The Overlord of Puluo

Early in the morning, Li Banfeng took the Film Projector and prepared to head out.

The Film Projector stayed beside the bed and said dejectedly, ”Director Qi, choose someone else. The art in my heart has already withered.”

In the battle against the Mountain-Uprooting Lord, the Film Projector had rendered the greatest service among Li Banfeng’s enchanted artifacts.

Li Banfeng had relied on the Film Projector to alter the layout of the cave. That led the aberrant creatures to mistakenly enter the Pocket Dwelling, bringing the whole family a gluttonous feast.

However, the Film Projector had missed out on that gluttonous feast. Li Banfeng had forgotten about him. The Film Projector had stayed in the cave the entire time and had not gotten a single piece of meat.

By the time he returned to the Pocket Dwelling, the Crimson Lotus had already cleaned everything up, leaving not even a drop of blood behind. Since then, the Film Projector had been extremely depressed.

After Li Banfeng left, the Film Projector remained by the bed, silently staring into space.

The Glove walked over and comforted him. ”Little Brodie, don’t keep looking like this. Even I feel bad seeing you like that. Let’s go somewhere to talk.”

The Film Projector’s tone was completely flat. ”My art has already turned to ash. I have nothing to talk about with you.”

”Look at yourself. Do you still have even a little of a man’s heart? Come with me. Once we talk things through, your heart will feel more open too.”

After much coaxing and persuasion, the Glove finally talked the Film Projector into going to the third room.

Once the door was closed, the Glove lowered his voice and said, ”Brother, don’t say I don’t look after you.”

The Glove spat out a chunk of flesh. ”This is the flesh of a local land deity, the Mountain-Uprooting Lord. Take a bite and see its quality and flavor.”

The Film Projector trembled, and mist covered his lens. ”Brother Glove, how should I thank—”

”Don’t say all that. Hurry up and eat!” the Glove said very magnanimously.

The Film Projector summoned a woman, who then placed the piece of flesh into the Film Projector’s film compartment.

Even after so many days, the chunk of flesh was still fresh. Who knew what method the Glove had used to preserve it?

The flesh of a local land deity truly was of a different grade. The Film Projector had less than half his spring left, yet now he felt like he was full of strength, and his cultivation was improving rapidly.

”Brother Glove, thank you.”

”Now, now. You’re treating me like an outsider.” The Glove shook a finger. ”We usually risk our lives working hard, and none of us have it easy. Sometimes the family head can’t look after everyone, so we have to look after one another.”

”Brother Glove, this chunk of flesh is so precious. How can I repay you?”

”There’s no need to talk about repayment. I just have a few heartfelt words I want to say to you.

”We live under the same roof, and we all work for the boss. I’m not a greedy person. I hand over everything that should be given to him. If I occasionally keep a little for myself, that’s only human nature.

”Sometimes, I’ll hide a little something. Don’t record me doing it. It only annoys the boss when he sees it, and I can’t explain it properly to him either. Things like that shouldn’t be shown to him in the first place.”

***

Li Banfeng went to Eastmeadow Teahouse, found Chubby Qin, and asked about Ling Family Film Studio.

Chubby Qin said, ”It’s true the Ling Family Film Studio hasn’t closed down. Our Silver Seal had people look into it. Aside from The Legendary Bloodblade Detective, they have two other films in production, and everyone there, from top to bottom, is busy.”

”Ling Miaoying is dead, so who is in charge of the Ling Family Film Studio?”

”I know of two versions of the answer to that question, but it’s hard to say which one is true. One is that Ling Miaoying is still alive. His death was only a fake, and he and Lu Chunying put on a double act.”

Lu Maoxian had clearly spread this rumor. It justified his actions against The Legendary Bloodblade Detective and smeared Lu Chunying’s reputation.

Chubby Qin continued, ”The second is that there’s an important figure behind the Ling Family, and it may be Movie Queen Tu Yinghong.”

”Tu Yinghong...”

Upon hearing that name, Li Banfeng recalled the ambush he had experienced that day.

Back then, he had first used Passing Flowers on Horseback to take down Ling Miaoying. Then he shot and wounded Tu Yinghong. Without the Pocket Dwelling, he had survived only because he had seized the initiative to attack.

Could the person in black who went to Freewind Wharf have been Tu Yinghong again?

”Do you know Tu Yinghong’s background?”

Chubby Qin said, ”Our Silver Seal is still investigating. People used to say Tu Yinghong was originally a prostitute in Greenwater City. She later served Ling Miaoying so well that he made her into a movie queen. Now that we’ve looked into it, turns out that claim is complete bullshit. Tu Yinghong isn’t from Greenwater City. She came from Blackstone Slope and is an Artificer Cultivator. As for whether she served Ling Miaoying or Ling Miaoying served her, we still haven’t figured that out.”

”Brother, you need to figure this out as soon as possible.”

