Chapter 572: Yin Ling

Shen Jingye was in Li Banfeng's office, inviting him to dinner. Can after can of beer, Shen Jingye drank with increasing relish.

Bringing up Du Wenming, Shen Jingye sighed repeatedly, "I originally thought Du Wenming had gotten this far solely on the backing of his teacher. I never imagined he had such significant connections. The third in command of Snowflake Harbor, an elder of the Birch Gang, the leader of the Ferrymen's Gang, and overtly, a director — he's managed to establish himself on four major fronts."

Li Banfeng took a sip of his drink and encouraged Shen, "Don't always envy him. Now that Du Wenming is out, the director position should be yours."

Shen Jingye sighed deeply, "It won't be me. I offended Du Wenming's teacher. During the meeting today, his teacher kept criticizing me, saying I was too utilitarian in my work. He was implying that I deliberately brought Du Wenming down. I didn't indulge him either. I directly told him in the meeting that one must be strong oneself to forge iron. What would have been the consequences if his actions hadn't been discovered in time? That comment made the old man's face turn green. He's a shrewd person; Liao Zihui and I have both suffered at his hands. He's definitely held a grudge, so getting promoted to director is certainly out of the question. Thinking about it now, I regret it a bit. If I had said one less thing, maybe there would have been some room for reconciliation."

Li Banfeng chuckled, "Even if you hadn't said that, would the director's position have fallen to you?"

Shen Jingye didn't respond.

Li Banfeng asked again, "Even if Du Wenming's situation wasn't discovered by you, but by the Dark Matter Research Department, and it had nothing to do with you, would the director's position have fallen to you?"

Shen Jingye laughed, "When I first met you, I thought you were incredibly annoying; your words were so irritating. But now, thinking about it, it's not too irritating at all. You're just speaking the truth."

After a few bites of food, Shen Jingye remembered something. He pulled out a draft document and handed it to Li Banfeng. "This is a proposal for next week's meeting. Take a look first, so you don't catch me off guard during the meeting."

Li Banfeng saw that it was a personnel issue. A group of people had been transferred, several had retired, leaving many open positions, which meant a number of people would be promoted. Tangyuan and Dengpao had both been promoted. Zhong Er, not having enough seniority, was listed with Mingxing on the reserve talent list. Core staff like Mijian, Zhuizi, Huajia, Haitangguo, Juzi, and Wowotou all received promotions.

One person caught Li Banfeng's attention. Tangkuai, who had always had smooth sailing, was transferred from the Security Team to logistics for management duties. Her rank didn't decrease; it even slightly increased, but her new position wasn't highly regarded.

Li Banfeng said, "Has Tangkuai fallen out of favor?"

Shen Jingye frowned and said, "I've never favored her. It's her family that has influence. Actually, Tangkuai is a good person. Despite her wealthy background, she has no airs. When on missions, knowing her abilities are limited, I always give her menial tasks, and she never complains. But the Security Team really isn't suitable for her. One has to be responsible for others' lives, as well as their own. She is quite meticulous in her work, so I moved her to logistics and gave her a slight promotion. That way, it's accounted for with my superiors, and other people's matters can proceed more smoothly."

Li Banfeng had no objections. Shen Jingye was pleased. "Things I didn't do right before, I should at least get some right now. Can I call someone else over to drink?"

"Is it someone you know?"

"Yes, an old acquaintance! Chen Changrui."

"Isn't his wife sick?"

"Don't listen to his nonsense. He just doesn't want to drink with me. He's been a captain for so many years, it's time for him to be promoted. However, his position requires more than just my say-so for a promotion. I need to consult with my superiors, and he needs to cooperate with me."

Shen Jingye took out his phone and called Chen Changrui. "Old Chen, come to the office—still messing with me, huh? Still using your wife as an excuse? Your wife went to play mahjong with my sister; my sister told me everything. Get over here, quickly!"

Hanging up, Shen Jingye said to Li Banfeng, "Chen Changrui rendered many meritorious services a few years ago, and he's done nothing wrong these past few years. He deserves a promotion. If he doesn't get promoted soon, the Security Team will run into problems, and they'll gradually become like him, losing all ambition."

Shen Jingye had a clear understanding of many things, but for years he had pretended to be oblivious. When Chen Changrui arrived, Shen Jingye discussed the promotion, and the word "hope" was visible on Chen Changrui's face.

After eating and drinking his fill, Shen Jingye wanted to listen to music again. He looked at Li Banfeng's phonograph. "Could you let me listen to that song again, the one I heard before?"

