Two Wars

Today, Li Banfeng heard a new term: the Second Pro War.

When the concept of the "Second Pro War" was mentioned, Shen Jingye was also very cautious, and he kept observing Li Qi's reaction.

Seeing Li Qi's surprise, Shen Jingye also regretted it a bit; he didn't want to reveal too much top-secret information.

"Director Li, you don't know about that war more than forty years ago?"

How should I answer that?

According to the Guanfang Hall, Li Qi is a native of Pro State. If he doesn't even know about the war forty years ago, it makes a bit hard to believe in terms of his identity.

How can I provide a reasonable explanation?

In his haste, Li Banfeng couldn't think of a suitable explanation, so he could only offer a perfunctory reply, "I've heard the older generation say some things, but they were all vague."

In Li Banfeng's view, this was not a reasonable explanation, but only a temporary delay. If Shen Jingye continued to press him, Li Banfeng might reveal many flaws.

But who could have imagined that this would be the reality?

Shen Jingye nodded and said, "This is the characteristic of the Second Pro War. It is very different from the First Pro War. Although the Second Pro War lasted longer and the fighting was more intense, the various battles were fought in a very fragmented manner."

Many Pro State residents know there's been a war, but they can't say exactly how it happened or who they're fighting, which has created considerable obstacles for our investigation.

Shen Jingye's words revealed two important pieces of information.

First, the Outer State had very limited understanding of the Second Pro War, and during the war, contact between the Outer State and Pro State was likely very limited.

Secondly, there was indeed a First Pu-Sui War.

Li Banfeng couldn't possibly ask what the First Pro War was; asking would only make him look even more ignorant.

It's alright. As long as we keep a close eye on Comrade Little Shen, these questions will all be answered in the future.

Shen Jingye continued, "The recording you just heard came from Nie Li'ai Shafu, an early member of the Birch Hermit Association. Although his rank wasn't very high, he personally experienced many battles in the Second Pro War."

He was a person passionate about documenting life, leaving behind a wealth of valuable materials, including notes, audio recordings, and video recordings, which provide many clues for our research on the Second Pro War.

We once thought he had experienced the entire war, but this recording suggests that Nie Li'ai Shafu likely died in this battle. He didn't mention a date in the recording, so we cannot speculate on the exact time the battle took place.

Li Banfeng reviewed the translation again. "According to his description, he and all those who remained behind..."

They all died at the hands of an opera singer surnamed Huang. In those days, there probably weren't many opera singers in Pro State.

This inference is certainly correct; forty years ago, there were very few opera singers even in Yuezhou.

Shen Jingye shook his head and said, "This is a translation problem. Our translators try their best to use literal translation."

In order to prevent misunderstandings,

The Pro State Opera that the Lavsha People speak of is actually our traditional opera. This actor surnamed Huang should be the missing famous opera singer Huang Yuxian, also known as the Yin Ling in Pro State legends.

"Did Yin Ling participate in the Second Pro War?"

Shen Jingye nodded and said, "This is also one of the biggest gains of this investigation. We really want to know Huang Yuxian's final whereabouts. Through her, we may be able to gain a deeper understanding of Pro State."

Shen Jingye left, Li Banfeng went through the documents he left behind one by one.

The Birch Hermit Association's records are invaluable, containing extensive member files and information on their financial situations.

And some confidential letters.

But Li Banfeng couldn't concentrate on it.

Huang Yuxian's name lingered in his mind.

Whenever he thought of Huang Yuxian, he thought of his Wife.

He called for Tangyuan).

Upon seeing Li Banfeng, Tangyuan was overjoyed and first reported some good news to Li Banfeng: "Seventh Master,

I've been promoted; I'm now a fifth-level scholar.

Li Banfeng: "How did you get promoted so quickly?"

"There have been a lot of tasks lately, so Director Shen changed his management approach. The bureau issued a lot of 'Harmonizing Agent' (a type of medication used to counteract the effects of other methods). At first, I was a little worried that the Harmonizing Agent' wouldn't work, but then I found that it was the same for me—"

Li Banfeng interrupted Tangyuan: "Why isn't the Harmonizing Agent working?"

