The Overlord of Puluo

Li Banfeng realized that he had been using the wrong method. To be more precise, he had been misled by the one in white. However, this matter actually had nothing to do with the one in white.

In his dream, there were only two kinds of people.The first were those he himself had created. The second kind were those who had invaded the dream. The woman had already made it clear that he was the only one. If he wanted to leave the dream, he had to find her.

Those created within the dream behaved according to Li Banfeng’s own logic. Qiaocui, whom he had first met at the village entrance, was one such creation, and everything she did aligned with his understanding.

After entering the village, everyone else behaved more or less as expected. Only Bai Qiusheng stood out.

He should never have appeared in Properfolk Village. His presence made no sense, which meant he was an intruder in the dream.

An intruder in the dream could attach herself to someone within it. She did not fully understand the people in the dream, but she could pick up information from her surroundings. When she heard Qiaocui call him Master Qi, she copied it and addressed him the same way.

The moment Li Banfeng noticed the inconsistency, the intruder ran into the latrine and left his line of sight. Not long after, she attached herself to Ma Wu and appeared before him again.

She did not know Ma Wu well enough, and she still addressed Li Banfeng as Master Qi, revealing another inconsistency.

She vanished from Li Banfeng’s sight once more, then returned as Zuo Wugang. When that identity revealed another flaw, she switched again and attached herself to Qin.

After realizing she had exposed another inconsistency, she no longer revealed herself easily and began gathering information again.

As long as Li Banfeng’s dream continued, the amount of information she could collect would only increase.

Were all the people in the restaurant created by the dream? Not necessarily. However, their behavior was indeed more logical than before. It was possible that Li Banfeng himself had revealed more details as the dream continued on.

At this point, Li Banfeng knew he couldn’t let the others speak freely. The more details he exposed, the harder it would be to identify the intruder. He had to confirm things immediately.

Of course, the process of verification might reveal a lot of information as well, but that was unavoidable.

Should I separate them and verify them one by one? Hmm.. That would be useless. The intruder can see my dream. No matter where I go, I cannot stop her from watching.

Li Banfeng immediately looked at Ma Wu and asked, ”Who’s your father?”

Ma Wu was taken aback. ”Why are you asking that?”

”Just answer!”

”Ma Chunting!”

That was true.

Li Banfeng turned to Zuo Wugang. ”Who was your previous employer?”

”Let’s not bring that up…”

”Say it quick!”

”The eldest master of the Lu Family, Lu Dongliang.”

Li Banfeng then asked Qin, ”Who is your land deity?”

”Qiu Luoye.”

Li Banfeng asked Little Chuan again, ”What kind of work did you do at the Ma Family before?”

”I operated a road roller!”

Li Banfeng then asked Little Gen, ”What’s your Daoist path?”

Little Gen hugged the bucket and held a ladle as he answered, ”I am a Gold Cultivator.”

It’s all true? Is the intruder not here with me? This is my dream. Whatever I can see exists, and whatever I cannot see should not exist. The intruder might be invisible, but she should still be within my field of vision.

Li Banfeng looked at the restaurant owner and the other diners.

Is the intruder one of them?

Li Banfeng didn’t know the owner, and the diners were all hunters passing through the village. He was even less familiar with them.

Is there a way to verify their identities?

Li Banfeng shouted, ”All of you, tell me at the same time, what is the name of this village?”

As long as one person hesitated or failed to answer, that person would become the primary suspect.

Everyone looked at Li Banfeng and answered in unison, ”Properfolk Village!”

Every answer was loud and decisive.

This method doesn’t work? I can’t identify the intruder at all? Logically speaking, there’s nothing wrong with the method I am using now.

Unless the intruder has been invisible the whole time and I can’t see her. But then, how would I be able to find her? If she did that, there would be no point to any of this.

Should I test them again? The more I test, the information I will reveal! What is the problem here? What exactly…

Suddenly, Li Banfeng looked up, and it hit him. The problem lay in the question he had asked. Not every question could be used to verify someone, because some of that information had already been exposed.

