The Overlord of Puluo

The Ghosthand Sect’s junior pickmaster, Xing Qiushan, stumbled his way to the gates of an old residence east of the Houtang City God[1] Temple and banged on the gates.

A gatekeeper inside asked, ”Who is it?”

Xing Qiushan answered, ”The junior pickmaster of Yangting Road,”

A pickmaster was a leader within the Ghosthand Sect, and a junior pickmaster was a sub-leader. Yangting Road was where Li Banfeng had been robbed. It was Xing Qiushan’s territory.

Xing Qiushan was the man in the suit that Li Banfeng had met last night. He had taken five men with him to rob Li Banfeng, but they had unexpectedly found themselves up against a total madman. Li Banfeng ended up killing three of Xing Qiushan’s subordinates and injuring the remaining two. Xing Qiushan himself had also taken a hit.

Upon entering the main hall, Xing Qiushan saw the sect master Xie Juncong and fell to his knees, letting out a wail.

”Sect Master, we brothers were just foraging[2] around, opened up a hatchway[3], and took some fur[4]. But that evil person struck to kill. I took five of our brothers with me, and he killed three of them and injured the remaining two. Sect Master, please get justice for us!”

What he meant was that they had been doing business[5] on their own turf. All they’d done was steal a wallet, yet they ended up with three dead and two injured. Xing Qiushan was begging the sect master to get revenge for them.

Xie Juncong was over sixty and thought that perhaps he couldn’t hear that well anymore. ”Little Shan, what did you just say? I think I didn’t hear you clearly. You opened a hatchway and took some fur. It should not have turned into a fight, right?”

Indeed, why would a theft escalate into a fight?

Xing Qiushan replied, ”That man was an old hand. He caught us the moment we opened the hatchway.”

Xie Juncong asked, ”Since you got caught, you should have ditched the fur and pulled out[6]!”

Yes, if they had dropped the wallet and fled, wouldn’t everything have been fine?

”Sect Master, we did pull out, but he would not let us go. He insisted on fighting us to the death. We could not escape.”

”You were there with five of our brothers, six in total. Yet, none of you could get away?”

Xing Qiushan grunted. ”Sect Master, we were blocked in a narrow alley. We truly could not leave.”

”When you made your move, you didn’t check for an escape path first? That cannot be, Little Shan. You are not a greenhorn.”

”It had been days since we last found any food[7]. We were a bit desperate...”

”Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Xie Juncong shook his head. ”Little Shan, I am old and muddle-headed. Tell me the truth. Were you really foraging, or were you starting bad blood?”

”Starting bad blood” meant robbery[8].

The Ghosthand Sect was a sect of Thievery Cultivators. Stealing was their trade, but robbery was taboo for them.

Xing Qiushan absolutely could not admit they had gone out with the intention to rob. ”Sect Master, we were truly just foraging. How could we dare break the sect rules? Sect Master, do you not believe me?”

Xie Juncong looked at him, and Xing Qiushan looked straight back without the slightest attempt to avert his gaze.

After staring at each other for a moment, Xie Juncong sighed. ”Little Shan, I truly am confused, but I believe you. How are the two injured brothers doing?”

”They cannot even get up. Their injuries are serious!” Xing Qiushan cried out.

Give them more leaves [9] and help them have a good recovery. The brothers who have crossed the bridge[10], have they been sent off?”

”T-that... No, I haven’t gotten round to doing it yet...”

”Hurry and send them off. Let them rest in the earth. I truly am old and muddle-headed now, unable to process these matters thoroughly. Help me think things through, see if there’s anything I forgot. Go and take care of everything, and do it quickly.”

Xie Juncong seemed to have said a great deal yet also nothing at all. Was he truly old and muddle-headed? No, he was not muddle-headed at all.

He had spent his entire life in the Ghosthand Sect, rising from a street pickpocket to sect master. There was nothing he had not seen. Could Xing Qiushan really deceive him? It was clear that Xing Qiushan had gone to rob someone, met a tough opponent, lost his men, and barely managed to return with his life.

Under their sect’s rules, Xing Qiushan should have been heavily punished, but Xie Juncong turned a blind eye and let the matter pass. As for getting revenge, that was out of the question, and Xie Juncong would not handle the aftermath either. That counted as a sufficient punishment for Xing Qiushan.

