The Legendary Bloodspear Detective premiered as scheduled, and the streets of Greenwater City were emptied as crowds flocked to the cinemas.

The film itself hit like nothing people had seen before. The story pulled you in, the images stayed in your mind, and the scale of it all felt bigger than anything Puluo Province had ever produced. The male lead, Song Chunjie, first unraveled layers of mystery within the city before shifting the battlefield to the New Land, where he plunged into deadly combat.

In Li Banfeng's point of view, even if the film were released in the Outer Provinces, it would still cause a sensation as long as it screened smoothly. It might even spark an entirely new breakthrough in cinematic concepts.

At the very least, this film had already made a breakthrough in the kinds of creatures it showed.

With the film's tremendous success, it was time for Li Banfeng to fulfill his promise to Qiu Luoye.

During filming, Qiu Luoye had given the crew tremendous support, and Li Banfeng had promised to activate three new plots of New Land within his domain.

This, too, was a major breakthrough.

In Puluo Province, there were generally only two ways to activate a plot of New Land.

One was to fight head-on, defeating every aberrant creature that came to test them.

The second method was attrition. One would never face the aberrant creatures head-on and every possible method to stall until enough time had passed.

Qiu Luoye didn't want to make things difficult for Li Banfeng over this matter. He made it clear that it only needed to be a formality.

Li Banfeng was absolutely confident, but Qiu Luoye was still worried that something might go wrong. Because of that, he even sought out Shui Yongquan for advice beforehand.

"What methods does Li Qi and Ma Wu use? Do they fight head-on or do they drag things out? I will ask my subordinates not to make things hard for them."

Shui Yongquan pondered for a long while. It wasn't an easy question to answer.

After pondering for a while, Shui Yongquan could only say, "I guess Ma Wu does go hard on them. Li Qi drags things out."

Qiu Luoye made careful preparations. Since Li Qi was skilled at stalling, he made sure not to send creatures with sharp perception to test him, and tried to avoid sending ones with overwhelming combat strength as well.

When the trial of worthiness ended, Qiu Luoye realized that all his preparations were unnecessary. For three whole days, Li Banfeng stayed hidden and never once showed his face.

Qiu Luoye felt extremely displeased.

Even if you were really good at hiding, you should at least act out the fight.

He went to ask Shui Yongquan, "Old Shui, is Li Qi really such a shameless person?"

Shui Yongquan pondered and asked, "Who's the next person activating land?"

"Ma Wu."

Shui Yongquan answered without hesitation, "Li Qi is someone who cares about his reputation. Very much so."

When Ma Wu began activating the plot of New Land, Qiu Luoye watched closely on the first day.

By the second day, he couldn't bear to watch anymore. He wanted to stomp Ma Wu to death.

By the third day, he gave up on that thought altogether. He didn't even want to go near that patch of land.

He warned all the female creatures in his territory to stay away from that area, and forbade anyone from speaking of what had happened there.

But whether Qiu Luoye wanted to keep it quiet or not, quite a few shameless female creatures still went running straight toward Ma Wu.

Qiu Luoye couldn't tolerate it anymore. He sent a decrepit old crone to Ma Wu's plot.

Ma Wu was busy at the time. He was hugging a hedgehog while a pangolin waited behind him.

He glanced at the old woman. Her hair was white, her back hunched. She looked to be well over seventy.

"Old lady, are you here for me too?" Ma Wu was willing to make some sacrifices for the sake of activating the New Land, but he still had to be clear about things.

"Pah!" The old crone spat and launched into a furious tirade. "All men in this world have that thing between their legs, but I have never seen a filthy bastard like you who uses it to make a living! An eight-foot man is supposed to stand tall and proud, but you don't even have the backbone to match that shameless, thick face of yours!

"You! Hedgehog beneath him! Get out here! You have completely thrown away a woman's dignity! And you, pangolin, at the side! Get lost! You have thrown a woman's dignity straight into the gutter! And you, pangolin skulking to the side, get lost! You spent half your life digging through mountains, and now you're letting him dig your hole for you? Don't you feel pity for yourself?!"

This old woman really knew how to tear someone apart with her words.

The pangolin and the hedgehog both recognized her. Lowering their voices, they hurriedly warned, "Darling Wu, she looks human but don't be fooled. She's actually a creature of the New Land, known as the Street-Cursing Crone.

