Chapter 399: Just Cooperation, Not Friends

The two Judge's Brushes were thus taken by the Portable Residence.

The Glove sighed. "When it comes to speed, our old master truly is the fastest!"

Li Banfeng roared, "Old man, I brought this back! You just took it away? At least tell me what it's used for!"

The Portable Residence chuckled, "These are railway tracks. They're useless to you, but very useful to me."

Railway tracks!

Railway tracks worth a whole Paramount!

No wonder they were the Chu family's most treasured possession.

Li Banfeng patted the Glove, smiling. "You've performed a great service this time. You'll be handsomely rewarded."

The Glove stood on the ground, raising its index finger and shaking its head. "It's our duty to serve the master. To speak of rewards, master, you truly are being too formal."

Xie Juncong was the master of Ghost Hand Sect, a true grand thief. The Glove's ability to steal from him without detection greatly surprised Li Banfeng.

However, Li Banfeng suppressed his surprise, maintaining a calm expression. Now that he had acquired six railway tracks, it was time to confirm some things with the Portable Residence.

"To put it simply, it's about ambiguity; I can now go to places that are somewhat vague."

Li Banfeng asked, "Doesn't that mean you can go anywhere I can clearly describe, as long as it's not too far?"

Li Banfeng asked, "With six railway tracks, how vague can it get?"

The Portable Residence replied, "Some places you might not have seen, but as long as I've been there and can still remember them, and they're not too far, and you can describe them clearly, then we can go."

"Hold your tongue!" the Portable Residence roared. "I am not like you!"

In other words, with an additional pair of railway tracks, the Portable Residence could now apply some 'blurring' to destinations.

The Portable Residence said, "Even places seen in dreams count."

The more railway tracks, the higher the degree of blurring, and the more intelligent the Portable Residence became.

In Medicine King Gully, the Portable Residence covered every inch of ground, forcefully breaking through the Mourning Gate Array. Previously, Li Banfeng had only found one bloodstain; subsequent bloodstains were found based on Li Banfeng's deductions.

The Portable Residence coughed. "That's not 'wandering freely'; that's following you. I can only follow you, or follow the key. That rule cannot change. Initially, there were two railway tracks, and now there are six. There's naturally been a change; now I can go from the tangible to the ethereal."

The explanation was a bit convoluted, but Li Banfeng understood.

"With four railway tracks, you no longer need to actually see a specific place. Seeing a similar location and being able to make a deduction is enough."

Li Banfeng was excited: "What places have you been to?"

"Too many! I've been almost everywhere in Prozhou!"

"With two railway tracks, I could only go to places you could see. Black Stone Slope is an example."

At that time, Li Banfeng had stared at a photo of Black Stone Slope, and in an instant, he was transported to the photography studio of the Black Stone Slope Night Fragrance Newspaper.

The Glove scoffed, and Li Banfeng asked again, "What about after you got four railway tracks?"

The Glove snorted, "That's when the old man wanted to steal oil. He used the master's dream as an excuse to act on his own interests..."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "We're all on the same side; don't speak in riddles."

"But what about the Oil Lake?"

"Old man, initially, with just two railway tracks, you could move freely without the key. Now that you have six, don't you have even more abilities?"

"Only places I can remember."

"What places do you remember?"

"I barely remember any of the places I've been."

Li Banfeng's excitement waned. "Old man, are you messing with me? A train goes to places, how can it not remember them?"

"A train doesn't need to remember too many places; it just needs to remember the stations. You've only built one station, and I still remember that."

Li Banfeng was speechless. The Glove snorted, "There was no station at the Oil Lake either, but you still went to steal oil, didn't you? In the end, it just depends on whether our old man wants to remember or not!"

The Portable Residence erupted in rage, "I went to the Oil Lake because Ah Qi saw it in a dream!"

Li Banfeng didn't dwell on this. The Portable Residence had its own consciousness and should have its own thoughts. Although Li Banfeng had faced some dangers at Face Not Big when they went to the Oil Lake, its unhindered operation afterward was entirely due to the Portable Residence accumulating enough fuel.

This also reminded Li Banfeng of something: he looked at the fuel in the third room; there were only five barrels left, which wasn't much.

"Should we go to Face Not Big and get some more fuel?"

The Portable Residence agreed: "I've known Face Not Big for many years, but for certain reasons, it's not convenient for me to meet him right now. Please chat with him on my behalf."

Li Banfeng was puzzled: "What should I chat about?"

"Just chat casually."

Li Banfeng still didn't understand. The Glove interjected, "Master, the old man means for you to keep Face Not Big occupied so he can continue stealing oil."

The Portable Residence roared in fury, "I am not the kind of person you describe!"

The Glove burst into laughter: "The old man is truly noble."

A jar flew over and landed squarely on the Glove, abruptly silencing its laughter.

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly.

*Me, keeping Face Not Big occupied? Is Face Not Big that easy to keep occupied? I'll deal with this after I've handled the matters concerning the Customs Officer.*

He Jiaqing had just left a comic convention, with a fox tail tucked into his hair.

The button on his chest vibrated. He Jiaqing clutched the button and heard Wan Jinxian's voice.

