The Overlord of Puluo

Inside the Pocket Dwelling, the gramophone puffed out little clouds of steam, humming merrily as it slurped up souls.

On the second floor of the wooden hut, Li Banfeng held a mop like a weapon and glumly scrubbed the floor. The blood was dark, sticky, and stubborn, refusing to come off no matter how hard he tried.

Among the four intruders, only the leader had shown any decency. He was the only one who didn’t stain the floor with his blood.

Now that’s what you call professional awareness, Li Banfeng thought. No wonder he was the leader.

After scrubbing away all the blood, Li Banfeng still had to deal with the pair of leather shoes.

The leather shoes were glued to the floor and not even a knife couldn’t pry them loose. In the end, he cut off the uppers, left the soles behind, and covered them with a few bits of clutter.

According to Ma Wu, the gluey clay would dry in a day and a night. Once it dried, he would handle it properly.

Just as Li Banfeng finished tidying up, someone called from outside. He went downstairs and opened the door to see Landlord Wei standing outside.

”What are you doing here?” Li Banfeng asked. ”The rent’s not due yet.”

Landlord Wei said, ”Didn’t I tell you before? You two don’t need to pay rent anymore. I just heard gunshots and came to check if everything was alright.”

Li Banfeng raised his brows in surprise. ”Gunshots? You heard them too? I was asleep, got woken up, and thought I was dreaming. Who fired the shots?”

”I thought it came from your place,” the landlord said quickly. ”Anyway, as long as you’re fine. Where’s Young Master Ma?”

”He went to have fun at the Lucky Celebration Troupe’s camp.”

”As long as you guys are safe. See you.”

With that, Landlord Wei left.

Li Banfeng stood at the doorway, watching the landlord’s back fade into the distance. The street was quiet, far too quiet.

The gunshots had gone off half an hour ago, and only now did the landlord come knocking.

***

About ten minutes later, Ma Wu came back. ”Brother Li, how did it go?”

Li Banfeng replied calmly, ”It’s been taken care of.”

”And those people?”

Li Banfeng gave a vague reply. ”They’ve gone somewhere else. They won’t be coming back anytime soon.”

”Brother Li, did you ask who sent them?”

”I did,” Li Banfeng said. ”The leader claimed they were sent by your family’s eldest daughter.”

”My eldest sister?” Ma Wu pursed his lips. ”I didn’t expect that.”

”Don’t get me wrong,” Li Banfeng said. ”I’m only repeating what their leader said. He claimed your eldest sister sent them personally. But whether that’s true or not, we still don’t know.”

Ma Wu froze for a moment before asking quietly, ”Brother Li, are you saying he lied?”

”I’m not sure,” Li Banfeng said. ”I don’t know how rich families like yours handle things, but with their status, I doubt those men could ever get close enough to even see your eldest sister’s shadow.”

In truth, he hadn’t believed a word that gray-clad liar had said. The man in gray had been stalling for time, throwing out nonsense as he went. That story about some grudge between Ma Wu and his sister? Pure invention, cooked up on the spot.

After hearing Li Banfeng’s words, Ma Wu began to think more deeply.

He was a straightforward man who enjoyed making friends from all walks of life. He never acted like an entitled young master and often mingled with wanderers and fighters of the jianghu.

However, her eldest sister was different. She was a proper lady from a prestigious family. How could she possibly meet people from the jianghu?

Ma Wu still could not make sense of it, so Li Banfeng reminded him, ”Think carefully. Who have you made enemies with?”

”Enemies?” Ma Wu repeated, thinking for a while. ”If we’re not counting petty quarrels, I don’t think I’ve had any serious grudges with my siblings.”

Li Banfeng frowned. ”Stop thinking about your brothers and sisters. They won’t try to kill you. You can’t even inherit anything from the family, so what’s the point of killing you?”

Ma Wu rubbed his forehead and finally began to see things clearly.

Li Banfeng was right. Ma Wu had always suspected his own family, but they truly had no reason to push him toward death.

