Chapter 328: Can One Know the Beauty

Shumei Paper Mill, a refined name, perfectly suited to a talented woman's demeanor.

According to the Green Water City's *Autumn Garden Evening Post*, two years ago, Shen Rongqing purchased this paper mill from the He family—this very Shumei Paper Mill—and the news was only a tiny item on page three of the evening paper.

At the mill's entrance, Li Banfeng did not rush inside; he wasn't sure if this mill still belonged to Shen Rongqing.

He first entered a newsstand, bought two magazines, and struck up a conversation with the owner.

"Do you know who owns this mill?"

The newsstand vendor shook his head. "I've sold papers here for over ten years, but I haven't seen the owner in the past two."

"You saw him before?"

"Of course I did!"

"The previous owner was surnamed He—did you really see him?"

"Who said he was surnamed He? The owner's surname is Tu!"

"Tu?" Li Banfeng was puzzled. The newspaper clearly reported that Shen Rongqing had bought this mill from the He family.

Is this vendor making this up?

"What was the previous owner's name?"

"Tu Shumei. In Heishipō, our Boss Tu is a notable figure—everyone in papermaking and printing knows her. Later, for some reason, the business became unprofitable, so she sold it off. That's not uncommon in Heishipō."

Tu Shumei.

She's also surnamed Tu.

Li Banfeng recalled something: Qin Xiaopang had once said Tu Yinghong was also from Heishipō.

Could this Tu Shumei be connected to her?

Li Banfeng asked: "How old is Boss Tu?"

The vendor thought a moment. "I remember when she was still running the mill, she was nearly sixty."

She's not Tu Yinghong—the ages don't match.

Or perhaps she's related to Tu Yinghong somehow?

"I'd like to meet this Boss Tu. Do you know where she lives?"

The vendor shook his head. "I don't know. I heard she's no longer in Heishipō."

"Does she have any relatives here?"

"No. When her business was at its peak, reporters came for an interview. Boss Tu said her parents were dead, she had no children, no siblings—she built the business entirely on her own, a true heroine!"

So she likely has no connection to Tu Yinghong.

Is this vendor reliable?

If he remembers the interview from years ago, why doesn't he know about the *Autumn Garden Evening Post* article?

Was the article too insignificant?

"Do you have the *Autumn Garden Evening Post*?"

"I don't carry it. You're from Green Water City, right? Nobody in Heishipō reads the *Autumn Garden Evening Post*," the vendor chuckled. "For real news, I've got the *Green City Daily*."

It was published by the Ling family, and still had a market in Heishipō.

Ling Miaowen and Ling Miaoying were dead, yet the Ling family's newspaper still operated.

The vendor continued: "If you want something scandalous, I've got plenty. The most scandalous here? *Ye Lai Xiang*!"

Li Banfeng's cheek twitched.

Who says *Ye Lai Xiang* isn't respectable?

"Give me one copy of *Ye Lai Xiang*."

"Do you want the newspaper, the magazine, or the motion picture?"

Li Banfeng froze. "You sell motion pictures here?"

"Of course. *Ye Lai Xiang*'s motion pictures come out weekly. I've got the latest, and I keep old ones in stock!"

They're sold at newsstands now?

The vendor raised an eyebrow. "Want one? Twenty-eight yuan."

Li Banfeng frowned. "Twenty-eight yuan's not cheap. I'd rather go watch a movie—*Blood Spear Detective* is more thrilling."

"How can they be the same? *Blood Spear Detective* plays in theaters. When you get excited in a theater, you just… do it there? How embarrassing! Only someone like Ma Junyang from Green Water City would do such a thing."

*Ye Lai Xiang* is different. You set up the machine at home, play it in secret—no one knows!"

"What if your wife finds out?"

"Even if she does, no problem—watch it together. I tell you, my wife loves it…"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I don't own a motion picture machine."

"I've got one. Made by *Ye Lai Xiang*—genuine Qi Chuan brand."

Qi Chuan brand?

Who named it that?

Xiao Chuan?

Why am I being dragged into this?

The vendor pulled out the machine, asking eight hundred yuan.

Li Banfeng offered six hundred. The vendor refused: "This thing sells itself. Eight hundred is cheap. Many families save up to buy one, and even reporters from news agencies rush to get one."

"I'll throw in the newspaper, the magazine, and the film reel—and add a screen as a bonus. That's a discount. This machine—no less than eight hundred."

The vendor wouldn't budge, but Li Banfeng wasn't angry.

He bought the machine, took it with its stand, and carried the newspapers and magazines to the paper mill.

The mill's gatekeeper approached, eyeing Li Banfeng. "Who are you here to see?"

"I'm here for your boss."

"What's your business?"

"I'm a reporter."

Seeing Li Banfeng's neat attire and the motion picture machine, the gatekeeper believed him. "Wait here a moment—I'll ask our manager."

Soon, the manager arrived, smiling at Li Banfeng. "May I ask which newspaper you represent?"

He couldn't mention *Ye Lai Xiang*—he needed a respectable publication.

"I'm from *Heishipō Miscellany*. I'm doing a special issue on the paper industry."

The manager became much more courteous—*Heishipō Miscellany* held considerable prestige in Heishipō.

"Our boss isn't at the mill. Could we arrange another time?"

Li Banfeng said: "That won't work—I'm on a deadline."

The manager didn't press. After exchanging a few polite words, Li Banfeng left with the machine.

Shen Rongqing owned many businesses, deeply hidden, with well-trained staff—hard to uncover anything on the surface.

He needed to find an inside contact.

Bai Qiusheng and Yuwen Qi were from Heishipō—he should start with them.

Li Banfeng returned directly to the news agency. Bai Qiusheng exclaimed: "Seventh Master, you're here!"

