[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-proles":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-proles-lord-of-the-proles-chapter-25":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Lord of the Proles",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2290323,4478,"Chapter 25: It Was You All Along","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-25",25,"\u003Cp>Li Banfeng thought the man pretending to be He Jiaqing would go to the bathroom with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But “He Jiaqing” didn’t go—he didn’t want further contact with Li Banfeng, having noticed his behavior was odd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it was odd, there was no need to worry: since Li Banfeng entered this mansion, the outcome was already sealed—he was destined to replace him and become the mansion’s prisoner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For safety, “He Jiaqing” made Li Banfeng drink tea laced with “ingredients,” hoping to put him into a deep sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worried Li Banfeng wouldn’t sleep soundly, he considered giving him a bowl of soup—but Li Banfeng refused to drink it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it seemed Li Banfeng hadn’t slept soundly at all; perhaps the ingredients weren’t strong enough, or perhaps his body was too strong—just one cup of tea hadn’t fully knocked him out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What mattered was that Li Banfeng couldn’t leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would never find the exit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He Jiaqing” had searched for days in this place and still hadn’t found the exit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When morning comes, I’ll be free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng, you fool, I wonder how long you can last in this mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He Jiaqing” descended the stairs and slept in a room on the first floor near the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng entered the bathroom and saw a yellow cat and a white cat searching for food beside the sink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no faucet on the sink—in its place was a hand pump; the white cat jumped onto the pump’s handle, while the yellow cat squatted by the spout, watching to see if water would come out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rustling sounds came from them—how had these two cats even gotten in?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were many cats in the mansion—how had the others gotten in?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the windows?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bathroom did have a small porthole—very small.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The porthole was tightly shut; Li Banfeng pushed it several times, just as solid as the bedroom windows—no chance of opening it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng hissed softly at the two cats; the white cat, already wary of him, immediately fluffed up its fur and bolted into a small hole beneath the sink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The yellow cat tried to follow, but Li Banfeng grabbed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at the hole beside the drain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This must be a ventilation shaft—no wider than an adult’s fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cats are truly strange creatures—how did it squeeze through such a tiny hole?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meow~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cat’s cry came from outside the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the frosted glass, Li Banfeng faintly saw a white shape calling to its companion outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white cat had run outside the mansion!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had crawled out through the ventilation shaft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Humans can’t get out—but cats can!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bathroom door handle turned; “He Jiaqing” pushed the door open and walked in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had just heard the cat’s cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Banfeng, what are you doing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m sitting on the toilet,” Li Banfeng said, sitting on the toilet with the yellow cat in his arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re petting a cat while sitting on the toilet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng nodded: “Where else is suitable to pet a cat in the bathroom?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He Jiaqing” closed the bathroom door—he couldn’t judge Li Banfeng’s behavior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng’s actions were completely irrational, yet he always found rational explanations for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why bother with whether he was rational or not?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as tomorrow morning comes, I’ll never see him again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng reached his hand into the ventilation shaft beneath the sink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shaft didn’t lead directly outside the mansion—he didn’t know its internal structure or how many turns it took.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although a cool night breeze flowed in from the shaft, Li Banfeng couldn’t simply throw the key out through it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he couldn’t throw it directly, he’d have to take a gamble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The yellow cat clearly had little courage; to win this bet, he needed to give it some incentive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng pulled from his pajama pants the new hat he’d bought—inside were two items.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After changing into his pajamas, his wallet and other belongings had been taken by He Jiaqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But two things Li Banfeng never left behind: a key, and a spicy strip—both now tucked inside the hat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He first took out the key, entered his “Personal Dwelling,” and retrieved his phone charger from his backpack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in the bathroom, he tied the key to the cat’s body with the charger cord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He carried the yellow cat to the ventilation shaft, then held the key and reopened the door to his Personal Dwelling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just before stepping through, Li Banfeng pulled out a spicy strip and shoved it into the cat’s fur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a shrill scream, the yellow cat bolted into the ventilation shaft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng immediately stepped into his Personal Dwelling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cat, if you run straight out of the mansion, I’ve won the bet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you stay curled up inside the shaft, I’ve lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I lose, your days won’t be pleasant—this spicy strip will burn you alive!