Considering the state he was already in, driving him any further would bring his siblings no benefit at all.

”But as for offending outsiders, I don’t think I’ve done that either...”

Li Banfeng gave a wry smile. ”Then that makes things tricky. I think we could ask Landlord Wei. He heard the commotion and came knocking half an hour later. He lives less than two minutes away from here, so if we shouted from the door, he’d hear us right away.

”If he were truly worried about us, he would’ve come right away. And if he were afraid of trouble, he wouldn’t have come at all. But turning up after half an hour? That sounds more like he came to poke around and see what was happening.”

A sharp gleam flickered in Ma Wu’s eyes, and he nodded with sudden energy. ”Brother Li, you’re right. I’ll go and get him to explain everything clearly.”

Li Banfeng shook his head. ”Brother Ma, if you go straight to him like that, you won’t get anything out of him. Landlord Wei is a clever man, and he’s already on guard. He didn’t look very strong during the chaos that day, but anyone who survived the bloodcall out in the fields isn’t simple. He’s bound to have a few tricks up his sleeve. If you’re not careful, he might just turn the tables on you.”

Ma Wu hesitated. He knew Li Banfeng was right, but he couldn’t think of a better plan for the moment.

Li Banfeng reminded Ma Wu, ”Think about it. You’re the best at setting bait and hunting. What bait to use depends on what Landlord Wei wants.”

Ma Wu thought for a moment, and then an idea came to him.

***

Late that night, Landlord Wei sat alone in his reclining chair in silence, gripping a revolver tightly in his hand.

Suddenly, footsteps scraped across the ground outside, uneven and heavy. A moment later, someone pounded on the door with frantic urgency.

Landlord Wei jerked upright and aimed the gun. ”Who’s there?” he shouted.

”It’s me... help me...” came a weak, trembling voice from outside.

Landlord Wei stiffened. That voice was familiar. ”Ma Wu?” he called.

The reply came faintly, barely above a whisper. Keeping his gun ready, Landlord Wei cracked the door open.

Ma Wu stood in the doorway, covered in blood and swaying on his feet.

Landlord Wei shoved the gun into his belt, lunged forward, and caught Ma Wu before he collapsed.

Then he helped him into the bedroom and asked, ”Young Master Wu, what happened to you?”

Ma Wu let out a long, miserable sigh. ”I’ve been schemed against again. Made a bit of money these past two days, and now it’s all gone.”

Landlord Wei clicked his tongue. ”Who did it this time? Do they just not want you to live? And where is that boss you’re living with? Should I call him over?”

Ma Wu quickly shook his head. ”No, don’t go looking for him yet. There’s something strange about this.”

”What do you mean by strange?” Landlord Wei asked, his cheek twitching as his hand involuntarily slid toward the gun at his side.

Ma Wu drew two shaky breaths before he said, ”I keep asking myself why every time I make money, someone comes to take it away.”

Landlord Wei’s eyes went wide. ”Young Master Wu, are you saying that man you’re living with betrayed you?”

”At first, I didn’t suspect him. We went to the Lucky Celebration Troupe’s camp together tonight, but he said he wasn’t feeling well and left early.

He was full of energy on the way there, yet the moment we arrived, he suddenly fell ill. Tell me, doesn’t that sound suspicious to you?”

Landlord Wei sighed. ”Young Master Wu, you should be careful with this. That friend of yours helped you when times were hard. You can’t just forget that and turn against your conscience.”

Ma Wu nodded. ”I won’t forget the kindness he showed me. But if he really schemed against me, I won’t forgive him. Boss Wei, do you have a weapon? Lend me one. I’ll go ask him myself.”

Landlord Wei hurriedly urged, ”Lend a weapon? That’s not asking? You are fighting! You would be throwing your life away. If he’s innocent, you will have wronged a good man. And if he does have malicious intent, do you think you will come back alive?”

”Listen, don’t act rashly,” Landlord Wei continued. ”I’ll go with you. If there’s reason, we’ll talk reason. If there’s trouble, we’ll face it together. You once saved my life, and if it comes to a fight, I won’t back down.”