Li Banfeng wound the phonograph and played "Wild Grass and Idle Flowers Bloom in Spring." Shen Jingye listened intently. He wanted to hum along, but he was afraid of drowning out the singing from the record. The voice was so beautiful that Shen Jingye didn't want to miss a single word.

After the song, Shen Jingye picked up his jacket. "My wife is still waiting at home. She's sensitive; if I don't go back now, she'll get angry."

After Shen Jingye left, Chen Changrui sighed, "It's certainly not easy to get along with someone who has a mental illness."

Li Banfeng paused, taken aback. What did that mean? Was he insulting him?

Chen Changrui explained, "Director Shen's wife has a mental illness. Every night at ten o'clock, if Director Shen isn't home, she starts to make a fuss."

So he was talking about Shen Jingye's wife. Given his position, he could have left his wife, yet he remained devoted. He seemed like a truly infatuated person.

Chen Changrui said to Li Banfeng, "Director Li, could I listen to that song again?"

Everyone liked this song so much? Playing it again was fine; Li Banfeng also particularly liked the song.

Li Banfeng placed the needle back on the record. After listening, Chen Changrui asked, "Who sang this song?"

"When I bought the record, the owner told me it was sung by the Queen of Songs, Jiang Mengting," Li Banfeng replied casually.

Chen Changrui was silent for a long time, then shook his head slightly. "I worked in Puro Province for a while. Back then, Ma Junyang was still the Fifth Young Master of the Ma family and had just started operating Xiaoyao-wu ('Carefree Villa'). Jiang Mengting was among the first group of singers he promoted. Jiang Mengting's voice isn't like this, nor is her singing style. Out of a hundred, the Jiang Mengting of those days, in my opinion, would only score about sixty points. I recently went to Greenwater City, and the current Jiang Mengting seems to have entered voice cultivation. Her skill might barely reach ninety points. This definitely isn't her singing."

Chen Changrui was a Kuixiu (a type of cultivator), not a Peeker, and he had entered cultivation in Puro Province. It would indeed be difficult to deceive him on this matter.

"This record was given to me by a friend. He said it was Jiang Mengting's, but it doesn't sound like her to me either," Li Banfeng diverted the conversation. "What score would you give this record?"

Chen Changrui shook his head. "This can't be measured by points. If I said five hundred points, that would still be an understatement. This vocal style, this singing skill, I've only heard it once in Puro Province."

"You've heard it?" Li Banfeng frowned, a sense of vigilance rising within him.

Chen Changrui nodded and said, "When I was working in Greenwater City, I met a businesswoman named Cheng Xueying through Liao Zihui's introduction. She was a big opera fan, and I also enjoy opera, so we gradually became friends. We often went to the opera house together. Director Li, let me be clear, we just enjoyed listening to opera; there was no other relationship."

Li Banfeng nodded. "I didn't say you had any other relationship. Continue."

Chen Changrui continued, "One day, she invited me to her home to listen to a record. Listening to records was quite fashionable in Puro Province, but to be honest, I didn't particularly care for it. We have so many ways to listen to opera these days—TVs, mobile phones—which one doesn't have better sound quality than a phonograph? Besides, it wasn't appropriate for me, a man, to go to a woman's home. We truly had no other relationship."

"Who said you had a relationship?" Li Banfeng frowned. "Just get to the point."

"But Cheng Xueying kept insisting I come, and I couldn't refuse, so I agreed. Once I got to her house, I heard 'Mu Guiying Takes Command' and was immediately stunned. How could anyone sing so beautifully in this world? I only listened once, but I felt like I had lived half my life in vain. I asked Cheng Xueying who sang it, and she told me it was the 'Yin Ling' (Shadow Diva)."

Li Banfeng asked, "Who is the Yin Ling?"

"'Yin Ling' is a legend in Puro Province. It's said that there was a renowned opera singer named Huang Yuxian. She debuted at the age of eight, and a single performance made her famous throughout Puro Province. Her fame lasted for twelve years. By the time she was twenty, whenever anyone in Puro Province spoke of opera singers, they would mention Huang Yuxian, saying that the combined talents of all other singers in the world couldn't match a third of her skill. But at the height of her popularity, Huang Yuxian suddenly vanished. Some said her fans, unwilling for her to appear publicly, killed her. Others said jealous colleagues harmed her. Various rumors, all quite plausible, claimed Huang Yuxian was dead. A few years later, several records attributed to Huang Yuxian appeared on the market, featuring pieces she had never performed during her lifetime. This was strange: how could new works be released by someone who had been dead for so many years? Initially, people thought these records were fake and not sung by Huang Yuxian. However, many who had heard Huang Yuxian perform in her day were still alive, and after listening, they all confirmed it was her unique singing, inimitable by anyone else. Thus, the legend of the Yin Ling was born. The rumor said that Huang Yuxian, dying with regret, transformed into the Yin Ling and continued to sing in Puro Province. Those who truly understood opera, by chance, could hear Huang Yuxian sing and even obtain her records. After obtaining a record, one must cherish it greatly, for the Yin Ling could ensure smooth sailing for that person. But if one didn't cherish it, or even damaged the record, they would be punished by the Yin Ling, ranging from severe illness to the destruction of their family."

