Chapter 308: Who

His wife didn't know what Li Banfeng had said to the mansion.

Li Banfeng wanted to show his wife the oil stolen from the Sui Shen Ju, but when he turned around, the oil in the third wing was gone.

Taken by the train?

Li Banfeng is on the train right now; more accurately, the oil wasn't taken by the train—it was transported by the third wing.

Where was it taken to?

The locomotive?

Where is the locomotive?

Since arriving at Yaowang Gou, entering the Daoist sect, and the day the peddler handed Li Banfeng the key, the Sui Shen Ju had always followed him.

Li Banfeng had never deeply investigated the origin of the Sui Shen Ju, nor had he thought much about its properties.

The Sui Shen Ju moves with its owner—how incredible is that?

But there were too many incredible things in Puluozhou; Li Banfeng had no time to dwell on it.

Now, he had to think carefully.

…

The Lu family's private train was heading toward Heishipo.

Sitting in such a luxurious carriage for the first time, Lu Chunying felt uneasy; she sat properly on the sofa, trying to maintain the bearing of a clan's young lady.

Tan Fu was pacing back and forth in the carriage, finding everything novel: "I'm lucky to be tagging along with Miss Chunying—back in the day, with my status, I'd never have had the privilege to enter this carriage."

Ma Wu had ridden the Lu family's private train before; his own family had one too, so he didn't find it strange, but he couldn't understand Monkey Qiu's state.

Throughout the entire journey, Monkey Qiu didn't chat, didn't read newspapers, didn't eat, and didn't smoke—he just stared out the window at the scenery.

What was so interesting about that scenery?

Monkey Qiu had spent half his life working alongside Lu Dongliang; he should've seen all this scenery long ago.

Just after the train left Lüshui Wan and entered Huangshi Bridge territory, it suddenly stopped.

Ma Wu froze—besides passing trains and refilling water, private trains didn't stop mid-route.

Looking out the window again, this didn't look like a station.

Monkey Qiu told everyone: "Let's get off and buy something to eat—Huangshi Bridge's meat pies are famous for being delicious."

Huangshi Bridge's meat pies really were delicious; there were indeed vendors outside shouting to sell them.

The four of them got off the train; Ma Wu looked around and realized this was a railway maintenance section.

Even a railway maintenance section had food vendors?

Buying a few meat pies didn't require all four of us to get off—couldn't we just send a servant?

Ma Wu didn't ask further; he knew Monkey Qiu had another plan.

Monkey Qiu bought five jin of meat pies and whispered a few words to the vendor.

After the vendor left, Monkey Qiu led everyone across two sets of tracks and boarded another train.

Monkey Qiu chose to switch trains mid-journey—it was a precaution against ambush.

This train's condition was far worse.

It was a freight train; one carriage was empty, airless, and pitch-dark—the four of them were trapped inside, eating meat pies with a pot of boiling water.

Once the train started moving, Tan Fu finally spoke: "Chief Qiu, who are you guarding against?"

Monkey Qiu smiled faintly: "Just a precaution—not targeting anyone specifically. Miss Chunying is traveling for business for the first time; better to be cautious."

After speaking, Qiu Zhiheng glanced at Lu Chunying.

Lu Chunying nodded slightly; she not only approved of Monkey Qiu's actions but could also guess his intent.

Monkey Qiu's move was clearly aimed at someone—Ma Wu suspected he was guarding against Lu Mao, but that didn't make sense.

The Lu family's private train was heavily guarded; how could Lu Mao even get an opportunity to strike?

Who else could it be besides Lu Mao?

"Junyang," Monkey Qiu said to Ma Wu, "I heard about the incident at Lanyang Village. Find a chance to tell Li Qi—this matter should stop at Song Zhigang for now; don't push further."

…

Li Banfeng stretched and sat up on the bed.

He had stayed inside the Sui Shen Ju for three full days without stepping out.

Going out had to be done cautiously, because once he left, he didn't know when he'd be able to return.

Last night he dreamed of Waizhou—in the dream, he was back in high school, reliving memories of scavenging trash and sleeping under bridges, all unpleasant.

For this, Li Banfeng had Hong Ying punish Meng De.

Compared to his wife, Hong Ying was gentler—she pulled Meng De out of the calendar, pinned him on her knee, and beat him with a peach.

Li Banfeng accepted Hong Ying growing limbs without surprise.

His wife said Hong Ying wasn't a gun—she was a girl, and she should look like one.

Not only had her body changed, but her tip had too—lengthened, widened, and smoother than before; if this trend continued, Hong Ying would soon grow a face.

Li Banfeng didn't care about Hong Ying's changes; what truly troubled him was this nightmare.

He had dreamed of the sea, and the Sui Shen Ju had taken him to the Oil Lake.

Now he dreamed of Waizhou—where would the Sui Shen Ju take him next?

Li Banfeng still dared not bring the key into the room; under current circumstances, he had to adapt to the Sui Shen Ju's changes.

He turned on the projector, replaying footage he had shot in the warehouse before entering the Sui Shen Ju.

The footage was short—only two minutes—Li Banfeng watched it ten times; only when the warehouse scene was firmly looping in his mind did he cautiously open the door.

One foot inside, one foot outside, Li Banfeng gradually smelled the distinctive dusty odor of the warehouse, then stepped out of the Sui Shen Ju.

He was indeed still in the Xiaoyao Wu warehouse; he retrieved the key, confirming his hypothesis.

The Sui Shen Ju's movement was clearly tied to his thoughts—earlier, thinking of Heishipo had taken him there.

Now, thinking of the warehouse, stepping out brought him straight to the warehouse.

As for why he had gone to the Oil Lake last time—that was a misunderstanding—but as long as he used this trait wisely, Li Banfeng could still return precisely to where he entered.

