The Overlord of Puluo

At the First Ridge of the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs, Lu Dongjun’s estate had gone into full panic mode.

Every support hook snapped into defense as though the house itself had grown nerves. The entire estate was under attack.

The very same pests everyone had sworn were gone forever had returned. Worse still, they were no longer afraid of Lu Dongjun’s poisoned rice.

Lu Dongjun scattered the poisoned rice everywhere, but it was completely useless.

The First Ridge had not seen this coming. They had been absolutely certain they would never lay eyes on another Annihilation Mosquito for the rest of their lives. So they had stopped worrying. They had stopped preparing. They had grown comfortable. In what felt like a single blink, the little piles of grain they had saved with such painful effort were devoured. Gone. As if they had never existed in the first place.

The First Ridge, which had only just dragged itself out of misery, fell straight back into it. All the reverence they once held for Lu Dongjun had, by today, twisted into an equal measure of hatred.

On their own, they might not have managed to break through. Lu Dongjun had spent a great deal of money fortifying his residence. The walls were high. The gates were thick. The guards were armed.

However, the major families, who had been watching all along, finally decided to step in and help.

He Haisheng stood among the crowd with a cigarette clenched between his teeth. Smoke curled lazily around his face. Beside him was Han Yaomen, the leader of the Azure Cloud Society.

Both men had covered their faces with spirit-bound items. To ordinary eyes, they were no different from the rest of the mob.

Around Lu Dongjun’s estate, curses rose like a storm. The shouting grew louder with every passing moment, swelling into an angry tide.

Han Yaomen watched it all and gave a cold, satisfied laugh.

”A few days ago, I brought gifts and stood at his gate for half an hour just to see him once,” Han Yaomen said. ”In the end, he refused to meet me. Later, I’ll have someone tear down his main gate and let everyone rush inside. Let’s see if he’ll agree to meet us then.”

He Haisheng shot Han Yaomen a sideways glance. ”Brother Han, you didn’t come all this way just to knock Lu Dongjun down a peg, did you?”

Han Yaomen smiled faintly. ”I am not planning to leave him any dignity, that’s for sure. As for whether he walks away alive, that depends on what Third Master He thinks.”

”That won’t work if it’s only me,” He Haisheng said, sweeping his gaze over the crowd. ”There are plenty of people here today who have something to say.”

Ma Chunting, the Ma family’s eldest young master, was among them.

Chu Huaijun, the Chu family’s eldest young master, was there as well.

Zhang Xiuling, the leader of the Hundred Flowers Sect, had also arrived.

The other prominent families had also sent people over. All of them were waiting for the right moment to make a move.

Even though they held the advantage in both numbers and strength, no one was eager to be the first to rush forward.

No one wanted to face Lu Dongjun head-on. No matter how disgraceful he might have been in other matters, everyone knew one thing for certain: when it came to fighting, Lu Dongjun was terrifying.

Old Master Lu Maoxian had once said that among the entire Lu family, the most powerful fighter was his second son, Lu Dongjun. Even Lu Dongliang himself had admitted that if the two of them fought in an arena, he might not come out on top.

This was not only the advantage of a Martial Cultivator, but also one of Lu Dongjun’s few talents. In a straightforward fight, with no tricks or schemes involved, his strength and reactions far surpassed those of ordinary people.

Unfortunately for Lu Dongjun, no one ever intended to deal with him fairly. Every move made against him began with schemes instead.

Han Yaomen kept an eye on the movements of the other families and sects. What caught his attention was that two groups were nowhere to be seen.

”I don’t see anyone from the Three Heroes Sect,” he said. ”And Monkey Qiu didn’t send anyone either.”

He paused, then frowned slightly. ”I heard the Three Heroes Sect doesn’t want to wade into this mess, but what about Monkey Qiu? Doesn’t he want payback for what Lu Dongjun did?”

He Haisheng shook his head. ”It’s very hard to tell what Monkey Qiu is thinking. At this point, I am starting to wonder whether the Lu family will end up taking the surname Qiu instead.”

***

Inside the estate, Lu Dongjun was soaked in sweat.

A support hook stumbled in, blood streaking his face and clothes. His breathing was ragged as he spoke. ”Master, we searched all of First Ridge and still couldn’t find Mister Wan.”

”Couldn’t find him?” Lu Dongjun’s cheek twitched. ”If you couldn’t find him, why are you reporting that to me?”

”Master,” the man said hoarsely, ”our defenses are about to collapse.”

Lu Dongjun’s expression hardened. ”Where are we failing to hold?”

”Everywhere,” the man replied. ”There are hidden experts outside. Several of our brothers have already been beaten to death.”

They were able to kill my support hooks? Them?

Lu Dongjun was careless in many matters, but he had never been careless about the people who guarded him. Every support hook had been selected with care. Their cultivation was solid. Their experience had been earned through blood and hardship.

He only needed a moment to reach a conclusion. Ruthless experts had intervened in secret and they must have been sent by the major families and forces.

Lu Dongjun pinched the bridge of his nose and sat down on the sofa in the living room.

