The Overlord of Puluo

Li Banfeng carried Old Mister Yao into the Pocket Dwelling. It was a dangerous thing to do. The Pocket Dwelling might be exposed because of it, but Li Banfeng did not hesitate.

He moved the Crimson Lotus beside Old Mister Yao. The Gramophone cried out, ”Husband, what are you doing?”

The Crimson Lotus did not feed on living people. But Old Mister Yao had no breath left in him, so it began to open its petals.

Li Banfeng glared at it and the Crimson Lotus promptly closed its petals again.

Li Banfeng left the Pocket Dwelling and began moving medicinal herbs out of Old Mister Yao’s house. He knew nothing about medicinal properties. He knew even less about medicine itself. In fact, he could not recognize most of the herbs at all.

He just moved whatever herbs he saw. If he saw medicine, he carried that away too. Pills, ointments, powders, anything that looked even remotely useful went straight into the Pocket Dwelling.

The Crimson Lotus understood what Li Banfeng wanted and said a few words to the Gramophone.

Li Banfeng couldn’t hear it, so the Gramophone translated for him. ”Husband, the Crimson Lotus says it cannot wake Old Mister Yao. At most, it can keep his soul stable.”

”That works,” Li Banfeng said.

The Crimson Lotus opened its petals and began picking through the medicines and medicinal herbs. After choosing a dozen or so kinds, it inhaled them all into the heart of the lotus.

Before long, the petals opened again. Li Banfeng plucked off a lotus seed. The seed cracked apart and turned into an almost transparent pill.

He handed the pill to his wife. After checking it and finding nothing wrong, she placed it into Old Mister Yao’s mouth. Yet, Old Mister Yao did not react at all.

The Gramophone gave a soft sigh. ”His soul is stable now. As for when he will wake up, that will depend on his fate.”

Li Banfeng carried Old Mister Yao back to the small courtyard and laid him on the bed. Then he carefully tidied up the courtyard and the room.

Li Banfeng couldn’t allow the Star of Misfortune’s corpse to go to waste, so he dragged it into the Pocket Dwelling. Initially, he thought that there would be some fragments of soul left in the Star of Misfortune for his wifey, but his wifey took one glance and said, ”General Yao had struck ruthlessly and this fella’s soul has scattered. There’s nothing left.”

That was fine. His wife would probably have found the thing unlucky to eat anyway. None of the other enchanted artifacts wanted it either, so in the end, the Crimson Lotus got the whole thing.

There were quite a few enchanted artifacts in Old Mister Yao’s home. The three-pointed, double-edged saber and the four battle banners were treasures at the Cloudborne Layer. The Liquor Gourd went over and greeted them one by one, but none of them responded.

These artifacts had always stayed by Old Mister Yao’s side, and they had no intention of following Li Banfeng. Not that Li Banfeng had planned to take them anyway. He still needed someone to take care of Old Mister Yao.

The collapsed wall had to be repaired as soon as possible. Old Mister Yao could not be left lying there in the sun and rain. This was something Li Banfeng could handle together with Qiu Zhiheng.

The real problem was this. Aside from those enchanted artifacts, who else could protect Old Mister Yao? If another land deity came to seize the territory and dug up Old Mister Yao’s contract, what were they supposed to do?

When it was daybreak, Qiu Zhiheng went up the mountain. When he arrived, he saw Li Banfeng clearing away bricks and stones. He hurried over at once and asked what had happened.

”The Star of Misfortune is dead,” Li Banfeng said. ”The Formation of Misfortune has been deactivated too.”

For a moment, Qiu Zhiheng looked overjoyed. Then he saw Old Mister Yao, and every bit of that joy vanished from his face.

”Old Mister Yao... what happened to him?”

”He’s asleep. His injuries were too severe.”

”He...”

Li Banfeng knew what Qiu Zhiheng wanted to ask. ”Even Old Mister Yao himself doesn’t know if he can wake up or not.”

Qiu Zhiheng sat beside Old Mister Yao and looked totally helpless. He had no idea how to handle a situation like this.

Li Banfeng asked, ”Do you know any land deities from nearby territories? If there is someone trustworthy, we could ask them to come and help watch over Medicine King Gully.”

Qiu Zhiheng thought for a long while, then shook his head. ”I know a few land deities, but not a single one I can trust.”

It was late autumn, and the morning wind was very cold.

Li Banfeng let out a sigh. ”Let’s fix the wall first.”

