Li Banfeng returned to the newspaper office and found Bai Qiusheng frantic with worry.

"Master Qi, you can't scare us like this. When you left, you said you'd try to come back the same day or the next day, at the latest. But you disappeared for three whole days without a single word!"

Li Banfeng replied, "Something unexpected happened on the road and delayed me for two days. Let me ask you something. What's the name of our newspaper again?"

Bai Qiusheng froze for a moment. "Night-Blooming Jasmine!"

He wondered, Why is he suddenly asking that?

Li Banfeng continued, "This is your first time running a newspaper, right?"

Bai Qiusheng froze again. "No. This was what I was doing previously too."

"Where did Yu Wenqi go?"

"He's taking photographs and working on the magazine."

"Take me to him immediately."

Li Banfeng suspected he was still dreaming. One of the best ways to verify a dream was to urgently search for a specific person or place and see whether it could actually be found.

Dreams were constructed by the dreamer, and that process took time. Some people and scenes were not so easy to recreate in the dream.

Bai Qiusheng brought Li Banfeng straight into the studio. They had arrived so suddenly that the young women inside panicked and did their best to cover their top and bottom halves, unsure which parts of their bodies were more important to cover up.

Yu Wenqi frowned. "What are you afraid of? This is our Boss Ye. If any of you can catch Boss Ye's eye, that'll be your good fortune."

Hearing that, the young women stopped covering themselves. Some deliberately twisted at the waist, claiming they felt a little sore. Some bounced lightly in place, pretending they couldn't stand steadily. Some suddenly noticed they had dropped something and hurriedly bent over to pick it up.

After staring at the young women for quite a while, Li Banfeng still had no reaction.

Why do I have no reaction at all? Is it because this is all a dream?

Li Banfeng observed for a while longer, but he still could not put his mind at ease. He returned to his room, locked the door, and carried out several more tests. He read the newspaper, and the words did not change. He wrote down a string of numbers himself to test it again, and those did not change either. He ate some pastries and made himself a cup of Guozi Lu[1]. It even had a proper taste...

Li Banfeng wanted to continue testing, but he could not hold on any longer. He had not returned home for three days, and the pressure to devote some time to his Homebound Cultivation was weighing down on him. On the other hand, power surged upward through his legs. He was advancing rapidly as a Wanderlust Cultivator. He needed rest.

Li Banfeng took out his house key, hesitated for a moment, then opened the Pocket Dwelling. He was worried that the Pocket Dwelling might be exposed, but he had to return now.

Even after going back inside, he remained tense, because he did not know what attitudes awaited him within. It was not just his wife's attitude but also the dwelling's attitude.

The moment he stepped into the main room, the Gramophone flew into a rage. "Huaaah~ you damn madman! You haven't come home for three days and nights, and you didn't even send word. What do you take me for?"

"Wifey, listen to my explanation first—"

"What explanation? Get over here right now!"

Her tone felt off. She sounded more worried than reproachful.

The Gramophone was not just worried that Li Banfeng had not returned home. She seemed even more concerned about his current condition.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry over here to me!"

The Gramophone urged him repeatedly to go over to her, and Li Banfeng stepped over to its side.

A cloud of steam wrapped around Li Banfeng. "You dared to not come home?! Let's see if I don't scald you to death. Let's see if you dare do it again!"

The Gramophone spoke viciously, but the steam she unleashed was not very hot. It felt more like a comfortable hot bath.

Wifey's clearly putting on an act, but who is she acting for? For Hong Ying? But Hong Ying can't see any of this.

The Gramophone asked, "Do you admit your wrongdoings?"

Li Banfeng quickly answered, "I admit them."

The Gramophone's horn rotated in all directions, as if surveying the situation. After observing for a moment and finding nothing unusual, she released another puff of steam.

However, just as the Gramophone relaxed, the Pocket Dwelling suddenly began to shake violently. The Gramophone was easy enough to deal with, but the Pocket Dwelling was not.

