Chapter 508: The Gu Cultivator in the Textile Factory

Li Banfeng took out his phone from the projector and searched for a song called "I Am Your Guokui."

"Pure white memories remain in pure white flour,Sprinkling scallions to commemorate our faded love,I watch the black sesame seeds, counting them one by one,I know my world cannot be without you!I am your guokui, though cheap, I can fill your hunger,I am your guokui, even if you forget everything about me, don't forget that familiar aroma..."

When Li Banfeng first entered university, this song was once popular throughout Huangguo. However, because he didn't own a phone or any other music-playing device at the time, he was unfamiliar with the song.

He took out his gramophone, recorded the song, brought it back to his personal residence, and played it.

The gramophone listened once, offering no comment.

Hong Ying, after hearing it, was quite disdainful: "The lyrics and music are vulgar and explicit. What's good about this?"

The gramophone said, "My dear husband, please play it again. Your little servant wishes to hear it once more."

Hong Ying snorted, "What's so good about this person's singing? It's far worse than Xiao Wan's."

"Don't speak carelessly," the gramophone admonished Hong Ying, then listened carefully again.

After the second listen, the gramophone still made no comment. The Wine Gourd said, "Little brother, surely Madam didn't hear clearly. Let's listen again."

Li Banfeng nodded, "Then let's listen again."

After the third listen, Tang Sabre spoke up, "Such a vulgar tune! Play it once more, and I, your humble general, could sing it."

The gramophone said, "Alright, then play it again."

It was played six times consecutively, and no one in the room had heard enough; even Li Banfeng wanted to listen a few more times. Was this the legendary brainwashing song?

The gramophone detected something unusual and said to Li Banfeng, "My dear husband, this tune is indeed vulgar, and the lyrics are vulgar. So vulgar it lacks courage and magnanimity, and there's no elegance in its extreme vulgarity."

Hong Ying interjected, "Xiao Wan, but I think this song sounds quite good..."

The gramophone struck Hong Ying twice, "Wretch, didn't you just say it wasn't good?"

Hong Ying rubbed her backside, not daring to retort.

Li Banfeng said, "My wife, I also think this song is quite good."

The gramophone spoke softly, "My dear husband, you find it good because this song contains sound cultivation techniques. Ever since the invention of records, sound cultivation techniques could be disseminated through them. Even after multiple re-recordings, the techniques could still be preserved. The person who sang this song is a master of sound cultivation."

Li Banfeng said, "The person I fought today was also a master of sound cultivation."

"What was the battle like?"

"He used this song to block my Whirlwind Tour technique."

The gramophone thought for a moment, "My husband, the person you fought might be very skilled at this song, but he might not be the original singer."

This made sense. Li Banfeng didn't jump to conclusions and first asked Thread-Puller.

Thread-Puller said, "Master, allow me to listen to this tune once more."

Li Banfeng played "I Am Your Guokui" again, and the Thread-Puller Earring replied, "Master, Madam, I listened carefully. The singer is the same person who attacked Master! During the battle, he intentionally lowered his tone and sang much slower, but I would never mistake his voice."

Madam did not doubt this. Among the many magic artifacts, the Thread-Puller Earring had the weakest foundation and lowest origin. However, having followed Li Banfeng and endured Madam's repeated discipline, its basic skills were quite solid. If asked to detect secrets against a true master, it might not succeed. If asked to track hooks, against high-grade hooks, it might also fail. But for a person's voice, the gramophone trusted the Thread-Puller Earring would not be mistaken.

Li Banfeng said, "The person who sang this song is Chu Zikai, who was once a popular singer."

The gramophone said to Li Banfeng, "If my husband wishes to resolve this matter, go find this singer. I believe my husband can win. However, this singer's cultivation is likely not inferior to my husband's. My husband should be wary of several of his techniques:

First, Splashing Blood Roar. This technique is simple yet practical. My husband has suffered from it before. A single loud noise can severely injure an opponent, but the sound cultivator himself pays a price. I estimate he won't use it easily.

