The Overlord of Puluo

Late that night, Ma Wu sat beside Li Banfeng. Curled beside Ma Wu, of all things, was Madam Bagworm Moth.

The sight was unsettling. Ma Wu praised her in every possible way. Yet no matter how reassuring his tone was, Li Banfeng still felt an unmistakable urge to run for his life.

”Brother, don’t worry,” Ma Wu said earnestly. ”This Madam Bagworm Moth isn’t like the one we met before. She is gentle.”

As he spoke, he gently stroked Madam Bagworm Moth’s body. She trembled at once.

”Handsome little fella,” she said fearfully, ”you can do whatever you want tomorrow, but today I truly can’t take it anymore.”

Ma Wu glanced at her with slight dissatisfaction.

Madam Bagworm Moth lowered her head, looking aggrieved. ”I really can’t take it anymore.”

Li Banfeng looked at the bagworm moth and said plainly, ”If you can’t take it anymore, then leave.”

To his astonishment, Madam Bagworm Moth seemed to blush. She lowered her head even further.

”I can’t bear to leave,” she murmured.

Ma Wu’s talent was truly unreasonable. This Madam Bagworm Moth could have defeated a hundred Ma Wus without effort, yet because she could not bear to hurt him, she simply allowed him to bully her.

Ma Wu let out a quiet sigh. ”It isn’t just talent. In the end, it’s fate. If it were the previous Madam Bagworm Moth, I would already be dead.”

Hearing Ma Wu keep mentioning another, Madam Bagworm Moth grew slightly unhappy.

”Handsome little fella,” she said, her tone tinged with displeasure, ”you keep bringing up the previous one. Is the one you mentioned named Tinytiny?”

Tinytiny? Li Banfeng blinked. Madam Bagworm Moths have names?

Li Banfeng stared at the plump Madam Bagworm Moth for a long moment, then muttered inwardly, Tinytiny really shouldn’t be a name a Madam Bagworm Moth has.

”Her name is Tinytiny?” Ma Wu sounded intrigued. ”What is your name?”

Madam Bagworm Moth lowered her head shyly. ”My name is Swallowie.”

Her name is Swallowie… Li Banfeng took a deep breath and looked up at the sky, trying to imagine what it would look like if this enormous ”swallow” spread her vast body and soared into the heavens.

Ma Wu stroked Madam Bagworm Moth’s cheek gently. ”Swallowie, this is destiny. You were meant to fly into my heart.”

Just how big must your heart be? Li Banfeng shuddered.

While continuing to flirt, Ma Wu casually probed for information. ”You mentioned Tinytiny just now. Did you know her before?”

Swallowie frowned. ”Why do you keep bringing her up?”

”I am just curious.”

”Of course I know her. We follow the same cultivation path and cultivated together before. Tinytiny moved here this year. I came to look for her, but I searched for days and couldn’t find her.”

Of course you can’t find her. She paid a visit to my Pocket Dwelling and will never come out again, Li Banfeng muttered inwardly. Regardless, he did not care a bit about Tinytiny. What interested him was something else entirely.

”You have your own Daoist path?” Li Banfeng asked.

”Yes,” Swallowie replied earnestly. ”We were originally Ascetic Cultivators.”

Li Banfeng’s curiosity deepened. ”When you say ’we,’” he asked, ”do you mean you and Tinytiny, or all Madam Bagworm Moths?”

Swallowie replied, ”All Madam Bagworm Moths were Ascetic Cultivators. Only Ascetic Cultivators can become Madam Bagworm Moths.”

Ascetic Cultivators become Madam Bagworm Moths? Li Banfeng thought. It seemed Madam Bagworm Moths were far more complicated than he had thought.

The gramophone wifey had once said that Madam Bagworm Moths belonged to the second category of aberrant creatures. Their bodies were formed and raised in the New Land, but their souls were not.

At the time, Li Banfeng had not understood what she meant. Now, after hearing Swallowie’s explanation, he began to understand a little more.

The moment Ascetic Cultivation was mentioned, Ma Wu frowned. Ascetic Cultivators were the natural enemies of Hedonistic Cultivators.

Madam Bagworm Moth hurried to explain, ”Handsome little fella, I know you dislike this Daoist path. I don’t like it either.”

”Then why did you choose Ascetic Cultivation?” Ma Wu asked.

Madam Bagworm Moth fell silent, and a shadow clouded the tenderness in her expression.

”I had planned never to speak of these things again,” she said softly.

Ma Wu reached out and pinched her plump cheek. ”You can’t even tell me?”

