Li Banfeng sat back in his chair, the wide brim of his hat casting his face in shadow, so that only the faint outline of his expression could be seen.

The man before him, Luo Zhengnan, had spoken with a mix of truth and lies. The lies were easy to spot. He claimed he had brought only two subordinates, but there were clearly more.

Sun Xiao'an from the Second Branch of the Medicine King Hall was already inside the fort, selling goods, yet Luo Zhengnan hadn't mentioned him at all.

The truth, however, was harder to pin down, though a few things he said did make sense. If he could slip into Iron Gate Fort, then others could too.

And Zhao Xiaowan... A dwelling spirit like her was bound to draw trouble. Once word got out, Iron Gate Fort would inevitably turn into Blood Gate Fort.

What should I do about this? Li Banfeng thought. It's not hard getting Luo Zhengnan off our back, and it's not hard dealing with the Jiangxiang Gang. However, Zhao Xiaowan is so strong that even my wifey is no match for her. She's not something that I can simply deal with.

After a long moment of silence, Li Banfeng finally spoke. "Come back in three days. I will give you an answer then."

"I will await your reply." Luo Zhengnan rose and took his leave.

Li Banfeng added, "Take all your people with you. Not just the two vegetable sellers. If they don't leave now, I'll send them off myself soon enough."

Luo Zhengnan paused, clearly surprised. He hadn't expected Li Banfeng to have noticed the others as well. He cupped his fists again and left the house.

He walked down the street without another word. The three who had come with him caught on immediately and slipped out of Iron Gate Fort one by one.

This was how people like them handled things. Once everything was laid bare, there was no need to keep pretending.

***

Late at night, after the fort gates had been shut, Li Banfeng asked Wu Yongchao, "Do you know who Zhao Xiaowan is?"

"Of course! General Zhao Xiaowan, the Flying General. With a single spear, she kept an entire continent under control!" Wu Yongchao's eyes lit up at the mention of her name.

"Which era did she come from?"

"Someone from ancient times. If you ask which dynasty, there's no reliable record."

"How do you know about her then? I thought you would have learned about her from history books. Not."

"Well..."

It wasn't something Wu Yongchao could easily explain. He had gone to school. That much was true. But history? No one taught that. Not properly, anyway.

In the whole of Puluo Province, there wasn't a real system for studying history at all. The powerful clans kept most of the old records locked away, like treasures. Every once in a while, a copy would sneak its way onto the market. But those were rare, and half the time, no one could tell if they were real or just made up to fool people.

So how did Wu Yongchao know about Zhao Xiaowan?

The origin of that knowledge was even harder to pin down.

According to legend, Zhao Xiaowan had been a famous general from some ancient dynasty in Puluo Province. She once led tens of thousands of troops to drive back the invading Blightlanders. Over time, countless stories about her had spread far and wide.

Storytellers spoke of her, and theater troupes brought her legends to life. From stage performances to the sarcastic songs of kiln girls, from stories published on newspaper to cheap storybooks sold at street stalls, wherever stories were told, Zhao Xiaowan was always mentioned.

"Zhao Xiaowan possessed unrivaled martial prowess and peerless beauty. The moment she appeared on the battlefield, the battle was already won."

Li Banfeng paused. "Without fighting? How does that work?"

Wu Yongchao's eyes shone with absolute conviction. He slapped the table with a sharp crack, just like a storyteller striking his clapper. "Half of them were charmed to death by Miss Zhao, and the other half were scared to death by General Zhao!"

Li Banfeng opened his mouth, then closed it again. For once, he had nothing to say.

Wu Yongchao caught the look on his face at once, and his expression darkened. To him, Zhao Xiaowan was a sacred existence, not someone to be doubted or mocked.

"Fort Lord, I am not making this up. I have proof."

Li Banfeng's eyes brightened at once. "What kind of proof is it?"

"Please wait a moment."

Wu Yongchao turned and hurried back to his room. Before long, he returned, carrying a wicker chest in both hands.

"Fort Lord, please take a look."

He opened the chest slowly and carefully. Inside were sixteen novels and more than fifty portraits, all arranged in neat order.

Li Banfeng picked up one of the portraits and unrolled it. He studied it for a moment before asking, "Is this Zhao Xiaowan?"

Wu Yongchao nodded solemnly.

Li Banfeng flipped through the portraits one by one. There were more than fifty versions of Zhao Xiaowan, each with a different face, makeup, attire, and bearing.

"Are these even the same person?"

Wu Yongchao did not answer. Instead, a strange look crept across his face

Li Banfeng stopped asking. He realized he had said the wrong thing.

