The Overlord of Puluo

“Hall Master Pei, how many years has it been since we last met?” Luo Zhengnan said as he entered the living room.

“Hall Master Luo, it’s my fault. My hall has been buried in all sorts of rotten business these past few years, so I never had the chance to come pay my respects.”

“What is this talk of paying respects? Are you trying to insult me? Why are you acting like we are strangers?”

Pei Yuzeng was the hall master of the Jiangxiang Gang’s Blue Wispy City branch, but those who knew him well had another name for him: One-Mouthful Pei.

Pei Yuzeng was a tall, broad man with a well-proportioned face and a friendly look. He spoke with such warmth and ease that people felt as if they had known him for years.

After a bit of polite chatter, the two men sat down.

Pei Yuzeng went straight to the point. “Brother Luo, I have come because there is a very serious matter I must discuss with you.”

Luo Zhengnan quickly waved his men away and led Pei Yuzeng into the study. Once the door was shut, he asked, “Brother Pei, what happened?”

“Something dreadful has happened in the gang,” Pei Yuzeng said. “Boss Xiao ran into a deadly old enemy in the Outer Provinces.”

Luo Zhengnan went still. “Which enemy?”

Whoosh!

Pei Yuzeng suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a roaring blast of flame.

Poor Luo Zhengnan did not even have time to blink. One moment he was standing there, waiting for an answer. The next, he had been burned into a little heap of ash.

Pei Yuzeng calmly removed his outer robe and swept it through the room. With one neat roll, he gathered up every last bit of bone ash. When he was done, the study was spotless, as if Luo Zhengnan had never been there at all.

This was why he was nicknamed One-Mouthful Pei. One mouthful of fire from him, and not even ash would remain. This was his signature skill.

The skill itself was not complicated. In plain terms, it relied on three things.

The first thing was that there was never any warning. Ever since Pei Yuzeng became a Fire Cultivator, he had trained himself to strike without changing his expressions, moving his hands, or giving the tiniest twitch of his shoulders. He could be chatting, eating, or even standing beside his target in the latrine, and then out would come that one mouthful of fire. Just like that, the target would be dead.

Secondly, the fire itself was extremely fierce. Every level-five Fire Cultivator could spit fire, but Pei Yuzeng had polished this one move until it was wickedly perfect. If he did not strike, fine. But once he opened his mouth, he was already certain the person before him would be reduced to ash.

Lastly, Pei Yuzeng never left a mess. He burned only the person he meant to kill and nothing else. Just look at the study now. Not a single book had been damaged. Not a scorch mark stained the wall. Even the smell of smoke had been gathered away by his robe.

The room looked exactly the same when he left as it had when he entered. The only thing missing was Luo Zhengnan. Nothing else had changed.

This was what it meant to train a simple method to its absolute limit. But if this method worked on strangers, would people who knew him not guard against it?

Luo Zhengnan knew him. So why had he still been fooled?

Pei Yuzeng had ways to make people lower their guard. Some of it came from decades of experience, and some came from the various spirit-bound items he carried. Before making a move, he would lay out every detail with great care. Every word and every action had to be weighed again and again, and every possible accident had to be taken into account.

But what if he ran into a special case? What if the target simply refused to see him? What if the target met him but refused to speak, kept at least ten meters away, and surrounded himself with a crowd of protectors?

In such a situation, Pei Yuzeng would not strike. This was one of the main reasons he had never missed.

When he came to see Luo Zhengnan today, he had already prepared himself to leave without making a move. He knew Luo Zhengnan was an extremely cautious man. To his surprise, everything went far more smoothly than expected.

Pei Yuzeng put his outer robe back on, left the study, and walked straight toward the front gate.

Redstaff Crewmate Sun Xingbing stepped forward. “Hall Master Pei, you are leaving already?”

Pei Yuzeng sighed. “Your Hall Master Luo and I had a small disagreement. Never mind. It is all gang business. When you get the chance, help me talk to your hall master. There is no need to let this hurt our friendship.”

Pei Yuzeng chose his words with perfect care, and Sun Xingbing did not suspect a thing.

In fact, Sun Xingbing was genuinely worried that the two hall masters might fall out. Since Hall Master Luo was unwilling to see his guest off, Sun Xingbing did it for him and escorted Pei Yuzeng out.

From the rooftop, Luo Zhengnan silently watched Pei Yuzeng’s back as he left.

Had Luo Zhengnan not been burned to death? Why was he still standing here?

The truth was that Luo Zhengnan had not died. The one Pei Yuzeng had burned was a puppet he had hidden in the room, a puppet made from bone, flesh, and blood.

The puppet could walk, move, and speak, but its appearance differed from Luo Zhengnan’s in a few very subtle ways.

Luo Zhengnan had dared to use it just now for two reasons. Firstly, once the guest arrived, all his subordinates would stand respectfully in the hallway and would not dare stare at him. Secondly, Pei Yuzeng had not seen him in many years, so he could not notice the slight differences between the puppet and the real Luo Zhengnan.

