He Is Just a Speck of Dust

Hooosh! Hooosh!

The dark locomotive, spewing white steam, traveled along the tracks.

Clang! Clang!

The crankshaft pulled the connecting rod, making the wheels spin rapidly, rhythmically colliding with the gaps in the tracks.

Woo-aoh!

A whistle blew.

A train with only five carriages passed through a tunnel, entered a valley, and headed towards the vast wilderness of Pro State.

In the third carriage, a beautiful woman was drawing her eyebrows in front of a dressing table.

Why was there a dressing table in the carriage?

Why was she doing her makeup in the carriage?

Not only could she do her makeup in the carriage, she could also dance in the carriage.

Because she was the only one in this carriage.

She was Zhuo Yuling, the second concubine of Lu Dongliang, the head of the Lu family.

This train was the private train of the Lu family, a prominent family in Pro State.

Now, she was the mistress of this train.

The first carriage was loaded with coal.

The second carriage held luggage and supplies for the train.

The third carriage was divided into a corridor and two guest rooms.

The fourth carriage was the dining room and card room.

The fifth carriage was the master's bedroom.

Zhuo Yuling had finger waves in her hair, deep eyeshadow, but light blush. Her fair cheeks highlighted her bright red lips.

She wore a high-necked, indigo-blue indanthrene cheongsam. The hem reached just below her knees, and the slits on both sides revealed a bit of the lace of her petticoat. The tight waist and slightly padded shoulders gave her a seductive elegance.

Zhuo Yuling was nearing forty, but her exquisite clothing and makeup made her look less than thirty.

Creak~

The carriage door was pushed open, and the figure of Lu Dongliang, the head of the Lu family, appeared under the pale yellow wall lamp.

Tiny laugh lines lifted with the beauty mark at the corner of her mouth. Zhuo Yuling in the mirror revealed a sweet smile.

Zhuo Yuling didn't like wearing shoes. She walked barefoot on the dark yellow floral carpet, came before Lu Dongliang, and called out affectionately, "Master."

Lu Dongliang, who was over fifty, pinched Zhuo Yuling's cheek. He always felt that this woman was as charming as when he first met her, always able to offer him a touch of comfort.

But it was only a touch.

The weary Lu Dongliang took off his suit, unbuttoned his vest, loosened his tie, sat on the sofa, opened a bottle of foreign liquor, and poured himself a glass.

Halfway through the drink, the gloom in his heart quickly showed on his face. Lu Dongliang couldn't help but sigh.

Zhuo Yuling sat beside Lu Dongliang, took a cigarette from a tin cigarette case, held it between her red lips, struck a match, lit the cigarette, and brought it to Lu Dongliang's mouth: "Master, what's bothering you?"

Lu Dongliang took the cigarette and took a deep drag: "He Jiaqing is coming back tomorrow. I just played mahjong with his great-aunt He Yuxiu, and from her tone, I'm afraid he wants to break off the engagement with Xiaolan."

He Jiaqing was the legitimate son of the powerful He family in Pro State.

Lu Xiaolan was the daughter of Zhuo Yuling and Lu Dongliang.

If it weren't for the decline of the He family in recent years, the legitimate son of the He family would not have married the concubine daughter of the Lu family.

Zhuo Yuling smiled indifferently: "Master, didn't we discuss this before? Xiaolan won't let He Jiaqing return to Pro State alive."

Lu Dongliang bit the cigarette, his brows furrowed: "That kid from the He family has extraordinary talent and also possesses the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus. He's not an easy opponent. I'm worried about Xiaolan..."

Zhuo Yuling shook her head: "Master is overthinking. That kid from the He family is just a mediocrity. He wasted his prime years by not cultivating diligently and instead went to Huan Country to study. Four whole years were wasted just like that. What did he gain?"

Lu Dongliang stroked the mustache on his upper lip: "Young people are a bit too playful. If he were to take charge of the He family's business..."

Zhuo Yuling got up and walked to the phonograph: "Someone who can't control their playfulness is a mediocrity. A mediocrity who gets a treasure should become a dead person. As long as he gets on the train, he will surely die."

The phonograph was a foot taller than the bedside table, with one large and two small golden horns on top.

Zhuo Yuling picked up a tin cup and added two cups of water into the left small horn opening.

Lu Dongliang looked at Zhuo Yuling and said: "I heard that the young master of the Jiang Xiang Gang also wants to get his hands on the Crimson Lotus. He has status in Huan Country, and he's not easy to deal with either."

Zhuo Yuling scoffed: "Master is talking about Xiao Zhengong, right? That idiot isn't even a mediocrity; he's just a cockroach, a disgusting cockroach.

If it weren't for his father's reputation, Xiao Zhengong would have been stepped on long ago. With his limited intelligence, how could he possibly contend with Xiaolan?"