For someone like Wu Yongchao, a Homebound Cultivator, certain things were not meant to be questioned.

Li Banfeng studied the paintings for a long while before he finally spotted what they all had in common.

Whether she stood in her chambers or on the battlefield and whether she was dressed in armor or fine robes, every "Zhao Xiaowan" carried a red-tasseled spear at her side.

"This is Xiaowan's weapon," Wu Yongchao said as he carefully went over every detail. "The spear is about four meters long, with a blade measuring roughly twenty-six centimeters.

"When the red tassel dances in the wind, who can possibly rival the Flying General? Where the Flying General stands, the red tassel sways. At its sight alone, enemies tremble and sway. Through all her days, come night or fray, she and her spear never part ways."

"Very eloquent!" Li Banfeng said with a hint of approval. It was rare to hear Wu Yongchao speak so smoothly.

Zhao Xiaowan had never once been without that spear. Could that be why, after she died, she became the spear itself?

Li Banfeng flipped through all fifty-odd paintings again. No matter how different she looked in each one, the spear never really changed.

That was about all these paintings were good for. If he wanted to figure out what Zhao Xiaowan actually looked like, he was not getting it from these.

Li Banfeng glanced at the stack of novels. "May I borrow these for a couple of days?"

Wu Yongchao looked troubled. "If the Fort Lord wishes to borrow them, I cannot refuse... I am only worried they might not be handled with care..."

"Do not worry," Li Banfeng said. "If I crease a page or damage a corner, I will buy you a new one."

Wu Yongchao lowered his head. "Fort Lord, these books are not easy to buy. Please be careful."

In the end, he left the books behind and quietly took his leave.

Li Banfeng opened them and began going through each one.

He had to admit, the writing was good. He sat there for hours and did not feel bored. Yet the key information he was looking for never appeared.

Li Banfeng searched through the books but still could not find which era Zhao Xiaowan belonged to. All he learned was that she had once fought for Puluo Province.

Back then, Puluo Province still had an emperor, though the novels only mentioned it in passing.

Her enemies were called the Blightlanders, and that was the part Li Banfeng paid the most attention to.

If Zhao Xiaowan had been his wifey's mortal enemy in life, then there was a real chance his wifey had once been one of them.

However, after reading how the Blightlanders were described, he found it difficult to connect them with her.

The book described them as nearly three meters tall, with waists as thick as massive barrels. Their bodies were covered in dense hair, making it impossible to tell their gender.

Could it be...

The thought had only just begun to form when Li Banfeng shut it down at once. He pushed it aside, refusing to think any further.

He continued searching through the books for Zhao Xiaowan's fate.

Across the sixteen novels, she was given three different fates.

The most common version went like this. After defeating the Brightlanders, Zhao Xiaowan was taken in by the emperor as his adopted daughter. She was granted the title of princess. She chose a husband and brought him into her household, living a happy life.

Nine of the novels ended this way, which made up more than half.

The second version had the Blightlanders pull back for a while, while Zhao Xiaowan stayed at the frontier and kept fighting them for the rest of her life.

Six of the books went with this ending. To Li Banfeng, it was clear this was Wu Yongchao's favorite. Those six copies had been read so many times they were practically falling apart. And the reason was easy to guess. In this version, there was no mention of any husband.

The third ending was far more tragic. The pages were mottled with faint water stains, as if someone had read it with tears still fresh.

Only one novel told of this version. After driving back the Blightlanders, Zhao Xiaowan's great achievements stirred fear in the imperial court. She was framed, accused, and thrown into prison, where she endured endless humiliation and torment.

Then, when the Blightlanders invaded again, the emperor shamelessly summoned her once more. She placed her country above all else and returned to the battlefield, only to die there in the end.

This ending was not a good one. Still, Li Banfeng felt it was likely the closest to what actually happened to Zhao Xiaowan.

Li Banfeng set the novels aside and returned to his Pocket Dwelling.

When it came to Zhao Xiaowan's identity, the one who knew the most was still his wifey. There were things she did not want to talk about, but this was something he had to confirm.

Li Banfeng stepped inside. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Wifey, have you ever heard the name Zhao Xiaowan?"

Crackle... pop...

The Gramophone fell silent for a moment before replying, "Husband dear, why are you asking about her all of a sudden?"

Li Banfeng didn't hide it. "I suspect that the fierce dwelling spirit in the auxiliary building is Zhao Xiaowan."

Tap... tap... clack!

