The Overlord of Puluo

Qiao Shaofen hurried along at full speed, with Li Banfeng following close behind.

Li Banfeng stayed on edge the entire way. Qiao Shaofen’s Daoist path was weird, and her methods were ruthless. One careless mistake could easily cost him his life.

Even so, he dared to follow because he had already spotted one rather useful weakness. Her perception was dreadful. Earlier, she had buried a ”Li Banfeng” in the swamp without noticing that the fellow was not Li Banfeng at all. She didn’t notice that it was a man made out of cabbage.

He followed her all the way to an abandoned village. Qiao Shaofen entered a large manor, and that was where Li Banfeng decided he had followed quite far enough.

This was clearly where Qiao Shaofen lived, and the Madam Kinless she had mentioned was most likely living here as well.

Li Banfeng did not linger. He slipped out of the village at once and went back to the New Land, where he spent the entire night searching for a suitable route. By morning, he still had not found one.

Li Banfeng had originally planned to cut through New Land and make his way back to Qiu Luoye’s territory, but the journey proved far more difficult than he had expected. Even though he knew which direction to go, he simply could not find a route that would take him there.

As dawn approached, Li Banfeng circled back to Kinless Township. He used the device to deactivate the boundary line, then crossed through Proper Land and returned to Qiu Luoye’s territory.

The territory was completely quiet. When the land became Proper Land, everyone quickly settled back into a normal rhythm of sleeping at night and waking during the day.

By daybreak, people in every household were getting up. The land activators went out in search of a way home, while the three-headed people repaired their houses and tended the farmland.

The morning passed peacefully enough, but by afternoon, the land activators were growing anxious to get home. None of them could find a way out, and arguments began breaking out all across the territory.

Qiu Luoye told Li Banfeng about Wan Nianlao. Li Banfeng immediately wanted to go and meet the man, but Shui Yongquan thought that was a little too hasty and warned, ”Old Qi, you are trying to go through New Land and make your way back around to Kinless Township, right? Wan Nianlao can’t help you with that. The territory has changed so much that even he doesn’t know where Kinless Township is anymore. Last time, he even thought we were from there.

”Elephant Qiu fought him before. Wan Nianlao was on his own and got the worst of it. If we go looking for him again, he will be ready this time. He might even set traps for us. Better to be careful.”

Li Banfeng thought it over again and again, but in the end, he still decided to make a trip into Wan Nianlao’s territory. Just as he was about to leave, Juan invited him to her house.

”Master Qi, there’s something I have been hesitating and thinking if I should tell you...” From the look on Juan’s face, she was feeling very troubled.

Meng urged, ”Look at the time! Can’t you see Master Qi is in a hurry? Just take it out already!”

Little Shan joined in. ”Big Sis, just let Master Qi have a look.”

Li Banfeng got to his feet. ”If it’s something you don’t think I should see, then don’t show me. You don’t have to make things hard on yourself.”

He was not upset with Juan at all. He meant every word. Everyone had secrets of their own, and Li Banfeng had never expected the people around him to tell him absolutely everything.

Juan stopped Li Banfeng and pulled a map from inside her clothes.

”Master Qi, my benefactor gave this to me. I promised I would never show it to anyone else, but I am breaking that promise just this once and showing it to you. If my benefactor ever finds out, then whatever happens, let the blame fall on me alone.”

Li Banfeng took one glance and immediately knew how important this map was.

This map showed the routes through New Land. Juan had followed this very map all the way from Convict City to Qiu Luoye’s territory.

This map was now no longer accurate as Qiu Luoye’s territory now fell between Kinless Township and Ink Fragrance Shop. Even so, the map still showed how the surrounding parts of New Land were laid out. Li Banfeng had seen some of the mountains and rivers marked on it while wandering through New Land the night before.

With this map, Li Banfeng could find his way! But who had given Juan something like this? Juan did not want to reveal her benefactor’s identity, and Li Banfeng had no intention of asking.

Wanderlust Cultivators had a natural knack for maps. Li Banfeng handed the map back to Juan. He had only seen it once, but he remembered every path on it clearly.

Shui Yongquan was still talking with Qiu Luoye about how they might persuade Wan Nianlao to let them pass through his territory.

