The Overlord of Puluo

Sun Tiecheng taught Li Banfeng the key principles of the Ironclad and Mountain-Solid Evidence ability.

”For the ability Ironclad and Mountain-Solid Evidence, the first thing you need is proper evidence. Not promises, not swearing, and certainly not someone thumping their chest and declaring that every word they say is true. That’s all nonsense.

”Real ironclad evidence has to be something the other person can see with their own eyes and touch with their own hands. It has to be solid, undeniable, and sitting right there in front of them.

”Once you have got that, you must settle the matter without the slightest hesitation. Don’t say it seems reasonable. Don’t say it should be true. And don’t say you are ninety percent certain. Ninety percent still leaves ten percent for doubt, and the moment doubt creeps in, the ability stops working.

”When the evidence is ironclad and mountain-solid, there is no room left for hesitation, argument, retreat, or clever little excuses. The other person has nowhere to wriggle and nowhere to hide. That’s when the evidence becomes as solid and immovable as a mountain. And if they still refuse to accept it, that mountain will come down on top of them and pin them there until they can’t move!”

So that was why Li Banfeng had been unable to move when Yancui’er pinned him down. A mountain had really been pressing on him.

What a useful ability!

Li Banfeng already had a good grasp of how it worked. With this move, he was certain he could help Qiu Luoye get past the first trial.

After thanking Sun Tiecheng, Li Banfeng prepared to head back to Qi Qiu City, but Sun Tiecheng was not pleased and complained, ”You come whenever you feel like it, learn what you want, then leave the moment you have got it. What do you take this place for? Weren’t you here to celebrate New Year’s? At least stay and eat the New Year’s dinner first!”

Li Banfeng said, ”I can have the dinner another time, and I won’t forget to repay you for this. Let me take care of the important matter first.”

Sun Tiecheng refused to accept this. ”Nonsense! A few days from now won’t be New Year’s anymore, will it? Yanhong, tell the kitchen to lay out a proper feast. Yanqing’er, get the girls singing. Yancui’er, sit on him if you have to!”

Sun Tiecheng was going to use force. Li Banfeng made a dash for the door, but his legs suddenly went soft beneath him. He had barely reached the threshold when Yancui’er caught him and yanked him back.

Li Banfeng was panicking and bouncing about the hall while everyone tried to stop him from making his escape. Then, right in the middle of all the fuss, a familiar cry came drifting in from the street.

”Foreign soap! Snow moisturizing cream! Foreign fire, foreign candles, foreign shovels! Come have a look, come have a see! A whole cart of fine goods, take your pick!”

Peddler! Li Banfeng was overjoyed. He thought he would be saved and was about to dash out when Sun Tiecheng blocked his way out.

”Shut the door!”

At Sun Tiecheng’s order, Yanhong hurried to close it. Yancui’er cracked open a window and peered out through the gap.

Sun Tiecheng lowered his voice. ”Don’t make a sound. Don’t let him know I am here.”

Li Banfeng stared at him. ”You are that afraid of the Peddler?”

Sun Tiecheng shook his head. ”I am not afraid of him. He’s afraid of me. He looks rather shabby right now, and he doesn’t want me seeing him like that.”

”Shabby?” Li Banfeng was surprised. There were not many people in Puluo Province who would dare describe the Peddler that way.

Li Banfeng peered through the crack in the window and agreed that the Peddler did look rather shabby.

”Elder Sister, what do you think of these hair ties? The whole bundle? And you’re only giving me one yuan?”

An old woman snatched up the entire bundle, dropped a single yuan into the Peddler’s hand, and marched off before he could say another word.

The Peddler endured it.

”Sir, have you taken a fancy to this bucket?”

An old man grabbed the leather bucket he had been eyeing, tossed down a single yuan, and took off running.

The Peddler put up with that too.

A young woman came over with a bottle and helped herself to two enormous scoops of snow moisturizing cream. Then she plonked down a single yuan and walked off.

Now, the Peddler might have sold the snow moisturizing cream loose from a tub, but it was excellent stuff. Hong Ying loved it. It left her skin wonderfully soft and smooth, which made Wifey terribly jealous. And even that cost only one yuan.

Since when did the Peddler start running a one-yuan shop? Could it be that even the cultivation-activating powder would cost only one yuan?

An old man spent ages rummaging through the Peddler’s cart, digging through boxes and tossing things this way and that until the whole cart was in a dreadful mess. Then, after all that, he bought nothing at all.

The Peddler did not get angry.

Next came a child. He darted up, grabbed a fistful of white sugar, stuffed it into his mouth, and ran off.

The Peddler still did not get angry.

