Chapter 402: Master Thief Repairman

After seeing Sun Junfu off, Liao Zihui had to get down to serious business.

Chu Huaijun's death was unexpected for Liao Zihui. As an Inspector for so many years, he had encountered numerous unexpected situations. However, this was the first time a force he had cultivated had been directly destroyed and its members killed – such a chaotic situation was unprecedented.

Investigating Chu Huaijun's cause of death was not difficult. Miss Chu, the second daughter of the Chu family, had returned. She not only refused the transaction with the Paramount Club but also took over the Chu family's business. Chu Huaijun most likely died by her hand.

But how should he deal with this woman next?

Eliminate her?

Eliminating her would not solve any problems. On the contrary, it would stir up trouble and make the situation even more tense than it already was.

Liao Zihui called his secretary, Ling Sujun. "Draft a report," he instructed. "The acquisition of the Paramount Club is to be postponed, and actions against He Yuxiu are also to be suspended."

Ling Sujun took notes in her small notebook. At the same time, she offered her suggestion. "Chief Inspector," she began, "the previous task list had clear deadlines for both the Paramount Club and He Yuxiu. Postponing them now might..."

Liao Zihui shook his head. "As long as I hold the position of Chief Inspector," he stated, "this matter must be postponed. Otherwise, it will lead to irreversible consequences."

"Should actions against Li Qi also be postponed?"

Liao Zihui hesitated for a moment, then stroked his chin. "Actions against Li Qi must continue," he said, "but the strategy needs to change."

At Miaosheng Phonograph Shop, Li Banfeng bought over a hundred boxes of film, almost emptying Ling Miaosheng's warehouse.

Ling Miaosheng was somewhat puzzled. "Mr. Li," he said, "as far as I know, you have a film company. Logically, you shouldn't need to buy film from me, and I certainly don't have any price advantage."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I care about art, not the price," he replied.

Ling Miaosheng's shop primarily dealt in phonographs and records, but he also sold film projectors and film. He had strict quality standards for his goods, and from him, one could buy top-grade film, which was rare in Provo.

This type of film was ideal for rewarding projectors.

Besides the film, Li Banfeng also bought two wind-up phonographs. Both were manufactured in Amican and shared compatible parts with his "Wife" phonograph.

The craftsmanship of these two phonographs was exquisite; in some details, they even bore a resemblance to his "Wife."

Li Banfeng admired them for a moment, then a few questions arose.

Exquisite craftsmanship, use of common parts, and distinct manufacturing characteristics.

This certainly wasn't an individual's handmade product, nor did it seem like the work of a small workshop.

These two phonographs must have been products of a corporation.

In the Outer Provinces, electronic devices were ubiquitous, and electromagnetic playback equipment was already obsolete. Did these ancient phonographs, which played records using acoustic principles, still have a market in the Outer Provinces?

If there was no longer a market in the Outer Provinces, would any companies in Amican still specifically produce such phonographs?

Were they only producing them for business in Provo?

Even if there were Amican companies specifically doing business in Provo, what about Barbaric, Ingle, or Autri?

The Provo market shouldn't be that attractive.

Li Banfeng asked Ling Miaosheng, "Is the Amican you're referring to the same Amican that people in the Outer Provinces talk about?"

Ling Miaosheng, who often imported goods from Amican, naturally understood Li Banfeng's meaning.

"That question is difficult to answer," Ling Miaosheng replied. "There are two theories; I don't know which one you'd prefer to believe."

"The first theory is that there's only one Amican, directly accessible from the Outer Provinces," Ling Miaosheng explained. "Their products are then shipped through the Outer Provinces to Provo."

"And the other theory?"

"The other theory states that there's an Outer Amican and an Inner Amican," Ling Miaosheng continued. "Their relationship is similar to that between Provo and the Outer Provinces."

Inner Amican.

Amican also has a Provo?

"You've dealt a lot with the outside," Li Banfeng pressed, "you should know which rumor is true."

"Mr. Li, you misunderstand," Ling Miaosheng clarified. "I actually don't have many opportunities to interact with the outside. Regardless of whether it's Inner Amican or Outer Amican, anything coming from the outside must pass through the Outer Provinces to reach Provo. I can only source goods from the Outer Provinces."

"The official explanation is also singular: all these items come from Amican, without any concept of 'inner' or 'outer'," he added.

"However," he continued, "if you want to know the truth, I can responsibly tell you that Inner Amican truly exists, and the Amican phonographs here all originate from Inner Amican."

Li Banfeng trusted Ling Miaosheng, but he had to understand the reason. "How did you learn the truth?" he asked.

Ling Miaosheng looked at Li Banfeng for a moment, then spoke the truth. "When I was young," he said, "in pursuit of art, I once went to Amican."

