Business Sealed, No Backing Out

Li Banfeng is indeed going back to Inner Gully.

If the Private Detective Dabo Ensi is indeed sent by Jiang Xiang Gang, Li Banfeng absolutely cannot stay in Yu Family Stronghold. Otherwise, once Jiang Xiang Gang sends troops to surround Yu Family Stronghold, Li Banfeng will have no chance to escape.

If Dabo Ensi wasn't Jiang Xiang Gang, Li Banfeng should try his best to find out his background.

Moreover, Li Banfeng wanted to find Steward Feng to find out the origin of the record player.

In addition, we need to inquire about the Travel Permit. Travel Permit to Outer State are too difficult to obtain. If Yu Nan's matter cannot be resolved, we will have to ask Steward Feng for help.

If 20 million is truly needed, Li Banfeng should carefully consider returning to Yuezhou.

Therefore, returning to Inner Gully as soon as possible is the only correct choice.

Li Banfeng was leaving, and Xiao Pang was going to follow him.

"Seventh Brother, my life, Qin Tianjiu's life, is yours from now on. No matter if it's going through fire or water, I won't even blink if you just say the word."

Li Banfeng frowned and said, "It's fine if you don't blink, but you have to stop me. I'm going through hell and high water, you can't pretend you didn't see me."

Qin Xiaopang pondered for a long time, then nodded and said, "Seventh Brother is right. I'll kowtow to you first."

Li Banfeng frowned even more. "From now on, you are not allowed to kowtow to living people. If anyone makes you kowtow, kill him."

Qin Xiaopang pondered for a while, then nodded and said, "Seventh Brother is right. When shall we set off?"

"You'd better not set off. Rest in Yu Family Stronghold for a while. I'll give you some money, and you can ask Shopkeeper Yu to cook you some good food." Li Banfeng was a little worried about Qin Xiaopang's health. He was sweating profusely from standing for a while.

Qin Xiaopang laughed and said, "Seventh Brother, don't worry. Once we get back to Inner Gully, I'll find a way out. I definitely won't be a burden to you. I'm not afraid of the Geng family, nor am I afraid of those bastards from the Jiang Xiang Gang!"

Yu Nan advised from the side, "Boss Qin, you can't act rashly. Now is the time for Jiang Xiang Gang Xiangbang to go all out. Let alone Inner Gully, once you leave Yu Family Stronghold, I'm afraid you'll be in grave danger."

Qin Xiaopang shook his head and said, "Shopkeeper Yu, thank you for your kindness, but I know this trip is fraught with danger. If I don't leave Yu Family Stronghold today, I'm afraid I'll never leave in this lifetime."

"Seventh Brother, could you lend me some money? I need to buy some dry rations from Shopkeeper Yu!"

This money should really be given; the grain in Yu Family Stronghold is all carried back from outside by Yu Nan's men.

Just as Li Banfeng took out his wallet, Yu Nan waved her hand and said, "Seventh Master, don't embarrass us. What's a little dry ration? Manager Qin can eat here for the rest of his life without any problem. I'm just worried..."

Qin Xiaopang laughed and said, "Shopkeeper Yu, don't worry, I, Qin Tianjiu, won't die. When your cloth shop opens in the future, I will have to come and congratulate you."

Li Banfeng exclaimed in admiration, "He truly has guts!"

Yu Nan looked at Li Banfeng and said, "Seventh Master, I'll go back to Inner Gully with you too."

Li Banfeng asked with a serious expression, "Are you someone who has guts too?"

Yu Nan said awkwardly, "I didn't, I didn't..."

"Since you don't have any offspring, stay here and don't wander off."

Li Banfeng wasn't joking. Yu Nan's situation was different from his; she was still burdened by the Yu Family Gang, and with her abilities and strength, she couldn't go back to Inner Gully right now.

Li Banfeng left Yu Family Stronghold.

Yu Nan was a little impulsive; she really wanted to go with Li Banfeng.

But the old warehouse manager stopped her. "Manager, wait a bit. We can't just walk into a dangerous situation. Boss Li is a master; we can't compare to him."

Jiang Xiang Gang can't keep an eye on us forever. We can go back to Inner Gully in a year or two, when things have calmed down.

Li Banfeng strode across the dark new ground, with Qin Xiaopang struggling to keep up behind him.

