Chapter 461: Hong Ying's Eyes

Inside the Portable Abode, Li Banfeng was discussing countermeasures with Tang Dao.

"Donkey," Li Banfeng asked, "do you still remember the details of your battle with Green Beggar?"

"Most things are forgotten; I only have a vague impression of minor details," Tang Dao replied. "I remember many people died in Huazi Bay, one after another, it never stopped. At that time, I didn't know how to respond. Huazi Bay, a place where poor people lived, suffered a natural disaster; it seemed commonplace, as if no one could resist it. In the end, Green Beggar and I fought to the death. My Lord, you might not believe me, but honestly, in that battle, I truly didn't flinch."

"I believe you," Li Banfeng said. "In the face of fierce battle, you truly never backed down."

Tang Dao continued, "I remember being very weak that day, weak before the fight, and even weaker once it started. I stole some things from him, and after that, I used the 'Pushing for More' technique. I removed his internal organs. I thought I could win, but what happened next, I truly can't recall. I only remember my blade was still there; my blade kept talking to me. I don't remember what it said, but when I could remember things later, I had already become a blade."

Although his memory was very blurry, Tang Dao had already revealed many key details.

Li Banfeng wanted to connect these details into a coherent clue, but his thoughts were muddled. This opponent's technique was quite powerful, and its lingering effects still resonated in Li Banfeng's mind.

Chaos is not an issue; they had a way to organize it, a very intuitive way. Li Banfeng wrote down both Tang Dao's description and the earlier description from the old man in the Orange Orchard.

The first scene showed Green Beggar in Huazi Bay, killing people through plague.

At that time, Green Beggar wore a hideous grin and systematically squeezed the pustules on his face, causing people around him to die one after another.

Li Banfeng said to the Projector, "Depict the action of squeezing pustules in more detail."

The Projector explained, "I'm concerned that too much detail in the visuals might disgust the audience."

"No, it won't. This section needs visual impact."

A glob of pus splattered onto the screen with a squelch. Madam trembled slightly. "Husband, do we have to watch this at home?"

Hong Ying snorted coldly. "A wife must obey her husband. Whatever Qilang says to watch, we watch. Is it your place to talk back?"

The Phonograph was furious. "Bitch, looking for a beating, are we?"

Hong Ying personally fetched a plank. "Go on, hit me!"

The Phonograph chuckled. "Yingying, come here. I won't hit you today. I'll open your eyes for you to broaden your horizons."

Hong Ying sneered, "If you really open my eyes, I'll kill you with a mere glance!"

The two continued to bicker as the film continued to play.

Corpses littered Huazi Bay, and the strength of the local deity, Yuan Shoulu, the Thin Donkey, was severely weakened.

Li Banfeng said to Tang Dao, "Your cultivation method should be like Elder Yao's—not just taking, but mutual support. I remember this is called 'Living Water Cultivation,' where combat strength fluctuates with the population size. Green Beggar exploited this very point by reducing the population of Huazi Bay, which severely weakened your combat strength."

Tang Dao pondered for a long time before saying, "I can't clearly recall, but it should be similar to what My Lord said. It's just that the Yuan Shoulu in this film doesn't look much like me."

The Projector said in a deep, resonant tone, "As long as the essence is there, don't be too picky."

Tang Dao still couldn't accept it. "Yuan Shoulu is my name, but I'm a person. What do you mean by putting a donkey up there?"

In the fight scene between Green Beggar and Yuan Shoulu, the film showed Green Beggar fighting a skinny donkey.

Madam's laughter filled the room with steam. Hong Ying snorted coldly. "Didn't you just say it was disgusting? Now you're laughing so heartily!"

"Yingying, come here, your hair isn't combed right. Let me fix it for you!"

Hong Ying spat. "You'd kindly help me with my hair? Are you just trying to get a chance to hit me again?"

"I really won't hit you. Come on, quick."

Madam combed Hong Ying's hair, and on the film screen, Green Beggar killed the donkey.

