You're the Bandit

Bai Zhiming was once Liao Zihui's capable subordinate. With Liao Zihui's promotion and recommendation, he rose to the position of Deputy General Envoy.

He was extremely loyal to Liao Zihui and very capable. Upon arriving in Kinless Village, he only took two days to uncover some clues and sent a message to Liao Zihui through Peeker: the Local Earth God of Kinless Village Kinless Madam, was missing and likely in grave danger.

Liao Zihui carefully confirmed with Bai Zhiming: "Is it possible that Kinless Madam is handling matters elsewhere and is temporarily not in Kinless Village?"

Bai Zhiming replied, "It cannot be ruled out, but the possibility is extremely small. Kinless Madam little contact with others and never leaves her territory easily."

Liao Zihui picked up the map and pondered for a long time before saying, "Could it be because Qiu Luoye killed Kinless Madam and merged the two plots of land into one, causing the dividing line in the middle to disappear?"

Bai Zhiming nodded and said, "General Envoy, that's what I think too. It's just that Qiu Luoye is difficult to communicate with, so I can't verify this for the time being."

Liao Zihui pondered for a moment, then asked, "Where are those people who came out of the Qiu Luoye field now?"

"Most of them are concentrated at the Train Station. The route from Kinless Village to Ink Fragrance Shop is cut off, but other routes are still in operation. He Yuxiu, Lu Chunying, Ma Junyang, and others are helping them obtain Travel Permit."

At the Train Station.

They cannot cross the boundaries of other territories.

Oops!

A serious blunder!

Li Qi had no means to manipulate the boundary; the boundary disappeared because the two plots of land now shared the same owner.

Liao Zihui breathed a sigh of relief. This was Local Earth God war within Pro State, and the problem was much smaller than he had initially thought. Moreover, the Customs and Guanfang Hall bore virtually no responsibility.

Of course, some verification is still needed next. We need to have Liu Guocai in charge of the Guanfang Envoy in Kinless Village, take the initiative to contact Li Qi and discuss the reconstruction of the railway with him, so as to see what Li Qi's attitude is.

But that's a story for later. With the immediate problem solved, a weight lifted off his shoulders. Liao Zihui felt completely relaxed. Looking at the sunset outside the window, he cleared his throat and couldn't help but start singing a little tune.

"At the ends of the earth, at the corners of the sea, I search and search, I search and search for a kindred spirit, little sister..."

"General Envoy!" Ling Sujun suddenly burst in and saw Liao Zihui swaying his waist, singing and dancing, creating a somewhat awkward scene.

Liao Zihui composed himself, frowned, and said, "Don't you know how to knock before entering? No manners!"

"Excuse me, Your General Envoy, there's an urgent telegram from above, requesting that you answer it immediately."

In Pro State, communication devices are subject to severe interference, requiring special forbidden items, or magical artifacts, to maintain contact.

Liao Zihui went to the communications room, picked up two palm-sized copper bells in each hand, placed one bell to his ear and the other to his mouth, and said with a smile:

"Director Du, it's been so long since we last contacted each other. Last time I went back to report on my work, I left in such a hurry that we didn't have a chance to get together..."

After exchanging pleasantries, they got down to business. But after only a few words, Liao Zihui sensed something was wrong and quickly explained, "Director Du, it's not what you think..."

After explaining for a while, Liao Zihui stopped talking.

Some things have already been decided, and it's too late to explain now. Director Du called to remind Liao Zihui that Outer State have already arrived.

Liao Zihui walked out of the communications room with a sullen face, returned to his office, and said to Ling Sujun, "Call Tang Huanjie and Liu Guocai here."

At the Guanfang Hall, Liao Zihui would usually address his subordinates by their titles, and occasionally he would affectionately call them by their names, including their full names, which was very rare.

Shortly after, Tang Huanjie and Liu Guocai entered the office. Liao Zihui told Ling Sujun to leave and locked the door.

Tang Huanjie and Liu Guocai somewhat uneasy. They sat in the office for a while, when Liao Zihui asked, "Which of you reported to someone else without going through the proper channels?"

Reporting to higher authorities without authorization is a major taboo in the Guanfang Hall, and also in Outer State. The two men exchanged a glance and shook their heads at Liao Zihui.

"You won't admit it?" Liao Zihui laughed, scanning the two men's faces, and lowered his voice, "This isn't Outer State, this is Pro State. Did you really think I wouldn't dare to touch you?"

Liao Zihui's face seemed to suddenly turn dark.

It wasn't an illusion; his face really did turn black, and layers of dark clouds were swirling around his body.

A wave of oppressive force swept over them, causing them to tremble and sweat profusely.

Tang Huanjie shook his head repeatedly, saying, "General Envoy, I could never do such a thing!"

Liu Guocai remained silent for a long time before raising his head and saying, "General Envoy, such a big thing has happened. I'm afraid things will get out of control, and I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it."

It was him.

It was Liu Guocai reported the matter to his superiors.

Liao Zihui stared at Liu Guocai for a long time.

Liu Guocai to wet his pants.

After a moment of silence, Liao Zihui spoke up, "Guocai, why did you do this? If you can't handle it, we'll handle it together. You rushed to tell the higher-ups about this, putting us in a very passive position now."

The familiar Liao Zihui was back, Liu Guocai secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "I... I was really scared..."

"What are you afraid of?" Liao Zihui laughed. "The matter has been investigated and found out that two Local Earth God fought a battle, and the two places became one place. The boundary line in the middle is gone, but the other boundaries are still there. This matter has nothing to do with Li Qi at all."

Liu Guocai quickly stood up and said, "General Envoy, it's all my fault. I'll explain to my superiors right away, and I'm willing to accept punishment."

