Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'

Ghost Hand Sect's Little Clamp Hand, Xing Qiushan, stumbled to the doorstep of an old mansion east of the Back Pond City God Temple and pounded on the door.

Someone from inside asked, "Who is it?"

"Yangting Road Little Clamp," Xing Qiushan replied.

Clamp Hand was a leader within the Ghost Hand Sect, and Little Clamp Hand was a subordinate leader. Yangting Road, Xing Qiushan's territory, was where Li Banfeng had been robbed.

Xing Qiushan was the man in the suit from the previous night. He had taken five men to rob Li Banfeng, not expecting to encounter such a lunatic. Three of his subordinates had died, the other two were injured, and he himself was also wounded.

Upon entering the main hall and seeing Sect Leader Xie Juncong, Xing Qiushan dropped to his knees and burst into tears.

"Boss, my brothers and I were 'working' (stealing) on our turf. We 'opened the sky window' (picked a pocket) and grabbed a 'hide' (wallet), but that villain went for the kill! Three brothers dead, two injured! Boss, you have to get justice for us!"

He meant that they were 'doing business' (stealing) on their own turf and had only stolen a wallet. For that, they were brutally attacked—three dead and two injured—so he was begging the Boss to help them get revenge.

Xie Juncong, over sixty years old, seemed hard of hearing. "Xiao Shanzi," he said, "what was that you were saying? I didn't quite catch it. You 'opened the sky window' and grabbed a wallet; by rights, that shouldn't have led to a fight, should it?"

Indeed, how could mere pickpocketing lead to such a violent confrontation?

Xing Qiushan replied, "That man's an 'old bird' (experienced); he caught us when we 'opened the window'."

Xie Juncong pressed further, "Since he caught you, why didn't you just toss the wallet and 'scatter' (make a run for it)?"

Right, if they had just dropped the wallet and fled, wouldn't everything have been fine?

"Boss, we did try to scatter, but he was relentless, determined to fight us to the death. We couldn't get away."

"Five of your brothers, plus you, makes six. And none of you could get away?"

Xing Qiushan grunted in affirmation. "Boss, we were cornered in an alley. We truly couldn't escape."

"You didn't check for an escape route before you made your move? That can't be right, Xiao Shanzi. You're no novice."

"We hadn't had any 'food' (stolen goods) for days. We were a bit desperate..."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Xie Juncong shook his head. "Xiao Shanzi, I'm getting old and muddled. Tell me the truth: were you lot out 'working,' or were you out to 'settle a score' (commit robbery)?"

To "settle a score" referred to highway robbery.

The Ghost Hand Sect was a sect of Thief Cultivators. Stealing was their trade; robbery was strictly forbidden.

Xing Qiushan certainly couldn't admit to robbery. "Old Boss, it was truly just 'working.' How would we dare violate the sect rules? Old Boss, surely you believe me?"

Xie Juncong looked at Xing Qiushan, who met his gaze without a hint of evasion.

After a moment of silence, Xie Juncong sighed. "Xiao Shanzi, I am truly muddled, but I believe you. How are the two injured brothers?"

"They can't even get up. Their injuries are severe!" Xing Qiushan continued to weep.

"Take some extra Ye Zi for them, let them recover properly. And the brothers who 'crossed the bridge' (died)—have you arranged their funerals yet?"

"Well... we haven't gotten around to it yet..."

"Then hurry and do so. Let them rest in peace. I truly am getting senile; I can't keep track of everything. Think for me if there's anything I've forgotten, and get it done right away."

Xie Juncong seemed to have said a lot, yet it also felt as if he had said nothing at all.

Was he really growing senile?

Not one bit.

Having spent a lifetime in the Ghost Hand Sect, rising from a street thief to Sect Leader, what hadn't he seen? Could Xing Qiushan possibly deceive him?

Xing Qiushan had gone out to rob, encountered formidable resistance, suffered heavy losses, and had barely escaped with his life.

According to the rules, Xing Qiushan should have been severely punished. But Xie Juncong turned a blind eye, letting the matter slide.

As for revenge, Xie Juncong wouldn't entertain the thought. He also wouldn't deal with the aftermath. This, too, was a form of punishment for Xing Qiushan.