Tang Dao was quite displeased by this. "I fought fiercely with him for a long time. Is it appropriate to gloss over it like that?"

The Projector ignored Tang Dao and continued playing the film. Green Beggar sat beside the donkey's corpse, ate the donkey's body, his own body shimmering with layers of light, and from then on, he became a local deity.

"Donkey," Li Banfeng said, "Green Beggar must have created the Plague Cultivation sect after becoming a local deity. Is this process accurate?"

Tang Dao thought hard for a long time. "My Lord, I truly cannot remember."

The Projector rewound the film a bit. "Director Qi, before Green Beggar became a local deity, he was already spreading plague. Plague Cultivation might have already become a sect at that time."

The exact timeline couldn't be verified, so Li Banfeng could only ask the Phonograph. "Darling Madam, after ascending to the Cloud Realm, can cultivators create a sect?"

Madam replied while combing Hong Ying's hair, "There is such a rumor, but this servant tried, and couldn't succeed. This might be related to a cultivator's talent."

Hong Ying interjected, "Qilang, I also tried, and failed."

The Phonograph scoffed, "You spend all day pondering 'Tales of Added Fragrance.' What kind of sect could you create? A two-door sect?"

Hong Ying snorted and said nothing more. Li Banfeng looked at the scene of Green Beggar spreading plague and felt there was something wrong.

"Donkey," Li Banfeng said, "Green Beggar spread plague in your territory, and you just let him, doing nothing?"

Tang Dao thought for a long time and said to Li Banfeng, "My Lord, at that time, I only knew there was a plague; I didn't know who was spreading it. Their cultivation was imperceptible; I didn't even know who Green Beggar was. I also did many things at that time. I obtained a lot of food and medicine from the surrounding local deities, but those medicines were useless against the plague."

Yuan Shoulu didn't recognize who Green Beggar was at that time? That shouldn't be possible, should it?

"The old man I met in the Orange Orchard, he already knew that Green Beggar was spreading the plague at that time."

Tang Dao chuckled upon hearing this. "I know that old man with the oranges. At that time, his cultivation was already close to the Cloud Realm. What he said is indeed correct, but this turns cause and effect upside down."

"How so?"

"He knows Green Beggar killed me and became the local deity of Huazi Bay. After the fact, he deduced Green Beggar's various methods. Over time, the cause and effect became deeply ingrained in his mind, so it's natural for him to recall it that way. But at that very moment, he wouldn't have known who was spreading the plague either."

In the face of the epidemic, thousands fell ill, and for a time, the source was completely indiscernible.

Was Huangtu Bridge in the same situation?

Li Banfeng slightly altered his experiences of the past few days and had the Projector convert them into visuals.

Merchants in Huangtu Bridge encountered repeated disturbances in their daily business. Restaurants got orders wrong, pharmacies made mistakes with medicine, and factories and mines had frequent accidents, causing merchants to leave one after another. These disturbances were very subtle, and coupled with the fact that the local deity at the time was the Star of Misfortune, it was easy to associate them with bad luck, just like what happened recently, which quickly made Ma Wu think of a Calamity Cultivator.

The Star of Misfortune used the "Dead Water Cultivation" method, only taking, not protecting. Huangtu Bridge declined very rapidly and soon risked transforming into "Old Land." To preserve his status, the Star of Misfortune went to ambush Yaowang Gorge and was killed by Elder Yao. The cultivator who caused the chaos should have seized this opportunity to steal the Star of Misfortune's contract, forcibly take his status, and ascend to the Cloud Realm.

But he didn't succeed, because the Coachman returned a step ahead of him. When the Star of Misfortune went to Yaowang Gorge, the Coachman disappeared; it turned out he had returned to contend for Huangtu Bridge's contract. From the Coachman's current situation, he still doesn't know that Huangtu Bridge harbors such a ruthless individual capable of creating chaos.

Where is this ruthless individual? Is he in North Bridge?

Whether or not, Li Banfeng decided, let's go check first.

