The Overlord of Puluo

Li Banfeng was preparing to leave for Medicine King Gully to visit Shopkeeper Feng at Feng’s General Store.

At this moment, Bai Qiusheng had just sent someone to prepare the travel permit and tickets when a worker came in with a report. ”Mr. Ai from the Pure Conduct Society is here to discuss business.”

The moment Li Banfeng heard the name Pure Conduct Society, he felt a wave of disgust.

Bai Qiusheng looked puzzled. ”Ai Chixiang? What business could they possibly have with us?”

Yuwen Qi said, ”Why don’t we just kick them out? We already have a grudge with them anyway.”

Li Banfeng took the contract paper from his robes and saw specks of rust on it. It meant that Lü Yuesan was dead.

”It won’t hurt to talk to them,” Li Banfeng said in a very calm tone. ”Find out what they want first.”

Bai Qiusheng went out to discuss business with them, then came running back before long.

”Master Qi, they want to take over our projector business! The brand, the technique, the factory, all of it!”

Yu Wenqi gritted his teeth. ”Those rotten scoundrels. The moment they see us making money, they reach their filthy hands over. Old Bai, come out with me. I will curse those turtle sons until their ancestors hear it.”

”Cursing won’t help,” Bai Qiusheng said. ”Ai Chixiang brought a lot of men with him. They have surrounded the newspaper office. Yue Qingsong is here too. He said if we don’t agree, they will scheme and get it anyway.”

At the mention of Yue Qingsong, Yuwen Qi fell silent.

Yue Qingsong was Wu Decheng’s disciple, a level-four Poison Cultivator. Neither Yu Wenqi nor Bai Qiusheng would be on par with him. However, with Li Qi here, they were not afraid. Although they had no idea of Master Qi’s cultivation level, they knew that he would have no issue dealing with Yue Qingsong.

The two of them looked over at Li Banfeng and saw that he was muttering to himself. ”The moment I arrived, they wanted to take my business. Is this a coincidence? This must not be a coincidence. How did they know that I am here? Did they find out through Lü Yuesan? That doesn’t seem right. Lü Yuesan just left. They shouldn’t have been able to move this quickly. They knew that I was here long ago, which means that there is a mole in our newspaper office. It isn’t odd that there would be a mall since our business is growing bigger and all sorts of people find their way in...”

Yu Wenqi asked, ”Master Qi, what’s wrong? Don’t be like this. If something has happened, we can think of a way through it together. You are scaring us.”

Li Banfeng waved a hand, telling them not to disturb him, and went on muttering to himself.

”They know that I am here, yet they still dare to come take my business. What’s their purpose of doing this?

”To kill me? Is Tang Peigong capable of doing that? With just these few members of the Pure Conduct Society? The actual powerful one in the Pure Conduct Society is the Sage. Aside from the Sage, there is Lu Maoxian. Is the Sage trying to deal with me, or is Lu Maoxian trying to deal with me?

”If it’s the Sage, he wouldn’t send only these people. He already suffered a loss because of me at the Vilefolk Hillock. So the mastermind should be Lu Maoxian.

”But if Lu Maoxian wants to deal with me, why would he choose to do it here? Are these useless scraps on Blackstone Slope really strong enough to handle me?”

Li Banfeng kept muttering to himself, and Bai Qiusheng and Yu Wenqi were both growing frantic.

In the end, Li Banfeng returned to normal. He said to Bai Qiusheng and Yu Wenqi, ”Keep talking to them. Talk slowly. Let’s see what they are really trying to do.”

***

At Lu Maoxian’s residence, a bamboo scroll dropped to the floor of the study.

The chief steward, Xu Yangbo, picked it up and carried it to Lu Maoxian’s bedroom.

Lu Maoxian’s face was deathly pale. Ever since losing his root of trouble, his injuries had never truly healed. He took the bamboo scroll and saw a faint glow shimmering across it.

With a carving knife, he carved a single word onto the bamboo slip.

Read.

The word vanished in the blink of an eye, and a line of text appeared on one of the slips: Li Qi has arrived at Blackstone Slope.

Before Lu Maoxian lost his root of trouble, he had sent orders to the Pure Conduct Society branches across the land. If any of them learned Li Qi’s movements, they were to find a way to delay him and report the news at once.

The Pure Conduct Society had many capable men, but Lu Maoxian had not expected Tang Peigong to be the first to send news of Li Qi.

Li Qi actually went to the Blackstone Slope? Lu Maoxian thought. He was a little surprised.

Is it really Li Qi? Among that group, Ma Wu is the one who would often go to Blackstone Slope for business. Why would Li Qi go there? It is extremely hard to track Li Qi. Is Tang Peigong lying to claim credit?

