Chapter 114: Brother, Don't Let Me Catch You

Qiu Zhiheng repeated, "Xing Qiushan, a junior pickmaster of the Ghosthand Sect, saw Li Banfeng on Yangting Road."

Lu Dongliang set his pen and paper aside and gave him a thoughtful look. "Do you think we can trust his word?"

Qiu Zhiheng answered, "From the way he spoke, he probably isn't lying. But whether the person he saw was truly Li Banfeng, we still cannot be sure."

Lu Dongliang had Qiu Zhiheng bring Xing Qiushan over. It was Xing Qiushan's first time entering the Lu Family's main residence. He followed the chief steward the entire way, barely daring to breathe, and nervously entered Lu Dongliang's study.

Lu Dongliang looked Xing Qiushan up and down. "Ghosthand Sect?"

Xing Qiushan nodded, shoved his sleeves up past his forearms, and blurted, "Master Lu, I swear on me life, I didn't touch a thing on the way in."

Lu Dongliang laughed. "Why would you bring that up? Do you think I would be worried that you would steal from me?"

Xing Qiushan also felt it was inappropriate to say that, but he was facing one of the most powerful men in Puluo. His mind went completely blank, and he couldn't remember what he was supposed to say next.

Lu Dongliang asked, "When did you see Li Banfeng last night?"

"A little after eleven last night..." Xing Qiushan recounted the entire incident and especially emphasized, "Bloke had a beard, but the face was the same as Li Banfeng's photo. Master Lu, I'm tellin' ya true. I didn't get it wrong."

Lu Dongliang glanced sideways at him. "You mean to say Li Banfeng went to Greenwater City and bought three gramophones?"

Xing Qiushan knew it sounded unreasonable, but he had indeed seen it with his own eyes. "Master Lu, if you don't believe me, ask the fella at Miao Sound Gramophone Shop. He loaded the carriage with his own hands. We were tailin' 'em the whole time."

Lu Dongliang had no intention whatsoever of asking Ling Miaosheng about it. Ling Miaosheng would never casually reveal a customer's information, even if the person asking was Lu Dongliang himself.

He wasn't worried that Xing Qiushan was spinning tales either. No, what truly bothered him was why Li Banfeng would do this.

He muttered, "What in the world would he want with gramophones?"

Xing Qiushan shook his head helplessly. "I don't know. I tried to rob him of the gramophones, but he wouldn't let me. So we fought. And then..."

Lu Dongliang suddenly slapped his thigh, interrupting Xing Qiushan. He turned to Qiu Zhiheng and said, "I forgot something. You cannot judge this man by common sense. He's not mentally sane!"

Qiu Zhiheng froze. "Master, are you saying he is a madman?"

Lu Dongliang nodded. "He really is a madman. I kept wondering why we have not been able to track him down in Medicine King Gully. Turns out the bastard ran off to Greenwater City. I really didn't expect he would be wandering right under my nose."

Qiu Zhiheng still looked puzzled. "He doesn't have a travel permit, so how did he get from Medicine King Gully all the way to Greenwater Bay?"

Lu Dongliang rubbed his chin, his brows knitting together as if they were trying to tie themselves into a knot. The whole thing was a puzzler, the sort of nonsense that refused to line up no matter how he turned it over in his head.

Qiu Zhiheng frowned and asked, "Could he really be so strong that he just barged through the regional borders as if they weren't even there?"

Lu Dongliang turned to Xing Qiushan. "So let me get this straight. Your group of six men fought him for over an hour, and when it ended, three were dead, and the other three were injured?"

Xing Qiushan nodded.

Lu Dongliang eyed him once more. "You are a junior pickmaster. What is your cultivation level?"

"Xing Qiushan, not daring to hide a thing, answered, "I'm a level-two Thievery Cultivator."

"And the ones under you? What level are they?"

"All from the Ghosthand Sect," Xing Qiushan said quickly. "Three were level one, and the other two don't have a level."

Lu Dongliang shook his head. "If Li Banfeng really had the strength to force his way across regional borders, an hour wouldn't have mattered. Your little crew wouldn't have survived a single exchange with him."

After a brief silence, Lu Dongliang waved him off. Qiu Zhiheng led Xing Qiushan out and told the servants to find somewhere to put him up for the time being.

As Xing Qiushan made his way toward the stairs, he nearly bumped into Zhuo Yuling coming up. The servants bowed at once, and he hurried to mimic them, even blurting out a respectful, "Madam."

Zhuo Yuling glanced at him and asked, almost off-handedly, "And who might you be?"

She had only asked out of habit, but Xing Qiushan took it seriously. "My name is Xing Qiushan, and I am a junior pickmaster of the Ghosthand Sect. I saw Li Banfeng on Yangting Road."

The moment she heard the name "Li Banfeng," Zhuo Yuling's cheek twitched. At last, there was news of him.