”Since you have asked, how could I refuse? Swallowie said quietly. ”When I was young, I was foolish. I met a heartless man. I gave him everything I had. He took everything he could. Once he had used me up, he abandoned me.

”I began to believe that life in this world was destined to be suffering. After hearing a few words of persuasion, I convinced myself I had seen through the illusions and entanglements of the mortal world and chose to become an Ascetic Cultivator.

”As an Ascetic Cultivator, I could not speak of love or indulge in affection. Even if I remarried, it would only be two people making do with a life together.”

”I suffered my whole life and cultivated my whole life. No matter how much I regret it, I cannot undo the past. When a female Ascetic Cultivator dies, if she is willing, she crosses the bridge and reincarnates. If she still harbors resentment, she goes to the new land.

”In the new land, there is a kind of bagworm moth born without a soul. A female Ascetic Cultivator may possess it and continue cultivating.”

Ma Wu leaned over and kissed Madam Bagworm Moth tenderly. ”After becoming a bagworm moth, do you still have to suffer?”

Li Banfeng let out a snort. ”With how plump you are, you probably didn’t suffer much.”

Swallowie blushed and said, ”I have already died once. What else is there to be upset about? Why should I keep suffering? After I became a bagworm moth, I told myself I would just live the way I want. If I want to eat, I would eat till I am full. If I want to have fun, I would have fun. If I want a man, I would find one. If I want children, I would have them.”

Ma Wu clapped his hands. ”That’s what I like about you! No holding back!”

Li Banfeng rolled his eyes. ”How about I go somewhere else and you two can… not hold back.”

Ma Wu said heartily, ”You and I are brothers. Having you here won’t stop me from enjoying myself!”

Swallowie shook her head repeatedly. ”Not tonight, handsome little fella. Let me rest for the night. We can continue tomorrow.”

It was already late. Swallowie returned to the forest and went to sleep.

Li Banfeng said, ”I am heading to Greenwater City. Are you coming back with me?”

Ma Wu shook his head. ”I want to stay in the new land a while longer. I will have Little Gen return to Blue Poplar Village tomorrow and bring some people over. We should at least tidy up our plots enough to make them livable.”

”Can you manage here alone?”

Ma Wu glanced toward Swallowie, who was sleeping in the distance, and simply smiled. Of course he could manage. He might even manage better than Li Banfeng.

This was his domain. If he spilled blood, the Land Deity would protect him. Even if he did not, Swallowie would. As long as he remained within his plot, Ma Wu would be safer than he had ever been in the Ma Family’s house.

However, would Li Banfeng be safe in Greenwater City?

The tension with the Lu Family had eased for now, yet Ma Wu still felt worried.

”If it’s nothing urgent, it’s best if you stay away from Greenwater City for the time being,” he said. ”I have a feeling the great families are about to stir up trouble.”

”I really do have something important to handle,” Li Banfeng replied. ”I need to buy paintings.”

”Buy paintings?” Ma Wu blinked. ”How is that important?”

”Extremely important,” Li Banfeng said seriously. ”I’m obsessed with looking at paintings now. If I go a day without seeing one, I can’t even eat.”

The words sounded oddly familiar. Ma Wu suddenly remembered the time Li Banfeng was so adamant on buying gramophones. No matter how he had tried to talk him out of it back then, Li Banfeng had refused to listen.

”Old Qi,” Ma Wu said, shaking his head, ”some of the things you do are truly strange. I really don’t understand you.”

Li Banfeng did not know whether to laugh or cry. ”You just slept with a Madam Bagworm Moth, and you are calling me strange?”

”Are you buying works by a famous painter, or just ordinary decorative paintings?”

”If I’m going to Greenwater City, then of course I’m buying works by a famous painter.”

The truth was that Li Banfeng was going to learn drawing. The Western techniques the pendulum had taught him would take two or three years, perhaps even longer, to master. He wanted to learn a drawing skill he could pick up quickly.

”Famous painters…” Ma Wu thought for a moment and then seemed to recall someone. ”There are quite a few well-known painters in Greenwater City, but in my opinion, the most profound is Old Master Qiao Guangyuan. His landscape paintings, in particular, are exceptional…”

”No landscapes,” Li Banfeng said as he waved his hand. ”I want someone who is very good at painting people.”

”For portraits, Old Master Fu Taiyue is exceptional. With just three or five strokes, he can bring a person to life. But his paintings are not cheap.”

The moment he heard ”three or five strokes,” Li Banfeng perked up.