Second, Cloud-Stopping Song. This technique is difficult to perform but counters Whirlwind Tour. A good song can stop clouds in the sky, so naturally it can also stop my husband's technique. He used his singing to briefly pause Whirlwind Tour, and then used that pause to deflect it. To deal with this technique, my husband has two methods..."

Hong Ying squatted beside the gramophone, listening very intently.

The gramophone snapped, "Go squat in the tenth room! Don't come back until I call you!"

Hong Ying was angry but dared not disobey, and went to the tenth room alone.

The gramophone lowered her voice, "To deal with this technique, there are two methods. First, display the imposing stance of Whirlwind Tour but don't use it. Trick him into responding with Cloud-Stopping Song. Cloud-Stopping Song is slow to activate and retract. My husband will have ample time to kill him."

This move was indeed effective. Imagine Li Banfeng assuming the Whirlwind Tour stance, then suddenly using Arrow-Like Return to the Heart. Chu Zikai, while singing, would be dragged into the residence by Li Banfeng. But while this method was good, Chu Zikai might be wary as he knew his weakness. Tricking him into using Cloud-Stopping Song might not be so easy.

"My dear wife, what is the other method?"

His wife continued, "The second method is the opposite. My husband doesn't need to feign. Directly use Whirlwind Tour and gamble on luck. With comparable cultivation, Cloud-Stopping Song can completely deflect Whirlwind Tour three out of ten times. Four times, it can't completely deflect it, and the sound cultivator will be injured from taking the hit. Three times, it can't deflect it at all, and directly resisting the technique might lead to death. That girl Hong Ying is stubborn. If it doesn't work once, she'll definitely try again. If twice doesn't work, there's a third time. When we fought back then, your little servant couldn't win against her, so I had to first blind her. My husband can gamble with this sound cultivator. If your stamina is sufficient, use Whirlwind Tour several times consecutively. As long as one hits, it will take this sound cultivator's life."

Li Banfeng noted this down while explaining, "My wife, your husband doesn't know Whirlwind Tour."

The gramophone said, "Your little servant knows that."

"My journey cultivation techniques are all borrowed from Hong Ying."

"Your little servant trusts my husband."

After Li Banfeng had noted the two techniques, the gramophone continued, "Besides these two methods, Bluffing is also a technique my husband should guard against."

"Bluffing is a technique?"

"It is a technique. This technique uses sound to create illusions. If you fail to recognize it in panic, it will put my husband in danger. Furthermore, there's Echoing Support. If the sound cultivator has helpers, this technique must be carefully guarded against. If my husband is injured by a helper, the sound cultivator will use Echoing Support to amplify the helper's technique, worsening my husband's injury."

All four techniques noted. The gramophone thought carefully, "The sound cultivator's other techniques don't counter my husband, and he won't use them easily on my husband. My husband doesn't need to worry about them. However, since the opponent is a Cloud-level cultivator, my husband needs to be extremely cautious to win. Your little servant will engrave two more records for my husband, just in case."

While the gramophone engraved records, Li Banfeng contemplated tactics.

The Glove came to Li Banfeng and spilled a pile of banknotes with a rustle.

Li Banfeng was startled, "Where did this money come from?"

"Master, when you were fighting them, I took the opportunity. I was afraid they'd find out, so I stuffed some stones into the box."

Li Banfeng organized the banknotes. It was such a large sum that it would take a while to count. He simply rewarded it all to the Glove. The Glove was delighted but also had a question, "Master, those two people you fought today are not low in cultivation. People at their level, would they personally act for money?"

Li Banfeng hadn't figured this out either. The black-clad food cultivator's motive was hard to discern. Chu Zikai clearly aimed to make money through business. Whatever other reasons there might be, he certainly valued money. Putting aside his cultivation, he was once a popular artist. Was he really that short on money?

The next morning, Li Banfeng went to the Dark Star Bureau and called Tangyuan, asking her to gather information on the artist Chu Zikai. Tangyuan brought the information and then reported important news to Li Banfeng: "Seventh Master, something happened to our captain."

