Chapter 460: Dao Sect

The Tang saber trembled at Li Banfeng's waist. Li Banfeng went to a secluded spot and asked, "What happened?"

"My lord, I just felt a chill."

Why the chill? Did Green Huazi come?

It couldn't be Green Huazi. If he wanted to cause trouble, he'd simply spread a plague, and all the workers would be trapped. Furthermore, given his status and power, there's no need for him to target a mine, especially not by resorting to such low-level tactics. The opponent's methods are indeed very crude, playing these petty tricks at the risk of provoking the local deity.

Ma Wu asked, "Where did the rickshaw puller go?" Normally, Ma Wu was very respectful towards the local deity, but today, having encountered so much chaos, his speech was somewhat impatient. When he saw the coachman, Ma Wu's attitude wasn't very good either: "Brother, we're doing business here, which benefits the prosperity of your territory. Can't you be a little more attentive?"

The coachman replied, "I am attentive, truly. I've been pulling the rickshaw around the mine for several rounds. The moment I put it down, someone stole it. I rushed to look for it, spent over an hour, and finally managed to get it back. I never expected that in such a short time, something would go wrong at the mine."

Ma Wu said nothing and went down the mountain alone. He truly couldn't understand why a local deity would pull a rickshaw, and why that rickshaw always had to be with him. Fortunately, Ma Wu restrained himself and didn't fall out with the coachman.

The next day, Ma Wu went to arrange for parts to repair the train, and also had to contact the buyer to postpone the shipping date again. At the railway section, Ma Wu showed the section chief the parts list compiled by Xiaochuanzi. He didn't want to go to Black Stone Slope to procure them, as that would take too much time. Instead, he simply gave the section chief some gifts, hoping to buy some parts there to use for now.

In a place like Huangtu Bridge, where extra income was rare, Ma Wu's initiative to offer gifts delighted the section chief, who promptly summoned technicians to prepare the items. The technicians searched the warehouse all morning, but didn't find a single item Ma Wu requested.

The section chief frowned and said, "That's impossible! We just dismantled a set of old connecting rods two days ago, and they should be compatible with the town's small train." The technician nodded, "I'm looking for that set of connecting rods too. The warehouse manager said they were in stock, but I can't find them anywhere." The section chief quickly apologized: "Master Wu, my subordinates are too rough. I'll go look again. Please don't worry."

How could he not be anxious? Wasting half a day here doing nothing, it would have been better to go to Black Stone Slope to procure the parts from the start. Ma Wu tried his best to control his irritation, exchanged a few polite words with the section chief, and went to Renfu Hotel.

This was Huangtu Bridge's only hotel. A buyer from Greenwater City had sent someone to stay there, specifically to liaise with Ma Wu on business matters. Ma Wu went to the hotel to apologize. The person wasn't new to business; encountering someone of Ma Wu's caliber, even if unhappy, he shouldn't have shown it and jeopardized their harmony. But today, when he met Ma Wu, he spoke without restraint: "Master Wu, coal isn't hard to buy. There's plenty in Black Stone Slope, Qingyan City, and Qishui Kiln. We came here to buy coal just to show you respect, Master Wu. But you still can't deliver. What exactly does this mean? If you don't want to do business, just say so. We're not begging you. Don't keep messing people around!"

Ma Wu's cheek twitched. He looked up and swept his gaze across the other person. The corner of the other person's eye split open and bled.

"You, what do you want to do?" The man covered his face, looking at Ma Wu in horror. Ma Wu stood up, cold light flickering in his eyes.

At the mine, a group of workers was shouting: "Yesterday, I produced six dou of coal, and I'm not lying. If you pay us for five dou, we can't work like this." "You can't bully people like this! Yesterday, I didn't even eat to get an extra dou of coal, and now you tell me the ledger burned? I think you just want to default on payment!" "We're not working today! You must give us an explanation!"

Li Banfeng quietly left the crowd, found a secluded spot, hid his key, and returned to his portable dwelling. Sitting on the bed for a moment, Li Banfeng tried to collect his thoughts. It was fine until he tried to organize them; after that, his thoughts seemed to spiral out of control.

Companion B: "Digging five dou of coal per person is pretty much the limit. We're paying them more than enough, but these people are insatiable. Such individuals must be severely punished."

