The Overlord of Puluo

Blue Poplar Trees did possess the ability to counter pill poison, yet no one had ever found a way to put that medicinal effect to use.

The medicated powder Zuo Wugang provided contained dozens of herbs, likely intended to serve as substitutes for Blue Poplar.

However, since the Azure Crimson Lotus had already figured out the formula, why had she not simply written it out? Why did she make Li Banfeng go through such lengths to find Blue Poplar Trees?

Li Banfeng trusted Crimson Lotus’s judgment. The substitute herbs were probably just as hard to find, and their effects could never match those of Blue Poplar.

The old man advised Li Banfeng not to seek Blue Poplar, but Li Banfeng remained firm.

”Since I’ve come all this way, I can’t return empty-handed.”

The old man let out a long sigh. ”Help me take care of the oranges first.”

The dozen scorched trees could no longer be saved. The old man climbed the trees to harvest the oranges, while Li Banfeng caught them below. In no time at all, the heavy fruits were piled up like a small hill.

After dealing with the oranges, Li Banfeng followed the old man to fetch water and tend to the saplings.

The vast grove held three wells, which the old man spoke of with pride. ”Once you activate a plot of land in the new land, you can dig a well. I activated all three of these plots myself.”

The old man was making it clear that he was the master of the orange grove.

After watering the saplings, the old man took Li Banfeng to catch pests on the trees. In a single afternoon, they caught several hundred elephant beetles.

Catching beetles was far more fun than expected. Li Banfeng scrambled up and down the trees without feeling tired in the least. If the old man had not told him to stop and rest, he would have kept catching them all day.

”All these beetles are yours. You can sell them for a good price.” The old man tried to persuade him again.

Li Banfeng shook his head. ”I don’t want the beetles. I only want Blue Poplar Trees.”

The old man sighed repeatedly. ”Fine, let’s go take a look at the tree you planted.”

He walked over to where Li Banfeng had buried the seeds and poured the remaining water from the bucket onto them.

After watering it, the old man silently watched the damp soil and said slowly, ”I have stayed in this orange grove for who knows how many years. To keep these oranges from being ruined, I have suffered countless beatings. I have been hung from trees and beaten, pinned to the ground and beaten, beaten with sticks, stabbed with knives.

”Just now, I nearly burned to death. Some people have not ruined the grove. You are one of them. Some have spoken a few words on my behalf. Over all these years, fewer than ten people have done that. You are one of them.

”Some have helped me fight back. In all these years, only three people have ever done so. You are one of them.

”However, No one has ever helped me plant an orange tree. You are the first.”

As he spoke, the soil rustled softly, and a seedling broke through the earth.

Li Banfeng watched in silence as it grew taller and thicker, pale green branches spreading as blue leaves slowly budded forth. He had buried orange seeds, yet what emerged was a Blue Poplar Tree.

Do oranges come from Blue Poplar Trees? But the leaves of the surrounding orange trees were all green. Li Banfeng could not make sense of it, so he simply watched as the Blue Poplar Tree grew rapidly before his eyes.

When the trunk grew more than a foot thick and the tree reached several tens of meters in height, it stopped growing.

The old man looked at Li Banfeng and said, ”Blue Poplar is a fine thing, but people grew too greedy and cut it down until it was nearly extinct. Young man, how much do you want? Take as much as you need.”

Li Banfeng saw many fallen branches and leaves on the ground. He picked them up and put them into his bag. ”These are enough.”

Li Banfeng was not trying to be polite. He genuinely felt he could only take this much.

Li Banfeng reflected on what he had done. All he had done was help the old man deal with two troublemakers. Even without his help, the old man could have easily killed those two troublemakers.

Helping the old man gather oranges had been nothing more than a small effort.

Planting the seedling had indeed moved the old man, but Li Banfeng did not think he had done anything worthy of great praise.

The oranges tasted good, and good things were meant to be cherished. The principle was that simple. There was no reason to claim credit for such a small act.

Besides, the old man had told him the origin of Greenwater Bay. The value of that information alone was immeasurable.

Li Banfeng truly believed in taking only what one needed and stopping at the right moment.

The old man laughed, then looked at Li Banfeng and smiled for a long time. ”If only everyone in the world were like you.”

With that, the old man waved his hand, and a branch over two meters long fell from one of the poplar trees and landed in front of Li Banfeng.

”Young man, take it. This Blue Poplar branch has lost its vitality and can no longer grow. Do not think about planting it. If this is not enough, come find me again.”

Li Banfeng picked up the branch and thanked the old man.

The old man smiled. ”Is there anything else you want? Perhaps some water?”

Water was scarce in the new land. By the time most people reached the orange grove, the water they carried would already be gone. However, Li Banfeng had no need for it. There was water in his Pocket Dwelling.

Seeing that he did not want water, the old man asked if he wanted anything else.

The old man is so generous. Why did so many people still come here to ruin the grove?

Why would they destroy such fine oranges? Li Banfeng thought.

Li Banfeng looked around and said to the old man, ”I want to eat another orange.”

