The Overlord of Puluo

At the Border Control Office, Liao Zihui studied the report while confirming several details with Liu Guocai, the Chief Border Controller of Kinless Township. ”At the time, none of you sensed anything unusual, but your geographical location definitely changed?”

Liu Guocai nodded. ”The main changes were our position relative to the Ink Fragrance Shop and the exit leading into New Land.”

Kinless Township had originally bordered the Ink Fragrance Shop directly, but a new territory had suddenly appeared between the two. According to the information sent over by the Ink Fragrance Shop, they had not noticed anything unusual when it happened either.

”Are you sure this territory belongs to Li Qi?”

Liu Guocai replied, ”We have already sent people to scout along the edge of the territory. They didn’t see Li Qi, but they did spot the three-headed monsters who escaped from Convict City, as well as He Yuxiu, Ma Wu, and the others. The general terrain also matches the New Land that Li Qi activated.”

Liao Zihui summed it up for himself. ”A plot in the territory deep within New Land was successfully activated, and the entire territory suddenly appeared right in the middle of Proper Land. Nothing unusual happened around it. It simply forced its way in...”

Halfway through, he suddenly laughed. ”Puluo Province really is a strange place. I have been here all these years, and I still can’t make sense of it.”

He turned to Ling Sujun. ”Sujun, how’s the research coming along?”

Ling Sujun reported, ”Commissioner, according to the records we currently have, something similar has happened once before in Puluo Province’s history.”

”When?”

”Clan Law City once lost enough population that it deteriorated from Proper Land into Old Land.”

Liao Zihui did not remember the incident very clearly. It must have happened before he came to Puluo Province. ”Does what happened to Clan Law City have anything to do with the situation we are dealing with now?”

Ling Sujun handed him the relevant records. ”Clan Law City’s geographical position changed as well, except what happened there was the exact opposite of what we are seeing now. It left its original position in Proper Land and moved deep into New Land. The surrounding territories simply closed in and filled the gap left behind by Clan Law City. The entrances into New Land shifted as well, but aside from that, there were no obvious abnormalities.”

Liao Zihui carefully read through the records on Clan Law City. ”Are there really no other similar cases recorded in Puluo Province’s history?”

”The relevant records are very scattered. Based on what we have found so far...”

Liao Zihui shook his head. ”Keep looking. If our records aren’t complete, request what we need from the Outer Provinces. This is a major matter, so every department needs to cooperate.”

Ling Sujun left the conference room. Liao Zihui flipped through the records again, then asked Liu Guocai, the Chief Border Controller of Kinless Township, ”The railway on your side was cut off?”

”Yes. When that unnamed territory appeared, the railway between Kinless Township and the Ink Fragrance Shop was severed. Fortunately, no trains were passing through at the time, so there were no serious losses. The break in the rails was perfectly clean, with no twisting or deformation. It looked as though they had been sliced apart in an instant by an incredibly sharp tool.”

Deputy Commissioner Tang Huanjie spoke up. ”Commissioner, I have already prepared the personnel and equipment. As soon as Li Qi gives us permission, we can head over to survey the site and get the work started as soon as possible.”

Liao Zihui frowned. ”What are you going there to do?”

Tang Huanjie froze. ”Repair the railway.”

Liao Zihui said, ”Why are you acting like we have to beg Li Qi to repair the railway? What were you thinking?”

”Well...” Tang Huanjie was caught off guard by the question. ”Commissioner, the railway between Kinless Township and the Ink Fragrance Shop has been cut off, and the entire line has been affected. If we don’t repair it as soon as possible...”

Liao Zihui cut him off. ”What’s the rush? Let it be affected. There are other railway lines nearby, aren’t there? Have the trains take a detour for now.”

”But the transportation costs will...”

”Don’t worry!” Liao Zihui said as he waved a hand. ”Li Qi has caused us trouble often enough. It’s about time we made him pay for once. Right now, he’s trapped in that territory with no way out. If he wants a railway, he will have to come begging me for it! He will pay for the railway, and he will pay for the new Border Control Office too. Whatever I ask for, he will have to cough it up. If he doesn’t like it, he can stay stuck in that wasteland for the rest of his life!”