Companion C: "That's not how it is. Some dug only three dou but got paid for five, while others dug five and also got paid for five. Of course, they'd feel unhappy!"

Companion D: "But we can't let them cause trouble. The ledger is gone, so the money can only be distributed this way, and things can only be handled this way!"

Companion E: "What do you mean 'only be handled this way'? It's not about scarcity, but about inequality. You're being irresponsible!"

Companion F: "Then you come up with a responsible solution! Don't just stand there and talk without understanding the difficulty!"

Companion G: "So you can't speak properly, huh? Shall we try another way to communicate?"

Companion A: "Maintain order, maintain decorum. No fighting in the meeting!"

The Phonograph consoled from the side, "Maintain order, no fighting. Listen only to my husband."

Hong Ying laughed, "Aren't these all your husband? But seriously, usually I only hear two or three of the Seven Young Masters arguing. Why are there so many today?"

The Phonograph also found it strange: "Not only are there more than before, but it's also much more chaotic, with no discernible pattern. It's as if they've been affected by a technique, but I can't tell what school of Daoism it is."

Li Banfeng asked his wife, "Is there such a thing as 'Chaotic Cultivation'?" His wife paused for a moment. Li Banfeng seemed to have returned to normal, but his recovery was a little too quick.

*Da da da Tai!*

"'Chaotic Cultivation'? This servant has not heard of such a school of Daoism."

"Perhaps it's not called Chaotic Cultivation, but some other school." As he spoke, Li Banfeng's face twisted for a moment.

The Phonograph grew somewhat anxious: "Husband, please don't rush. Let's think this through carefully."

"I'm not rushing," Li Banfeng rubbed his cheek, "It's just that the meeting's order is a bit chaotic."

In the evening, Ma Wu had the cook prepare some substantial dishes and invited Li Qi for a few drinks.

"Old Seven, I'm feeling down."

Li Qi asked, "Because of the mine?"

Ma Wu shook his head, "Actually, nothing major at the mine. If a shed collapses, we build a new one. If the train breaks down, we have people who can fix it. But business matters are settled through business. I've never broken that rule in all these years, yet today, I hit the buyer."

Li Banfeng smiled, "I heard about it. You hit him quite hard."

Ma Wu rubbed his forehead and said, "I truly don't know what's going on!"

As they spoke, Chuanzi pushed the door open and came in: "The workers are causing a commotion again."

Li Banfeng frowned, "What are they complaining about? Haven't their wages been compensated? They were all paid the maximum amount. What else are they dissatisfied with?"

"They're saying a few who didn't contribute much took advantage, and they insist on an explanation for it."

Ma Wu gave a wry smile, "Either they complain about getting too little, or about others getting too much. There's never a quiet moment. I'll go take a look."

Li Banfeng waved his hand, "No need to go. Let them make noise." Ma Wu was stunned. Li Banfeng told Chuanzi, "I've had the cook prepare a lot of food and drinks. We'll send it to the workers in a bit. If they want to eat, they can eat. If not, they can continue to cause trouble. Chuanzi, don't worry about this either. Later, set up a table for you and the brothers, and tell them to eat and drink to their hearts' content."

How could Chuanzi feel at ease? He followed the cooks to deliver the food and drinks. Before long, Chuanzi ran back: "Having food and drink has helped a lot, but many workers don't want to sleep outdoors and are clamoring to leave."

Li Banfeng said, "For those who want to sleep in a hotel down the mountain, I'll pay for their rooms. Those who find walking back and forth troublesome can stay on the mountain. For those who don't want to work anymore, let them go. Chuanzi, listen to me. Go drink with the brothers. Don't worry about anything else."

Ma Wu was startled: "Old Seven, how are you so open-minded this time?"

Li Banfeng drank a cup of hot wine, shook his head, and said, "I'm not open-minded. I haven't understood anything at all."

"What haven't you understood?" Ma Wu only felt that things weren't going smoothly, but he didn't perceive any specific lack of understanding.

"Chaos, it's so chaotic I don't even know where to begin!" Li Banfeng asked the cook to bring a few more pairs of chopsticks, then arranged them one by one into a line. "We came to Huangtu Bridge to do business. You initially wanted to get into the coal mining business, and then there was this huge mine waiting for us here. That's correct, right?"

Ma Wu nodded, "That was one of the few good things that happened after we arrived in Huangtu Bridge."