The Pocket Dwelling was furious.

The Gramophone yelled, "My dear, do you truly admit your wrongdoings?"

Li Banfeng shouted back, "I truly admit them."

The Pocket Dwelling shook even more violently, and loose items in the room fell one after another. The Pocket Dwelling did not accept Li Banfeng's apology.

The Gramophone called out, "Husband dear, explain carefully. Why exactly did you not come home?"

Li Banfeng explained, "I ran into some evildoers and couldn't get away for a time."

"What kind of evildoers?"

"It was—"

Before Li Banfeng could finish speaking, the Pocket Dwelling shook violently and threw him off balance, causing him to fall to the ground.

The Gramophone was beside Li Banfeng, shielding him. However, he suddenly sensed a powerful aura surging from behind. Hong Ying could no longer hold back. Li Banfeng had not returned home for three days, and the Pocket Dwelling had already lost its temper twice. Even someone as battle-hardened as Hong Ying had been on edge the entire time.

"Rather than let him frighten me to death, I'd rather fight him!" Hong Ying roared. She was prepared to stake her life against the Pocket Dwelling.

The Gramophone shouted angrily, "Stop! If you want to die, go do it alone. Don't drag my husband down with you!"

Provoked by Hong Ying's aura, the Pocket Dwelling shook even more violently.

Hong Ying prepared to fight to the death, the Gramophone did everything it could to stop her, and the other enchanted artifacts were too frightened to make a sound.

At that moment, Li Banfeng broke out in song.

"Moving across plains and over mountains, chugging and puffing out smoke.

Add water and coal, and off we go. Once the train starts, there are no borders that can't be broken.

Crossing bridges, tunneling through caves, iron wheels roll through perilous mountain passes.

We fear no hardship or danger. Through wind and rain, we travel across countless lands and rivers. ♪"

After Li Banfeng finished singing the song, the intensity of the Pocket Dwelling's shakes lessened considerably. Then when he finished singing the song a second time, the Pocket Dwelling fell completely still.

Both the Gramophone and Hong Ying were stunned. They had no idea what method Li Banfeng had used to subdue the Pocket Dwelling.

Li Banfeng turned to look at the Gramophone. "Wifey, convinced now?"

"Uh..." The Gramophone let out two puffs of steam. "I am."

"Good. Since you're convinced, time for some oil," Li Banfeng said, walking over with an oil can in hand.

The Gramophone panicked. "O-oh, my dear husband... what does being convinced have to do with oiling? I was protecting you the whole time just now. And that wretch Hong Ying nearly caused trouble just now. You should be punishing her instead. You're handling this unfairly. I don't accept it, I d-d-don't a-a-accept—"

Li Banfeng rubbed the Gramophone's disc tray with both hands as he applied the oil.

After spending some time being affectionate with the Gramophone, Li Banfeng ate some food, then he hung the illustrated calendar in the third room. He said to the Gramophone, "I'll rest in the third room for a few days. Wifey, if anything seems wrong with me, seal me inside first, then figure out what to do."

The Gramophone grew tense again. "Husband dear, what exactly happened?"

Li Banfeng said, "Didn't I just say it? I ran into a tough opponent and fought a brutal battle."

"What kind of opponent?"

"Someone from the Inner Provinces, named Meng Qian. Have you heard of her?"

At the mention of the Inner Provinces, the Gramophone trembled. The moment she heard the name Meng Qian, the water in the water tank bubbled to a boil.

Hong Ying, however, remained calm. "Meng Qian? Isn't she just a Dream Cultivator?"

She recognized the name. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The Gramophone said, "Blind woman, you've been deaf and blind for so many years, there are things you don't know. Meng Qian has already become the leading Dream Cultivator. She holds some status in the Inner Provinces."

"The leading Dream Cultivator?" Hong Ying muttered under her breath. "If this madman really ran into the leading Dream Cultivator, how could he possibly have made it back here alive?"

