Speaking of Sourness and Uttering Bitterness

Li Banfeng looked at Zhao Xiaowan, who was holding a record player in her arms.

Zhao Xiaowan looked at Li Banfeng, pursed her lips, and asked, "My Little Slave is here, doesn't my husband want to hug me?"

Li Banfeng, hugging the record player, said, "Isn't this what I'm doing, holding it?"

Zhao Xiaowan glanced at the record player, then at Li Banfeng: "Does my husband like to hold this?"

Li Banfeng hugged the record player tightly and said, "Haven't we always been hugging like this?"

Zhao Xiaowan rubbed her forehead, feeling dizzy.

Hong Ying sighed softly, "Xiao Wan, you chose this man yourself. You have to accept your fate, even if you grit your teeth."

Zhao Xiaowan furious and picked up a board to hit Hong Ying. In her anger, her soul could no longer be attached to the puppet and returned to the record player.

"You madman! Am I not handsome? Am I not good-looking? They're all staring at me, why don't you even glance at me!" The record player brandished its needle and started fighting with Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng, clutching the record player with his cheek pressed against the megaphone, said, "I've been watching you the whole time. Come on, Wife, let's go to the Night Market!"

Back inside the record player, the Wife didn't really want to go out. "You go by yourself. I'll just stay home. You wouldn't like me turning back into my original form anyway, and I'd rather be a record player for the rest of my life."

Are you satisfied now?

"No matter what you become, you'll always be my precious Wife!" Li Banfeng, carrying the record player to the door.

"Hahaha!" The old man laughed loudly and opened the door.

After the two left, Red Lotus felt a pair of eyes watching her and the puppet.

"Hong Ying," the old man instructed, "Send Red Lotus and everything she made back to the Ninth Room. Since Seventh Brother doesn't like them, don't leave them here in the way."

Hong Ying looked at the puppet and couldn't understand why. "How could Seventh Son not like such a beautiful woman? Does he not like this delicate beauty and prefer a brave woman?"

Thinking of this, Hong Ying suddenly realized. "Red Lotus, let's talk about it. You can make me a puppet sometime, one that looks like me."

Before Red Lotus could reply, the old man snorted, "Girl, you're really clueless. What's the point of making Seventh Brother make this if she doesn't like it?"

Hong Ying retorted, "He doesn't like Xiao Wan's appearance, but he didn't say he didn't like me."

The old man chuckled, "Yes, I like your physique; you're quite capable at carrying bricks and shoveling soil."

"You've already forgotten about the cantaloupe?"

Hong Ying angrily moved Red Lotus to the Ninth Room. After more than half an hour, Red Lotus vaguely heard the old man's breathing; he had fallen asleep.

The girl from the Ninth Room, who was attached to the puppet, spoke up, "What was that madman thinking? He didn't want such a beautiful woman, but insisted on taking a record player out with him. You won't find anyone like him anywhere in Pro State!"

"Yes, he's the only one in Pro State," Red Lotus sighed. "I've wasted my time this time."

"No! I have to think of another way. I have to make him take me out of here no matter what!"

"Find your own way, and don't drag me into this anymore." Red Lotus recalled the feeling of being stared at in the main room before, that gaze filled with mockery and murderous intent, which sent Cold Qi down her Lotus Heart.

Li Banfeng was strolling through the Night Market with his Wife when they saw two pieces of jewelry that his Wife really liked.

But I felt it was too expensive, and I hesitated for a long time.

I went to a rouge shop and saw a box of rouge. I thought the color was nice, but the fragrance was too strong, so I hesitated for a long time.

Li Banfeng said, "My dear Wife, I have money, no need to hesitate, just buy it and then choose."

"It's fine to go back and pick more, but what should we do with the leftovers? It would be such a waste to throw them away." The Wife became conflicted again.

"Give the leftovers to Hong Ying."

"Giving it to her is fine, but if the girl doesn't appreciate it, I'll feel uneasy."

