Chapter 484.2: The Entrance to the Inner Provinces (2)

Dick Chen handed Daboinsky a scroll. Daboinsky unrolled it and found that it was completely blank, without a single word written on it.

Dick Chen took the scroll back. "You have probably seen this kind of letter before. The Outer Provinces have special equipment that can decipher its contents. There's nothing particularly surprising about the message though. The Inner Provinces want the Outer Provinces to help them break through the boundary line separating them from Puluo Province."

Daboinsky was shocked. "The Outer Provinces can even break through the boundary line between the Inner Provinces and Puluo Province?"

Dick Chen nodded. "You see, there's really no fundamental difference between the boundary line separating the Inner Provinces from Puluo Province and the one between Greenwater City and Girdle-Slipping Hollow. The only difference with the boundary line separating Inner Provinces from Puluo Province is that it's much thicker. Think of the boundary line between Greenwater City and Girdle-Slipping Hollow as a sheet of paper, while the one between the Inner Provinces and Puluo Province is more like a wall. Breaking through a sheet of paper is easy enough for the Inner Provinces, but a wall is another matter entirely. They simply haven't the means to break through it."

"Breaking through the boundary line is what the Inner Provinces want most from the Outer Provinces, and it's also the greatest bargaining chip the Outer Provinces hold over the Inner Provinces. The two sides spent a long time negotiating over this matter.

"However, those negotiations were suspended when Xiao Zhenggong was acting as the Balancer. The official explanation was that the Inner Provinces had been pushing their demands too aggressively, undermining the very basis of the negotiations."

Daboinsky sighed. "Some of the things the Outer Provinces say are too profound and difficult to understand. What exactly do they mean by 'overly aggressive demands?'"

"The Inner Provinces were desperate for the Outer Provinces to help them find a way to overcome the boundary line completely, but the Outer Provinces refused. If the Inner Provinces were to launch a large-scale invasion of Puluo Province, it would inevitably affect the Outer Provinces' interests there.

"Of course, even with such conflicting interests, the two sides could still have continued negotiating. The main reason the negotiations were suspended was that Xiao Zhenggong had been stirring up trouble."

"Xiao Zhenggong?" Daboinsky was rather surprised. "He actually had a hand in all this?"

Dick Chen smiled. "According to the Outer Provinces, Xiao Zhenggong has done less than any Balancer before him. Nearly all his communications with the Inner Provinces have had to go through the Sage. During the plague at the Sage's Peak, some messages even had to be relayed through us.

"Many assumed that Xiao Zhenggong was simply trying to protect himself by staying out of the conflict between the Inner Provinces and the Outer Provinces. They thought he wanted nothing to do with it.

"But they had Xiao Zhenggong all wrong. He wasn't nearly as timid as they imagined. On the contrary, he was quite willing to take risks. All this time, he had been doing everything in his power to sabotage communications between the Inner Provinces and the Outer Provinces.

"You see, the Inner Provinces depend on the Outer Provinces to help them overcome the boundary line. But Xiao Zhenggong has also been studying ways to break through it himself. If he succeeds, and the Inner Provinces no longer need to rely on the Outer Provinces but turn to Xiao Zhenggong instead, then one day, Xiao Zhenggong will become the master of Puluo Province."

Daboinsky fell silent.

Dick Chen noticed his silence. "What's the matter? Nothing to say?"

"I am just stunned. I had no idea Xiao Zhenggong was plotting something on such a grand scale."

Dick Chen smiled. "Surely you must have realized how calculating he was back when you worked with him to establish the Flying General's Battalion."

Daboinsky shook his head. "I knew far too little about him. Hearing all this from you has come as quite a shock."

Was Daboinsky really that shocked? Not in the slightest. He was the finest private investigator in Puluo Province. During his time working with Xiao Zhenggong, he had even served as a messenger between Xiao Zhenggong and Dick Chen.

In fact, Daboinsky had already made some fairly accurate deductions about Xiao Zhenggong's schemes. What really worried him now was Dick Chen's intentions.

Why did he suddenly reveal so much? Is this a test?

Dick Chen was indeed testing him.

"Dabo, there's no need to pretend you are only just beginning to understand things when you are with me. We have no need for that kind of pretense between us. We are comrades working toward a common goal. From now on, I will be sharing even more confidential information with you, and I hope that, in return for my honesty, you will learn and grow. Stop making use of people you shouldn't be using. Lu Xiaolan looks a little like you, and there are other ways you can protect her."

***

In an ordinary house in Greenwater City, Tangyuan changed into a dark blue floral qipao and applied some light makeup. She was getting ready for her shift at Freewind Wharf.

She hadn't gone to the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs, nor did she intend to visit Li Qi's ancestral home. That residence had already been searched so many times that there was little hope of finding any valuable clues there.

