Chapter 550: The Grand Banquet

In Yuezhou, at the Cultural Palace black market, Jin Shunying had just delivered two ghost servants to Yin Siniang. She was now quietly smoking in her car in the parking lot.

To be honest, she resented Yin Siniang. It was precisely because of deliveries to Yin Siniang that she had encountered that madman known as "Boss."

She had originally sworn never to do business with Yin Siniang again, but her suppliers were limited. If she cut ties with Yin Siniang, many ghost servants would pile up, and she wouldn't have enough money to buy harmonizing agents, disrupting her plans to improve her cultivation.

In this line of work, old grudges don't last; business always finds a way.

Besides, that Boss had disappeared, so the matter was seemingly over.

That madman insisted on capturing such a powerful combatant; he hadn't been seen since that night.

Why was he so crazy? He even talked to me about dreams. Now look, he's probably lost his life.

Actually, he wasn't a bad person...

Jin Shunying sighed softly. Just as she was about to start the car, she suddenly heard Li Banfeng say, "I forgot to give you the reward for capturing the combatant last time. I just put it in your back seat."

Jin Shunying was startled, only then noticing two large suitcases in the back seat.

The Boss was sitting next to the suitcases.

"You, you're still..." Jin Shunying was at a loss for words.

Li Banfeng nodded. "I'm still alive. I came to see you today because I want to do some business."

"What kind of business?" Jin Shunying felt both nervous and excited.

The Boss was actually alive, and he even brought her the reward.

Did he capture the combatant?

No wonder there had been no news from the combatant lately.

Li Banfeng asked, "Any news about the Ferry Gang recently?"

"Yes, Yanlou Village is holding a grand banquet the day after tomorrow. They say they're bringing out the main event."

"What's a grand banquet?"

"This grand banquet is like an auction. Spiritual treasures, ghost servants, and elixirs will be auctioned off, with the highest bidder winning."

"Why aren't they selling them in the black market?"

"What's sold at the grand banquet isn't ordinary stuff. It wouldn't fetch a high price in the black market. I heard the Ferry Gang got hold of something really good this time. It's a huge deal, worth millions, even tens of millions."

A huge deal.

Li Banfeng said, "I'm quite interested in this grand banquet. Do you have a way to get in?"

"I have a way, but I won't go with you."

"Why not?"

"It requires tickets, and tickets are very expensive. I can't help you much, so going would just be a waste of money."

"It's fine, I'll pay for the tickets. Let's go together."

"Oh, in that case, alright..." Jin Shunying started the car and drove the Boss to Yanlou Village.

She really didn't want to attend the grand banquet with the Boss, not just because of the ticket cost. More importantly, this Boss was too erratic, and he seemed to have some beef with the Ferry Gang. If he caused trouble at the banquet, she would be implicated.

But being able to see many valuable items at such an event also seemed like a good opportunity to broaden her horizons.

Jin Shunying glanced at the Boss's expression again. His invitation for her to attend the banquet sounded more like a command, not an offer allowing her to choose.

Actually, Jin Shunying thought this was fine; no choice meant no dilemma, so she'd just listen to the Boss.

They arrived at Yanlou Village just as dawn was breaking. The shops in town hadn't opened yet. Li Banfeng suggested finding a hotel to sleep in, but Jin Shunying was reluctant to spend money, so she flattened the back seat for Li Banfeng to rest in the car.

After waiting for over an hour, an incense and candle shop opened. Jin Shunying told Li Banfeng, "The owner of this shop is called Chang Shigui. I heard from others that you can buy tickets for this grand banquet here, and his shop also has something to put up for auction at the banquet."

"What is it?"

Jin Shunying shook her head. "I don't know that."

Li Banfeng quickly learned a few basic rules from Jin Shunying, then stepped into the incense and candle shop.

The owner, Chang Shigui, sat behind the counter and greeted him, "What can I get for you?"

Li Banfeng said, "I'm hungry. I came here to buy a meal ticket."

Chang Shigui was taken aback. "Sir, this is an incense and candle shop. You came here to buy food?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "It's not about buying food, it's about buying a ticket. We'll talk about eating tomorrow night."

