Three days later, Liao Zihui’s secretary, Ling Sujun, arrived at Xiaoyao Lodge with a docunt in hand.
The Defense Agency had responded to Li Qi’s request: effective imdiately, Li Qi’s business shipping fees would be halved.
Ma Wu was so excited he couldn’t even think about flirting with Ling Sujun. He went straight to find Li Qi.
Li Banfeng, however, remained very calm. "I estimate the major families will soon be knocking on our door."
The major families would definitely co calling. Li Qi was offering half price, while they couldn’t even secure shipnts at the original price. They would certainly look for a way to get Li Qi to ship for them.
Ma Wu had been prepared for this. "For those with close relations to us, we can help them with their shipnts and earn a margin. Sister Xiu will probably co today. We’ll discuss how much to charge then."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "He Yuxiu won’t be charged a margin; just a bit for labor will do."
Ma Wu was puzzled. "What’s the reason for that?"
"He Yuxiu has earned it; her contributions were significant in making this happen."
He Yuxiu’s contributions were indeed notable. Not only had she played a major role in the battle against the Three Heroes Gang, but more importantly, she had drawn a substantial amount of the Border Defense Envoy’s attention—and firepower—away from Li Banfeng.
"What about the other families?"
"Rewards will be based on rit; the greater the contribution, the smaller the margin."
Ma Wu rubbed his forehead. This was certainly mind-taxing work. However, upon reflection, the contributions of each family were traceable.
But Ma Wu was sowhat worried. "If we do this, the Border Defense Envoy is going to take a big hit. Won’t they cause trouble for us later?"
With all the major families shipping through Li Qi, there would be no shortage of trouble. As long as they controlled the Boundary, this issue wouldn’t be resolved.
While speaking, Li Banfeng looked towards the entrance where soone was sweeping the floor.
The sweeper, head down, clutched the broom while diligently cleaning the corner of the corridor.
"What is that?" Li Banfeng asked.
The sweeper, gripping the broom nervously, sweat beading on his brow, looked up and asked, "Seventh Master, are you referring to..."
Li Banfeng tapped a small puppet tied to the janitor’s waist. "This is quite distinctive, isn’t it?"
"You an this?" The janitor untied the puppet. "There’s a vendor downstairs selling sundries. I thought this looked nice and it was quite cheap, so I bought it to take back for my child to play with."
"You an downstairs?"
"Right by the roadside, he set up a small stall. He should still be there now."
Li Banfeng went downstairs and indeed saw a sundries stall, mostly filled with toys. He took a liking to a wooden train.
"How much for this?"
"Five Ocean Dollars, no haggling."
The items were indeed not expensive. Li Banfeng bought the wooden train, along with a jar of Glass Beads and two tin frogs.
After returning to Xiaoyao Lodge, Li Banfeng went straight into the Portable Residence and headed for the Third Room.
"Old Man, I brought you so things." Li Banfeng took out the wooden train and pushed it back and forth on the floor.
The Portable Residence showed no reaction.
"Here are so Glass Beads, too. You ntioned before they’re good for boredom. They really are quite fun."
Still no reaction from the Portable Residence.
Li Banfeng took out the tin frogs, wound them up, and they started hopping around on the floor with a little CLICK-CLACK. "Do you like this one?"
"If you have sothing to say, then say it!" The Portable Residence finally spoke.
"I wanted to ask about sothing. What’s the exact principle behind the Boundary?"
After a long wait, the Portable Residence replied, "I’ve studied it, but haven’t fully understood it. I rember so things, but most I’ve forgotten."
"That can’t be, right?" Li Banfeng held out the Boundary control switch. "Didn’t you make this?"
"I didn’t make that; I modified it. If sothing is broken, I can fix it. If it’s not working well, I can alter it. But to make sothing new from scratch isn’t that easy."
That was the truth. Creating sothing new from zero was much more difficult than repairing or altering.
