Chapter 318: Undergo Tribulation |
Once the contracts were settled, Li Banfeng still had some matters to discuss with Meng Yuchun. Meng Yuchun would have to guard this territory from now on, while Li Banfeng would have to bring people to activate land in Meng Yuchun's territory in the future. The two of them had many problems to deal with.
For example, the group of aberrant creatures under the Mountain-Uprooting Lord was a problem they needed to deal with urgently. Li Banfeng made them sign contracts on the spot, placing them under Meng Yuchun's command. The aberrant creatures were easy enough to deal with. To them, following one master was no different from following another.
However, there were two exceptions. The Vine Monster and the Cook Monster were a little unwilling to submit. They had struggled so much to progress their cultivation this far and finally become roaming aberrations, all so they would no longer have to submit to a land deity's control. Yet, now Li Banfeng was making them sign contracts again. Thus, the Vine Monster and the Cook Monster stalled the finalisation of the contracts, refusing to leave their handprints on the contracts.
Nevertheless, it was easy for Li Banfeng to deal with their unwillingness to submit. The Gramophone might have already eaten her fill, but there was still room to squeeze in a few little side dishes.
Li Banfeng stared at the two roaming aberrations, his lips spreading into a slow smile. He asked, "You truly refuse?"
The Vine Monster and the Cook Monster could not see Li Banfeng's face. They could only see the brim of his fedora worn low and the slight upward curve of his lips.
Before the two of them could say anything, the Theatrical Temptress shouted first, "I agree to it! I'm willing!"
"You?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "I'm afraid you no longer have the chance."
"I sincerely—"
The other two roaming aberrations no longer hesitated in the slightest and immediately signed the contracts.
***
At Garden Stadium in Yuezhou, more than three hours had passed since the boy band's concert ended, yet many fans still refused to leave.
He Jiaqing had waited until 2 AM before slipping into the stadium and burrowing underground. After stamping the seal on the top of his head, He Jiaqing convulsed for a long while. The pain was truly unbearable.
He did not leave the seal in the underground chamber. Instead, he took it with him, box and all, and left the stadium.
He Jiaqing had set a rule for himself. He would strike at most twice within a month in one location.
I'll give it some time before I come back here again. It truly is a great place, though.
After leaving the stadium, He Jiaqing drove to a villa in Jade Vessel District. No one had taken care of the villa for a long time. Dust had gathered everywhere, and even the bedding had gone moldy.
He Jiaqing placed the seal in a hidden compartment under the bed, took an oil brush from his pocket, and brushed it twice over the compartment door. The door vanished from sight.
After storing the seal away, He Jiaqing went to the bathroom and stood before the mirror. He first shook out his legs. His bones cracked, and his joints popped. He Jiaqing instantly grew three centimeters taller.
He covered his face with his hands and got to work. He kneaded his skin looser, pushed his cheekbones a little higher, lengthened his nasolabial folds[1], deepened the wrinkles on his forehead, and darkened his complexion.
He Jiaqing kneaded and rubbed his face for a while, making various modifications until he turned into He Haisheng.
Then he changed into a gray Zhongshan suit and left the villa with a suitcase. He hailed a taxi and headed to Yuezhou East Station.
Two days later, He Jiaqing arrived in Greenwater City and took a rickshaw to the He Family's main residence.
He Haiqin looked well. He had been heavyset initially, but it looked like he had grown several sizes wider. He was eating mutton in the dining room.
Watching him eat, He Yuxiu laughed. "Little Brodie, has your cultivation improved again? You've already eaten six sheep!"
He Haiqin ignored He Yuxiu and looked at "He Haisheng." He said, "Third Brother, why are you back again?"
"He Haisheng" said nothing.
He Yuxiu frowned. "What is it? Are you here because of something even I, your older sister, can't know?"
He Haiqin wiped his mouth. "All right then. Come upstairs, and talk to me there."
He Yuxiu waved her hand. "No need for you to go upstairs. I'll leave. I'm going to play mahjong. I can't be bothered to listen to your trivial matters anyway!"
He Haiqin grabbed He Yuxiu. "Sister, you can't leave. I still have something important to tell you later."
"He Haisheng" followed He Haiqin upstairs. Before "He Haisheng" could speak, He Haiqin had already guessed why he had come. "Did you find more pills?"
"He Haisheng" nodded. "This time, I found twenty."
"Where did you find them?"
"The same place as before."
He Haiqin took the pill box and smiled. "Jiaqing is a good boy, a truly good boy. Third Brother, you must take good care of him. I'm asking you this sincerely as your elder brother."
