The Overlord of Puluo

Deal.

With a single word, Li Banfeng accepted the deal.

Zuo Wugang could hardly believe it and was about to confirm again, but he saw Li Banfeng whisper a few words to Little Chuan before a chest of silver dollars was placed on the table.

Li Banfeng said, ”Your wages are here, but let me be clear first. You three have been hired as support hooks. You are not household retainers. If someone comes up, you must listen and obey.”

Zuo Wugang nodded. ”Of course.”

Li Banfeng stepped outside briefly and returned with three contracts. He handed them to Zuo Wugang and said, ”Please leave your handprints.”

Zuo Wugang skimmed through the contract. The terms were simple. The three of them were responsible for the employer’s safety, and the employer would provide the corresponding payment.

If Zuo Wugang no longer wished to continue the job, the two parties could part on good terms after discussion. However, if he disobeyed orders or betrayed them while working as a support hook, he would accept whatever punishment the employer saw fit.

He had done this kind of work his entire life and had signed similar contracts before. The three of them pressed their handprints without hesitation, officially becoming support hooks for Li Banfeng and Ma Wu.

Does Li Banfeng really trust these three men? To be honest, no.

Given Li Banfeng and Ma Wu’s current strength, hiring a sixth-level large support hook would be risky. In fact, it was no small risk.

If Zuo Wugang and his men harbored ulterior motives, Li Banfeng and Ma Wu had few ways to counter them. Still, few did not mean none.

When it came to Zuo Wugang, Li Banfeng had ways to investigate his background. But when it came to Li Banfeng, Zuo Wugang knew almost nothing.

Just moments ago, the contract they signed was written on contract paper that the Crimson Lotus flower had crafted. The Corrosion Pill was added as a supplementary binding material so that if Zuo Wugang breached the contract, he would turn into a pile of rust.

After two cups of liquor, Zuo Wugang said to Li Banfeng, ”Master Qi, could you allow us to meet Young Master Wu? The two of you are both our employers. As support hooks, we should at least know the faces of those we serve.”

It was a reasonable request, so Li Banfeng agreed.

Little Chuan led Zuo Wugang to Ma Wu’s bedside. Seeing that Ma Wu could barely move, aside from breathing and blinking now and then, Zuo Wugang pondered briefly before saying, ”This looks like windshock paresis.”

”What windshock paresis!” Little Chuan shot him a glare.

Li Banfeng asked, ”Are you talking about acute paresis[ref]The raw term 风麻症 is a made-up condition, which we translated as windshock paresis. In this scene, the original text also mentions 麻风病 (leprosy) because the two terms sound similar in Chinese. However, since leprosy has no phonetic or semantic similarity to windshock paresis in English, it doesn’t work. And so, we are not going to use the word leprosy here.ref]?”

”It’s not acute paresis,” Zuo Wugang said, waving his hand. ”Windshock paresis happens when one is hit by a hard gust, which numbs the whole body and stops it from moving. I have a folk remedy. It works like a charm. One dose is all it takes.”

Little Chuan frowned. ”Master Zuo, you’re a man of standing. Illness isn’t a joke. I’ve seen windshock paresis before, and this is nothing like it.”

”Not the same?” Zuo Wugang scratched his head. ”Looks pretty similar to me. My remedy works, you know. More than one person has said so.”

Li Banfeng studied him for a moment and sensed there was more behind his words.

He invited Zuo Wugang into the living room and asked where the remedy came from. Zuo Wugang took a sip of tea and said, ”It’s best not to ask about its origins. Just know that this decoction really does cure windshock paresis.”

He paused, then added, ”It works especially well on people who spend all year on the road. It’s a good remedy for cold wind, warm wind, even the wind from riding horses.”

Li Banfeng understood at once. By ”people who spent years on the road,” Zuo Wugang meant Wanderlust Cultivators. If this formula truly worked, then it must have worked on Lu Dongliang before.

Had Lu Dongliang suffered the same symptoms? There was no doubt about it.

At his age, reaching level nine without relying on pills was impossible. Pill poisoning would have been all but inevitable.

As the head of the greatest family in Puluo Province, Lu Dongliang should have had ways to mitigate pill poison.

Pills made by different alchemists varied in nature, and no single prescription could neutralize every type of pill poison. The pills that the Crimson Lotus made were exceptionally pure. The Golden Essence Pill was likewise of the highest grade. Pills of this caliber inevitably shared certain characteristics. In the case of the Golden Essence Pill, its defining trait was whole-body numbness, which was its inherent and most common toxic effect.