At this moment, Luo Zhengnan had an antenna sticking out of his head as he tracked the bone ash on Pei Yuzeng.

Soon, Luo Zhengnan heard a sound.

“Boss Xiao, it is done.”

“Good. You will be heavily rewarded.”

Pei Yuzeng was speaking with Xiao Zhenggong.

It was really Xiao Zhenggong who wanted to kill me! Luo Zhengnan thought. I must get my revenge. I can’t stay in Jiangxiang Gang anymore, but where can I go?

Luo Zhengnan did think about a place to go. It wasn’t absolutely safe, but it was isolated enough. The question was whether that place would be willing to take him in.

***

When Li Banfeng arrived at Qiu’s Medicinal Trading House, Qiu Zhiheng was startled. “Old Qi, why are you back?”

They had agreed to take turns staying on the mountain each month, and it was not time yet.

Li Banfeng answered, “Big Bro Qiu, we don’t have to stay on the mountain anymore. Someone else is watching over Old Mister Yao.”

“Who?”

“Someone we never would have expected.” Li Banfeng paused, then added, “Big Bro Qiu, visit Old Mister Yao every so often. While you are there, try to get acquainted with this expert.”

Li Banfeng told Qiu Zhiheng roughly what had happened, but he did not breathe a word about Old Mister Xu’s true identity. Meeting such a person was already a rare chance. Whether Qiu Zhiheng could turn that chance into a proper connection would depend on his luck.

That night, Li Banfeng stayed at the medicinal trading house. At daybreak, Ding Youming, one of the shop assistants, came back with a piece of news.

“Luo Zhengnan has gone missing. The Jiangxiang Gang is searching everywhere for him.”

Qiu Zhiheng froze. “How could Luo Zhengnan go missing?”

Luo Zhengnan was an old fox. He handled matters with too much cunning, and he had spent far too many years in Medicine King Gully. There were not many people in this place who could scheme against him.

Qiu Zhiheng kept sending people out to ask around. By the afternoon, the news was more or less confirmed.

Pei Yuzeng, the hall master of the Jiangxiang Gang’s branch at Blue Wispy City, had come by the night before. He had met Luo Zhengnan once, and after that, Luo Zhengnan went missing.

Qiu Zhiheng, having heard of Pei Yuzeng’s reputation, said, “Pei Yuzeng. One-Mouthful Pei. The man who kills without even leaving ashes behind.

“Old Qi, the Jiangxiang Gang sent someone to kill Luo Zhengnan.”

Li Banfeng thought for a moment. “Why would they kill Luo Zhengnan? Could it have something to do with Old Mister Yao? The location of Old Mister Yao’s residence was leaked. Could the Jiangxiang Gang have been involved in that too?”

Qiu Zhiheng lit a cigarette and sighed softly. “I cannot figure that out yet. The Jiangxiang Gang finally has someone who seemed halfway human, and now he’s gone just like that.

“Old Qi, be extra careful during this time. I am worried that the Jiangxiang Gang will be coming after us.”

“I am preparing to leave Medicine King Gully,” Li Banfeng said. “You be careful too.”

A few days later, Li Banfeng arranged Little Gen’s travel permit and train ticket, then sent him back to Greenwater City on his own.

Little Gen always carried his bucket on his back. Worried that he might get into trouble with the other passengers, Li Banfeng specially bought him a ticket for the private compartment.

Inside his compartment, Little Gen was in the middle of mixing his golden juice when someone caught the smell and pushed the door open without so much as a knock.

Little Gen quickly put the bucket away and sat down as if nothing had happened. “Is something the matter?”

The man who came in had a long face, small eyes, and thin, hollow cheeks. He was carrying a suitcase, and he fixed his gaze on Little Gen. “Were you mixing golden juice just now?”

Little Gen shook his head at once. “Golden juice? Where would I get anything like that? You have the wrong place. Try the next compartment.”

The man smiled. “I can see your bucket right there. How could I have the wrong place? Don’t worry. I came to discuss business.”

Little Gen froze for a moment before asking, “Business with me? What business?”

The man looked at Little Gen’s bucket. “I want to buy a bucket.”

“Buy this?” Little Gen almost thought he had heard wrong.

“Twenty thousand for one bucket. If that is not enough, we can discuss the price.” The man said, making his offer.

Little Gen frowned. “What do you want it for?”

No one should look down on that bucket of golden juice. One ladle was enough to send a person straight to the next life.

“Worry not. I can guarantee you that I am not using it for anything bad.” The man smiled. “My name is Zhang Wanlong, and I am an Agrarian Cultivator. If this deal works out, we might have bigger business to discuss in the future.”

“You are an Agrarian Cultivator?” Little Gen looked Zhang Wanlong up and down.

Zhang Wanlong wore a gray-and-white checkered suit, and no matter how Little Gen looked at him, he did not look like a farmer.

“You don’t believe me?” Zhang Wanlong opened his suitcase and took out a flowerpot. It was a tiny thing, even smaller than his palm. He dropped a seed into the soil, sprinkled a little water over it, and waited.

