Chapter 10: Belt Gorge

Li Banfeng did not grow three heads; less than an hour after the train left Three-Headed Junction, the strange itch on his neck faded.

He had gripped too hard—blood trails marred both sides of his neck.

Though no heads had actually grown, that didn’t mean the tendency wasn’t there.

If he’d stayed longer at Three-Headed Junction, Li Banfeng suspected he truly might have grown three heads.

He had clearly heard two voices speaking beside his ears—definitely not his own muttering.

He wasn’t insane; the doctor had said so—he truly wasn’t mad.

Then what just happened? Why did I hear two people speaking?

Am I suffering from schizophrenia?

If my mind has already split, then I no longer need to worry about developing schizophrenia.

That’s a good thing!

Thinking this, Li Banfeng felt considerably more at ease.

But one thing remained unexplained: why did three-headed people exist in this world?

Let’s call them conjoined twins—that explanation makes sense!

Then why did I just feel the tendency to grow three heads?

After much thought, Li Banfeng found two plausible explanations.

First explanation: I am also a conjoined twin, and I’ve simply never known it!

Second explanation: Three-Headed Junction causes special changes in people.

The first explanation can’t be verified for now, but the second has logical flaws.

If Three-Headed Junction causes special changes, why does the train stop there at all?

Does it change everyone, or only certain people?

This question can only be verified online for now.

Li Banfeng curled into his sleeper berth, and with the rhythmic clatter of wheels on rails, pulled out his phone to search for information on Three-Headed Junction—only to find a flood of results about the Three-Headed Dragon.

Turns out the Three-Headed Dragon isn’t just a monster—it’s some kind of tool…

Do I really have time to read this crap?

Li Banfeng switched to searching for information about Train 1160.

He found nothing—no online records whatsoever about Train 1160.

Even the previous derailment had no news coverage.

That’s impossible!

How could a derailment this big have zero news reports?

Could there have been no derailment at all—was Old Chen just tricking me?

As Li Banfeng tried searching again, his phone lost signal.

Li Banfeng sighed, opened a previously cached novel, and quietly waited for his phone signal to return.

Not bad—in the rhythmic rhythm of steam and machinery, reading a novel had a unique charm; Li Banfeng read for hours straight, falling back asleep as dawn broke.

When he awoke, it was noon the next day; the train had arrived, and the announcement rang: “Ladies and gentlemen, Haichiling Station has arrived.”

This station was unlike Three-Headed Junction—it was bustling; even through the glass, he could hear vendors shouting.

“Freshly fried mahua!”

“Jiangzi, youtiao, fried rice cakes!”

“Millet porridge, tea eggs!”

Behind the curtain, Li Banfeng saw clusters of figures passing by the window—likely vendors pushing carts back and forth, hawking their wares.

Each cry seeped through his ears into his mind, then sank into his stomach.

Li Banfeng was hungry.

He desperately wanted to open the window and buy something to eat—especially two tea eggs.

But after much restraint, he didn’t open the window; instead, he prepared two instant noodle packets.

After eating two, he still felt hungry.

He couldn’t help but prepare another bucket.

After eating it, he still felt hungry.

Should he prepare another bucket?

No—he couldn’t wait any longer!

His stomach felt like a hundred hands were scratching inside, desperate to claw out through his throat for food.

He tore open the noodle packet, grabbed the cake, and began chewing the dry noodles with the seasoning.

Haichiling Station stopped for over twenty minutes.

When the train started again and traveled over an hour, Li Banfeng finally put down the noodle cake.

The uncontrollable hunger finally subsided—this must mean he had left Haichiling’s territory.

Eight buckets of noodles sat before him—all empty; five had been eaten dry-chewed.

Li Banfeng felt his stomach swelling in waves; he wanted to vomit, gagging for minutes—but nothing came up.

The digestive burden from overeating forced Li Banfeng back onto his bunk.

Click-click!

The message alert sounded in his ear.

His phone signal had returned; he saw a message from He Jiaqing.

“Yaowang Gou, Li Gou, Paifang Street, Xiansuanzi Hutong, No. 21.” He Jiaqing had sent his home address to Li Banfeng.

“Brother, come straight to my place after you get off—I can’t come pick you up tomorrow.”

“Where exactly is your place? Why are there three-headed people there?!”

He Jiaqing didn’t reply.

Yaowang Gou, Haichiling… none of these place names appeared online.

Li Banfeng opened his phone map, hoping to confirm his location—at least know which direction he was heading.

The map showed nothing—no location data available.

Frustrated, Li Banfeng tossed his phone aside.

His phone battery was low; there was a socket beside his berth, but he was too lazy to charge it, rolled over, and fell asleep again.

At dusk, a sweet, cloying scent drifted through the air.

This sweet odor carried a restless energy, rousing Li Banfeng from sleep.

So sweet!

It was a sweetness almost tangible—thick, elastic, and warm.

Li Banfeng pulled out his ticket and checked the station name.

Is this Lüshuiban?

Is the water of Lüshuiban sweet?

He checked the arrival time again.

Wrong.

Lüshuiban’s scheduled arrival was 3 p.m.; even if steam locomotives were often delayed, it was already past six.