"It won't be easy to deal with her. Don't fight her. Just stand there and let her curse you out. Her words are vicious, so whatever you do, don't take them to heart."

The moment they finished speaking, both the pangolin and the hedgehog fled without looking back.

The old lady continued cursing Ma Wu out for the entire day and night.

The old crone's insults were truly foul, and every curse seemed to carry the effect of a cultivation ability, making it easy for people to get angry.

But Ma Wu had a steady mind. He had been shouted at, sneered at, and cursed at since he was little, so there was hardly an insult left in the world that could surprise him.

At first, of course, he did feel the sting. Anyone would. But he swallowed it down and held on.

That was the Street-Cursing Crone's trick. If one could grit their teeth and endure the opening barrage, the rest was nothing much to worry about.

The real danger lay with those who couldn't take it. Some people had tempers too hot to control. They couldn't even last three sentences before getting worked up, and the angrier they became, the deeper they fell into her trap.

Ma Wu held out to the very end. After that, none of the other female creatures in the New Land dared to come near, and just like that, the plot was activated.

The third to attempt land-activating was Little Gen. Qiu Luoye let out a long breath. At last, someone decent had arrived.

Unlike Li Qi and Ma Wu, who relied on all sorts of underhanded tricks, Little Gen did things the proper way. He had always been straightforward and aboveboard. Qiu Luoye gave his word once more. As long as the process was done openly, the trial of worthiness would be nothing more than a formality. No one would make things difficult for him.

Once the contract was signed, Little Gen prepared to begin the land-activating process.

On the plot, Little Gen stacked thirty-six gleaming mounds of gold, all neatly arranged for good fortune.

He chose the number thirty-six, taken from the saying that six times six brings luck and smooth success.

Qiu Luoye looked on from afar, then turned to the gathered creatures. "Well? Which one of you is going to put on a show and test him?"

Not a single one answered. They all lowered their heads and kept their mouths shut.

Qiu Luoye's gaze shifted to the humanoid tree. "You go. That's all good fertilizer."

The humanoid tree paused for a moment, then said, "Too rich. I can't stomach it."

***

All three plots of New Land had been successfully claimed. Ma Wu had already begun organizing workers on the sites, fixing up the buildings and setting up scenery for the next film.

Li Banfeng said to Ma Wu, "Don prepare for only one film. Get the setups for a few films ready."

Ma Wu blinked in surprise. "You mean shoot the later parts of The Legendary Bloodspear Detective together? That won't work. The actors can't manage all the costume changes. And if we swap out the lead, it won't be as interesting anymore."

"That's not what I mean," Li Banfeng said. "Don't prepare for the sequels of The Legendary Bloodspear Detective. Make preparations for other new movies. We have already figured out this business. It's time to plan the next step."

Only then did Ma Wu come to his senses.

Lately, he had been so worried about filming that he had forgotten to think about the long-term plans.

This was their livelihood. They couldn't rely on The Legendary Bloodspear Detective forever.

Ma Wu immediately returned to Greenwater City and invited several writers he was familiar with to Freewind Wharf. He made sure everything was arranged for them, good food, good drink, and good company. Only after they were thoroughly settled in did he begin discussing scripts.

These writers were known for their earthy, everyday style. Unlike the grand literary masters of Puluo Province, their stories were far more accessible to the common crowd, though they were often dismissed as vulgar.

Ma Wu didn't mind that at all. The more vulgar something was, the more story it usually had.

The writers weren't fussy. They laid out their best works for Ma Wu to choose from, and their prices were reasonable.

Ma Wu was just about to settle on a new script when he suddenly received some bad news.

It might have been a small matter, or a serious one. Either way, he reported it to Li Banfeng at once.

"Old Qi, there were two cinemas in Blackstone Slope that got wrecked.

Logically speaking, the movie had nothing to do with them as they were not the ones who owned the cinemas.

However, those two cinemas were wrecked during the premier of The Legendary Bloodspear Detective. Because of that, this matter became something related to them.

If they didn't do anything about it, no one would dare screen their films again.

Li Banfeng asked, "Who did this secretly?"

"It was not done secretly. It was done openly."

"They openly wrecked a cinema? Are there no rules and regulations in Puluo Province?"