Li Banfeng sat in his chair, silent for a long time.

Was this just a legend? Was it just because this Huang Yuxian person's voice was somewhat similar to his wife's?

Li Banfeng had never heard of this Cheng Xueying person. He asked Chen Changrui, "Are you still in contact with this friend?"

Chen Changrui shook his head and sighed, "This is my fault. I liked that record far too much. I proposed to Cheng Xueying that I'd buy it at a high price, but she refused, saying she wouldn't sell the record for any amount. Then I asked if I could make a copy, and Cheng Xueying still refused. At that point, I got angry and didn't see her for several months. Some time later, I wanted to hear that record again, even if she wouldn't give it to me, just to listen once more. But our relationship had soured, and I was still figuring out how to reconcile when a document from above transferred me to the Dark Star Bureau. Once I arrived in Yue Province, I still thought about that record every day. I also inquired about Cheng Xueying when I had a chance. A few years ago, I heard she had aligned with the Lu family and her business was booming. I was genuinely happy for her and felt guilty about what happened between us."

Hearing the words "Lu family," Li Banfeng's cheek twitched. He recalled what Shopkeeper Feng had said.

Chen Changrui continued, "If Cheng Xueying's business boomed because of the Yin Ling's record, then it proves the legend is indeed accurate. I then had an opportunity to go on a business trip to Puro Province. I prepared some gifts, intending to visit Cheng Xueying, but when I inquired in Greenwater City, I learned that something had happened to the Cheng family. The entire family had just moved to a new residence, and then they all died tragically, with only Cheng Xueying surviving. I wanted to ask about the reason, but Cheng Xueying's whereabouts were unknown. Remembering the old rumors, it's possible she didn't cherish the record and faced retribution from the Yin Ling. Since then, I've believed the Yin Ling is real. I never expected to hear her music again today."

As soon as Chen Changrui finished speaking, he noticed Li Banfeng's facial muscles twitching uncontrollably, his features almost contorting.

"Director Li, what's wrong?"

Li Banfeng smiled. "Telling this story in the middle of the night is a bit scary."

Chen Changrui chuckled, "It's all just rumor; it's hard to say what's true or false. Don't take it seriously. The song is truly beautiful, or perhaps I misheard."

After two more drinks, they both returned home.

On the way, Li Banfeng walked slowly, repeatedly pondering what Chen Changrui and Shopkeeper Feng had said. Back in Yaowang Gully, Li Banfeng had asked Shopkeeper Feng about the phonograph's origin. Shopkeeper Feng had mentioned a merchant in Greenwater City who sold it to him for 180,000. At the time, he only said "a merchant," not specifying gender or type of business. Li Banfeng had gradually forgotten this detail, but now he remembered it. The person who sold the phonograph to Shopkeeper Feng must have been Cheng Xueying. Cheng Xueying had acquired the phonograph from an unknown source. The phonograph had recorded "Mu Guiying Takes Command," which was the Yin Ling's record. From this, it could be inferred that the phonograph was the Yin Ling, the renowned singer Huang Yuxian of yesteryear.

But wasn't his wife named Zhao Xiaowan? How had she become Huang Yuxian? What had happened here? From Chen Changrui's description, it was clear that Cheng Xueying cherished the record greatly, and she must have cherished the phonograph as well. In such a situation, why would his wife have killed her entire family? Was it because she had somehow offended his wife? Or was it that this matter originally had nothing to do with his wife?

Returning to his lodging, Li Banfeng hid the key and entered his portable residence. The phonograph joyfully came to greet him. "Darling husband, you're back."

Li Banfeng paused for less than a second, then wrapped his arms around his wife, rubbing his cheek against the large horn for a long time. The phonograph was ticklish and laughed breathlessly. "Husband, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just missed you."

"But we haven't been separated, darling. I'm home every day, waiting for you to return."

His wife was always waiting at home. With such a wonderful wife, did anything else really matter? Even if his wife really was the Yin Ling, she had no intention of harming him. If she wanted to talk about the past, she would naturally tell him. If not, what could he do?

