Chapter 297: Projected Image
Inside Freewind Wharf, Li Banfeng patiently explained the whole thing to Ma Wu.
"You lot were all waiting at the Lu Family's place to ambush Ling Miaoying," he said. "But while you were waiting there, Ling Miaoying sneaked over here and tried to ambush Freewind Wharf instead. That's called taking advantage of an opening. That's called luring the tiger away from the mountain. That's called making noise in the east while attacking in the west. You get it?"
Ma Wu nodded at once. "I get it."
"But what he didn't expect was that I stayed behind at Freewind Wharf. So when he finally made his move, he wasn't ready for me at all, and I caught him red-handed. You can understand that part too, right?"
Ma Wu nodded again. "I can."
Li Banfeng frowned. "So with this explanation, you should at least be able to clear things up with Qiu Zhiheng and the others, right?"
Ma Wu shook his head. "Nope. Can't explain it."
"How can you not explain it?"
"Old Qi, let's be reasonable here. What kind of cultivation does Ling Miaoying have? What kind of tricks and schemes does he have? The guy's cautious as hell too. How could someone like him be so easy to ambush?
"The Lu Family sent so many people after him and still couldn't kill him. Yet you somehow sneak up on him casually and kill him just like that?"
Li Banfeng also felt that the gap in strength was not something that could be explained so easily.
First of all, Ma Wu couldn't explain Li Banfeng's actual cultivation level was.
Secondly, although Li Banfeng possessed the strength of a level-six Wanderlust Cultivator and a level-five Homebound Cultivator, a good deal of luck had played a part in him killing Ling Miaoying.
"Of course, I wasn't the only one who killed Ling Miaoying. Someone helped me along the way. It's just that this person's identity is a bit special, so I can't reveal who he is yet. Strictly speaking, he shouldn't have come here at all." Li Banfeng casually made up a lie to brush Ma Wu off for the time being.
Unexpectedly, Ma Wu took it seriously. "Was it an expert from the New Land?"
The New Land? What does this have to do with the New Land?
Still, as long as Ma Wu was willing to believe it, Li Banfeng did not mind going along with the story.
"Yeah, it was indeed an expert from the New Land. And not one of the two land deities we already know about either. This one had some ugly business with the Ling Family. A real grudge. So when the chance appeared, he simply chopped off Ling Miaoying's head while helping us out along the way. He helped us solve a problem, and he got rid of a thorn in his own flesh at the same time. He's not willing to reveal his name, but I can tell you secretly..."
Li Banfeng was just about to make up some random name to fool Ma Wu. There were countless territories in the New Land anyway. There was no way Ma Wu could run around verifying them one by one.
Unexpectedly, Ma Wu waved both hands frantically.
"Don't say it! Don't tell me! If the man doesn't want his name revealed, then keep it hidden. What if he decides to come back and settle accounts with us someday?"
Li Banfeng rather admired that side of Ma Wu's personality.
Li Banfeng helped Ma Wu patch up a few more details, and little by little, Ma Wu finally sorted out the whole story in his head.
"I will explain the entire matter clearly to Monkey Qiu," Ma Wu said. "And this head... We will treat it as a generous gift for him. Something like this is definitely useful to him!"
Li Banfeng grinned. "Then I will leave it to you!"
Ma Wu returned to the dance hall and said to Lu Chunying, Qiu Zhiheng, and Tan Fucheng, "Brothers, Sister Chunying, could I trouble you all to come with me to another private room?"
The three of them froze for a moment, unable to understand what he meant.
They were already sitting in a private room. The kitchen had prepared a full table of food and wine, and the three of them had been eating and drinking quite comfortably. Why switch rooms all of a sudden?
Ma Wu quickly explained, "The food and wine in the other room are even better."
This time, they understood. There was something waiting for them in that other private room. The three of them immediately got to their feet and followed Ma Wu there. That room also had a table full of food and wine prepared.
After shooing away everyone else, Ma Wu bent down, pulled out a box from beneath the table, and lowered his voice.
"Don't blame me for ruining everyone's appetite," he said, "but this thing has to be brought out right now."
Then he opened the box, and inside sat Ling Miaoying's head. The three people around the table stared with bulging eyes and stiff faces. They were utterly shocked.
Monkey Qiu stayed silent for a long while, simply staring at the head without blinking.
Meanwhile, Tan Fucheng, the Devotion Cultivator, asked, "Old Wu... where did this thing come from? Is it some kind of wax figure?"
Ma Wu shook his head. "Big Brother Tan, go ahead and touch it."
Tan Fucheng cautiously reached out with one finger and gave the head a light poke. The skin felt just like real flesh!
He stared at Monkey Qiu and shouted, "It's real!"
Qiu Zhiheng asked, "Junyang... what in the world is going on here?"
Ma Wu began telling the nonsense story that Li Banfeng had told him.
"You all already know there's been some bad blood between us and Ling Miaoying..."
Monkey Qiu and Tan Fucheng already knew all about it. The bad blood between the two sides had started over movies, and ever since then they had been sniping at each other whenever they got the chance.
