Chapter 688: Comradeship

Li Banfeng was sound asleep on the sofa when a woman approached him, holding a blanket, and draped it over him. Her movements were gentle, but after covering him with the blanket, she deliberately touched his face.

Li Banfeng's eyes fluttered open slightly. Through the haze, he could barely discern the woman's outline. She was tall and slender, with a delicate figure. Her supple waist swayed gently before him.

Li Banfeng smiled, then abruptly drew a sickle from beside him, pointed it at the woman, and demanded, "Who are you?"

"What are you doing?" Honglian gently touched Li Banfeng's hand with a lotus leaf.

Li Banfeng blinked and looked closely. It wasn't a woman who covered him with the blanket; it was Honglian. The graceful figure he thought he saw was just Honglian's swaying lotus leaves.

Honglian sounded a little wronged. "I was worried you'd get cold, so I kindly covered you with a blanket. Why are you pulling a knife on me?"

Li Banfeng put away the sickle and rummaged around on himself.

Honglian asked, "What are you looking for?"

"My pocket watch."

"Do you mean Mengde? You sent her to attend to Zhao Xiaowan."

Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead and woke up the Projector. "Check your phone, what time is it?"

The Projector yawned, glanced at it, and replied, "Eight in the morning."

Li Banfeng tidied his clothes, washed his face, and prepared to leave.

Honglian asked, "Where are you going?"

"Work!" Li Banfeng said. "The Dark Star Bureau starts at 8:30. If I'm late, they'll dock my pay."

This was clearly a joke, and Honglian chuckled. "I don't think you're rushing to work. You're going to investigate the stairwell, aren't you?"

Li Banfeng picked up Honglian, placed her on the table, and gently caressed her lotus heart. "A-Lian, you saw what happened to me in the warehouse yesterday, didn't you?"

"I did. You'd best not go to that warehouse again. Little Train was injured and fell asleep; I don't know when he'll wake up. If you encounter Old Train again, no one will be able to save you."

Li Banfeng gently touched each of the seven holes on the lotus heart, asking softly, "You're very knowledgeable. Can you tell me what mysteries that warehouse holds?"

Honglian rotated her lotus heart, drawing Li Banfeng's finger inside. "This isn't something that can be explained in a few words. Old Train is a Grandmaster of Artificing. If he made that warehouse, it must possess great spiritual energy. If that energy reaches a certain level, the warehouse will undergo countless changes.

"It's like our own house. You've lived here for three whole years, but can you honestly say you've fully comprehended all its mysteries?"

Li Banfeng withdrew his finger and stroked a lotus leaf. "As long as we find the mechanism, we might find a way to control the walls."

Honglian wrapped a lotus leaf around Li Banfeng's wrist. "Little Jiu'er is a clever girl, but she's not an Artificer after all. In her eyes, every artificing method must have a mechanism. Her understanding of artificing is limited to that. As I said before, Little Train was made by Old Train. Can you even tell me where his mechanism is?

"One must know their own limitations. Jiu'er is used to being overconfident, and a few boastful words from her don't really matter. But you've been through a lot in Outer State; you need to understand the gravity of situations. Charging alone into a den of dangers, do you think you can always escape unscathed? Even one misstep could cost you your life. If you ask me, you shouldn't go to that building ever again."

Li Banfeng moved his hand back to the lotus heart. "Hua Jiu'er, why are you being so caring today?"

Honglian tightened her lotus leaves, wrapping them firmly around Li Banfeng's hand. "It's not exactly caring for you. I'm just worried that if something happens to you, I'll be stuck here and never be able to leave. You've put so much effort into the stairwell; you just want to figure out the origin of the boundary lines, right? Am I wrong?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "You really understand me."

Honglian chuckled. "In this house, besides Zhao Xiaowan, who understands you better than I do? She's desperately researching the boundary lines, isn't that also to please you?"

Li Banfeng laughed. "Do you also think the Dark Star Bureau is connected to the boundary lines?"

Honglian said, "The boundary lines are controlled by Outer State, and yesterday, boundary lines appeared in that warehouse. There's definitely a connection. I just don't know why you're putting so much thought into the boundary lines. You have status and position in both Outer State and Inner State. Why bother toiling for Prolo State? You'd be better off enjoying your carefree life."

Li Banfeng shrugged his eyebrows. "You make a good point. I'll give it some serious thought."

Upon reaching the main house, the entire family was still asleep. With no concept of day or night in the portable dwelling, no one had a habit of waking early. And now that Mengde was gone, it was unclear when they would wake up.