"What happened?"

"Yesterday, when you didn't come to work, there was another situation at the textile factory. A lot of centipedes suddenly appeared in the factory area. Director Shen was worried they were anomalous creatures, so he sent Captain Chen and his team to clear them out. For such a simple matter, Captain Chen actually had an accident."

Li Banfeng put down the files, "What do you mean 'had an accident'?"

Tangyuan explained, "It means this matter is very abnormal. It's such a simple task, Captain Chen shouldn't have failed, and I don't believe he did. There must be a misunderstanding here."

Li Banfeng smiled. Tangyuan was here not to gossip but to plead for Captain Chen.

Li Banfeng straightened his expression, "First, clearly explain the actual situation. What exactly did Old Chen do wrong?"

Tangyuan recounted the incident. Chen Changrui led his team to the textile factory. First, he had fire cultivators, wine cultivators, and water cultivators sweep the ground. Then, he had ice cultivators and water cultivators sweep it again. Afterwards, Chen Changrui used his Perception Cultivation technique to find any missed centipedes, and then had the security team carry out targeted clear-up.

Li Banfeng nodded frequently while listening. The entire operation was clear and straightforward, seemingly without problems. So where did the problem actually arise? It arose in the final step.

After two rounds of sweeping, Chen Changrui sensed that some centipedes were still alive in Workshop Three. He led his team to Workshop Three to clear them. However, upon arriving at Workshop Three, they found no centipedes in the factory building. Chen Changrui reactivated his technique and sensed the centipedes had appeared in Workshop Six. On the way to Workshop Six, passing through Workshop Five, hundreds of centipedes suddenly appeared. Two security officers reacted too slowly, were bitten by centipedes, and suffered severe poisoning. They are currently fighting for their lives in the hospital.

According to the Dark Star Bureau's records, Chen Changrui is a Level Seven Perception Cultivator. If he were tracking a highly concealed cultivator or spiritual entity, a certain degree of deviation would be acceptable. But this time, he was tracking a group of centipedes, creatures with very limited intelligence. Such a low-level error was difficult to comprehend. Moreover, the error was not just once. When centipedes appeared in Workshop Five, Chen Changrui's perception indicated Workshop Three. This error was a bit ridiculous. Upon arriving at Workshop Three, finding no centipedes, Chen Changrui's perception then indicated Workshop Six. This was the second error. While en route to Workshop Six, passing through Workshop Five, his vision didn't detect centipedes in Workshop Five, leading to the injury of his team members. This was the third error. These three errors in succession, given Chen Changrui's Daoist sect background and identity, were truly absurd.

Li Banfeng remained silent for a long time. Tangyuan cautiously asked, "Seventh Master, do you have some opinion of Captain Chen?"

"Why do you ask?"

Tangyuan lowered her voice, "Many in the team say that Captain Chen is too soft, unable to contend for anything. Even this conciliator was something you fought for on our behalf. Perhaps you also feel Captain Chen is somewhat weak?"

Li Banfeng smiled without answering.

Tangyuan said, "Actually, Captain Chen is very good to us. You've seen our skill level. If Captain Chen hadn't led us all these years, who knows how many incidents would have occurred. Captain Chen is getting old. He indeed didn't perform well on this mission, but we can't ruin a person's entire life just because of one failed mission. That would be too unfair to Captain Chen."

Li Banfeng said expressionlessly, "If the lives of those two injured security officers can't be saved, wouldn't their lives also be ruined? Is that fair to them?"

Tangyuan hastily said, "But this was an unexpected situation. No one expected it at the time..."

"The captain personally leads missions to prevent unexpected incidents. If this matter was truly due to Chen Changrui's dereliction of duty, it must be handled severely!"

"If it was truly due to Chen Changrui's dereliction of duty..." Tangyuan was delighted. "Seventh Master, do you mean there's still room for leniency, that it might not be Captain Chen's fault?"

