The Overlord of Puluo

Finally hearing the Gramophone speak, Li Banfeng let out a long breath. ”My dear, I thought you were gravely injured and unable to speak.”

”Injured? Husband, what are you saying? A good woman can manage the hall and the kitchen. I can’t possibly get injured from handling a little ingredient like tha~t.”

As she spoke, the Gramophone’s pitch shifted, rising and falling as if going over a hill. Li Banfeng grew tense again.

”My dear, the ingredient today was special. I truly ate my fill this time. Give the corpse to the Crimson Lotus. She can refine something good for you. Even if you cannot consume it, it will fetch a fine price. My dear husband, you know how I am. Once I am full, I want to~ sleep a little longer. If you have things to do~ go ahead. Do not mind me,” the Gramophone said, her voice continuing to fluctuate in pitch.

Looking at the fragmented parts of the Gramophone on the floor, Li Banfeng’s brows tightened again.

Pop... crackle... pop...

”My dear, do not fret~ over those little scraps. They were not~ particularly useful. It doesn’t matter whether I have more or fewer of them. When I wake up later, I will pick out whatever still works and put them back.”

Li Banfeng picked up a gear and realised its teeth were broken and its axle was bent.

How could this possibly just be put back in?

”Dear husband, hurry and get rid of that insect corpse. I feel disgusted just looking at it.”

Li Banfeng brought over the Arcane Crimson Lotus.

Sensing Madam Bagworm Moth’s corpse, the Arcane Crimson Lotus quickly unfurled its petals and drew the corpse inside.

Pop... crackle... pop...

The Gramophone said softly, ”My dear, I am truly~ tired and want to have a good~ sleep. Move Crimson Lotus to the outer room so she will not disturb me.”

She’s afraid of being disturbed?

Has she run out of strength to even defend herself against Crimson Lotus?

Li Banfeng moved the Arcane Crimson Lotus away, then he returned to the central room. By then, the Gramophone was already shrouded in silence.

He gathered the scattered parts of the Gramophone, fell silent for a moment, and left the Pocket Dwelling.

In the outer room, the Arcane Crimson Lotus let out a cold snort. ”Wicked woman, you finally meet your day. Your body is damaged, yet you dare not admit it. Ultimately, you still cannot trust that madman. I shall see how long you can hold on.”

The Gramophone answered in a warped pitch, ”Wretch, believe it or not, I could take your life right now.”

”Try it if you dare!”

”Crimson Lotus, do not be so arrogant. Inside this room, the one in the heavens cannot sense you. Without that one’s protection, do you truly think I cannot kill you?”

***

Li Banfeng followed a trail of footprints until he found Ma Wu, then he brought him back to Blue Poplar Village.

Having narrowly escaped death, Ma Wu was still shaken. Along the way, he kept asking Li Banfeng how he had shaken off Madam Bagworm Moth, but Li Banfeng refused to say a word about it.

Once they were back in the wooden house, Li Banfeng asked, ”Brother Ma, do you know where I can find a gramophone in Blue Poplar Village?”

He had to find a way to replace some parts for his wife.

”A gramophone?” Ma Wu thought for a moment. ”It’s not easy to find one. I remember the Song Family seems to have a gramophone.”

”Is it a steam-powered gramophone?”

”A steam-powered gramophone? Made in Amikan?” Ma Wu shook his head. ”That’s even rarer. I only know of one. It was on the Lu Family’s private train. I saw it a few times. It’s troublesome. You have to add water and fuel.”

He has only seen one?

Li Banfeng suddenly remembered.

Shopkeeper Feng had told him that the steam-powered gramophone had been handcrafted in Amikan and that there were only two in all of Puluo.

One was in Li Banfeng’s hands, and the other was on the Lu Family’s private train.

Should I go onto the Lu Family’s private train and steal the other gramophone?

Li Banfeng could not even board a normal train, let alone the Lu Family’s private train.

Well, that’s clearly an impossible plan.

Ma Wu said, ”Brother Li, if you like gramophones, don’t go for such fancy ones. Buy a hand-cranked one or a wind-up one. Both are good, and the prices are reasonable.”

”Where do I buy one of those?”

Ma Wu thought for a moment and said, ”The Wonderful Sound Gramophone Shop in Greenwater City has everything. But with your current situation, it’s best not to enter the city.”

Li Banfeng unfolded the map he had bought from Shopkeeper Feng. ”Tell me first, where is the Wonderful Sound Gramophone Shop located?”

Ma Wu looked at the map and shook his head. ”This map isn’t detailed enough. It’s hard to say.”

The map Shopkeeper Feng had given Li Banfeng covered the whole of Greenwater Bay.

However, the actual layout of Greenwater Bay was far more complicated than what the map showed.

The central area of Greenwater Bay was known as Greenwater City, and there were several small towns surrounding it. Beyond those towns were conventional villages. The villagers’ livelihood was farming, and they supplied crops to Greenwater City.

