Chapter 403

After seeing Sun Sun Tiecheng off, Liao Liao Zihui had to do some serious work.

Chu Chu Huaijun was dead, which was beyond Liao Liao Zihui's expectations. Having served as a Border Defense Commissioner for so many years, he had encountered many unexpected situations, but this was the first time a force he had personally fostered had been wiped out so directly, leading to such a chaotic situation.

It wasn't difficult to determine the cause of Chu Chu Huaijun's death. The second young lady of the Chu family had returned; not only had she refused the deal with the Baile Sect, but she had also taken over the Chu family's business. It was highly probable that Chu Chu Huaijun had died at her hands.

But how should he deal with this woman next?

Get rid of her?

Getting rid of her wouldn't solve any problems; instead, it would trigger a storm, and the situation would become even more tense than it was now.

Liao Liao Zihui called for his secretary, Ling Ling Sujun: "Draft a report. Put the acquisition of the Baile Sect on hold, and put the operation targeting He He Yuxiu on hold."

Ling Ling Sujun took out her small notebook and recorded it, while also offering her own suggestion: "Commissioner, in the list of tasks received previously, there were clear completion deadlines for both the Baile Sect and He He Yuxiu matters. Proposing a delay now, I'm afraid it will..."

Liao Liao Zihui shook his head and said: "As long as I am still sitting in the seat of the official Commissioner, this matter must be delayed; otherwise, it will lead to irreversible results."

"Should the operation targeting Li Qi also be delayed?"

Liao Liao Zihui hesitated for a long while, then rubbed his chin and said: "The operation targeting Li Qi must continue, but the strategy must change."

At the Ling Miaosheng Phonograph Shop, Li Li Banfeng bought over a hundred boxes of film, nearly clearing out Ling Ling Miaosheng's warehouse.

Ling Ling Miaosheng was somewhat puzzled by this: "Mr. Li, as far as I know, you have a film company under your command. Logically speaking, you don't need to buy film from me, and in terms of price, I don't have the slightest advantage here."

Li Li Banfeng shook his head and said: "What I care about is not the price, but the art."

Ling Ling Miaosheng's shop primarily dealt in phonographs and records, and he also sold film projectors and film. He had strict requirements for the quality of his goods, and one could buy top-tier film rarely seen in Puluo Continent from him.

This type of film was very suitable as payment for the projectors.

Besides the film, Li Li Banfeng also bought two spring-wound phonographs. Both of these phonographs were produced in the Outer Amikan Kingdom and used parts interchangeable with Niangzi's.

These two phonographs were crafted with great care, and in the handling of certain details, they were somewhat similar to Niangzi.

Li Li Banfeng admired them for a moment, then suddenly had some questions.

Exquisite workmanship, universal parts, and distinct craftsmanship features.

This was definitely not a personal handmade product, nor was it a craft that could be completed by some small workshop.

These two phonographs should be products of some enterprise.

In the Outer Continent, electronic equipment was rampant, and electromagnetic playback equipment was already outdated. Was there still a market in the Outer Continent for this kind of old-fashioned phonograph that relied on acoustic principles to play records?

If there was no market in the Outer Continent, would there still be enterprises in the Outer Amikan Kingdom specifically producing this kind of phonograph?

Could it be that they were only doing business for Puluo Continent?

Even if there were enterprises in the Outer Amikan Kingdom specifically doing business for Puluo Continent, what about the Chemian Kingdom? Ingli? Aotruili?

The Puluo Continent market shouldn't have such great appeal.

Li Li Banfeng asked Ling Ling Miaosheng: "Is the Outer Amikan Kingdom you speak of the same place as the Outer Amikan Kingdom spoken of in the Outer Continent?"

Ling Ling Miaosheng often imported goods from the Outer Amikan Kingdom, so he naturally understood what Li Li Banfeng meant.

"This question is not easy to answer. There are two versions, and I don't know which one you are willing to believe.

The first version is that there is only one Outer Amikan Kingdom. One can arrive directly at the Outer Amikan Kingdom from the Outer Continent, and the products they produce are transported to Puluo Continent via the Outer Continent."

"And the other version?"

"The other version is that there is an Outer Outer Amikan Kingdom and an Inner Outer Amikan Kingdom, and the relationship between them is just like that between Puluo Continent and the Outer Continent."

Inner Outer Amikan Kingdom.

Does the Outer Amikan Kingdom also have a Puluo Continent?

Li Li Banfeng asked: "You have had many dealings with the outside, so you should know which rumor is true."

"Mr. Li, you misunderstood. Actually, I don't have many opportunities to deal with the outside. Whether it's the Inner Outer Amikan Kingdom or the Outer Outer Amikan Kingdom, as long as it's something coming from the outside, it must pass through the Outer Continent before it can be transported to Puluo Continent. I can only import goods from the Outer Continent.

As for the official explanation, there is only one, which is that these things all come from Outer Amikan, and there is no concept of inner or outer.

But if you want to know the truth, I can responsibly tell you that the Inner Outer Amikan Kingdom truly exists, and the Outer Amikan phonographs here all come from the Inner Outer Amikan Kingdom."

