The Overlord of Puluo

Ma Wu spoke first. ”Uncle Yu, I have already said what I needed to say. You[1] should head back.”

Yu Zhihe sat in the accounts office as steady as a mountain.

”Junyang,” he said, ”no matter how capable you are outside, there are still rules in the family that you must follow. You are not qualified to tell me to leave.”

Ma Wu said nothing more. He left the accounts office and headed for the private room. Inside, Li Banfeng was sitting at the table, quietly drinking. Ma Wu walked over and sat down beside him.

”He won’t leave?” Li Banfeng asked.

Ma Wu nodded.

Li Banfeng poured himself another cup and said, ”Go deliver invitations to the various households. We’ll still open in three days.”

Ma Wu stood and left.

Once he was gone, Li Banfeng lowered the brim of his fedora until it shadowed most of his face. Then he walked into the accounts office. After stepping inside, he turned and locked the door behind him.

Yu Zhihe was startled. ”Who are you?”

Li Banfeng answered, ”The owner of Freewind Wharf.”

Yu Zhihe shot to his feet. ”This is the Ma Family’s business! Who do you think you are? Where’s Junyang? Tell him to come see me!”

Li Banfeng stepped closer to Yu Zhihe. ”How old are you this year?”

Yu Zhihe immediately took two steps back. ”What are you trying to do?”

Li Banfeng smiled. ”You have lived this long and enjoyed plenty of good fortune, yet you still don’t know how to behave. I think a simple funeral will suit you just fine.”

***

Ma Wu sent invitations to the various great families, and the Ma Family received one as well.

When Ma Chunting read the invitation, his hands trembled with anger.

Ma Junjiang, the fourth son of the Ma Family, hurried over and began pounding his father’s shoulders and massaging his back. Once Ma Chunting calmed down slightly, he shouted, ”Go tell Old Yu to freeze the accounts at Freewind Wharf. Don’t allow that bastard to take a single coin out! Let’s see how he plans to open for business!”

Ma Junjiang sent someone to Freewind Wharf, but they did not return until evening.

”What took you so long?” Ma Junjiang asked.

”Master, Young Master, we went to Freewind Wharf, but Mr. Yu wasn’t there.”

Ma Chunting frowned. ”That oldie snuck off again. Go to his house and bring him here!”

”Master, we went to Mr. Yu’s house already. His family said he hasn’t come home.”

”Then where could he have gone? Off to a brothel? That damned—”

Ma Chunting suddenly froze. After decades of fighting his way through the jianghu, a bad feeling rose in his heart.

”That bastard... that bastard...” Ma Chunting’s hands began trembling again.

Ma Junjiang quickly stepped forward and began massaging his father’s shoulders.

”He... he wouldn’t dare. He definitely wouldn’t dare...” Ma Chunting had already guessed what had happened, but he refused to believe it was true. ”Take some men to Freewind Wharf and demand to see Old Yu. If you can’t find him, smash the place to pieces.”

Ma Junjiang had just started to leave when Ma Chunting called him back.

Ma Chunting suddenly realized he could not let his fourth son go. If Old Yu had vanished after going there, how could he be sure his fourth son would return alive?

Although Ma Chunting was old, he was no fool. He could tell his youngest son was no longer the same as before.

”How did he become like this? How did he dare? That bastard... who taught him this...” Ma Chunting made Ma Junjiang sit back down in the chair and sat there in silence for a long time.

”Father, I should still go and ask. Maybe there’s some misunderstanding.”

Ma Chunting shook his head. ”No need to ask. Go send word to the great families. Tell them that if they still respect Old Ma, then on the day Freewind Wharf opens, none of them are to show up.

”Chu Huaiyuan[2] was already stood up once at the Paramount Club. That bastard knew about it, yet he still dared to play such dirty tricks on his own father. I will make sure he loses everything and ends up without even a place to beg for food!”

***

Monkey Qiu had only just finished reading the invitation when word arrived from the Ma Family as well.

Lu Yuanshan frowned, clearly troubled. ”Uncle Qiu, Freewind Wharf is opening. Are we going or not?”

Monkey Qiu smiled. ”What do you two think?”

Lu Yuanhai spoke up first. ”I think we should go. Without Ma Wu’s help, we wouldn’t have been able to remove the hooks from the gramophones.”

