The Overlord of Puluo

Chapter 290: The House Thief

Late that night, Lu Maoxian stumbled through the gates of the estate.

The steward took one look at him and nearly swallowed his own tongue. ”Master! Wh-what in heaven’s name happened to you?!”

Lu Maoxian pointed at his cheek to show that he couldn’t speak. Then he raised the stump of his severed arm and gestured frantically for someone to stop the bleeding.

The steward hurriedly called for a physician to treat Lu Maoxian’s wounds.

***

Inside a hospital room at Yuezhou Third Hospital.

While He Haisheng stepped outside for a smoke, He Jiaqing pressed the button on his chest and contacted Ling Miaoying to ask about the situation.

On the other end, Ling Miaoying tried his best to reply in a calm tone. ”Jiaqing, Lu Maoxian’s matter has been dealt with.”

”You didn’t kill him, did you?”

”I didn’t kill him,” Ling Miaoying replied. ”I only chopped off one of his hands, punched two holes through his face, and killed several of his men.”

As he spoke, the muscles in his cheek twitched ever so slightly. It was the twitch of a man who had wanted very badly to do something much more satisfying and had been forced to stop halfway. The whole thing clearly sat in his heart like a fishbone stuck in his throat.

He Jiaqing praised him. ”Well done. Spread the news that Lu Maoxian is severely wounded. Be careful during this time and watch for anyone trying to cause trouble. I will have people protect you in secret.”

”Understood.”

He Jiaqing ended the connection.

Ling Miaoying turned around to look at the film building, feeling another wave of irritation rise in his chest. He had poured immense effort and an enormous amount of money into this film building.

He Jiaqing had told him to spare Lu Maoxian’s life. Ling Miaoying had agreed at the time, but deep down, he had never planned to let Lu Maoxian walk away alive.

During this period, the Lu Family had caused no end of trouble for both his newspaper business and film business, whether openly or behind the scenes. He had wanted to settle the score with them for a very long time.

Back when the Lu Family’s main branch still existed, Ling Miaoying had been wary of them. But now that the main branch had collapsed, he wanted to seize this chance to kill Lu Maoxian once and for all. The moment Lu Maoxian died, the Lu Family’s so-called great banner would come crashing down with him.

By then, the Lu Family would fall apart like a pile of loose sand. Ling Miaoying could then take over their businesses and gradually inherit the position and influence they once held. Only then would the Ling Family truly complete its transformation within Puluo Province.

The plan had been perfect, and Ling Miaoying had originally been fully confident that he would kill Lu Maoxian that night. But at the most critical moment, something unexpected happened.

Lin Zhixiao suddenly burst out of the building.

Logically speaking, Lin Zhixiao should never have escaped so quickly. The building was filled with endless people for him to kill, along with hidden traps and mechanisms tucked away in every corner.

Even if Lin Zhixiao managed to survive all of that, he still should have been trapped inside for quite some time. Yet somehow, someone inside the building had opened a hidden passage and quietly let him escape.

Who was secretly helping Lu Maoxian? Several names surfaced in Ling Miaoying’s mind, but no matter how much he thought about it, he could not confirm which one it was.

This time, not only had he failed to kill Lu Maoxian, but the secrets hidden inside the film building had also been exposed. The mere thought of it made Ling Miaoying feel angry and irritated.

The film building could no longer remain there. It had to be relocated immediately, and everything inside would have to be rebuilt from scratch afterward.

The only good news was that the final outcome was still within He Jiaqing’s expectations, so Ling Miaoying did not need to waste time explaining himself further.

Lin Zhixiao’s corpse still lay nearby. Unexpectedly, Lu Maoxian’s subordinate was rather loyal.

Tu Yinghong looked toward the film building and said, ”He escaped from the second floor. I’m guessing whoever let him out must have left behind some clues. Once we find them, we will know who helped him escape.”

Ling Miaoying shook his head. ”Forget about the clues for now. Move the building first.”

Tu Yinghong nodded and reached beneath her skirt, pulling out two cold iron rulers. She measured the distance carefully before placing both rulers flat against the ground.

Then, the two iron rulers slowly softened and melted into silvery liquid metal, seeping into the earth until they disappeared.

Tu Yinghong gently took Ling Miaoying’s hand and spoke to him in a soft, soothing voice. ”I know you are upset, but you promised you would stay with me tonight.”

”Alright,” Ling Miaoying said with a perfectly polished gentleman’s smile. Holding Tu Yinghong’s hand, he walked into the film building together with her.

Then, not long afterward, the film building slowly disappeared into the darkness as though the night itself had swallowed it whole.

***

Inside the Pocket Dwelling, Li Banfeng sat quietly examining the photographs he had taken at Blackstone Slope.

A single photograph could lead to countless thoughts and associations. The more deeply he thought about them, the more it helped his cultivation.

The Gramophone slowly turned her horn toward him. ”HEYAAAAA~ Husband dear~ You have been staring at that photo for such a long time. What exactly are you trying to do?”