Ma Wu led Landlord Wei out, storming through the night toward the wooden hut where he and Li Banfeng lived.

Once inside the living room, Ma Wu called out, ”Boss Wei is here. Let’s clear this up!”

Li Banfeng came down the stairs and gave a slight nod. ”Yes, we should make things clear.”

Landlord Wei’s face went pale as he realized something was wrong. His feet were glued to the floor, and no matter how he tugged, they wouldn’t budge.

Ma Wu, on the other hand, could move about freely.

There was gluey clay on the floor, while Ma Wu wore iron-plated shoe covers.

Landlord Wei’s eyes darted between Li Banfeng and Ma Wu as panic clawed up his chest.

”You two... what are you planning to do?”

Li Banfeng smiled pleasantly. ”Nothing serious. We just wanted to invite you for a cup of tea and ask for your advice on a few things.”

”There’s no need for this! We can talk things out. Why are you setting me up?” Landlord Wei reached for the revolver at his waist.

Li Banfeng was faster. He raised his gun first and aimed it at him. ”Bullets in Puluo Province don’t always fire right. Care to gamble on one?”

Landlord Wei didn’t dare move again.

As a level-two Homebound Cultivator, Li Banfeng was the kind of man whose presence faded into the background. It was only at this moment that Landlord Wei truly saw Li Banfeng’s face clearly.

Li Banfeng would usually wear a fedora hat and he would pull the brim of the hat so low that it nearly hid his hat. However, he wasn’t wearing his fedora hat today.

For the first time, Landlord Wei saw his face clearly and felt a jolt of familiarity. It was a face he had seen before, somewhere in a photograph.

While Landlord Wei was still deep in thought, Ma Wu spoke up. ”Boss Wei, from the very first day I came to Blue Poplar Village, I rented my place from you, didn’t I?”

Landlord Wei nodded. ”That’s right. You were looking for a place, and I rented it to you for eight hundred a month. Two rooms, fair price, nothing unreasonable about it.

”When you couldn’t pay the rent, I kicked you out. Young Master Ma, let me make this clear. You can’t blame me for not being a loyal friend. Renting houses is how I make my living. It’s business, not betrayal.”

Ma Wu shook his head. ”I’m not blaming you. I just can’t figure something out. On the first day I moved into your place, I paid you a month’s rent, and two days later, I got robbed.

”After I was robbed, you even came to check on me and gave me some medicine for my wounds. That’s true, isn’t it?”

Landlord Wei nodded. ”Of course. You were my tenant and I was your landlord. Naturally, there was a connection between us.”

Ma Wu nodded. ”Then a month later, I paid the rent again, and within three days, I got robbed again. That’s true too, isn’t it?”

Landlord Wei frowned. ”That wasn’t me robbing you. How can you blame me for that? Are you saying I was the only person who met you in the days before you got robbed?”

Landlord Wei really hit the nail on the head with that one.

Ma Wu had met plenty of people before each robbery. If not for Li Banfeng’s reminder, he would never have suspected Landlord Wei.

But now that suspicion had taken root, every coincidence seemed to link back to him.

”After the second month, I couldn’t pay the rent, and you kicked me out. I started scavenging under the bridge, making barely a hundred yuan a day. It was just enough to eat.

”That day at the noodle shop, I ran into you and chatted for a bit. You mocked me for being homeless, and I told you I would rent from you again next month. But just a few days later, I got robbed again. I didn’t even have enough money for food. How do you explain that?”

Landlord Wei shook his head and let out a long sigh. ”Young Master Wu, that’s just a coincidence. Maybe our fortunes clash. Every time you see me, something bad happens to you.

”But that’s hardly my fault, is it? Every time you sell something to the Song Family, you make a profit. And right after that, you get robbed. Why not suspect them instead?”

This question left Ma Wu stumped.

From the side, Li Banfeng spoke up. ”So you even know he’s been selling goods to the Song Family?”