Tangyuan whispered, "The Light Bulb always complained that the Harmonizing Agent didn't work, and I actually believed it."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "The Light Bulb is special. His Entry Medicine Powder is a family heirloom. He is different from you."

Tangyuan nodded. "I know about this. Actually, I'm different from them. When I was in Pro State, I took the Entry Medicine Powder. Now I'm no longer Dark Energy User, but a cultivator."

"Taking medicine powder in Pro State? Did you go to see Peddler?"

"No, Peddler aren't that easy to find. Besides, I was conducting research at the Guanfang Hall at the time, and without arrangements from the bureau, I couldn't leave Green Water City at will."

I obtained the medicinal powder from Carefree Dock. At that time, Fifth Master heard that I had some connection with you, so he sent someone to ask me what I wanted.

Carefree Dock provided me with better accommodations and even gave me a raise. I couldn't think of any other requests, so I asked for Wenxiu medicine powder, and Fifth Master sent someone to deliver it.

Li Banfeng was surprised. "You didn't tell me about this?"

Tangyuan lowered her head and said, "At the time, I didn't trust Seventh Master that much. Later, I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid you would be angry and punish me—"

Ma Wu had mentioned to Li Banfeng that the new girl had become Wenxiu.

Li Banfeng misunderstood, because he already knew that Tangyuan was Wenxiu.

"You're a fourth-level scholar, but you weren't affected after taking the Wenxiu medicine powder?"

Tangyuan answered seriously, "It does have an impact. It hurts, it really hurts. You know, the flesh there is quite thick, but it still hurts so much that I can't walk."

"It's not about the pain. A scholar and a learned scholar are two different things, you should know that."

"I know, that's why I wanted to truly become a scholar. After taking the medicine powder, there was no change at first, and I thought I had suffered for nothing."

But recently I've noticed a change. Many of my techniques have changed; things I couldn't control before, I can now control.

Tangyuan spoke excitedly, describing every subtle change. Li Banfeng heard it clearly; Tangyuan's control over her cultivation had increased, and she was indeed becoming more like a scholar.

In this situation, the Harmonizing Agent still worked, allowing the Tangyuan to reach the fifth level. The Guiding Agent and the Entry Medicine Powder, the Harmonizing Agent and the elixir, are indeed intricately connected.

Li Banfeng almost forgot everything else while listening to Tangyuan talk about cultivation.

Have you heard of the two Pro War?

Tangyuan looked up at Li Banfeng, then lowered her head again.

Her eyes darted around, seemingly worried about the surveillance equipment in the room.

"Don't worry, the surveillance cameras have been turned off."

Tangyuan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Seventh Master, this is top secret information. I've only seen it once before. Pro State has experienced two major wars. The time of the first Pro State War is unknown, Second Pro War took place more than forty years ago."

"Who were the targets of these two wars?"

"The First Pro War was an internal war within Pro State, fought between the Pro State royal family and commoners."

The Second Pro War was extremely complex, involving numerous parties. Besides the Pro State royal family and commoners, several external forces also participated, such as the Chasing Light Group and the Birch Hermit Association from the Lafusha Country.

They were all participants in the war.

"Didn't the Huan Kingdom participate in the war?"

"As far as I know, Huan Kingdom did not participate in the war, but it did participate in post-war reconstruction. It was from the Second Pro War that Huan Kingdom and Pro State formally established a cooperative relationship."

As for what happened next, I'm not sure. I only came across this top-secret document by pure chance.

Do you know where you can find similar top-secret documents?

"You need to go to the archives and access them with very high privileges."

"Archives?" Li Banfeng still didn't know how many archives the Dark Star Bureau had, or which archive contained genuine items.

To truly understand this matter, it seems we need to think of a better approach.

Back at his residence, Li Banfeng went to the shady room on the first floor.

Actor Cultivator was dancing in the room, while a group of ghosts watched intently.

To be honest, whether it's her face or her figure, she's impeccable in the Actor Cultivator. Even Li Banfeng wanted to look at her more... Why would he want to look at her? He's a man!

