Chapter 668: Boundless City

Darkness folded into darkness as two mountain ranges merged, engulfing Li Banfeng in a valley.

The Projector explained that those weren’t two mountain ranges but two lips. Li Banfeng still couldn't sense that he had entered something's mouth, but he could sense direction, time, and his own existence.

The bubble burst.

Li Banfeng, who had been encased in the bubble, was once again submerged in water.

With a whoosh, the water receded, and Li Banfeng saw land.

He touched the land beneath his feet; it was hard, very hard, likely rock long-battered by water, its surface pitted but generally flat.

Luo Shaojun joyfully exclaimed, "Boundless City is still obedient! My sister called a few times, and it came to pick us up."

Luo Yujun panted, "If it hadn't come, we would have been crushed to death."

Luo Lijun coughed twice, "I've been yelling for several hours; my voice is hoarse."

Luo Yanjun snorted, "You could yell for several hours when you were with Ma Junyang, and I didn't hear you complain about your voice then."

Luo Lijun hit Luo Yanjun with a stick. Luo Shaojun asked curiously, "Sister, how did you yell with Ma Junyang? Teach me!"

Luo Lijun was about to hit Shaojun but held back when she saw Li Banfeng standing nearby.

Li Banfeng looked at the five sisters, perplexed. He hadn't understood a word they had said.

It wasn't that their words were complicated; it was the current situation that was difficult to grasp.

Li Banfeng first asked, "Were we swallowed by Boundless City?"

Luo Shaojun nodded, "Yes! Sister called Boundless City over and saved us."

"Boundless City, is it a city?" Li Banfeng felt his understanding of cities might be flawed.

"It's a city, a very big city," Luo Shaojun said proudly. "It's a city built by our Luo family, and it's the largest city in our Luo family's fiefdom."

Li Banfeng then asked, "Does this city move?"

Luo Lijun smiled, "Isn't Seven Autumn City your territory, Young Master Li? Doesn't Seven Autumn City move?"

"That's different—" Although Li Banfeng couldn't answer Luo Lijun's question immediately, Seven Autumn City and Boundless City were definitely two different things.

Or at least, they should be different things.

Li Banfeng looked at his surroundings. In the darkness, he could vaguely discern mottled rocks. Looking up, he could faintly see specks of starlight.

Stars visible inside Boundless City's belly? What kind of place was this?

Luo Yujun said, "Let's hurry up. Don't stay in its mouth for too long. If it drinks water later, we'll be crushed again."

Why did she keep mentioning being crushed?

Li Banfeng asked, "Is the water pressure very high here?"

Luo Yanjun, who understood some scientific concepts from Earth, replied, "Young Master Li, if we use your calculations, the position we were just in had a pressure equivalent to tens of thousands of meters below sea level."

Luo Shaojun asked Luo Yanjun, "Sister, does Outer State have such deep seas?"

Luo Yanjun frowned, "Girl, are you arguing? It's a metaphor."

The depth of Outer State's seas wasn't the main point. Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I didn't feel the water pressure was very high just now."

Luo Yanjun explained, "That's because Young Master Li was closest to the portal, and your body became intangible, so you weren't harmed by the water pressure. But underwater currents are surging, and we sisters were inevitably further from the portal. If we hadn't been protected by our hard conch shells, we definitely would have been severely injured by the water pressure."

Li Banfeng took a moment to understand Luo Yanjun's meaning.

They had been at the entrance of a wormhole, and their physical states had changed, becoming what Luo Yanjun called "intangible." Once they deviated from the entrance, their bodies would become tangible again and would struggle to withstand the water pressure.

Luo Xiujun said, "We waited for several hours just now. I thought Boundless City wasn't coming. To be honest, I even wanted to swim back."

What did "several hours" mean?

Li Banfeng asked, "Didn't we wait for too long?"

Luo Yanjun explained again, "Around the portal, thought stagnates. Several hours felt like a fleeting moment."

She meant that near the wormhole, people couldn't perceive the passage of time.

Li Banfeng took out his pocket watch and checked the time.

Indeed.

According to the time displayed by Mundus, more than a dozen hours had passed since they entered the water from the Soda Kiln.

The group walked forward along the slippery rocks. A traveler-cultivator's footsteps could adapt to various road conditions, so Li Banfeng didn't find it difficult. The five Luo sisters found it even easier; they were more accustomed to this environment, especially after transforming into snails. They could quickly wriggle across the slippery ground.

