Chapter 277: New Earth Train

"Seventh Master, there's nothing much happening at the newspaper office. I can accompany you for a stroll around the city." Bai Qiusheng was packing up, ready to leave, but Li Banfeng didn't want to take him along.

Sometimes, Li Banfeng preferred to be alone. Having someone with him made it inconvenient to conduct serious business, or even to return to his portable residence.

Yesterday, Yuwen Qi mentioned a new dance hall had opened in the east of the city, where over a dozen dancers performed unclothed.

Li Banfeng wasn't interested in watching the girls dance; he wanted to observe the customs of Black Rock Ridge.

Such a place wasn't suitable for visiting with others. People might misunderstand, thinking Li Qi had poor taste.

And if things got a bit *uncomfortable* for him, others might think he lacked stamina.

"Get me a map," Li Banfeng said. "I'll go by myself. Make sure it has the new areas marked."

Bai Qiusheng handed Li Banfeng a map. "Seventh Master, this is the latest map, but it might not be entirely reliable in Black Rock Ridge. Be especially careful near the new areas. You can enter through the marked entrances, but absolutely avoid anywhere I haven't marked. Over the years, so many coal and stone mines have opened here that some mountains have been completely dug away, and some non-entrances have become makeshift entrances. Don't go to any of those places; they're dangerous. There are also some unmarked places I can't quite remember; it's best you avoid those too. And please remember clearly what I told you about the new areas..."

Bai Qiusheng rattled on at length, but Li Banfeng listened intently.

In truth, Bai Qiusheng worried about only two things: that Li Banfeng might get lost, or that he might encounter strange creatures in the new areas.

To Li Banfeng, these worries were excessive.

As a journey cultivator, he rarely got lost.

As for the new areas, based on Bai Qiusheng's description, the outer layer of Black Rock City's new areas seemed no different from Green Water City's. Bai Qiusheng hadn't ventured into the inner layer, and Li Banfeng didn't plan to go too deep for now.

Since he was just going to familiarize himself with the routes, Li Banfeng initially intended to walk.

However, some temptations were hard to resist, like the small train that suddenly emerged from an alley.

It was past ten in the morning, and the train was mostly empty. Li Banfeng bought a few magazines and read them while the train rumbled along, unknowingly riding it all the way to the last stop.

Following the map, he transferred to another train.

Anyone who frequently takes public transport knows that knowing how to walk and knowing how to transfer are two different skills.

Li Banfeng transferred six times in a row, but still didn't reach the edge of the new areas or find the dance hall in the east of the city. He was lost.

Black Rock Ridge's architecture was quite uniform, and the city's development was balanced, lacking prominent landmarks. Li Banfeng could roughly tell he was in the south of the city, but couldn't pinpoint his exact location.

"How can there not even be a single landmark..."

Ahead, there was a construction site, and a crane operator was smoking by the roadside.

Li Banfeng approached and greeted him, "Excuse me, sir, how do I get to the new areas?"

"What are you going to the new areas for?"

"Hunting!"

"Hunting? That's a life-threatening business. It'd be much better to find a job!"

The man was quite helpful. He led Li Banfeng to the side of the road and gave him directions: "Go straight down this road, turn left at the first intersection, then turn right at the third intersection. Follow that road to the very end and turn left again, and you'll see the entrance to the new areas. You must follow these directions exactly; don't go anywhere else. If you make a wrong turn, it could be fatal!"

Li Banfeng thanked him and gave the operator ten yuan.

The operator frowned. "What are you doing? Why are you giving me money just for asking directions?"

Li Banfeng smiled without answering. He never let anyone do him a favor for free, no matter how small.

Seeing Li Banfeng walk away, the operator pocketed the money, secretly quite pleased.

Another operator climbed down from the crane and called out, "Shift change!"

This operator got into the crane and began operating the machine to lift stones.

The person directing from below shouted, "Right, to the right, a little more to the right! I told you to go right, you freaking..."

*Clang!*

The crane's grabber veered off course, nearly hitting someone. The director fumed, "Damn it, I told you to go right! Do you even know what right is?"

The crane operator raised his left hand. "Isn't this right?"

The director roared, "Are you messing with me?!"

The crane operator thought for a moment, then raised his right hand. "It seems like it's this way..."

Li Banfeng walked quickly, following the crane operator's directions, and in a blink, found himself inside a train station.

Train stations were common in Black Rock Ridge, but this one seemed abandoned. The tracks remained, but half the platform had collapsed, and the ticket office (waiting room) was completely in ruins.

Li Banfeng was curious: where did this stretch of track lead?

Building railways in the new areas was unrealistic. Even if someone risked their life to construct one, there would be no one to maintain it.

But standing by the tracks and looking south, Li Banfeng realized he was mistaken.

The tracks stretched endlessly southward into the darkness. Was there truly a railway leading to the new areas?

Perhaps it only extended to the edge of the new areas, built for the convenience of hunters transporting goods.

But why would such an important railway be abandoned?

As he pondered, he suddenly heard a whistle behind him.

"Woo-woo!"

A train passing by?

Li Banfeng was startled and quickly moved away from the tracks. On closer inspection, there was no train behind him, but an old man.

The old man had a high forehead, round cheeks, and a robust physique. He was marching in place on the tracks.

He turned his head and exhaled.

"Woo-woo!" he mimicked a train whistle, and it sounded remarkably accurate.

*Clank! Clank!*

He swung his arms in sync, left and right, as if a train was about to depart.

Li Banfeng looked at the old man with a sympathetic gaze and sighed softly.

There was a clear difference between mentally ill and crazy. *This old man actually thought he was a train—how preposterous! I've never thought I was a train. Occasionally, I imagine myself as an airplane or a tank, but that's fundamentally different from a train. Trains are always confined to tracks; they're not free...*

As Li Banfeng was pondering, the old man suddenly said to him, "All aboard!"