Li Banfeng walked over and drew the route for him. ”Big Bro Shui, if you are in a hurry to get back, we won’t keep you here. ”

Shui Yongquan waved him off. ”Don’t keep me. I really am in a hurry. This territory has already become Proper Land, but I can’t even respond to the ones activating domains in my land.”

Li Banfeng smiled. ”I was actually hoping to talk to you about Proper Land. If you are not in too much of a hurry, stay a little longer and let’s make a deal.”

”A deal?” Shui Yongquan looked surprised. ”Maybe leave that for later. You should first find a way out for all the people under you.”

”The business is done through the way out,” Li Banfeng said. ”Brother Shui, look at Big Bro Qiu’s Proper Land. Don’t you want a piece of your own? I can’t give you a whole one, but maybe we can talk about half a piece...”

”Half a piece of Proper Land?” Shui Yongquan had no idea what Li Banfeng meant.

Beside him, Qiu Luoye was already grinning.

Shui Yongquan frowned at him. ”What are you smiling about? You understand what he’s saying?”

Qiu Luoye shook his head. ”No. Don’t need to, either. I will just follow Old Qi.”

Li Banfeng said, ”Big Bro Shui, whether this works or not depends on you. The important thing is making sure nobody notices what we are up to.”

Qiu Luoye laughed. ”You don’t have to worry about that. Old Shui might not be good at much else, but he’s really good at hiding. When he attacked my place back then, I didn’t notice a thing.”

Li Banfeng grinned. ”Looks like Big Bro Qiu got it. What about you, Big Bro Shui? Have you figured it out yet?”

***

After nightfall, Qiao Shaofen checked the entrance to New Land, then made another round along the regional borders.

With her expression as cold as ever, she stared at Qiu Luoye’s territory.

The Border Controller had a grudge against these people, and Qiao Shaofen did not want to get caught up in it. She had already made her position clear, along with what she intended to do.

Anyone who stepped into their territory would be killed!

Kinless Township was not very big. Qiao Shaofen walked all the way around it without finding any outsiders, then went back to the abandoned village.

A tall, burly man was sitting on a rock at the village entrance, taking a rest. He carried two baskets of sweet potatoes on a shoulder pole.

Qiao Shaofen walked over and gave him a look. ”Where are you from?”

The man looked up and answered honestly, ”I’m from here.”

Qiao Shaofen did not believe him. ”You are from Kinless Township, and you still dare come to this village?”

This abandoned village was a forbidden area in Kinless Township.

The man blinked. ”I have never been here before either. I was walking at night and somehow ended up on this road. I was planning to go to the market first thing tomorrow morning.”

Qiao Shaofen questioned him further. ”You say you’re from Kinless Township. Which village do you live in? What’s your village chief’s surname? How many people are in your family?”

”I live in...” Qiu Luoye stared at Qiao Shaofen with a tense expression and stopped there.

Li Banfeng had prepared a whole set of answers for Qiu Luoye beforehand. Unfortunately, there were too many lines, and Qiu Luoye had not managed to memorize them all.

Qiao Shaofen sneered. ”If you can’t answer, then don’t blame me for what happens next.”

Of course, it would not have mattered even if he had answered correctly. From the moment Qiao Shaofen saw him enter the abandoned village, she had never planned to let him leave alive.

Qiao Shaofen coughed and spat at Qiu Luoye’s feet.

Before the spit could hit the ground, Shui Yongquan slipped beneath Qiu Luoye’s feet and sucked it into his mouth with a slurp. A moment later, he spat out a lump of mud instead.

Qiu Luoye laughed. ”Old Shui, it tastes good, right?!”

Shui Yongquan cursed. ”She’s a Mud Cultivator! I have really suffered for this one. Elephant Qiu, once we are done here, I should get to pick the areas that belong to me first!”

Qiao Shaofen was surprised. She immediately sensed that something was wrong and turned to run, only for a figure to flash past her and appear directly ahead.

Who was that?

BAM!

Qiao Shaofen felt a violent jolt in her chest and spat out a mouthful of blood. It felt as though something had exploded inside her stomach.

