Chapter 25: It Turns Out It Was You

Li Banfeng thought the person impersonating He Jiaqing would go to the restroom with him.

However, "He Jiaqing" didn't go. He didn't want any more contact with Li Banfeng, having noticed Li Banfeng's somewhat unusual behavior. Even if something was unusual, there was no need to worry. From the moment Li Banfeng entered the mansion, he believed the outcome was predetermined: Li Banfeng was fated to replace him and become the mansion's prisoner.

To be safe, "He Jiaqing" had given Li Banfeng some tea with "ingredients," intending for him to sleep soundly. Fearing Li Banfeng wouldn't sleep well, he had also wanted to give him a bowl of soup, but Li Banfeng hadn't drunk it. Now it seemed Li Banfeng indeed hadn't slept soundly. Perhaps not enough ingredients were used, or perhaps Li Banfeng was too healthy for a single cup of tea to completely knock him out.

None of this mattered. What mattered was that Li Banfeng couldn't get out. He couldn't possibly find an exit. "He Jiaqing" had been searching for days and still hadn't found an exit.

"Once dawn breaks, I'll be free. Li Banfeng, you fool, I wonder how long you'll last in this house."

"He Jiaqing" walked down the stairs and went to sleep in a room on the first floor near the entrance.

Li Banfeng entered the bathroom and saw a yellow cat and a white cat looking for food near the washbasin. There was no faucet on the washbasin; instead, there was a hand pump. The white cat jumped onto the pump handle, while the yellow cat squatted by the spout, watching to see if any water would emerge.

The rustling sounds were coming from them. How had these two cats gotten in? There were many cats in the mansion; how had the others gotten in? Through the windows? There was indeed a small, very small porthole window in the bathroom. The porthole was tightly shut. Li Banfeng pushed it several times, but it was as solid as the bedroom windows, impossible to open.

Li Banfeng hissed softly at the two cats. The white cat, already wary of him, bristled in fright at the sound and immediately scurried into a small hole beneath the washbasin. The yellow cat tried to follow, but Li Banfeng grabbed it. He looked at the hole next to the floor drain. This must be a vent, not much wider than an adult's fist. Cats are truly amazing animals. How did it squeeze through such a small hole?

"Meow~" A cat's meow came from outside the window. Through the frosted glass of the window, Li Banfeng vaguely saw a white figure outside, calling for its companion. The white cat had gotten outside the house! It had squeezed through the vent. Humans couldn't get out, but cats could!

Click! The bathroom doorknob turned, and "He Jiaqing" pushed the door open and walked in. He had heard the cat's meow.

"'Banfeng, what are you doing?'"

"'I'm on the toilet,' Li Banfeng replied, sitting on the toilet with the yellow cat in his arms."

"'You're petting a cat while sitting on the toilet?'"

Li Banfeng nodded. "'If it's a bathroom cat, where else would be suitable to pet it if not on the toilet?'"

"He Jiaqing" closed the bathroom door, unable to comment on Li Banfeng's behavior. Li Banfeng's actions were completely unreasonable, yet he always managed to find a plausible explanation for himself. Why bother dwelling on whether he was rational? As long as tomorrow morning passed, he would never see him again.

Li Banfeng reached his hand into the vent beneath the washbasin. This vent didn't lead directly outside the mansion. Li Banfeng wasn't sure of its exact structure or how many turns it took inside. Although a cool night breeze flowed in from the vent, Li Banfeng couldn't use it to directly throw the key outside the mansion. Since he couldn't throw it directly, he would have to take a gamble.

This yellow cat was clearly timid. To win the gamble, he'd need to give it some incentive. Li Banfeng pulled out his newly bought top hat from his pajama pants. Inside the hat were two items. Earlier, after he changed into his pajamas, his wallet and some personal belongings had been taken by "He Jiaqing." But two things Li Banfeng never parted with – a key and spicy strips – were now in his top hat.

He first took out the key, entered his 'Portable Residence,' and pulled out his phone charging cable from his backpack. Back in the bathroom, he used the charging cable to tie the key to the cat's body. He first carried the yellow cat to the vent, then, clutching the key, he opened the door to his Portable Residence again. Just before entering, Li Banfeng took out a spicy strip and inserted it into the yellow cat's backside. With a shrill cry, the yellow cat bolted like lightning into the vent. Li Banfeng immediately entered the Portable Residence.