When it came to internal matters, the banners were the deciding factor. When it came to external matters, the Border Controller was the deciding factor. There were rules and regulations in Puluo Province.

Ma Wu said, "It was the people from the Pure Conduct Society. They are a special group. They have already made it known that if any cinema dares to screen The Legendary Bloodspear Detective, they will be severely punished."

"Severely punished?" Li Banfeng let out a cold laugh. "That's quite the claim. What exactly is this Pure Conduct Society?"

"'Pure Conduct' stands for restraint and proper conduct. It's a society formed by a group of highly respected figures."

"Does it count as a gang?"

"No," Ma Wu replied without hesitation. "The Pure Conduct Society stands far above any gang, and its prestige is on a completely different level.

"They have accused our film of corrupting public morals, calling it the greatest disgrace Puluo Province has seen in nearly a hundred years.

"This won't be easy to handle. I will have to go to Blackstone Slope and find a way in just to get a word with them."

The corner of Li Banfeng's eye twitched. "You need connections just to talk to them?"

Ma Wu let out a sigh. "Without connections, you might not even get to see them. To be honest, I should have prepared for this earlier. "It's only a matter of time before the Pure Conduct Society makes things hard for us.

Li Banfeng didn't know much about the Pure Conduct Society. What concerned him more was something else.

"Does Pure Conduct Society only exist in Blackstone Slope?"

Ma Wu shook his head. "Not at all. You'll find them across Puluo Province, from the Lower Thirty Percent to the Central Thirty Percent and all the way to the Upper Thirty Percent."

"Then why haven't they made a move in Greenwater City?" Li Banfeng asked. "It's the largest city in Puluo Province."

"They probably don't want to offend the Lu Family. Maybe they don't even know the Lu Family has already pulled out of our company," Ma Wu explained.

At that point, Ma Wu massaged his temples, looking troubled. "The issue's happening in Blackstone Slope, so there's still room to smooth things over. If this were in Greenwater City, it would be a much bigger problem.

"We won't be able to meet the members of the Pure Conduct Society in Greenwater City. Back then, when Zhang Xiuling had just become the sect master of the Hundred Flowers Sect, they accused her of being immoral. They even labeled the Hundred Flowers Sect as a shameless low-tier faction.

"Zhang Xiuling took more than a dozen of her people and went from door to door, offering apologies. She spent half a year running around before the matter was finally settled. After that, the Hundred Flowers Sect fell from a first-rate sect to a second-rate one."

Li Banfeng frowned. "Do they decide who's first-rate or not? Are they that strong?"

Ma Wu shook his head. "It's not about fighting. It's about status. Quite a few elders in the Pure Conduct Society don't have any cultivation at all, but they are seen as the moral elite of Puluo Province, the upholders of virtue and conduct.

"The Hundred Flowers Sect can't make a move against the Pure Conduct Society. Anyone who does would be making an enemy of the entire Puluo Province.

"Lu Maoxian is one of their elders. He has been constantly provoking Monkey Qiu and the two young masters of the Lu Family, but even now, Monkey Qiu doesn't dare do anything to him. He's wary of the Pure Conduct Society backing him."

Lu Maoxian, Li Banfeng thought. He had some idea who that was.

"Back then, when Monkey Qiu sent us to Blackstone Slope to do business, it was to keep Lu Maoxian in check, wasn't it?

"But I got ambushed by Ling Miaoying at the train station. We never made it to Blackstone Slope, and the whole deal fell through."

Ma Wu nodded. "Blackstone Slope is Lu Maoxian's domain. I suspect this has something to do with him. I will head there first and try to find the right people to talk to. If that doesn't work, I will come back to Greenwater City and personally ask Lu Maoxian to show us some mercy.

"Old Qi, I am afraid we can't continue filming The Legendary Bloodspear Detective. Now that the Pure Conduct Society in Blackstone Slope has made a move, the others will follow suit. I will do everything I can to make sure the third film finishes screening. As for any future projects... that depends on whether the Pure Conduct Society approves."

Li Banfeng sniffed the air. "It smells."

Ma Wu blinked. "What smells?"

"This Pure Conduct Society you are talking about. It smells."

"What kind of smell?" Ma Wu still didn't get it.

