The Overlord of Puluo

Qiu Zhiheng followed Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying to the old He Family residence.

As they arrived at the gate, he stopped abruptly and moved in front of them, keeping the two safely behind him.

He quietly observed the residence and immediately noticed something unusual.

In the distance, Li Banfeng watched in silence. He took out the Threaded Earring, put it on, and tapped it twice.

A faint voice came through. ”Master, awaiting your orders.”

It turned out to be a spirit-bound enchanted artifact.

”Listen to their conversation,” Li Banfeng said in a low voice.

As the Threaded Earring gave a slight tremble, Li Banfeng could clearly hear Monkey Qiu and Xiao Yeci talking.

Monkey Qiu said, ”There’s a dwelling spirit in the house. It’s not a high-level one, but since this is its house, it’s not an easy one to deal with.”

Xiao Yeci exclaimed in surprise, ”Steward Qiu, so Miss Xiaolan is a Homebound Cultivator?”

Qiu Zhiheng shook his head. ”No. She isn’t a Homebound Cultivator, and this spirit doesn’t belong to her. She’s trapped inside this place.”

Xiao Yeci quickly grabbed Lu Chunying and backed away in a hurry. ”Oh no, it’s a masterless dwelling spirit! Doesn’t that mean it’s a vengeful spirit?!”

Li Banfeng thought to himself, What’s Monkey Qiu doing here? Xiao Yeci called him Steward Qiu. Does he work for the Lu Family? Is he here to rescue Lu Xiaolan?

Qiu Zhiheng remained at the courtyard entrance, standing in silence for what felt like ages.

His eyes swept over every corner of the courtyard.

Under his gaze, two cats began rolling on the ground. A few others paired off and started playing and flirting with each other.

From a corner of the wall, a mouse crawled out and hugged a cat. Nearby, a lone cat wrapped itself around a tree and started rubbing against it.

The tree shivered and extended its branches toward another tree. That second tree reached back, its branches tangling with the vines hanging from the villa.

Soon, the branch and the vine began twisting together, winding tightly around each other.

At this moment, the frail and emaciated Lu Xiaolan exerted all her strength and pulled the floor-to-ceiling window open.

She stuck her head out the narrow gap. When she spotted Monkey Qiu, she cried out in desperation, ”Uncle Qiu, save me!”

Qiu Zhiheng turned toward the sound and looked through the window. The opening was no wider than ten centimeters. To Xiao Yeci, the room beyond was pitch black, and nothing was visible.

However, Qiu Zhiheng’s pupils dilated sharply, as if he had caught sight of the dwelling spirit inside.

The entire bungalow began to tremble. Mustering what little strength she had left, Lu Xiaolan forced the window wider. Though the gap was barely twenty centimeters, she squeezed her frail body through it.

The vines hanging from the walls tried to pull her back, but they were too tightly entwined to move.

Lu Xiaolan finally managed to escape. She couldn’t bother behaving like a reserved lady as she sprinted madly across the courtyard, throwing herself into Qiu Zhiheng’s arms.

She knew it was improper for someone of her status, but she no longer cared. All she wanted was someone to hold her.

However, Qiu Zhiheng had no intention of holding her. It was not only because of Lu Xiaolan’s status but also because of the situation she was in.

Still, this young lady clearly had no idea what kind of situation she was in.

Qiu Zhiheng courteously stepped aside and dodged the hug, which left Lu Xiaolan momentarily bewildered. Remembering that there was a prudent reserve between men and women, she awkwardly turned around and hugged Xiao Yeci instead.

She didn’t know who they were, but since they were here, they must have been the ones who saved her life.

”Ah~ Miss Xiaolan, w-what’s the matter?” Xiao Yeci stammered, caught off guard by the sudden hug. ”Don’t cry, okay? Don’t be scared. You’re out now, right? Everything’s fine, everything’s just fine.”

Lu Xiaolan cried for a while before turning to ask, ”Uncle Qiu, how did you know I was here? Did my father send you?”

Qiu Zhiheng shook his head and glanced at Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying. ”It was Madam Yeci and Miss Chunying who asked me to come. They said you wrote them a letter, asking them to come to the He Family’s old residence to find you.”

Madam Yeci? Miss Chunying? Who are they?

Lu Xiaolan was stunned. She looked at Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying and said, ”I didn’t write you any letters. I don’t know you two.”

At her words, Xiao Yeci frowned. ”Miss Xiaolan, it’s not right to say this now. We only came all the way here after receiving your letter. We went through so much trouble to find you, and now that we’ve rescued you, you’re just going to turn around and pretend you don’t know us? That’s not right, eh!”

Lu Chunying gently tugged on Xiao Yeci’s hand, reminding her to watch her tone. She was no longer acting like the madam of a wealthy family.

Lu Xiaolan still looked confused. And so, Xiao Yeci took out the handwritten letter and handed it to her.

When Lu Xiaolan looked at it, she was surprised to see that it was indeed her handwriting.

The letter said that she had been searching for her long-lost younger sister for years and had finally received news of her. It asked Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying to come to the He Family’s old residence right away for a reunion.

