The Overlord of Puluo

Chapter 278: The Woman in White

It was impossible for Bai Qiusheng to come back to Properfolk Village.

Li Banfeng had seen him just before he left this morning. Even if Bai Qiusheng had immediately taken a train, there was no way he could appear in Properfolk Village at this time.

This Bai Qiusheng is a fake!

Li Banfeng asked, ”Qiusheng, when did you get back?”

Bai Qiusheng raised his head and said, ”My stomach hurts, Master Qi. We will talk later!”

After saying that, Bai Qiusheng ran off, darted into a latrine beside the film set, and slammed the door shut behind him.

Just as Li Banfeng was about to go after him, Ma Wu stopped him. ”Master Qi, you still haven’t said why you came back.”

”I took the train, and then...”

Master Qi? Ma Wu called me Master Qi?

Li Banfeng took half a step back and smiled. ”Why don’t you guess why I came back?”

This Ma Wu is a fake as well!

Ma Wu glanced at the camera. ”We are out of film. I will go check if there’s any left.”

After that, Ma Wu sprinted off, rushed into the storage room by the lake, and shut the door behind him.

”Don’t go!” Li Banfeng hurried after him for a couple of steps, only to see Zuo Wugang approaching from the front in an azure-colored vest.

”Master Qi, what happened to Old Wu just now? Why was he in such a panic?”

”He’s not... I mean, we ran out of film. He went to look for more.”

WAIT. A. MINUTE. ZUO WU GANG JUST CALLED MA WU OLD WU

Li Banfeng nearly pulled out his sickle. He had to keep reminding himself not to act rashly.

He looked and scanned everyone around him. His gaze swept across everyone around him. He could no longer tell who was real and who was fake.

Li Banfeng said nothing more and walked briskly down the village path alone.

Qin, dressed in a green qipao, approached from the front. With a bright smile, she greeted him. ”Darling Qi, you are back?”

”Yes, I am back,” Li Banfeng replied as he forced a faint smile.

QIN JUST CALLED ME DARLING QI?

Other than Qiaocui, everyone Li Banfeng had spoken to since returning to Properfolk Village seemed fake.

Is Qiaocui still at the village entrance?

Li Banfeng quickly ran to the village entrance, only to find that Qiaocui was gone.

What is going on?

From what he could tell, there were two possibilities. The first possibility was that Properfolk Village had been taken over. It was totally possible as plenty of people would want a five-kilometer plot in the New Land.

But why would they pretend to be the original residents after they have taken over the village? What would be the goal of doing this?

Li Banfeng knew he could confirm it easily. He took out a dagger and cut a slit into his palm.

As his blood dripped onto the ground, Li Banfeng murmured, ”Someone has invaded my domain.”

He waited anxiously for a long time, but Shui Yongquan never appeared. That could only mean one thing. This was not Properfolk Village!

An illusion? I stepped into an illusion! When did it happen? When the road started to feel familiar? Who set this up? That crazy old man who thought he was a train?

Li Banfeng carefully examined his surroundings. Every building, every tree, and even every blade of grass matched Properfolk Village exactly.

That old man couldn’t possibly know the Properfolk Village this well. Is it someone who has been there before? Of those who had visited, who could create an illusion on this scale?

Sun Tiecheng? It seemed like only... STOP GUESSING. GO BACK INTO THE POCKET DWELLING AND ASK WIFEY.

Just as Li Banfeng was about to use the key, a thought struck him, and he immediately gave up on returning to the Pocket Dwelling.

If this really is an illusion, then what state am I in right now?

Could I actually be wandering somewhere in the wilderness, with someone following me the whole time?

If I take out the key now, the secret of the Pocket Dwelling will be exposed.

That person could kill me, take everything I have, and even steal my identity.

Who could it be? No matter who it is, I need to leave this place first.

Li Banfeng was about to leave ”Properfolk Village”, but after a few steps, he stopped again. If this really was an illusion, leaving definitely won’t be that easy.

If he kept walking like this, he likely wouldn’t get out. Wandering blindly might even lead him into greater danger.

