Wife, Fear Not

The record player finally produced sound, Li Banfeng breathed a sigh of relief, "Wife, I thought you were seriously injured and couldn't speak."

"Seriously injured? What are you saying, my husband? A good woman can be elegant in the living room and good at cooking in the kitchen. She can prepare a simple dish, yet you say she's injured."

As they were talking, the record player's sound went off-key, like going up and down a hill, with the pitch fluctuating. Li Banfeng became nervous again.

"My lord, the ingredients today are special. I 'Little Slave truly full this time. You can give this corpse to Red Lotus to dispose of. She can make some good things for you. Even if you can't eat it, you can still sell it for a good price."

Little Slave husband knows my temperament. Now that I'm full, I just want to sleep a little longer. If you have something to do, go ahead and do it; you don't need to worry about me.

The record player kept changing its tone, and Li Banfeng frowned again as he looked at the scattered parts on the ground.

Sizzle~

"My lord, there's no need to worry about those trivial things. They're not really of any use anyway. It won't make a difference whether you have them or not. Little Slave I wake up, I'll just pick out a few useful ones and put them back."

Li Banfeng picked up a gear and found that the teeth were broken and the axle was bent.

Can this be put back together?

"My lord, quickly dispose of this insect's corpse; it disgusts Little Slave."

Li Banfeng moved the Copper Lotus.

The Copper Lotus sensed Bagworm Moth Madam's corpse, quickly unfolded its petals, and absorbed her inside.

Sizzle~

The record player added, "My Little Slave, I am truly tired and sleepy. I want to sleep for a while. Please move Red Lotus to the outer room so she won't disturb me."

Afraid she'll bother you?

Is it because they no longer have the strength to defend against the Copper Lotus?

Li Banfeng moved the Copper Lotus away and went back to the main room to check the record player, but it was no longer working.

He gathered the scattered parts together, remained silent for a moment, and then left Portable Abode.

Copper Lotus sneered from the outer room, "Wicked Woman, you've finally met your match. Your body is ruined and you still dare not say anything. You ultimately don't trust that madman. I'll see how long you can hold out."

The record player switched tunes and said, "You bitch, believe it or not, I'll take your life right now."

"Come and try if you dare!"

"Red Lotus, don't be so arrogant. Once you're inside this room, that being in heaven won't be able to sense you. Without that being's protection, do you really think I can't kill you?"

Li Banfeng followed the footprints and found Ma Wu, then took him back to Blue Poplar Village.

Having survived the ordeal, Ma Wu was still shaken and kept asking Li Banfeng how to get rid of Bagworm Moth Madam, but Li Banfeng remained silent.

Back at the cabin, Li Banfeng asked, "Brother Ma, do you know where there's a record player in Blue Poplar Village?"

He had to find a way to replace some parts for his Wife.

"A record player?" Ma Wu pondered for a moment. "These things are hard to find. I remember the Song family should have one."

"Is it a phonograph?"

"A steam phonograph? Made in Amikan Country?" Ma Wu shook his head. "These things are even rarer. I only know of one. I saw it a few times on the Lu Family's special train. It's quite troublesome; you have to add water and fuel."

I've only ever seen one Ma Wu.

Li Banfeng remembered.

Steward Feng once said that this was a handmade record player from Amikan Country, and there were only two in the entire Pro State.

One is in Li Banfeng's hands, and the other is on the Lu Family Train.

Steal the other record player from the special train to the Lu Family's house?

Li Banfeng can't even get on a train, yet he wants to get on the Lu Family's special train?

This is clearly not feasible.

Ma Wu chimed in, "Brother Li, if you like record players, don't buy such a fancy one. A hand-cranked one, or even a wind-up one, would be fine, and the price is reasonable."

"Where can I buy it?"

Ma Wu pondered for a moment and said, "The Wonderful Sound Phonograph Store in Green Water City has an exceptionally complete selection, but given your current condition, it's best not to go into the city."

Li Banfeng unfolded the map he had bought from Steward Feng: "Tell me first, where Wonderful Sound Phonograph Store?"

Ma Wu looked at the map and shook his head slightly, saying, "This map isn't detailed enough, but it's hard to say."

The map that Steward Feng gave to Li Banfeng was a map of the entire Green Water Bay.

However, the actual situation in Green Water Bay is much more complicated than it appears on the map.

The central area of Green Water Bay is called Green Water City.

Several small towns surround Green Water City.

On the outskirts of the town are some proper villages where villagers make a living by farming and provide crops to Green Water City.