Li Banfeng held up the motion picture machine and smiled. "Where's Chuanzi? I came to celebrate his success—let's get drinks."

Not just celebration—he needed to reward him. Give Chuanzi money, and give him twenty percent of the motion picture machine's shares.

Bai Qiusheng looked uneasy. "Seventh Master, Chuanzi is sick—he's been bedridden for two days."

"Sick?" Li Banfeng's head buzzed—he immediately thought of Disease Cultivators.

He went to Chuanzi's room. Chuanzi lay pale and motionless on the bed. Seeing Li Banfeng, he tried to speak but couldn't.

"Has Chuanzi met anyone recently?"

This question left Bai Qiusheng speechless.

Chuanzi had been busy managing the projector business—he'd met many people. Where should he begin?

"Seventh Master, maybe we should go through it slowly…"

"We'll go through it on the way. First, take Chuanzi to Green Water City."

"Seventh Master, the doctor said Chuanzi is too weak to move."

That was a problem. If he truly encountered a Disease Cultivator, Li Banfeng had no solution except Cui Ti.

In his anxiety, the wine gourd whispered in his ear: "Little brother, find a quiet place to talk."

Li Banfeng returned to his room. The wine gourd said: "Little brother, this young man's condition is different. Ma Wu is truly ill, but this boy seems merely exhausted."

"Just exhausted? He's rested two days and still hasn't improved?"

The wine gourd replied: "I've followed the Medicine King for years—I know basic pathology. Shall we consult Sister?"

Li Banfeng returned to his personal quarters. The wine gourd described Chuanzi's condition to the phonograph.

Huh!

"Symptoms suggest overexertion. He's lain still for a long time without recovery—what was his physical condition before?"

"Very strong."

When operating the road roller, Chuanzi was already fit; after entering the Dao, his physique improved further. Pure fatigue shouldn't have felled him.

The wife asked: "Does he have any cultivation base?"

"First-level Work Cultivator."

"Has he made anything good lately?"

"He made a motion picture machine." Li Banfeng showed the machine to the wife.

The projector beside him snorted: "Crude materials—utterly unbearable to look at."

Compared to him, it's definitely shoddy and inferior.

"But this thing is cheap—ordinary people can afford it. Just hang a screen at home, and you can watch movies."

"How's the sales?" His wife rarely asked about business matters.

"Sales are booming."

"That's right, husband. When Wu Xiu produce something with a good reputation, time will surge along with it—the more people use it, the better the reputation, and the faster it grows."

Judging by this boy's condition, he's definitely going to ascend to the second level, maybe even leap to the third. An ordinary person's body can't withstand such advancement.

Not to mention ordinary people—even Li Banfeng couldn't survive a level leap.

"Do you have a solution, wife?"

"Oh, husband, if this were any other Dao sect, ascending levels would mean certain death. But Wu Xiu and Geng Xiu are exceptions—they still have a chance to stabilize. I'll write a prescription; you go fetch some herbs."

Li Banfeng exclaimed in delight: "Wife, you have such skills?"

The phonograph laughed: "Oh, husband, did you not hit the jackpot marrying me?"

"Such a treasure! Such a treasure!" Li Banfeng pressed his face against the phonograph and rubbed it vigorously against the cabinet door for a long while.

The phonograph laughed until she could barely breathe: "Husband, you mustn't! You have a beard—it tickles me to death!"

His wife wrote the prescription with the phonograph needle. Li Banfeng sent someone to collect the herbs, then brought over Honglian and refined them into a single elixir.

"Give him this elixir. Have him rest quietly for now. When the peddler comes, buy him a bowl of Soul-Returning Soup, and he'll pull through."

Li Banfeng quickly fed the elixir to Chuanzi.

After taking the elixir, Chuanzi improved noticeably. Li Banfeng gave him clear instructions, then summoned Bai Qiusheng.

He asked about Shen Rongqing.

Bai Qiusheng's reaction was much like Ma Wu's: "Shen Rongqing is a peerless talent. Every literati in Heishipo knows her name."

"Two years ago, she bought a paper mill in Heishipo. You know about that, right?"

"No," Bai Qiusheng shook his head repeatedly. "A talent like Shen Rongqing wouldn't bother with business, would she?"

"What's wrong with business? Is it shameful?"

Bai Qiusheng chuckled awkwardly: "With her exceptional talent, she can support herself easily—no need to waste energy on commerce."

Li Banfeng asked again: "Do you know Tu Shumei?"

"Yes. A remarkable woman, a Wu Xiu, a master in papermaking and printing."

"The hand-cranked printing press Chuanzi bought? That was made by Tu Shumei. All the small newspapers in Heishipo rely on that little machine to survive."

Wu Xiu?

Tu Yinghong is also a Wu Xiu!

But the age doesn't match.

"How old is Tu Shumei?"

Bai Qiusheng thought a moment: "If I remember right, she should be sixty this year."

Sixty years old.

Assume she ascended a level at twenty, and cultivated steadily for forty years—her cultivation base should be at level five.

As a master in papermaking and printing, she's clearly gifted. Reaching level six, even nearing level seven, isn't impossible.

She created the hand-cranked printing press, and her reputation is excellent. Many have used it.

If she ascends one more level, she'll reach level seven, perhaps even nearing level eight.

That matches Tu Yinghong's cultivation base.

Li Banfeng returned to Suishenju and asked his wife: "Can Wu Xiu cultivate their faces?"

Before the phonograph could answer, Hongying spoke up: "Yes, Seventh Brother. Next time you capture a live Wu Xiu, I'll show you my former beauty."

PS: If Ling Miaoying knew Tu Yinghong was sixty, what would she think?

Recommend a book: Big Smokepot's new gaming novel, "Mining the World." Da Chun doesn't mine ore—he mines corners.

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(End of Chapter)