Lu Yuanshan was more cautious. ”But this is the Ma Family’s internal affair. It wouldn’t be appropriate for us to get involved.”

The two brothers turned to look at Qiu Zhiheng. In the end, the decision rested with him.

Qiu Zhiheng set the invitation aside and lit a cigarette. After taking a moment, he asked, ”If we don’t take Ma Wu into consideration, would the two of you go?”

The brothers exchanged a puzzled glance. They did not quite understand what Monkey Qiu meant. After all, if Ma Wu was not involved, the matter did not seem like a big deal.

Qiu Zhiheng took a slow puff on his cigarette and looked at them.

”Ma Chunting has truly grown old. He thinks the Ma Family is of the same level as the Lu Family. Because the Lu Family made everyone ignore Miss Chu, he thinks the Ma Family can do the same and make the other families ignore Ma Wu. But when has the Lu Family ever needed his permission to decide whether we attend an opening?”

The two brothers looked at each other and smiled. They immediately understood what Qiu Zhiheng meant.

***

Three days later, Li Banfeng swallowed two pills. After waiting for the pill poison to clear from his body, he stepped out of the private room and walked into the grand dance hall.

His legs suddenly twitched with the urge to run. Li Banfeng silently calculated how far his Wanderlust Cultivation had progressed and figured it was about time.

It was not only because of the pills. Recently, Li Banfeng had faced one danger after another. From the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs to Hundred Vines Gorge and then Yuren City, every step had pushed his cultivation forward by leaps and bounds.

Two hours remained before the opening ceremony. The band, singers, and dancers were all ready. Ma Wu was extremely nervous as not a single guest had arrived yet.

”Old Qi, we’re not going to end up with no one showing up, are we?”

”If no one shows up, then so be it. It’s no big deal. We will celebrate ourselves!” Li Banfeng replied. If they wanted to stand tall in Greenwater City, the business had to open today no matter what.

An hour before the opening celebration, Qiu Zhiheng arrived. The two young masters of the Lu Family, along with Madam Duan Shaoxia, came as well.

Ma Wu finally felt a little relieved and quickly ushered the Lu Family to the seats of honor.

Soon after the Lu Family arrived, the Chu Family came as well.

Chu Huaijun, the Chu Family’s eldest young master, took a seat in the VIP section with his family.

Miss Chu was still at Bitter Greens Manor, so Yang Yanzheng delivered a congratulatory gift on her behalf.

The Three Heroes Sect arrived, followed by the Azure Cloud Society and the Hundred Flowers Sect.

Guests began arriving one after another. They had all been waiting to see what the Lu Family would do.

With fifteen minutes left before the opening, He Yuxiu arrived.

”Junyang, your Uncle Haiqin wanted to come himself, but business kept him away. He asked me to pass along his apologies.”

Ma Wu quickly escorted He Yuxiu to the VIP seats.

”Aunt Xiu, you are embarrassing me. The fact that you came today already makes me so happy I can’t tell north from south!”

The guests took their seats, and the ceremony began.

Qiu Zhiheng glanced toward a corner of the dance hall and lifted his wine glass.

Li Banfeng raised his glass in return, and the two of them emptied their cups in a single gulp.

The reporters’ flashbulbs never stopped flashing, and Ma Wu’s wine glass never stopped moving.

Everyone’s attention remained fixed on the Lu Family. It was both prestigious and intimidating. Only today did Li Banfeng truly feel the weight of the Lu Family’s standing in Puluo Province.

Will I ever have such standing one day? Li Banfeng thought to himself. Thinking about that now seems a bit far away. There’s something right in front of me that I need to deal with first.

The Singing Queens Jiang Mengting and Xu Qiulan took turns performing, and the ceremony reached its climax.

Li Banfeng quietly walked over to Yang Yanzheng and lowered his voice. ”Senior Yang, could I trouble you to come to a private room for a moment?”

Seeing that it was Li Qi, Yang Yanzheng asked no questions and followed him to the private room.

A beautiful song played in the room. The sound was clear and pure, as if a singer were performing right there. The gramophone Ma Wu had installed was indeed quite high-end.

