Chapter 601: Life in the Wormhole

Two years ago, when Li Banfeng first left Yaowang Valley, he traveled along the border of Mazhu Mountain. As he was studying the border line, he saw a man in white riding a celestial crane, crashing directly into it. The crane and the man, who claimed to have cultivated for twenty years and possessed unimaginable abilities, turned into ashes the moment they reached the border line. At the time, Li Banfeng thought they had lost their minds; who would have imagined he'd see them again today?

The man in white looked in Li Banfeng's direction for a moment, seeing nothing, then lowered his head to search for food. Li Banfeng couldn't make out what food he was looking for; he only saw him occasionally pick up things and put them into his mouth. The white crane, however, focused its attention on Li Banfeng. It couldn't see or touch him, but it could clearly sense his presence.

He couldn't afford to get entangled with them; this was Li Banfeng's first time traversing a wormhole, so he dared not linger. He hastened along the path beneath his feet.

The white crane was left behind. Less than a minute later, Li Banfeng saw another gaunt man. In all his life, Li Banfeng had never seen someone so thin. He had witnessed many people starve to death in Haichiling, yet even their bodies had more flesh than this man. This man was frantically searching for food on the ground. This time, Li Banfeng clearly saw what they were actually eating.

On the dark ground, there were some fuzzy, flocculent growths that looked like black moss. Among these growths, slender, worm-like creatures, about the thickness of chopsticks, wriggled about. The man scooped up both the fuzzy substance and the worms, swallowing them all. His ravenous eating reminded Li Banfeng of a friend whose table manners were remarkably similar to the man's actions at that moment.

The white crane then caught up from behind and asked the emaciated man, "Little brother, don't rush your meal. Do you sense anyone nearby?"

The man shook his head without a word.

The white crane then called out into the distance, "Miss, do you sense anyone approaching?"

A figure stood far off, also peering in Li Banfeng's direction. She seemed to sense Li Banfeng but remained silent. Li Banfeng continued forward until the dusty path reached its end, and his figure vanished into a burst of light.

The woman standing in the distance finally spoke, "That person seems to have left."

The celestial crane sighed, then turned to the gaunt man who was still frantically foraging. "Little brother," it said, "try not to eat those worms. You can't chew them properly; they'll just become tiny worms in your stomach, making you hungrier the more you eat."

The gaunt man put down the moss and worms, fumbled in his pocket for a simple phone, and dialed a number again.

Li Banfeng reappeared in Mazhu Mountain, about ten meters from the border line. He had successfully crossed the boundary. The Gramophone excitedly jumped up and down, "Husband, you did it! It's truly done this time!"

Li Banfeng nodded, then took out the boundary switch Old Train had given him. He temporarily closed a small section of the boundary and returned to his wife's side.

"Husband, your little slave is so happy!" The Gramophone pulled Li Banfeng's head into its horn and spun it around several times.

Li Banfeng was also pleased, but his mood was subtly different from the previous night.

"Husband, what's wrong?" his wife asked, sensing that something was amiss with Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng picked up the Gramophone. "My dear wife," he said, "let's discuss this once we're home."

Once inside the Portable Dwelling, Li Banfeng recounted his recent experience. "Wife," he began, "I saw someone in the wormhole, someone I've met before."

His wife pondered for a moment, then shook her head slightly. "This situation is difficult to explain," she began. She pulled out a diagram, drew a river, then a bridge over it, and two doors on the bridge. She meticulously explained the principle to Li Banfeng: "Husband, this river represents the boundary line. This bridge is the hidden passage we constructed, composed of two parts: a real bridge and an illusory one, each represented by a door. Without this bridge, directly colliding with the boundary line would lead to matter-antimatter annihilation, turning one into ashes. With the first, real bridge, we can enter the wormhole and cross the boundary. With the second, illusory bridge, we can find our way within the wormhole and locate the exit. However, this illusory bridge is built upon Liegen Stone. As you traverse both the real and illusory bridges, husband, you might encounter illusions created by the Liegen Stone."

"Are you saying," Li Banfeng asked, "that the people I saw in the wormhole were all illusions?"

The Gramophone wasn't entirely sure. "It's not necessarily an illusion; it could also be real," it mused. "Perhaps some individuals only found the real bridge but not the illusory one, and thus ventured rashly into the wormhole, becoming trapped. But can anyone truly survive in a place like a wormhole?"

Was it an illusion, or were people truly trapped inside? This matter seemed easy enough to verify.