Li Banfeng coughed, and all the spirits returned to the jar. These spirits were bought from Yin Siniang and usually stayed in the house. As long as they didn't cause trouble, Li Banfeng didn't interfere much.

Li Banfeng Actor Cultivator, called him out of his room, took him to the living room, turned on the TV, and carefully selected a show.

He found a TV series, pointed to a scene on the screen, and said, "This is Outer State procurement. It involves asking for prices, negotiating, and signing contracts. Can you understand the process?"

Actor Cultivator nodded and said, "I understand. I often watch TV when you're not home."

He's alright, he's quite honest.

"I need you to buy something for me. Do you know how to do it?"

After carefully considering the whole process, Actor Cultivator, "Acting is easy, but I don't know the market. I can't be sure if I'll overpay for something or buy the wrong thing."

This can't be forced. Actor Cultivator hasn't had much formal education, so it's too difficult for him to grasp physics.

Furthermore, Actor Cultivator has some concerns. "I saw on TV that large-scale purchases all have to rely on a company behind them, otherwise the suppliers won't trust us."

"You know quite a lot," Li Banfeng, relieved that Actor Cultivator had thought of everything so thoroughly. "Leave the company's affairs to me. Just focus on making the most of your role."

That evening, Li Banfeng found Tang Changfa and asked, "Do you have any connections in the Black Market? Get me a company; I want to use that company's name to buy some things."

Tang Changfa laughed and said, "What connections do we need? We have a company in our family!"

Li Banfeng rolled his eyes at Tang Changfa: "Do you even know what a company is?"

"What's there to not know? When you're doing business, you need your own storefront and a company to back you up so that you can get involved in big deals."

Li Banfeng was stunned for a long time. After not seeing him for a while, Tang Changfa's condition was very different from before.

"Do we really have a company?"

"Yes! I paid Lin Fojiao to handle it for us, and all the paperwork is complete. Shopkeeper, just tell me what you want to buy?"

Li Banfeng said, "I want to buy some scientific research equipment."

Tang Changfa thought for a moment and asked, "Scientific research equipment, right? That's what we do for scientific research, isn't it? That's within our business scope, just buy it!"

"But I know absolutely nothing about science, so I'll have to find someone knowledgeable to handle the business for us."

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "I have people ready to handle the business. You should try to stay out of the spotlight. Also, keep an eye out for something else: see if you can find any information about Nie Li'ai Shafu on the Black Market."

"Huh, what husband?"

Li Banfeng wrote it down for Tang Changfa.

After looking at it, Tang Changfa scratched his head and said, "This is too tempting. I'll have Yan Hong inquire about it."

She's very articulate.

Li Banfeng asked, "Afa, did you know about the war that took place in Pro State more than forty years ago?"

Tang Changfa and said, "War? Isn't there war every day in Pro State? I don't remember."

Fool's City was isolated from the outside world, and it is estimated that it had become completely cut off from the world by the time of the Second Pro War.

Tang Changfa didn't say anything more and hurried off to get things done.

Li Banfeng took out the Old Teapot; he was old and should know more about things.

"Was there any war in Pro State forty years ago?"

"Forty years ago—when was forty years ago? Was I still in the Bitter Vegetable Manor?"

This is a common problem with magical artifacts; their concept of time is not very clear.

After several prompts from Li Banfeng, the Old Teapot still couldn't remember, so Li Banfeng turned to ask about the gloves.

"Forty years ago, I don't think I was Gloves yet. Did I join the Ghost Hand Gate back then?" Gloves suffered a major trauma, and his memory has serious blind spots.

Zhong Bai Luo Yuni vaguely remembered. "I was considered a talented woman back then, and I think I wrote some articles about war."

I don't remember exactly what I wrote.

It's likely that the talented woman wrote some anti-war poems and essays. Luo Yuni might know something about it, and once her memory returns, we can learn more about her.

Other magical artifacts either lack a sense of time or have no memory of the war. Tang Blade seems to have heard news of the war, but he has spent most of his time wandering the martial world and has never been on the battlefield.