He had three people in mind who might be able to help Old Mister Yao watch over his territory, but he still had to think carefully about which one would be suitable.

To watch over Medicine King Gully, the person had to be at least on the level of a land deity. In addition, they couldn’t be ordinary, mediocre ones.

Meng Yuchun didn’t have enough experience. She could barely manage her own territory, and she still had to help with Li Banfeng’s as well. Asking her was clearly out of the question.

The best choice was Shui Yongquan. Of all the land deities Li Banfeng knew, he was the one Li Banfeng was most familiar with. His territory was not exactly close to Medicine King Gully, but it was not terribly far either. With the skills of a land deity, making the trip back and forth now and then should not be too difficult.

Although Shui Yongquan was the land deity of a New Land, he had a lot of experience and knew how to handle matters. He would be able to hold things together for Old Mister Yao for a few years.

Of course, Li Banfeng couldn’t ask Shui Yongquan to do this for free. While Old Mister Yao was asleep, part of human auras in the Medicine King Gully would be used to sustain Old Mister Yao’s cultivation, and the rest would be given to Shui Yongquan as payment.

The plan made sense. The problem was that the benefits of serving as a land deity in Proper Land came with far too much reward. And where there was too much reward, there was usually far too much temptation.

What if Old Shui took over for a while, tasted the benefits, and then refused to leave?

Shui Yongquan was a man who kept his word, but Li Banfeng did not dare gamble on that. Even if they wrote up a contract, someone as clever as Shui Yongquan might still find a way around it.

The second option was Qiu Luoye.

Compared with Shui Yongquan, Qiu Luoye was less capable, but he was also less cunning. As long as the contract was written clearly enough, there was little chance he would try anything sneaky.

The problem was that Qiu Luoye was reckless. If he caused trouble with anyone else, Li Banfeng might still be able to handle it. However, Medicine King Gully was near Greenwater Bay. If Qiu Luoye somehow offended the Greenwater Beggar, then the whole matter would become very troublesome.

The third option was Feng Daiku.

Since Ma Wu had a good relationship with Feng Daiku, Li Banfeng could ask her to help look after Medicine King Gully. Still, she would only be his last choice. He did not trust her. In fact, their relationship was rather unpleasant. Back then, because of her, he had nearly lost his life at Iron-thread River.

Aside from these three, who else was there? Granny Bitter? The Peddler? These were all major figures, and Li Banfeng did not even know how to get in touch with them.

Just as Li Banfeng was thinking, his legs started trembling.

Qiu Zhiheng froze. ”Brother, what’s wrong?”

Li Banfeng shook his head. ”Nothing. I walked too much yesterday. My leg is a little sore.”

So when Qiu Zhiheng saw Li Banfeng’s legs quivering, the tremors crawling up through the rest of him, and cold sweat pouring down his face, he understood at once. Lu Dongliang had looked exactly like this back then.

Qiu Zhiheng asked, ”Are you about to level up?”

Level up? Li Banfeng thought. Oh! It’s very likely!

Wanderlust Cultivators advanced with frightening speed in regions of peril, and Medicine King Gully, with the Formation of Misfortune activated, had become very dangerous. It was a true calamity.

Li Banfeng had followed the train almost everywhere through Medicine King Gully. On top of that, he had spent the past few days rushing from place to place without a moment’s rest, all while secretly swallowing pills whenever he had the chance.

He was indeed at the brink of leveling up.

Qiu Zhiheng held him steady. ”Come back to my home and rest.”

Li Banfeng shook his head. ”Fix the wall first.”

”Leave that to me.”

”Don’t let anyone know where Old Mister Yao lives.”

”Don’t worry. I bought a spirit-bound item from an Artificer Cultivator last month. It should be more than enough.”

Qiu Zhiheng still wanted to take Li Banfeng down the mountain, but Li Banfeng refused. ”I have to stay here and guard Old Mister Yao’s home. Don’t worry about me. Leveling up is nothing major. I can rest here.”

It was impossible to persuade Li Banfeng, so Qiu Zhiheng had no choice but to hurry down the mountain.

However, this advancement was far fiercer than Li Banfeng had expected. It rushed through him with such force that he could barely endure it, and he had to run round and round the courtyard before he could finally return to the Pocket Dwelling.

Seeing how pale Li Banfeng looked, the Gramophone asked, ”Husband dear, what happened to you?

”I guess I have been too tired these past two days.”

”Quick! Come to bed and rest.”

