Chapter 473: Yin Yang Set

When did an extra black glove appear in the house?

Li Banfeng didn't ask a single question. He grabbed the scythe and charged directly at the black glove, swinging the blade.

The black glove circled behind the white glove and shouted, "Don't be impulsive! I have good things here, valuable items from Xiao Zhenggong. Let me go, and I'll give them to you!"

Li Banfeng dodged past the white glove and continued to chop with his scythe.

The black glove suddenly vanished. The white glove cried out, "Master, be careful!"

Li Banfeng sensed malicious intent approaching and ducked, avoiding a dagger thrown by the black glove.

The dagger was exquisitely crafted; it sliced the table in half, sending the sleeping Judge's Brush rolling onto the floor.

There was no such finely made dagger in the Portable Dwelling. The glove's previous assumption was correct: this dagger must have come from Xiao Zhenggong, and all his belongings had been taken by the black glove.

Li Banfeng turned to chop at the black glove, but it vanished again.

The white glove quickly sensed the black glove's location, charged forward, and engaged it in a fierce struggle. The black glove yelled, "Even if you kill me, you won't get his things!"

Li Banfeng swung his blade, and the black glove's form disappeared again. This blow nearly hit the white glove, so Li Banfeng quickly pulled back.

The black glove seized the opportunity to reappear before Li Banfeng. Dodging Li Banfeng's attacks, it said, "Instead of fighting to a mutual destruction, why don't we do some business right here?"

The white glove picked up a shovel and swung it at the black glove. However, the black glove constantly circled around Li Banfeng, making it difficult for the white glove to strike. In that moment of hesitation, the black glove darted behind the white glove, swiped its finger across the white glove's back, and with a ripping sound, a long gash appeared.

The white glove trembled and swayed from the pain. The black glove extended two fingers, intending to snip off the white glove's fingers.

Li Banfeng intervened just in time to save the white glove. He spun around and swept with his scythe. The black glove narrowly dodged it and vanished again.

What technique was this black glove using?

Both Li Banfeng and the white glove were incredibly fast, and this was in Li Banfeng's own residence. As a house cultivator, Li Banfeng had a significant advantage.

Yet, the black glove kept appearing and disappearing, always finding cover for itself. It managed to hold its own against two opponents for an astonishingly long time.

Given how powerful this black glove was, why didn't it intervene when Li Banfeng killed Xiao Zhenggong yesterday?

Hong Ying wanted to capture the black glove, but the gramophone stopped her, saying, "Girl, don't be reckless."

Hong Ying retorted, "What's reckless about this? I'll blast him to smithereens with one shot!"

Zhao Xiaowan said, "This scoundrel is too cunning, always staying close to Master. I'm afraid you might accidentally hurt Master."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. If I miss, you can punish me."

"What good would punishing you do? Can it bring Master back to life? You haven't fought in years; I can't trust you!"

Although the black glove was troublesome, it lacked lethal moves, making it very difficult to harm Li Banfeng.

His wife patiently watched her husband contend with it, waiting for the right moment to subdue the black glove.

The black glove reappeared from the ground, then instantly flew to the ceiling, telling Li Banfeng, "I know you're all formidable, but killing me won't be easy. I can hide in your house for another ten days or half a month, and you might not even find me. I'll surely find a chance to escape, and by then..."

The glove suddenly fell silent.

It was curious about one thing: how it had flown so high.

Its combat strategy was to stay as close to Li Banfeng as possible, making it inconvenient for both the white glove and Li Banfeng to attack.

Now that it had flown to the ceiling, the situation was not good.

There was no wind in the room. What kind of interference was this?

Just as it wondered, the Judge's Brush lying on the floor let out a snicker: "Hmph."

The black glove was greatly alarmed. It hadn't noticed the Judge's Brush; last night, the Judge's Brush was too lazy to eat and had been lying motionless on the table, leading the black glove to believe it wasn't alive.

When did I fall under the influence of this Judge's Brush's technique?

Why was it lifting me into the air?

Just then, Li Banfeng leaped forward, scythe in hand. The black glove was about to vanish when it heard the Judge's Brush declare, "Return my principal!"

The black glove's movements instantly slowed.

Li Banfeng hooked the black glove down with his scythe and pinned it to the table.

