The Overlord of Puluo

”My dear, have one more bite!”

Li Banfeng struggled to open his mouth.

The Gramophone stylus pierced into a piece of beef and placed it into Li Banfeng’s mouth.

After lying in the Pocket Dwelling for two days, Li Banfeng could finally struggle to his feet and walk.

This was the advantage of a Homebound Cultivator. Once he returned to his own residence, his recovery far surpassed that of the other Daoist paths.

It was even better for the Gramophone. After just two days, she had almost completely recovered.

”My dear husband, don’t move. I’ll give your body a wipe.

”My dear husband, bear with the pain. I’ll clean your wounds.

”My dear husband, don’t be anxious. In a moment. I’ll clean my little husband as well. I’ll serve you warmly and rub you clean.”

”My dear husband, take one more bite, just one. I’ll sing for you.”

Li Banfeng shook his head. ”I don’t want to hear a song. I want to oil you.”

”My dear husband, your body hasn’t recovered yet. What will you use to oil me?”

”An oil brush.”

”What’s the point in using an oil brush? When you’ve recovered, you can use whatever you want. I’ll follow your wishes. Come, have another bite.”

Li Banfeng glanced at the Crimson Lotus on the ground and frowned slightly. ”I want to move her to the fifth room.”

”Why send her to the fifth room?”

”I just don’t feel good looking at her.”

Clang, clang, clang~

As the Gramophone beat the gongs and drums, she giggled. ”My dear, why bother with her? I think it’s fine to let her stay here. Let that wretch watch. My dear~ have another bite.”

The Arcane Crimson Lotus very much wanted to spit at them.

However, thinking of the Gramophone’s condition, she swallowed her anger.

The Gramophone was in excellent condition. Ever since entering the Pocket Dwelling, she had been in better shape than ever before!

After resting for another half day, Li Banfeng prepared to go out.

The Gramophone wasn’t happy about that. ”My dear, you haven’t recovered from your injuries. What are you going out for?”

”I want to go out and get some fresh air.”

The Gramophone pouted coquettishly. ”Honestly, my dear, a proper Homebound Cultivator can stay indoors for half a year or even a year. You’ve only been in here for two days, and you can’t stand it anymore?”

Li Banfeng scratched all over the Gramophone’s casing. ”I’m not a proper Homebound Cultivator. I’m always with my wife all day; how could I possibly stay proper?!”

The Gramophone trembled with laughter, and Li Banfeng took the chance to slip out the door.

Watching Li Banfeng’s retreating figure, the Arcane Crimson Lotus spat in annoyance.

Huff~

A burst of steam surged over and scorched the Arcane Crimson Lotus until it glowed red.

The Arcane Crimson Lotus glared at the Gramophone and snapped, ”Wicked woman, you shouldn’t repay kindness with vengeance!”

The Gramophone laughed. ”Wretch, the grudges between us have only grown. Now that my dear husband has left, the two of us can have a proper talk.”

Out in the wilderness, Li Banfeng drew in a deep breath.

***

He was a Wanderlust Cultivator. The cultivation time he had accumulated was sufficient, but a Wanderlust Cultivator’s nature could not be changed.

Of course, there was something even more important than that.

He had left two enchanted artifacts in the gorge: the Judge’s Brush and the illustrated calendar.

The chances of retrieving them were slim, but he still had to go and take a look. Both artifacts had played a crucial role in his battle against Qiu Luoye. As long as no one else had picked them up yet, there was still hope of finding them with the Threaded Earring.

Before that, he had to head to the plots. This was even more important than the artifacts.

Ma Wu was still searching for Li Banfeng, and he was nearly losing his mind.

From the gorge to the plots, there was only one stretch of road, and Ma Wu searched it numerous times a day. Shui Yongquan had told Ma Wu many times that Li Banfeng was not there, but Ma Wu refused to believe it.

That night, Shui Yongquan went to Ma Wu’s residence to discuss the matter of the five-kilometer land.

”Back then, Li Qi and I signed a contract. If we won the battle, I would grant you land with a five-kilometer diameter. Now that Li Qi’s whereabouts are unknown, you should accept the land on his behalf first.”

Ma Wu shook his head. ”There’s no rush. We’ll talk about it when Old Qi comes back.”

”You may not be in a hurry, but I am. What’s written in the contract is the most important matter to me. Choose a plot quickly.”

”I can’t make that decision. We have to wait until Old Qi returns.”

”Brother Ma Wu, let me remind you. When Li Qi and I signed the contract, we had a clear agreement. If he didn’t choose a plot within two days, I would choose it for him. I came to ask you first. That’s already giving you plenty of face.”

