Chapter 592: Corpse-Strewn Fields

He Jiaqing scrutinized Cui Tik. "Did an elder send you to work at Qianliang Workshop? Can you reveal their identity?" He couldn't imagine any elder, apart from Greenwater Bow, having dealings with Cui Tik.

Cui Tik shrugged. "I'm curious to know which elder sent you to Qianliang Workshop too. How about a trade? You tell me their identity first, then I'll consider whether to reveal mine."

"The elder who sent me prefers their identity to remain unknown. You'd best not inquire; knowing would do you more harm than good."

Cui Tik shook his head slightly. "I'd like to offer you the same advice, though I wonder if you'll heed it."

Honestly, He Jiaqing found it hard to grasp his relationship with Cui Tik. Their acquaintance wasn't deep, yet every encounter involved life or death.

He Jiaqing had rescued Cui Tik from Scoundrel's Ridge, and Cui Tik had sent He Jiaqing to the Jiangxiang Gang's headquarters. They had even teamed up against Greenwater Bow. Given all these past events, they were certainly friends.

Yet, He Jiaqing felt a certain loathing for Cui Tik, and Cui Tik, in turn, had a poor impression of He Jiaqing.

Amidst the noisy gambling house, the two stared at each other for a long time before He Jiaqing spoke first. "We can't solve this problem if we keep this standoff."

Cui Tik shrugged. "Well, we don't have to be at a standstill. You do your thing, I'll do mine. We won't interfere with each other."

He Jiaqing shook his head. "I'm concerned you'll interfere with me. So, I think it's best if we're honest with each other, starting with you being honest with me."

As he finished speaking, a wooden box appeared in He Jiaqing's hand.

The wooden box was Cui Tik's. They stood face to face, and the box suddenly transferred to He Jiaqing's hand.

"You stole my stuff?" Cui Tik was surprised. "Even my best friend in Puluo Prefecture avoids physical contact with me; he even used a feather duster to bid me farewell."

"What good things are inside?" He Jiaqing wasn't in a hurry to open the box.

"It's a token from that elder. Go ahead and open it."

He Jiaqing hesitated to open the box, fearing a trap or perhaps Cui Tik's affliction.

He held the box to his ear and shook it. "Let me hear what kind of token this elder gave you."

There was a sound inside the box, and it wasn't quiet.

He Jiaqing was stunned.

He handed the box back to Cui Tik, his attitude visibly changed. "Are you trying to threaten me by falsely using his identity?"

Cui Tik shook his head. "In Puluo Prefecture, many have falsely claimed his identity, but as far as I know, none of them ended well."

He Jiaqing nodded slightly. "Please tell that elder that I've left Qianliang Workshop and haven't caused you any interference."

Cui Tik retrieved the wooden box, his expression stern as he replied, "I cast doubt on the claim of 'no interference'."

A manager in the gambling house named Lu Xiqiang approached them, a cigarette dangling from his lips. "Are you two here to gamble? If so, please come inside. If not, don't block the doorway."

Cui Tik chuckled. "I'm here to gamble. This brother here doesn't want to play anymore; he's leaving now."

"I'm leaving now," He Jiaqing said, first glancing at Cui Tik. "Have fun."

Then he looked at Lu Xiqiang. "I wish you prosperous business."

He Jiaqing disappeared into the night. Cui Tik went to a card table, played two hands of Pai Gow, and lost both.

He pulled out his wallet, his expression grave.

Lu Xiqiang smiled. "What's wrong, brother? Are you short on cash? I can introduce you to a friend who might lend you some."

A loan cultivator leaned closer and quietly asked, "How much do you want to borrow?"

Cui Tik calculated carefully. "If it's just me, ten silver dollars should be enough. But if I include all my friends, it'll probably be tens of thousands of silver dollars."

"You brought friends?" The loan cultivator looked around.

"Yes, a few are waiting at the entrance, others are roaming elsewhere." Cui Tik whistled, and over a dozen people, clad in dark red robes and hoods, entered the gambling house.