Li Banfeng left the Portable Dwelling, pulled out his simple phone, and called Luo Zhengnan. Luo Zhengnan was on the rooftop, listening to the radio, when a burst of static annoyed him. He had been plagued by static lately; day or night, as soon as he plugged in the antenna, the interference would constantly linger. He had tried numerous methods — changing the antenna, adjusting the frequency, consuming elixirs to slightly boost his cultivation — but none had worked. He couldn't fathom the cause of this persistent static.

After a few dozen seconds, the static vanished, and Luo Zhengnan resumed listening to the broadcast: "Listeners, our product is quite well-known in Puro Province. What makes it so good, you ask? I need to tell you all about it. First off, burying bodies is indeed physically demanding; you definitely can't do it without a good shovel. Our shovel is specifically designed for burying bodies—"

Luo Zhengnan switched off the radio. That announcer was truly irritating; even the advertisements sounded so forced. By the way, where had Ah Hui gone? According to old practice, Ah Hui should have been hosting radio programs all winter. Yet, this winter wasn't even halfway through, and Ah Hui hadn't been to the station for days.

Just as Luo Zhengnan was feeling annoyed, Li Banfeng called.

"Seventh Master, were you looking for me?"

"Old Luo, help me find out about Qin Tianjiu's whereabouts."

"Certainly, please wait a moment."

Li Banfeng hung up and waited for Old Luo's information. In the wormhole, he had seen that gaunt man, and judging by his eating habits, he bore a resemblance to Qin Tianjiu.

After about ten minutes, Luo Zhengnan called back. "Seventh Master," he reported, "there's been no news from Ninth Master for several days!"

Li Banfeng frowned. "That scoundrel Shen Jinzhong didn't tell me!" he muttered.

"Shen Jinyin has been looking for him; he thought Ninth Master was upset about the jewelry store situation."

"What happened with the jewelry store?"

"Shen Jinzhong opened a jewelry store, but it's been frequently robbed lately, leading to financial losses. Shen Jinyin blamed Ninth Master, who has been monitoring the area around the jewelry store recently. He might be a little annoyed about it."

Li Banfeng hung up. This was far more than just being a little annoyed. Qin Tianjiu was not a petty person. That gaunt man was indeed Qin Tianjiu, and for some unknown reason, he had entered the wormhole. According to his wife, ordinary people who touched the boundary line would undergo matter-antimatter annihilation, effectively turning into ashes. Those trapped in the wormhole must have found a way to enter, but no way to leave.

As for the celestial crane, that expert who claimed to have cultivated for twenty years, Li Banfeng had dismissed him as a joke two years ago. Now, however, it seemed he truly possessed remarkable abilities. He was convinced he could cross the boundary, and indeed, through his own power, he had entered the wormhole without any external assistance. But what about Little Fatty (Qin Tianjiu)? The immediate priority was to rescue Little Fatty.

His wife studied the diagram for a long time. "Husband," she finally said, "rescuing them will be incredibly difficult. It's akin to pulling someone who has fallen into the river back onto the bridge. The slightest misstep could drag you into the river as well. Please, husband, consider this very carefully!"

Li Banfeng frowned, deeply troubled. Who had sent Little Fatty into the wormhole?

***

Yuezhou, Jiacheng District, Yunsheng Road.

He held a book, the seventh volume of "Embroidery Frost Collection," the store's bestseller. He appeared to walk unhurriedly, yet he covered the twenty-plus kilometer distance from Yunsheng Road to the Cultural Palace in less than five minutes. The Cultural Palace was showing a gunfight film today, and most of the vendors setting up stalls were intermediaries.

Boss Lu found a seat in the back row. The snack vendor approached him and asked, "Sir, what would you like?"

"I'll take everything." Boss Lu handed the snack vendor a stack of banknotes.

The snack vendor quickly abandoned his business and led Boss Lu upstairs to meet Lin Fojiao. For anyone else, the snack vendor would have certainly asked a few questions, but Boss Lu was a regular and an old acquaintance of Lin Fojiao. Once Boss Lu gave the secret signal, the snack vendor immediately made the arrangements.

Inside the office, Lin Fojiao was dozing. The snack vendor poured Boss Lu a cup of tea and then left. Boss Lu lightly tapped the table and handed Lin Fojiao a list.

Lin Fojiao squinted at the list for a moment, then stretched. "These items are not easy to acquire," he remarked.

Boss Lu smiled. "If they were easy to acquire," he said, "I certainly wouldn't have bothered you."

