Chapter 307: Who Stole the Oil

Li Banfeng drove the carriage to Xiaoyao Fort; the cart carried Song Zhigang, two Wu Xiu, and a few thugs with cultivation.

Ling Miaoying's adhesive tape really worked — applied to the wounds, it could not only stop the bleeding but also temporarily control the injuries. Though these people could no longer move, they were all still barely alive.

At eight in the evening, Li Banfeng drove the carriage to Xiaoyao Fort. At this hour, Xiaoyao Fort was bustling with people coming and going, right at its liveliest.

Li Banfeng drove the carriage around to the warehouse in the rear courtyard of Xiaoyao Fort, and taking advantage of no one paying attention, had the projector call out a helper to unload the cart.

Having learned from Zhiqiande Sect, the projector didn't dare call a Miss out — every Miss he called out always stripped first before getting to work.

The film Ling Miaoying had previously recorded was still there. The projector played Ling Miaoying's image and helped Li Banfeng carry the dozen-plus people into the warehouse.

After unloading the cart, Li Banfeng returned to his room, found the key under the bed, went back to the warehouse, used the projector to record a segment of footage, and opened the door to enter Leaving Leaving Suishenju.

The phonograph bellowed angrily: "Hey, you crazy man, where have you gone off to enjoy yourself again? Do you still have me in your heart? Do you have this home in your heart? You heart, heart… oh, you've worked hard, husband!"

Seeing Li Banfeng had brought back a dozen-plus people, the wife's tone immediately softened.

"Husband, come sit over here,

Husband, have a cup of hot tea first,

Husband, how did your clothes get so muddy? Let this servant wash them for you,

Husband dear, don't tickle this servant's armpit, this servant really is ticklish…"

The phonograph used steam to shield Li Banfeng, afraid the house would fly into a rage at Li Banfeng.

After waiting a long while with no movement from the house, the phonograph asked curiously: "Why is the house so well-behaved today?"

Li Banfeng gave a cold laugh: "What if it's not well-behaved? If it hadn't caused trouble, would I have been drifting outside for so many days?"

The wife was silent for a moment. Hearing Li Banfeng's words just now, it seemed he also knew a thing or two about this house.

Seeing Li Banfeng's anger had not yet subsided, the wife asked with concern: "Hey, husband, what happened in these past days?"

Li Banfeng asked: "Do you know this person called Lian Bud a?"

Hiss~

"Lian Bud a? Is that a person's name? This servant has never heard of it."

Li Banfeng turned and asked Xiang Xiang Hongying: "Have you heard of it?"

"I haven't heard of it either." Xiang Xiang Hongying's answer was very curt, and within that curtness was tension.

Li Banfeng stared at Xiang Xiang Hongying for a moment and asked: "Why are you wearing pants?"

"I'm a woman — isn't it perfectly normal for me to wear pants?"

"Why is there an extra red tassel on your body?"

"It's from a red-tasseled spear, of course. The spear has a red tassel — doesn't it look rather nice?"

Xiang Xiang Hongying hadn't originally had a red tassel on her body. This red tassel had just been hung on, to cover her conscience and her arm.

"Why are there black threads inside your red tassel?"

Those black threads were hair that had grown out of Xiang Xiang Hongying.

"If red tassels were all made of red thread, that would be too dull." Xiang Xiang Hongying was running out of fabrications.

The wife stepped in to rescue Xiang Xiang Hongying: "Husband, pay no mind to that wretched woman — the food's getting cold."

"Wife, don't be in such a hurry. Let me ask them a few questions."

Li Banfeng first looked at Song Zhigang and had the wine gourd give him a sip of wine.

With that sip of wine, Song Zhigang regained some vitality and could barely speak.

Li Banfeng lit a candle and stuck it in front of Song Zhigang: "Grandpa Song, I've invited you to my home for a chat — that should show enough sincerity. Today, explain things to me clearly. Exactly who told you to come cause trouble in Lanyang Village?"

Song Zhigang panted: "Seventh Master, it was Old Master Lu who sent me. Everything I said before is absolutely true."