Li Banfeng left the Portable Abode, carrying Tang Dao, while the Phonograph continued to comb Hong Ying's hair.

"Yingying, your rouge is also not applied correctly. Let me fix it for you."

Hong Ying was quite obedient, sitting in front of the Phonograph, waiting for the Phonograph to apply her rouge. The Phonograph's two needles suddenly pricked Hong Ying's spearhead, making Hong Ying shiver with pain.

"What are you doing? Vicious woman!"

"Don't move. Didn't I just say I was going to open your eyes?"

"You, are you using an 'Aperture Opening Technique'? Don't you dare trick me! If you want to kill me, just kill me; don't use tricks to torment me!"

"If I tell you not to move, don't move! Are you looking for a beating?"

Hong Ying felt uneasy, feeling waves of sharp pain in her spearhead. A sliver of light suddenly appeared, and Hong Ying tensed up. Did she really see it?

"Yingying, try opening your eyes."

Hong Ying had no eyes, but she had regained her sight. She saw the appearance of the Portable Abode, a narrow, dimly lit room. She saw the mirror she used for grooming, and her reflection in it: a body with limbs and flesh, topped by a massive spearhead and a head of waist-length hair. The appearance was a bit strange, but Hong Ying liked it very much; she thought she was beautiful. She looked at the table, the chairs, and the candle on the candlestick. Since her battle with Zhao Xiaowan back then, until today, Hong Ying could finally see things again.

She glanced at the wine gourd. "You are Gourd Sister?"

The gourd swayed its body. "That's me. Congratulations, Elder Sister."

She then looked at the calendar. "You are Meng De?"

Meng De politely bowed. "Congratulations, Second Madam."

Hong Ying asked, "Where is that bitch Hong Lian?"

The Phonograph replied, "She's in Room Nine."

Hong Ying turned her head, looking at the Phonograph, at the Phonograph with its three large horns, two needles, and steaming vents. Muffled snorts of laughter escaped Hong Ying, like a normal person trying to suppress laughter with their mouth closed and sounds coming from their nose.

The Phonograph said in a gloomy voice, "Trying to hold back your laughter, are we, you bitch! Making fun of me, are we, you bitch!"

"No, no... *ho ha ha ha!*"

Hong Ying couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The Phonograph was enraged. It pulled over a stool, held Hong Ying down, pulled down her pants, and swung the plank at her buttocks, starting a brutal beating. Hong Ying didn't utter a sound, taking the blows, but still couldn't help laughing out loud. The more she laughed, the angrier the Phonograph got, and the harder it hit.

After a dozen or so blows, the Phonograph suddenly stopped, hearing sounds from Room Five. The Projector was talking to someone in Room Five; the voice was a bit loud, and Hong Ying heard it too.

The Phonograph whispered, "That thing has reappeared."

Hong Ying stood up, rubbing her buttocks, and pulling up her pants, she said, "What is it? I'll go see."

The Phonograph said, "Don't be reckless. Listen first. These things are in every room. They've been in this mansion for who knows how many years. They rarely show themselves. For some reason, the one in Room Five has latched onto the Projector."

"I don't care how many years she's been here," Hong Ying declared. "Let's drag her out and see! You're the mistress of this house; you can't let her run wild, can you?" Hong Ying went straight to Room Five.

Pushing the door open, she saw the Projector was playing a story film from earlier. Hong Ying saw the woman on the wall and immediately threw a punch at her.

The Projector hastily cried out, "Madam, calm down, this is just a film!"

Couldn't Hong Ying tell it was a film? She really couldn't. She had never seen a film in her life, and with the Projector's extremely high image clarity, it appeared real to Hong Ying. With that punch, the girl in the image was knocked to the ground, crying out in pain.

Why could she hit the girl? This was the Projector's technique: the images he created had physical form and some combat ability. Hong Ying threw another punch. The girl repeatedly begged for mercy, and the Projector pleaded along with her, "This is a woman I imagined; she's not evil, Madam, please show mercy!"