The loan cultivator was taken aback and asked Cui Tik, "You're not followers of a foreign religion, are you?"

Lu Xiqiang also seemed nervous. "You can come to gamble, but don't try any magic tricks on me. We have our ways in this business; don't ruin our geomancy."

"Don't worry, we're all here to have fun," Cui Tik smiled, motioning for his friends to remove their hoods.

The lighting in the gambling house wasn't very bright, and the faces of these individuals weren't easy to discern.

Their skin was too dark, and their facial features weren't clear.

They seemed to have no facial features.

Not entirely devoid; they smiled, revealing mouths with scattered teeth.

The gambling house instantly fell silent. Everyone stared at Lu Xiqiang in horror. "What kind of monsters are these!"

"Tsk, tsk!" Cui Tik was displeased. "The way you speak is very impolite. My friends are not happy."

The loan cultivator shouted, "What religion do you actually follow? Who gave you the guts to cause trouble in Qianliang Workshop?"

"You bring up faith again. We believe in two deities of the Daoist sect: the Ancestral Master and the Senior Disciple. We can discuss this at length elsewhere." Cui Tik wiped his face, and a patch of orange-red rash appeared on his cheek.

His group of friends all wiped their cheeks, and orange-red rashes emerged on their faces.

Lu Xiqiang, having some knowledge, gasped at the sight of the various rashes. "You... this is the technique of Green Flower Cultivator!"

"Don't casually utter the Ancestral Master's name. Also, this type of rash is my own creation." Cui Tik waved a hand, and over a dozen "friends" quickly charged into the crowd.

Just as Lu Xiqiang was about to call for help, two "friends" flanked him, one on his left and one on his right.

One pulled his hair and gripped his throat, while the other ripped open his belly with a hand, pulling out his intestines and internal organs.

Soon, Lu Xiqiang fell to the ground, lifeless.

People around them dropped one by one. The loan cultivator's legs turned to jelly from fear. He crawled on the ground, making his way towards the exit.

His hands reached outside the door, but his feet were still inside when someone suddenly grabbed his ankles from behind.

The loan cultivator looked back and saw Lu Xiqiang, whose organs had just been ripped out, crawling at his feet, his left hand gripping his left ankle, his right hand holding his calf.

The loan cultivator desperately kicked, shaking off Lu Xiqiang, and stumbled out of the gambling house.

On the street, he saw gambling cultivators fleeing in all directions, along with several hooded figures.

He saw people trying to jump over the workshop wall, but they were dragged back one by one by the hooded figures.

The loan cultivator frantically rushed towards the workshop gate. At the entrance, he saw Cui Tik.

The loan cultivator bowed repeatedly. "Friend, the matters of Qianliang Workshop have nothing to do with me! I'm just here to do business!"

Cui Tik cleared a path. "I believe you. Go on."

The loan cultivator sprinted through the first workshop gate. After walking for about ten more minutes, he suddenly felt an intense itch on his face.

He lightly scratched, and the blisters on his face burst, oozing orange-red fluid.

The fluid, as if alive, rapidly spread across the loan cultivator's hand, flowing from his fingertips to his palm, from the base of his palm to his arm, and down from his arm to his ribs...

The loan cultivator dared not scratch. He tried to wipe the fluid away, but it was very sticky and clung to him.

Agonized screams echoed around him. He looked back and saw many hooded figures dragging gambling cultivators out of the houses in the surrounding courtyards.

These hooded figures paid no attention to the loan cultivator, and he, in turn, ignored the fluid on his body, focusing solely on running towards the main gate.

After running for dozens more meters, he collapsed to the ground.

Orange-red fluid seeped from his shoes, and his numb feet had lost all sensation.

He tried to get up, but his hands had no strength.

He tried to shout, but clumps of pus welled up in his mouth.

His vision gradually blurred, as if an orange-red curtain had fallen over his eyes.

Li Banfeng handed the newspaper to Dou Jiyan. "Puluo Prefecture's largest gambling house has reopened, and Ding Liu's momentum is strong. It seems it's time for us to visit Qianliang Workshop."