"Such large-scale procurement requires the backing of a company. Equipment manufacturers won't sell to individuals, so there will be additional costs involved…"

Boss Lu took a sip of tea, casually flipping through "Embroidery Frost Collection" in his hand. "My old friend," he said, "there's no need for such talk. When have I ever haggled with you over trifles? Just name your price."

Lin Fojiao picked up a calculator, punched in a number, and showed it to Boss Lu.

Boss Lu nodded slightly. "Approximately when can I expect delivery?" he asked.

"At least two weeks, at the very earliest."

"Then it's settled: two weeks." Boss Lu stood up and left. Lin Fojiao glanced at the copy of "Embroidery Frost Collection," and his drowsy eyes opened slightly.

"Do you enjoy reading?" Boss Lu asked with a smile. "I have it at my store. I'll send you a complete set tomorrow."

Soon after Boss Lu left, Lin Fojiao called the snack vendor. "Did Tang Changfa just purchase a batch of scientific research equipment?" he asked.

The snack vendor checked his ledger, then nodded. "Their business scope includes scientific research," he replied, "and they have skilled negotiators, so their business is going very smoothly."

"Talk to him. I also need to purchase a batch of research equipment. I'll use his company to back the deal and give him a three percent commission."

"Director Lin, we have similar companies of our own."

"Companies are easy enough to come by, but skilled negotiators are hard to find. First, inquire about their terms."

"Isn't a three percent commission too little?" Yan Cuier pouted, clearly not satisfied with the price.

The snack vendor didn't elaborate with Yan Cuier; he knew the girl wasn't particularly astute. He simply asked, "When are Tang Changfa and Yan Hong'er returning?"

"They went out to restock. It'll be at least an hour!"

The snack vendor turned and left. Two hours later, Tang Changfa and Yan Hong'er returned. Before their newly acquired goods could even be inventoried, Yan Cuier immediately informed them about the previous business offer.

"I didn't even want to deal with them," she huffed. "Only a three percent commission! Who would want to do business with him?"

Tang Changfa poked Yan Cuier's forehead. "You simpleton!" he exclaimed. "You've been in other provinces for so long, how can you still not understand basic arithmetic? Do you know how expensive scientific research equipment is? For a ten-million-dollar deal, we get three hundred thousand. Is that still too little?"

Yan Hong'er was also annoyed. "We're doing business on someone else's territory," she interjected. "Are you really going to show them no respect at all? Don't you have any sense of propriety?"

Yan Cuier pouted, tears welling in her eyes. "You two always bully me," she whimpered. "Tomorrow, we'll go to the shopkeeper to get justice."

At this, Tang Changfa fell silent. Yan Cuier was indeed a favorite of the shopkeeper. Yan Hong'er, however, wasn't one to indulge her. "Go tell the shopkeeper then!" she challenged. "Let's go right now! We'll argue our case, and I refuse to believe the shopkeeper won't see what's right!"

Tang Changfa interjected, "Alright, alright, I'll go inquire about the exact nature of this business." He proactively sought out the snack vendor and agreed to the deal.

Back in the private room, Tang Changfa examined the list and then paced back and forth several times.

Yan Hong'er asked, "What's wrong? Are the items difficult to acquire?"

"They're easy enough to buy," Tang Changfa replied, showing the list to Yan Hong'er, "but I'm not sure if we *should* buy them."

Yan Hong'er, with her keen eyesight, immediately spotted the electromagnetic instrument. "Isn't this what the shopkeeper asked us to buy before?" she exclaimed.

Yan Cuier took a look. "Perhaps only the name is similar," she suggested. "It might be different from the one we bought."

"It's not just the name!" Yan Hong'er countered, scrutinizing the list. "This line here, it's the model number, and it's identical to the one the shopkeeper purchased."

Yan Cuier scratched her head. "I suppose this is like elixirs," she mused. "If the shopkeeper wants to buy it, and others do too, it's hardly big news, is it?"

Yan Hong'er shook her head. "That's not the case at all," she insisted. "This is completely different from elixirs!"

Tang Changfa quickly pulled out his phone. "We need to tell the shopkeeper about this immediately," he declared. "If the shopkeeper forbids the purchase, we'll accept not doing business here, but we must also sabotage his deal."

Li Banfeng, still in Puro Province, received Tang Changfa's call and listened to the equipment list. Li Banfeng was familiar with all these devices, as his wife was using them. Someone was clearly researching the boundary line.

"Shopkeeper, can we proceed with this deal?"

"Yes, do it. Help him well. Ideally, find out who asked Lin Fojiao to purchase these items. If you can't figure it out, that's fine too. Just make sure not to offend Lin Fojiao, and ensure this connection remains intact; do not break it."

