Peeping Cultivator Family

Li Banfeng sat in the wooden house, quietly reading the evening newspaper that Ma Wu had brought back.

The news of Lu Dongliang attending the banquet has been reported. According to the newspaper, Lu Dongliang is still alive and in good condition, and is able to directly challenge He Yuxiu.

Ma Wu was very worried about this. "Yesterday, Private Detective Dabo Ensi came to me to inquire about you. He said Lu Dongliang is still alive."

I'd heard similar rumors before, but I thought they were just hearsay. I didn't expect the evening paper to report that Lu Dongliang is indeed alive, Dabo Ensi is likely employed by him to investigate your whereabouts.

Li Banfeng put down the evening paper.

He was certain that Lu Dongliang was dead. He had just taken a Golden Essence Pill yesterday, and theoretically, that pill was part of Lu Dongliang.

Where did Lu Dongliang, mentioned in the newspaper, come from?

It's obvious that someone is impersonating him.

But what method did he use to impersonate Lu Dongliang?

The first thing that came to Li Banfeng's mind was Lu Xiaolan's fake skin. At that time, she was impersonating He Jiaqing, and Li Banfeng couldn't tell the difference at all from her appearance.

While Li Banfeng was still pondering, Ma Wu reminded him, "Brother Li, don't go to Green Water City again recently."

"How are we supposed to ship our goods if we don't go to Green Water City?"

"Don't worry about shipping for now. Chu Er went into the village today and cleared out the warehouse."

Seeing Ma Wu take out several boxes of banknotes, Li Banfeng was very happy. "I knew it, you two have real feelings for each other."

Ma Wu said with a wry smile, "She even brought reporters with her. This time, I'm completely caught up in it."

"You brought reporters?" Li Banfeng recalled something. "This is not much different from the situation when you slept with Seventeen Wife."

Ma Wu lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and the basic outline of the matter was clear. "Apart from the third brother, there were no other family members who wanted to harm me."

Judging from today's situation, Chu Er's relationship with the newspaper is quite unusual. It's very likely that Chu Er was the one who orchestrated the trap that Third Brother set for me.

Third Brother thought he had succeeded, but Chu Er immediately sent reporters to expose the matter, forcing me to get out of the Ma family completely. As for Third Brother's actual situation, Chu Er didn't care at all.

Li Banfeng disagreed. "I guess Chu Er also cared about your third brother. She hoped that this good-for-nothing would take over the Ma family as soon as possible and give him all of the Ma family's assets."

Ma Wu flicked his cigarette ash. "It doesn't necessarily have to be my third brother. After I was kicked out of the family, my second sister took over two dance halls. One dance hall has already been sold to the Chu family, and the next dance hall is expected to be sold next month."

"So your second sister is also a good-for-nothing."

Ma Wu nodded and said, "It seems that way so far. Chu Er has been acquiring Ma's businesses one after another, and she wants to use my reputation to create the illusion that Ma and Chu are working together, so as to take the opportunity to get her hands on the Lu Family's businesses. This woman is really cunning."

Li Banfeng thought for a moment and lit a cigarette as well, "Actually, this is a good thing."

How do you know?

"Check the market prices for goods these next few days, make a list, and notify Second Miss Chu to come and pick up the goods."

The Liu family wouldn't dare offend Second Miss Chu, so they definitely wouldn't dare resort to underhanded tactics. If Second Miss Chu agrees, we won't have to worry about shipping anymore.

Upon hearing this, Ma Wu laughed, "If she doesn't agree, I'll spread the news, and the alliance between the Chu family and the Ma family will become nothing but empty talk."

Talking to smart people is effortless.

Ma Wu was still a little worried. "I estimate that Chu Er will definitely agree, but it will be difficult to explain to Yu Fangzhai. We can't just cut off his goods, that's the He Family's business."

The He Family.

You can't avoid these big Lineage no matter where you go.

Li Banfeng stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and said, "I'll deliver the goods to Yu Fangzhai."

"Brother Li, Lu Dongliang is still alive. If you really want to hear my advice, try not to go to Green Water City."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I want to see what kind of person Lu Dongliang is."

