Chapter 704: Hundred Flowers Song

In the circular dance hall, Li Banfeng sat in a chair, admiring Mengde's singing and dancing.

Mengde's performance today was outstanding, drawing continuous applause from the audience, yet Li Banfeng felt something was missing.

He couldn't pinpoint whether it was technique or emotion. If his wife were by his side, she would surely point out the problem, just as she always did before bed, when Li Banfeng had Mengde sing by the bed, and his wife would be there with a board, giving her pointers.

Thinking of his wife—

Boom!

A loud noise startled Li Banfeng awake from his dream.

He realized he had dreamt an inappropriate dream.

He crawled out from under the bed, surveyed his surroundings, then retrieved the Judge's Brush from beneath a pile of newspapers.

"Brother, which chamber are you from?"

"Hmph!" The Judge's Brush was too lazy to be angry, too lazy to answer.

Li Banfeng quickly went to the main house. Hong Ying had just helped his wife up and then found Mengde under the table: "What did I tell you? Don't let Seventh Lord dream of home! You can't even get this right!"

Mengde felt wronged, and Gramophone offered a word of comfort: "It's fine. Dreams change in an instant; it's hard for Mengde not to slip up sometimes. Master, clean up and go to sleep."

Li Banfeng was too embarrassed to sleep at home. Ever since he learned the Liankuo Cave Chamber technique, whenever he dreamt of home while at home, something was bound to go wrong, sometimes turning a dozen rooms upside down.

It was understandable that he hadn't mastered the technique yet. Li Banfeng moved to Xiaoyao Wu for the night. The next morning, he went to the New Land. Today was Qin Tianjiu's day to take over the territory and become a local land deity.

Although there was a ready-made deed, Little Fatty didn't understand the process of becoming a local land deity. Ma Wu invited Feng Daiku for guidance, but unexpectedly, Pan Dehai specifically rushed from Haichilings to congratulate Little Fatty.

Upon seeing Pan Dehai, Feng Daiku turned and left. Fortunately, Pan Dehai was knowledgeable and helped Little Fatty take over the territory, also teaching him some essentials for overseeing it.

Gao Shuxia watched Qin Tianjiu, her eyes nearly falling out with envy; she also wanted to be a local land deity.

Baimuyu poked her in the small of her back: "Don't just stare, do something productive."

The two searched the crowd for a long time but didn't find Li Qi, only Ma Wu.

Baimuyu approached, bowing carefully: "May I ask if you are Young Master Ma Wu?"

Ma Wu sized her up, then nodded slightly: "Indeed, I am Ma."

Baimuyu looked up at Ma Wu, feeling slightly disrespectful, then quickly lowered her head in a flutter: "I have admired Young Master for a long time. To have the honor of meeting you today is truly a blessing."

As she spoke, Baimuyu stole a couple of glances at Ma Wu, her cheeks already flushed.

Gao Shuxia watched from the side, a cold sneer forming in her heart.

She can still blush?

Baimuyu had roamed the New Land for many years, a well-known wandering spirit. What kind of man hadn't she seen?

And she was Baimuyu; why would she need to steal glances at Ma Wu? She could look at him however she wanted; she had already seen him from head to toe. This act was clearly to extract information from Ma Wu.

However, she had heard that Ma Wu was a ladies' man; perhaps he would indeed fall for her tricks.

"Such praise from a lady; I am truly flattered. Please, this way, Miss!" Ma Wu quickly found a wooden hut and invited Baimuyu to sit.

This hut was left behind by pioneers and was very simple. Ma Wu took a tablecloth from his subordinates, spread it on the table, and arranged a teapot and some tea snacks.

He used a curtain to block the window and lit a candle.

He spread a red carpet on the floor and brought a few bunches of fresh flowers to decorate the windowsill and corners of the room. The atmosphere in the room instantly changed.

Seeing Ma Wu's effort, Gao Shuxia smiled faintly, thinking, this silly boy has taken the bait.

Baimuyu's strategy was correct: only by extracting Li Qi's thoughts through Ma Wu could the territorial matter be hoped to succeed.

After waiting for over an hour outside the wooden hut, Baimuyu emerged and nodded slightly towards Gao Shuxia.

Gao Shuxia hurried forward: "Is it done?"

Baimuyu nodded: "It's done. I told him we came with Pan Dehai, mainly to find Li Qi. We also want a new piece of land, not much, just one plot. We'll use it together. Although we're currently following Pan Dehai, we haven't done anything significant with him and have no real ties to him. From now on, we'll faithfully follow Li Qi and Ma Wu, ensuring our loyalty and never harboring second thoughts."

