flying Eagle Mountain our entire lives. Now that something has happened to me, you run to seize my position, disregarding the rules of the mountain?"

"Who! Who entered our fortress? Who is trying to frame me? Old He, go up and check quickly!"

Butler He went upstairs.

Ma Dingfu was terrified. No matter how he tried to explain, everyone's gaze remained fixed on him. Whether old or young, all the house cultivators were no longer calm. Ma Dingfu sleeping with the former Fortress Master's wives was something they could overlook. But their collusion with Flying Eagle Mountain to scheme against Iron Gate Fortress was something they could not ignore. Ma Dingfu organized a banquet, gathering them all together. Was he planning to collude with Flying Eagle Mountain to kill them? They had to fight them to the death!

Li Banfeng was on the top floor of the building, operating the phonograph. Li Banfeng was very certain that Zhou Anju was from Flying Eagle Mountain. He inferred that Ma Dingfu was also from Flying Eagle Mountain. Ma Dingfu planning to collaborate with Flying Eagle Mountain tonight to commit mass murder—this was something Li Banfeng fabricated. But this fabrication was logical and reasonable. Across a large iron gate, Zhou Anju had used a group of bandits from Flying Eagle Mountain to intimidate Iron Gate Fortress for decades. If the Flying Eagle Mountain bandits were so useful, and Zhou Anju could use them, why couldn't Li Banfeng?

"Zhou Anju" continued speaking: "Little Ma, the chieftain and his men have arrived. You've also gathered these house cultivators. It's time for us to act. Now is your chance to atone for your misdeeds. If this is accomplished, I won't hold your previous actions against you!"

Ma Dingfu looked at the assembled house cultivators and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Someone is spreading rumors. Can't you tell?"

The house cultivators didn't know if it was a rumor. They heard Fortress Master Zhou's voice. They were scared. They were conflicted. They were furious.