There's something else I don't know if you're aware of: what's the background of these newspapers? How come they dare to report on just about anything?

Ma Wu really knew about this. "The entire Pro State's newspapers are controlled by Ling Miaowen."

Ling Miaowen, that name sounds familiar.

"What's his relationship with Ling Miaosheng, the vending machine operator?"

"Ling Miaowen is Ling Miaosheng's older brother. Ling Miaosheng also has a younger brother named Ling Miaoying. The three brothers each have their own strengths."

Ling Miaowen ran a business dealing in newspapers, magazines, and all kinds of books; he was involved in anything related to words.

Ling Miaosheng ostensibly only runs a record store, but in reality, most of the records produced in Pro State are his work. He has connections with singers, Song Queen, bands, and opera troupes—anyone with a bit of fame.

On the surface, Ling Miaoying only sells cameras and film projectors, but he also controls the movies, cinemas, and Star of all sizes in Pro State.

To put it simply, for books with text, look to Ling Miaowen; for Ling Miaosheng; for books with pictures, look to Ling Miaoying. The three brothers have quite a solid foundation.

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "His foundation is not shallow, so his cultivation level must also be quite high."

In Pro State, without real strength, you simply can't succeed in doing business.

Ma Wu nodded. "The Ling family is a family of cultivators. It is said that the three brothers' cultivation levels are all above the seventh level. Some people even say that they can be considered the fifth largest Lineage in Pro State."

To grow a business, you really need solid strength.

What is the current strength of Li Banfeng and Ma Wu?

His cultivation Li Banfeng, with three levels of House Cultivator and two levels Travel Cultivator.

Ma Wu's cultivation level is negligible, and he can still use the Ma family's reputation to intimidate others.

With such limited strength, it's already a miracle that they were able to hold onto Blue Poplar Village.

Are there any shortcuts to improving one's skills?

Yes, there are, but the side effects are too severe.

"Brother Ma, do you have any methods to neutralize Pill Poison?"

Ma Wu frowned slightly. "This is complicated. Different pills have different methods of neutralizing the poison, and the nature of the Pill Poison also varies depending on the type of pill produced."

The Mystic Blaze Pill that Brother Li gave me before was of extremely high quality; resolving it shouldn't be difficult.

Li Banfeng was a little excited. "Tell me, how is it not difficult?"

"Just wait it out. I'll take the pill, sleep for a day, and not take any other pills for the next three days. The Pill Poison will slowly dissipate."

Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead, which was tantamount to saying nothing.

He can't afford to waste time; he has to return to his Portable Abode every day. If he takes pills randomly, the record player will definitely detect it.

Seeing that Li Banfeng remained silent for a long time, Ma Wu quickly added, "I will try to keep an eye out for other methods to neutralize the pills. These things are not written in books, but I will ask some friends."

Try to be careful.

That's just bullshit.

Li Banfeng took out a pill and placed it in front of Ma Wu.

Ma Wu picked it up and glanced at it. The golden light made Ma Wu fingertips tremble.

Even a young master from a wealthy family would tremble at the sight of this Golden Essence Pill.

"Brother Li, where did you get this elixir?"

"A friend gave it to me, and I'm giving it to you."

Ma Wu waved his hands repeatedly. "I can't accept this. This is a good thing; you might not be able to buy it even if you have the money."

"I won't give it to you for free. Find out how to detoxify this pill."

Only when faced with immense temptation would Ma Wu possibly take this matter seriously.

Back at his Portable Abode, Li Banfeng lay down on the bed, about to fall asleep, when he suddenly heard the record player slowly playing:

Brother, don't forget me!

I am your dear Mei Niang.

I once sat on your window.

Chewing on her delicious lover.

"The Mei Niang Song".

The last line wasn't about chewing betel nut, was it? Why did it change to chewing on a lover?

"Did you sing it wrong, my Wife?"

"Hey, my Little Slave, I didn't sing it wrong. You must have misremembered. Little Slave did have a good meal a few days ago, but you haven't bought any groceries for quite some time."

"Buying groceries is easy."

"Even lover's food tastes good."

"My Wife always says such hurtful things."