"Outer Amican?"

"I've been to both Inner and Outer Amican," Ling Miaosheng said, his voice holding a trace of melancholy. "I paid a very painful price for it. Part of my memory was taken from me – memories concerning Inner Amican."

"But some things cannot be taken away," he continued. "The art from Inner Amican, it's etched in my mind, never to fade."

"What kind of art?"

Ling Miaosheng shook his head. "I cannot describe it," he said, "because I don't know how to express it, and the process of expressing it is very painful."

"Then don't force yourself," Li Banfeng said. For Ling Miaosheng to reveal this much, he had already been transparent enough.

Ling Miaosheng cautioned, "Mr. Li, I hope you don't tell anyone about what I've told you today."

Li Banfeng nodded, pulling down his hat brim. He had someone deliver the film and phonographs to his outer residence.

After putting the items into his portable residence, Li Banfeng returned to Xiaoyao Dock. Ma Wu handed him an invitation. "The Chief Inspector invites you to dinner the night after tomorrow, at the Inspectorate Hall," Ma Wu said.

Li Banfeng glanced at the invitation, then handed it back to Ma Wu. "I'm not going," he stated.

"Old Seven," Ma Wu exclaimed, "Liao Zihui personally invited you, and you won't even honor him?"

"It's not about not honoring him," Li Banfeng replied. "If I go to the Inspectorate Hall, I'll kill him."

Ma Wu chuckled. "Don't talk like that," he said. "Our future business still relies on the Inspector."

Li Banfeng didn't smile. "It's not talk," he said. "If I go to the Inspectorate Hall, he might kill me. Rather than wait for him to kill me, I'd rather kill him first."

That was Li Banfeng's logic, and Ma Wu couldn't find any logical flaw in it.

"How about this," Ma Wu suggested, "I'll invite Liao Zihui to Xiaoyao Dock. If he's willing to come, you can meet him."

"Alright," Li Banfeng conceded.

Ma Wu then pulled out another invitation. "Mr. Li from Furong Studio invites us to his home for a gathering," he said. "He also scheduled it for the day after tomorrow, but I told him we had other plans, so now he wants to meet tomorrow. Shall we go?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "We can go to that one," he replied.

Ma Wu sighed. "I'm really impressed," he said. "To you, Li Haoyun's reputation is greater than Liao Zihui's?"

"Furong Studio is a good place, isn't it?" Li Banfeng asked.

Ma Wu nodded repeatedly. "A great place," he confirmed. "Once you're there, you won't want to leave."

"Why would I go to the Inspectorate Hall when there's a good place to go instead?"

Ma Wu blinked, finding Li Banfeng's reasoning quite sound.

At midnight, Li Banfeng went to the back building of Xiaoyao Dock. He reached the third floor, entered his exclusive suite, hid the key, then returned to his portable residence.

In good spirits today, Li Banfeng headed straight for his "Wife," oil can in hand.

The phonograph trembled as it spoke. "My dear husband," it quivered, "please listen first! Your humble servant has urgent matters..."

"Indeed urgent!" Li Banfeng said, hugging the phonograph from behind. "Come, my dear, tell me slowly."

Two o'clock in the morning.

The suite door was opened.

Li Banfeng's door and lock were custom-made, making forceful entry very difficult, let alone picking the lock so silently.

The person who picked the lock wore a ring on their index finger – a treasure specifically for lock-picking.

Dressed in black, the person entered the room without a single sound. Even high-level Peering Cultivators present wouldn't have heard a thing.

This was not only because of the person's high cultivation; their shoes and clothes were also treasures, designed so that the soles made no sound on the floor and the fabric made no rustling sound.

After a quick scan of the room and confirming no one was present, the person in black pulled a colorful feather from their sleeve and tossed it into the air.

This was a Thief Cultivation technique called "No Treasure Unfound."

This was a method used by Thief Cultivators to locate treasures; the higher the cultivation, the more refined the treasure-seeking method.

Given the cultivation of this person in black, to find treasure on a single person, they could simply use a speck of dust and observe its landing point to determine the treasure's location.

But Li Banfeng's suite was large, and to accurately locate a treasure in such a room, external assistance was needed.

This feather was a specially customized Thief Cultivation tool. It fluttered in the air for a moment, then landed on the safe next to the bed.

The person in black manipulated the dial, turned it twice, and found the correct password. They easily opened the safe with a thimble and saw it filled with checks, gold bars, and silver coins.

Were these treasures?

For a Thief Cultivator, they certainly were treasures. But they weren't the person's target. They left anything outside their objective untouched to avoid complications.

Closing the safe, the person in black tossed the feather into the air again. The feather floated for a moment, then flew towards the space under the bed.

There was a supreme treasure under the bed.

