Chapter 343: Bitter Medicine Pass

Li Banfeng obtained a travel permit, bought a train ticket, and prepared to go to Huangtu Bridge.

Feng Zhang's elder brother, Feng Chongfu, was still at Huangtu Bridge, waiting to make a big deal; during Li Banfeng's investigation of the railway tracks, Feng Chongfu was the most crucial lead.

He did not tell Qiu Zhiheng why he was leaving, only saying he would return as soon as possible.

Only Feng Zhang knew what Li Banfeng was going to Huangtu Bridge for, and he accompanied Li Banfeng there.

"My elder brother has a rule: when doing business with him, you must find a witness—who must know you and also know him.

Few people know this rule, and he refuses to tell others in advance; after doing business with him, many end up in mutual displeasure because they lacked a witness."

Li Banfeng was puzzled: "Why must you find a witness? What if you don't?"

"Without a witness, the deal will change drastically—if he's buying, he'll slash the price, possibly to under half;

if he's selling, he'll jack up the price, possibly doubling it, or even simply renege on the sale.

This witness is tied to his cultivation—deals without a witness seem to harm his cultivation."

"If the witness is so important, why doesn't he tell people ahead of time?"

Feng Zhang shook his head and sighed: "I don't know the reason for that."

Though they were blood brothers and from the same sect, Feng Zhang didn't truly understand Feng Chongfu.

Before leaving, Li Banfeng paid a visit to Yao Lao's residence.

Madame carved a record and told Li Banfeng: "Take this to the local deity named Yao— he's a warrior; as long as he holds his gate, the Death Star shouldn't be his match,

but the Death Star Array has already formed in Yaowang Gully, and accidents are always possible—if you encounter the Death Star ambushing you, this record might come in handy."

Madame's records carried undeniable power.

"But Yao Lao doesn't even have a record player—what will he use to play it?"

Give him one.

Li Banfeng took a wind-up record player from Room Six—it was bought from Miaosheng Record Player Shop.

Li Banfeng often bought record players from Miaosheng Record Player Shop; American players and Madame's parts were compatible, so he mostly left them to her for upgrades. For record players from other nations, if he found one worth keeping, he'd buy it as a collectible.

This player was made by Aculi—its sound quality was quite good—but Yao Lao disliked it.

"Western goods—I truly can't stand them. Just leave it in the room as a decoration."

Li Banfeng placed the player on the bedside: "I've wound it up for you—remember, when you fight, turn it on. It'll be useful."

Yao Lao snorted: "When I fight, do you think I'll have time to listen to this thing?"

Li Banfeng then handed Yao Lao the adhesive tape from Ling Miaoying: "If you get hurt, stick this on."

Yao Lao stared at the tape for a long time: "Is this for sticking people, or for sticking tires?"

"Good stuff—keep it and use it!"

Watching Li Banfeng walk away, Yao Lao sighed: "I never make friends. Why are you giving me so many things?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a light breeze blew.

A leaf drifted down, aimed at Yao Lao's cheek—then suddenly shot toward him at high speed.

Yao Lao swung his wine flask, and two taels of old wine spilled from the spout.

Where the wine touched the leaf, blue smoke rose.

Yao Lao transformed into a mist of wine and followed the smoke.

After more than ten minutes, Yao Lao returned to his recliner and grunted: "Old dog, you run fast!"

His left arm bled, but Yao Lao paid it no mind and kept drinking.

After two sips, he looked at the adhesive tape Li Banfeng had brought and chuckled: "Well, it's your thoughtfulness—I'll try it."

…

Inside the Sui Shen Ju, Xiang Hongying asked: "Yaowang Gully is the old Ku Yao Pass, isn't it?"

Chichi~

The record player replied with one word: "Yes."

Xiang Hongying murmured: "That man really is Yao Xin."

Still that word: "Yes."

"That old bastard is still here?"

"He's always been here."

"Did you know he was here?"

"I knew."

"Does he know you're still alive?"

"He knows."

"After that incident, have you seen him?"

"No."

"Do you hate him?"

"I've never hated this old general—in all three armies, he's the only one I never hated."

Xiang Hongying snorted: "Then why do you hate me?"

"You're different from him—he was a competent general. He held Ku Yao Pass, and he's held it ever since."

…

Li Banfeng and Feng Zhang took the train to Huangtu Bridge; of the entire train, only the two of them got off at this station.

From the moment they stepped off the train until they reached the square before the station, they saw no one except the ticket inspectors.