Gao Shuxia stared at Baimuyu for a long time, then asked: "Were you just trying to get information from Ma Wu?"

"Yes," Baimuyu nodded.

"Where is Li Qi?"

Baimuyu thought for a long time, then shook her head: "Ma Wu didn't seem to mention it."

Pan Dehai had been busy, helping Qin Tianjiu handle all the affairs. Now he was resting under a tree. Li Banfeng approached him and offered a cup of tea: "Thank you for your hard work, Old Pan."

Pan Dehai shook his head: "Qin Tianjiu and I already have a master-disciple bond, and he and you have a brotherhood. You are also a virtuous person among the younger generation. Assisting a virtuous person in virtuous deeds is truly our duty; there is no talk of hard work."

"Well said, Old Pan," Li Banfeng set down the tea, "then let's talk about the price directly."

"Brother Li Qi, you misunderstand me deeply," Pan Dehai sighed, "In all this time we've known each other, in our comings and goings, have I ever haggled with you? To speak of price so openly truly chills one's heart."

With that, Pan Dehai took out a small deity statue and handed it to Li Banfeng.

This was a statue of Seventh Lord, which Li Banfeng recognized. He already had another one, also given by Pan Dehai.

"Old Pan, is this your treasure for gathering popularity?"

Pan Dehai shook his head and smiled: "This is a technique used to gather popularity, but it's not a treasure."

This one sentence illuminated the key point.

Pan Dehai could help Li Banfeng gather popularity in Haichilings, and this was his unique method.

Li Banfeng felt the texture of the statue; the surging popularity was almost overflowing.

Pan Dehai sipped his tea and slowly said: "Haichilings has had favorable weather this year. To be honest, much of it is due to my efforts, but the credit ultimately went to Seventh Lord. I can't help but feel a bit envious."

His words were very clear: Pan Dehai had brought prosperity to Haichilings, which was the duty of a local land deity, but Li Banfeng had reaped greater benefits from it. Li Banfeng should pay for this reward.

But before paying, Li Banfeng wanted to clarify the purpose.

Pan Dehai's assistance was naturally also for a piece of the New Land.

"You want a new piece of land. What do you intend to use it for?"

If Pan Dehai said he wanted to keep it for himself to gather popularity, that would be utter nonsense. Haichilings was a large city in Luzhou, with a far greater ability to gather popularity than a single piece of new land.

"I want to reserve a territory for Gao Shuxia and Baimuyu. They've done a lot for me and will do more in the future. If I only speak of friendship without offering tangible benefits, that friendship would lack virtue."

Pan Dehai was speaking the truth, but Li Banfeng remained silent.

Pan Dehai sighed: "I know you have some grievances with these two women."

There were indeed grievances, especially with Gao Shuxia, who had previously plotted with Xiao Feng to harm Nectarine.

Baimuyu had once tried to conspire with Bashan Lord against Meng Yuchun. She had also teamed up with Gao Shuxia, hoping to fish in troubled waters and seize Back-Unrivaled's territory.

Li Banfeng remembered all these things.

"Their grievances can be settled later. I can give you this new territory, and I won't interfere with whom you entrust it to, but you must abide by my rules." Li Banfeng immediately wrote a contract.

Pan Dehai reviewed the contract and nodded: "Since it is for guarding the land of Luzhou, neither Pan nor these two women will ever ally with the Inner State or work for the Inner State in the future. This is the foundation of virtue and a virtuous act. If violated, Pan is willing to accept punishment!"

Li Banfeng smiled: "Agreeing so readily, that's not like your usual temperament."

Pan Dehai signed the contract, pressed his bloody handprint, and handed it to Li Banfeng: "The matter of Desong Cliff is vivid in my memory. That was where my Daoist sect's foundation lay, and now not a blade of grass grows there. To say I don't feel pain is a lie, but what those people did was contrary to the very essence of virtue. They deserved the bitter fruit they received!"

Li Banfeng nodded: "Did it scare you?"

Pan Dehai raised an eyebrow: "This old man has always been clear-headed when it comes to matters of fundamental right and wrong."

Li Banfeng reminded him: "There aren't so many fundamental rights and wrongs; this matter was easy to distinguish in the first place. It's good to see clearly now, but don't get confused in the future. The contract clearly states that I'll collect popularity from you every two months. Don't go back on your word then."

Li Banfeng handed a pair of contracts to Pan Dehai and placed the small deity statue on his own head.