This was exactly the kind of technique he wanted to learn. If, in a critical moment, he could create a powerful combat force with just three or five strokes, would that not allow him to bring out the strongest form of the fourth-level technique?

”Where does this old master live?”

Ma Wu gave Li Banfeng Fu Taiyue’s address and added a warning. ”Master Fu Taiyue is rather proud and aloof, and his paintings are expensive. If you truly want to buy his painting, you will need a lot more patience.”

Li Banfeng did not mind at all. He knew that artists of great renown always had their own peculiar temperaments.

After spending one night in the new land, Li Banfeng sent Little Gen back to Blue Poplar Village the next day. Then he set off alone for Greenwater City.

Following the address Ma Wu had given him, Li Banfeng found Old Master Fu Taiyue’s residence. He knocked for quite some time before a servant finally came out.

”Are you here to request a painting?” the servant asked.

Li Banfeng shook his head. ”I’m here to learn painting.”

The servant looked him up and down, then said, ”Wait here.”

Li Banfeng stood outside for more than half an hour before the door opened again. The servant led him into the entrance hall, where he waited for another half hour before being taken into the main hall.

Li Banfeng had waited for over an hour, yet he did not utter a single complaint. Anyone who wished to study under a master had to endure a few deliberate tests of patience.

Old Master Fu Taiyue stood before an easel, brush in hand, wholly absorbed in his work. He did not glance up when Li Banfeng entered. It was as though the rest of the world had ceased to exist.

The servant lifted a warning finger, signaling Li Banfeng to remain silent.

Li Banfeng inclined his head slightly and complied. He began to examine the paintings displayed along the walls, studying each one with careful attention. Then his gaze shifted to the unfinished piece resting on the easel.

After looking around, Li Banfeng turned and walked toward the door.

Fu Taiyue set down his brush and let out a soft, disdainful snort. ”Young man, you don’t even have the patience to wait. And with that temperament, you wish to become my disciple?”

”It’s not that I don’t have patience. I simply do not wish to learn from you,” Li Banfeng said. There was no trace of complaint in his tone. If anything, he sounded entirely sincere.

Fu Taiyue was clearly taken aback. He studied Li Banfeng for a moment before speaking again. ”This old one is not talented enough. Please enlighten me.”

Li Banfeng turned his gaze toward one of the paintings hanging in the hall.

”I cannot understand your work,” he said. ”Are you painting a person, or a mountain?”

The old master smiled. ”I painted a Mountain God. Its form resembles a mountain, but its spirit resembles a person. The essence of the Mountain God lies within this scroll.”

Li Banfeng studied the painting more closely and had to admit the old man did have a point.

At first glance, it was clearly a mountain. Yet the lines within the landscape curved and gathered in such a way that they subtly formed the outline of a human face. There was indeed an elusive air of authority and grandeur lingering within the scroll.

”Very good,” Li Banfeng said in approval.

Even so, he turned to leave. The old master’s paintings truly possessed depth. Every piece in the room carried a profound artistic vision. However, this was not the type of painting that would be useful to Li Banfeng. Painting something so abstract would be of no use to him in battle.

Seeing Li Banfeng walk out without so much as a backward glance, the old master set down his brush and followed him.

”Young man,” he called out, ”you said it was very good, yet you have not told me what makes it good.”

Li Banfeng stopped.

”It is good in every way. It is simply too profound. I have not reached that level yet. After a few more years of study, I will return and seek your guidance.”

Fu Taiyue’s expression darkened at once. The servant sneered at Li Banfeng’s back. ”Someone like you would be better off learning on Painting Workshop Street. That place suits your status.”

Li Banfeng turned and asked, ”Where is Painting Workshop Street? I will go and have a look.”

He asked with complete sincerity. However, the words angered Fu Taiyue. A vein throbbed visibly at Fu Taiyue’s temple. The air in the hall seemed to grow heavy. Behind him, the Mountain God hanging upon the wall appeared to move.

It did not merely seem alive. It truly had come to life.

Li Banfeng felt the danger instantly. A prickle ran down his spine. Without another word, he quickened his pace and stepped beyond the threshold of the residence.

Is this man a Homebound Cultivator? But I didn’t see him drip blood onto the painting just now. Or is this some other cultivation path? He doesn’t seem to be a low-level cultivator.

***

Li Banfeng soon found himself on Painting Workshop Street. It was a lively street lined with narrow shops and makeshift stalls, scrolls and paintings hanging everywhere.

He passed several stalls and took interest in a portrait of a beauty.

