The Overlord of Puluo

Killing Qiao Shaofen was only half the job.

Shui Yongquan said, ”If I am right, Qiao Shaofen should be a Contract Guardian Spirit, one of Madam Kinless’s trusted followers assigned to protect her contract with the land.”

Li Banfeng and Qiu Luoye both understood what a Contract Guardian Spirit was. Xiao Yeci had explained it to them before. However, Li Banfeng thought otherwise.

”Big Bro Shui, Big Bro Qiu, Qiao Shaofen’s cultivation isn’t low. She should have reached the Cloudborne Layer, right?”

Qiu Luoye nodded. ”Definitely Cloudborne Layer. She handled that mud far too well, and it took us forever to kill her. Someone at the Terranean Layer wouldn’t be able to do that.”

Li Banfeng asked, ”Would a Cloudborne Layer cultivator really serve someone else as a Contract Guardian Spirit?”

Shui Yongquan was cautious by nature. After thinking for a moment, he said, ”Whenever people talked about Kinless Township before, they always said Madam Kinless was the land deity. I have never once heard of Qiao Shaofen.”

Qiu Luoye waved a hand. ”Qiao Shaofen is obviously a fake name she used to hide her identity. What’s there to think about?”

”We shouldn’t jump to conclusions,” Shui Yongquan said as he shook his head slightly. ”She might have been one of Madam Kinless’s trusted followers. Even after reaching a higher cultivation level, she could still have remained completely loyal to Madam Kinless.”

Qiu Luoye snorted. ”They are neither kin nor friends. In a place like this, what loyalty are you talking about?”

Shui Yongquan had no answer for that. Qiu Luoye had a point. Talking about loyalty in Kinless Township did sound rather ridiculous.

Qiu Luoye continued, ”The three of us fought her for quite a while just now. She was probably at level two of the Cloudborne Layer. You want me to believe someone like that was just a follower? I don’t buy it. And if Qiao Shaofen really was only a follower, why didn’t she call Madam Kinless for help when we beat her that badly?”

Shui Yongquan said, ”Maybe Madam Kinless isn’t here.”

Li Banfeng said, ”If she really is Madam Kinless, then that saves us a lot of trouble. If she’s a Contract Guardian Spirit, then she must be guarding the deed. Either way, once we find the deed, things should be much easier.”

Qiu Luoye nodded. ”Old Qi’s right. What’s the point of standing around talking? Let’s hurry up and find the deed!”

The three of them reached the manor. Qiu Luoye was about to march straight inside when Shui Yongquan grabbed him again.

”Don’t rush. We still need to be careful.”

Qiu Luoye grew impatient. ”Always yapping about being careful! What do you want to do? Just say it quick!”

”I will find a way to scout ahead first,” Shui Yongquan said and shook his water gourd, but there was not much water left inside.

Li Banfeng said, ”I am a Wanderlust Cultivator. I have Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity, and I am quick on my feet. I will scout ahead.”

With that, Li Banfeng leaped into the courtyard.

Qiu Luoye looked at Shui Yongquan. ”This is embarrassing, Old Shui. At our age, we are still sending our little brother ahead to scout for us. Working with you is damn pathetic!”

”I didn’t want to let him take the risk, but I don’t have enough water! ” Shui Yongquan replied.

Li Banfeng was worried too. Whether this was where the deed was kept or the home of the land deity, there were bound to be traps inside. And if Madam Kinless was still alive and he ran into her, he might not make it back out.

To be safe, Li Banfeng went back into the Pocket Dwelling and brought out two cabbage Li Banfengs. He sent them around the courtyard to test the way, but they did not even make it halfway before they sank into a mud pit and vanished without a trace.

Li Banfeng was very nervous. He went back into the Pocket Dwelling and brought out more than a dozen cabbage people. He had all the cabbage people work together and figure out a way to the main room. It was a very difficult process, but they all managed to clear a safe path for him.

Li Banfeng marked the route, put the cabbage people away, then called Shui Yongquan and Qiu Luoye inside.

The three entered the main room together. Li Banfeng looked around for quite a while, but he still could not tell where the contract might be hidden.

For this, they would have to rely on Shui Yongquan.

There was not much water left in the gourd, but Shui Yongquan still had just enough to search the room. He poured a few drops onto the floor.

Elephant Qiu smacked his lips. ”Old Shui, is that golden juice or something? Why are you being so stingy? At least pour out a little more.”

Shui Yongquan frowned. ”This is spirit water I refined myself. Don’t compare it to golden juice!”

The few drops spread apart and formed an invisible film of water that covered the entire room.

This was a level-two ability of a Water Cultivator, Water Through Every Crack.

With this ability, the thin film of water could seep into every crack and crevice in the room, acting as Shui Yongquan’s eyes as it searched for hidden compartments.

After searching for a long time, Shui Yongquan went into the back room and crawled under the bed. Soon, he came back out carrying a jar.

Qiu Luoye frowned and asked, ”Is the deed in that jar?”