"Imagined?" Hong Ying looked at the Projector and asked, "What sect do you belong to?"

The Projector replied, "I am an 'Image Cultivator,' born for art."

"Image Cultivator?" Hong Ying sneered, her full aura of power flared. "I've seen Image Cultivators, and they don't use this method. This is a 'False Relocation Technique'!"

The Projector was greatly puzzled. "Madam, I don't understand what you mean. I haven't learned any 'False Relocation Technique.'"

"Still playing dumb with me!" Hong Ying drew a short blade from her waist.

The Phonograph shouted, "You brat! Don't make trouble for our own people!"

"Xiaowan, this person isn't that simple!" Hong Ying was getting serious. "He's been using the 'False Relocation Technique' for so long. Do you know how high his cultivation is?"

Hong Ying swung her blade, intending to strike. The Projector wasn't skilled in combat and didn't know how to respond. The Portable Abode suddenly trembled violently. Hong Ying lost her footing and nearly fell. The Phonograph rushed into Room Five and dragged Hong Ying out.

"You bitch! I just opened your eyes, and you're already causing trouble! I think you haven't been beaten enough. I'll give you twenty more hits later, you count them yourself!"

Li Banfeng arrived at North Bridge and bought a set of Jianbing Guozi from a street vendor. Everyone said the local merchants in Huangtu Bridge were shrewd, so Li Banfeng was prepared for them to ask exorbitant prices. But this pancake vendor used good flour, fresh eggs, gave generous portions throughout, with no adulteration. One bite filled his mouth with fragrance, and a single Jianbing Guozi cost only two yuan. This was an honest businessman. Li Banfeng gave him one hundred yuan and asked for some information.

Here in North Bridge, the biggest coal mine owner's surname was Hu, named Hu Manchun. Three hundred meters east of the bridgehead, a three-story building was his home. Besides Hu Manchun, there were also Song Shilong, Tang Dongsheng, Yue Sicheng—all coal mine owners in North Bridge.

Li Banfeng first sought out Hu Manchun. He arrived at the small building's entrance and knocked on the door. A middle-aged man, wearing a white shirt, with a handlebar mustache and slicked-back hair, opened the door.

"Whom are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for Manager Hu."

The man scrutinized Li Banfeng and replied, "I am Hu Manchun. How may I help you?"

Li Banfeng said, "I'm here to buy coal."

The man quickly stepped aside from the doorway, and with a gesture, said, "Please come in."

That's not right. Huangtu Bridge's biggest coal mine owner, in Li Banfeng's perception, should also be Huangtu Bridge's number one bully. But this person, judging by his attitude and demeanor, was completely unlike a bully. And why didn't his house even have a guard?

Entering the living room, the furnishings inside were very simple: one table, two long benches. The two of them sat facing each other. Hu Manchun ordered someone to serve tea. An old lady carried a teapot, pouring one cup for each of them, and that was the tea service. Li Banfeng didn't feel like he was at a coal mine owner's house, but rather at Feng Ji's General Store.

Hu Manchun said, "How may I address you?"

Li Banfeng replied, "My surname is Li, from Green Water City, and I'd like to buy some coal in Huangtu Bridge. I heard that Manager Hu is in charge here, so I came to ask about prices first."

"I wouldn't dare claim that. I just run a small business. Mr. Li, let's be frank: your attire suggests you're no ordinary person. If you're looking for a large-scale deal, I can't provide that. If you're buying some bulk coal, I can at most arrange one or two train car loads for you."

"That's not much, is it?"

"Forgive my modesty. This is all I'm capable of; I truly can't supply more. But our prices are low, twenty percent lower than Black Stone Slope. However, we can't handle the transportation costs; you'll have to pay those yourself."