The Portable Residence continued, "Moreover, this chanism should be used with caution. What worked once might not work again the next ti. People from other provinces like to play these little tricks."
Li Banfeng could understand this point; it was like different devices having different codes.
But Li Banfeng was keen on breaking through the restrictions of the Boundary. He was even willing to start from scratch. "Can you teach so Craftsmanship thods?"
"What do you need Craftsmanship thods for? Isn’t running two businesses enough for you?"
"I want to build a railway that’s not controlled by the Boundary. Do you have a way?"
"Heh heh." The Portable Residence laughed. "Old Train spent so many years aiming to construct such a railway, and he never succeeded. Do you think you can do it?"
"Old Train?" Li Banfeng laughed. "You an Grandpa Train? You refer to him like that too? Then how does he address you?"
"He calls Little Train."
"HO HA HA HA!" Gloves laughed outright. "Old Man, at your age and still called Little Train? Truly shaless!"
A jar flew over, which Gloves dodged. "Old Man, that trick won’t work anymore! HO HA HA..."
A vase fell from the table, accurately hitting Gloves.
The Portable Residence sighed. "Ah Qi, you can’t handle the railway business. Craftsmanship thods can’t be learned overnight.
"And I can’t take it on either; I’ve forgotten too much.
"See if your wife has the ability. She learns everything quickly.
"She’s also in need of an assistant. There’s another smart person in the family, but they might not be willing to help her."
Which smart person? Li Banfeng thought for a mont, realizing the Portable Residence was referring to the Ninth Room.
"Old Man, are you talking about Red Lotus? She’s probably still preoccupied with that old friend of mine."
The Portable Residence smiled. "Ah Qi, you spend too little ti with Red Lotus; you truly don’t understand her temperant.
"I’ve never t that friend of yours, but I know for certain Red Lotus doesn’t have room in her heart for them.
"She only has room for that person in the Heavens. Aside from that person, she can accommodate no one else in her heart."
That person in the Heavens? Li Banfeng recalled his wife ntioning it before.
"You an the one that bathed in the Heavenly Light?"
"Exactly. In Puluo State, whenever Red Lotus is touched, she sends ssages to the Heavens, and then a divine light shines down from above.
"But here, Red Lotus can’t send ssages to the Heavens. She’s anxious. And seeing her so anxious... well, I can’t tell you how happy that makes ."
Li Banfeng was silent for a long while and then shared a knowing smile with the Portable Residence.
After the laughter, Li Banfeng thought of Grandpa Train again. "Where exactly is Old Train now?"
The Portable Residence said, "Don’t worry about him for now. You can’t reach where he’s gone."
"Who has trapped him?"
The Portable Residence sighed. "I’ve forgotten. It’s not that I don’t want to tell you; I truly have forgotten.
"Back when I followed Old Train, we fought a battle against them. I lost most of my combat power and a great deal of my mory in that fight.
"If I were to encounter them again, I’m not confident I could get us out of there alive."
"So, what should we do then? You’ve forgotten the Craftsmanship thod for the Boundary, we can’t find Old Train, and we’re just supposed to count on my wife to figure it out on her own? How long will that take?"
The Portable Residence remained silent. He also couldn’t co up with a good idea.
Li Banfeng looked up. "I have an idea. I’ve already started working on it, but I don’t know if it will work.
"If you were to see a newly ford Boundary, would it help you recover so of your mories?"
After a long silence, the Portable Residence said, "It’s worth a try."
Li Banfeng returned to the main room and was intimate with his wife twice.
Biting her lip and sweating, his wife said, "It’s fine without the Joy Soil. I can still hold on."
Gloves crawled out from underneath the vase, finding that the wooden train, Glass Beads, and the tin frogs left on the ground had all disappeared.
...
Li Banfeng left the Portable Residence.
In the main room, Hong Ying hadn’t heard the Portable Residence’s words, but she could hear the conversation between Li Banfeng and Gloves.
