Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'-Chapter 665 - 459: The Stranger in the Portable Residence_2
The Fake Moving Skill allows you to summon whatever you think of, essentially changing the combat environment at will.
What a powerful technique!
Although I can’t learn this Fake Moving Skill, it seems the True Moving Skill should suffice. I’ve been through many dangerous places.
He said with a fawning expression, "Ying Ying, can you demonstrate the technique again? I’ll make you another pair of gold earrings tomorrow."
"Qi Lang, it’s not that I don’t want to teach you, but I need to take it slow. With my current physique, I can use the Mind Traverse Thousand Mountains Technique at most three times a day. I just used the Fake Moving Skill, and it consumed too much energy. I’m afraid I can’t use it again today."
Li Banfeng became anxious. "You used the technique too quickly just now; I didn’t see it clearly."
"Qi Lang, even when I recover to my peak, the technique won’t be much slower. My physique is even weaker now. I can maintain the True Moving Skill for at most three breaths, and the Fake Moving Skill for just over one breath."
Three breaths—about six or seven seconds. A little more than one breath—around three seconds. That’s far too short, and I’m quite unlikely to last that long.
Seeing Li Banfeng remain silent for a long time, Hong Ying advised, "Qi Lang, don’t be anxious. Let’s start with the essentials. We can learn right here and make that wicked woman furious."
The Phonograph wasn’t angry; instead, she was worried about something else. "Beloved husband, you know about the Thousand Mile In A Step Technique. By Stubbornly Going Your Own Way, you can forcibly ascend in levels. Don’t think me too talkative, but using a technique across different levels might truly be fatal. Husband, you must not be reckless again."
Li Banfeng laughed. "How could I do such a thing? That Thousand Mile In A Step Technique isn’t that useful anyway."
Hong Ying was not pleased to hear this. "That’s not true! The Thousand Mile In A Step Technique has great uses!"
Li Banfeng pulled up a chair, sat down, and asked seriously, "I really don’t believe it. What use does this technique actually have?"
Hong Ying said, "The key to this technique lies in..."
The Phonograph actually pulled down Hong Ying’s pants and started to beat her with a plank. "So talkative, so talkative, how dare you be so talkative! Tomorrow, I’ll use paste to seal your mouth shut!"
「...」
Li Banfeng learned for an entire day and attempted to move things for an entire day, but he didn’t manage to move anything.
In the evening, Li Banfeng took Chuanzi and boarded a train to Black Stone Slope. Not long after they left, a group of newly hired tile workers arrived at the Qi Jun Restaurant.
One of the tile workers asked the foreman, "Do you know where Seventh Master is?"
The foreman frowned. "What do you want with Seventh Master?"
"I’ve encountered some difficulties at home and was hoping to seek Seventh Master’s help."
The foreman actually went to ask around. He had worked with Li Qi for quite some time and was familiar with his temperament; Li Qi always lent a hand to his subordinates when they were in trouble, regardless of their status, if he could help.
The next morning, the foreman found the tile worker and said, "You’re out of luck. Seventh Master had to leave on urgent business; he took last night’s train."
The tile worker was startled. "He left? Where did he go?"
The foreman frowned. "Is that something you should be asking?"
The tile worker bowed his head in silence. The foreman said, "Alright, if Seventh Master isn’t here, go find Master Wu. If Master Wu isn’t available, Head Zuo will also do. That’s the rule under Seventh Master; anyone who can help you won’t hesitate."
The tile worker nodded and trotted off to mix mortar.
When it was time for lunch, the tile worker had disappeared and hadn’t even taken his half-day’s pay.
「...」
Upon reaching Black Stone Slope, Li Banfeng went straight to the newspaper office.
Black Stone Slope had undergone some changes. Li Qi and Ma Wu had taken over most of the local businesses, and wages were much higher than before.
With money in their hands, workers could afford to buy things, and many more shops had appeared along the streets. The book and newspaper business was thriving more than ever.
The Night-blooming Jasmine newspaper office was still in the same old factory building, but its layout had changed significantly. The front yard housed the boiler room and the printing plant.
The first row of factory buildings had been converted into the sales department, where newspapers were stacked, magazines bound, movie film packaged, and shipments and counting took place.
The second row of factory buildings was a photography studio, dedicated to filming movies and taking photos.
The third row of factory buildings was quieter; this was the office area for the writers, where editors and reporters wrote their articles. Bai Qiusheng, Yu Wenqi, and others also had their offices there.
Li Banfeng walked around the newspaper office and frowned. "Why is it so crowded here?"
Bai Qiusheng smiled. "Seventh Master, our business isn’t the same as before. We have a grip on thirty percent of Black Stone Slope’s book and newspaper sales. Business has expanded, and staff has increased, so naturally, the space seems smaller."
Li Banfeng said, "If space isn’t enough, then buy more! If you need money, just tell me!"
