The Overlord of Puluo

Chapter 267: The First Battle

Li Banfeng said, ”My surname is Ye. It the Ye that means night. I want to buy your cinema.”

The owner of Triple Blessings Cinema was rather knowledgeable. He had once read about rare surnames in a magazine, and Ye was indeed one of them.

”So it’s Boss Ye,” he said. ”You really plan to screen The Legendary Bloodspear Detective here?”

Li Banfeng nodded. ”I like the movie.”

The owner clenched his jaw. ”I like it too. It’s a damn good film. If I were a few years younger, I would stand with you and take on those bastards myself...”

As he spoke, his voice caught in his throat. The injustice burned in his chest, and he simply couldn’t accept it.

Good, Li Banfeng thought. This means the fire in you has not gone out yet.

”Boss Ye, I can sell you this cinema. What are you offering?”

”You name a price first.”

The owner hesitated, then said, ”Two hundred silver dollars.”

The price was low. It was ridiculously low mainly because the owner was desperate to sell. The cinema had been smashed so badly that it was barely more than an empty shell.

Fortunately, this was Blackstone Slope, where supplies were easy to come by.

Li Banfeng handed the repairs over to Little Chuan. The place didn’t need much, just enough work to get the projector running again. Three days, he said. That was all the time Little Chuan would get.

The cinema was registered under Bai Qiusheng’s name. He had lived in Blackstone Slope before, so no one would find it suspicious.

As soon as work began, news spread quickly.

In the southern part of Blackstone Slope stood an old, elegant mansion. Inside, in a quiet study, Tang Peigong, an elder stationed there by the Pure Conduct Society, sat reading.

Mansions like this were rare in Blackstone Slope, and neither the street in front nor the one behind had any railway access.

Tang Peigong had devoted his life to study and the ancient ways. He revered the sages of old and clung to their teachings with near-obsessive devotion.

He loathed trains, machines, films, and newspapers and thought that such things destroyed peace and led people astray.

Tang Peigong had once made such a comment about trains: ”This thing spews clouds and mist. It roars like thunder and is no different from the demons described in ancient texts.

”When a man sits inside its carriage, it is as though he has climbed straight into a demon’s belly. For the sake of convenience, he lets his spirit and essence be swallowed whole. To trade one’s dignity for a moment of comfort is both laughable and pitiful.”

In Tang Peigong’s eyes, the convenience brought by machines was the main reason people indulged themselves and fell into moral decay.

Tang Peigong often told his disciples that life was meant for self-discipline, shaped by the teachings of the sages. He believed that any craving for comfort or pleasure only harmed both the body and mind.

He was just as strict with his own household. Everyone was expected to live with discipline, and indulgence was not allowed.

Every morning, he made his first wife and his twenty-six concubines attend lessons with him, studying the teachings of the sages. It was his way of making sure no idle or indulgent thoughts could take root and bring shame to the family.

As an elder of the Pure Conduct Society, he was one of the most respected figures in Blackstone Slope.

He had personally led people to wreck the two cinemas. So when he heard that one of them was about to reopen, he was very unhappy.

”Who bought Triple Blessings Cinema?”

One of his students replied, ”A writer named Bai Qiusheng. He spent over a decade in Blackstone Slope, making a living on low-grade writing. I heard he made some money in Greenwater City and has now returned, hoping to start a business.”

Tang Peigong sighed. ”I have no issue with him running a business, but if he dares to screen those corrupting films again, I won’t spare him!”

The student nodded. ”This disciple will go and warn him at once.”

Tang Peigong gave a slight nod, and the student immediately set off for Triple Blessings Cinema.

The student’s name was Ai Chixiang and he was Tang Peigong’s most loyal disciple.

Bai Qiusheng was busy working on the newspaper and wasn’t at the cinema, so Ai Chixiang gave Little Chuan a thorough lecture.

He spoke in dense, archaic phrases that Little Chuan couldn’t understand, so Little Chuan simply nodded along, agreeing to everything just as Li Banfeng had instructed.

Several workers in the middle of renovations turned and spat in Ai Chixiang’s direction.

Ai Chixiang snapped, ”What’s the meaning of this!”

A worker grinned and said, ”Just spitting. Why? You want my spit?”

Cursing under his breath, Ai Chixiang stormed off.

Little Chuan looked at the workers with admiration. ”Not bad, brothers. You have got guts!”

