Chapter 351: Ro Hall Master, Do You Want to Hide Forever?

Luo Zhengnan had sharp eyes. The maintenance worker in Iron Gate Fortress didn't recognize Li Banfeng, but Luo Zhengnan did.

Li Banfeng knew about Luo Zhengnan's disappearance. According to Qiu Zhiheng's estimation, Luo Zhengnan should have died at Pei Yikou's hands. But who would have thought he'd see him in Iron Gate Fortress?

Since Luo Zhengnan wasn't dead, what was he doing in Iron Gate Fortress?

"Hall Master Luo, what brings you here?" Li Banfeng became vigilant.

"Fort Master, can we find a more suitable place to talk?"

Li Banfeng led Luo Zhengnan to his residence. Before he left, Li Banfeng had entrusted the house to Wu Yongchao. The maintenance worker was very meticulous, keeping the house spotless.

However, Luo Zhengnan was also a careful person; he could tell the house hadn't been lived in for some time. The living room table was bare. Teapots, wine cups, and fruit plates—all items typically used for entertaining guests—had been put away.

"Fort Master, have you been away recently?"

Li Banfeng didn't answer. "Don't concern yourself with my affairs. Tell me about yours first. What are you doing in Iron Gate Fortress?"

The Fort Master spoke as straightforwardly as ever, which Luo Zhengnan was used to, so he didn't beat around the bush. "I've come to seek your protection."

"Seek my protection?" That was strange. "Do we have such a deep relationship?"

Luo Zhengnan shook his head. "Our relationship isn't deep; we only did that one deal. I've come to you for two reasons: First, I don't dare approach those with whom I have a deep relationship because someone knows I might go to them. Second, judging from our previous transaction, you are a trustworthy person. I trust you."

"Your position in the Jiangxiang Gang wasn't low. Now you're suddenly seeking my protection. You need to explain the circumstances clearly."

"To be honest, the gang has turned against me. I faked my death to escape from Yaowanggou. I don't know the exact reason, but I assure you, I've never done anything to betray the gang. If you're willing to take me in, I'll serve you from now on. I won't say things like 'I'd die ten thousand deaths without regret'; that's nonsense. I can only promise to serve you to the best of my ability. If you're unwilling to take me, I'll leave immediately without causing you any trouble. I only ask for one thing: don't reveal my whereabouts."

Talking to smart people saves a lot of words; they anticipate what you're thinking. Luo Zhengnan was indeed smart. No one in the Jiangxiang Gang would likely guess he'd come to Iron Gate Fortress.

However, after long consideration, Li Banfeng still shook his head. "I can take you in, but Iron Gate Fortress cannot."

Luo Zhengnan was taken aback. "Fort Master, I don't understand what you mean."

As Li Banfeng was thinking about how to explain, Wu Yongchao rushed in anxiously. "Who are you people? What do you want? You... Fort Master, you're back?"

Wu Yongchao looked at Li Banfeng awkwardly. Li Banfeng nodded slightly, gesturing for Wu Yongchao to come back later. Wu Yongchao didn't understand Li Banfeng's gesture, so Li Banfeng had to explain. "Brother, go home and wait for me. I'll come find you later."

After Wu Yongchao left, Li Banfeng said to Luo Zhengnan, "You see now. The residents of Iron Gate Fortress are honest folk. These honest folk can protect themselves with their cultivation, but they can't protect you, and I don't want to bring disaster upon them."

Luo Zhengnan sighed. "Then please, Fort Master, point me in a direction."

"I have two paths for you. The first is Feiying Mountain, outside Iron Gate Fortress. You've probably heard of it. There used to be a group of bandits there, whom I eliminated. The mountain still nominally has a stronghold, but it's actually become my territory. I can hand Feiying Mountain over to you. After you take over Feiying Mountain, you can do whatever business you like. As for profits, just give what you deem appropriate, but it's best not to become a bandit chief, or we might fall out."

Li Banfeng was genuinely offering Luo Zhengnan a way out, not for any other reason than what Luo Zhengnan did when he was in trouble in Yaowanggou. Such a person deserved Li Banfeng's help.

Luo Zhengnan pondered for a moment and felt this was indeed a legitimate path. However, recruiting and building a force on Feiying Mountain wouldn't happen overnight. Although faking his death was done very subtly, Luo Zhengnan never took chances. If the Jiangxiang Gang discovered he was still alive and he had no forces on Feiying Mountain, what would he use to resist them?

"Fort Master, I'd like to hear the other option."

"Go to Lushui City."