The black glove cried out in pain, shouting, "Let me go! Otherwise, I'll destroy all of Xiao Zhenggong's valuable items!"

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "Go ahead and destroy them. I don't care for them."

The black glove was startled. Having seen much of the world, it knew which words were threats and which were sincere.

Seeing that Li Banfeng was serious, the black glove quickly changed its tone: "I was just hasty and spoke without thinking, Master Qi. From now on, I'll work for you. Whatever you ask me to do, I'll do it."

Li Banfeng chuckled, "You're too polite. We're not that familiar with each other."

"Master Qi, listen to me. You are surrounded by capable people, and you're surely destined for great things. But that white glove of yours isn't good enough. For picking jacket pockets and rifling through trouser pockets, he's passable. But for breaking into houses and creating diversions, his skills are far inferior to mine.

Master Qi, if you don't believe me, use me for a while. If I can't outperform that white glove, you can do whatever you wish with me."

The white glove stood on the ground, a long gash on its back with threads unraveling.

It lowered its index finger and said nothing.

The black glove was right. It knew itself that it was indeed inferior to the black glove.

Initially, it too had hidden in the Portable Dwelling for a while, unnoticed by Li Banfeng.

But that was because Li Banfeng hadn't found it.

Now, the black glove had been hidden in the Portable Dwelling for a day and a night, and the white glove itself hadn't noticed.

Not only it, but the old man hadn't noticed either.

What was even more impressive was that the black glove could open the Portable Dwelling's main gate, something the white glove couldn't do.

The stark difference was plain to see, leaving no room for argument.

The white glove hung its head and walked to a corner of the room. Suddenly, Li Banfeng pointed at the black glove and said, "Wife, collect its soul."

The black glove gasped, "Why?"

The gramophone didn't hesitate for a moment, directly plunging its needle into the black glove.

As the commander of the three armies in its past, what kind of people hadn't it seen?

The white glove was hard to manage, but the black glove was simply untrainable; his wife could tell at a glance.

The black glove cried, "Master Qi, my skills are superior to that glove's! Why won't you keep me!"

Li Banfeng said expressionlessly, "Because you hurt my brother."

Brother?

The black glove couldn't understand.

It's just a magical artifact, isn't it? When did it become a brother?

Understanding was useless; his wife's needle trembled, and the black glove's soul was collected.

Li Banfeng picked up the white glove and examined the wound on its back: "Bear with the pain. I'll have my wife sew up the wound; at most, it'll leave a scar."

"It's not a big deal, not a..." The glove choked up, its five fingers trembling together, unable to speak for a long time.

His wife fetched some thread and, while sewing the white glove's wound, told Li Banfeng, "That black glove still retains a bit of its spiritual essence. Some of its techniques might still be useful."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "No need. We only have one glove in this family."

He went to the ninth room and brought the lotus over to the black glove, saying, "Absorb it."

The Red Lotus unfolded its petals and had just absorbed the black glove into its core when it suddenly heard the white glove say, "Third Mistress, please wait a moment."

The Red Lotus spat at the glove, "Who are you calling Third Mistress?"

The glove was silent for a moment, then leaped, jumping into the lotus's core as well.

Li Banfeng was startled and shouted at the Red Lotus, "Spit it out! Spit it out quickly!"

The Red Lotus quickly closed its petals, "Too late. It has transformed into a lotus seed along with the black glove."

"How did it turn into a lotus seed so quickly? Why aren't you this fast when refining elixirs? Hurry and release it!"

Li Banfeng tried to pry open the lotus petals, but the gramophone advised, "Master, the Red Lotus doesn't consume living things. Our glove has a soul, so it won't be completely refined by the Red Lotus.

However, its physical form will undergo a major transformation, and it's hard to say if its soul will be damaged. Master, don't disturb her for now. As long as this scoundrel didn't intentionally try to harm the glove, there shouldn't be any serious issues."

Li Banfeng quickly let go of the Red Lotus, tidied a table in the second room, and gently placed the Red Lotus on it.

The table in the main room had been split in half. Li Banfeng was about to throw out the broken wood when he noticed the Judge's Brush still on the floor.

He quickly picked up the Judge's Brush and praised it, "You've performed a great service today. I didn't see you touch that black glove, so how were you able to make it fly?"

