The Overlord of Puluo

Luo Zhengnan had sharp eyes. The Homebound Cultivators of Iron Gate Fort had failed to recognize Li Banfeng, but Luo Zhengnan had recognized him right away.

Li Banfeng had heard about Luo Zhengnan’s disappearance. According to Qiu Zhiheng, the man should have been burnt to death by the One-Mouthful Pei. Yet here he was, standing in front of him at Iron Gate Fort.

If Luo Zhengnan was still alive, then why had he come here?

Li Banfeng grew wary. ”Hall Master Luo, what brings you here?”

Luo Zhengnan gave him a look. ”Fort Lord, can we find somewhere proper to talk?”

Li Banfeng took Luo Zhengnan to his own house. Before he left, he had entrusted the place to Wu Yongchao, and Wu Yongchao had looked after it with the usual care of a Homebound Cultivator. Every room had been cleaned until not a speck of dust remained.

Luo Zhengnan was a careful man too. The house was clean, yes, clean enough to make dust feel unwelcome, but he could still tell that no one had lived there for quite some time.

The living room table looked far too bare. The teapot was gone, the wine cups were gone, and even the fruit tray had been put away. All the little things a host kept ready for guests had vanished into cupboards.

Luo Zhengnan asked, ”Fort Lord, have you been away recently?”

Li Banfeng did not answer. ”Don’t worry about me. Talk about yourself first. What are you doing in Iron Gate Fort?”

This Fort Lord spoke as bluntly as ever. Luo Zhengnan was used to it, so he did not bother tiptoeing around the matter. ”I have come to ask you to take me in.”

Take you in? This is odd, Li Banfeng thought.

”Are we close to each other?” Li Banfeng asked.

Luo Zhengnan shook his head. ”No, we aren’t. We only did business that one time. I came to ask you to take me in for two reasons.

”Firstly, I don’t dare to ask the people I am close with because someone would expect me to look for them. Secondly, judging from our last deal, you are a man of his word. I know I can trust you.”

”Your position in the Jiangxiang Gang was not low. If you are suddenly asking me to take you in, you will have to explain what happened.”

”I will tell you the truth. The gang turned on me, and I only got out of Medicine King Gully by faking my death. As for why they turned on me, I have no idea. But I can promise you this. I have never done anything to betray the gang.

”If you are willing to take me in, I will serve you from now on. I will not spout nonsense about being ready to die ten thousand deaths for you. That is just empty talk. All I can promise is that I will do everything within my power.

”If you are not willing to take me in, I will leave at once. I will not cause you the slightest trouble. I only ask one thing. Please do not reveal my whereabouts.”

Talking to a clever man was much easier. Li Banfeng did not have to explain very much, because Luo Zhengnan had already thought about all the things that needed thinking over.

And Luo Zhengnan really was clever. No one in the Jiangxiang Gang would ever guess that he had come to Iron Gate Fort. Even so, Li Banfeng weighed the matter for a long while before he shook his head. ”I can take you in, but Iron Gate Fort cannot.”

Luo Zhengnan froze. ”Fort Lord, I don’t understand.”

Li Banfeng was still wondering how to explain when Wu Yongchao came rushing in, looking terribly anxious.

”Who are you people? What do you want? You...”

Then Wu Yongchao saw Li Banfeng, and all his panic turned into embarrassment. ”Fort Lord, you are back?”

Li Banfeng gave him a small nod, meaning for him to come back later. However, Wu Yongchao did not understand, so Li Banfeng had to say it plainly. ”Brother, go home and wait for me. I will come and find you in a little while.”

After Wu Yongchao left, Li Banfeng turned back to Luo Zhengnan. ”I am sure you understand now. Iron Gate Fort is the home to honest folk. Their cultivation is enough to protect themselves, but it is not enough to protect you. I don’t want to bring disaster down on them.”

Luo Zhengnan sighed. ”Then please show me a way forward, Fort Lord.”

