Chapter 320: Transforming from Cocoon to Butterfly

Jianren Gang, Sage Peak.

He Haiqin stood in the long corridor of the Sage's Manor, waiting for the Sage's reply.

After waiting for over an hour with no response from inside the room, the white-robed youth spoke, "Are you getting impatient? Those people outside might kneel for an entire day and still not get a single response."

He Haiqin remained silent. He understood his current situation and what he was about to face.

The panting from inside the room finally ceased, and the Sage coughed.

The white-robed youth told He Haiqin, "Don't forget the rules!"

He Haiqin knelt on the ground and kowtowed towards the room.

From birth until now, he had never knelt before anyone except his parents.

But today, he knelt.

After kneeling for over half an hour, the Sage finally spoke, "He is, after all, a man of merit. Give him a writ."

He Haiqin had saved Lu Maoxian and had dealt with the Lu and Ling families on several occasions, which now earned him this writ.

The writ was sealed in a lacquered box. He Haiqin was not permitted to view it. He took the writ and, guided by the white-robed youth, went to the back mountain.

There was a cave halfway up the back mountain. The white-robed youth pointed to it and said, "Follow this cave forward, keep going, do not stop, and absolutely do not look back. Just as a silkworm breaks its cocoon to become a butterfly, you have now transcended the mortal world. You must cherish this extraordinary transformation."

He Haiqin walked along the cave with the writ. He was very hungry; although he had lost his physical body, some of his cultivation as a food cultivator remained, but at this moment, he didn't know what he could eat.

Inside the cave, it was impossible to discern light from dark, and He Haiqin didn't know how long he had been walking. When he finally saw a glimmer of light, he quickened his pace.

He thought he had seen the cave exit, but in reality, he only saw a bonfire.

Where did this bonfire come from?

The flames suddenly flared, illuminating the path ahead for He Haiqin.

Ahead was a stone wall with more than a dozen arched doorways.

He Haiqin didn't know which way to go when he suddenly heard someone speak to him:

"Give me the writ."

Who was it?

He Haiqin couldn't even see a shadow of a person.

The voice sounded as if a seventy-year-old man and an eighteen-year-old girl were speaking from the same mouth.

He Haiqin raised the writ in his hand.

The writ vanished in an instant.

The disembodied voice spoke again, "Take the third gate."

Which one was the third gate?

Counting from the left, the third archway lit up faintly, and He Haiqin entered it.

After walking for a long time again, He Haiqin finally exited the cave.

Outside the cave, it was still pitch dark. He Haiqin looked up at the sky but saw no stars, only a yellowish, cloud-like, mist-like haze.

"Are you the cart driver?" someone asked.

He Haiqin looked around but still saw no one.

"Are you the cart driver?"

A leather whip struck He Haiqin's face.

He Haiqin, who had no flesh and blood, felt an unbearable sharp pain.

From his cheekbone to his jaw, He Haiqin felt rough wounds on his face.

Another whip.

"Are you the cart driver?"

"Yes!" He Haiqin answered loudly.

"Go forward, the cart is ahead!"

He Haiqin walked quickly forward and saw a horse-drawn cart.

The cart was loaded with many stones. He Haiqin drove the cart forward.

He knew he was no longer the head of the He family.

He knew there would be a period where he would serve as a slave or servant here.

The fact that he could even become a servant was because of his merit to the Sage.

Most people didn't even get the chance to be a servant.

They could only be livestock.

He Haiqin drove the cart amidst shouts, arriving at a desolate wilderness.

Dozens of people, men and women, were carrying heavy stone materials, building a colossal stone statue.

The statue was a massive, silvery-white ring.

"Unload the cart!"

Along with the shouts, several people came forward and moved the stone materials from the cart.

One of them was a strength cultivator; he used a technique to lighten the stones.

He did it very discreetly, but he was still discovered.

Invisible whips rained down on the strength cultivator, and a thundering roar of scolding echoed, "How dare you use techniques in the Holy Land! You reckless fool deserve to be beaten to death!"