Soon people stopped even pretending to shop. They simply walked up and snatched whatever they fancied straight from the cart.

And still the Peddler did not lose his temper.

What could be the reason?

When everything in the whole cart had been taken, the Peddler pushed the cart and left. He left in silence because his rattle drum had been taken as well.

Li Banfeng watched the Peddler trudge farther and farther down the street with his empty cart, still completely baffled by what he had just seen.

The Peddler had once warned Li Banfeng to stay well away from Folly Cultivators. Yet here he was, wandering straight into Yuren City himself and getting thoroughly taken advantage of.

Li Banfeng turned to Sun Tiecheng. ”Brother Sun, did the Peddler lose some kind of bet with you?”

Sun Tiecheng shook his head. ”I have never made a bet with him.”

Li Banfeng tried again. ”Then did you fight him and win?”

Sun Tiecheng gave a short laugh. ”In Puluo Province, I will take on just anyone in a fight without feeling scared. But that Peddler? I can’t beat him.”

Li Banfeng couldn’t understand. ”If he didn’t lose a bet or lose in a fight, why would he come here just to let everyone take advantage of him?”

A trace of resentment crept into Sun Tiecheng’s smile. ”Because he owes me.”

What did the Peddler owe him?

Sun Tiecheng clearly had no intention of saying any more, andLi Banfeng had never been the sort to ask other people things they did not want to talk about.

Sun Tiecheng brought up Qiu Luoye again. ”You came all the way here to learn an ability because you want to strip Qiu Luoye of his Cloudborne Layer cultivation, then help him get it back afterward.”

Li Banfeng stared at him. ”You even know about that?”

Sun Tiecheng looked rather pleased with himself. ”Who do you think I am? The moment you came into the city and started causing trouble, I knew what you were after. It would be right for you to learn Ironclad and Mountain-Solid Evidence, but you have barely scratched the surface. What little you have learned isn’t enough to save Qiu Luoye.

”Qiu Luoye has quite a reputation among the land deities, and that reputation isn’t just hot air from that long nose of his. He earned it with real ability. If you don’t master the ability properly, you will never fool him. Stay here for a couple of days and let the girls put you through some proper training. When it comes to Folly Cultivator skills, you are not even as good as them.”

Li Banfeng shook his head. ”I’d like to master the ability properly too, but I don’t have that kind of time. The Inner Provinces could make its move as early as today.”

”They won’t!” Sun Tiecheng sounded very confident. ”The Inner Provinces finally got its hands on a piece of Proper Land. They won’t kill Qiu Luoye off so easily. They will wait at least another three to five days. Stay here and focus on mastering the ability. Don’t leave until you have really gotten the hang of it. You only get one shot at this. If you fail the first time, you won’t get another chance. There’s one more thing you need to remember. Before Qiu Luoye grows his own flesh and blood, you absolutely cannot tell him that his soul has separated from his flesh. The moment he realizes it, the ability will fail. Once he’s separated from his original flesh, you need to find another body for him immediately and attach it as a temporary substitute. He has to keep using that borrowed flesh until his own grows back.”

After stripping his own flesh and before growing flesh of his own, Qiu Luoye would still need a temporary body for this transitional period. This was a little difficult.

Li Banfeng asked, ”How do I attach the new flesh to Qiu Luoye?”

”That’s the Skill of Fleshbuilding. I will ask Yancui’er to teach you,” Sun Tiecheng said. He then warned, ”And while you are learning from Yancui’er, you must watch what you say. Don’t go running your mouth and hurting Cuier’s feelings. More importantly, remember that Ironclad and Mountain-Solid Evidence has to be truly irrefutable. The flesh you put on him has to look like him, or you won’t be able to keep the illusion stable. You absolutely cannot give him any reason to become suspicious. The moment he starts doubting it, everything you’ve done will be wasted.”

Li Banfeng asked, ”Brother Sun, you seem to think pretty highly of Big Bro Qiu, don’t you?”

Sun Tiecheng did not reply.

Li Banfeng continued, ”Big Bro Sun, if you think Big Bro Qiu is worth saving, would you be willing to make the trip yourself? We can work something out for the payment. I will find a way.”

Sun Tiecheng looked at him and asked the question that apparently mattered most. ”You keep calling yourself my final disciple, so why are you calling me Big Bro Sun? What are the rules?”

Li Banfeng folded his arms and grinned. ”We are all family here. What’s wrong with calling each other whatever feels closest? No need to fuss over all these rules.”

Sun Tiecheng smiled and called out, ”Yancui’er, hold him down! I am going to get a knife and chop him up!”

Yancui’er actually went over and pinned Li Banfeng down.