It was rendered in a traditional Chinese style, the brushwork deceptively simple. Yet there was life in it. The woman wore a qipao that traced her figure neatly, her shoulder-length hair curling in soft waves. Her eyes were large and luminous, her brows thinly arched, and her lips full and faintly curved. Just above the left corner of her mouth was a small mole that made her look extra alluring.

This portrait was just what Li Banfeng needed.

The vendor hurried over at once. ”Sir, have you taken a liking to this portrait? You truly have excellent taste. I have sold more than a dozen since I set up today. If you had come a little later, there wouldn’t be any left. I normally sell it for sixty, but you came at just the right time. I am in a hurry to pack up, I’ll give you a flat price of fifty-five. How does that sound?”

Li Banfeng shook his head. ”I’m not here to buy.”

The vendor’s enthusiasm faded at once. ”I sell paintings. If you’re not buying, you can look elsewhere.”

”I want to learn how to paint from you,” Li Banfeng said.

The vendor froze. ”Learn from me? Are you joking?”

”I am not joking. Name your price.”

The vendor looked genuinely troubled. ”How could I name a price? I don’t know how to paint.”

”You don’t? Then who painted this?”

”I don’t know who painted it. Can’t you tell? It’s printed.”

”Printed?” Li Banfeng stared at the painting for a long time. It even carried the faint scent of ink. He could not detect the texture of a print.

The vendor spread his hands helplessly. ”I told you, I’ve sold more than a dozen today. Do you think I could paint the same picture over ten times?”

Printing it…might work. Li Banfeng thought.

Li Banfeng looked at him calmly. ”Then can you teach me how to print them?”

The vendor studied him from head to toe. ”Sir, are you here to cause trouble?”

”I truly want to learn.”

The vendor shook his head firmly. ”This is how I make my living. I don’t teach it.”

Without another word, Li Banfeng took out a stack of banknotes. ”I’ll pay.”

***

Ink rubbing was indeed a craft.

From inking the surface, to laying the paper, to lifting the image without tearing it, every step required care. Still, it was far easier than painting.

Li Banfeng spent twenty thousand yuan and studied under the vendor for two days. He managed to grasp roughly half of the technique, perhaps sixty percent at best.

Before he left, the vendor handed him more than a dozen printing boards. Li Banfeng bought a ream of white paper and two large bottles of ink, brought everything back to the Pocket Dwelling, and began printing in earnest.

Watching him work busily, the pendulum felt uneasy. ”Master, this is cutting corners. Will it really work?”

Li Banfeng kept his eyes on the paper and continued printing, ignoring the pendulum entirely.

The pendulum turned toward the gramophone. ”Madam…”

A faint crackling sound followed.

The gramophone let out a cold sneer. ”Instead of following the proper path, you dabble in these cheap tricks. This will surely be a waste of effort.”

Even so, the gramophone did not know whether the method would succeed. Though the painting was printed, it had been printed by Li Banfeng’s own hands.

After more than ten minutes, one painting was finally complete. Li Banfeng pricked his fingertip and let a drop of blood fall onto the paper.

He focused his mind and waited. The paper rustled softly. Then, from the painting, a beauty about ninety centimeters tall stepped out.

Li Banfeng’s eyes lit up and he was filled with so much delight. The pendulum was stunned.

”Pour me a cup of tea,” Li Banfeng ordered. The ninety-centimeter beauty obeyed at once. She placed tea leaves into the cup and added water.

She really knows how to serve tea! Li Banfeng thought.

Although she poured cold water, her intelligence far surpassed that of the thirty-centimeter girl Li Banfeng had created before.

Li Banfeng took a sip of tea and continued giving instructions.

”Sweep the floor.”

”Dust the table.”

The ninety-centimeter beauty carried them out with ease.

With such aptitude, she would surely be able to fight, Li Banfeng thought to himself, a spark of excitement rising in his chest.

Just as Li Banfeng was beginning to feel pleased with himself, a sudden rustling sound shattered the quiet. The ninety-centimeter beauty trembled, swayed once, and then collapsed into a scattered pile of paper scraps.

The gramophone let out a soft sigh. ”Husband, only a bit of the blood comes from your heart.That is why this beauty could last only a short while.”

Oh, Li Banfeng thought. The paper figure’s lifespan has something to do with vital blood?

Li Banfeng glanced at his pocket watch. The ninety-centimeter beauty had lasted less than five minutes.

The gramophone reminded, ”That was not a fierce fight. If not, she would have broken into pieces even faster. I think she might not last for even a minute.”

One minute. Is that enough? That would depend on how it’s used.

Author’s Note:PS: One minute is not too short.