As they were going up the hill, Li Banfeng pulled Qin Xiaopang back, saying, "Don't try to be brave if you can't handle it. I still think you should rest and recuperate in Yu Family Stronghold for a while longer."

Qin Xiaopang wiped his sweat and said, "Seventh Brother, if you think I'm walking too slowly, you can go ahead and don't wait for me."

"You're having trouble walking now. If you go back to Inner Gully and run into the Geng family, how will you handle it?"

Qin Xiaopang took a bite of dry rations. "I told you, I will never implicate Seventh Brother. I'm ready to join the gang."

Which gang should I join?

"Three Heroes Gate".

Although Li Banfeng had no concept of gangs, he had heard Yu Nan mention the Three Heroes Gate, one of the three major gangs in Pro State. Li Banfeng doubted whether Qin Xiaopang was qualified to join the gang.

Qin Xiaopang took a sip of water and swallowed his dry rations. "There are qualifications to join the sect. As long as you've entered the sect, the Three Heroes Gate is willing to accept you."

"But someone like me, lacking any real standing, would only be a foot soldier even if I joined the gang. I'd never see the good food and drink, but I'd be the first to charge into battle."

Isn't this just being cannon fodder?

Li Banfeng narrowed his eyes and asked, "What benefits do you get from joining the Three Heroes Gate?"

Little Fatty said, "After I entered the Three Heroes Gate, those lackeys of the Jiang Xiang Gang no longer dared to provoke me, and the Geng family dared even less to provoke me."

They dare not provoke you, but you became cannon fodder in the Three Heroes Gate, and you probably won't live much longer.

Li Banfeng asked, "If you reach a higher level, you won't have to be a lowly soldier anymore?"

Little Fatty nodded. "Once you're on the next level, you can become an Iron Seal in the Three Heroes Gate."

What does "Iron Seal" mean?

"He's just a minor leader with five or six men under him. He has an Iron Seal and can manage some miscellaneous tasks on the ground."

As they spoke, the chubby boy's face was full of longing. Li Banfeng asked, "Have you wanted to join the Three Heroes Gate for a long time?"

Little Fatty first shook his head, then nodded. "I did think about joining the gang, but I don't want to be a lackey. I'd rather reach the first level and become an Iron Seal member; that wouldn't be shameful."

"Then let's wait a bit longer, until you can eat twenty pounds of rice."

"I tried it once," Little Fatty shook his head. "I bought twenty pounds of steamed buns to try it out, but after eating thirteen pounds, I couldn't eat anymore. I'm just not cut out for it."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "Who could swallow twenty catties of steamed buns? When we get to Inner Gully, we'll eat the best, twenty catties of the finest food!"

Little Fatty smiled but didn't say anything.

The two left Jiangyue Mountain, Li Banfeng found a horse-drawn carriage. After traveling for a day and a night, they returned to Inner Gully.

Little Fatty was heading to the Three Heroes Gate branch and asked Li Banfeng if he wanted to come along, "Seventh Brother, I see you've already reached a higher level. I know people in the gang; once you join, you'll definitely get the Iron Seal."

"If you know someone, take care of yourself first. Even if you have to be a lowly soldier, choose a good one."

After sending Little Fatty to the brothel, Li Banfeng went to Feng's General Store.

Steward Feng sat behind the counter, his face flushed, humming a line from a traditional opera. "There are forty-eight stations Xiliangchuan, and I don't need money for the soldiers!"

This is "Wujiapo," Wife likes to sing, and Li Banfeng listens to it all the time.

He had originally intended to step forward and sing a few lines, but when the waiter Chunsheng saw Li Banfeng, he trembled with fear and immediately shouted, "Boss, the debt collectors are here!"

Steward Feng had seen many big occasions. When he saw Li Banfeng arrive at the door, he first instructed Chunsheng to close the shop, and then invited Li Banfeng into the inner room.

Li Banfeng sat down in the inner room, and Steward Feng Li Banfeng poured him a pot of tea, then asked, "Boss Li, I know why you came. I really feel bad about this."

But friendship is friendship, and business is business. Once the deal is done, we can't go back on our word. If you feel upset, I can make it up to you, but you absolutely cannot return the goods.

Li Banfeng took a sip of tea and asked in surprise, "Refund what?"

Steward Feng added a piece of charcoal to the Tea Furnace: "Boss Li, let's be honest. Since you're here, we don't need to beat around the bush. You've already bought that record player, so there's no way we can send it back."

