Chapter 285: Waiting to Rescue You

Li Banfeng returned to the newspaper office, and Bai Qiusheng was frantic.

"Seventh Master, we can't do this! You said you'd try to be back the same day, or at most the next. You've been gone for three days without a word!"

Li Banfeng said, "I ran into some trouble on the way and was delayed for two days. There's something I need to ask you. What's the name of our newspaper again?"

Bai Qiusheng was momentarily stunned. "'Night Fragrance'!" He wondered why he was asking about that.

Li Banfeng continued, "Is this your first day working for a newspaper?"

Bai Qiusheng was surprised again. "No, I've been in this business before."

"Where did Yuwen Qi go?"

"Taking photos, publishing a magazine."

"Take me to him at once."

Li Banfeng suspected he was still dreaming. One of the best ways to verify a dream is to see if you can find a specific person or location when you're urgently looking for them.

Dreams are self-constructed, and the construction process takes time. Some people and scenes aren't easily formed.

Bai Qiusheng led Li Banfeng directly into the workshop. Their sudden arrival startled the young women, who covered themselves frantically, unsure where to hide.

Yuwen Qi frowned. "What are you scared of? This is our Boss Ye. It's your good fortune if you can get close to him."

This time, the young women stopped covering themselves.

Some deliberately twisted their bodies, claiming their backs ached.

Some bounced slightly, pretending they couldn't stand steady.

Others, upon noticing something had dropped, quickly bent down to pick it up.

After watching for a long time, Li Banfeng didn't react.

Why no reaction? Was it due to the dream?

Li Banfeng observed for a moment, still feeling uneasy. He returned to his room, locked the door, and performed some more tests.

He read the newspaper; the words didn't change.

He wrote down a series of numbers and verified them; they also didn't change.

He ate some pastries, made a cup of fruit syrup, and it tasted quite good...

Li Banfeng wanted to continue his tests, but he couldn't keep going.

Having been away from home for three days, his Home cultivation was pressing on his body.

His legs pulsed with rising strength, and his Travel cultivation was rapidly improving.

He needed rest.

Li Banfeng took out a key, hesitated for a moment, and opened the Portable Abode.

He was very worried the Portable Abode would be exposed, but he had to go back now.

Even after entering, he was still nervous, unsure of the attitude within.

Not only his 'wife's' attitude, but also the abode's.

The moment he entered the main room, his 'wife' bristled. "Hmph, you crazy man! Three days and three nights you haven't come home, and not a word of warning! What do you take me for?"

"My dear, please let me explain first..."

"Explain what? Just come here quickly!"

His 'wife's' tone was off.

More than blame, there was concern in her voice.

She wasn't just worried about Li Banfeng not returning home; she seemed more concerned about his current predicament.

"What are you staring for? Come to your servant quickly!"

The gramophone urged him repeatedly, and Li Banfeng stood beside it.

A cloud of steam enveloped Li Banfeng. "I'll show you for not coming home! See if I don't scald you to death. Let's see if you dare do it again."

Despite the fierce words, the steam wasn't actually very hot; it was more like a comfortable hot bath.

His 'wife' was putting on an act, but for whom?

For Hong Ying?

But Hong Ying couldn't see.

The gramophone asked, "Do you admit your mistake?"

Li Banfeng quickly replied, "I admit my mistake."

The gramophone's horn spun around, seemingly observing the situation.

After observing for a moment and finding no abnormalities, a puff of steam was exhaled.

Just as the gramophone sighed in relief, the entire Portable Abode suddenly began to shake violently.

His 'wife' was easy to handle, but the abode itself was not.

The abode was angry.

His 'wife' cried out, "Husband, do you truly admit your mistake?"

Li Banfeng shouted, "I truly admit it!"

The Portable Abode shook even more violently, and scattered ornaments inside the room fell to the floor.

The abode did not accept Li Banfeng's apology.

His 'wife' shouted, "Husband, explain in detail: why exactly didn't you come home?"

Li Banfeng explained, "I encountered villains and couldn't get away for a while."

"What kind of villains?"

"It was..."

Before Li Banfeng could finish speaking, the Portable Abode shook violently, knocking him to the ground.

The gramophone protected Li Banfeng, suddenly feeling a surge of power from behind.

Hong Ying couldn't take it anymore.

Li Banfeng's three-day absence had already caused the Portable Abode to throw two tantrums, making the battle-hardened Hong Ying tremble with fear.

"Rather than being scared to death by it, I'd rather fight it!" Hong Ying decided to go all out against the Portable Abode.

The gramophone roared, "Stop! If you want to die, do it yourself, don't involve my husband!"

Provoked by Hong Ying's power, the Portable Abode trembled even more fiercely.

Hong Ying prepared to fight to the death, the gramophone tried its best to stop her, and the other magical artifacts were too scared to make a sound. Suddenly, Li Banfeng began to sing a song:

"Running on flat ground, crossing mountains and rivers, puffing and huffing, emitting smoke,Add coal and water, we hit the road, with the train's power, boundless might,Over bridges, through tunnels, iron wheels rolling through dangerous passes,No fear of countless hardships, through wind and rain, traveling across ten thousand rivers."

After Li Banfeng finished the first verse, the Portable Abode's shaking significantly lessened.

By the time Li Banfeng finished the second verse, the Portable Abode had quieted down and stopped shaking.