"Seventh Brother, I'll go with you." Dou Jiyan quickly packed, ready to depart.

Li Banfeng stood up. "Don't go yet; you'd just be a burden. First, tell me where the deed is buried, and I'll find a way to bring it back for you."

Dou Jiyan didn't hide it; her deed was buried in the main hall of the largest gambling house.

Li Banfeng set off that night. When he arrived at Qianliang Workshop, he found the gate open and the gatekeeper missing.

Ding Liu's business was certainly thriving; they didn't even close at night.

A chill ran through Li Banfeng, and he sensed danger.

Something had happened in Qianliang Workshop.

After entering the gate, Li Banfeng smelled a strange odor, a greasy, bloody smell. After walking a short distance along the main road, he saw clusters of orange-red, sticky matter on the ground.

Some of the viscous matter was still wriggling.

Was this... human?

Li Banfeng tried to avoid the sticky substances as he walked on, passing through the First Workshop and arriving at the Eighth. There, he saw several hooded figures standing silently by the roadside.

His "Myriad Flavors Exquisite Technique" warned Li Banfeng; some smells he would never forget.

Were these Blade Labor Demons?

The hooded figures maintained normal human postures, showing no trace of being Blade Labor Demons.

One hooded figure emerged from a courtyard by the street. His gait was remarkably steady, completely unlike the four-limbed movement of Blade Labor Demons.

Was this another new technological breakthrough?

Most importantly, how could Blade Labor Demons have reached Qianliang Workshop? This place was so far from Scoundrel's Ridge.

Cui Tik walked out from another courtyard and stood before Li Banfeng. "Friend, what a coincidence, you're here too. I read about your previous experiences in the newspaper; you witnessed their wager here. I thought you'd never appear in Qianliang Workshop again."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "It was Dou Jiyan who made the wager. I still wanted to visit Puluo Prefecture's largest gambling house."

Cui Tik nodded. "At first, I was also curious about what Puluo Prefecture's largest gambling house looked like. After actually coming, I was a little disappointed. But at least my mission is progressing smoothly."

Li Banfeng looked around. "Is this your mission?"

"Yes," Cui Tik nodded. "My mission is to prevent these gambling cultivators from posing a threat to Puluo Prefecture, whether alive or dead."

"Who gave you this mission?"

Cui Tik pondered for a moment. "I shouldn't reveal his identity to anyone, but I think you should be an exception, because you are a very close friend of his."

He took a wooden box from his bosom and handed it to Li Banfeng.

In Puluo Prefecture, few dared to take something directly from Cui Tik's hand. Li Banfeng was one of them.

He opened the box and took out a rattle-drum from inside.

*Mi dang dang dang!*

Li Banfeng shook the rattle-drum and asked Cui Tik, "Did he give you this mission?"

Cui Tik nodded. "You told me to get along well with the Peddler and strive for his support. I thought that was excellent advice, so in Qiqiu City, I decided to accept the mission he gave me."

"His mission for you was to kill all the gambling cultivators in Qianliang Workshop?"

"Not exactly. He first told me to assess the situation. If Dou Jiyan could maintain stability in Qianliang Workshop, the operation would be canceled. If Qianliang Workshop fell into Ding Liu's hands, I was to observe its trends. If Qianliang Workshop spun out of control, then I was to neutralize the threat, ensuring that neither living nor dead gambling cultivators could jeopardize Puluo Prefecture's safety. I believe my understanding of the mission was correct: all living gambling cultivators in Qianliang Workshop are dead, and their remains won't be exploited by anyone else."

Cui Tik had indeed succeeded. No matter how much someone wanted to become a gambling cultivator, they wouldn't dare to eat that mass of orange-red sticky substance.

One thing had to be admitted: the Peddler chose the right person for the mission. Cui Tik had completely neutralized Qianliang Workshop's threat to Puluo Prefecture.

"Friend, I suppose you came here looking for something?" Cui Tik produced another wooden box and handed it to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng opened it to find the deed and the land seal inside.

