Chapter 762: Mo Chun Xiao Xuan

Li Li Banfeng wanted to go to the Dark Star Bureau to spar with A-Yu again.

This time, having taken in Laughing Thousand-Hands, the strength of the whole family had increased quite a bit, but his wife had fallen into a deep sleep and was not in her best state.

Moreover, according to the old man, if the whole family ate here, Lai Lai Wuju would also benefit. If she and A-Yu worked together from the inside and outside, the Leaving Suishenju wouldn't be able to hold them off, and the situation would be dangerous.

Not take the little train?

Li Li Banfeng weighed his current combat power and felt it was a bit overconfident.

His techniques had improved a lot, but his cultivation base was lacking. Whether it was Residential Cultivation or Traveling Cultivation, at the fourth layer of the clouds, there was still a lot of room for improvement. To wrestle with a person like A-Yu, he was still lacking in quality.

He would go and absorb another wave of popularity to see to what extent his combat power could improve.

The popularity of Xiao Du and Wu Bian City had just been collected and could be nurtured for a while longer.

The popularity of Green Water City and Hai Chi Ling was about ready to be collected.

It was just that Li Li Banfeng was a bit worried about Tiemenbao. He didn't know if the Shouzu Alliance would come again.

Shen Shen Jiming, covered in wounds, arrived at Ling's Film Industry Company and stood before Shen Shen Rongqing, pouring out his grievances.

"Sister, we suffered a huge loss this time. Everyone came back with injuries, and a brother from the Ghost Hand Sect is still missing. There must be an explanation for this."

Shen Shen Rongqing felt that adding fake love roots to the film would eventually be exposed. It was reasonable to be beaten up after being exposed.

However, Shen Shen Jiming was her cousin, so she couldn't say it too bluntly. Besides, Shen Shen Jiming was indeed acting according to He He Jiaqing's requirements.

"I'll tell He Jiaqing about this immediately. Brother, go draw some money first to treat the brothers' injuries."

He He Jiaqing was discussing matters with Shu Wanjuan in Xin Di. With the strong support of the Inner Continent, He He Jiaqing was developing wasteland at full speed. Nearly half of the thirteen new plots of land had been opened up by him.

Shu Wanjuan was a bit worried, "Developing wasteland in Xin Di shouldn't be done so urgently. When Li Qi opened up the Seven Autumn City back then,

things weren't done so quickly."

He He Jiaqing said, "Senior, Li Qi fought alone; how much of a storm could he stir up? We have the imperial court standing behind us." "You brat! Are you truly ignorant of death?" Shu Wanjuan gritted his teeth, "Once the wind leaks, do you know the consequences of this matter?"

He He Jiaqing bowed, "Senior, please calm your anger. What if the wind leaks? You are developing wasteland here with the permission of the imperial court, and I am developing wasteland here with the permission of the Peddler. We are both doing things in a legitimate manner; where are there so many scruples?"

What a little thief, clearly stealing territory, yet standing tall and talking about legitimacy.

Things had reached this point all because of him. This thief didn't know how to repent, but instead felt at ease!

Shu Wanjuan's eyes flashed with cold light. In an instant, he had the intention to kill He He Jiaqing. His body had recovered more than half, and he now had the certainty to kill He He Jiaqing.

The button on He He Jiaqing's chest trembled. He hurriedly apologized to Shu Wanjuan, "There are some trivial matters to deal with; please excuse me for a moment, Senior."

Shu Wanjuan nodded slightly.

He He Jiaqing walked into the woods and gripped the button.

Shen Shen Rongqing told He He Jiaqing about Shen Shen Jiming's encounter at Tiemenbao. He He Jiaqing's face turned livid, "Let them know; I will handle this matter personally."

He He Jiaqing left the woods, and an "eye" character and an "ear" character appeared on a tree.

Shu Wanjuan's brows were tightly locked. Looking at He He Jiaqing's expression just now and listening to his tone, something big must have happened.