Both the gramophone and Hong Ying were stunned. They didn't know what means Li Banfeng had used to subdue the Portable Abode.

Li Banfeng looked back at the gramophone. "My dear, are you convinced?"

"Uh..." The gramophone puffed out two clouds of steam. "Your servant is convinced."

"Good that you're convinced. Time for some oil." Li Banfeng came over with an oil can.

The gramophone panicked. "Oh, husband, what does being convinced have to do with oiling? Your servant was protecting you just now! That wretch Hong Ying almost caused trouble. You should punish her instead! Your judgment is unfair, your servant is not... no, no, not convinced..."

Li Banfeng rubbed the gramophone's turntable with both hands and applied the oil.

After a moment of intimacy with the gramophone, Li Banfeng ate something, then hung the calendar into the third room. He told the gramophone, "I'll be recuperating in the third room for a few days. My dear, if anything unusual happens to me, seal me inside the third room first, then figure out how to deal with it."

The gramophone grew tense again. "Husband, what exactly happened?"

Li Banfeng said, "Didn't I just say? I met some ruthless individuals and fought a fierce battle."

"What kind of ruthless individuals?"

"Someone from Neizhou, named Meng Qian. Have you heard of her?"

At the mention of Neizhou, his 'wife' shivered. Hearing the name Meng Qian, the water tank immediately began to boil.

Hong Ying, however, remained calm. "Meng Qian? Isn't she just a Dream Cultivator?"

She recognized the person.

The gramophone said, "Blind old woman, you've been deaf and blind for so many years; there are some things you wouldn't know. Meng Qian has become the head of the Dream Cultivators and has some status in Neizhou."

"The head?" Hong Ying muttered to herself, "If he encountered the head, how could this madman possibly come back alive?"

As they spoke, Li Banfeng had already entered the third room.

The third room was the most unique; its location was different from the others.

The main room connected to the second, the second to the fourth, and so on, all the way to the sixth room, looking like train carriages.

However, the third room was directly connected to the main room, which closely resembled the special carriage spoken of by the Train Elder. This carriage was likely designed specifically for laying tracks.

As the smartest carriage, it must have extraordinary capabilities. If Li Banfeng encountered any issues during this time, the third room should have a way to deal with it.

Seeing Li Banfeng close the door, Hong Ying suddenly chuckled.

The gramophone was startled. "Wretch, what are you laughing at?"

Hong Ying said, "From the sound of it, did that madman just enter the wrong place?"

"Enter the wrong what?"

"The place for oiling!"

"What's right or wrong? It's just oiling; there's no right or wrong about it..." His 'wife's' voice was a bit soft.

Hong Ying sneered, "Wicked woman, does it hurt?"

"What's there to hurt? You don't have gears, and you've never been oiled. What do you know?"

"Hahahahaha!" Hong Ying burst into laughter. "Wicked woman, you claim to be the most beautiful in the world, yet you let that madman toss you around like that!"

Puff, puff!

His 'wife' was very angry. "Laugh all you want! Laugh yourself to death! You wretch, nobody would even bother with you when you're just standing there!"

Lying on the bed, Li Banfeng began to review the events that had occurred.

"I woke up on a train, which proves I entered the dream while on the train. All subsequent experiences—getting off, asking for directions, and so on—were completed within the dream.

Meng Qian targeted me on the train, presumably because she knew I was a Travel Cultivator. She wanted to use my identity as a Travel Cultivator to make me infiltrate the Train Elder's dream, then trick him into revealing the train's unique cultivation method.

She certainly didn't know the train was on me; otherwise, more formidable characters would have come after me.

She could only bring my consciousness into the dream, but not my physical body into Neizhou. This proves that Neizhou's ability to exert power over Pu'erzhou is restricted.

The Train Elder rescued me. What consequences will he face?

His true form should be hidden somewhere in Neizhou. It's likely that the people of Neizhou won't be able to find him.

They definitely won't find him; he must have a way to cope..."

Li Banfeng closed his eyes, unable to stop himself from gritting his teeth.

"Brother, I'm not capable enough; I couldn't help you this time.

You must live well. I'll rescue you no matter what!"

In a farmhouse in Yaowanggou, Elder Yao returned the medicine bottle to Qiu Zhiheng.

"Little Qiu, I can't help you with this. What afflicted Lu Family's second son is Green Flower's technique."

Qiu Zhiheng was stunned for a long moment. He truly couldn't understand the reason behind it.

According to his conjecture, He Haiqin should have been the one who harmed the Lu brothers. How could He Haiqin possibly team up with Green Flower?

Who arranged their cooperation?

"Medicine King, please look again. As the Greenwater Beggar, he shouldn't have attacked Lu Yuanhai."

"He might not have personally acted, but what's in this bottle you brought clearly bears his affliction. I can't resolve his affliction. Unless you can find a master, Lu Family's second son will be a fool for the rest of his life."

Qiu Zhiheng's expression was somewhat dazed.

How could things turn out this way?

The Lu family had just started to improve, so how did it come to this?

Who else could he turn to?

In Pu'erzhou, whose medical skills could be better than the Medicine King's?

Elder Yao sighed, "I don't bother with worldly affairs, Little Qiu. You're a good child, listen to my advice: The Lu family's eldest son is dead, and the second son is crippled. The Lu family's luck has run out. No matter how much effort you put in, it's useless. Leave now while you still can, don't get yourself dragged into it."