"Brother, what are you saying? Jiaqing is my nephew. Of course, I care about him too."
He Haiqin counted out ten pills and handed them to "He Haisheng." "Haisheng, take these!"
"Brother, I can't accept them."
"Take them when I tell you to! Golden Spring Casino has been doing well lately, and I can't look after everything myself. It's yours now."
"Brother, what are you trying to do—"
"Stop asking. Since you've made a rare trip back here, hurry up and deal with your matters. Once you're done, go to the Outer Provinces and take care of Jiaqing."
Then "He Haisheng" left.
He Haiqin sat down beside He Yuxiu and bit straight into a chunk of mutton. As he ate, he said, "Elder Sister, let me tell you about our family business."
He Yuxiu was taken aback. "Why are you telling me this? I won't understand it anyway."
"I need to make a long trip. From now on, I'll leave the family business in your hands."
He Yuxiu was even more confused. "You want me to manage the business? Go to Third Brother for that! Why are you telling me this?"
He Haiqin shook his head. "He isn't cut out for it."
He Yuxiu laughed. "I've lived this damn long, and this is the first time I've heard that I'm cut out for doing business. Fine, go on. I'm listening."
***
After leaving the He Family's main residence, He Jiaqing went to a residence in the east of the city. He wiped a hand over his face in front of the mirror and turned into an ordinary-looking man of around thirty years old.
Then he changed into a changshan, put on a sun hat, and went to the Wonderful Sound Gramophone Shop.
The previous crises had passed. The gramophone store was still open for business, but it had no customers. Ling Miaosheng was sitting in the back as usual, dozing off.
He Jiaqing knocked softly on the counter and asked with a smile, "Are you still doing business?"
Ling Miaosheng raised his head and looked at the man before him for a moment. Then he asked, "Are you here to buy a gramophone? Which model caught your eye?"
He Jiaqing shook his head. "I'm not interested in any of the ones out here. May I take a look inside?"
Ling Miaosheng stood up. "Let's make this clear first. Are you here to buy something, or are you here for revenge? If it's revenge, we can settle it right here."
He Jiaqing was still smiling. "Do I know you? Why would I come looking for revenge?"
Ling Miaosheng led He Jiaqing through the back door and opened a room filled with all kinds of gramophones.
He Jiaqing took his time sweeping his gaze over each gramophone.
As he looked around, he said, "I am a friend of Miaowen and Miaoying, a friend from the Outer Provinces."
Ling Miaosheng pointed at a glossy black clockwork gramophone. "This one was made in Ingris. The craftsmanship is exquisite, and the sound quality is flawless. But it is quite delicate and requires regular maintenance."
He Jiaqing ignored Ling Miaosheng's introduction of the gramophone and continued from where he left off. "Miaowen and Miaoying likely mentioned me to you in the past. I was as close to them as a real brother."
Ling Miaosheng walked over to a silver gramophone. "This gramophone was made in Geman. It is sturdy and durable, with a clear, crisp tone that makes it suitable for playing piano pieces."
He Jiaqing pushed on. "Miaowen is gone, and there has been no word from Miaoying. The family business cannot simply be abandoned like this."
"This gramophone was made in Sispany. Its tone is a little sharp, so it is not as good for music, but voices come through especially clearly."
"Miaosheng, you are the only one I can trust now."
"Sir, are you here to buy a gramophone?"
After looking at Ling Miaosheng for a moment, He Jiaqing smiled, put on his sun hat, and left the gramophone store.
Ling Miaosheng saw him to the door, then he returned behind the counter to doze off.
While walking down the street, He Jiaqing shook his head helplessly.
That man simply would not budge.
Old Wan had said that Ling Miaoying was still alive, but He Jiaqing was not sure if he really was. Still, he had some matters for which he needed someone to handle.
***
In a residence outside the city, Wan Jinxian was drinking tea in his study. Then suddenly, a servant carried a chair over, sat down opposite him, and poured himself a cup of tea.
Wan Jinxian stared blankly for a long moment. Then the man wiped his face and grinned.
"Jiaqing!" Wan Jinxian exclaimed in shock and delight.
He hurriedly pushed the study door open and looked around outside, afraid someone had heard the commotion.
"Don't worry. Everyone in the house is asleep," He Jiaqing said, still smiling. "They won't wake up before I leave."
Wan Jinxian quickly asked, "Why are you back?"
"I missed you, Big Bro, so I came back specially to see you."