As Li Banfeng approached the door, Hongying, carrying a washbasin and yawning, caught up to him from behind. "Seventh Brother, please pour out the wash water."

"Why are you so diligent today!" Li Banfeng took the basin.

"Seventh Brother, what are you saying? When am I not diligent? I'm a house spirit; I have to keep the house clean."

That was true. House spirits loved cleanliness. With the Mistress away, cleaning the rooms naturally fell to Hongying.

After pouring out the wash water and returning the basin, Li Banfeng looked at Hongying. House spirits loved cleanliness. This fact seemed to have been overlooked.

As soon as Li Banfeng left, Fifth Maiden's figure appeared on the wall.

"Senior, I truly can't learn your schemes. Covering him with a blanket, I thought you were letting him sleep longer, but in fact, you were waking him up. You advised him not to go to the Dark Star Bureau, yet you revealed secrets related to the boundary lines. This will only make him determined to get to the bottom of things. Senior, your methods are so brilliant, could you teach me a few more tricks?"

Honglian looked at Fifth Maiden. "That's just how he is. What he wants to do, he's determined to accomplish. The fire has already started. All I did was add a bit of fuel. Instead of bickering with me here, you should do something productive. Don't forget what I told you."

Arriving at the Dark Star Bureau, Li Banfeng locked his office door, brewed a pot of tea, and poured several cups. "Everyone, please make yourselves at home. Let's chat while we drink."

Banfeng B held a teacup, mimicking the act of drinking. "I bet this tea is delicious. If only I could use your body for a couple of days, I'd definitely savor the taste."

Li Banfeng continued, "The main reason I've gathered you all today is for one thing. Our previous investigation of the stairwell was a bit rash. For the next steps, I want to refine our plan further to minimize risks."

Banfeng B stated, "If we don't go, there's no risk."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "Not going is not an option."

Banfeng B added, "Go find He Jiaqing, make a deal, and get his information. We could reduce a lot of risk that way."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I will never make a deal with He Jiaqing."

Banfeng B asked, "What do you propose then?"

Li Banfeng said, "My idea is that we shouldn't act together. We should form a vanguard unit to conduct exploratory investigations of critical areas, to avoid a single accident leading to total annihilation."

Banfeng B fell silent.

Li Banfeng surveyed the others. "Does anyone have any opinions?"

Banfeng Zi said, "The sage said, Banfeng B is most suitable to be the vanguard!"

Banfeng B kicked Banfeng Zi. "Which sage said that?"

After careful discussion, the Banfengs decided to form a vanguard unit, which would consist solely of Banfeng B.

Banfeng B asked Li Banfeng, "Why can't we consider making a deal with He Jiaqing? He Haisheng has been in our hands all this time, and he's not very useful."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I suspect He Jiaqing doesn't have very valuable information at all. Even if he did, he wouldn't easily tell me."

He Jiaqing was inspecting the venue in Chu Yaoxian's territory. Today, he was holding an important meeting where thirteen local deities, who had agreed to ally with him, would officially join the Brotherhood Alliance. For this meeting, He Jiaqing had specifically built an assembly hall in Chu Yaoxian's territory and had Chu Yaoxian arrange for wilderness reclamation in advance, keeping all the three-headed people busy with reclamation and as far away from the hall as possible.

Chu Yaoxian was very meticulous, and there were no oversights in the venue.

He Jiaqing sat beside the conference table, rehearsing his speech once more. "Today we gather here for our own dignity and honor! From this day forward, we shall no longer be beholden to anyone. Brothers and sisters of the Brotherhood Alliance must stand tall, and with the camaraderie of blood and bone, carve out a territory that belongs to us!"

After rehearsing, He Jiaqing looked at the restless Zou Guoming. "Big Head, what's wrong?"

Big Head said, "We just received news from Outer State; they still haven't found any trace of Third Master. It seems we won't find him on our own. For this, we'll probably just have to wait for Li Qi to relent."

He Jiaqing shook his head. "Li Qi won't relent. He won't make a deal with me at all."

Big Head couldn't understand. "Then why did you bring it up to him?"

He Jiaqing said, "I brought up that deal with him to keep him temporarily in Outer State."

Big Head asked in surprise, "You're counting on him staying at the Dark Star Bureau to investigate this?"

He Jiaqing smiled. "I wouldn't say I'm counting on it, but I'm at least ninety percent sure. We went to the Dark Star Bureau, and although we didn't rescue Third Uncle, it caused a big commotion. With something so important in the Dark Star Bureau, how could Li Qi easily give up?"