Three days earlier, Lu Dongjun had sat on this very sofa. He had pointed at the Chu family’s eldest young master and scolded him without restraint. Chu Huaijun had not dared to say a single word.

The next day, in the same living room, Lu Dongjun had kicked Ma Junjiang. Ma Junjiang had not dared to make a sound.

Who could have imagined that everything would change in the blink of an eye?

Where did Wan Jinxian go? Is it possible that he had been unable to control the insect disaster and had fled first?

The more Lu Dongjun thought about it, the more afraid he became. He realized that he had trusted Wan Jinxian a little too much.

Another support hook came before him. ”Master, the reporters are here. Will you meet them?”

Lu Dongjun waved his hand. ”No.”

The support hook turned to leave.

Lu Dongjun called him back again.

”Tell the reporters to come see me. I have something to say.”

Before long, the reporters pushed their way inside. One cameraman raised his camera and snapped several photos of Lu Dongjun. Another stood to the side and recorded everything with a shadow-play camera.

A reporter spoke up. ”Mr. Lu, the Annihilation Mosquitoes have returned. What is the real reason? Is it because your insecticide cannot fully kill them, or because the previous dosage was insufficient?”

Lu Dongjun answered calmly. ”The dosage was indeed insufficient. However, the fundamental issue is cost. The insecticide is extremely expensive. I have been facing cash flow problems. At the same time, the major families have been raising objections and making moves behind my back. That has left me severely short on resources.”

The reporter looked at him in surprise. ”Mr. Lu, are you saying that you are short on funds?”

Lu Dongjun nodded. ”It is indeed a matter of money, but there is no need for anyone to worry. I, Lu Dongjun, am still here, and I am not going anywhere.

”I am willing to sell off my property and empty my coffers. Even if I, Lu Dongjun, end up sleeping on the streets tomorrow, I will still bring the mosquito plague at the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs under control.

”Please pass a message to the friends outside for me. Even if the sky truly falls, I, Lu Dongjun, will hold it up for the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs.”

Cameras flashed in quick succession. Film reels continued to spin. Pens scratched rapidly across reporters’ notebooks.

The interview ended, and the reporters left.

Lu Dongjun said to the support hooks, ”I am tired. I’ll rest for a while.”

The support hooks were all dumbfounded. The attackers were practically breaking in, yet Lu Dongjun was still able to sleep. Of course, Lu Dongjun couldn’t possibly fall asleep.

After returning to the bedroom, he removed his false teeth and placed them into the mouth of the stone lion. The lion’s eyes lit up at once, and the entire bedroom sealed itself shut.

Lu Dongjun then took out Lu Xiaolan’s necklace and put it on. His features shifted almost instantly. In the blink of an eye, he looked no different from an ordinary support hook.

The necklace was a high-ranking artifact. At the moment, it was his only path to escape.

Lu Dongjun opened the hidden compartment inside the wardrobe. A set of guard clothing lay inside. Along with the clothes, there were checks worth several hundred thousand silver dollars and a stack of loose cash.

Once everything was ready, Lu Dongjun climbed out through the window.

After leaving, he had two tasks. Firstly, he would try to find Wan Jinxian. Secondly, he would collect the money from his various businesses and leave the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs as soon as possible.

If he failed to find Wan Jinxian, his reputation would be destroyed. At that point, he could only take whatever gold and silver he had and wait for another chance to rise again.

***

A Redstaff enforcer from the Hundred Flowers Sect stood beside Zhang Xiuling. He pointed toward a guard slipping out of the estate and lowered his voice. ”That man in the vest is the support hook who caused trouble for us the other day. He is trying to run.”

Zhang Xiuling followed the direction of his finger and recognized the guard at once.

Two days earlier, she had come to see Lu Dongjun, only to be turned away. This very Redstaff enforcer had spoken up on her behalf and ended up clashing with that support hook.

Zhang Xiuling had no interest in pursuing such a minor figure, but the Redstaff enforcer clearly held a grudge.

”Boss, wait here for a moment,” he said. ”I’ll be right back.”

Zhang Xiuling frowned. ”At your age, how can you still be so impulsive?”

The enforcer was already in his fifties. He was no longer young, but his temperament had never changed.

”Boss, I need to vent this anger,” he said.

Zhang Xiuling let out a quiet sigh. ”Be careful. Don’t cause too much trouble.”

”Don’t worry,” the Redstaff enforcer replied before he turned and strode off.

This was how gangs operated. As long as no line was crossed, subordinates were allowed to release their anger and settle personal grudges.

The Redstaff enforcer was a level-six Physique Cultivator. And so, Zhang Xiuling believed that nothing would go wrong.

He followed the guard into a narrow alley, stepped forward to block him, and asked with a grin, ”Do you still recognize me?”

The support hook lifted his head, looked at him, and said nothing.

The Redstaff enforcer let out a short laugh. ”What’s wrong? You see that things are bad for your master now, so you are running off? Shouldn’t we settle things between us too?”

The support hook still did not speak.

