Chapter 237

Li Banfeng placed Zhuo Yuling's head in front of Lu Xiaolan and told her to come out.

Lu Xiaolan was not stupid; Li Banfeng had killed Zhuo Yuling, and the other two fifth-layer experts were nowhere to be found, so in all likelihood, they had also died at Li Banfeng's hands.

She knew she could not possibly be Li Banfeng's match, and now, if she stepped outside the plot of land, she would undoubtedly die.

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

"The fool thinks a thousand times, worrying about gains and losses"—looking at Zhuo Yuling's head, Li Banfeng believed Lu Xiaolan could not remain rational; she would inevitably be furious, and inevitably be conflicted because of that fury.

As long as there was conflict, she could not escape the technique of "the fool thinks a thousand times"; she would certainly make a choice favorable to Li Banfeng.

Lu Xiaolan looked at Zhuo Yuling's head, her gaze unfocused for a moment.

This was her biological mother.

The biological mother who had dedicated her life to training her into a professional assassin.

No matter how much Lu Xiaolan had suffered as a child, this was the biological mother who had never once felt soft-hearted toward her.

The biological mother who had first married Lu Xiaolan off to Ma Wu, then married Lu Xiaolan off to He Jiaqing, and later, for the sake of Honglian, had Lu Xiaolan assassinate He Jiaqing!

Seeing Zhuo Yuling's head, Lu Xiaolan felt not the slightest bit of conflict; she chose not to go out.

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

Force his way into the new territory and have a fight with Guogua Qiu Daxiang?

Guogua Qiu Daxiang was a Local Deity; what level was a Local Deity?

Probably tenth layer, right?

A fifth-layer residential cultivator plus a fourth-layer traveling cultivator counted as ninth layer, which was slightly inferior to tenth layer; I still had two techniques of foolish cultivation, which should count as second-layer cultivation—if this were added up...

Forget it.

No matter how crazy Li Banfeng was, he didn't want to provoke Qiu Luoye for the time being; after all, the two of them had a friendship forged in life-and-death.

Li Banfeng's life had almost ended at his hands.

But how should Lu Xiaolan be dealt with?

She was staying on this plot of land; what method could be used to guard against her?

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

"Lu Xiaolan said she saw with her own eyes that Li Banfeng was holding Zhuo Yuling's head."

"What about Fan Baoxing and Cui Lisheng?"

"I still can't contact them; I estimate they also died at your friend's hands."

"Impossible, he couldn't have done this alone; he must have set an ambush beforehand."

Ling Miaoying didn't think so: "Jiaqing, I handled this matter very secretly; it's impossible for word to have leaked out beforehand. Your friend isn't a divine calculator either, and it's impossible for him to have prepared so thoroughly for everything."

"I actually think you underestimated that friend's cultivation; he has the Profound Life Red Lotus in his hands, and now it's unclear what level he is actually at."

"What level he is at, you should be clear; you've crossed hands with him."

"I know he is below me, but at the time I took advantage of a sneak attack; his current cultivation might have already exceeded the fifth layer."

"Are you sleep-talking? He hasn't even been in Puluozhou for a year!"

"Perhaps he put in enough effort on the Red Lotus."

He Jiaqing was very firm in his judgment: "This isn't a matter that can be solved just by putting in effort. He might have really used the Profound Life Red Lotus, but he wouldn't have used too much; the price of that thing is too great, and he simply couldn't bear it."

The two were silent for a long while; Ling Miaoying didn't want to continue arguing, and He Jiaqing was considering the next step of the strategy.

"Let Lu Xiaolan continue to watch on the plot of land; find an opportunity to cast a hook toward Zhengjing Village."

"Jiaqing, Zhuo Yuling just died; having Lu Xiaolan do this now isn't very appropriate."

"There's nothing inappropriate about it. Originally, the mother and daughter didn't even have a place to stay; if it weren't for you stepping in to recommend them, she wouldn't have been able to get onto Tieyang Mountain at all, let alone become a village leader today. For someone like her, we don't need to feel sorry for her."

"I don't feel sorry for her; I'm afraid she'll mess things up. I always feel that your friend isn't simple; it's best if I go watch it myself."

"You can't go; everything in Green Water City depends on you, and this matter isn't worth you being distracted."

"The new movie is about to be finished; this matter cannot be sloppy. The film industry in Puluozhou can only be yours alone. We've invested so much capital in this film; it must be a big hit."

Ling Miaoying was very confident about this: "No need to worry about this; I've already arranged everything."

The new movie He Jiaqing mentioned was called "Blood Blade Detective"; it wasn't one movie, but ten movies.

Ten movies, each an hour and a half long, with a continuous plot and fixed actors; in the outside world, this was very common—to put it plainly, it was a television series.

But in Puluozhou, most people had never seen a series in their lives, nor did they have the concept of a series.

If this set of movies succeeded, it would be equivalent to Ling Miaoying creating a brand-new film field, and this was also an important opportunity for the Ling Family Film Industry to completely monopolize the film market.

He Jiaqing knew how much profit could be obtained in this field, and also knew that beyond the profit, this field had even greater value.

Some plans had been disrupted, but the key steps could not have the slightest error. Three days before the movie was released, He Jiaqing specifically contacted Ling Miaoying.

"The publicity is all in place, right? If you feel the timing isn't enough, you can postpone the release for a few days."

"It's all in place. On the day of the premiere, all the major families will send people to show their support."

