Chapter 326: Turning Hand to Clouds

The next day, Ma Wu was nearly fully recovered, and Li Banfeng immediately took him out of the hospital.

Zuo Wugang marveled, "This hospital's medical skill is truly miraculous—though last night's incident made things a bit unsettled."

Cui Ti and Wan Jinxian had clashed inside the hospital; Zuo Wugang had sensed it too.

Huo Ling dismissed it: "They fight their fight; it has nothing to do with us. If they dare drag Wu Lang into it, let them try."

Ma Wu glanced at Huo Ling and couldn't help shaking his head repeatedly.

Shui Yongquan had been right all along: Huo Ling was unsuited to be either an assassin or a decoy.

But Huo Ling loved Green Water City, and Ma Wu didn't want to send her back.

Because Huo Ling was passionate—her passion was unique.

Back at Xiao Yao Wai, Ma Wu recounted what had happened: a middle-aged man had left him a message beside him, and immediately afterward, Ma Wu had fallen ill.

Li Banfeng knew the middle-aged man was Cui Ti's senior brother, knew he had come for him, and knew he was one of He Jiaqing's subordinates.

But who exactly was this senior brother?

Zuo Wugang had a vague memory: "I caught a glimpse of him in the hallway yesterday—he was covered in rashes, disgusting to look at, but his back profile looked like Wan Jinxian."

Huo Ling froze: "Who is Wan Jinxian?"

"He's the strategist for Lu Dongjun, the second master of the Lu family. That old bastard is ruthlessly cunning; Lu Dongliang used to warn us constantly to watch out for him."

Li Banfeng listened quietly beside them, piecing together the conversation between Cui Ti and Wan Jinxian from last night—gradually, a thread of clues emerged in his mind.

It was a faint thread, seemingly traceable, yet fragmented and intermittent.

This matter needed careful untangling.

Ma Wu was still weak, so Li Banfeng told him to rest early, then returned to Suishenju and carefully reviewed last year's newspapers.

In Yao Wang Gou, Li Banfeng first gained a comprehensive understanding of Pu Luo Province through a stack of old newspapers bought at the Lu family's bookshop; since then, he'd developed the habit of keeping newspapers.

During the disaster at Hai Chi Ling, Lu Dongjun had his moment of glory—he appeared frequently in newspapers of all sizes, and Li Banfeng found many reports related to him.

But who was the key man: Wan Jinxian?

He finally found him.

In a local newspaper from Hai Chi Ling, Li Banfeng spotted a report mentioning Wan Jinxian, who had represented Lu Dongjun distributing grain to disaster victims.

Lu Dongjun had gained great reputation early in the pest control effort—he must have used Wan Jinxian's virus—but later, the mosquitoes mutated, causing Lu Dongjun's failure.

But back then, couldn't Wan Jinxian have thought of any solution?

He certainly could have: by creating another plague, he could have curbed the mosquito population. Though it was a temporary fix, it would have bought Lu Dongjun time.

Yet Wan Jinxian did nothing—and soon after, Lu Dongjun vanished completely.

Wan Jinxian never intended to help Lu Dongjun control the pests; he merely lured Lu Dongjun to Hai Chi Ling, first letting him shine, then destroying his reputation.

What was his purpose?

More precisely, this wasn't Wan Jinxian's goal—it was He Jiaqing's. Wan Jinxian was He Jiaqing's subordinate.

Li Banfeng spread out the newspapers one by one, searching specifically for news from that period in Hai Chi Ling.

After more than half an hour, he found a crucial piece of information in the reports.

Business.

Business in Hai Chi Ling!

After Lu Dongjun succeeded in pest control at Tou Dao Ling, he acquired vast amounts of business assets; numerous newspaper photos showed Lu Dongjun signing contracts—many businesses in Hai Chi Ling had fallen under his control.

But where did all those businesses go afterward?