Big Head lowered his voice. "It's a pity we found too little. If we had more clues, we might be able to get Li Qi to cooperate with us."

He Jiaqing offered Big Head a cigarette. "Brother, no matter how many clues we have, Li Qi won't cooperate with us. Even if I saw the entire Dark Star Bureau clearly, Li Qi wouldn't trust me. He's the head of the Dark Star Bureau; he has ample opportunity and time to investigate the entire matter. He only trusts the results of his own investigation. This current situation is already very good for us. As long as he stays in Outer State, he won't have a chance to ruin our plans. Otherwise, we wouldn't even be able to hold today's meeting."

Big Head shook his head. "It wouldn't be that bad. There are still ways to deal with him."

He Jiaqing gave a bitter smile. "What methods do you have to deal with him? Do you know how many things he's ruined for us? Do you know Gu Wuyan?"

Big Head actually knew Gu Wuyan. "Old Duan and I went to see him once. He's a master of rapping. He angered me so much that I didn't eat for a day. When I ascend to the clouds later, I'll definitely teach him a lesson."

He Jiaqing sighed. "Gu Wuyan's words are irritating, but at least we could talk before. Now, there's nothing to discuss, because Li Qi has already given him the contract."

Big Head frowned. "When did that happen?"

He Jiaqing said, "Just these past few days. Now Gu Wuyan is spreading the word everywhere, saying that Li Qi is generous and gave him the contract after just one meeting. Many local deities secretly want to follow Li Qi. We've been working so hard; how can we endure him stirring up trouble like this? Wouldn't it be better if he stayed in Outer State for a couple more days?"

Big Head thought for a moment. "Once Li Qi finishes his investigation, he'll definitely return to Prolo State."

"How easy do you think it is to investigate?" He Jiaqing lit a cigarette and took a puff. "But we really do need to hurry and settle things as quickly as possible before he comes back to cause trouble."

At seven in the evening, the thirteen local deities arrived one after another. After exchanging greetings, they took their seats. He Jiaqing scanned the assembly. As a theft practitioner above the Clouds, He Jiaqing could discern much from the expressions of different people.

All thirteen local deities had signed contracts with He Jiaqing. There was no need to worry much about people like Zhuang Jiahan, the Cultivation Practitioner. Having signed the agreement, he would certainly fulfill his obligations, and his presence today was merely a formality. However, someone like Qiu Sandao, the Blade Cultivator, sat casually, looking languid. Although he had a smile, it didn't reach his eyes, and he occasionally sipped tea, indicating that he might still be unpredictable. And then there was Han Huozui, the Smoke Cultivator, with his gloomy gaze and disdainful expression, seemingly prepared to breach the contract.

The contracts contained curses. If they broke their oaths, weren't they afraid He Jiaqing would retaliate harshly? Of course they were afraid, but it depended on how they broke the contract. If they could accuse He Jiaqing of not upholding his end of the agreement, the curses on the contract might not take effect. Even if they couldn't pin it on He Jiaqing, as long as they could incite others in the venue to put pressure on him together, they genuinely doubted He Jiaqing would curse all of them to death.

Besides the local deities, Duan Shuqun and Qian Xiangjun were also present. Big Head and Shen Rongqing were outside, coordinating. There was also an old gentleman, wearing glasses and a blue-green long gown, holding paper and a pen, whose purpose was unknown.

He Jiaqing glanced at him. The old man smiled and said, "I am a member of the Brotherhood Alliance. Miss Shen asked me to take notes."

Shen Rongqing always did such superfluous things. What was the use of taking notes at this kind of meeting? He Jiaqing was somewhat displeased but found it hard to show it. Shen Rongqing just had this habit of wanting everything documented. Fine, when the empire took shape in the future, this record might be considered a historical document.

The meeting began. He Jiaqing hadn't even finished his speech when he was interrupted by Han Huozui, the Smoke Cultivator. "I say, Jiaqing, can you get to the point? Stop talking about empires and dignity. How can we have dignity if you don't give us the contracts? Our lives are still in your hands; how can we speak of empires?"

He Jiaqing was not annoyed. He said with a smile, "Brother Han, haven't we already agreed about the contracts? They will be returned to their rightful owners immediately after you all officially join the Brotherhood Alliance."

Han Huozui inserted a cigarette into his cigarette holder and, exhaling smoke, slowly said, "Let's be clear about this. You said 'after joining the Brotherhood Alliance.' When exactly is that? In three days, a month, or ten or eight years? Do you have a definite timeline?"