Was the matter of Xin Di exposed?

Was it too late to kill He He Jiaqing now to silence him?

Who contacted him just now? How many people know about this now?

Sweat beads seeped out of his forehead. When He He Jiaqing reappeared, Shu Wanjuan's expression immediately returned to normal, "He Jiaqing, what happened?"

He He Jiaqing smiled easily, "A small matter, not worth mentioning. Senior, can you ask the imperial court for more manpower? I feel our development is still a bit slow."

"Still slow?" Shu Wanjuan looked down at He He Jiaqing.

He He Jiaqing truly felt it was slow, "Senior, long nights bring many dreams. Finishing this matter early is good for both of us."

"Very well." Shu Wanjuan nodded slightly.

At night, He He Jiaqing returned to the Film Industry Company and found Shen Shen Jiming, asking him to recount the whole process again.

After listening, He He Jiaqing discovered that Shen Shen Rongqing hadn't explained things clearly, "I initially thought it was the Local Deity who beat you, but I didn't expect you to be beaten by Residential Cultivators."

Shen Shen Jiming kept his head down, feeling ashamed. He thought He He Jiaqing was complaining that they were useless, but He He Jiaqing was focused on another problem:

"If it really was Song Song Qianhun who beat you, I should go to him to reason. But if it was Residential Cultivators who beat you, this matter is abnormal. Since when were the Residential Cultivators of Tiemenbao so arrogant?"

Shen Shen Rongqing said from the side, "We planted fake love roots in them. The matter was exposed, so they naturally wanted revenge. Can't it be considered their arrogance?"

"How can it not be?" He He Jiaqing frowned, "I invited them to watch a movie, and I even gave them money. They turned around and beat people; isn't this just being unreasonable?

Since when did this group of Residential Cultivators become so unreasonable? Shen Rongqing, go check and see if anything happened in Tiemenbao?"

Shen Shen Rongqing had a newspaper office under her, and she checked the old newspapers, only finding some news, "Tiemenbao once had a conflict with Flying Eagle Mountain, but that was news from two years ago."

He He Jiaqing looked displeased, "Flying Eagle Mountain has conflicts with Tiemenbao every year. They extort quite a lot of money from Tiemenbao every year. Does this count as news?"

Shen Shen Rongqing didn't speak.

In fact, there was other news in the newspapers she checked. Back then, under the leadership of the Fort Master, Tiemenbao launched a counterattack against Flying Eagle Mountain, which was actually quite different from Tiemenbao's past actions.

It was just that these messages had no physical evidence and were all rumors heard locally. Seeing He He Jiaqing's attitude,

Shen Shen Rongqing didn't want to explain further.

Whenever encountering abnormal things, He He Jiaqing never took them lightly. The next morning, he went to Lu's Bookstore and asked Boss Lu to help him check the news about Tiemenbao in the newspapers over the past two years.

Although He He Jiaqing had once raided Lu's Bookstore at night, on the surface, the two had never broken the silence.

Boss Lu was a bit embarrassed, "Young Master He, this is not easy to check. That place, Tiemenbao, hasn't been in the newspapers much."

He He Jiaqing smiled, "It's precisely because there is little news that it's easy to find. If I were to check the news about the Baile Gate, I wouldn't know how long it would take."

Boss Lu poured tea for He He Jiaqing and ordered the clerk to find the newspapers.

He He Jiaqing stood by the bookshelf and glanced at it. A book called "Mo Chun Xiao Xuan" caught He He Jiaqing's attention.

"I haven't seen this book before."

Boss Lu smiled, "Young Master He has a good eye; this is a new book."

"Mo Chun Xiao Xuan," He He Jiaqing stared at the cover, "This name is good. The smell of ink is pungent." Boss Lu nodded repeatedly, "Being able to smell the ink shows the young master's talent. This book tells of the strange anecdotes encountered by a bookstore manager."

He He Jiaqing was surprised, "Could it be written by Boss Lu himself? Then I must buy a set."

