After Duan Shaoxia calmed down, Qiu Zhiheng had Tan Fucheng explain everything from beginning until the end.

Tan Fucheng made one thing clear right away. "Steward Qiu, this isn't on me. When the eldest young master came to me, the first thing he asked was who was in charge of the Lu Family."

He paused, then added, "I work for the Lu Family. I have to follow the head of the family. I didn't have a choice."

Duan Shaoxia kept crying, but Qiu Zhiheng stayed calm. He turned to Tan Fucheng and asked, "How did you get in touch with He Haiqin?"

"The eldest young master arranged it," Tan Fucheng said. "I don't know the details, but I heard it had something to do with his son, He Jiaqing."

"Did He Haiqin make a move tonight?"

Tan Fucheng shook his head. "I was the one who trapped the Old Master[1],. The eldest young master planned to handle it himself and didn't want anyone watching. The second young master and I stayed at the alley entrance, while He Haiqin waited by the wall."

He hesitated for a moment. "Then, for some reason... the eldest young master's body suddenly shattered."

"The Desolation-Shattering Sword?"

"I have never seen the Desolation-Shattering Sword before, but the eldest young master was holding a sword. When the second young master rushed over, he grabbed it and tried to stab himself. It looked like someone was controlling him, so I used my cultivation ability to stop him."

"What kind of method was used to control him? Was it an ability of Mentalism Cultivation?"

Tan Fucheng thought for a moment. "I couldn't tell. However, I suspect that the eldest young master died the same way."

Monkey Qiu clenched his teeth. "Why did he insist on involving He Haiqin?"

Tan Fucheng said, "The eldest young master said that with the He Family's eldest master helping, we could guard against our granduncle's hidden forces and make sure nothing went wrong. Steward Qiu, this really isn't on me."

As he spoke, a support hook came up the stairs. Monkey Qiu opened the door and asked, "What is it?"

"Old Master is here!"

Hearing that, Duan Shaoxia rushed toward the door. "I will fight him to the death!"

Monkey Qiu shut the door and blocked her. "Madam, you can't act recklessly. You can't see him."

"What do I have to fear? At worst, I will just throw this life away!"

"Madam!" Monkey Qiu shouted angrily. "This is a matter of life and death. You must listen to me!"

Duan Shaoxia's eyes were bloodshot as she sank back into her seat.

Monkey Qiu turned to Tan Fucheng and asked, "Who saw you bring the second young master back today?"

"A few servants and some support hooks."

"Keep them under watch. Don't let them leave the residence for the next few days. Don't mistreat them, but don't let the household fall into chaos either."

Tan Fucheng led them to a small building beside the main residence and settled them inside.

Monkey Qiu straightened his clothes and stepped outside. When he saw Lu Maoxian, he bowed as usual and said, "Old Master, it's late. What brings you here?"

"Little Qiu, you still acknowledge me as your elder and call me Old Master. Now that I am here, are you really going to leave me standing at the door?"

Qiu Zhiheng smiled. "Madam has already gone to rest, so it wouldn't be convenient to take you to the main residence. Why don't you come to my place and sit for a while?"

"You make it sound like I have lost my manners. I came today to see my two grandnephews. Call them over to your small building, I will say a few words to them and leave."

"You have arrived at an unfortunate time. The two young masters said they were heading to the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs today. They took the train at noon."

"The Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs?" Lu Maoxian let out a cold laugh. "Then why did I hear that they are still in Greenwater City? Qiu, don't play word games with me. You know exactly what's going on. Have them come out and see me now."

"Old Master, I really don't understand what's going on here. The two young masters aren't home, yet you insist on seeing them right now. Aren't you making things difficult for me?"

Lu Maoxian's expression darkened. "Are you saying I can't make things difficult for you?"

Behind Lu Maoxian stood dozens of men. Qiu Zhiheng recognized some of them, and among those he knew, not a single one was below level three.

Qiu Zhiheng remained calm. "That's right! You can't make things difficult for me here!"

"That's some bold talk!"

"Why don't you give it a try then!"

Qiu Zhiheng raised his voice slightly. The sound carried through the entire residence, rolling from the front gate to the back courtyard.

It was a signal to Lu Maoxian that every support hook in the residence was already in position.

For a brief moment, Lu Maoxian felt the urge to force his way in with his men. But when he saw Monkey Qiu's expressionless face, he felt a little scared.

After Lu Dongliang went missing, the Lu Family's pill chamber fell under Monkey Qiu's control. Lu Maoxian had no idea how many pills this brat had taken or what level his cultivation had reached.