Ma Wu snapped, ”It’s pointless to ask me. Old Qi’s land has to be decided by Old Qi himself. Chuanzi, see the guest out!”

Shui Yongquan smiled, then he vanished.

Ma Wu sat inside the cabin, drinking wine in silence.

He did not care about the land. He only wanted to get Li Qi back.

After Ma Wu finished a cup of wine, Li Banfeng poured him another.

Ma Wu took a sip, set the cup down, and stared at Li Banfeng for a long time.

Li Banfeng was dressed in the same black suit and fedora as before. The brim of the fedora was not pulled low, as his face was wrapped in bandages.

Tears streamed down Ma Wu’s face. ”Where the hell did you go? I searched everywhere for you!”

Li Banfeng pointed at the bandages covering him. ”I went to recover from my injuries.”

”Didn’t I bring you back to recuperate? Why did you run off?”

Li Banfeng smiled. ”I didn’t. A medical specialist rescued me midway. If not for his superb skills, I wouldn’t have recovered this quickly.”

”Who was it?”

Li Banfeng shook his head. ”He does not like revealing his name to others, so it would not be right for me to reveal it as I wish.”

Hearing that, Ma Wu did not press further. This was how they worked; if Li Banfeng didn’t want to reveal something, Ma Wu wouldn’t ask about it.

Instead, Ma Wu drank another cup of wine and calmed down a little.

Li Banfeng said, ”I left two enchanted artifacts in the gorge. Get a few brothers to go search with me.”

”No need,” Ma Wu replied as he took out the Judge’s Brush and the illustrated calendar. ”Shui Yongquan retrieved them for you. He even moved the Waterfall Gate over. I’ll have someone send it to your land later.”

Li Banfeng nodded in approval. ”Shui Yongquan may be devious, but he does keep his word.”

Ma Wu agreed. ”He came to see me just now to discuss the five-kilometer land. I told him to wait until you came back.”

That was when Li Banfeng finally recalled the matter. ”We can’t delay that! Why didn’t you just pick one?!”

Ma Wu raised an eyebrow. ”It’s your land. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to choose.”

”Who cares about that?! This is going to make a mess of things. I agreed with him that I’d choose within two days. If I don’t, he’ll choose for me.”

Li Banfeng quickly told Chuanzi to prepare the offering table. Once incense, candles, and offerings were set out, Shui Yongquan appeared again.

”Brother Li Qi, you’re back.”

Li Banfeng nodded. ”I’m back. I came specifically to choose the land.”

Shui Yongquan’s lips spread into a slow smile. ”No need. I’ve already chosen it for you.”

Li Banfeng shot Ma Wu a glare, drew in a deep breath, and forced a laugh. ”You didn’t pick a swamp for me, did you?”

Shui Yongquan frowned. ”Do you take me for that kind of person? I chose an excellent plot for you. Come with me.”

Li Banfeng turned to Ma Wu. ”Half of the land is yours. Come with me.”

Ma Wu shook his head several times. ”That’s not appropriate.”

”Cut the nonsense. Let’s go.”

Li Banfeng and Ma Wu followed Shui Yongquan all the way to the gorge.

Li Banfeng said, ”You didn’t just give me this five-kilometer gorge, did you? This doesn’t count as having a five-kilometer diameter.”

”Don’t worry. We’re not there yet,” Shui Yongquan replied.

After passing through the gorge, Li Banfeng spoke again. ”We’re entering Qiu Luoye’s territory.”

Shui Yongquan chuckled. ”It used to be Qiu Luoye’s territory, but it’s mine now.”

After leaving the gorge and walking another ten kilometers, Shui Yongquan stopped. He turned to Li Banfeng and declared, ”From where we stand, five kilometers to the east and five kilometers to the south—all of the land within that area will be your land from now on.”

Li Banfeng took a little walk through the land. It was indeed excellent.

There were flat plains, woods, a modest hill, and a lake with a diameter of a kilometer and a half.

”The lake water isn’t drinkable. It’s poisonous. But the fish and shrimp inside are all edible,” Shui Yongquan said as he looked at Li Banfeng. ”Brother Li Qi, I chose a good place for you, didn’t I?”

Li Banfeng nodded. ”It is indeed good, but is all this truly yours?”

Shui Yongquan’s mouth twitched in irritation. ”Of course, it’s mine. Would I lie to you about that? Look at the fish in this lake. Cast a net once, and you can haul up more than five kilograms. You can eat as much as you like.”