Li Banfeng continued flipping through the newspapers and discovered those businesses had been resold by Lu Dongjun.

Shen Rongqing, Qian Xiangjun, Duan Shuqun…

Li Banfeng didn't recognize any of those merchants' names.

Lu Dongjun acted like a middleman—acquiring businesses, then quickly dispersing them all.

Why?

Business…

It seemed there had been one huge deal.

Who made it?

Chu Er!

Flipping further back, Li Banfeng found that before going to Hai Chi Ling, Lu Dongjun had sold off many of the Lu family's businesses in Green Water City—the most famous being Lu Dongjun's sale of the Bai Le Men to Chu Er!

Later, most of these businesses were reclaimed by Qiu Zhiheng, but some were bought by others.

Who bought them?

Shen Rongqing, Duan Shuqun…

Again, those same people!

Li Banfeng stared at the newspapers, his mind racing.

"Hey, husband, why are you so studious today? Try on this armor—it's rare to find…"

"My dear wife, forget the armor for now—sing me a cheerful song."

"Husband, in such a good mood today?"

"It's not that I'm in a good mood—I'm about to fall ill."

What a grand scheme.

What a vast, intricate scheme!

Li Banfeng's mind was overloaded.

Hearing Li Banfeng say he was about to fall ill, the phonograph immediately began playing "Stars Reflect Each Other."

"A star in the sky shines upon my heart, my heart bears the imprint of one person—when dry, it nourishes me; when lost, it guides me…"

Under the accompaniment of violin and piano, the phonograph's tender voice calmed Li Banfeng swiftly, allowing him to gradually integrate the information.

He Jiaqing used Wan Jinxian to lure Lu Dongjun to Hai Chi Ling.

During that time, Lu Dongjun functioned like a tool, gathering a massive fortune for He Jiaqing.

Counting these businesses from the newspapers and the Ling family's assets, He Jiaqing now controlled wealth rivaling that of the Four Great Families.

Was this his capital to rebuild Pu Luo Province?

More than that.

In last night's conversation, the two had mentioned He Haiqin.

He Haiqin fell ill because Wan Jinxian poisoned him.

If Wan Jinxian were merely Lu Dongjun's strategist, this would make sense.

But if he acted under He Jiaqing's orders, the matter grew far more complex.

Li Banfeng had bought three and a half years' worth of newspapers from the Lu family bookshop; among them, he found reports of He Haiqin's severe illness.

It was precisely then that Wan Jinxian had poisoned He Haiqin.

Before He Haiqin fell ill, news focus centered on the struggle between the He and Lu families; overall, the He family held a slight advantage.

After He Haiqin fell ill, the Lu family dominated alone—meaning, from that moment, He Jiaqing had already begun manipulating the balance of power in Pu Luo Province.

What came next?

Next, I arrived.

Li Banfeng spread the newspapers out one by one, from the main house all the way to the seventh wing.

The phonograph played the song over and over, terrified he might fall ill—but Li Banfeng remained unnaturally calm.

The clues grew clearer.

Since arriving in Pu Luo Province, Li Banfeng had faced wave after wave of turmoil, nearly uninterrupted; after Lu Dongliang's death, the Lu family collapsed, and the Ling family rose in the chaos.

Was all of this within He Jiaqing's control?

Not necessarily.

Lu Dongliang's death was certainly beyond He Jiaqing's control—he never imagined Lu Dongliang would die at my hands.

But the Lu family's collapse must have been tied to him; according to news reports from the time, the Lu and He families had openly broken ties over the Red Lotus.

Whether He Yuxiu or Lu Dongjun attacked Lu Dongliang could wait—for He Jiaqing's goal was simply to create turmoil between the two families.

Is this why he wanted me to bring the Red Lotus back to Pu Luo Province?

Logically, it made sense.

He Jiaqing's identity was too conspicuous; if he himself brought the Red Lotus back, the news would leak, the He family would be besieged, and he himself could not remain uninvolved—he'd almost certainly become the focal point of the attack.