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He Jiaqing” heard the noise and rushed back into the bathroom—only to find Li Banfeng gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where did he go?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He Jiaqing” felt his brain buzz violently!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Footsteps sounded outside the window; “He Jiaqing” dashed to the first-floor parlor and rushed to the floor-to-ceiling window—there stood Li Banfeng in the garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside Li Banfeng was the yellow cat, now bathing in a puddle in the garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He Jiaqing” was stunned; Li Banfeng was calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just seconds ago, “He Jiaqing” had been certain he was free—he was certain Li Banfeng could never escape He Family Manor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just seconds ago, Li Banfeng hadn’t known whether the yellow cat would emerge from the shaft—now the cat sat in the garden’s puddle, softly whimpering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng entered his Personal Dwelling in the bathroom; the cat, carrying the key, crawled through the ventilation shaft, escaped the mansion, and brought the key outside with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Personal Dwelling followed the key—the key left the mansion, and the Personal Dwelling carried Li Banfeng out with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, “He Jiaqing” stood in the parlor, pounding desperately on the floor-to-ceiling window, as if calling out to Li Banfeng—but Li Banfeng couldn’t hear him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He Jiaqing” dug his fingers into the window frame; with a piercing screech, the window cracked open a narrow slit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slit widened—when it reached over ten centimeters, “He Jiaqing” squeezed his head through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Banfeng, you’re the only brother I’ve got—just like this? You’re leaving me behind? Banfeng, weren’t you here to save me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng stepped back a few paces; this fake He Jiaqing was clearly stronger than him—he couldn’t open the window, but this man could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you?” Li Banfeng gripped the key, already preparing his next escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He Jiaqing” tried to push his body through the window—but he couldn’t; the frame jammed tightly against his shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Banfeng, come closer—I’ll tell you who I am, right now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This fake He Jiaqing refused to reveal his identity, so Li Banfeng prepared to leave the garden—until someone answered for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More precisely, not a person—but the mansion spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mansion spirit forbade “He Jiaqing” from leaving the estate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he opened the window, he couldn’t escape; even if he opened the door and let Li Banfeng in, he still couldn’t leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He Jiaqing”’s head stuck out the window, struggling desperately—when suddenly, vines hanging from above wrapped around his face and began tearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A layer of fine skin peeled away—He Jiaqing’s face vanished from hers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng saw her true face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Lu Xiaolan!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Jiaqing’s girlfriend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was she in He Family Manor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder she’d mentioned so many private details between me and He Jiaqing in her messages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When He Jiaqing ate with her, I went with her—she knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When He Jiaqing slept with her, I called him away—she knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did she know about He Jiaqing sending me exam answers? Did she know he worked at a construction site to pay my medical bills?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did He Jiaqing tell her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did she manage to plant a hook on my phone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it because of that call He Jiaqing made me place?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was He Jiaqing her accomplice?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did He Jiaqing betray me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait—if He Jiaqing was her accomplice, why didn’t he come himself to trick me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it had been He Jiaqing himself, he’d never have left so many flaws!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’s a spy cultivator—there are many things He Jiaqing never told her, but she can uncover them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the matter of the messages, she was always the one in control—she lured me into her trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they finally met, certain flaws could no longer be avoided, for she could not observe every single detail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Jiaqing probably wasn’t her accomplice, but why had she been trapped by the mansion spirit?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a flash of thought, Lu Xiaolan rasped out to Li Banfeng: “Li Banfeng! Do you want to save He Jiaqing? If you want to save him, come find me—I’m the only one who knows where he is!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Banfeng, I love Jiaqing. I’ve truly been good to him. In this world, besides you, only I have ever cared for him sincerely!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Li Banfeng turned and walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s not how things stand between me and He Jiaqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Banfeng! Don’t leave! You’ll regret it for the rest of your life! You’ve become a Dark Energy user, haven’t you? You’re a Body Cultivator, right? You can turn invisible, can’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Teach me how to leave this place! I’ll give you anything you ask for! Whatever you want—I’ll give it all! I have so many valuable things!