"I'm not worried about the major families; I'm worried about those few peers. They can't let go of their rice bowls; I'm afraid they'll come to cause trouble."

"There are my people in all the film companies in Puluozhou; whatever moves they make, they can't escape my eyes. Jiaqing, don't worry about this."

"What you really should worry about is Lu Xiaolan. There hasn't been any progress on her side; Zhengjing Village is like an iron plate, Madam Suoe is acting as a support, and there are quite a few strange monsters helping to patrol; Lu Xiaolan simply can't mix in."

He Jiaqing laughed: "There is only the thief who steals for a thousand days; where is there a thief who guards for a thousand days? Just let Lu Xiaolan keep watching; my old friend isn't a patient person either. Let's see how long he can hold on."

The two interrupted the contact, and Ling Miaoying hurriedly prepared for the press conference.

"Blood Blade Detective" indeed caused quite a sensation. Before the press conference even started, newspaper reporters had already packed the reception hall of Ling Family Film Industry. After the few lead actors arrived, the sound of flashes and shutters never stopped.

A few reporters surrounded the female lead, Xiao Xiufei. One reporter asked: "As a former singing queen, do you feel pressure from all sides by serving as the lead in such a grand movie?"

Xiao Xiufei nodded and said: "The pressure is indeed there. 'Blood Blade Detective' was filmed for a whole year. During the filming process, I heard many questioning voices, and even doubted my own abilities."

"Here, I want to especially thank all the colleagues of Ling Family Film Industry; it was they who gave me confidence and courage, allowing me to persist in walking through this arduous journey! Allowing me to be qualified to obtain this achievement that is worth being proud of for a lifetime."

Another reporter asked: "It is said that you have some very bold performances in this movie; is it convenient to reveal some details to us?"

Xiao Xiufei shook her head and said: "Before the official release, I will not reveal any details. This is the professional ethics of a practitioner, and also a responsibility to the film company. I only hope that everyone will use an artistic perspective to appreciate my performance in the movie."

Another reporter asked: "In a scene with the male lead Zhou Changhong, I heard that the two of you made the fake play real; is this news true?"

Xiao Xiufei smiled indifferently: "I can only tell you that Mr. Zhou and I were very invested in every performance, and we were both very deep into the play."

"You just said it was very deep, right?"

Xiao Xiufei answered very affirmatively: "Yes, very deep."

The sound of camera shutters set off another climax, and other reporters who didn't have the opportunity to ask questions also captured the key content they wanted.

Actually, these few reporters who asked questions were all arranged by Ling Miaoying; what she wanted was this gimmick.

After interviewing the male and female leads, it was time to interview the production side.

A reporter asked: "We heard that some cinemas in remote areas have already screened pirated versions of 'Blood Blade Detective'; is the news true?"

Ling Miaoying smiled: "Here, I can responsibly tell everyone that there is no possibility of a pirated version of the work 'Blood Blade Detective'. The ten movies only kept one copy of the film, and the copying work will only start one day before the official release."

"Here, I also remind all peers: those who want to cooperate with Ling Family Film Industry, I, Ling, am always waiting for your arrival; those who want to have ideas about Ling Family Film Industry, I advise you to rein in at the brink of the precipice and stop as soon as possible."

The press conference ended, and the reporters dispersed one after another.

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

This wasn't his first time coming; this time he was disguised as a reporter, last time he was disguised as a set worker, and the time before that he was disguised as a food delivery person.

He Jiaqing was right; where is there a thief who guards for a thousand days?

That evening, He Jiaqing lay on the bed without moving; the caregiver changed He Jiaqing's urine bag, and Chen Zhangrui stood outside the hospital room door without entering.

He Jiaqing knew Captain Chen was outside the door; in front of a high-level Peeping Cultivator, wanting to maintain a disguise at all times was not an easy thing.

As luck would have it, Ling Miaoying sent a message at this time.

The button on the chest was trembling slightly; the caregiver couldn't see it, but if Chen Zhangrui observed carefully, he would certainly be able to discover it.

Should he answer or not?

If he answered, it was very likely to be monitored by Chen Zhangrui.

If he didn't answer, the button would just keep trembling like this; as long as Chen Zhangrui heard a little sound, He Jiaqing would be exposed.

What the hell is the matter, having to contact me at this time?

After struggling for a moment, He Jiaqing touched the button at an extremely fast speed.

The caregiver didn't notice, but Chen Zhangrui pushed the door and walked in; he had heard the movement.

The caregiver was startled; he recognized Chen Zhangrui: "Officer Chen, you are so late..."

Chen Zhangrui smiled: "You go about your business; I just came to take a look."

He Jiaqing lay on the bed without moving, without any abnormality.

Ling Miaoying's voice came from his ear: "Jiaqing, something happened; my company caught fire, the film wasn't saved, and it was all destroyed."

He Jiaqing wanted to kill someone.

He Jiaqing's heart was dripping blood.

He Jiaqing wished he could drag Ling Miaoying out and chop her up on the spot!

But he couldn't move now.

Not only could he not move, he couldn't have any expression either.

Neither his cheeks nor his eyebrows could have the slightest change.

Ling Miaoying was still talking non-stop: "Jiaqing, what should we do now? I know this matter was my negligence; you at least come up with an idea."

"Jiaqing, say something..."

He Jiaqing didn't move at all.

How hard this must be!

PS: He Jiaqing's acting skills are quite good; I don't know what kind of drama there will be when he meets Banfeng later.

(End of chapter)