Chapter 291: Catching the Thief and the Stolen Goods

Li Banfeng held a feather duster and searched everywhere in the Portable Abode.

It wasn't in the main room.

Nor was it in the second room.

Upon reaching the third room, Li Banfeng saw Tang Dao sleeping against the door, with several pieces of tattered cloth lying nearby.

Tang Dao was very clean and liked to wipe himself with cloth when idle. Li Banfeng glanced around the third room, then closed the door and left. A "rag" near Tang Dao stirred imperceptibly.

This was not a rag; it was a glove. The dirt and grease on it made it look inconspicuous.

It extended two fingers and slowly crawled across the floor, preparing to slip into a storage box.

Li Banfeng suddenly pushed open the door, swung his feather duster, and began beating the glove fiercely.

The glove cried out loudly, "Stop hitting me! Stop! You can't just hit people without catching them red-handed and having no evidence!"

While shouting, it ran towards the door, rushed into the main room, and was then enveloped by steam, nearly scalded to death.

In its desperation, the glove crawled towards the main door of the Portable Abode. It struggled near the crack for a long time but couldn't get out.

Unless carried by Li Banfeng, no one could freely enter or exit the Portable Abode. In despair, the glove curled into a ball and cried, "Stop hitting me! If you really kill someone, you'll all face legal trouble!"

Li Banfeng pointed his feather duster at the glove and asked, "Where's my wallet?"

"Who knows where your wallet went? What do I owe you? Am I supposed to watch it for you every day?"

The glove stubbornly denied it.

But Li Banfeng was certain it was responsible.

Li Banfeng had always been suspicious about the glove's Daoist sect.

It moved quickly, but there were some differences from a wandering cultivator, especially in its movement techniques, which were distinctly more unusual than those of a wandering cultivator.

When dealing with danger, wandering cultivators relied on speed and adaptability, while the glove primarily used skill and insight. This reminded Li Banfeng of a Daoist sect he deeply disliked: the rogue cultivators.

Li Banfeng had suffered losses due to rogue cultivators in Greenwater City, and encountering a robber just now brought back memories of his encounters with them.

"You won't admit it, huh? I'll let Ah Lian 'greet' you!" Li Banfeng picked up the glove, intending to take it to the sixth room.

The glove shrieked, "Under the clear sky and bright sun, how can you slander me like this? I truly didn't take your wallet; I didn't take it, I just picked it up!"

Li Banfeng, holding the glove, said, "Then explain clearly, where did you pick it up?"

"I picked it up from inside your clothes."

"Isn't that just plain stealing?!" Li Banfeng swung his feather duster again, resuming the fierce beating.

"I don't hate much else, but I hate stealing. A true man acts honorably and openly. If we need money, we should just go openly rob someone. Why resort to such a filthy act as stealing?"

The glove's five fingers darted about, dodging frantically, and it spit out Li Banfeng's wallet from its 'belly.' "Stop hitting me! Stop! You must catch a thief red-handed, and you have no evidence, so why are you hitting me?"

Li Banfeng continued to lash out, "The wallet's right here! Are you still saying I have no evidence?"

The glove shouted, "I have something to say! I wasn't after your money; I wanted to show you my quality!"

"What quality?" Li Banfeng stopped hitting.

The glove stood on its thumb and pinky finger as legs, with its index and ring fingers clasped together as hands, and its middle finger as a head. It wobbled before Li Banfeng and said, "Your cultivation isn't low, and the magic treasures you possess are quite substantial. That gramophone, for instance, is clearly no ordinary item..."

Li Banfeng knocked the glove over onto the ground with his feather duster. "Speak properly! And don't give me the middle finger.

Also, the gramophone is my wife, not a magic treasure. From now on, you must call her 'Madam.'"

The glove retracted its middle finger, using its index finger as a head instead. It wobbled and continued, "Let's not talk about your wife for now; let's talk about cultivation.

Since your cultivation isn't low, you must realize how superb my skills are. When I stole your wallet, you didn't notice a thing—that's my true ability!

From now on, if you keep me with you, whatever item you want from an opponent, I can retrieve for you.

Especially when facing a strong enemy, I can retrieve things you can see, and even things you can't see.

After just two rounds of fighting, you could have the opponent's magic treasure. How could you lose such a battle? With such excellent skills, isn't it a waste of talent to keep me confined to this room?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "It's not a waste of talent; at most, it's a waste of resources."

The glove snorted, not quite satisfied with Li Banfeng's statement.

Li Banfeng asked, "So, you're a rogue cultivator, not a wandering cultivator."

The glove's index finger wobbled slightly. "I don't like being called a rogue cultivator. I think I am a wandering cultivator.

Our sect also needs to change locations frequently and move around a lot; staying in one place for too long makes it easy to get caught. Isn't that just like a wandering cultivator?"

"Nonsense!" Hong Ying roared, "You scum, who the hell is like you? You damn thieving bird, you're asking for death!"

The long spear's imposing presence was too great, frightening the glove into losing its stance and lying flat on the ground. It cried out loudly, "Catching a thief red-handed! You have no evidence, so why are you hitting me?"

Li Banfeng frowned. "Why are you spouting that line again?"

The glove picked itself up from the ground, resumed its stance, and said, shaking its 'head,' "I always used to say that when I got beaten. It's a habit."

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "So, you're sincerely coming with me now?"

The glove nodded. "A good minister chooses his lord to serve, and a good bird chooses a tree to perch upon. I see your character is good; in the future, charging into battle will be nothing to me."