That's not right.

My Wife is usually quite frugal, but the things at the Night Market shouldn't be enough to make Wife so conflicted.

Why is she acting so strangely today?

Li Banfeng bought everything his Wife wanted, Wife got anxious. "If you keep wasting money like this, I won't go out with you anymore."

"How can this be called a waste!" Li Banfeng brought the things he bought back to the mansion and placed them in front of the record player. "We come to the market to buy things, and buying things means picking things out. Either way, we have to pick things out. If we can't pick things out comfortably at the market, we might as well take them home and pick them out slowly. There's nothing wrong with that."

The slope has been built.

After thinking about it for a moment, the record player realized that there was some truth to it.

"What about the leftovers? We've already paid for them!"

Li Banfeng said, "Whatever's left over will be kept for the family. Whoever pleases the Wife will get it."

And our whole family went to the market together.

After hearing this, the Wife felt much relieved. "The whole family usually stays inside the house..."

It's definitely worth going out for a stroll.

Thinking of this, the Wife felt much better, and her previous worries vanished.

Watching his Wife happily picking out things, Li Banfeng smiled, but felt a surge of nervousness in his heart.

Previously, the record player's mood was like a ball of thread full of knots, but now it's in a better mood because Li Banfeng used the trick of Riding the Donkey Downhill to smooth out the knots and untie the knots in its heart.

But where did this knot in my heart come from? Can it only be untied by using Fool Cultivation Skill?

"Husband, don't just buy things for Little Slave, buy something you like too!"

Li Banfeng thought for a moment and said, "I don't have anything worth buying."

"Your clothes are all torn, go buy a new one."

After fighting with a group of fake rickshaw Carriage Driver, Li Banfeng's jacket was torn in several places and was indeed difficult to mend.

When they arrived at the clothing store, Li Banfeng took a fancy to a suit.

He really liked Pro State suits; they looked great with top hats. But he just couldn't stand the way he was wearing that jacket.

His Wife whispered in his ear from behind, "Husband, if you like it, just buy it."

"My darling Wife, aren't you worried about the money anymore?"

"I don't feel the pinch at all when it comes to spending money on my Little Slave."

Li Banfeng bought a suit and took a record player to the cinema to watch a movie.

Inside the private room, the record player wasn't focused on the movie; he just felt that something had gone wrong.

"Ever since I used the puppet made by Red Lotus, my Little Slave has been in turmoil. I'm afraid there's something tampered with in that thing."

Li Banfeng said, "I also think that puppet isn't very good. My Wife, please don't use that thing anymore. If you can't bring yourself to do it, I'll just destroy it."

"My lord, please rest early. I will take care of this Little Slave."

After fighting all night without sleep at Yellow Earth Bridge, Li Banfeng was truly exhausted.

Back at Portable Abode, the record player prepared hot water for Li Banfeng, gave him a bath, made the bed, and stayed with him until Li Banfeng fell asleep.

Once Li Banfeng was fast asleep, the record player quietly left the main room and went to the Ninth Room.

Red Lotus knew the visitors meant no harm, so she tightly closed her petals, and a halo of light surged between the gaps.

The record player chuckled, "Red Lotus, don't worry about me. I was just feeling down and wanted to chat with you for a bit."

"What would you like to talk about?"

I want to talk to you about people on social media.

"There's nothing to talk about with this person. I told you before, I can't even remember if he's a man or a woman."

The record player chuckled, "If you can't remember, think about it slowly. I heard from my husband that Lu Qianjiao recently mentioned Heavenly Person; she seems to be the Peddler's lover too."

But since she's the Peddler's lover, it proves she's a woman. I've never seen her face, and I really want to know, how exactly did she pamper you back then?

A halo of light swept across the lotus leaves, Red Lotus's tone was somewhat gloomy. "Zhao Xiaowan, you came all this way in the middle of the night just to humiliate me?"

