Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'-Chapter 571 - 397 Play_2
If he could find Bao Yingchen, Chu Huaijun hoped that Bao Yingchen would continue as the Head of the family. If they couldn’t find him, then Dong Kaibin and Second-in-command Shen Jinzhong could tear each other apart.
Bao Yingchen’s head was still around, intentionally left by Red Lotus. Although mangled and bloodied, it could still be fixed up and used.
Now, if he handed Bao Yingchen’s head over to Shen Jinzhong, would it help him ascend to power?
No, it absolutely could not be done.
This wouldn’t just fail to help him ascend; it would also saddle him with the grave accusation of harming the Great Gold Seal. Such an act would disqualify Shen Jinzhong from competing for the Great Gold Seal and even make him a sworn enemy of the Three Heroes Gang.
What should be done now? Was Bao Yingchen’s head completely useless?
Li Banfeng pondered for a long time before saying to Jiang Mengting, "Where did you see the story Zhang Xiuling wrote about me and Bao Yingchen becoming sworn brothers?"
"Xiuling’s Night Talks. It’s a magazine published by Zhang Xiuling. Seventh Master, if you want to read it, I have them all here."
Jiang Mengting brought a few magazines to Li Banfeng, who quickly thumbed through them.
It had to be said, Zhang Xiuling’s storytelling was vivid, bringing the bloody storms of the Jianghu to life on the page.
If this spread, Li Banfeng and Bao Yingchen would truly become a remarkable tale of friendship forged through conflict.
Li Banfeng collected all the magazines and told Jiang Mengting, "I have to go now. Don’t tell anyone about my return."
Jiang Mengting blinked her large, surprised eyes and asked, "Not even Master Wu?"
"Not even him."
Jiang Mengting’s heart raced.
Seventh Master was back, and he didn’t even tell Master Wu, only me.
Did he come to the Xiaoyao Lodge backstage, into my changing room, just to reassure me of his safety?
Am I overthinking this...
Jiang Mengting was still lost in thought when Li Banfeng got up, lowered the brim of his hat, and left.
Watching Li Banfeng’s retreating figure, Jiang Mengting’s cheeks flushed with waves of heat.
Back in the changing room, the front desk manager was nearly frantic. "Miss Jiang, it’s your turn to go on stage."
"What song was it again?"
"’Rose, Rose, I Love You.’ It’s a song requested by dozens of guests."
"Tell the band to hold off on that one. The next song I’ll sing is ’Full Moon and Blooming Flowers’."
"Change it now?" The manager was stunned.
"Go quickly!"
Jiang Mengting changed into a cheongsam, took a round silk fan, and, surrounded by her backing dancers, took the stage. Accompanied by the sound of the qin, she began to sing "Full Moon and Blooming Flowers."
"The scattered clouds disperse, the bright moon shines upon people. Perfect reunion today is the sweetest. In the shallow pond, mandarin ducks play; red skirts and green canopies, twin lotus blossoms bloom."
The guests listening to the song below had their eyes glued to her.
Why was today’s Jiang Mengting so sweet?
Her smile was sweet, and her singing even sweeter.
Li Banfeng went to Dongping Tea House.
The moment he saw Li Banfeng, Qin Xiaopang, who was in the private room, immediately knelt on the ground. "Brother Seven, you’re alive! I knew you were alive!
"I failed you, Brother Seven. I had a mole among my men, sent by the Head of the family. If anything had happened to you, I wouldn’t have wanted to live."
Li Banfeng pulled Qin Xiaopang up, saying, "I’ll say it one more time: don’t kneel to anyone. Go get your Second-in-command. I have something to discuss with him. Remember, the place must be discreet."
Li Banfeng entered one of his other properties, a residence that no one took care of and was always vacant.
After securing the key, Li Banfeng entered the Portable Residence. Clock Pendulum was still fixing Bao Yingchen’s head. Li Banfeng touched Clock Pendulum’s cheek. "No need to fix it anymore."
With flushed cheeks, Clock Pendulum said, "Master, do you think I’m too slow?"
Li Banfeng shook his head. "It’s not that I find your work slow, but the situation has changed."
He took out a seed from his bag, drew a bit of Bao Yingchen’s blood, and sprinkled it on the seed.
