Chapter 286: Wait Until I Rescue You

Li Banfeng returned to the newspaper office, and Bai Qiusheng was frantic.

"Seventh Master, you can't pull a stunt like this! When you left, you said you'd be back the same day at the latest, by the next day at the latest—"

"You've been gone three days, and not a word!"

Li Banfeng said: "I ran into some trouble on the road, delayed two days. I need to ask you something—what's the name of our newspaper?"

Bai Qiusheng blinked: "The Night Jasmine!"

Why ask about that now?

Li Banfeng continued: "You started running the newspaper on your first day, right?"

Bai Qiusheng blinked again: "No, I've done this before."

"Where's Yuwen Qi?"

"Taking photos, working on magazines."

"Take me to him right away."

Li Banfeng suspected he was still dreaming; one of the best ways to test a dream is to urgently seek someone or some place and see if you can find them.

Dreams are constructed by the mind, and construction takes time—some people and scenes aren't easily built.

Bai Qiusheng led Li Banfeng straight into the factory; the sudden arrival startled the girls, who scrambled to cover themselves, unsure what to shield.

Yuwen Qi frowned: "What's the fuss? This is our Night Boss—if you can climb onto his good graces, it's your fortune."

The girls stopped covering themselves.

Some, with sore backs, deliberately twisted their waists.

Some, unable to stand steady, deliberately bounced.

Some pretended to drop something and hurried to bend down and pick it up.

Li Banfeng watched for a long time, but said nothing.

Why didn't he respond?

Because of the dream?

Li Banfeng observed for a moment, still uneasy, returned to his room, locked the door, and ran more tests.

He read the newspaper—the words didn't change.

He wrote down a string of numbers and tested again—still unchanged.

He ate some pastries, brewed a cup of fruit syrup—it tasted quite good…

Li Banfeng wanted to keep testing, but he couldn't hold out.

Three days away from home, Zhaixiu's cultivation was pressing against his body.

His leg strength surged upward, and Lvxiu's cultivation was rapidly advancing.

He needed rest.

Li Banfeng pulled out his key, hesitated a moment, then opened the Personal Dwelling.

He feared the Personal Dwelling might expose him, but he had to return now.

After entering, he remained tense—he didn't know what attitude awaited him inside.

Not just his wife's attitude, but the dwelling's attitude too.

As soon as he stepped into the main chamber, his wife exploded: "Huh yah! You madman, three days and three nights gone without word—what do you think I am?"

"Wife, let me explain—"

"Explain what? Come here right now!"

Her tone was off.

More than resentment, she was worried.

Not just because he didn't come home—she seemed more concerned about his current condition.

"What are you standing there for? Come to me at once!"

The phonograph urged repeatedly; Li Banfeng stood beside it.

A cloud of steam enveloped Li Banfeng: "I told you not to stay out—I'll scald you to death, see if you dare do it again!"

Her words were fierce, but the steam wasn't actually scalding—more like a warm bath.

His wife was acting—but who was she acting for?

For Hong Ying?

Hong Ying couldn't even see.

The phonograph asked: "Do you know you're wrong?"

Li Banfeng quickly answered: "I know I'm wrong."

The phonograph's horn rotated slowly, as if scanning the situation.

After a moment's observation, finding nothing amiss, it released a puff of steam.

The phonograph had just sighed in relief when the entire Personal Dwelling suddenly shook violently.

His wife was easy to handle—the dwelling was the hard part.

The dwelling was furious.

His wife cried: "Husband, do you truly know you're wrong?"

Li Banfeng shouted: "I truly know I'm wrong!"

The Personal Dwelling shook harder; scattered furnishings tumbled to the floor.

The dwelling rejected Li Banfeng's apology.

His wife cried: "Husband, tell me clearly—why didn't you come home?"

Li Banfeng explained: "I met villains and couldn't break free."

"What kind of villains?"

"They were…"

Before Li Banfeng could finish, the Personal Dwelling lurched violently, throwing him to the ground.

The phonograph shielded him, then suddenly sensed a surge of power behind it.

Hong Ying had had enough.

Li Banfeng hadn't come home for three days; the Personal Dwelling had already thrown two tantrums, leaving Hong Ying, a battle-hardened veteran, trembling with fear.

"Better to die fighting him than be scared to death!" Hong Ying prepared to fight the Personal Dwelling to the death.

The phonograph roared: "Stop! If you want to die, die alone—don't drag my husband down with you!"

Provoked by Hong Ying's aura, the Personal Dwelling shook even more violently.

Hong Ying readied to fight to the death; the phonograph blocked her with all its strength; all other magic treasures stayed silent; then Li Banfeng suddenly began singing a folk song:

"Over flat ground, across mountains and rivers, puffing and panting, smoke billowing,

Add coal, add water, we're on the move—the train's power is boundless,

Bridges crossed, tunnels drilled, iron wheels roll through perilous passes,

A thousand trials, ten thousand dangers—we fear nothing, rain or shine, we travel ten thousand rivers."

After Li Banfeng finished the first verse, the Personal Dwelling's shaking lessened greatly.

When he finished the second verse, the Personal Dwelling fell silent—no more trembling.