Li Banfeng replied, ”If I told you I was cultivating, would you believe me?”

Pop... crackle... pop~

”And which Daoist Path are you cultivating exactly? The Path of Butts?”

Li Banfeng answered with a perfectly straight face, ”No. I am cultivating the path of good hearts.”

”Yes,” the Gramophone replied sweetly. ”And Husband dear certainly has a very big heart. Husband dear~ This little wifey has something private to tell you. Come closer and put your ear against my horn.”

Seeing the Gramophone’s burning-hot horn, Li Banfeng really did not want to lean in. ”Wifey, there’s no outsider here. Just say it directly.”

”Husband deaaaar~” the Gramophone whined in a soft and aggrieved voice. ”You were happily oiling this little wifey just moments ago, yet now you are already treating me so coldly?”

Li Banfeng could only sigh helplessly. Setting the photograph aside, he reluctantly bent down and pressed his ear against the horn.

The Gramophone lowered its voice mysteriously. ”Husband dear~ This little wifey has noticed that your physique has improved quite a bit lately.”

Li Banfeng’s heart immediately tightened. He turned sharply toward the Gramophone. ”Really?”

Don’t tell me she found out about me being a Wanderlust Cultivator!

The Gramophone let out a sweet, aggrieved hum. ”Husband dear, come closer already~ When you stay so far away from this little wifey, even my heart starts feeling cold.”

Li Banfeng reluctantly pressed his ear against the horn once more.

The Gramophone lowered its voice to a slow, dragging whisper. ”Husband dear~ You once mentioned crossing paths with Meng Qian, but this humble one never asked what really happened. Could it be that you and that shameless woman already...”

”No!” Li Banfeng denied immediately. ”I only burned her clothes with fire. I never touched her.”

”HEYAAAAAA~ Husband dear~” the Gramophone cried sweetly. ”This little wifey of yours is not so petty. Even if something truly had happened, I wouldn’t mind.”

”HEH? HAHA? You really wouldn’t mind?”

”Hehehehe~” The Gramophone let out a strange little laugh. ”Husband dear~ Did something really happen?”

”I already said nothing happened!” Li Banfeng snapped. ”Why won’t you believe me?”

”HEYAAAA~ Husband dear~ Of course this little wifey believes you,” the Gramophone said sweetly. ”No matter the reason, your physique becoming stronger is still a good thing. This little wifey was thinking of adding another room to the house for you.”

The moment Li Banfeng heard that, he sat up straight. He gently stroked the Gramophone’s turntable and said, ”Oh, my wifey~ You really are as sweet and considerate as ever. When are you planning to add the room?”

This matter was extremely important to Li Banfeng.

After returning from the Inner Provinces, his Wanderlust Cultivation had already advanced to level six. The journey had brought him an enormous amount of cultivation progress, so much that his Wanderlust Cultivation had now overtaken his Homebound Cultivation.

And that was a very dangerous thing. Because of the gap between the two cultivation paths, Li Banfeng no longer dared to take pills casually. If his Wanderlust Cultivation rose another level while his Homebound Cultivation lagged behind, the difference between the two paths would widen to two entire levels. If that were to happen, he would once again experience another cultivation backlash.

Since wifey herself had brought up leveling up, Li Banfeng naturally had no reason to refuse. He tidied his hair and was just about to crawl into the horn when wifey suddenly stopped him. ”Husband, wait a moment. To advance to level six, we still need a medicinal catalyst.”

”What catalyst?”

”We need a fresh soul.”

”That’s easy enough,” Li Banfeng replied. Greenwater City was full of scum. Finding one suitable target would not be difficult.

Just as Li Banfeng was about to head out, wifey’s voice rose behind him in a drawn-out, singsong cadence. ”Husbaaand~ This medicinal catalyst cannot be just aaanyone~ Since this humble one is helping you advance to the sixth leeevel~ You must, at the very least, bring back a level-six catalyst~”

Li Banfeng returned to wifey’s side and lowered his voice toward the horn. ”Wifey, what exactly do we need this level-six catalyst for?”

Wifey replied softly, ”To settle an urgent matter~”

Li Banfeng lowered his voice even further and asked mysteriously, ”And what urgent matter might that be~?”

Wifey answered in an equally mysterious tone, ”This little wifey is hungry.”

If you are hungry, just say you are hungry. Why call it a medicinal catalyst?

Lately, Li Banfeng really had not bought much food for her, and he felt somewhat guilty about it.

He squeezed the Gramophone’s two smaller side horns as he said, ”Wifey, if you are hungry, that’s easy enough to solve. I will just go buy you some food. Since when did you become so picky? Why does it have to be level six or above?”

The Gramophone let out a long, aggrieved hum, sounding like an opera singer lamenting her misfortunes.

”Husbaaand~ It’s a critical moment for this little wifey~ If the quality is too poor~ I fear it will not work~”

Just what critical moment are you talking about?

Li Banfeng still could not make heads or tails of it when Hong Ying suddenly burst into cackling laughter.

