Chapter 8: Lucky Star

Yuedong Province, Yuezhou City, East Railway Station.

The East Station was Yuezhou's oldest railway station, featuring six waiting rooms. It served various types of trains, including high-speed trains, express trains, and older conventional trains.

Li Banfeng carefully checked his ticket information: Train 1160.

Why this train again?

Li Banfeng sent a message, asking if the train hadn't derailed.

He Jiaqing replied that the accident had been handled, and the train service had resumed.

Handled? Such a major incident, resolved so quickly?

The train number didn't even have a "K" prefix, meaning it wasn't even a conventional express, but one of the slowest types of trains. He hoped his hometown wasn't too far.

The ticket indicated Gate 96.

Li Banfeng walked around the waiting areas, observing many middle-aged men in suits and a considerable number of casually dressed young people. What struck him most were the simply dressed elderly passengers. They carried numerous bags: some slung over their backs, some held in their hands, and some even hoisted over their shoulders. Many also had large thermos mugs tied to the outside of their luggage—a common yet distinctive sight at train stations.

However, after looking around, Li Banfeng couldn't find Gate 96.

Li Banfeng messaged He Jiaqing, asking for the location of Gate 96. He Jiaqing replied that it was not fixed and to ask a staff member.

Li Banfeng asked five station staff members in a row. The first four told him there was no Gate 96. The fifth staff member, after reviewing Li Banfeng's ticket, led him to Waiting Hall Two. Next to the restrooms, they passed through a corridor, opened an iron gate, and entered an underground passage.

Underground passages were common at train stations, but this one was peculiar. It was long, and under dim lights, a humid, putrid odor assailed his nostrils. The ground was uneven and potholed, with woodlice crawling in puddles of stagnant water. Such a grim underground passage seemed to exist only in Li Banfeng's childhood memories. As a child, he often visited an abandoned railway station, not to board a train, but to steal scrap metal with old Mrs. Wu.

After traversing the long underground passage, the staff member led Li Banfeng directly onto the platform. The staff member produced a dark, lacquered box, shaped somewhat like a mailbox. A crank handle was on the right side of the box. The staff member turned the crank, and a ticket stub emerged from a slot at the top of the box. It was a soft paper ticket about ten centimeters long, not the familiar hard-card train ticket Li Banfeng was used to. The staff member stamped the ticket and handed it to Li Banfeng.

On the front of the ticket, every station and its arrival time were listed: Santoucha, Haichiling, Lǜshuiwan, Kudaijin... He didn't recognize any of the place names. At the very bottom of the ticket was Li Banfeng's destination for this trip: Yaowanggou.

Was Yaowanggou He Jiaqing's hometown? Li Banfeng had never been there, nor had he ever heard of it.

He checked the departure time: June 28th, 1:53 AM, approximately fifteen minutes away. Then he looked at the train's arrival time: June 30th, 7:00 AM sharp. Nearly two full days! This journey seemed quite long!

Next, he checked the seat: Carriage Seven, Seat Seven, first-class sleeper ticket. That meant a soft sleeper. A soft sleeper was at least tolerable.

A line of small print on the ticket caught Li Banfeng's eye. He read carefully: "This train provides hot water but no food. Passengers are requested to prepare their own meals."

Two-day journey, and no food sold on the train! What about snacks, drinks, and bottled water? Were there not even the most basic trolleys? Why wasn't this mentioned earlier? What was he supposed to eat for the entire journey?

There were vendors in the waiting hall; should he run back to the platform? With only fifteen minutes until departure, it seemed too late. Not only was the route too complicated, but there was also an iron gate to pass through. Moreover, if he ran into "Big-Eyed Man," he would surely be shot.

Should he try to buy something from someone on the platform? On this old, worn platform, Li Banfeng was the only one waiting. Or buy from someone once he got on the train? Would anyone be willing to sell to him?

Just then, Li Banfeng's phone rang. It was a message from He Jiaqing, asking if he had bought any food.

"You just remembered? Why didn't you remind me when I was at the supermarket?"

He Jiaqing replied, "The situation was urgent back then; I forgot. Once you're on the train, whatever you do, don't leave your compartment."

Why couldn't he leave the compartment? Did going to the restroom count as leaving the compartment? He couldn't possibly hold it for two days, could he?

While Li Banfeng was pondering this, he suddenly saw an old woman approaching on the platform, carrying a cardboard box.

"Young man, buying instant noodles?"