With a few words, he made his intentions clear. Chang Shigui invited Li Banfeng into the back room and poured him a cup of tea. "How should I address you, Boss?"

Li Banfeng said, "You addressed me correctly. Just call me Boss."

Since the other party didn't wish to reveal his identity, Chang Shigui didn't press the matter, only reminding him, "Tomorrow's 'meal ticket' will be expensive."

"How expensive? Give me a price first."

"One ticket costs ten thousand yuan, but the return gift is generous, amounting to about eighty percent."

He meant that one grand banquet ticket cost ten thousand yuan, but there was a return gift at the banquet worth about eight thousand yuan.

Such a high entry barrier was set to prevent idle people from attending without buying anything, just to crowd the event.

Li Banfeng immediately pulled out twenty thousand yuan and bought two tickets.

The owner bent down, pulled out two wooden tokens from under the counter, and handed them to Li Banfeng. "Boss, please keep these safe."

Li Banfeng examined the wooden tokens. They were pale yellow with natural wood grain. One side had two characters: "Grand Banquet," and the other side listed the date and location of the banquet.

The tokens were simply made and seemed not difficult to counterfeit, but upon touching them, Li Banfeng sensed a faint spiritual essence.

Li Banfeng couldn't tell the exact quantity or quality of the spiritual essence, which made them difficult to counterfeit.

Li Banfeng put away the tickets and asked, "Can I inquire about what good items will be available tomorrow night?"

Chang Shigui said, "I can't speak for others' good items, but my treasure will be the 'Grand Finale' at tomorrow's banquet."

Most people wouldn't understand the concept of "Grand Finale," but Li Banfeng had learned about it from the opera houses in Prole Province.

The Grand Finale was the very last item at the grand banquet, meaning the last item to be auctioned tomorrow.

"This last item must be the most valuable, right?"

"Not necessarily. The second-to-last item, known as the 'Main Event,' is usually the most valuable."

The Grand Finale item was of a lower quality than the Main Event. At the grand banquet, this item was also called the "Farewell Item," as once it was sold, the banquet concluded.

Even though his treasure was positioned as such, Chang Shigui was still proud, as this was the first time he had presented his own treasure at a grand banquet.

"Boss Chang, what kind of treasure are you putting up?"

"My treasure is a pair of underwear!"

Li Banfeng paused, then asked, "The final item at the banquet is a pair of underwear?"

Chang Shigui nodded with a solemn expression.

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment, then asked, "Will anyone actually buy this?"

"That depends on whose underwear it is." Because Li Banfeng had bought tickets, and two at that, out of sincerity, Chang Shigui decided to show the item to Li Banfeng.

He first washed his hands, then lit incense and prayed for about ten minutes. From a safe in a secret room in the back, he retrieved a small box made of red sandalwood.

After unlocking two locks and releasing a ghost servant, Chang Shigui finally opened the box.

The inside of the box was lined with golden silk, holding a neatly folded pair of blue and white striped boxer briefs.

Li Banfeng still didn't understand. "Whose underwear is this exactly?"

Chang Shigui lowered his voice. "The Great Deity comes to Yanlou Village once a month, you know about this, right?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "I've heard about it."

"Last month when he came, he left this treasure in the village."

Li Banfeng considered the logic and asked, "Why would he leave his underwear in the village?"

Chang Shigui's eyes gleamed with reverence. "It's for the utmost sincerity of everyone in the village! Every time the Great Deity comes, the entire village welcomes him warmly. As long as we can afford it, we never skimp on offerings for the Great Deity.

"We make wishes every month, whether they come true or not is another matter. We don't care what outsiders do, but no one in the village complains, and even if they grumble a little in private, they never let anyone hear it.

"We genuinely revere the Great Deity, and naturally, the Great Deity bestows his grace upon us."

Li Banfeng said, "So he left you a pair of underwear?"

From Li Banfeng's tone, Chang Shigui detected a hint of disdain, and he became displeased.