"Seventh Brother, come onto me." Luo Shaojun smeared some rouge on her face and used an antenna to pull Li Banfeng onto her back. Li Banfeng looked up and once again saw the sky full of stars.

"We're inside Boundless City's body, so why are there still stars in the sky?"

Luo Shaojun said, "Seventh Brother, those aren't stars. They are Boundless City's eyes."

"Eyes inside the body?"

Luo Shaojun explained, "Boundless City was forged by our Luo family ancestors, so it should resemble their physique."

"The Luo family ancestors' eyes were inside their bodies?"

Luo Shaojun nodded, "All Luo family members have eyes inside their bodies. Yesterday, there was a worm causing trouble in Sister Yujun's belly. Sister Yujun used her eyes to find the worm and pulled it out with a hand from inside her belly."

Li Banfeng stared at Shaojun for a long time. "You actually have hands in your bellies?"

Luo Shaojun laughed, "Seventh Brother, we're not like you Proliferous Prefecture people. We have facial features in our bellies; you Proliferous Prefecture people don't—"

Luo Yanjun also smeared some rouge and coughed. "Little sister, there's everything in our bellies, don't forget ears. You keep saying 'Proliferous Prefecture'; others will hear you."

Luo Lijun, having just finished applying rouge, waved her antennae, perceiving her surroundings for a moment.

Luo Yujun put away her rouge box. "So what if they hear? Boundless City is still our Luo family's territory after all."

Luo Yanjun said, "That may not be true. Since the day we were imprisoned, Boundless City might no longer be anyone's territory."

Luo Xiujun added more powder to her face. "Even though we were imprisoned, we went on this expedition with our noble titles. Our titles haven't been stripped, so how could our city be taken so quickly?"

Luo Yanjun gave an example, "People hunt tigers on the mountain, not because tigers bite or look scary, but because someone wants tiger bones, tiger meat, and tiger skin. Don't you understand the principle here?"

Luo Yujun thought for a long time. This girl was single-minded and truly didn't understand. "Tiger people are very nice. Why would you hurt them?"

Luo Yanjun couldn't be bothered to respond to her. She turned to Luo Lijun, "Sister, let's hurry and find Hu Chihong. She might still be living in Boundless City."

Luo Xiujun said, "She's a scholar appointed by Sister Lijun. If not here, where would she live?"

Luo Yanjun didn't know how to explain. "You two sisters are really blockheads. Hu Chihong is now a favored person under Qiao Yi. With our Luo family fallen, it's not impossible for her to move to Qiao Yi's fiefdom."

While the sisters were still arguing, Li Banfeng was busy observing the scenery.

Initially, the surroundings were pitch black, and he could only see the rocks and sand beneath his feet. After walking for about ten li, Li Banfeng gradually saw some lights.

The lights came from a single-story building with white walls and a round roof, like a giant white bun placed upside down on the ground. From a distance, it didn't seem that big, but upon closer inspection, he realized this large building covered dozens of acres. People were constantly going in and out of its entrance.

From the perspective of Inner State, these were indeed people: octopuses walking on the ground, toads flying in the sky, and sparrows swimming across ponds, all entering the building in groups of three or five.

Li Banfeng asked, "What is this building for? Is it your kiln for refining people?"

Luo Shaojun said, "Seventh Brother, what do you take us for? This is a restaurant. In your Proliferous Prefecture, you call this a coal yard."

It was an enclosed coal yard. Li Banfeng peered through the doorway and could vaguely see coal piles inside.

"Do you all come here to eat?"

Luo Xiujun said, "We don't eat here. This is where commoners eat."

Li Banfeng asked, "Don't they all eat coal? Can that really have different classes?"

Luo Yujun explained, "We rarely eat coal. We usually eat grease. Here, grease is difficult to store, so it's very precious."

Luo Xiujun added, "Even if we eat coal, we don't eat this kind. This coal has many impurities, produces a lot of smoke, and the taste isn't pure. One bite would make you sick for days. Only commoners come here to fill their stomachs. Scholars rarely come to such places."

Luo Yanjun coughed, "Stop talking."

She noticed Li Banfeng had been silent.

Li Banfeng was still peering into the coal yard. A worm, carrying a stack of cargo boxes, passed by the coal yard and also looked inside.

The worm was so absorbed in watching that it accidentally bumped into Luo Lijun.

Luo Lijun, returning to her homeland, was both excited and nervous. The bump from the worm ignited her temper.