The record player spewed out a cloud of steam, scorching Red Lotus's body. "Yes, I just want to humiliate you. What exactly did you add to the puppet? Tell me everything clearly."

Red Lotus remained silent.

She placed the needle on the record and started playing one of her favorite songs, "The Burial of Flowers."

"Flowers fall and fly all over the sky, their red fades and their fragrance dies, who will pity them? Soft gossamer threads drift through the spring pavilion, and light catkins gently brush against the embroidered curtains." The phonograph's melody was not at all mournful; instead, it carried a hint of gloom and struggle.

The next morning at dawn, as soon as Li Banfeng opened his eyes, Zhao Xiaowan was standing in front of him again.

Li Banfeng rubbed his eyes. He wasn't mistaken; it wasn't a record player, but Zhao Xiaowan, who was possessing the puppet.

"My lord, you're awake?"

Li Banfeng sat up and reached for the record player beside the bed, but grabbed nothing.

"My lord, I found that thing in the way, so I moved it to the second room."

"Second room—..." Li Banfeng got up and went to the second room, then brought the record player back.

Zhao Xiaowan was displeased, but she still greeted him with a smile, "Since my Little Slave cherishes me so much, then let this phonograph body stay in the main room as well."

Yesterday, my husband and I went to the Night Market. We bought clothes, rouge, and jewelry, but we haven't bought anything for the house yet. There was a furniture store on the street, and I saw a bookshelf that I liked. The size was perfect for our Seventh Chamber.

My Little Slave, please come with me to take a look. If you like it, then buy it and take it home.

2

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "No need to look. I'll tell my men to have the shopkeeper send the bookshelf over directly."

"My dear husband, he has so many bookshelves, do you know which one Little Slave 'm referring to?"

"I'll bring them all back. I love reading and I love bookshelves." Li Banfeng put on his clothes and prepared to go out.

Zhao Xiaowan called out, "Husband, where are we going? Can you take Little Slave with you?"

Li Banfeng turned around and smiled, "Didn't we agree that I would find someone to buy furniture?"

"You have to go anyway, so why won't you let Little Slave go? Do you think I'm embarrassing Little Slave?" Zhao Xiaowan sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes red and her voice trembling, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

It wasn't just a feeling; the Wife truly felt wronged. Someone was sending her thoughts through her mind, and at that moment Zhao Xiaowan genuinely felt pitiful.

The family's treasures all looked this way. Hong Ying put down her eyebrow pencil and also looked at Zhao Xiaowan.

Her condition was very abnormal.

Last night we made a pact that we would never touch that puppet again, but in the blink of an eye, my Wife possessed the puppet again.

For someone else, it might be because they wanted to reclaim their physical body so much that they couldn't control themselves.

But who is Wife? A renowned general who has dominated the battlefield! There is no doubt about Wife's self-control, but Li Banfeng suspects that Wife has fallen for a spell.

The Wife is of a very high level, and ordinary techniques are unlikely to harm her, but there is a type of technique that ignores level.

Li Banfeng sat beside his Wife and comforted her gently, "My dear Wife, I know you've been wronged. I was afraid you'd suffer, so I simply bought the furniture from the store and let you choose whatever you like."

Upon hearing this, the Wife seemed to come to her senses. "Yes, my husband is showing me affection."

Li Banfeng used the Fool Cultivation Skill, Reversing Cause and Effect.

Although the furniture hadn't been delivered yet, Li Banfeng used this as a reason to deduce the cause, instead of saying that his Wife shouldn't go out, he suggested moving the furniture store over.

The Wife had just calmed down for a short while when she sobbed twice and started crying again.

Hong Ying was stunned; Zhao Xiaowan was not a woman who cried easily.

The gloves murmured, "Something's not right with the mother-in-law."

The projector exclaimed, "This is the art of a peerless beauty; two lines of tears can break a person's heart, but—"

"Just what?" Dream Virtue asked.