The wifey tapped out a slow, measured rhythm, her voice rising into a drawn-out, lilting tune. "Oh, husbaaaand, what do you intend to do with that dweeelling spiiirit?"

"I want to take her in," Li Banfeng replied.

"Take her iiiin? Aaaand how do you plaaaan to do thaaat?"

"I will call out her name to her face," Li Banfeng explained. "I am a Homebound Cultivator. If I speak her name directly and she does not resist, it counts as forming a contract. As long as the dwelling itself does not reject it, she will become my dwelling spirit."

Crackle... pop...

The wifey let out a soft, lilting laugh. "So, huuusband has grooown tired of meee, and now you waaant to taaake her as your dweeelling spiiirit instead?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I will bind her first, then bring her back. Then we can deal with her together."

"Aaaand why muuuust you kill heeer?"

"Because she's your enemy. That debt has to be settled. While I'm still in Iron Gate Fort, I can help you finish it."

Crackle... pop...

Flames burned bright, and steam curled lazily through the air. The Gramophone turned its horn angling toward Li Banfeng and remained silent. She was watching him and observing if he was telling the truth.

Li Banfeng wanted to become Zhao Xiaowan's master, but it was not out of greed, and not out of impulse. Part of him simply didn't want a wandering dwelling spirit stirring up trouble. But the other part... that part burned just as fiercely as the flames around him. He wanted revenge for his wifey.

No matter how calm she looked, no matter how lightly she spoke of it, a life-for-a-life grievance was not something that could be left unsettled.

The Gramophone remained quiet. She swayed her horn, drifting gently from side to side.

The needle settled onto the record, and a soft, tender song of Beloved of My Heart began to play.

As the song played, the Gramophone wifey spoke at the same time. She could do this with the two platters.

"My dear husband, your deep love stirs this humble wifey to the core. I place my life in your hands and am willing to serve by your side for all my days.

"But vengeance... ah, the hour has yet to come. That dwelling spirit is both blind and deaf. Even if you call her name, how could she even hear you?

"And besides, for a dwelling spirit to accept a master, both sides have to be willing. Her resentment runs deep. If you anger her even a little, I am afraid you won't come out of it unharmed."

Li Banfeng said, "That dwelling spirit just lost her master. If I bring her under my control while she's still feeling empty inside, wouldn't this be the best time?"

Crackle... pop...

The Gramophone let out a soft laugh.

"Husband, hearing you say that... makes me a little jealous. Even if that wretch agrees, you are not yet attuned to that auxiliary building. You might not even be able to bring that bitch out.

"Husband, you are my whole heart. If anything were to happen to you, how could I bear to go on living alone? Let's leave this matter for now."

Li Banfeng sighed and thought, Wifey, you might want to let it go, but will the Jiangxiang Gang let it go?

He then turned and left the Pocket Dwelling.

A burst of loud laughter suddenly rang out from the sixth room.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

"Wretch, what are you laughing at?" the Gramophone snapped.

Crimson Lotus trembled with laughter. Her whole body quivered, and tiny dewdrops flicked off her like scattered beads, sparkling as they fell.

***

The Jiangxiang Gang might not let it go, but Luo Zhengnan could. He wasn't as stubborn as Xiao Zhenggong.

His thinking was simple. If the Fort Lord was willing to sell Zhao Xiaowan, he would pay and take her. If not, he would let it go and treat the trip as a loss.

Luo Zhengnan was someone who could let things go without much fuss. He did what he could and stopped there. Risking his life was never part of the plan. But He Jiaqing was a different story.

When the fortune teller reported that Luo Zhengnan had already slipped into Iron Gate Fort, He Jiaqing tensed at once.

"This is bad. Luo Zhengnan gets things done. We can't wait any longer. Old Wan, go to East Ridge Stronghold and find a man named Han Juncheng. He's a level-six Homebound Cultivator. Bring him into Iron Gate Fort and have him take Zhao Xiaowan out."

The fortune teller was a bit worried. "Zhao Xiaowan isn't an ordinary figure. I am afraid a level-six Homebound Cultivator won't be enough to deal with her."

"I know it's risky. That's why I held him back until now. However, things have changed. We can't afford to wait anymore.

"Han Juncheng is proud and hard to get along with. The way he talks tends to rub people the wrong way, and he's still inexperienced. Just bear with him.

"He's an undercover asset I have kept hidden for years. He will be useful down the line, so don't argue with him over trivial matters. Once the job is done, take the item and leave Puluo Province immediately. He will stay in Iron Gate Fort."

Author's Note:

P.S. What exactly was the Crimson Lotus laughing about?