The Judge's Brush replied, "Light!"

Li Banfeng thought for a moment and said, "Is it because the glove was light enough?"

"Mm-hmm!" The Judge's Brush could make relatively light objects fly without needing to touch them.

Li Banfeng exclaimed, "I've never seen you use this ability before."

"Hmph!" The Judge's Brush was quite disdainful. It had used this ability before; although few had noticed, it was very important to it.

Why was it important?

Li Banfeng placed the Judge's Brush on the storage shelf. The Judge's Brush rolled over, intending to sleep, but found the shelf a bit cold.

It glanced at a newspaper by the bed, and without moving itself, it made the newspaper on the table fly over and land on itself.

That way, it wouldn't be cold.

Li Banfeng sat near the Red Lotus, waiting for the outcome. The gramophone said, "Oh, Master, this matter can't be rushed. You should get some solid sleep first."

Li Banfeng couldn't sleep, so he went to the third room.

The old man was also awake. The recent events had deeply affected him.

"Someone opened my door, and I didn't even see it. This is the first time I've encountered such a thing. This black glove's origin is not simple."

Li Banfeng also felt some lingering fear: "It's fine. Anyway, that glove is gone now."

"A'tao refined itself, likely wanting to learn the black glove's abilities. We'll need to be more cautious of it in the future."

Li Banfeng frowned and said, "It's one of us."

The Portable Dwelling chuckled, "I don't trust it. Even if it shielded you from a knife, I still don't trust it."

When dawn broke, the Red Lotus still hadn't blossomed. Li Banfeng left the Portable Dwelling, preparing to go out for a stroll.

Just as he reached the entrance of Carefree Manor, a steam car made Li Banfeng stop.

In Puro Province, steam cars were a distinctive symbol.

Li Banfeng turned and saw Liao Zihui emerging from the breakfast shop next to Carefree Manor.

"I arrived a bit early and didn't want to disturb you, so I had something to eat here first," Liao Zihui said, looking at Carefree Manor. "Shall we go in and talk?"

Li Banfeng had someone open a private room. Liao Zihui, by himself, sat opposite Li Banfeng.

"I saw the news about the Jiangxiang Gang in the newspaper, and there are some details I'd like to confirm with you. Did you kill Xiao Zhenggong?"

"It was me." Li Banfeng nodded.

In response to Li Banfeng's admission, Liao Zihui showed no surprise: "The Jiangxiang Gang was a very malicious organization. You eliminated this menace, and I have no objections to that. However, Xiao Zhenggong was a 'balancer', and I believe you should be aware of his special status."

Li Banfeng feigned surprise, saying, "What's a balancer? I genuinely don't know about that."

Liao Zihui explained, "A balancer is a unique individual who can maintain equilibrium among various factions. Specifically, balancers hold influence in the Inner Province, Outer Province, and Puro Province, possessing the ability to resolve conflicts between all parties."

Li Banfeng chuckled, "Your judgment is truly poor. Why would you choose someone like Xiao Zhenggong? Was his influence in Puro Province significant? How many people in Puro Province even bothered with him?"

Liao Zihui tapped the table with his finger and sighed, "We also wanted to find a more suitable candidate, but such individuals might not be willing to cooperate with the Outer Province."

Li Banfeng's tone was slightly sarcastic: "So you're not picky anymore? Any Tom, Dick, or Harry can be a balancer?

If conflict arose between the Outer Province and Puro Province, what kind of problems do you think Xiao Zhenggong could solve? Relying on a few rotten scoundrels from the Jiangxiang Gang?"

"If the conflict originated in Puro Province, I believe we would have appropriate solutions. However, if the conflict arose in the Inner Province, having someone mediate would be of immense significance."

Li Banfeng frowned slightly, "Can you be more direct? Are you implying that the depth of conflict with Puro Province is entirely irrelevant, and only the Inner Province matters, right?"

Liao Zihui was silent for a long time before shaking his head: "The basic principles aren't set by me. I can only explain this much. I came to you to tell you that balancers are extremely important to us. Now that Xiao Zhenggong is dead, I need an explanation."

Li Banfeng smiled, "What kind of explanation do you want? Do you want him to come back to life? Or is there something you haven't made clear and wish to discuss with him face to face?"