Li Banfeng placed his hand on the wooden cabinet under the record player tray and gently scratched it.

The record player chuckled and spewed out a puff of steam, then nestled against Li Banfeng and fell asleep.

The next morning, Liu Liangyi, the old manager of Liu Family Paper Horse Shop, arrived at the Ma Family Mansion together with the Si Family, the Si Wennian of the Si Family.

They were received by Ma Junjiang, the fourth son of the Ma family.

Liu Liangyi first presented a pair of jade ornaments to express his feelings, and then told Ma Junjiang about Ma Wu's seizure of Blue Poplar Village.

Upon hearing this, Ma Junjiang was quite angry. "This troublemaker and murderer, I never expected him to do something like this."

Liu Liangyi sighed deeply, "We didn't mean to make things difficult for the Fifth Young Master. He earned Blue Poplar Village Fifth Young Master. We were just collecting our monthly wages from him according to the rules. We never expected that my son would be beaten into a cripple and more than a dozen of his men would die..."

At this point, Liu Liangyi's voice trembled, and tears were almost streaming down his face.

There were techniques involved in the conversation, but they didn't fool Ma Junjiang's ears.

"Manager Liu, I didn't understand just now. You mean Jun Yang seriously injured your son? And also wounded more than a dozen of your men? I know Jun Yang's cultivation level; he shouldn't have that kind of ability, right?"

Liu Liangyi lowered his head and remained silent. Si Wennian spoke the truth from the side, "The one who injured Changyu was the Second Miss Chu Family. I don't know what kind of relationship she has with the Fifth Young Master, but she was actually willing to stand up for him."

Ma Junjiang then asked, "You mean Jun Yang found Second Miss Chu specifically to beat up Liu Changyu?"

"This..."

Ma Junjiang may not be very good at business, but he is quite experienced. It's impossible to fool him with sweet talk.

Helpless, Liu Liangyi recounted the whole story.

Upon hearing this, Ma Junjiang shook his head and said, "Old Liu, I can't help you with this. It was your son who caused trouble in the mountains, right in front of Second Miss Chu. You should ask Second Miss Chu about the grudges involved."

As for the relationship between Jun Yang and Second Miss Chu, I don't care. He's no longer a member of the Ma family, and what he did has nothing to do with them.

Having said all that, there was no point in arguing any further. Ma Junjiang returned the pair of jade ornaments to Liu Liangyi, and the two parted on bad terms.

Stepping out of the Ma family's gate, Liu Liangyi gritted his teeth and said, "You want me to find Chu Er and get some answers? Is that even human language? What can you possibly explain to that vixen?"

Si Wennian advised, "Brother, don't rush. You can't reason with outsiders. Let's go find Second Lu Family. The Lu Family is one of our own!"

Liu Liangyi wasn't too optimistic. "If the eldest master were here, this matter could be resolved, but the second master..."

"Don't say that when you see Second Master later!" Si Wennian glared at Liu Liangyi.

In fact, Si Wennian's worries were unnecessary. Liu Liangyi would not say anything wrong in front of Lu Dongjun, because Lu Dongjun had not even seen him.

Having successfully impersonated Lu Dongliang last time, Lu Dongjun thought he could pave the way for his future.

But to his surprise, when he tried to account for the Lu Family's assets a couple of days ago, Monkey Qiu didn't even show him the account books.

Qiu Zhiheng was so arrogant, yet he still had the support of the entire Lu Family. Lu Dongjun could no longer tolerate it and was looking for an opportunity to deal with the Monkey Qiu these past two days. He had no time to care about the Liu family's mess.

Si Wennian advised Liu Liangyi, "Lu Erye is in a bad mood today, let's discuss this another day."

Liu Liangyi snorted coldly, "Another day? Who knows when that will be!"

Si Wennian frowned. "Old Liu, if you're going to talk like that, I don't want to get involved in your family's affairs anymore."

Liu Liangyi gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I don't care, I'll handle this myself! Didn't Ma Junjiang say that Ma Junyang isn't a member of his Ma family? Then just wait to collect his corpse!"

P. S.: Liu Liangyi is angry. Don't make any decisions lightly when you're furious.