Chapter 513: The Secret of the Boundary

Li Banfeng stood outside the cave, and He Jiaqing stood inside. A single wall separated them, yet neither knew who was on the other side, nor what condition the other was in.

He Jiaqing saw a glowing aura appear on the ground and immediately recognized it as the Household Cultivator's "Closed Doors and Windows" technique.

Anyone capable of using "Closed Doors and Windows" must be at least an eighth-level Household Cultivator. High-level Household Cultivators rarely venture out, and this new territory was in an outer province, a secluded place. Who could this Household Cultivator be?

He Jiaqing's first thought was of the local deity of this new territory.

He had entered and exited this new territory many times, even helping Big Head establish a cultivation site, but He Jiaqing had never paid his respects to the local deity. He hadn't expected the deity to seek him out today.

He wasn't afraid of being found. With He Jiaqing's cultivation level, he truly had no reason to fear a local deity of a new territory.

However, this matter still required careful consideration. Any local deity whose domain could secure new territory in an outer province was certainly no ordinary being.

Should he fight him?

He Jiaqing's leg had just been injured by the boundary, and he was also afflicted with the Green Flower disease. His overall condition was not good.

If the opponent belonged to another Daoist sect, he might attempt a fight. But the opponent was a Household Cultivator, meaning their residence was definitely within this domain. The closer a Household Cultivator was to their home, the stronger their combat prowess, making them difficult to deal with.

Furthermore, Household Cultivators had a certain restraint over Thief Cultivators, especially since most of their techniques involved house spirits and the residence itself. Even if stolen, these techniques would be of little use, which was another disadvantage for He Jiaqing.

So, no fight?

The popularity he had accumulated for so long must have been stolen by this local deity. If he didn't intimidate the opponent, they would surely push their advantage.

After some thought, He Jiaqing made up his mind: he would fight a skirmish, stopping just short of causing serious harm, to maintain goodwill while also establishing his authority.

His right leg was still within the boundary, so He Jiaqing had to endure the pain and pull it out first.

This was the price that had to be paid when encountering the "Closed Doors and Windows" technique: one strike when entering the boundary, and another when exiting. It wasn't just a leg; even if his entire body had entered, he would still have to come out.

What if he didn't come out? Could he fight within the boundary?

That would be a huge disadvantage. A Cloud-level Household Cultivator would undoubtedly use their ninth-level technique, "Expand Territory." Fighting a Household Cultivator within their boundary was akin to fighting them in their own residence, which would give them an immense advantage.

As he withdrew his right foot, another layer of flesh was scraped away. He Jiaqing reached for the mechanism, preparing to open the stone door and seize the initiative.

Before his fingertips touched the mechanism, He Jiaqing felt another sharp pain underfoot. He looked down and saw the boundary had suddenly appeared behind him.

What was happening?

The boundary could move?

For a Cloud-level Household Cultivator, the "Closed Doors and Windows" boundary could indeed change, as Household Cultivators could expand its range to some extent.

He Jiaqing had once seen a Cloud-level Household Cultivator whose boundary shifted in layers, expanding from eight or nine feet to fifty or sixty feet.

However, boundary changes usually took time. The Household Cultivator outside was truly formidable; the boundary changed instantly, causing He Jiaqing to lose another layer of skin in the blink of an eye.

Without a moment's hesitation, He Jiaqing decided to endure another injury, swiftly retreated, jumped out of the boundary, kept his eyes fixed on it, and called out, "Hero outside the door, I concede!"

He wouldn't fight.

In his current condition, He Jiaqing felt he couldn't defeat the person outside the door.

Even if he could win, he couldn't fight to the death; he still needed to maintain a good state to deal with the Green Water Beggar.

Li Banfeng stood at the entrance, finding the voice from inside very familiar.

He Jiaqing had attempted to disguise his voice, but Li Banfeng had known him for four years in university and couldn't mistake certain subtle inflections.

Receiving no response from outside the door, He Jiaqing continued, "I found a place to stay in your territory without informing you beforehand. This was my mistake. In a few days, I will certainly send a token of my sincerity. If you find it acceptable, then let us consider this matter resolved."