"Little Qiu, your temper's getting worse by the day," Lu Maoxian said. "Since the boys aren't home, let's end things here for tonight. I only came to pass along a message. I have invited a few well-known performers to stay at my place for a few days and put on a show. If those two still respect me as their granduncle, they should come over and show their support."

Monkey Qiu said, "Once the two young masters come back, I will be sure to pass along your message."

Lu Maoxian gave a nod and left with his men.

As he walked, his thoughts tangled in frustration.

Why didn't I just charge in? Why should I be afraid of a mere steward? And since when did this Monkey Qiu become so difficult to deal with? Ah, whatever. I will spend a few days gathering people and come back again. By then, let's see what excuses he can come up with!

***

Monkey Qiu went back into the main residence and went straight to Lu Yuanhai's room.

Lu Yuanhai lay on the bed. His face had twisted into a dreadful shape, and he didn't seem to be recovering.

The physicians shook his head. "Steward Qiu, I am very sorry. We can't identify the cause of his condition."

The physicians were about to leave when Monkey Qiu stopped them. "Please stay here for a few days."

The physicians exchanged uneasy looks. "Steward Qiu... what do you mean?"

"Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you. You will be paid double for the costs incurred these few days," Monkey Qiu said. Then, without saying anything else, he ordered his subordinates to escort the physician to the guest rooms."

He took out a medicine vial and used a small spoon to scrape some flakes of skin from Lu Yuanhai's face. Then he collected a bit of saliva from the corner of his mouth and sealed both samples away.

After that, he went to find Tan Fucheng. "Brother, I will be away for a while. Until I come back, you will be in charge of the things in the house."

Tan Fucheng felt a little troubled by the request. He had his own territory and business to manage and was rarely at the main residence.

However, aside from him, Qiu Zhiheng didn't trust anyone else. And so, Tan Fucheng reluctantly agreed.

Qiu Zhiheng then said to Duan Shaoxia, "For the next few days, avoid seeing Lu Maoxian. As long as you remain inside the residence, he won't dare force his way in."

Duan Shaoxia grabbed Monkey Qiu's hand. "Zhiheng, where are you going? You can't just leave me and my son like this!"

"Madam, I am going to Medicine King Gully," Qiu Zhiheng said. "I need to find a way to cure the young master. Lu Maoxian can be dealt with, but you must be careful of He Haiqin. He's the truly ruthless one. If you suffer any losses in business, don't argue with him over it."

***

He Haiqin returned to the residence and sat in the dining hall, gnawing on a rack of lamb.

He Yuxiu walked in and asked, "Haiqin, is that old bastard Lu Maoxian dead yet?"

He Haiqin shook his head. "No, I failed. He had people with him, and I took a few minor injuries."

"You are injured? Call a physician at once."

"No need. It's just a cut. I will recover after a good meal."

He Yuxiu sighed. "I told you that you should have brought more people."

He Haiqin set down the lamb and wiped his mouth. "Who could I bring? Can I let others know about this?"

"You could have taken me! Don't you trust your own sister?"

"If something happened to both of us, who will take care of the things at home?"

He Yuxiu smacked her lips. "Then like I said before, get our Third Brother to come back here. This way, we will at least have someone to rely on if anything happens."

"He can't come back. He still has to watch over Jiaqing. His injuries are serious, especially his hand. It's so badly injured."

He Yuxiu froze. "Jiaqing's hand is injured? Why don't I remember our Third Brother mentioning it?"

"He didn't mention it?" He Haiqin said as he downed a bowl of liquor. "Well, I saw it myself. His left hand was so badly injured that it didn't even look like his anymore."

After that, He Haiqin picked up the lamb again and continued gnawing on it.

He Yuxiu found him a little strange. When he spoke about He Jiaqing's injuries, he didn't sound sad at all. If anything, there was a trace of resentment in his tone.

***

Li Banfeng sat inside the Pocket Dwelling. A pile of Profound Crimson Pills lay before him. He stared at them for a long time and appeared to be deeply concerned about something.

Cong Shixiang, the Ruptured Cocoon, had been refined into a lotus seed. After it was taken out, nothing happened for quite some time. Today, the lotus seed finally burst open.

Back then, Lu Dongliang, who was at level nine, had been refined into more than eighty Golden Essence Pills. This Ruptured Cocoon was close to level ten, so Li Banfeng thought that it would be refined into at least a hundred Golden Essence Pills.

Yet, not even a single Golden Essence Pill burst out from the lotus seed. Instead, more than nine hundred Profound Crimson Pills burst forth.

