Chapter 89: Original Friend Arrives

At three in the afternoon, Li Banfeng woke up groggily, suddenly hearing someone call out in his ear.

"A lone smoke column rises straight in the vast desert, the long river's sunset is round!"

"What's round?" Li Banfeng opened his eyes and saw the Tang saber standing before him.

Li Banfeng was stunned for a long moment, then heard the Tang saber slowly say, "The moment for our decisive battle has arrived."

He had almost forgotten.

Li Banfeng had agreed with the Tang saber last night to have their decisive battle today.

Flames rose from the phonograph's oil tank, and amidst the hissing steam, a song began: "Oh, my husband, I told you that you shouldn't keep this saber."

The Tang saber turned to the phonograph, seemingly wary. "This is a one-on-one, fair duel. Others should not interfere."

Hmph~

The phonograph scoffed, "And you're talking so many rules to a mere woman like me?"

The Tang saber retreated two steps and said to Li Banfeng, "You are trying to gang up on me. Even if I'm defeated, I will never admit defeat willingly."

Whoosh!

Steam billowed.

The phonograph slowly sang, "Who said anything about ganging up? Without him lifting a finger, I'll make your soul scatter right now."

"This is, this is..."

As the Tang saber was thinking of an excuse, Li Banfeng stood up, picked up a bucket to drink some water, stretched his limbs, and said to the phonograph, "My dear, I made a prior agreement with him. Today's a one-on-one duel, and I cannot go back on my word."

"Husband, this is not a joke. Even a slight mistake, and this fellow will truly take your life."

"My dear, don't worry. I am confident I can defeat him."

The Tang saber exclaimed, "Now that sounds like a true hero! Where shall we fight? Shall we go outside to fight, or do battle here?"

Li Banfeng looked around. "If we fight here, I'm afraid I'll damage my belongings."

The phonograph warned, "Husband, if you step out of this door, I won't be able to protect you!"

The Tang saber also wanted to fight outside, worried the phonograph would interfere, but couldn't say so directly.

Li Banfeng considered for a moment and said, "Let's go fight in the third room!"

The phonograph was taken aback. "What's the third room?"

"The third room, nothing else," Li Banfeng explained, referring to the newly opened third room.

The Tang saber also agreed, as it was naturally better to be further from the phonograph. "Aren't you bringing a weapon? I don't kill unarmed people."

Li Banfeng casually picked up two daggers from the ground. These daggers were crude in material and craftsmanship, typical weapons used by ordinary members of the Jiangxiang Gang.

The Tang saber was displeased with these two daggers. "To fight me with such crude weapons is to underestimate me too much."

Li Banfeng sneered, "We'll see after we fight."

The two entered the third room. This room had only recently been opened up, its area comparable to the main room, and it was quite spacious. Li Banfeng and the Tang saber stood ready, each against an opposite wall.

*Clang!* The Tang saber was drawn from its sheath, its cold gleam shining on Li Banfeng's face. "You make the first move. I'll let you have three exchanges!"

Li Banfeng took a rust pellet from his pocket.

The Tang saber scoffed, "Trying to take a pill now? I'm afraid it's too late."

Li Banfeng placed the rust pellet on one of the daggers. In no time, the dozen-centimeter-long dagger turned into a pile of rusty slag.

The Tang saber was startled, hovering back and forth near the wall. "What a powerful pellet! You want to use it against me? Let me tell you, you might not be able to hurt me, you might not even be able to touch me!"

Li Banfeng tossed the other dagger into the air and threw out a rust pellet, hitting it squarely on the blade's edge.

The dagger fell to the ground, covered in rust spots.

The Tang saber was somewhat flustered, having not expected Li Banfeng's aim to be so steady and accurate.

But then it saw the rust pellet had already fallen to the ground.

"A hero faces danger without fear, a true man would rather break than bend! Could I possibly be frightened by such a petty trick of yours!" After speaking, the Tang saber positioned itself across the center of the room, blocking the path between Li Banfeng and the rust pellet.

