Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'

Master Lu, Lu Dongliang, went up to the third floor of the Qian Yue Restaurant alone.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lu Dongliang took off his Western-style suit and beckoned to Qiu Zhiheng with a finger, signaling him to come and take it.

This wasn't really a task for Qiu Zhiheng, but since Lu Dongliang had signaled, Qiu Zhiheng couldn't disobey and quickly took the suit.

Truth be told, Qiu Zhiheng still hadn't recovered from the shock. None of them present had. They all had no idea where Lu Dongliang had suddenly appeared from.

Lu Dongliang's first wife, Lady Duan Shaoxia, stood up, tears in her eyes. "Dongliang, you're back, you've returned..."

Lu Dongliang pressed his palm down, signaling her to be quiet.

Duan Shaoxia noticed Lu Dongliang was missing a tooth and had scars on his wrist, but she didn't press further. In front of outsiders, she was very considerate of Lu Dongliang's dignity.

Lu Dongliang fixed his gaze on He Yuxiu.

He Yuxiu looked at Lu Dongliang. "You're still alive?"

Lu Dongliang smiled. "Do you wish for my death that much? A pity your skills aren't up to par."

He Yuxiu's sharp eyebrows rose. "Make yourself clear. It was your brother whose skills weren't enough. He was the one who wanted you dead."

"Shameless," Lu Dongliang spat. "If Dongjun hadn't been there that night, I would have truly died at your hands, He Yuxiu. I never expected you to be so malicious, colluding with Zhuo Yuling to plot against me!"

The people present were extremely surprised. This was completely inconsistent with the information they had heard.

He Cunshou, Old Master of the He family and He Yuxiu's Fourth Uncle, shifted slightly. He was a Seventh Layer Virtue Cultivator, and he activated his Skill. Anyone who lied in his presence would be severely injured; even Lu Dongliang, a Ninth Layer cultivator, would be harmed.

He Yuxiu stood up. "Lu Dongliang, you damn well make things clear! Who the hell colluded with Zhuo Yuling? Who plotted against you?"

"That night at my home, you and Zhuo Yuling made the first move, didn't you?"

As his words fell, He Cunshou did not activate his Skill; Lu Dongliang was telling the truth. He Cunshou turned his gaze to He Yuxiu.

He Yuxiu nodded. "I did attack you, but I didn't intend to kill you!" That, too, was not a lie.

Lu Dongliang nodded. "You didn't intend to kill anyone; Zhuo Yuling did!" This statement was also true.

He Yuxiu retorted angrily, "I don't know what those two were thinking! I'm not like them; I didn't go for a killing blow!"

The two went back and forth, arguing. He Yuxiu repeatedly emphasized that she hadn't intended to kill anyone that night. Lu Dongliang kept stressing that He Yuxiu had made the first move.

Both were telling the truth. As the argument dragged on, Old Master He couldn't bear it any longer. The old man was over seventy and had been keeping his Seventh Layer Technique active the entire time, listening to the two squabble. The effort exhausted him, drenching him in cold sweat.

"Alright, you two quiet down for a moment and let me say something," He Cunshou said, looking first at He Yuxiu. "Xiu, tell your Fourth Uncle the truth. Did you attack Dongliang that night?"

"I did," He Yuxiu admitted frankly.

He Cunshou frowned and turned to Lu Dongliang. "Dongliang, our Jia Qing was injured by your daughter. You promised our He family an explanation. Where is Lu Xiaolan now?"

Lu Dongliang replied, "I don't know where she is," which was also true.

After asking the two key questions, He Cunshou deactivated his Technique, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said to He Yuxiu, "Xiu, you went to someone's home and injured them. You were in the wrong. Apologize to Dongliang first."

He Yuxiu retorted angrily, "It wasn't that I wanted to attack; I was acting in self-defense! This isn't my fault!"

"You stubborn child!" He Cunshou frowned. "Dongliang, Yuxiu has this temper. Don't take it personally. But we still need to clear up this matter with Jia Qing. When exactly can you give us an explanation?"

Lu Dongliang looked at He Yuxiu and sneered, "You should ask your family's Young Miss that."

He Yuxiu raged, "Bullshit! Why ask me? I have no dealings with Zhuo Yuling or Lu Xiaolan."