Zhuo Yuling bent down, pulled open the cabinet door of the phonograph, and lit the wick inserted in the grease on a tin box filled with solidified fat.

Whoosh!

A pale blue flame ignited, and before long, a little white mist sprayed out from the left horn opening.

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

This was a steam-powered phonograph.

Pro State was a special place. It couldn't store large amounts of fuel or use electricity on a large scale, so steam engines were utilized to their fullest extent.

The turntable of the phonograph, driven by gears, began to rotate as the steam sprayed out.

Zhuo Yuling held a bakelite record and placed it on the phonograph turntable.

Lu Dongliang extinguished his cigarette and leaned back on the sofa: "It's not that I don't trust Xiaolan, I'm just worried..."

"Master just doesn't trust Xiaolan," Zhuo Yuling smiled helplessly, "From the time I gave birth to her until now, Master has never looked at her properly."

As she spoke, Zhuo Yuling placed the needle on the record.

Amidst the fine static, a melodious cello prelude sounded.

After the prelude, the piano accompanied by the violin laid out a gentle rhythm, followed by a steady and deep singing voice:

The moon~light~, so hazy.

The earth~, shrouded in night mist.

My dream lover,

Where are you~

"Dream Lover" was Zhuo Yuling's favorite song.

No electricity, no discs, an ancient phonograph, requiring only the friction of the needle and the record.

Zhuo Yuling stepped forward gracefully, pulled Lu Dongliang up from the sofa, buried her head in his arms, held him close, and began to dance slowly to the beautiful melody.

Lu Dongliang wrapped his arms around Zhuo Yuling's waist, still looking worried. "If He Jiaqing dies, won't the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus fall into the hands of Huan Country?"

Zhuo Yuling frowned slightly. At this moment, she didn't want to talk about such trivial matters. "Xiaolan has already found out. He Jiaqing has a friend named Li Banfeng. We can use him to find the Crimson Lotus. After we kill He Jiaqing, Xiaolan will go find Li Banfeng. She'll naturally find a way to bring the Crimson Lotus back."

Lu Dongliang didn't quite hear clearly. "You just said He Jiaqing's friend, what was his name?"

"Li Banfeng."

"Banfeng?" Lu Dongliang was startled. "That's a strange name."

Zhuo Yuling smiled. "Master, you don't need to remember his name. It's not important. Once Xiaolan finds out the whereabouts of the Crimson Lotus, this person won't be in this world anymore."

"What kind of person is he? Is he also a nobody?" Lu Dongliang was very cautious, afraid that any part of the plan would go wrong.

Zhuo Yuling scoffed. "He doesn't even count as a nobody. He doesn't even count as a person."

Lu Dongliang stroked Zhuo Yuling's hair. "Then is he like Xiao Zhengong, just a cockroach?"

Zhuo Yuling shook her head. "His life is cheaper than a cockroach's."

Lu Dongliang became even more curious. "What kind of person is this exactly?"

"How should I put it?" Zhuo Yuling didn't know how to describe him.

A wisp of black ash floated out of the phonograph's oil tank and landed on Lu Dongliang's collar.

The phonograph's filter needed cleaning.

Zhuo Yuling wiped Lu Dongliang's collar with her finger, looked at the black ash on her fingertip, and smiled slightly. "His life is as cheap as this speck of dust. He has no parents, no relatives, he has nothing. He grew up in an orphanage, and only got into university by moving bricks, carrying heavy loads, and setting up street stalls. A person like that, if he dies, he dies. It's like blowing away this dust, no one will care."

After speaking, Zhuo Yuling exhaled lightly and blew away the dust on her fingertip.

Woo-aoh~

A train whistle.

The train jolted.

Lu Dongliang's dance steps remained steady. This was the foundation of a Travel Cultivator.

Zhuo Yuling's soles sprouted fine fuzz, gripping the carpet firmly.

This was a Body Cultivator's innate talent.

After the turbulence, the two continued to embrace and dance.

The next day.

Huan Country, Yue East Province, Yue Province City, Yue Province University, Building Six, Dorm Room 606.

Li Banfeng lay on his bunk, taking a nap.

In his dream, he was driving his yacht, with a group of young women, enjoying the sea breeze together.

The winner of the previous Golden Yuan Award for Best Actress, holding Li Banfeng's hand, entered the yacht's bedroom...

Li Banfeng, hugging his pillow and drooling clear saliva, was just about to reach the peak of his life in his dream when he suddenly heard someone calling in his ear:

"Banfeng, save me."

PS: Esteemed readers, Salad is here, the most conscientious author is here!

"Dream Lover" is a famous song from the Republic of China era. In Stephen Chow's movie "Kung Fu," it was used as an insert song, with the landlord and landlady dancing to it.

Esteemed readers, invest in the new book as soon as possible. Our Banfeng will definitely not disappoint you.