Three Turns of Good Fortune

Chapter 11: Three Turns of Good Fortune

The train stopped at Belt Ridge for half an hour. During that time, five women and two men came to Li Banfeng's window in succession to solicit business.

Li Banfeng was a man of firm resolve. No business was done.

But it was not only them he had to deal with. There were also the passengers around him.

Some of them had already struck a deal. Some had invited the other party into their compartments. Others had conducted business right against the train windows. Li Banfeng could hear them.

Throughout that long half hour, Li Banfeng bit his finger until it bled, yet he never opened the window.

Hold back. I have to hold back. By tomorrow morning, I'll be at He Jiaqing's home.

Once I get there, I have to find someone to serve me.

If I can't find anyone who satisfies me, I'll make him serve me himself.

When the whistle sounded, Li Banfeng let out a long breath and repeatedly praised his own willpower. But the train had not traveled far before it suddenly stopped.

Have we arrived?

His ticket said he would arrive at seven tomorrow morning. Steam trains might not keep perfect time, but they could not possibly be this early.

Screech—

A piercing crackle of electricity rang out, and the announcer's voice came over the broadcast again:

"Due to a train malfunction, we are making a temporary stop. All passengers, please remain in your own compartments and do not move about freely. On behalf of the entire train crew, I offer our deepest apologies for the inconvenience."

The steam train had broken down.

It had broken down in the middle of this desolate wilderness.

The lights suddenly went out, plunging the carriage into darkness.

Li Banfeng wanted to use his phone for light, only to discover that its flashlight would not turn on.

His phone was almost out of battery. It had not had much charge to begin with, and Li Banfeng had been too lazy to charge it. Now it was below five percent and about to shut down.

Li Banfeng hurriedly plugged in his charger, but his phone showed none of the usual signs of charging.

The lights were out, and the outlets had no power either.

The train had cut off all electrical supply.

Li Banfeng looked at his phone. Before long, it displayed an automatic shutdown warning.

No battery?

What was he supposed to do now?

How was he supposed to find He Jiaqing's home?

In truth, his phone was not what he should have been worrying about right now.

What he should have worried about most was when the train would be repaired.

When a train broke down on this railway, repairs might take three to five hours, or they might take three to five days.

Actually, Li Banfeng did not need to worry. His situation was still fairly good. He had instant noodles.

Most of the other passengers, however, had not brought extra food.

A wave of panic gradually spread through the train.

At the Dark Star Bureau, Public Security Team Leader Chen Changrui wore a huge pair of headphones, his eyes closed as he half reclined in his office chair.

More than an hour later, two bright silver centipedes, each about ten centimeters long, crawled out of the headphone casing and lay stiffly on the desk.

The two centipedes had exhausted their strength, and Team Leader Chen was deeply fatigued as well.

Team Leader Chen removed the headphones, opened his eyes, took a cigarette from the pack, drew deeply on it, then blew the smoke over the centipedes.

After finishing a cigarette, Team Leader Chen recovered some of his energy, and the two centipedes regained a little vitality as well.

Secretary You Xuehan waited for Team Leader Chen's orders.

Two hours earlier, the Information Division had lost Li Banfeng's signal. With no other choice, the Public Security Team had activated their captain's special ability.

Chen Changrui took out another cigarette and said to You Xuehan, "Tangyuan, tell the Information Division that it isn't a problem with their equipment. Li Banfeng's phone has completely run out of power."

"Tangyuan?" You Xuehan asked. "Team Leader Chen, is there no other way to track him?"

"What other way could there be?" Old Chen shook his head. "The 1160 Train cannot be tracked."

You Xuehan thought for a moment. "We could track the people traveling in the same carriage as him."

"There's no need," Old Chen said, putting away the two silver centipedes and rising to his feet. "We don't know when he'll get off the train. Perhaps he won't even be on it by tomorrow morning."

"Team Leader Chen, those above place great importance on the item in Li Banfeng's possession," You Xuehan reminded him.

Old Chen chuckled, lighting another cigarette. "Li Banfeng took Lucky Star's goods, so he is destined to receive three turns of good fortune. Now that his phone has run out of power, his good fortune has arrived.

"We know perfectly well this is Lucky Star's arrangement, yet we insist on tracking Li Banfeng anyway. Wouldn't that be openly setting ourselves against Lucky Star? Why bother?"

"A phone running out of power counts as good fortune?" You Xuehan was utterly puzzled.

"If his phone has no power, then the people looking for him cannot find him. We aren't the only ones looking for him. Quite a few people not only want his things, but also want his life."

You Xuehan froze. "Who wants his life?"

Old Chen gave a meaningful smile but did not answer. He put on his coat, walked to the office door, then turned back to You Xuehan. "Tangyuan, go home. Rest well for a couple of days. Tell the brothers to rest for a couple of days too, especially Light Bulb. Everyone slips up on missions sometimes. Tell him to let this go quickly."

"What about Deputy Team Leader Xiao?" You Xuehan asked cautiously.

"Let him do as he pleases." Team Leader Chen said no more and left the office with a cigarette in his mouth.

