Chapter 196: The First Battle Between Banfeng and Jiaqing

"Master Wu, someone broke into our warehouse. The shelves have been overturned, and the goods are scattered everywhere."

"The cash box was opened as well. All the cash is gone.

Ma Wu rubbed his forehead. He had just woken up, yet he was already being hit with one report after another. It felt as though his entire home had been ransacked.

When he thought about it more carefully, the comparison was not far off. Thieves had broken into the five-kilometer domain he shared with Li Banfeng and ransacked several key locations.

Ma Wu's own men would never do something like this. Those hunters who often did business with them would not dare either. So who had done it?

There was no need to ask. It had to be Lu Xiaolan. She had sent people into the domain last night, yet Ma Wu had not noticed a thing.

If she had decided to kill someone last night, would he have been able to stop it?

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ma Wu stared blankly ahead as cold sweat streamed down his back. He had slept with Qin last night, so at least he had been relatively safe.

From now on, aside from Swallowie and Qin, he would not easily stay the night anywhere else.

***

Li Banfeng returned to the five-kilometer domain and entered his wooden hut, only to find the entire place turned upside down.

"Who did this? They nearly ripped the floorboards out..."

Boom!

Li Banfeng nearly sank straight into the ground. Several floorboards had indeed been pried up, only to be set back exactly as before.

What were they trying to do? Were they trying to take my house apart?

Li Banfeng thought. He then noticed a letter beside the desk. He opened it and saw that it contained only three lines.

The first line read, "If you owe something, you must return it."

The second line read, "If you owe a life, you must repay it."

The third line read, "Lu Xiaolan."

Wow. Lu Xiaolan is quite polite. She even left her signature on the letter. But do you really think it's appropriate to travel all this way, bring no gift, and then ask me for something in return?

You say I owe you something. Are you referring to the Crimson Lotus? And when you say I should return it, do you mean return it to you, or to He Jiaqing?

And what do you mean I owe a life? That I owe you my life?

That makes no sense. Back then, you were the one who tried to kill me. If anyone owes a life, it should be you owing me.

While Li Banfeng was still thinking, Ma Wu walked in. "Someone came to our domain last night. I suspect it was..."

When Ma Wu saw the state of Li Banfeng's hut, he realized there was no need to finish the sentence.

"It was Lu Xiaolan," Li Banfeng said, shaking the letter in his hand. "She even left me a message saying I owe her a life."

Ma Wu ground his teeth. "What the hell does that birdbrain want now? Old Qi, burn that letter right away. You can't keep anything from a Spycraft Cultivator. There could be a hook on it."

Li Banfeng burned the letter, then returned to the Pocket Dwelling and began brushing the dust from his wifey's casing.

Recently, wifey had grown somewhat resistant to oiling, but routine maintenance like dusting was still acceptable.

Pop... crackle... pop...

Wifey gave two delicate huffs. "Husband dear, when one brushes away dust, one should use a proper duster or a brush. Yet behind your humble wifey, what instrument are you brandishing so fiercely?"

Li Banfeng answered with righteous indignation, "A brush, of course!"

Huff~

Wifey snapped in irritation. "Husband dear! Are you bullying your humble wifey? Since when did our household possess a brush of such size? And you wield it with such force. Has some vexing matter befallen you?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "There is a mole among my men."

Wifey spoke with feeling. "Husband dear, one may guard against thieves day and night, yet the thief within the house is the hardest to guard against. A mole is the most hateful of all. Husband, do you have any clues?"

"Precisely because there are no clues is what makes it so irritating," Li Banfeng said. "Wifey, have you dealt with a mole before?"

"I have. Such people are certainly hateful, yet they can also be quite interesting."

"What could possibly be interesting about that?" Li Banfeng asked, unable to understand.

"If you find the mole and kill him, there's nothing interesting about that. But if you find him and don't kill him, then things become very interesting."

"It's interesting not to kill him?"

"Of course. Keep him around and play with him slowly."

Li Banfeng could not understand. "What if I can't find the mole?"

"If you can't find him, then it's a little less interesting," wifey said. "But you can still have some fun with him."

Li Banfeng sounded dissatisfied. "Wifey, don't speak in riddles. Your husband can't understand.

"This time my opponent is a Spycraft Cultivator. She might have placed a hook on the mole. If I can't find that mole, then my every move will be right under the enemy's watchful eyes."

"A Spycraft Cultivator? That makes it even more interesting. It all depends on where the hook is placed."

Li Banfeng leaned forward and hugged his Gramophone wifey. "Wifey, what exactly do you mean? Explain it clearly."

"H-husband... take the brush out first before we continue. Th-that place isn't right..."