This must be the next station after Lüshuiban—Kuaidai Kan.

The name was vulgar; Li Banfeng couldn’t fathom why a place called “Belt” would smell so sweet.

He walked to the bunk’s edge, peered through the curtain to see outside, when suddenly someone knocked on the window: “Sir, need service?”

“What service?” Li Banfeng stiffened.

“Train service, twenty minutes, two hundred—specifically to relieve your travel fatigue.”

Only two hundred!

A Liangxin price!

The fading twilight cast the silhouette of a slender figure against the curtain.

The sweet voice, the sweet powder, the girl’s sweet sincerity.

Li Banfeng had found the source of the sweetness in the air.

Suppressing his inner urge, Li Banfeng replied to the window: “No thank you.”

The woman outside didn’t leave; besides sweet sincerity, she had sweet patience: “Sir, is this your first time? Don’t worry—I won’t enter your carriage.”

“If you don’t enter the carriage, how do you provide service?” Li Banfeng’s imagination was limited.

“Just open the window a crack—hand me what you need.”

What you need…

Li Banfeng imagined the scene.

He stood before the window, extending what was needed.

“That doesn’t seem right…”

“If the service isn’t satisfactory, I won’t charge you!”

The girl had said it all—honestly, how could Li Banfeng refuse?

As Li Banfeng struggled against his inner torment, through the thick curtain he already saw a shy neighbor girl, her big, watery eyes fixed on him.

The sweet, pure voice came again from outside: “Big brother, I’m sincere—if you think I’m not good enough, I won’t take your money!”

Li Banfeng nodded and said, “Big brother knows, big brother knows you’re sincere! Big brother thinks you’re great!”

He was about to lose control—just as he was about to open the window, he remembered the three-headed man before.

What if this young lady also had three heads?

Triple the joy?

One head serves, while the other two ask:

“Sir, are you satisfied?”

“Big brother, little sister can do it.”

Young lady, my imagination is truly barren!

After careful thought, he politely declined her earnest offer, deliberately lowering his voice to sound hoarse and worn: “We’re not suited for each other, young lady—you’re too young. Perhaps we’ll meet again under better circumstances.”

The young lady didn’t press further; the stop was brief, and she needed to find her next customer quickly.

Just as Li Banfeng’s mind had settled, another woman tapped on his window—her voice, much more mature than the last: “Sir, I’m perfect for you—age matches, price matches. Fifteen minutes, one hundred yuan, service guaranteed to satisfy.”

“Madam, I’m highly educated. This vulgar transaction doesn’t suit me,” Li Banfeng made his final resistance.

“Highly educated… I understand!” The woman outside adjusted her voice. “Classmates, class is starting now.”

The mature voice carried intellect and authority, causing Li Banfeng’s body to tremble again.

He seemed to see the woman outside as a young teacher in a gray suit, wearing glasses, pointing to the blackboard, gently instructing every eager student.

The teacher outside called out loudly: “Come, classmates, repeat after me—service!”

The students chanted: “Service!”

The teacher outside wasn’t quite satisfied: “Classmates, your voices aren’t loud enough. Again—service!”

“Service!” This time, the students’ voices rang out clear and uniform.

The students’ echoing chants reverberated outside the window, driving Li Banfeng step by step backward.

Li Banfeng was nearly at his limit.

Another intellectual summons came from outside: “Student, my teaching quality is top-tier. If you don’t believe me, open the window and see my carefully prepared textbooks and lesson plans.”

The teacher spoke again.

You must listen to your teacher!

Li Banfeng placed his hand on the window, slowly feeling for the latch.

Trembling all over, Li Banfeng gritted his teeth and once again resisted the temptation, adjusting his throat to say: “Sister, you’ve got the wrong business—I’m a woman.”

Changing his voice was one of Li Banfeng’s specialties.

He had once impersonated a female streamer and earned plenty of tips.

The woman outside snorted coldly and left.

Li Banfeng washed his face with cold water, trying every means to quench the blazing fire within.

Don’t open the window—follow the train’s rules.

But no matter how much cold water he used, the fire kept burning in the sweet air, growing fiercer by the moment.

Li Banfeng lost all control.

The power of the belt buckle pass was too strong.

If just one more person came to the window to make an offer, Li Banfeng would open it without hesitation and do the business.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Someone indeed pounded on the window.

Li Banfeng’s eyes turned bloodshot; he pressed both hands onto the window latch.

No matter who it was, this business had to be done!

Even if it cost him his life, this business had to be done!

The voice outside reached his ear:

“Madam, want service? Twenty centimeters, time is yours—guaranteed satisfaction before departure, only eighty yuan.”

Li Banfeng pulled his hands back.

This business cannot be done.

Listening to the man outside persistently knocking on the window, Li Banfeng realized the air wasn’t so sweet after all.

He took out his ticket and checked his route again.

Correct—this place really was called Belt Buckle Pass.

Such a blunt name, such a bizarre place…

Jiaqing, once I’ve finished helping you, I might as well just live here.

The next stop is Yaowang Gou. Jiaqing, we’ll meet soon.

PS: Dear readers, five more minutes left—give Sha La a little encouragement, say something, anything—Sha La will take you all to Belt Buckle Pass.

(End of Chapter)