"Kitty, if you bolt straight outside the mansion, I win this gamble. If you choose to squat in the vent and not go out, I lose! And if I lose, you won't have an easy time; those spicy strips will definitely be the death of you!"

"He Jiaqing" heard the sound and rushed into the bathroom again, only to find Li Banfeng wasn't there. Where had he gone? "He Jiaqing's" mind reeled.

Footsteps sounded outside the window. "He Jiaqing" rushed to the first-floor living room, went to the French windows, and saw Li Banfeng standing in the garden. Beside Li Banfeng was a yellow cat, currently squatting in a puddle in the garden, soaking itself. "He Jiaqing" was horrified; Li Banfeng remained calm.

Just seconds earlier, "He Jiaqing" had been convinced he was free, certain that Li Banfeng would never leave the He family's old house. Just seconds earlier, Li Banfeng hadn't been sure if the yellow cat would bolt through the vent, but now, the yellow cat was quietly whimpering in a puddle in the yard.

Li Banfeng had entered his 'Portable Residence' from the bathroom. The yellow cat, carrying the key from the bathroom, had run out of the house through the vent, taking the key with it. The 'Portable Residence' followed the key. When the key left the house, the 'Portable Residence' took Li Banfeng out of the house with it.

At that moment, "He Jiaqing," standing in the living room, furiously pounded on the French windows, seemingly calling to Li Banfeng, but Li Banfeng couldn't hear him. With his hands clawing at the French windows, amidst a piercing, grating sound, a crack opened in the window. The crack widened, and when it reached over ten centimeters, "He Jiaqing" squeezed his head through the gap and extended it outside.

"'Banfeng, you're my only brother! Are you just going to leave like this? Are you just abandoning me? Banfeng, weren't you here to rescue me?'"

Li Banfeng took a few steps back. This fake He Jiaqing clearly had more strength than Li Banfeng; Li Banfeng couldn't open these French windows, but he could.

"'Who are you, really?' Li Banfeng clutched the key, ready for his next escape."

"He Jiaqing" tried to force his body out of the French windows, but he couldn't; the windows tightly trapped his shoulders.

"'Li Banfeng, come closer! I'll tell you; I'll let you know who I am right away!'"

This fake He Jiaqing seemed unwilling to reveal his identity. Li Banfeng was about to leave the yard when, unexpectedly, someone answered the question for him. More precisely, it wasn't a person, but the House Spirit. The House Spirit wouldn't allow "He Jiaqing" to leave the house. Even if he opened the window, he couldn't get out. Even if he could open the door and let Li Banfeng in, he still couldn't get out.

"He Jiaqing's" head was extended outside the window, still struggling desperately. Suddenly, vines hanging from upstairs coiled around his face and began to tear at it repeatedly. A layer of delicate skin was torn off, and He Jiaqing's appearance vanished from her face.

Li Banfeng saw her true face. It was Lu Xiaolan! He Jiaqing's girlfriend. Why was she at the He family's old house? No wonder she mentioned so many private matters between me and He Jiaqing in her text messages. He Jiaqing dined with her, and I went along; she knew about this. He Jiaqing slept with her and was called away by me midway; she knew about this too. Did she know about He Jiaqing sending me answers? Did she know about He Jiaqing working on a construction site to pay my medical bills? Did He Jiaqing tell her? Why could she put a 'hook' on my phone? Was it because of the phone call He Jiaqing asked me to make? Was He Jiaqing her accomplice? Did He Jiaqing betray me?

Wait, if He Jiaqing was her accomplice, why didn't He Jiaqing himself try to trick me? If it were He Jiaqing himself, he definitely wouldn't have revealed so many flaws! She was a Peeking Cultivator, and she could 'peek' into many things He Jiaqing hadn't told her. Regarding the text messages, she had always been in control, leading me into her trap. When they actually met, some flaws became unavoidable, as she couldn't 'peek' into every single detail. He Jiaqing shouldn't be her accomplice, but why was she trapped by the House Spirit?

As his thoughts raced, Lu Xiaolan hoarsely shouted to Li Banfeng: "'Li Banfeng! Do you want to save He Jiaqing? If you do, come find me; only I know where he is! Li Banfeng, I love Jiaqing, I'm truly good to Jiaqing. In this world, besides you, only I genuinely care for him!'"

Hearing this, Li Banfeng turned and walked away. The way she put it implied a relationship between him and He Jiaqing that wasn't accurate.

"'Li Banfeng! Don't go! You'll regret it for the rest of your life! You've become an Dark Energy User, haven't you? You're a Body Cultivator, right? You can turn invisible, right? Teach me how to leave this place! I'll give you anything you ask for! Anything! I have many good things!'"