Ma Wu thought about it for a moment. ”I remember you once said Qiu Luoye would compensate you with land that has a fifteen-kilometer diameter. This is the land you meant, right?”

”Yes, this is it.” Shui Yongquan pointed at the lake. ”There aren’t just fish here; there are shrimp too. The shrimp are truly fresh. I’ve eaten them a few times. Thinking about the taste now, all I can say is that it’s delicious.”

Ma Wu then asked, ”Where is the boundary between you and Qiu Luoye?”

”Over there,” Shui Yongquan said, gesturing vaguely. ”And let me tell you, it’s not just the shrimp that’s delicious. There are crabs too. This is a saltwater lake. The lake crabs taste even better than crabs from the sea!”

Li Banfeng said, ”Boss Shui, you didn’t place our land right on the boundary between your territory and Qiu Luoye’s, did you?”

There was no avoiding the topic.

They had walked ten kilometers out of the gorge to arrive at Li Banfeng’s new five-kilometer land.

Another five kilometers would make fifteen. That would put them right at the boundary between Shui Yongquan’s and Qiu Luoye’s territories.

Shui Yongquan had no choice but to speak plainly. ”It is indeed by the boundary, but all of this is my territory. I haven’t violated our contract by giving this land to you.”

Li Banfeng said, ”If the land is by the boundary, doesn’t that mean we’ve become your gatekeepers? If you were to fight Qiu Luoye again, wouldn’t we be the first to engage in the battle?”

Shui Yongquan lowered his hand in a calming gesture. ”Brother Li Qi, stay calm. Don’t get angry. Elephant Qiu and I have already come to an agreement. We won’t fight anymore.”

”If you’re not fighting anymore, why have us guard the gate?”

Shui Yongquan shifted his gaze to the calm surface of the lake. ”The land is mine, and it is good land. I haven’t violated our contract, nor have I wronged our friendship. Brother Li Qi, you shouldn’t be so picky about this.”

It was true there was no fault in what he said.

Li Banfeng walked along the lakeshore for a while, then he realized the crux of the matter. ”You’re afraid someone else will come to open up land by the boundary, aren’t you?”

Shui Yongquan did not respond.

Ma Wu understood what Li Qi meant. ”Boss Shui, you and Boss Qiu have reached an agreement not to clash with each other anymore. But you know Boss Qiu’s temper. You’re afraid that if someone stirs up trouble along the boundary, he’ll cause another incident. That’s why you deliberately placed Old Qi’s land by the border.”

Li Banfeng let out a cold laugh. ”In the end, you still want us to guard your gates.”

Shui Yongquan did not bother defending himself. He looked at Li Banfeng and said, ”So, it seems you don’t want this land then?”

Don’t want it? Would Shui Yongquan offer a different plot? Of course not.

If Li Banfeng were to say he didn’t want it, that would mean giving up the land altogether.

”I’ll take the land, reluctantly. But if we’re guarding your gates, shouldn’t there be some compensation?”

Shui Yongquan rubbed his chin. He had known Li Banfeng would not be easy to deal with. ”Go on then. What compensation do you want?”

”Can one plot of land have two masters?”

Shui Yongquan glanced at Ma Wu and understood what Li Qi meant.

Adding another master to a plot of land was not just a matter of title. It meant that regardless of whether it was Li Banfeng or Ma Wu who shed blood, the Shui Yongquan would have to appear and grant them protection.

Li Banfeng said, ”You’re not losing out. We guard your gates for you, and you help us settle trouble that arises. That’s only fair.”

”Only fair?” Shui Yongquan snorted coldly. ”If this land suddenly had a hundred masters, would I have to answer every call from all one hundred of them? What do you take me for?”

”There won’t be a hundred. Just the two of us.”

”Fine. Draw up the contract. Shed your blood!”

With Shui Yongquan, nothing counted without a written contract, no matter what the deal was.

The three of them signed the contract. Li Banfeng and Ma Wu shed their blood, and the land matter was settled.

Ma Wu felt he had taken advantage of Li Banfeng and was deeply uneasy about it. However, Li Banfeng did not think that at all. Without Ma Wu’s reinforcement, Li Banfeng would not have lasted to the end of the battle in the gorge. Moreover, this land would never realize its potential without Ma Wu managing it in the future.

It was truly excellent land. The dense woods guaranteed timber. The broad plains offered space. A saltwater lake provided food.