Li Li Banfeng believed Ling Ling Miaosheng, but he had to ask for the reason: "How did you know the truth?"

Ling Ling Miaosheng looked at Li Li Banfeng for a moment, then told the truth: "When I was young, in pursuit of art, I once went to the Outer Amikan Kingdom."

"Was it the Outer Outer Amikan Kingdom?"

"I have been to both the Inner and Outer Outer Amikan Kingdoms," Ling Ling Miaosheng's tone carried a trace of melancholy. "I paid a very painful price for this. I had a part of my memory taken away, the memory regarding the Inner Outer Amikan Kingdom.

But some things cannot be taken away; the art from the Inner Outer Amikan Kingdom is carved into my mind and will never dissipate."

"What kind of art is it?"

Ling Ling Miaosheng shook his head and said: "I cannot describe it, because I don't know what way to use to express it, and the process of expression is very painful."

"Then don't force it." Being able to say things to this point, Ling Ling Miaosheng was already sincere enough.

Ling Ling Miaosheng urged: "Mr. Li, I hope you won't tell anyone about what I told you today."

Li Li Banfeng nodded, lowered the brim of his hat, and had people send the film and phonographs to his outer residence.

After sending the things into the Leaving Suishenju, Li Li Banfeng returned to the Xiaoyao Wu. Ma Wu brought an invitation: "The Border Defense Commissioner invites you to dinner, the night after tomorrow, at the Border Defense Hall."

Li Li Banfeng looked at the invitation and handed it back to Ma Wu: "Not going."

"Old Seven, Liao Liao Zihui invited you personally, and you won't even do him the honor?"

"It's not about doing him the honor. If I go to the Border Defense Hall, I will kill him."

Ma Wu laughed: "Don't say such angry words. Our future business still depends on the Border Defense Commissioner."

Li Li Banfeng didn't laugh: "They aren't angry words. If I go to the Border Defense Hall, he might kill me. Instead of waiting for him to kill me, I might as well kill him first."

This was Li Li Banfeng's logic, and Ma Wu couldn't find any logical problems with it.

"How about this: I'll invite Liao Liao Zihui to the Xiaoyao Wu. If he's willing to come, you can meet him once."

"That works too."

Ma Wu took out another invitation: "Boss Li of the Li Furong Zhai invites us to gather at his home. He also made an appointment for the day after tomorrow. I told him I had other things to do, and he wanted to make an appointment for tomorrow. Are we going?"

Li Li Banfeng nodded: "We can go to this one."

Ma Wu sighed and said: "I'm truly convinced. With you, is Li Li Haoyun's face bigger than Liao Liao Zihui's?"

"Li Furong Zhai is a good place, right?"

Ma Wu nodded repeatedly: "A good place. Once you go, you don't want to come out."

"If there's a good place to go, why would I want to go to the Border Defense Hall?"

Ma Wu blinked, feeling that what Li Li Banfeng said made a lot of sense.

At twelve o'clock at night, Li Li Banfeng went to the back building of the Xiaoyao Wu, reached the third floor, entered his exclusive suite, hid the key, and returned to the Leaving Suishenju.

He was in a good mood today, so Li Li Banfeng took the oil can and headed straight for Niangzi.

The phonograph trembled and said: "Husband, husband, listen first. Niangzi has urgent business here..."

"It is indeed urgent!" Li Li Banfeng hugged the phonograph from behind. "Come, Niangzi, speak slowly."

Two o'clock in the morning.

The door to the suite was opened.

Li Li Banfeng's door and lock were specially made; it was difficult to destroy them with force, let alone open the lock silently like this.

The person opening the lock wore a ring on their index finger; this was a treasure for picking locks.

The person was dressed in black and entered the room without a single sound of footsteps; even if a high-level Peeping Cultivator were present, they wouldn't hear any movement.

It wasn't just because this person's cultivation was high enough; their shoes and clothes were also treasures. There was no sound when the soles of the shoes stepped on the floor, and there was no sound from the friction of the clothes.

After scanning the room, the person in black discovered that there was no one inside. They took a colorful feather out of their sleeve and waved it into the air.

Thief Cultivation Technique: "No Treasure Unfound."

This was a means used by Thief Cultivators to find treasures. The higher the cultivation, the more exquisite the means of finding treasures.

With this person's cultivation, when looking for treasures on a person, they could just use a bit of dust and watch where it landed to judge the location of the treasure.

But Li Li Banfeng's suite was large, and to accurately find the treasure in such a large room, they had to rely on some external force.

This feather was a specially customized Thief Cultivation tool. The feather danced in the air for a moment and landed on the safe beside the bed.

The person in black pinched the dial, turned it twice, found the correct password, easily opened the safe with their finger sleeve, and saw it stuffed full of checks, gold bars, and silver dollars.

Were these treasures?

To a Thief Cultivator, they were absolutely treasures, but this wasn't the target of the person in black. They wouldn't touch anything outside of their target to avoid complications.

Closing the safe, the person in black threw the feather into the air again. The feather drifted for a moment and flew under the bed.

