The Overlord of Puluo

Ma Wu sat inside the cabin, in a suspended state of horror.

Li Banfeng was sitting with him. They were trying to figure out how things had gone so wrong today.

This time, Ma Wu had escaped by the skin of his teeth. However, if they did not get to the bottom of it, he might not be so lucky next time.

Li Banfeng thought Ma Wu had taken too few people with him. ”You only took three people with you, and the only real fighter was Qin.”

Ma Wu disagreed. ”My family has plenty of experience carrying out assassinations. I know that bringing too many people only becomes a burden.

”Qin handles offense while Little Chuan handles defense. I can recognize Lu Xiaolan, and I would have stepped in to provide support if things got bad. The three of us should have been enough.

”We failed today for two reasons. Firstly, Daboinsky showed up. Secondly, we’ve got a mole.”

”Why are you so certain there’s a mole?”

”Old Qi, think about it carefully. When I went to deal with Lu Xiaolan, she didn’t know about it beforehand, right?”

Li Banfeng nodded. ”She shouldn’t have known.”

”Then how did Daboinsky manage to find me the moment I left the territory and even seized the advantage of attacking first? That proves he knew where I was hiding.”

Li Banfeng agreed with that point. Daboinsky had obviously known of Ma Wu’s hiding place in advance. However, it was easy for Li Banfeng to explain that.

”Lu Xiaolan is a Spycraft Cultivator. You stayed near the territory for three days. She must have heard your movements.”

”How? Did she just randomly listen everywhere? You Outer Provinces people have something called a radar. Does Lu Xiaolan have one growing on her body? Without someone tipping her off beforehand, there’s no way she could have found me just by searching blindly. Qin isn’t incompetent either. She has pulled off plenty of assassinations. She chose the stakeout location herself. How could it have been exposed so easily?”

Ma Wu’s reasoning made sense.

Li Banfeng asked, ”Then who could the mole be?”

Ma Wu fell silent for a moment before saying, ”Old Qi, do you know why I brought Qin this time and no one else? We still have another capable hand on our turf.”

Li Banfeng was taken aback. ”You mean Zuo Wugang? You suspect he’s the mole?”

Ma Wu nodded. ”He used to belong to the Lu Family.”

Li Banfeng shook his head. ”We can’t make wild guesses. Guessing like that will only cause upset and confusion.”

Ma Wu’s expression grew grave. ”Lu Xiaolan is lurking outside, and there’s a mole watching us from within. If that’s the case, we’re going to suffer a heavy loss. Lu Xiaolan has to be dealt with, and the mole has to be dragged out. I think it’s Zuo Wugang. He’s interested in Qin. If Qin reciprocated his feelings, I’d completely approve of it. I’m not lacking in partners. But Qin doesn’t fancy him. He must be blaming that on me and wants to join hands with Lu Xiaolan to get rid of me.”

Li Banfeng was truly at a loss for words.

Two grown men could end up fighting over an insect. They were fine young men, yet they had to fancy insects of all things. Li Banfeng truly looked down on them for that!

However, Li Banfeng believed the mole was definitely not Zuo Wugang.

Zuo Wugang had signed a contract, one written on proper contract paper. If he truly were the mole, he would have long since turned into rusted slag, unless he had some way to nullify that contract.

However, if it wasn’t Zuo Wugang, then who else could the mole be?

Ma Wu said, ”Old Qi, leave Lu Xiaolan to me. You handle the mole.

Something big is about to happen. At a life-or-death juncture like this, we can’t afford to show mercy!”

They certainly could not afford to be soft, but they could not act rashly either.

Li Banfeng replied, ”I’ll have a proper talk with someone. Once I’ve clarified things, we’ll make our move.”

It was late at night when Li Banfeng finally returned to his land.

There was a mole within the five-kilometer land. Anything they did there could be exposed. His original half-kilometer plot, however, was far safer.

Li Banfeng set up an offering table and waited quietly. A ball of ghostly fire appeared above the table.

”Brother Li Qi, there’s something you might not understand. Even the master of a territory has to sleep.”

”Oh, is that so?” Li Banfeng said in sudden realization. ”Then when do you sleep?”