Li Banfeng lay down, and a soft cloud of steam drifted over and nestled beside him. At this moment, he stole a glance at Hong Ying as he wondered how he could get her to tell him about the Wanderlust Cultivator’s level-seven ability.

***

At the Jiangxiang Gang’s Medicine King Hall, Hall Master Luo Zhengnan was lounging on a recliner on the rooftop, leisurely listening to the radio.

The weather was fine today, and Hall Master Luo was in a fine mood as well. He stuck the antenna into his skull and carefully sensed the air.

The foul luck scattered, Luo Zhengnan thought. It really scattered. Who deactivated the Formation of Misfortune? Was it Monkey Qiu? No. It can’t be. Monkey Qiu doesn’t have that kind of ability. The rickshaw driver? No, he’s not in the Medicine King Gully. Who knows where he is...

I guess the land deity did it himself, but what did that old drunk use to deactivate the Formation of Misfortune? Then again, he has been the land deity for so many years. Of course he has a few tricks hidden away. Perhaps I can connect with him through this incident.

Hmm... Nevermind. His status is too high and being connected to him doesn’t actually benefit me in any way. In fact, it might cause me a lot of trouble instead. As long as the Medicine King Gully remains peaceful, I can continue enjoying my peaceful days!

Luo Zhengnan was listening to the radio and was about to fall asleep when Redstaff Enforcer Sun Xingbing came up to the rooftop.

”Reporting to the hall master!”

”Report what?” Luo Zhengnan asked grumpily.

”Han Jinwei is here.”

Why is that birdbrain here again? Luo Zhengnan muttered inwardly. He wants to go Yellowclay Bridge again?

”Invite him up!”

With that, Han Jinwei came onto the rooftop, and sure enough, he really did want to go to Yellowclay Bridge.

Luo Zhengnan held back his impatience and tried to persuade him. ”Hall Master Han, there is no need to rush. Wait a few more days. There are still some things in the Medicine King Gully that I need to handle. I will go with you when the things here are done.”

Han Jinwei nodded and left the rooftop.

Luo Zhengnan was not brushing him off. He really has plans to visit the Yellowclay Bridge in a few days. If Han Jinwei really wanted to stay there, then Luo Zhengnan would let him stay.

Luo Zhengnan did not care much about Yellowclay Bridge as a territory. What bothered him more was keeping someone like Han Jinwei nearby. That made him feel uneasy.

However, Han Jinwei did not see it that way. He gritted his teeth all the way back to his residence. Then, he summoned the newly appointed branch master, Mo Jiansheng, who was a Nightfiend Cultivator.

Mo Jiansheng was nearly sixty, but in front of Han Jinwei, he was as meek as a mouse. He did not even have the courage to raise his head when he spoke.

Han Jinwei said, ”Pack your things. Bring that Mourning Cultivator’s ghost with you. We leave tonight. You are coming with me to the Outer Provinces.”

Mo Jiansheng froze. ”The Outer Provinces? Travel permits for that are not easy to get.”

”Do I need you to worry about travel permits?” Han Jinwei asked.

Han Jinwei used to travel to the Outer Provinces often for official business, so he already had a travel permit, and it allowed him to bring several attendants with him.

Mo Jiansheng was a little scared. He had never been to the Outer Provinces.

”For something this important, should we not inform Hall Master Luo first?” Mo Jiansheng asked.

Han Jinwei frowned and responded, ”Inform him about what? Am I not a hall master too?”

”But... but I have followed Hall Master Luo for so many years...”

”If you are so loyal to him, then you should not have come to me in the first place!” Han Jinwei snapped. ”You have lived to this age and still never managed to become a branch master. If I had not recommended you, you would still be nothing more than a Wind Watcher. Do you not feel ashamed?”

Mo Jiansheng didn’t dare say another word.

”Go home and pack!”

Mo Jiansheng returned home and packed his luggage. While at home, his son, Mo Linping, asked, ”Father, where are you going?”

”Don’t ask,” Mo Jiansheng said. ”Stay home these next two days and wait for my message. If you don’t hear back from me after ten days, go to Hall Master Luo and tell him that something has happened to our land deity.”

”Our land deity?” Mo Linping cried out.

”Keep your voice down!” Mo Jiansheng said as he glared at his son. ”Aside from the hall master, you mustn’t tell a single soul.”

***

That very night, Han Jinwei secretly boarded the train with Mo Jiansheng. The next day, Luo Zhengnan received word that Han Jinwei had vanished.