"He had some very important documents and data on him, and a seal is particularly crucial. These relate to a balancer's identity, and I must retrieve them. I hope you can cooperate."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "Blame me for being a bit heavy-handed. Xiao Zhenggong turned into ashes, leaving nothing behind. You'd best ask around among your acquaintances to see if anyone has seen his seal."

Tap-tap! Tap-tap!

Liao Zihui's fingers kept lightly tapping on the table.

"Li Qi, what you're doing makes things very difficult for me."

"Old Liao, coming to me is just making things difficult for yourself."

Liao Zihui stood up and left. Li Banfeng didn't see him off.

Li Banfeng sat in the private room for a while.

Many people liked to tap tables with their fingers when talking, but did Liao Zihui have this habit?

Li Banfeng recalled their previous meal together.

Liao Zihui seemed to have tapped the table before, but not so frequently.

Back at the Border Defense Office, Liao Zihui's expression was grim. His secretary, Ling Sujun, held documents, unsure whether to present them.

The newly arrived Deputy Commissioner, Xia Shumin, said, "Commissioner, Li Qi is, after all, a businessman. We hold his lifeline. As long as we make some adjustments to the travel fees, he will surely rein himself in."

The other Deputy Commissioners remained silent. They had tried this method before, and the lessons learned were painful.

Liao Zihui raised a hand, and everyone left the office except for Xia Shumin, who awaited the Commissioner's stance.

Liao Zihui smiled and asked, "Shumin, after you retire, do you wish to return to the Outer Province or remain in Puro Province?"

Outer Province?

Xia Shumin found it difficult to adapt to this designation.

It was clearly his home, so why was it called the Outer Province? Puro Province was the real outside.

Of course, one couldn't be particular about such things in front of a superior. Xia Shumin tactfully replied, "I haven't considered retirement yet."

He was forty-five years old, in the prime of his career. Indeed, he shouldn't be thinking about retirement.

Liao Zihui sighed, "Having stayed in Puro Province for so long, I might not adapt well if I returned to the Outer Province. I can't even figure out how to use a smartphone. After I retire, I just want to stay in Puro Province and live a few peaceful days."

Xia Shumin quickly said, "You're far from retirement, and the Border Defense Office cannot do without you."

Liao Zihui smiled, "What I mean is, I very much want to live peacefully until retirement."

Xia Shumin didn't know what to say next. Liao Zihui waved his hand again, signaling him to leave.

After sitting silently in the office for a moment, Liao Zihui took a pair of headphones from his drawer.

"I wonder if Old Chen's device works well," Liao Zihui said. He took a puff from his cigarette and exhaled smoke onto the headphones. The headphones vibrated slightly, and something seemed to be squirming inside.

Liao Zihui put the headphones on and soon heard some sounds.

There were footsteps, the sound of sweeping, and the casual chatter of cleaners.

These were sounds from Carefree Manor's private room. Liao Zihui had used a tool given to him by Chen Changrui to plant a "hook" in the private room – a deeply hidden hook that even high-level "peeping cultivators" couldn't find.

Was Liao Zihui planning to continuously monitor Carefree Manor's private room from here?

Of course not.

These headphones also had another important function: they could record significant words and phrases they picked up.

Li Qi, Old Qi, Master Qi... all phrases related to Li Qi, along with their preceding and succeeding contexts, could be recorded.

First, he would record in this one private room, then plant hooks throughout the entire Carefree Manor. Liao Zihui was very patient; he was determined to uncover Li Qi's true identity.

"We must first ascertain Li Qi's true identity." On this point, Xia Shumin's view aligned with Liao Zihui's.

However, Xia Shumin strongly disapproved of Liao Zihui's attitude: "Liao Zihui has been assimilated by Puro Province. If this trend continues, our work in Puro Province will make no progress. Have the two personnel transferred from the Dark Star Bureau arrived?"

His assistant, Ding Zhichuan, Xia Shumin's most trusted subordinate, presented a folder: "The personnel arrived yesterday. Three in total, ostensibly here for advanced training."

After reviewing the three resumes, Xia Shumin selected one: "Have this person go monitor the vicinity of Carefree Manor. Since they're here for advanced training, they should start with the most basic work."

