The Overlord of Puluo

It was eleven o’clock at night in the underground cell of the Lu Family residence in Greenwater Bay.

Lu Xiaolan sat inside, facing Lu Dongliang’s younger brother, Lu Dongjun.

”Xiaolan, you have to tell me first how you ended up at the He Family’s old residence,” Lu Dongjun asked with a warm and gentle smile.

Lu Xiaolan shook her head. ”I will only tell my father. Why won’t my father come see me?”

Lu Dongjun sighed. ”Xiaolan, your father heard some rumors and took them the wrong way. I came here to hear your side of the story and help clear things up.”

Lu Xiaolan turned her head aside, not wanting to pay Lu Dongjun any attention.

Zhuo Yuling entered the cell, frowned at her daughter, and said sternly, ”Xiaolan, you mustn’t be unruly. Whatever your Second Uncle asks, you must answer honestly.”

At the sight of Zhuo Yuling, Lu Xiaolan’s eyes reddened. ”Mom...”

”Good girl, Mom believes you. Talk properly with your Second Uncle and tell the whole truth,” Zhuo Yuling said as she draped a coat over Lu Xiaolan’s shoulders.

The guard thought such an act was against the rules, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak up as a mother draped a coat over her daughter.

Lu Xiaolan let out a quiet sob, adjusted her tone, and answered Lu Dongjun, ”I boarded the train with He Jiaqing. We were seated in the same carriage, but not long after he boarded, he said he needed to step out. He left and never came back.

”When I went looking for him, I found many members of the He family on the train. Their cultivation levels were all above the fifth level, and it was clear they were there to protect He Jiaqing.

”With attendants moving around, I had no chance to kill him. I had no choice but to act behind the scenes and derail the train.”

”What method did you use to derail the train?” Lu Dongjun asked. This was one of the questions that he was most concerned about.

Lu Xiaolan was silent for a moment. Then she said, ”A little over fifty minutes after departure, the train passed a junction. One track was fit for normal travel. The other track had been abandoned not long ago.

”That night, the switchman on duty was an agent I had planted three years earlier. I ordered him to guide the train onto the abandoned track. The rails were broken, and the train went off the line.”

”The attendants were busy rescuing people and the He family members didn’t react in time. I took the chance to find He Jiaqing and struck him hard.”

Lu Dongjun stared at her in shock. ”You brazen girl! Not only have you offended the He family, but you have also provoked the Outer Provinces. How dare you tamper with the train?”

Lu Xiaolan looked up at Lu Dongjun and said, ”Let’s put aside whether I have really provoked the Outer Provinces for now. What we need to clarify first is whether I have truly offended the He Family.”

She continued saying, ”Second Uncle, let me ask you. If it was my father who ordered me to kill He Jiaqing, why would he be afraid of offending the He family? If we’ve already fallen out with them, why are you still making me take the blame?”

Lu Dongjun pursed his lips. ”The situation was different back then. During that time, we thought that He Haiqin would die soon. None of us expected that he would suddenly recover...”

With tears in her eyes, Lu Xiaolan said, ”So the He Family suffers a setback, and you blame me for it? I thought the Lu Family was supposed to take charge of the entire Puluo Province, yet all it can do is throw a woman out to take the blame. Is that all that the Lu Family is capable of?”

Lu Dongjun couldn’t come up with a single reply.

Zhuo Yuling snapped, ”Xiaolan, watch your mouth.”

After a long silence, Lu Dongjun spoke again. ”How did you end up at the He Family’s old residence?”

Lu Xiaolan wiped her tears. ”He Jiaqing didn’t die. I just never expected that it would be that hard for him to die. After my stealth attack, he went unconscious. But when Li Banfeng called him, he woke up.

”He was very good at fighting. With just a few moves, he broke the hooks I had set up outside. I don’t know what kind of enchanted artifact he used, but when he pushed me, I flew out.”

”I flew for a long time, and when I finally stopped, I was already at the He family’s old residence. I tried to escape, but I couldn’t. There was a dwelling spirit in that place, and I was trapped there for months, surviving by eating cats, weasels, and rats.”

As Lu Xiaolan spoke, she couldn’t help but start sobbing again.

Lu Dongjun was not in the mood to comfort Lu Xiaolan at all. He was pondering about what happened back then.

”He Jiaqing pushed Xiaolan once, sent her flying all the way to the He family’s old residence, and somehow ended up back at his university dorm himself? He actually possesses an enchanted artifact that powerful?”

Beside him, Zhuo Yuling asked, ”Dongjun, have you ever seen an artifact like that before?”

Lu Dongjun shook his head. ”Never. I doubt even my elder brother has seen one. Xiaolan, tell me, did you fly back along the railway tracks?”

Lu Xiaolan shook her head. ”The train had already gone off the main track by then, and we were at the end of that section of the railway. So no, I didn’t fly back along the railway.”

Lu Dongjun found it even stranger. ”If it wasn’t along the railway, then how did you cross all the regional borders?”