The projector said, "The color of crying is blue, the color of laughter is red, what's the situation with blue tinged with red?"

The pendulum was puzzled. "What did you say was blue with a hint of red? I can't see it at all."

Bei Li Banfeng glanced at the projector, then looked at Zhao Xiaowan: "My dear Wife, what's wrong now?"

Zhao Xiaowan wiped away her tears and said, "Over the years, everyone who has seen Little Slave has treated Little Slave like a monster from a record player. Little Slave feel really wronged. Little Slave want to show my true face to people and clear my name."

The woman in the gloves lowered her voice and said, "Has the mother-in-law gone mad? Does she want to reveal her identity?"

Zhao Xiaowan glared at the gloves. "It's not like I'm going to tell them the whole truth. I'll just leave them with a couple of sentences and let them figure the rest out themselves. I'm just going to stand up for myself."

Hong Ying said softly, "Xiao Wan, what's wrong with you? What you just said doesn't sound like you at all."

"You shameless slut! I'll say whatever I want, what's it to you?"

Zhao Xiaowan's emotions were unstable, and no one in the family dared to say anything. If Li Ban tried to persuade her with kind words, he would fall into a trap, because no matter how he tried to persuade her, he might anger Zhao Xiaowan.

Having worked in the record store for so many years, she had suffered a lot of misunderstandings. This was a knot in her heart that Wife usually kept hidden, but today she was taken advantage of by Yu Xiu.

This knot in his heart was not easy to untie. Since Li Banfeng couldn't think of a solution, he simply went with the flow and tied another knot outside the knot in his heart.

"My Wife, who do you wish to see?"

The record player thought for a moment and said, "Let's meet the owner of this furniture store first. We can meet him once when he delivers the goods."

Li Banfeng said, "Does the owner of this furniture store think his Wife is some kind of monster from a record player?"

The Wife smiled and said, "No, he hasn't seen me before."

"How can he give his Wife her name if he hasn't even seen Wife? He needs to see Wife first, and he needs to see what Wife looks like as a record player."

2

The Wife nodded and said, "My husband is right! We should show him what the monster looks like first, and then show him what I originally looked like!"

The slope was set up, and the Wife came down. Li Banfeng pushed the record player in front of the Wife.

The Wife was conflicted; she was debating whether or not to leave the puppet's body.

This dilemma was caused by the Fool Cultivation Skill. There was a Foolish Cultivator inside the puppet, who kept controlling the Wife's thoughts.

After waiting for a while, the Wife suddenly left the puppet and crawled into the record player.

Li Banfeng was overjoyed; it seemed that the foolish cultivator had let go and was no longer bothering his Wife.

But why did this foolish cultivator let go?

Back inside the record player, the Wife instantly became much more alert.

She looked up at the puppet, then turned to look at Li Banfeng: "I don't know what happened to Little Slave just now, but I said a lot of willful things, which made things difficult for you, my husband."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "This is not being willful. My Wife has indeed suffered injustices over the years. Let me deal with this puppet first, and then I will listen to my Wife tell me about the hardships she has endured over the years."

Having appeased his Wife, Li Banfeng turned to look at the puppet.

The record player brandished the needle and said, "This matter doesn't require your help, Little Slave. I can handle it myself."

Hong Ying pushed the record player aside. "Xiao Wan, go hide in another room."

"Why are you telling me to hide?"

"Because you can't bring yourself to do it!" Hong Ying stared at the puppet. "Not to mention you, even I can't bring myself to do it. This thing is too much like you. Xiao Wan, you'd better get out of here!"

The puppet, which had been motionless, suddenly spoke, "You don't need to hide. Let me hide for a moment. Li Qi, can I speak to you alone?"

The group of magical artifacts were stunned, Hong Ying immediately drew her sword.

The puppet actually hides a person, the soul of another person!

The record player blocked Li Banfeng's way, saying, "My lord, you cannot go."