Luo Zhengnan suspected he'd misheard. "I'm trying to escape trouble. Do you think Lushui City is suitable?"

On this matter, Li Banfeng had the most authority to speak. He himself had fled from Yaowanggou to Lushui City to evade the Lu family's pursuit, and facts had proven he made the right choice.

"Hall Master Luo, if the Jiangxiang Gang targets Iron Gate Fortress, they'll easily find you, because Iron Gate Fortress is only so big. But even if the Jiangxiang Gang knows you're in Lushui City, it will be very difficult for them to find you, because Lushui City is simply too vast. Once you reach Lushui City, my friends will look after you. You know best what kind of organization the Jiangxiang Gang is; Lushui City is not a place where they can act recklessly. Do you think this path is suitable?"

Luo Zhengnan was cautious by nature, and going to Lushui City made him somewhat hesitant. Li Banfeng knew Luo Zhengnan had his own thoughts and merely reminded him, "Do you want to hide for a while, or for a lifetime?"

If he wanted to hide for a lifetime, Feiying Mountain was the best choice. But what if he still wanted to make a name for himself someday?

Luo Zhengnan asked Li Banfeng, "Once I'm in Lushui City, whose organization should I approach?"

"How many days will it take you to reach Lushui City at the fastest?"

"Two days should be enough."

This speed was indeed not slow, because Luo Zhengnan dared not take a train; he had to walk from Xindi.

Li Banfeng said, "Depart immediately today. Once you arrive in Lushui City, find a place to stay, then go to Quanjian Teahouse at ten o'clock every morning for tea. Within three days, someone will naturally find you."

This was extremely dangerous for Luo Zhengnan. If this "Fort Master" wanted to betray him, he could simply tell the Jiangxiang Gang to capture him at the teahouse.

Li Banfeng understood Luo Zhengnan's concerns. "Hall Master Luo, consider this carefully. If you don't trust me, you are free not to go to the meeting. I'll simply pretend I never saw you."

Luo Zhengnan thought for a long time before saying, "I do trust you, but shouldn't we ideally..."

Li Banfeng pulled out a stack of contract papers from his pocket. "Shouldn't we ideally sign a contract?"

Talking to smart people saves effort; they always seem to be on the same page. Luo Zhengnan wrote the contract, and after settling the matters, he left Iron Gate Fortress.

Li Banfeng called Wu Yongchao, who said with a look of shame, "Fort Master, I didn't assign anyone to look after your house regularly. I wanted to save some wages."

Wages were needed in many places in Iron Gate Fortress. The steam gate at the entrance required hired workers for maintenance, which meant paying wages. The former Fort Master's mansion, where Li Banfeng's 600,000 silver dollars were stored, also needed dedicated guards. Additionally, people were needed for regular patrols and to gather information outside the fortress, and these also required wages.

These wages were contributed by various households, and Wu Yongchao was too embarrassed to ask for more. He hadn't touched a single silver dollar of the Fort Master's money, and he had paid for many things himself.

Li Banfeng went to the mansion, dismissed the others, and took out the glove. Seeing a room full of silver dollars, the five fingers of the glove rubbed excitedly for a long time.

Li Banfeng said, "Calculate the total amount, including principal and interest."

"Why bother calculating with you, boss? I'll take whatever you give me."

Li Banfeng smiled and let the glove take 450,000. The glove thanked him repeatedly and happily took the money. "Boss, if you encounter good things in the future, feel free to buy them boldly. If you ever need money, just come to me."

Li Banfeng nodded. "If people won't sell, then you just help me 'borrow' it again."

"That's easy. When we say 'borrow,' it's like... Boss, why did you just add the word 'again'?"

"Did I? Perhaps it just slipped out."

Some things were particularly interesting. Ling Miaoying lost her pistol, and Tu Yinghong lost her iron ruler, almost at the same time. The pistol was stolen by the glove, but what about the iron ruler? Why did Tu Yinghong have to go to Xiaoyao Dock to find the iron ruler? Why did the Suiyuan Dwelling suddenly have two extra railway tracks that sent Li Banfeng directly to Heishi Slope? Wasn't it particularly interesting to think about these things?

Li Banfeng still entrusted the remaining 150,000 silver dollars to Wu Yongchao for safekeeping. "Take a portion of this money and open a shop. When people in the fortress have goods to sell, we'll buy them here. When outsiders come to buy things, they must also buy from the shop. The prices should be fixed; outsiders shouldn't be allowed to adjust them casually. The shop's profits will be used to pay wages, and any surplus money, you can decide how to use it."

