Chapter 238: Reunion

Zhou Changhong, a popular male star, sat in his private compartment on the train from Greenwater City to Wuxin Township, reading a newspaper and sipping tea. He had only been back in Greenwater City for a day when he left again.

After boarding, Zhou Changhong napped for a good part of the day. As dusk approached, he emerged from his berth, brewed a pot of tea, and read the newspaper while he drank.

A knock sounded at the door. "Sir, ticket check," a voice called. "Please open the door immediately and present your ticket."

The voice sounded a bit strange, yet somewhat familiar.

Zhou Changhong remained motionless in the compartment, holding his tea.

"Sir, please open the door immediately and present your ticket." The attendant knocked a second time.

Still, Zhou Changhong didn't move, sitting silently in the compartment as if sculpted from clay.

*Knock! Knock! Knock!* The attendant knocked a third time.

"Sir, you must cooperate with the ticket inspection. If you don't open the door, I'll be forced to take compulsory measures!"

Finally, there was movement inside the compartment.

Zhou Changhong stirred. He simply turned a page of his newspaper and continued sipping his tea.

How odd.

Standing outside the door, Li Banfeng, impersonating an attendant, listened to the movements inside the compartment through his Thread-Silk Earrings. He's still drinking tea? Zhou Changhong's actions baffled Li Banfeng.

Attendants typically checked tickets five or six hours after departure. Li Banfeng had experienced this on his first train journey, and Ma Wu had confirmed it was standard train procedure.

Why wasn't he opening the door for me? Did he suspect I wasn't an attendant? Had I given myself away? I had knocked first for the ticket check and said nothing out of the ordinary. When he first heard my knock, Zhou Changhong had remained silent, pretending no one was in the compartment. But after I warned him twice, he seemed to lose his fear, simply refusing to open the door? Why was he doing this? Was he hiding something he didn't want an attendant to see? But by stubbornly refusing to open the door, he couldn't hide anything anyway. According to train regulations, if warnings were ineffective, an attendant would simply enter the compartment by force to check tickets.

Should I just force my way in and see?

Li Banfeng was about to use his "Unimpeded Passage" technique to slip into the compartment when he suddenly spotted a real attendant approaching with an iron rod. "Sir, is this your compartment?"

Li Banfeng glanced at the compartment number and replied, "It seems I've made a mistake."

The attendant, holding the iron rod, pointed it at Li Banfeng's forehead. "Please present your ticket!"

Li Banfeng produced his ticket.

The attendant scrutinized Li Banfeng from head to toe and asked, "What's the meaning of your attire?"

Li Banfeng, dressed in a train attendant's uniform, pondered for a moment before replying, "Does the train have regulations concerning passenger attire?"

"No," the attendant replied, returning the ticket to Li Banfeng. "Please return to your compartment!"

Li Banfeng returned to his own compartment. He now understood the problem. Zhou Changhong's initial silence in the compartment was likely because he genuinely didn't want an attendant to enter. However, when he heard Li Banfeng's second warning, he realized the attendant was a fake. Real attendants only issued one warning.

Li Banfeng's compartment was directly next door. He pressed his Thread-Silk Earrings against the compartment wall, listening quietly to the sounds from the adjacent room.

Zhou Changhong blinked, then smiled. He leisurely finished an entire pot of tea, waited for over half an hour, then murmured, "Miaoying, I think I'm being watched on this train. Why isn't Wuxin Township prepared yet? What exactly are you doing about this?"

His previous deduction was correct; Zhou Changhong had indeed identified the fake attendant. However, Li Banfeng hadn't anticipated that this person's status would actually be higher than Ling Miaoying's. According to Ling Miaosheng, Ling Miaoying was indeed working for a prominent figure from another state. However, Li Banfeng had believed Zhou Changhong was not that important person, but merely a messenger. Zhou Changhong had spent most of his time in Prolia State, and his film contracts had not ceased in recent years. Yet, judging from his recent comments, Zhou Changhong was indeed the prominent figure, meaning Li Banfeng's earlier assessment had been mistaken.

What exactly needed to be prepared in Wuxin Township?

After a moment, he heard Zhou Changhong speak from the next compartment again: "The crew is a bit understaffed. Though the people in Wuxin Township are reliable, not many are skilled. Have another group of people sent from Greenwater City."