Li Banfeng's figure vanished into the night. Lu Xiaolan, her face streaming with tears, pulled her head back from the French windows. She had no choice but to retract; the vines had already torn off the fake face, and now they were going for her true face. In the past few days, her true face had been torn off many times, leading to heartbreaking pain and scars that were difficult to heal.

She sat beneath the French windows and sobbed loudly. She couldn't understand why Li Banfeng hadn't fallen for it. She had successfully tricked Li Banfeng into coming to Puro Province and entering the house, so why had he still escaped?

Shortly after the train derailed, He Jiaqing received a call from Li Banfeng. That call saved He Jiaqing's life. Lu Xiaolan had dealt He Jiaqing a blow, but hadn't managed to kill him. He Jiaqing retaliated but also failed to kill Lu Xiaolan. Using Li Banfeng's phone call as leverage, He Jiaqing escaped back to Yue Province and sent Lu Xiaolan back to the He family's old house. It was precisely because of this phone call from Li Banfeng that Lu Xiaolan used her Peeking Cultivator skill, 'Ears That Catch the Wind,' to attach a 'hook' to Li Banfeng's phone. Later, when she arrived at the He family's old house, this 'hook' became Lu Xiaolan's lifeline.

On the train, Li Banfeng's phone ran out of battery. With the 'hook' broken, Lu Xiaolan was terrified, worried, and even despaired. She suspected Li Banfeng might have met with an accident. To her surprise, Li Banfeng still arrived.

Restricted by the House Spirit, Lu Xiaolan had no intention of using force or revealing the truth before Li Banfeng discovered it himself. To ensure Li Banfeng stayed in the house perfectly compliant for one night, she had rehearsed every detail of their meeting many times. She maintained significant restraint, not rushing to mention the Profound Life Lotus to Li Banfeng. She didn't even get angry when Li Banfeng left the lotus at the station. She tried her best to imitate He Jiaqing's manner of speaking, with every detail being similar. When Li Banfeng entered, she even specifically mimicked He Jiaqing's mannerisms to make a sarcastic remark about Li Banfeng's backpack. As long as she waited until tomorrow morning, she could leave this house.

Why? She truly couldn't understand why Li Banfeng had escaped. "What did I say wrong? What did I do wrong? Why did Li Banfeng escape?"

Lu Xiaolan clutched her hair, sobbing hoarsely. For the first time, she realized she might die there, perish from starvation, and become a rotting, foul-smelling corpse.

After crying for a while, Lu Xiaolan's voice gradually weakened, and the tears on her face slowly dried. She went to the kitchen and finely chopped some cat skin and bones, pulverizing them before putting them into a pot. Then she took a small porcelain bottle from her pocket, poured out a tiny amount of powder, just a bit, and sprinkled it over the cat skin and bones. This medicinal powder was very precious; she only had this small bottle left. Smoke rose from the pot, like the cooking fumes from stir-frying certain ingredients. Beneath the fumes, the cat skin and bones slowly transformed into an indescribable paste, emitting a faint fishy smell.

She divided the paste from the pot into five cat food bowls and placed these bowls in different corners of the room. One bowl went into the entryway, one in the living room, one in the kitchen, one in the bathroom, and one in the second-floor hallway. This faint fishy smell could waft far. Relying on this faint fishy smell, she could attract stray cats, or possibly weasels, as they had ways of entering and exiting the house. Once they ate the food from the cat bowls, they would fall into a deep sleep, just like the calico cat sleeping soundly in the kitchen.

Lu Xiaolan picked up the calico cat, directly tore open its fur with her teeth, and vigorously gnawed on its flesh and blood. She also wanted to eat cooked food, but she couldn't, because firewood was precious and had to be saved for tricking the next person who entered the house. Lu Xiaolan chewed the raw meat in large bites, muttering to herself as she chewed.

"I can't die, absolutely can't die. I must live. I can still get out."

...

After leaving the He family's old house, Li Banfeng ran through a few alleys, arrived in a narrow lane, entered his Portable Residence, and hid the key under the window sill of a nearby house. Sitting silently in his Portable Residence, Li Banfeng fell into deep thought.

Where was the real He Jiaqing? Could it be that the He Jiaqing lying in the hospital was the real one?

Li Banfeng did not remove the spicy strip he had inserted into the yellow cat. He hoped the yellow cat would be alright.