It was an ideal foundation. Ma Wu could recruit hunters to work nearby, collect the goods into storage, and then ship them out in bulk. Certain kinds of rare game could even be raised on this land. If they hired Agrarian Cultivators, they could plant many valuable crops here as well.

Ma Wu left markers in various spots on the land, ready to make a grand effort into managing it.

He said, ”Old Qi, from now on, we split the income thirty-seventy. You take seventy percent, I take thirty percent.”

Li Banfeng shook his head. ”Half and half! Stop the nonsense!”

For a thirty percent profit, a person would put in thirty percent effort. For a fifty percent profit, they would put in one hundred percent effort. This wasn’t just about brotherhood but human nature as well.

Once that was finalised, Ma Wu got into action, moving swiftly. The very next day, he had Chuanzi recruit the workers, and within three days, the first batch of cabins was completed.

The largest cabin was set aside as a meeting hall. It could host guests or serve as a place for discussing important matters.

Knowing that Li Banfeng loved music, Ma Wu specially bought a new gramophone from Ling Miaosheng’s shop.

It was a windmill-powered gramophone, almost identical to the one in Blue Poplar Village.

Li Banfeng put on a record to test the sound. The quality was beyond reproach, yet to his ears, it was still far inferior to his wife’s.

Ma Wu brought up the Waterfall Gate. ”That spirit-bound item is still at my plot. Should we move it here or back to your original plot?”

”Keep it. I’m gifting it to you.”

Ma Wu waved his hands repeatedly. ”No. I can’t keep taking advantage of your generosity!”

”I told you, stop fussing over it. Just keep it.”

The Waterfall Gate was a fine treasure. However, to Li Banfeng, it was far too bulky and cumbersome; he could not bring it into the Pocket Dwelling. Moreover, it didn’t suit him anyway; it wasn’t compatible with him as a Homebound Cultivator or a Wanderlust Cultivator.

For Ma Wu, on the other hand, it was ideal. He had three Madam Bagworm Moths, excellent helpers who could guard the gate for him.

While Li Banfeng and Ma Wu were listening to music and chatting idly, Chuanzi entered the meeting hall. ”Someone is activating land.”

Li Banfeng set down his wine cup. ”On our territory?”

”Not ours, but very close.”

Ma Wu frowned. ”So someone really is looking for trouble? Old Qi, you rest. I’ll go take a look.”

Both Li Banfeng and Ma Wu excelled at reconnaissance, but their methods were different.

Li Banfeng was accustomed to relying on a Homebound Cultivator’s innate abilities to approach and observe the target from the shadows without getting noticed.

Ma Wu, on the other hand, preferred to speak to the target. Drawing on his knowledge and experience, he would sound out the target openly.

After walking along the lakeshore and out of the woods, Ma Wu saw two people setting up an offering table. They were not placing it on the boundary line. The table stood within Qiu Luoye’s territory. That reduced a great deal of potential conflict.

Ma Wu relaxed slightly and walked straight over to the table. There was only a single bottle of wine on the table. They intended to activate half a kilometer of land.

From the aroma of aged wine and the placement of the table, this arrangement was clearly designed to catch Qiu Luoye’s attention.

Ma Wu said in admiration, ”You’re veterans, hey?”

One of them looked up and smiled. ”It’s our first time here. We sought a bit of advice from some veterans beforehand. We’re not sure if this method will work.”

The other person’s head hung low, not saying a word.

Ma Wu glanced at the person. The person wore a gray short jacket and a felt hat pulled low, obscuring the face. Yet, that person’s build seemed strangely familiar.

He sniffed again, taking in the person’s scent. There was a distinctive fragrance lingering on that person—the scent of cosmetics.

The person had clearly washed up many times, but a trace of the cosmetics still lingered, and Ma Wu caught the scent. That fragrance held a particular allure for a Hedonism Cultivator.

After exchanging some small talk, Ma Wu returned to the cabin.

Li Banfeng asked, ”Did you find out who they are?”

Ma Wu shook his head. ”No. They’re activating land within Qiu Luoye’s territory, but it’s indeed very close to ours.”

”Close is fine, as long as it’s not on the boundary line.”

Ma Wu gave a slight shake of his head. ”But I think I saw an old acquaintance.”

”Which one?”

”This old acquaintance is someone you know as well.”

Li Banfeng grew curious. Who was this old acquaintance that both he and Ma Wu knew?

He took a sip of wine and waited for Ma Wu to speak the name.

Ma Wu raised his gaze to meet Li Banfeng’s. ”That person looked like Lu Xiaolan!”

Gulp.

Li Banfeng choked on the wine and coughed several times.