He was going to Wuxin Township to shoot a movie?

Wuxin Township was located in the uncharted third of Prolia State's territory. People knew little about the area, only that most of its residents had no familial attachments. Was he going to this desolate place to film in order to avoid harassment? Was this prominent figure truly traveling to Wuxin Township merely to shoot a film?

After a brief pause, Zhou Changhong added, "I've brought the item. This shoot cannot afford any missteps. We must wrap it up within ten days!" After saying this, Zhou Changhong fell silent.

Li Banfeng removed his Thread-Silk Earrings, sat in his compartment, and fell into deep thought. From the recent conversation, he could glean several key pieces of information. Zhou Changhong was going to Wuxin Township to film, leaving only a decoy in Greenwater City, which would prevent anyone from disrupting his plans. He had brought a special item that would allow ten films to be completed within ten days, thereby preventing Ma Wu from acting first.

What kind of item could allow ten films to be completed within ten days? What exactly was Zhou Changhong's true level of power? Why was this film so crucial to him?

Putting the film aside for a moment, it had to be said that this popular male star was very clever. Indeed, anyone with a status above Ling Miaoying's would certainly be highly intelligent. Directly probing him in his compartment seemed unwise. If Zhou Changhong's cultivation was exceptionally high, Li Banfeng might not return alive. Even if he could handle Zhou Changhong, he wouldn't get past the attendants.

What should he do now? Follow Zhou Changhong to Wuxin Township, capture him after leaving the station, and ascertain his intentions. That was, if he could capture him alive. Alternatively, he could disembark midway, return to inform Ma Wu, contact the Lu family, and have them intervene in Wuxin Township to prevent Zhou Changhong from filming.

Why was he still fixated on the film? Li Banfeng tapped his forehead. He had boarded this train to track Zhou Changhong, aiming to uncover the prominent figure behind Ling Miaoying and discover this figure's intentions. Now the prominent figure had appeared. The best option was still to reach Wuxin Township and continue his pursuit. But was it safe to do so?

*Knock, knock, knock!*

A series of knocks sounded, and the attendant's voice came from outside the door: "Sir, please open the door."

Li Banfeng paused for a moment, remaining silent. He wasn't certain if the attendant outside was genuine.

*Whoosh, bang!*

The attendant directly opened the compartment door. "Sir, your attire is affecting my work. I hope you can change your clothes."

Li Banfeng nodded slightly, and the attendant closed the door. From his demeanor, this attendant appeared to be genuine.

Li Banfeng entered his Portable Dwelling, removed his clothes, and changed into a black suit.

Hong Ying's body tensed, and she asked in a low voice, "Did he just take off his clothes again?"

The Gramophone slowly hummed, "Yes, he did. He's my man; I see him every day, so your envy is useless."

Hong Ying scoffed, "Given how you look today, what good is having a man? You might be pretty, but you're useless!"

"Who says I'm useless?" the Gramophone retorted angrily. "Husband, show them what you can do!"

"What good will that do? Is that 'proper business'?"

"Why isn't it proper? My husband has many tricks up his sleeve!"

The two argued fiercely, likely about to start bisticuffs again soon. Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead, feeling a splitting headache. Couldn't these two just be quiet for a couple of days? They had been arguing for so long without any resolution. The more Li Banfeng listened, the more irritated and annoyed he became. He didn't want to stay in the Portable Dwelling for another moment.

Seeing Li Banfeng's hasty departure, the Judge's Pen rolled over and went back to sleep.

Back in his compartment, Li Banfeng continued to agonize over Zhou Changhong's situation. Should he follow him off the train, or go back and call for reinforcements? If he followed him off the train, he might very well die at his hands. But if he went back for help now, this lead might be lost.

In his dilemma, Li Banfeng began to talk to himself.

Zhou Changhong heard the sounds from next door, smiling and shaking his head.

After agonizing for several hours, Li Banfeng made up his mind. He would disembark at Wuxin Township. After disembarking, he would track Zhou Changhong, not rushing to act, but observing his movements first.

Having made his decision, Li Banfeng glanced at his pocket watch; it was already two in the morning. The train would arrive at seven tomorrow morning. While there was still time, he should get some good rest, as he would have to contend with a master.

