Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'

Li Banfeng went to the Song Family's Granary. Ma Wu couldn't stop him and wanted to follow, but Li Banfeng found him bothersome.

With no choice, Ma Wu went back to the wooden hut alone and started packing his belongings.

Whenever he and Li Banfeng successfully hunted, they sold their catch immediately. Did the hut still have anything of value?

Yes.

Every time Ma Wu went to New Land, he recorded everything he had seen and encountered: over seventy pages of notes and a dozen or so maps—these were priceless treasures.

He packed away the notes and maps from under the bed, took two sets of clothes, and went upstairs.

He wanted to pack some belongings for Li Banfeng as well. But as he looked out of the second-floor window, he saw a group of armed men approaching from both ends of the alley.

Song Jiason had arrived!

How did they get here so quickly? Based on my estimation, Song Jiason should've been waiting at home for Tang Tianjin to return, at least a couple of hours. How did they get here so fast? There must have been someone keeping watch nearby; they saw me going home!

Ma Wu grabbed a lump of Glue Mud, ready to set traps. But then he thought, Setting traps would be useless. How extensive should the trap be? If Song Jiason decides to set fire to the house, no matter the size, the traps would be futile. I have to leave myself a way out. If Song Jiason surrounds the house, where should the exit be? Nowhere would be appropriate.

...

Song Jiason brought over fifty henchmen, surrounding the wooden hut from both front and back. Seeing the hut's curtains closed, Song Jiason asked a henchman beside him, "Did you see him go back with your own eyes?"

The henchman nodded. "Saw it with my own eyes."

"Ma Junyang, you fucking come out!" Song Jiason yelled repeatedly. There was no response from the house.

"Not coming out, are you? Smash the door for me!"

The situation was more optimistic than Ma Wu had anticipated: Song Jiason hadn't set fire to the house but had directly ordered his men to break down the door.

Two henchmen went to the door and got their feet stuck to the ground, unable to move.

There was Glue Mud at the door.

Song Jiason was furious but didn't dare to advance rashly. "Goddammit!" he seethed. "Playing these sneaky tricks on me! Old Fifth Ma, are you coming out or not?"

The cursing got louder, and more people from the neighborhood gathered to watch.

Weren't these onlookers afraid of trouble?

They were.

But today was an exceptional case.

In Blue Poplar Village, brawls were a daily occurrence, and killings were not uncommon.

However, the Song Family rarely took matters into their own hands directly. In most cases, they acted as mediators, maintaining a very respectable image.

Today, the Song Family had suddenly turned against the fallen son of the Ma Family, and many wanted to know the reason.

In fact, some had already guessed it:

"Ma Wu must have been dealing behind the Song Family's back; otherwise, Old Master Song wouldn't have gotten involved personally."

"Dealing behind the Song Family's back? Is he really tired of living?"

"It's hard to say who's tired of living. Though he's fallen on hard times, he's still a young master. Big Brother Song can shout all he wants, but would he really dare to kill someone?"

As the crowd murmured, Song Jiason's voice suddenly boomed, "Old Fifth Ma, today, in front of all the folks from Blue Poplar Village, don't you dare say I've wronged you. You've been dealing goods behind my back, haven't you?"

There was no response from the house.

Why wasn't Ma Wu responding?

Because he wasn't in the hut at all.

「At that moment, Ma Wu was hiding in Landlord Wei's house.」

After Landlord Wei died, his house remained empty. Li Banfeng had been right: his death simply meant one less person collecting rent, and no one else cared.

From the second floor of Landlord Wei's small building, Ma Wu could see the situation at the wooden hut and could also barely hear some of the sounds.

As long as Song Jiason withdraws, I can leave at my leisure.

Song Jiason waited for a moment, then roared, "Old Fifth Ma, still not admitting it? I've brought a witness! Let's see if you'll confess now!"

Two henchmen dragged a man forward. Seeing this person, Ma Wu clenched his fists.

This was his friend! It was Xiao Chuanzi! Had Chuanzi betrayed me? No! I'm certain of this; Chuanzi isn't that kind of person.

Song Jiason had received news from Yang Yanzheng, found a lead, and captured Xiao Chuan. Chuanzi is tough; he wouldn't have admitted to the dealings, not from start to finish. Xiao Chuanzi must have suffered terribly...

Indeed, Xiao Chuanzi had suffered. He was battered and bruised as he was dragged before the crowd.

Song Jiason held a knife to Xiao Chuanzi's eye and asked, "Did Old Fifth Ma send you to Greenwater City to deal goods? Tell me the truth."

Xiao Chuanzi hung his head and said nothing.

Song Jiason smirked. "Fine. Tough guy, eh? Take one of his legs off."

Several guards pinned Xiao Chuanzi down. Two men lifted one leg, another tied his thigh tightly with a rope, while a fourth man brandished an axe, ready to chop.

"Stop!" Ma Wu emerged; he couldn't stand by and watch Xiao Chuanzi be killed.

He stood before Song Jiason and demanded, "Old Master Song, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Song Jiason smiled. "Old Fifth Ma, what am I trying to do? Don't you know? You came to Blue Poplar Village, and I never gave you any trouble. But you dealt goods behind my back and broke my rules!"

Ma Wu said expressionlessly, "Accusations need evidence. Who saw me dealing behind your back?"

Song Jiason grabbed Xiao Chuanzi's hair, a malicious grin spreading across his face. "The witness is right here. Still dare to argue?"

Xiao Chuanzi shouted, "Master Wu didn't tell me to deal any goods! You fucking stop framing people!"

"Tough boy! You've got some nerve!" Song Jiason raised the knife, aiming to gouge out Xiao Chuanzi's eyes.

Ma Wu shouted, "Song, you fucking dare! Don't you know whose man he is!"

Song Jiason paused, then turned and smirked. "Him? He's just a worker from the Ma Family. What does he amount to?"

"You know he's from the Ma Family, yet you still dare to harm him?"

Song Jiason laughed. "Is there only one Ma Family in Puluo State? Are people from the Ma Family untouchable? Is my Song Family that easy to bully?"

Ma Wu also laughed. "I know you have the Lu Family backing you, but let me tell you, even a worker from the Ma Family is still a person. The dogs of the Lu Family are still just dogs."