Chapter 91: Unexpected Visitor
It was eleven o'clock at night in the underground cell of the Lu Family residence in Greenwater Bay.
Lu Xiaolan sat inside, facing Lu Dongliang's younger brother, Lu Dongjun.
"Xiaolan, you have to tell
first how you ended up at the He Family's old residence," Lu Dongjun asked with a warm and gentle smile.
Lu Xiaolan shook her head. "I will only tell my father. Why won't my father co see ?"
Lu Dongjun sighed. "Xiaolan, your father heard so rumors and took them the wrong way. I ca here to hear your side of the story and help clear things up."
Lu Xiaolan turned her head aside, not wanting to pay Lu Dongjun any attention.
Zhuo Yuling entered the cell, frowned at her daughter, and said sternly, "Xiaolan, you mustn't be unruly. Whatever your Second Uncle asks, you must answer honestly."
At the sight of Zhuo Yuling, Lu Xiaolan's eyes reddened. "Mom..."
"Good girl, Mom believes you. Talk properly with your Second Uncle and tell the whole truth," Zhuo Yuling said as she draped a coat over Lu Xiaolan's shoulders.
The guard thought such an act was against the rules, but he couldn't bring himself to speak up as a mother draped a coat over her daughter.
Lu Xiaolan let out a quiet sob, adjusted her tone, and answered Lu Dongjun, "I boarded the train with He Jiaqing. We were seated in the sa carriage, but not long after he boarded, he said he needed to step out. He left and never ca back.
"When I went looking for him, I found many mbers of the He family on the train. Their cultivation levels were all above the fifth level, and it was clear they were there to protect He Jiaqing.
"With attendants moving around, I had no chance to kill him. I had no choice but to act behind the scenes and derail the train."
"What thod did you use to derail the train?" Lu Dongjun asked. This was one of the questions that he was most concerned about.
Lu Xiaolan was silent for a mont. Then she said, "A little over fifty minutes after departure, the train passed a junction. One track was fit for normal travel. The other track had been abandoned not long ago.
"That night, the switchman on duty was an agent I had planted three years earlier. I ordered him to guide the train onto the abandoned track. The rails were broken, and the train went off the line."
"The attendants were busy rescuing people and the He family mbers didn't react in ti. I took the chance to find He Jiaqing and struck him hard."
Lu Dongjun stared at her in shock. "You brazen girl! Not only have you offended the He family, but you have also provoked the Outer Provinces. How dare you tamper with the train?"
Lu Xiaolan looked up at Lu Dongjun and said, "Let's put aside whether I have really provoked the Outer Provinces for now. What we need to clarify first is whether I have truly offended the He Family."
She continued saying, "Second Uncle, let
ask you. If it was my father who ordered
to kill He Jiaqing, why would he be afraid of offending the He family? If we've already fallen out with them, why are you still making
take the bla?"
Lu Dongjun pursed his lips. "The situation was different back then. During that ti, we thought that He Haiqin would die soon. None of us expected that he would suddenly recover…"
With tears in her eyes, Lu Xiaolan said, "So the He Family suffers a setback, and you bla
for it? I thought the Lu Family was supposed to take charge of the entire Puluo Province, yet all it can do is throw a woman out to take the bla. Is that all that the Lu Family is capable of?"
Lu Dongjun couldn't co up with a single reply.
Zhuo Yuling snapped, "Xiaolan, watch your mouth."
After a long silence, Lu Dongjun spoke again. "How did you end up at the He Family's old residence?"
Lu Xiaolan wiped her tears. "He Jiaqing didn't die. I just never expected that it would be that hard for him to die. After my stealth attack, he went unconscious. But when Li Banfeng called him, he woke up.
"He was very good at fighting. With just a few moves, he broke the hooks I had set up outside. I don't know what kind of enchanted artifact he used, but when he pushed , I flew out."
"I flew for a long ti, and when I finally stopped, I was already at the He family's old residence. I tried to escape, but I couldn't. There was a dwelling spirit in that place, and I was trapped there for months, surviving by eating cats, weasels, and rats."
As Lu Xiaolan spoke, she couldn't help but start sobbing again.
Lu Dongjun was not in the mood to comfort Lu Xiaolan at all. He was pondering about what happened back then.
"He Jiaqing pushed Xiaolan once, sent her flying all the way to the He family's old residence, and sohow ended up back at his university dorm himself? He actually possesses an enchanted artifact that powerful?"
Beside him, Zhuo Yuling asked, "Dongjun, have you ever seen an artifact like that before?"
Lu Dongjun shook his head. "Never. I doubt even my elder brother has seen one. Xiaolan, tell , did you fly back along the railway tracks?"
Lu Xiaolan shook her head. "The train had already gone off the main track by then, and we were at the end of that section of the railway. So no, I didn't fly back along the railway."
Lu Dongjun found it even stranger. "If it wasn't along the railway, then how did you cross all the regional borders?"