The two chatted casually for a while and shared a couple of drinks. Only then did Li Banfeng finally get to the point. ”I asked you here because there’s something I would like to ask you about.”

”No need to stand on ceremony, brother,” Yang Yanzheng said. ”Just say what you want.”

Li Banfeng nodded. ”You and I follow the same Daoist Path. We are both Wanderlust Cultivators, so I wanted to ask you some things about the abilities of Wanderlust Cultivation.

Yang Yanzheng already knew that Li Banfeng was a Wanderlust Cultivator.

Hearing this, he looked at him with renewed interest.

”Brother Li Qi,” he asked, ”have you already reached level two?”

Li Banfeng gave a small shrug. ”I know what the level-two ability is.”

Yang Yanzheng blinked. ”Then you want to ask about the level-three ability?”

Li Banfeng went quiet for a moment before answering. ”I already know that one too.”

Yang Yanzheng looked at him more carefully this time. The large fedora cast a deep shadow over most of Li Banfeng’s face, and a thick beard covered his cheeks.

To be honest, Yang Yanzheng could not even tell how old he was. But from what he remembered, this man should not have reached the fourth level of cultivation yet.

Li Banfeng smiled. ”Senior, you have misunderstood. I only reached level two not long ago. I simply want to learn more about the abilities of Wanderlust Cultivation so I can prepare for what comes later.”

That was the truth. Li Banfeng had indeed only recently reached level two.

Yang Yanzheng shook his head with a chuckle. ”You are preparing a bit too early. You have only just reached level two, yet you are already asking about level-four techniques?”

”There’s no harm in learning a little more.”

Yang Yanzheng shook his head again. ”That’s not how things are done.”

Li Banfeng raised his wine glass. ”I am asking sincerely for your guidance.”

Yang Yanzheng hesitated.

Although Li Qi was close with Ma Wu, he rarely took the initiative to speak with others. There was a kind of cold indifference about him that was hard to describe.

It’s already rare enough for him to take the initiative to befriend me. However, abilities aren’t something that can be casually shared. Among cultivators, that’s a rule. But if I don’t tell him, someone else eventually will. Is it really worth offending Li Qi over this? Yang Yanzheng thought.

Miss Chu once said that Li Qi is the one who truly calls the shots in Blue Poplar Village. Offending Li Qi is the same as offending Ma Wu. Besides, Miss Chu’s relationship with Li Qi doesn’t seem simple. But if he’s only at level two, why is he asking about level-four abilities?

Is he really at level two? Yang Yanzheng wondered. With how sincere he is behaving, he must be true...

Yang Yanzheng’s mind churned with what felt like a thousand thoughts, and soon his head began to ache. The headache grew worse by the moment.

Forget it. It’s not worth the trouble to rack my brain over something so small. He’s only just reached level two. Even if I tell him, it won’t do any harm.

”Brother Li Qi, the level-four ability of our cultivation path is called Path of Unhindered Steps. In simple terms, it lets you pass through walls.”

As Yang Yanzheng spoke, he demonstrated it. Standing beside the wall to the left of the door, he pushed off with his left foot and used Traceless Quick Steps. His figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished.

A scream came from the next room. It was not a woman’s scream, but a young man’s. Then came He Yuxiu’s scolding voice. ”Old Yang, you damn fool! What are you wandering around for?”

Bang!

He Yuxiu sent Yang Yanzheng flying out with a single kick.

Yang Yanzheng stumbled back into Li Banfeng’s private room, brushing the dust from his clothes as if nothing unusual had happened. His face remained perfectly calm.

”Brother Li Qi,” he said, ”you must use this ability carefully. Before passing through a wall, it’s best to know what’s waiting on the other side.”

Li Banfeng asked, ”Is passing through walls the limit of what this level-four ability can do?”

”Not just walls,” Yang Yanzheng replied. ”I once heard a senior say that when your cultivation reaches a certain level, you can even pass through mountains. But at level four, the most you can manage is a wall about one meter thick.

”And once the technique is used, there’s no turning back. If the wall is thicker than one meter, you will end up trapped inside with no way out. That’s the most dangerous part of this ability, so you must never use it rashly.”

”I noticed that you used Traceless Quick Steps before performing the level-four ability,” Li Banfeng said.