"Please tell that beautiful lady that Qianliang Workshop has changed significantly. Whether she returns here is her decision, but I suggest she start anew somewhere else."

Li Banfeng took the wooden box and looked at the hooded figures around him. "Are they all from Sage's Peak? Can they now travel this far?"

Cui Tik smiled. "You're finally taking an interest in our intellectual creations. They are from Sage's Peak. Unfortunately, they haven't completely shed the abilities of Blade Ghost Ridge. I merely used some means granted to me by the Peddler to temporarily bring them out of Blade Ghost Ridge. After the mission concludes, the Peddler will immediately send them back."

"They've changed a lot."

"That's thanks to our improvements, which have given them more possibilities for evolution."

Li Banfeng pointed to the sticky matter on the ground. "What kind of affliction is this? It can turn living people into this?"

Cui Tik said, "This affliction comes from a technique I created, which I've named 'Corpses Piling Up Like Mountains.' This technique is far more than just a unique skill. The Peddler was very generous. After I accepted the mission, he provided an advance reward, acknowledged my Daoist sect, and prepared the corresponding medicinal powder for Path Cultivators. I created the first technique for Path Cultivators, a technique that can be passed down within the Path Cultivator Daoist sect. Because this technique is of a higher tier, I've designated it a Cloud-Tier Two technique. The key to the technique isn't the lethality of the affliction, but its rapid spread and diffusion in a short time. Like a virus, its lethality is limited; it won't cause serious harm to high-tier cultivators, but it can quickly spread among lower-tier cultivators. If, one day, you're willing to become a Path Cultivator, I can teach you this technique."

"Thank you for the offer. When you first went to Qiqiu City, you weren't looking for me, but rather for Dou Jiyan to gather information, right?"

Cui Tik smiled. "Don't underestimate our friendship; I truly wanted to see you. It's just that later, I seemed to develop a special fondness for Miss Dou."

Li Banfeng looked again at the corpses around them. "Is Ding Liu still alive?"

Cui Tik nodded. "He's still alive. He escaped. His strength is too great for me to kill him quickly. But it doesn't matter; the Peddler explicitly told me that Ding Liu's life or death isn't part of my mission."

Li Banfeng returned the rattle-drum to Cui Tik, took Dou Jiyan's deed, and left Qianliang Workshop.

Cui Tik urged, "Please be sure to tell that beautiful lady to live well."

Li Banfeng glanced back at Cui Tik, who was whistling, slowly pacing along the workshop paths. Under the moonlight, he seemed to be performing a unique dance with a certain rhythm and melody.

Perhaps it was a dance from his homeland.

The red brick walls, the orange-red corpses, and the dark red robes of the hooded figures—everything around him harmonized with his dance steps.

Green Flower Cultivator surely never dreamed that the first technique of Path Cultivation came from Cui Tik.

New Year was approaching again. During Li Banfeng's first New Year in Puluo Prefecture, he learned of Cui Tik's dream.

Two years had passed, and many people and things had changed, but Cui Tik's dream remained constant, and he was getting closer to it.

Seeing Li Qi return, Dou Jiyan excitedly rushed to meet him. "Seventh Brother, what happened to Qianliang Workshop?"

Li Banfeng wanted to tell Dou Jiyan the outcome in a more roundabout way, but after much thought, he couldn't come up with a more tactful expression.

"To be precise, there's no Qianliang Workshop anymore," Li Banfeng briefly described the situation, and Dou Jiyan sat stunned on the ground.

She struggled to her feet, wanting to go back and see Qianliang Workshop, but Li Banfeng handed her the deed.

"You can bury the deed back, or you can start anew somewhere else. If you encounter the foreigner Cui Tik on your way back, try to avoid conflict with him."

Li Banfeng turned and walked away. Dou Jiyan asked, "Is there no place for gambling cultivators in this world?"

Li Banfeng looked back. "There are plenty of places to settle, provided you don't tear down your own houses."

Back in Qiqiu City, Li Banfeng went to the laboratory.

