Listening to His Livestream

Ma Wu sat in the wooden house, still shaken.

He and Li Banfeng pondered together what exactly went wrong today.

This time, Ma Wu was lucky; he escaped with his life. But if this matter isn't clarified, he might not be so lucky next time.

Li Banfeng believed that Ma Wu brought too few men. "Only three people went, and Aqin was the only one who could fight."

Ma Wu didn't think it was because of a lack of manpower, "The Ma family has done plenty of assassinations before. Having too many people would only be a burden."

Aqin and Little Chuanzi, one on offense and one on defense, I can recognize Lu Xiaolan, and she can provide backup in crucial moments. With the three of us, we're more than enough.

The reason we failed today was twofold: first, because of the addition of Dabo Ensi, and second, because of the mole within the organization.

"Why are you so sure there's a mole inside?"

"Seventh Brother, think about it carefully. I'm going to deal with Lu Xiaolan. Does Lu Xiaolan not know about this?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "She probably doesn't know."

"Then why was Dabo Ensi able to find me as soon as he left the Land Block, and even gained the upper hand? This proves that he knew where I was hiding."

Li Banfeng agreed with this point; Dabo Ensi's did indeed know Ma Wu's hiding place in advance.

But this is not hard to explain.

"Lu Xiaolan is a spy. You stayed near the Land Block for three days. She must have heard you."

"What are you listening to? Just listening aimlessly everywhere? You Outer State have something called radar, does Lu Xiaolan have radar growing on her body too?"

Without anyone giving me prior warning, Lu Xiaolan's aimless search wouldn't have led her to me.

Aqin wasn't someone to be trifled with either; she'd done plenty of stakeouts and murders. She chose the location; how could she be so easily exposed?

Ma Wu makes a good point.

Li Banfeng asked, "Who could be the mole?"

Ma Wu was silent for a moment and then said, "Seventh Brother, do you know why I took Aqin with me this time and not anyone else? We have a good one in our territory."

Li Banfeng was taken aback. "You mean Zuo Wugang? You suspect he's the mole?"

Ma Wu nodded. "He used to be a Lu Family."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "We can't speculate on this. Speculation will only confuse people."

Ma Wu said gravely, "Lu Xiaolan is lurking outside, and there's a mole watching inside. We're going to suffer a huge loss."

Lu Xiaolan had to do it, and the mole had to be found. I think it was Zuo Wugang.

He's interested in Aqin. If Aqin likes him, I'm willing to let them be together. I don't need anything else.

But Aqin looked down on him, and he pinned the blame on me, wanting to get rid of me with Lu Xiaolan.

Li Banfeng was truly impressed.

Two people can argue over a single insect.

Such fine young men, yet they prefer insects; Li Banfeng truly despises them!

But Li Banfeng believed that the mole was definitely not Zuo Wugang.

Zuo Wugang signed the contract, a contract written on Contract Paper. Unless he had a way to dissolve the contract, he would have long since turned into rust.

But who else could it be but him?

Ma Wu said, "Seventh Brother, leave Lu Xiaolan's matter to me, and you take care of the mole."

This is a major incident, a matter of life and death; we can't afford to be soft-hearted!

I certainly won't be soft-hearted, but I can't act rashly.

Li Banfeng said to Ma Wu, "I'll find someone to have a good talk with. Once we've figured things out, then we'll take action."

Late at night, Li Banfeng returned to his Land Block.

There's a mole in the ten-mile Land Block, so anything could be discovered by him. My one-mile plot is much safer.

Li Banfeng set up an offering table and waited quietly. A wisp of will-o'-the-wisp appeared on the offering table.

"Brother Li Qi, there's something you might not understand: even the local lord needs to sleep."

"I see!" Li Banfeng exclaimed in sudden realization. "So when do you go to sleep?"

"What... what did you want from me?"

Li Banfeng wanted to confirm one thing. "That group has already carved out new territory in Qiu Luoye's area. If we kill them in the future, will Qiu Luoye cause us any more trouble?"

"The new land has been developed. As long as it's not within the Land Block, the Local Earth God won't interfere with the life or death of the Land Block. That's the logic, but this matter..."

"Let's not argue today. You're a reasonable person, but Qiu Luoye don't seem to be so reasonable."

Shui Yongquan sighed and said, "I'm also worried about this. Qiu Luoye wants some popularity. He's not very bright. He's very fond of the pioneers when he sees them, but the pioneers' arrival is suspicious."

Li Banfeng asked, "Do you think they have any connection with the people who previously cleared land along the border?"

Will-o'-the-wisps lingered before the offering table, while the Shui Yongquan seemed to be deep in thought.

"I think there's a connection, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

I'll go talk to Qiu Daxiang, and then I'll talk to a few other Local Earth God. I don't know what the outcome will be.

Brother Li Qi, I have a feeling something big is about to happen, not just in my Hundred Li Land, but throughout the entire Pro State.

I can't control what happens in Pro State; I just hope it doesn't happen to me.

I'm not going to argue with anyone. I came all the way to this remote place just for peace and quiet, brother. I want us both to have a couple of peaceful days.

Peaceful days are over.

Council Hall, Little Genzi, his face bruised and swollen, kept apologizing to Ma Wu: "Fifth Master, I'm so sorry. I really risked my life, but they were too powerful, I couldn't beat them."

Little Genzi led a group of men to escort a shipment of goods to Blue Poplar Village. The goods were robbed on the way, but Little Genzi risked his life and led the deliverymen back.

This wasn't the first batch of goods to be stolen; a batch was stolen yesterday, and several brothers who were escorting the goods were seriously injured.

