Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'

At the Chu Family Mansion, Miss Chu Er placed a nail on her knee and hammered it in, bit by bit, with a mallet.

Manager Yang Yanzheng knocked, entered the room, and said in a low voice, "Miss, it's confirmed. Ma Wu drove out the Song Family and has become the master of Blue Poplar Village."

Miss Chu Er pulled the nail from her kneecap and sighed. "This isn't your fault. The blame lies solely with that idiot Song Jiason for being so useless."

What does she mean it's not my fault? It couldn't be my fault to begin with; it was her own idea. Yang Yanzheng felt uncomfortable.

Of course, such things couldn't be argued.

Miss Chu Er sighed again. "The Song Family is useless, and the Liu Family has made no move. Are they content to suffer this loss in silence?"

Yang Yanzheng shook his head. "We still don't know what the Liu Family intends to do."

"Forget it, I've given up on these worthless people." Miss Chu Er placed the nail on the arch of her foot and picked up the hammer beside her. "Go and prepare some things. Pick a suitable day, and I will personally go see Ma Wu."

「...」

Li Banfeng left the village early in the morning to sell his goods again.

Honestly, Ma Wu had no idea what method Li Banfeng used to sell his goods. He only knew that the goods would be delivered to Li Banfeng's room the night before and be gone by the next morning.

Li Banfeng would leave in the morning and return with money the following day.

Regardless of the methods Li Banfeng used, Ma Wu knew he shouldn't ask, nor was it his place to. His job was to maintain the economic operations of Blue Poplar Village.

Blue Poplar Village was different now. Those without savings went hunting in the wilderness, while those with some means tried to do business properly. Nowadays, people didn't even think about fighting or brawling.

Ma Wu was looking at the increasingly thick ledger and calculating the purchase prices for the next phase when he suddenly smelled a strange odor.

Ma Wu had been bitten by a spider as a child and was extremely sensitive to their scent.

He stood at the window, watched for a moment, then turned to Xiao Chuanzi and said, "Go invite that fake Foreign Devil outside to come in."

As soon as Xiao Chuanzi stepped out, he saw a middle-aged man in a black tailcoat and top hat, holding a walking stick. The man smiled at Xiao Chuan.

By the time the man was invited into the room, Ma Wu had already brewed tea. "Great detective, what brings you to this rundown place?"

He recognized Da Boyins. Da Boyins had previously done some work for the Ma Family in Greenwater City.

Da Boyins, ever the gentleman, said, "I heard Young Master Wu is making a fortune in Blue Poplar Village, so I came to see for myself."

"Making a fortune? I'm drowning in debt. And let me be clear, detective, I'm not looking to hire you, nor do I have the money to."

"Young Master Wu, you're being too distant. I came to you today to ask about someone." Da Boyins handed Ma Wu a photograph. "Have you seen this man?"

Ma Wu took it and saw it was a photo of Li Banfeng. "His clothes are so strange. Is he from the Outside Provinces?"

"Sharp-eyed, Young Master Wu."

Ma Wu studied it for a long while. "No impression. I don't think I've seen this person recently. I saw someone from the Outside Provinces three years ago, but I can't recall their specific appearance."

Da Boyins persisted, "Young Master Wu, you know I never ask people to work for free. If you have information about this person, I will definitely not treat you unfairly."

"Really?" Ma Wu's eyes lit up. "Tell me, how much will you pay if I find this person for you?"

"One hundred thousand Ocean Dollars. Do you think this sum is appropriate?"

"That's acceptable!" Ma Wu nodded. "I'll keep the photo and keep an eye out for this person. I'll inform you as soon as I have any news."

This clearly wasn't the answer Da Boyins wanted. "Young Master Wu, if you don't mind, may I ask others?"

"Go ahead. Whoever has the ability can make the money. How could I stop them?" Ma Wu smiled, then added, "But there's one thing. I've only just stabilized my position here. When you ask around, it's best to be tactful. Don't cause a panic. You know my situation; it's not easy to have a business."

"Of course, of course," Da Boyins nodded repeatedly.

Ma Wu suddenly brought up another matter. "Something happened to the Lu Family. Have you heard? Lu Dongliang is still missing."

Da Boyins's heart tightened, but his smile remained unchanged. "I know about this. I also heard Lu Dongliang appeared a few days ago and confronted He Yuxiu at Qian Yue Tower. He said He Yuxiu was the one who injured him."

Ma Wu was stunned. "Is that true? You're saying Lu Dongliang is still alive? Then you don't need to worry!"

Da Boyins froze. "Young Master Wu, what do you mean by that? Why should I worry?"

Ma Wu smiled. "Isn't it obvious?"

Da Boyins felt a drum beating in his heart, but his face remained calm. "Young Master Wu, I still don't understand. What exactly is obvious?"

Ma Wu feigned surprise. "Weren't you always talking about the Lu Family developing New Land? If something happened to Lu Dongliang, wouldn't your business be affected?"

"So that's what you meant. That's not a problem; the accounts that needed to be settled are all clear." Da Boyins stood up. "I suppose Li Banfeng won't come to Blue Poplar Village. I won't disturb you any longer. Young Master Wu, farewell."

Ma Wu escorted Da Boyins to the door and instructed Xiao Chuan to follow him from behind.

He knew Xiao Chuan couldn't keep up with Da Boyins, but this was to show his stance. He didn't want Da Boyins causing trouble in his territory.

The Lu Family isn't looking for Li Banfeng anymore, so why is he still entangled in this matter? Is Lu Dongliang really still alive? He came to me first without directly investigating Blue Poplar Village, which means he still doesn't want to offend the Ma Family. But that doesn't mean he won't come back. Brother Li, don't rush back to the village, please don't rush.