In less than five minutes, the seed sprouted, grew a stem, put out leaves, and bloomed into a jasmine flower.

Zhang Wanlong had expected Little Gen to be amazed. Instead, Little Gen looked perfectly calm. Little Gen had seen plenty by now. After all, he had traveled with a Grandmaster of the Agrarian Cultivation before. What was this little trick supposed to prove?

”Brother Zhang, it is not that I do not believe you,” Little Gen said. ”It is just that this alone does not prove you are a Agrarian Cultivator.”

Zhang Wanlong paused. ”What do you mean? Are there other paths that can do this?”

”Of course,” Little Gen said. ”Sylvan Cultivators can do it. Their plants grow even faster than yours!”

Zhang Wanlong gave him a thumbs-up. ”Brother, if you know about Sylvan Cultivators, then you really have seen a thing or two. Agrarian Cultivation branched out from the path of Sylvan Cultivation. In fact, the founding cultivator of Agrarian Cultivation started out being a Sylvan Cultivator. And so, it is true that the two can be hard to tell apart. In that case, take a look at this!”

As Zhang Wanlong spoke, he dripped two more drops of medicine onto the jasmine flower. After ten minutes or so, a sunflower bloomed from the spot where the medicine had touched the branch.

A sunflower had grown on a jasmine branch. That was not something a Sylvan Cultivator could do. However, the real marvel that showed the skill of this Agrarian Cultivator came after that.

The sunflower’s large face turned toward the carriage window. Then a mouth suddenly appeared on the flower head, and it gave two soft giggles. From the sound of it, the voice belonged to a young woman around the age of seventeen or eighteen and right in the prime of her youth.

Little Gen nodded in admiration. ”That is a fine ability, Brother Zhang. We can do business!”

***

Deep in the mountains, inside Old Mister Yao’s house, Old Mister Xu gave a soft sigh and murmured to himself. ”When fate brings people together, no one can stop it. Whether he learns to be a better person from you, or you pick up his bad habits, will depend on your own fortune.”

***

Li Banfeng traveled through the New Land, following Old Mister Yao’s map to Iron Gate Fort.

The journey was not too difficult. Old Mister Yao’s map helped him avoid most of the dangers along the way. He ran into a few aberrant creatures now and then, but none of them posed much of a threat.

Even so, Li Banfeng didn’t let his guard down. In the New Land, dealing with aberrant creatures was not simply a matter of strength. Special beings like the Oldie Due-Taker and the Theatrical Temptress could trap a person the moment they grew careless.

When Li Banfeng reached Iron Gate Fort, he climbed out of Peach Blossom Lake. Seeing no one nearby, he quickly returned to the Pocket Dwelling and put on his clothes.

He had come to Iron Gate Fort for one reason. He needed to withdraw part of his money and repay Glove. While he was there, he also wanted to see how things were going inside the fort.

Li Banfeng even changed the way he dressed or the trip. Dressed like a vegetable farmer, he carried two baskets of greens on a shoulder pole and entered Iron Gate Fort.

At the gate, the guard stopped him. ”Are you here to sell vegetables?”

Li Banfeng nodded.

”Have you paid the deposit?”

Good, Li Banfeng thought. The rules I set back then are now implemented.

Anyone who wanted to do business in Iron Gate Fort had to pay a deposit. If they tried to pass off bad goods as good ones, or used tricks to cheat people, the deposit would be taken, and they would never be allowed into the fort again.

Li Banfeng pretended not to know. ”It is my first time here. I have never heard of paying a deposit just to do business.”

”You have not heard of it? Then you have heard of it now. No deposit, no selling.”

Li Banfeng set down his vegetable baskets. ”Then I will not sell. I will go in first and see whether business is good.”

That was allowed, so the guard let him in.

Li Banfeng entered the fort. Iron Gate Fort had always been his favorite place. No matter how many times he looked around, he never grew tired of its streets and alleys, its grass and trees.

The Iron Gate Fort had changed quite a bit. Without the old fort lord squeezing them dry, the Homebound Cultivators were living much better than before. Many families had repaired their homes, and some had even expanded their houses.

Of course, some things had not changed.

A woman had come to buy ready-made clothes, and she kept pushing the price lower and lower. Li Zhijuan was a Homebound Cultivator with excellent sewing skills, and this was how she made her living. The price had been forced down until there was barely any profit left, but Li Zhijuan still agreed.

The reason was simple. She had done business with this woman for a long time. She was used to it, and she did not want to damage the relationship.

That was the problem with Homebound Cultivators. They were not good at dealing with people. The deal had already been pushed this far, and she was still worried about keeping things friendly!

Li Banfeng was about to step forward and teach the clothes buyer a lesson when someone suddenly called out, ”Sir, I have some fine sorghum liquor here. Why not take a look?”

Li Banfeng turned around and froze for a long moment. Luo Zhengnan stood there with a jar of sorghum liquor in his hands. ”Fort Lord, I have been waiting for you for days.”

Author’s Note:

PS: Can Luo Zhengnan stay in Iron Gate Fort?