"Are you blind! Watch where you're going!" Luo Lijun pulled a stick from her conch shell and hit the worm a few times. The worm didn't dare dodge, hunkering down on the ground, quietly taking the blows. Its cargo boxes fell off, scattering some of their contents.

Luo Lijun raised her stick to strike again, but Luo Yanjun stopped her.

Li Banfeng looked at Luo Lijun with a cold gaze, and Luo Lijun quickly ceased.

The worm trembled with fear. It wanted to pick up the scattered cargo boxes but didn't dare to move.

Li Banfeng jumped off Luo Shaojun's conch shell, picked up the cargo boxes from the ground, and restacked them onto the worm's back.

"How much would it cost for him to eat a meal here?" Li Banfeng asked the others.

No one dared to answer except Luo Shaojun, who said, "He can't eat here. He's a serf."

Li Banfeng was silent for a long time.

This was a restaurant for commoners, and the Luo family never dined here.

Yet, this serf wasn't even qualified to eat here.

Li Banfeng carefully observed the worm. It resembled the worms he had seen in White Falcon Prefecture, with many holes in its body. These holes didn't hold hooks or other weapons but rather tools like ropes and buckles.

Luo Shaojun took out a can of grease from her conch shell and offered it to Li Banfeng. "Seventh Brother, this is delicious."

Li Banfeng handed the grease to the worm. The worm dared not take it, so Li Banfeng forced it into his grasp.

Back on Luo Shaojun's back, Li Banfeng continued on his way.

The worm was still silently watching.

It hid the grease in one of the holes on its body, then raised half its body, always looking at Li Banfeng's departing back.

Luo Lijun explained, "Young Master Li, I was a bit out of line just now. Every place has its customs. In Great Shang, punishing serfs is common."

Li Banfeng said nothing.

Luo Lijun added, "From now on, I will restrain myself where necessary. I know our customs are different."

Li Banfeng looked at Luo Lijun and said, "I used to carry heavy loads. Do you know what carrying heavy loads means?"

Luo Yanjun said, "I know Proliferous Prefecture also has many people who make a living by physical labor, but that's different. It's truly not the same as serfs—"

Li Banfeng nodded, "I know it's different. Proliferous Prefecture is indeed different."

Luo Yanjun tried to change the subject. "Hu Chihong lives on Left Nine Street. Let's go see if we can find her first."

Boundless City's territorial divisions were very simple. The definition of Left Nine Street was direct and straightforward.

Li Banfeng and the others had been swallowed from Boundless City's head. Facing the direction of the head, the ninth street on the left-hand side was Left Nine Street.

On the way to Left Nine Street, Li Banfeng saw teahouses, inns, opera houses, and theaters.

Boundless City had everything that Proliferous Prefecture had. Luo Xiujun, knowledgeable about the local scene, said, "Young Master Li, if you like, I'll take you to the opera house another day. A famous performer, a sewing machine, came here a while ago. She sang dan roles, and her singing and skill were truly impeccable."

Li Banfeng found it hard to understand how a sewing machine could sing opera. Making a sewing machine play drums and gongs would be more understandable.

Moreover, what Li Banfeng didn't understand was, what was the status of a sewing machine?

"Do Inner State people have such pure machines?"

Luo Lijun didn't want to answer, as some words might touch a raw nerve for Li Banfeng.

Luo Shaojun whispered, "Actually, they are also serfs, serfs from Proliferous Prefecture. Their bodies are gone, only their souls remain. What shell they wear depends on their master's arrangement."

Li Banfeng's expression grew more solemn. Luo Shaojun dared not say more. The group entered Left Nine Street and headed towards Hu Chihong's residence.

The number of pedestrians on the street increased. Li Banfeng was curious: the five Luo sisters were walking so openly on the street, why didn't the pedestrians notice them?

"Are we being too conspicuous?"

Luo Shaojun understood Li Banfeng's meaning. "Seventh Brother, don't worry. What they see of us is different from what you see."

Li Banfeng didn't understand. "How is it different?"

"We don't have sunlight here for most of the year. It's hard to see many things clearly just with eyes, so we don't just use our eyes to see. We also use our noses and ears. We smeared rouge on ourselves earlier, so our scent changed, and the way they see us also changed. Right now, when I look at Sister Yujun, she actually looks like a rabbit. Sister Yanjun looks like an otter. Sister Lijun looks like a—"

Shaojun's voice trailed off, hesitant to continue.

Lijun snorted, "Just say it. You've already said what you should and shouldn't."