If he wanted to escape this illusion, he would need to find the one who created it. Even if he couldn’t defeat them, he would need to be on guard.

Who knows Properfolk Village this well? And to what extent?

Li Banfeng went to the meeting hall and saw the two faint scratches on the wall.

Back when they dismantled the windmill-powered gramophone, Little Chuan had accidentally left some marks on the wall. He was then worried that others might notice the marks, so he tried to hide them and was caught red-handed by Li Banfeng.

Honestly, Little Chuan’s handiwork was so good that even Ma Wu did not notice those two scratches.

The one who created this illusion even replicated the two scratches? Could it be Little Chuan? Is the young man who drives the road roller secretly a grandmaster from another realm? If so, he has hid his identity far too well.

Can I find Little Chuan in this illusion?

Li Banfeng left the meeting hall and wandered through the village for a while. He didn’t see Little Chuan but only Little Gen.

”Master Qi, you are back,” Little Gen greeted simply. As diligent as ever, he continued scooping ”golden brew” with his ladle.

As a figure created by the illusion, Little Gen showed no flaws. If this was an illusion, then its creator knew him extremely well.

Could it really be Little Chuan?

The more Li Banfeng thought about it, he felt that something didn’t add up.

Little Chuan is also familiar with Ma Wu and Zuo Wugang. He couldn’t have gotten their forms of address wrong.

Let me ask this ”Little Gen” a few questions and see if I can get any clues out of him.

Li Banfeng glanced around, and realized that Little Gen had disappeared all of a sudden.

Where did he go? Did Little Gen’s illusion disappear?

Li Banfeng continued searching for clues within the illusion and, before he knew it, arrived at his own house.

After hesitating for a moment, he pushed the door open and walked in.

The furnishings inside were exactly the same as those in his real home.

In Properfolk Village, very few people could enter Li Banfeng’s house, so who exactly created this illusion?

Sweat slid down Li Banfeng’s cheeks, one drop at a time, as a rather odd idea crept into his mind.

He got down on his back and wriggled under the bed, where he noticed a groove between the floorboards.

He had made that groove himself. Every time he entered the Pocket Dwelling, he would flick the key straight into it without even looking. That was what it was for, to keep the key tucked safely out of sight.

Only one person knew about this groove and that person was Li Banfeng himself.

What did this mean? Who created this illusion? It was Li Banfeng himself. But how could he possibly create an illusion for himself?

Even if Li Banfeng had gone mad and started harming himself, he wouldn’t be able to create an illusion. He didn’t know how to create illusions and he couldn’t possibly create something this realistic.

Li Banfeng’s face kept twitching as he sat in the room. He was worried for himself as he suspected that he might be having an episode.

Should I go back into the Pocket Dwelling? Where exactly am I right now?

If I am really out in some wilderness, things would be fine. But if I am in a residential building, things end in bloodshed. Though I have to say that this doesn’t feel like an episode.

Li Banfeng felt that he had not lost control of himself and he couldn’t help but wonder if there was another possibility.

I was indeed the one who created this illusion, but maybe this illusion was not created through illusion techniques?

Li Banfeng sat on the bed and pondered for a long time.

He picked up a pen from the table and wrote three words on the bedsheet: I am not crazy.

Li Banfeng closed his eyes for a little over two seconds. When he opened them again, the four words had turned into three: Maybe a little.

He closed his eyes once more. When he opened them again, the three words had become five: ”A little does not count.”

Li Banfeng was not crazy. He knew what was happening.

The text kept changing at any moment. The person he urgently wanted to find had been nowhere to be seen. These two things made him think of a possibility.

This kind of situation would often happen under one specific circumstance.

”This is a dream,” Li Banfeng murmured. ”I am dreaming.”

”HEHEHE!”

A woman’s laughter, seeing to come from outside the window, reached his ears.

Li Banfeng immediately pushed the window open, but he saw no one. All he saw was a white garment drifting in midair.

”Since you know it’s a dream, you have passed the first stage.”

Li Banfeng shouted, ”Who are you?”

”I am a person. It’s just me alone here. Find me, and shout out that you have found me. Then I will let you go.

