Chapter 788: The Great Hermit Hides in the Marketplace

Li Li Banfeng and Ma Wu were preparing to take over the railway; the railway's smooth operation depended on the Tian Nu's cooperation.

Using the Hong Lian Kuo Cave's bridal chamber, Li Li Banfeng went to the house in Hulucun and told A Yu about the railway.

A Yu was eating spicy oil-poured noodles—noodles as wide as a belt, topped with bright red chili—gulping them down with great pleasure, making Li Li Banfeng's cheeks twitch with tension.

A Yi quickly served Li Li Banfeng a bowl; the three ate while chatting.

A Yu finished two bowls of noodles, devoured a whole lamb leg, and drained a jar of nü'erhong wine; she calmly wiped her lips and said, "Opening the railway is a good thing—I'm willing to help you, but I must take the Tian Nu to inspect every line: how trains normally run, where to grant passage—all must be clarified in advance."

Li Li Banfeng said, "Sister, back then you and the Tian Nu stayed in the Dark Star Bureau—didn't that interfere with the railway opening?"

A Yu shook her head. "That's different. Outsiders understand railway scheduling; train passage times are fixed. I just follow the rules to grant passage."

"You're newcomers—you know nothing. If I don't handle this properly, people could die. This isn't something to take lightly."

Li Li Banfeng asked, "Sister, you're not joking, are you? Do trains really need your personal permission to cross the boundary?"

"What do you think?" A Yu said seriously. "If I don't let the Tian Nu grant passage, who else can cross the boundary? Wouldn't everyone on the train die there?"

A Yi, gnawing on the lamb leg, said, "Sister, with so many trains across Like Puluozhou, do you personally grant passage for all of them? Don't you eat, drink, or sleep?"

A Yu frowned. "You're a technical student—how can you say such nonsense? With proper scheduling, all train passage times are fixed. I don't need to worry."

A Yi shook her head. "Precisely because I'm a technical student, I know this isn't feasible. Steam trains aren't that punctual."

A Yu's eyebrows shot up. "Are you siding with outsiders against me? If you don't trust me, why even come to me?"

Seeing A Yu angry, A Yi turned and glared at Li Li Banfeng. "Do you trust my mother or not?"

Li Li Banfeng lowered his voice and asked A Yi, "Do you think she's trustworthy?"

A Yi lowered her voice and shook her head. "She's utterly untrustworthy—this woman is utterly wicked—"

*Thwack! *

A Yu kicked A Yi and shouted fiercely at Li Li Banfeng, "If you don't trust me, I'm leaving—don't come to me for anything again!"

"How dare you speak to a Yu Zhaixiu like that?" came the old woman's voice from upstairs.

"That woman gets itchy if she isn't beaten daily," came the voice from next door.

Li Li Banfeng said, "Sister, I'm a Yu Zhaixiu—I know how trains cross the boundary. It's not your switching the boundary—it's the train crew."

As he spoke, Li Li Banfeng pulled out a box of blending agent and handed it to A Yu.

Li Li Banfeng's ability to see the train crew's secrets surprised A Yu.

But A Yu kept her composure and smoothly corrected herself: "The train crew's method of crossing the boundary comes from the Tian Nu."

"I want to inspect every railway line to check if the train crew are still reliable—if they're not, I'll have the Tian Nu use techniques to compensate. I'm doing this all for you."

A Yi sighed in admiration. "Brother, look at my mother's tongue—my father was tricked by her exactly like this!"

A Yu grabbed a stick to hit A Yi, who cried out, "Sister, let's make a deal—I'll take you on the train, but leave the Tian Nu at home. Can you do that?"

"I don't need to ride!" A Yu threw the stick down angrily. "Go check the train yourselves. If you find any train crew who aren't reliable, come tell me!"

A Yi winked at Li Li Banfeng; Li Li Banfeng immediately ordered Ma Wu to test-run the train.

Back at the Dark Star Bureau, Niangzi returned with Er Fang. Though Er Fang remained nervous, Niangzi had witnessed her investigation and largely agreed with her conclusion: "Husband, the storage lockers in the campus supermarket aren't shadows of the Dark Star Bureau."

Li Li Banfeng blinked. "So the Dark Star Bureau is the locker's shadow instead?"

Er Fang shook her head. "No. Both the Dark Star Bureau and the locker are shadows. I haven't found their original source yet."

"Both are shadows?" Li Li Banfeng stared in shock. He tapped the desk, stomped the floor, touched the walls, then pressed the elevator button.

How could such a real building be a shadow?