Now Ma Wu dares not ship any more goods. As long as he does ship, Lu Xiaolan will be watching over the Land Block. This matter cannot escape her eyes.

Ma Wu didn't blame Little Genzi: "Being able to bring the person back is commendable."

He had someone treat Little Genzi's injuries and also gave Little Genzi a reward.

Zuo Wugang said from the side, "Fifth Master, let me escort the next shipment."

"Okay, go if you want," Ma Wu smiled. "I'm going out for a stroll and see our neighbors."

Zuo Wugang sensed that Ma Wu's attitude was off; it had been strange for the past two days, but he didn't dare to ask too many questions.

After leaving the council hall, Ma Wu walked to the edge of the territory.

He looked at Lu Xiaolan's Land Block.

He had an impulse to rush into Lu Xiaolan's Land Block, drag her out, and then take her life.

In the blink of an eye, Ma Wu let out a long breath.

Calm down, I must calm down.

Lu Xiaolan had Dabo Ensi's side, as well as her mother Zhuo Yuling.

She opened up new land and was blessed by the Local Earth God.

Dealing with her won't be easy; you absolutely mustn't act impulsively.

Ma Wu took a deep breath, paused for a moment, and turned to leave when he suddenly heard someone speak behind him:

"Fifth Brother, you were looking for me?"

Ma Wu was startled and turned around abruptly, only to find that Lu Xiaolan was right behind him!

When did she arrive?

How did she know I was here?

"Fifth Brother, do you miss me?" Lu Xiaolan smiled at Ma Wu, without crossing the boundary of the Land Block.

Ma Wu smiled and said, "How did you know I missed you?"

"We're so in sync, Fifth Brother, I know what you're thinking." Lu Xiaolan's tone and playfulness were just like when they first met.

Ma Wu's gaze swept across Lu Xiaolan's eyes. "Guess what I'm thinking right now?"

"I bet you hate me now, just like I hated you back then, wishing I could kill you."

"You guessed pretty accurately." Ma Wu prepared to unleash his technique.

Lu Xiaolan shook her head and said, "Fifth Brother, you used to be a straightforward person, how come you've become timid now?"

Whether you miss me or hate me, I'm right here. Why don't you dare come over?

Even if you want to kill me, you'd better stay close to me!

Ma Wu pulled out a dagger.

Lu Xiaolan feigned surprise and said, "You're going to kill me with this? Fifth Brother, do you really think this thing can kill me?"

Ma Wu knew that this dagger couldn't kill Lu Xiaolan.

He used this dagger to shed blood in exchange for the protection of the Local Earth God.

Lu Xiaolan saw through his thoughts and said with a smile, "Fifth Brother, look at your pathetic self. I don't want to kill you today, so don't worry."

But who knows what the future holds? If you're scared, then hide here for the rest of your life and never step out again.

Lu Xiaolan is gone.

Ma Wu gripped the dagger tightly and lowered his head.

He had no helpers by his side; if he had taken one more step, he might already be dead.

Back in the Council Hall, Ma Wu looked at Zuo Wugang and said, "Guess what happened just now? I wanted to go see my neighbor, and she knew I was coming. She even came to my door to look for me. Isn't that a coincidence?"

Zuo Wugang didn't know how to answer; he couldn't understand what Ma Wu meant.

Ma Wu remained silent for a moment, then let Zuo Wugang leave.

Sitting alone in the Council Hall, Ma Wu repeatedly reminded himself to stay calm.

Zuo Wugang may not be the mole; the task of catching the mole should be left to Seventh Brother.

But he couldn't calm down.

"Fifth Master, the newspaper."

Little Chuanzi brought two newspapers into the Council Hall; these were brought back from Green Water City by Ma Wu's men.

Because of the long distance and the fact that the newspaper was three days old, Ma Wu saw his name on the second page.

The five young masters of the Ma family still wield considerable power, while Lan Yangxin is making great strides in his new field.

To unleash one's full potential?

I can't even leave my house anymore.

Ma Wu gave a wry smile and tore up the newspaper.

The family business that he and Seventh Brother had worked so hard to build was about to be ruined by Lu Xiaolan.

In the Third Hospital of Yuezhou, He Jiaqing lay alone on the bed and chuckled.

"Ma Wu has been a bit irritable lately."

A response came from beside her. "After suffering so much, you've finally managed to enjoy some happiness. Now that this happiness is about to end, you must feel terrible."

He Jiaqing sighed, "I feel sorry for him too. Did you manage to probe Xiaolan's cultivation level?"

"It's possible she's hiding well. I've tried to find her a few times, and she should still be on the fourth floor."

"It's still on the fourth floor, which proves the item isn't in her hands, but in my friend's."

"That Li Qi, is he your friend?"

"I recognized his voice; he was my best friend during my four years of college."

"Who should we send to get the items back?"

"We can't send our people. You need to find a way to send Lu Xiaolan. Our people's identities can't be exposed."

"Can Lu Xiaolan get it back?"

"Yes, my friend is a reasonable person, and Xiaolan really wants that thing. If you persuade her a bit, she'll definitely go. Let the two of them have a good talk."

Things borrowed must eventually be returned; if he doesn't, he'll suffer the consequences.

If someone suffers a loss and still doesn't want to pay it back, then someone will die.

He and Ma Wu were on good terms; if Ma Wu died because of this, he would be heartbroken.

"If he returns his things, we'll spare his life?"

"Let's see. There are some things I can't say for sure. If you hear his voice again, just forward it to me. In Outer State, they call this a live stream, you know?"

"I see."

"I want to hear him talk. He's very interesting to talk to. I haven't seen him for a long time, and I miss him." He Jiaqing smiled and ended the contact with the other party.

P. S.: Lao Zuo is truly innocent.