While Li Banfeng was away, Hong Ying whispered to the Phonograph, "That evil woman, I heard that madman and that cheap glove talking about Old Train and Little Train. They’re not referring to that Madman Craftsman and his train, are they?"
The Phonograph scoffed and sang in a slow tempo, "What ’Madman Craftsman’? Don’t you have any manners? That’s a senior from your Taoist Sect."
Astonished, Hong Ying said, "I should have realized! We’ve fallen into that madman’s train! Zhao Xiaowan, aren’t you the least bit scared?"
"Scared of what? Isn’t that senior being quite kind to us?"
"Have you forgotten what they were like on the battlefield? Apart from that rchant, it was that old craftsman and his train who were the fiercest."
PFFT! The Phonograph sang, its voice dripping with disdain, "You vile person, deaf and blind for all these years. Tis have changed; stop bringing up those outdated affairs."
Hong Ying huffed coldly. "If we stop referring to the old affairs, does that an our grudge is also gone?"
The Phonograph let out another derisive sound. "You vile person, you’re truly delusional. Even if you fell into the eighteenth level of Hell, our grudge would still not be resolved."
...
He Jiaqing was sitting in a small tavern, gnawing on skewers of mutton and drinking beer while reading the newspaper.
This tavern wasn’t very popular, and He Jiaqing was here purely for a al.
However, the news in the newspaper slightly upset his stomach—it was from Puluo State’s paper, dated three days ago. The headline read: "Septuagenarian Ghost Hand Sect Leader Runs Naked in the Street—What’s Hidden Behind?"
Struggling to keep calm, He Jiaqing finished reading the entire article. He gained a whole new understanding of Xie Juncong.
After finishing his al, He Jiaqing walked toward the stadium. On his way, he received a ssage from Shen Rongqing.
"Jia Qing, the Border Defense Envoy halved Li Qi’s shipping costs, so Li Qi doesn’t need our shipping services anymore."
He Jiaqing smiled. "We can still ship through him. Business, after all, is about making money however we can!"
Shen Rongqing sighed. "I went to talk to Ma Wu, but he was reluctant to see . He said it’s not about sentint, it’s about rewarding rit. At most, he can offer us a twenty percent discount on shipping fees."
"Twenty percent isn’t bad. Let Li Qi make so profit margin; let’s just keep the business going."
Still dissatisfied, Shen Rongqing said, "Jia Qing, He Yuxiu’s business with Li Qi got a fifty percent reduction in shipping costs, and he only charged her a nominal personnel fee. Li Qi didn’t make any profit margin off her."
"What’s the reason for that?" He Jiaqing was taken aback for a mont before suddenly asking, "What’s the relationship between Li Qi and my aunt?"
"Rumors say they are quite close. You know your aunt’s nature—once she takes a liking to a man, she... well..."
"Dares he!" He Jiaqing got worked up. "If Li Qi dares sleep with my aunt, I’ll definitely..."
What could he possibly do to him? He Jiaqing was at a crucial stage and couldn’t return to Puluo State now.
Shen Rongqing asked, "Jia Qing, are we still doing business with Li Qi?"
"Yes, of course! Isn’t it all about rewarding rit? Why shouldn’t we make the money that’s rightfully ours?
"This business won’t last long anyway. The Border Defense Envoy agreed to a fifty percent shipping cost today, but tomorrow it could be five tis that. We need to hurry and ship while we can. Every bit more we earn is a plus."
...
Ma Wu recruited nearly a thousand pioneers from all over Greenwater Bay, gathering them in Blue Poplar Village.
Li Banfeng held a grand pioneer assembly, laying out the rewards directly before them.
"You know the rules of land reclamation, and you understand mine," he declared. "The gleaming Ocean Dollars are right here. You’ll get your reward based on the size of the land you reclaim. The carts and horses are ready. Pack your things and hit the road!"
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