Chapter 369: We

Li Banfeng held the remote control, examining it over and over again.

It wasn't that he lacked the courage to try—it was that he simply couldn't tell what changes had been made to the Sui Shen Ju.

More importantly, were the functions after the modifications what Li Banfeng actually wanted?

"Do you know what this is for?"

The Sui Shen Ju replied: "For passing through."

"Do you know what road I need to pass through?"

"How could I not know? Wherever you go, I follow."

"Can this device open the border line?"

"Thirty seconds at a time, once per day."

Li Banfeng pondered a moment and said: "You mean this mechanism, right?"

"What else could it be? The craftsmanship is extraordinary. With current materials, this is as far as it can be modified. Go try it—whether it works or not, we'll see."

Li Banfeng took a paper doll, smeared it with a drop of blood, stepped out of the Sui Shen Ju, stood near the border line, and pulled the lever.

He guided the paper doll across the border line—the doll suffered no damage.

It worked!

The Sui Shen Ju is incredible!

As a train, it somehow possesses such advanced craftsmanship!

Only thirty seconds were available; the paper doll used twenty. Li Banfeng didn't hesitate—he dashed across the border line. Ten seconds later, the mechanism clicked, and the lever returned to its original position. He tried pulling again, but it wouldn't budge.

The once-impassable border of Pulu Province had just opened—and Li Banfeng still found it hard to believe.

As long as the remote control remained undamaged, Li Banfeng could now walk freely across most of Pulu Province, no longer needing to worry about travel permits.

Behind him lay Heishi Slope.

Ahead lay Qishui Yao, a town nearly the same size as Heishi Slope.

Li Banfeng carefully tucked away the remote control, pulled his hat brim low, and vanished into the night.

…

Qishui Yao, a town roughly the same size as Yaowang Gou.

The place had a peculiar name. When he worked at the newspaper office, Li Banfeng had once asked about the origin of Qishui Yao. Xiao Chuanzi explained that the soda here was especially delicious.

At dawn, Li Banfeng arrived in town. A rich, fragrant aroma filled the air.

It was the smell of soda—many stalls had already opened by early morning.

Li Banfeng sat at a stall. The owner asked him what flavor of soda he wanted.

Orange, grape, honeydew—here, the soda was entirely artificial flavoring, with zero natural fruit juice.

Yet somehow, their method made the soda genuinely delicious.

Li Banfeng ordered two bottles of grape soda, plus the shop's signature set: two authentic English-style sausages, a plate of authentic Lüshuicheng pork head meat, a dish of Qishui Yao's traditional spicy cabbage, and a bowl of the stall's secret white porridge.

Was this meal appropriate?

Li Banfeng thought it was perfect—plenty to eat, rich flavor, and not the least bit greasy.

While eating, Li Banfeng chatted with the owner about the origin of Qishui Yao.

The name had nothing to do with drinks.

"Back then, our Qishui Yao produced the first boilers in all of Pulu Province. Water turned to steam, steam turned back to water—this cycle was the foundation of the steam engine.

Every household in Qishui Yao had steam power, and we got it before Heishi Slope did. If those people in Heishi Slope hadn't been such good businessmen, we'd have lived better than them!

Later, Qishui Yao gained some fame. Someone started selling soda here and falsely claimed the soda sect originated here.

As a result, our steam engines never improved, but our soda got better and better. Locals loved it, outsiders loved it too. The whole town became full of soda stalls, and now everyone says our name comes from soda. Isn't that just rumor-mongering…?"

The owner looked young—maybe twenty-five or twenty-six—but when she spoke of Qishui Yao's history, she couldn't stop. Seeing Li Banfeng nearly finished eating, she brought him another bottle of soda just to keep talking.

After eating, Li Banfeng returned to the Sui Shen Ju and slept. At dusk, he bought a map and wandered the streets.

At this hour, soda stalls were even more numerous. Li Banfeng was considering where to get dinner when he spotted the same stall he'd eaten at that morning.

The owner spotted Li Banfeng and immediately beckoned him over. Suddenly, someone beside them said: "Friend, don't leave so soon—let me say something."

Li Banfeng turned and saw a man in a black cloth long gown, wearing a round-brimmed cap, with a goatee, holding a red sandalwood folding fan.

Before him stood a square table, with a sign hanging beside it bearing two large characters: "Know past and future, transform the infinite; foretell fortune and misfortune before they come."

He was a fortune-teller.

The stall owner coughed several times, signaling Li Banfeng not to respond.

Li Banfeng walked up to the fortune-teller and asked: "You're calling out to me?"

The fortune-teller nodded: "First time in Qishui Yao?"