Tang Changfa hurried to intervene. ”Sir, please calm down!”

Sun Tiecheng shoved him aside. ”No! I am chopping him up today no matter what!”

***

For three days, Li Banfeng trained day and night under the girls, and his abilities improved considerably.

When Sun Tiecheng happened to stop by, Li Banfeng brewed him a pot of tea.

It was rare to see Li Banfeng behave with such proper manners, so Sun Tiecheng was quite pleased. He lifted the cup, took a sip, smacked his lips as he tasted it, then asked, ”Isn’t this tea a little weak?”

Li Banfeng replied, ”Weak tea is good for you. It’s easier on the stomach.”

Sun Tiecheng took another sip and savored it for a moment. ”It certainly is easy on the stomach. This is plain water. Why are you insisting it’s tea?”

Li Banfeng froze. ”How can it be plain water? It came out of a teapot! Anything brewed in a teapot is naturally tea. This is Ironclad and Mountain-Solid Evidence!”

”But there aren’t any tea leaves in the pot. Doesn’t that make it water?”

”Of course there are tea leaves!” Li Banfeng picked up a packet of tea from the tray. ”They are right here, aren’t they? This is Ironclad and Mountain-Solid Evidence!”

”Did you actually put them in the pot?”

Li Banfeng glanced at Yancui’er.

Yancui’er nodded. ”The shopkeeper put them in himself. I saw it.”

Sun Tiecheng stared at her in surprise. ”You saw him?”

Yancui’er nodded firmly.

Li Banfeng declared, ”We have got both a witness and the evidence!”

Sun Tiecheng picked up the teacup and took another sip. Oddly enough, this time he really did taste a hint of tea.

Folly Cultivator abilities worked regardless of cultivation level. The fact that even Sun Tiecheng could taste tea meant Li Banfeng had truly mastered the ability.

”Not bad, kid. You have actually got some talent!” Sun Tiecheng was quite pleased. ”How’s your progress with the Skill of Fleshbuilding?”

Yancui’er blushed. ”He’s learned it really well.”

Sun Tiecheng paused. ”Yancui’er, since when could you blush?”

Li Banfeng frowned. ”How can you just ask her something like that? Aren’t you worried about hurting Yancui’er’s feelings?”

Sun Tiecheng smiled. He had already figured out how Li Banfeng had done it.

The trick itself was actually quite simple. Li Banfeng had taken some blood stored in the Blood Pendulum and used the Skill of Fleshbuilding to put it into Yancui’er’s body. Once there was blood flowing through her, it was only natural that she could blush.

And it was not just her cheeks that had turned rosy. Other parts of her body had gained a healthy flush as well, but Yancui’er refused to let anyone see. She had already declared that from now on, no one but Li Qi was allowed to look.

Tang Changfa gave a snort. ”If you won’t let anyone look, how is the Literary House supposed to do any business?”

Yancui’er snorted right back. ”Business? Has this place ever had any? Have I ever done business in my life? Because I don’t remember it.”

Tang Changfa’s face twisted, and he fell silent.

The Literary House had never had much chance of doing business at all. Anyone foolish enough to wander in from outside Yuren City ended up having their flesh shaved away, and even the people who lived inside the city knew better than to come here for a bit of fun.

The girls could dress themselves up until they looked like flowers in full bloom and stand outside smiling at passerbys, but could they really get those passerbys to come inside?

They practiced their songs every day. They learned how to brew tea properly. And when evening came, the sisters even practiced their bedchamber skills on one another. But could all these skills really be used?

The Literary House was not the only shop functioning this way. How many businesses could the restaurants and hotels entertain in a year?

They hung signs outside so they could tell themselves they had a livelihood.

They kept up a livelihood that brought in no business so they would have something to look forward to. And they needed something to look forward to so they could keep believing they were still alive.

There was one thing nobody must ever do, and that was say any of this aloud. If the truth behind the whole arrangement were exposed as well, even someone with Tang Changfa’s cultivation might not be able to handle it.

Now that Yancui’er had some color in her cheeks, she naturally became prettier. Yanhong and Yanqing’er were terribly envious. As for how long this blood would remain viable depended on how carefully Yancui’er looked after herself.

Yancui’er had taken good care of Li Banfeng these past few days, so he promised that the next time he came, he would bring her plenty more blood.

Sun Tiecheng was fairly satisfied with Li Banfeng’s progress. ”Go find Qiu Luoye. You should be able to get him through the Soul-Separation Trial, but don’t rush into anything. Nothing must go wrong in the Trial of Rebirth and the Trial of Guarding the Territory. Prepare as thoroughly as you can, and don’t overlook even the smallest detail. But just because you need to be thorough, doesn’t mean you can drag things further. Don’t delay anymore. Three days have already passed. I think the Inner Provinces will come up with some new tricks within the next day or two.”