Seeing the two about to argue again, He Cunshou sighed with a wry smile. "I'm old now and can't control these younger ones. Brother Lu, what do you say?"

Another elder from the Lu Family had also come—Lu Dongliang's granduncle, Lu Maoxian. Over eighty and barely able to keep his eyes open, Lu Maoxian replied perfunctorily, "Let the children decide, let the children decide."

Seeing this, He Cunshou also fell silent.

Lu Dongliang surveyed the crowd. "I will continue to investigate the whereabouts of Zhuo Yuling and Lu Xiaolan. Sooner or later, I will give the He family an explanation. While I was away, I left Dongjun in charge of family affairs. If anyone dares to harm Dongjun again, don't blame me for being merciless!"

Lu Dongliang snatched his suit from Qiu Zhiheng's hands and turned to leave.

His first wife, Lady Duan Shaoxia, stood up and hurried after him. "Dongliang, where are you going? I'll go with you!"

Lu Dongliang spun around abruptly and pushed Duan Shaoxia away. "Don't follow me! None of you follow me! I can't trust anyone right now!"

Duan Shaoxia was dumbfounded. She never imagined Lu Dongliang would say such words to her. Bitterness welled up in her heart, and her eyes became bloodshot.

Lu Dongliang didn't notice. He swept his gaze over the crowd once more, then turned and left.

The roomful of people stood frozen. He Yuxiu cursed vehemently, and Duan Shaoxia broke down crying loudly.

He Cunshou sensed something was wrong, but in this situation, he couldn't ask further.

Several key figures from the Lu Family also felt something was amiss. They exchanged probing looks but said nothing.

He Yuxiu muttered to herself, "Is that really Lu Dongliang?"

More than one person harbored doubts, but no one voiced them. The Lu Family members remained silent because if they were wrong, it would cause great trouble. The members of the He family also held their tongues. They were merely watching the drama unfold; why get anxiously involved?

"Lu Dongliang" returned to Lu Dongjun's residence and silently entered his own bedroom.

Facing the mirror, he peeled the mask of fake skin from his face. He believed his performance was flawless, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

He removed the false tooth from the lion's mouth and placed it into his own.

Soon after, his cheeks began to twitch. For the next three days, he would suffer from a continuous toothache. This was the price for using the lion.

「At the Yuezhou Sanatorium.」

Inside a hospital room, He Jiaqing found he could no longer smile.

A familiar voice reached his ears: "Lu Dongliang went to the Qian Yue Restaurant banquet and confronted your aunt directly."

Lu Dongliang just came back as if nothing happened? Lu Dongliang really isn't dead?

The voice on the other side asked, "Can you see anything? How did Lu Dongliang survive?"

He Jiaqing shook his head. "I can't see anything at all. It's completely blurry, as if obscured by a powerful force. Are you sure that person is Lu Dongliang?"

"I'll go investigate," the voice responded.

"Don't go! You can't reveal yourself yet. If that person really is Lu Dongliang, be extremely careful. Keep this out of the news for now. Wait for my word. Help me deliver a letter; I'll find someone to investigate for me."

The caregiver beside him was asleep. He Jiaqing sat up. His body flickered on the hospital bed, and a pen, an envelope, and a sheet of paper appeared in his hand. He had taken all these from a stationery shop downstairs. The shopkeeper hadn't seen anyone and had no idea what had happened.

He quickly wrote a letter, stuffed it into the envelope, sealed it with saliva, affixed a stamp, and rubbed it between his hands for a moment.

A gust of wind blew past, and the envelope vanished.

The caregiver woke with a start and looked at He Jiaqing.

He Jiaqing was still lying on the bed, motionless.

「At the Lu Family Mansion.」

Monkey Qiu sat silently in a small building in the front courtyard.

Although considered a noteworthy figure within the Lu Family, Qiu Zhiheng was, after all, a Servant. For a Servant to have a private small building within the family estate was unimaginable in other prominent families. But Qiu Zhiheng had earned this treatment. He had followed Lu Dongliang since he was ten—for a full twenty-eight years now—which had garnered him a higher status than many members of the Lu Family.

But it seemed this status was no longer secure.