Aside from this inherent and most common toxic effect, Golden Essence Pills from other sources carried unique forms of pill poison. Each was extremely difficult to neutralize and required a tailored treatment. As a result, no universal cure existed, which was why pill poison had no antidote.

Zuo Wugang’s method could only counter the common toxicity. It would have done little for Lu Dongliang, but for Li Banfeng, it was significant.

Toxins refined from Crimson Lotus were very likely limited to the most common form of toxicity.

Since Zuo Wugang had brought it up, Li Banfeng was not about to let the opportunity slip by.

”This remedy must be quite valuable.” Li Banfeng paused, waiting for Zuo Wugang to name his price.

Zuo Wugang shook his head. ”I don’t remember the formula. I only have a few prepared doses on hand.”

Clearly, Zuo Wugang had no intention of revealing the formula, which was reasonable. It was a technique he had worked hard to acquire. Whatever its origin, mentioning it at all in such a situation was already difficult enough, and there was no reason for him to disclose it to Li Banfeng.

”Prepared medicine works as well,” Li Banfeng said with a nod. ”Name a price.”

”You are the employer, and I am the support hook you hired. I should not be the one naming a price.” Zuo Wugang had taken out the medicine only as a gesture of sincerity.

Li Banfeng tilted his head slightly. His face was hidden beneath shadow and beard, yet he was clearly conveying his intention. He had no interest in riddles.

Zuo Wugang had gained some understanding of Li Banfeng’s temperament, so he chose to speak plainly. ”I failed the Lu Family. My reputation was ruined, and no one wanted to hire me anymore. Yet you took me in without hesitation. I am deeply grateful. The first dose is my gift, to repay your kindness. If Master Qi or Young Master Wu ever need more in the future, simply cover the cost of the herbs.”

Li Banfeng appreciated his straightforward nature. Zuo Wugang stepped over to Ma Wu, took out a small bottle of medicated powder, and fed it to him.

After a little more than an hour, Ma Wu’s fingertips began to move slightly.

Little Chuan exclaimed in surprise, ”Master Zuo, your remedy really works!”

”It works, yes, but only for windshock paresis. Anything else would be another matter entirely. You’d best persuade Young Master Wu to restrain himself a little,” Zuo Wugang said with a smile.

”What illness are you talking about?” Little Chuan said unhappily, thinking he was mocking their young master for catching a dirty disease.

Zuo Wugang remained silent and glanced at Master Qi from the corner of his eye.

Li Banfeng understood. It was a warning from Zuo Wugang, confirming his earlier deduction.

The numbness caused by the Golden Essence Pill could be treated with this medicine. Any other form of pill poison, however, was beyond his ability to cure.

After waiting another half day, Ma Wu was able to eat and even walk around.

Ma Wu was very grateful to Zuo Wugang and instructed Little Chuan to arrange lodging for him. As soon as Zuo Wugang left, Ma Wu worked his jaw and spat out a small clump of medicated powder from between his teeth.

Li Banfeng froze. ”You managed to hold on to that?”

”This is good stuff, truly good stuff! Let me check its properties first. I’ve already identified a few of the herbs.”

Ma Wu, being eager to figure out the formula through the powder, stayed awake the entire night.

By the next morning, his eyes were bloodshot, yet he still failed to figure out the formula.

”This little bit of powder contains dozens of herbs. Some I can roughly identify, but others I really can’t...”

Ma Wu wanted to return to the Ma Family’s old residence to consult the medicinal texts in the library, but he worried that his father would refuse to let him enter.

”Why don’t I have a Medicine Cultivator try figuring it out?”

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, ”That won’t do.”

Ma Wu sighed softly. He knew it was inappropriate.

This medicated powder was something Zuo Wugang had brought out to save him. Having a Medicine Cultivator decipher the formula would be no different from leaking it, and that would be far too unkind to Old Zuo.

”Brother Ma, get some rest first. Let me keep the powder for now.”

Li Banfeng put the medicine away in his Pocket Dwelling and stared at the Crimson Lotus for a long moment.

Although the Crimson Lotus could refine anything, Li Banfeng did not intend to refine the powder. Instead, he wanted it to deduce the formula behind it.

Yet, this did not seem like something that the Crimson Lotus could do. If it consumed the powder and revealed nothing, he would suffer a great loss.