Outside the proper rural areas are the improper rural areas, Blue Poplar Village is one of them.

These unconventional villages are almost uncultivated, yet they provide unique resources for Green Water City.

"It seems quite far."

Ma Wu gestured on the map. "About 120 li. Brother Li, if you insist on going into the city, let's choose a suitable day. I'll send someone to scout out the situation first..."

"I don't need to choose a date, it's today."

"Going into town today?" Ma Wu was stunned. "Just to buy a record player?"

"Yes, just to buy a record player," Li Banfeng nodded. "I need to listen to music; I feel uncomfortable if I don't listen to music for a day."

"Brother Li has this hobby?" Ma Wu wanted to laugh, but Li Banfeng was not joking.

Seeing this, Ma Wu quickly packed his things, "I'll bring some food, let's go together."

"You don't need to go, just tell me the place." Li Banfeng didn't plan to take Ma Wu with him; he was too slow.

Ma Wu was at a loss for words. "Brother Li, what exactly are you going to Green Water City for?"

"Didn't I already say I want to buy a record player? I can't wait a moment longer."

At the Lu Family, Lu Dongliang summoned a fifth-level scholar to test Lu Chunying's knowledge.

In Pro State, literary and martial arts are generally considered the orthodox tradition, and the Four Great Families are no exception.

However, the Lu Family is not as conservative as the Ma family and is not opposed to other Daoist sects. But as a young lady from a prominent family, Wenxiu is obviously a more reasonable choice.

The fifth-level cultivator posed more than a dozen questions, which Lu Chunying answered fluently. This was thanks to Xiao Yeci's usual teaching. Although she was only at the first level, Lu Chunying had left her with a very solid foundation.

Lu Dongliang nodded and praised Lu Chunying a couple of times.

"Not bad, quite good."

Hearing these two compliments sound somewhat forced, Lu Chunying carefully considered Lu Dongliang's thoughts.

Actually, she wasn't just pondering this at this moment; she had been pondering it ever since she entered the Lu Family's gate.

Lu Dongliang is a high-ranking member of the Travel Cultivator, but his specific cultivation level is unknown.

But none of his children chose to Travel Cultivator.

Is it that Lu Dongliang doesn't want to?

Of course not.

The characteristic of Travel Cultivator is that one has no fixed abode. For many years, Lu Dongliang Running East and West run his family business. For him, cultivation has never been a burden.

But his children don't need to live such a hard life.

Xiao Yeci once told Lu Chunying a story about a wealthy heiress who eloped with her beloved lover three times.

All three attempts to elope failed because the wealthy heiress couldn't endure the hardships of the journey.

When traveling, the hardships of eating and sleeping outdoors are not easy to overcome.

Xiao Yeci warned Lu Chunying that if a rich young man said he was fed up with being restricted, wanted freedom, and wanted to travel far away, she should never take it seriously. He just wanted to go out and have some fun, not that he really wanted to go out and suffer with her.

Travel Cultivator and tourism are two completely different things.

Looking at Lu Dongliang's expression, Lu Chunying cautiously asked, "Dad, I want to see Mom."

She hadn't seen Xiao Yeci for a long time.

"Let's talk about it later," Lu Dongliang said casually, his face darkening.

Lu Chunying asked softly, "Dad, do you think she's not my mom at all?"

Lu Dongliang frowned and asked in return, "Do you think she's your mother?"

According to Lu Dongliang's prediction, Lu Chunying would say that she had accepted this mother, would recount their past of relying on each other for survival, and would tearfully beg Lu Dongliang to take in Xiao Yeci.

He despised these worthless old relationships.

But Lu Chunying simply replied, "I don't think so."

Lu Dongliang narrowed his eyes and asked, "How did you figure that out?"

"She's about the same age as my older sister, how could she possibly be my mother? That's obvious."

Lu Dongliang laughed and said, "Then why do you still want to see her?"

"I just want to make it clear to her that I'm home, I've reunited with my family, and the past is the past."

She's not my mother, nor is she family. As for her background, that's irrelevant. Some things need to be let go of.

But I can't let her gossip and let outsiders say I'm heartless. I'll just give her some money and send her away.

Lu Dongliang was very satisfied with the answer.

This was basically the same idea as Lu Dongliang's, the only difference being that Lu Dongliang didn't want to get rid of Xiao Yeci, he wanted Xiao Yeci to disappear completely.

However, these two results are not contradictory.

If someone else were sitting here, they might think Lu Chunying was too ruthless.

But Lu Dongliang didn't think so; he felt that this was how his daughter should be.