”Don’t guess blindly. If you guess wrong even once, you will stay here forever.”

After the laughter faded, the white garment floating in midair suddenly vanished.

Li Banfeng rushed out of his house and began searching everywhere for someone dressed in white.

He searched from one end of the village to the other, from Shui Yongquan’s territory to Qiu Luoye’s territory. Yet he found no one wearing white, not even a single white aberrant creature.

Sitting on a hillside, Li Banfeng panted heavily.

Running fifty kilometers in circles a few times wasn’t hard. But this was a dream, and in dreams, people got tired much faster.

Where did everyone in white go? Was someone wearing white earlier? Can I even find that woman in white? Since I am trapped in a dream, can I find a way to wake myself up?

Li Banfeng forced himself to snap his eyes open. He tried several times, but it didn’t work.

Slap myself?

That was useless.

The wound on his hand still throbbed faintly so he knew that pain alone would not wake him up.

He sat in silence for a long time. Then a thought suddenly broke through. It felt urgent and intense. Was it his Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity? No. He needed to pee.

From the moment Li Banfeng left in the morning until now, he hadn’t gone to the toilet once.

It was widely known that one should never pee in a dream.

Let me... just get up and walk it off. It will be fine.

After taking a couple of steps, Li Banfeng didn’t feel any better. The urge only grew stronger.

I am in such a dangerous dream. Why should I even worry about something like this? If I peed my pants, I will just ask my wifey to wash my pants for me.

If I end up worrying that she will laugh at me, I can just throw the pants away. Let me see if there’s a latrine nearby.

Li Banfeng found a pit latrine in the woods based on memory. He pushed the door open, went inside, relieved himself, and felt the unease and irritation in his mind clear in an instant.

My pants are definitely ruined. Wait... that’s strange. Why did I bother finding a latrine? I could have gone anywhere. Was I worried about losing face?

No, that’s not it. This is my dream. Why would that matter?

Perhaps it was because he had emptied his bladder, Li Banfeng started feeling hungry.

Hunger in a dream was nothing unusual, but most of the time, there was nowhere to eat. And even when there was, one usually couldn’t actually eat.

Li Banfeng meant to hold out, but after walking down the slope and returning to Properfolk Village, he found a restaurant.

When did this place even open?

The rich scent of food filled the air. He couldn’t resist. He stepped inside, ordered two small dishes, and ate until he was full. Strangely enough, he really did feel full after that meal.

How could I feel full in a dream? This must be an illusion.

Just as Li Banfeng was about to pay, he saw Ma Wu walk into the restaurant.

He had changed into a blue suit and sat down beside him. ”Old Qi, perfect timing. Since you are here, let’s go over the script together.”

HE CALLED ME OLD QI!

The form of address was correct.

Zuo Wugang also entered the restaurant, wearing a purple short jacket instead of an azure-colored vest. He said to Ma Wu, ”Master Wu, I can’t act. Don’t make things difficult for me.”

That form of address was correct as well.

Qin sat down next to Ma Wu and kissed him when no one was looking. She had changed out of her green qipao into a red dress.

She smiled at Li Banfeng. ”Boss Ye, I have cooked a few dishes. Want to come over with Darling Wu tonight?”

Qin had followed Li Banfeng to the Blackstone Slope, so there was nothing wrong with her calling him Boss Ye.

Everyone’s acting correctly. Did I break free from the dream already? But what about that woman in white?

Everyone had changed their clothes, but not a single one of them is wearing white! White...white...white clothes... Why am I looking for white clothes?

Li Banfeng blinked and suddenly realized something. White clothing had nothing to do with finding that woman. He had seen her before, more than once.

He swept his gaze across the people around him. There were only two kinds of people here.

This is my dream and I have been using the wrong method. This is my dream and only what exists within my line of sight really exists in the dream. I don’t have to search for her. She must follow me.

Little Gen came over with a bucket strapped to his back, followed by Little Chuan in rough work clothes.

As soon as they saw Li Banfeng, they opened their mouths to speak, but he shouted,”Don’t say a word. Not a single word!”

Author’s Note:

PS: If they keep talking, he will never find that woman again.