The Overlord of Puluo

The Peddler took down the feather duster and handed it to Li Banfeng. ”If you want this, I can sell it to you for eight yuan.”

Li Banfeng blinked in surprise. ”Eight yuan? That cheap?”

The Peddler nodded. ”IT. IS. THAT. CHEAP. Sometimes I earn a little, sometimes I lose a little. In the end, no one owes anyone anything. I believe in fair trade. And you should already know the kind of quality something that costs eight yuan usually has.”

What does he mean by this? Li Banfeng thought.

The Peddler had made it clear that this was nothing more than an ordinary feather duster. Something that cost only eight yuan could not possibly possess any sentience. So why had Li Banfeng heard it speaking?

The Peddler picked up his pellet drum and said, ”Some enchanted artifacts are indeed impressive, but every enchanted artifact comes with a price.”

Clink-clank, clink-clank.

The Peddler then went off to greet other customers.

Holding an armful of odds and ends, Li Banfeng sat in a daze. After making sure Little Chuan and Little Gen were safe, the group headed back to Blue Poplar Village together.

Sitting in his bedroom, Li Banfeng took out the Threaded Earring and set it on the table.

He activated Perceiving the Spirit’s Melody and leaned in, listening closely to whatever sound the Threaded Earring might reveal.

The Threaded Earring was crying, and it sounded as if she had been crying for days. The reason was simple: she missed the feast of Lu Dongliang.

An enchanted artifact forged by a level-one cultivator shouldn’t have had much intelligence. Yet even after all these days, she was still crying because she had missed out on tasting Lu Dongliang.

Was it really the feather duster speaking? Or did I hear something else? Li Banfeng thought.

As he stared at the Threaded Earring, a voice brushed past his ear again, repeating the same plea again and again: ”Have pity on me, have pity on me.”

The price of using the Threaded Earring was that he would hear voices he was never meant to hear.

Li Banfeng brought the Threaded Earring back into the pocket dwelling so she could calm down.

He gave wifey the snow cream, rouge, powder, and hair ornaments, made her smell fragrant, and even tucked the flower ornaments beside her horn.

The gramophone was filled with gentle affection as she whispered, “Husband dear~ thank you for loving me. I know you’re good to me, but there’s something I want to ask... I just don’t know if I should.”

“Wifey, go ahead.”

“Husband dear~ Can any of these things be eaten as food?”

“Wifey, can you stop thinking about food all the time?”

“Heyaaaaaaaaaa, I cannot even eat enough, so how could I spare a moment to put on makeup for you?”

***

At the entrance of Blue Poplar Village, a beggar covered in festering sores stood by the roadside with a begging bowl in hand.

“Have pity on me, give me a bite to eat...”

The people of Blue Poplar Village were simple and honest, which meant they were not likely to be kind to beggars. They were even less likely to help someone like him, whose skin was nearly covered in festering sores with green pus seeping from every wound.

Oddly enough, that pus protected him. When he went to a noodle shop and asked for a bowl of food, the owner had been ready to kick him out, but after seeing all that pus, the man froze and quietly withdrew his foot.

The beggar still failed to get any food. Holding his bowl, he continued onward at a slow, dragging pace, begging as he walked. “Have pity on me, have pity on me, give me a bite to eat.”

***

Cedric, the disease cultivator, stepped into the center of Blue Poplar Village and raised his gaze toward the wooden hut in the distance.

Daboinsky had already left. Fearing he might offend the Chu Family again, he did not dare remain in Blue Poplar Village. That meant Cedric could only rely on himself to investigate Li Banfeng’s whereabouts.

“I wonder how my luck is today. Maybe I’ll find him directly in that little building.”

The weather was cold. Cedric sneezed and sniffled, and just as he was about to walk toward the wooden house, a strange smell drifted into his nose.

“Have pity on me, give me a bite to eat.” The beggar walked toward him. He had already crossed half the village and had not received a single bite of food.

This was only to be expected. Any beggar familiar with the area would never come to Blue Poplar Village to ask for alms. The villagers simply did not have the habit of giving, and no one would want to approach a beggar oozing green pus from head to toe.

However, Cedric very much wanted to approach him. He was attracted to the beggar’s pus-covered body.

So delicious, Cedric thought. How could pus smell this delicious?

That rich fragrance excited Cedric at once.

The beggar was begging from Little Chuan. Having become an Artificer Cultivator that very day, Little Chuan was in an especially cheerful mood.

Just a moment ago, Ma Wu had even taught Little Chuan a few characters. And so, Little Chuan felt that everyone looked pleasing to the eye today. Even when he looked at this beggar, he felt rather friendly toward him.

He took two eggs and placed them in the beggar’s bowl.

The beggar blinked, then nodded repeatedly. “Thank you, thank you.”

He walked a few more steps with his bowl when Li Banfeng stepped out of the wooden house.

For a moment, he wondered if he was imagining things. The beggar’s voice sounded exactly like the one he had heard from the Threaded Earring.

