The Overlord of Puluo

Qiu Zhiheng went back inside, reached over to stroke his wife’s cheek, and smiled. ”Were you really planning to fight Lu Dongliang just now?”

Bamboo snorted. ”You couldn’t tell? That was not Lu Dongliang at all!”

Qiu Zhiheng froze for a bit. He really couldn’t tell.

Bamboo said, ”When he saw me slim down just now, he actually looked startled. How could Lu Dongliang possibly be surprised by that? He knows exactly what path I cultivate and what level I am at.”

Qiu Zhiheng thought Lu Dongliang’s reaction had seemed reasonable enough. ”Maybe he just didn’t expect you to really make a move against him.”

Bamboo snorted. ”You still don’t believe me? That really wasn’t Lu Dongliang! Haven’t you read the newspapers these past two days? The news is already everywhere!”

Qiu Zhiheng really had not read the papers lately as he had been out buying medicinal herbs.

Bamboo handed Qiu Zhiheng a newspaper. ”Take a good look. It says right here that someone has been pretending to be Lu Dongliang and going around swindling people. I didn’t believe it at first, but after meeting him myself, I certainly do now.”

”He’s really an impostor?” Qiu Zhiheng still found it hard to believe. He had served Lu Dongliang for so many years, yet the man just now had not shown a single obvious flaw.

Bamboo picked up another newspaper. ”Every paper is reporting it. The man pretending to be Lu Dongliang has high cultivation, and there’s no evil he won’t do. He even violated a child’s father right in front of the man’s wife. What sort of person does something like that?”

”He had his way with the kid’s father?” Qiu Zhiheng was now certain this man could not be Lu Dongliang. Lu Dongliang had always loved fooling around, but never to that extent.

”That man just now was no ordinary impostor,” Qiu Zhiheng said and set the newspaper down. ”He’s probably after Chunying and Old Qi. I need to make a trip to Greenwater City. I can’t just stand by and let him cause trouble there.”

Bamboo sat down on Qiu Zhiheng’s lap and gave him a reproachful look. ”Going back to be the Lu Family’s steward again?”

Qiu Zhiheng smiled and shook his head. ”Don’t worry. I am not risking my life for anyone else anymore. From now on, I just want to focus on our own family and make a good life for us.”

***

Late at night in Greenwater City, a paperboy was dozing by the roadside with three newspapers still in his hands. He could not go home until he sold them all.

Lu Dongliang walked over and bought one. The moment he saw the story on the newspaper, he gave a cold laugh.

Someone’s going around pretending to be Lu Dongliang and swindling people? Who leaked the news?

Lu Dongliang tossed the newspaper aside and made his way to a small courtyard on Hanyuan Street.

Lu Maoxian was dead. His property had been taken back by the Lu Family’s main branch, and his children had all gone their separate ways.

Lu Dongchun lived alone in the little courtyard. No one usually came to visit, and she rarely went out herself.

Hearing someone enter the yard, Lu Dongchun lit an oil lamp and stepped out of the house.

When she saw that the person in the courtyard was Lu Dongliang, she didn’t show any change in expression. The hand that held the oil lamp just trembled slightly. ”Big Brother, is that you?”

”If it isn’t me, who else could it be?” Lu Dongliang smiled.

Lu Dongchun couldn’t believe it, but after looking at Lu Dongliang carefully, she felt that she shouldn’t feel suspicious. Torn between belief and suspicion, she stood there as the oil lamp trembled uncontrollably in her hand.

Lu Dongliang looked around the plain little courtyard and sighed. ”A young lady of the Lu Family shouldn’t be living in a place like this. Pack your things. You are moving tomorrow. I have bought you a new house.”

Lu Dongchun spoke in a monotone, but there was just this sadness in her voice. ”Big Brother, I am no longer part of the Lu Family.”

”Who says you’re not?”

”The head of the Lu Family, Lu Chunying.”

Lu Dongliang frowned. ”Does the Lu Family have another family head?”

”But now...”

”No buts. I’m asking you, does the Lu Family have another family head?”

”No.” This time, Lu Dongchun stopped wavering and answered with complete certainty.

Lu Dongliang smiled. ”I will come pick you up tomorrow.”

He turned to leave, but Lu Dongchun suddenly wrapped her arms around him from behind.

”Don’t go, Big Brother. Don’t go...”

Her face remained expressionless and her voice was calm, yet Lu Dongliang could still hear the longing and attachment beneath her words. It seemed like he wouldn’t be able to leave tonight and it seemed like there was something odd about the relationship between these siblings.