A few days ago, Ling Miaoying had even gone out of his way to make Ma Wu lose face at a premiere event. The atmosphere turned ugly so fast that the two groups had nearly started swinging fists right there in front of everyone.
"Last night, we were all over at Grand Old Master Lu's place discussing how to get revenge. However, we figured someone might try to take advantage of the situation and sneak into Freewind Wharf while the place was empty, so we tightened security ahead of time and hired a few experts to stand guard. Unexpectedly, Ling Miaoying actually showed up.
Tan Fucheng's jaw nearly dropped. "Ling Miaoying went to Freewind Wharf last night?"
Ma Wu nodded.
Tan Fucheng was confused. "Ling Miaoying personally came to Freewind Wharf to smash the place up?"
That was the one part of the story that was hardest to explain. Of course, Ling Miaoying hated Ma Wu. The Legendary Bloodspear Detective had almost destroyed The Legendary Bloodblade Detective. What had once been hailed as a miracle of the film industry had now become the kind of artsy movie only a niche audience could appreciate. However, no matter how much Ling Miaoying hated Ma Wu, a cautious man like him would never personally come to smash up Freewind Wharf, especially on a night as unusual as last night.
Fortunately, Li Banfeng had already prepared an explanation for Ma Wu.
"Ling Miaoying came for the film reels last night. To be honest with you two, my next movie is already more than halfway filmed. The reels are being stored at Freewind Wharf right now. Once they are edited a little, it will be ready for release."
Monkey Qiu and Tan Fucheng stared blankly for a moment. Neither of them knew much about movies.
Lu Chunying suddenly cried out, "Good heavens, that was close! If he had stolen those reels, wouldn't the next installment of The Legendary Bloodspear Detective have ended up belonging to the Ling Family instead?"
Once someone played along, the rest of the story became much easier to sell.
This time, Monkey Qiu and Tan Fucheng understood as well.
So they were fighting over this movie. Sounds more like businessmen fighting over money than anything else. But can one movie really make Ling Miaoying take action personally?
Maybe. After all, The Legendary Bloodspear Detective movies have been earning mountains of money.
Monkey Qiu and Tan Fucheng both knew that already. Everybody in Yuezhou knew it.
Even so, Tan Fucheng still could not wrap his head around the important part.
He blurted out, "Then what kind of monster did you hire that could actually kill Ling Miaoying?"
Ma Wu fell silent for a moment before saying. "Not the sort of expert people like us normally get to meet."
Tan Fucheng had spent half his life wandering the jianghu, yet Ma Wu's words only confused him more. "Then how are you supposed to meet someone like that?"
Ma Wu lowered his voice mysteriously. "You have to go through the one that rules over the ones that control a domain."
That only made Tan Fucheng feel even more lost. "Which domain are you talking about?"
As long as it was somewhere in Greenwater Bay, there was not a single local branch master or domain boss that Tan Fucheng did not know by name.
Monkey Qiu stopped Tan Fucheng and signaled for him not to ask any further.
Monkey Qiu had caught the hidden meaning in Ma Wu's words. The one in charge that Ma Wu meant was not the boss of a domain but a land deity.
In Puluo, very few cultivators ever dealt with land deities directly. Monkey Qiu, however, was one of the rare exceptions. He shared close relationships with several land deities.
If Ma Wu had really hired that expert through a land deity, then this matter absolutely could not be discussed openly. It would do no good for the person speaking about it, nor for the person listening.
At the very least, Ling Miaoying's death now had an explanation. The next issue was what to do with his head.
Monkey Qiu looked at Ma Wu and said, "Junyang, I can make very good use of this thing. A very, very good use. Just name the price, and I will buy it from you."
Ma Wu immediately shook his head. "Brother Qiu, what are you saying? I brought it here because I intended to give it to you as a gift in the first place. The moment you start talking about money, you are treating me like an outsider."
Qiu Zhiheng shook his head. "I never ask favors from others for nothing. Just name your price."
Ma Wu did have something in mind. He and Li Banfeng had already discussed it before. "Old Qi and I have only just started doing business at Blackstone Slope, and there are still some connections we haven't opened up yet."
Qiu Zhiheng glanced at Lu Chunying.
Lu Chunying understood at once. "In a couple of days, Elder Brother Qiu and I will make a trip to Blackstone Slope. It will be a good chance for me to learn the ropes of doing business."
Tan Fucheng praised her inwardly. This girl really did know some things without needing to be taught.
With that, both parties settled the matter and returned to their drinking.
Ma Wu left the banquet halfway through and hurried back to share the news with Li Banfeng, only to find the room empty again.
By then, Li Banfeng had already returned to the Pocket Dwelling. He was lying in bed, fast asleep. After running for an entire night and then surviving a fierce battle with Ling Miaoying, he had pushed himself to the limit. His body was badly drained, and only a proper sleep could help him recover.
The Gramophone was also sleeping soundly. After consuming Ling Miaoying, she needed time to gather her strength. Once she woke up, she would be able to help Li Banfeng advance to level six.
As for the Crimson Lotus, after eating Ling Miaoying's corpse, she had also finished refining Wu Decheng's corpse from before. In the end, she made more than eighty Mystic Blazing Pills.
