The Overlord of Puluo

Under the steam's gentle caress, Li Banfeng slowly opened his eyes.

"Oh, dear husband, you're finally awake!"

The steam supported Li Banfeng and helped him sit on the edge of the bed.

Li Banfeng rubbed the back of his aching head and asked the Gramophone, "What sound did I just hear?"

"An indescribable sound."

"Can I try listening again?"

"Oh, dear husband, if you listen to it again, I will become a widow."

"Why can't I listen again? Is it because this dwelling's level is too high?"

"Yes, dear husband. Its level is so high that it is unfathomable."

"But I did hear something earlier." "This, this..." The Gramophone could not explain it either. "Maybe the dwelling isn't shy, so it gave you a hint. Dear husband, every enchanted artifact in this world has a price that must be paid each time it is used. This earring doesn't cost much to use once, but if you use it too often, you will hear strange sounds. Some sounds are fine to hear, but others will invite disaster. You must be careful."

Hear strange sounds?

That's about the same as putting on heavy makeup;

it's nothing serious.

Li Banfeng then wondered what else he had at home that possessed spirit essence.

However, it seemed that the Arcane Crimson Lotus had already consumed and refined everything that had spirit essence.

The Gramophone reminded Li Banfeng, "Dear husband, I'm not sure if you did it intentionally. But Crimson Lotus, that hussy, just refined an enchanted artifact for you. Why don't you try it? Do you loathe enchanted artifacts, or do you loathe that hussy?"

It's not about loathing;

I simply forgot.

Li Banfeng took out the earring, held it to his ear, and listened for a moment. He shook his head and said, "There's no sound."

"Dear husband, listen more carefully."

Li Banfeng listened for a while longer, but there was still nothing.

"Dear husband, focus your mind on your ear and listen even more carefully."

This time, Li Banfeng held the earring right up against his ear and finally heard something. It sounded like someone speaking.

He pressed the earring even closer and barely managed to make out the words.

It was the voice of a woman. She whispered, "Master, what would you like to hear? Please tell me."

"I want to hear what my wife has to say."

"As you wish, Master."

The Gramophone chuckled amusedly.

A deafening sound burst from the earring, leaving his ear with a high-pitched ringing. He had almost lost his hearing.

Li Banfeng was standing too close to the Gramophone. Using the earring with the Gramophone was like plugging it into a high-power amplifier.

Li Banfeng quickly pulled the earring away from his ear.

The Gramophone sang with a teasing laugh, "Oh, my dear husband, I'm right here beside you. Why use that enchanted artifact to hear me speak? If there comes a time when you've found something you want to hear but can't, that's when you should use the earring. This earring can weave threads and hook onto things, so let's call it the Threaded Earring."

Threaded Earring. That's not a bad name at all.

Li Banfeng picked up the pair of scissors and asked, "Does this thing not have a name?"

"Dear husband, what need is there to name something so foolish? Better give it to Crimson Lotus to turn into a pill."

No way.

As far as Li Banfeng was concerned, these scissors were still quite useful.

He held the scissors to his ear and listened for a while, only to hear a single word repeated over and over. "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

As expected, in terms of intellect, the scissors were on a lower level than the earring.

Li Banfeng put away the earring and the scissors. Then he straightened out his clothes and went out to gather information on the Jiangxiang Gang.

Just as he was about to step out of the Pocket Dwelling, Li Banfeng heard the Gramophone sing.

「Rose, oh rose, the most lovely of all,

Rose, oh rose, the most gorgeous of all.

You bloom all summer long,

Rose, oh rose, how I love you~ 」

Inside the Pocket Dwelling, the Gramophone moved the miscellaneous items one by one into the newly opened room. Then she carefully steam-cleaned Li Banfeng's dirty clothes, garment after garment.

At that moment, Li Banfeng suddenly felt truly blessed.

***

Li Banfeng walked down the main street of the Inner Gully, looking for a place to eat.

It was already eight o'clock, so it wasn't easy to find a restaurant that was still open.

No matter how large Medicine King Gully was, it was still just a small town. Without electricity, most eateries closed early.

The large restaurants were crowded and full of watchful eyes. Li Banfeng had just blown up the Jiangxiang Gang's dancehall, so it wasn't worth taking the risk just for a meal. After wandering for a while, he finally settled on Prosperity Bun Shop.