This place was too desolate.

Desolate as it was, the territory was vast—several major streets crisscrossed, with railway tracks running through them, bearing a faint resemblance to Heishipo, though the smell of rust and dust was overpowering.

The heavy odor was natural: the railway tracks were heavily rusted, and a small train sat there, even more corroded.

Many of its wheels had been removed; the few remaining ones bore the train's weight, likely because they were too stubborn to dismantle.

As for the machinery on board—besides the steam boiler and kettle, nearly everything else had been stripped away.

Walking several hundred meters along the main street, Li Banfeng saw no open shops; only one restaurant's window glass remained intact. He touched the windowsill—dust was over an inch thick.

Such a large town, nearly the size of a small city, could be this desolate?

Li Banfeng asked Feng Zhang: "Where do we find your brother?"

Feng Zhang said: "I recall Huangtu Bridge has only one inn still open—let's go check there."

Feng Zhang was a shopkeeper who rarely traveled and wasn't familiar with Huangtu Bridge; the two wandered, searching from noon until dusk, walking over three hours before finally finding the inn.

Indeed, the inn was large—a seven-story building with over a hundred rooms.

The innkeeper was dozing behind the counter; Li Banfeng asked directly: "We're here to find a guest surnamed Feng."

The innkeeper frowned: "Can I just give out guest information? Don't you know the rules of running a business?"

Li Banfeng gave the innkeeper two Huan State banknotes; the innkeeper pointed to the stairs: "Room 608—he just came back an hour ago."

The two went to Room 608. When they knocked, Feng Chongfu opened the door. Li Banfeng froze for a moment.

He looked at Feng Zhang and whispered: "Did we get the wrong person?"

Feng Chongfu said to Feng Zhang: "Xincheng, what are you doing here? Who is this…?"

Was this really Feng Chongfu?

That didn't make sense!

Feng Chongfu was Feng Zhang's elder brother.

Feng Zhang looked to be over fifty.

But Feng Chongfu looked to be in his thirties—what was going on?

Feng Zhang briefly introduced Li Banfeng; Feng Chongfu invited them inside.

He was staying in a suite: a parlor outside, a bedroom inside.

The three sat in the parlor. Li Banfeng got straight to the point: "Mr. Feng, I've come today to buy a pair of iron rulers."

Feng Chongfu blinked: "You want to buy weapons?"

"You can call them weapons."

"Then I don't understand—aren't iron rulers weapons?"

Feng Chongfu seemed still testing; Li Banfeng clarified further.

"You once sold a pair of iron rulers to Master Tu—I took a liking to them, but Master Tu refused to part with them.

I've come to ask you: do you still have any left?"

Feng Chongfu glanced at his brother Feng Xincheng—he found Li Banfeng unusual.

In the martial world, people speak three parts, hold back seven, always testing each other.

Why was this man so blunt?

Feng Xincheng said: "Brother, Mr. Li is here to do business. I'll serve as witness."

Though the brothers had different temperaments, Feng Chongfu trusted his own brother's character.

"To be honest, I have two pairs of iron rulers—one I sold to Master Tu; I still have one pair left."

He really had one pair!

Li Banfeng nodded: "I'll take that pair."

"Don't rush—think about the price first."

Li Banfeng was prepared for the price—Tu Yinghong had gone bankrupt for it; such an important item wouldn't be cheap.

"What's your price?"

Feng Chongli extended one finger and said, "One million silver dollars."

Feng Xincheng choked on his tea and nearly spat it out.

Li Banfeng had expected something steep, but still sat speechless for a long while.

One million silver dollars?

Li Banfeng said, "Mr. Feng, do you know what the price of Lüshuicheng's flagship, Bailingmen, is?"

"Of course—last year, Lu Dongliang sold it to Chu Huaiyuan for eighty thousand silver dollars."

"So you're asking a million for this pair of iron rulers?"

Feng Chongli nodded. "That's exactly the price."

"When Tu Shumei bought them from you, was it the same price?" Li Banfeng doubted Tu Shumei had that much wealth.

Feng Chongli sipped his tea. "How much Mr. Tu paid is none of your business."

That made sense—a deal is a deal.

Could Li Banfeng come up with one million silver dollars?

Yes.

When he sold the Exploding Tiger Spear, Li Banfeng made eighty thousand silver dollars—sixty thousand remained in Tiemenbao, twenty thousand he carried with him.