Fetching Lu Dongliang's suit in front of everyone wasn't a big deal; it was a butler's duty. However, Lu Dongliang had not shown him the slightest trust. Qiu Zhiheng hadn't received any news for so many days. Today, when Lu Dongliang appeared, he hadn't informed him, nor did he allow him to follow when leaving. This was something Monkey Qiu could not accept.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

A knock sounded at the door. Qiu Zhiheng called out, and Chief Custodian Zuo Wugang entered.

"Head Qiu, I've brought a jar of wine. I'd like to have a drink with you."

Qiu Zhiheng was taken aback. Seeing Zuo Wugang's expression, he understood his intention. "You're leaving?"

Zuo Wugang nodded. "Whether I can leave or not still depends on your word."

"Why leave? Are you afraid the Master will blame you?"

Zuo Wugang set down the wine jar and sat opposite Qiu Zhiheng. "If you're talking about fear, I did feel a bit before. If Master Lu had truly been gone, I couldn't have escaped responsibility for what happened. But today Master Lu returned, and I greeted him at the door. Far from blaming me, he didn't even glance at me. That alone made me realize the Lu Family has no room for me anymore.

"Head Qiu, from when this trouble started until now, I haven't complained, and I'm only saying this to you. This matter isn't my fault, not from the very beginning! It's not your fault either. I really can't understand the Master's intentions. I'm leaving. With our cultivation levels, we can make a living anywhere. Head Qiu, if you're thinking of leaving, let's go together."

Qiu Zhiheng remained silent for a long moment, then shook his head. "I can't leave. My life was given to me by the Lu Family. You take care of yourself."

Zuo Wugang said no more, stood up, and bid farewell. As he reached the door, he noticed a letter tucked into the seam.

"Head Qiu, there's a letter here."

Qiu Zhiheng was surprised. "You wrote me a letter?"

Zuo Wugang waved his hand. "I'm barely literate, how could I write a letter? Besides, I'm still here. Is there anything I can't say to you directly?"

He handed the letter to Qiu Zhiheng and departed.

Qiu Zhiheng opened the envelope and glanced at it, freezing on the spot.

The writer claimed to be Lu Xiaolan, and it was indeed her handwriting.

The letter read:

The Lu Dongliang you saw is an impostor.

He used my necklace.

There are scars on his wrist.

Anyone who has used that necklace will have scars on their wrist.

Li Banfeng headed to New Land to retrieve Glue Mud.

On the way, Li Banfeng asked, "Brother Ma, have you ever seen a Second Layer Traveling Cultivator?"

Ma Wu nodded. "I have."

"What Techniques does a Second Layer Traveling Cultivator possess?"

"You shouldn't be asking me. Aren't you a Traveling Cultivator yourself?"

Li Banfeng said seriously, "I am a First Layer Traveling Cultivator, so of course, I don't know Second Layer Techniques."

Ma Wu said, "The Second Layer Traveling Cultivator's Technique is called Traceless Short Step."

Li Banfeng blinked. "Is that a light-footed skill?"

"It's not a light-footed skill. It allows a Traveling Cultivator to stealthily take an extra step while moving. When opponents are normally three steps apart, a Traveling Cultivator in combat might suddenly close in or back away by one step. This step takes almost no time at all. Not even Peeping Cultivation can detect the footwork of a Traveling Cultivator at the same level. It often catches the opponent off guard."

Li Banfeng remembered Huang Guangshi, the Second Layer Traveling Cultivator he had killed. Huang Guangshi could move instantly, gaining the upper hand when fighting Li Banfeng. Unaware of his opponent's cultivation level, Li Banfeng had thought he was using a very high-level Technique. This method is powerful, but how can I use this Technique?

Ma Wu pondered for a moment. "I once heard a Traveling Cultivator say that the mechanisms behind a Traveling Cultivator's Techniques aren't complex; the difficulty lies in controlling the execution. Traceless Short Step seems to work by using one's will to guide one's steps. The user must firmly believe they can make that step and have a strong desire to do so for it to be effective."

Li Banfeng frowned. "So, you're saying this Technique can't just be used at will? And if one lacks conviction at a critical moment, it might not be reliable?"

Ma Wu nodded. "Exactly as Brother Li said. I once heard of a Third Layer Traveling Cultivator who, in battle, intended to retreat a step. But in his anxiety, he moved forward instead, crashing directly into his opponent's weapon and losing his life."

PS: Lu Dongliang had used Traceless Short Step during his fight with He Yuxiu.