Sun Tiecheng knew the entire process of passing the three trials inside and out.

Li Banfeng never expected anyone to do things for him for free. The abilities Sun Tiecheng had taught him before had been his reward for passing the trial of worthiness, but this time was different. These new abilities deserved a separate payment.

Li Banfeng gave him a deep bow. ”Big Bro Sun, is there anything I can do for you? If one thing isn’t enough, name a few.”

As it happened, Sun Tiecheng really did have something in mind. He looked around at everyone in the Literary House. ”Which of you wants to go outside and see a bit more of the world?”

Li Banfeng understood at once. ”Anyone who wants to go can come with me.”

Tang Changfa lowered his head without a word, and none of the girls spoke either.

Sun Tiecheng glanced at Yancui’er. She bit her lip. She wanted to go with Li Qi, but after hesitating for a long while, she still could not bring herself to say it.

They all wanted to see what lay beyond Yuren City, but they were simply too afraid to leave.

Sun Tiecheng sighed. ”You lot really are hopeless. What are you all going to do in the future? Old Qi, if you are going up against the Inner Provinces, keep your wits about you at all times. Don’t get careless. And take good care of yourself.”

”Big Bro Sun, thank you for the warning. I will remember what you have done for me, and when the time comes to repay the favor, I won’t hesitate.”

Li Banfeng took off at a run and raced all the way through the New Land back to Qi Qiu City.

Ma Wu had already prepared the medicinal herbs. Li Banfeng sent them all into the Pocket Dwelling and had the Bronze Lotus refine them into pills.

They had originally agreed on two days, but Li Banfeng had spent three days learning the abilities and nearly another full day on the road. Four whole days had passed. By now, Qiu Luoye should have become thoroughly familiar with the territory around Kinless Township.

Qiu Luoye was confident too. ”I can remember anywhere I have been to.”

Li Banfeng took him around to test that claim. Yet not long after they left Junyang Avenue, something about Qiu Luoye’s memory seemed off.

”There’s an alley here. Go through it and you will see a river. If you cross the river, there’s a place that sells soy milk. Their soy milk is pretty good.”

Li Banfeng looked at the alley Qiu Luoye had pointed out. ”Big Bro, you are telling me that you took this alley to get across the river for soy milk?”

Qiu Luoye nodded. ”It’s this alley indeed. I can’t be wrong.”

”Big Bro, this is a dead end.”

Qiu Luoye scratched his head, sweat beading on his face. ”Did I remember wrong? Maybe it was the alley next door?”

It was not that he had not been paying attention. He had spent the past few days wandering all over Kinless Township, but no matter how many times he went around, he simply could not remember the roads.

Once they left town, things got even worse. Qiu Luoye completely lost his sense of direction.

Li Banfeng remembered some science programs he had watched in the Outer Provinces. They had said that elephants had remarkably good memories, especially when it came to remembering routes. In that respect, at least, Qiu Luoye was not much like an elephant.

Li Banfeng returned to the Pocket Dwelling. Crimson Lotus had already finished refining the pill that could regrow flesh.

They had prepared thoroughly for the first two trials. Unexpectedly, the third trial became the biggest problem. Li Banfeng told the Gramophone about Qiu Luoye’s condition, and she gave her verdict without hesitation.

”Husband dear, even if he passed the first two trials, it won’t help. He barely knows his own territory, and the territory itself isn’t very huge. Even if you manage to restore his cultivation, he won’t be able to hold onto it. If his cultivation drops again after you restore it, Qiu Luoye will die on the spot.”

Should they let Qiu Luoye wander around for another two days? Two days probably would not make much difference. If he was allowed to walk around for a month or so, there might be an improvement.

Li Banfeng still remembered Sun Tiecheng’s warning. Sun Tiecheng seemed to know the Inner Provinces well. When he said that there was no rush, Qiu Luoye turned out to indeed be fine. And so, if he said that they couldn’t drag things further, it likely meant that the Inner Provinces would be making their move soon.

With a blade already at their throat, how much longer could they still wait?

Li Banfeng pondered and said, ”We can’t wait anymore. We will do it tonight.”

Author’s Note:

PS: What does the Peddler owe Sun Tiecheng? Why is it so coincidental that Li Banfeng bumped into the Peddler?

Readers dear! If you think the Overlord of Puluo is good, please give me some motivation. Please help the Overlord of Puluo rise up in the monthly ranking. Salagus bows to you all and thank you all for the love you all have shown me.