Yesterday, she had applied for a job at Freewind Wharf and successfully secured a position as a singer.

With her current singing ability, she wasn't good enough to perform solo onstage. For now, she could only sing in a chorus with the other newly recruited singers or provide backing vocals for the well-known performers.

None of that mattered to Tangyuan. What mattered was that she had to seize this opportunity to investigate.

Tangyuan took off her glasses and put on a pair of earrings. The earrings had the ability to alter her appearance, making her so difficult to recognize that even her colleagues from the Dark Star Bureau might fail to identify her if they stood right in front of her.

She had chosen Little Peach Blossom as her stage name and given herself one month to complete the investigation.

She knew she wasn't a fool like Lightbulb, who had gotten himself caught by Li Qi after just one day. Still, if she stayed too long, she might arouse Li Qi's suspicions.

One month seemed just right. Tangyuan had already planned out her schedule for each day. As long as she remained calm and focused on her investigation, she was certain she could uncover clues that everyone else had missed.

***

At the Border Control Office, Dick Chen handed the scroll to Liao Zihui in a secret chamber.

Liao Zihui knew the letter had come from the Inner Provinces, so he passed the scroll to the technicians to have it deciphered. Once he learned what it contained, he praised Dick Chen to his face. "Little Chen, this is no ordinary letter. After years of being suspended, our negotiations with the Inner Provinces have finally resumed."

Dick Chen smiled. "That's precisely why I told you I wanted to do more valuable work. From now on, don't ever come to me with petty matters involving the likes of Li Qi."

Liao Zihui maintained his composure and replied with a smile. "I have already arranged for the letter to be sent to the Outer Provinces. I expect we will get a reply within a few days. But don't get your hopes up too high. I doubt we can figure out how to completely bypass the boundary between the Inner Provinces and Puluo Province in such a short time. It's simply not a realistic expectation."

Dick Chen shook his head. "I don't think the Inner Provinces have such unrealistic expectations either. What they are probably hoping for is that the Outer Provinces will help them open up additional passageways. The natural passageways they have been using have already reached their limit on the number of crossings allowed this year. With more than half the year still to go, the Inner Provinces have almost no way of sending more people into Puluo Province. If we are willing to open up another route for them, I think that would go a long way toward improving relations between our two sides."

Liao Zihui nodded. "I will submit your suggestion to the higher-ups as well. I trust that they will adopt your suggestion."

"My suggestion..." Dick Chen smiled and said, "Sure. Then I will have to trouble you with that, Commissioner."

Dick Chen knew all too well how the Outer Provinces operated. He had been the one to bring the two sides together and restore communications between the Inner Provinces and the Outer Provinces. Yet despite everything he had done, his opinions carried absolutely no weight with the higher-ups.

He had done all this for one reason alone. He wanted to secure his position as Balancer.

After leaving the Border Control Office, Dick Chen returned to his residence to attend to a matter he really cared about.

"Dabo, you have insisted all along that Li Qi and Li Banfeng are the same person, and that the Arcane Crimson Lotus is in Li Banfeng's possession. I need to confirm with you one more time. Are you absolutely certain you haven't made a mistake?"

Daboinsky was very confident about this. "He used a rather unusual disguise technique that drastically altered his appearance. However, I didn't rely on his looks to determine his identity. I based my conclusion on the timeline of events and the logical connections between them. Li Banfeng is Li Qi. There's absolutely no doubt about it."

"Good. As long as there's no mistake with this. It's Li Qi's turn now," Dick Chen said as he leafed through the newspapers one by one, searching for reports about Li Qi.

Daboinsky asked, "Are you planning to use the Border Control Office's resources against him?"

Dick Chen shook his head. "We can't let the Border Control Office get involved in this. The reason I acted so dismissively toward Li Qi earlier was to draw their attention away from him. I didn't want them getting their hands on the Crimson Lotus before we did."

"Then we will use our own people."

"We can't risk exposing our own people either."

"Are you suggesting that just the two of us take on Li Qi?"

Dick Chen smiled. "Dabo, you didn't actually think I underestimated Li Qi that much, did you? He's a powerful and ruthless figure in Puluo Province. How could the two of us possibly deal with someone like him on our own? We need to find some allies. Like I have said before, people driven to desperation are the easiest to manipulate."

***

Late that night, Dick Chen slipped quietly into the Lu Family's mansion and sneaked into Duan Shaoxia's bedroom.

He glanced toward the bed, but Duan Shaoxia was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he sensed someone behind him pointing a gun at the back of his head.

Duan Shaoxia stood there with tears in her eyes, gripping a gun in her trembling hand. "W-who are you?"