Without warning, the enforcer shifted his stance. A long tail shot out from behind him. The hooked tip glinted with a cold light as it struck straight toward the support hook’s head.

The Redstaff enforcer was a scorpion.

The Redstaff enforcer moved with killing intent the instant he attacked. His boss had told him not to cause a disturbance, and he had no interest in dragging this out.

The strike was lightning fast. An ordinary person would never have been able to avoid it. The scorpion’s tail carried deadly poison. If it drew even a drop of blood, the support hook would be finished.

However, the support hook did not dodge. He raised one hand and caught the tail midair. His fingers tightened. With a sharp twist of his wrist, he snapped it cleanly and smashed the enforcer to the ground.

The Redstaff enforcer froze in shock. He had fought this support hook before. In his memory, the man had been nothing more than a fourth-level Martial Cultivator. There was no reason he should possess such strength or precision. He never would have guessed that the person standing before him was Lu Dongjun.

The Redstaff enforcer reacted at once. His left arm shifted and hardened into a massive pincer. He leapt forward and lunged straight at Lu Dongjun.

Lu Dongjun caught the pincer mid-strike. He twisted his wrist and snapped it clean off. The enforcer swayed where he stood. He was gravely wounded. His vision blurred. His consciousness began to slip.

Lu Dongjun grabbed him by the hair and drove the broken pincer into his skull.

The situation was urgent. Lu Dongjun had no time to deal with the body and left immediately.

Half an hour later, Zhang Xiuling sensed that something was wrong and ordered her men to search. They soon found the Redstaff enforcer’s corpse in the alley.

A level-six Physique Cultivator, dead just like that. Without the slightest disturbance. Who could have killed him so easily?

Zhang Xiuling pondered for a moment, then called a subordinate over. ”Inform Third Master He that Lu Dongjun has escaped.”

***

After trudging out of a stretch of the wasteland, Li Banfeng finally saw sunlight again. Proper sunlight. The kind that made your eyes sting and your head throb.

He had left the New Land behind and arrived at the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs at last.

He squinted hard, and not just because the sun was blazing down on him. The mosquitoes were everywhere. They weren’t buzzing politely, but swarming in thick, black clouds. Every breath risked sending one straight into his nostrils, and he couldn’t even see his surroundings clearly.

Once he could see clearly, he realized this was a village, a simple and honest one, just like Blue Poplar Village.

Why did he compare it with the Blue Poplar Village? Because there was a villager standing right in front of him.

The man looked plain enough, but his face was rosy and slick with oil, the kind of shine that suggested full meals. This was odd, considering that the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs was supposedly in the middle of a famine.

The villager gripped a curved blade and eyed Li Banfeng calmly. ”I want one of your hands. You will not die. I will cut from the shoulder down. Once it is cut off, I will let you go.

”It sounds a bit scary, but losing a hand isn’t a big deal. My blade is very fast. You won’t feel a thing.”

Li Banfeng stared at him and asked in astonishment, ”Does it really not hurt?”

The man burst out laughing. ”It really doesn’t hurt. Want to try?”

Li Banfeng nodded seriously. ”Then do you want my left hand or my right hand?”

The man tilted his head. ”Do you think I am joking with you? I am going to cut off one of your hands. Do you understand? If you don’t, look over there. Those are your examples.”

Not far away, a woman was pinned to the ground by two burly men, one hand clamped tightly over her mouth. Another man stood beside them with an axe raised, ready to bring it down on her arm.

There were many corpses on the ground. Some were missing limbs. Some had been stripped down to skeletons. Yet all of them still had their heads.

No wonder these people looked so well-fed. They truly had not gone hungry. They also had some sense and knew that the head shouldn’t be eaten.

Famine. This was a famine! During a famine, humans would become the devil!

The man stared at Li Banfeng and said, ”If you understand, stretch out your hand. If you don’t, you’ll end up like them.”

Li Banfeng answered solemnly, ”I understand. I am sincerely asking, do you want the left hand or the right hand?”

The man froze. A chill crept into his heart as he thought, Why isn’t this man afraid?

He tightened his grip on the blade. ”I want the left hand.”

”Alright,” Li Banfeng said. He took a single step forward, reached the man in an instant, and snatched the blade away.

Slash!

Li Banfeng hacked down at the man’s right hand as he said, ”If you want the left hand, then give me your right hand.”

The man screamed and collapsed to the ground, rolling back and forth.

Li Banfeng frowned. ”Didn’t you say it wouldn’t hurt at all? Lying is wrong. You are not getting the left hand either.”

Slash!

Li Banfeng cut off the man’s left hand as well.

The man passed out and went completely still. The others were terrified. In fact, even the woman pinned to the ground froze in fear.

The others couldn’t bother with the woman anymore. They rushed forward with their weapons and surrounded Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng held the blade and negotiated with them one by one.

”Do you want the left hand or the right hand?

”Not answering? Then I will cut off both, and you can choose at your leisure.

”And you? Still not saying anything? Then I’ll start with your legs.”

Author’s Note:

PS: Wifey is about to have a feast!