"Alright, I'll say it. Sister Lijun looks like a water snake, Sister Xiujun looks like a fish, and I look like a toad, with a little toad on my back!"

Li Banfeng grunted, "Am I the little toad?"

Xiujun looked at Shaojun. "Silly girl, do you know what a toad carrying another toad means?"

Luo Shaojun blushed. She seemed innocent, but what she said was very important. It not only revealed their method of disguise but also pointed out a weakness of Inner State people: their sense of smell could interfere with their vision.

Arriving at the gate of a mansion, Luo Yujun stepped forward and knocked. After a long wait, two tall gate doors slowly opened.

The architecture here was all massive, ridiculously so. Especially in the darkness, coupled with the dim lights, these enormous buildings exerted a strong sense of oppression.

"What would it look like if these buildings weren't so big?"

Luo Shaojun said, "Our bodies are already large. If these buildings weren't big, they couldn't fit us!"

"That's true." Li Banfeng smiled. That remark wasn't directed at Shaojun but at the Projector.

The Projector was looking for a shooting angle. He found the place somewhat resembled the underground city.

Luo Yanjun was negotiating with the gatekeeper. Hu Chihong was a scholar, and while her status wasn't high among the aristocracy, she wasn't someone just anyone could meet. Luo Yanjun claimed to be Hu Chihong's fellow townsman and spoke with the gatekeeper for a long time, even giving him quite a bit of silver. Only then did the gatekeeper agree to announce their arrival.

Li Banfeng said, "So your currency is also silver."

Luo Xiujun said, "What do you mean 'also'? We need to make this clear. We used silver first; you learned it from us!"

After another moment's wait, the gatekeeper let them in. Hu Chihong had used shapeshifting to appear as a red-clothed woman, sitting in the living room, scrutinizing them. "And you are—"

She didn't recognize the Luo sisters!

Luo Lijun asked for a basin of clear water, washed her face with it, and her original aura emanated from her.

Hu Chihong quickly stepped forward and bowed. "My lord, you've returned!"

Luo Xiujun explained, "Washing one's face in front of others signifies shedding all disguise and being completely open, which is considered a very high form of etiquette."

Everyone washed their faces. Li Banfeng jumped off Luo Shaojun's back, moving out of the range of the scent influence.

Hu Chihong bowed to each of them. Before Li Banfeng, she very solemnly addressed him as "Your Highness."

"Your Royal Highness, how was your banquet with Lord Qiao Yi?"

"Don't call me Crown Prince; call me something else," Li Banfeng said. "I haven't met Lord Qiao Yi yet."

"Haven't met yet?" Hu Chihong was surprised. "I heard Lord Qiao had already prepared his retinue and was waiting for His Highness Li Qi in Chaoge, but why has Your Highness come to Boundless City?"

Li Banfeng frowned slightly. "You were the one who arranged this meeting. Don't you know whether I went to Chaoge?" He suspected Hu Chihong was feigning ignorance.

Hu Chihong shook her head, "Ever since His Highness Li Qi agreed to the appointment, Lord Qiao Yi has not allowed me to have any further contact with His Highness Li Qi."

"Why is that?"

Hu Chihong found it inconvenient to explain, so Luo Shaojun spoke for her. "This is typical royal family practice. They don't allow one person to play too large a role in a particular matter. Especially Hu Chihong, who used to be a strategist for the Luo family, and this matter is deeply involved with the Luo family. Qiao Yi naturally needs to be wary of her. He'll definitely replace people halfway through."

Li Banfeng recalled his experience at the Dark Star Bureau. "I'm familiar with this routine. Qiao Yi prepared a retinue to welcome me, but why didn't he inform me beforehand?"

Hu Chihong said, "There's no need for notification. This is—"

She stopped mid-sentence, not daring to continue.

These people were all so indirect. If only they were all like Shaojun, how much trouble could be saved.

Shaojun explained, "As for matters of etiquette, our sisters naturally understand. Logically, we should have taken Seventh Brother directly to Chaoge. But my sister didn't trust Lord Qiao, so she wanted to return to our own territory first."

"About this matter—" Hu Chihong looked at Luo Lijun.

Luo Lijun nodded slightly, understanding Hu Chihong's meaning. "Boundless City is no longer our Luo family's territory. Who is the master here now?"

Hu Chihong explained, "To be precise, it's not an outsider. Chaoge has just issued a decree, enfeoffing Boundless City to the Leopard family. The one enfeoffed here was originally also a young master of the Luo family."

Luo Shaojun exclaimed, "Are you talking about Brother Yingjun?"