Li Banfeng answered honestly: "Yes, first time."

The fortune-teller pinched his fingers, calculated for a moment, then suddenly frowned: "You shouldn't be here."

Li Banfeng was startled: "Why not?"

"Your fate is marked by calamity. That calamity lies in Qishui Yao. You've already triggered it—you're destined for bloodshed."

"What's this 'calamity' thing? Sounds scary," Li Banfeng said, squatting on the ground with his hands clasped, looking simple and earnest.

The fortune-teller asked: "Did you come to visit family or friends?"

"I came to visit a friend."

"How close is your bond with this friend?"

"Very close—we've saved each other's lives multiple times!"

The fortune-teller snapped shut his fan and asked sharply: "You came to collect a debt, didn't you?"

Li Banfeng was stunned: "I didn't come to collect a debt—I came to repay a debt!"

"You're lying! You came to collect a debt!" The fortune-teller grabbed paper and brush and said to Li Banfeng: "Write a character."

This was a character divination.

Li Banfeng asked cautiously: "How much for a character reading?"

"Nothing!" The fortune-teller waved his hand. "I'm not here to take your money. I see you're a man of loyalty and righteousness. I want to help you avert this disaster."

"No charge? Perfect." Li Banfeng nodded eagerly and wrote the character " Xiang " on the paper.

The fortune-teller studied it, his expression growing even more grave: "This is a dire omen. Even through the paper, I can smell blood."

"What smell? I can't smell anything," Li Banfeng said, tense.

"Look closely. The character ' Xiang '—a tree beside an eye. Bloodshed is right before you."

Li Banfeng didn't understand: "How is a tree a sign of bloodshed?"

"If a splinter from wood pierces your hand, does it bleed?"

"Of course it bleeds."

"If a wooden pole drives into your eye, does it cost your life?"

"Of course it does!"

The fortune-teller nodded: "That's why I said you came to collect a debt. You arrived in Qishui Yao—your friend's life is already forfeit."

Li Banfeng panicked, wiped sweat from his face, and stood up: "Then I'll leave."

"Too late!" The fortune-teller sighed deeply. "You've already triggered the calamity. Your friend cannot escape his fate."

"That can't be!" Li Banfeng clasped his hands again, crouched on the ground, voice trembling as if he might cry. "I came to repay a debt—how could I cause my friend's death?!"

"A man of true sincerity. In this age, few are as loyal and righteous as you," the fortune-teller nodded. "Meeting you today is fate. I'll risk half my cultivation to find a way to save him. Tell me—what is your friend's name and where does he live?"

"I don't know his name."

The fortune-teller froze: "What do you mean? You said you've saved each other's lives?"

"We have. To fulfill one of my wishes, he gave me his life."

He had to speak truth—this statement was genuinely true.

The fortune-teller was even more confused: "If your bond is so deep, how don't you know his name?"

Li Banfeng wiped his eyes: "He refused to tell me. He only said he was a chancellor of the underworld, and that his home was in Qishui Yao. That's why I wrote ' Xiang '."

Upon hearing this, the fortune-teller fell silent for a moment.

"Chancellor of the underworld" was how Jiang Xiang Sect disciples referred to themselves.

The fortune-teller asked: "What age and appearance does your friend have?"

Li Banfeng said: "Over fifty, thin, slightly dark-skinned, always kind in speech and action."

The fortune-teller fell into deep thought.

According to this description, there might be such a person in the sect—but he couldn't be certain which one.

Uncertainty was normal. Li Banfeng gave no distinctive features. With this description, he could find dozens walking the streets.

The fortune-teller was torn—was this man really a fellow sect member?

After much hesitation, seeing Li Banfeng's simple, honest demeanor, the fortune-teller decided to take on the task.

"I'll cast a divination to find your friend. Once you meet him, what will you do to repay him?"

Li Banfeng continued speaking truthfully: "I brought many valuable things, but I can't tell you what. When I meet my friend, I'll give him everything—and I'll share some with you too."

"A virtuous man—the heavens pity you. I'll help you," the fortune-teller said, taking out divination rods and asking for Li Banfeng's birth details.

Li Banfeng didn't know his birth date, so he made one up.

After calculating, the fortune-teller immediately packed up: "Come with me. Your friend's whereabouts are known. Whether you can save him depends on your fate."

Seeing Li Banfeng follow the fortune-teller, the soda stall owner panicked but dared not speak.

The fortune-teller led Li Banfeng through alleys and streets, chatting constantly and praising his loyalty and righteousness.

This is the Jiangxiang Gang's method for targeting victims, relying on inspection, probing, intimidation, deception, flattery, and selling.