He wasn't in a hurry to absorb all the popularity. He needed to control it, very precisely, allowing the popularity to slowly flow between his flesh and bones.

Cultivation was a grinding process. He hadn't noticed it before, but now he had some insights. He could clearly feel the stagnation in his joints and the swelling in his flesh.

The popularity slowly infused, gradually wiping away the stagnation and releasing the swelling, cycling continuously, allowing Li Banfeng to slowly experience physical comfort.

"So smooth!" Li Banfeng looked at Pan Dehai, praising him involuntarily.

"What's smooth?" Pan Dehai's old face flushed.

Li Banfeng said with a thoughtful expression: "It's so comfortable. You've lived this long, you must know this feeling."

"I don't really know..." Pan Dehai looked around and called out to Little Fatty, "Little Qin, I have something to tell you."

Pan Dehai spoke with Little Fatty about some territorial matters, then called Gao Shuxia and Baimuyu, and they left the New Land together.

Gao Shuxia was still anxious: "We searched everywhere; we didn't see Li Qi, and we haven't told him the real business yet!"

Pan Dehai shook his head: "No need to tell him; I already did."

Gao Shuxia exclaimed in surprise: "Everything is settled?"

"Everything is settled," Pan Dehai mused, "What did he mean by 'smooth'?"

Baimuyu's expression was slightly dazed: "He probably meant 'fragrant and smooth.' Fragrant and smooth good things are the most pleasing."

"Do you know where this fragrance and smoothness comes from?" Faceless picked up a piece of roast duck, looking at Zhong Er and Bulb.

Zhong Er looked at the duck, thinking carefully: "The key is the oil. The more oil, the more fragrant and smooth the duck meat."

Faceless shook his head: "Half right. More oil certainly makes it smoother, but whether it's fragrant depends on the heat. Too much heat, the oil burns, and it tastes bland. Too little heat, the oil is fishy, not only not fragrant, but cloying."

Bulb shook his head: "Duck is inherently fishy."

Faceless shook his head: "Then it depends on the condiments. To eat roast duck, you need scallions. The green leaves won't do; their texture is too coarse and chewy, ruining the tenderness of the duck meat. So, you must eat the white part of the scallion. The knife work for the scallion whites also matters. It can't be too thin; overly thin scallion shreds won't cut through the greasiness. It can't be too thick either; too much juice will overpower the duck meat's flavor. The reason I love eating at this restaurant is because they are meticulous with their food. The scallion whites are just the right thickness, and the duck pancakes are just the right thinness. We are also particular about how we eat: how much meat to roll in a pancake, how much scallion to add, how much sauce to dip—these are all knowledge."

Zhong Er followed Faceless, diligently wrapping the pancakes.

Bulb, holding the duck, just tore and gnawed, only caring about eating the meat.

Faceless was displeased, looking at Bulb: "Didn't I tell you, you have to eat with finesse?"

Bulb laughed: "I want to eat fast and go back to cultivating quickly."

Seeing his eating manners, Faceless lost his appetite: "With your comprehension, no amount of hard work will help."

While the three were eating, a girl entered the restaurant, stood in the hall, and sang a song: "In spring, a hundred flowers bloom, alone I wander in the garden of flowers. A gust of wind makes the golden fan fall, and since then, longing fills my heart."

"Song of a Hundred Flowers," the most popular tune in the streets of Greenwater City.

The girl held a flower basket, singing as she walked. She was beautiful, with an excellent figure, and her singing was soft and delicate, like a feather dancing in one's heart, making people unwilling to miss a single word.

Customers looked up, wanting another glance, then looked at the flower basket in the girl's hands, making great efforts to avoid her gaze.

Zhong Er didn't avoid her; he kept staring at the girl, and she looked back at him.

Bulb asked from the side: "What are you doing? Are you listening to the song?"

Zhong Er nodded: "Yes, isn't she singing?"

Bulb chuckled: "She's selling flowers! She's not performing for free; if you keep looking, you'll have to pay!"

While they were talking, Faceless took out a silver dollar, placed it in the girl's flower basket, and casually took a flower.

The girl looked at the silver dollar. It was enough to buy several baskets of her flowers. She wanted to give change, but Faceless gestured no. She wanted to leave all the flower baskets to Faceless, but Faceless waved his hand: "One is enough."

After eating and drinking to their fill, they left the roast duck restaurant. The three masters and disciples walked towards the residence. Not long after, Zhong Er looked back and found the flower girl still following behind them.

"Do you have anything else?" Zhong Er asked.

The flower girl lowered her head, not speaking.