Chang Shigui recalled his ghost servant, closed the wooden box, respectfully bowed, and relocked it in the safe.

Li Banfeng asked, "What's the use of this underwear?"

Chang Shigui said, "As far as I know, this underwear was worn by the Great Deity for over ten years. Think about how much divine power and spiritual energy it must have absorbed during that time. You can imagine the quality for yourself."

"I won't bother 'imagining' that." Li Banfeng turned and left the incense and candle shop, developing some doubts about the authenticity of the tickets he held.

This Boss Chang regarded an underwear of unknown origin as a treasure. Given his judgment, Li Banfeng felt that the tickets he sold might not be real.

"They are real," the Glove whispered. "Boss, that pair of underwear is real. It's indeed a treasure. I sniffed it carefully just now; there's a strong negative energy on it, mixed with some incense aura. It should be a personal item of a high-level cultivator."

Li Banfeng was surprised. "You sniffed it that carefully?"

The Glove quietly said, "Some ancient items that have been with high-level cultivators for many years possess spiritual essence. The spiritual essence of this underwear is not low. A demonic cultivator of the third to fifth level could use this underwear to subdue a ghost servant of the seventh or eighth level. Wouldn't you say that's a treasure?"

A real treasure?

Li Banfeng looked back at the incense and candle shop, seeing a man in white clothes and black pants enter the shop.

They were far apart, and Li Banfeng vaguely saw his back, feeling that the person looked somewhat familiar.

He thought of taking a closer look at the shop entrance, but after taking two steps, he suddenly felt a sense of danger approaching.

Cannot approach?

Who was this person? What did he want to do?

The man in white and black pants walked to the counter. Chang Shigui asked, "What would you like?"

The man said, "I want to buy a treasure."

"A treasure?" Chang Shigui frowned slightly. "I don't understand what you mean."

The man said, "There's a grand banquet in town tomorrow night. I heard you have a treasure you're putting up for sale."

Chang Shigui was silent for a moment. "That is correct. If you are interested in buying it, we can discuss it at the banquet tomorrow."

"Don't wait until tomorrow's banquet. I want it today."

"That won't do," Chang Shigui waved his hand. "I've already made arrangements with the banquet organizers, and the contract has been signed."

"I'll cover the breach of contract fee. Name your price."

"That's not according to the rules. Even if I pay the penalty, it will still ruin my reputation in the end," Chang Shigui still refused. "Besides, when the item is sent to the grand banquet, the highest bidder wins. I can't say what price it will fetch.

"If you want it now, it's hard for me to estimate its value."

The man took out a check. "Based on market estimates, this treasure is worth at most three million yuan. I'll offer seven million yuan to acquire it directly. Not only will you not lose out, but you'll at least double your profit. What do you say?"

Chang Shigui shook his head. "My friend, your sincerity is enough, but I cannot sell it to you. I've been running this shop for over twenty years, and this is the first time one of my family's good items can be featured at a grand banquet."

The man frowned. "What difference does being featured at a grand banquet make?"

Chang Shigui smiled. "Everyone has their own way of living. To you, this might not mean much, but to me, this is a lifelong aspiration, my friend. If you want to buy something else, you can choose anything you like from my shop. But if you truly want that treasure, I repeat, I'll see you at the banquet."

The deal fell through, and the man walked out of the shop with a sullen face.

A dice cup inside his coat chuckled softly. "Your underwear is going to auction. Let's see where you'll put your old face then."

The man gritted his teeth. "If all else fails, I'll just snatch the underwear back!"

The dice cup laughed even louder. "Go on, snatch it then! A local deity fighting a commoner from another province over a pair of underwear—if that gets out, it'll be written into the history books!"

The man grew angrier as he walked. Suddenly, he changed direction and walked towards Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng felt a surge of malice approaching. As the man came closer, he asked, "Did you hear all that?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "I did. Is this underwear yours?"

The man was startled. How did Li Banfeng know whose underwear it was? Had he received some news? Had this matter already spread?

Li Banfeng hadn't received any news; he had merely guessed.