”Big Bro Qi, as soon as there’s news, I’ll...”

Chubby Qin trailed off there, his breath growing a little weak. He was hungry again.

Li Banfeng looked at Chubby Qin. He was so slim that he was almost as skinny as Qiu Zhiheng.

”Didn’t I tell you? If you don’t have money, ask me for it. Don’t hold back; eat. What did your Silver Seal say about the qualification matter I asked you to look into last time?”

”Big Bro Qi, our Silver Seal really is an honest man. He said I’m a Blank Copper Seal, so it’s reasonable for me to become an official Copper Seal. But he needs money to help me smooth things over, and it’s not a small sum. I was too embarrassed to tell you.”

Li Banfeng set down his teacup. ”Aren’t you delaying things by doing that? How much is it?”

Chubby Qin held up one finger. ”One thousand silver dollars.”

”I’ll pay it. Go to Freewind Wharf this afternoon and draw the money. Take one thousand five hundred and choose a good turf.”

Chubby Qin thanked him profusely, and Li Banfeng returned to Freewind Wharf.

Qiu Zhiheng had said that the attacker was a high-level Artificer Cultivator with an invisibility item. The Three Heroes Sect had looked into Tu Yinghong’s background, and she was indeed an Artificer Cultivator.

On the way back, Li Banfeng was basically certain that the person in black from that day was Tu Yinghong.

Did she come to avenge Ling Miaoying?

I can’t wait for her to come to me. I have to find a way to lure her out.

Li Banfeng entered the Pocket Dwelling and used the Film Projector to project Ling Miaoying’s hologram.

Huff!

The Gramophone asked, ”Husband dear, this man has already been turned into pills. Why are you bringing him out again?”

”As bait. His lover came looking for me to take revenge, so I want to draw her out.”

”This film looks just like a real person, so it truly is hard to tell the difference. But since she was the original owner’s lover, she must be very familiar with this shadow-play machine too, right?”

Li Banfeng looked at the Film Projector.

The Film Projector’s mood had improved, and he answered solemnly, ”I do have some understanding of Ms. Tu Yinghong. From top to bottom, front to back, advancing, retreating, attacking, and defending, I’ve filmed it all. Unfortunately, I don’t have those reels with me.”

Li Banfeng was worried about this too. Tu Yinghong was very familiar with the Film Projector, so there was a good chance she would not fall for it.

The Gramophone, however, had a strategy for this situation. ”My dear, bait doesn’t have to be used to catch fish. It can also be used to catch shrimp.”

Li Banfeng understood what the Gramophone meant. Ling Miaoying’s image could lure in other people too, but the one he had to deal with now was Tu Yinghong.

”Wifey, I don’t want to catch shrimp. I only want to catch fish.”

”If the shrimp eats the bait, it will tell the fish what the bait tastes like. The bait may not fool the enemy’s commander-in-chief, but that doesn’t mean it can’t fool their spies.”

Li Banfeng grinned and hugged the Gramophone affectionately.”As expected, Wifey truly knows how to fight a war!”

***

Lu Maoxian walked out of Pearl Literary House, while a teacher from the literary house accompanied him and praised him repeatedly. ”Grand Old Master, how knowledgeable you are. This disciple has truly learned much from you.”

In other words, Lu Maoxian had demonstrated another new consummate skill last night.

Lu Maoxian nodded and smiled. ”You are quite studious too. You studied by candlelight all through the night, yet you never once complained of hardship or fatigue.”

The gentleman said shyly, ”I did complain, but I did not feel it was hard to bear.”

Lu Maoxian stroked the teacher’s cheek. ”Everything about you is good, but studying by candlelight requires good candles. The candles here are a little lacking in quality.”

The teacher quickly noted down the matter of the candles. Lu Maoxian was Pearl Literary House’s most important regular customer, so none of his requests could be taken lightly.

Outside the literary house, thirty-three support hooks were waiting.

Was it appropriate for Lu Maoxian to bring so many people while coming out to do such a thing?

In the past, Lu Maoxian would have brought at most two support hooks, but he did not want to make such a large spectacle. However, after fighting Ling Miaoying, Lu Maoxian had come to terms with it.

At the outdoor theater, Ling Miaoying had shown that film. It could be considered a blow to Lu Maoxian’s reputation, but so what? Everyone in the Lu Family had said the Grand Old Master was still full of vigor despite his age.

Lu Maoxian’s severed hand, which had been the result of Ling Miaoying’s handiwork, still had not been properly dealt with, and that was what truly troubled him. Nevertheless, the matter with the film had yet to be settled, so it was of the utmost urgency that they take extra precautions.

Lu Maoxian sat in a rickshaw, with his support hooks guarding him from the front, back, left, and right.