The words sounded quite sincere. Li Banfeng didn't reply. He withdrew his "Closed Doors and Windows" technique and quietly departed the desolate mountain.

The Glove emerged from his pocket, following behind Li Banfeng and clearing his footprints—a basic skill for a Thief Cultivator.

Li Banfeng was contemplating the current situation.

So, everything in the mountain cave belonged to He Jiaqing, including the special tools and the popularity he had collected.

Big Head was He Jiaqing's subordinate and had become a mole within the Dark Star Bureau.

He had found a confidential document for He Jiaqing and delivered it to Tea Mountain Hotel. The exact nature of this document was still unclear.

Big Head had left the popularity-storing tools in the cave for He Jiaqing to retrieve, choosing this new territory as the handover location. Was this for concealment, or because He Jiaqing also knew this was a path to Puro Province?

Was He Jiaqing from Puro Province?

A series of questions surfaced in his mind. Li Banfeng truly wanted to enter the cave and question He Jiaqing face-to-face.

But wishing to ask was useless; why would He Jiaqing tell him?

Li Banfeng had previously speculated that He Jiaqing's cultivation had reached at least the third level of the Cloud realm. Rashly entering the cave would likely cost him his life.

He Jiaqing waited in the cave for nearly half an hour. Only when he was sure there was no movement outside did he open the stone door to the entrance.

No traces were left on the ground, so he couldn't be sure where the local deity had gone. Even if he could, he couldn't rashly track them, as further provoking the deity would have unimaginable consequences.

The button on his chest vibrated, and He Jiaqing received a message from Zhu Junlong: "Jiaqing, I have everything ready. When should we visit Kang Zhenchang?"

Kang Zhenchang was the Medical Cultivator Big Head had investigated, currently the person who could potentially save He Jiaqing.

He Jiaqing still had plenty of life remaining from what he had borrowed from Zhang Gunli, so he wasn't in immediate mortal danger for the next few days. After a moment's thought, he replied to Zhu Junlong: "Wait a bit longer; the timing isn't right yet."

"Then when do *you* think the time is right?" Daboynes watched Xiao Zhenggong coldly. The lingering rays of the setting sun shone through the window onto the floor, and in the shifting light, spider silk could occasionally be seen swaying back and forth.

Xiao Zhenggong's expression was calm, but his heart was pounding rapidly.

To say he wasn't afraid would be a lie. Daboynes could at any moment hang him on a spiderweb, drain his blood and flesh, and leave him to air-dry by the door.

Daboynes was furious. He had acquired some special potions through old acquaintances, helping Xiao Zhenggong recover three levels of cultivation.

He had paid a hefty price in money and connections for this. Yet, Xiao Zhenggong found three levels insufficient and simply dismissed Daboynes with a single phrase: "The timing isn't right."

When *would* the time be right? Everyone knew. Daboynes used to be a fifth-level Body Cultivator. In recent years, he had cultivated diligently and even trained in the Inner Province, so his cultivation must have reached the sixth level, possibly even higher.

Xiao Zhenggong's plan was to wait until his cultivation recovered to the seventh level before revealing the boundary's secret. Only then would he hold the initiative.

But Daboynes didn't think that way. He didn't have the resources to help Xiao Zhenggong recover to the seventh level, and even if he did, he wouldn't.

Xiao Zhenggong was certain of one thing: as long as he didn't reveal the boundary's secret, Daboynes wouldn't kill him. He bit on his cigarette, continuing to flip through the notebook. "Some things I just can't recall. It's useless for you to force me."

A furrow appeared on Daboynes's forehead, deepening into a crack.

Six eyes emerged from within the furrow, all staring at Xiao Zhenggong.

Xiao Zhenggong pretended not to see, but a chill ran down his spine. He knew Daboynes was a Body Cultivator, a spider-person, but seeing him with eight eyes, his previous confidence and composure rapidly dissolved.

Daboynes asked, "Have you forgotten your surname?"

Xiao Zhenggong chuckled, "My surname is Xiao. Do I need you to remind me?"

"Say it again?"