He Haiqin watched and took note.

He must remember not to use techniques in Neizhou.

No matter how difficult it was, he had to endure it.

For triple the lifespan.

A year ago, as He Haiqin lay in bed, he was certain he would die.

Only those who have died once truly understand how terrifying death is and how important it is to be alive.

He Yuxiu sat in the He family mansion, listening to the accountant Sheng Shanzhou report the accounts.

For the first ten minutes, He Yuxiu listened very attentively.

After ten minutes, He Yuxiu began yawning incessantly and nearly fell asleep.

Ten more minutes passed, and He Yuxiu interrupted Sheng Shanzhou, "Stop chanting like that, I don't understand it!"

Chen Jitai, the chief branch manager, said from the side, "Sister Xiu, you must listen. These two days are when all the families deliver their bonuses."

"Deliver bonuses..." He Yuxiu scratched her scalp and said, "I almost forgot, all the families are delivering their bonuses today, right?"

"Yes."

"Spread the word that the He family only recognizes Lu Chunying, so the Lu family members don't deliver their bonuses to the wrong place."

Chen Jitai didn't understand. "Sister Xiu, this is the Lu family's business; we shouldn't interfere."

"We must interfere; I promised Monkey this."

"Monkey Qiu isn't part of the Lu family anymore, and he's not even in Greenwater City!"

He Yuxiu looked at Chen Biaotai and said, "That's why I say you're foolish. Just because he's gone, does my word no longer count? Where would the He family's reputation be? Besides, if Lu Chunying can't hold her ground, won't that force Monkey to come back? What then? Will we continue to fight him? Duan Shaoxia isn't smart, but we need to be sharp. Don't just stand there idly; go get to work!"

When various major families delivered their bonuses, the main Lu family and its extended branches were no exception. Sixty percent delivered their bonuses to Lu Chunying, who was Lu Dongliang's offspring, a fact Lu Dongliang had personally acknowledged. The remaining forty percent went to Lu Maoxian. No one delivered anything to Duan Shaoxia; after she adopted a godson, it was unclear whether her household was still surnamed Lu or Zhang.

"That old scoundrel Lu Maoxian is a nuisance," Ma Wu said, pouring Li Banfeng a cup of wine. "I've checked the Lu family's ledgers; this isn't a recent development. Ever since Lu Dongliang disappeared, many people have been delivering bonuses to Lu Maoxian. That old fox has been causing us trouble. If he gains too much power in the Lu family, Greenwater City might not be able to tolerate us anymore."

"Lu Maoxian, seventh-level..." Li Banfeng rubbed his chin. "That old man's caliber is still quite good."

"Not only is his caliber impressive, but he also has many ruthless individuals under him. I suspect the woman who came to Happy Harbor looking for you earlier was sent by him."

"I doubt it," Li Banfeng said, somewhat skeptical. "Lu Maoxian is very shrewd in his actions. That woman was so reckless; it doesn't match Lu Maoxian's style."

Ma Wu shook his head. "Lu Maoxian isn't shrewd in every single thing he does. Take the matter of 'Blood Blade Detective,' for instance. Lu Maoxian directly led people to cause trouble at the cinema, creating such a massive feud with a movie. That was utterly unreasonable."

"Blood Blade Detective?"

Li Banfeng said, "They're still making this movie?"

"Yes, they are. The latest installment has decent attendance, about fifty to sixty percent for each showing. I also need to figure out some new tricks, or I won't be able to compete with him in the future."

"Ling Miaoying is dead, so who's making 'Blood Blade Detective'?"

"The Ling family's film company hasn't closed down yet. I'm guessing Ling Miaosheng is running it."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "It shouldn't be Ling Miaosheng."

"I'll investigate that matter further. Speaking of films, someone brought something from Blackrock Slope yesterday and insisted that you see it."

Ma Wu had someone bring a film projector. It stood over a meter tall on the ground, but its stand could be retracted, allowing it to be carried by hand.

Li Banfeng was pleasantly surprised. "Did Chuanzi have someone send this?"