Li Banfeng hung up the phone, carefully pondering the connections behind the incident. Was the person buying the equipment related to Qin Xiaopang's (Little Fatty's) situation? The Gramophone, along with Pendulum and Mengde, went to the laboratory. Whether they could cross the two hidden bridges and pull Little Fatty out of the 'river' depended entirely on his wife's research.

***

At midnight, a martial arts film was showing at the Cultural Palace, and tonight the black market was selling weapons. The snack vendor was conducting business when a wisp of smoke drifted over, drew a circle before him, and then dissipated. The snack vendor looked back to see a man in a red plaid shirt sitting in the back row, smoking. This man was his old client, He Haisheng.

The snack vendor approached He Haisheng and handed him a bottle of water. He Haisheng took the bottle and saw the number "216" on it. After sitting in the lobby for a short while, He Haisheng went to private room 216. A few minutes later, the snack vendor entered.

He Haisheng lowered his voice. "I hear you recently took on a big deal," he said, "to acquire a batch of scientific research equipment?"

The snack vendor remained silent. He Haisheng understood; the snack vendor wouldn't reveal any information until the price was agreed upon. He produced a check and wrote a sum. The snack vendor reviewed it, accepted the check, and then handed an equipment list to He Haisheng.

He Haisheng examined the list, then asked, "Who asked you to purchase this set of equipment?"

The snack vendor again offered no reply. He Haisheng then took out another check and wrote a sum. The snack vendor reviewed it, accepted the check, and then handed He Haisheng a copy of "Discourses on Added Fragrance." He Haisheng flipped through the book from cover to cover. On the last page, he saw the bookstore's stamp: Lu Family Bookstore.

He Haisheng nodded, then left the Cultural Palace with the list.

***

At 8 PM, the Lu Family Bookstore closed early. Boss Lu had important matters to attend to that evening. He settled the accounts, organized the books, lit an incense burner, brewed a pot of tea, arranged eight small dishes of candied fruits, and by candlelight, brought out "Record of Jade Fragrance," which Zhang Xiuling had sent him. The complete series was projected to have twenty-six volumes, with eleven already released. Boss Lu opened the first volume and slowly began to read.

This book, "Record of Jade Fragrance," was co-authored by Puro Province's two great talented women, Zhang Xiuling and Shen Rongqing. Others might have assumed these two talented women wrote essays, poetry, or something of high literary elegance, but they would be mistaken. The audacity of "Record of Jade Fragrance" was astonishing. According to its fans, it was the only work in the past century that could rival "Embroidery Frost Collection."

Boss Lu initially didn't have high hopes for "Record of Jade Fragrance." In his opinion, female writers tended to be relatively conservative in certain aspects. After reading just one volume, Boss Lu realized his perception was seriously flawed. "Record of Jade Fragrance" and "Embroidery Frost Collection" were not in a relationship of mutual rivalry. In terms of scope, depth, and literary height, "Record of Jade Fragrance" was clearly superior. Seemingly by more than just one level...

"How could this be—" Boss Lu's hands trembled slightly. The copy he held was Zhang Xiuling's first revised edition; only thirty sets were sold at the time, and Zhang Xiuling had specifically reserved one for him. The content was almost entirely unedited, making it incredibly precious. If it weren't so precious, Boss Lu would have torn the book apart.

"Hahaha!" Yu Yaoming burst into laughter as he descended from the second floor of the bookstore. "Boss Lu," he announced, "with this batch of equipment, I estimate it won't take more than a month for me to—"

"What? This is a bookstore! A quiet place for scholars. Do you have no sense of decorum?"

Yu Yaoming froze for a moment. In all their acquaintance, he had never seen Boss Lu lose his temper. He quickly ascended to the second floor, not daring to utter another word.

Boss Lu frowned, his face grim, and continued to pore over "Record of Jade Fragrance." As night deepened, Boss Lu put down the book and retired to his bedroom to rest.

***

Around four o'clock in the morning, the bookstore's door was opened. A figure in black quietly entered the bookstore, first circling the second row of bookshelves, then passing through the aisle between the third and fourth rows. The figure ascended the stairs and reached the door of the second-floor storage room. He heard snoring from inside; Yu Yaoming had just fallen asleep after completing his experiments.