"My surname is Xiao!"

"Say it again!"

"I..." Xiao Zhenggong suddenly stammered.

Daboynes raised his voice, "I'm asking you one more time: Do you know what your surname is?"

"I, I," Xiao Zhenggong said with difficulty, "My surname is Yu."

"What is your name?"

Xiao Zhenggong continued, "I, my name is Yu Dacheng."

"Whose subordinate are you?"

"I am, a person from Iron Sheep Mountain."

"Who is your leader?"

"My leader, used to be..."

"Don't say 'used to be,' say 'now.'"

"The Head Leader, now, is Lu Xiaolan."

Daboynes nodded. "Do you obey your Head Leader?"

"Yes."

"Do you obey me?"

"Yes." Xiao Zhenggong answered very earnestly.

"Good, obedience is all that matters." The six eyes receded beneath his skin, and Daboynes's furrowed brow healed.

Xiao Zhenggong, whose gaze had been unfocused, suddenly became alert. He looked up at Daboynes. "What did you just ask me?"

Daboynes smiled. "Nothing much, just reminiscing. We're old friends, after all."

"Old friends..." Xiao Zhenggong struggled to recall his past with Daboynes. In his memory, they didn't seem to have had much interaction before.

Daboynes asked gently, "Master Xiao, have you recalled the boundary's secret?"

Xiao Zhenggong quickly shook his head, then lowered it again. "No, not so quickly."

Daboynes chuckled, "Then hurry up and think."

Xiao Zhenggong flipped through the notebook, his eyes a little unfocused.

He would continue to stall, using the same methods and tricks. This blatant cunning was Xiao Zhenggong's unique characteristic.

However, the current Xiao Zhenggong had lost much of his courage; the humility and weakness in his soul were still under Daboynes's control.

Li Banfeng retrieved the grease from the Phonograph Shop and returned to Yue Province.

The item was indeed precious, and the Phonograph Shop didn't have much in stock. The Projector calculated the quantity and told Li Banfeng, "To visit every floor of the Dark Star Bureau building, this amount of grease is still insufficient. But if you only go to a small portion of the floors, there shouldn't be too many problems."

Li Banfeng disliked procrastination, so he decided to act immediately tonight.

He first checked the duty roster. The person on duty was Crabapple Fruit.

Li Banfeng had heard from Tangyuan that Crabapple Fruit was a friend of Preserved Fruit, a fourth-level Dark Energy user, whose profession was a Sleeper, corresponding to the Slumber Cultivator sect.

Crabapple Fruit was slightly older than Tangyuan and similar in age to Preserved Fruit. She was considered young within the Dark Star Bureau but an experienced member in the Public Security Team. With such a person on duty, would Li Banfeng's task be easy?

It was incredibly easy.

At eleven o'clock at night, Li Banfeng swiftly glanced at the duty room entrance. Crabapple Fruit was already asleep.

The cultivation method of Slumber Cultivators was sleep, through which they infected and controlled people and objects around them.

Crabapple Fruit could control when she fell asleep and could choose not to sleep during her shift. However, as an experienced team member, slacking off at work was a fundamental display of her ability. Just like now, she sat upright behind her desk, seemingly reviewing documents, but had in fact been sound asleep for over an hour.

Li Banfeng took the Projector to the staircase entrance. A few minutes later, the Projector responded, "Seventh Guide, go to the eleventh floor first. There are others of my kind in every stairwell. Taking fewer steps will save a lot of grease."

Li Banfeng took the elevator to the eleventh floor and waited at the stairwell entrance for ten minutes. The Projector then informed him he could go upstairs.

He climbed the stairs to the twelfth floor, where a black iron door blocked his path.

Two lights illuminated the door. The Projector first used an image to conceal Li Banfeng's figure. The Glove then moved to the iron door, quietly felt around for a moment, and the door opened a crack.

This was guided by memory, as the Black Glove had opened this iron door many times before.

Through the crack in the door, the Projector projected a beam of light into the room. After the light flickered for a long time, the Projector said, "Seventh Guide, the one inside has become a friend."