This meant that Lu Dongliang would soon locate Li Banfeng. And once they had Li Banfeng, they would find the Arcane Crimson Lotus. When that happened, Lu Xiaolan would have no value left in Lu Dongliang's eyes.

If Lu Xiaolan became worthless, what would Lu Dongliang do to her? Obviously, she would be made the scapegoat and handed over to the He Family to deal with.

Zhuo Yuling had been on her way back to the bedroom, but the moment she heard the news, she turned on her heel and headed for the study instead. She needed to know what Lu Dongliang planned to do next.

Inside, Lu Dongliang shot Qiu Zhiheng a sharp glare. Qiu Zhiheng took the hint, stepped out of the study, and barked to the servants, "Send him off at once."

The servants moved at once, ushering Xing Qiushan out of the main residence without a moment's delay.

Zhuo Yuling had just reached the door of the study when she saw Qiu Zhiheng bow to her before closing the door.

Zhuo Yuling walked back to the bedroom, looking as though she had left her soul behind in the hallway. Meanwhile, Lu Dongliang continued discussing countermeasures with Qiu Zhiheng.

"Master, according to Miss Xiaolan, when He Jiaqing patted her, she shot straight back to the He Family's old residence. She didn't follow the railway at all. She crossed regional borders in mid-air. So He Jiaqing must have used some special technique or enchanted tool... and Li Banfeng might be using the same thing."

Lu Dongliang shook his head. "It wasn't an artifact. It was an ability."

Qiu Zhiheng froze for a moment, then shook his head. "I have never heard of an ability like that."

Lu Dongliang looked up from his notes. "You haven't heard of it because you don't understand his Daoist path."

Qiu Zhiheng had indeed investigated this. "The He Family told me He Jiaqing cultivates both Literary and Martial Cultivation."

Lu Dongliang gave a short laugh. "That is fucking nonsense."

"Is he a Gourmandism Cultivator like his father then?"

Lu Dongliang shook his head again. "No."

Qiu Zhiheng pondered for a long time. "Master, I know at least a little from every cultivation path, yet I have never heard of such an ability."

Lu Dongliang replied, "That is because your cultivation is not at his level, so you obviously don't know the techniques at his level."

Qiu Zhiheng looked even more doubtful. "My cultivation is lower than his? He's barely in his twenties!"

Qiu Zhiheng was an exceptionally rare talent. By his forties, he had already reached level seven in Hedonism Cultivation, which placed him far ahead of most men his age.

How could He Jiaqing, a fellow was barely past his twenties, surpass him?

Lu Dongliang let out a slow sigh. "It is precisely because He Jiaqing took the Supreme Arcane Crimson Lotus. He claimed he went to Yuezhou to study, but he really left because of the Arcane Crimson Lotus. In the four years that he was in the Outer Provinces, he used the Crimson Lotus to earn god knows how much cultivation progress. The He Family probably has no idea what cultivation layer[1] he is at now, let alone you."

Qiu Zhiheng still couldn't believe it. "Then why did he come back to Puluo? Why not just stay in the Outer Provinces?"

Lu Dongliang replied, "It likely has to do with the price of using the Arcane Crimson Lotus."

"Using the Arcane Crimson Lotus comes with a price?"

"Every enchanted artifact in this world comes with a price. I have heard that the Arcane Crimson Lotus is linked to the heavens. If you touch it once, it will send a signal up to the heavens. Anyone who touches it will be struck by Heavenly Light. If that exposure continues, even He Jiaqing wouldn't be able to withstand it."

Heavenly Light!

Suddenly, Qiu Zhiheng thought of someone.

Seeing Qiu Zhiheng staring blankly into space, Lu Dongliang asked, "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Qiu Zhiheng snapped back at once. "I was just thinking... if He Jiaqing's cultivation is really that high, then how did Miss Xiaolan manage to injure him at all?"

Lu Dongliang's gaze suddenly deepened. "Which is why this matter is strange. I still don't know whether Xiaolan told me the truth."

"Master, we can't keep dragging this out. I can bring over a high-level Moralism Cultivator to verify whether Miss Xiaolan is lying."

"If it were that simple, would I still be waiting now?" Lu Dongliang's expression darkened. "If Xiaolan lies in front of a high-level Moralism Cultivator, she could lose her life. We can't let her die yet."

Lu Dongliang went on, "And if she tells the truth, everything will be exposed. Then what? How are we supposed to handle a high-level Moralism Cultivator? Kill him to keep him quiet? Do you have any idea how big a commotion that would cause?"

Qiu Zhiheng realized he hadn't thought it through. After a moment, he said, "Then how about I borrow a Moralism Cultivator's artifact from the Border Controller?"

Lu Dongliang shot him an impatient look. "I already told you it's not that simple. Artifacts from the Outer Provinces can't be trusted. They record everything they hear. If word of this reaches the Outer Provinces, the situation will only get worse."