He recognized the man before him: it was Song Qianhun, the local deity of Iron Gate Fort.

For a local deity to insist on buying a pair of underwear was highly unusual. The Glove had just mentioned that it was a personal item of a cultivator. Li Banfeng naturally connected the dots, concluding that the underwear belonged to Song Qianhun.

Song Qianhun took out his dice cup and said, "Let's be frank. This underwear is indeed mine. Let's make a bet here. If I win, you're not allowed to tell anyone about this. If you win..."

Li Banfeng shook his head repeatedly. "Senior, there's no need to gamble. I definitely won't tell anyone about this. I just want to ask you one thing: how did this underwear end up in Yanlou Village?"

A gust of autumn wind swept through, bringing a chill.

Song Qianhun was the Great Deity of Yanlou Village, and he was not in a good mood.

Li Banfeng shrugged his eyebrows. "Never mind, I won't ask about it then."

Li Banfeng walked away.

Song Qianhun stood in place, filled with irritation.

"I can't let this underwear go to the banquet. I have to stop this no matter what," Song Qianhun muttered to himself.

The dice cup said, "Stop thinking about your underwear. Don't forget your main objective."

Li Banfeng gave one ticket to Jin Shunying and returned to the Dark Star Bureau alone.

Shen Jingye proactively came to Li Banfeng's office. He knew the truce document for Neizhou had arrived. In front of Li Banfeng, he dropped his formality and directly expressed his gratitude, even inviting Li Banfeng to dinner that night.

Li Banfeng didn't have time to banter with him. "Shen, I have something urgent to attend to. Let's chat another day."

After seeing Shen Jingye off, Li Banfeng called Tangyuan. "Do you have any information about Yanlou Village?"

When it came to gathering information, Tangyuan was truly excellent. In less than an hour, she delivered the materials to Li Banfeng.

"Director Li, Yanlou Village is also known as the Spirit Market. Due to its unique geographical location, it has a great attraction for spirits, making it one of the largest gathering places for spiritualists. Every year, a large number of spiritualists go to Yanlou Village to participate in the hunting and trading of spirits."

Li Banfeng flipped through the documents and asked, "Do these spiritualists all have legal identities?"

Tangyuan shook her head. "Most of them don't have legal identities, and the kind of transactions they engage in are also illegal."

"But from the information, it seems the Bureau hasn't conducted many operations in Yanlou Village."

Tangyuan adjusted her glasses and whispered, "Director Li, I'm not in a position to explain this."

Li Banfeng understood Tangyuan's meaning. "Similar to the situation at the Cultural Palace, this matter is actually tacitly approved by the Bureau?"

Tangyuan replied subtly, "Autonomous dark energy aggregates, which you often refer to as vengeful spirits, are highly dangerous but difficult to apprehend. Some methods can be appropriately utilized."

Vengeful spirits are difficult to apprehend. Allowing others to capture them, and the hunting of ghost servants, serves as an effective means of controlling the number of vengeful spirits, so the Bureau generally does not interfere.

This information was very important to Li Banfeng. If the Dark Star Bureau had strict control and intervention over Yanlou Village, his actions tomorrow night would face many obstacles. As long as the Dark Star Bureau maintained its tacit approval, Li Banfeng could eliminate many unexpected interferences.

He spent the day reviewing the files, gaining a detailed understanding of Yanlou Village's overall structure, key figures, and the "Grand Banquet" process details.

The next night at eleven o'clock, Li Banfeng and Jin Shunying arrived at Yanlou Village and made their way to a dance hall at the village entrance.

In the 1980s and 90s, dance halls were once popular, and now they are hard to find in Yuezhou City, but Yanlou Village still retained one.

Usually, no one came here to dance; the nature of this dance hall was essentially the same as the Cultural Palace.

Li Banfeng arrived at the dance hall entrance, presented his ticket. The ticket checker placed the wooden token on a tray. The tray's design was a budding flower. After contact with the token for a moment, the flower bloomed, proving the ticket was authentic.

This ticket checking efficiency was a bit low. Only upon entering the dance hall did he realize that there were only about thirty people actually attending the grand banquet.