In a blink of an eye, Li Banfeng had twice affectionately embraced the phonograph. His wife then brought up a serious matter. "Darling husband, that person named Yu Yaoming, his research is very unusual. Some of his ideas are quite close to those of the Lavsa people."

"Wife, are you saying Yu Yaoming is also researching boundaries?"

"I've read his logs and some manuscripts. He's not researching boundaries; he probably doesn't even know about Puro Province. But what he's studying, called wormholes, could also be a method for crossing boundaries, though it's quite different from our previous methods."

"How is it different?" Li Banfeng's spirits lifted at the mention of boundaries.

"Our previous research method was to extinguish a section of a boundary to form a passage. With his wormholes, we could directly construct a passage on the boundary without altering the boundary itself."

Li Banfeng was pleasantly surprised. "Darling wife, can this method be developed?"

"Husband, just looking at the algorithms is one thing, but actually creating a passage is a long way off. I still don't know how to implement these algorithms."

Relying solely on theoretical research was indeed difficult for his wife. Li Banfeng hugged the phonograph and said, "Darling wife, would you like to go see Yu Yaoming's laboratory?"

His wife puffed out a cloud of steam, circling Li Banfeng. "I really want to go, but I'm afraid the Old Man won't agree."

"That's easy to deal with!" Li Banfeng entered the third room and said, chuckling, "Old Man, we've acquired a lot of good stuff recently. Could you let me take my wife out for some fresh air?"

The Old Man had been researching the Sky Heart Stone for the past two days and had overheard Li Banfeng and the phonograph. "You can let her go out to experience things, but not for more than two hours, and she cannot take any techniques outside."

"Let my wife take a little technique with her, for self-defense!"

"No, that's not negotiable!"

If he couldn't bring it, he wouldn't. Li Banfeng first went to Yu Yaoming's laboratory, used the music box to incapacitate the surrounding guards, and then arranged for the projector and camera to 'greet' everyone. Entering the lab, Li Banfeng carried the phonograph out of his portable residence.

The phonograph looked at the equipment before it and was speechless for a long time. "These, I… I don't... recognize any of them."

She certainly wouldn't recognize them. This was a high-end laboratory; Li Banfeng himself didn't recognize most of the equipment.

"Wife, you look around. I'll see if there are any instruction manuals or anything."

There were indeed equipment manuals, stored in the data cabinet. The phonograph went through them, and beads of sweat dripped from its horn.

"This... this is not easy to learn!"

"We'll learn it slowly; no need to rush."

Though he said "slowly," the phonograph knew well that this place wasn't somewhere they could just come and go as they pleased. Each time Li Banfeng entered or exited, he took significant risks.

"Husband, how about asking our Lazy Brush to copy all these books? I can take them home and study them at my leisure."

Li Banfeng looked at the thickness of the manuals and then at each page, shaking his head. "If I let him copy these, who knows when we'd ever repay the cost. Let's just take the manuals with us!"

"Can we do that? It might be hard for you to explain outside, husband."

Li Banfeng looked out the window. The agents of the Dark Matter Research Department were still sound asleep.

"No problem, I'll find someone to explain it for me."

The phonograph was puzzled. "Darling husband, is there really someone who can explain this?"

"Yes, and not just this," Li Banfeng looked around the entire laboratory. "All these good things need to be accounted for."

The phonograph paused, "Husband, are you thinking of taking all this stuff?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "Since they're related to boundaries, these good things can't stay here—" "But, but our place can't fit them!" The phonograph looked at several large pieces of equipment, each bigger than a room in the portable residence.

"They'll fit! The Old Man definitely has a way, hehehe!" Li Banfeng chuckled a few times, making the phonograph find him rather eerie.

Li Banfeng's laughter grew louder because he heard the sound of a whistle in his ear. The Old Man was laughing with him, because he truly liked these items.

At 3:30 AM, Shen Jingye was woken by a phone call. Seeing the caller ID, Shen Jingye rubbed his brow. It was Guan Zhengyang. He quietly left the bedroom, afraid of waking his wife. After finishing the call, he intended to go back and greet her, but found her sitting on the bed, staring at him expressionlessly.

"Who called you?"

"A colleague from work. A client wants to cancel an order, so I need to go back to the company right away to handle it."

"Your clients cancel orders in the middle of the night?"

"Yes, that's why I said he's too much."

"Honey, do you think I'm that easily fooled?" His wife pulled a fruit knife from under the pillow. Pointing it at Shen Jingye, she asked, "Where are you really going?"

"Put the knife down first, let's talk calmly. This client is very important. If I offend him, all of this year's performance will go down the drain!"

"Is this client a man or a woman?"

"A man, truly a man. I'll bring him home another day, and we can all have dinner together."