”I just—” Shui Yongquan sighed. ”What did you call me for?”

Li Banfeng wanted to confirm one thing. ”Those people have already activated New Land within Qiu Luoye’s territory. If we kill them later, Qiu Luoye won’t come looking for trouble with us again, will he?”

”The New Land has already been established. As long as it’s not within a territory, the territory’s land deity won’t interfere in matters of life and death concerning a plot’s owner. That’s the logic behind whether a land deity takes action. But this matter—”

”Let’s not talk about logic tonight. You’re a man with logical processes. Qiu Luoye doesn’t seem like he’d care about what’s logical.”

Shui Yongquan let out a sigh. ”I’m worried about that too. Qiu Luoye craves a bit of human presence. He’s not very sharp, and whenever he sees land activators, he treasures them like rare jewels. But the way this group of land activators appeared is suspicious.”

Li Banfeng asked, ”Do you think they’re connected to the land activators who showed up along the borders before?”

The ghostly fire circled above the offering table as Shui Yongquan pondered in silence.

”I think there’s a connection, but I can’t say for sure what the connection is. I’ll go talk to Old Elephant Qiu and then speak with the other land deities. I don’t know what kind of outcome I’ll get. Brother Li Qi, I have a feeling something major is about to happen—not just in my fifty-kilometer domain but across all of Puluo. What happens in Puluo is beyond my control. I only hope it doesn’t break out here in my territory. I don’t want to fight with others. I came to this remote place just to seek peace. Brother, I just want us to live a couple of days in peace.”

***

However, peaceful days were no longer possible.

Inside the meeting hall, Little Gen stood there with a bruised and swollen face, apologizing repeatedly to Ma Wu. ”Master Wu, I’ve failed you. I truly did fight with everything I had, but they were too strong. I couldn’t beat them.”

Little Gen had led a team escorting a shipment to Blue Poplar Village. Halfway there, they were ambushed, and the goods were seized. He had risked his life to bring the escort team back alive.

This was not the first shipment to be hijacked. Another batch had been taken just yesterday, and several members of the escort team had been severely injured.

Ma Wu no longer dared to send out shipments. Every time goods left his and Li Banfeng’s land, Lu Xiaolan watched from her plot. Nothing could escape her notice.

Ma Wu did not blame Little Gen. ”You brought everyone back alive. That’s what matters. That’s good enough.”

He ordered someone to treat Little Gen’s injuries and even rewarded him with a sum of money.

Zuo Wugang spoke up. ”Master Wu, let me handle the escort next time.”

”Fine, if you want to go, then go,” Ma Wu said with a faint smile. ”I’ll step out for a stroll and take a look at our neighbor.”

Zuo Wugang sensed that something was off about Ma Wu’s attitude. It had been strange for the past two days, but he did not dare to press further.

After leaving the meeting hall, Ma Wu walked to the edge of the territory. He looked at Lu Xiaolan’s plot.

Ma Wu was hit with an impulsive urge. He wanted to storm into Lu Xiaolan’s land, drag her out, and end her life.

The thought flashed through his mind in an instant. Ma Wu let out a long breath.

Calm down. I need to calm down.

Lu Xiaolan had Daboinsky by her side, as well as her mother, Zhuo Yuling. She had activated New Land and was under Qiu Luoye’s protection. It would not be easy to deal with her. Ma Wu absolutely could not act on impulse.

Ma Wu took a deep breath. He stood there for a moment, then he turned to leave.

Suddenly, someone spoke behind him.

”Brother Wu, were you looking for me?”

Ma Wu was startled. He looked back and found that Lu Xiaolan was standing right behind him.

When did she arrive? How did she know I was here?

”Brother Wu, were you thinking about me?” Lu Xiaolan asked, looking at Ma Wu with a sweet smile. She had not stepped across the boundary between the two territories.

Ma Wu gave her a small smile. ”How did you know I was thinking about you?”

”We’re connected at the heart, Brother Wu. I know everything you’re thinking,” Lu Xiaolan replied playfully, just like when they had first met.