The Glove warned, "Master, be extremely careful. There might be traps in this room."

Li Banfeng activated his Golden Eyes of Perception, Insightful Spirit Voice, and Hundred Flavors of Exquisiteness, taking every step with extreme caution.

Using the Projector's light, Li Banfeng could clearly see the neatly arranged document boxes on the shelves. As his gaze swept across them, he noticed a box on the second shelf labeled "Ruirong Textile Factory."

Was this the Ruirong Textile Factory's case file?

The Dark Star Bureau actually had a file on the textile factory, but they wouldn't let Public Security team members access it?

What was the logic behind that?

Li Banfeng picked up the document box, about to flip through it, when the Glove reminded him, "Master, this isn't what the Black Glove was looking for when he came here."

The Black Glove originally belonged to Xiao Zhenggong, and Xiao Zhenggong had also visited this archive room before. What was he looking for back then?

Was what he was looking for the same as what Big Head found?

Li Banfeng couldn't be sure. The archive room appeared to have hundreds of shelves, and just looking at the boxes, let alone reading through them one by one, would take an unknown amount of time.

He decided to first see what Xiao Zhenggong had been looking for.

Relying on memory, the Glove searched through the various shelves for half an hour until it found the document box that had appeared in its memory.

"What luck, found it so quickly!" The Glove was pleasantly surprised. "Master, this is what Xiao Zhenggong was looking for."

There were only two words on the document box: "Boundary."

Boundary!

Li Banfeng came to the Outer Province as a balancer, with the primary goal of finding a way out for Puro Province.

Puro Province's territory was fragmented by boundaries, and the technology to control these boundaries was held by the Outer Province. This meant that Puro Province's lifeline was also in the hands of the Outer Province.

Even though Li Banfeng believed the Outer Province's strength wasn't superior to Puro Province's, if the Outer Province chose to ignore Puro Province, the fractured Puro Province would lack the strength to resist the Inner Province.

If he could find a way to completely break through the boundaries, it would be equivalent to finding a way out for Puro Province.

Li Banfeng, who had been quite calm, felt a surge of excitement. He opened the document box, then the first document, and began reading the first line of text.

"Puro Province's boundaries originate from dark energy fluctuations induced by magnetic fields. The connection between magnetic fields and dark energy is the key to controlling the boundaries..."

The document box was large, containing a vast amount of information. It would be difficult to even read one-tenth of it in a single night.

The Projector had already prepared. He had the Glove spread out the documents and began photographing them rapidly. After photographing over a dozen pages, the Projector stopped.

He opened his own film compartment, pulled out a strip of film, and examined it in front of his lens for a long time.

"This is impossible..."

Li Banfeng asked, "What's wrong?"

"I can't record it; there's nothing on the film." The Projector was nervous. At such a critical moment, it shouldn't fail.

But Li Banfeng wasn't surprised by this. "These documents must use special materials that prevent the film from being exposed."

The Glove sighed. "Ultimately, it's still 'A-Ji' who is useless."

The Projector was anxious. "I'll think of another way, there must be another solution."

It wasn't the Projector's fault. Li Banfeng hid the key, opened the door to the Portable Residence, and handed the document box to the Phonograph.

"My dear wife, can you remember what's on these documents?"

His wife swiftly flipped through each document, first exclaiming in admiration, then beginning to complain.

"My dear husband, you really found the boundary's secret! My dear husband, this is quite difficult to learn. Let me take a closer look. Oh, my husband, these Outer Province people talk so much! They keep mentioning 'magnetic fields' and 'magnetic induction.' These terms are so convoluted, and then there are all these diagrams and numbers. Oh, husband, this is truly hard to remember!"

His wife flipped through it again and again. Hong Ying, watching nearby, also grew anxious. "This jumbled mess, written so densely, who can remember all of it?"

The Phonograph said, "Exactly, Yingying. I really can't remember it all. We're fast with our hands, let's just copy it!"

Hong Ying also found it a bit difficult. "There's so much to write and draw. Don't blame me if I make mistakes."

The Phonograph chuckled, "Silly girl, how could I bear to blame you? If you really copy it wrong, I'll beat you to death right then and there!"