He planned to eat quickly and leave right away.

However, just as he pulled out a chair to sit at a table, someone called out, "Brother Qi!"

Chubby Qin waved enthusiastically, motioning for Li Banfeng to sit with him.

That was exactly why Li Banfeng hadn't wanted to come to Prosperity Bun Shop. Chubby Qin ate there almost every day.

Zhang Liuze was busy that day, so Chubby Qin had gone to the eatery alone. Bored and craving company, he immediately told the shop assistant to add two more dishes and bring out a jar of wine.

Having already been recognized, Li Banfeng didn't stand on ceremony. He sat down and dug in, devouring two steamer baskets' worth of buns. He focused on filling his stomach first.

After eating and drinking his fill, Chubby Qin grabbed Li Banfeng's arm. "Brother Qi, come take a look at my place! I have a home here in Inner Gully now."

Guess I could go take a look.

Li Banfeng followed Chubby Qin to his place on Threaded Lane. It was a one-room house with a small courtyard, and it was a rental, but Chubby Qin was clearly proud of it.

Chubby Qin might have been pleased, but Li Banfeng didn't like it at all.

Threaded Lane was the street where the He Family's old residence stood, and Lu Xiaolan was still living there.

Inside Chubby Qin's home, Chubby Qin brewed a pot of tea to share with Li Banfeng. After drinking a cup of tea, Chubby Qin took a pouch from his chest pocket and poured out twenty pills.

Speckled-Snake Pills!

Chubby Qin pushed the pills over to Li Banfeng. "Brother Qi, these are my gift to you."

Li Banfeng blinked in surprise. "Where did you get these pills?"

"This afternoon, I passed by the Geng Family mansion. Old Master Geng, Geng Zhiwei's father, gave them to me!"

Li Banfeng chuckled. "So his father finally yielded?"

Chubby Qin gritted his teeth. "At first, he refused. When I saw him, the damn old man even glared at me, huffing and puffing in anger. He clearly thought I wouldn't dare touch him because the Jiangxiang Gang was backing him up. But today, he caved. He invited me to a teahouse. He apologized, bowed to me, and even gave me all these pills, begging me not to hold a grudge.

“Later, some brothers from the Three Heroes Sect told me that the Jiangxiang Gang had cut ties with the Geng Family. The old man was so scared he nearly pissed himself. That's why he came crawling to apologize that very day!"

Li Banfeng frowned slightly. "You're just an ordinary disciple of the Three Heroes Sect. The Geng Family's a major influential household. Do they really have reason to fear you that much?"

"If it were another sect, maybe not. But the Three Heroes Sect holds a special position in Puluo. Even families like the He Family and the Lu Family have to be respectful when they encounter members of the Three Heroes Sect. Shopkeeper Yu even sent people to ask around for information today. I guess her cloth shop will reopen soon. Brother Qi, I don't care how that Nanny Butch plans to repay her debts to you, but I insist that you accept these pills, no matter what."

Li Banfeng wasn't short on pills. "Keep them for yourself. Accumulate more cultivation time."

Chubby Qin shook his head. "They're wasted on me. I can't reach a higher level anyway. Taking them would be a waste."

"Why can't you advance?"

Chubby Qin sighed. "My stomach and intestines aren't big enough. Our Iron Seal, Brother Zhang, said he'd get me something called Stomach-Clearing Powder. Says it'll help."

Li Banfeng had heard of that medicine. It wasn't rare in Medicine King Gully. "Isn't Stomach-Clearing Powder sold everywhere?"

"It's not the common kind. Brother Zhang said this one can actually expand the stomach and intestines. I'll take it for a while and see if it helps me advance. If it doesn't, I'll just accept my fate."

After chatting for a while, Li Banfeng rose to leave. Chubby Qin held out the pills and said, "Brother Qi, I insist that you accept these pills."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "If you don't plan on taking them, sell them instead. And about that Stomach-Clearing Powder, look into it properly. Don't get swindled."

Putting on his fedora, Li Banfeng walked toward the door of the Prosperity Bun Shop. Just as Li Banfeng was about to exit, Chubby Qin suddenly asked, "Brother Qi, have you heard the news? The Jiangxiang Gang's dancehall got blown up."

Li Banfeng feigned ignorance. "What dancehall?"