Chapter 237: There Is No Such Thing as Guarding Against a Thief for a Thousand Days

Li Banfeng placed Zhuo Yuling's head before Lu Xiaolan and ordered her to come out.

Lu Xiaolan was no fool; Li Banfeng had killed Zhuo Yuling, and the other two fifth-layer experts had vanished—likely also dead at Li Banfeng's hands.

She knew she stood no chance against him; if she stepped out of her plot, death was certain.

She refused to emerge, but Li Banfeng was confident he could lure her out.

The fool who overthinks, torn by fear and greed—looking at Zhuo Yuling's severed head, Li Banfeng believed Lu Xiaolan could not remain rational; she would surely rage, and rage would make her hesitate.

As long as she hesitated, she could not escape the Fool's Thousand Thoughts technique; she would inevitably make a choice favorable to Li Banfeng.

Lu Xiaolan stared at Zhuo Yuling's head, her gaze growing distant.

It was her own mother.

Her mother, who had devoted her entire life to training her as a professional assassin.

No matter how much suffering Lu Xiaolan endured in childhood, this mother had never once softened toward her.

She first married Lu Xiaolan to Ma Wu, then to He Jiaqing, and later, for the sake of the Crimson Lotus, ordered Lu Xiaolan to assassinate He Jiaqing's own mother!

Seeing Zhuo Yuling's head, Lu Xiaolan felt no hesitation—she chose not to come out.

If she wouldn't come out, what should Li Banfeng do?

Storm the new plot and fight Qiu Daxiang?

Qiu Daxiang was a Land God—what level was a Land God?

Probably tenth layer?

A fifth-layer Wu Xiu plus a fourth-layer Lv Xiu equals ninth layer—slightly below tenth. I still have two Fool's cultivation techniques; that might add two more layers. If I combine them all…

Forget it.

No matter how reckless Li Banfeng was, he had no intention of provoking Qiu Luoye right now—they had shared life-and-death bonds.

His life had nearly ended in Qiu Luoye's hands.

But what should he do with Lu Xiaolan?

She was stuck on that plot—how could he contain her?

…

He Jiaqing touched his button and replied to Ling Miaoying: "Are you certain it was my friend who killed Zhuo Yuling?"

"Lu Xiaolan says she saw Li Banfeng holding Zhuo Yuling's severed head."

"What about Fan Baoxing and Cui Lisheng?"

"Still unreachable—likely also dead at your friend's hands."

"Impossible. He couldn't have done this alone. He must have set an ambush beforehand."

Ling Miaoying disagreed: "Jiaqing, I handled this with extreme secrecy—no leak could have occurred. Your friend isn't a divine strategist; he couldn't have prepared for everything so perfectly."

"I think you've underestimated his cultivation base. He possesses the Xuan Sheng Hong Lian—no one knows his true level now."

"What level? You know—he fought you before."

"I know he was below me then, but I had the advantage of surprise. His current level may already exceed fifth layer."

"Are you dreaming? He's been in Puluozhou less than a year!"

"Perhaps he's devoted immense effort to the Crimson Lotus."

He Jiaqing was utterly certain in his judgment: "This isn't something effort alone can solve. He may have used the Xuan Sheng Hong Lian, but not much—it carries too great a cost. He couldn't withstand it."

Silence stretched between them. Ling Miaoying didn't wish to argue further; He Jiaqing was weighing his next move.

"Keep Lu Xiaolan watching the plot. Wait for an opening to plant a hook in Zhengjing Village."

"Jiaqing, Zhuo Yuling just died. Asking Lu Xiaolan to do this now isn't appropriate."

"There's nothing inappropriate about it. They had no place to stay until you intervened and brought her to Tieyang Mountain—without you, she'd never have risen to become Zhaizhu. People like her don't deserve our pity."

"I don't pity her—I fear she'll mess things up. I feel your friend is more dangerous than you realize. I'd better handle this myself."

"You can't go. Green Water City depends entirely on you. This isn't worth your attention."

"The new film is almost finished—this can't be taken lightly. Puluozhou's film industry must be yours alone. We've invested so heavily in this picture—it must be a massive hit."

Ling Miaoying was confident: "Don't worry. I've arranged everything."

…

The new film He Jiaqing mentioned was called "Blood Blade Detective"—not one film, but ten.

Ten films, each one and a half hours long, with continuous plotlines and fixed cast—common in other provinces, essentially a television series.

But in Puluozhou, most people had never seen a series, nor even understood the concept.

If this film series succeeded, Ling Miaoying would have created an entirely new cinematic genre—a crucial opportunity for Ling Family Cinema to fully monopolize the market.

He Jiaqing knew how much profit this domain could yield—and how much greater its value lay beyond mere profit.

Some plans had been disrupted, but the critical steps could not afford the slightest error. Three days before the premiere, He Jiaqing contacted Ling Miaoying again.

"Has the promotion been fully handled? If you feel it's not hot enough, we can delay the premiere a few days."