Boss Lu shook his head repeatedly, "Young Master, you are joking. Since you like this book, I will have someone send it to you."

He He Jiaqing said, "This cannot be taken for free. Calculate the book money together with the newspaper money."

"Then thank you, Young Master." While speaking, Boss Lu walked to a corner of the bookstore and uncovered a curtain, "My small shop has always been taken care of by the young master, but I have nothing to repay you with. Please listen to a song, Young Master."

He He Jiaqing thought Boss Lu was going to take out a phonograph to play a song, but when he uncovered the curtain and looked, there was a radio in the corner of the bookstore.

In Puluo Continent, people who could receive radio stations were not simple. These people were either Electricity Cultivators or had magic treasures of Electricity Cultivators.

Boss Lu was indeed no ordinary person; He He Jiaqing was clear about this in his heart. But today, he brought out this radio, and He He Jiaqing didn't understand what he meant.

Turning on the switch, Boss Lu adjusted the knob and quickly received the radio station.

"Young Master He, please wait a moment. This radio station will play a song in a moment."

A-Hui's voice came from the radio, "Winter is coming soon. Listeners and friends who gather in the mountains,

hurry up and prepare winter supplies, and prepare for the heavy snow to seal the mountains.

In addition, broadcast an important message. All listeners and friends who like films, please tell each other. Please, you yourself,

family, and friends do not watch any film in the 'Blood Blade Detective' series. This film contains Love Cultivator techniques, which will cause serious damage to people's minds. Please be on guard, listeners and friends."

The broadcast ended, and A-Hui played a song, "Lovesickness, lovesickness, you are a bottomless pit. Tea and rice are abandoned, the pillow and mat are cold, the more I think, the more it hurts—"

The name of this song was "Lovesickness."

Listening to this song, the veins on He He Jiaqing's forehead jumped.

He knew A-Hui was Song Laoshi, and he also understood that Song Laoshi had some prejudices against him.

But she publicly dismantled He He Jiaqing's platform on the radio; He He Jiaqing truly hadn't expected this.

This matter must be clarified by Song Laoshi. Past rights and wrongs could be ignored, but now everyone was working for the Shouzu Alliance. Her behavior was equivalent to betraying the Shouzu, and she must give an explanation!

Boss Lu tapped the table lightly with the music, "Young Master He, this song is not bad, right?"

He He Jiaqing nodded slightly, "It sounds quite good. Do you have a record of this song?"

"Yes, I'll give you one."

He He Jiaqing shook his head, "I definitely cannot take it for free. I will buy it all. You take your time finding the newspapers; once found, send them all to me together."

When he broke into the bookstore at night, He He Jiaqing thought he had formed a grudge with Boss Lu. Now that he had encountered trouble, he didn't expect Boss Lu to still be willing to give him a reminder.

Leaving the bookstore, He He Jiaqing's expression was solemn. Returning to the Film Industry Company, he didn't notice an acquaintance near the bookstore.

Shu Wanjuan looked at Lu's Bookstore, his right eyebrow lifting slightly.

08g80

At 9:30 in the evening, Boss Lu was preparing to close the shop when an old man wearing a blue-green long gown, wrapped in a purple scarf, and wearing round-rimmed glasses entered the bookstore.

The weather was very cold, and a layer of white mist had formed on the glasses. The old man took them off and wiped them.

His clothes were very old, washed out, and had patches in many places. It looked like his life was not well-off, but he was very clean, his hair was combed neatly, and he had a unique elegance of a scholar.

"Sir, are you here to buy books?" Even if he was about to close, Boss Lu wouldn't refuse such a guest.

The old man's face turned red, "I am here to—sell books."

Yu Yu Yaoming walked down from the second floor and looked at the old man for a while.

The old man's face turned even redder.

Boss Lu waved his hand, signaling the clerk to send Yu Yu Yaoming back to the second floor.

Yu Yu Yaoming asked the clerk, "Who is this person?"