Wan Jinxian smiled wryly. "I'm not some young maiden. Why would you miss a dried-up old man like me? Is there something important?"
He Jiaqing took a sip of tea. "You told me before that Miaoying is still alive. Have you heard anything from him recently?"
Wan Jinxian shook his head. "Ever since he appeared at Freewind Wharf last time, he hasn't shown himself again."
He Jiaqing set down his teacup. "I just went to the film company. They've stopped filming our movie."
Wan Jinxian said, "I really don't understand the film business. I sent someone to ask about it, and they said filming would wrap up after two more days. But the actress has disappeared."
"You mean Tu Yinghong? Didn't you go looking for her?"
"I did. I heard she also appeared at Freewind Wharf, so she's probably with Ling Miaoying."
He Jiaqing frowned. He had trusted Ling Miaoying a little too much before.
Were Ling Miaoying and Tu Yinghong really acting together only to deal with Ma Wu? Was Ling Miaoying truly still alive?
If Ling Miaoying was already dead, He Jiaqing had to find someone to replace him as soon as possible. If Ling Miaoying was still alive, then his actions with Tu Yinghong had clearly gone beyond He Jiaqing's control.
He Jiaqing ordered, "Find Tu Yinghong and have her finish the film. I can't stay in Puluo for long, so this needs to be handled quickly."
Wan Jinxian nodded. "I heard Lu Maoxian still often sends people to the set to cause trouble. Your father sent people there too. I don't know how Miaoying managed to offend Eldest Master He."
He Jiaqing rubbed his chin. "It's probably because of the business in the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs."
"In that case, why not make the Ling Family spit out part of their business in the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs and return it to your father?"
He Jiaqing shook his head. "You don't need to worry about my father. It will be settled within the next few days."
***
At the He Family's main residence, Yan Yulin, He Haiqin's wife, urged him, "Haiqin, that's enough. How much have you eaten already?"
He Haiqin had been eating mutton nonstop for three whole days, and bags of sheep bones were carried out one after another.
He Haiqin's face was covered in oil from eating the mutton. He said impatiently to Yan Yulin, "This is a cultivation matter, so stay out of it. Tell the kitchen staff to work in shifts and keep roasting more mutton for me. They're not allowed to stop."
"Haiqin, you can't keep eating!"
"You wouldn't understand even if I explained it!"
He Haiqin stood up, intending to go to the kitchen himself. However, he got stuck in the doorway and failed to get out.
Yan Yulin looked at He Haiqin and could no longer make out his figure at all.
His huge torso was practically swallowing up his limbs, making his entire silhouette look rounder and rounder.
"Go check the kitchen already! Do you really have to make me go myself?" He Haiqin snapped.
Seeing him angry, Yan Yulin hurried to the kitchen.
The chair had long since become too small for He Haiqin, so he sat back down on the floor and took out five Golden Essence Pills from his pocket. He had fought and struggled his way through Puluo for decades, but he had never seen pills of such fine quality.
This was the good stuff that the Crimson Lotus made. This was the very reason people wanted the Crimson Lotus.
Jiaqing, I know exactly what you're thinking, you little brat. You want to make me endure a tribulation trial.
But so what if I know that's your plan? I could have triple the lifespan. Who in this world would not want to cross this threshold?
He Haiqin stuffed all five pills into his mouth at once.
Jiaqing, you helped me this once, so I won't treat you poorly either. Your eldest aunt doesn't understand anything. You can easily take the business back from her. I'll leave all future matters to you.
The pill poison surged up in waves, and He Haiqin picked up half a sheep, gnawing and swallowing until he forcibly pressed the poison back down with mutton.
The next morning, Yan Yulin was awoken by a burst of urgent shouts.
"Madam, something's happened to Master!"
Yan Yulin rushed to the dining room. Half-congealed mutton grease covered the floor and had flowed all the way into the corridor, causing He Yuxiu to slip and fall several times.
When Yan Yulin rushed into the dining room, she saw a huge mass of grease piled against the wall, taking up nearly half the room. Where had this pile of grease come from?
"Where is he?" Yan Yulin shouted.
One support hook was quite bold. He walked up to the grease, reached inside, and groped around for a moment. Slowly, a human face emerged from within the grease. The person was so obese that his face had lost its shape, but Yan Yulin still recognized his familiar features.
"My dear! My dear, what happened to you?!"
Yan Yulin threw herself beside the pile of grease, held He Haiqin's face, and wailed at the top of her lungs.
1. Smile/laugh lines in the face.