Ma Wu nodded. "Little Chuanzi worked himself ragged making this. He specifically told me that one machine, including labor and materials, costs three hundred and twenty yuan."

"Three hundred and twenty!" Li Banfeng nodded. "That's a fair price!"

Ma Wu said, "It's a pity the materials are too cheap; the mainspring can't hold up. Once fully wound, it only runs for fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes is enough. You think everyone's like you, unable to finish once in fifteen minutes!"

"Finish what once?" Ma Wu didn't understand.

"Watching a movie!"

"There's no such movie. The shortest films are at least half an hour long!"

"You're talking about proper films," Li Banfeng said, staring at the projector for a long time, liking it more and more. "Tell Chuanzi to start the factory and specialize in making these kinds of projectors. Have the workers make the parts separately; they must not learn the manufacturing process of the projector itself. Also, tell Bai Qiusheng to shoot films. He should shoot them the same way those magazine photos are taken. Eleven or twelve minutes for one film will be enough."

Ma Wu understood Li Banfeng's meaning. "Are you saying buyers should watch films at home? They call that television in the Outer States, right?"

"This isn't quite the same as television. A lot of things can't be shown on TV, but ours can!"

Ma Wu abruptly stood up and said, "I need to go to Blackrock Slope! This is a big business! Bigger than the 'Blood Pistol Detective' business!"

At the film company, in the top-floor office, Tu Yinghong sat on the sofa, impatiently saying, "I've finished filming. When will you let me go?"

He Jiaqing brewed tea as he spoke, "If I let you go, you'll just go back to Happy Harbor, won't you?"

"Where I go is none of your business!"

Wan Jinxian sat by, his face grim, and said, "How can you be so ungrateful? If we hadn't saved you, you'd be dead by now!"

Tu Yinghong glared at Wan Jinxian and said, "I never asked you to save me!"

Wan Jinxian was angry, but He Jiaqing advised, "We're all on the same side; let's not ruin the harmony. Actress Tu, I just want to know one thing: why exactly did you go to Happy Harbor?"

"I told you, I'm going to find Miaoying!"

He Jiaqing raised his eyebrows. "It seems there's true affection between you two."

"What's wrong with affection? I'll tell you, I am Ling Miaoying's woman, and I'll be his woman my entire life. As long as I haven't found him, I'm not done with Happy Harbor!"

He Jiaqing sighed. "What a truly loyal and devoted woman. I'll let you go once the next play is finished."

Tu Yinghong turned and left the office, returning to her room.

This building was built by her. Logically, she should have a hundred ways to get out.

But for some reason, she couldn't leave, and she didn't know what technique was affecting her.

Wan Jinxian asked He Jiaqing, "Do you really think she went to Happy Harbor for Ling Miaoying?"

He Jiaqing shook his head. "She's lying. She and Ling Miaoying did have some affection, the kind that develops from sharing a bed, and it would be the same with anyone else. She probably went to Happy Harbor for that item."

"Are you talking about the Red Lotus?"

He Jiaqing nodded. "Otherwise, she wouldn't have been constantly watching Li Qi."

Wan Jinxian said, "Why don't we use this opportunity to get the Red Lotus back?"

He Jiaqing shook his head. "Now is not the time. I'll tell you when the moment is right."

Wan Jinxian nodded slightly, thinking He Jiaqing's conjecture was correct.

But in reality, they had all misunderstood Tu Yinghong.

Tu Yinghong was a person of great loyalty. She went to Happy Harbor not for the Profound Life Red Lotus, but to find her iron ruler.

The tea was brewed. Just as He Jiaqing poured a cup for Old Wan, he suddenly felt a vibration from a button on his chest.

He Jiaqing pinched the button and listened for a moment, then slammed the teapot onto the table. "Lu Maoxian is causing trouble at the cinema again. Why is that old dog so persistent?"

Wan Jinxian said, "We still haven't found out who is backing Lu Maoxian."

"We'll hit him again, hard this time."

Wan Jinxian nodded slightly, though his mind wasn't on Lu Maoxian.