Holding the letter, Lu Xiaolan kept shaking her head. ”I didn’t write this. I really don’t know you.”

Xiao Yeci’s eyes widened. She wanted to curse, but she held herself back. Such behavior did not befit an educated woman. ”Y-you... how could you be like this? What’s that supposed to mean, eh?!”

Lu Xiaolan ignored Xiao Yeci and turned to Qiu Zhiheng. ”Uncle Qiu, I need to find someone named Li Banfeng. He’s still in Medicine King Gully. Without a travel permit, he can’t leave, and I have to find him.”

Qiu Zhiheng stayed silent for a moment before saying, ”Miss, come with me to Greenwater Bay first. We’ll talk about it again after we arrive at the Lu Family residence.”

Lu Xiaolan shook her head. ”I can’t go back home yet. There are still things I need to do. I must find Li Banfeng. Uncle Qiu, please help me.”

Qiu Zhiheng stayed silent.

Lu Xiaolan sighed softly. ”If you won’t help me, then I’ll find a way myself.”

She had to find Li Banfeng. She had to find the Arcane Crimson Lotus. She needed to give her family an explanation.

This concerned whether she would still have a place in the Lu Family!

She turned to leave, only to have Monkey Qiu block her path.

Lu Xiaolan was stunned and asked, ”Uncle Qiu, what’s the meaning of this?”

Monkey Qiu remained expressionless as he said, ”Miss, you must return to the Lu Family residence with me. I can’t interfere with whatever that will happen to you when you get home, but I can ensure your safety on the way there.”

”Uncle Qiu, what’s going on?” Lu Xiaolan asked, fear creeping into her voice. She had thought there was nothing left to fear after escaping the He Family’s old residence.

However, she truly felt afraid now. It was Qiu Zhiheng’s attitude that frightened her.

Qiu Zhiheng pulled a pair of shackles from his coat. ”Miss, come back with me. If you refuse to listen, you will suffer.”

Lu Xiaolan stood in shock for a long moment and made no unnecessary argument. She knew she was no match for Qiu Zhiheng.

Qiu Zhiheng walked in front, Lu Xiaolan followed in the middle, and Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying walked behind her.

As they passed the corner of an alley, Qiu Zhiheng glanced at the wall. He had the feeling that someone was there.

Homebound Cultivators had the talent of not being noticed. However, Qiu Zhiheng’s cultivation level was so high that he even sensed the barely noticeable presence.

Qiu Zhiheng examined the area carefully but found no sign of anyone. He continued forward, and Lu Xiaolan trailed behind in silence as a storm of questions churning in her mind.

What exactly happened? Why do they want me to go back home right away?

Who is the woman and her daughter? Who wrote that letter to them?

***

Li Banfeng stepped out of his Pocket Dwelling and lit a cigarette.

The narrow Threaded Lane seemed shrouded in dark clouds, pressing down on him and making it hard to breathe.

Lu Xiaolan had escaped from the house and she would soon reveal everything to the Lu Family.

If the Lu Family wanted to get their hands on the bronze lotus flower, they would target Li Banfeng.

If Li Banfeng could win, he would fight them. If not, he would run.

Could Li Banfeng possibly win against the Lu Family? The Lu Family was the strongest of the four great families in Puluo Province, so the answer was most likely no.

And so, Li Banfeng thought about running away. However, he couldn’t help but wonder where he could go.

Without a travel permit, Li Banfeng couldn’t even leave Medicine King Gully.

If he stayed in Medicine King Gully, the Lu Family would even dig deep into the ground just to find him.

Wait. Would they dare dig deep into the ground?

The Jiangxiang Gang hadn’t dared to act. They hadn’t posted a notice or offered a reward, and they hadn’t made a sound about the matter from beginning to end.

The bronze lotus flower belonged to He Jiaqing of the He Family. The Jiangxiang Gang wouldn’t dare offend the He Family, so there was no way they would try to seize it openly.

Is the Lu Family afraid of offending the He Family? Li Banfeng wondered. Maybe not, but they likely prefer to handle things quietly. If not, they wouldn’t have hired a private investigator to deal with me.

If they want to keep things quiet, I will be able to keep hiding in Medicine King Gully.

When Li Banfeng reached Memorial Arch Street, he cast a glance at the Feng Family’s general store.

All he could do now was hope that Shopkeeper Feng would get the travel permit soon. It didn’t matter if it cost twenty million or thirty million. He would find as many ways as he could to save up enough money. Once he got the travel permit, he would leave Puluo Province at once.

However, Li Banfeng still had another question. Who had asked Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying to come here?

It definitely wasn’t Lu Xiaolan. Other than Li Banfeng, she couldn’t contact anyone else. If she could, she wouldn’t have been trapped here and suffering for so long.

But if it wasn’t Lu Xiaolan, who could it be?

***

In Room 302 of the Second Hospital of Yuezhou, He Jiaqing, who lay on the hospital bed, showed a faint smile.

He Haisheng, who had been dozing off beside the bed, suddenly woke up. He looked at He Jiaqing but didn’t notice anything unusual.

Still, he could’ve sworn that He Jiaqing had just moved.