Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'

Li Banfeng had been running for over half an hour and was now more than thirty miles from Greenwater Bay.

The place was open and empty. There were no villages, no homes, not even a passerby to be seen—just a stretch of wild grass and a solitary lake.

Li Banfeng thought the location suitable. He was preparing to release the person he had saved on the road and was just reaching for his key when a middle-aged man, swift as the wind, suddenly appeared before him.

"Big Beard, where are you from?" the middle-aged man asked. He was dressed in a gray striped short jacket, a black-stemmed cigarette clenched between his teeth.

Big Beard...

Although Li Banfeng had a full beard glued to his face, he still felt a bit uncomfortable being addressed this way.

"Are you looking for me?" Li Banfeng asked, smiling faintly as he eyed the middle-aged man.

The man, holding his cigarette, said, "Our master wishes to meet you."

"Do I know your master?"

"The Lu Family of Puluo State—surely you know of them?" This middle-aged man was Huang Guangshi, a Traveling Cultivator under Monkey Qiu.

Monkey Qiu's order was to capture the person with the Phonograph. Li Banfeng didn't have a Phonograph on him, so why was Huang Guangshi targeting him?

This man was skilled at seizing opportunities. While everyone else searched for the Phonograph, he had the foresight to find Xing Qiushan of the Ghost Hand Sect—also known as Little Clamp Hand—to ask about Li Banfeng's physical features. He learned that Li Banfeng's most distinctive characteristic was his full beard.

Others searched for the Phonograph; he searched for the beard. This way, he avoided unnecessary conflict and increased his chances of success.

Li Banfeng said, "I've heard of the Lu Family, but your master probably doesn't know me."

"You'll know when you get there. Our master is waiting." Without another word, Huang Guangshi reached out to grab Li Banfeng, his speed so great that no afterimage could be seen.

A Traveling Cultivator.

From his sudden appearance and the efficiency of his move, it was clear he was a Traveling Cultivator, and his cultivation level was higher than Li Banfeng's.

Li Banfeng had the physique of a Second Layer Home Cultivator and had only recently left his house. He instinctively shrank back, retreating a step to evade the grab.

Huang Guangshi laughed. "So, you do have some cultivation. It seems I've found the right person."

The words barely out of his mouth, Huang Guangshi suddenly closed the distance by a step. The movement was without warning, his form completely invisible, as if he had used Instantaneous Movement.

Just how high is his cultivation level?

In truth, Huang Guangshi's cultivation level wasn't very high; he was only at the Second Layer.

As he took that step, a Cone over five inches long materialized at Huang Guangshi's fingertips, thrusting towards Li Banfeng's glabella.

Seeing this, Li Banfeng retreated again. Huang Guangshi, however, was patient. Wielding the Cone, he pressed forward step by step, forcing Li Banfeng back to the lake's edge.

This was Huang Guangshi's tactic, a common one among Traveling Cultivators.

The wild lakeshore was overgrown with weeds, some Dogtail Grass towering over a person's head. An ordinary person walking through could easily be tripped by the tangled roots and stalks.

In this kind of environment, a Traveling Cultivator held a significant advantage.

Although Li Banfeng was also a Traveling Cultivator, his cultivation level was lower than Huang Guangshi's. If he tried to fight head-on, defeat was only a matter of time.

Seeing that Li Banfeng had fallen into his trap, Huang Guangshi decided it was time to close the net.

He used Instantaneous Movement again, circling behind Li Banfeng in a single step, and raised the Cone, preparing to drive it into Li Banfeng's spine.

Huang Guangshi was experienced. This strike, if it landed, would paralyze Li Banfeng but still allow him to speak. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about Li Banfeng escaping, nor would it delay the interrogation.

Li Banfeng neither dodged nor parried. Instead, his figure abruptly vanished.

Huang Guangshi froze. Does this man have a Magical Treasure, or is that an invisibility Technique?

As he scanned the area for Li Banfeng, he suddenly sensed danger approaching from his right.

By the time he turned, it was too late. Li Banfeng's Iron Ruler had already pierced Huang Guangshi's cheek.

Li Banfeng's use of the Portable Residence, entering and exiting in a flash, had completely disrupted Huang Guangshi's combat rhythm.

Huang Guangshi tried to use Instantaneous Movement again to break free from the Iron Ruler, but this time he failed. With a smooth motion, Li Banfeng dragged him into the Portable Residence.

Inside the residence, Huang Guangshi clutched the wound on his face and looked around.

It was pitch black all around; he couldn't make out where he was at all.

But Li Banfeng needed no light. This was his own residence.

Even without looking, even if feeling his way around with eyes closed, Li Banfeng knew the layout and furnishings of his home intimately. He wouldn't trip over things moving about, wouldn't grab the wrong chamber pot when relieving himself at night, and wouldn't get into bed with the wrong wife. These were the fundamental skills of a true homebody.

Before Huang Guangshi could figure out the situation, Li Banfeng used a Sickle to sever the hamstring in his right leg.

Hobbling on his injured leg, Huang Guangshi still tried to resist, but Li Banfeng struck again with the Sickle, opening a gash over half a foot long in his stomach.

A Second Layer Traveling Cultivator who entered the residence of a Second Layer Home Cultivator had practically no chance to resist.

THUMP.

Huang Guangshi fell to his knees and cried out, "Our master just wanted to ask you a few questions! I was only following orders! Sir, please, spare my life!"

Li Banfeng asked, "Did your master ask for me by name?"

At this point, Huang Guangshi dared not lie or be evasive. He could only tell the truth: "Our master is looking for the one with the Phonograph and the man with a beard."

Li Banfeng laughed. "In Greenwater City, there are thousands upon thousands of men with beards. Are you planning to capture them all?"

PFFT PFFT.

The Phonograph also laughed.

A burst of firelight flared, and the Phonograph began to sing in a slow tempo: "So what if I'm a Phonograph? What imperial law have I broken? What right do you have to arrest people?"

Hearing the Phonograph's voice, Huang Guangshi trembled all over with fear.

He had heard the Phonograph sing songs before, but he had never heard one speak to a person.

But what made him tremble even more was yet to come.

On the floor, he saw an overcoat—a custom-made yellow tweed one from Ingrid Country.

This overcoat had been custom-made by a renowned artisan from Ingrid Country specifically for Lu Dongliang. How could it be here in this small room?