Li Banfeng lay on his bunk, afraid he might oversleep. His pocket watch had no alarm. While Mend in his Portable Dwelling could tell him the time, he didn't want to listen to Lady and Hong Ying arguing. Should he bring Mend out? Mend wasn't a portable magic item; leaving him outside would easily arouse suspicion.

As he pondered, Li Banfeng felt another headache coming on. How strange; why was he so conflicted today? Conflicted... Why was he conflicted? Li Banfeng looked at the compartment wall, his heart tightening. Some tactics, when one was accustomed to applying them to others, were truly hard to recognize when suddenly used on oneself. Sun Tiecheng had said that two people had passed Fool's City's assessment. Could the other person be him?

Li Banfeng sat up from his bunk, opened his Portable Dwelling, and hid the key under the bunk. Lady was still tormenting Hong Ying. Li Banfeng controlled his inner agitation and found the Judge's Pen. He held the Judge's Pen, drew a circle at his feet, and said, "Fly."

The Judge's Pen snorted, "Where to?"

"To the second room."

The Judge's Pen was annoyed. To the second room? And you need me to fly you there? Can't you just walk a couple of steps yourself? Never mind. Too lazy to argue.

After a stalemate of half an hour, as Li Banfeng truly insisted on flying, the Judge's Pen carried Li Banfeng to the second room.

Inside the second room, just as the Judge's Pen was about to sleep, Li Banfeng said, "Here's your payment."

The Judge's Pen snorted, "No rush."

"I'm in a hurry."

"What's the hurry?"

Li Banfeng said, "I'm just in a hurry. If you don't retrieve your payment, I'll make you fly me to every single room."

"You..."

This person was unreasonable.

"I..."

Never mind. The Judge's Pen was too weary to reason with him. If he wanted to offer payment, then so be it. Although collecting the payment would require some effort, it was better than constantly being entangled with him.

After the Judge's Pen collected the payment, Li Banfeng suddenly felt an overwhelming weariness. He lay on the bed, feeling his eyelids unusually heavy. If he simply fell asleep now, he didn't know when he would wake up. At the very least, he should have Mend set a time to wake him, so he wouldn't miss his stop.

Never mind. If he missed it, he missed it. Was he really going to track Zhou Changhong? Wuxin Township was clearly his territory. Was there a possibility that if he disembarked at Wuxin Township, he would immediately fall into a trap? Was there a possibility that everything he said about filming was nonsense, and he simply wanted him to disembark at Wuxin Township?

Sleep. Just sleep soundly. What he couldn't figure out, Li Banfeng was too weary to think about.

At 6:30 AM, with half an hour left until arrival, Zhou Changhong began to pack his luggage. He deliberately made some noise, intending for Li Banfeng in the next compartment to hear. *I'm getting off. You should follow me.*

There seemed to be no movement next door. Zhou Changhong pressed his ear against the wall to listen. After listening for a moment, he switched ears. This ear was more sensitive, but he still couldn't hear any movement. What was going on? Was he sleeping so soundly?

After waiting for over twenty minutes, Zhou Changhong frowned and tapped the wall a few times, but still there was no sound from next door. The train wasn't delayed today; it had already begun to slow down, preparing to enter the station. In his anxiety, Zhou Changhong employed certain techniques. He placed his hand on the compartment wall, and a slight vibration was transmitted to the adjacent compartment. He had to control the force, careful not to alarm the train attendants. One attendant might be manageable, but if all the train attendants arrived, things would become troublesome. *Wake up quickly, stop sleeping! You're supposed to get off now.*

*Bang!*

The compartment door swung open. The attendant, a frown on his face, entered Zhou Changhong's compartment. "I don't know why, but you and the passenger in the next compartment haven't been very quiet."

Zhou Changhong chuckled, "I was merely reminding him that the train was about to arrive. We're disembarking at the same station, I was just..."

The train halted, and the attendant opened the main door. "Sir, you should disembark now."

Zhou Changhong offered a wry smile and stepped off the train. He waited on the platform for a long time, until the train started again, but still saw no sign of Li Banfeng. *My plan was so thorough, and you just slept through it?*