"All aboard what?"

"The train's leaving soon, aren't you getting on?"

*I knew this old man was crazy, telling me to get on a train! How could I possibly get on?* Li Banfeng looked at the old man and scoffed, "I haven't bought a ticket yet!"

"You can pay on board!" The old man suddenly appeared before Li Banfeng, whose eyes barely registered his movement.

He hoisted Li Banfeng onto his back and sprinted along the railway line, his mouth not resting as he ran:

"Chug, chug, chug, woo, woo-woo!"

Li Banfeng angrily demanded, "Where are you going?!"

"Don't squirm! If you fall off, you'll die!"

The old man was incredibly fast; Li Banfeng couldn't make out the scenery blurring past.

*What level of cultivator is this? Where on earth is he taking me?*

Li Banfeng stealthily pulled out his sickle, only to hear the old man chuckle, "Still squirming? Believe it or not, I'll throw you off and watch you turn into a flower."

Li Banfeng put the sickle away.

The old man's words carried a lot of information, and it needed to be broken down.

If he threw him off at such incredible speed, Li Banfeng likely wouldn't even see his form.

And if, at that moment, he looked at Li Banfeng, Li Banfeng would transform into a flower.

This was a Level Five technique of journey cultivation: "Galloping Horse Viewing Flowers."

According to the glove, this technique was typically used by high-level cultivators to overwhelm lower-level ones.

What Li Banfeng was facing now was a high-level journey cultivator who could completely overpower him.

*What on earth does he want?*

Li Banfeng's only hope now was his portable residence. The moment he got a chance, he would immediately slip inside, even if the old man picked up his key; it wouldn't matter.

He strained to make out the scenery on both sides, ready to act if they passed any woods or thickets.

But the old man's speed only increased. He had already surged past the end of the tracks and was still sprinting wildly forward. Li Banfeng's vision blurred further, and in his desperation, the old man suddenly let out a long whistle: "Shhh!"

He braked.

He tossed Li Banfeng onto the ground and said with a serious expression, "Last stop! Pay up!"

Li Banfeng responded just as seriously, "How much is the fare?"

"Hard seat, 150!"

*Hard seat?* Li Banfeng scoffed, "Do you have any other classes?"

The old man unfolded a stretcher from his back. "Hard sleeper, 280!"

"Any soft sleepers?"

The old man then unfurled a mattress from his back. "Soft sleeper, 330!"

*Unbelievable.*

Li Banfeng gave the old man two hundred yuan. The old man, looking generous, said, "Keep the change! Woo-woo chug-chug!"

He swung his arms and "drove" away.

*Damn it, I gave him two hundred, and he didn't even give me change. I should've chosen the sleeper if I'd known. Wait, I didn't even choose this! What did that old lunatic bring me to this place for?*

Li Banfeng looked at his surroundings.

It was a lush jungle, somewhat familiar, but he couldn't place where he had seen it before.

Could he find the old man's footprints from when he arrived?

It seemed he could see some footprints.

Yes, there was a line of footprints, quite deep.

Li Banfeng followed the footprints back, only to suddenly hear a sharp whistle from behind him:

"Woo-ow, woo-woo chug! Chug! Chug!"

"Oh, come on!"

*That old geezer is back! This isn't a one-way trip; it's a round trip. That old man actually has a fixed route.*

Li Banfeng didn't dare to think any further and immediately deviated from the path of the footprints. Fearing the old man would pursue him, he ran for over ten li without stopping.

As he ran, Li Banfeng wondered, *If I hadn't run and instead told the old man I wanted a ride and paid him for a ticket, would he have carried me back?*

"Forget it," he thought. "I'm a normal person; I shouldn't get serious with a lunatic. If he has another episode, there's no telling where he'd take me."

Indeed, the old man didn't follow him. Li Banfeng surveyed his surroundings.

The place looked increasingly familiar; he was certain he had been there before.

He walked eastward for over ten li, crossed a mountain, and after an hour or so on the wasteland, Li Banfeng saw a village.

At the village entrance, a colossal Lady Moth was on patrol. Li Banfeng initially thought it was a swallow, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Qiao Cui.

"Seventh Master, you're back!" Qiao Cui greeted him enthusiastically.

*Zhengjing Village! How did that old man know about Zhengjing Village? Why would he bring me back here?*

In the regular world, Green Water Bay and Black Rock Ridge weren't particularly close, but in the new areas, they weren't far apart.

"Seventh Master, could you tell Fifth Brother to come to my place tonight?"

Li Banfeng paused, "Fifth Brother is back in the village?"

"Yes, he's filming by the lake."

*Why is he back in the village?*

Li Banfeng entered the village. Ma Wu, dressed in a black Zhongshan suit, was by the lake adjusting a camera. It seemed *Blood Gun Detective* was back in production.

Nearby, several people were setting up the scene, and a few actors, already in makeup, were waiting to take their positions. Li Banfeng asked, "Fifth Brother, weren't you supposed to be managing the coal and ore business? Why are you back in the village?"

Ma Wu replied, "Don't urgent matters come first? Why are *you* back?"

Li Banfeng said, "Well, I..."

He didn't explain.

Glancing around the set, Li Banfeng spotted Bai Qiusheng.

Bai Qiusheng was revising the script.

It was Ma Wu's habit to have a screenwriter by his side whenever he was making a film.

Li Banfeng pulled his hat brim lower and asked, "You're back too?"

Bai Qiusheng stood up. "Seventh Master, they said there was an urgent matter here, so I came back first."

"I see..." Li Banfeng nodded, pulling his hat brim even lower.