Shui Yongquan opened the jar, and a horrible stench drifted out.

Qiu Luoye pinched his nose. ”WHAT. IS. THAT?”

”It’s a jar made specially for holding mud,” Shui Yongquan explained. ”It can turn the mud inside into puppets. It’s a high-grade enchanted artifact.”

Li Banfeng listened with Perceiving the Spirit’s Melody and heard the jar complaining, ”Too dry, too dry. Give me some water.”

Shui Yongquan said to Li Banfeng. ”Old Qi, this is a good one. You should keep it.”

Enchanted artifacts that could create puppets were rare, and Li Banfeng was tempted to keep it. However, he also knew that his wifey liked to keep things clean and he doubted something like this would be welcome in the house. ”It’s not convenient for a Wanderlust Cultivator to carry such a bulky enchanted artifact. Big Bro Qiu, you can have it.”

Qiu Luoye shook his head. ”No! I have already got enchanted artifacts. This thing stinks too much.”

”Fine, then forget it!” Shui Yongquan kept the jar for himself and continued feeling around under the bed for a while.

There were clattering noises under the bed as Shui Yongquan triggered one trap after another. Luckily, his cultivation was high enough. He dodged some of the traps and endured the rest.

After searching for more than an hour, Shui Yongquan finally pulled something out.

It was not the deed. It was a yellow box with a silver-white ring carved on top.

Qiu Luoye grinned. ”That’s the land deity seal!”

Once they found the land deity seal, they had basically found the deed as well. Li Banfeng was about to crawl under the bed and dig it out when Shui Yongquan stopped him.

”Old Qi, we already have the land deity seal. All the human auras inside it are ours now, so there is no need to dig out the deeds contract. With those human auras, we can increase our cultivation. But this is still the deeds contract of a local land deity from Proper Land. If we really dig it out, I am afraid...”

Clang!

Qiu Luoye flipped the bed over. ”Listening to you ramble on is getting on my nerves. We already found the deed, so why shouldn’t we dig it up? Madam Kinless is dead. If we don’t take it, are we supposed to leave it here for someone else?”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Dozens of crossbow bolts shot out from under the bed. Qiu Luoye could not even be bothered to dodge. He simply let the bolts pierce him, then pulled them out and tossed them aside.

Whoosh!

A burst of flame erupted and swept over his entire body.

Qiu Luoye wiped the soot from his face and kept digging. Then a swarm of loaches flew out and latched onto him, trying to burrow into his flesh.

Qiu Luoye yanked them off, threw them to the ground, and stomped them to death. Then he went right back to digging.

There were dozens of traps in all, and Qiu Luoye did not dodge a single one. He triggered every last trap and finally dug out the deed.

The moment Qiu Luoye saw the deed, he fell silent. Shui Yongquan was just as surprised.

The deed was arched and looked just like theirs. However, there were two pieces.

Normally, every local land deity’s deeds contract came in two pieces. One was kept by the local land deity, while the other was held in the Inner Provinces. So why were both pieces here?

Qiu Luoye had no idea, and Shui Yongquan couldn’t figure it out too.

There were these same words on both pieces of the deed: ”Within 50 kilometers of land, this shall serve as proof of ownership.”

Just like the other deeds, the words were stained with blood.

Qiu Luoye turned the pieces over to see what was on the back. Upon doing so, he blinked and went silent for a long time.

Shui Yongquan laughed. ”What is it? Too many words? And you can’t read them all?”

Qiu Luoye shook his head. ”No words.”

Shui Yongquan frowned. ”If you can’t read them, just say so. I know what you are like. You think I am going to laugh at you?”

Qiu Luoye handed one piece to Shui Yongquan and the other to Li Banfeng. They turned them over and looked. There really was not a single word on the back.

This was impossible!

According to Shui Yongquan, the deeds of a Proper Land should have recorded many things. It should mention how the territory was formed, who the previous local land deities were, what had happened there, and especially any wars that had taken place. Victories, defeats, plots gained, and plots lost should all be written down clearly. But no matter how many times they checked, there was not a single word on the back.

Qiu Luoye frowned. ”Is this deed fake?”

Li Banfeng didn’t say anything. He couldn’t tell if this deed was fake or real.

Shui Yongquan studied the deed carefully, checking both the material and the way it had been made. ”This should be real. I saw them make these in the Inner Provinces before, and some of the techniques used to make this can only be done by them. I just don’t know the origin of the deed.”

Qiu Luoye laughed and said, ”Isn’t it obvious! It’s buried in Kinless Township! So of course it is the deed for Kinless Township!”

Li Banfeng handed the deed to Qiu Luoye. ”Big Bros, spill your blood on it and this territory will belong to you. We already agreed on this. You each get half.”

Qiu Luoye looked a little guilty. ”Old Qi, the three of us fought together and seized this place together, but in the end, only the two of us are splitting it. I don’t feel right about that.”