One of the workers spat angrily. ”Those bastards never do a single decent thing. What’s wrong with watching a movie? Who are they to look down on us like this? They say films are immoral, yet their master keeps twenty-six concubines. And that’s not immoral?”

Many of the workers joined in, cursing loudly. From the second floor of the cinema, Li Banfeng heard everything clearly through his Threaded Earring.

The cinema owner had fire in his blood. Men like him didn’t seem rare. Perhaps that was the defining trait of Blackstone Slope.

Lu Maoxian’s businesses were all in Blackstone Slope, yet he didn’t live here himself. That likely had something to do with the nature of the place.

Little Chuan gathered the workers and lowered his voice. ”There’s another job. It has to be done at night. Triple pay. Anyone interested?”

***

Bai Qiusheng and Yu Wenqi led a group of writers and finished writing and compiling the first issue in half a day. It was typeset and then printed that same afternoon, with a total run of three thousand copies.

Li Banfeng frowned. ”Only that many?”

Bai Qiusheng smiled. ”For the launch of a new paper in Blackstone Slope, that’s already quite a lot. Paper and ink cost money. It wouldn’t be suitable for us to print more than what we need.”

”How much are you planning to sell it for?”

Ma Wu replied, ”Six mao. It’s a new paper. We are just trying to attract attention, build reputation, and get people talking.”

”That’s the retail price, right? What about the price for the news cart?”

Li Banfeng didn’t understand how newspapers were run, especially not in a place like Blackstone Slope.

Ma Wu explained, ”There’s no wholesale price. We send the papers to the news cart and split whatever they sell. Unsold copies are returned, then sold off as scrap to the paper mill, and we use the money to buy fresh paper.

”In simple terms, if we sell two thousand out of three thousand copies, we break even with a bit of profit. If we only sell one thousand, we take a loss.”

Li Banfeng shook his head. ”You can’t sell the papers this way. Print five thousand copies. Price them at two mao each.”

”Two mao?” Ma Wu muttered, shaking his head. ”That won’t work. Even if we sell every copy, we won’t recover the cost.”

Li Banfeng smiled. ”You really are a businessman. Do you actually expect this to make money?”

Ma Wu slapped his forehead. He was so used to calculating profit margins that he had nearly forgotten the real goal.

”Okay. I will listen to you. Two mao it is.”

They used a hand-cranked press to print another two thousand copies and hired people to fold them. They worked nonstop until dusk, then finally sent the first issue of Night-Blooming Jasmine out onto the streets.

With renowned writers contributing and the price set low, those who bought newspapers recognized its value. That very night, all copies were sold out.

The next day, the news carts were already asking for more copies. Ma Wu printed another five thousand, while Li Banfeng urged the writers to hurry along with the second issue. One press was no longer enough.

Ma Wu called for Little Chuan and told him to buy two more printing presses. With three machines running at once, the second issue of Night-Blooming Jasmine sold twenty-five thousand copies.

Both large and small news carts continued to ask for more.

Ma Wu dashed off to buy more machines and round up workers. Before long, the whole factory was roaring with life, clanking and rattling like it had a mind of its own.

By the time the noise settled into a steady thunder, the third issue of the newspaper had rolled out, along with the very first issue of the magazine.

The front-page article in this issue wasn’t copied from other papers. Bai Qiusheng and Yu Wenqi had written it themselves.

Tonight, The Legendary Bloodspear Detective 3 premieres at Triple Blessings Cinema, with tickets offered at a forty percent discount.

Nearly half the magazine is devoted to reviews of The Legendary Bloodspear Detective series.

The newspapers and magazines were packed and ready. Just as Ma Wu was about to arrange delivery, someone showed up looking for him.

Li Banfeng thought it was the Pure Conduct Society. If they showed up now, it would be troublesome to deal with.

Yu Wenqi reminded him, ”Master Qi, don’t forget the Pure Conduct Society’s three tactics: beating with sticks, pulling braids, and dumping hats. You will need to deal with them carefully.”

However, when Bai Qiusheng stepped outside, he saw that it wasn’t members of the Pure Conduct Society. Instead, a group of men in their twenties and thirties were kicking the bundled newspapers and magazines across the ground and beating the workers as they folded them.

The workers of Blackstone Slope weren’t cowards. They stepped forward to fight back, but Bai Qiusheng hurried over and stopped them.

Inside the workshop, Yu Wenqi lowered his voice. ”Those men are from the Green Fire Gang. They are not easy to deal with.”

”How so?”

In Puluo Province, doing business meant dealing with two forces: the great families and the gangs. Whichever side you relied on, you had to pay protection fees.