The phonograph and Hong Ying were stunned—they had no idea how Li Banfeng had subdued the Personal Dwelling.

Li Banfeng glanced back at the phonograph: "Wife, convinced?"

"Eh…" the phonograph exhaled two puffs of steam, "Little slave is convinced."

"Good. Oil up." Li Banfeng came over with the oil can.

The phonograph panicked: "Hey, husband, being convinced has nothing to do with oiling! I just protected you the whole time—

That wretched Hong Ying nearly caused disaster—you should punish her, not me! You're unfair! I'm not convinced—I mean, no, no, not convinced—"

Li Banfeng rubbed the phonograph's turntable with both hands and applied the oil.

After a moment of intimacy with the phonograph, Li Banfeng ate something, hung the calendar in the third chamber, and told the phonograph: "I'll rest in the third chamber for a few days. Wife—if I show any abnormality, seal me in the third chamber first, then figure out what to do."

The phonograph grew tense again: "Husband, what's happened?"

Li Banfeng said: "Didn't I just say? I met a ruthless one, fought a brutal battle."

"What kind of ruthless one?"

"Someone from Neizhou, named Meng Qian. Have you heard of her?"

At the mention of Neizhou, his wife shuddered; at the name Meng Qian, the water tank immediately boiled.

Hong Ying remained calm: "Meng Qian? Isn't she just a Dream Cultivator?"

She recognized the name.

The phonograph said: "Blind old hag, you've been deaf and blind for years—you don't know some things. Meng Qian is now the Dream Cultivator's leader, with some status in Neizhou."

"Leader?" Hong Ying murmured, "If she's the leader, how could this madman have come back alive?"

As she spoke, Li Banfeng had already entered the third chamber.

The third chamber was unique—its position differed from the others.

The main chamber connected to the second, the second to the fourth, and so on, all the way to the sixth, like train cars.

But the third chamber connected directly to the main chamber—just like the special car the train conductor mentioned, a car meant for laying tracks.

As the smartest car, it must have special abilities—if Li Banfeng had trouble during this time, the third chamber should have a response.

Seeing Li Banfeng close the door, Hong Ying suddenly laughed.

The phonograph froze: "Wretch, what are you laughing at?"

Hong Ying said: "I heard the sound—didn't that madman just enter the wrong place?"

"What wrong place?"

"The place for machine oil!"

"What right or wrong? It's just applying oil—what's right or wrong about it…" The wife's voice was faint.

Hong Ying sneered: "Wicked woman, does it hurt?"

"What hurts? You don't even have gears, never applied oil—you understand nothing!"

"Hahaha!" Hong Ying burst into laughter. "Wicked woman, you call yourself the most beautiful woman under heaven, yet you let a madman treat you like this!"

Huh-huh!

The wife was furious: "Laugh! Laugh yourself to death! You're stuck there, bent over, and no one wants to touch you!"

…

Li Banfeng lay on the bed, beginning to review what had just happened.

When I woke up, I was on a train—that proves I fell asleep on the train, and all the experiences since—asking for directions, getting off—happened within the dream.

Meng Qian spotted me on the train; according to current reasoning, she knew I was a Traveling Cultivator and wanted to use my identity to infiltrate the Train Eunuch's dream and trick him into revealing the train's technique.

She certainly didn't know the train was on me—otherwise, a far stronger figure would've come after me.

She could only draw me into the dream, but couldn't bring my body into Neizhou—this proves Neizhou's power over Puluozhou is restricted.

The Train Eunuch rescued me—what consequences will he face?

His true body must be hidden somewhere in Neizhou; I doubt Neizhou's people can find him.

They definitely can't—he must have a way to evade them…

Li Banfeng closed his eyes and bit his teeth hard.

Brother, little brother has no ability—I can't help you this time.

You must survive—I will find a way to rescue you, no matter what!

…

In Yaowang Gou, inside a farmhouse, Yao Lao returned the vial to Monkey Qiu.

"Little Qiu, I can't help you—Lu Jia's second son was struck by Green Flower Child's method."

Qiu Zhiheng froze for a long moment, utterly unable to understand the reason.

According to his deduction, the one who targeted the Lu brothers should've been He Haiqin—how could He Haiqin possibly collude with the Green Flower Child?

Who connected them?

"Master Yaowang, take another look—someone of Green Water Beggar's status shouldn't have targeted Lu Yuanhai."

"He may not have acted personally, but the illness within this vial is indeed his—his illness is beyond my power to cure. Unless you find a master, Lu Jia's second son will remain an idiot for life."

Qiu Zhiheng's expression grew dazed.

How did things come to this?

The Lu family was just beginning to rise—how did it turn like this?

Who else could I turn to?

In Puluozhou, who has better medical skill than Master Yao?

Yao Lao sighed: "I'm too lazy to meddle in mortal affairs, Little Qiu—you're a good boy. Listen to me:

Lu Jia's eldest son is dead, the second is useless—the Lu family's fate is spent. No matter how much effort you pour in, it's wasted. If you can leave, leave now—don't get yourself dragged down with them."

PS: Is the Lu family truly beyond saving?

(End of Chapter)