In a villa in Yuezhou's southern district, Xiao Zhengong pushed away the blonde, blue-eyed woman in his arms and answered the phone.

"Sect Leader, that kid's signal has gone dead. Why not have our people make a move directly on the train?"

"No one can make a move on the 1160 Train!" Xiao Zhengong furrowed his brow tightly. "Wait until he gets off."

"The train has broken down. We don't know when it'll be repaired."

"If I tell you to wait, then wait. If anyone dares make a move on that train, don't blame the sect rules for showing no mercy!"

The call ended.

There was no phone at the other end of the call, only a man with an antenna stuck into his head.

The man pulled the antenna from his skull, wiped the blood from it, put it into a box, and immediately began cursing.

"Fuck, what are you acting so high and mighty for? You've been muddling around in the Outer State for half your life—what the fuck do you know? Without your old man backing you, what the fuck are you even supposed to be, a sect leader?"

A man beside him, wearing a Forward Hat, stepped forward and asked, "Hall Master, what do we do about this?"

"What else can we do? Find a few sharp brothers and have them wait for him at the station. Remember: take the item first, then take his life."

There was a hole in the Hall Master's skull, made specifically for inserting the antenna. The antenna had been removed, but the hole remained, ready for use again next time.

The Hall Master found a plug himself and stuffed it into the hole, then found two strips of tape and crossed them over the plug.

Xiao Zhengong went to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of red wine.

He had barely taken a sip before crushing the wineglass to powder.

Li Banfeng, your luck is really good. You bought Lucky Star's instant noodles and gained three turns of good fortune.

The train broke down. Everyone else went hungry, but you had instant noodles to eat. That counted as your first turn of good fortune.

Your phone ran out of power, allowing you to evade tracking. That was your second turn of good fortune.

Where was the third turn of good fortune?

Could it be the Peddler? You shouldn't be able to encounter the Peddler. The Peddler was still at Green Water Bay.

But when would the train be repaired?

Could you really have caught up with it?

At that thought, Xiao Zhengong took another glass and poured himself some hard liquor.

The blonde woman emerged from the bedroom, placed a hand on Xiao Zhengong's shoulder, and slowly said in Mandarin tinged with an eastern Yuezhou accent, "Sect Leader Xiao, have you run into trouble?"

"A little," Xiao Zhengong sighed. "Something I want has been sent to Pro State."

The blonde woman kissed Xiao Zhengong on the cheek. "Something big is about to happen in Pro State. I heard the He Family's head, He Haiqin, is about to fail to hold on."

After considering it for a long while, Xiao Zhengong said to the blonde woman, "Have your younger brother make a move. Save He Haiqin first."

The blonde woman smiled. "You know his price isn't cheap."

Xiao Zhengong took a sip of wine and pinched the woman's cheek. "The price is negotiable."

The blonde woman reminded him, "You'd better think it through. If you do this, you'll offend the Lu Family."

"There's no other way! A perfectly good plan has been ruined by that bastard Li Banfeng!" Xiao Zhengong gritted his teeth and drained the glass.

In Pro State, Green Water Bay, at the He Family estate.

The He Family's head, He Haiqin, lay on a sickbed. Relying on his cultivation as a Food Cultivator, he had forced down a bowl of rice and was struggling to hang onto his last breath.

Pea-sized dark green blisters covered his body, one after another. Every blister was crystal-clear, so delicate it seemed ready to burst at the lightest breath.

He Haiqin's wife, Yan Yulin, cared for him carefully at his side. His elder sister, He Yuxiu, pushed open the door and brought in a faint breeze.

They truly were ready to burst at the lightest breath. That faint breeze popped one blister on He Haiqin's face, and green fluid ran down.

Pain flickered across He Haiqin's face. His wife Yan Yulin complained to He Yuxiu, "Sister, be gentler."

He Yuxiu sat beside the bed and said to Yan Yulin, "Sister-in-law, something happened to Doctor Chu on the road. I'm afraid she won't be able to make it today."

"What happened?" Yan Yulin was startled.

He Yuxiu's expression was grave. "I heard the Lu Family intercepted her!"

Yan Yulin's voice trembled. "What do we do? Jiaqing still hasn't returned. Sister, think of something!"

He Haiqin had suffered from these strange blisters for two full years. He had only held on because the Medicine Cultivator Chu Peiying had supported him.

He Haiqin had suddenly fallen ill today, while Chu Peiying had been stranded on the road. This time, He Haiqin likely would not be able to hold on.

He Yuxiu said to Yan Yulin, "Sister-in-law, the Jiang Xiang Gang has sent over a doctor. I hear he has real skills. He's waiting outside. Let him give it a try."

"Which doctor?" Yan Yulin saw a glimmer of hope.

He Yuxiu lowered her voice. "He isn't very famous, but he has genuine ability. His name is Cui Tike."

"What name?" He Haiqin suddenly spoke.

"Cui Tike," He Yuxiu answered carefully.

"A foreigner?" He Haiqin was deeply displeased. "I won't see him!"

PS: Dear readers, there will be another update at six. Please give Salada more monthly tickets and recommendation tickets!

(End of chapter)