After burying the seed in the yard and adding a couple of drops of potion, a cabbage soon grew from the ground.
The cabbage split open, and a cabbage person emerged. It wore a whitish-green robe and pants and gazed vacantly at Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng ate two pieces of Cabbage Patch. Beneath their sweet crispness was a unique astringency. This made him break out in a sweat, and from the inside out, he began to exude the cabbage’s distinct raw smell.
"Let’s go," Li Banfeng commanded.
The cabbage version of Bao Yingchen followed Li Banfeng into the Portable Residence.
Could this cabbage person really take the place of the real Bao Yingchen?
Obviously not. One wouldn’t need to be very familiar with Bao Yingchen; just having seen him once would be enough to spot the flaws.
Li Banfeng turned on the Projector and displayed the footage of his fight with Bao Yingchen.
Bao Yingchen’s clothes and appearance were perfectly rendered.
The Phonograph, facing the image, helped Clock Pendulum dress the cabbage person. During the process, she stared at the light halo in the image for a moment, feeling that its shape was somewhat difficult to comprehend.
"Husband, the Eighth Layer Technique was perfected in conjunction with our residence. Our home is special, and I can’t quite articulate the key aspects of its cultivation. You’ll have to consult Father more about it in the future," she said.
Li Banfeng nodded, wrapped his arms around his wife from behind, and affectionately embraced her for a good while.
With a HUMPH, his wife said, "You smell of makeup. Some shameless hussy must have left it on you! With so many sisters here at home to attend to you, Husband, are you still not satisfied?"
The scent of makeup was from Jiang Mengting.
Hong Ying snorted coldly. "You have no proper place, no standing! What can you use to serve him? You’re all talk!"
The Phonograph, looking at the seeds in the bag, chuckled softly. "That shameless woman needn’t be so arrogant! Soon enough, we’ll all have our own households—every sister will!"
Li Banfeng wasn’t concerned about the matter of households; he was more worried about Bao Yingchen at the moment.
"Can you make him talk?"
His wife possessed Sound Cultivation Technique, so making the cabbage person talk naturally wasn’t difficult. However, she had never heard Bao Yingchen speak; when he was brought in, Bao Yingchen was already incapable of speech.
"Oh, Husband, this Projector needs to be modified. In the future, it must be able to record sound," she said.
"We’ll deal with future matters later. Let’s solve the present issue, Wife. Try to make him say something," he replied.
The Phonograph inserted the stylus into the cabbage person, and the cabbage version of Bao Yingchen spoke, "Brother Li Qi, I will listen to you."
It was an old man’s voice, but it didn’t resemble Bao Yingchen’s.
"Make the voice brighter. That old fellow has a strong, resonant voice," he instructed.
His wife adjusted the amount of Steam. Li Banfeng listened again, but it still wasn’t quite right.
The Projector hadn’t recorded the sound, but he was very sensitive to voices.
"The lower register of the voice needs a touch of hoarseness, the higher register needs more breathiness, and the speaking pace should be slightly slower..."
The Phonograph tapped the Projector with its stylus. "Don’t talk to me in that Foreign Devil’s tone!"
Although the Projector’s manner of speaking was inappropriate, its advice wasn’t wrong. Following its description, they slowly made adjustments, gradually replicating Bao Yingchen’s voice and tone.
Is this Bao Yingchen ready for use now?
Not yet. This cabbage person lacked spirit.
Li Banfeng sprinkled a drop of blood on the cabbage person and used the Golden House Hidden Beauty Skill.
Now the cabbage person had spirit.
"Oh, Husband, this thing might pass for a quick glance. But if you really intend to deceive everyone in the Three Heroes Gang, I fear it won’t be enough," she remarked.
Li Banfeng handed a magazine to the Phonograph. "We don’t need to fool everyone. We just need the obedient ones to silence those who won’t listen."
After reading the story in the magazine, the Phonograph pondered for a moment and said, "Little Servant is quite familiar with this sort of thing. Let’s write the script first, then find those obedient ones and rehearse the lines thoroughly." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
PS: This magazine still has that scent of makeup. It must be that shameless hussy who tempted our Husband!