Li Banfeng asked Little Gen his Daoist path, and Little Gen replied that he was a Gold Cultivator. However, his clothing and behavior in the dream had already revealed as much. The intruder could easily deduce that he was a Gold cultivator.

Is it really Little Gen? No, I mustn’t guess recklessly. If I guessed wrong, I will be trapped here forever.

I shouldn’t stare at Little Gen. If he notices, he will leave the restaurant before I can decide if he’s a fake. By then, it will be difficult to find the intruder again.

Li Banfeng took a sip of tea and chatted idly with the others. Then he turned to Gen and asked, ”How did you first become a Gold Cultivator?

Ma Wu said, ”You came with us for that? Don’t tell me you forgot?”

Li Banfeng scratched his head. ”I have forgotten a bit.”

Ma Wu said, ”Isn’t he…”

”Have a drink.” Li Banfeng raised his cup and cut Ma Wu off while looking at Little Gen with a smile.

If Little Gen used this moment to slip out of his sight, that alone would prove he was the intruder!

Little Gen replied naturally, ”Master Qi, have you forgotten? It was through the Peddler.”

There was nothing wrong with the answer, but it was common knowledge.

”How much did you spend on the cultivation powder?”

”One hundred yuan. The bucket and ladle were included.”

There was still nothing wrong with that answer. Even so, it could easily be common knowledge among high-level cultivators.

”Why did you choose to become a Gold cultivator?”

Little Gen straightened his chest. ”It’s the strongest Daoist path in the world.”

Li Banfeng smiled and pointed at him. ”I GOT YOU!”

Little Gen froze. So did everyone else in the dream.

Then he smiled, and the coarse cloth shirt he wore shifted into a white robe.

The tall, sturdy figure shrank into a slender woman. Before Li Banfeng could see her face clearly, she rose to her feet and hurried out of the restaurant.

Trying to leave? I found you and you won’t admit defeat?

Li Banfeng immediately gave chase. The woman was incredibly fast, and he struggled to keep up. He pursued her from the village to the outskirts, and all the way to the base of a small hill.

She rushed up the slope, and he followed close behind. Halfway up, she suddenly veered off into the forest, and he immediately chased after her.

As he stepped into the forest, faint halos of light flickered in his vision. The world around him warped and blurred.

Li Banfeng forced his eyes open and finally woke up. He had broken free from the dream. When his vision cleared, he found himself lying on a bed.

Everything around him was pitch-black.

He sat up and struck a match. By its dim light, he saw that he was in a small room. If not for the difference in size and furnishings, he would have exploded in anger and anxiety. He was worried that he was still dreaming, and that he had dreamed of the Pocket Dwelling. If he had dreamed of the Pocket Dwelling, it would mean its information had been exposed as well.

After confirming that this was not the Pocket Dwelling, Li Banfeng calmed down slightly.

He checked his belongings. Everything was still there. Then he pushed the door open and stepped out.

A long corridor stretched out before him. Doors lined both sides, spaced every three meters, extending endlessly into the distance.

What is this place?Li Banfeng patted the liquor gourd, but it gave no response. It seemed to still be asleep. The other artifacts were sleeping as well. Using the ability Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity, Li Banfeng turned left and followed the corridor in search of an exit.

After walking several dozen meters, he suddenly heard a creak. A door ahead swung open.

A man stepped out and walked slowly ahead of him.

”Friend, what place is this?”

Li Banfeng asked, but the man did not respond and kept walking forward.

Lighting matches from time to time, Li Banfeng followed behind. After another few dozen meters, they reached the end of the corridor. The man turned right and went into a room.

Li Banfeng followed. The room had no door, only a white curtain, and a familiar smell drifted out from inside.

It was a restroom!

Was he just heading here to pee? He didn’t even bring a candle. Was he planning to use the restroom in complete darkness? This place looks more like an inn or a dormitory.