After speaking, Hu Manchun had someone bring out coal samples—different grades of coal at different prices. Li Banfeng ordered two carloads of top-grade bituminous coal and immediately signed a contract with Hu Manchun for delivery to the train station tomorrow night. Li Banfeng prepared to pay half the deposit upfront, but Hu Manchun waved his hand and said, "In Huangtu Bridge, we do business based on trusted contracts; no deposit needed. At the train station, we exchange money for goods directly." The deal was thus concluded.

As Li Banfeng was about to leave, Hu Manchun stood up to dissuade him. "Mr. Li, if you don't mind, please have a simple meal with me tonight. I'll have Aunt Liu cook something nice."

"No need to be polite. I have other arrangements tonight."

"Miss Qin across the street sings well. I can call her over to sing for you and share a few drinks?"

"Mr. Hu, let's talk another day. I truly have urgent matters."

"Then at least drink your tea before you go."

Li Banfeng didn't drink the tea either and left Hu Manchun's small building. This was an honest and decent businessman. It seemed his previous judgment was wrong. But if all the merchants in Huangtu Bridge were as honest as him, how could it have fallen into such disrepair? This Hu Manchun might have known I was coming and deliberately put on an act for me. My attire is too easily recognizable. I need to go back and change clothes.

Li Banfeng returned to the Portable Abode, and Hong Ying eagerly came forward to greet him. "Qilang, you're back."

Li Banfeng smiled at Hong Ying. "I'm back."

"Qilang, you... you're not exactly handsome..."

Li Banfeng smiled at the Phonograph. "Beat her senseless!"

The Phonograph held Hong Ying down and began hitting her. Hong Ying shouted, "Not handsome, and I'm not allowed to say it? This warrants a beating too!"

Li Banfeng took out the Pendulum and asked her to change his appearance.

The Pendulum asked, "Master, what kind of appearance would you like?"

Li Banfeng couldn't think of anything for a moment. Hong Ying, rubbing her buttocks, said, "Qilang, that Projector of yours is not simple. He's a master of our sect, and his cultivation might be higher than mine."

"You're saying the Projector is a 'Travel Cultivator'?" Li Banfeng didn't believe it.

"His technique can turn imagined things into real people. Although his combat strength isn't high, it indeed bears some resemblance to the 'False Relocation Technique.'"

Li Banfeng waved his hand and said, "We can't just guess blindly. I'll ask him another day."

Hong Ying scoffed, "Even if you ask, will he tell the truth?"

Li Banfeng didn't respond and directly went to Room Five to retrieve the Projector. Hong Ying thought he was going to expose the matter face-to-face and instantly raised her aura of power. The Phonograph reprimanded, "Don't act recklessly; wait for Master's orders."

Li Banfeng looked at the Projector and said, "Brother, you've met Pan Dehai, haven't you?"

The Projector replied, "I have his image."

The Projector had indeed recorded a segment of Pan Dehai. Looking at Pan Dehai's appearance, Li Banfeng said to the Pendulum, "Dress me up like this."

Hong Ying looked at the projection on the wall and sighed, "He's not handsome to begin with; won't he be even uglier like this?"

Li Banfeng looked at the Phonograph and chuckled, "Keep hitting her!"

Amidst the crisp sound of the plank, the Pendulum quickly applied Li Banfeng's makeup. Li Banfeng looked in the mirror and saw a seventy to eighty percent resemblance.

Madam chuckled. "My dear Husband, this makeup is enough to fool ordinary people, but if you encounter someone with high cultivation, they might still spot a flaw."

"A small flaw is fine. I'm not trying to perfectly impersonate Pan Dehai; I just need people not to recognize me."

"My dear Husband," Madam said, "this servant has learned some new disguise techniques; we might as well try them. And we'll need the Pendulum's help."

The Blood-Containing Pendulum naturally understood and quickly bowed, saying, "It's my good fortune to be able to learn from Madam."

The Phonograph mixed clay with pigments, creating a paste. Using Pan Dehai's image as a reference, she and the Pendulum meticulously drew the features onto Li Banfeng. Once the drawing was complete, the Phonograph sprayed a puff of steam at Li Banfeng, and the clay adhered to Li Banfeng's face like flesh. Li Banfeng looked in the mirror: a broad face, a big nose, a wide mouth, and with a small mustache added, he was practically identical to Pan Dehai.

