Chapter 400: Just Cooperation, Not Friends

The two judge's pens were simply taken by Suishenju.

The glove sighed and said, "If it's about speed, only our old master can match it!"

Li Banfeng roared, "Old man, these are my things—I took them back. You just sweep them away? At least tell me what they're for!"

Suishenju chuckled, "These are railway tracks. You keep them, they're useless. I keep them, they're invaluable."

Railway tracks!

Railway tracks worth a hundred thousand yuan!

No wonder they were the Chu family's hidden treasure.

Li Banfeng patted the glove and smiled, "You did a great job this time—big reward coming."

The glove raised one finger, stood on the ground, and shook its head. "Serving the master is our duty. To speak of rewards—you're being too formal."

Xie Juncong was the master of the Ghost Hand Sect, the true ancestor of thieves. To steal something from him without him noticing—that ability of the glove left Li Banfeng deeply astonished.

But astonishment couldn't show. Li Banfeng kept his expression calm. He'd now collected six railway tracks. It was time to confirm something with Suishenju.

"Old master, when you first took only two railway tracks, you could leave the key and move freely. Now you've got six—does that mean you've gained more abilities?"

Suishenju coughed. "It's not 'moving freely.' I only move with you—or with the key. That rule never changes."

"Originally there were two tracks, now there are six. Naturally, there are changes. Now I can move from the tangible to the intangible."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "We're all on the same side. Don't speak in riddles."

"Put plainly—you can now reach places that are blurry. Places I couldn't reach before."

"When there were only two tracks, I could only go to places you could see—Heishi Slope was an example."

Li Banfeng had stared at the photo of Heishi Slope, and instantly found himself in the photo studio of the Yelai Xiang Newspaper.

"Then what about Youhu?"

Suishenju said, "Even places seen in dreams count."

The glove snorted. "The old master just wants to steal oil—he's using the master's dream as an excuse to play favorites…"

"Silence!" Suishenju roared. "I am not like you!"

The glove sneered. Li Banfeng asked again: "What about after four railway tracks?"

"With four tracks, you no longer need to see a place directly. Seeing a similar location and making a reasonable inference is enough."

The wording was roundabout, but Li Banfeng understood.

At Yaowang Gou, Suishenju didn't miss a single inch—he shattered the Sangmen Array. Beforehand, Li Banfeng had only found one bloodstain; the rest were deduced based on his reasoning.

In other words, each additional railway track allowed Suishenju to blur the destination's specifics.

The more railway tracks, the greater the blurring, the smarter Suishenju became.

Li Banfeng asked: "With six tracks, how blurred can it get?"

Suishenju said, "There may be places you've never seen—but if I've been there and still remember them, and if the distance isn't too far and you can describe them clearly, we can go."

Li Banfeng was excited. "What places have you been to?"

"Too many. I've been almost everywhere in Puluozhou!"

"So if I can describe a place clearly and it's not too far, you can go anywhere?"

"Anywhere I remember."

"Which places do you remember?"

"I've forgotten most of the places I've been to."

Li Banfeng's excitement faded. "Old master, are you kidding me? Trains have been there—how can you forget?"

"Trains don't need to remember many places. Just remember the stations. You built one station—I still remember it."

Li Banfeng had no reply. The glove snorted: "There's no station at Youhu either—yet you went there to steal oil. In the end, it's just whether the old master wants to remember!"

Suishenju exploded: "I went to Youhu because Qi saw it in his dream!"

Li Banfeng didn't press it. Suishenju had sentience—he deserved his own thoughts. Though Li Banfeng had faced danger at Lianbuda, the fact that Suishenju had cleared every inch afterward was thanks to the fuel he'd gathered.

This reminded Li Banfeng of something. He looked at the fuel in the third room—only five barrels remained. Not much.

"Shouldn't we go to Lianbuda and get more fuel?"

Suishenju agreed: "I've known Lianbuda for years. Now, for certain reasons, it's inconvenient for me to meet him. You go and chat with him on my behalf."

Li Banfeng was puzzled. "What should I talk about?"

"Just chat casually."

Li Banfeng still didn't get it. The glove said: "Master, the old master means you're to keep Lianbuda occupied while he steals the oil."

Suishenju roared: "I am not the kind of person you describe!"

The glove burst into laughter. "The old master is so noble."

Whoosh!

A jar flew over and landed squarely on the glove. The laughter stopped instantly.

Li Banfeng thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly.

Send me to stall Lianbuda.

Is Lianbuda that easy to stall?

Let's deal with the Garrison Commander first.

…

He Jiaqing had just returned from a cosplay expo, a fox tail stuck in his hair.

His chest button trembled. He gripped it and heard Wan Jinxian's voice.

"Jiaqing, Xie Juncong got the pair of judge's pens."