The Phonograph dipped its needle in ink and began to copy.

Hong Ying picked up a pen and copied alongside.

Li Banfeng's hands were also quick; he wrote even faster than the Phonograph and Hong Ying. Having studied in the Outer Province, he had a deeper understanding of its knowledge.

The Pendulum, Dream Virtue, and Projector all came over to help. The Music Box's hands were too slow; it wanted to help but couldn't exert itself.

The Glove was fast, but its limited literacy made copying exceptionally difficult.

The Sickle, Tang Saber, Teapot, and Wine Gourd were not skilled at copying, so they helped with binding instead.

After a full five hours of work, they had only managed to copy half of it.

At this rate, they wouldn't finish copying tonight.

The Projector reminded him, "Seventh Guide, it's best if we leave the archive room before dawn."

This was important. Since they wouldn't finish tonight anyway, Li Banfeng didn't want to be greedy. He organized the copied documents, planning to copy the rest another time.

But the Glove had some concerns. "Master, next time we come, this might not be in the same place."

Li Banfeng paused. "What do you mean?"

The Glove wasn't sure how to explain. "I vaguely remember that whenever the Black Glove came here, he always had to search for it on the spot. Sometimes he'd find it in half an hour, other times he wouldn't find it even after a whole night."

Li Banfeng understood what the Glove meant: the location of these documents wasn't fixed. Next time he came, this document box might be in a different place.

This presented a challenge.

Hong Ying yawned. "We've copied so much tonight, let's just look at this for now. We can talk about the other half if there's an opportunity."

The Glove's opinion differed. "In our line of work, we fear variables. Things went smoothly today, but next time we might encounter complications."

Hong Ying said, "What complications could there be? Didn't you say that man named Xiao went many times? He always got out safely, so what does our Seventh Lad have to fear?"

The Glove wagged its index finger. "Master also said that Xiao Zhenggong stayed in the Outer Province for many years and knew how to handle certain things, but we don't!"

The continuous bickering, however, woke up the Judge's Brush lying on the shelf.

"Annoying!" The Judge's Brush rolled over, stood up from the shelf, and flew to the document box.

"Ink!" the Judge's Brush commanded. The Glove quickly went to grind ink.

The Pendulum was startled. "Why are you so obedient to him?"

The Glove also couldn't figure it out. "I just felt like he had a strong presence just now."

"Paper!" the Judge's Brush commanded again. The Tang Saber cut the paper and placed it in front of the Judge's Brush.

"Flip!" The Judge's Brush looked at the documents and instructed Hong Ying to turn the page.

Hong Ying exclaimed angrily, "You've gone too far! How dare you order me around?"

The Phonograph smacked Hong Ying. "Listen to him!"

Helpless, Hong Ying turned the page for the Judge's Brush.

The Judge's Brush dipped into the ink, its tip made a flourish, and a page of information was copied.

Li Banfeng stared in astonishment; it was faster than a copier.

"Are you using a Scholar Cultivator technique, 'One Stroke, Thousand Lines'?" Li Banfeng had seen Zhang Xiuling use this technique, but Zhang Xiuling certainly couldn't write that fast.

Even a Cloud-level Scholar Cultivator wouldn't be able to write this quickly.

"Hmph!" The Judge's Brush couldn't be bothered to respond, and in a blink, another page was done.

Hong Ying flipped pages while the Judge's Brush wrote, and in less than an hour, the remaining half of the documents were copied.

After finishing, the Judge's Brush flew back to the shelf, took a minute to choose a suitable spot, and settled down comfortably.

Li Banfeng walked over to the shelf and asked, "I remember the Peddler once said you gave all your techniques to that True Brush. How do you still possess Scholar Cultivator techniques?"

"Covered!" The Judge's Brush didn't answer Li Banfeng's question, only uttering the word "covered."

What did "covered" mean?

Li Banfeng thought for a moment and realized it was literal.

He took a newspaper, used it as a blanket to cover the Judge's Brush, and the Judge's Brush immediately fell asleep.

