Chapter 38: A Song Before Sleep

Li Banfeng had the driver take the cart out to the wilderness outside of the Outer Gully and unload the goods.

Since Chun Sheng had already paid in full, the driver didn't ask any questions. He set the load down by the edge of the woods and drove off.

After making sure no one was around, Li Banfeng strained his muscles and hefted the four-poster bed onto his shoulder.

Wanderlust Cultivators were impressively strong. Even while carrying such a massive wooden bed, Li Banfeng managed to free up a hand to pull out his key.

The bed was made of solid wood, and it was extremely heavy.

That shop assistant, Chun Sheng, managed to lift the bed onto the cart all by himself earlier. Seems like he's no ordinary guy.

Li Banfeng brought the bed into the Pocket Dwelling. The space inside the Pocket Dwelling was quite small, only six or seven square meters. Now, with a bed that was one and a half meters wide, it felt a bit cramped inside.

He then carried the gramophone inside, wondering where he should put it.

Should I set it across from the bed so I can lie down and listen to music?

It will be nice if I can enjoy the music while watching steam puff out of the horn.

But once a record finished, he would have to get up to change it. And if the two cups of water boiled dry, he would need to get up to refill the horn.

If he had to keep getting out of bed while listening to music, it would spoil the experience.

So Li Banfeng placed the gramophone beside the bed instead. That way, he could change records, add water, put out the fire, or wind it up with just a stretch of his hand, without having to get up from the bed.

This is a good idea. I'll just keep it here.

Then he put on the bedding for the bed and dusted the place with a feather duster. He folded the clothes Shopkeeper Feng had given him, placing them neatly by his backpack for now.

There were still many things he needed to buy: a wardrobe, a storage cabinet, a table, and a chair to go with it...

His eyelids grew heavy as drowsiness settled over him.

After descending the mountain, he and Chubby Qin had rested at the inn for a whole day before returning to the Inner Gully. Now it was only just past dusk. He shouldn't be feeling this tired.

Could it be that the toxins from the fog are still lingering in my body?

That shouldn't be the case! Aren't Homebound Cultivators supposed to recover the fastest?

Nevertheless, he still had to go meet up with Chubby Qin, no matter how tired he felt. After all, he had been in Puluo for quite a while now, and if there was anyone he could truly call a friend, it was Chubby Qin.

When Li Banfeng reached the bun shop at the street corner, Chubby Qin was still devouring food. Several stacks of bamboo steamers were piled high on the table beside him.

"What took you so long?" Chubby Qin mumbled, his mouth filled with buns.

"I was negotiating prices with Shopkeeper Feng," Li Banfeng replied as he pulled out a chair and sat down. He asked the bun shopkeeper to bring out two more baskets of buns.

The bun shop wasn't big, but its buns were exquisite. Stuffed with beef, each bite released savory broth that filled the mouth with flavor. Paired with a bit of crushed garlic, it was authentic fare, simple and pure.

Li Banfeng ordered an earthen pot of wine. He had no idea which of the bun shop's wines were good; he hadn't even heard of the names on the menu. So he simply told the shop assistant to bring out their best.

Chubby Qin winced inwardly. He hadn't sold any pills yet, so even wine from a humble bun shop felt like a luxury to him.

"Brother Qin, don't worry. This meal is on me." Li Banfeng poured a cup, took a sip, and let the strong liquor linger in his mouth for a long moment before swallowing.

Seeing Li Banfeng's generosity, Chubby Qin asked quietly, "What price did you sell it for?"

Li Banfeng gestured with his hand. "Six thousand."

There was no need for him to hide it from Chubby Qin. After all, if Chubby Qin decided he wanted to sell the pills to Shopkeeper Feng, it would likely be at the same price.

Chubby Qin shook his head. "Brother Li, I hate to say it, but you sold them too cheaply. This isn't some ordinary good. You really don't understand how things work here."

"What do you mean?"

It was late, and no one else was in the shop. Chubby Qin lowered his voice to a whisper. "I ran into an acquaintance here earlier and probed about the market price, and he actually told me. The wealthy families in Puluo buy hundreds, even thousands, of pills every year. At the year's end, they distribute them as rewards to members of the younger generation who have made contributions to their family.

"In those large households, everyone fights tooth and nail for more pills to raise their cultivation level. And what if they don't have contributions? They have no choice but to buy them at inflated prices from the market.