Wu Yongchao was a little afraid; he had never handled such a large business.

"Just try it first. It's okay to lose a little at the beginning; you'll gradually learn how to make money."

He Jiaqing, disguised as a cleaner, took a suction cup from the base of a trash can while collecting garbage. As soon as he put away the suction cup, the button on his chest vibrated. He Jiaqing didn't respond immediately. He first left the subway station, found a nearby hotel, checked into a room, and re-established contact with the other party.

"Jiaqing, I didn't handle the movie situation well."

The matter of "Blood Blade Detective" containing a false 'root of affection' was exposed by Ma Wu, and the news was published in all the newspapers under Ma Wu's control. Did Ma Wu have evidence? No. But this matter didn't require evidence. People wouldn't take risks for a movie. Even if Ma Wu's claims were rumors, most people wouldn't go to the cinema to watch "Blood Blade Detective" again.

However, people eventually forget some things. "Blood Blade Detective" could still be produced by simply changing its name and the name of the film company. Yet, Shen Rongqing decided to directly challenge Ma Wu, using her newspapers to engage in a debate with him. This was typical of literati; they were skilled at condemning others with their writing but couldn't endure public criticism themselves. The "Root of Affection" incident, which should have cooled down, suddenly flared up again, pushing the Ling family's film company back into the spotlight.

Shen Rongqing felt very ashamed and specifically came to apologize to He Jiaqing. If Ling Miaoying had done this, He Jiaqing would have lost his temper long ago. But he was familiar with Shen Rongqing's temperament; she was extremely strong-willed, so he couldn't be harsh with her and could only gently coax her.

"This isn't your fault, Sister. It's just that Ma Wu is too much of a bully."

"Jiaqing, how do you plan to deal with Ma Junyang?"

He Jiaqing was about to speak, but the words twisted in his mouth, and he rephrased it. "How do you want to deal with him, Sister?" This showed respect for Shen Rongqing. This woman was different from his other subordinates; He Jiaqing had to respect her ideas.

"I don't want to kill him, but from now on, I will absolutely not allow him to be our enemy!"

He Jiaqing agreed and let Shen Rongqing handle the matter.

Luo Zhengnan pulled the antenna from his head, put it back in its box, found a stopper to plug his skull, and carefully recalled the content of their conversation. So "Blood Blade Detective" was a film managed by He Jiaqing. Why did he manage films? Just for a few ticket sales? A while ago, the radio often mentioned a 'root of affection' appearing in films. Was that his doing? Now he was going to deal with Ma Wu? Who was the woman he was talking to? This was quite interesting...

Thinking this, Luo Zhengnan laughed self-deprecatingly. What did 'interesting' have to do with him? In the past, for the sake of the Jiangxiang Gang, Luo Zhengnan had been investigating He Jiaqing. Now, he was no longer a member of the Jiangxiang Gang.

He also didn't know what kind of person this individual in Lushui City was. If he also refused to take him in, where else could he go?

Luo Zhengnan sighed frequently and didn't sleep all night. The next day, he went to Quanjian Teahouse. The teahouse was a bit remote, quiet, and had little business. He had just sat down at ten o'clock when, by ten-thirty, Li Banfeng sat opposite Luo Zhengnan.

Luo Zhengnan's eyes widened. He hadn't expected the person coming to meet him to be the Fort Master. He didn't understand how the Fort Master of Iron Gate Fortress had also come to Lushui City.

"Let's go, to Xiaoyao Dock."

Luo Zhengnan looked bewildered but dared not ask more, following Li Banfeng out of the teahouse. As they walked, Luo Zhengnan wondered, wasn't Xiaoyao Dock Ma Junyang's business? No, the broadcast had mentioned it wasn't just Ma Junyang's business alone.

"Fort Master, are you Master Qi?"

This man was truly smart. Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his hat and said, "In Lushui City, don't call me 'Fort Master'."

Countless thoughts swirled in Luo Zhengnan's mind, making him feel a little dizzy. Master Qi was the Fort Master? How could that be?

The two arrived at Xiaoyao Dock. A cleaner was sweeping fallen leaves at the entrance. Luo Zhengnan's cheek twitched as if he'd been shocked, and his swirling thoughts were interrupted.

Li Banfeng had prepared a room for Luo Zhengnan in the back building. Once they were in the room, Luo Zhengnan said to Li Banfeng, "Master Qi, the sweeper just now, there was something on his broom."

Li Banfeng frowned and asked, "Are you talking about a hook?"

Luo Zhengnan nodded.