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng’s figure vanished into the night. Lu Xiaolan, tears streaming down her face, pulled her head back from the floor-to-ceiling window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had no choice but to pull back—the vines had already torn off her false face, and now they were coming for her real one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over the past few days, she’d been torn apart many times—each time bringing unbearable agony and wounds that refused to heal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sat beneath the window, wailing in anguish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t understand why Li Banfeng hadn’t fallen for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had successfully lured Li Banfeng to Pulu Province, drawn him into the mansion—so why had he still escaped?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shortly after the train derailed, He Jiaqing received a call from Li Banfeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That call saved He Jiaqing’s life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiaolan struck He Jiaqing, but failed to kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Jiaqing counterattacked, but failed to kill Lu Xiaolan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using the call from Li Banfeng as his guide, He Jiaqing escaped back to Yuezhou and sent Lu Xiaolan back to the He family manor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely because of Li Banfeng’s call, Lu Xiaolan used her Spirit-Listening technique to attach a hook to his phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, when she reached the He family manor, that hook became her lifeline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the train, Li Banfeng’s phone died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hook broke. Lu Xiaolan grew terrified, anxious, even despairing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She suspected Li Banfeng might have met with an accident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, somehow, Li Banfeng still came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bound by the mansion spirit’s restrictions, Lu Xiaolan had no intention of using force or revealing her true nature before Li Banfeng discovered the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To ensure Li Banfeng stayed in the mansion safely for one night, she rehearsed every single detail of their meeting countless times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She held back enough not to rush mentioning the Xuan Sheng Lotus—even when he left it at the station, she didn’t lose her temper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She mimicked He Jiaqing’s speech patterns as closely as possible, down to every nuance. When Li Banfeng entered, she even imitated He Jiaqing’s tone to mock his backpack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as she could wait until tomorrow morning, she could leave this mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She simply couldn’t understand why Li Banfeng had fled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which word did I say wrong? What did I do wrong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did Li Banfeng run away?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiaolan clawed at her hair, screaming in anguish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time, she realized she might die here—starving to death, rotting into a stinking corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sobbing for a long while, her voice grew faint, and the tears on her face slowly dried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She went to the kitchen, chopped up cat skins and bones into tiny pieces, then ground them to pulp and tossed them into a pot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she pulled a small porcelain bottle from her pocket, poured out just a pinch of powder, and sprinkled it over the cat remains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This medicine powder was precious—she had only this one small bottle left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smoke rose from the pot, like the greasy fumes from stir-frying food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the smoke, the cat skins and bones slowly melted into an indescribable paste, emitting a faint fishy odor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She divided the paste into five cat food bowls and placed them in different corners of the house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One bowl by the Xuanguan, one in the living room, one in the kitchen, one in the bathroom, and one on the second-floor corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This faint fishy scent could drift far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With just this scent, she could lure stray cats—or possibly weasels—that knew how to enter and exit the mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they ate the food in the bowls, they would fall into a deep sleep, just like the tabby cat sleeping soundly in the kitchen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiaolan picked up the tabby cat and tore open its fur with her teeth, gnawing fiercely at its flesh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wanted cooked food too, but she couldn’t—firewood was too precious, and she needed to save it to trick the next person who entered the mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiaolan chewed the raw meat voraciously, murmuring to herself as she ate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can’t die. Absolutely not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I must live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I can still get out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving the He family manor, Li Banfeng ran through several alleys until he reached a narrow lane, entered the Suishenju, and hid the key beneath the windowsill of a household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting silently inside the Suishenju, Li Banfeng fell into deep thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where had the real He Jiaqing gone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was the He Jiaqing lying in the hospital truly him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Li Banfeng did not retrieve the spicy strip he slipped into the yellow cat’s mouth. He hoped the yellow cat was all right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2345,"2026-06-20T03:43:13.043Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9d03dfbf6e471b1eb6a6ac39bbf8347ce0a20df14453b7ae8f9ec7dc6700065b","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-26","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-24",863,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-proles-cover.jpg"]