Yu Wenqi said, "Seventh Master, our place is already quite big. You won’t find another newspaper office this large in Black Stone Slope."
"You still call this big?" Li Banfeng was displeased. "I just saw the workers’ quarters—eight people crammed into a single room! Imagine how crowded that is! We need to acquire the surrounding buildings so everyone can have their own room. Also, bring all the newspapers and periodicals from the past three months here."
Back in the Portable Residence, Li Banfeng moved a thick stack of newspapers to Liu Fang. He examined each one until dawn but found nothing unusual.
He glanced at some magazines for a while. The girls looked attractive, and their poses were quite creative, but Li Banfeng still grew sleepy.
Clearly, Black Stone Slope didn’t possess the same strong sense of order as the Ink Shop, and Li Banfeng lacked such a strong desire to study. Since there was a bed in Liu Fang, he simply washed up and fell asleep there.
Two hours later, the door slowly opened, and the Projector floated in, its lens aiming at the newspapers on the table.
As its light shone upon them, nearly half of the stack of newspapers vanished. The Projector then silently left Liu Fang.
Li Banfeng sat up in bed, quietly watching the door.
A faint light shone through the crack in the door; he knew the Projector was in the next room.
When he first acquired the Projector, it hardly moved and could only project images from a fixed angle.
After staying in the Portable Residence for some time and consuming plenty of good things, the Projector started to move, albeit clumsily—even more so than the Music Box.
Now, not only can it fly, but it flies so adeptly. There must be a reason for this. What does it need the newspapers for? Is it trying to spite me, deliberately going against me? The matter is likely not that simple.
Li Banfeng used his Insightful Spirit Sound Technique to listen for a moment. There seemed to be some movement in the Fifth Room, and what sounded like muffled voices, but he couldn’t make out any words clearly.
He didn’t have the Silk-pulling Earrings with him, so Li Banfeng wasn’t in a rush. He turned over and went back to sleep.
「The next day, Li Banfeng left the Portable Residence and found Bai Qiusheng.」
"On Black Stone Slope, besides our Night-blooming Jasmine, which other newspaper is well-known enough?"
Bai Qiusheng replied, "There used to be ’A Shining Pole,’ but that newspaper has declined. Its content is too straightforward, so fewer and fewer people read it. Now, the only one that can rival us is ’Divine Fragrance.’ Their content indeed has some quality. In Black Stone Slope’s book and newspaper business, we hold thirty percent, they hold twenty, and the remaining fifty percent is shared among the others."
Yu Wenqi said, "Seventh Master, are you planning to deal with that newspaper? I’ve wanted to take action against them for a long time. That newspaper is truly despicable! Every time we release a special edition, they follow suit. When we distribute illustrated papers, they do the same. They mimic everything we do, constantly opposing us."
Li Banfeng smiled. "Business involves give and take. If you take down ’Divine Fragrance,’ who knows, maybe a ’Godly Fragrance’ will pop up tomorrow. If we wipe out everyone else’s businesses, wouldn’t we become bullies? Go buy the last three months of ’Divine Fragrance’ as well. Get as many as you can. If that’s not possible, then just get issues from the last couple of days."
Li Banfeng didn’t insist, knowing it would be difficult to collect old newspapers from other publishers. However, Bai Qiusheng didn’t find it troublesome. He sent his subordinates to buy them, and shortly after, the newspapers were acquired—three months’ worth, not a single issue missing.
Li Banfeng was somewhat surprised, "Where did you buy these from?"
The subordinate answered, "The Lu Family Bookstore, of course. They have everything; it’s just a bit more expensive."
The Lu Family Bookstore again? Have they opened another branch?
Li Banfeng nodded and said, "I’ll have to visit this Lu Family Bookstore sometime."
Carrying the newspapers back to the Portable Residence, Li Banfeng looked through them all day once again but still couldn’t discern anything particular.
Where exactly does the power of Black Stone Slope’s words lie? The main content of these newspapers, aside from morality columns and ’Peach’ pictorials, seemed to be just social news. I can’t find any order in them.
After tidying up the newspapers, he still chose to sleep in Liu Fang that night, but this time with the Silk-pulling Earrings on.
In the early hours of the morning, the Projector entered the room again. Its lens swept over the newspapers on the table, and the stack of ’Divine Fragrance’ issues was also reduced by half.
The Projector silently returned to the Fifth Room. A faint light still flickered through the gap in the door.
Li Banfeng put on the Silk-pulling Earrings and pressed himself against the door, listening carefully. He finally heard the Projector’s voice.
"Nice to look at?"
Who is it talking to?
"Oh my, how embarrassing!"
Who is that?
Sweat appeared on Li Banfeng’s forehead.
He was in his Portable Residence, and he had just heard the voice of an unfamiliar woman.