"Jiaqing, Xie Juncong has acquired that pair of Judge's Brushes."

He Jiaqing smiled, "That's good! Send them to Yuezhou in a few days, and I'll study them thoroughly."

"Jiaqing, here's the thing: Xie Juncong said he did get them, but then Li Qi stole them."

"Stolen? Xie Juncong's things, stolen by someone else?" He Jiaqing found it hard to believe.

"That's what Xie Juncong said. I don't believe it either. Who else could steal from him? Besides, Li Qi is working with us now, so he should be considered a friend. How could he steal from us?"

He Jiaqing mused for a moment, "It's true we're doing business, but whether we're friends is another matter entirely. Li Qi makes that distinction very clear. Tell Old Xie that I'm very displeased about this. Tell him to figure out a way to get the items back himself."

As he spoke, a girl wearing fox ears rushed out of the comic convention hall and snatched the fox tail from He Jiaqing's head. "You stole this too? How despicable!"

Wan Jinxian ended the call and looked at Cuitik, saying, "That's the whole story."

Cuitik stroked his chin, a bit confused. "I don't understand the exact relationship between Li Qi and He Jiaqing."

Wan Jinxian shook his head. "I don't understand either. Perhaps it's similar to the relationship between you and me."

Cuitik shook his head. "I think it's different. According to the information I have, Li Qi is resisting, resisting for Prozhou."

"Jiaqing is doing the same thing."

"I don't see it that way. I only see him trying every means to strengthen himself."

Wan Jinxian sighed, "You don't understand Prozhou's situation, nor how powerful the forces from the Inner and Outer States are."

"Of course I understand," Cuitik said with a smile. "My country has similar places."

Wan Jinxian was startled. "You Westerners also have such places?"

"Yes," Cuitik nodded, "it just isn't called Prozhou."

This gave Wan Jinxian another suspicion: "Your Daoist sect isn't from Prozhou, but from your own country?"

This was important. Wan Jinxian had always been unclear about the origin of Cuitik's cultivation.

If Cuitik's cultivation came from a foreign country, it would prove that 'Disease Cultivation' might not have been created by the Green Water Beggar.

"Daoist sect..." Cuitik shook his head. "If our place also had the concept of Daoist sects, then its people would have the means to resist."

"They don't have Daoist sects there?"

"From what you're saying, your place has also suffered a lot of oppression?"

Cuitik nodded. "If you heard the stories from my place, I guarantee you would shed tears. I guarantee you would think Prozhou is as beautiful as paradise. Human nature is the same everywhere. That's why I hate humanity. One day, I will end the lives of all people with my own hands."

"You're insane, beyond redemption." Wan Jinxian couldn't think of a more fitting assessment.

"I'm not insane, Senior Brother. Most people in the world will die from illness; those who die from illness have a good end. If I let them die from the diseases I create, it would align with both natural law and human will. I believe we should accomplish this great feat together."

Wan Jinxian nodded. "Alright, I can help you. First, cure the rash on my body."

Cuitik chuckled, "Senior Brother, don't worry so much about that rash. It's a gift from the Ancestral Master. My willingness to share it with you precisely demonstrates my generosity."

Wan Jinxian said no more, stood up, and left.

After he left the hospital, Cuitik used a probe to pierce his nose, and a small amount of greenish pus flowed out.

This pus had emanated from Wan Jinxian's body.

Cuitik tested the texture of the pus with his hand, then tasted it. He closed his eyes and sensed for a long time, reaching a conclusion:

*He is resisting, and he's achieving some success. My Senior Brother is very powerful, both in cultivation and willpower. What will be the outcome if he continues to resist like this?*

Cuitik swallowed the pus.

Wan Jinxian returned to his residence. His butler brought him a box of silver dollars. "Master, the house in Heshun Garden has been sold."

He had already sold six residences in Green Water City, and now only this one remained.

He couldn't sell this one; if he did, he'd be sleeping on the streets.

He needed money to buy elixirs and to advance his cultivation.

The herpes on his back was itching intensely.

Wan Jinxian gritted his teeth, thinking to himself: *If I reach the eighth layer, I should be able to resolve this rash.*

At the Chu family mansion, Chu Huaijun quietly listened to his subordinates report on the movements of the Three Heroes Sect while puffing on a cigar.

Bao Yingchen was dead, Yang Xingbo was dead, Dong Kaibin was dead. The forces he had cultivated within the Three Heroes Sect had been completely wiped out.

The most infuriating part was that Bao Yingchen's death had been blamed on him.

The He family, the Lu family, the Azure Cloud Society, the Hundred Flowers Sect, the White Crane Gang... all the major and minor families and gangs were willing to testify, claiming Bao Yingchen had been ambushed by Chu Huaijun.

Chu Huaijun sent someone to find Shen Jinzhong, demanding an explanation.

Shen Jinzhong sent over the heads of Dong Kaibin and his subordinates, making his explanation perfectly clear.

The Three Heroes Sect's days were numbered. Only by eliminating this gang would they understand who truly ruled Prozhou!

Chu Huaijun extinguished his cigar and called his subordinates. "Prepare a banquet at Spring Welcome Tower. Tomorrow night, I'm inviting the General Emissary to dinner."