"Who said we were going to return it?" Li Banfeng looked at Steward Feng, puzzled. "That record player is perfectly fine, there's nothing wrong with it, why would I want to return it?"

"Fine..."

Steward Feng was stunned and speechless for a long time.

Ever since his grocery store took the record player, life has been anything but peaceful.

He suspected that Li Banfeng was being sarcastic.

Or perhaps they've been driven mad by the torment of the record player.

"Boss Li, are we talking about the same record player?"

Li Banfeng blinked and said, "I only have one record player."

"Boss Li, do you know about that machine that can sing by itself without anyone having to operate it?"

"I know, isn't a record player for singing?" Li Banfeng thought it was normal.

Steward Feng was stunned for a moment. "If he's happy, he can sing a couple of songs; if he's unhappy, he can sing all night long. And you can't stop him. You have to listen carefully, otherwise a wisp of steam can scald you half to death, you know that?"

Li Banfeng thought for a moment and said, "I hadn't noticed that. If she wants to sing, let her sing. Why stop her?"

Steward Feng stared at Li Banfeng in astonishment, feeling that this man was utterly unreasonable.

Is he really insane?

"Boss Li, to tell you the truth, you may not know this, but this record player can summon the spirits of the dead in the surrounding area." Since the deal couldn't be reversed, Steward Feng told Li Banfeng about his past experiences.

An old lady who passed away in Chuanzi Alley used to come to the general store every night to listen to songs, and she especially liked to sit next to Steward Feng.

There was an old yellow dog in Yuqian Alley who had just died two days ago. It was attracted by the record player and came over every night to listen to music. It would lie down next to Steward Feng's bed to listen.

It is said that the shopkeeper's father, who had passed away many years ago, also returned twice. He liked to brew a pot of tea and smoke his Smoking Pipe.

In the Qingxiao Pavilion, the Xiao Xuan girl Xiaoxuan, who committed suicide by drowning, liked to bring her pipa and play and sing along with the record player.

Hu Sange, who committed suicide with Xiao Xuan, liked to listen to music while holding a cigarette in his mouth and embracing Chunsheng.

Every night, looking at the shop filled with lonely ghosts, I wonder how they manage to get by?

With a heavy heart, Steward Feng ordered Chunsheng to throw the record player out.

At 11 p. m. that night, the record player returned home on time, first scalding Steward Feng Chunsheng with blisters, and then continuing to sing.

Driven to desperation, Steward Feng decided to close the shop and move back to his Outer Valley with Chunsheng.

But it was no use taking it back; the record player went back to Steward Feng with him.

Steward Feng rented another house and moved there to avoid the disaster.

That very night, the record player followed Steward Feng and sang all night. It warned Steward Feng that the record player could follow him wherever he went, and if it dared to leave without saying goodbye again, it would make Steward Feng Chunsheng have a good time.

The record player also said that she liked the original place.

Steward Feng dared not disobey, and the next day he and his employees moved back to the shop.

If we can't avoid it, we'll just send it away.

Steward Feng discussed with the record player. As a businessman, he couldn't stop someone from buying a record player.

The record player agreed, and the next day, Steward Feng sold it for twenty yuan.

That evening, the record player returned, scalding Steward Feng with blisters all over his body, saying he had sold it too cheaply.

Manager Steward Feng, with room for negotiation. Steward Feng dragged it out until today, and finally managed to sell the record player.

He felt sorry for Li Banfeng, but unexpectedly Li Banfeng said that the record player was pretty good.

After recounting his experiences, the shopkeeper added, "Boss Li, were you aware that this record player not only summons the dead, but also devours them?"

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "That's what I like about her; she's thrifty and doesn't waste things!"

Seeing that Li Banfeng had gone mad, the shopkeeper felt even more guilty and quickly asked Chunsheng to bring 260,000 yuan in cash. "Boss Li, here is your 160,000 yuan, I don't need it. I'll add another 100,000 yuan as a token of my appreciation, what do you think?"

Li Banfeng waved his hands repeatedly. "What are you doing? I really like that record player. I'm not here to return it, I'm here to buy something."

Steward Feng paused for a moment, then asked, "Boss Li, what would you like to buy?"

"I want to buy some information, information about this record player. I want to know who's inside this record player."

PS:

Thank you, Yuan Liang, the magic master!

Li Banfeng is about to do something big, dear readers, come and help Salad with it.

It's about stirring things up. Not making Salad!