“The market prices aren't the same as the ones set by trading houses. If the trading houses sell for ten thousand, then the market price would be at least twelve thousand. Sometimes, it's eighteen or even twenty thousand. You sold for six thousand. That's a huge loss."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "As long as the pills can be sold, it's money. If I can't sell them, what's the point of keeping them with me? I don't need those extra days of cultivation, and I don't know any rich young masters."

Chubby Qin sipped his wine. "How about this? After we rest for a couple of days, I'll take you around Medicine King Gully. We can't rub shoulders with the truly wealthy, but I know quite a few sons of smaller rich families."

Li Banfeng bit into a bun and chuckled. "I appreciate the thought, but I'm heading back to Yuezhou tomorrow."

"Yuezhou?" Chubby Qin had never heard of the place.

"Yuezhou is a place in the Outer Provinces. That's where I'm from."

"You're going back? Already?"

Chubby Qin looked disappointed at first, but after finishing two more buns, he seemed to come to terms with it.

"Fair enough. You're from the Outer Provinces. You've seen the wider world, so of course you wouldn't think much of a place like Puluo. One day, I'll go see the Outer Provinces myself. If I never visit such a great place, I'll feel like I've wasted my whole life."

Such a great place?

Was Yuezhou really a great place?

Li Banfeng did feel that Yuezhou was a great place, but if he were pressed to explain why, he wouldn't quite be able to put it into words.

They kept eating until the bun shop closed for the night. Then it was time for the two young men to part ways.

Chubby Qin said, "You know where my home is. If you ever come back to Puluo, you must come find me."

***

As the alcohol took effect and fatigue weighed down his body, Li Banfeng lay on his bed, ready to drift into sleep.

However, lying there, he felt as though there was something he hadn't done yet.

Did I not walk ten kilometers today?

No, I did.

Then what haven't I done?

Li Banfeng propped himself up halfway, took out the gramophone crank, and fitted it into the gramophone. Then he wound it to the fullest.

So that was it. I was missing my pre-sleep music.

He picked out a record. It was wrapped in stiff paper, with a colorful painted cover. The cover featured a woman in a long dress, dancing gracefully against a backdrop of red and yellow flowers.

Li Banfeng slid the record out, placed it on the turntable, and set it to play. Amid the faint crackle of static, the gramophone played a beautiful and elegant song.

「The southern wind brings a cool breeze!

The nightingale trills its gentle song!

Beneath the moon, flowers drift into dreams,

Yet only the night-blooming jessamine releases its fragrance! 」

It's "Fragrance of the Night"!

Li Banfeng had heard this song before, but he found it especially pleasant tonight.

Li Banfeng fell asleep before the song even finished.

It was for that very reason that he had chosen to use the wind-up crank instead of the steam engine. He had been worried that he might fall asleep at any moment.

Using the crank meant there was no need to worry about extinguishing the candle flame, so Li Banfeng let himself relax freely and sink into dreams.

「I sing for you, I long for you, night-blooming jessamine~ 」

The song was over.

The needle had reached its end.

The spring unwound fully, and the gramophone stopped running.

In the pitch-black Pocket Dwelling, the only sound was Li Banfeng's deep, steady breathing.

Splash~

There was the sound of water sloshing in the gramophone, as if someone were pouring water into the small horn on the left.

Crackle~

A match was struck, igniting the wick stuck in the container of fat.

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

The small horn on the right sprayed out puffs of steam, and the turntable of the gramophone began to spin slowly.

The stylus was set back to the starting point. The gramophone came to life with the crackle of static and played another song.

「 From the ends of the earth, the farthest seas~

I search and search, for one who knows me~

I sing while my beloved plays the guqin,

My love, our hearts are one~! 」

The beautiful vocals seemed to linger endlessly within the Pocket Dwelling.

Screech~

The petals of the Arcane Crimson Lotus slowly spread open, and a small whirlwind rose from within the lotus core.

The whirlwind swept past the gramophone, causing the song to falter slightly out of tune.

Around ten seconds later, the song gradually returned to normal.

The Arcane Crimson Lotus' petals trembled a few times before closing back up.

The gramophone kept playing its sweet tune.

「In this life, who doesn't cherish their youth?

I'm like a thread, and my beloved is like a needle,

My love, once we're joined, we can never be apart~! 」

Bathed in song, Li Banfeng slept soundly with a blissful smile on his face.