***

They took stock of the warehouse, rebuilt the cash vault, and inspected every corner of the domain. Any suspicious or unfamiliar object was destroyed on sight, just in case the Spycraft Cultivator had left behind a hook.

After spending the entire day being busy, Ma Wu finally returned to the meeting hall. He sank into his chair and drank in silence.

Little Chuan soon brought in another newspaper. Ma Wu glanced at it and saw his own story again, still printed on the second page.

Ma Wu let out a bitter laugh. "Our goods can't get out, and someone has already sneaked into our domain. At this rate, when we go bankrupt in a few days, we will probably make the front page then."

***

At the Lu Family's main residence, Monkey Qiu sat in his small tower reading a newspaper. Lu Yuanshan and Lu Yuanhai stood nearby, keeping him company.

In the past, the Lu Family held their discussions in the main house. Recently, however, Monkey Qiu had been spending most of his time in the small tower.

From the side, Lu Yuanshan said, "Ma Wu has been in the news quite a bit lately. I heard his business in Blue Poplar Village is growing bigger and bigger."

Monkey Qiu nodded. "What did Lu Maoxian say?"

Lu Yuanshan froze for a moment. "Why bring up Granduncle all of a sudden?"

Monkey Qiu set the newspaper down. "Aren't these reports written specifically for him to see?"

Lu Yuanshan did not understand.

Lu Yuanhai, being the one responsible for gathering news about Lu Maoxian, nodded repeatedly. "Granduncle was complaining to the relatives this morning. He said the Blue Poplar Village business was handed to the Ma Family by the two of us brothers, and that the Lu Family's ancestral fortune will be ruined in our hands."

Monkey Qiu let out a cold laugh. "The old man's getting anxious. In the past he only cursed me. Now he dares to curse the two of you directly. He's forgotten his place. No matter how senior he is, he isn't from the Lu Family's main line."

Lu Yuanshan smacked his lips. "But we can't just let him keep cursing like this. How about this? I will negotiate with Ma Wu tomorrow and ask him to give the Lu Family a larger share of the profits."

Monkey Qiu lit a cigarette. "No amount of profit sharing will help. Even if he pays ninety-five percent, the old master will still say it's too little.

"Even if you take Blue Poplar Village back and drive Ma Wu out, he will still curse you for squandering the family fortune.

"He will ask why you didn't take back Paramount Club. He will ask why you didn't reclaim all the businesses Lu Dongjun sold off."

Lu Yuanhai nodded. "Just like Uncle Qiu said. Granduncle has said all those things in front of the relatives before. Whenever he has nothing better to do, he brings them up again. According to him, we are not fit to run this family at all."

Lu Yuanshan sighed. "Looks like no matter what we do, we can't shut Granduncle's mouth."

Monkey Qiu took a slow puff from his cigarette and squinted through the smoke. "That old man's mouth doesn't even belong to him. It's like it floats around on its own, flapping wherever it pleases. How do you shut up something like that?

"Still, there is one thing he will definitely never say though. He will never tell us to take back the business at the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs."

Lu Yuanhai thought over the recent events and realized Monkey Qiu was right. "Granduncle never brings up the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs."

Monkey Qiu took another puff from his cigarette. "That's because the business at the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs was snatched away by the Ling Family."

Lu Yuanshan's eyes suddenly went round. "Granduncle has dealings with the Ling Family. No wonder he never says a word about the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs. That mouth of his doesn't belong to him at all!"

Monkey Qiu crushed out his cigarette and flicked the stub aside.

"Yuanshan," he said, "how's that newspaper office coming along? The one I told you to build up."

Lu Yuanshan made a troubled expression. "Uncle Qiu, this isn't easy. The newspapers I used to run have been discontinued for too long. Restarting them isn't something that can be done overnight.

"Besides, the Ling Family keeps getting bigger and bigger. Just look at Greenwater City. Their paper sells for fifty cents a copy and still flies off the stands. Mine is only thirty cents, and people still won't buy it. If I lower the price any further, there won't be a single coin of profit left. We simply can't compete with them."

Monkey Qiu smiled. "So you have already decided you have lost?"

Lu Yuanshan responded helplessly. "A newspaper that stops publishing loses its reputation. Long-time subscribers start thinking you're unreliable. That's the biggest taboo in the newspaper business."

Monkey Qiu calmly lifted his cup and took a sip of tea. "What if the Ling Family's newspaper stopped publishing as well?"

"How could their newspaper possibly stop? They publish every day..."

Lu Yuanshan froze mid-sentence. After a moment, he understood what Monkey Qiu meant.

He straightened his clothes and rose to leave.

Monkey Qiu called after him and stopped him. "Don't do it yourself. No need to ruin your reputation over something like this. Dirty work should be handled by people who specialize in it. Zhang Xiuling from the Hundred Flowers Sect has been eager to establish ties with the Lu Family."