"Everything's ready. On opening night, every major family will send representatives to support us."

"I'm not worried about the major families—I'm worried about those competitors. They won't give up their livelihoods; they'll try to sabotage us."

"Every film company in Puluozhou has my people. Any move they make won't escape my eyes. Jiaqing, don't worry about this—"

"You should be worried about Lu Xiaolan. She's made no progress. Zhengjing Village is a solid wall. Suo E Fu Ren holds the reins, and many strange creatures patrol the perimeter—Lu Xiaolan can't infiltrate at all."

He Jiaqing chuckled: "There's no such thing as guarding against a thief for a thousand days. Let Lu Xiaolan keep watching. My old friend isn't patient—he won't last long."

They ended communication. Ling Miaoying hurried to prepare the press conference.

"Blood Blade Detective" had already caused a stir. Before the conference even began, reporters had flooded Ling Family Cinema's reception hall; once the lead actors arrived, camera flashes and shutter clicks never ceased.

Several reporters surrounded the female lead, Xiao Xiufei. One asked: "As a former singing queen, do you feel immense pressure playing the lead in such a grand film?"

Xiao Xiufei nodded: "Pressure is real. 'Blood Blade Detective' took a full year to shoot. During filming, I heard countless doubts—even questioned my own abilities."

"I want to thank everyone at Ling Family Cinema—they gave me confidence, courage, and the strength to endure this arduous journey. They've given me the right to claim this achievement I'll be proud of for life."

Another reporter asked: "Rumors say you performed some extremely bold scenes in this film. Could you reveal any details?"

Xiao Xiufei shook her head: "I won't reveal any details before the official premiere. That's professional ethics—and my responsibility to the studio. I only ask everyone to appreciate my performance with an artistic eye."

Another reporter asked: "In your scenes with the male lead, Zhou Changhong, rumors say you two turned fiction into reality. Is that true?"

Xiao Xiufei smiled coolly: "I can only say that in every scene, my performance and Mr. Zhou's were deeply immersive. We entered the roles thoroughly."

"You said 'deeply,' right?"

Xiao Xiufei answered firmly: "Yes. Deeply."

The camera shutters erupted again. Other reporters, unable to ask questions, had already captured the key content they needed.

In truth, these reporters were all arranged by Ling Miaoying—this was exactly the publicity stunt she wanted.

After interviewing the leads, it was time to question the producers.

One reporter asked: "We've heard pirated copies of 'Blood Blade Detective' are already screening in remote theaters. Is that true?"

Ling Miaoying smiled: "I can assure you—'Blood Blade Detective' cannot be pirated. Only one film reel exists for all ten movies. Duplication begins only the day before the official premiere."

"I also warn my fellow industry members: those wishing to collaborate with Ling Family Cinema, I welcome you. Those hoping to undermine us—please reconsider. Stop now, before it's too late."

The press conference ended. Reporters dispersed.

Li Banfeng put away his camera, lowered his hat brim, and left the cinema company.

This wasn't his first visit. This time he posed as a reporter; last time, as a set builder; before that, as a food delivery worker.

He Jiaqing was right: there's no such thing as guarding against a thief for a thousand days.

…

That night, He Jiaqing lay motionless in bed. A nurse changed his urine bag. Chen Zhangrui stood outside the ward door, not entering.

He Jiaqing knew Chen Zhangrui was outside. Maintaining disguise before a high-level Kui Xiu was never easy.

Unluckily, Ling Miaoying sent a message at that moment.

His chest button trembled slightly—the nurse couldn't notice, but if Chen Zhangrui observed closely, he'd see it.

Should he answer?

If he answered, Chen Zhangrui might eavesdrop.

If he didn't, the button kept trembling—if Chen Zhangrui heard even a whisper, He Jiaqing was exposed.

What the hell could be so urgent that she had to contact me now?

After a moment's hesitation, He Jiaqing touched the button with lightning speed.

The nurse noticed nothing—but Chen Zhangrui pushed the door open. He had heard the sound.

The nurse froze, recognizing Chen Zhangrui: "Officer Chen, what are you doing here so late…?"

Chen Zhangrui smiled: "Carry on. I'm just checking in."

He Jiaqing lay still, showing no abnormality.

A voice came through his ear: "Jiaqing, something's happened—my studio burned down. The film reels weren't saved. All destroyed."

He Jiaqing wanted to kill.

His heart bled.

He longed to drag Ling Miaoying out and chop her to pieces on the spot.

But he couldn't move.

Not only couldn't he move—he couldn't show any expression.

Not a twitch of his cheek, not a flicker of his brow.

Ling Miaoying kept talking: "Jiaqing, what do we do now? I know this is my fault—say something, give me advice—"

"Jiaqing, say something…"

He Jiaqing remained motionless.

How difficult this must be!

PS: He Jiaqing's acting was quite good; I wonder what kind of drama will unfold when he meets Li Banfeng.

(End of chapter)