Xing Qiushan left the Ghost Hand Sect's den, feeling thoroughly disgruntled. Suddenly, one of his injured subordinates, Deng Jingcai, approached him with a photograph. "Big Brother, I got this from the Middleman. This person is Li Banfeng; he's the one the Lu Family is looking for."

Xing Qiushan frowned. "Why are you showing me this?"

"Big Brother, take a closer look. Doesn't this man look a lot like that madman from last night?"

"Similar?" Xing Qiushan felt there was a significant difference. "The man last night had a big beard."

Deng Jingcai pointed at the photograph. "Big Brother, a beard can be grown easily enough! Look at these facial features, these eyes and brows. See how much they resemble him!"

Prompted by Deng Jingcai, Xing Qiushan also began to see a resemblance.

Deng Jingcai continued, "Big Brother, if we give this photo to the Old Sect Leader, it'll surely count as a great merit."

"Give it to the Old Sect Leader? Such little ambition." Xing Qiushan lowered his voice. "How much is the bounty on this man?"

Deng Jingcai thought for a moment. "I heard it's twenty thousand Ocean Dollars for capturing him alive, ten thousand if he's dead. Just providing information to the Lu Family gets three thousand."

Xing Qiushan frowned. "That's all?"

"That's a lot! I'm talking Ocean Dollars!"

"Ocean Dollars!" Xing Qiushan laughed. "My friend, not only will we get our revenge, but we're also going to strike it rich this time!"

***

Li Banfeng, his face still heavily made up, opened his eyes.

He rubbed his stomach, feeling a dull ache.

His wound had already scabbed over, and the bloodstains on his clothes and sheets were washed clean.

The Phonograph rested quietly by the bed, seemingly asleep.

Li Banfeng opened his pocket watch and glanced at it: ten o'clock.

Ten o'clock. This was a bit troublesome.

Li Banfeng didn't know how long he had slept.

His pocket watch was gilded and looked very classy, but its workmanship was crude. It didn't even have a calendar, so Li Banfeng couldn't tell if it was ten in the morning or ten at night.

Ordinarily, he would just step outside to check.

But now, he had to be cautious about going out; he was still in Greenwater City.

Li Banfeng cautiously pushed open the door to his room.

If it was dark, he would head straight back to Blue Poplar Village and focus on repairing his "wife."

If it was light, he would repair his "wife" now and wait until dark to leave Greenwater City.

Li Banfeng pushed open the door and saw it was bright outside. It was ten in the morning.

He quickly retreated into his Portable Residence, opened a can of food for a quick bite, then took out a screwdriver and wrench, preparing to disassemble the two phonographs and one projector.

The idea was sound, but execution proved difficult. Li Banfeng had learned some mechanics at university, but that knowledge was virtually useless against these three machines.

In Puluo State, the inability to use electrical devices on a large scale had driven mechanical engineering to its zenith. Even a professional technician from Yuezhou would likely find these three devices incomprehensible.

Li Banfeng, wrench in hand, was wondering where to begin when he suddenly heard the Phonograph hissing behind him.

"Husband~"

The call was sultry.

Excessively so.

Li Banfeng shivered and turned to look at his "wife." "You're awake?"

"Husband, you're just recovering from a serious injury. Don't get out of bed. Come, rest by Little Servant's side."

Li Banfeng crawled into the front cabinet of the Bellows Phonograph, intending to remove the lever, when a gentle puff of steam stopped him.

"Husband, why trouble yourself with such coarse work? Do Little Servant a favor and bring me that wretched Red Lotus."

"What do you want Red Lotus for?"

"Husband~ just bring Little Servant that wretched Red Lotus, please~"

Although his "wife's" voice was still occasionally off-key, it was undeniably sultry.

Li Banfeng didn't ask any more questions and hurriedly moved the Copper Lotus Flower over.

The Copper Lotus Flower, haloed in light, was still refining Straw Moth Lady's corpse.

His "wife" spoke in a soft, gentle voice, "Sister Red Lotus, I need your help with something."

Upon seeing the Steam Phonograph, clear dewdrops began to condense on the closed leaves of the Copper Lotus Flower.

Was this from excitement at seeing his "wife"? It seemed their relationship was quite good.