”I have two paths for you. The first is Flying Eagle Mountain, just outside Iron Gate Fort. You should have heard of it. There used to be a bandit gang on that mountain, but I killed them all. The stronghold does still exist, but it is really a territory of mine.

”I can hand Flying Eagle Mountain over to you. Once you take over, you can find some proper business to do there. As for the profit shares, we can talk about that later. Just give what you think is fair. But it would be best if you did not set yourself up as a bandit leader. If you do, the two of us may end up falling out.”

Li Banfeng was genuinely trying to give Luo Zhengnan a way out. He had no other motive. After what Luo Zhengnan had done when trouble struck Medicine King Gully, Li Banfeng felt that a man like him deserved a helping hand.

Luo Zhengnan thought it over for a moment. It really was a proper way forward. However, gathering men and rebuilding strength on Flying Eagle Mountain would not happen in a day or two.

He had faked his death very well. However, he was not the kind of man who trusted in luck. If the Jiangxiang Gang discovered he was still alive before he had gathered enough men on Flying Eagle Mountain, what was he supposed to use to defend himself?

”Fort Lord, I would like to hear the other path.

”Go to Greenwater City.”

Luo Zhengnan wondered if he had heard wrongly. ”I am trying to avoid trouble. Do you really think Greenwater City is suitable?”

Li Banfeng had more say in this matter than most. Back when he had been hiding from the Lu Family, he had also fled from Medicine King Gully to Greenwater City, and the result proved that he had chosen correctly.

”Hall Master Luo, if the Jiangxiang Gang sets its eyes on Iron Gate Fort, they will find you easily. Iron Gate Fort is only so big. However, Greenwater City is different. Even if the Jiangxiang Gang knows you are there, they will have a hard time finding you, because the city is simply too big and heavily populated.

”Once you arrive, my friends will look after you. You know better than anyone what the Jiangxiang Gang is capable of, but Greenwater City is not a place where they can do as they please. What do you think of this path?”

Luo Zhengnan had always acted carefully, and the idea of going to Greenwater City still made him hesitate.

Li Banfeng knew Luo Zhengnan had his own thoughts about the matter, so he only reminded him of one thing. ”Are you trying to hide for a while, or are you trying to hide for the rest of your life?”

If Luo Zhengnan wanted to hide forever, Flying Eagle Mountain was the best choice. But if he still wanted a chance to rise again, then Greenwater City was the better path.

Luo Zhengnan looked at Li Banfeng. ”Once I reach Greenwater City, whose house should I pay my respects to?”

”How quickly can you get there?”

”Two days will be enough.”

That was quite fast, especially since Luo Zhengnan did not dare take the train. He would have to travel through the new land on foot.

Li Banfeng nodded. ”Set off today. Once you reach Greenwater City, find a place to stay. Then go to Springbrook Teahouse every morning at ten for tea. Within three days, someone will come looking for you.”

This was very dangerous for Luo Zhengnan. If this ”Fort Lord” wanted to betray him, all he had to do was tell the Jiangxiang Gang to wait at the teahouse and arrest him there.

Li Banfeng understood his concern. ”Hall Master Luo, think this over carefully. If you don’t trust me, you don’t have to go. I will pretend I never saw you.”

Luo Zhengnan pondered for a long while. ”I do trust you, but would it be better if we...”

Li Banfeng drew a stack of contract paper from his robes. ”Would it be better if we signed a contract?”

Talking to a clever man really did save one a lot of effort. The two of them always seemed to share the same thought.

***

After Luo Zhengnan wrote the contract and agreed on things, he left Iron Gate Fort.

After that, Li Banfeng called Wu Yongchao over. Wu Yongchao looked ashamed the moment he arrived. ”Fort Lord, I didn’t arrange for anyone to watch your house most of the time. I wanted to save on wages.”