Li Banfeng looked at her cautiously. Someone was actually selling things on the platform! In fact, it wasn't entirely new to Li Banfeng; people often sold food on the platforms for older-style trains, and he had ridden such trains before. But why hadn't he seen this old woman earlier?

The old woman said, "The train will be here soon, and there's no food on board. Buy a few boxes to take with you!"

"How much per box?"

"Four yuan."

Only four yuan! Not to mention at a train station, even in any random supermarket in Yuezhou City, this price was incredibly fair.

"I'll take ten boxes!" Ten boxes for two days should be enough.

Li Banfeng pulled out his phone, ready to scan the QR code, when a tall man in uniform suddenly walked onto the platform and snatched a box of instant noodles from the old woman.

"Who allowed you to sell things here?" the uniformed man demanded.

"I spoke with the station master," the old woman replied tremblingly.

"I haven't heard the station master say anything about it. Goods confiscated!" The uniformed man hoisted the box and turned to leave. The old woman watched, trembling and heartbroken over the box of instant noodles, yet not daring to utter a sound.

Li Banfeng stepped forward and directly pulled the box off the uniformed man's shoulder, causing him to stumble.

The uniformed man looked startled: "What do you think you're doing?"

"What do *you* think you're doing?" Li Banfeng retorted. "Are you openly robbing her in broad daylight?"

The uniformed man frowned: "I'm a station attendant. She's operating illegally, and I'm just following regulations!"

"Operating what?" Li Banfeng looked at the old woman. "This is my second aunt; she's seeing me off and brought me a box of instant noodles. Is that a problem?"

The uniformed man was speechless for a moment. Li Banfeng turned to the old woman and said, "Second Aunt, this is far enough. I'll be boarding the train soon." As he spoke, Li Banfeng secretly slipped a hundred-yuan note into the old woman's hand.

The old woman looked at Li Banfeng and remained silent for a while.

A box of instant noodles, twenty-four packets—a bit much. Well, too much is better than too little! He could take them to He Jiaqing's home and they could eat them together.

Chuff! Chuff! Chuff! What was that sound?

Li Banfeng looked down the railway tracks to the end of his sight. First, he saw white smoke. More precisely, it wasn't smoke, but white steam. Within the steam, plumes of black gas were visible—that was the actual smoke, coal dust from burning coal.

Clank! Clank! Clank! This was the distinctive mechanical clanking sound between the crankshaft and connecting rods.

Whooosh~~~ The authentic whistle of a steam-powered train!

This was... a steam locomotive?

Li Banfeng's jaw dropped. Were there still steam locomotives in this era?

The dark, black locomotive, puffing steam, gradually slowed down as it entered the station. The doors of the older-style green carriages opened one by one, and attendants lowered the boarding steps.

Li Banfeng, carrying a box of instant noodles, walked toward Carriage Seven.

At the platform entrance, Xiao Zhengong and Lamp silently watched Li Banfeng's figure, seeing him about to board the train.

"Lamp, move in!" Xiao Zhengong gave the order.

Lamp shivered inwardly. He hadn't expected Captain Xiao to be here and yet not take action himself. Was this Captain Xiao's test for him? No, not a test, but likely his last chance.

In truth, Xiao Zhengong had considered acting himself, but he had seen the old woman on the platform, the one selling instant noodles. The old woman had been continuously watching Li Banfeng, which deeply unsettled Xiao Zhengong. He knew the old woman's identity. If she had any connection to Li Banfeng, then taking action against Li Banfeng here was absolutely out of the question; the consequences would be severe.

However, Xiao Zhengong was very reluctant to let Li Banfeng simply leave. Was this old woman truly watching Li Banfeng? Perhaps she had no connection to Li Banfeng at all. Rather than letting Li Banfeng escape, it might be better to let Lamp conduct an experiment.

"Eliminate the suspect immediately! This is the last chance!" Xiao Zhengong commanded again.

Upon hearing Xiao Zhengong's command, Lamp gritted his teeth, about to rush onto the platform, but he was pulled back from behind. Lamp turned around; the one who had stopped him was Captain Chen.

When did Captain Chen arrive? Lamp quickly saluted. Xiao Zhengong pointed at Li Banfeng, who was about to board the train, and said to Captain Chen, "Captain Chen, Li Banfeng is trying to escape. He might be carrying important items. This is our only chance to retrieve him."

Captain Chen nodded and said to Xiao Zhengong, "That makes sense. You go, I'll wait for you here."