The old man laughed, led Li Banfeng to the pile of oranges, and personally peeled one for him. ”Eat. There is more than enough for you to eat!”

After finishing two oranges, Li Banfeng rose to bid his farewell.

The old man smiled and said, ”If you ever want to eat oranges again, come visit me.”

***

Carrying the branch, Li Banfeng left the orange grove and returned to his Pocket Dwelling. After entering, he took the branch straight into the outer room.

His wife exclaimed, ”Heyaaaa~ Husband dear~ What is that thing? Isn’t that the Blue Poplar Tree? Why would you bring something like this back?”

Li Banfeng had already prepared an excuse. ”I want to reforge my Tang Saber.”

Da-da-da~ tcha! Da-da-da~ tcha! The little wifey tapped lightly in a slow rhythm, pacing her words to each beat.

”Husband dear! Listen to me! Do not reforge the Tang Saber. It is already formidable. If you strengthen it with Blue Poplar, it will become even more fearsome. If it were to harm you one day, wouldn’t that be like raising a tiger only for it to turn on its master?”

Li Banfeng nodded. ”You make a fair point. However, this Blue Poplar was obtained through great effort. I can’t simply waste it.”

”Then reforge your sickle, along with the iron ruler and the mandarin-duck battle axes. You favor these weapons, yet they have no spirit essence at all. If you refine them to be sturdier, they will better suit your status as my husband.”

His wife’s words were indeed pleasant to hear.

”I’ll listen to you.”

As soon as he entered the outer room, the Tang Saber trembled in fear. It had overheard the earlier exchange between Li Banfeng and the gramophone.

”My lord, I am utterly loyal. I must not be reforged.”

Li Banfeng let out a cold laugh. ”You are afraid now?”

With that, he tossed the Tang Saber, the pendulum, the earrings, and the other artifacts into the fourth room. After confirming that no one would disturb them, the bronze lotus opened its petals.

She inhaled the entire Blue Poplar Tree, along with the branches and leaves Li Banfeng had gathered, into her lotus core.

To be safe, she also absorbed the sickle, the trowel, the iron ruler, and the mandarin-duck axes.

Li Banfeng returned to the main room and went to sleep. His wife seemed perfectly normal, aside from grumbling that the day’s ingredients were a bit lacking.

The next morning, Li Banfeng entered the outer room and saw that the bronze lotus had bloomed.

The seven-holed lotus core was filled, holding a total of seven lotus seeds.

The first two seeds burst open, each producing a Mystic Blazing Pill. They had been refined from the two men who burned the trees.

The third seed burst open, revealing Li Banfeng’s favorite sickle.

It looked no different from before, yet the moment he touched it, he felt a toughness it had never had. He dared not touch the edge of the sickle, knowing that it was coated with deadly poison.

Next came the trowel, the iron ruler, and the mandarin-duck axes.

The final lotus seed remained in his hand for a long time before finally bursting open. This time, one hundred and seventy-seven blue pills burst forth.

Can this pill counter the poison from Golden Essence Pills? Li Banfeng wondered, but he trusted the bronze lotus.

He wrapped the pills in tin foil, stored them in a cloth pouch, and then took out several of the weapons to show his wife.

In addition, Li Banfeng found a strange weapon among the belongings of the two tree burners. It was an iron rod, over a foot long, pointed at one end, and made entirely of iron.

”What kind of weapon is this?”

Pop... crackle... pop...

His wife recognized it at once. ”It is a Judge’s Brush, but this Judge’s Brush is not a weapon. It is an artifact. Husband, listen carefully. It speaks.”

Li Banfeng was able to hear the voices of objects imbued with spirit essence.

He listened for more than ten minutes, yet heard nothing. His wife grew impatient and told him to place the Judge’s Brush beside the gramophone’s tray. She then released a jet of steam, heating it until its entire body glowed red.

The Judge’s Brush suddenly began to speak, rattling off words at a frantic pace, but Li Banfeng could not understand a thing.

His wife scolded it. ”Things made by a Lazy Cultivator are always useless.”

Lazy Cultivator? What kind of cultivation is that?

His wife said to Li Banfeng, ”This Judge’s Brush can fly. If it carries one person, it can fly a hundred meters. If it is two people, it can travel forty to fifty meters. If it carries three people, it can only fly for ten meters. It cannot carry more than three people.

”It is simple to use. Draw a circle on the ground. Stand inside it, state the direction, and wait for the brush to respond.

”But this thing is far too lazy. Sometimes it won’t respond for a day or two. Husband dear~ Find someone with spirit essence to reforge it another time.”

Since this Judge’s Brush can fly, those two tree burners must have used this to cross the Ironwire River. Li Banfeng thought. So...Lazy Cultivation? I learned a new Daoist Path today.

Li Banfeng wanted to ask more about Lazy Cultivators, but the gramophone refused to spare a glance at such mundane objects and urged him to hurry out and buy groceries.

Li Banfeng let out a cold laugh. ”Little Yellow Spring is right up ahead. Can I get groceries from that place?”