There were many places in Iron Gate Fort that needed money. The steam gate at the entrance had to be maintained by hired Artificer Cultivators, and that cost money. Li Banfeng’s six hundred thousand silver dollars were stored in the former Fort Lord’s grand residence, so guards had to be hired to watch the place.

On top of that, someone had to patrol the fort on ordinary days, and someone had to go outside to gather news. All of that cost money too.

Each household in Iron Gate Fort had chipped in for these wages, and Wu Yongchao felt too embarrassed to ask them for more. He hadn’t touched a single one of Li Banfeng’s silver dollars. For many matters, he had paid out of his own pocket.

Li Banfeng went to the grand residence and sent everyone else away. Then he took out the Glove.

The moment the Glove saw the roomful of silver dollars, all five of its fingers rubbed together in excitement for a long while.

Li Banfeng said, ”Calculate the amount first. Principal and interest together.”

”Why bother calculating with you, Branch Master? I will take whatever you give me.”

Li Banfeng smiled and let the Glove take four hundred and fifty thousand.

The Glove thanked him again and again, then happily put the money away. ”Branch Master, if you find anything good in the future, just buy it! Don’t worry! If you are short on money, come to me.”

Li Banfeng nodded. ”And if they refuse to sell, help me ’borrow’ it again.”

”That is easy enough. If we say borrow, then it is...” The Glove suddenly paused. ”Branch Master, why did you just say ’again’?”

”Did I? I probably just said it without thinking.”

Some things became very interesting once Li Banfeng thought them through.

Ling Miaoying had lost his pistol, and Tu Yinghong had lost her iron rulers. The two incidents had happened almost at the same time.

The pistol had been stolen by the Glove. What about the iron rulers?

Tu Yinghong had gone all the way to Freewind Wharf to search for them. Around that same time, two iron rails had appeared inside the Pocket Dwelling, which allowed the Pocket Dwelling to send Li Banfeng straight to Blackstone Slope.

Each of these things might have looked ordinary by itself. Together, they told a much more interesting story.

Li Banfeng handed the remaining one hundred and fifty thousand silver dollars to Wu Yongchao for safekeeping.

”Use part of this money to open a shop. If the people in the fort have goods to sell, the shop will buy them. If outsiders come to buy goods, they must buy through the shop as well. Set the prices clearly and do not let outsiders change them as they please.

”Use the shop’s earnings to pay wages. If there is money left over after that, you can decide what to do with it.”

Wu Yongchao was slightly afraid. He had never handled such a large business before.

”Just try it first,” Li Banfeng said. ”It doesn’t matter if you lose a little money at the start. Take your time, and you will learn how to make money.”

***

He Jiaqing disguised himself as a cleaner and used the chance to collect the rubbish. While no one was watching, he removed a suction cup from the base of a rubbish bin and put it away.

Just then, the button on his chest began to vibrate.

He Jiaqing did not respond at once. He left the subway station first, found a nearby hotel, and booked a room. Only then did he reestablish contact with the other side.

”Jiaqing, it was my fault. I didn’t handle the matter about our movie properly.”

Ma Wu had exposed the fake love root hidden in The Legendary Bloodblade Detective. After that, every newspaper under Ma Wu had published the news.

Did Ma Wu have evidence? No. However, there was no need for evidence.

Even if Ma Wu was only spreading fake news, most people still wouldn’t go to the cinema to watch The Legendary Bloodblade Detective. People wouldn’t take the risk of being exposed to a fake love root just for a film.

However, people eventually forget things. The Legendary Bloodblade Detective only needed a new title and a new film company behind it, and production could continue.

The trouble was that Shen Rongqing had chosen to fight Ma Wu head-on. She used the newspapers under her control to argue with him, and the matter turned into a battle of words.

That was a common habit among Literary Cultivators. They were good at using ink and paper to attack others, but they could not bear it when someone turned those same weapons against them.