And beyond the conventional villages lay the unconventional ones. Blue Poplar Village was one of them.

There were hardly any farmers in these unconventional villages, but they still supplied Greenwater City with special resources.

”From the looks of it, Greenwater City is quite far from here.”

Ma Wu gestured on the map. ”Roughly sixty kilometers. Brother Li, if you insist on entering the city, let’s plan a day for it. I can find someone to scout ahead first—”

”No need for that. We’ll do it today.”

Ma Wu froze. ”You want to enter the city today? Just to buy a gramophone?”

”Yes, just to buy a gramophone,” Li Banfeng said with a nod. ”I need to listen to music. If I go a day without it, I feel awful.”

”You actually have an addiction like that?”

Ma Wu almost laughed, but it was clear Li Banfeng wasn’t joking.

Seeing Li Banfeng’s serious expression, Ma Wu hurriedly gathered his things. ”I’ll bring some food. Let’s go together.”

”You don’t need to come. Just tell me the location.”

Li Banfeng had no intention of taking Ma Wu along; he walked far too slowly.

Ma Wu didn’t know what to say. ”Brother Li, what exactly are you going to Greenwater City for?”

”I already said it. I’m buying a gramophone. I can’t wait even a moment.”

***

In the Lu Family’s grand residence, Lu Dongliang summoned a level-five Literary Cultivator to test Lu Chunying’s learning progress.

In Puluo, Literary Cultivators and Martial Cultivators were widely regarded as the orthodox cultivation paths, and the four major aristocratic families were no exception.

The Lu Family, however, was not as conservative as the Ma Family and did not oppose other cultivation paths. Still, for a well-bred young lady, the Literary path was clearly the most sensible choice.

The level-five Literary Cultivator posed over a dozen questions, and Lu Chunying answered them quickly and readily. This was thanks to the way Xiao Yeci had taught her. Xiao Yeci was only a level-one Literary Cultivator, but she had helped Lu Chunying build a solid foundation for Literary Cultivation.

Lu Dongliang nodded and gave Lu Chunying a few words of praise.

”Not bad. Quite good.”

Hearing the slightly forced praise, Lu Chunying tried to figure out what Lu Dongliang was thinking.

In truth, this wasn’t the first time she wondered what Lu Dongliang was thinking. She had been trying to figure him out from the moment she stepped through the Lu Family gates.

Lu Dongliang was a high-ranking Wanderlust Cultivator, though his exact cultivation branch was unknown.

Yet, none of his children chose the Wanderlust path. Was it because Lu Dongliang did not wish them to? Of course not.

The defining trait of Wanderlust Cultivators was their rootless life. For many years, Lu Dongliang had traveled far and wide while managing the family business. For him, cultivation had never been a burden.

But his children did not need to live such a tough life.

Xiao Yeci had once told Lu Chunying a story about a wealthy young lady who tried three times to elope with the man she loved.

However, all three attempts failed because the young lady could not endure the hardships of the endless travel. The trials of traveling in the wind and rain and sleeping rough were difficult to endure.

Xiao Yeci had warned Lu Chunying that if a wealthy young master ever claimed that he was tired of the restraints of his life, longed for freedom, and wished to roam far away, she must never take it seriously. He only wanted to go out for a bit of fun, not truly wander the world and suffer with her.

The Wanderlust path and traveling for leisure were two completely different things.

Watching Lu Dongliang’s expression, Lu Chunying said warily, ”Dad, I want to see my mother.”

She had not seen Xiao Yeci for a long time.

Lu Dongliang’s expression darkened, and he dismissed the idea of Lu Chunying meeting Xiao Yeci with a curt response. ”We’ll talk about it later.”

Lu Chunying asked softly, ”Dad, do you think she’s not my mother?”

Lu Dongliang frowned and countered, ”Do you think she is your mother?”

He assumed Lu Chunying would insist that Xiao Yeci was her mother, recount their years of depending on each other to survive, and cry and beg him to let Xiao Yeci stay.

He despised such worthless sentiments the most.

However, Lu Chunying answered calmly, ”I don’t think she is.”

Lu Dongliang narrowed his eyes and asked, ”How did you figure that out?”

”She’s too young. For her age, it’d be more believable to say she’s my older sister. How could she possibly be my mother? It’s obvious she isn’t.”

Lu Dongliang smiled and asked, ”Then why do you still want to see her?”

”I just want to make things clear to her. I have come home. I have reunited with my family. The past should stay in the past. She is not my mother, nor is she a part of my family. As for where she really comes from, it doesn’t matter. Some attachments need to be cut off. But I can’t let her wander around talking nonsense and have outsiders chide me as heartless. I will give her some money and send her away.”

Lu Dongliang was very satisfied with this answer.

It aligned almost perfectly with his own thoughts. The only difference was that he did not intend to simply send Xiao Yeci away. He intended for her to disappear completely.

Nevertheless, the two outcomes were not in conflict.