Li Qi said, "But for such a great opportunity, why did no one else take it? Why didn't the Lu family do it? Why didn't the He family do it?"

Ma Wu blinked and said, "Didn't you ask about this at the time? I thought they were concerned about the high costs, which is why they didn't come to Huangtu Bridge to do business."

Li Banfeng nodded, "Yes, I asked then. I wasn't as confused back then. But after we took on the business, I started to feel confused too."

Ma Wu still didn't understand: "What exactly is chaotic?"

"The day we shipped, there was an incident on the tracks, the train overturned, and the coal was stolen. We suspected it was done by the coal kiln boss from North Bridge, so I tightened security. Old Five, do you think tightening security is something I'd normally do?"

Ma Wu was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized. Li Qi was not someone who would willingly suffer a loss. Since he knew North Bridge was behind it, he should have already turned North Bridge upside down. Why would he bother with tight defenses?

Li Banfeng continued, "But because it happened so suddenly, I really was confused at the time. From then on, we all became chaotic. If a shed caught fire, we immediately went to extinguish it. If the train broke down, we immediately went to repair it. Even the local deity became confused. If his cart was lost, he'd go look for it, and once it was found, he wouldn't care who stole it, just return to guard the mine. You were managing the business, and when you couldn't handle it anymore, you raised your hand and hit someone, adding chaos upon chaos. When business had issues, we talked business. When the railway had issues, we repaired the railway. We just defended against whatever others threw at us, and the more we defended, the more chaotic it became."

"Yes!" Ma Wu rubbed his forehead. "Why is it so chaotic?"

Li Banfeng gathered the chopsticks together and rearranged them into a line: "Brother, actually, the mine situation isn't that urgent. You know that too. Even if the deal with Greenwater City falls through, given our current strength, finding another buyer wouldn't be difficult, would it? Shouldn't we first deal with those causing the trouble, clean up this area of Huangtu Bridge, and only then think about business?"

Yes! Ma Wu suddenly sobered up. Why did he have to rush to act at the coal mine? He should have dealt with those scoundrels from North Bridge first!

Ma Wu poured a cup of wine for Li Banfeng: "Old Seven, my temperament is still not as good as yours. I'm in such a mess, and you seem completely fine." Li Banfeng was also confused, even more severely so than Ma Wu. But after being confused, he could consult with himself, and once the consultation was complete, they could generally reach a consensus. Sometimes, it was difficult to reach a consensus. For example, in this meeting, Companion B's words were somewhat aggressive, even resorting to violence in the venue, expressing years of dissatisfaction towards Companion A. Companion A believed that expressing dissatisfaction was good, but hitting people was wrong. Then he rallied the other companions and subdued Companion B's group on the spot.

"Old Five, I suspect we've been hit by a technique."

"A technique from which school of Daoism?"

"Is there such a thing as 'Chaotic Cultivation'? A school of Daoism specifically designed to cause trouble?"

Ma Wu thought carefully for a moment, then shook his head, "I haven't heard of such a school of Daoism."

Was there really no "Chaotic Cultivation"? Or was Ma Wu simply not knowledgeable enough? Li Banfeng had previously asked his wife, who was very knowledgeable, but she hadn't heard of "Chaotic Cultivation" either. Perhaps it's not called "Chaotic Cultivation," or perhaps it's an advanced technique from some other school of Daoism. Since it can interfere with people's minds, this technique should originate from schools of Daoism like Literary Cultivation, Virtue Cultivation, or Thought Cultivation. What level is this master? Probably ninth-level? A ninth-level master, why would they do such absurd things in this rundown place called Huangtu Bridge?

Tang Dao whispered in his ear: "Before the Greenwater Beggar seized Flower Basin Bay, I hadn't heard of the 'Illness Cultivation' school either, because that school didn't exist in the world at that time."

"Are you saying, a new school of Daoism?" Li Banfeng looked at Tang Dao in astonishment.

Tang Dao replied, "Illness Cultivation only came into existence after Flower Basin Bay became Greenwater Bay."

Li Banfeng gathered the chopsticks together and arranged them into a line again: "We need to sort this out from the beginning."

Ma Wu said, "Sort it out from where? Didn't we already trace it back to North Bridge?"

Li Banfeng shook his head: "We need to trace it back to the Harbinger of Doom."