The fake love root incident should have died down by now, but Shen Rongqing’s argument with Ma Wu stirred it up all over again. The Ling Family’s film company was once more pushed into the storm.

Shen Rongqing felt ashamed and specially came to He Jiaqing to apologize.

If Ling Miaoying had caused this trouble, He Jiaqing would have lost his temper long ago. However, Shen Rongqing was different. He knew her temperament well. She was proud and strong-willed, so he couldn’t be harsh with her. He could only soothe her slowly.

”Big Sis, this is not your fault. Ma Wu simply went too far.”

”Jiaqing, how do you plan to deal with Ma Junyang?”

He Jiaqing was about to answer, but the words turned in his mouth before he spoke. ”Big Sis, how would you like to deal with him?”

This was his way of showing Shen Rongqing respect. She was not like his other subordinates, and He Jiaqing had to consider her thoughts.

”I don’t want him dead,” Shen Rongqing said. ”But from now on, he must never be allowed to stand against us again!”

He Jiaqing agreed and left the matter in Shen Rongqing’s hands.

Luo Zhengnan pulled the antenna out of his head and placed it back in the box. Then he found a plug, stopped up the hole in his skull, and carefully went over the conversation he had just overheard.

So The Legendary Bloodblade Detective is one of He Jiaqing’s films, Luo Zhengnan thought. But why would He Jiaqing involve himself in the film business? Surely he’s not doing it just for a few ticket sales.

Some time ago, the radio kept saying that a fake love root had appeared in a film. Was He Jiaqing behind that too?

And now he is planning to deal with Ma Wu. Who was that woman on the other end of the call? This is getting interesting...

At that thought, Luo Zhengnan gave a self-mocking smile. What did it matter whether this was interesting or not? It had nothing to do with him.

In the past, he had investigated He Jiaqing for the Jiangxiang Gang. Now he was no longer even part of the Jiangxiang Gang.

He wondered what kind of person was waiting for him in Greenwater City. If that person refused to take him in as well, where else could he go?

Luo Zhengnan spent the whole night sighing and worrying, and did not sleep at all. The next morning, he went to Springbrook Teahouse.

The teahouse stood in a rather remote spot. It was quiet, empty, and did not seem to have much business.

Luo Zhengnan had only been sitting there from ten to half past ten when Li Banfeng sat down across from him.

Luo Zhengnan’s eyes widened. He had never expected the person coming to meet him to be the Fort Lord himself. He also couldn’t understand how the Fort Lord of Iron Gate Fort had also arrived in Greenwater City.

”Let’s go. We are going to Freewind Wharf.”

Luo Zhengnan looked stunned, but he didn’t dare ask too many questions. He simply followed Li Banfeng out of the teahouse.

As they walked, Luo Zhengnan thought, Isn’t Freewind Wharf Ma Junyang’s business? No. The radio mentioned that Ma Junyang isn’t the sole owner of Freewind Wharf.

Luo Zhengnan looked at Li Banfeng. ”Fort Lord, are you Master Qi?”

You are really very clever, Li Banfeng muttered inwardly. He lowered the brim of his hat and instructed, ”In Greenwater City, do not call me Fort Lord.”

Countless thoughts tumbled through Luo Zhengnan’s mind, leaving him a little dizzy.

Li Qi is Fort Lord? Luo Zhengnan thought. How is this even possible?

When they reached Freewind Wharf, a cleaner was sweeping fallen leaves by the entrance.

Luo Zhengnan felt a sudden electric twitch in his cheek, and all the thoughts tumbling through his mind stopped at once.

Li Banfeng had prepared a room for Luo Zhengnan in the rear building. Once they were inside, Luo Zhengnan said, ”Master Qi, there’s something on the broom of that cleaner just now.”

Li Banfeng frowned. ”You mean a hook?”

Luo Zhengnan nodded.

Author’s Note:

PS: The mole He Jiaqing planted in Freewind Wharf has been caught.