After drinking two cups in Xiaoyao Wu, Cao Zhida told Li Banfeng that Ma Wu had followed Qiu Zhiheng to Heishipo.

Leaving Xiaoyao Wu, Li Banfeng went to Dongping Tea House, ordered a pot of tea, and drank for half an hour.

Soon, a waiter approached, lowering his voice: "Sir, please come upstairs to speak."

On the second floor, Qin Tianjiu was already waiting in the private room, quickly inviting Li Banfeng to sit.

When idle, Qin the Fat spent most of his time at Dongping Tea House; unless something special happened, Li Banfeng could always find him there.

They hadn't seen each other in a while; Qin Tianjiu had grown even thinner. Li Banfeng pulled out a stack of bills and shoved them into his hand: "If you're short on cash, go to Xiaoyao Wu and find me—if you can't find me, go to Ma Wu. Don't starve yourself."

Qin Tianjiu blushed: "Seventh Brother, I—I'm not short on money…"

"Don't bullshit me—just take it. Any news on Lu Mao?"

"Actually, yes!" Qin the Fat nodded. "Lu Mao invited Qiu Zhiheng to dinner yesterday, claiming it was about Lanyang Village."

"He said two of his subordinates caused trouble there, and he had nothing to do with it—he's already removed them from his roster."

"He even got our boss to witness it—but Monkey Qiu wasn't in Lüshui City, so the dinner never happened."

Lu Mao was the Lu family's patriarch—if he'd done this, he wouldn't need to grovel to Monkey Qiu. It seems he truly didn't know beforehand.

So who was behind it?

It couldn't be the steward's own idea.

Qin the Fat added: "Seventh Brother, there's another thing from the Lu family—Lady Duan adopted a son. You know about it?"

Li Banfeng nodded: "I know—it's Zhang Huaiyi, her nephew."

Qin Tianjiu continued: "Duan Shaoxia has been lavishing praise on this adopted son lately—last night she even took him to dinner with the Lu family!"

This made sense—Duan Shaohong's son was Duan Shaoxia's nephew; compared to Lu Chunying, Duan Shaoxia could accept Zhang Huaiyi more easily. Using this chance to build connections for her nephew was normal.

Wait…

Duan Shaoxia.

Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead; a thread of insight surged into his mind.

Could Duan Shaoxia be the mastermind behind the Lanyang Village attack?

Could she have bribed Lu Mao's steward to falsely claim Lu Mao's orders, inciting Song Zhigang to stir up trouble in Lanyang Village?

Her goal wasn't to escalate the conflict between me and Lu Mao—it was to escalate the conflict between Monkey Qiu and Lu Mao.

Monkey Qiu strongly supports Lu Chunying; by dragging Lu Chunying into the center of the conflict, Duan Shaoxia could publicly isolate her—and secretly even kill her, then pin the blame on Lu Mao.

Is this possible?

Yes.

This tactic could indeed eliminate Lu Chunying and clear the way for Zhang Huaiyi.

How would Monkey Qiu respond?

Monkey Qiu didn't respond.

He went to Heishipo.

He took Lu Chunying away.

Duan Shaoxia's scheme was wasted.

But her scheme carried serious risk—if they followed the two subordinates, they'd trace them to Lu Mao's steward; follow the steward further, and they'd reach Duan Shaoxia.

Then again—how did Duan Shaoxia bribe Lu Mao's steward? That steward was so loyal—could money alone have bought him?

This matter can wait; first, I need to plan my next move.

"Xiao Pan, how long have you been working on that hollow copper seal? When will you make a proper one?"

Qin Tianjiu shook his head and said, "Seventh Brother, I've only been working on the bronze seal for a few months and haven't accomplished much. The Silver Badge says I lack seniority—right now, trying to claim territory is probably too hard."

"Seniority requires capital first, then experience. Talk it over with your Silver Badge—best to set clear prices. Just tell me the amount of silver."

The Three Heroes Gate line must not be loosened—it's very useful.

Back at Xiaoyao Wu, Cao Zhida handed Li Qi an invitation: "Lady Duan sent this. She says there's a banquet tomorrow at Yuelai Tower, and she invites you."

Seeing the invitation, Li Banfeng could confidently conclude his guess was correct.

He naturally wouldn't attend the banquet—otherwise, he might never return.

Li Banfeng told Cao Zhida to reply to the person who delivered the invitation: "We have urgent business and can't make it tomorrow."

Cao Zhida rubbed his hands and said, "Seventh Master, Lady Duan is the lawful wife of the Lu family. Saying 'urgent business' won't be enough to dismiss her."

"What do you mean 'dismiss'? We truly have urgent business—we're going to open new land. Get a few trusted brothers and leave tonight."

Promises must be kept—Miss Meng is waiting!

Zuo Wugang, Zhen Jincheng, and Huo Ling had all gone with Ma Wu to Heishipo; Xiaoyao Wu had few capable fighters left.

After counting the manpower for a long while, Cao Zhida told Li Banfeng, "Seventh Master, we'd best bring Genzi—he's an expert at opening new land."

"Bring him, definitely. And prepare some materials for him."

…

Genzi was cultivating in Lanyang Village. His spoon had broken, so he made a new one himself, but it didn't feel right to use.

The village's gold essence had been mostly collected, so Genzi went to the new land, where an old man tending the fields waved at him.

"Young brother, are you a Jin Xiu? I'm short on gold essence."

Farming in the new land?

This must be a Geng Xiu—and his level wasn't low.

Little Genzi walked forward with his bucket and handed the old man a spoonful.

The old man examined the gold essence and shook his head. "The quality is poor."

"Poor?" Genzi frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

The old man chuckled. "What do I mean? I mean it plainly—poor is poor!"

PS: This Geng Xiu clearly has high status!

(End of Chapter)