Yu Wenqi said, ”The Green Fire Gang extorts money without mercy. They burn shops and kill people. Master Qi, do we play nice, or do we settle this with force?”

Li Banfeng smiled. ”Perfect timing. These people will be useful. We will play nice.”

Yu Wenqi couldn’t understand. What use could these thugs possibly have?

The leader of the group was named Zeng Wenbing. As the second son of his family, he called himself Second Master Zeng.

Bai Qiusheng recognized him and immediately fawned over him. ”Second Master, when did you arrive? You didn’t send word ahead of time. Please, come inside...”

Zeng Wenbing slapped Bai Qiusheng across the face. ”Why are you trying to act like you know me well? Do I even know you? You started doing business on our turf without even greeting us. Do you know the rules?”

Bai Qiusheng didn’t dare say much. Even after the slap, he forced a smile. ”Second Master, we have only just started this business. I haven’t had the chance to report to you yet...”

”Cut the crap. Bring me twenty thousand right now. That’s your entry fee. The monthly fee will be calculated separately.”

”Second Master, this is just a small business. We haven’t made any money yet, and you are asking for twenty thousand upfront...”

”Are you asking for another beating?” Zeng Wenbing sneered. ”I will stand here and smoke a cigarette. If I finish it and you still haven’t brought the money, I will burn this place to the ground.”

Bai Qiusheng hurried back into the factory and said to Li Banfeng, ”He wants twenty thousand.”

Li Banfeng said, ”Give it to him. Remember that slap, and remember how they beat the workers. In a few days, we will make them pay for all of it. With interest.”

Bai Qiusheng handed over the money, and Zeng Wenbing left with his men.

Ma Wu set the workers to sorting the newspapers and magazines, then had them delivered to the various news carts.

The next night, after everything had been arranged, Li Banfeng sat alone on the cinema rooftop behind the signboard, waiting in silence.

A large crowd gathered in front of the cinema. Night-Blooming Jasmine reached a wide audience and stirred up plenty of interest, while The Legendary Bloodspear Detective still held strong appeal.

There was another crucial factor. The people of Blackstone Slope had guts. As long as the cinema dared to screen it, they dared to watch!

There were still thirty minutes before the screening, yet the hall was already packed.

Tang Peigong, the elder of the Pure Conduct Society at Blackstone Slope, arrived with his men.

He was followed by more than a hundred disciples. Ai Chixiang walked at the forefront, shoving people aside as he forced a path through the crowd, shouting, ”Rotten wood cannot be carved, and a wall of filth cannot be plastered! Do you have no sense of shame? You have thrown away every shred of decency!”

Yu Wenqi said, ”Master Qi, they have started the first tactic! That’s called beating with sticks.”

The group pushed their way to the entrance. Tang Peigong raised his voice and shouted, ”Ma Junyang, shameless and depraved! Your life is nothing but one disgrace after another!”

Tang Peigong began listing Ma Junyang’s alleged crimes one by one.

Yu Wenqi said, ”Master Qi, that’s the second tactic. That’s what it means to pull someone’s braid.”

After listing the charges, Tang Peigong spoke sternly. ”This so-called cinema has no place in any proper theatrical tradition. It’s nothing but a cheap Western trick, all flashing lights and empty noise, made to dazzle fools and rot their minds. The very root of moral decay!

”It takes shameless people to make such shameless films, and you lot, too blind to see the truth, line up to swallow their poison without a second thought. Disgraceful! It pains me to even look at you.

”This cinema has already been punished for showing such filth, yet it still refuses to learn its lesson. Very well. If it will not repent, then it will be torn down, brick by brick, as a warning to everyone else!”

Yu Wenqi said, ”Master Qi, this is the Pure Conduct Society’s favorite tactic! Dumping hats!”

Beating with sticks, pulling braids, and dumping hats were their three favorite tactics. With those alone, no matter how good one’s reputation was, they could ruin it.

Little Chuan gritted his teeth. ”Let’s see whose reputation gets ruined today!”

Tang Peigong gave the order, and his disciples set about smashing the cinema.

Li Banfeng answered with a command of his own. ”Beat them with sticks!”

Just as Tang Peigong reached the entrance and his disciples raised their sticks to strike, a woman in her seventies suddenly collapsed to the ground and screamed, ”What are you doing? Why are you beating an old woman like me?”

The old crone’s face was covered in blood. Tang Peigong froze, and so did his disciples.