Hu Chihong nodded slightly, unsure whether to be happy about this news.

Luo Yujun and Luo Xiujun remained silent, as they weren't familiar with Luo Yingjun.

Luo Yanjun generally understood the situation but didn't want to elaborate. Luo Shaojun continued to explain Luo Yingjun's background to Li Banfeng. "Seventh Brother, I told you before that I have an older brother who transformed into a leopard when he was fifteen—"

Li Banfeng remembered this person. Because he couldn't transform into a snail, this person was forced to leave the Luo family, but the Leopard family was also a regional lord, so he retained his status as a high official.

Why could he take over Boundless City?

Luo Lijun herself brought up the matter. "Does he think that if he hadn't transformed into an outsider at fifteen, Boundless City should have been handed over to him, and the family's noble title should have been his?"

Hu Chihong remained silent. It wasn't her place to comment.

Luo Lijun scoffed, "The three of us sisters just recovered from our illness, and no one dared to tell. We were afraid of trouble and even drew rashes on ourselves. But who would have thought that every move, every turn, would instantly reach Chaoge? I was wondering who told Chaoge about this, but it turns out there's a mole in the family. It seems many people in our family still have dealings with Yingjun."

Luo Shaojun asked, "Sister, what should we do? Should we stay in Boundless City?"

"Stay, why shouldn't we stay!" Luo Lijun sneered. "I told Boundless City to pick us up at the portal, and it came. Boundless City ultimately listens to me. Leopard Yingjun has no ability to control Boundless City."

Luo Yanjun reminded her, "Sister, when Yingjun was twelve, he once manipulated Boundless City to bring Father King back to Chaoge. He has the ability to control Boundless City, and he's no worse than—"

Luo Yanjun stopped mid-sentence, and Luo Shaojun completed it for her. "Sister, Brother Yingjun is no worse than you!"

Luo Lijun was about to get angry when Li Banfeng suddenly sensed imminent danger.

He turned to look at the elaborate gateway, only to see a worm standing in front of it, carrying several cargo boxes, peering inside.

The elaborate gateway was the passage between the front courtyard and the main courtyard. How did this worm reach the gateway, and where were the gatekeepers?

Li Banfeng recognized the worm.

The worm looked at Li Banfeng, seemingly recognizing him as well.

Luo Shaojun stopped Li Banfeng. "Seventh Brother, don't go yet. You're not familiar with Great Shang; you'll suffer losses if you do."

The worm trembled, and the cargo boxes on its body fell to the ground.

The parts inside the cargo boxes scattered across the floor, then quickly reassembled.

Li Banfeng was very familiar with these parts: a stylus, a platter, a mainspring, gears, and a record.

Yanjun, Yujun, and Xiujun immediately rushed forward, wanting to stop the parts from assembling, but they were battered and bruised by the gears and mainspring, forcing them to retreat. Fortunately, their shells were hard. Without the conch shell protection, these three snails would have died.

The parts assembled into a gramophone. The worm wound the mainspring fully and started playing a tune.

"Jijijia!*"

After the sound of gongs and drums, the erhu began to play, its sound extremely grating.

Yanjun, Yujun, and Xiujun rushed forward again. With a series of crisp cracking sounds, the shells of the three split, shattered by the vibrations of the music.

Conch shells that could withstand twenty thousand meters of water pressure were shattered just like that!

Shaojun's shell was also about to crack. Li Banfeng rushed forward and, relying on his quick hands, swiftly grabbed the gramophone's stylus, intending to remove the record from the platter.

The record seemed to have a life of its own, clinging tightly to the platter. Li Banfeng couldn't remove it.

His Tang saber immediately unsheathed, striking down at the record.

Sparks flew. "Didn't cut it—" the Tang saber hummed.

The record had a slight scratch but continued to spin rapidly on the platter.

The stylus extended sharp thorns all over, forcing Li Banfeng to let go.

As soon as Li Banfeng released the stylus, a passage of singing entered his ears.

"The motor pushes out the river and sea, cutting off his head and hanging it on a high pole. When the yellow robe sees the severed head, tears roll down. The Battle of Taiping, with a clatter, three cannons fire, and bloody heads roll by the roadside. The Pearl Curtain Village, with a clatter, three drums beat, and Cai Yang's head falls before the horse."

Amidst the singing, Li Banfeng's body began to tremble.

The five Luo sisters, along with Hu Chihong, all vibrated, seeming about to shatter along with their conch shells.

Was this an Inner State weapon?