Li Banfeng didn't eat this kind of thing. The cultivation gain was too slow, yet the pill poison was no less severe than that of the Golden Essence Pills.

Is the Crimson Lotus doing this on purpose? Good thing I have more than enough Golden Essence Pills to reach level eight. But what should I do with all these Profound Crimson Pills? I might as well hand them out as bonuses.

Ma Wu was one of his own, a real brother who had always followed him without question. Whenever they made money, Li Banfeng took the biggest cut, so there was no way he would skimp on the pills now.

Li Banfeng handed him twenty pills. "Take it slow. Keep an eye on the poison."

Ma Wu knew his limits. The others each received between one and ten pills, depending on what they had earned.

Zuo Wugang, Zhen Jincheng, and Cao Zhigang were all familiar with pills. They knew how much to take. The street-cursing crone and Qin were even more knowledgeable, so they obviously knew as well.

Bai Qiusheng and Yu Wenqi were only first-level Literary Cultivators. They had never taken pills of this quality before. Still, it wasn't a problem. They were cautious by nature, so they went to Ma Wu for advice before taking anything.

However, when it came to Little Chuan and Little Gen, things went wrong.

Little Chuan received ten pills. He got too excited and swallowed three in one go. He collapsed on the spot. If Ma Wu hadn't found him in time, he would have died.

Little Gen also received ten pills, but he didn't take any. He gave all of them back to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng didn't understand. "Why aren't you taking them?"

Little Gen hugged his bucket and puffed out his chest. "I heard you have to lie down for at least a day after taking these. If that's the case, what should I do with my cultivation?"

"It should be fine if you missed a day, right?"

Little Gen shook his head. "Not even a single day can be wasted."

When he first became a cultivator, the Peddler told him that once a Gold Cultivator reached level one, they had to carry their bucket for eight hours a day.

Little Gen carried his bucket twenty-four hours a day. Whether it was cold or hot, he never stopped. Aside from eating and sleeping, he spent all his time gathering materials and refining this "golden brew" with care. Li Banfeng had never seen anyone so hardworking.

"Little Gen, put the bucket down first!" Li Banfeng said. He then advised earnestly. "You can't let your cultivation fall behind, but you have got to take the pills too. Otherwise, you are wasting your talent."

Little Gen thought for a moment and finally accepted the pills. "I will take them when I find a suitable place."

When he says suitable place, does it mean the toilet? Li Banfeng thought but didn't dare ask further.

With the Pure Conduct Society no longer causing trouble at the cinema, the matter of The Legendary Bloodspear Detective was essentially resolved.

Taking advantage of the situation, Ma Wu reached out to local merchants about stone and coal. This was his area of expertise, so Li Banfeng left it to him.

After a few days, the deals were mostly settled, and everyone prepared to head back.

Night-Blooming Jasmine had served its purpose. There was no need to keep publishing newspapers and magazines, and Bai Qiusheng and Yu Wenqi should have returned with the others. Yet neither of them wanted to leave.

Bai Qiusheng said, "Master Qi, when the two of us were suffering in Blackstone Slope, we dreamed every day of getting out of this place. But now, I don't want to leave. We want to keep Night-Blooming Jasmine running."

Zuo Wugang said, "Once we leave, how are you going to deal with the local gangs? We have offended quite a few of them."

Bai Qiusheng only smiled. "No need to worry. The name Night-Blooming Jasmine still carries weight here. The two of us will handle things first. If we can't manage, we will ask Master Qi for help."

Yu Wenqi added, "Master Qi, don't worry. This is your business. We will hand over all the profits. Just give us a salary."

"That's not how business works." Li Banfeng said as he shook his head. "We will split it like this. Thirty percent to me as a bonus, thirty percent for the two of you, another thirty percent set aside for wages, and the remaining ten percent kept as emergency funds."

With the arrangement settled, Bai Qiusheng and Yu Wenqi thanked him repeatedly.

Ma Wu led his men back to Greenwater City, while Li Banfeng and Little Chuan stayed behind. Little Chuan wanted to continue cultivating at Blackstone Slope, and someone still had to keep an eye on the stone and coal business.

Li Banfeng decided to stay a while longer and explore Blackstone Slope at his own pace. He liked this place and he liked the people here.

There was also one place he had set his sights on for some time. He wanted to see for himself what the New Land here looked like.

Author's Note:

PS: The New Land here is connected by train!

1. This is the Granduncle. Initially, I thought that the workers would call him Granduncle as well, but I thought about it and decided that it would be crossing the line. And so, he will be referred to as Old Master by the workers. ☜