There was a supreme treasure under the bed.

The person in black leaned down, felt under the bed, and found a key in the floor cracks.

They held the key and pondered for a long time, trying to deduce the purpose of this key.

Since this key was a supreme treasure, its value definitely wasn't the key itself, but what it was associated with.

This key could open a certain door; it could be a room door, a cabinet door, or a box door. The true supreme treasure was inside the door.

But where was that door?

The person in black used the "No Treasure Unfound" technique to investigate again, checking every corner of the suite, but found no treasure.

They searched all the boxes and cabinets again, but still didn't find what they wanted.

This matter still needed investigation. Before finding out clearly, this key couldn't be moved randomly and had to be put back in its original place.

Not just the key; everything in this room had to be returned to its original place.

The person in black stood in the room and gently waved their sleeves. A whirlwind blew up, and all traces in the room disappeared; even the dust they had brought in from outside was collected into their sleeves.

Thief Cultivation Technique: "Wild Goose Leaves No Trace."

Everything was handled properly. The person in black left Li Li Banfeng's suite, returned to the room downstairs, changed clothes, and went to sleep first, waiting until tomorrow to look for clues from Li Li Banfeng again.

At three o'clock in the morning, the phonograph cried in the Leaving Suishenju: "Shameless madman, you ate the Joyful Soil again and tormented Niangzi for a full three hours!"

Li Li Banfeng gently stroked the horn and smiled: "Niangzi, wait for husband to go to the latrine, I'll be back soon."

"Why, you still want more?" The phonograph looked at Li Li Banfeng's retreating back, trembling all over.

She turned around and grabbed Xiang Xiang Hongying, who struggled desperately.

"Evil woman, this is your man, why are you ruining me?"

"Slut, didn't you grow a portal? Keeping it without using it is also a waste!"

Li Li Banfeng returned to the suite and went to the toilet to pee.

The glove turned around in the room and said to Li Li Banfeng: "Boss, someone has been in the room."

Li Li Banfeng was startled and hurriedly crawled under the bed to look for the key.

The key was still in its original place, and Li Li Banfeng let out a long sigh of relief.

The glove shook its index finger: "No, the key is not in its original place. Someone has moved it."

Li Li Banfeng felt his insight was strong enough, but he hadn't seen that the key had been moved; however, he trusted the glove.

"Boss, come out with me for a walk."

Li Li Banfeng took the key and followed the glove out of the room.

The glove felt around the corridor for a moment and arrived at the stairs.

Following the stairs, they went down to the second floor. The glove signaled Li Li Banfeng not to make a sound. It walked in the corridor for a moment and slipped into a room.

Two minutes later, the glove returned to Li Li Banfeng's pocket, and Li Li Banfeng took the glove back to his suite.

The glove said to Li Li Banfeng: "I've taken care of that old brat. Boss, let's rest easy."

Li Li Banfeng was afraid it wasn't secure, so he returned to the Leaving Suishenju to inform Niangzi that he wouldn't be sleeping at home tonight.

Niangzi let out a long sigh of relief and let go of Xiang Xiang Hongying.

Xiang Xiang Hongying sneered: "He ate Joyful Soil, aren't you afraid he'll crawl into someone else's bed?"

"Not afraid, it's better than being tormented by him!" The phonograph still had lingering fears. "Once I have a portal, life might be easier."

"Didn't you say you could grow a portal?"

The phonograph sighed long: "That's what I said, but where can I get that drop of blood?"

Li Li Banfeng carried the key and ran to Jiang Jiang Mengting's room to sleep for the night.

Jiang Jiang Mengting was afraid Li Li Banfeng would be cold, so she took off her clothes, covered Li Li Banfeng with them, and then held Li Li Banfeng tightly in her arms.

In winter, sleeping together was really warm.

Before dawn the next day, Xie Xie Juncong, the leader of the Ghost Hand Sect, opened his eyes, preparing to take action.

There was something very important to do today.

What was it?

Xie Xie Juncong sat on the edge of the bed, unable to remember for a long time.

Where was this place?

It seemed to be the Xiaoyao Wu.

Why did I come to the Xiaoyao Wu?

Xie Xie Juncong looked around; he didn't remember why he had come here.

It seemed he was missing a segment of memory.

Knock, knock, knock~

Someone was knocking on the door outside.

Xie Xie Juncong was startled and was just about to speculate who was outside when he saw the auntie responsible for cleaning the guest rooms at the Xiaoyao Wu push the door open and walk in.

"Oh my! You shameless old thing!" Seeing Xie Xie Juncong wasn't wearing any clothes, the auntie hurriedly closed the door.

Xie Xie Juncong was stunned, only then discovering he was naked.

Where were his clothes?

Where were his shoes?

Where was his ring?

Where was his feather?

Where were his personal treasures?

The auntie outside the door was still cursing, and Xie Xie Juncong hurriedly tried to think of a way.

Where were the sheets?

Where was the quilt?

A towel would do too; wrap it up first!

PS: Can a towel wrap it up?

(End of chapter)