***

In the meeting hall, a gramophone softly played a gentle dance tune.

Across the chessboard, Ma Wu and Li Banfeng sat facing each other. Ma Wu looked distracted, absentmindedly pushing his pieces around. Li Banfeng, on the other hand, leaned forward with intense focus, studying every move as though the board contained the secrets of the universe.

Near the end of the game, Li Banfeng finally made his move and checkedmate.

Ma Wu stared at the board for a moment, then tossed down his piece in resignation before saying, "Old Qi, I want to discuss something with you. Next time we ship the goods, I plan to escort the convoy myself."

Li Banfeng frowned. "If you escort it personally, does that mean Lu Xiaolan won't try to rob it?"

"She will definitely still attack," Ma Wu said. "That's exactly why I am going. I will risk myself and lure her out. I will bring Swallowie and Qin. I will also take Xianxian and Qiaocui with me. I refuse to believe we can't kill her."

"And Zuo Wugang?"

"I am not bringing him. I still don't trust him."

Li Banfeng held a chess piece between his fingers, studying the board. "In the New Land, these people are useful. But what happens once we leave it? I am not sure about Qin, but Madam Bagworm Moth can't leave the New Land."

"Qin can't leave the New Land either," Ma Wu said, coming to the same realization. "She has a contract with Qiu Luoye. And Lu Xiaolan is still wanted by the Lu Family. I doubt she dares to leave the New Land. If she really dares to make a move outside the New Land, then I'll accept my fate. I'll just admit I'm not as crazy as she is."

Li Banfeng set the chess piece back on the board and nodded. "That could work. I will go with you."

Ma Wu froze for a moment, then shook his head. "You can't go. We can't let Lu Xiaolan know you're here."

Li Banfeng smiled and shook his head. "Old Wu, you have been so busy you are getting confused. She already wrote me a letter. Of course she knows I'm here."

Ma Wu rubbed his forehead. He really had gotten muddled. "If you go, who's going to guard our domain?"

The domain had two masters. One of them had to stay behind in case blood needed to be shed.

Li Banfeng gathered the chess pieces and dropped them into the box. Then he lit a cigarette and looked at Ma Wu.

"This domain was won by us brothers together. If something happens to you, what use is it for the domain to remain? As long as we fight side by side, we will definitely kill Lu Xiaolan. Whether inside the New Land or outside it, when have we brothers ever been afraid of anyone?"

Ma Wu clenched his fists and nodded. "Alright!"

While Li Banfeng was talking, he was also arranging the chess pieces on the board. "Brother, another round?"

"Another one?"

"What else are we going to do while sitting here? Might as well pass the time."

After several moves, Li Banfeng kept hopping his knight across the board but never touched his rook.

Ma Wu chuckled. "Those moves of yours aren't very good."

Li Banfeng raised an eyebrow. "Let's just continue playing. We will find out who wins in the end."

Ma Wu froze and stared at the chessboard for a while longer.

***

He Jiaqing lay in his hospital bed, listening to the live broadcast. As he listened, a faint smile slowly appeared on his face.

"He's still just as crazy," he murmured. "I have only provoked him twice, and he's already ready to fight to the death."

Another voice sounded in his ear. "I will send a few capable fighters from Iron Goat Mountain. This time we will take care of Ma Wu directly."

"No matter how tough the people from Iron Goat Mountain are, can they beat Madam Bagworm Moth? Ma Wu has three bagworm moths under his command."

"Then we will fight them outside the New Land. None of them will escape."

"If it happens outside the New Land, how much of a commotion do you think it will cause?" He Jiaqing asked. "Are you trying to let everyone know we are searching for something valuable?"

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Banfeng and Ma Wu have already made their preparations. They are waiting for you to fight them to the death," He Jiaqing said lightly. "Why meet them head-on? Just look at their domain. Their domain is already empty. At most, only Zuo Wugang is left behind, and he's a man with no backbone. Don't you think he would be easy to deal with?

"Just sweep through their domain. Burn their houses and goods, kill a few hunters, and announce that no one is allowed to do business there anymore. Wouldn't that wipe out everything they have? Have the bandits from Iron Goat Mountain handle it. They're the best at this kind of work."

"You mean we should still send Lu Xiaolan?" the voice asked.

"Lu Xiaolan has only been on the mountain for a few days. She won't do," He Jiaqing replied. "Tell their boss to send the Three Heroes of Iron Goat. They have the most experience with this kind of work. Once the job is done, have Lu Xiaolan ask my friend for the item. Would he dare refuse?"

"I understand."

Author's Note:

PS: The first battle between Banfeng and Jiaqing is starting.