Inspection means observing demeanor; seeing Li Banfeng walk around looking everywhere, he concluded this man was an outsider.

Probing means indirect questioning to extract information; though they had never met, the fortune-teller drew out many details from Li Banfeng.

Intimidation means instilling fear, emphasizing that disaster was inevitable; after completing these three steps, the preliminaries were complete.

After the preliminaries came the main act: deception, linking unrelated matters together—making Li Banfeng choose a character to read was the deception technique.

Flattery means praising to gain Li Banfeng's trust.

Selling means self-promotion; by this stage, the deal was already made.

Along the way, Li Banfeng nodded repeatedly, believing every word the fortune-teller spoke; to the fortune-teller, the deal was already sealed.

The only thing the fortune-teller needed to confirm was whether this man was a friend of some fellow from the Duokou.

If he truly was a friend of the Duokou, then hand him over to the fellow for handling—don't ruin relations over one fat sheep.

If no one in the Duokou recognized him, then no mercy: leave him with even a single copper coin, and the fortune-teller would be deemed incompetent.

Arriving at a narrow alley, the fortune-teller pinched his fingers in calculation and said to Li Banfeng: "Wait here. Just ahead lies your doom—I'll first check whether your friend is caught in it."

Li Banfeng clasped his hands together and waited obediently in the alley.

The fortune-teller left the alley, turned into another alleyway, and entered a civilian residence.

This residence was their Duokou; the boss was disciplining two female disciples. The Jiangxiang Gang ran a "releasing white pigeons" racket—using women to swindle men's money, the precursor to the Qiansierhuan. Zhou Yujuan, the shopkeeper of the Xianle Dance Hall, had started in this trade.

These two disciples were inept, having made no profit in half a month, so they were punished with the family law—now lying across a spring bench, receiving lashes.

The fortune-teller stepped forward to report: "Boss, a man came to our Duokou seeking a friend, claiming he shares a life-or-death bond with someone from our gang."

"Came here seeking a friend? A life-or-death bond?" The boss found this odd. "Are you full of shit?"

The fortune-teller was about to explain when Li Banfeng spoke from beside him: "Boss, I'm not lying—I truly share a life-or-death bond with them.

I've brought you plenty of good things. Don't rush—we're all friends. Everyone gets a share."

Li Banfeng drew his sickle.

Tang Dao flew up in response.

The gourd was on the left, the pendulum on the right.

The gloves arrived at the front door and shut it.

…

Ten minutes later, Li Banfeng emerged, supporting the previous fortune-teller.

"Don't cry. Everything I told you is true—I truly shared a life-or-death bond with them.

I wanted to wipe out your gang for one personal wish. They gave their lives for me. Isn't that a deep bond?"

Passing a soda stand, Li Banfeng greeted the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper had no idea what was going on, surprised these two were chatting so warmly.

Li Banfeng continued comforting the fortune-teller: "You're a true fortune-teller—I'm not flattering you, I genuinely admire you. Just now, those people in the Duokou? All my good friends. They gave their lives to me too.

Your Tangkou must have many more good friends. Take me to meet them. You saw for yourself—I brought plenty of good things, all meant for you. I even saved a special portion just for you.

Didn't I tell you not to cry? Crying like this makes people think I did something terrible.

Wipe your tears, wipe the blood off your face."

…

After eliminating two Duokou, Li Banfeng arrived at the Jiangxiang Gang's Tangkou.

He did not storm in directly, but waited until deep night.

The fortune-teller told Li Banfeng that inside this Tangkou lived a high-ranking Wu Xiu, expert in traps and mechanisms. The fortune-teller drew Li Banfeng a map marking a safe route, though Li Banfeng didn't know if it was true.

He certainly wouldn't risk himself—he used a music box to knock out several guards, then took two paper figures from his personal dwelling and walked the route once.

The fortune-teller's route was genuine—it was indeed safe.

Li Banfeng entered the Tangkou courtyard. Late autumn, early winter—the air was cold. Li Banfeng worried the Tangzhu might catch a chill, so he prepared to set fire to the Tangkou first.

As he searched for a spot to ignite, the Qiansierhuan whispered: "Master, there's movement."

Clang! Clang!

Sound of metal clashing.

The sound seemed to come from underground.

In the dungeon, He Yuxiu, battered and bruised, was bound tightly by chains.

The chains were made of special material; He Yuxiu could not break free. She slammed her body against the iron door.

"You dog-born bastards!" He Yuxiu gritted her teeth. "As long as I have one breath left, I'll fight you to the end!"

PS: Earlier, Shen Jingye claimed he'd use the Jiangxiang Gang to kill He Yuxiu—and he actually did.

(End of Chapter)