The Phonograph moved through the room; beside it lay Zhao Xiaowan's puppet.

Suite-at-Hand had inspected the puppet, ensuring no foul play, before allowing the Phonograph to bring her out.

Some equipment was suitable for the Phonograph to operate, while others were more convenient for the puppet. Lady had been busy in the lab for several days, showing no signs of fatigue.

"Husband, allow your servant two more days of research. Your servant can discover many things this time!" Lady entered the puppet, transforming into the stunning Zhao Xiaowan.

Pendulum urged, "Madam, please go home and rest. You've been working too hard these days."

The Phonograph snatched up a board and retorted, "Are *you* tired or am *I* tired, you wretch? Can't you handle it anymore?"

Pendulum dared not talk back; she truly couldn't endure it anymore.

What was the Phonograph's caliber? What was Pendulum's foundation? After days and nights of sleepless research, Pendulum was on the verge of collapse.

Dreamer was more articulate than Pendulum. She leaned close to the Phonograph and whispered, "Madam, Master has also worked hard these past two days. Now that he's returned, it's only right to reward him."

The Phonograph didn't quite understand. "How to reward him? Make him a good meal?"

Dreamer chuckled. "Madam, it's not just about food and drink. Master is hungry, and it's not just his stomach that's hungry."

This time, the Phonograph understood, and she sharply hit Dreamer with a board. "You wretch, have you been learning bad things from Hong Ying?"

Dreamer rubbed for a long time, looking wronged. "Couples should be affectionate like this; it's only natural."

The Phonograph thought it made sense but then felt reluctant to abandon the half-finished experiment.

Dreamer, unable to fight her weariness, urged again, "Madam, our Master won't take much time..." The Phonograph had just put down her equipment when she saw Li Banfeng packing up, ready to leave.

"Husband, where are you going?" The Phonograph thought Li Banfeng was angry.

"Lady, you continue with the experiment here. I'm going to change the batteries." Although he had prepared many battery packs, Lady had conducted experiments for several days straight, depleting seventy to eighty percent of the power. Li Banfeng needed to go to the power station for new batteries.

The Phonograph quickly apologized. "Oh, Husband, your servant was thoughtless. Your servant will come home to attend to you shortly."

"Who says Lady is thoughtless? Where could I find such a good wife? Lady, don't mind me; I'll be back soon!" Li Banfeng cheerfully went to change the batteries, leaving Dreamer and Pendulum to sigh.

Two more days passed, and Lady indeed achieved a breakthrough. "Husband, your servant is missing a magnetometer here. With this equipment, your servant could make something wonderful for you."

Li Banfeng looked at the magnetometer's photo. Lady had found descriptions of this magnetometer in both Teacher Song's and Yu Yaoming's notes.

But why wasn't this magnetometer found in Yu Yaoming's lab at the time?

It wasn't in Yu Yaoming's lab, nor was it in Du Wenming's replicated lab.

Lady said, "Husband, your servant speculates that this equipment is a new model, and Yu Yaoming and Du Wenming didn't have time to acquire it."

For such new equipment, where could Li Banfeng buy it?

He certainly couldn't buy it in Puluo Prefecture. If he went to another prefecture, who could he find?

Lin Fojiao?

Li Banfeng himself found it absurd. Who buys scientific research equipment in the black market?

But if not the black market, where else?

Yue Prefecture, Dark Star Bureau.

Shen Jingye drank tea, looking at his day's schedule.

Today's schedule was still packed. Shen Jingye was lamenting how difficult it was to manage his time, wondering if he should postpone the afternoon meeting.

But it was almost the end of the year, and this meeting had been delayed since the beginning of the year. If it wasn't held soon, writing the year-end summary would be difficult.

However, on second thought, even if the meeting wasn't held, the secretary could still write the summary as if it had been. In fact, the secretary had probably already written the year-end summary, so holding the meeting or not would have little impact on him.

But if insufficient records were left, creating a vulnerability in subsequent inspections, it would significantly affect Shen Jingye.

Amidst his dilemma, the phone rang.