Watching from a distance, Li Banfeng frowned. He had just used Passing Flowers on Horseback against Qiao Shaofen and that was all the damage it had done. Just how high was Qiao Shaofen’s cultivation level?

Li Banfeng felt that the attack was not powerful enough. However, Shui Yongquan only needed it to buy him a little time.

Shui Yongquan took the water gourd from his back and splashed it toward Qiao Shaofen. Thousands of water droplets shot out like bullets, punching bloody holes all over her body.

This was Stonepiercing Water Droplets, a level-three Water Cultivator ability. It was only a low-level ability, but it had very strong killing power.

Qiao Shaofen lost plenty of blood, but the holes in her body quickly closed again. Li Banfeng was surprised by how fast she recovered. Shui Yongquan, however, did not seem surprised at all.

That was one of the traits of high-level Mud Cultivators. Hitting one with Stonepiercing Water Droplets was like poking holes in wet mud with a sharp blade. The wounds opened easily, but they closed again just as quickly.

Shui Yongquan swung the water gourd once more, and a curtain of water rose around Qiao Shaofen.

Li Banfeng had seen this move before. It was a high-level ability, Water Curtain Seal, a level-eight Water Cultivator ability. Once trapped inside the curtain of water, the worst thing anyone could do was move. The water was as sharp as blades and could slice a person into minced flesh.

However, Qiao Shaofen did not even think about it as she stepped through the water curtain right away. Even with her very high cultivation level, she became a heap of flesh when she passed through the water curtain.

However, it was fine. The mass of flesh writhed across the ground for a moment, then swelled and took shape again. She lost a bit of skin and flesh, but she was not severely injured.

Qiao Shaofen pulled the hairpin from her hair and threw it at Shui Yongquan. A wave of mud poured down, nearly trapping him beneath it.

Shui Yongquan wriggled free just in time. Then his sleeve suddenly stretched longer and longer until it whipped around Qiao Shaofen and wound itself tightly around her.

Qiao Shaofen grabbed the sleeve and tried to tear it apart, but the sleeve was made of water. Her fingers sank straight into it, and however hard she pulled, there was simply nothing solid for her to grab. When she tried to wriggle out of it, the water changed again. The soft sleeve turned solid and clamped around her from head to toe, squeezing her tighter and tighter as though it meant to strangle the life out of her.

This was the level-nine ability of a Water Cultivator, Sleeve of Water. Whether the sleeve turned solid or remained liquid depended entirely on whether it was being used to attack or defend.

Bam!

With a dull thud, Shui Yongquan’s sleeve tightened around Qiao Shaofen until her body burst apart, turning once more into a heap of rotten mud.

The mud was still writhing and looked ready to reform again. Qiu Luoye stepped forward to stomp on it, but Shui Yongquan stopped him.

Qiu Luoye finally lost his patience. ”Old Shui, I have watched you two go back and forth for several rounds now. Neither of you seems to be in any hurry. Don’t tell me you have taken a liking to her?”

Shui Yongquan laughed. ”That was all just foreplay. Now I am getting serious!”

While they were talking, Qiao Shaofen had returned to human form. Shui Yongquan stood where he was and spread his hands, while mist began to rise around him.

When Qiao Shaofen tried to escape, Li Banfeng closed in with Traceless Quick Steps and stomped beside her with Treading Through Ten Thousand Rivers.

Broken stones flew everywhere and struck Qiao Shaofen. Li Banfeng had not expected them to hurt her. Even Shui Yongquan’s abilities had barely worked, so his own were hardly going to be enough. All he needed to do was buy Shui Yongquan a little more time.

To his surprise, Qiao Shaofen was actually injured. The stones punched straight through her body, leaving holes all over her. This time, however, the holes did not quickly close.

Qiao Shaofen realized something was wrong. She was not bleeding much, but the wounds hurt terribly, and her joints were starting to feel stiff.

She dug a bit of flesh and blood from one of the wounds and tried to smear it on Li Banfeng, but he dodged aside. If it had touched him, mud would have wrapped around him at once.

With Li Banfeng forced back, Qiao Shaofen tried to escape again. Qiu Luoye came up from behind and kicked her to the ground.