"My dear Husband," Madam said, "please use this servant's technique to change your voice."

Li Banfeng cleared his throat, recalling Pan Dehai's voice, and said, "I am the greatly virtuous one."

The Projector said, "Director Qi, it's missing something. Raise the high notes a little. Pan Dehai's voice has more confidence when he speaks!"

After several adjustments, the voice was almost identical. Madam took some fabric and quickly fashioned a long gown along with a round-topped cap, and just like that, a spitting image of Pan Dehai emerged.

"Husband's physique is much leaner than this old fellow's. We'll need to add some padding."

Madam stuffed some more clay into Li Banfeng's clothes. Unless someone was extremely familiar with Pan Dehai, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference. But what if he encountered a Peering Cultivator?

"Don't worry, Husband," Madam assured him. "Peering Cultivators below the sixth layer wouldn't spot any flaws. And even if you encounter a Peering Cultivator of the sixth layer or above, you don't need to worry too much. House Cultivators are inconspicuous; they wouldn't notice minor flaws."

The Phonograph took a piece of wood, first scraping, then whittling, then aging it, and made a walking stick for Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng went out, leaning on the walking stick, and went to another small building. When he knocked on the door, an elder around sixty years old emerged and asked, "Whom are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for Song Shilong, Manager Song, to buy coal."

The old man was indeed Song Shilong, and he quickly gestured, saying, "Please come in."

The furnishings in Song Shilong's house were largely similar to Hu Manchun's. After tea was poured, the two began discussing business. Song Shilong first asked, "May I ask your name?" Li Banfeng didn't intend to impersonate Pan Dehai and casually made up a name. "My surname is Wu, my name is Wu Dade, and I'm from Haichi Ridge."

"You've come all this way just to buy coal from me?"

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "I heard from a friend that Manager Song is a virtuous person, and I feel at ease doing business with virtuous people."

Song Shilong cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Thank you for your generous praise; I don't dare claim the title of 'virtuous.' But I'm diligent in business. Let me state upfront: I can't supply large orders. At most, I can arrange for some bulk coal for you."

These words sounded very familiar. Hu Manchun used the same spiel.

"Bulk coal is fine too."

"Please take a look at the coal samples first!"

The coal samples were no different from those at Hu Manchun's house. Li Banfeng chose two carloads of top-grade bituminous coal, signed a contract, and was told no deposit was needed; they would wait to collect payment at the station. As he was leaving, Song Shilong first invited him for a meal, then to listen to music. Li Banfeng waved his hand and said, "When I conduct business, virtue comes first; such matters shouldn't be mentioned to me."

Song Shilong chuckled. "Mr. Wu, you've misunderstood. Miss Qin only sings songs, she doesn't stay overnight; it's just to entertain you."

Li Banfeng politely declined and left Song Shilong's house.

Another honest and decent person, whose words were almost identical, as if taught by the same master. Next, Li Banfeng visited over a dozen households consecutively, changing his disguise five times. No matter what appearance he adopted, the coal mine owners he met all used the same line.

Were businesses truly this honest? Were the local customs truly this simple?

Li Banfeng left North Bridge and saw a coachman on the street staring at him. Li Banfeng cheerfully greeted him, "Mr. Coachman, are you going to Haichi Ridge?"

The coachman wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "Brother, you scared me! I thought that 'lack-of-virtue' person had arrived. Quick, get in the carriage so we can talk. Are you returning from North Bridge?"

"Yes."

"Did you find the troublemaker?"

"Almost. We'll see tomorrow night when we collect the goods."

The coachman took Li Banfeng back to the mine. The next evening, Li Banfeng sent Ma Wu to collect the goods, while he and the coachman waited outside. Ma Wu arrived at the station entrance and first encountered Hu Manchun. Hu