The clerk said, "Someone selling books."

"Can't I take a look?"

The clerk explained, "This old gentleman looks like a scholar. If a scholar isn't at the end of his rope, how could he bear to sell his books? Our boss wants to save him some face. If you keep staring at him like this, how uncomfortable must the old gentleman feel?"

Hearing this, Yu Yu Yaoming felt a bit ashamed. He was an academic and respected scholars. He had indeed been a bit rude just now, but he figured Boss Lu wouldn't neglect this old gentleman.

The old man took out a "Qingyu Poetry Collection" and gave it to Boss Lu.

"Qingyu Poetry Collection" was one of the earliest poetry collections in Puluo Continent, containing many masterpieces by poets. The poetry collection in the old man's hands was not well-preserved, with many folded pages and missing corners, but this version was very rare.

It was the first edition of the poetry collection.

The first edition didn't value quality, only quantity. At that time, poetry and prose with some reputation in Puluo Continent, regardless of quality, were all collected. Later generations, in the process of organizing, removed some so-called dross according to their own cognitive standards, causing the number of poems to become fewer and fewer. The version on the market today had less than half the poems of the first edition, which instead increased the value of the first edition.

Boss Lu looked at this volume of poetry and asked, "Old gentleman, is it just this volume?"

The old man kept his head down, "Thirty-six volumes, I have them all, it's just that Boss Lu knew the old man couldn't bear to sell: "For this volume, I will give five silver dollars. If you sell the whole set, I will give three hundred silver dollars."

The old man raised his head, his eyes red, "Is that true?"

Boss Lu took out five silver dollars and stuffed them into the old man's hands.

The old man pursed his lips, "The remaining thirty-five volumes are at my home. I will take you to get them—"

While speaking, the old man was shivering, half from being moved, half from heartache.

Boss Lu said, "You must think it over."

"I—have thought it over!"

Boss Lu personally followed the old man to his home.

The old man lived in Yuanzhu Lane, south of Green Water City. This was an old city area, and the houses were relatively dilapidated. The old man had a small courtyard and two flat-roofed houses. The traces of repairs on the house were even more numerous than the patches on the old man's clothes.

But entering the room, it was another scene.

The room was cleaned very cleanly. Both walls had bookshelves reaching the ceiling, and various books were neatly arranged on the shelves.

Boss Lu's eyes went straight; these were all good books.

Complete sets of "New Words of Falling Flowers," unrevised "Records of Glazed Fragments," first editions of "New Words of Green Shirt," and even the "Embroidered Xiu Xiu Shuang Ji" that Boss Lu hadn't changed a stroke of in his early years were all on the bookshelf.

The old man kept his head down, "You are a person who loves books. If you like any, just take them and look."

Boss Lu was a bit excited. He reached out toward "New Words of Green Shirt," "Are all these books for sale?"

The old man nodded, "As long as the price is right, they are all for sale."

Boss Lu retracted his hand and turned to look at the old man.

The old man smiled, "If you feel the money isn't enough, just take them back and look at them first. It doesn't matter if you don't pay; just treat it as a gift from me."

Boss Lu frowned, "Master, such a heavy gift, I'm afraid I can't afford to accept it?"

The old man pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Boss Lu, "We have been master and apprentice for so many years, and I haven't given you anything decent. This room full of books can be considered a little token of my heart."

Boss Lu's face turned livid. The old man in front of him was his teacher, Shu Wanjuan.

"Zhou Wencheng, I didn't expect that after so many years, you still love reading so much. You haven't lost the duty of the Daoist sect."

Boss Lu said, "Master, you overpraise me. I didn't expect Master to use such deceptive tricks, and use them more skillfully than a Play Cultivator."

From the moment the old man entered the door, Boss Lu felt his demeanor was very unusual. But Shu Wanjuan understood Boss Lu's temperament and knew he loved books and respected scholars, so he pretended to be a down-and-out scholar and tricked Boss Lu out of the bookstore.