Ma Wu’s gaze met hers. ”Then guess what I’m thinking right now.”

”I’d say you hate me deeply right now, just like I hated you back then, so much that you want to kill me.”

”Your guess is quite accurate,” Ma Wu remarked as he prepared to activate an ability.

Lu Xiaolan shook her head. ”Brother Wu, you used to be decisive. Why have you become so timid now? Whether you miss me or hate me, I’m right here. Why don’t you dare come closer? If you want to kill me, you’ll at least have to get nearer!”

Ma Wu drew a dagger.

Lu Xiaolan feigned surprise. ”You’re going to use that to try and kill me? Brother Wu, do you really think that thing can kill me?”

Ma Wu knew the dagger could not kill her.

He intended to use the dagger to draw his own blood and exchange it for Shui Yongquan’s protection.

Lu Xiaolan saw through his thoughts and smiled sweetly. ”Brother Wu, look at you. How disappointing. I don’t plan to kill you today, so you needn’t worry. But later? Who knows. If you’re afraid, then hide here for the rest of your life. Don’t step out even once.”

Then she left.

Ma Wu gripped his dagger tightly and lowered his head.

There had been no one by his side. If he had taken just one more step forward, he might already be dead.

***

After returning to the meeting hall, Ma Wu looked at Zuo Wugang and said, ”Guess what just happened? I went to check on our neighbor, and she somehow knew I was coming. She even came to meet me right at the edge of our home. Tell me, isn’t that quite the coincidence?”

Zuo Wugang did not know how to respond. He could not grasp what Ma Wu was implying.

Ma Wu fell silent for a moment, then he told Zuo Wugang to leave.

Sitting alone in the meeting hall, Ma Wu repeatedly reminded himself to stay calm. Zuo Wugang might not be the mole. The task of uncovering the mole had to be left to Old Qi.

However, he found himself unable to calm down.

”Master Wu, the newspapers.”

Little Chuan brought two newspapers into the hall. Ma Wu’s men had brought them back from Greenwater City.

Because of the distance to Greenwater City, the newspapers were from three days ago. Ma Wu saw his own name on the second page.

”The Fifth Young Master of the Ma Family Still Commands Prestige, Expanding His Influence in Blue Poplar’s New Land.”

Expanding my influence?

I can’t even fucking step outside my own gates.

Ma Wu let out a bitter laugh and tore the newspaper apart.

The foundation he and Old Qi had worked so hard to build was about to be ruined by Lu Xiaolan.

***

Third Hospital, Yuezhou.

He Jiaqing lay alone on a hospital bed and let out a soft laugh.

”Ma Wu has been a little irritable lately.”

A voice spoke into his ear.

—He endured so much hardship before finally enjoying the good life for a bit. Now, that good life is about to be cut off. Of course, he feels upset.

He Jiaqing sighed. ”I do feel quite sorry for him. Have you figured out Xiaolan’s cultivation level?”

—She might be hiding it well, but I’ve tested her a few times. She should still be at the fourth level.

”If she’s still at the fourth level, that means the item isn’t in her hands. It’s in my friend’s.”

—The one called Li Qi, that’s your friend?

”I heard his voice. There’s no mistake. He was my best friend throughout my four years at university.”

—Who should we send to retrieve it?

”We can’t send our own people. Find a way to get Lu Xiaolan to go. Our identities must not get exposed.”

—Can Lu Xiaolan get it back?

”Yes. My friend is a reasonable person. Xiaolan wants that item very badly as well. Say a few persuasive words, and she’ll definitely go. Let the two of them sit down and talk things out. If you borrow something, you must return it. If he refuses, he’ll suffer for it. If he suffers and still refuses to return it, then someone will die. He and Ma Wu are close. If Ma Wu dies because of this, he’ll feel it.”

—So as long as he returns the item, we spare his life?

”We’ll see. Some things even I can’t predict. If you hear his voice again, direct it to me. In the Outer Provinces, they call that a ’live broadcast.’ You understand?”

—I understand.

”I want to hear him talk. He has such an interesting way of speaking. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him. I kind of miss him.”

He Jiaqing smiled and cut off the connection.