"We already paid you. Consider these flowers bought by us." Zhong Er walked closer to the girl, took the flower basket, turned, and walked away.

Bulb asked Zhong Er: "What are you doing?"

Zhong Er said: "She's a flower seller. Now that her flowers are all sold, she has no reason to continue following us."

Bulb laughed: "Do you think this looks like tracking? Walking openly behind us, can that even be considered tracking?"

Zhong Er wasn't amused: "Then what do you think her intention is?"

Bulb was frustrated by Zhong Er's stubbornness. Faceless always said Zhong Er was talented, but he couldn't see where this talent lay: "The girl just wanted to express her gratitude. Things are done differently in Luzhou. Master gave her a silver dollar, and the girl is grateful. What's wrong with her following to say thank you?"

Zhong Er looked back at the girl, who was standing with her head down in the wind, silent.

"She didn't even say thank you."

"Nonsense!" Bulb frowned, "You just embarrassed her; she's upset, can't you see that?"

"We gave her money, she gave us flowers, it's a mutually agreed transaction. I don't think there's anything to be upset about." Zhong Er continued walking, holding the flower basket.

Bulb looked back at the girl and sighed helplessly.

After walking through a street, Zhong Er placed the flower basket by the roadside.

Bulb asked: "What are you doing?"

"These flowers shouldn't be brought home; it's clearly unsafe."

"What's unsafe about them?"

Zhong Er said seriously: "When I first joined the bureau, I encountered similar cases where tracking devices were hidden in souvenirs and decorations."

Bulb didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I wonder what Sister Preserves was thinking; why did she fancy you? Who hasn't encountered a flower seller while eating in a restaurant in Luzhou? How do you manage to turn it into such a big deal?"

Zhong Er approached Faceless: "Master, please give me that flower you bought too. It's really not safe."

Faceless glared at Zhong Er, held the flower, and walked ahead by himself.

Bulb looked at Zhong Er: "Being disobedient, aren't you? Do you know where you went wrong this time?"

Zhong Er shook his head: "No."

Bulb intentionally distanced himself from Faceless, lowering his voice: "When we were eating earlier, there were sellers of handkerchiefs, folding fans, and ceramic dolls. Master didn't buy anything else, so why did he specifically buy that girl's flower?"

Zhong Er understood this point: "Because the girl is pretty and sings well."

Bulb nodded: "Simply put, Master is interested in that girl. And the girl took the money and followed us out, which proves she's also interested in Master. Don't you get it?"

Zhong Er didn't get it: "Judging by Master's attire, appearance, and demeanor, that girl couldn't possibly be interested in him."

Bulb glanced into the distance: "You could say it a little louder, preferably so Master can hear you."

Zhong Er was unconcerned: "Even if he hears it, I'd say the same thing. I believe Master himself should be able to make a correct judgment. Given that girl's looks, figure, and singing skills, many people would willingly give her money. For her, this is likely a common occurrence. Her following us out of the restaurant, on the other hand, makes me find her behavior abnormal."

Bulb didn't know how to explain: "Don't always use an Outer State mindset to deal with incidents in Luzhou. What kind of person is our Master? He definitely has more experience than us. Couldn't he see what her intentions were? This flower girl might have seen our Master as a rich person and wanted to earn more money, or she might simply have thought our Master was a good person and wanted to say thank you."

Zhong Er shook his head: "If I had to explain her behavior, I'd rather believe she was interested in you, because in terms of physical appearance, you have a significant advantage."

Bulb pressed his hand down: "Don't let Master hear that. I don't want to incur Master's jealousy just because I'm better looking than him. Regardless of the reason, this flower is a cherished thought for Master, a very good one. Master said he really wants us to also practice dual cultivation, because he's never enjoyed that kind of blessing in his life. He finally has such a thought today, and you're always causing trouble. Isn't that purely annoying? Don't mention that flower again, and don't bother Master anymore. Let's just let this matter go. Go back and cultivate properly."

Bulb's words were sound. In terms of strength and experience, Zhong Er indeed couldn't compare to Faceless.

But returning to the residence and seeing that flower, Zhong Er always felt a knot in his heart. He still wanted to find an opportunity to get rid of it.

At 10:30 PM, Faceless felt a bit tired and went back to his room to sleep. The flower was in a vase by the bed.

Zhong Er entered the room, placed a teapot by the bed, and softly said: "Master, drink this if you get thirsty tonight."

Faceless nodded: "Leave the tea there, don't touch that flower."

Zhong Er's intention was exposed. He had indeed intended to take the flower while placing the tea.