He took two steamed buns and placed them into the beggar’s bowl.

“Thank you.” The beggar forced out a word of thanks, though his expression did not look good.

Li Banfeng did not linger and turned to leave Blue Poplar Village.

Was this beggar here because of me? Li Banfeng wondered. No matter how he looked at it, this beggar didn’t seem ordinary. His sense for Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity told him that giving the man food had been the right choice, yet he still felt he should keep as much distance between them as possible.

Holding the bowl, the beggar’s eyes grew slightly cold.

What a strange day, he thought. I have actually received alms twice in a place like Blue Poplar Village?

He needed to get out of this village quickly. If he received alms one more time, he would have no choice but to turn back.

The beggar searched for a path with fewer people, but then a strange sensation crept through his body.

The pus on his sores had disappeared and all the sores were disappearing at a visible rate.

Who? Who did this? The beggar muttered inwardly.

The beggar stared at Cedric. ”You ate my pus?”

Cedric froze for a moment. He hadn’t expected the man to recognize his technique.

However, it did not matter. Cedric smiled and said, ”I cured your illness. You should thank me. Your disease was truly delicious.”

”Delicious? You’re a Disease Cultivator?” The beggar stared straight at Cedric.

Cedric’s smile faded. In all of Puluo Province, almost no one knew his Daoist path.

How could this beggar have such insight? The answer no longer mattered. Cedric had already decided to kill him.

The beggar looked at Cedric and asked, ”You ate my pus. How will you repay me?”

Cedric prepared to strike. ”I healed your illness. Are you not satisfied?”

The beggar shook his head. ”You ate all that green pus. Tell me, will the waters of Greenwater Bay still stay green?”

Cedric shuddered and lowered his head at once. Only then did he realize he had never stood a chance of killing the person before him. He should not have even dared to look at him directly.

”You... you are...”

The beggar gave a small, knowing smile. ”So now you know who I am?”

”You... you are the master of Greenwater Bay.”

”And what else?”

A sickening churn rippled through Cedric’s body. The green pus inside him stirred as though answering a call, and in that moment the truth struck him with terrifying clarity.

”You... you are... the founding cultivator of my Daoist path...” His voice broke. He stumbled back until his legs failed him and he dropped to his knees. His forehead touched the earth as he begged for forgiveness.

”Great Founder, I never meant to offend you. Whatever I did was out of ignorance. Please forgive me. Please... I beg your forgiveness, I beg...” Cedric shook uncontrollably as blisters of every color swelled across his skin. They burst one after another, and green fluid spread over him in a sickening wave.

People walked past them, yet not a single person glanced their way. At this moment, none of them could see Cedric or the beggar at all.

Cedric and the beggar stood exactly where they had been, but the beggar’s influence made it impossible for ordinary people to sense them.

”I thought the cultivators of our Daoist path had all died out,” the beggar said with a cold, curling smile. ”I never imagined one like you would still be alive. By rights, I should leave you here to die with the rest of them. But your talent is passable, so I will spare your life. Now go. Go far. The farther you run, the better.”

Cedric staggered to his feet and ran. Pus streamed endlessly down his body, and he kept pulling it back into himself, refusing to let even a single drop fall.

If any of it touched the ground, it would be sacrilege. It would be sacrilege against the founder of the Daoist path.

The beggar continued south through the village, choosing the path where the fewest people walked.

As long as he reached the end of the village without receiving any more alms, Blue Poplar Village would be struck by a terrible plague. And once it began, it would sweep across the whole of Greenwater Bay.

Under normal circumstances, no one in Blue Poplar Village would ever give alms to a beggar. The beggar had predicted that correctly. He travelled to the very edge of the new land without receiving so much as a grain of rice or a lonely copper coin.

The beggar cast a quiet glance back at the village, and a faint smile slowly formed on his face.

The sores on his body emerged one after another with each one glinting at the tip with specks of green pus.

He saw several young men heading into the new land to hunt and decided he would start with them first.

The beggar’s figure gradually vanished from sight once again. Even if someone wished to give him alms now, he would not give them the chance.

The sores on his body burst one by one, and the green pus was just about to scatter into the air when a sudden cold wind swept in and blew it all away.

Who? In Greenwater Bay of all places, who could break my technique? The beggar’s gaze flashed with fury as he searched the surroundings, but the sharpness in his eyes faded in an instant.

He could not see the other person, but he heard that familiar sound.

Clink-clank, clink-clank!

The beggar trembled. Why is he still nearby? I thought he left. Even if he has come, I have nothing to fear. I am acting according to the rules.

”A cart full of fine wares from an old, trustworthy trader. Go on, choose whatever you like. Do you want to buy something?”

The Peddler’s voice sounded right beside his ear. Even though he had braced himself for it, the beggar still shuddered and said, ”I don’t feel like buying anything today.”

“If you don’t want to buy anything, then go home. Why wander around outside?”

The beggar answered, “According to the rules, I can come out once a year.”