The figure took a ring from his pocket, placed it on his right index finger, and slid it into the door crack. The lock clicked open, but the door itself did not swing open. The figure knew there was a mechanism on the door. He fumbled along the door with his fingertips for a moment, seemingly finding the crucial pivot of the device. With a pinch of his index and middle fingers, he disarmed the door's mechanism. However, from the crack of the door, a single character emerged: The character "言" (yán, meaning 'speech') split into upper and lower halves, pulling at the figure's lips, forcing him to speak. The character "人" (rén, meaning 'person') transformed into a short fork and thrust towards the figure's chest. The character "隹" (zhuī, a radical often associated with birds) transformed into a hunting net, binding the figure to the staircase.

The figure used his ring to cut open the hunting net and broke free from the "言" character on his mouth, but he couldn't dislodge the "人" character from his chest. This "人" character engaged the figure in several skirmishes, then took a book from a shelf, employing a technique called "Counting Ink, Tracing Lines" to summon a multitude of characters that enveloped the figure. This development baffled the figure. "Counting Ink, Tracing Lines" was a common technique among literary cultivators, so it wasn't new. The problem was that the one employing the technique was not a literary cultivator, but a single character. And it wasn't even a complete character; it was only part of a character.

The confined space of the staircase meant the figure was quickly overwhelmed. He immediately leaped to the first floor. Just as he was about to pass through the bookshelves, the books on the shelves, one after another, unfolded, and the characters upon them swiftly detached from their pages. The character that had previously forced the figure downstairs from the staircase now appeared behind him. Despite fighting the figure for so long, this character had sustained only minor injuries, with no reduction in its combat prowess. Ahead of the figure, thousands more characters awaited him, each possessing combat power no less than the one he had just faced.

The figure looked around, desperately searching for an escape route. This seemingly small bookstore, however, offered no visible exit. Just as the figure seemed doomed, a man wearing a long gown and a bamboo hat, from which a string of copper coins dangled, entered the bookstore. He grabbed two books from a shelf and flung them towards the figure. The two books opened and closed in sync, resembling a pair of large hands that grabbed a cluster of characters and flung them aside. Repeating this motion, they flew forward, carving a path through the bookshelves.

The figure followed this path and escaped the bookstore with the man in the bamboo hat. They arrived at a money exchange. The two entered the back room, where the figure removed his mask, revealing himself as He Jiaqing, the owner of the establishment. The man wearing the bamboo hat was Mr. Kong Fang.

Still shaken, He Jiaqing drank an entire pot of tea, sighing deeply. "I never imagined Boss Lu's combat prowess was so formidable," he finally said.

Mr. Kong Fang smiled. "You are truly reckless," he said. "How dare you venture into his territory alone to play tricks? Do you realize that even the Patriarch of Literary Cultivation might not be able to defeat him?" He Jiaqing brewed another pot of tea and poured a cup for Mr. Kong Fang. "Yu Yaoming is in his hands," he explained. "He's using Yu Yaoming to research the boundary line, and it seems he's close to succeeding."

"What's the hurry?" Mr. Kong Fang asked, taking a sip of tea. "If he can achieve it, why can't we? My subordinate has returned. He essentially knows everything Yu Yaoming knows, and even if there's something he doesn't, based on the equipment Yu Yaoming purchased, he can likely deduce the rest. Even if we're a bit slower than Zhou Badou, it's not a loss. As long as we have a method to break the boundary, we'll have the means to dominate Puro Province. From now on, do not seek trouble with Zhou Badou again. He spared you this time out of respect for me; next time, you won't be so lucky."

Boss Lu put on his robe, went to the main hall, picked up the scattered books from the floor, and carefully arranged them on the shelves. Snoring continued from the second floor. Boss Lu sighed deeply. "That thoughtless person sleeps so soundly!" he muttered. Boss Lu returned to bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He took out "Record of Jade Fragrance" and "Embroidery Frost Collection," He took them out and compared them repeatedly. As dawn approached, he began to see words between the lines, and the entire volume seemed to scream two words: "Crushing defeat!" "Embroidery Frost Collection" had been utterly crushed!

"Impudent youth!"

Boss Lu sat at his desk, picked up a pen, and wrote a single line: "Embroidery Frost Collection: Continued."

***

Cui Tike stood atop Daogui Ridge, observing the Blade-Ghoul preparing for the New Year celebration. He had received word from Du Wenming that He Jiaqing was researching methods to break the boundary line and had also obtained something from Snowflake Harbor.

"Breaking the boundary is excellent," Cui Tike mused, adjusting his red suit as he gazed at the rising sun. "Without the boundary, no one can stop us!" He was pondering a serious question: "What would be a good name for the second technique?"