It really was Lu Maoxian?

Lu Maoxian had indeed caused Li Banfeng plenty of trouble. Li Banfeng was on close terms with Hou Zi Qiu, so Lu Maoxian causing trouble for Li Banfeng was also in his interest.

But the question was, why cause trouble specifically in Lanyang Village?

Lanyang Village held no special value for Lu Maoxian. If he were to cause trouble at Black Stone Slope and disrupt Li Banfeng and Ma Wu's business, that would make far more sense.

There was another reason behind this.

Li Banfeng asked again: "Did you see Lu Maoxian with your own eyes?"

Song Zhigang said: "What kind of status does Old Master Lu have — how could he see me in person? It was these two branch-hangers who came to my door and told me to take Lanyang Village back!"

Li Banfeng looked at the two Wu Xiu — they were indeed the branch-hangers Song Zhigang had mentioned.

The one with his throat cut certainly couldn't speak, but the one with his spine severed could still make sound.

Li Banfeng tore the adhesive tape off his mouth, had the wine gourd give him some wine as well, and asked: "Was it Lu Maoxian who ordered you two to go find Song Zhigang?"

"It wasn't an order from the Old Master himself. It was the head steward Xu Yangbo who gave us the order."

Lu Maoxian's head steward?

Li Banfeng had no dealings with this man. He had only heard Hou Zi Qiu say that this person enjoyed Lu Maoxian's deep trust.

If this wasn't Lu Maoxian's own intention, and if this head steward had ulterior motives, his purpose was clearly to intensify the conflict between Li Banfeng and Lu Maoxian.

What benefit would doing this bring him?

If he too was acting on someone's instructions, who might that person be?

The information these people could provide was limited, and Li Banfeng didn't want to waste more words: "Wife, let's eat."

"Thank you for your tender care, husband!" The wife couldn't wait to start the meal, while the projector quietly recorded footage on the side.

The wife bellowed angrily: "What do you think you're doing?"

The projector gave a start and quickly turned its lens away.

The wife used the stylus to hook the projector, pulled out the previously recorded film, and cut it into tiny pieces. The projector trembled in pain.

Fortunately, he had recorded more than one segment — everything he had witnessed these past days, he had documented.

"Each scene is only a little over two minutes. If it weren't for running out of film, I could have recorded even more."

Li Banfeng happened to want to let his wife see what "Small Face" looked like, so the projector played the scene from the Oil Lake, but the picture was a sheet of oily yellow — nothing was there.

"Impossible!" the projector cried out, "I recorded it seriously!"

Li Banfeng guessed the reason: "Small Face's station is very high; he didn't want you to keep his true appearance. And 'Small Face' isn't his real name either."

In his vexation, the projector opened the second piece of footage,

The local earth god Meng Yuchun, with her back to Li Banfeng, took off her long shirt, revealing the scars on her body.

His wife gave a light cough: "Hey, husband, is this Miss the one called Small Face? Whether her face is big or small I didn't see, but these peaches really are quite big — not only big, but white too. Husband, these seven days must have been hard work for you!"

Li Banfeng kicked the projector: "Don't just play this one! How I fought the strange creatures on the local earth — play that and let me see!"

The projector said in a loud voice: "None of that was recorded!"

Li Banfeng kicked the projector aside, preparing to give his wife a detailed account of his experiences these past days.

He had just gotten to the Oil Lake when a glove's shout came from the third room: "Master, you wronged me before! How could I have stolen the oil? Whatever stole this oil, it's all here!"

Li Banfeng went into the third room and looked — every bottle, jar, pot, bucket, water vat… anything that could hold liquid was filled with oil, identical to the oil he had seen in the Oil Lake.

Li Banfeng looked at the glove and said: "Where did all this oil come from?"

The glove said angrily: "It definitely wasn't me! How could I hold this much? Whoever took it, you shouldn't have wronged me!"

Li Banfeng touched the oil-filled bottle, and suddenly an aged voice came to his ear: "Be careful, don't spill it."

"Who?" Li Banfeng cried out, readying himself for a fight.