Li Li Banfeng refused to believe it, but Er Fang was certain: "Young Master, I won't lie—I've held silver yuan from the peddler. I'm the leader of the Shadow Cultivators. Even if the founding ancestor of the Shadow Cult stood here, his eyes wouldn't be sharper than mine."

"I walked this entire building with you. From then on, I knew this building was shadow-formed. After seeing the locker at Yuezhou University, I swear—I didn't misread it. The locker and this building are two shadows of the same original object—just like how shadows change shape and size with different light angles!"

Li Li Banfeng had Niangzi give Er Fang a Xiao Xuan Yun Pill. "You're the leader of the Shadow Cultivators—if it were you, could you turn a shadow into a whole building?"

Er Fang shook her head. "I can't. This isn't something one person can do. There are techniques from Craft Cultivators and Illusion Cultivators—and some Dao methods I can't even recognize."

Niangzi said, "Some of these techniques intrigue me. Perhaps from subtle clues, we can trace the original."

Li Li Banfeng looked at Niangzi. "It seems there are many powerful figures in Outsider State."

Niangzi nodded. "It's hard to say who's truly united—they're all hidden dragons and tigers. Dear husband, if you've seized control of the railway, you've surely angered many."

Li Li Banfeng smiled. "So what if I've angered them? Am I afraid of them?"

After two days of testing, Ma Wu opened the first railway line.

Everyone around thought Ma Wu was too hasty. People in Like Puluozhou had never run a railway before. Logically, they should inspect every line thoroughly, ensure absolute safety, then open each segment one by one.

Ma Wu admitted he was rushing—but he had no choice. Old Seven was pressing him hard.

Maybe because he'd spent too long with Li Qi, he believed Old Seven was right: business must show tangible results. Like Puluozhou was huge—checking everything would take forever. Better to open one line first.

The He, Lu, and Chu families received word and came to celebrate. They sent gifts and attended the banquet—but none dared board the train.

After the banquet, He He Yuxiu and Chu Er went to the Lu home to play mahjong and discussed it: "I bet Old Five won't sell a single ticket. Without the Border Control Office's backing, who'd dare ride?"

Chu Chu Huaiyuan said, "It's fine if tickets sell slowly at first. Business will pick up gradually."

Xiao Yeci said, "But I heard the fares are cheap—a hard seat is only thirty yuan. That's much cheaper than before. Shouldn't lots of people buy them?"

Lu Lu Chunying shook her head. "It's not about price. If something goes wrong crossing the boundary, everyone on the train dies."

Xiao Yeci said, "But I heard the trains were tested!"

He He Yuxiu lit a cigarette and arranged her tiles. "Outsider State has too many tricks. They let you test, then sabotage you at opening. If disaster strikes, Old Seven and Old Five become the scapegoats."

Chu Chu Huaiyuan sneered. "Sister, Outsider State doesn't have that much guts. I heard Seventh Brother already subdued them. Didn't Liao Liao Zihui stay silent when Ma Wu opened?"

He He Yuxiu bit her cigarette. "My elders told me Outsider State isn't simple—especially railways. Too many powerful people are involved. Old Seven and Old Five sticking their hands in here? They'll suffer."

1

Xiao Yeci felt indignant: "Our benefactor is doing this for Like Puluozhou's good! I'll buy a ticket tomorrow to support him!"

Lu Lu Chunying glared at Xiao Yeci. "Don't you dare. What difference would one ticket make?"

"How dare you control me?!"

Lu Lu Chunying snapped, "I'm controlling you today. I won't let you go. Are you Bufuqi?"

Xiao Yeci said nothing aloud, but after the mahjong game ended, she slipped out with a peach and bought a ticket.

Unexpectedly, she couldn't buy one.

All tickets for the next three days were sold out—none remained.

Xiao Yeci exclaimed, "Tickets are selling well? That's not what they said!"

Peach hugged Xiao Yeci's waist and squeezed gently. "You've had too many good days—you've forgotten what matters. Do you know how thrilled I was on my first train ride? Do you know how many people in Like Puluozhou have never ridden a train?"

"Thirty yuan a ticket? Where wouldn't people fight over it? And Ma Wu picked the route wisely—this line is brilliantly chosen."

The first railway Ma Wu opened led to Feng Kudai Kan.

Though Lüshuicheng was Like Puluozhou's largest city, Feng Kudai Kan's reputation was no smaller.

Though Lüshuichuan and Feng Kudai Kan were neighbors, due to travel permits, for most people, Feng Kudai Kan existed only in legend.