In Lu's Bookstore, Shu Wanjuan truly didn't have the certainty to make a move. But now that they were in this house, things were much better.

"Zhou Wencheng, I don't want to make things difficult for you today; I just want to ask you one thing: why did He He Jiaqing come to find you during the day?"

Boss Lu said, "He came to buy some newspapers, bought a set of books, and bought a record. There was nothing else."

Shu Wanjuan shook his head, "You shouldn't lie to your teacher."

"I didn't lie. You can find He He Jiaqing to confront me face-to-face."

Shu Wanjuan reached out, and an "Embroidered Xiu Xiu Shuang Ji" flew down from the bookshelf. He opened a page and touched the text on it gently:

"Zhou Wencheng, in terms of cultivation, you are the highest among my disciples. In terms of character, you are the worst among my students.

Every time I see these foul-smelling words you write, I feel like I'm sitting on pins and needles, unable to eat. I am always thinking: why did such a piece of trash come out of my sect?"

Every word and every sentence hit Boss Lu's heart. But Boss Lu wasn't angry; instead, he took the initiative to ask for punishment, "My character is corrupt, and I truly shouldn't remain under Master's sect. Master, just treat it as if you don't have a disciple like me. Everything I do from now on will have nothing to do with Master."

Shu Wanjuan's fingers flicked, and the characters on the book turned into physical objects one by one, surrounding Boss Lu, "Saying such words, let me ask you, where is your conscience? If it weren't for my teaching, where would your cultivation be today?

Just because I was your master, do you know how much of my reputation I lost?"

Boss Lu smiled, "Master, you overstate it. Since the day you defected to the Inner Continent, Master has long had no reputation."

Hearing this, Shu Wanjuan's face darkened. His fingers trembled, and a piece of text rushed toward Boss Lu. The "knife" character carried a knife, the "fire" character was spitting fire, and two "poison" characters were spraying smoke all around, surrounding Boss Lu, each displaying their methods.

Boss Lu took out a book from his bosom. This was the unfinished manuscript of the sixth volume of "Mo Chun Xiao Xuan." Boss Lu turned to a blank page and collected all the surrounding text.

Shu Wanjuan nodded slightly, "Some progress. Your talent in the Daoist sect is indeed rare."

"Thank you for the praise, Master. If there is nothing else, this disciple will take his leave."

Boss Lu wanted to leave, but thirty-five volumes of "Qingyu Poetry Collection" flew out from the bookshelf, blocking Boss Lu's path.

"The books haven't been bought yet, and you want to leave. Can you leave?" Shu Wanjuan wasn't boasting. He had the skill of Heavenly Harmony; every character could be his weapon or his substitute.

A room full of books had been trained by Shu Wanjuan. Boss Lu had almost no possibility of escaping.

"Master insists on keeping this disciple's life?" Boss Lu held the manuscript, his fingers turning the pages continuously.

"That's not necessarily true," Shu Wanjuan let the thirty-five volumes of "Qingyu Poetry Collection" return to the bookshelf, "Tell me about the collusion between you and He He Jiaqing, and I will let you leave immediately."

"There has never been any collusion between him and me. If Master doesn't believe it, this disciple has nothing more to say."

Shu Wanjuan sighed, "Let's put this matter aside for now. I'll ask you again: is the Imperial Jade Seal in your hands?"

Boss Lu shook his head, "This disciple once went to Sage Peak to plot to seize the Imperial Jade Seal, but failed to obtain it."

"Tell me who obtained it."

"This disciple truly doesn't know."

"Zhou Wencheng, you truly don't know; you don't know what's good for you!"

Shu Wanjuan waved his hand, and thousands of books on the bookshelf unfolded together, with countless characters gushing out.

Boss Lu's figure was submerged in the text. There were no fewer than millions of characters. With just one manuscript, there was no way to parry.

According to Shu Wanjuan's calculation, in less than ten seconds, Boss Lu would turn into a pile of ashes.