The phonograph quickly called out: "Husband, don't get angry — it's our house speaking!"

The room instantly fell silent.

In the past, apart from his wife, Xiang Xiang Hongying, and Did Honglian, no one could hear Leaving Leaving Suishenju's voice, because others' station was not high enough.

But today everyone heard — Leaving Leaving Suishenju had changed the way it spoke.

After a dozen seconds of silence, Li Banfeng suddenly asked: "Why did you steal the oil?"

"Burn," Leaving Leaving Suishenju replied with a single word.

The phonograph couldn't hear this word clearly, and Did Honglian, Xiang Xiang Hongying, and all the magic treasures couldn't hear it clearly either — only Li Banfeng heard it clearly.

Xiang Xiang Hongying, worried Li Banfeng was arguing with the house, said to the phonograph: "Wicked woman, try to talk some sense into that madman. Don't let him do anything rash — he's no match for this house; he couldn't take a single blow!"

Before the phonograph could counsel further, Li Banfeng asked again: "Why don't you burn coal?"

This question left his wife stunned.

Burn coal?

Why would this house want to burn coal?

For warmth?

The aged voice rose again: "Running around with you every day, that little bit of coal was burned up long ago."

The phonograph still couldn't hear clearly — not only couldn't she hear the house's words, she couldn't even hear Li Banfeng's words clearly; there was always a low, droning noise in her ear interfering with her hearing.

"Husband, you'd better not…"

Li Banfeng continued to ask Leaving Leaving Suishenju: "You took me to the Oil Lake just to steal oil?"

"You were the one who wanted to go to the Oil Lake; I just picked up the oil along the way."

"Before, you always followed the key — when did you learn to move on your own?"

"Because there's a rail track, hehehe!" Leaving Leaving Suishenju laughed.

"Since when is there a rail track?"

Leaving Leaving Suishenju did not respond again.

The phonograph could never hear their conversation clearly. Lowering her voice, she urged: "Husband, please don't provoke him any further. Your little slave will oil you up — won't that do?"

……

At the Third Court of Yuezhou, the button on He Jiaqing's chest kept trembling, but He Haisheng was sitting right beside him, so He Jiaqing couldn't answer.

After lunch, He Haisheng went off to smoke, and He Jiaqing squeezed the button and heard Wan Jinxian's voice:

"Jiaqing, Ling Miaoying is still alive!"

"Alive?" He Jiaqing was overjoyed for a moment, then grew somewhat doubtful. "Didn't the Lu family put out word that they had taken Miaoying's head?"

"Our spy in Outside Xiaoyao Wu saw him go to Outside Xiaoyao Wu's warehouse — it happened just last night."

"Outside Xiaoyao Wu…"

What would Ling Miaoying go to Outside Xiaoyao Wu for?

Could it be that Ling Miaoying only faked his death, and is still secretly watching Ma Wu?

He's ultimately not the same as Ling Miaowen — to be able to hide his scheming this deep.

From now on I'll have to be more on guard, but for the moment this is actually good news.

At least I won't have to spend any more effort on Ma Wu; now I can focus entirely on dealing with Lu Maoxian.

Before He Jiaqing could reply to Wan Jinxian, a puff of smoke suddenly drifted before him.

The smoke lingered around He Jiaqing for a long while, and beads of sweat began to fall from He Jiaqing.

"Jiaqing?" He Haisheng's figure slowly materialized before He Jiaqing. "You're awake?"

He Jiaqing was silent for a moment, then slowly opened his eyes: "Third Uncle, I'm awake."

He Haisheng gazed silently at He Jiaqing. Though he was unwilling to believe it, this was the truth.

"Big Brother didn't trust you, and I argued with him — I said his own son would absolutely never lie to him. Tell me, what a damn fool I am?"

As he said these words, He Haisheng kept grinding his teeth.

He Jiaqing said calmly: "Third Uncle, would you let me say something?"

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

PS: Xiang Xiang Hongying has grown hair — as for what she grows next, I don't even dare to imagine!

(End of chapter)