Most of the booths in the dance hall were empty. Li Banfeng chose a middle-to-rear position and sat down. Under the dim lights, this spot was perfectly covered by the surrounding shadows, making it easy to be overlooked by others.

Jin Shunying, on the other hand, sat in a relatively prominent position in the front row; her task was to bid.

According to Li Banfeng's plan, if Shui Yongquan was seen at this banquet, Jin Shunying was to bid on him, with Li Banfeng covering all related expenses.

After rescuing Shui Yongquan, he would then consider dealing with the Ferry Gang. Based on the information he currently had, Li Banfeng didn't know how many people the Ferry Gang had, and he couldn't even determine the Ferry Gang's true purpose.

Shui Yongquan had already had all his memories erased by the Heart-Cleansing and Thought-Purifying technique. Although he retained a high level of cultivation, what value did he still hold as a ghost servant?

Was the Ferry Gang really selling him for money?

Was it possible they intended to use Shui Yongquan as bait?

Li Banfeng had to be wary of all these possibilities.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the banquet began. Though called a grand banquet, the spread was truly impressive; each table had over a dozen dishes, along with various drinks.

The people here weren't for the food, but the host needed to put on a grand display, which was also part of the return gift.

Several women moved among the tables, giving each guest a harmonizing agent.

This harmonizing agent was worth approximately seven thousand yuan, making it the main part of the return gift.

Jin Shunying held the harmonizing agent, unsure whether to accept it. Her ticket was given by Li Banfeng, so logically the return gift should also belong to him.

She secretly glanced at Li Banfeng. He was sitting in the shadows, so well-hidden that without careful observation, his outline couldn't be discerned. The women distributing the harmonizing agents also completely overlooked him.

Jin Shunying dared not look anymore. The Boss had specifically instructed her not to speak to him once the banquet began, so as not to ruin his plans.

A woman in her early thirties came to the center of the dance floor. She was the owner of the dance hall and the host of the grand banquet, named Chi Huiyi. She first greeted the guests, then announced, "Twelve appetizer dishes are now served for all distinguished guests to enjoy."

The "appetizer dishes" referred to auction items of relatively lower value: elixirs, weapons, and spiritual artifacts. The weapons and spiritual artifacts were commonly used by demonic cultivators. Jin Shunying felt tempted, but as the prices soared, she quickly regained her composure.

Although she had some savings and the Boss had just given her a sum of money, Jin Shunying had clear plans for how every penny was spent. Overpriced items were generally not within her consideration.

After the appetizers, it was time for the main courses.

There were three main courses in total.

The first course was a puppet.

Chi Huiyi announced, "The owner wields the ladle."

This meant the seller should introduce their item.

A seventy-year-old man came to the center of the dance floor. He didn't speak but simply reached his hand into the puppet's back and began to control it.

Without large movements, the old craftsman demonstrated each joint of the puppet little by little.

Li Banfeng didn't understand the craftwork deeply, but he had seen many excellent crafts in Prole Province.

The craftsmanship of this puppet was outstanding. The flexibility of its joints, the toughness of its physique, and every hidden mechanism within its body were exquisitely made.

After the demonstration, Chi Huiyi announced, "The owner's starting bid is one hundred and fifty, asking for your generous bids."

"One hundred and fifty" meant one million five hundred thousand yuan.

This grand banquet was mainly for cultivators, and this puppet, as a main course, seemed a bit inappropriate.

However, insiders knew that this puppet was extremely useful for cultivators. Some spirits were not suitable for direct combat; possessing a puppet allowed them to unleash higher combat power. Given its materials and craftsmanship, one million five hundred thousand was not expensive for this puppet.

"One hundred and seventy!"

"Two hundred!"

"Two hundred and thirty!"

Guests kept bidding, and it finally sold for three million one hundred thousand yuan.

The old man left the dance floor to complete the transaction with the bidder.

Chi Huiyi announced, "The second main course: the owner wields the ladle."

Upon seeing the second main course, Li Banfeng, still seated, felt his heart skip a beat.