Without special measures in place, it would be impossible to cross those regional borders.

Lu Xiaolan shook her head. ”I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

Suspecting that Lu Xiaolan was not telling the truth, Lu Dongjun asked, ”Xiaolan, be honest with me. Where is the Arcane Crimson Lotus?”

”It’s with Li Banfeng.”

”How did it end up with him?”

Lu Xiaolan recounted the events in detail. ”The day before I left school, He Jiaqing borrowed my necklace. It is an enchanted artifact that can create a layer of false skin which mimics the body, face, and voice of someone familiar.

”Using my necklace, He Jiaqing disguised himself as Li Banfeng and stored the Arcane Crimson Lotus in the locker of the campus convenience store. I know because I saw it with my own eyes. After he borrowed it, I secretly followed him.”

”The storage lockers in the campus convenience store are special. Each one contains an enchanted artifact, and not just an ordinary one but a very high-level artifact. I don’t know what kind of artifact it is or who left it there, but it made the lockers impossible to break open by force.

”It was a clever move on He Jiaqing’s part. He was the only one who knew that the Arcane Crimson Lotus was hidden in the campus convenience store, and only Li Banfeng’s face could unlock the locker.”

In other words, without the consent of both He Jiaqing and Li Banfeng, no one could open the locker. The only exception would be if they got their hands on Lu Xiaolan’s necklace.

Regarding this, Lu Dongjun believed that Lu Xiaolan was telling the truth as Lu Xiaolan indeed possessed such an enchanted artifact. Lu Dongjun had tried the necklace before. It allowed him to take on Lu Dongliang’s appearance, and as long as the false skin wasn’t torn, no one could tell that he was not Lu Dongliang.

Lu Dongjun asked, ”Then why didn’t you use your necklace to go straight to the locker and retrieve the Arcane Crimson Lotus yourself?”

Lu Xiaolan continued, ”I thought about that, but He Jiaqing refused to return the necklace to me. He even claimed he had lost it. When I sneak attacked He Jiaqing, I managed to snatch the necklace back. Just then, Li Banfeng called. Even after He Jiaqing sent me flying, the call never disconnected.

”I panicked. In that moment of fear, I tried to sense He Jiaqing’s phone and attach a clairaudient ear to it, but somehow, it ended up linking to Li Banfeng’s phone instead. Through that connection, I overheard every movement. I learned that He Jiaqing had been hospitalized, He Haisheng had gone to the hospital too, and that people from the Dark Star Bureau had found Li Banfeng.

”I knew Li Banfeng wasn’t mentally stable, and I knew he and He Jiaqing were close. Using that, I tricked him into coming to Medicine King Gully. He should be a cultivator, and a rather high-level one. The Arcane Crimson Lotus is still with him. I do not know where he went, but without a travel permit, there is no way he can leave Medicine King Gully.”

Upon hearing Lu Xiaolan’s story, Lu Dongjun’s expression turned serious. Still, he didn’t actually really believe everything that Lu Xiaolan said.

”You said that the locker in the campus convenience store contains an enchanted artifact, which is why it can’t be forced open?”

Lu Xiaolan nodded. ”That convenience store is no ordinary place.”

”Who is this Li Banfeng? Does he work for the Dark Star Bureau? Or is he a member of a gang?”

Lu Xiaolan shook her head and said, ”He’s just a piece of trash that doesn’t have a mom or dad!”

As she spat out the word trash, she clenched her teeth in hatred.

Lu Dongjun frowned. ”That’s what I can’t figure out. Li Banfeng isn’t from the Dark Star Bureau or any sect. So where did he get a travel permit? Without one, how could he buy a ticket, board the train, or make it all the way to Medicine King Gully? And don’t tell me you bought the ticket for him. You were trapped in the house and couldn’t contact anyone. How could you possibly have bought it for him?”

Hearing that line of questioning, Zhuo Yuling began to grow worried as well. If Lu Xiaolan couldn’t clearly explain how the train ticket came about, no one would believe her.

Lu Xiaolan explained, ”He Jiaqing had bought the ticket in advance. As for why he bought one for Li Banfeng, or why it had to be that specific train, I have no idea. I only saw the ticket information on his phone, and that was how I managed to trick Li Banfeng into boarding the train to Medicine King Gully.”

Lu Dongjun shook his head repeatedly after hearing that.

Judging from Lu Xiaolan’s attitude, she was probably telling the truth, yet the whole story still sounded completely absurd.

He Jiaqing bought Li Banfeng’s ticket in advance? Why would he send Li Banfeng to Medicine King Gully? Did he predict that something bad would happen to him?

Lu Xiaolan looked at Lu Dongjun with despair. ”Second Uncle, you don’t believe me?”

”Xiaolan, I’ll tell your father everything you said, though I can’t guarantee that he’ll believe you. For now, just get some rest.”

With that, Lu Dongjun stood up and left the cell.

Zhuo Yuling looked at Xiaolan and let out a soft sigh. ”Xiaolan, don’t be afraid. Your father certainly won’t wrong you. Get some rest for now; I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”

Zhuo Yuling left, and Lu Xiaolan still had the coat Zhuo Yuling had draped over her.