The question stunned his wifey as she responded, ”Erm..erm... Husband dear~ I had a meal yesterday and I am not very hungry today. Let’s not get groceries from the Little Yellow Spring.”.

Li Banfeng turned and left. Worried that he might come back to ”oil” her machine again, she decided not to say a word.

***

After stepping out of the Pocket Dwelling, Li Banfeng used his Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity technique to find a relatively safe spot in the wasteland, then took a Blue Poplar Pill.

After swallowing the Blue Poplar Pill, he took a Golden Essence Pill.

Do the two pills match in potency, one for one? Li Banfeng wondered inwardly. Otherwise, the bronze lotus wouldn’t have refined so many.

After he swallowed the Golden Essence Pill, a tingling sensation coursed through his body, yet he remained in control.

He could still sense the poison, but he could also feel the Blue Poplar Pill taking effect.

He tried to take two steps and staggered. After resting for an hour, he could walk normally again.

Three hours later, his Raising a Gale on Level Ground technique had mostly recovered.

It works! Li Banfeng thought. The Blue Poplar Pill was extremely effective. Should I take another Golden Essence Pill to test it?

No. I shouldn’t do that. My body still felt a little numb, which meant the poison had not been fully neutralized.

This is the new land. Who knows what I might encounter! It’s best if I keep it to one pill a day.

I will just need to walk slower when I head back.

***

Lu Dongjun returned to his residence covered in injuries, and Wan Jinxian quickly hurried over to check on him.

Lu Dongjun did not wish to speak, so his subordinates explained what had happened to Wan Jinxian.

Earlier that day, Lu Dongjun went to the casino to collect debts, only to discover that his uncle Lu Maoxian was already there. As an elderly level-seven Literary Cultivator, Lu Maoxian would normally not have been a match for Lu Dongjun. However, he had brought many men with him, and under their siege, Lu Dongjun had suffered.

”Damn it!” Lu Dongjun cursed. ”That old fool must be possessed. He heard Monkey Qiu say a few words and actually raised his hand against his own nephew!”

Wan Jinxian let out a sigh. ”Master, this was definitely not done by Monkey Qiu alone.”

Lu Dongjun nodded. ”I know. Lu Shaoxia must be involved as well.”

Wan Jinxian shook his head. ”It’s not just about Lu Shaoxia. Think about it. Lu Maoxian has three sons. The Eldest Master has already fallen. If you were to fall as well, then among the younger generation, the most senior would come from his branch. At that point, the position of family head would become uncertain.”

Lu Dongjun finally understood.

”So that old bastard is deliberately ruining my reputation so his sons can seize the position,” he snarled. ”He should take a piss and look at himself. Those useless sons of his are nothing.”

Wan Jinxian brought over a newspaper. ”Lu Maoxian is deliberately destroying your reputation. This is this morning’s paper. The news has already spread. Take a look.”

Lu Dongjun took the paper, glanced at it, and ground his teeth in fury.

The headline read:

Fraternal Bloodshed: Lu Dongliang’s Fate Hangs by a Thread; Widow and Orphan Have Nowhere to Turn.

Wan Jinxian said, ”I can already guess that tomorrow’s headline will be ’Lu Family’s Old Ancestor Steps Forth, Cleans House to Uphold Justice, Reclaims the Family Banner.’”

Lu Dongjun was livid. ”Ling Miaowen, that damned fool. Spouting nonsense and dragging me into this? He must be tired of living. I’ll deal with him myself.”

Wan Jinxian urged, ”Master, you must think long-term. This is not the time to lose your temper. We should plan our next move carefully. I do have an idea, if you’re willing to hear it.”

Lu Dongjun tore the newspaper in his hands into shreds.

***

At Miss Chu’s residence, Chu Huaiyuan[1] let out a laugh as she read the newspaper.

”The Lu Family is in complete chaos. Paramount Club will soon be mine. Prepare the carriage. We’re going to Blue Poplar Village.”

Wen Hongyan licked her forearm and said with a smile, ”Going to Blue Poplar Village again? Did you take a liking to Ma Wu?”

”Me? Liking him?” Miss Chu laughed coldly. ”What could possibly be appealing about him? A man with so little courage could never interest me. He doesn’t stir a thing in me.”

Wen Hongyan picked up a coconut, sliced off the top, and took a sip. ”If you don’t fancy him, then why go to Blue Poplar Village?”

Miss Chu had her maid select a few dresses and bring them over. ”You don’t understand business. Paramount Club can make money, but it can also bleed it away. The truth is that I’m not as skilled as Ma Junyang when it comes to turning a profit, so I need him to manage it for me for a while.”

Wen Hongyan cracked open another coconut. ”Ma Wu is sly. He probably won’t behave.”

Miss Chu chose a long red dress. ”If he refuses to behave, then we’ll tie him up and bring him back. I have ways to make him obedient.”

Author’s Note:

PS: So what exactly was that feeling that made Miss Chu so obsessed?

1. This is Miss Chu’s real name. She is also referred to as Chu Er at times but we kept it as Miss Chu for consistency’s sake ☜