Lu Maoxian took up the carving knife and carved a reply: Is the information confirmed?

A line of text appeared on the bamboo slip: Absolutely certain.

Tang Peigong was not a man of great ability, but he wouldn’t dare to lie to Lu Maoxian.

Lu Maoxian thought for a moment, then carved a reply.

Keep him there.

He put away the bamboo scroll and summoned his steward at once. ”Send people to check on Lu Chunying, Ma Wu, and Tan Fucheng.”

The steward left at once. Before long, the reports came back.

”Lu Chunying is at her own residence. Zuo Wugang and two support hooks are with her.”

That was exactly as Lu Maoxian had expected. After Qiu Zhiheng left, Ma Wu had arranged for support hooks to guard Lu Chunying in shifts, and today happened to be Zuo Wugang’s turn.

The steward continued, ”Ma Wu fell gravely ill a few days ago. He is still very much physically weak, and he is recuperating at Freewind Wharf.”

”Ma Wu is ill?”

The steward nodded. ”It was an acute illness and he nearly lost his life.”

No wonder Li Qi went to Blackstone Slope. Ma Wu has just recovered from a serious illness and can’t go himself.

A small gleam of delight appeared on Lu Maoxian’s pale face. ”And Tan Fucheng?”

”Tan Fucheng is on his own turf, managing his business.”

An opportunity! A splendid, glittering, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Lu Maoxian exclaimed inwardly.

Still, Lu Maoxian was worried as he thought, Is the person at Blackstone Slope really Li Qi?

He told his steward to bring the bamboo slip again. He then carved the words: Really confirmed?

The response from the other side was still absolutely certain.

Lu Maoxian replied, ”Keep him there until morning!”

The steward stood beside him and said, ”Master, Li Qi is at Blackstone Slope. That is far from here. The one we should be worried about is Zuo Wugang.”

Lu Maoxian shook his head. ”Zuo Wugang is not difficult to deal with. He has fine martial skills, but in a crisis, he lacks the nerve to make decisions. Once the situation grows a little more complicated, he becomes useless!

”Li Qi is different. He appears and vanishes like a ghost, and that is exactly what makes him dangerous. Look at what he did to the Pure Conduct Society on Blackstone Slope.

”He is a Wanderlust Cultivator. If he really decides to run back here, the situation may change again. We must keep him trapped on Blackstone Slope. Send more men to hold Tan Fucheng back as well. Only then can we make sure nothing goes wrong.”

The steward listened and nodded. ”Master, what you said makes sense. Shall I go and arrange the men then?”

Lu Maoxian nodded. ”Arrange the men properly, and prepare the message as well. Once we kill Lu Chunying, spread the news at once and pin the blame on Duan Shaoxia.”

The steward hurried off to make the arrangements.

When everything was nearly ready, he took out a letter and handed it to a servant who was sweeping the floor.

The servant asked no questions. When no one was paying attention, he slipped away and hurried to the Lu family estate.

***

Lu Chunying was checking the account book at home.

She was clever, and she was willing to learn. However, it would be impossible to learn to manage a great family in a day, or two days.

Qiu Zhiheng had left. Ma Wu was busy with business, and these past few days, he had been recovering from illness. With no one around to teach her, Lu Chunying could only stare at certain matters until her head ached, and still she could not puzzle them out.

So she invited her cousin Lu Yuanxin to the house.

Lu Yuanxin was Lu Dongjun’s son. Because of Lu Dongjun’s downfall, his position among the younger generation of the Lu family was now the most miserable of all. Back at Lu Maoxian’s residence, Lu Chunying had once helped him regain a little dignity, and Lu Yuanxin had always remembered that kindness.

Now that she had invited him over as a teacher, he treated her with great respect and taught her with great care. Though Lu Yuanxin had lost his family estate, he was still the son of a noble household. He had seen far more than most people, and Lu Chunying really learned quite a bit from him.

By dusk, rain was pouring down. Lu Yuanxin was about to leave, but Lu Chunying stopped him. ”Cousin, stay for dinner and wait out the rain.”

Lu Yuanxin looked terribly uneasy. ”I would not dare impose. I should head back now.”

”It’s just a simple meal. Don’t be so courteous.” Xiao Yeci personally went to the kitchen and made a few small dishes.

Lu Chunying’s household did not fuss over so many rules, so she brought the support hooks along and had everyone eat at the same table.

Ever since Lu Dongjun’s downfall, Lu Yuanxin had endured cold looks wherever he went. To receive such courtesy from the main family now left him deeply grateful.