Liao Zihui sighed, "The higher-ups are taking this matter very seriously now. They're sending a working group to investigate, and I've heard that the Balance Person' is also coming. It's going to be difficult for us to carry out our work from here on out."

Liu Guocai said, "I'll contact the higher-ups right away and explain it to them."

"No need," Liao Zihui shook his head and said, "We do have many shortcomings in our work. It would be good to have the higher-ups give us some guidance. When we arrive at Kinless Village, the reception task will be handed over to you. You can't be careless in the slightest."

Liu Guocai publicly stated, "Your General Envoy, rest assured, there will be absolutely no mistakes!"

Tang Huanjie and Liu Guocai left the office. Looking at Liu Guocai's back, a hint of coldness flashed in Liao Zihui's eyes.

Liu Guocai shaken, Liu Guocai lowered his voice as he reached the stairwell and said, "General Envoy Tang, should I speak with General Envoy Liao alone?"

"What did you just say?" Tang Huanjie glanced at his watch. "I have to rush to a dinner party. Let's talk later."

In Flower Lake Park, He Jiaqing, with his hair dyed completely white, dressed up as an elderly man in his Huajia and was exercising next to the fitness equipment.

Big Head sat down next to the stepper and said in a low voice, "I'm going to Pro State in a couple of days."

"What are you going to Pro State for?"

"Xiao Zhengong is going to Kinless Village Pro State to carry out a mission as Balance Person, and he needs an assistant by his side, so the bureau sent me."

He Jiaqing stepped onto the waist-spinning machine and asked, "What happened in Kinless Village?"

"A piece of land has appeared near Kinless Village, and a section of the boundary line has mysteriously disappeared. It is said that this matter is related to a man Li Qi..."

Big Head told He Jiaqing what he knew, and He Jiaqing warned, "Pro State is different from Outer State, so be extra careful."

After Big Head left, He Jiaqing immediately found He Haisheng: "Third Uncle, I need to go to Pro State. I'll leave the matters in Outer State to you for now."

He Haisheng was somewhat worried. "That person from Sage Peak is still watching you. It might be dangerous for you to go back to Pro State now. You might run into their people as soon as you show your face."

"I have to go back; this is extremely important!"

He Haisheng glanced at the sweat on He Jiaqing's forehead. "Jiaqing, you look a little weak. Why don't you wait a few days before going back?"

"I can't wait, I must set off today."

He Haisheng helped He Jiaqing get his train ticket and Travel Permit. He Jiaqing changed his identity and appearance and boarded the train that very night.

Upon arriving in Kinless Village, He Jiaqing immediately went to the deserted village where Qiao Shaofen lived.

This is a forbidden area in Kinless Village, and few people dare to come here normally. He Jiaqing walked around the village entrance and picked up a piece of dry, hard mud from the weeds.

He smelled the mud and knew where it came from.

These are the remains of Qiao Shaofen.

Things are getting closer and closer to what he expected.

He Jiaqing entered Qiao Shaofen's bedroom, crawled under the bed, and looked around for a while.

Although Li Banfeng restored the scene perfectly, He Jiaqing still noticed the flaws.

He had already guessed what had happened, but he still couldn't help but confirm it.

He opened the hidden compartment and looked inside; it was empty, and the Local Earth Seal was gone.

There was a hole below the hidden compartment; without a doubt, the contract had been dug out.

He Jiaqing slowly crawled out from under the bed, his expression blank, and stood by the bed for a long time.

A wave of dizziness washed over him, He Jiaqing slumped to the edge of the bed. He clenched his fists, then his eyes reddened and tears streamed down his face.

He can endure anything, even losing an ear.

This is something we cannot tolerate; it is the foundation of all our plans.

"Robbers! Shameless robbery!" He Jiaqing wiped away his tears and couldn't help but curse.

"You killed someone, and then you stole from others! I never steal from others; I despise this kind of shameless robbery!"

Enraged, He Jiaqing gritted his teeth. "Li Banfeng, if you don't return the contract to me today, I'll take your life!"

Achoo!

Li Banfeng was eating noodles at a noodle shop when he suddenly sneezed.

Who's thinking of me?

After sneezing, Li Banfeng shivered again, and this time he had an epiphany.

My Wife misses me; she's waiting for me to come home and put the Machine Oil on.

Every time I finish applying Machine Oil, I get a shiver. I feel great, and my Wife feels good too.

Thinking of this, Li Banfeng felt a little anxious.

He walked to the counter and asked the noodle shop owner, "How much?"

The shopkeeper was the same old lady. She took two hundred yuan from the counter and handed it to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng checked the banknotes, nodded, and said, "Keep the change."

The old lady respectfully saw Li Banfeng to the door.

Finding a secluded spot, Li Banfeng hid the key, entered Portable Abode, first turned off the record player, and then picked up the Oil Pot.

The record player yelled, "Crazy man! Slow down, I... I'm not prepared..."

He Jiaqing arrived at the noodle shop, looked around, and the elderly woman who owned it stepped forward and asked, "Would you like some noodles?"

"I'm looking for someone." He Jiaqing smiled. He didn't see Li Banfeng's figure. He turned around and was about to leave when suddenly someone came in through the entrance of the restaurant.

The man was wearing a gray-white overcoat and a gray-white top hat.

He Jiaqing thought the face looked familiar, but couldn't quite place it.

Chu Shaoqiang took off his top hat and said, "Jiaqing, what a coincidence, I was just looking for you. Sit down and have a bowl of noodles with me."

PS: Jiaqing should have listened to his Third Uncle. He shouldn't have come to Pro State, but those two deeds were too important to him.