Lu Xiaolan stroked the coat and heard her mother’s voice again. ”Xiaolan, don’t be afraid.”

It was not a hallucination or a figment of her imagination. Lu Xiaolan had really heard Zhuo Yuling’s voice.

A hook was attached to this coat. It was a hook for a clairaudient ear.

Lu Xiaolan clutched the coat and listened cautiously. She soon heard her mother’s voice again, ”Your father wants the Crimson Lotus. As long as he hasn’t found the Crimson Lotus, he certainly won’t touch you. He doesn’t actually know if the Crimson Lotus is still with you. If I kill Li Banfeng first, your father will never be able to find the Crimson Lotus again. I’ll definitely find a way to get you out.”

***

Detective Daboinsky arrived at Inner Gully. After walking some distance along Memorial Arch Street, he stepped into Feng’s General Store.

Shopkeeper Feng greeted him with a friendly smile. ”What would you like to buy?”

Daboinsky lowered his voice. ”I wonder if I might trouble you for a few pills.”

Shopkeeper Feng raised an eyebrow. ”Are you at the wrong place? This is a general store.”

It wasn’t that Shopkeeper Feng never sold pills, but he would never easily sell to strangers.

Daboinsky smiled. ”I come on the recommendation of Brother Liuze of the Three Heroes Sect, who tells me your pills are of quite exceptional quality.”

Zhang Liuze was a friend of Shopkeeper Feng’s, and he had indeed bought pills from the store before.

With that connection confirmed, Shopkeeper Feng no longer doubted Daboinsky. He handed the front counter to Chun Sheng and brought Daboinsky into the back room.

After brewing some tea, Shopkeeper Feng asked, ”May I know what kind of pills you’re looking for?”

”The Speckled-Snake Pill.”

”How many would you like?”

”Might I have a look at the quality first?”

Shopkeeper Feng took out a Speckled-Snake Pill. Daboinsky examined it, gave an approving nod, and said, ”Excellent quality. How much are you asking?”

”Fifteen thousand per pill,” said Shopkeeper Feng. It wasn’t his first time selling Speckled-Snake Pills and his usual price was twelve thousand, but since the buyer was a stranger, he added three thousand more to see how the man would react.

Daboinsky didn’t bargain. ”It’s a bit pricey, but the quality is indeed good. I’ll take them.”

”How many would you like?”

”Twenty pills.”

”A purchase of twenty pills amounts to three hundred thousand. This is quite a big deal,” said Shopkeeper Feng, giving Daboinsky a meaningful look. For such a deal, he never accepted credit.

Daboinsky pulled a check from his coat and wrote the amount. ”Kindly have your clerk cash this at Treasure Vault Bank. Once the payment’s confirmed, I’ll collect the pills.”

”Straightforward!” Shopkeeper Feng handed the check to Chun Sheng, and in less than half an hour, Chun Sheng returned with three hundred thousand Huan notes.

Since the payment had been made, the goods naturally had to be delivered. Shopkeeper Feng found a wooden box, sealed the pills inside, and handed it to Daboinsky.

Daboinsky looked satisfied. ”I have a friend who wants to buy some Mystic Blazing Pills. Pray tell, have you any available?”

Shopkeeper Feng nodded. ”I do. How many does your friend need?”

Daboinsky raised two fingers. ”Also twenty.”

Shopkeeper Feng frowned slightly. ”Twenty pills? You better think this through. A Mystic Blazing Pill costs two hundred fifty thousand.”

The price was slightly too high, but Shopkeeper Feng was still testing the man’s attitude.

Daboinsky gave a soft chuckle. ”If the quality’s up to standard, I have no reason to haggle.”

Shopkeeper Feng nodded. ”Straightforward! I don’t have that many in stock right now, but I can ask for you.”

”Splendid. I’ll return in a couple days, then. Hope you’ll have some news for me by then.”

Daboinsky left the general store. After just a few steps, he ran into a foreigner on the street.

Perhaps noticing that Daboinsky was dressed in a gentlemanly manner, the foreigner approached with a polite smile and said, ”Pardon me, good sir. This is my first visit to Medicine King Gully, and I’m hoping to purchase some medicine. Would you happen to know where I might find a reputable medicinal trading house?”

Daboinsky gave the man a quick once-over and smiled. ”You will find medicinal trading houses everywhere in Medicine King Gully. What kind of medicine are you hoping to buy?”

The foreigner rolled up his sleeve, revealing a dense rash along his arm. ”I appear to have contracted a peculiar strain of herpes. I’m not sure what medicine might work.”

Daboinsky frowned and stepped back a couple of paces, then pointed toward the end of Memorial Arch Street. ”Go to Andetang Medicinal Trading House. They have an excellent resident physician. You should have him take a look.”

”Thank you very much,” the foreigner said, tipping his hat.

”The pleasure is mine.” Daboinsky tipped his hat in return.