He nodded slightly and said, "Alright, go see her in a couple of days."

Now let's talk about your initial training. I'm thinking of making that scholar your teacher. What do you think?

Lu Chunying blinked her bright eyes and said, "Dad, do you want to hear the truth from me?"

"Is that even a question?" Lu Dongliang glared at him. "You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

"Dad, to be honest, I don't want to be a scholar."

"Why?" Lu Dongliang was taken aback.

"Xiao Yeci is just a bookworm. I've followed her for so many years, and I always felt that she was a good-for-nothing."

Lu Dongliang smiled and asked, "Then what kind of person do you think is successful?"

"Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Only by traveling all over the country can you truly gain knowledge. Dad, I want to learn Travel Cultivator from you."

"You want to do Travel Cultivator?" Lu Dongliang was both surprised and delighted, but also worried that the girl wouldn't be able to endure the hardship. "Have you thought it through? Travel Cultivator is tough; you won't be able to sit still for even a day."

"Dad, I'm so young, and I'm always trying to find some peace and quiet. But how long am I going to keep this up?"

Lu Dongliang was increasingly delighted as he listened. "Yingying, now that you've made up your mind, when do you plan to start training?"

Lu Chunying thought for a moment and said, "Let's do it today."

Lu Dongliang asked in surprise, "Today? Why the rush?"

"If I weren't worried that my dad wouldn't agree, I would have started learning a few days ago. I can't wait any longer."

Lu Dongliang smiled.

Why does this child have a temperament like him?

Even this impatience is very much like him.

This cannot be called being impatient. You should be impatient when you need to be and slow when you need to be slow. This is called having a sense of proportion.

"Yingying, it's settled then. I'll call the pharmacist over in a bit to prepare you. It might hurt a little when you start, so let him prepare the anesthetic first."

Lu Chunying shook her head and said, "No need for anesthesia, it'll only hurt for a moment, Dad. Did you use anesthesia when you started your training?"

Lu Dongliang shook his head and said, "Your grandfather wouldn't let me learn the Travel Cultivator back then. I started by finding Peddler to learn it. There was no anesthetic. He just slapped the beginner's powder on my stomach and gritted my teeth to get through it."

"Dad doesn't need it, and neither do I!"

Lu Dongliang shook his head and said, "That won't do. I only suffered because I had no other choice. How can I let you suffer like that?"

That evening, Lu Chunying successfully entered the Travel Cultivator, Lu Dongliang arranged for Xiao Yeci to meet with Lu Chunying.

Upon seeing Lu Chunying, Xiao Yeci was very excited and asked with concern, "My dear NanNan, you've suffered so much! It must have been very painful to start. Is it still hurting? Have you eaten anything...?"

Lu Chunying looked at Xiao Yeci with an icy expression and said impatiently, "I called you here to tell you that our fate has run its course. From now on, we should go our separate ways. Thank you for taking care of me all these years. Now you should leave."

Xiao Yeci stared at Lu Chunying in surprise, speechless for a long time.

Lu Chunying took out a box containing one hundred silver dollars and handed it to Xiao Yeci: "This is a token of my appreciation. My father will give you another sum of money later. Let's not see each other again."

Xiao Yeci's eyes reddened, and she called out, "NanNan..."

"Hurry up and take the money, you need to cover your travel expenses." Lu Chunying turned her face away, not wanting to see her anymore.

Xiao Yeci took the box and left Lu Chunying's bedroom.

She didn't know how she got back.

Once back in her room, she stared at the box of silver dollars for a long time.

She really wanted to throw away the box of silver dollars and then sneak away from the mansion.

You have to watch your expression when you eat, when you go out, and even when you go to the toilet, you have to watch your expression.

Xiao Yeci could tolerate all of that, but she couldn't tolerate Lu Chunying's attitude.

She felt she had completely lost her dignity.

As a scholar on the first floor, I can find any job in the future and live a more respectable life than I do now.

But she eventually opened the box anyway.

Because she really didn't have any money left for the trip.

The box contained one hundred silver dollars, which was no small sum and enough for Xiao Yeci to live on for a while.

There seems to be something beneath the ocean.

It's a piece of paper.

Xiao Yeci unfolded the paper and read, "Mom, I've mastered the art. Take a day off, and we'll find a chance to escape tomorrow night!"

In the bedroom, Lu Chunying clutched the bed sheet tightly.

I chose to Travel Cultivator because it's fast.

Mom, you absolutely have to open the box and look inside.

P. S.: Something big is about to happen, dear readers, please vote for Salad!