"You said the same thing to Wu Decheng, didn't you?"

Wu Decheng was an elder of the Purekeepers' Association and the glove's previous owner.

Because the glove disobeyed at a crucial moment, Old Wu didn't even get a chance to fight back.

The glove shook its head. "Old Wu's character was far inferior to yours. My dealings with him were just for show."

Li Banfeng nodded and smiled. "And with me, it's sincere?"

"Absolutely!"

"All magic treasures in the world have their 'costs.' So tell me, what 'cost' does it take to use you?"

The glove tapped its ring finger on the table, adopting the demeanor of an important person during negotiations. "Talking about 'costs' is too formal between us. We're so compatible, we should speak of mutual favors.

Whatever you want, I'll help you get it. Afterward, just let me take one item from you.

Don't worry, it won't necessarily be anything too valuable. While you benefit, you can't let your brother here suffer too much of a loss. A little compensation is only right."

Li Banfeng twirled his feather duster and asked, "Can you explain that more clearly?"

"Let me give you an example: You take me out to battle, and I steal a magic treasure for you, worth a hundred thousand silver dollars.

Then, I take twenty thousand silver dollars from you. That's not too excessive, is it?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "Not excessive."

The glove continued, "Sometimes, what I take might not be silver dollars; it could be other things,

like gold, silver, gems, calligraphy, or antiques. In any case, the price won't exceed the value of what I stole for you. I guarantee you won't lose out!"

Li Banfeng nodded. "Besides these things, there's probably something else, right? Like occasionally taking some magic treasures from me?"

"Not necessarily..." The glove's voice grew fainter; Li Banfeng had hit a nerve.

Li Banfeng pressed on, "And sometimes you'll need to take things from my body, like my heart, liver, limbs, or eyeballs?"

"Generally, no..." The glove's voice became even quieter.

Li Banfeng continued, "And if the price is right, you could even take my life?"

The glove sighed. "How can I answer that..."

Splash!

Li Banfeng poured a splash of tea onto the glove, scalding it. The glove shrieked in agony, "Catching a thief red-handed! Even if you catch me red-handed, you still have to go to the authorities! You can't misuse private torture!"

Li Banfeng said to the gramophone, "My dear, give him a good 'tidying up.' Teach him our household rules first."

The glove still tried to escape but was trapped by the old teapot's barrier. The old teapot earnestly advised, "My friend, you'll have to change your 'cost' rules."

The glove shook its 'finger' and said, "These rules cannot be changed! They are fundamental to my existence!"

"My friend, I thought the same way at first, but after being 'disciplined' for several months, I stopped thinking that way. It's the same outcome either way, so why make yourself suffer?"

The glove snorted. "People are different, and gloves are different from teapots. I'm not some weakling!"

The teapot, resigned, poured another pot of tea.

Madam smiled, then sent forth a gust of steam.

Half an hour later.

All of the glove's fingers lay flat on the ground, except for one index finger, which remained upright with difficulty, trembling as it said to Li Banfeng, "Master, do you have any commands?"

Li Banfeng said, "It's only right that I give you some compensation for working with me, but you won't dictate it. You'll take whatever I give you. Understand?"

The glove nodded repeatedly. "Whatever Master tells me to do, I will do. I'll obey you completely from now on."

Li Banfeng said, "Words alone aren't enough; let's draw up a contract!"

There should normally be a contract between a magic treasure and its owner, but Li Banfeng trusted his current magic treasures and hadn't required them to sign one.

However, the glove was an exception. This item was high-level and cunning; it had to be guarded against.

The contract was easy to write; the wine gourd had signed one with Old Yao. In a few words, the terms were agreed upon, the main point being that a magic treasure could not betray its owner.

The glove read it carefully twice, though it was unclear if it could find any loopholes.

It picked up a fountain pen from the table, just about to sign, when Li Banfeng took the pen away and replaced it with an inkpad. "Don't try to trick me with a fake name; give me a handprint!"

The glove looked at the inkpad with great reluctance. "This stuff is hard to wash off once it gets on!"

"I have a way to wash it off for you," Li Banfeng said with a smile. "Stop procrastinating, just press it quickly."

The gramophone was still uneasy and advised Li Banfeng, "My dear husband, this glove is too wicked. It's better to keep it disciplined at home for a while. It won't be too late to take it out once you reach the sixth layer."

My dear wife, you don't know it, but your husband has long surpassed the sixth layer.

Your husband has cultivation at the eleventh layer; can't he control one magic treasure?

At the Lu family mansion, Duan Shaohong was still wiping away tears in front of Duan Shaoxia. "Sister, please pity your elder sister, just let me take Huaiyi with me!"

Duan Shaoxia kept a straight face and remained silent.

She was fed up with Duan Shaohong's nagging, especially not wanting to see Duan Shaohong ramble on in front of "Zhang Huaiyi."

Monkey Qiu entered the main hall. Duan Shaoxia quickly changed the subject. "Little Qiu, has the date for the banquet been set?"

Duan Shaoxia had also learned of Lu Maoxian's serious injuries and felt that now was a good opportunity to hold the banquet.

Qiu Zhiheng said, "Madam, let's talk about the banquet later. Miss Lu Dongchun has arrived."

Duan Shaoxia was startled. "Lu Dongchun? What is she doing here?"

"She's here to discuss the Old Master's matter with you."

Duan Shaoxia waved her hand. "I won't see her. She's utterly disgusting!"