After a long moment of hesitation, Li Banfeng still fed the medicated powder to the Crimson Lotus.

Zuo Wugang was still around, and the supply of medicated powder had not been cut off. Even if he lost this batch, he could simply ask Zuo Wugang for another prepared dose.

The Crimson Lotus swallowed the powder, yet nothing happened for quite some time.

Li Banfeng let out a sigh, intending to give up. Then the Crimson Lotus opened its petals once more, and one of the seeds at its core ripened.

This lotus seed had been refined from Liu Liangyi’s body. By all reason, the refinement should have ended long ago, yet the Crimson Lotus appeared to be deliberately delaying it.

The Crimson Lotus was indeed doing it on purpose. She was worried that if she made the pills too quickly, Li Banfeng would feel that familiar itch and be tempted again.

Li Banfeng was indeed tempted. Liu Liangyi had been a level-four cultivator. He did not know how many years of cultivation that represented, but by his estimation, it should have yielded between sixteen and twenty Mystic Blazing Pills.

However, the result was entirely unexpected. The lotus seed burst apart, forming three Golden Essence Pills. This was equivalent to thirty Mystic Blazing Pills.

A profit! A huge profit! Li Banfeng exclaimed inwardly.

Just as Li Banfeng was secretly delighted, he suddenly realized that one of the pills looked wrong. The other pills were full and perfectly round, and their golden light dazzled beneath the candle flame.

This pill, however, was extremely dull. It looked as though a thin layer of gold paint had been brushed over an ordinary bean.

Why does it look different? Was it lacking in substance, or was it simply impure?

As Li Banfeng examined it more closely, the gramophone began to hum.

”Heyaaaaa~ Husband dear~ Why are you staring at that pill? Don’t tell me you are going insane and wanting to eat it again?”

Li Banfeng shook his head. ”I really suffered last time and I learned my lesson. I won’t take any of these pills again.”

”Husband dear~ You know how painful it was for you. Since you can’t eat it, hurry up and sell it so we can have some money to buy food.”

”Wifey, the kind of food you eat isn’t something money can buy. Besides, after eating so many ghost servants, how are you already hungry again?”

Huff!

The gramophone let out a coquettish hum. ”Husband dear~ This little wifey is not what she used to be! My appetite has naturally grown.”

Li Banfeng looked utterly shocked. ”You are pregnant?”

Huff huff~

The gramophone sobbed repeatedly.

”Husband dear~ You’re mocking your little wifey again. You know I’m unable to bear you a child.”

”Whether you can bear my child depends on my endurance, my strength, and my skill. It also depends on strategy and sincerity. Little wifey, shouldn’t we consummate our marriage first?”

Whoosh.

A burst of steam pushed Li Banfeng back.

Wifey spoke with dignity. ”Washing clothes is no easy task. Husband, take care. You have already slept through the night and fulfilled the minimum requirements of your Homebound Cultivation. Hurry and go buy some vegetables.”

After Li Banfeng left the Pocket Dwelling, the gramophone suddenly called out toward the outer room, ”Sister Crimson Lotus, I think one of those pills just now looks a little off in color?”

The Crimson Lotus replied, ”They’re all being sold anyway. Let that madman earn a little more money. Isn’t that a good thing?”

”If he sells them, I have no objections. What worries me is that he’ll lose his senses again and eat the pill. Do not poison him.”

The Crimson Lotus let out a cold sneer. ”Why? Do you feel sorry for him or something?”

Huff, huff~ Huff, huff~

The sound of steam slowed. The gramophone’s voice turned icy, and each word carried weight.

”Whether I feel pain for him or not has nothing to do with you. Do not act behind my back. If you do, I will not let you off.”

Steam exhaled slowly, and the Crimson Lotus glistened with dew.

***

Li Banfeng sat in the wooden house, holding the pill and thinking about how the color of this pill looked so odd. After examining it for a long time, he suddenly noticed cracks on the pill.

What material is this? Li Banfeng wondered.

Following the faint lines of the cracks, Li Banfeng picked at the pill with great care, prying off the shell bit by bit, the way he used to dismantle toy spheres as a child, always convinced there was something marvelous hidden inside.

The pill was hollow. And there, clinging to the inside of the shell, Li Banfeng spotted three words, neat and unmistakable: Blue Poplar Tree.

Author’s Note:

The name of the Blue Poplar Village originated from the Blue Poplar Tree.