"'Dearest sister,' the Phonograph cooed, 'look at these machines. Such fine craftsmanship, such excellent materials. Won't you accept them?'"

The Copper Lotus Flower could accept machines?

The petals remained still; the Copper Lotus Flower seemed unwilling.

"'Dearest sister,' the Phonograph continued, 'I know you disdain such worldly items, but you heard last night. My husband risked his life for these things.'"

A few more dewdrops formed on the petals, as if ready to spill.

The Copper Lotus Flower seemed to be responding to the Phonograph.

After listening for a moment, the Phonograph replied, "That's not the way to put it. Although Husband did it for me, wasn't I also doing it for our family? If we sisters squabble jealously over this, wouldn't we become a laughingstock to outsiders?"

There indeed were those who would laugh.

Li Banfeng faintly heard a voice.

"Shooting stars like jade bullets! Swords like autumn frost! Fight! This must be settled! No one can yield!"

It was the Tang Sword.

Li Banfeng pulled the Tang Sword from his pocket and kicked it aside.

The Copper Lotus Flower still didn't respond, and his "wife" was growing irritated.

"If you refuse to grant me this bit of face today, then Little Servant won't beg you! Husband, please step into the outer room for a moment. Little Servant will have a proper battle with this wretched thing!"

Li Banfeng frowned. "You're injured like this. What kind of battle can you fight?"

"It's not about winning or losing, but about dignity! Husband, today Little Servant stakes her life on this! Let's see if Red Lotus dares to fight me in this room!"

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG...

The clanging and drumming, though clumsy, was full of spirit. His "wife" meant business.

Li Banfeng stood between them, unsure how to defuse the situation.

After a long standoff, the petals hissed, and the Red Lotus bloomed.

The Tang Sword instantly shot up, transforming into a bolt of lightning as it dashed into the outer room, slamming the door shut behind it.

A surge of energy erupted from the Lotus Heart, sweeping up the two phonographs and the projector, drawing them all into itself.

Li Banfeng had always thought that the Copper Lotus Flower couldn't digest objects lacking a Spirit Attribute. Now he realized that not wanting to and being unable to were two different things.

In less than a minute, the lotus bloomed again. There were two Lotus Seeds in its heart.

One was fully ripe, and Li Banfeng plucked it. The other was unripe and stuck fast; he couldn't remove it.

"Husband~, that Lotus Seed isn't ripe yet. It'll need a few more days. First, feed this Elixir to Little Servant."

Li Banfeng held the Lotus Seed while the Copper Lotus Flower closed its petals and continued its Alchemy.

Shortly after, the Lotus Seed in Li Banfeng's hand burst, revealing a pale yellow Elixir with a hint of shining silver.

What color was this? It seemed like a mix of wood and metal.

Holding it to the light of the Phonograph's inner flame, he saw what looked like gears turning within the Elixir, and faint wisps of steam swirling about.

A mechanical Elixir?

Li Banfeng opened the back of the Phonograph, about to insert the Elixir, when his "wife" cried out, "Husband~! Why are you putting it there? Just feed it to Little Servant, that's all you need to do!"

So, just eating it would be fine.

Li Banfeng placed the Elixir into the Phonograph's horn. The machine was immediately enveloped in mist.

It spoke softly, "Little Servant will rest for a moment. Husband, you too should rest well. When Husband awakes, we, husband and wife, will surely both be healed."

Soothing steam enveloped Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng embraced the Phonograph.

The two of them drifted off into a sweet sleep.

The Copper Lotus Flower released two clear dewdrops, which gently landed on Li Banfeng and the Phonograph.

***

In the Lu Family Mansion, Lu Dongliang was organizing cultivation guidelines for Lu Chunying, who had recently embarked on her path as a Traveling Cultivator.

The head butler, Qiu Zhiheng, approached Lu Dongliang and whispered, "Xing Qiushan, a Little Clamp Hand from the Ghost Hand Sect, wishes to see you."

"I won't see him!" Lu Dongliang refused immediately.

He was in no mood for guests today, especially a minor figure like Xing Qiushan.

Qiu Zhiheng added, "Xing Qiushan says he saw Li Banfeng on Yangting Road."

Lu Dongliang was stunned. "He saw whom?"