This time, the Crimson Lotus had made Mystic Blazing Pills again, and Li Banfeng was not happy about it. If she made more Mystic Blazing Pills with Ling Miaoying's corpse again, he would need to have a proper talk with the Crimson Lotus.
However, none of that was the main point. The main point was the Pocket Dwelling's current condition. Why had it suddenly gone to Blackstone Slope? The Pocket Dwelling was supposed to follow the key. What caused this sudden change?
Li Banfeng could not figure it out, and he was very worried.
What if one day, while I'm inside the Pocket Dwelling, I suddenly think of the Outer Provinces? If I keep thinking about it, could the Pocket Dwelling take me straight back there? If that happens, how am I supposed to come back for the key? Or maybe the Pocket Dwelling has already stopped following the key. Maybe from now on, I can bring the key inside the house with me.
This thought lingered in Li Banfeng's mind for a long time.
During his year in Puluo, the key had always been one of his greatest worries. Every time he entered the Pocket Dwelling, he could never fully relax, because the key was still outside.
It had been stuck to a black bear, swept away by insects, and even picked up by Chu Huaiyuan. If he could keep the key with him at all times, then this hidden danger that had been weighing on him for so long would finally disappear.
Before going to sleep, Li Banfeng stood at the entrance of the Pocket Dwelling for a long time, holding the key in his hand. In the end, he still did not bring it inside.
When the Peddler had given him the Pocket Dwelling, he had warned him again and again never to take the key inside. If he did, he would be trapped there with no way out.
The Pocket Dwelling had changed, but did that mean this absolute rule had changed as well? Li Banfeng did not dare take that gamble, especially when he still could not figure out what had caused the Pocket Dwelling to change in the first place.
Who could give him the answer? As far as he knew, only three people might be able to give him an answer. One was Grandpa Train, but he was in the Inner Provinces, so Li Banfeng had no way to ask him. Another was the Peddler. Since his movements followed a pattern, finding him would not be too difficult. But would the Peddler tell him the truth? Li Banfeng had no idea.
There was one other person. She might not know the whole story, but she definitely knew part of it. After all, the Pocket Dwelling got along with her very well and worked well with her.
Would she tell me the truth?
Li Banfeng thought about this for a while, and as he thought, he felt his mind growing fuzzy and his eyelid growing heavier and heavier.
He looked at the Dream Virtue hanging on the wall and gave it a final reminder. "Give me something nice to dream about."
Dream Virtue nodded and played a soft little tune, the sort that could make a person's bones go warm and his eyelids give up the fight. Before long, Li Banfeng was asleep.
The moment he slept, the Glove slid quietly into the second room. It did not go to the third room. That room was far too strange. After all, it had already eaten a perfectly good pair of iron rulers.
It then realized that the second room was no good either. There were too many enchanted artifacts inside. The Blood-Drinking Pendulum was there, the Liquor Gourd was there, and the Old Teapot was there too, so the Glove quietly slipped away to the fourth room instead.
The Tang Saber was asleep in the fourth room, so the Glove hurried off to the fifth room. There was no one in the fifth room. The Glove let out a long breath, then spat out the projector.
"What a fine thing!" the Glove exclaimed in admiration. "What a very fine thing indeed!"
Click.
Whirrrrr.
The projector's spring suddenly began to turn, and its lens cover popped open. Only then did the Glove notice something rather peculiar.
Inside the palm-sized projector was a tiny candle. It had been burning all this time, yet somehow, impossibly, it had not gone out.
As the spring turned, an image was projected on the wall. The room had no other light, so the projection came out bright and clear.
"Good heavens..." The Glove sucked in a cold breath.
A figure stepped out within the pool of projected light and started walking toward the Glove.
The Glove wanted to flee, but the projector gave a sudden little tilt. At once, the Ling Miaoying in the projection turned with it and stepped neatly into the Glove's path, blocking the way.
***
Li Banfeng was lying on his bed and having a very sweet dream. In the dream, he stood on the deck of a passenger ship beneath a glowing sunset, quietly enjoying the sea breeze.
The Gramophone said in a soft, tender voice, "Husband dear, the scenery is beautiful."
Li Banfeng held an oil can in his hand. "Wifey, the scenery here isn't bad either."
The Gramophone gave him a gentle scolding. "Can we really do it in a place like this?"
"Why not?" Li Banfeng said. "Of course we can."
"Then be careful. Husband dear, don't let anyone see us."
The machine oil had already been applied, and the Gramophone was ready too. Then the Glove let out a miserable howl and jolted Li Banfeng awake.
"Save me!"
What the hell is that damn bastard yelling about now?
Li Banfeng followed the sound to the fifth room. The moment he opened the door, even he was startled. Ling Miaoying was standing inside the room, clutching the Glove and staring straight at him.
The Glove struggled desperately in Ling Miaoying's grip and shouted at Li Banfeng, "Boss, I have been nothing but loyal to you! You can't just stand there and watch me die!"
Author's Note:
PS: Banfeng had a dream. He dreamed about oil.