But there was a flaw in the process.

He didn't have to bring the Red Lotus back.

He could have kept it in Waizhou indefinitely.

He had already trapped Lu Xiaolan in the He family manor using the "Ten Thousand Li Apart" technique; he had already pretended to be a victim and successfully lay hospitalized.

All he needed to do was spread rumors that Lu Xiaolan had stolen the Red Lotus and vanished—then the Lu family, unable to defend itself, would be plunged into crisis.

Meanwhile, He Jiaqing could remain in Yuezhou, refining elixirs with the Red Lotus—wouldn't that be the perfect outcome for him?

Then why did he insist I bring the Red Lotus back?

Why must the Red Lotus return to Pu Luo Province?

The clues were not yet fully clear.

When had He Jiaqing begun his scheme?

After he went to Yuezhou—or had he started it while still in Pu Luo Province?

Li Banfeng had no more newspapers from earlier than this.

I should have bought more old newspapers back then; this stuff is too valuable.

Are there any similar places in Lüshui City?

Li Banfeng cuddled the phonograph for a moment, and, seeing he was not ill, the phonograph relaxed.

After leaving Suishenju, Li Banfeng asked Zuo Wugang: "Are there any places in Lüshui City that sell old newspapers?"

"Newspapers? This newspaper..." Zuo Wugang could barely read and rarely looked at newspapers; this stumped him.

Chu Xuan, the singer from Xiaoyao Wu, liked reading newspapers and knew where to buy old ones.

"On Wansheng Road, behind Ningshou Wine House, there's a Lu Family Bookshop. I went there once—they sell old newspapers."

Li Banfeng knew Ningshou Wine House; he had drunk there before.

Just as Li Banfeng was about to leave, he turned back and asked: "Which bookshop did you say?"

"Lu Family Bookshop."

The one selling old newspapers in Yaowang Gou was the Lu Family Bookshop.

Why is it still called Lu Family Bookshop in Lüshui City?

A franchise?

Li Banfeng arrived at the Lu Family Bookshop quickly. It was small but familiar—the facade and sign were identical to the one in Yaowang Gou.

Do franchises operate this uniformly?

Not only was the facade the same; the interior layout was identical too.

"Are you buying books?" The shopkeeper stepped forward to greet him.

Even the shopkeeper was identical!

Li Banfeng asked: "Weren't you running your business in Yaowang Gou before?"

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up: "You know me? I did run my business in Yaowang Gou, but as it grew, I moved to Lüshui City."

So that was how it was.

Li Banfeng nodded and said: "I want to buy newspapers."

"This way, please."

……

"Here are the newspapers you requested. Check the dates first." The shopkeeper handed a stack to Qiu Zhiheng, who paid and took the newspapers back to Qiu Pharmacy.

His wife said beside him: "Why did you bring back so many old newspapers?"

Qiu Zhiheng replied: "I never properly managed the Yaowang Gou business—I need to carefully examine the situation here."

His wife laughed: "You've weathered so many storms in your life—can't you see the Yaowang Gou situation at a glance?"

Qiu Zhiheng shook his head: "A glance might reveal the general picture, but missing one detail could cause big trouble."

As they spoke, the medicine delivery arrived.

His wife smiled: "That little girl who delivers medicine is so likable—I'll go see her."

Qiu Zhiheng asked casually: "Which girl?"

"From Laolü's family in Sanpu Village, outside the gully—her name is Xue Yingying."

Qiu Zhiheng thought for a moment and shook his head: "Has she been here before?"

"Of course she has—last time it was her who delivered the medicine. Her nickname is Cao Ye."

PS: In Chapter 164, Lu Dongjun's Jiangyuan Leather Factory was acquired by Shen Rongqing. Lu Dongjun was unaware at the time, but the newspapers carried a photo of him shaking hands with Shen Rongqing.

(End of Chapter)