It was late at night, and there were no pedestrians on the street. When they were still one street away from the residence, one support hook suddenly clutched his neck and collapsed to the ground, blood flowing through his fingers. Another support hook stepped forward to check on him, but as soon as he crouched down, his head fell to the ground.

Lu Maoxian sensed that something was wrong and shouted, ”A gentleman is open and upright!”

It was the Binding Edict ability. He wanted to force his opponent to reveal themselves and fight him openly.

However, the ability seemed to have no effect. The support hooks around Lu Maoxian collapsed one after another, and in the blink of an eye, only two of the thirty-three support hooks remained.

The two of them stood on either side of the rickshaw. They looked like they were protecting Lu Maoxian, but in truth, they were protecting their own lives.

If they did not move, they would not die, but the moment they moved, death was certain. The two brothers understood that very clearly.

Lu Maoxian took out a brush and wrote the character ”forbidden” on the rickshaw. A barrier formed around the rickshaw.

Lu Maoxian was considering his next move when he suddenly heard someone say beside his ear, ”Nothing is forbidden.”

Bam!

The barrier shattered.

Is the other party using Spoken Word Manifestation? Are they a Literary Cultivator?

No matter what Daoist path the other party cultivated, Lu Maoxian had few chances of escape now.

Lu Maoxian swung his brush, flinging the ink from its tip. Countless words appeared within a radius of over ten meters. They bared their fangs and brandished their claws like black vengeful spirits, fiercely attacking anyone they encountered.

This was a Literary Cultivator’s ability, Counting Ink Blots to Trace the Lines. Literary Cultivators were not good at close combat, so once an enemy got close, Counting Ink Blots to Trace the Lines was the best ability for escape. Within the range of the ability, the words formed from ink gained spirit essence and fought people on their own. These characters could express meaning and take form, making them extraordinarily powerful in battle. Their only flaw was that they did not distinguish between friend and foe.

These words even attacked Lu Maoxian, but he could find a path through the lines of text. He quickly charged out of the ability’s range and sprinted toward his residence.

He ran strangely fast, much faster than usual. Counting Ink to Trace the Lines only lasted a few seconds before dissipating, but Lu Maoxian had already reached the entrance of the residence.

How did I run so fast? It seemed like I had fewer burdens than usual.

Lu Maoxian lowered his head and discovered that something was indeed missing. Blood soaked through his pants, and Lu Maoxian collapsed at the entrance. It was at this moment that he finally felt deep despair and pain. From that moment on, the old but vigorous elder Lu Maoxian no longer existed.

He Jiaqing, disguised as a middle-aged man, walked up to Lu Maoxian and leaned down with a cheerful smile. ”Old Master Lu, congratulations. From now on, you’ll be free of that root of trouble.”

Lu Maoxian did not dare to fight back. He covered his vital area and gritted his teeth without saying a word.

He Jiaqing did not kill him. He straightened his back and left alone. When he reached the street corner, he saw a beggar dozing off.

He Jiaqing tensed up, and he carefully tried to figure out his current location through his senses.

Is this Greenwater City, or is it the Green Beggar’s residence?

The beggar opened one eye, glanced at He Jiaqing, then closed it again.

What does that mean? He doesn’t want to fight me? Is the Greenwater Beggar showing me goodwill?

***

All the major newspapers reported that Lu Maoxian had been attacked again and seriously injured, while the assailant’s identity remained a mystery.

He Jiaqing put down the newspaper and said to Old Wan, ”You are the most reliable when handling matters, so remember this. Before we find out who is really behind him, we cannot kill Lu Maoxian.”

Wan Jinxian nodded repeatedly.

That day, He Jiaqing made a round of the various cinemas. The Legendary Bloodblade Detective had a decent attendance rate, with all the major cinemas around seventy percent full. He Jiaqing was very satisfied with that result.

During a gap in the screening, he silently entered the projection room. The workers in charge of showing the film were chatting idly and did not notice He Jiaqing at all.

He Jiaqing tore a frame of the film from the projector and brought it to a private box in the cinema. Then he took a dropper from his robes and dripped a drop of medicinal liquid onto the film.

A silver-colored ring appeared on the film.

He Jiaqing pressed the ring to the top of his head, and he trembled all over for a moment.

”Not a bad grade!” He Jiaqing muttered in admiration. He rubbed a ball of flame from his fingers and burned the film to ashes.

At noon the next day, He Jiaqing set off to return to Yuezhou, and Wan Jinxian saw him off at the station.

Before leaving, He Jiaqing reminded him again and again, ”Keep an eye on Tu Yinghong. Don’t let her leave the building.”

After returning from the station, Wan Jinxian entered Tu Yinghong’s room.

Tu Yinghong was organizing her weapons and snapped at Wan Jinxian, ”Don’t you know to knock before coming in?”

Wan Jinxian said, ”My men saw Ling Miaoying.”

”Where?”

”At Freewind Wharf. They saw him once yesterday and again today. Do you want to see him?”