This imposter Lu Dongliang really hadn’t prepared for this. Then again, perhaps some things didn’t require much preparation. But how was he supposed to do it with a Threadbound Cultivator?

***

In Qi Qiu City, Lu Yuanxin was growing restless.

”Miss, that fake Lu Dongliang has been holding banquets at the family estate every day. He’s even publicly announced that Lu Dongchun has been restored to her place in the family. I think we should head back to Greenwater City and see what’s going on.”

Lu Chunying asked, ”What has Madam Duan said about it?”

”According to the reports we have received so far, Madam Duan still hasn’t stated her stance, and the fake Lu Dongliang hasn’t gone back to the Lu Family’s main residence either.”

Lu Chunying responded, ”Just do what Big Bro Qi says. As long as that imposter hasn’t entered the Lu Family’s main residence, we don’t need to concern ourselves with him.”

Lu Yuanxin said, ”But I am worried...”

Lu Chunying smiled. ”Big Bro Yuanxin, you have to trust me. I have a solution.”

Did Lu Chunying really have a solution? As of now, she had none. If she went back to Greenwater City, Lu Dongliang would ask her to meet him and then announce before the entire family that he was reclaiming the position of family head. But what could Lu Chunying possibly do to fight back?

Could she fight him? She wouldn’t be able to beat him. According to Li Qi’s guess, this imposter Lu Dongliang should be at the Cloudborne Layer. Not only would she not be able to win, Li Qi would not be able to win too.

Could she expose him as an imposter? This was very difficult.

If the two confronted each other before the entire family, Lu Dongliang would hardly give Lu Chunying a chance to speak. This was why Lu Chunying couldn’t go back to Greenwater City. For now, she could only stay in Qi Qiu City.

Would this imposter Lu Dongliang come after Lu Chunying in Qi Qiu City? If he came here, he would have to answer to Qiu Luoye and three thousand three-headed people. Qi Qiu City was Li Qi’s stronghold, and on his own turf, he wasn’t afraid of anyone at the Cloudborne Layer.

Until Duan Shaoxia allowed Lu Dongliang through her doors, his identity could not be considered fully confirmed. Lu Chunying only needed to stay in Qi Qiu City and tend to her business, acting as though the impostor wasn’t worth her attention. As long as she did that, ”Lu Dongliang” had no way to force her hand.

What was Duan Shaoxia’s attitude toward all this? She was under a great deal of pressure.

”Xiuling, could you go take another look for me? Is that man really Dongliang?”

Zhang Xiuling was speechless. Over the past few days, she had attended three banquets of various sizes and confirmed his identity three separate times.

”Sister, as far as I can tell, he really is Lu Dongliang. I honestly can’t find anything suspicious about him. If you still don’t trust my judgment, go meet him yourself. If it isn’t convenient to meet outside, invite him home instead. He’s going to have to come back to this house sooner or later anyway.”

”No, I can’t. I can’t just let him come here whenever he wants,” Duan Shaoxia said as she shook her head again and again.

If Lu Dongliang was an impostor, she absolutely could not allow him to set foot inside the main residence. The moment she did, her reputation would be ruined.

If he was the real Lu Dongliang, however, then she must ensure his return to the main residence. She also had to prepare herself for what would happen next, because the first thing Lu Dongliang would do after coming home was kill Zhang Huaiyi.

The real Lu Dongliang would never allow a man of uncertain origins to get his hands on the family fortune, even if that man really might be his illegitimate son.

So if Lu Dongliang came back, how was Duan Shaoxia supposed to keep Zhang Huaiyi alive?

She could simply tell Lu Dongliang the truth. She had switched Zhang Huaiyi with Lu Yuanhai, who had been lying sick in bed, with the activation of an ability.

Duan Shaoxia really felt the urge to confess everything. However, the more she thought about it, the clearer it became that this would never work. What would the real Lu Dongliang do once he learned the truth?

He would kill both Zhang Huaiyi and Lu Yuanhai. Anyone outside the family who had laid a hand on his fortune would have to die. Lu Dongliang would not spare a single one. This left Duan Shaoxia with only one choice. Whether Lu Dongliang was real or not, she had to insist that he was an impostor and refuse to let him through the door.

He Yuxiu went to Yellowclay Bridge to find Li Banfeng. She asked, ”How long can Duan Shaoxia keep this up? Big Bro Qi, I am a little scared. I was involved in what happened to Lu Dongliang back then. Lu Dongjun is dead, and so is Zhuo Yuling. Now Lu Dongliang has come back from the Inner Provinces. If he wants revenge, I am probably the first person he’ll come after.”