「...」

Da Boyins didn't linger in Blue Poplar Village. After leaving the village, he went straight to Taiming Town and found Zhuo Yuling in a private house.

Zhuo Yuling quickly asked, "Any news of Li Banfeng?"

"None," Da Boyins shook his head.

Zhuo Yuling frowned. "Weren't you suspecting that Li Banfeng was in Blue Poplar Village before?"

Da Boyins shook his head. "It's not that I suspected before; I still believe Li Banfeng is in Blue Poplar Village now."

"Then why didn't you search there?"

"Because that's Ma Junyang's territory. I've already offended the Lu Family, and I can't afford to offend the Ma Family as well. Otherwise, I'll have no way to survive in Puluo State."

Zhuo Yuling grabbed Da Boyins's hand. "No matter what, we have to find Li Banfeng. Only he can prove Xiao Lan's innocence."

Da Boyins pushed Zhuo Yuling's hand away. "Whether your daughter is innocent or not is no longer important. You attacked Lu Dongliang, and now that he's alive, do you think he'll let you and your daughter off?

You want to find Li Banfeng for no other reason than the Supreme Red Lotus. Honestly, I also want that treasure, but I cherish my life more. Take your daughter and go. It's best to leave Puluo State immediately. You should still have a Guide Token, right? The sooner you leave, the better. The faster, the better. This is my advice to you."

Zhuo Yuling clutched Da Boyins. "Help me! I can give you money. Name your price!"

Da Boyins shook his head with a smile. "Do you still think you're Madam Lu? You're nothing now. Wouldn't it be better to save that money for your old age?"

"I have other savings, an amount you can't imagine. Don't you really want it?" Zhuo Yuling gripped Da Boyins's hand. "Spider Bin, I know you better than anyone. You won't give up until you get the Red Lotus."

After a moment of thought, Da Boyins said, "I'll go to Blue Poplar Village and take another look."

「...」

Two alleys away from that house, Cui Tiq bent down, picked up a strand of spider silk, and rubbed it between his fingers.

"Such resilient spider silk is rare. It seems I've come to the right place."

Da Boyins indeed went to Blue Poplar Village the next day. This time, he didn't inform Ma Wu and snuck into the village quietly.

However, Li Banfeng did not return.

In Greenwater City, Li Banfeng ran into a bit of an accident, an accident that stemmed from something good.

After selling his goods, Li Banfeng sent the money back to the Portable Residence. He had planned to wander around Greenwater City but unexpectedly discovered that the Copper Lotus Flower had bloomed.

Just for Lu Dongliang, has the Copper Lotus Flower been refining for so long?

Actually, the Elixirs had long been refined. It was just that the Copper Lotus Flower, fearing Li Banfeng would be reckless, hadn't released the Lotus Seeds.

Seeing that Li Banfeng's mood had been relatively stable recently, the Copper Lotus Flower finally allowed him to peel off the Lotus Seeds.

However, as soon as the Lotus Seed burst open, Li Banfeng's mood became unstable again.

From this Lotus Seed, eighty-one Gold Yuan Pills burst out.

What does having eighty-one Gold Yuan Pills mean? It means eight thousand one hundred days of cultivation. Eight thousand one hundred days, that's twenty-two years.

If Li Banfeng consumed all these Elixirs, it meant he could directly ascend four levels.

Of course, consuming eighty-one Gold Yuan Pills at once also meant he might die instantly.

Go back to the Portable Residence, find my wife to detoxify? The last time I took Elixirs, I managed to brush it off. How should I explain it this time? If it's exposed and my identity as a Traveling Cultivator is revealed, how will I survive my wife's wrath? Forget it. If I can't explain it, then I just won't.

Taking eighty-one at once is definitely out of the question, but one at a time should be fine!

Li Banfeng consumed one Gold Yuan Pill and then found a restaurant to eat.

Halfway through the meal, Li Banfeng realized something was wrong.

First, the food and wine became tasteless. Even the chili powder in the dipping sauce had no flavor.

Next, he lost all sensation. No matter how hard the girls massaging his shoulders and back pounded, Li Banfeng couldn't feel any pain or itchiness.

This feeling wasn't unfamiliar; I might be losing the sense of my body again.

Li Banfeng decisively paid the bill and quickly found a nearby inn to stay in.

He lay in the inn from afternoon until dawn the next day before he barely recovered. The potency of the Pill's Poison was truly astonishing.

Does recovery mean the detoxification was successful? Could there be any residual poison?

He hurried back to the Portable Residence. If there was any residual poison, the residence should be able to cleanse it for him.

But as soon as he entered, the Phonograph flew into a rage. "Madman, where did you run off to last night? You didn't come home for a whole day and night! What do you take cultivation for? What do you take my repeated warnings for?"

Yesterday, his Home Cultivation had indeed been neglected. However, his Traveling Cultivation quota was met from the trip from Blue Poplar Village to Greenwater City.

Li Banfeng was about to explain to his wife, "Yesterday, I had an important matter..."

A cloud of steam billowed up and down, and the clanging percussion instruments quieted down.

CLANG CLANG CLANG~ HA!

"Heavens~ Husband, what is this smell on you?"

Oh no! Has she smelled the Pill's Poison?

Li Banfeng was sweating profusely. "Wh-what smell?"

"Hmph, hmph, hmph~" His wife chuckled three times, then smoke billowed from the three Big Horns. "Still dare to lie to me! You reek of perfume! Which hussy were you fooling around with?"

Li Banfeng was scalded red all over.

In the outer room, the Copper Lotus Flower was drenched in cold sweat.