Halfway through dinner, someone suddenly knocked on the door.

It was odd. Lu Chunying’s residence was not large, but it still had guards at the gate and support hooks keeping watch. If a guest arrived, someone should have come in to announce them. Why would anyone be knocking directly on the door?

That could only mean something had gone wrong. The gate guards and the support hooks outside had most likely been taken down.

Zuo Wugang told everyone to stay still. Cao Zhida went to open the door, while Zhen Jincheng moved to the window and hid himself there.

The three of them had worked together for many years, and they understood one another without needing a word. Once the door opened, Cao Zhida would respond first, Zuo Wugang would control the situation, and Zhen Jincheng would guard against an ambush while looking for a way out.

But when Cao Zhida opened the door, he froze at the threshold and made no move at all.

Zuo Wugang’s heart tightened. He hurried over to support him. When he reached the doorway, he froze too.

”Madam...”

The person standing outside was Duan Shaoxia. She had brought no support hooks and no attendants. The heavy rain had soaked her from head to toe, and she had come to Lu Chunying’s residence entirely alone.

Zuo Wugang looked toward Lu Chunying.

In his mind, Duan Shaoxia was nothing but a Bleater. If they had to fight, he would fight. He would not let old ties hold him back. But that depended on whether Lu Chunying had any reservations of her own.

Duan Shaoxia looked at Lu Chunying too, then gave a faint smile. ”It’s raining this hard, and you’re going to leave me standing at the door?”

Lu Chunying lowered her head in greeting and invited Duan Shaoxia inside.

Duan Shaoxia swept her gaze around the room and noticed Lu Yuanxin. ”Yuanxin, you are here too?”

Lu Yuanxin gave a small bow and kept a careful distance from Duan Shaoxia.

He did not know she had cultivation, but he was not blind. A woman had come alone to Lu Chunying’s residence in the middle of a downpour, and the guards and support hooks outside had not made the tiniest squeak. That was enough to tell him she was no ordinary visitor.

Duan Shaoxia turned to Xiao Yeci. ”Sister, do you have any hot soup? Bring me a bowl. I am freezing.”

Xiao Yeci nodded at once. ”I will get you some soup. I have clothes here too, so you can change into something dry.”

Lu Chunying tugged lightly at Xiao Yeci’s sleeve, warning her not to meet Duan Shaoxia’s eyes.

Duan Shaoxia looked at Lu Chunying. ”I came here to save you. Do you believe me?”

Lu Chunying paused. ”You came alone to save me?”

Duan Shaoxia smiled. ”If I brought people with me, it would then be hard to explain some things. Chunying, do you want to fight, or do you want to run?”

”What happens if I run? And what happens if I fight?”

Duan Shaoxia’s tone turned grave. ”If you fight, you only need to fight this one battle. If you run, you will be running for the rest of your life.”

***

At the office of the Night-Blooming Jasmine at Blackstone Slope...

Bai Qiusheng was still discussing business with Ai Chixiang. They had been at it for several hours, and nothing had come of it.

Bai Qiusheng made it clear that the projector business was not for sale.

Ai Chixiang then threatened, ”I will put it plainly. If you refuse to sell, this business of yours won’t last on Blackstone Slope.”

Bai Qiusheng then said he had no authority to decide such a matter.

Ai Chixiang smiled. ”If you can’t decide, then go ask your boss. I know he’s here.”

Now that Ai Chixiang had exposed the fact that Boss Ye was here, Bai Qiusheng broke into a sweat.

Ai Chixiang threatened him again. ”Make this clear to Boss Ye. We came here to discuss business with him, and that is already giving him plenty of face. If he refuses, he can bear the consequences himself.”

Even though Ai Chixiang gave a threat, he did not make a move.

Yu Wenqi did not know how to handle this either, so he hurried to the back courtyard to report to Li Qi.

The more Li Banfeng thought about it, the stranger the situation seemed. Soon, he began muttering to himself again.

”They are only talking big and refusing to make a real move. They didn’t come here to deal with me. They came here to keep me tied down! But why keep me tied down? Is this Lu Maoxian’s order?”

Li Banfeng kept muttering to himself, and Yu Wenqi’s face turned pale with fright.

”Master Qi, perhaps you should...”

”Go keep an eye on Bai Qiusheng,” Li Banfeng interrupted. ”There probably won’t be any real trouble there.”

After sending Yu Wenqi away, Li Banfeng went back into the Pocket Dwelling and continued muttering to himself. ”If Lu Maoxian wants to keep me tied down, what is he really planning? I have never really dealt with him face-to-face so I don’t know his temperament.”