Li Banfeng smiled. ”Yuxiu, he really isn’t Lu Dongliang.”

”But so many people say it is him! Everyone who’s met him says he’s the real Lu Dongliang!”

Li Banfeng found that strange too. Every major newspaper had already spread the warning that someone was impersonating Lu Dongliang to swindle people. Everyone knew about it, yet so many were still being fooled. What exactly was going on?

”Yuxiu, that man really isn’t Lu Dongliang. If I say he isn’t, then he isn’t.”

”Big Bro Qi...”

Li Banfeng gave her a look. ”Yuxiu, if you keep arguing with me, I will have to punish you with the rules of the house.”

He Yuxiu did not dare say another word. Li Banfeng figured the timing was about right and told her to wait inside for a while.

They were in the hotel that Li Banfeng had recently built and renovated in Yellowclay Bridge. He Yuxiu glanced around the room and sighed. ”Why did you bother building this? Is there even any hope left for a place like Yellowclay Bridge?”

With a cigarette between her lips, He Yuxiu stood by the window, staring absently outside. A moment later, Li Banfeng came back, leading someone into the room.

The man looked to be in his forties, tall and straight-backed, with lean cheeks, thick brows, and large eyes. He wore a yellow wool coat. The moment He Yuxiu saw him, she spat the cigarette from her mouth, grabbed the chair beside her, and charged straight at him.

”Yuxiu, calm down!” Li Banfeng grabbed ”Lu Dongliang” and pulled him out of the way as He Yuxiu came swinging.

”Big Bro Qi, let’s take him down!” He Yuxiu shouted. ”This one’s real! That yellow wool coat he’s wearing was custom-made in England. There’s no way I would mistake it!”

Two minutes later, Li Banfeng sat in the room, still catching his breath as he scolded He Yuxiu.

”Yuxiu, you have really gotten bold, haven’t you? You don’t even listen to me anymore. I told you he was a fake, so why did you still attack him? Such a perfectly good ’Lu Dongliang,’ and you nearly smashed him to pieces!”

He Yuxiu looked embarrassed. ”Big Bro Qi, you made him look far too convincing. If his voice hadn’t sounded different, I honestly wouldn’t have been able to tell.”

”We can adjust the voice later. Take another look and see if there’s anything else we missed.”

He Yuxiu examined this fake Lu Dongliang carefully from head to toe. ”Big Bro Qi, there’s nothing wrong with his appearance. He looks exactly like Lu Dongliang.”

Li Banfeng was still angry. ”Do you have any idea how much work it took me to renovate this hotel? I had only finished two rooms, and you have already wrecked one of them!”

He Yuxiu lowered her head. ”I will accept whatever punishment you give me.”

Li Banfeng snorted. ”I don’t need money!”

He Yuxiu flushed. ”Then I will take a beating.”

Li Banfeng sighed. ”I will save that beating for later. We have more important business to take care of first.”

Business? He Yuxiu glanced at the bed. ”Then I will tidy up first.”

”Not here. We are going back to Greenwater City,” Li Banfeng said and pointed at the fake Lu Dongliang. ”We are going to turn this fake into the real thing.”

He Yuxiu pointed at the fake Lu Dongliang. ”This is a muskmelon person. How are we supposed to pass him off as the real Lu Dongliang? And you don’t even have Lu Dongliang’s blood, so how did you make him?”

It was really a muskmelon person, and Li Banfeng had not created him with Lu Dongliang’s blood. He had only been chosen because his build was similar to Lu Dongliang’s.

Li Banfeng’s wifey covered this muskmelon in clay and carefully shaped it until he looked exactly like Lu Dongliang. From the outside, there was no flaw at all.

However, appearance was one thing. On the inside, the muskmelon person was nothing like the real Lu Dongliang.

”Yuxiu, this Lu Dongliang is real,” Li Banfeng said as he looked at ”Lu Dongliang.” ”The He Family says he’s real. Li Qi says he’s real. Ma Wu says he’s real. The Chu Family says he’s real. Lu Chunying says he’s real, and Duan Shaoxia will have to say he’s real too. We have witnesses, evidence, and proof from every side. That makes him real!”

***

At the Lu Family’s main residence in Greenwater City...

Duan Shaoxia spent every day on edge, unable to eat or sleep properly. She was terrified that Lu Dongliang might suddenly force his way into the main residence.