Ding Zhichuan said, "This person's rank is too low. I'm a bit concerned about having them carry out such a dangerous mission..."

"No need to worry," Xia Shumin smiled. "If this person sacrifices themselves on duty, it will quickly awaken those who are merely feigning sleep."

Luo Zhengnan entered the private room at Carefree Manor. He had been planning to take a train to Baiqiao Ridge to eradicate the remaining Jiangxiang Gang members there, but he hadn't expected Li Banfeng to ask him to come to Carefree Manor at this time.

"Master Qi, you sent for me just as I was about to..."

"Come, Old Luo, have a drink." Li Qi waved his hand, signaling him to say no more.

Luo Zhengnan, being so intelligent, naturally understood Li Banfeng's intention. He quickly opened a bottle of wine and changed the subject: "Master Qi, what brings about such good spirits today?"

"I want to do something big, something that might scare you if I told you," Li Banfeng said, pointing to the round table, then to his own ear, signaling Luo Zhengnan to check for bugs.

Luo Zhengnan understood, twisted his ear halfway, and leaned on the table, listening for a moment.

"What's this big thing, Master Qi?" Luo Zhengnan shook his head, indicating there was no bug on the table.

No bug?

Then why was Liao Zihui tapping the table?

Li Banfeng chuckled, "This morning, someone came to collect a debt, insisting I owed him money and demanding an explanation."

"Who dares to be so bold as to bring trouble to Master Qi?" Luo Zhengnan confirmed once more in the private room; there was indeed no bug.

"This person has a formidable background," Li Banfeng said, staring at the table for a moment. "Gather a few more capable brothers, and I'll have a good talk with him."

At dusk, Liao Zihui was preparing to leave work for home. Before he left, he didn't forget to take out the headphones and listen.

What he heard made Liao Zihui break out in a sweat.

Debt collector?

Have a talk?

Li Qi was going to attack the Border Defense Office?

Did he dare to do such a thing?

It was hard to say; this person dared to do anything.

Liao Zihui immediately ordered everyone to remain in the Border Defense Office, on full alert, with no one allowed to leave.

Everyone at the Border Defense Office was dumbfounded. What kind of situation was this, for such a command to be given at closing time?

Late at night, Li Banfeng arrived near the Border Defense Office and saw dozens of people patrolling its surroundings. They had indeed taken full precautions.

They had heard what I said in the private room.

Liao Zihui had indeed planted a bug, but why couldn't Old Luo find it?

It seemed this was no ordinary bug.

Once Carefree Manor closed, Li Banfeng entered the private room and took out the hand-cranked gramophone Ling Miaosheng had given him.

He placed a record on the gramophone's turntable, cranked the handle, and music began to play.

"Without you, how would I live my days? My heart would be broken, and I wouldn't be able to do anything.Without you, how would I live my days? Anyway, my heart is shattered, so I'd only cause trouble..."

This device was somewhat difficult to use. Although he had studied it carefully with his wife, Li Banfeng hadn't fully mastered its trick. After listening to one song over a dozen times, taking a full hour, Li Banfeng felt a slight change in the music's sound.

Li Banfeng walked around the private room with the gramophone. His hand speed was very consistent, but the music's tempo showed a noticeable change.

The bug wasn't on the table; it was on the wall near the door.

Liao Zihui tapped the table, so why did the bug appear near the door?

Was this the bug Liao Zihui planted?

Li Banfeng placed a blank record on the gramophone, swapped in a hard needle, cranked the handle, and carved a record next to the bug.

After carving the record, Li Banfeng took it back to the Portable Dwelling and had his wife play it.

The record documented the conversation between Li Banfeng and Liao Zihui. Tracing further back, there was no other content.

This was the bug Liao Zihui had planted.

"He really went all out," Li Banfeng said as he put away the gramophone. "I'll leave this bug for him and see how long he uses it."

As they spoke, the Copper Lotus suddenly bloomed, revealing a lotus seed within its petals.

Li Banfeng peeled the lotus seed and carefully placed it in his palm.

The lotus seed burst open, and the glove slowly unfolded itself.

Supported by its thumb and pinky, the glove slowly stood up, its index finger held high, and said to Li Banfeng, "Master, I've succeeded!"

Li Banfeng's lower lip quivered. He didn't speak, but nodded slightly.