Faceless sat up from the bed, looked at Zhong Er silently, and asked: "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

Zhong Er didn't know how to answer. He also couldn't fathom Faceless's temperament; he felt that this person was sometimes extremely wise, and sometimes incredibly naive.

In such situations, Zhong Er had only one coping method: if it was an enemy, say nothing and directly attack.

If it was his own person, then speak the truth: "Master, I don't believe in love at first sight, especially with the woman we met in the restaurant today. I don't believe she holds any affection for you."

Faceless frowned: "Are you saying I'm not good-looking?"

Zhong Er tried to put it as tactfully as possible: "I feel you are slightly... ordinary."

Faceless asked again: "Do you think that girl is good-looking?"

Zhong Er gave an objective assessment: "Her appearance can be described as outstanding. Her figure is even more outstanding than her appearance."

Faceless nodded: "Her figure is truly good, especially that slender waist, easily grasped in one hand. It reminds me of someone."

Zhong Er roughly understood Faceless's feelings: "Master, this girl might be very similar to someone you secretly admired back then, and today, with your extraordinary status and position, you've encountered this girl who can evoke your memories again. You want to recreate that past emotion. But I don't think such a recreation has meaning. In those youthful years, both you and that girl were certainly very innocent. If that girl didn't end up with you, it shouldn't have been because you lacked wealth or ability back then. She should have simply thought you weren't good-looking back then—"

Faceless shook his head: "Not back then. I only recently met her, or rather, I haven't really met her; I just saw her once and didn't even say hello." Faceless picked up the flower from the vase, "This girl looks very much like Chu Yaoxian, the local land deity of the New Land."

Zhong Er was stunned.

He didn't know Chu Yaoxian, but he realized that Faceless's true thoughts did not align with his guesses.

Faceless held the flower and asked Zhong Er:

"Do you know who Chu Yaoxian is?"

Zhong Er shook his head repeatedly.

Faceless smiled: "Shu Wanjuan killed twelve local land deities and spared only one. He wanted to use this land deity to entrap He Jiaqing, but unfortunately, she didn't succeed. But that doesn't mean Chu Yaoxian is useless. Chu Yaoxian is still He Jiaqing's person. She can also use the power of the Brotherhood Alliance to do things, such as having the Brotherhood Alliance provide her with an identity, like a flower seller, to gather information. After she gathers information, she might give it to He Jiaqing, or she might give it to Shu Wanjuan, because Shu Wanjuan likes to leave contingencies on others, don't you agree?"

"I don't know." The information was too much; Zhong Er couldn't react for a moment.

"I wasn't asking you," Faceless shook his head, "Old Shu, do you think I'm right?"

Zhong Er was startled, scanning the room. Was there someone else in this room?

A cold wind blew, scattering the fresh flowers in Faceless's hand. The petals flew everywhere, transforming into specks of ink.

The ink clung to the walls, leaving several lines of text: "In autumn, a hundred flowers blossom, a beautiful time and scene attest to a destined marriage. Iron hooves trample the dying candle, most pitiful are separated lovers."

These were still lyrics from the "Song of a Hundred Flowers." Twenty-eight characters transformed into writing brushes, continuously writing on the wall.

Dense characters covered every corner of the room.

From within the characters walked a man, with white hair and beard, wearing a long robe, holding a paper fan, looking like a storyteller.

Faceless looked at the storyteller and smiled: "Shu Wanjuan, you are truly without virtue. You know I've never been cherished in my life, and you let Chu Yaoxian use this trick to scheme against me. Do you really think I'd fall for it?"

Shu Wanjuan smiled: "Didn't you fall for it? I've found you. Do you think you can still get away?"

Logically speaking, Faceless indeed couldn't get away. The entire room was covered in characters, blocking all his escape routes. Shu Wanjuan hadn't left him any chance to slip away.

But Faceless showed no panic at all.

"Shu Wanjuan, do you think finding me is necessarily a good thing?"

Shu Wanjuan smiled: "Isn't it a good thing?"

A layer of oil seeped from the wall, slowly flowing over the characters.

The ink dissolved into the oil, slowly flowing down to the floor along with the oil.

Shu Wanjuan was surprised; Faceless's oil had changed, which was completely unexpected.

Now, without the encirclement of characters, Faceless could escape at any moment.

Shu Wanjuan drew out his writing brush, preparing to add more characters to trap Faceless.

But before he could swing the brush, Shu Wanjuan noticed something.

The immediate priority, it seemed, was not to trap Faceless.

He found that the oil was spreading upwards along his feet.