"He refuses to meet you even when you show up at their door. Even if they agree to meet you, there's no guarantee anything gets done. And even if it does, you will still have to listen to them and do things the way they want it! I know this smell! It smells like those vile individuals!"

Ma Wu tried to persuade him. "Old Qi, this isn't the time to let your temper speak. That's just how the Pure Conduct Society operates.

"They are bound to target us for making films like this. We have already made enough money. It's not a bad place to stop. If someone has to swallow the humiliation, let me handle it."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "You can't handle this alone. And it's not just about losing face. If we don't deal with this properly, we'll lose both our pride and our standing. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"We go together. Call everyone we can trust, and bring in a few capable helpers as well. Anyone who goes with us must have a backbone. They must not be like those vile individuals!"

Ma Wu was shocked. "Old Qi! You don't understand the Pure Conduct Society! We are not going there to fight! We have to try and talk things out."

Li Banfeng smiled and said, "I think I should know the Pure Conduct Society well! I just lost to a bunch of vile individuals! I can't lose again this time!"

***

On the train, Li Banfeng, Ma Wu, and more than thirty others set off for Blackstone Slope.

Ma Wu had reserved an entire carriage. He paid a hefty sum to the border controller, the train conductor, the stationmaster, and various railway staff to keep their trip under wraps.

Inside the carriage, several writers gathered together, discussing their next move.

A writer named Yu Wenqi was the first to speak, "Blackstone Slope has quite a few newspapers. I have published articles before, but only in small, obscure ones."

Another writer, Bai Qiusheng, spoke up. "Blackstone Slope doesn't just have a lot of newspapers. There are plenty of magazines too. I have written for some of them before. I even brought a couple along... though I am a bit embarrassed to show them."

Li Banfeng looked puzzled. "What's there to be embarrassed about?"

Bai Qiusheng hesitated for a moment, then took out the magazines.

Everyone leaned in to take a look. It quickly became clear that the magazines weren't known for their writing, but for their photographs.

Bai Qiusheng said, "Master Qi, take a look. The lighting in these shots is pretty good, right?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "Yeah, the lighting's good. Very... well-lit."

He paused, then added dryly, "And very unclothed."

He frowned slightly. Why does Blackstone Slope have so many newspapers and magazines?

Ma Wu said, "Blackstone Slope is a special place. Its publishing industry is even more developed than Greenwater City's. The reason is..."

Before he could finish, the old crone caught sight of the magazine and immediately started cursing. "Shameless woman! Sticking her backside out for people to photograph!"

Qin let out a cold laugh. "What! Got you worked up? The girl looks good! That's why people want to see. Not everyone gets to enjoy their youth like that."

"Bah! You have got no shame either. Why don't you stick yours out and let everyone have a look?"

The street-scolding crone and Qin were on the verge of going at each other, and Ma Wu hurried over to break them up.

It hadn't been easy for Li Banfeng to bring the two of them along.

They were both subordinates of Qiu Luoye, so he had to get her approval first. Because of the land-activating matter, Qiu Luoye had been in a foul mood. It took a long while before he finally agreed.

And the two of them were aberrant creatures. By all rights, they should never have been allowed to leave the New Land. Doing so would be the same as provoking the land deities of the Proper Land.

They managed it only thanks to Shui Yongquan. He found an expert who disguised them, completely masking their aberrant aura so they looked no different from ordinary people. Only then were they able to leave the New Land.

To make it happen, Li Banfeng even signed a contract with Shui Yongquan. In two months, he would have to build a cinema in Properfolk Village.

The street-scolding crone and Qin grew louder and louder, on the verge of tearing into each other. Then, all at once, they fell silent.

Little Gen walked between them, carrying a ladle in one hand and a bucket in the other.

The two women covered their noses and hurried back to their seats.

Little Gen walked up to Li Banfeng. "Master Qi, this train is way too strange. The poop in the toilet goes straight onto the tracks. How am I supposed to cultivate like this?"

Li Banfeng nodded in approval. "Little Gen, put the bucket down first.

"Brothers, sisters, once we reach Blackstone Slope, we need to win the first battle."

Author's Note:

PS: I looked at myself in the mirror and said with a confident smile, "Now that this chapter's up, let's see who still dares to mock that it's short!"

The reflection smiled back, even more confident. "They are laughing at you for being short. Mine is always loooong."