Who had hit her?

The old woman wailed, ”Were you not raised by human beings? Do you not have parents? Beating an old woman like me so viciously, aren’t you afraid of divine punishment? Afraid of being struck by lightning? Afraid your ancestors will rise from their graves and drag you away, you bunch of bastards?”

Tang Peigong’s face turned livid from the scolding. Ai Chixiang shouted angrily, ”Shameless shrew...”

”Shrew your mother! Who are you calling a shrew? I am this old and you dare curse me and hit me. You were raised by humans too, weren’t you? What kind of bastards are you all!”

Ai Chixiang opened his mouth, but no words came out. In front of the street-cursing crone, his tongue was completely useless.

Humiliated and furious, Ai Chixiang snapped. He grabbed the old woman by the hair and gritted his teeth. ”Who are you calling names?”

Li Banfeng gave the order. ”Pulling braids!”

A pack of photographers came bursting through the crowd, snapping away the very moment Ai Chixiang grabbed the old woman by the hair.

Her face was a dreadful mess of blood, but she was far from finished. Gritting her teeth, she clamped onto Ai Chixiang’s wrist with one hand and flailed at him with the other.

Off to the side, Li Banfeng’s eyes lit up. He had the film equipment hauled out at once. A scene like this was too good to waste. It simply had to go into The Legendary Bloodspear Detective IV.

The moment he saw the cameras flashing, Tang Peigong barked, ”Chixiang, stop! Don’t fall for their trap!”

Ai Chixiang tried to yank his hand free, but the old crone gripped his wrist and she wasn’t letting go.

The Street-Cursing Crone was famous for one thing. She could rile anyone up in a heartbeat.

However, fighting her was another matter entirely. It wasn’t out of respect for her age. It was because most people simply couldn’t beat her.

Not only could Ai Chixiang not pull his hand free, a strange force crept up from his wrist and spread through his entire body. In the blink of an eye, he was completely under the old crone’s control.

For the sake of the cameras, she made him bare his teeth, snarl like a mad dog, and swing his arms about as if he were beating someone senseless, slapping and striking at empty air with wild, vicious gusto.

With such splendid footage secured, the second act, ”pulling braids,” should have come neatly to an end.

However, no one expected this scene to stir up a wave of public outrage.

”You beat up an old woman, you bunch of bastards!”

”Pure Conduct Society? Pure conduct my ass! You’re all shameless swine!”

”What’s wrong with watching a movie? Get them! Beat these dogs!”

This was Blackstone Slope, not Vilefolk Hillock. And the people of Blackstone Slope were not about to stand and watch.

With a roar, they surged forward, shoving into Tang Peigong and his disciples, fists flying and tempers boiling over.

Seeing things take a turn for the worse, Tang Peigong barked an order and had his disciples drag him away at once.

A few of them had cultivation. They rushed to the front, ready to force a path through the crowd.

Leave? That won’t be easy!

Li Banfeng gave a crisp command. ”Dump them hats!”

Up on the cinema rooftop, Little Gen stood with a cold, steady gaze, looking down at the chaos below.

A long ladle hung suspended in midair. With a bit of help, Little Chuan hooked ten buckets onto it, one after another, neat as you please.

The timing was perfect. Little Gen narrowed his eyes and gave the ladle a sharp swing.

Down they came.

Tang Peigong was quick to react. Sensing something above, he snapped his head up.

Plop!

One bucket landed squarely on Tang Peigong’s head.

A level-two ability of a Gold Cultivator, Ten-Mile Fragrance!

That bucket could have stunk up ten miles of countryside without breaking a sweat. Without Little Gen’s special antidote, the smell wouldn’t wash off for half a year.

Tang Peigong tore the bucket off his head. His face shone a sickly yellow, and his beard and hair had all been dyed the same dreadful color.

He gagged and tried to vomit, but nothing came out. There was simply too much of it in his mouth.

He turned, searching for Ai Chixiang, only to find him still standing there, stiff as a post, a bucket jammed firmly over his head.

Off to the side, Li Banfeng watched with cold eyes. ”What’s the point of only ruining their reputation?”

Little Chuan bared his teeth. ”Today, we’re going to make him stink through and through, inside and out!”

Holding the long ladle, Little Gen shouted, ”Bring more buckets!”

Author’s Note:

PS: To defeat the wicked, you have to be even more ruthless than they are. They will curse you as despicable even as they weep. Since they will curse you anyway, you might as well be despicable to the very end.