”It’s because this wicked woman has recovered quite a bit of her cultivation, so naturally her appetite has grown too! Ordinary living spirits? Even if you threw ten or eight of them at her together, they would barely be enough to wedge between her teeth!

”If you want her to eat a proper full meal, you will have to work for it. And if she doesn’t eat her fill, she won’t be able to help you reach level six either. Hah! You married such a terribly expensive woman into your home. Let’s see how you plan to afford feeding her in the future!”

The Gramophone gave two pitiful little sniffles but could not think of a single thing to say in her defense.

Hong Ying was telling the truth. The Gramophone’s appetite had indeed become much larger lately. She didn’t dare mention it to Li Banfeng, so she had quietly gone hungry again and again without saying a word.

Li Banfeng gently stroked the Gramophone needle. ”If you are hungry, why would you endure and suffer? Even if we can’t find high-quality level-six ingredients right away, ordinary ingredients should still fill your stomach for now.”

The Gramophone sniffled again. ”But then~ this little wifey would not be able to help husband level up~”

”We can talk about leveling up later.”

The Gramophone released a puff of steam that wrapped itself around Li Banfeng. ”My husband really does care about me~”

”Don’t worry, wifey. Just wait here while your husband goes out to buy some groceries.”

Li Banfeng stepped out of the Pocket Dwelling and was just thinking about finding some unfortunate scumbag to ”discuss grocery prices” with when he spotted a newspaper vendor up ahead. He casually bought a copy of Night-Blooming Jasmine.

Unlike the version from Blackstone Slope, the Night-Blooming Jasmine sold in Greenwater City was surprisingly proper and respectable. Most of it was filled with serious news. Only the fiction section on the fourth page still had a bit of spice left in it.

The reporters in Greenwater City were unbelievably quick. The Ling Family’s newspaper had barely released the story before Night-Blooming Jasmine came rushing out with its own version. Right there on the front page was the news of Lu Maoxian being attacked.

”Lu Maoxian’s injuries sound pretty bad. I think he’s a level-seven Literary Cultivator? Ah, wouldn’t it be lovely if I happened to bump into him somewhere?

”Ingredients this valuable certainly won’t come trotting up to my doorstep by themselves. Maybe I should head over to the Lu Family’s residence early and place an order in advance.

”The only problem is that the Lu Family has definitely tightened security by now. If I just walk straight over there, I am afraid discussing grocery prices won’t be easy at all...”

While Li Banfeng was still muttering to himself about groceries and ingredients, someone suddenly jabbed a knife into the middle of his back.

”Brother, lend me some money to spend.”

In Puluo Province, people like this were everywhere. As long as a place looked even slightly secluded, one or two of them would pop out like mushrooms after rain.

Li Banfeng asked, ”How much do you want?”

The man asked, ”How much do you have?”

Li Banfeng thought for a moment about the money in his wallet and answered, ”A little over two thousand.”

”Hand it over.”

Li Banfeng reached into the inner pocket of his suit, only to discover that his wallet was gone.

That’s strange, he thought. He almost never forgot his wallet. It had definitely still been with him when he returned home this morning, and he had not even changed clothes since then.

While he was still puzzled over the mystery of the disappearing wallet, the man behind him began losing patience. He jabbed the knife harder against Li Banfeng’s back and demanded, ”Where’s the money?”

”Come with me to get it.”

The man immediately felt nervous. ”Where are you trying to go?”

Before the fellow could react, Li Banfeng suddenly slipped behind him like a ghost and clamped a hand around his neck.

”Relax,” Li Banfeng said pleasantly. ”Come with me. I never leave grocery bills unpaid. I’ll settle yours in just a moment.”

Then he dragged the man straight into the Pocket Dwelling. Wifey swallowed the poor fellow’s soul in a single gulp.

The man had no cultivation at all. Just as Hong Ying had said, the bite was so pitifully small it was barely enough to fill the gaps between the Gramophone’s teeth.

The Gramophone did not complain either. After all, her husband had worked hard to buy it for her.

Li Banfeng sat by the bed thinking for quite a while before suddenly asking, ”Wifey, did you wash my clothes today?”

Huff~

”Husband~ Are your clothes dirty? This little wifey will wash them for you right away~”

”The clothes aren’t dirty. Something’s just missing,” Li Banfeng replied after a brief silence. ”Wifey, where’s that glove?”

”This little wifey has put it away~ Husband has no use for that item yet~”

”Bring it over first and let me take a look.”

The Gramophone opened the storage cabinet, and a puff of steam floated out from inside.

The steam bobbed up and down in midair as though the Gramophone were carefully weighing something.

Then suddenly, the Gramophone let out a shrill cry.

”HEYAAAAAAAAAAA~ HUSBAND DEAR~ The weight is wrong~!”

She instantly dispersed the steam and revealed that the glove was gone!

Li Banfeng casually pulled out the feather duster and glanced around the room. ”Looks like there’s a thief in our house.”

Author’s Note:

PS: Why were there two iron rulers? Why two of them?