CHAPTER 90: CHAPTER 76 READING THE NEWSPAPER

Hunkering down in the Portable Residence seemed safe, but this approach wouldn’t work.

Because hiding in the Portable Residence meant that Li Banfeng had completely cut off contact with the outside world. This was even worse than hiding in Yu Family Village. Without any understanding of the situation’s progress, Li Banfeng couldn’t make effective preparations or responses. Unless he planned to stay in his house forever, the moment he stepped outside, he might be signing his own death warrant.

If passive defense wouldn’t work, then he’d have to change his defensive strategy.

Li Banfeng looked again at the letter in his hand. "Luyuan Inn, Xianle Dance Hall, Qingtang Teahouse—what places are these?"

Shopkeeper Feng said, "They’re all businesses run by Jiang Xiang Gang, all located on this street, very close to Yu Family Cloth Store. You don’t need me to tell you about the inn and the teahouse, but as for the dance hall—it’s a place for singing and dancing."

Li Banfeng nodded. "The name Xianle suggests it’s a place dedicated to the study of music."

"Music... well, that’s a bit hard to explain," Shopkeeper Feng found it difficult to articulate.

Li Banfeng sipped his tea. "If they’re ambushing on this street, it’s no better than ambushing directly inside Yu Family Cloth Store."

"That won’t do!" Shopkeeper Feng shook his head. If it had been anyone else saying something so clueless, Shopkeeper Feng wouldn’t have bothered to explain. But since Li Banfeng was from the Outside Provinces and genuinely didn’t understand some of the rules, he elaborated, "The purpose of Jiang Xiang Gang’s ambush is to target Manager Yu. If they directly sent people to stake out the Yu Family Cloth Store, they would inevitably need to handle food and drink, coming and going. If there were people coming and going from the cloth store, would Manager Yu possibly come back?"

Li Banfeng nodded—Shopkeeper Feng had a point. Yu Nan was very cautious. She had left lookouts in Li Gou, and if there was movement in the cloth store, she would definitely find out.

Shopkeeper Feng continued, "Moreover, even though Jiang Xiang Gang is ruthless, it’s still a local gang, and there are basic rules to follow. They are avenging the Geng Family Medicine Shop, not trying to seize Manager Yu’s store. With Manager Yu currently absent, if they took the opportunity to take over the store, it would be a bit indefensible in Jianghu."

Seeing that the incense was about to burn out, Li Banfeng asked another question, "Where is the helm platform of the Second Helmsman of Jiang Xiang Gang’s Medicine King Hall?"

"Tailai Gambling House on Yuanping Street. It’s a large mansion, easy to recognize. You’d best avoid that place too."

Li Banfeng nodded and handed Shopkeeper Feng 5,000 yuan in cash.

Shopkeeper Feng waved his hand. "What is this for? I wronged you previously. Just for such a bit of information, I can’t accept your money."

Just a bit of information? Even selling that letter for 5,000 yuan wouldn’t be too expensive.

Shopkeeper Feng refused to accept it, but Li Banfeng stuffed it into Shopkeeper Feng’s pocket anyway. "Shopkeeper, I’ve got some other things I want to buy as well. This is a down payment."

"What do you want to buy?"

Li Banfeng whispered a few words into Shopkeeper Feng’s ear.

Shopkeeper Feng frowned slightly. "Boss Li, in Puluo State, this item might not necessarily be useful. You should think it over carefully."

Li Banfeng smiled. "Buy more, use more, and there will always be a use."

The Geng Family Medicine Shop was gone, but Jiang Xiang Gang still hadn’t planned to stop. Now, the fight was about to start again. If you can win, fight; if not, run. Could he win this time? He felt he could. But first, he needed to choose the right opponent. Martial Cultivators at a high level were difficult to confront directly. He didn’t understand the principle behind Bitter Cultivation. His gaze settled on Du Hongxi. Nightmare Cultivators were very suitable targets. Having chosen the right opponent, the right methods were also needed. This time, he had to hit them hard—hard enough that they wouldn’t dare to come after him again.

「」

After leaving the general store, Li Banfeng lowered his top hat brim and quickly left Paifang Street.

There was a noodle shop in Chaikou Alley where Li Banfeng ate two bowls of mutton noodles. Just as he was ready to return to the Portable Residence, he suddenly heard the youthful voice of a newspaper boy nearby, "Mister, would you like to buy a newspaper? Morning paper for three Jiao, evening paper for five Jiao."

To think that Medicine King Valley actually sold evening papers.

The evening paper was printed later than the morning paper, featured more up-to-date news, and thus cost a bit more than the leftover morning papers.

Li Banfeng bought an evening paper, and the headline read, "He Lu Fall Out, But Where is the Way Forward?"

It was about the grudge between the He Family and the Lu Family.

Li Banfeng quickly scanned the content of the news and was taken aback.

The He Family asserted that the Lu Family’s illegitimate daughter, Lu Xiaolan, had attacked the He Family Eldest Son, He Jiaqing, who was still being treated in a hospital in the Outside Provinces.

Lu Xiaolan’s whereabouts were unknown. Members of the Lu family denied the unfounded accusations from the He Family and were still making every effort to find Lu Xiaolan. They also promised to give the He Family an explanation.

The fact that He Jiaqing was lying in the hospital was true. The He Family had verified this, so Li Banfeng didn’t need to worry about it.

Lu Xiaolan was still missing, and no one knew she was in the He Family Old House.