Just as He Jiaqing was about to speak, Shen Rongqing entered the conference room, approached He Jiaqing, and whispered in his ear, "Chu Huaiyuan has brought people to the territory, saying they want to reclaim land."

Chu Huaiyuan arrived at this moment? He Jiaqing observed the expressions of the local deities. Some were staring at He Jiaqing, some at Han Huozui, and a few were whispering among themselves. Were they in contact with Chu Huaiyuan? Or perhaps with Chu Huaiyuan's father, Chu Shaoqiang?

He Jiaqing exited the hall and said to Shen Rongqing in a low voice, "You and Big Head go together. Find an excuse to detain Chu Huaiyuan and prevent her from approaching the venue."

Just as Shen Rongqing was about to leave, He Jiaqing called her back. "Take Old Duan with you. I'm worried Big Head might lose his cool. Remember, whatever you do, don't harm Chu Huaiyuan." Chu Er was Granny Ku's disciple, and He Jiaqing certainly didn't want to fall out with Granny Ku over this.

Shen Rongqing called Duan Shuqun, and the two left the venue together.

Duan Shuqun grumbled, "Why did you get someone to take notes? Jiaqing doesn't like that."

"Huh? Really?" Shen Rongqing didn't understand. Who got someone to take notes?

Inside the hall, the debate was fierce. No matter how He Jiaqing explained, Han Huozui clung stubbornly to one point: "Jiaqing, just give us a firm answer. When will you hand over the contracts?"

He Jiaqing said, "Didn't I just say? When we're united as one, the contracts will naturally be returned to everyone."

Han Huozui changed the cigarette in his holder. His tone changed, and his expression shifted. "We've even signed contracts with you; doesn't that count as being united? We're being sincere with you, so you can't just keep giving us empty promises, can you?"

Qiu Sandao, the Blade Cultivator, nodded. "I think Old Han makes a good point. We should be wary of those who haven't signed contracts, but we have. Don't you trust us? Look at how straightforward Li Qi handles things. Gu Wuyan signed a contract with Li Qi and got the agreement on the spot. We haven't even seen what our contracts look like yet!"

At these words, those around them responded one after another. "Gu Wuyan has been beaming these past two days, showing off to everyone he meets."

"Why shouldn't he show off? He has the real thing! Seventh Master truly gets things done!"

"Seventh Master is a prince of Inner State. If he says he'll give you the contract, he really will!"

"Who among us has it? I heard it's only Chu Yaoxian who has her contract, and that's because they slept in the same bed. We don't even know where our contracts are, and now that we've joined the Brotherhood Alliance, we've offended Seventh Master. What was the point of all this?"

Chu Yaoxian's face flushed crimson.

Even the most honest, Zhuang Jiahan, felt indignant and joined in the discussion with the others.

The old gentleman taking notes waved his hand. "Everyone, please stop arguing."

He Jiaqing frowned. What right did this man have to speak here?

Han Huozui, the Smoke Cultivator, looked at the old gentleman. "Who are you? You say stop arguing and we stop? Are we supposed to take orders from you?"

The old gentleman shook his head. "How dare I give orders to you all? I'm old, and my hands are slow. You're saying so many things at once, I can't keep up with my notes."

Qiu Sandao, the Blade Cultivator, laughed. "If you can't write it down, then don't do this job! Is the Brotherhood Alliance full of people like you? Are you here just to make a fool of yourselves?"

That single sentence implicated He Jiaqing and the entire Brotherhood Alliance.

The old gentleman sighed. "Please excuse me. If I wrote a bit messily, I could barely keep up. But for such an important meeting, I think it's better to write neatly."

Han Huozui blew smoke towards the old gentleman. "I don't know many characters. What do you mean by 'messy'? What do you mean by 'neat'? Can you explain?" He was just looking for an opportunity to cause trouble, and this old gentleman had just fueled his fire.

The old gentleman patiently explained, "Omitting some strokes makes it messy. For example, the character meaning 'kill' can be simplified. If it were written even simpler, one horizontal stroke would be enough."

Han Huozui laughed. "Do you really think I'm illiterate? A single horizontal stroke means 'kill'?"

"It doesn't?" The old gentleman held his pen and drew a horizontal stroke in the air.

Han Huozui's eyes narrowed, and a horizontal mark appeared on his neck. Blood flowed from that horizontal mark, piercing through to the back of his head, and Han Huozui's head instantly fell off.