Without special asures in place, it would be impossible to cross those regional borders.
Lu Xiaolan shook her head. "I don't know. I really don't know."
Suspecting that Lu Xiaolan was not telling the truth, Lu Dongjun asked, "Xiaolan, be honest with . Where is the Arcane Crimson Lotus?"
"It's with Li Banfeng."
"How did it end up with him?"
Lu Xiaolan recounted the events in detail. "The day before I left school, He Jiaqing borrowed my necklace. It is an enchanted artifact that can create a layer of false skin which mimics the body, face, and voice of soone familiar.
"Using my necklace, He Jiaqing disguised himself as Li Banfeng and stored the Arcane Crimson Lotus in the locker of the campus convenience store. I know because I saw it with my own eyes. After he borrowed it, I secretly followed him."
"The storage lockers in the campus convenience store are special. Each one contains an enchanted artifact, and not just an ordinary one but a very high-level artifact. I don't know what kind of artifact it is or who left it there, but it made the lockers impossible to break open by force.
"It was a clever move on He Jiaqing's part. He was the only one who knew that the Arcane Crimson Lotus was hidden in the campus convenience store, and only Li Banfeng's face could unlock the locker."
In other words, without the consent of both He Jiaqing and Li Banfeng, no one could open the locker. The only exception would be if they got their hands on Lu Xiaolan's necklace.
Regarding this, Lu Dongjun believed that Lu Xiaolan was telling the truth as Lu Xiaolan indeed possessed such an enchanted artifact. Lu Dongjun had tried the necklace before. It allowed him to take on Lu Dongliang's appearance, and as long as the false skin wasn't torn, no one could tell that he was not Lu Dongliang.
Lu Dongjun asked, "Then why didn't you use your necklace to go straight to the locker and retrieve the Arcane Crimson Lotus yourself?"
Lu Xiaolan continued, "I thought about that, but He Jiaqing refused to return the necklace to . He even claid he had lost it. When I sneak attacked He Jiaqing, I managed to snatch the necklace back. Just then, Li Banfeng called. Even after He Jiaqing sent
flying, the call never disconnected."I panicked. In that mont of fear, I tried to sense He Jiaqing's phone and attach a clairaudient ear to it, but sohow, it ended up linking to Li Banfeng's phone instead. Through that connection, I overheard every movent. I learned that He Jiaqing had been hospitalized, He Haisheng had gone to the hospital too, and that people from the Dark Star Bureau had found Li Banfeng.
"I knew Li Banfeng wasn't ntally stable, and I knew he and He Jiaqing were close. Using that, I tricked him into coming to dicine King Gully. He should be a cultivator, and a rather high-level one. The Arcane Crimson Lotus is still with him. I do not know where he went, but without a travel permit, there is no way he can leave dicine King Gully."
Upon hearing Lu Xiaolan's story, Lu Dongjun's expression turned serious. Still, he didn't actually really believe everything that Lu Xiaolan said.
"You said that the locker in the campus convenience store contains an enchanted artifact, which is why it can't be forced open?"
Lu Xiaolan nodded. "That convenience store is no ordinary place."
"Who is this Li Banfeng? Does he work for the Dark Star Bureau? Or is he a mber of a gang?"
Lu Xiaolan shook her head and said, "He's just a piece of trash that doesn't have a mom or dad!"
As she spat out the word trash, she clenched her teeth in hatred.
Lu Dongjun frowned. "That's what I can't figure out. Li Banfeng isn't from the Dark Star Bureau or any sect. So where did he get a travel permit? Without one, how could he buy a ticket, board the train, or make it all the way to dicine King Gully? And don't tell
you bought the ticket for him. You were trapped in the house and couldn't contact anyone. How could you possibly have bought it for him?"
Hearing that line of questioning, Zhuo Yuling began to grow worried as well. If Lu Xiaolan couldn't clearly explain how the train ticket ca about, no one would believe her.
Lu Xiaolan explained, "He Jiaqing had bought the ticket in advance. As for why he bought one for Li Banfeng, or why it had to be that specific train, I have no idea. I only saw the ticket information on his phone, and that was how I managed to trick Li Banfeng into boarding the train to dicine King Gully."
Lu Dongjun shook his head repeatedly after hearing that.
Judging from Lu Xiaolan's attitude, she was probably telling the truth, yet the whole story still sounded completely absurd.
He Jiaqing bought Li Banfeng's ticket in advance? Why would he send Li Banfeng to dicine King Gully? Did he predict that sothing bad would happen to him?
Lu Xiaolan looked at Lu Dongjun with despair. "Second Uncle, you don't believe ?"
"Xiaolan, I'll tell your father everything you said, though I can't guarantee that he'll believe you. For now, just get so rest."
With that, Lu Dongjun stood up and left the cell.
Zhuo Yuling looked at Xiaolan and let out a soft sigh. "Xiaolan, don't be afraid. Your father certainly won't wrong you. Get so rest for now;
I'll co see you again tomorrow."