Hong Ying said angrily, "If we had known he had this ability earlier, why did he make us so exhausted?"

The Phonograph sighed, "This scoundrel brush put in so much effort. Do you think it comes for free? It's hard to say how it will make the master repay it later."

Hong Ying retorted bitterly, "Don't we also pay a price? Are you saying we didn't put in any effort?"

The Judge's Brush angrily said, "Still bickering!"

The family fell silent. Li Banfeng, carrying the document box, quietly left the Portable Residence.

After putting the document box back in its original place, Li Banfeng left the archive room and returned directly to his residence.

He had no mind to sleep. He immediately began researching the boundary's secret with his wife. After a full day of study, his wife reached a conclusion: "Husband, this isn't an engineering method. In our Puro Province, this certainly wouldn't be considered an engineering method."

The first half of the documents discussed electromagnetic theory. It wasn't entirely wrong to say it wasn't an engineering method, but his wife simply didn't understand this type of technology very well.

Li Banfeng had attended university and naturally understood some basic electromagnetism. He patiently explained some of the fundamentals to his wife throughout the day. It was only after a full day that Li Banfeng remembered something: "Our old man must understand this. We should show this to him first."

The Phonograph said, "The old man has already seen it. When asked if he understood, he refused to elaborate. Husband, you should go ask him yourself."

Li Banfeng went to the Third Room and asked, "Old Man, have you discerned the secret here?"

The Portable Residence responded, "I suppose I have."

"This is how the Outer Province people control the boundaries, right?"

"Likely so."

Li Banfeng was somewhat dissatisfied. "Old Man, why are you always so evasive?"

The Portable Residence was frank. "Because I can't be sure. It looks a bit like it, but not quite."

"Should we try making something based on this method first?"

"Alright. A-Qi, help me prepare the materials. Some ingredients aren't readily available, so you'll need to find an Electric Cultivator to figure that out."

Luo Zhengnan would have to make a trip again.

Li Banfeng said, "Old Man, please first write me a list of materials."

Daboynes held the list of materials and couldn't help but shake his head. "The ingredients you mentioned probably can't be gathered in Puro Province, can they?"

"Many of them must be found in the Outer Province." Under Daboynes's pressure, Xiao Zhenggong finally produced the list, but the items were truly difficult to find.

Daboynes made many marks on the list. "I've been to the Outer Province too, and there are many things here I've never even heard of. They might not even exist in the Outer Province. Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"

Xiao Zhenggong was very confident. "When I was at the Dark Star Bureau, I went to the archive room over a dozen times. Each time, I only took out a portion of the documents and had different subordinates rewrite them into code. Do you know how much effort I put into this? And you dare to doubt that I might have made a mistake?"

Daboynes felt a bit troubled. "The materials available in Puro Province are easy enough to manage, but those from the Outer Province will be difficult to acquire."

"Ask Lu Xiaolan!" Xiao Zhenggong crossed his legs and poured himself a drink. "She's been in the Outer Province for so many years; she has plenty of connections."

Daboynes glanced at Xiao Zhenggong. In recent days, Xiao Zhenggong's attitude had been much more humble, but seeing him now, that arrogant demeanor was returning.

Perhaps it was time to ask him again if he remembered his surname.

After careful thought, Daboynes abandoned the idea.

Let him be arrogant for a while; he would be useless soon anyway.

At midnight, on Black Stone Slope, Duan Shuqun, the general manager of Dongjing Stationery Company, had just emerged from the workshop.

Two days ago, they had received a large order to rush a batch of stationery to Seven Autumn City. Duan Shuqun had offered generous rewards and worked overtime with his employees until now, finally completing the stationery.

The workers went home, and Duan Shuqun returned to his office to handle accounts. He had barely sat down when he saw a figure, covered in blood, leap into the room.

Duan Shuqun froze, then looked closely. The person was He Jiaqing.

"Jiaqing, what happened to you?" Duan Shuqun stepped forward to help He Jiaqing.

He Jiaqing waved his hand, backing away repeatedly. "Don't touch me. I have a sickness on me, and the Green Water Beggar is coming soon. First, help me find a place to hide!"