He called over Redstaff Enforcer Sun Xingbing and told him to hurry to the station. Sun Xingbing was to find someone he knew there and check where Han Jinwei had gone.

Before long, Sun Xingbing returned with the answer. ”Hall Master, Han Jinwei went to the Outer Provinces.”

”The Outer Provinces?” Luo Zhengnan froze. ”For what?”

Sun Xingbing had no idea. ”Maybe he is handling business for the gang leader. In the past, the gang leader often sent him to the Outer Provinces.”

”No way. There’s no way I wouldn’t hear anything about this, right?” Luo Zhengnan said with a deep frown. He had a nasty feeling that something was about to go wrong again.

***

In Yuezhou Province, Xiao Zhenggong was resting in his villa when a bodyguard came in to report that Han Jinwei had arrived.

Xiao Zhenggong’s face darkened at once. He did not want to see him. Han Jinwei had handled the matter at Iron Gate Fort poorly, and Xiao Zhenggong had grown thoroughly sick of him because of it.

After waiting a moment, however, Xiao Zhenggong thought better of it. Han Jinwei had come all this way, so there had to be something urgent. He put on his clothes and went to the main hall.

”What do you want?”

Han Jinwei looked around and Xiao Zhenggong waved the others away.

”Boss Xiao, I received news that something has happened to the land deity of Medicine King Gully.”

”The land deity?” Xiao Zhenggong frowned. ”Old Yao? What happened to him?”

”He fought a fierce battle with the Star of Misfortune. The Star of Misfortune set up a Formation of Misfortune in Medicine King Gully, and from what I heard, that old drunk likely can’t live much longer.”

Xiao Zhenggong froze. ”Is the news reliable?”

”It is. There was a Mourning Cultivator that worked for the Star of Misfortune. During the battle, the Mourning Cultivator died and escaped in the form of a ghost. This Mourning Cultivator ghost saw everything with his own eyes. My subordinate branch master, Mo Jiansheng, captured it afterward.”

”That Mo-something-sheng, where is he?”

”He is waiting outside.”

”Bring him in!”

Mo Jiansheng came trembling before Xiao Zhenggong with the Mourning Cultivator’s ghost.

Xiao Zhenggong smiled faintly. ”Branch Master Mo, don’t be afraid. Tell me exactly what happened.”

Mo Jiansheng didn’t dare say too much himself. Instead, he released the Mourning Cultivator’s ghost and let it speak directly to Xiao Zhenggong. Once the ghost had finished explaining everything, Xiao Zhenggong nodded. ”Who else knows about this?”

Han Jinwei said, ”Branch Master Mo only told me.”

Xiao Zhenggong looked at Mo Jiansheng. ”You didn’t tell Luo Zhengnan?”

Mo Jiansheng didn’t know how to answer, but Han Jinwei had already prepared for this. ”Hall Master Luo has been getting too close to Qiu Zhiheng lately. There are some things I didn’t dare let him know.”

”Qiu Zhiheng?” Xiao Zhenggong said. ”Monkey Qiu? What dealings does he have with Luo Zhengnan?”

”It’s hard to say,” Han Jinwei said as he looked at Xiao Zhenggong with a meaningful expression.

Xiao Zhenggong nodded. ”Well done! As long as the news has not leaked, that is what matters. The two of you have made a great contribution and deserve a reward. Come, have a drink with me first.”

Xiao Zhenggong went to the liquor cabinet and took out a bottle of champagne.

When Han Jinwei heard this, a smile crept onto his face. With this contribution, he was certain that he would become a hall master again. He was certain that Boss Xiao would even agree if he wanted to transfer to a better place in the future. In fact, he even thought that the position of deputy gang leader was possible.

Xiao Zhenggong shook the champagne bottle.

Pop!

The cork shot out and punched straight through Han Jinwei’s skull.

Han Jinwei was still standing where he was, but Mo Jiansheng was scared stiff. Mo Jiansheng wanted to run, but his legs had gone soft, and he couldn’t take a single step.

”Don’t be afraid. Drink,” Xiao Zhenggong said as he poured a glass of champagne and tossed it to Mo Jiansheng. The glass shot straight into Mo Jiansheng’s skull. Immediately, the Mourning Cultivator ghost turned invisible. However, Xiao Zhenggong simply took out a copper coin and flicked it with one finger. In the blink of an eye, the coin struck the ghost, and the ghost scattered into dust.