There was only one exception.

Wine Gourd.

"Young brother, I've fought in battles. I don't remember exactly when, but I did fight alongside Yao Lao."

Tang Blade chimed in from the side, "It's not uncommon for Local Earth God to occasionally fight each other, is it?"

"This is not a casual battle; I went to the real battlefield. Back then, Yao Lao still had troops under his command. Those troops were not originally in Medicine King Gully, but when they knew there was going to be a war, they all came. After the war, no one knows where they went."

Li Banfeng asked, "Who are you fighting against?"

"A group of foreigners went to Yao Lao's residence at first and talked about many things, but I didn't listen much at the time."

Yao Lao flew into a rage. The group of foreigners were causing trouble at Yao Lao's residence. Yao Lao killed two of them, and the rest all ran away in fear.

A couple of days later, a group of soldiers arrived. They didn't say much, just set up camp on the mountain, and followed Yao Lao's orders in everything.

It was then that I realized war was a complex matter, completely different from ordinary fighting. Yao Lao had to find ways to provide food and weapons for these soldiers, and also allocate troops according to the terrain of Medicine King Gully.

When the fighting actually started, I remember there were over thirty battles in total, and I went to all thirty-odd of them.

It's a pity they didn't make it to the front lines.

Many soldiers were wounded at the time, and I was responsible for distributing medicinal wine to them. Some soldiers drank the wine and recovered, while others did not. Some died before they even got to drink the wine.

At first, I wanted to go to the front lines with Yao Lao and fight my way through, but later I got really scared. I trembled all over at the mere mention of war.

That day, after the final battle, Yao Lao told me we had won. He brought out all the good wine in the yard and held a victory banquet. Everyone got completely drunk. When I woke up, everyone was gone.

Yao Lao continued as before, singing operas, drinking wine, and gathering medicinal herbs in the mountains, as if nothing had ever happened.

Is this the Second Pro War?

Which side did Yao Lao stand on in the Second Pro State War?

Which side are these foreigners from?

The only speculation we can make now is that Yao Lao and Huang Yuxian should belong to the same camp, and the Lavsha People should be their common enemy.

First, go to Pro State and check for clues.

Li Banfeng took out paper and pen and wrote down a list. The people on this list should all have experienced the war.

They should have some understanding of the situation at that time.

Finding the thread in a pile of scattered information is not an easy task.

To find out the truth, you need to at least know the general outline.

We still need to find a solution from Little Shen.

Actor Cultivator put on a suit and went to discuss business with Tang Changfa.

Tang Changfa even found experts on the Black Market to source meeting venues, office locations, and mobile and landline phones—

Everything was arranged perfectly, and the electromagnetic instrument was purchased in just one week.

This equipment costs over 39 million, which is relatively inexpensive compared to other equipment in the laboratory.

Li Banfeng wasn't short of money, but this amount still surprised him. No wonder Snowflake Port was completely drained; scientific research really is an expensive business.

My Wife got the new equipment and went to the laboratory happily. Who knows how many days she'll be gone from there.

Portable Abode reminded him, "Seventh Brother, you've been going to Seven Autumn City a lot lately, it's been too frequent."

"There's nothing we can do about it; the lab is located in Seven Autumn City."

"I'm talking about this laboratory. Don't think that just because you have a secret place, you can Carefree Sleep easy. There are many ways to enter secret places, and there are many people in this world who want to know the secrets of the boundary. You must not be arrogant."

The old man was right; we need to find a safer way to hide the lab.

What other options are there?

Magic Circle!

Set up a Three Gates Three Openings Formation in front of the laboratory?

First of all, this magic circle lasts for a very limited time.

Secondly, some people were simply escorted out of the lab as they passed by, which clearly indicated that there were good things here.

This formation won't work; I need to learn a new one.

Li Banfeng went to the Ninth Room, which was in a mess.

"What happened?"

The Ninth Room daughter playfully scolded, "Junior brother, Red Lotus and I were having a good chat when she suddenly decided to spar with me."