He Jiaqing smiled. "Good news. Send them to Yuezhou in a few days—I'll study them closely."

"Jiaqing, here's the thing: Xie Juncong says he got them, but Li Qi stole them."

"Stole them? Something stolen from Xie Juncong?" He Jiaqing didn't believe it.

"Xie Juncong says so. I don't believe it either—who else could steal from him?"

"Besides, Li Qi is now cooperating with us in business. He should be our friend. Why would he steal from us?"

He Jiaqing thought for a moment. "Business, yes. But friendship? That's another matter. Li Qi understands this distinction clearly."

"Tell Xie—this angers me. Let him figure out how to get it back himself."

As he spoke, a girl wearing fox ears burst into the hall and snatched the tail from He Jiaqing's head. "You steal that too? Despicable!"

…

Wan Jinxian ended the connection and looked at Cui Ti. "That's the whole story."

Cui Ti rubbed his chin, confused. "I don't understand the relationship between Li Qi and He Jiaqing."

Wan Jinxian shook his head. "I don't understand either. Maybe it's similar to the relationship between you and me."

Cui Ti shook his head. "I think it's different. According to my sources, Li Qi is rebelling—for Puluozhou."

"He Jiaqing is doing the same."

"I don't see it. I only see him trying to grow stronger."

Wan Jinxian sighed. "You don't understand Puluozhou's situation. You don't understand how powerful the forces from Neizhou and Waizhou are."

"I understand perfectly," Cui Ti smiled. "My own country has similar places."

Wan Jinxian was startled. "You foreigners have such places too?"

"Yes," Cui Ti nodded. "Just not called Puluozhou."

This gave Wan Jinxian another suspicion: "Your Dao sect didn't come from Puluozhou—it came from your country?"

This mattered. Wan Jinxian had long been puzzled by the origin of Cui Ti's cultivation.

If Cui Ti's cultivation came from abroad, it proved the Illness Cultivation might not have been created by Lüshui Gai.

"Dao sect…" Cui Ti shook his head. "If our land had the concept of Dao sects, its people would have the means to resist."

They had no Dao sects?

"By your tone, your land has suffered oppression too?"

Cui Ti nodded. "If you heard the stories from my land, I guarantee you'd weep. You'd think Puluozhou was paradise.

Human nature is the same everywhere—that's why I hate humanity. One day, I will end every life in my hands."

"You're insane. Beyond cure," Wan Jinxian could think of no better description.

"I'm not insane, Senior Brother. Most people die of disease. Dying of disease is a good end.

I let them die from diseases I created—this follows natural law and human desire. I believe we should complete this great feat together."

Wan Jinxian nodded. "Fine. I'll help you. First, cure the rash on my body."

Cui Ti smiled. "Senior Brother, don't fixate on that one rash. It's a gift from our Patriarch. My willingness to share it proves my generosity toward you."

Wan Jinxian said nothing more. He rose and left.

After he left the hospital, Cui Ti used a probe to puncture his nose. A bit of emerald pus oozed out.

This pus had come from Wan Jinxian.

Cui Ti touched the pus, tasted it, and closed his eyes, sensing for a long while, until he reached a conclusion:

"He's resisting. And making progress. My senior brother is strong—both in cultivation and willpower.

What will happen if he keeps resisting?"

Suck~

Cui Ti swallowed the pus.

…

Wan Jinxian returned to his residence, and the steward brought him a box of silver dollars: "Master, the house at Heshun Garden has been sold."

He had already sold six residences in Lüshui City, and now only this one remained.

This one cannot be sold—if he sold it, he'd have to sleep on the street.

He needed money—he needed to buy elixirs, he needed to advance.

The boils on his back throbbed with itching.

Wan Jinxian gritted his teeth and thought to himself: If I ascend eight levels, this rash should finally vanish.

……

At the Chu family mansion, Chu Huaijun smoked a cigar, silently listening as his subordinates reported on the movements of San Ying Men.

Bao Yingchen was dead, Yang Xingbo was dead, Dong Kai-bin was dead—all the influence he had cultivated within San Ying Men had been wiped out.

Most infuriating of all, Bao Yingchen's death had been framed on him.

The He family, the Lu family, Qingyun Hui, Baihua Men, Baihe Bang… every minor clan and gang was willing to testify, all claiming Bao Yingchen had been secretly assassinated by Chu Huaijun.

Chu Huaijun sent men to seek Shen Jinzhong, demanding an explanation.

Shen Jinzhong sent over the heads of Dong Kai-bin and his men—his explanation was crystal clear.

San Ying Men's days are over; once this gang is destroyed, they'll finally know who truly rules Puluozhou!

Chu Huaijun extinguished his cigar and summoned his men: "Yingchun Tower—prepare a banquet. Tomorrow night, I'm hosting the Chief Inspector for dinner."

(End of Chapter)