"Why are you bringing a man home? Do you like men?" His wife approached him step by step, holding the knife.

Half an hour later, Shen Jingye arrived at his doorstep, his hand wrapped in bandages. His wife followed behind him, saying softly, "Darling, don't work too hard. If a client really wants to cancel, just let them. Don't hurt your feelings."

Shen Jingye nodded repeatedly. "Whatever you say."

"Darling, what do you want for dinner tonight? I'll make it for you."

"Anything is fine."

His wife pulled out the fruit knife. "Are you just trying to placate me?"

Shen Jingye turned back and smiled, "I love anything you cook."

His wife pressed the knife to Shen Jingye's neck. "You'd really come up with such a cliché excuse?"

At 5:00 AM, Shen Jingye, with a gauze pad on his neck, rushed from the hospital to the laboratory. He tried calling Li Qi, but the call didn't go through. When he arrived at the laboratory, Guan Zhengyang was furious. "Director Shen, what time is it? What time did you get the call, and you're only just getting here now?"

Sometimes Shen Jingye truly felt fortunate for Guan Zhengyang. If Li Qi were here right now, Guan Zhengyang's situation would be hard to imagine.

Seeing the injury on Shen Jingye's neck, Guan Zhengyang didn't press further. He called over the head of the Dark Matter Research Department and briefly explained the situation. The situation was simple: the guards were on duty 24/7, surveillance footage showed no abnormalities, and an entire room full of laboratory equipment had vanished.

Shen Jingye asked, "Were any clues found at the scene?"

The head of the Dark Matter Research Department explained, "All on-site guards were interviewed, and we retrieved the surveillance footage. We can essentially rule out—"

"Rule out? Rule out what?" Guan Zhengyang said impatiently. "Do we even need to think about this? It must have been Du Wenming!"

Logically, given his position, he shouldn't have said such a thing so easily, as it would clearly interfere with the investigation. But his younger brother was missing, likely having died at Du Wenming's hands. Because of this, Guan Zhengyang found it difficult to remain rational.

Shen Jingye said, "Director Guan, some issues still need further verification. The on-site investigation has just begun..."

"Investigate? How long will you investigate? This was clearly done by Du Wenming! His Ferrymen's Gang, Snowflake Harbor, and Birch Hermits are all implicated! You made serious errors during the previous arrest of Du Wenming; otherwise, today's incident wouldn't have happened. You must take responsibility for this laboratory theft—"

"Whose responsibility?" Shen Jingye suddenly cut Guan Zhengyang off. His grim expression made Guan Zhengyang unconsciously distance himself from Shen Jingye.

"Does the Dark Star Bureau bear no responsibility at all?" Guan Zhengyang's voice was a little quiet.

Shen Jingye looked at Guan Zhengyang and said, "Whose responsibility is it to guard the laboratory?"

Being questioned by Shen Jingye publicly, Guan Zhengyang felt a bit embarrassed. "In any case, this case... must be handled quickly."

Shen Jingye arranged for Dark Star Bureau personnel to conduct an on-site investigation. He looked at the head of the Dark Matter Research Department and a group of agents, sighing softly. The Dark Matter Research Department, as an organization, was probably doomed.

At seven o'clock, Shen Jingye tried calling Li Qi again, but it still didn't connect. What exactly was Li Qi busy with?

Li Banfeng arrived in Qiqiu City and spent over two hours finding a traditional, dark dimensional space where inside and outside remained separate. Once inside the space, Li Banfeng began unloading. All the equipment, large and small, was taken out, and Li Banfeng then meticulously reassembled them according to the images recorded by the projector. The whole family busied themselves, tidying everything. Li Banfeng then brought out his wife. "Darling wife, are you satisfied with this place?"

The phonograph looked around. The laboratory had no lights, no floor, and no walls, appearing rather crude. Yet, his wife genuinely liked it.

"Can I come here often from now on?"

"Yes! You can do your research here from now on."

"I'm just afraid the Old Man won't agree."

"Our Old Man is adaptable; we'll discuss it with him when the time comes."

The only remaining issue was power. Li Banfeng planned to go to Du Wenming's laboratory to retrieve the battery packs.

"Wife, you don't need to come along. Stay here and study the equipment."

The phonograph used its horn to "kiss" Li Banfeng. "Husband, you trust me that much?"

"How could I not trust my own wife?" Li Banfeng gently hugged the large horn. "Life should be lived for enjoyment. The world is so vast; we, as husband and wife, should explore it thoroughly in the future!"

Li Banfeng's laughter grew louder because he heard the sound of a whistle in his ear. The Old Man was laughing with him, because he truly liked these items.