Was it good or bad for Lu Xiaolan that no one knew? In his view, it was good. The Lu Family had to give the He Family an explanation. After finding Lu Xiaolan, they might make her a scapegoat. Surviving in the He Family Old House might not be the worst outcome for Lu Xiaolan.

Was this good or bad for him? It was also good. If Lu Xiaolan were to reappear, the Lu Family would likely come looking for him as well.

What surprised Li Banfeng wasn’t just the news itself, but also how, as an outdated medium from over a decade ago, newspapers still had such a substantial amount of information.

Information...

Seeing that the newspaper boy hadn’t gone far, Li Banfeng hurried forward and called out, "I want a copy of the morning paper too."

The newspaper boy was delighted; at this time of day, the morning paper was not easy to sell, so he quickly handed Li Banfeng a copy.

Li Banfeng briefly flipped through the morning paper. In addition to the front-page news about the He and Lu Families, he also saw some news about the Geng Family Medicine Shop.

"The Geng’s Medicine Shop Turned to Ashes, the Mastermind Gradually Surfaces."

This was a news commentary. The commentator made deductions about the culprit who burned down the Geng Family’s business. Although they did not finalize the conclusion, the analysis from various aspects pointed directly at the Yu Family Gang.

This was within Li Banfeng’s expectations. The commentary mentioned the Jiang Xiang Gang. Some even boldly speculated that the Jiang Xiang Gang would completely annihilate the Yu Family within a month.

What was the background of the newspaper office? Who was backing them? Weren’t they afraid of the Jiang Xiang Gang’s influence?

Li Banfeng found an advertisement for the Xianle Dance Hall in the newspaper.

Starting tomorrow, the Xianle Dance Hall would have a three-day customer appreciation event, with prices starting at a 30% discount.

So places that study music could also offer discounts. Such a rare learning opportunity—he definitely had to check it out.

The content of the morning paper wasn’t much different from the evening paper. Li Banfeng then asked the newspaper boy, "Do you have even older newspapers?"

The newspaper boy shook his head. "No, I don’t."

Li Banfeng asked again, "Do you know where I can buy old newspapers?"

"I know." The newspaper boy, holding a stack of heavy newspapers, was about to show Li Banfeng the way when Li Banfeng took out a twenty-yuan banknote and handed it to the boy. "Take me there."

The newspaper boy was very happy and led Li Banfeng through two alleys to the front of a shop.

The sign on the shop read "Lu Family Bookstore." Li Banfeng entered the bookstore and saw the store owner preparing to close for the day.

"Are you buying books?" Boss Lu approached to welcome him.

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I’m buying newspapers."

Boss Lu smiled. "I don’t sell new newspapers here."

Li Banfeng said, "I’m buying old newspapers. One issue of the Medicine King Valley evening paper for each day, for the past three years."

"Three years’ worth of newspapers?" Boss Lu’s eyebrows twitched; this was no small business. "Think it over, sir. Old newspapers are more expensive than new ones."

He wasn’t selling scrap paper; he was selling collectibles.

"Just make me an offer."

Boss Lu immediately quoted his prices. For old newspapers from this year, the price was doubled to one yuan per issue. Last year’s were doubled again to two yuan per issue. Those from the year before last were four yuan per issue, and papers from three years prior were eight yuan.

Li Banfeng didn’t hesitate and spent 5,350 yuan to buy all three and a half years’ worth of newspapers.

Carrying several large stacks, he found a secluded spot and sent them into the Portable Residence.

Inside the Portable Residence, Li Banfeng lit a candle and began to go through the newspapers one by one.

Medicine King Valley’s newspapers were divided into four sections. The first section was major news from Puluo State. As the two major families of Puluo State, it was natural for the He and Lu families’ disputes to make the front-page news.

The second section was an analysis of major news by various well-known commentators from Medicine King Valley. One commentator, using the pen name "the Madman of Li Gou," spanned a history of a hundred years to narrate the grudges between the He and Lu families.

Li Banfeng discovered a term in this commentary: "the darkest era."

What exactly "the darkest era" was needed further verification.

The third section was news from Medicine King Valley.

The fourth section was the supplement, which included plenty of essays from famous writers, serialized novels, and a number of advertisements.

"Read more books, read more newspapers, eat fewer snacks, get more sleep." This phrase applied just as well in Puluo State. If he had read more newspapers, he wouldn’t have been so embarrassingly unprepared in Puluo State.

After he finished reading the evening paper for the day, Li Banfeng found it immensely beneficial.

Flipping back three days, Li Banfeng found news about He Jiaqing.

"He Clan’s Rightful Heir Attacked, Lu Clan In-Law Owes Blood Debt."

The news of He Jiaqing’s attack came a bit late, but it took up the whole front page of the newspaper.

It detailed news that couldn’t be read in the Outside Provinces, including the derailment of train number 1160, as well as the mysterious disappearances of He Jiaqing and Lu Xiaolan.

Li Banfeng continued to flip through the newspapers, eager to gather more information, when suddenly the Phonograph hissed and crackled to life.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

"Raising a rooster that won’t crow,

Keeping a yellow dog that won’t watch the house,

Marrying a man who won’t buy groceries,

Might as well marry a lively soft-shelled turtle!"

Li Banfeng flew into a rage. "You shrew, who are you calling a soft-shelled turtle?"

"Hey there! I’m nearly starved. Can’t I scold you a bit?"