Zhuo Yuling left, and Lu Xiaolan still had the coat Zhuo Yuling had draped over her.
Lu Xiaolan stroked the coat and heard her mother's voice again. "Xiaolan, don't be afraid."
It was not a hallucination or a fignt of her imagination. Lu Xiaolan had really heard Zhuo Yuling's voice.
A hook was attached to this coat. It was a hook for a clairaudient ear.
Lu Xiaolan clutched the coat and listened cautiously. She soon heard her mother's voice again, "Your father wants the Crimson Lotus. As long as he hasn't found the Crimson Lotus, he certainly won't touch you. He doesn't actually know if the Crimson Lotus is still with you. If I kill Li Banfeng first, your father will never be able to find the Crimson Lotus again. I'll definitely find a way to get you out."
***
Detective Daboinsky arrived at Inner Gully. After walking so distance along morial Arch Street, he stepped into Feng's General Store.
Shopkeeper Feng greeted him with a friendly smile. "What would you like to buy?"
Daboinsky lowered his voice. "I wonder if I might trouble you for a few pills."
Shopkeeper Feng raised an eyebrow. "Are you at the wrong place? This is a general store."
It wasn't that Shopkeeper Feng never sold pills, but he would never easily sell to strangers.
Daboinsky smiled. "I co on the recomndation of Brother Liuze of the Three Heroes Sect, who tells
your pills are of quite exceptional quality."
Zhang Liuze was a friend of Shopkeeper Feng's, and he had indeed bought pills from the store before.
With that connection confird, Shopkeeper Feng no longer doubted Daboinsky. He handed the front counter to Chun Sheng and brought Daboinsky into the back room.
After brewing so tea, Shopkeeper Feng asked, "May I know what kind of pills you're looking for?"
"The Speckled-Snake Pill."
"How many would you like?"
"Might I have a look at the quality first?"
Shopkeeper Feng took out a Speckled-Snake Pill. Daboinsky examined it, gave an approving nod, and said, "Excellent quality. How much are you asking?"
"Fifteen thousand per pill," said Shopkeeper Feng. It wasn't his first ti selling Speckled-Snake Pills and his usual price was twelve thousand, but since the buyer was a stranger, he added three thousand more to see how the man would react.
Daboinsky didn't bargain. "It's a bit pricey, but the quality is indeed good. I'll take them."
"How many would you like?"
"Twenty pills."
"A purchase of twenty pills amounts to three hundred thousand. This is quite a big deal," said Shopkeeper Feng, giving Daboinsky a aningful look. For such a deal, he never accepted credit.
Daboinsky pulled a check from his coat and wrote the amount. "Kindly have your clerk cash this at Treasure Vault Bank. Once the paynt's confird, I'll collect the pills."
"Straightforward!" Shopkeeper Feng handed the check to Chun Sheng, and in less than half an hour, Chun Sheng returned with three hundred thousand Huan notes.
Since the paynt had been made, the goods naturally had to be delivered. Shopkeeper Feng found a wooden box, sealed the pills inside, and handed it to Daboinsky.
Daboinsky looked satisfied. "I have a friend who wants to buy so Mystic Blazing Pills. Pray tell, have you any available?"
Shopkeeper Feng nodded. "I do. How many does your friend need?"
Daboinsky raised two fingers. "Also twenty."
Shopkeeper Feng frowned slightly. "Twenty pills? You better think this through. A Mystic Blazing Pill costs two hundred fifty thousand."
The price was slightly too high, but Shopkeeper Feng was still testing the man's attitude.
Daboinsky gave a soft chuckle. "If the quality's up to standard, I have no reason to haggle."
Shopkeeper Feng nodded. "Straightforward! I don't have that many in stock right now, but I can ask for you."
"Splendid. I'll return in a couple days, then. Hope you'll have so news for
by then."
Daboinsky left the general store. After just a few steps, he ran into a foreigner on the street.
Perhaps noticing that Daboinsky was dressed in a gentlemanly manner, the foreigner approached with a polite smile and said, "Pardon , good sir. This is my first visit to dicine King Gully, and I'm hoping to purchase so dicine. Would you happen to know where I might find a reputable dicinal trading house?"
Daboinsky gave the man a quick once-over and smiled. "You will find dicinal trading houses everywhere in dicine King Gully. What kind of dicine are you hoping to buy?"
The foreigner rolled up his sleeve, revealing a dense rash along his arm. "I appear to have contracted a peculiar strain of herpes. I'm not sure what dicine might work."
Daboinsky frowned and stepped back a couple of paces, then pointed toward the end of morial Arch Street. "Go to Andetang dicinal Trading House. They have an excellent resident physician. You should have him take a look."
"Thank you very much," the foreigner said, tipping his hat.
"The pleasure is mine." Daboinsky tipped his hat in return.
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