Portable Abode suddenly spoke up, "Girl, let him go, I'll keep an eye on him."

Li Banfeng hugged his Wife and walked to the puppet's side. "What do you want to say? Where would you like to say it?"

"Go to my place." After saying that, the puppet fell silent.

The soul inside has left.

Hong Ying asked, "Where does she live?"

Li Banfeng said, "She lives in Ninth Room."

Hidden inside the puppet is Ninth Room Sister, who used the Fool Cultivation Skill on her Wife, causing Wife to become so abnormal.

The first time I went to Ninth Room to find her, I asked her to translate the blackboard writings of the Birch Hermit Association. She translated it haphazardly and wrote a completely unrelated passage, almost fooling Li Banfeng.

None of her family members could see through her tricks, but she couldn't fool the Judge's Brush, because Lazy Cultivator restrains Foolish Cultivator. From that time on, Li Banfeng concluded that the Ninth Room Girl was Foolish Cultivator.

Although Li Banfeng was also a foolish cultivator, he was somewhat afraid of foolish cultivators. During this time, he had been on guard against the Ninth Room, but he did not expect that she would actually use the puppet to make a move against his Wife.

Li Banfeng entered the Ninth Room. The phonograph and Hong Ying stood at the door listening quietly, but they couldn't hear anything from inside. The sounds from the Ninth Room were blocked by Portable Abode. Red Lotus was also brought out by Li Banfeng.

After closing the door, before Li Banfeng could speak, the Ninth Room daughter asked first, "Just now, you used Reversing Cause and Effect and Riding the Donkey Downhill on your wife, didn't you?"

Li Banfeng remained silent, Ninth Room Sister asked again, "Who did you learn your techniques from?"

Li Banfeng remained silent.

The Ninth Room daughter simply guessed, "Is it with Sun Tiecheng?"

Li Banfeng remained silent until the old man spoke up, "Seventh Brother, if you trust me, then tell her."

Li Banfeng nodded slightly.

"Is he still alive?" The Ninth Room Sister's voice trembled slightly.

Li Banfeng said, "I don't know if he's alive or not. He can eat, sleep, walk, and fight."

The girl from the Ninth Room remained silent for a while, then asked Li Banfeng, "Is Fool's City still there?"

"Yes, we have inns and taverns, and all kinds of businesses."

"Is the big Clock Tower in town still there?"

"Yes, it's still the highest point in the city."

"Is there a small market in town too?"

"Yes, but there aren't many people buying groceries."

The girl from the Ninth Room asked all sorts of questions, as if she wanted to ask about every single Corner Crown in the Fool's City.

After asking about Fool's City, she then asked about Li Banfeng: "You've used Daoist medicine powder, haven't you?"

Are you a disciple of my Daoist sect or a cultivator?

For a foolish practitioner, there is a clear difference between a disciple and a practitioner; a disciple only masters some techniques.

Only those who cultivate themselves can be considered to have entered the path of foolish cultivation.

Portable Abode said, "Seventh Brother, tell her."

After a long silence, Li Banfeng said, "I am a cultivator."

The Ninth Room remained quiet for a long time. Li Banfeng did not wear the Thread-Pulling Earring, nor did he carry any magical artifacts with him.

But he vaguely heard some sobbing.

She cried?

Why are you crying?

"The technique I just used is called 'Speaking of Sourness and Uttering Bitterness,' which involves telling the other person about their painful experiences, causing them to become disoriented by the bitterness and sorrow."

The key to this technique lies in understanding the enemy's vital points. If you encounter an unfamiliar enemy...

We need to find a way to get him to pour out his grievances.

The Ninth Room daughter earnestly explained her art of Speaking of Sourness and Uttering Bitterness things to Li Banfeng. After listening, Li Banfeng said expressionlessly, "Why did you harm my Wife?"

"I didn't mean to hurt her. I just wanted to get out of here. I wanted to see Fool's City again, even if it was just for a glance."