"Little Shen, come to my office."

Shen Jingye sniffed, and his dilemma instantly vanished.

He canceled his afternoon meeting and went to the entrance of Li Qi's office. He used his thumb and index finger to push up the corners of his mouth, forming a sincere smile, then entered Li Qi's office.

"Director Li, you're finally back! So much work hasn't gone smoothly while you've been away."

"Little Shen, please sit. What progress has the bureau made on its key tasks recently?"

Shen Jingye had just finished writing his report material for tomorrow's meeting with his superior, and now it came in handy.

The Dark Star Bureau had made considerable progress recently: the Birch Hermitage's influence in the State of Huan had been largely eradicated, their key personnel arrested, and many spies placed in critical sectors had been cleared out.

Li Banfeng highly praised Shen Jingye's work. "Little Shen, good job. I called you here because I want you to help me find some clues. While I was in Puluo Prefecture, I investigated Du Wenming quite a bit. I found he had significant dealings with some domestic and international research institutions."

Shen Jingye nodded. "I also investigated this matter. Yu Yaoming's research equipment was taken by Du Wenming, and Du Wenming participated in the procurement of research equipment multiple times during his tenure. There are indeed questionable points here."

Shen Jingye made two calls, first instructing someone to turn off the surveillance in Li Qi's office, then calling for his secretary.

The secretary brought two boxes of documents and handed them to Shen Jingye.

Shen Jingye handed the document boxes to Li Banfeng. "We've investigated several research units that had dealings with Du Wenming. All relevant information is inside."

Li Banfeng looked at the company documents: addresses, contacts, and phone numbers.

"Little Shen, you've done a good job."

With this information, he'd know who to approach for a magnetometer.

There was another document box, and Li Banfeng asked, "What are these for?"

"These are the investigation results regarding the Birch Hermitage. I had the secretary bring out some important documents for you to review."

Li Banfeng opened the document box. At the very top lay a USB drive.

"What's this?"

"This is an audio recording. The original material was a vinyl record; this is a digitized copy. Please listen."

Li Banfeng plugged it into the computer and listened for a while. A man was speaking in a foreign language.

By the pronunciation, it seemed to be Lavsha; by the tone, the man appeared very agitated.

Li Banfeng frowned. "There's too much static; many details are unclear."

Shen Jingye shook his head. "It's an old record, so many years old. The sound quality is bound to be degraded."

Li Banfeng listened for a bit longer, then couldn't help but shake his head. "Why wasn't it processed during digitization? Many parts are very blurry."

Shen Jingye snorted. "Even if the sound wasn't blurry, would you understand Lavsha anyway?"

Li Banfeng closed the audio. "Then why did you make me listen to this?"

"There's a translation in the document box. You can listen along with it."

Li Banfeng found the translation and read it:

"Brave warriors, do not lower your heads, do not shed tears, do not cry, do not lose your fighting spirit to fear. Perhaps today we will perish here, but the final victory will surely be ours. Do not ask where the elders have gone; they have safely left this place. Do not ask where the deacons have gone; they too have safely left this place. Do not ask why we must remain here, for someone must always make a sacrifice. I smell gunpowder. That mournful singing has begun again. It's that woman, the woman named Huang, that hellish diva. She has appeared again. She is singing opera, that nauseating Puluo Prefecture opera. Such a thing doesn't deserve to be called opera; for someone with normal hearing, it is unbearable torment and torture. Do not be afraid, warriors, we can overcome fear, we can defeat this demon from hell, we can send him back to hell. We will surely achieve final victory."

"Was this his dying message?"

Shen Jingye nodded. "This person did not witness the victory he desired. In fact, they did not achieve victory."

"Who was this person?"

"Nyeli Yashaf, an early member of the Birch Hermitage and a participant in the Second Puluo War."

Li Banfeng frowned. "What is the Second Puluo War?"

Shen Jingye started, then quickly lowered his voice. "This is highly classified information. I thought you knew. You might have a different name for it, but we refer to the war from over forty years ago as the Second Puluo War."