Now legend was becoming real. Many were riding trains for the first time, unaware of the rules. They bought tickets for 3 p. m. and lined up at 6 a. m.

At the station, crowds surged. Ma Wu spotted several familiar faces: a middle-aged man in a blue cotton robe, carrying a blue cloth sack with a rolling pin sticking out.

Behind him trailed several assistants, each carrying sacks of flour.

He was the owner of the Lan Yang Village noodle shop.

Ma Wu asked, "You're going to Feng Kudai Kan?"

Seeing Ma Wu speak to him, the noodle shop owner beamed with pride. "Fifth Master, we're opening a shop in Feng Kudai Kan—we heard there are no noodle places there."

Feng Daiku chuckled. "Nonsense!"

Ma Wu warned the owner, "When you reach Feng Kudai Kan, sell noodles by bowl."

The owner patted his chest. "Rest assured, Fifth Master—we're honest merchants. We won't disgrace Lan Yang Village!"

The first train departed at 7:30 a. m. Ma Wu boarded the first car before everyone.

Seeing Ma Ma Junyang board, all passengers felt reassured.

Feng Daiku also boarded the first car. The train departed on time. Six hours later, it crossed the boundary between Lüshuichuan and Feng Kudai Kan without incident.

Ma Wu wiped his sweat, hugged Feng Daiku, and kissed him hard. "This is our first run—we prioritize safety. Later, we'll increase speed."

Feng Daiku stared out the window, thinking of something else. "Fifth Brother, you'll need to keep an eye on the Soda Kiln from now on."

Ma Wu raised an eyebrow. "You're always at the Soda Kiln—why do you need me to watch it?"

Feng Daiku shook his head. "I'll be based in Feng Kudai Kan now. I feel its future population won't be less than Lüshuicheng's."

As they spoke, the usually silent train crew suddenly spoke: "Passenger trains are easy. What about freight trains?"

Ma Wu looked up. "Freight trains are even simpler. Transporting goods is easier than transporting people."

"Many powerful figures will ship goods. Some you don't even know their identities." With that, the train crew fell silent again.

This train crew had warned Ma Wu before—each time, never more than two sentences.

Some in Outsider State did use the railway to trade with Like Puluozhou. Ma Wu knew only some of them.

Yuezhou, Workers' Cultural Palace. Tang Chang was playing cards with Yan Cui'er and Yan Hong'er.

With Li Qi's connections, Tang Chang's business had grown. Now he operated from a third-floor private suite with inner and outer rooms and a bathroom.

Who would have thought an old-style cinema had such luxury suites? Tang Chang hadn't believed it at first—later he learned there were many more, some even more luxurious.

Sometimes Tang Chang wondered: just how big was this cinema?

"Who's that?" The suite door opened. Tang Chang was annoyed—who dared enter without knocking?

He turned and saw the snack vendor.

Tang Chang rose immediately. "You've come! Please, sit."

The snack vendor glanced at Yan Cui'er and Yan Hong'er—some matters weren't for their ears.

Tang Chang led the vendor into the inner room. The vendor handed Tang Chang a bottle of water. "Are customers increasing?"

This wasn't idle chitchat with Tang Tang Changfa—he handed Wu over water to signal he wanted to do business with Tang Tang Changfa.

Tang Tang Changfa took the water and placed it in the center of the table: "Thanks to your favor, business is going well."

The snack vendor lit a cigarette: "Our boss has been having rough luck lately, and his temper's gotten worse—you'd better be extra careful."

Tang Tang Changfa pulled half a stack of cash from under the table and set it beside the water bottle: "What's this about?"

The snack vendor didn't touch the cash and shook his head slightly: "Let's just say it."

Tang Tang Changfa placed another two stacks of cash beside the water bottle, but the snack vendor still said nothing.

It must be something serious.

Tang Tang Changfa gathered the cash from the table, took a small box from the safe beside the sofa, and opened its lid halfway in front of the snack vendor.

The snack vendor glanced inside, judged the amount acceptable, closed the lid halfway, and said to Tang Tang Changfa: "We've lost our supply."

Tang Tang Changfa said: "If it's a matter of revenge, just tell me what you're missing—I'll get it for you."

The snack vendor shook his head: "It's not that we can't buy it—it's that we can't get it in. If there were a war, fine, but now it's peaceful days, and still we can't get it in. Our boss is furious. If we can't sort this out, we might run into trouble."

Tang Tang Changfa thought for a moment and understood the snack vendor's meaning: "I'll look into this and get back to you."

The snack vendor picked up the cash box and stood: "No need to bother replying—I'll leave you to your business."