Li Banfeng smiled. ”I am only at the Terranean Layer, so I can’t do anything with it. If you two become the land deities here and give me all the business deals, I wouldn’t lose anything.”

Qiu Luoye sighed. ”Old Qi, you are too kind. I don’t even know what to say.”

Li Banfeng laughed. ”Big Bro, we are all kindhearted people. Otherwise, we wouldn’t get along so well.”

Shui Yongquan nodded. ”We just killed someone and now we are dividing the spoils. Maybe this isn’t the best time to talk about how kindhearted we are. Elephant Qiu, you can have this territory. I won’t take a share.”

Qiu Luoye frowned. ”What’s wrong with you now? Why do you always have so many problems?”

”Nothing. That mud jar is enough for me.”

Shui Yongquan still felt uneasy. A piece of Proper Land had suddenly fallen right into their hands, and he did not quite dare to take it. Besides, there was something strange about this deed.

”Take that mud jar and get lost!” Qiu Luoye snapped. He cut his palm with a knife and was about to spill his blood onto the deed.

”Wait,” Shui Yongquan said.

Qiu Luoye glared at him. ”What now? Are you regretting your choice now?”

Shui Yongquan shook his head. He poured a little water from his gourd and let it drip onto both pieces of the deed. The droplets moved across the surface and quickly washed away all the old bloodstains.

This water of his was so powerful!

Shui Yongquan said, ”We still don’t know whether Madam Kinless is alive or dead. If both your blood and hers are left on the same deed, you might end up having to share this place with her someday. Let’s wipe her blood clean first, then draw up a paper contract. After that, this territory will belong to you alone.”

Qiu Luoye frowned and said, ”We still need to add another contract?”

”Just do it. When the Inner Provinces grant territories, they used paper contracts. Local land deities also used paper contracts whenever they cede a territory after a fight. Having one would make things safer.”

A paper contract was simply a contract written on paper.

Qiu Luoye had once lost a battle to Shui Yongquan and ceded fifteen kilometers of land to him. At the time, the two sides drew up a paper contract and splattered blood on the territory being transferred. Only after that did the transfer become official.

Based on what Shui Yongquan said, it seemed that land deities also needed to sign a paper contract when they were granted territory. That meant that there was probably some special connection between the paper contract and the iron deed.

Shui Yongquan found some paper and a brush in the house. Qiu Luoye picked them up, thought for a while, then asked, ”What am I supposed to write?”

This was not a formal grant of land. It was more like taking territory after a fight. In this case, the contract should say that Madam Kinless had been defeated by Qiu Luoye and agreed to give him all of Kinless Township. But was the person they had just defeated really Madam Kinless? And even if she was, had she actually agreed to give him the land? She had already been beaten into scraps, so there was no way to ask her now.

Li Banfeng suggested, ”The previous owner’s blood has already been wiped from the iron deed anyway. Just write that Qiu Luoye seized Kinless Township by force. There’s no need to say exactly who he took it from.”

Shui Yongquan was even more careful as he suggested, ”Don’t use the words ’seized by force.’ Just write that Qiu Luoye obtained Kinless Township.”

Qiu Luoye was very pleased with that. There were only five words, and apart from ”obtained,” none of the other words were difficult to write.

Shui Yongquan showed him how to write it a few times. Once Qiu Luoye learned how to spell obtained, he picked up the brush and finished the paper contract. After that, he splattered his blood on the paper and on the territory itself.

Qiu Luoye turned to Shui Yongquan. ”You did most of the work in this fight, so I can’t just take everything for myself. The territory will be mine, but we will split the human auras equally. Whenever you need some, just come to me and take your share. As for my territory and Kinless Township, Old Qi would be the major landowner. He can do whatever he wants in my territory and in Kinless Township. From now on, no matter how much trouble Old Qi causes in these two territories, I won’t get angry!”

Shui Yongquan laughed. ”Elephant Qiu, I knew I wasn’t wrong about you!”

Li Banfeng said, ”Big Bro Qiu, I am a good person.”

Qiu Luoye splattered his blood onto both pieces of the iron deed again.

At once, two lines of text appeared on the back of each one.

The first line read: Qiu Luoye obtained Kinless Township.

The second line read: Territory of 3188 plots.

Qiu Luoye stared at the lines of texts on the iron deed in surprise. ”So words can show up on the iron deed! So why was there nothing on them before?”

Shui Yongquan shook his head. ”I can’t figure that out either.”

The paper contract and the iron deed were really connected, and Qiu Luoye’s blood was what triggered that connection. However, there should be ten thousand plots in a land of fifty kilometers. Why were there only a little over three thousand here? And who had erased the writing that had originally been on the iron deed?

They could not make sense of it for the moment and Li Banfeng said to Qiu Luoye, ”Big Bro Qiu, find a good place and bury the deeds first. Let me go deal with Qiao Shaofen’s body so no one gets suspicious.”

In response, Qiu Luoye praised him again and again. ”Old Qi, you really are thorough.”