Xing Qiushan left the Ghosthand Sect’s old base feeling unsettled. Deng Jingcai, one of his injured subordinates, approached him with a photograph. ”Boss, I got this from a Flower Tongue. This man’s name is Li Banfeng. The Lu Family is looking for him.”

Xing Qiushan frowned. ”Why are you showing me this?”

”Elder Brother, take a closer look. Doesn’t he look a lot like the madman from last night?”

”Does he?” Xing Qiushan thought they looked quite different. ”The one last night had a huge mustache.”

Deng Jingcai pointed at the photo. ”Boss, a mustache isn’t permanent. Look at the facial features instead. Look at his eyes and brows. They look so similar!”

Taking Deng Jingcai’s words into consideration, Xing Qiushan also felt the man in the photo and the man they had tried to rob last night did look rather similar.

Deng Jingcai continued, ”Elder Brother, if we hand this photo to the sect master, it will definitely count as great merit.”

”Hand it to the sect master? Look at your lack of ambition.” Xing Qiushan lowered his voice. ”How much is this man worth?”

Deng Jingcai thought for a moment. ”I heard it’s twenty thousand for catching him alive, ten thousand for dead. Just reporting information to the Lu Family gives three thousand.”

Xing Qiushan frowned. ”Only that much?”

”It’s a lot! It’s in silver dollars!”

”Silver dollars!” Xing Qiushan laughed. ”Brother, not only can we get our revenge, we can even make a fortune!”

***

Li Banfeng, still wearing heavy makeup on his face, opened his eyes. He rubbed his stomach, feeling a dull ache there. The wound had already scabbed over, and the bloodstains on his clothes and bedsheet had been washed clean.

Beside the bed, the Gramophone was silent, seemingly asleep.

Li Banfeng opened his pocket watch and checked the time. It was ten o’clock.

Ten o’clock. This is a bit troublesome.

Li Banfeng had no idea how long he had slept for. His pocket watch was gold-plated and looked high-end, but its design was simple. It did not even have a date display, so Li Banfeng could not tell whether it was ten in the morning or ten at night.

Normally, he would simply go outside and have a look to find out. But now he had to be prudent. He was still in Greenwater City.

Li Banfeng cautiously pushed the door open.

If the sky were dark, then he would leave immediately for Blue Poplar Village and focus on repairing his wife. If the sky were bright, then he would repair her now and only leave Greenwater City after nightfall.

Li Banfeng opened the door and was met with a bright sky. It was ten in the morning.

He immediately retreated back into the Pocket Dwelling and opened a can for a simple meal. Then he took out a screwdriver and a wrench, preparing to dismantle the two gramophones and the film projector.

Li Banfeng’s idea had been good, but putting it into action was a whole different story. He had acquired some knowledge of machinery through his studies at university, but that knowledge was basically useless with these three machines.

Since Puluo could not use electrical appliances on a large scale, the manufacturers of these machines had pushed mechanical engineering to its limits. These three machines were so complex that even professional technicians from Yuezhou might not be able to figure out how they worked.

With the wrench in hand, Li Banfeng stared at the machines, thinking about where he should start his disassembly. Then Li Banfeng suddenly heard the Gramophone crackle to life behind him.

”My dear husband~”

That call was soft and sweet.

Too sweet.

Li Banfeng shivered and turned toward his wife. ”You’re awake?”

”My dear, you have only just recovered from a grave injury. You shouldn’t be getting out of bed and moving about. Come rest beside your wife.”

However, Li Banfeng went ahead with trying to disassemble the machines. He crawled into the front compartment of the bellows gramophone and was about to remove the lever when a gentle swirl of steam stopped him.

”My dear, you don’t need to do such tiring work. Please bring that wretched Crimson Lotus here.”

”What do you need Crimson Lotus for?”

”My dear~ just bring her here.”

The Gramophone’s pitch still fluctuated every now and then, but her tone remained incredibly sweet.

Li Banfeng asked no further questions and hurriedly carried over the Arcane Crimson Lotus.

A faint glow shimmered around the Arcane Crimson Lotus. She was still consuming Madam Bagworm Moth’s corpse.

The Gramophone spoke softly, ”Little sister, your elder sister has a favor to ask.”

The Arcane Crimson Lotus saw the Gramophone, and beads of clear dew formed on her tightly closed lotus leaves.

Is she excited to see my wife? Guess they have a pretty good relationship.

The Gramophone said, ”Oh~ little sister, look at these machines. Their craftsmanship is exquisite, and their materials are fine. Why don’t you take them?”