Dick Chen knew better than to say anything careless. He mustn't try to comfort her, much less threaten her. Duan Shaoxia could open fire at any moment, and the instant she did, her hand would become perfectly steady, without the slightest tremor.

He knew her Daoist path and was familiar with her fighting habits. His best course of action was to speak plainly. "Madam Duan, I have come to help you. More specifically, I have come to help your two children."

Duan Shaoxia's hand trembled even more violently, and she was on the verge of pulling the trigger. "Are you going to hurt my children?"

Dick Chen hurriedly revealed what he had to offer. "I can get Lu Yuanhai a brand-new body, one that really belongs to him. I can also recover Lu Yuanshan's soul, give him a new body, and bring him back to your side."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Dick Chen slowly turned around to face Duan Shaoxia. "I am not talking nonsense. Everything I just told you is true. Madam, I can help you, but only if you are willing to help me too."

***

After arriving at Medicine King Gully Station, Dick Chen made his way to the square outside and approached a rickshaw driver. "I need to go to Inner Gully."

The driver was smoking a pipe. He looked up at Dick Chen and said, "Inner Gully's not far from here. You don't need my services for such a short trip. Find yourself another rickshaw."

"Don't you want my business?"

"You should take my advice. This rickshaw of mine has fire wheels, and the fare is too expensive."

Dick Chen pulled out a thick stack of Huan banknotes and handed it to the driver. "Is this enough?"

The driver took the money and counted it. There was a little over two thousand yuan. "I don't think you are really looking for a ride to Inner Gully. What exactly do you want from me?"

Dick Chen lowered his voice. "I would like to make a deal with you. I know you have lost something very important to you. Your territory, to be precise. I can help you get it back, and all you have to do in return is kill one person for me."

The driver was immediately interested. "You mean I can get my territory back just by killing someone? Is there really such a good deal?"

"Well, you are in luck, because that's exactly the sort of deal I am offering."

"Then tell me who you want me to kill."

"There's no need to rush. Agree to the deal first, and then we can take our time discussing the details."

***

In a private room at Eastmeadow Teahouse in Greenwater City, Lightbulb showed Li Banfeng a document. "The Border Control Office has just established a new department specifically responsible for liaising with the Inner Provinces."

Li Banfeng read through the document carefully. "Didn't they have a department like this before?"

"I asked around. There used to be a department responsible for maintaining contact with the Inner Provinces, but it was eventually disbanded because there was nothing for it to do."

Previously, there had been nothing for such a department to do, yet now there was suddenly a need for one. This meant that the Outer Provinces and Inner Provinces had reestablished contact, and someone important must have played a part in bringing the two sides together.

Who could that someone be? It must be a Balancer. Xiao Zhenggong died and a new Balancer appeared. Who is this Balancer?

The first person Li Banfeng thought about was Dick Chen.

There is no way Tangyuan would work as a businessman's secretary, but she might serve as a Balancer's bodyguard. That would explain why she accompanied Dick Chen to the banquet that day. Of course, this is just a theory. It would be best if I can confirm this, but who can I confirm this with?

Li Banfeng went back to Freewind Wharf, where he spotted several female singers chatting among themselves.

"Little Peach Blossom!" Li Banfeng beckoned to her. "Come to my room for a moment."

"Huh...?" Tangyuan froze.

One of the other singers gave her a nudge. "What are you standing there for? Hurry up! Master Qi has taken a fancy to you! Do you have any idea how lucky you are?"

"H-he's taken a fancy to me? But... what does he want with me?"

Another singer laughed. "What do you think he wants? He's invited you into his room! Surely you know what that means? Go on, don't be afraid. Plenty of women spend their whole lives hoping for an opportunity like this and never get one."

What sort of opportunity is this? I have never even had a boyfriend, and I am supposed to give myself to him just like that?

Tangyuan entered Li Banfeng's bedroom, trembling from head to toe. Then she gritted her teeth and steeled herself. "If I have to give myself to him, then so be it! I am an excellent investigator, and I must remember my duty and my mission! This really is an opportunity, and I am determined to uncover some valuable information!"

Tangyuan stood before Li Banfeng with her pretty face burning a brilliant shade of red from the tip of her nose all the way to the base of her ears.

Li Banfeng spoke in a gentle, assuring tone. "Tangyuan, come and sit over here."

"Huh...?" Tangyuan stood there, utterly dumbfounded.

There was no mistaking it. Li Banfeng had just called her Tangyuan.

The heat vanished from her cheeks as though someone had snuffed out a candle, and every hair on her body stood on end. The room suddenly felt terribly cold, and Tangyuan had the dreadful feeling that something very bad was about to happen to her.

Li Banfeng was losing his patience. "Will you sit down first? I have got something important to ask you. There's no need to be frightened. I am not going to bully you."