In recent months, coming and going, he had thirty thousand on his person; if he retrieved the money from Tiemenbao, that would total ninety thousand.

Combined, the businesses in Lan Yang Village, Zhengjing Village, and Xiaoyao Wu added up to over sixty thousand silver dollars belonging solely to Li Banfeng—he could indeed raise one million.

Li Banfeng said, "I'll pay you thirty percent as deposit now, and settle the rest later. We'll sign a contract, but you must let me take the items away—agreed?"

Feng Chongli thought for a moment, then shook his head.

Feng Xincheng added, "Brother, I vouch for Mr. Li's character. No one carries a million silver dollars on them—you must give him a few days to gather the funds."

Feng Chongli lit a cigarette, drew a deep breath, and said, "Since Xincheng speaks up for you, I'll make a discount—a big one. Eighty thousand, the same as Bailingmen."

"Bring me eighty thousand by this time tomorrow. We'll exchange cash for goods on the spot, verify authenticity face to face, and sign the contract then."

"If you don't come, don't bother returning—I've other business at Huangtu Bridge. After tomorrow, I won't see any more visitors."

Feng Xincheng beside him said, "Brother, you're being—"

Feng Chongli's face darkened as he glared at Feng Xincheng. "I've given you more than enough face."

These two brothers truly didn't get along.

Feng Xincheng had nothing more to say.

Li Banfeng nodded, pulled down his hat brim, and left Feng Chongli's room with Feng Shopkeeper.

Feng Shopkeeper's face was flushed. "Mr. Li, I didn't help you at all."

Li Banfeng smiled. "How can you say that? You saved me twenty thousand silver dollars!"

Feng Shopkeeper pursed his lips. "In business, haggling is normal—even without me, he should've lowered the price a bit."

"But this is unreasonable—eighty thousand silver dollars in one day? In this backwater, where would you even get it?"

Li Banfeng didn't know where to get it either.

They ate something, Li Banfeng arranged lodging for Feng Shopkeeper, then took a room for himself and returned to Suishenju.

Sitting in Suishenju, Li Banfeng counted his cash: thirty-eight thousand silver dollars—still forty-two thousand short.

He sat on the edge of the bed, silently pondering his options.

Option one: go rob someone.

Huangtu Bridge was unfamiliar territory—he didn't even know where to start, and Li Banfeng wouldn't rob decent folk.

Option two: steal the iron rulers directly.

That wouldn't work either.

First, the deal was fair and mutually agreed upon—why should he steal from them?

As Li Banfeng muttered to himself, his glove suddenly spoke: "Master, if you don't want to rob, I'll go borrow the items for you."

Borrow them…

Li Banfeng patted the glove. "You've got quite the way with words."

"Then let's go!" The glove moved to leave, but Li Banfeng shook his head.

"Borrowing won't work—Feng Shopkeeper vouched for me, and he's the fellow's own brother. I can't put him in a bind."

The phonograph chimed in: "My dear, what's so troubling?"

Li Banfeng sighed. "Wife, I need to buy something."

"We have plenty of silver—what can't you buy?"

Li Banfeng said, "I need to buy a pair of iron rulers. They cost eighty thousand silver dollars!"

"Eighty thousand? That's a huge sum—what kind of weapon is it?"

"Not a weapon. Something for our home."

Clang clang clang~ Ha!

The phonograph strongly supported: "My dear, if it's for the house, you must buy it—no matter the cost! Exchange your Jin Yuandan pills—they're worth a fortune!"

That was a viable idea—high-grade Jin Yuandan pills were indeed extremely valuable.

But Li Banfeng needed those pills to advance to Traveler Realm; obtaining them wasn't easy—they had low yield.

In his dilemma, the glove spoke again: "Master, if you won't borrow the iron rulers, borrow the money instead."

Li Banfeng gave a bitter laugh. "Where would I borrow so much?"

"From me!" The glove stepped back two paces, its opening upward—and out poured a flood of silver dollars.

The silver piled higher, filling nearly half the room.

The glove told Li Banfeng: "Forty-one thousand, three hundred and twenty-two silver dollars, Master. Count them."

Li Banfeng stared, stunned.

The glove then spat out a chest of gold: "This was your previous reward to me. Add it up—it should be enough. If not, I've banknotes too—I'll give them all to you, Master!"

PS: Who dares say our glove lacks heart?

Recommending a new xianxia novel: Eastern Sequence, by Kesi Lu. Interested readers, take a look.

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(End of Chapter)