Xiao Zhengong's cheek twitched, but he made no move. Lamp was very surprised; he didn't understand why Xiao Zhengong wouldn't take action. Was it really just a test for him?

Captain Chen looked at Xiao Zhengong and smiled, "Are you scared?"

Xiao Zhengong didn't argue. He was indeed scared. Lamp grew even more confused. Why was Xiao Zhengong scared? Why would he be afraid of an innocent like Li Banfeng?

Captain Chen looked at the old woman on the platform. "Li Banfeng took something from a 'Fortune Star,' so he's bound to encounter good luck three times. To send Lamp to apprehend Li Banfeng in front of a Fortune Star, isn't that just sending Lamp to his death?"

These words left Lamp completely dumbfounded. Who was the Fortune Star? That old woman? He would die if he went? Then why did Captain Xiao still want him to go?

Lamp stared at Captain Xiao in astonishment. Captain Xiao's expression remained unchanged, showing no hint of remorse: "I wasn't sure if that was a Fortune Star, nor was I sure if the Fortune Star had any connection with Li Banfeng."

"You weren't sure? And because you weren't sure, you wanted to use me as a guinea pig?" Lamp's face turned pale. His impression of Captain Xiao had completely changed.

Captain Xiao continued, "What Li Banfeng has is critical; he cannot be allowed to take it away. We must take a certain risk for this!"

"So I'm supposed to bear that risk alone?" Lamp stared intently at Xiao Zhengong.

Xiao Zhengong calmly replied, "That's your responsibility in the first place; you were the one who lost track of Li Banfeng!"

Captain Chen patted Lamp's back, trying to calm him. Once Lamp had calmed down, Captain Chen turned to Xiao Zhengong, "Isn't it fine to let that item go where it's supposed to go?"

Xiao Zhengong's expression was cold: "Li Banfeng isn't an Abyssal Wielder. If he takes such important items to Purozhou, it's tantamount to suicide. It would be better to..."

"I'll say it again: if you want to go, then go," Captain Chen said, his smile unwavering. "Didn't you just say you wanted to eliminate him? Go ahead, I won't stop you!"

Xiao Zhengong remained silent. He wouldn't risk his own life to provoke a Fortune Star.

Captain Chen looked at Li Banfeng's retreating back and murmured to himself: "Young man, with the Fortune Star's blessing, you should arrive safely in Purozhou. But when you return, I wonder if you'll still be the same as you are now."

Whooosh! Whooosh! The whistle sounded again, seemingly urging passengers to board quickly.

Li Banfeng arrived at the door of the green-car train. The attendant first checked his ticket, then clipped a notch in it with pliers, allowing Li Banfeng to board. Entering the narrow corridor of the carriage, Li Banfeng found his assigned spot, "Seat Number Seven."

This was... a seat?

Li Banfeng pushed open Door Number Seven. Behind the door was a small room. A private compartment? Private compartments on trains in Huanguo?

Inside the room was a long bench seat, common on older-style trains, but in Li Banfeng's memory, such benches usually came in pairs; now there was only one. In front of the bench was a small dining table, also standard on older trains, which Li Banfeng was familiar with. Next to the table was a window, with handles and latches on its two lower corners for opening it. Li Banfeng was about to open the window for some fresh air when he noticed two other doors in the small room.

Li Banfeng pushed open one of the doors, and a familiar scent wafted out. It was a restroom, and through the squat toilet, he could directly see the railway tracks. Next to the toilet was a washbasin. This was a standard restroom for older-style trains. A first-class sleeper ticket, and it even came with a private restroom?

Li Banfeng turned and pushed open the other door. Inside was another small room, or more accurately, a berth, as there was only a single bed. One bedroom, one living room, one bathroom. Was this exclusive to first-class sleepers?

Li Banfeng, worried he might be in the wrong place, was about to step out to inquire when the broadcast in the "living room" crackled to life:

"Dear passengers, welcome aboard Train 1160. Passengers who have already boarded, please do not move around freely. First-time passengers on this train, please close your curtains, do not look out the window, and absolutely do not open the windows. Train staff are only responsible for ticket checks upon boarding and arrival notifications; they will not disturb passengers at other times. Unless absolutely necessary, please do not allow strangers into your compartment. We wish you a pleasant journey."

The broadcast ended, leaving Li Banfeng puzzled by some of the strange regulations, such as why he couldn't open the window or why he had to keep the curtains closed.

His phone vibrated. Li Banfeng received a message from He Jiaqing: "Brother, make sure to strictly follow the train's regulations."