Normally, a kick like that should not have been able to hurt her. If Qiao Shaofen had turned into mud, she could have trapped Qiu Luoye. However, Qiao Shaofen couldn’t turn back into mud right now.

She spat at Qiu Luoye, trying to create one last mud pit for a final struggle. But what came out was not spit. It was dry ash.

Qiao Shaofen had held out this long against two land deities and Li Banfeng until now, which really showed that she had a very high cultivation level. She was a strong fighter. However, Shui Yongquan had seen through her and set a trap for her. Tactically, he had completely countered her.

When Shui Yongquan heard Li Banfeng’s description of Qiao Shaofen, he had suspected that she was a Mud Cultivator. He was just not sure whether the mud abilities came from her own cultivation path or from some enchanted artifact. And so, he had Qiu Luoye act as bait and lure Qiao Shaofen into making the first move.

Once Qiao Shaofen made her move, Shui Yongquan swallowed a mouthful of her spit to confirm which Daoist path she cultivated. Upon confirming that she was a Mud Cultivator, Shui Yongquan was sure which strategy he would use.

He first used the ability, Stonepiercing Water Droplets, then Water Curtain Seal, and after that Sleeve of Water. None of these abilities could actually kill a Mud Cultivator. As Shui Yongquan had said, all of that was only ”foreplay.”

There had been a purpose behind every attack. Little by little, Shui Yongquan had been replacing the water inside Qiao Shaofen’s body with his own.

A high-level Mud Cultivator was, at heart, little more than a great mass of mud. Replacing all the water inside that mud was no easy task, which was why Shui Yongquan had used one ability after another.

Once he had replaced about half of it, the ”real show” could finally begin. And once the real show began, it was time for the killing blow.

Shui Yongquan used two Cloudborne Layer abilities of the Water Cultivator path, Water into Water as well as the Recollection of Spilled Water.

He first mixed his own water with the remaining water in Qiao Shaofen. Once the two became similar enough that both could be controlled by Shui Yongquan, Shui Yongquan used the Cloudborne Layer ability Water into Water.

When that ability worked, Shui Yongquan called most of the water back. The mist rising around him was the very water he had drawn out of Qiao Shaofen. This was Recollection of Spilled Water.

Li Banfeng was fast on his feet, so he kept Qiao Shaofen occupied while Shui Yongquan prepared the two abilities.

Once both abilities had taken effect, Qiao Shaofen changed from a body of wet mud into one of dry mud, and her fighting strength dropped sharply.

Shui Yongquan could no longer fight her himself. Any Water Cultivator ability he used would only give her more water.

With Li Banfeng’s current cultivation, he could not kill her quickly either. If Qiao Shaofen managed to stall long enough to find water, she still had a chance to recover. However, neither Shui Yongquan nor Li Banfeng needed to fight her anymore. It was Qiu Luoye’s turn.

Qiao Shaofen tossed her head, and her loose hair turned into worms made of mud. They swarmed over Qiu Luoye, biting him again and again while injecting poison into his body.

Qiu Luoye was not afraid of a few bites, nor did he care about a little poison. With a wide grin on his face, he brought his foot down and crushed half of Qiao Shaofen’s body.

Qiao Shaofen cried out hoarsely, ”Mercy, hero! Spare my life! I will do anything you want! I was wrong! I will even kowtow to you!”

Qiu Luoye chuckled and said, ”We are neither kin nor friends. Why would you kowtow to me? I can’t possibly accept that!”

Qiao Shaofen desperately dragged what remained of her body along the ground, still searching for water. If she could just buy a little more time, if she could only find some water, she could recover.

However, it would not be so easy to stall Qiu Luoye in a fight. Li Banfeng had plenty of firsthand experience with that.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Qiao Shaofen’s screams came one after another, mixed with the dull thuds of Qiu Luoye’s fists and feet. By the time Qiu Luoye was done, she had been beaten into bits scattered across the ground.

Li Banfeng could not help feeling a little devastated. That was one whole meal for Wifey gone to waste. He wasn’t even sure whether the scraps could still be taken home and refined into pills.

Still, the business they were working on was almost settled.

The three men looked at one another and grinned, then laughed more and more excitedly.