Landlord Wei said, ”That’s the rule in Blue Poplar Village. Anyone who hunts in the new land has to sell their goods through the Song Family.”

Li Banfeng asked, ”So you also know he’s been going to the new land to hunt?”

Landlord Wei said, ”In Blue Poplar Village, the new land is the only place where people can make a living. What else could anyone rely on to earn money?”

Landlord Wei managed to talk his way out of it, but his heart was still pounding so hard it felt like it might leap out of his throat and onto the floor.

Hearing this, Li Banfeng turned to Ma Wu and said, ”Everything he’s said sounds perfectly reasonable.”

Ma Wu rubbed his chin, thinking it over. ”It does. So how should we deal with him?”

Li Banfeng smiled. ”If he’s so reasonable, let’s kill him.”

Ma Wu went rigid, as if someone had yanked a rod through his spine.

Landlord Wei’s eyes bulged and he stammered, ”I have explained everything. You really want to kill me?”

Li Banfeng looked stunned and said, ”Does explaining something mean you shouldn’t be killed? What kind of logic is that?”

”It’s..it’s the right kind of logic!” Landlord Wei stammered, not knowing how to respond.

Ma Wu also thought that Li Banfeng was not mentally normal.

However, Li Banfeng thought that he was perfectly normal.

Li Banfeng said, ”Landlord Wei, when Ma Wu first rented from you, his money was stolen, so he couldn’t pay the rent. He told you about that, didn’t he?”

Landlord Wei nodded, ”He explained it.”

Li Banfeng continued, ”If he explained, then why didn’t you rent the place to him again?”

Landlord Wei glared and said, ”I already told you. I rent out houses to make money. If he has no money, why should I rent to him?”

”Yes, that is the right logic! I invited you here to answer questions and you have said nothing useful. So why shouldn’t I kill you?” Li Banfeng said as he cocked the revolver with a neat, efficient click. ”You can talk all you like. Whether your words sound reasonable or clear makes no difference. What you have told us is of no value to us. It is like not paying rent. Just because you sounded reasonable doesn’t mean your life is spared.”

Landlord Wei panicked. It was at this moment that he realized that Li Banfeng was mentally sane.

”Bosses, this... this isn’t something I can answer,” Landlord Wei stammered. ”You can’t ask me. You’ll have to ask the Ma Family’s eldest daughter.”

”You mean my eldest sister?” Ma Wu turned to Li Banfeng, eyes narrowing. It matched exactly what the man in gray had said.

Since the stories matched, it must be true.

Li Banfeng pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Click.

The gun didn’t fire. Landlord Wei was incredibly lucky.

Splash!

Landlord Wei was so scared that he wet himself.

His face turned deathly pale as he stared at Li Banfeng. ”I’ll talk, I’ll talk! It wasn’t the Ma Family’s eldest lady. It was the fourth young master.”

Ma Wu froze for a moment. My fourth brother? How did I forget about him...He had always been the one neglected in the family.

Ma Wu rubbed his temples. He could see through everything else, but when it came to his family, he just couldn’t figure things out.

Click.

Li Banfeng pulled the trigger again.

Landlord Wei’s luck was remarkable as the gun still didn’t fire.

With a dull thud, he dropped to his knees, which instantly stuck to the gluey floor.

”Gentlemen, I’ll tell the truth. I swear it’s the truth. It was Yang Yanzheng who told me to spy on you.”

Ma Wu blinked. ”Who’s Yang Yanzheng?”

Li Banfeng smiled faintly.

Ma Wu turned to him. ”You know Yang Yanzheng?”

Li Banfeng shook his head. ”No, I don’t. But that sounded like the truth.”

Author’s Note:

PS: Yang Yanzheng was the guy who helped Nectarine deliver the package.

With bloodshot eyes, Li Banfeng stared at the monthly vote rankings, clutching the gramophone in his arms.

I want to kill. I want to charge!

Honored readers, give Banfeng your support! Charge ahead with Banfeng!