If Lu Chunying were talking to someone else instead of Lu Dongliang, they might have thought Lu Chunying was too ruthless.

But Lu Dongliang did not think so. To him, this was exactly how his daughter should be.

He gave her a slight nod. ”Sure. Go see her in a couple of days.

”For now, let’s talk about starting your cultivation journey. That Literary Cultivator who tested you earlier, I plan to have him take you as his disciple. What do you think?”

Lu Chunying blinked her bright eyes. ”Dad, do you want me to be honest?”

”Do you even need to ask?” Lu Dongliang glared at her. ”Would you dare lie to me?”

”Dad, to be honest, I don’t want to be a Literary Cultivator.”

Lu Dongliang was taken aback. ”Why?”

”Xiao Yeci is a Literary Cultivator. I followed her for so many years, and she always felt like someone without prospects.”

Lu Dongliang laughed. ”Then what kind of person do you think would have prospects?”

”Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traversing five thousand kilometers. Only by crossing the great rivers and mountains can a person gain true insight. Dad, I want to learn the Wanderlust path from you.”

”You want to cultivate the Wanderlust path?” Lu Dongliang was surprised and delighted, but he was also worried she might not be able to endure the hardship of being a Wanderlust Cultivator. ”Think it through carefully. The Wanderlust path is tough. You won’t have a single idle day.”

”Dad, I’m still young. I can’t just keep spending the whole day thinking about staying in hiding so I can be idle. How long am I supposed to keep hiding for?”

The more Lu Dongliang heard, the happier he became. ”Yingying, since you’ve made up your mind, when do you plan to begin your cultivation journey?”

Lu Chunying thought for a moment and said, ”Let’s do it today.”

Lu Dongliang was startled. ”Today? Why are you in such a rush?”

”If I hadn’t been worried you might disagree with my decision, I would have started a few days ago. I’ve been itching to do this for ages.”

Lu Dongliang laughed.

How could this child’s temperament be so much like his?

Even her impatience was similar to his.

But this could not be called impatience. She had a sense of urgency when it was appropriate, and she was calm when it was appropriate. This was called having proper judgment.

”Yingying, then it’s settled. I’ll call the apothecary over in a moment to prepare you. The activation powder will hurt a little. I’ll have him get the anesthetic ready.”

Lu Chunying shook her head. ”I don’t need anesthetic. It’s just one moment of pain. Dad, did you use any anesthetic when you started?”

Lu Dongliang shook his head. ”Your grandfather didn’t let me study the Wanderlust path. I sought out the Peddler to get the activation powder. There was no anesthetic. He slapped the activation powder onto my abdomen, and I gritted my teeth through it.”

”If you didn’t need ansthetic, then I don’t need it either!”

Lu Dongliang shook his head. ”No. I suffered because I had no choice. I can’t let you endure the same pain.”

***

That night, Lu Chunying successfully entered the Wanderlust path, and Lu Dongliang arranged for Xiao Yeci to meet her.

Seeing Lu Chunying, Xiao Yeci was overwhelmed with emotion and asked worriedly, ”My darling, you must have suffered. Activating your cultivation path hurts a lot. Does it still hurt? Have you eaten—”

Lu Chunying fixed an icy gaze on Xiao Yeci and said impatiently, ”I called you here to say our ties end here. From now on, we live our own lives. Thank you for taking care of me all these years, but you should leave now.”

Xiao Yeci stared at Lu Chunying in shock, utterly speechless.

Lu Chunying took out a box containing one hundred silver dollars and handed it to her. ”This is my token of appreciation. My father will give you another sum later. Let’s not meet again in the future.”

Xiao Yeci’s eyes reddened, and she called out, ”My darling...”

”Hurry up and take the money. You’ll need travel expenses,” Lu Chunying said. She turned her face away, not wanting to look at Xiao Yeeci anymore.

Holding the box, Xiao Yeci left Lu Chunying’s room. She did not know how she managed to get out of there, but she made it back to her room.

Xiao Yeci stared at the box of silver dollars for a long while. She really wanted to throw it away and secretly leave the manor.

Her meal times, whether she could go out, and even whether she could go to the toilet depended on a certain someone’s mood.

She could endure all that, but she could not endure Lu Chunying’s attitude.

Xiao Yeci felt she had completely lost her dignity.

She was a level-one Literary Cultivator. Finding any ordinary job in the future would be more dignified than living like this.

But in the end, she opened the box.

Because she truly did not have a single coin for travel expenses.

Inside were one hundred silver dollars. It was not a small sum; that was enough to last her for quite some time.

There was something under the silver dollars.

It was a folded piece of paper.

Xiao Yeci unfolded it and saw the words: Mom, I have activated my cultivation path. Rest for a day. Tomorrow night, we’ll escape when a chance arises!

***

In her bedroom, Lu Chunying clutched the bedsheet tightly.

She had chosen the Wanderlust path so she could run fast.

Mom, you must open the box and read my note.