"Master, are you holding back laughter?" The glove looked at its own body, then ran to Hong Ying's dressing table and examined itself in the mirror for a moment.

It approached the Red Lotus and calmly asked, "Third Mistress, whether you made me a white glove or a black glove, it doesn't matter. Even if I were half black and half white, that would be understandable.

But you've covered me in black spots, as if I have a terrible disease. What's the meaning of this?"

The Red Lotus couldn't be bothered to respond.

Anyway, it was all black and white mixed together. Who could control it so precisely?

The glove was also open-minded: "For a man, how he looks isn't important. The key is to have real ability.

Old man, I'm not challenging you today, but I'm going to open your front door right in front of you. Watch closely!"

The Portable Dwelling responded, "Alright, young fellow, I'd like to see if you have that ability. If you can truly open my door, I'll reward you handsomely."

Li Banfeng was very nervous.

If the glove truly opened the Portable Dwelling's main gate, the Portable Dwelling might take its life on the spot.

He had to find a way to protect the glove.

"A'tao, don't rush to show off. Rest first."

The glove didn't listen: "I risked my life to learn these good skills, all to be useful to Master. Master, please watch."

The glove went to the main gate and felt along the door crack.

The entire family watched intently. Even the Red Lotus, usually indifferent to everything, focused its attention on the glove.

If the glove succeeded, the Red Lotus would also have hope of leaving.

The glove located the crucial spot. Its index finger traced along the door crack, its middle finger drew a circle at the key position, and its ring finger lightly tapped the door, calling out, "Open!"

The door didn't open.

The glove wagged its index finger and said, "Old man, you really do have some skill. I'll try again."

After fumbling for a moment, the glove called out again, "Open!"

It still didn't open.

"Old man, we're serious now. Watch carefully!"

An hour later.

Li Banfeng was applying face cream to his wife. Hong Ying watched, annoyed, so his wife also applied some to her.

Old Teapot brewed a pot of good tea and looked for Wine Gourd to trade for some wine. Wine Gourd found the tea flavor not strong enough and only gave it two liang.

Projector seemed to hear the pistol speaking and was very excited. Pendulum told it that it was the sound of a revolving cylinder.

The Red Lotus's petals trembled, and it yawned, wanting to return to the ninth room to sleep.

The glove was still fumbling along the door crack, never stopping.

"Old man, this time I'm really serious!"

"A'tao, listen to me..." Even the Portable Dwelling felt a little sorry for it.

"Old man, I can do it! I'll show you my real skills!" The glove's voice trembled.

"Open!" The glove tried again.

"It's open," the Portable Dwelling replied, opening the door a crack.

Everyone in the room could tell that the Portable Dwelling had opened the door itself.

Only the glove couldn't see it.

The glove poked its head outside the door and excitedly said, "I did it, old man, I really did it..."

Slam!

The door slammed shut, knocking the glove unconscious.

"A'qi, find a place for it to get some good sleep," the Portable Dwelling sighed. "This child..."

The next morning, Liao Zihui sat in his office, his eyes bloodshot.

He hadn't slept all night, and no one at the Border Defense Office dared to sleep; everyone was on high alert.

Around nine o'clock, Ling Sujun, with red eyes, said, "Commissioner, many people can't hold on much longer. We respectfully request half a day off."

Liao Zihui waved his hand, "The more critical the moment, the less we can relax. Everyone is to remain on alert."

This continued until dusk. Liao Zihui rubbed his eyes and muttered to himself, "He didn't come... Could it be that the debt collector he mentioned wasn't me? Was there another reason?"

He put on the headphones and listened for a moment. Soon, another conversation reached his ears.

"Master Qi, are we still going tonight?"

"Yes. Last night they were prepared, but tonight they definitely won't hold out. This time, we must teach them a lesson!"

Liao Zihui put down the headphones and smiled.

This Li Qi was indeed troublesome, but thankfully, I was cautious enough.

He called Ling Sujun: "Withdraw all personnel from outside the building, bring them all back inside, set up boundaries and traps. Tonight, we'll lure the tiger into the trap!"

Ling Sujun, dazed, asked, "Commissioner, who exactly are we dealing with tonight?"

Liao Zihui chuckled, "You'll find out tonight."