I thought I'd been here for so many years and hadn't really stretched my muscles, so I sparred with my sister a couple of times. I didn't expect her to be so ruthless and injure me.

,

Red Lotus snapped, "Where are you hurt? Show me!"

The girl from the Ninth Room felt very wronged. "This house is my flesh and blood. Look at that wall, that's my back. Look at that brick, that's my bone. Look at that table, that's my arm."

"Nonsense!" Red Lotus gritted her teeth. "That table was just bought. Did you not have arms before?"

Ninth Girl sighed, "Junior Brother, you heard it too. This person is so unreasonable. I try to talk to her nicely, but she starts arguing with me as soon as she opens her mouth."

Red Lotus retorted angrily, "Who wants to talk to you? I'm just looking for peace and quiet here. Who can stand your incessant chatter all day long?"

Ninth Girl snorted and said, "Oh dear, my mouth is on my body. I don't need to eat. What else can my mouth do besides talking? Why can't I speak?"

Red Lotus was furious, so Li Banfeng moved her to the Eighth House.

When they returned to the Ninth Room, the Ninth Girl was still not very happy. "Junior Brother, I'm left with only one person to keep me company."

"You moved her out, are you trying to suffocate me?"

Li Banfeng said, "I'm just keeping you company. I've been practicing formations lately, the Three Gates Three Openings Formation, and I've mastered it very well."

"Junior brother, once you've mastered one skill, that's enough. You're not thinking of trying to get something out of me again, are you?"

Li Banfeng moved a chair and sat in the middle of the room, patiently explaining, "Jiuer— "

"Call me Senior Sister! What Jiuer? Anyone who didn't know better would think I'm your concubine."

"Ninth Senior Sister, I am the only living disciple of our Daoist sect. Daoist formations are a unique skill. If they don't pass it on to me, who else can they pass it on to?"

"Junior brother, it's not that I can't pass it on to you, but teaching a disciple can lead to the master starving. If I pass on all my true skills to you, and you turn your back on me one day and think I'm useless, I can just use irrefutable evidence to wipe me out. Where can I go to seek justice then?"

"What happened back then is in the past, does Senior Sister still hold a grudge?"

"I really am a petty person; I'll probably never forget this little thing for the rest of my life."

"You were the one who laid a hand on my Wife first, so you were in the wrong first, weren't you?"

"That's right, your Wife is the real family. Why should I, an outsider, get involved?"

Go learn formations from your Wife!

"Ninth Senior Sister," Li Banfeng sighed softly, "To be honest, I'm a person who cares about my reputation, and I really don't want to get entangled with you here, but what else can I do?"

To protect Fool's City, I've offended countless people, and now I'm hiding in exile, barely able to protect my own home.

I was hoping to set up a magic array at my doorstep to at least hold off any enemies who came, but when I begged my sister for some pointers, she just wouldn't agree.

If you don't want to agree, then forget I said anything. No one will care if I say more; I'll figure it out myself.

As Li Banfeng got up to leave, an invisible hand patted his back and comforted him as he sat down.

"Junior brother, I was just joking with you, why did you take it seriously? What technique do you want to learn? I'll teach you."

"Is your sister really willing to teach?"

"You Speaking of Sourness and Uttering Bitterness' so well, how could I not teach you?"

She saw through it.

It's okay if they see through it, as long as they're willing to teach.

"Ninth Senior Sister, I want to learn the formation that balances speed and intensity."

This formation is good. It's the same as the formation in Fool's City. You can only find the entrance at a specific speed. Too fast or too slow won't work. It's very suitable for use in the laboratory.

The girl from the Ninth Room pondered for a moment, "Junior brother, this won't do. I'm not trying to fool you, but you still can't learn the right balance of fast and slow."

"How could I not learn it? I have a pretty good grasp of the balance between fast and slow."

"What are you trying to control? Putting everything else aside, just take what you said earlier about Speaking of Sourness and Uttering Bitterness. You just kept pushing upwards without caring whether your sister could take it or not. Where is the measure of tightness or slowness in this?"

You're too impatient. This formation isn't suitable. Listen to your sister, let's change it."