Li Banfeng frowned, "It's not that simple. Whether it's his problem or not, we'll know after investigating. After work tonight, don't leave. Wait for me."

Upon hearing this, Tangyuan's face flushed. What did this mean? What did Seventh Master want to do? Keeping me late tonight, did he want to... Is Seventh Master that kind of person?

Leaving Li Qi's office and returning to her desk, Tangyuan felt very uneasy. She regretted being so impulsive in approaching Seventh Master. Seventh Master and Captain Chen didn't have any special relationship. Asking Seventh Master for help for no reason would surely come at a price. The price was actually me... Tangyuan took off her glasses, rubbed her forehead, feeling a bit wronged. I sought Seventh Master's intercession for the security team. Why should I sacrifice myself? I cannot agree to this! But if I don't agree, it means offending Seventh Master, and he'll never consider me one of his own again. Actually, back in Xiaoyao Manor, with just a word from Seventh Master, I would have already become his person... If Seventh Master truly wanted me, I definitely couldn't escape. It's just that when the moment arrives, it's truly frightening. Tangyuan put on her glasses and sighed repeatedly at her desk. Night was almost here. How would tonight go? How would Seventh Master treat me?

Late at night, Tangyuan, covered in sweat, panted continuously. "Seventh Master, slower."

Li Banfeng looked at Tangyuan and stopped. Light Bulb stood beside Li Qi, urging Tangyuan, "You're a Level Four cultivator, carrying so little. Look how much effort this takes you. With your meager ability, no one in Prolific State would even hire you as a laborer!"

"Get lost!" Tangyuan was angry. "I've been to Prolific State too! Don't show off here!"

Late at night, Li Qi, Tangyuan, Light Bulb, and Star arrived at Ruirong Textile Factory. Li Banfeng wasn't very concerned about Chen Changrui's safety, but he was very interested in Ruirong Textile Factory. This abandoned factory on the outskirts was gradually showing characteristics of Prolific State.

The roads around the textile factory were sealed off, making it a veritable restricted zone. Cars couldn't enter. Tangyuan had borrowed over a hundred kilograms of equipment and had to carry it herself. She carried it seven or eight hundred meters. Light Bulb didn't help and kept making sarcastic remarks, making Tangyuan want to hit him. Star, being more helpful, stepped forward, "Sister, let me carry it for a bit." Tangyuan disliked Star and ignored him, continuing to walk with the equipment.

The textile factory's main gate was sealed, and there were drones patrolling nearby. Li Banfeng picked a spot by the wall. As soon as the drone flew away, he sent the equipment in, then sent Tangyuan in. According to the plan, Light Bulb and Star didn't need to go in; they were responsible for guarding outside the wall in case of emergencies.

Li Banfeng jumped over the wall and saw a large willow tree by the wall, signaling Tangyuan to remember the location. Both entered Workshop Three. Li Banfeng told Tangyuan to first measure the workshop's width. The equipment Tangyuan carried was a set of highly precise measuring instruments. While Tangyuan set up the equipment, Li Banfeng first walked around the workshop. Due to repeated sweeping in recent days, the ground and equipment were covered in scorch marks. These marks didn't look bad; instead, they added a rare touch of vitality to the otherwise desolate workshop.

Li Banfeng asked, "When did Ruirong Textile Factory close down?"

Tangyuan answered while measuring the distance, "According to records, this textile factory closed twenty years ago."

"Why wasn't a textile factory that closed twenty years ago demolished?"

"Ruirong Textile Factory has had many incidents. I remember the captain once said this place has great research value," Tangyuan couldn't quite explain what research value it had, but the workshop width was measured: "Seventh Master, the workshop width is 12.3 meters."

12 meters was the standard width for workshops. Errors during construction were inevitable, and a thirty-centimeter error was within the normal range. Tangyuan's measurement was fine.

Li Banfeng said, "Measure again in a different spot."