He saw Shui Yongquan.

Shui Yongquan was wearing a short shirt and simple pants, his body bound by iron chains, his expression blank. He was led by a man to the center of the dance floor.

All the guests present scrutinized Shui Yongquan, their murmurs constant.

"Is this the Injured Demonic Fiend? He's become so old?"

"Look at his dry and withered body, can he even fight?"

"He doesn't seem to have much spirit. Is he sick?"

"This item isn't cheap. Don't be fooled by its impressive name. If it's a sick donkey, can it grind flour or plow fields? What use would it be if you bought it?"

Listening to the crowd's discussions, Li Banfeng's eyebrows twitched.

Shui Yongquan, a local deity, a feudal lord!

Now being appraised like livestock.

The seller wore a straw cape and a huge bamboo hat, and addressed the crowd, "This is an Injured Demonic Fiend. I don't need to say more."

He only said that one sentence, and his voice was heavily disguised, but the Earring still recognized the voice.

"Boss, it's him."

Chu Zikai.

Li Banfeng gently squeezed his fingers, remaining calm.

Chi Huiyi announced, "The owner's starting bid is ten million, asking for your generous bids!"

The dance hall fell silent.

Many guests present today had come specifically for the Injured Demonic Fiend.

But his cultivation level was not apparent, and Chu Zikai's introduction was too brief. No one could tell if this Injured Demonic Fiend was real or what its quality was.

Seizing the silence, Jin Shunying spoke first. "Eleven million!"

Adding one million. If no one outbid her, the deal would be done.

"Thirteen million!" A man behind her raised the bid, and Jin Shunying's heart tightened.

Who was this person?

She wanted to see the Boss's reaction, but she didn't dare turn back easily. Remembering the Boss's instruction, she had to buy this Injured Demonic Fiend no matter what.

"Thirteen million five hundred thousand!" Jin Shunying added another five hundred thousand.

The guests murmured. That increment was a bit small.

"Eighteen million!" The man behind her bid again.

"Eighteen million five hundred thousand!" Jin Shunying's voice trembled slightly. Although it wasn't her money, this figure clearly exceeded her psychological capacity.

"Twenty million!" The man continued to bid.

Who was this person?

Li Banfeng was also curious.

Jin Shunying kept adding five hundred thousand, while the man added two or three million at a time.

Li Banfeng turned to look at the man. He was wearing a black trench coat with a high collar and a hiking hat pulled low over his eyes.

Concealing one's face with a hat brim was something Li Banfeng was an expert at. Activating his Golden Eyes of Discernment, Li Banfeng saw some faint outlines through the shadows.

This person used a disguise, but Li Banfeng could still discern some details; it seemed to be Song Qianhun.

His presence here was likely for his underwear, which didn't surprise Li Banfeng.

But why was he bidding so high for Shui Yongquan?

He was a demonic cultivator; was it just to add a ghost servant?

"Thirty-two million!" The man bid again. This time, the Earring distinguished the voice.

"Boss, it's that senior."

Li Banfeng quietly moved to the man's side and whispered, "Senior Song, you really want this Injured Demonic Fiend, don't you?"

Seeing that Li Banfeng recognized him, Song Qianhun no longer hid his identity. "He's my friend. I can't let him be humiliated like this by others!"

With that, Song Qianhun raised the price to thirty-five million.

The price exceeded expectations, and Chu Zikai smiled triumphantly.

Behind him, at the dance hall bar, stood an elderly man with blonde hair and blue eyes.

This elder had come with Chu Zikai. He quietly observed the reactions of every guest.

If the transaction went smoothly and they made money, that was naturally a good thing.

If the transaction wasn't smooth, he was prepared to deal with it. In any case, the Ferry Gang wouldn't suffer a loss.

Song Qianhun was still bidding. Li Banfeng said, "Since he's your friend, Senior, please help me with something."

Song Qianhun asked, "What is it?"

"Let's work together to rescue your friend and retrieve your underwear."

Special thanks to Alliance Leader Zhaixian Qitian for the generous support!