If he did, she would fight him to the death. No matter what happened, she could never admit that he was the real Lu Dongliang. Even if it cost her life, she had to protect her son.

That night, one of the support hooks came to report. ”Madam, Chief Qiu is back.”

”Zhiheng!” Duan Shaoxia lit up. ”Quick, let him in!”

”He didn’t come alone. He Yuxiu and Li Qi are with him.”

”He Yuxiu and Li Qi?” Duan Shaoxia hesitated for a moment. ”They are on our side too. Let them all in!”

Before long, Qiu Zhiheng, Li Qi, and He Yuxiu entered the house.

Duan Shaoxia looked at the other two. ”Yuxiu, Brother Li Qi, please wait here for a bit. I need to speak with Zhiheng alone.”

He Yuxiu smiled. ”Shaoxia, what are you saying? It’s the middle of the night, and you want to be alone with a man?”

Duan Shaoxia was too anxious to care about propriety. ”This is a family matter.”

Qiu Zhiheng said, ”Madam Duan, if there’s something you want to say, just say it here.”

Duan Shaoxia shook her head. ”Family matters can’t be discussed in front of outsiders.”

He Yuxiu said, ”Shaoxia, I already know what’s going on in your family. You parade Zhang Huaiyi around with you every day. Did you really think I couldn’t tell? That child is Yuanhai, isn’t he? You used your ability to swap their souls!”

Duan Shaoxia trembled. ”He Yuxiu, don’t talk nonsense. Swap souls? There’s no such thing in this world!”

He Yuxiu smiled. ”Shaoxia, you really think too little of me. I have spent years making my way through the jianghu. Anyone who knows me calls me Big Sis Xiu. Do you think there’s an ability I haven’t seen before?

”You used a Love Cultivator ability called Bone and Blood Exchange. As long as two people are closely related by blood, their souls can be switched. If you still refuse to admit it, then I won’t get involved in your family’s affairs. Once Lu Dongliang comes back, you won’t be able to save that son of yours!”

Duan Shaoxia looked at He Yuxiu. ”Is that Dongliang the real one?”

He Yuxiu snorted. ”Who knows which one is real? As far as I am concerned, the one who can keep your son alive is the real Lu Dongliang!”

Duan Shaoxia stared at her in surprise. ”What do you mean by that?”

Li Qi said, ”I can bring you back a Lu Dongliang, and I can guarantee that this one won’t kill your son.”

At first, Duan Shaoxia did not understand what he meant. After thinking it over for a long while, she shook her head repeatedly. ”You are all working together to set me up!”

Qiu Zhiheng said, ”Although I am no longer part of the Lu Family, I would never scheme against the Lu Family. Madam Duan, if you want to keep Yuanhai safe, this is the only way.”

However, no matter what they said, Duan Shaoxia refused to agree.

He Yuxiu sighed. ”Shaoxia, go back to your room and rest for a while. I will talk this over with you in private later.”

Duan Shaoxia went back into her room. He Yuxiu got up to follow her, and Li Banfeng lowered his voice and asked, ”How are you planning to convince her?”

”I learned a few tricks from Nectarine. I will have her convinced in no time.”

No matter how much Li Banfeng thought, he could not figure out what sort of tricks Nectarine could have taught He Yuxiu.

Qiu Zhiheng shook his head. He did not even know who Nectarine was.

An hour later, Duan Shaoxia came out of the room. She touched up her makeup, took a deep breath, and said, ”All right. We will do as you suggested!”

Li Banfeng smiled.

After leaving the Lu Family’s main residence, he told Luo Zhengnan, ”Let Lu Chunying know she can come back to Greenwater City.”

***

Greenwater City, Greenrise Road.

He Jiaqing bought a newspaper and leaned against a wall to read for a while. Then he took a silver dollar from his coat and tossed it into a beggar’s bowl.

The beggar shook the bowl. ”See that? Lu Dongliang is back. Do you think it’s really him?”

He Jiaqing smiled. ”Can’t you tell if he’s real or fake?”

The Greenwater Beggar shook his head. ”This time, I honestly can’t. I think he really is Lu Dongliang.”

He Jiaqing handed the newspaper to the Greenwater Beggar as well. ”I will have to find time to meet this man. He could be very useful to me.”

Author’s Note:

PS: Who exactly is this fake Lu Dongliang? Why does he look so much like the real one? And why does everyone who meets him end up feeling so conflicted, unable to decide whether he’s real or fake?