Tang Huanjie pursed his lips. ”Li Qi isn’t the only one trapped there. The heads of all the Great Families are stuck in that wasteland too. I am worried that they will kick up a fuss.”

”Kick up a fuss with who?” Liao Zihui sneered. ”Whoever got them trapped there is the one they should go after. Li Qi caused this whole mess, so if they want to kick up a fuss, they can take it up with him. What does it have to do with us?”

Then he remembered something else. ”By the way, how’s the investigation into Li Qi’s identity coming along?”

This was one of the advantages of being Commissioner. Whatever crossed his mind, he only had to ask, and someone below him was expected to have an answer ready.

Fortunately, Tang Huanjie had come prepared. ”We have more or less confirmed everything. Li Qi’s real name is Song Zhuowen. He’s thirty-two years old and was born in the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs. His family was poor when he was young. His parents wanted him to become a Dark Ability User, but they couldn’t afford the resources needed to lay the foundation, so they took him to the Three-Headed Fork. On the way there, they ran into bandits, and both of his parents were killed. Song Zhuowen survived and became a Wanderer. He became a Dark Ability User twenty-three years ago and also spent some time living in the Outer Provinces. He’s now at level five.

Liao Zihui did a rough calculation. ”He became a Dark Ability User twenty-three years ago... An ordinary person should only be around level three by now. With some pills and enough cultivation piled up over the years, he would be around level five. Where did you hear about the bandit attack?”

”From the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs. Someone was traveling with the family at the time and managed to escape from the bandits. He saw the bandits kill Song Zhuowen’s parents with his own eyes. He also saw Li Qi return to the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs not long ago and fix up the old family home. We also checked the area around the Three-Headed Fork. More than twenty years ago, bandits really were rampant around the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs. Travelers were indeed being killed almost every day.”

Liao Zihui considered this for a moment. ”Does this Song Zhuowen have any other relatives in the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs?”

”We haven’t been able to verify that yet,” Tang Huanjie said as he shook his head. ”His family originally moved from the countryside to First Ridge, and none of the people who knew them ever heard of them having any relatives.”

Liao Zihui sighed softly. ”The whole story fits together perfectly, yet none of the finer details can be verified. There’s still something suspicious about it. Huanjie, keep investigating, but put the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs lead aside for now. Investigate this from another angle.”

Set the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs lead aside? Tang Huanjie was stumped. Li Qi is supposed to be from the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs. If we stop investigating this lead, where else are we supposed to look?

Liao Zihui thought for a long while. ”I remember Li Qi had some sort of conflict with the Ling Family’s film company, right?”

Tang Huanjie nodded. ”Back when The Legendary Bloodblade Detective and The Legendary Bloodspear Detective were competing for the market, the two sides had quite a few clashes.”

”Start by investigating the Ling Family’s film company. Since they were enemies, the Ling Family must have investigated Li Qi before. See if they uncovered anything useful.”

***

He Jiaqing had set up a camera and microphone in his apartment, along with an exercise mat and a pair of dumbbells. Once everything was ready, he plugged a wireless network card into his head.

Recently, he had taken up fitness livestreaming under the name ”Little Qing Takes You Flying.” His channel was extremely popular, and the donations started pouring in the moment he went live that day.

”Thanks Peaceful Years for the Super Rocket! In a bit, Little Qing will show everyone the proper technique for high-speed push-ups.”

The livestream instantly reached a fever pitch. Everyone loved watching Little Qing do push-ups and the most important thing was seeing the power in his hips.

A steady stream of human auras flowed into the top of He Jiaqing’s head. Just as he was getting into his rhythm, the button on the table began to vibrate.

He Jiaqing heard Shen Rongqing’s voice and temporarily paused the livestream.

A private message arrived from ”Peaceful Years,” asking to chat with him one-on-one.

He Jiaqing gave a couple perfunctory replies to the livestream, then switched off the camera and microphone and focused on listening to Shen Rongqing.

”Jiaqing, the Border Controllers are investigating Li Qi’s background.”

”I heard they investigated him before. I thought they had already gotten to the bottom of it.”