"You miss Fool's City that much?"

"I want to, I really want to," the girl from the Ninth Room said sincerely, thinking that Li Banfeng would release her. "Ever since the day Fool's City was destroyed, I've been thinking about whether I'll ever see Fool's City again in this lifetime. I dream about it—you used techniques on me?"

"Yes." Li Banfeng nodded. He had no intention of releasing the Ninth Room. He wanted to listen to her complaints and wait until he lost his temper before sending her to her annihilation.

"You want to kill me?" the girl from the Ninth Room asked in a trembling voice.

"You harmed my Wife, so I shouldn't have kept you alive." Li Banfeng remained expressionless.

"Could I see Fool's City one more time?" The girl from the Ninth Room pleaded.

"No." Li Banfeng's tone was calm, but his attitude was very firm.

"Fine, I'm satisfied knowing that Fool's City still exists. You learned techniques from Sun Tiecheng, so you should know how to deal with the dead. You can kill me with irrefutable evidence."

Li Banfeng's eyes reddened, and he was about to shed tears. If he cried, the Ninth Room Sister would be completely dead.

"Seventh Brother!" Portable Abode stopped Li Banfeng. "For my sake, spare her life. She can still help you in the future."

After a full ten minutes of silence, Li Banfeng nodded slightly. "Alright, I'll spare your life for now. Let's make a pact: you're not allowed to harm my family again!"

The Portable Abode said, "I will bear witness to this matter."

With the matter settled, Li Banfeng left the Ninth Room. At the door, he picked up Red Lotus and said, "Hua Jiuer, we've added another debt to our accounts. It's time to settle them."

Red Lotus offered no explanation, and it would have been useless anyway; many things simply couldn't be hidden from the old man.

The record player stopped Li Banfeng: "Husband, let's settle this score later. We've been tricked this time."

"It's my own fault for being useless; I'll get my revenge myself."

Li Banfeng handed Red Lotus to his Wife, and slowly ran the stylus of the record player across Red Lotus's body. "Sister, I'll remember this grudge. Do you want to move in with me from now on, or do you still want to live in the Ninth Room?"

Red Lotus replied softly, "I'll do whatever you say, no matter what."

"You're quite sensible," the record player chuckled. "Fine, I'll still let you stay in Ninth Room. Counting the previous Profound Essence Pill, you've schemed against me twice. Let's see if you have the ability to scheme against me a third time!"

The record player tossed Red Lotus into the Ninth Room, then turned to the puppet in the main room. "My husband, do you really not like my original form?"

Li Banfeng hugged the megaphone and pressed his cheek against it. "My Wife, I love you no matter what."

"Shall we keep this puppet for now?"

"If Wife want to stay, then stay. Wife 're in charge of things at home." Li Banfeng, carrying the record player, waltzed all the way to the furniture store to buy a bookshelf with his Wife.

Ninth Room, Red Lotus gently opened her flowers and leaves, and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

The girl from the Ninth Room lowered her voice and said, "Don't be discouraged, we still have a chance."

Red Lotus laughed and said, "Whether you have a chance or not depends on your own abilities. Don't drag me into this again."

"If you were to leave this place someday, who would you most like to see?"

Why are you asking this?

"You must want to see the people in heaven, just like I want to go back to Fool's City. Some things you can't let go of in this lifetime."

"Yes, I can't let go," Red Lotus murmured.

"Where exactly is that person in heaven? Is she really that good to you? Is she worth all this worry?"

"Is she alright? Perhaps she's doing well, she—" Red Lotus paused for a moment, her tone suddenly changing, "You're trying to trick me? You're trying to trick me for that madman?"

"You're being too suspicious," Ninth Room Sister smiled. "I just wanted to tell you a few things from the bottom of my heart. I truly consider you a sister."

PS: Thank you to Alliance Leader Yu Xin Dao Zhe for your strong support of this work.