Qiu Zhiheng hesitated before speaking. "Master, I'm starting to worry the Arcane Crimson Lotus was never in Puluo at all. Miss Xiaolan might have been lying to you from the very beginning."

Hearing this, Lu Dongliang let out a soft laugh. "Little Qiu, in the entire Lu Family, even counting my own sons and brothers, you are the only one I truly trust. That is why I am telling you this. When Wanderlust Cultivators reach a certain level, they no longer walk the earth in the way ordinary people do. I can sense that the Crimson Lotus is somewhere in Puluo. But as for its exact location, I cannot see that."

The more Qiu Zhiheng listened, the more confused he became.

Lu Dongliang did not explain further. He was already thinking about something far more important. "Let us set aside why Li Banfeng bought the gramophones and how he managed to cross the borders.

"Focus on the fact that Li Banfeng fought the six members of the Ghosthand Sect to the death over three gramophones. This means that the three gramophones are of extreme importance and there is no way that he will give these up easily.

"If he is moving around with three gramophones, there is no way he can move quickly. He will stand out wherever he goes. And he definitely cannot carry all three on his own, so he has to hire a carriage. That is what we should focus on.

"Gather every Wanderlust Cultivator in the family. Search every major route. Anyone transporting a gramophone must be brought back for questioning.

"Then contact the Ironwheel Gang. Offer them a reward and have them gather every driver in the city. Anyone who has transported a gramophone from last night to today must be questioned as well. Even if we have to turn Greenwater Bay upside down, we must find Li Banfeng."

Qiu Zhiheng hesitated for a moment. "Master, if we search the entire city for Li Banfeng, the other great families may become suspicious."

Lu Dongliang stood up. "I will handle them. I will talk business and keep them distracted. You focus on the search and report back tonight. Once we capture Li Banfeng and secure the Arcane Crimson Lotus, we will hand Xiaolan's corpse to the He Family immediately. That will settle everything."

After arranging for people to search for Li Banfeng, Qiu Zhiheng headed toward the front gates. He paused for a moment and looked again at Li Banfeng's photograph.

The man in the picture looked almost exactly like the young fellow who had given him food on the train.

Little bro, is it really you? I have already repaid the kindness you showed me. Now I can only hope you are lucky. You better not let me catch you~

For a long time, Qiu Zhiheng had suspected that they were the same person, even if a sliver of doubt persisted that the young man on the train could be someone else.

However, once he learned that being struck by Heavenly Light was the cost of using the Arcane Crimson Lotus, everything clicked into place. The young man who fed him on the train could only have been Li Banfeng.

Lu Dongliang headed back to the bedroom to change his clothes. It was the room he shared with Zhuo Yuling.

Whenever he faced the other great families, he would put on his custom-made yellow wool coat from Ingris. Over time, it had simply become his habit.

When he stepped into the bedroom, he found Zhuo Yuling sitting inside, staring blankly into space. He glanced her way but chose to ignore her.

Just as he finished dressing and was about to leave, he suddenly heard Zhuo Yuling speak. "Master, Xiaolan did not lie. She never lied. Li Banfeng is still alive."

Lu Dongliang nodded. "I know. She didn't lie."

With that, Lu Dongliang stepped out of the room.

In the garden, Lu Chunying was sprinting circles around the flowerbeds. When she saw Lu Dongliang approaching, she hurried over and bowed. "Dad, look how fast I'm running. This is Raising a Gale on Level Ground, right?"

Lu Dongliang shook his head with a warm laugh. "Girl, you have a long way to go. When I am done with my work, I will take you somewhere to break through level one. Then I will teach you the techniques."

Standing by the bedroom window, Zhuo Yuling watched Lu Dongliang's smiling face, and waves of anger rose in her eyes.

Lu Dongliang had never smiled at Xiaolan the way he smiled now. He would soon find Li Banfeng, and that meant Xiaolan would soon lose her life.

A dozen high-level guards were posted outside Lu Xiaolan's door. Zhuo Yuling had no chance of getting her out. Even with Daboinsky's help, she still would not be able to save her.

She needed another helper. There was one man who fit the job perfectly, but would he help save Xiaolan? Zhuo Yuling knew he never would. Still, she also knew there was something he had always wanted to do.

Fortunately, Qiu Zhiheng had left as well. With the chief steward gone, there were still things she could arrange in time.

Shortly after Lu Dongliang departed, Zhuo Yuling left the residence as well.

In another bedroom, Xiao Yeci stood by the window, watching nervously as Lu Chunying sprinted around the flowerbeds.

The two of them had promised to escape together that night. Lu Chunying pushed her legs harder with every lap, while Xiao Yeci was trying to gather her courage.

1. Reminder that there are three cultivation layers. First one has ten levels. ☜