What should I replace it with?

"Then let's learn the Confusing Flowers Dazzling Eyes Array '." Sun Tiecheng had used this formation before. By sticking two tree branches into the ground, he could help Li Banfeng hide the location where he buried the contract. The formation looked perfunctory, but it was quite effective. Ye Song Bridge's contract had never had any problems.

But Ninth Girl still didn't want to teach. "Junior Brother, I've told you before, the Confusing Flowers Dazzling Eyes Array' is a skill that takes real skill. You really won't be able to learn it in less than ten or eight years."

Li Banfeng was displeased. "You won't teach me this, you won't teach me that, what am I supposed to learn?"

"Junior brother, are you angry again? Fine, I'll teach you the Confusing Flowers Dazzling Eyes Array.' Do you remember how Sun Tiecheng set up the formation?"

"He just stuck two branches in there."

"The key to inserting these two branches is to choose the right position, the right depth and force, to tear open an unspeakable gap, and release an unspeakable force from the gap, thereby confusing others' vision."

Therefore, there are three key points to an array: direction, depth, and force. Junior brother, find something and try inserting it.

Li Banfeng brought over two wooden sticks. "Where should we stick them?"

"Here."

A flowerpot was placed in front of Li Banfeng, inside which was a rose bush in full bloom.

Portable Abode is perpetually dark, these flowers still bloom. They were bought from Zhang Wanlong. Despite the lack of sunlight in the new land, the crops cultivated by Zhang Fanglong can still grow.

Ninth Girl dipped a brush in cinnabar and made two marks in the soil of the flowerpot. "I've chosen the positions for you first. You just need to decide on the depth and pressure. Close your eyes, and tell me when you've finished planting."

If the magic array succeeds, when my sister opens her eyes, she shouldn't be able to see this rose bush.

Grasp the depth and force.

She didn't explain what rules to follow.

Li Banfeng could only rely on his senses to figure it out. He tried several times, but the roses still couldn't be hidden. Ninth Girl made a mark on the stick. "I've also determined the depth for you. You just need to control the force. Try again."

The direction and depth are already determined; all that's left is to control the force, so it shouldn't be too difficult.

After several attempts, Ninth Girl urged, "Is it done yet?"

Li Banfeng felt it was about time. "Sister, open your eyes and take a look."

After a moment of silence, Li Banfeng asked, "Sister, can you see?"

Ninth Girl said in a cold tone, "Do you think I'm blind? Can't I see a rose this big? I've been teaching you for so long, what have you learned?"

Li Banfeng is said to be impatient, but Senior Sister's temper isn't much better.

After studying all day with little progress, and driven to his breaking point by his senior's nagging, Li Banfeng went to the lab.

The Wife wasn't in a good mood either, as she had encountered some troubles and couldn't continue with several experiments, "Little Slave, you have to let Little Slave stay a few more days. If I don't figure this out, my heart will be hanging in suspense forever."

Since his Wife had made the request, Li Banfeng naturally had to agree. To be on the safe side, Li Banfeng also left the Tang Blade and the Old Teapot in the laboratory, one for offense and one for defense, to protect his Wife's safety together.

Li Banfeng returned to Outer State and went to the Dark Star Bureau.

He called Shen Jingye to his office and specially poured Shen Jingye a cup of tea.

Shen Jingye didn't dare to drink. "Director Li, what do you want to see me about?"

1

Li Banfeng asked earnestly, "Little Shen, how many archives does our Dark Star Bureau actually have?"

Shen Jingye was somewhat embarrassed. "Director Li, this is a confidential matter, why are you asking me so directly?"

Li Banfeng handed the teacup to Shen Jingye, saying, "Aren't we all true friends?"

PS: In September, the performance of "Lord of Pro" continued to grow steadily. Salad am very grateful for the support of all the readers.

During the National Day holiday, Salad will continue to update. To express my gratitude, I will add an extra chapter tonight at midnight. Dear readers, please give Salad your guaranteed monthly votes. With your support, Salad is confident that she can compete with them again on the monthly vote ranking!