The rust pellet was already out of Li Banfeng's hand; it would not allow Li Banfeng to pick it up.

Li Banfeng took another rust pellet from his pocket, looked at the Tang saber, and said coldly, "You really have some nerve."

The Tang saber retreated to the wall, its blade trembling almost imperceptibly twice.

How could he have another pellet?

"Clarify what you mean. Do you truly want me to make the first move?" The distance between them was less than five meters; Li Banfeng could throw the pellet at any moment.

*Clang!*

"Achievements made, triumphs offered to the enlightened lord; portraits drawn on Qilin Terrace. This humble subordinate has wandered a lifetime and finally found an enlightened master, willing to serve him like a dog or horse." The Tang saber returned to its sheath on its own and then lay flat on the ground.

Hmph~

The phonograph in the main room scoffed, showing great disdain for the Tang saber.

Li Banfeng asked the Tang saber, "What is your name?"

"This humble subordinate has no name or surname. My lord can call me whatever he wishes," the Tang saber replied, still lying flat on the ground.

Hmph~

No name or surname?

The phonograph was a little alert.

Li Banfeng said to the Tang saber, "No name or surname? That won't do. You are a magic artifact, you should have a resounding name. I'll give you one!"

"For my lord to bestow a name upon me is this subordinate's greatest fortune!"

Li Banfeng thought for a long time and said, "From now on, I'll call you 'Second Saber!'"

The Tang saber found it vulgar, slightly rose, and said, "Why not 'Big Saber'?"

Li Banfeng took out the sickle. "He followed me first. He is 'Big Saber.'"

The Tang saber was not entirely convinced but said no more.

Li Banfeng hung the Tang saber on his belt, then felt it was a bit ostentatious. But the saber was too long to put anywhere else.

"The sickle is still more compact," Li Banfeng sighed. As soon as he did, the Tang saber suddenly shrank, becoming a dagger less than ten centimeters long.

What a good magic artifact! Not only could it change size, but it could also understand Li Banfeng's thoughts.

Li Banfeng put away the saber and returned to the main room. A puff of steam enveloped him, caressing him back and forth.

Li Banfeng was startled. "My dear, what are you doing?"

The phonograph sang softly, "My husband has returned victorious, your humble servant congratulates you."

"Don't congratulate me. I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself."

The steam dispersed, but the record still spun on the platter.

This saber, it seemed, was not an ordinary magic artifact.

At dusk, Li Banfeng left his residence and entered Qin Xiaopang's courtyard, where he happened upon Qin Xiaopang hanging clothes.

"Seventh Brother, what brings you here?" Xiaopang was very happy and quickly invited Li Banfeng inside.

"Seventh Brother, have you heard? The leader of the Second Branch of the Medicine King Hall of the Jiangxiang Gang has gone missing. He disappeared right inside the branch's headquarters, along with over a dozen people who were with him. There's no trace of them, alive or dead!"

"Something like this happened? If so, wouldn't the Jiangxiang Gang be greatly weakened?" Li Banfeng's tone, influenced by the Tang saber, was a little hard to revert.

Xiaopang scratched his scalp. "Seventh Brother, why are you speaking so formally? The Jiangxiang Gang is definitely hurt. Not only is the leader gone, but also Zhong Desong, the sage of the Second Branch, is gone. Seventh Brother, do you remember him? He even came to the bun shop for a meal last night."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I don't really remember him. With such a big incident happening to the Jiangxiang Gang, they must be hunting for the culprits, right?"

Xiaopang shook his head. "I haven't heard of that. Xiang Guicheng directly became the new head of the Second Branch, and I haven't seen him go out looking for any culprits. Though he did ask Sixth Brother Zhang a few questions today, Sixth Brother Zhang didn't pay him any mind."