”No one said you cannot come out. But according to the rules, once three people give you alms, you must leave.”

The beggar protested, ”Only two people gave me alms. Two eggs and several buns. I still have them here.”

”Three people. I saw all of them. Someone cured your illness.”

The beggar insisted, ”That does not count as alms.”

”It counts. Healing your illness doesn’t count as alms?”

”He didn’t give me anything. I didn’t receive a thing from him. That cannot count.”

”I think it counts.”

“It does not count.”

”I think it does.”

”It does not—”

”I showed you respect. Don’t you fucking trample it.”

The peddler’s voice changed in an instant.

The beggar stopped arguing. His figure slipped out of sight without a whisper, as though he had never visited Blue Poplar Village. Other than what Cedric had absorbed, he did not leave behind a single drop of pus.

The peddler stood alone in the wilderness, leaning against his handcart as he drifted into deep thought.

Why did the Greenwater Beggar come to Blue Poplar Village to beg? He knows for sure that no one in the village will give him anything.

Is he intentionally trying to bring disaster to Greenwater Bay? Greenwater Bay is his domain, so what is he trying to gain by doing this? Is he trying to ruin his own home?

It must be the Inner Province. It’s likely that someone from the Inner Province made him some kind of promise. The price must have been high, high enough for him to surrender his own domain.

Of course, the Peddler could not be certain as it was likely that it was from the Outer Province as well.

The Greenwater Beggar might not be the only one who had received such a promise. Who else could it be?

The Peddler pushed his small handcart and walked deeper into the wilderness.

***

Li Banfeng returned from Greenwater City and went straight to the old site of Song Family’s residence.

The Song Family’s residence had been crushed flat when Li Banfeng drove over it with his road roller. As the new person in charge of Blue Poplar Village, he certainly didn’t have the time to build another grand house from scratch.

Fortunately, the village was full of sturdy folk who were always willing to lend a hand for the right price. A manor could not be rebuilt in just a few days, but wooden houses certainly could, and before long several rows of them stood neatly arranged at both the front and back of the cleared grounds.

At the center of the front row stood the largest wooden building, now converted into a lively dance hall. Taverns occupied both sides of the hall, and restaurants sat beside the taverns. Next to the restaurants was the large warehouse where Ma Wu stored his goods.

A hunter returning from a hunt in the new land would spend his money in this area in the following order.

He would start by selling his goods to Ma Wu, which meant his pockets would be nicely filled.

With money in hand, a proper meal was the next step, and the restaurant was conveniently right next door.

During the meal, hunters would gather to exchange stories about their life-and-death experiences in the new land. One meal was never enough for such conversations, so they would inevitably head to the tavern for a few drinks.

After a drink or two,the alcohol would begin to take effect, and boasting among friends would no longer feel satisfying. They would want a different place to show off and brag about other things.

Fortunately, the dance hall stood right beside the tavern.

If a hunter did not enjoy this Western-style entertainment and preferred something more traditional, that was available as well.

Ma Wu had moved the Lucky Celebration Troupe to the area behind the dance hall.

The troupe master had refused at first. Yet Li Banfeng visited the troupe every day to give lessons, teaching the girls how to sing. After five consecutive days of his coaching, the troupe master finally accepted Ma Wu’s invitation and moved location.

The hunters enjoyed themselves to the fullest here. When they had danced enough and listened to enough songs, they could head to the rows of wooden houses in the back, which served as inns and venues for all kinds of activities.

Ma Wu named this place Dreamspring Garden.

Any hunter who ventured into the new land and walked into Dreamspring Garden with money would leave with his pockets completely emptied.

Even if he had only a single Huan coin left, a girl would send him off with a farewell kiss, and he would willingly hand over that last coin!

A gentleman loved wealth but believed in taking it through proper means. In Dreamspring Garden, every coin spent was spent willingly.

The dance hall was fully set up, but one thing was still missing, so Li Banfeng traveled to Greenwater City to get it.

At the Wonderful Sound Gramophone Shop, he bought a windmill-powered gramophone and brought it back.

Little Chuan and the others installed it at once. The rear window of the dance hall faced the wind, and the moment the windmill began to spin, the gramophone started turning as well.

Li Banfeng placed a special record on the turntable. To celebrate the opening of Ma Wu’s business, Ling Miaosheng had specially invited the Singing Queen, Jiang Mengting, to record a song just for this occasion.

Jiang Mengting’s voice sounded impossibly sweet. The tune was playful and lively, and the rhythm was quick. The moment the song began, everyone could not help but dance along.

「 Dreamspring Garden, Dreamspring Garden,

You are a sleepless city.

Lights rise high, music fills the air,

And song and dance unfold tonight! ♪」

The dance hall was filled with laughter and cheer. Amid this lively atmosphere, a paper effigy slipped into Blue Poplar Village without making a sound.

It was the Liu Family’s paper oblation shop, offering the very first congratulatory gift.

Author’s Note:

PS: The Greenwater Bay’s original name was not Greenwater Bay.

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