But he didn't want Boss Lu's life; he still wanted to ask Boss Lu about many things.

Just at five seconds, Shu Wanjuan let the characters return to their original places. Shu Wanjuan stood up abruptly.

He didn't see Boss Lu, but saw a house more than three feet high in his room. A plaque hung on the house's gate, with four characters written on it: Lu's Bookstore.

Why was his bookstore here?

Shu Wanjuan was surprised for a moment and understood the reason.

"Mo Chun Xiao Xuan" was Boss Lu's new work, telling of the experiences of a bookstore manager. This book contained a large number of descriptions about the bookstore, and Boss Lu relied on these textual descriptions to construct a Lu's Bookstore.

Once inside Lu's Bookstore, Boss Lu's whereabouts were hard to grasp. He could quickly arrive at another bookstore from one bookstore.

Shu Wanjuan wanted to drill into the three-foot bookstore to chase Boss Lu, but he didn't want to take the risk.

In Lu's Bookstore, anyone who fought Boss Lu might suffer a loss.

But Shu Wanjuan didn't want Boss Lu to escape just like that. He beckoned for a writing brush and wrote more than a hundred "chaos" characters.

These "chaos" characters quickly infiltrated the three-foot bookstore. Watching the bookstore twist and deform, Shu Wanjuan smiled.

In Yuanzhu Lane, Boss Lu, who had intended to return to the Yaowanggou Bookstore, suddenly appeared in a deep alley. The path between the bookstores had been disrupted, and Boss Lu had gone in the wrong direction.

Boss Lu took an inkstone from his sleeve and threw out the ink. A line of ink remained on the ground, crossing the buildings in the deep alley and extending to Fuyun Avenue in the east.

He followed the ink trail and could have walked back to the bookstore within ten steps. He didn't expect that just after taking two steps, Shu Wanjuan had already arrived nearby.

Boss Lu gripped the manuscript, thinking of countermeasures.

It was impossible to build another bookstore; there weren't enough characters in the book.

What other way was there to escape?

Boss Lu looked at a three-story Western-style house by the road. It was uniquely shaped and had a very scholarly atmosphere.

Hanging a plaque on this three-story Western-style house might barely count as a bookstore.

Boss Lu splashed the ink from the inkstone into the courtyard, and his figure followed the ink to the front of the Western-style building.

He picked up his brush, preparing to draw a plaque on the rain awning in front of the door. A large piece of ink attacked, painting the plaque Boss Lu had drawn pitch black.

Pitch black was fine; black background with white characters was also fine! Boss Lu dipped his brush in white paint, preparing to write the sign directly on the ink trail. Just as he wrote a "Lu" character, the black ink immediately covered the white characters.

After trying several times without success, Boss Lu was surrounded again amidst layers of text.

A piece of text turned into Shu Wanjuan himself and said to Boss Lu, "Zhou Wencheng, considering the master-student relationship, I will give you one more chance. What exactly are you—"

Bang!

Shu Wanjuan suddenly scattered into a pile of ink.

A piece of text gathered into Shu Wanjuan again more than ten meters away. He looked at the position he had been in before,

and found Li Qi wearing a suit and a top hat, glaring at him.

The reason Shu Wanjuan had shattered just now was because Li Qi had kicked him.

Shu Wanjuan was startled. Li Qi had actually participated? Could it be that he also knew about the Xin Di matter? Could it be that Li Qi, He He Jiaqing, and Zhou Zhou Wencheng were all accomplices?

Boss Lu was also muttering in his heart, what was Li Qi doing here? Could it be for the Imperial Jade Seal?

Li Li Banfeng gritted his teeth, looking back and forth at the two people in front of him.

Running to my house in the middle of the night to scribble and draw, what do they want to do?

PS: Li Li Banfeng has a dark dimension space in Yuanzhu Lane, where the contract for Green Water City is buried. See Chapter 525 for details. ===== CHAPTER 763 =====