Shen Rongqing said, ”According to their investigation, Li Qi’s real name is Song Zhuowen, and he’s originally from the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs.”

”Song Zhuowen?” He Jiaqing paused in surprise. ”Where did that information come from?”

Shen Rongqing did not know. Of course she did not. Ma Wu had spent a fortune fabricating the whole story.

Ma Wu had informants inside the Border Control Office, so he knew they were investigating Li Qi’s identity. To throw them off, he spent a lot of money creating a false background for Li Qi.

Song Zhuowen was a real person, and everything about his past was real. The only problem was that he had nothing to do with Li Qi. Ma Wu had simply created all the connections between them.

Ma Wu first set up the false trail. Then he secretly bought Song Zhuowen’s old home and had Li Qi go there to fix it up. He also had a few vague rumors planted in the newspapers. Little by little, it started to look like Li Qi really was Song Zhuowen.

He Jiaqing fiddled with the button in his hand for a moment. ”Have our people leak a few hints too. Make the connection between Li Qi and Song Zhuowen look even more convincing.”

Shen Rongqing did not understand. ”Jiaqing, are you covering for Li Qi? Are we really going to deal with the Border Controllers just for his sake?”

”Li Qi has a lot of secrets,” He Jiaqing said. ”I know some of them, but the Border Controllers can’t be allowed to find out about them.”

That made Shen Rongqing curious. ”Jiaqing, shouldn’t we go over everything we know and figure out exactly what secrets Li Qi is hiding?”

He Jiaqing was still thinking of how to brush Shen Rongqing off when a private message popped up in his livestream. It was from ”Peaceful Years.” She wanted to meet him in person.

He Jiaqing was still wondering how to reply Shen Rongqing when he received another message. ”Peaceful Years” sent him her home address, followed by a note: ”Big Sis needs a steel wool scrubber at home[1]. If it’s convenient, bring one with you.”

***

In Greenwater City, south of the Paramount Club, a beggar carrying a begging bowl walked into the courtyard of a Western-style house.

The gatekeeper shouted, ”What are you doing here?”

The Greenwater Beggar smiled at him. ”I am here to ask for something to eat.”

The gatekeeper cursed, ”You filthy beggar! You have got some nerve barging into a place like this. Get out! Get...”

Before he could finish, his throat suddenly tightened and he began to suffocate.

The Greenwater Beggar kept walking.

Several support hooks moved to stop him, but they had barely taken two steps when their bodies suddenly swelled. Their bloated flesh swallowed up their limbs, tearing through their clothes as skin and flesh fused together. In moments, each of them had turned into a massive, festering pustule standing in the courtyard.

The Greenwater Beggar looked over the transformed support hooks. As if they had received some kind of command, they spread out around the Western-style house and took up their positions.

The tops of their bodies split open, spraying streams of pus. The pus that landed on the ground began to writhe and crawl, quickly spreading until it surrounded the entire house.

The Greenwater Beggar dragged his bowl into the Western-style house and saw Chu Shaoqiang coming out of a bedroom.

Chu Shaoqiang stood by the stair railing and looked down at him. ”Green Beggar, you have got some nerve coming after me out in the open like this.”

The Greenwater Beggar smiled. ”I would prefer to come see you secretly, but I can’t hide away from that enchanted artifact of yours.”

”And coming openly means you can avoid it?”

The Greenwater Beggar shook his head. ”No. So I might as well just not avoid it! If I come at you openly, I won’t have to hold myself back as much either. Let’s settle this once and for all today.”

Chu Shaoqiang frowned. ”What’s the rush? Leave it for another day. We will have plenty of chances.”

The Greenwater Beggar ran a hand over his bowl. ”Still waiting? How many years have you already waited? Wasn’t Greenwater Bay what you wanted all those years ago? Well, I am here now, and Greenwater Bay is in my hands.”

1. In Chinese internet slang, a ”steel wool scrubber” (钢丝球 GANG SI QIU) is a sexual joke linked to the stereotype of a rich older woman keeping a younger man as a sugar baby. The meme comes from an old online joke about a young man who was supposedly paid a huge amount of money by a wealthy woman, only to run away because her sexual preferences were so extreme that she used a steel-wool scrubber on him. ☜