After the snack vendor left, Tang Tang Changfa immediately called Li Qi: "Boss, the black market boss might be looking to cause trouble."

Li Li Banfeng had already anticipated someone from Waizhou Society would make a move, but now it seemed the first to act was still someone familiar.

That night, Li Li Banfeng went to the Half Cultural Palace; the movie playing was a comedy, proving most goods sold today were spiritual items and magic treasures.

Unlike usual, he didn't watch a bit of the movie downstairs and wait for the snack vendor—he went straight to the third floor and entered Lin Fojiao's office.

Lin Fojiao was seated on a chair, fast asleep.

Li Li Banfeng sat before him for a while, and Lin Fojiao opened his eyes: "Seventh Master, you've come?"

"Long time no see, Boss Lin." Li Li Banfeng leaned back, feeling an inexplicable sense of relaxation.

He suspected he might have been affected by a lazy cultivation technique.

Lin Fojiao usually kept his eyes half-closed; today, for once, he opened them two-thirds wide. He poured Li Li Banfeng a cup of tea and pushed it toward him: "Seventh Master, can we still do business?"

Li Li Banfeng picked up the tea cup and sipped: "Depends on what kind of business."

Lin Fojiao tapped the table lightly: "The business we're doing now."

Li Li Banfeng smiled: "That depends on your skill. I never force anything. Once transportation opens between Neizhou and Waizhou, this business might become even easier than before."

Lin Fojiao nodded slightly, and Li Li Banfeng felt the relaxation in his body intensify.

"Seventh Master, I have some other business opportunities—would you be interested?" Lin Fojiao brought out a stack of sample blueprints.

Li Li Banfeng flipped through a few pages; the blueprints described a type of armor capable of flight and transportation, somewhat similar to those in Neizhou.

"Is this a Waizhou imitation?"

Lin Fojiao nodded: "Sort of. Waizhou has been producing many such items lately. If you want them, we can negotiate the price."

Neizhou had agreed to help Waizhou improve its technology—apparently, Waizhou had gained real benefits.

Li Li Banfeng said: "Then it depends on how many you have—if it's just one or two, forget it."

Lin Fojiao pulled out another stack of blueprints: "As long as our friendship holds, you can have as many as you want—we'll negotiate."

This batch of blueprints described a type of war vehicle—the Wu Feng Chongfu carriage mentioned by Hong Ying.

"Is this also an imitation?"

Lin Fojiao nodded: "Compared to the real thing, it has about half the combat power."

"Boss Lin, how can you get so many of these items?"

"If I couldn't get them, I wouldn't dare speak so freely before Seventh Master," Lin Fojiao confirmed again. "Seventh Master, can we still do business?"

"We can. Even more opportunities than before." Li Li Banfeng took the blueprints and sipped his tea.

Lin Fojiao gave a slight nod and said nothing more.

Li Li Banfeng waited a moment and heard a deep, steady breathing.

He had fallen asleep.

He couldn't even be bothered to nod more than once—in Li Li Banfeng's circle, only the Judge's Pen had reached this level!

Li Li Banfeng left the Cultural Palace, unsure whether it was a technique or Lin Fojiao's aura that had affected him,

he felt overwhelming drowsiness, compounded by Yu Yu Zhaixiu's backlash, making him want nothing more than to return to his Leaving Suishenju and sleep.

But before going back, he had to retrieve Ge Fang—he'd been investigating the Anxing Bureau building these past few days.

Ge Fang's investigation wasn't finished; he'd requested two more hours inside the building, and Li Li Banfeng agreed.

While waiting for Ge Fang, Li Li Banfeng flipped through the blueprints Lin Fojiao had given him, calculating how much equipment to buy, when the landline suddenly rang.

Li Li Banfeng glanced at the number and frowned slightly.

The caller ID was familiar—it was Shen Director Director Shen Jingye's.

Shen Director Director Shen Jingye's office had always been empty—why was a call coming through now?

It was past three in the morning—who had the nerve to prank Li Li Banfeng at this hour?

Li Li Banfeng picked up the phone and heard only a click—the line was disconnected.

He put down the phone and went straight to Shen Director Director Shen Jingye's office; the door was locked.

To Li Li Banfeng, such locks were meaningless—he brushed his glove lightly over the lock, and it clicked open. Inside, he found no one.

The office's layout hadn't changed, except for one new item on the desk: a file folder.

Li Li Banfeng had found many classified documents in Shen Director Director Shen Jingye's office before, but he'd never seen this folder.

He opened it—the first document was a report on the demolition of the Half Cultural Palace.