Could the Arcane Crimson Lotus even consume machines? Her petals did not move at all. It seemed she was unwilling to take the machines.

”Oh~ little sister, I know you look down on such unrefined things, but you heard him last night. My dear husband risked his life for these.”

More droplets gathered on the Arcane Crimson Lotus’ petals, waiting to be unleashed. It seemed she was speaking to the Gramophone.

The Gramophone listened for a moment, then she replied, ”That is not the right way to put it. He may have gotten these for me, but didn’t I get injured to protect our home? If we sisters fight over this, would we not become a laughingstock for others?”

Hearing a faint voice, Li Banfeng thought, Turns out there really is someone laughing at them.

”A jade bullet flies like a shooting star. A mighty sword descends like autumn frost. Fight, fight! This matter cannot be settled until there is a victor. Neither side can yield!”

It was the Tang Saber.

Li Banfeng pulled the Tang Saber out of his pocket and kicked it aside.

The Arcane Crimson Lotus still gave no response. The Gramophone was getting annoyed.

”So you refuse to give me face today? Fine. I won’t beg you. Husband dear, go wait in the outer room. I will have a proper fight with this wretch!”

Li Banfeng frowned. ”You are badly injured. Why are you talking about fighting?”

”I care not for victory. I fight for my dignity. My dear, today your wife is ready to put her life on the line for her dignity. Let us see if Crimson Lotus dares to fight me in this house!”

Clang, clang, clang~

The gongs and drums sounded like a mess of beats, but their momentum was strong. The Gramophone was going to fight for real.

Li Banfeng stood between the Gramophone and the Arcane Crimson Lotus, unsure of how to mediate and resolve this situation.

After a long standoff, the Arcane Crimson Lotus’ petals creaked open. Anticipating a big fight, the Tang Saber leapt up, darted into the outer room like a streak of lightning, and shut the door.

However, things played out contrary to the Tang Saber’s expectations. A burst of air rose from within the lotus core. It swept up the two gramophones and the film projector, pulling them inside.

Li Banfeng had always believed that the Arcane Crimson Lotus could not digest objects without spirit essence. However, he now realized that she had simply been unwilling to do it, not incapable of it.

In less than a minute, the Arcane Crimson Lotus’ petals opened again, revealing two lotus seeds resting inside the core. One was ripe, and Li Banfeng plucked it out. The other was unripe and wedged tightly in the lotus core. Li Banfeng could not pry it free.

The Gramophone said, ”Oh, my dear husband, that lotus seed is not ripe. It needs a few more days. First feed the pill in your hand to me.”

Cradling the lotus seed in his palm, Li Banfeng watched the Arcane Crimson Lotus close her petals and continue refining the pill.

Soon after, the lotus seed in his hand burst open, revealing a pill with the color of pale yellow-brown tinged with bright silver.

What kind of color is this? It seems like a blend of wood and metal.

Li Banfeng held the pill up in the light of the Gramophone’s fuel flame to examine it. The pill seemed to contain turning gears and swirling steam.

A mechanical pill?

Li Banfeng opened the Gramophone’s rear compartment and was about to place the pill inside when the Gramophone cried out, ”Hey! My dear, why are you stuffing it in there? Give it to me to eat!”

Oh, so she just needs to eat it.

Li Banfeng placed the pill into the water horn, and the Gramophone became shrouded in mist. She said softly, ”I will rest a while. You should rest as well. When you wake, we, husband and wife, will both be healed.”

The Gramophone’s steam soothed Li Banfeng as he hugged her. The two of them drifted off into sweet and peaceful sleep.

The Arcane Crimson Lotus released two droplets of clear dew, one falling on Li Banfeng and the other on the Gramophone.

***

In the Lu Family’s main residence, Lu Dongliang was sorting out the cultivation guidelines for Lu Chunying after her initiation as a Wanderlust Cultivator.

Chief Steward Qiu Zhiheng approached Lu Dongliang and said quietly, ”Xing Qiushan, a junior pickmaster from the Ghosthand Sect, wishes to see you.”

Lu Dongliang refused at once. ”I’m not seeing him!”

He was in no mood for visitors today, much less a small fry like Xing Qiushan.

Qiu Zhiheng added, ”Xing Qiushan said he saw Li Banfeng on Yangting Road.”

Lu Dongliang was stunned. ”Saw who?”

1. A city god is the protective deity of a city. You can read more