Aside from the Film Projector, all the other enchanted artifacts were familiar with Li Banfeng’s temperament. They knew that it was best not to disturb Li Banfeng if he was muttering to himself.

The Film Projector had only arrived recently. Thinking Li Banfeng was asking them a question, he answered on his own. ”Director Qi, I know Lu Maoxian’s temperament quite well. Despite his old age, he’s still vigorous. Very vigorous!”

The Glove smacked the Film Projector. ”You really don’t know the rules. When the head of the house is thinking, don’t keep cutting in.”

However, the Film Projector’s words caught Li Banfeng’s interest. He looked at the Film Projector. ”What do you mean when you say he is still so vigorous at his age?”

The Film Projector played a short clip. ”I recorded this from Lu Maoxian’s house back then through Ling Miaoying’s hook. Most of the film isn’t with me anymore, so only this little bit is left. Director Qi, take a look. Three girls at once. Isn’t that what you call vigorous in old age?”

Li Banfeng was utterly absorbed as he watched the clip.

The Gramophone gave a scornful little laugh. ”Short. Very short. What a pity for those three fine girls. Husband, why are you looking so closely? That old thing is nowhere near as good as you.”

Li Banfeng asked the Film Projector, ”This is Lu Maoxian’s house?”

”Yes,” the Film Projector said. ”There’s a hook in his bedroom!”

Li Banfeng thought for a moment. ”Play that clip ten times.”

”Ten times?” the Gramophone said in astonishment. ”Husband dear, what has come over you? Is it really that interesting to watch?”

Li Banfeng shook his head. ”There is nothing interesting about it. But I cannot figure out what Lu Maoxian is trying to do, so I need to ask someone who understands him.”

”Heyaaa! Husband dear, who’s the person that understands him?”

”Lu Maoxian,” Li Banfeng said. ”He is the one behind this, isn’t he?”

The Gramophone was thoroughly confused.

Li Banfeng watched the film with great care, studying every detail in the room.

***

In his bedroom, Lu Maoxian swallowed a pill and forced his battered body into the best state it could manage.

He had already dispatched every person in the house that could fight. One group was sent to tie Tan Fucheng down. Another was sent to keep watch on Ma Wu. The most important group of all had gone to take Lu Chunying’s head.

Tang Peigong had just sent word that Li Banfeng was still stuck at Blackstone Slope. By now, it would be too late for him to come back.

Lu Maoxian had calculated it all very carefully. Zuo Wugang and his men could fight with everything they had, bleed themselves dry, and throw their lives away, but at most, they would last ten minutes.

That would not be enough time for Li Qi to arrive. It would not be enough time for Ma Wu to arrive. It would not be enough time for Tan Fucheng to arrive.

The moment Lu Chunying died, the news would be spread at once, and the blame would be pinned on Duan Shaoxia.

Everyone knew Duan Shaoxia hated Lu Chunying. Once the accusation landed on her head, she could grow a hundred mouths and still fail to explain herself.

Lu Maoxian could then kick Duan Shaoxia out of the Lu Family, using the murder of the main family’s daughter as his justification. With a crime that serious pinned on her, even killing her outright would seem reasonable.

By then, he would have a proper name, a proper reason, and a proper path to becoming the head of the Lu Family. After that, he would turn all his attention to He Jiaqing and settle that grudge properly!

And oh, what a grudge it was! The very thought of it made Lu Maoxian grind his teeth until his jaw ached. He Jiaqing had disguised himself, yes, but Lu Maoxian was certain. It had been him. It had to be him.

Lu Maoxian had once thought of gathering the entire Lu family and marching off to take revenge. But how was he supposed to explain it? Was he supposed to tell everyone that He Jiaqing had rushed back all the way from the Outer Province just to castrate him and cut off his root of trouble?

Who would believe that?

He had reported the matter to the Sage’s disciple, but the Sage only decided he was useless. Not only had the Sage refused to help him, he had even sent a white-robed disciple to scold him. And so, this revenge had to be taken by Lu Maoxian himself.

Once he became the head of the Lu family, he would drag the whole matter into the open. Whether He Jiaqing admitted it or not would no longer matter. he would gather the full strength of the Lu family and tear the He family out by the roots. From then on, Puluo Province would belong to him.

”Foolproof. Absolutely foolproof!” Lu Maoxian could not help laughing aloud.

Schunk!

Before his laughter had even faded, a Tang saber suddenly pierced through Lu Maoxian’s chest.

A soft voice sounded beside his ear. ”Tell me then. What exactly is absolutely foolproof?”

Author’s Note:

PS: Lu Maoxian’s steward had been bought off by Duan Shaoxia. This was mentioned back in Chapter 308.