The group of local deities was terrified. Before they could react, the old gentleman looked at Qiu Sandao and said, "You just said I couldn't do this job? I just wrote a bit slowly, and you smashed my rice bowl?"

Qiu Sandao quickly activated his Blade Cultivation technique, and a flurry of invisible blades surged towards the old gentleman.

The old gentleman wrote a 'blade' mark towards Qiu Sandao, and all the invisible blades dissipated. This 'blade' mark descended from Qiu Sandao's forehead to his chin, leaving an impression on his face. Half of Qiu Sandao's head was severed, yet he remained seated in his chair, maintaining his previous casual, languid posture.

The remaining local deities rose to their feet, trying to flee, but discovered that the walls were covered with dense, emergent symbols. These symbols detached themselves from the walls one by one, slowly encircling everyone.

The old gentleman sat at the conference table and sighed. "See, you've said so much, and I've written it all down. It wasn't easy."

One local deity tried to crash through the wall to escape, but before he could touch it, he was pierced through by a 'contract' symbol. The 'contract' symbol had many strokes, which sliced the deity into fine fragments of flesh and blood, scattering them across the floor. Another local deity tried to fight the old gentleman, but before he could get close, a 'fire' symbol circled him repeatedly, burning him to ashes.

Zhuang Jiahan, the Cultivation Practitioner, seeing there was no escape, knelt on the ground and begged the old gentleman for mercy. "Grandpa, please spare my life. I'll listen to whatever you say. From now on, I'll listen to Master He."

"Listen to Master He?" The old gentleman smiled. "Where is Master He?"

Zhuang Jiahan looked back and saw that He Jiaqing was not in his seat. He Jiaqing's figure was nowhere to be found in the entire hall.

"You've mistaken the wrong person," the old gentleman sighed.

Zhuang Jiahan turned to run, but after only two steps, a symbol of 'He' pierced through his body. Zhuang Jiahan felt a chill run through his body, watching his own flesh and blood fall to the ground piece by piece.

He Jiaqing ran out of the assembly hall, sprinting dozens of meters, when suddenly a 'thief' symbol appeared before him. He Jiaqing didn't rush to dodge. He knew he was surrounded; a 'thief' symbol was approaching him from every direction—front, back, left, right, above, and below. He held something firmly in his left hand. He stretched out his right hand and, using a ring on his finger, swiped across the 'thief' symbol. In an extremely short time, the 'thief' symbol was split into its component parts: 'shell/money' and 'military/weapon'. He Jiaqing used this "stolen" space to dash through the gap.

After running for over ten miles, He Jiaqing was surrounded by hundreds of 'thief' symbols more than a dozen times, yet he always managed to escape successfully using the "stolen" space.

Reaching a small river, He Jiaqing stopped. He saw the old gentleman had lit an oil lamp and was sitting by the river, reading a book.

He Jiaqing bowed and saluted, saying, "Senior, how have I offended you?"

The old gentleman smiled. "Back then, you went to Chaoge to steal contracts and were caught once, nearly losing your life. How long ago was that? And yet you dare to steal in Chaoge again. You truly live up to your name as the disciple of Laughing Thousand Hands. You are far too greedy."

A 'greedy' symbol flew towards him. He Jiaqing swung his right arm, attempting to use his ring to split the 'greedy' symbol and create an escape route for himself. But this time he failed. The old gentleman had written the 'greedy' symbol in a cursive style, so its 'now' and 'shell/money' components could not be separated, and the other strokes were so forceful that they were impossible to dismantle. The symbol adhered to He Jiaqing's chest. Blood appeared on He Jiaqing's body, and the wound was deep enough to show bone. He was still struggling, trying his best to evade the trajectory of the 'greedy' symbol. After much struggle, He Jiaqing managed to steal the spiritual energy from the 'greedy' symbol. The symbol dissolved into ink and fell to the ground.

He Jiaqing clutched his chest with his right hand, his left hand still holding something tightly.

The old gentleman asked, "What are you holding in your hand?"

He Jiaqing did not answer.

The old gentleman dipped his finger in the river water and wrote an 'open' symbol in the air.

He Jiaqing's left hand was compelled by an invisible force, forced to open his palm. In his palm was a bitter vegetable.

The old gentleman smiled. "Granny Ku, how many years has it been since we last met?"

From afar, a woman's voice replied, "Shu Wanjuan, you've become a Marquis in Inner State. How could a commoner like me possibly meet you?"

"Regardless of our current statuses, the camaraderie we shared in the past remains," Shu Wanjuan waved to Granny Ku. "Come over and say something."