His heavy drowsiness vanished instantly; Li Li Banfeng read the report carefully.

According to the report, the Yuezhou Workers' Cultural Palace had been demolished ten years ago, and the final page bore the Anxing Bureau's official seal.

Attached were several photos, clearly showing the Half Cultural Palace reduced to rubble.

This was a top-secret document—someone had deliberately left it for Li Li Banfeng.

What was their purpose?

If the Half Cultural Palace had been demolished ten years ago, what was the place he'd just visited?

The Anxing Bureau frequently raided the Cultural Palace to crack down on the black market—didn't they know it had been torn down?

Thousands of people passed by the Cultural Palace daily—didn't they find it strange? Had no one in Yuezhou remembered its demolition?

Li Li Banfeng returned to the office and laid out his magic treasures one by one on the table: "Brothers and sisters, when I went to the black market just now, did you notice anything unusual?"

The Glove spoke first: "Boss, he had plenty of valuable items, but we went there for business, not theft—I had no intention of taking anything."

The Earrings remained on guard: "Master, I heard no unusual sounds."

Zhang De crawled out of the pocket watch: "I felt something was off, but I can't say exactly what."

The Projector said: "I wanted to record some footage—the architecture of the Cultural Palace is quite artistic!"

None of the magic treasures sensed any obvious anomaly. Li Li Banfeng placed all his hope on the Judge's Pen, since it shared the same lineage as Lin Fojiao—if Li Li Banfeng had indeed been affected by Lin Fojiao's technique, the Judge's Pen would have noticed.

But after asking several times, the Judge's Pen gave no reply. Listening closely, his breathing was deep and steady—he was sound asleep.

The Glove said: "Boss, don't ask him—he's been asleep since entering the Cultural Palace and hasn't woken up."

Li Li Banfeng asked Leaving Suishenju: "Old Master, did you sense anything odd?"

Leaving Suishenju's response was similar to Zhang De's: "That place felt different somehow, but I can't pinpoint exactly what."

Li Li Banfeng recalled every detail of his visits to the black market, unconsciously thinking for over an hour.

Gefang slipped through the door crack into the office and handed Li Li Banfeng a sketch: "This is the physical draft I drew based on my analysis and comparison of the Anxing Bureau and the storage lockers.

Some details are rough—I'd need Bagfang's help for precise measurements and proportions."

Bagfang was still in Yicheng; bringing him back wouldn't be difficult.

But Li Li Banfeng felt it unnecessary—Gefang's sketch depicted a three-story building, and though only an outline,

Li Li Banfeng found it strikingly familiar.

It was the house on the clouds that Linglang had—Li Li Banfeng had visited it many times and observed it countless times.

Some things were becoming clear.

The Anxing Bureau and the campus storage lockers were both shadows of that house.

Could the Half Cultural Palace be the same?

The real Cultural Palace had been demolished long ago—what remained was only a shadow!

Li Li Banfeng told Gefang: "I'll take you to another place—see if it's also a shadow."

Li Li Banfeng said to the shadow: "I'll take you to another place—see if that's a shadow too."

Gefang agreed. As they prepared to leave, Xiao Huochē suddenly spoke: "Seventh Master, be careful—Lin Fojiao isn't an ordinary man. Investigating him on his own turf might cost you."

"If I'm going to investigate him, I won't let him know," Li Li Banfeng said, preparing to gather all his magic treasures, when the Music Box suddenly opened its lid.

Inside, the tiny figure sat on the tray, left hand hanging by his knee, right hand propping up his chin, looking half-asleep, as if just waking.

The Music Box played a short tune, then after thirty seconds, the music abruptly stopped. Li Li Banfeng heard a voice.

"Seventh Master, can we still do business?"

"That depends on what kind of business."

It was the exact dialogue between Li Li Banfeng and Lin Fojiao—but Li Li Banfeng felt the pacing was strange.

His speech was slower than usual, and his voice slightly muffled.

After these two lines, neither Li Li Banfeng nor Lin Fojiao spoke for a long time.

Li Li Banfeng pressed his ear against the Music Box, listening closely—he heard breathing. Deep, steady breathing from two people.

Li Li Banfeng pressed his ear against the music box and listened closely; he heard the breathing—two deep, steady breaths.

Master Jun said in his ear: "Ah Qi, we just fell asleep while fighting!"

Li Li Banfeng touched the music box: "She's a Sleep Cultivator; after falling asleep, only she can maintain stable output."

PS: Someone has walked halfway along the Wu Xiu path—and gone very far.