Yang Yanzheng nodded. ”If you want to use Path of Unhindered Steps, you must first perform Traceless Quick Steps. That’s the rule of this ability.

”After using Traceless Quick Steps, you must immediately empty your eyes of all things and clear your mind of all obstacles. Focus your intent entirely on passing through. Only then will the technique succeed. Even the slightest hesitation will cause it to fail. I’ll demonstrate it again.”

This time, Yang Yanzheng moved to the wall on the right side of the door. He pushed off with his left foot and used Traceless Quick Steps. His figure flickered, and in the next instant he slipped straight through the wall.

A startled cry immediately burst out from the next room. It was still a young man’s voice.

”Old Yang! What the hell are you doing here again?!”

Bang!

A moment later, Yang Yanzheng came flying back through the wall. He Yuxiu had kicked him out once more.

Yang Yanzheng dusted off his clothes and returned to the private room. He sat there quietly for quite some time, his brows knitted together as he tried to make sense of what had just happened.

The wall on the left led to He Yuxiu’s private room, where she had been in the middle of something with a young man. But the wall on the right also led to He Yuxiu’s private room. And she had still been there, doing the very same thing.

Just how many He Yuxius are there? Yang Yanzheng thought.

While he was still puzzled over the matter, he suddenly realized that Li Banfeng was gone. Just then, someone pushed open the door to the private room.

Yang Yanzheng looked up and saw that it was He Yuxiu again.

He Yuxiu stepped inside. Her eyes glimmered with a teasing charm as she looked at him. ”Old Yang, you kept slipping over there to take a look just now. Are you hungry? You feel like tasting me?”

”No, no,” Yang Yanzheng said quickly, nearly tripping over his own words. ”How would I dare...”

”If you’re tempted, just say so.” He Yuxiu walked over and sat down beside him. ”I could indulge you.”

”Miss... how could someone like me ever be worthy of you?”

It would have been a lie to say he was not tempted. He had admired He Yuxiu since he was young, and that admiration had quietly followed him all the way to this day.

”Worthy or not?” He Yuxiu said softly. She reached out and lightly touched Yang Yanzheng’s cheek. ”We are not young anymore, Old Yang. Aren’t you afraid you might miss your chance in this lifetime?”

”I...” Yang Yanzheng lifted his head and looked at her. No matter how old she became, she still looked just as beautiful in his eyes.

The music in the private room grew richer and more enchanting, its melody winding through the air like a spell. Yang Yanzheng felt his heartbeat quicken and his blood rushing through his veins.

What he failed to notice was that there was no record spinning on the gramophone at all. The true singer was the illustrated calendar hidden quietly behind the curtain.

***

Yang Yanzheng trembled slightly before his eyes fluttered open.

Li Banfeng was beside him. ”Senior Yang, how did you fall asleep?”

Yang Yanzheng blinked and looked around. He Yuxiu was nowhere to be seen.

That was a dream?

”Perhaps I’ve just been a bit tired lately,” Yang Yanzheng said, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Even so, a faint sense of regret lingered in his chest, a feeling he could not quite put into words.

That was such a good dream. Why did I wake up?

Yang Yanzheng had already forgotten most of what happened in the dream. All he knew was that it might have been the only chance in his entire life...

Li Banfeng said, ”I asked you here because there’s something I would like to ask you about. You and I follow the same Daoist Path, so I wanted to ask you some things about the abilities of Wanderlust Cultivation.”

Yang Yanzheng smiled and asked, ”Brother Li Qi, have you already reached level two?”

”I just reached level two, but I still don’t know what the level-two ability is.”

”The level-two ability of our Daoist Path is called Traceless Quick Steps...”

***

At the Ma Family residence, Ma Chunting ground his teeth in fury. He had just received word that the great families of Greenwater City had all gone to Freewind Wharf to attend the opening celebration.

”You ungrateful son, you bastard! No matter how much you beg, don’t even think about stepping into this house again!”

Ma Chunting smashed his teacup, then turned and slapped Ma Junjiang across the face before storming back to his bedroom to lie down.

Author’s Note:

PS: That slap Ma Junjiang took...

1. The ”you” here used was a respectful form of address ☜

2. This is Miss Chu. It just doesn’t make sense for him to use the term of address Miss Chu ☜