Tangyuan carried the measuring instrument and found a second measuring point along the wall. The reading was 11.8 meters. The deviation was slightly large but still within an acceptable range. Tangyuan explained, "Seventh Master, this factory building has been abandoned for many years, so some localized deformation is normal."

Li Banfeng didn't draw conclusions. He had Tangyuan measure six times at different points. Each result was around 12 meters, but the final results were all different. Tangyuan insisted this was due to measurement error. Li Banfeng repeatedly compared the six sets of data and had Tangyuan move the measuring equipment back to the first point to measure again.

If it were someone else asking her to go back to the start and remeasure, Tangyuan would feel she was being played. But working with Li Qi always paid off. Tangyuan carried the equipment to the first point. Measurement complete, Tangyuan saw the data on the screen: 13.1 meters.

12.3 and 13.1, this difference was significant. Tangyuan measured several times, and the reading consistently remained 13.1 meters. Such a precise electronic measuring device couldn't have such a large error, unless the device was broken. Tangyuan looked at Li Banfeng, unsure how to explain. Li Banfeng, however, was not surprised by the result. Tangyuan measured with equipment, Li Qi measured with his steps. At the same location, measuring again after some time, the distance indeed changed.

Ineffable! This was entirely consistent with Luo Zhengnan's experimental results.

Li Banfeng didn't rush to explain. He led Tangyuan through the passage towards Workshop Four. At the entrance of Workshop Four, Li Banfeng touched his Thread-Puller Earring. "Master, no movement nearby." Thread-Puller Earring detected nothing unusual. Insightful Sound Perception also heard nothing unusual. If he couldn't hear, he could smell. Li Banfeng activated his Hundred Flavors Exquisite technique. All insects have a special scent. Even a faint trace wouldn't escape his nose.

Are there insects? Indeed there are. A few mosquitoes hovered nearby, emitting a pungent, fishy odor. Even with repeated sweeping, these wouldn't be eradicated. Besides these mosquitoes, Li Banfeng smelled no other insects. If he couldn't smell, he could see.

Leaving Workshop Four and arriving at Workshop Five, Li Banfeng's pupils contracted, activating Golden Eyes of Minute Detail. Chen Changrui encountered centipedes in Workshop Five. According to Madam's judgment, the meatball that appeared earlier was an insect sac cultivated by a high-level Gu Cultivator. Combined with Chen Changrui's experience, Workshop Five should be the Gu Cultivator's centipede breeding ground. The Gu Cultivator used some special means to hide the unformed centipedes, evading Chen Changrui's perception, and successfully ambushing Chen Changrui's subordinates. In Prolific State, Pan Dehai and Bei Wushuang were both skilled in invisibility. Li Banfeng could still see them. This Gu Cultivator's level was unknown, but he probably couldn't evade Golden Eyes of Minute Detail either.

After lingering in Workshop Five for a while, Li Banfeng saw neither the Gu Cultivator nor any insects. Passing a machine tool, Li Banfeng stepped on a pebble and stumbled. A Cloud-level journey cultivator stumbled because he stepped on a stone. This was highly illogical. According to the coachman's theory of seeking fortune and avoiding disaster, unusual behavior should be noted.

Li Banfeng stood in the workshop for a moment, a chill slowly creeping up his spine. "Go!" Li Banfeng took Tangyuan back to the original factory compound. Tangyuan quickly began packing the equipment. Before the equipment was packed, Li Banfeng shivered and turned to Tangyuan, "Leave the factory area immediately."

Tangyuan, still unaware of the situation, reminded Li Banfeng, "The measuring instrument is very expensive. It'll be hard to explain if it gets damaged."

"Don't worry about that. I'll discuss it with Shen Jingye and have him provide an explanation."

"Should I call Director Shen for backup?"

Li Banfeng shook his head, "Not yet. Go outside the factory area first and meet up with Light Bulb and the others. Wait for my message."

Tangyuan asked no more questions, ran to the big willow tree, leaped, and jumped over the wall. At the base of the wall, Light Bulb and Star were chatting, "Do you think Captain Chen can be reinstated?"