Meanwhile, Li Banfeng had already entered the third room.

The third room was the most unusual room in the Pocket Dwelling. Its position was quite different from the others.

The main room was linked to the second room, the second connected to the fourth, and so on, all the way to the sixth. It looked just like a series of train carriages.

However, the third room connected directly to the main room. It resembled the special carriage Grandpa Train had mentioned, the one used specifically for laying tracks. Since it was the carriage with the smartest usage, this room had to possess unique capabilities. If anything went wrong with Li Banfeng during this period, the third room should be able to handle it.

Seeing Li Banfeng close the door, Hong Ying let out a laugh.

The Gramophone froze. "What are you laughing at, wretch?"

Hong Ying said, "From the sound of it, didn't that madman put it in the wrong place just now?"

"Wrong place?"

"The place where he applied the oil!"

"Right or wrong? It's just applying oil. What's there to get wrong..." the Gramophone replied, her voice getting softer.

Hong Ying sneered. "Vicious woman, did it hurt?"

"Hurt? You don't even have gears. You've never been oiled before. What would you know?"

"Hahaha!" Hong Ying burst into laughter. "Vicious woman, you call yourself the most beautiful in the world, yet you let a madman toss you around like that!"

Huff, huff!

The Gramophone was furious. "Laugh all you want. Laugh yourself to death. You wretch, you're stuck there, and no one even wants to bother with you!"

***

Li Banfeng lay on the bed and reviewed everything that had happened.

When I woke up, I was on the train. That proves I entered the dream while on the train. Everything that followed, getting off, asking for directions—all of it happened within the dream.

Meng Qian had set her sights on me while I was on the train. Based on what I can tell, she knew I was a Wanderlust Cultivator and wanted to use that identity to have me infiltrate Grandpa Train's dream, then trick him into revealing his methods.

She definitely didn't know the train was with me. Otherwise, they would have sent someone far stronger to deal with me.

She could only drag me into the dream, not bring my physical body into the Inner Provinces. That proves the Inner Provinces face limitations when trying to exert influence over Puluo.

Grandpa Train saved me, but what consequences will he face for doing that?

His real body should be hidden somewhere in the Inner Provinces. It's likely they won't be able to find him.

They definitely won't find him. He definitely has a way to deal with it... He must...

Li Banfeng closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

Elder Brother, I'm useless. I can't help you this time. You must stay alive. No matter what, I will find a way to rescue you!

***

Inside a farmhouse in Medicine King Gully, Old Mister Yao returned the medicine bottle to Monkey Qiu.

"Xiao Qiu, I can't help you with this. The second son of the Lu Family was struck by Green Beggar's methods."

Monkey Qiu stood there in a daze for a long while. He simply could not understand the reason behind it.

Based on his deduction, the one who attacked the Lu brothers should have been He Haiqin. How could He Haiqin possibly have joined forces with Green Beggar?

Who had connected them?

"Medicine King, please take another look. Given Greenwater Beggar's status, he wouldn't have made a move against Lu Yuanhai."

"He may not have acted personally, but what's inside that bottle clearly carries his affliction. I can't neutralize it. Unless you can find someone far more capable, the Lu Family's second son will remain a fool for the rest of his life."

Monkey Qiu looked a little dazed.

How had things ended up like this? The Lu Family had just begun to recover. How had it come to this?

Who else could he turn to? In Puluo, whose medical skills could surpass the Medicine King's?

Old Mister Yao sighed. "I don't like getting involved in worldly matters. Xiao Qiu, you're a good lad, so heed my advice.

The Lu Family's eldest son is dead, and the second has been reduced to an invalid. Their fortune has run out. No matter how much effort you put in, it's useless. Leave as soon as possible now, while you still can. Don't let them drag you down."

1. Fruit dew (drink that has no real fruit juice). Mentioned in chapter 19. ☜