The person in black bent down and groped under the bed. They found a key in a crack in the floorboards.

Holding the key, they pondered for a long time, trying to deduce its purpose.

Since this key was a supreme treasure, its value certainly wasn't in the key itself, but in what was connected to it.

This key could open a certain door – it could be a room door, a cabinet door, or a box lid. The true supreme treasure would be inside.

But where was that door?

The person in black used the "No Treasure Unfound" technique again to search. They searched every corner of the suite but found no treasure.

They searched through all the boxes and cabinets again, but still didn't find what they were looking for.

This matter still needed investigation. Before clarification, the key couldn't be moved carelessly; it had to be returned to its original position.

Not just the key, everything in the room had to be put back in its original place.

The person in black stood in the room and gently waved their sleeve. A whirlwind blew up, and all traces in the room vanished. Even the dust they had brought in from outside was collected into their sleeve.

This was a Thief Cultivation technique called "Wild Goose Leaves No Trace."

With everything handled, the person in black left Li Banfeng's suite. They returned to a downstairs room, changed clothes, and went to sleep, intending to look for clues from Li Banfeng tomorrow.

At three in the morning, the phonograph wept in the portable residence. "That shameless madman!" it cried. "He ate 'Joyful Earth' again and tormented your humble servant for three whole hours!"

Li Banfeng gently stroked its horn, smiling. "My dear," he said, "just wait for your husband to visit the latrine; I'll be right back."

"What, you want to come again?" the phonograph cried, trembling all over as it watched Li Banfeng's retreating back.

She turned around and grabbed Hong Ying, who struggled fiercely.

"Wicked woman," Hong Ying cried, "that's your man! Why are you abusing me?"

"Wretch," the phonograph retorted, "don't you have a portal? If you keep it unused, isn't that also a waste?"

Li Banfeng returned to his suite and urinated in the toilet.

The glove moved around the room and spoke to Li Banfeng. "Master," it said, "someone has been in the room."

Li Banfeng was startled and quickly ducked under the bed to look for the key.

The key was still in its original spot, and Li Banfeng let out a sigh of relief.

The glove wiggled its index finger. "No," it corrected, "the key isn't in its original place. Someone moved it."

Li Banfeng thought his observational skills were strong enough; he hadn't noticed the key being moved, but he trusted the glove.

"Master," the glove said, "come with me for a walk."

Li Banfeng took the key and followed the glove out of the room.

The glove explored the corridor for a moment, then came to the stairwell.

Following the stairs, they went down to the second floor. The glove motioned for Li Banfeng to be silent. It walked a moment in the corridor, then slipped into a room.

Two minutes later, the glove returned to Li Banfeng's pocket. Li Banfeng, with the glove, returned to his suite.

The glove said to Li Banfeng, "I've dealt with that old fellow, Master. We can rest easy now."

Li Banfeng, fearing it wasn't safe, returned to his portable residence to inform his "Wife" that he wouldn't be sleeping at home tonight.

The phonograph let out a sigh of relief and released Hong Ying.

Hong Ying sneered. "He ate 'Joyful Earth'," she said. "Aren't you afraid he'll sneak into someone else's bed?"

"No, it's better than being tormented by him!" the phonograph said, still shaken. "Perhaps life will be a bit easier once I have a portal."

"Didn't you say you could grow a portal?" Hong Ying asked.

The phonograph sighed deeply. "That's what they say," it replied, "but where am I supposed to get that drop of blood?"

Li Banfeng, clutching the key, ran to Jiang Mengting's room and slept there for the night.

Jiang Mengting, worried Li Banfeng might get cold, took off all her clothes and covered him with them. Then she hugged him tightly.

In winter, sleeping together was indeed warm.

The next day, before dawn, Xie Juncong, the head of the Ghost Hand Sect, opened his eyes, ready to act.

He had very important things to do today.

What was it again?

Xie Juncong sat on the bed, unable to recall for a long time.

Where was this place?

It seemed to be Xiaoyao Dock.

What did I come to Xiaoyao Dock for?

Xie Juncong looked around. He couldn't remember why he was here.

It seemed he was missing a segment of his memory.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone was knocking from outside.

Xie Juncong was startled. He was trying to guess who was outside when he saw the elderly woman responsible for cleaning the guest rooms at Xiaoyao Dock simply push the door open and walk in.

"Oh! You shameless old man!" she exclaimed. Seeing Xie Juncong unclothed, the elderly woman quickly closed the door.

Xie Juncong was stunned, only then realizing he was naked.

Where were his clothes?

His shoes?

His ring?

The feather?

And all his personal treasures?

The elderly woman outside the door was still scolding, and Xie Juncong frantically tried to think of a solution.

Where were the bedsheets?

The blanket?

Even a towel would do; he just needed to cover himself first!