Star shook his head, "I think it's difficult. Minor incidents are understandable normally, but what a crucial juncture is this? The demolition team just had nine fatalities, and our security team added two seriously injured. Isn't this clearly putting Director Shen in a bad light?"

"What if Director Li is willing to help him?"

Star thought for a moment, "Director Li came all the way here in the middle of the night. It seems he genuinely wants to help Captain Chen. But I don't understand, Director Li is from Prolific State. Why would he help Captain Chen? Are they relatives? Or did they have previous dealings?"

As the two squatted at the wall base, idly chatting, no one saw Tangyuan fly over the wall. Because Tangyuan didn't fly out at all. Tangyuan, landing, found herself not outside the textile factory, but still inside the compound. However, this compound was different from the factory main compound. Many machines and equipment were gone. The factory main compound had six workshops; now only one workshop remained, isolated in the center of the compound.

"Seventh Master..." Tangyuan called out, but dared not make too much noise. Where was this place? Tangyuan quickly calmed down and began to analyze her location. She had just walked to the wall, where there was a huge willow tree. This location was correct. I jumped from this location. Logically, I should have left the factory area, but I couldn't. Outside the wall and outside the factory area were different places. Between outside the wall and outside the factory area, there was an invisible space, academically it should be called an Invisible Space, or something even more concealed than an invisible space. Was this really true? Was the judgment correct?

Tangyuan's thoughts were still clear. Regardless of whether her judgment was correct, she needed to make a decision now: should she immediately jump back over the wall, or explore this suddenly appearing factory area? After a moment of hesitation, she decided to jump back over the wall. Investigating this unknown space was clearly beyond her current capabilities.

She turned around, just about to jump over the wall, when she found the brick wall covered in dense centipedes. The centipedes fell from the wall and quickly swarmed onto Tangyuan. Tangyuan shook off the centipedes and immediately moved away from the wall. After only a few steps, she felt a tingling itch in her lower legs. Large centipedes climbed onto her shoes, crawled into her pant legs, and moved up her legs. The centipedes here were highly venomous. One bite could be life-threatening.

Tangyuan used her knife to cut open her pant legs, first shaking off the centipedes. Then she pulled out a pen from her bosom and flicked out ink. The splashing ink transformed into large 'ten' characters, pinning the centipedes to the ground. Tangyuan escaped through the gaps between the characters, then swiftly wielded her pen in mid-air, writing a swath of text to launch a second round of attack.

After two rounds of Counting Ink and Seeking Lines, many centipedes were dead. Tangyuan bought herself some time. She ran quickly along the base of the wall, looking for an exit. After running a dozen steps, the workshop in the center of the compound suddenly shook. Dozens of windows on the workshop opened simultaneously. From each window, an iron pipe extended, stabbing into the ground, as if two rows of legs were installed on either side of the workshop.

Hiss! Dozens of iron pipes successively sprayed white mist, as if driven by steam machinery. Creak, creak! The iron pipes moved alternately, like dozens of legs, carrying the rectangular workshop, slowly crawling towards Tangyuan.

Tangyuan dared not linger, continuing to sprint along the wall. After only a few steps, she was blocked by the crawling workshop. How could this thing crawl so fast? Tangyuan turned and ran again. The workshop chased her from behind. Large and small centipedes followed the workshop, surrounding Tangyuan. The workshop raised a massive steel pipe and thrust it towards Tangyuan's back.

Trapped, Tangyuan prepared to make a last stand using her Counting Ink and Seeking Lines technique, when she suddenly heard a cracking sound from the wall beside her. Boom! A cloud of dust settled, and an opening appeared in the wall. It was the Breaking Path technique.

Li Banfeng pulled Tangyuan and brought her back to the previous factory main compound. Through the newly opened path in the wall, they could still see that centipede-like workshop. Li Banfeng walked through the opening in the wall and asked the centipede workshop, "Are you from Neizhou?"

The workshop twisted for a moment, then reared up half its body before Li Banfeng.