Li Banfeng lifted the curtain, stepped inside, and saw that the man stood at a urinal, relieving himself.

A urinal?You don’t see these in Puluo Province. Am I back in the Outer Provinces?

When the man finished, he turned and walked toward Li Banfeng.

He wore a white shirt and black trousers. His face was pale, his hair long and unkempt, and a scruffy ring of stubble framed his mouth. It seemed like he had not shaved for a long time.

He walked straight ahead toward Li Banfeng and nearly bumped into him.

Is this man not looking where he’s going? Li Banfeng thought.

The man was indeed not looking at all. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was slow and steady. He was still asleep.

Is he sleepwalking? Li Banfeng thought.

Li Banfeng grabbed the man and called out twice, ”Wake up, wake up!”

While the man was being shaken, he opened his eyes. He stared at Li Banfeng in a daze for a moment before he took out a small case from his pocket and put in a pair of contact lenses.

Contact lenses? I am really back in the Outer Provinces!

The man looked at Li Banfeng. ”Who are you? Do you need something?”

”Nothing,” Li Banfeng said. ”I just wanted to ask…”

”If it’s nothing, why did you wake me?” the man snapped, clearly angry.

Li Banfeng took out a one-hundred-yuan Huan note and tried to press it into his hand. ”I just want to know… where is this place?”

”You are already here and you still don’t know?” the man said. He was very angry and refused to take the money.

He continued scolding, ”I was right at the best part when you woke me up!”

Li Banfeng felt a flicker of irritation. ”What do you mean? You are blaming me?”

”Of course I am.” The man said. He stretched, yawned, and rubbed his stomach. ”Forget it. I’m awake now anyway. Let’s go get something to eat.”

”Eat? That doesn’t seem appropriate.”

The man smiled. ”Of course not. We’ll go to the cafeteria.”

He led Li Banfeng out of the restroom and stopped at the second door on the right near the end of the corridor.

The door wasn’t locked. When he pushed it open, a staircase came into view. It was unusually steep. Walking down it felt more like descending a slope.

After going down two floors, the man pushed open another door, and the aroma of food drifted out.

I feel like I have smelled this somewhere before, Li Banfeng muttered inwardly.

When the door opened, a very spacious cafeteria came into view. There were no windows, but the lights were bright, and the tables and chairs were neatly arranged.

The man sat down at a table and called out, ”Stir-fry two dishes. Bring a pot of liquor. Come on, join me for a meal.”

He waved at Li Banfeng. With his earlier irritation gone, the man seemed fairly friendly.

Li Banfeng sat across from him and asked, ”Are you from the Outer Provinces?”

The man nodded. ”I’m from Chunshen City. Are you from the Outer Provinces too?”

Li Banfeng replied, ”I have been to the Outer Provinces.”

As the conversation went on, Li Banfeng glanced around. There were more than a dozen people dining in the cafeteria. One woman wore a T-shirt and jeans, and another had on a long coat.

Aside from those two, the rest were dressed in Zhongshan suits, short jackets, long gowns, or checkered suits, all typical of Puluo Province.

Among them, only three people were eating with their eyes open. The rest kept their eyes closed and seemed to still be asleep.

Eating while asleep… that’s a strange sight, Li Banfeng muttered inwardly.

But then, he thought about it again.

Didn’t I eat in a dream earlier as well? Could it be? Did I come here just now?

The man asked Li Banfeng, ”How did you end up here?”

Li Banfeng said, ”I got here without really knowing how.”

The man laughed. ”I really envy you people from Puluo Province. You can stumble into a place like this by accident. I spent nearly two million just to get here!”

Li Banfeng frowned. ”You paid to come here?”

”That’s because I found the right connections,” the man said. ”For most people, even twenty million wouldn’t be enough.”

”What exactly is this place?”

”This is Dreambinding Tower. There’s no better place in the world.”

Author’s Note:

PS: Would anyone really spend twenty million to come to a place like this?