When Li Banfeng blew up the Xianle Dance Hall, the Jiangxiang Gang handled it discreetly.

This time, the headquarters of the Second Branch was directly overturned, and the Jiangxiang Gang is still handling it discreetly?

This made Li Banfeng feel that the situation was becoming increasingly subtle.

At ten o'clock at night, Li Banfeng circled the outer district, returned to the inner district, and arrived near Feng's General Store.

A record stand was placed in front of the general store. This was the agreed-upon contact method between Shopkeeper Feng and Li Banfeng; seeing the stand meant Shopkeeper Feng had new information.

Was it news about the travel permit?

Li Banfeng really wanted to return to Yuezhou as soon as possible, but the twenty million yuan hadn't been raised yet, mainly because the battle at the headquarters yielded limited gains.

Only after entering the general store did he learn that there was no news about the travel permit yet, but the Red Pellets had already been sold.

Shopkeeper Feng sold them for a good price, two hundred thousand yuan. He took a twenty percent commission, giving Li Banfeng one hundred and sixty thousand yuan.

Li Banfeng was very happy. He left five more Xuanzhi Pills with Shopkeeper Feng to be sold on consignment; the goal of twenty million yuan no longer seemed so distant.

There were few pedestrians on Archway Street tonight. With continuous incidents involving the Jiangxiang Gang, people in the inner district weren't very brave about going out at night. Li Banfeng wanted to buy a newspaper and had to walk a long way before encountering a newsboy.

The evening paper was full of news about the attack on the Jiangxiang Gang's headquarters. The headline clearly stated that the leader and the sage were missing, their whereabouts unknown.

The attack on the headquarters was a big deal, but logically, the news shouldn't have spread so quickly.

This was different from the Xianle Dance Hall incident. That time, Li Banfeng used explosives, and the entire inner district was alerted.

Whereas Li Banfeng used tea at the headquarters. If the Jiangxiang Gang wanted to conceal it, they could have prevented the news from leaking.

Why did it look like they were intentionally leaking the information?

What was the Jiangxiang Gang's true intention?

Li Banfeng glanced at the second page and saw another piece of news: The Lu family had successfully reclaimed new land in Jiangyue Mountain, acquiring over two hundred mu of land exclusively.

In the photo, Li Banfeng saw Lu Dongliang, the head of the Lu family, and also recognized an acquaintance.

Private detective Daboyins!

He's in the new land at Jiangyue Mountain, reclaiming land for the Lu family?

Is he a member of the Lu family?

Not hired by the Jiangxiang Gang?

Is the Lu family looking for me?

What do they want with me?

Could it be that Lu Xiaolan has already been released?

Li Banfeng's heart sank. He folded the newspaper and prepared to go to the He family's old residence to gather information.

As he walked into Chuanzi Alley, Li Banfeng suddenly heard a familiar voice in the distance.

"Manager Qiu, I'll tell you again. We don't know if that's Miss Lu from the Lu family. We haven't seen her."

That speaking tone was too recognizable.

Xiao Yeci?

Why would she be here?

Is she looking for Miss Lu?

Li Banfeng realized the situation was bad, immediately took out his key, and entered his residence.

Xiao Yeci, Lu Chunying, and Qiu Zhiheng, the Lu family's head manager, walked into the alley together. Xiao Yeci emphasized again, "We truly haven't seen Miss Lu. If we've mistaken someone, please don't take offense."

Qiu Zhiheng smiled slightly. "Madam, young lady, you don't have to worry. I just came to take a look."

After the three had walked away, Li Banfeng quietly slipped out of his residence.

In the darkness of night, he could barely make out the backs of the three figures.

Xiao Yeci, he recognized.

Lu Chunying, he recognized.

There was also one other person he seemed to recognize, because his physique was very distinctive.

Over 1.8 meters tall, but weighing less than forty kilograms.

Monkey Qiu, the Monkey Qiu who had saved his life.