The Overlord of Puluo

Inside the Pocket Dwelling, Li Banfeng opened his eyes, still groggy with sleep, and heard Wifey murmuring beside him. "Heyaaaa~ Husband dear, running two businesses at the same time really isn't easy."

Hong Ying lowered her eyebrow pencil. "What exactly do you mean by two businesses? Both doors[1] at once? Does Darling Qi know how to do that?"

Wifey hooked a rag with her gramophone needle and flung it onto Hong Ying's spearhead. "You shameless hussy! Your mind is filled with filthy nonsense from morning to night!"

After washing up, Li Banfeng spent a long while cuddling the Gramophone, only to notice that Wifey seemed a little slimmer than before.[2]

Oh no! I worked so hard to fatten her up and she lost weight again after only a few days, Li Banfeng thought.

Wifey tried to reassure him. "Husband dear, I have been studying artificing techniques lately and swinging a hammer every day, so I have been using more energy than usual. I have only lost a little weight . I am really not hungry. Not hungry at all."

What a good wifey I have, Li Banfeng thought. The more his wifey assured him, the more he felt bad.

A cloud of steam wrapped around Li Banfeng as the Gramophone spoke gently. "Husband dear, you really don't need to worry about me. By my count, today is the third day, so it is time for you to check on the plot. If the land was successfully activated, ask Meng Yuchun for some good seeds and plant medicinal herbs that can accumulate Dao affinity. If it was not, there is no need to be upset. Just remember to reward the aberrant creatures with some cultivation. It is nice to have more humans in our land, but it is also beneficial to have more aberrant creatures too. This will help you gain cultivation."

Li Banfeng was surprised. "Having more aberrant creatures can help raise my cultivation level?"

"Yes. Living human beings bring the aura of humans. Aberrant creatures that resemble humans can also bring human auras, though it would be far less than the aura brought by a living person. Some land deities know they will never be able to build up enough human presence, so they devote themselves to recruiting aberrant creatures from every corner. The accumulation may be slow, but it still allows them to raise their cultivation.

"Husband dear, you are still far from reaching the Cloudborne Layer, so strengthening your foundation can only benefit you. Even if we don't take into account the small amount of human auras they provide, those aberrant creatures are still part of the fighting force under your command. If you ever go to war with another land deity, you will need them to lead the charge. Therefore, you must never treat them unfairly."

Wifey's reasoning made perfect sense. This place was so far from everything that recruiting more aberrant creatures might be the only practical way forward. If the Mountain-Uprooting Lord had realized this sooner, she might not have waited until she was worn down to her last scrap of strength before rushing off to fight Meng Yuchun.

Then, Li Banfeng stepped out of the Pocket Dwelling and took a stroll around his territory. He soon became aware of this reality. This was hardly the Mountain-Uprooting Lord's fault. In such a remote place like this, there weren't even a lot of aberrant creatures.

Compared with Shui Yongquan's territory, Meng Yuchun's territory probably had fewer than one-fifth as many aberrant creatures. Shui Yongquan and Qiu Luoye were both stronger than Meng Yuchun, and the disparity in the size of their aberrant forces had led to the gap in their cultivation.

Li Banfeng's own territory was in an even worse state. It probably had fewer than one-tenth as many aberrant creatures as that of Shui Yongquan's territory.

Aberrant creatures generated far less human auras than living people. If he couldn't gather enough aberrant creatures, this approach wouldn't work either.

Nevermind. Let me go take a look at Nectarine's plot, Li Banfeng thought.

Nectarine was on the plot, gnawing on a leg of lamb. She had made it through the three days.

What had happened to Feng had hurt Nectarine very deeply indeed. Even so, there was something about the Cook Monster's meals that was almost impossible to resist. The Cook Monster had been quite right, too. Once a person had eaten until their stomach was warm and full, there would be no burden on the heart that was impossible to overcome.

Still, matters of the heart were one thing and strength was another. Nectarine did not have enough strength to activate the plot by herself. She had only managed to hold on for three whole days because the Cook Monster had been there to help her.

At last, shortly after noon, the trial of worthiness came to an end.

Li Banfeng immediately felt this palpitation.

Nectarine looked up and saw a faint glow spreading across the sky.

"Is that the Heavenly Light?" She almost couldn't believe her eyes.

Li Banfeng handed her an iron shovel. "Try digging and see if you find any water."

Nectarine had lost none of her enthusiasm. She dug for a whole hour before water finally began bubbling out of the earth.

She had done it!

Nectarine's face lit up with excitement. "Brother Bai Sha! Brother Cook Monster! I did it! I activated the plot! I have a domain of my own now!"

Li Banfeng smiled at her with approval.

The Cook Monster nodded eagerly. "I will make a couple of dishes later, and we can celebrate properly over a drink."

Tears shone in Nectarine's eyes. "This land belongs to me now. If anyone ever bullies me, I only have to spill my blood here, and the land deity will protect me, right?"

The Cook Monster nodded and said, "That is the rule of the New Land indeed."

Li Banfeng had no idea how to answer her. The situation was rather troublesome. He could not stay here all the time, yet as the local land deity, he had a duty to protect everyone living on his land.

Li Banfeng would have to find some way to deal with this problem in the future. While he was still thinking about it, Nectarine excitedly pulled out a knife and held it over her palm. "Let me give it a try now!"

Li Banfeng hurriedly stopped her. "No!"

If he let her test it now, things would become very complicated. How was the land deity supposed to appear when Li Banfeng was already standing right there?

He quickly offered her a perfectly reasonable explanation. "You cannot try it now. If you summon the land deity while the Cook Monster and I are still here, would that not make us the invaders?"

Nectarine thought it over, realized he was right, and put the knife away.

Li Banfeng wanted to ask Meng Yuchun for some seeds, but the Cook Monster had already prepared them.

"Now that the Heavenly Light has shone, we should sow some fine seeds that can gather Dao affinity."

The Cook Monster had been an enormous help this time, so Li Banfeng gave him three Profound Crimson Pills. Once the seeds had been planted, Li Banfeng and Nectarine stood together and watched the soil in silence.

Nectarine's eyes shone with hope. "Isn't it wonderful that I have my own land now? It would be even better if I can activate a few more plots."

Yeah, if only more plots could be activated, Li Banfeng thought. He wanted to see more bursts of that Heavenly Light.

The territory measured fifty kilometers by fifty kilometers and contained ten thousand plots, each measuring five hundred meters by five hundred meters.

Li Banfeng was not greedy. He did not expect all ten thousand plots to light up anytime soon, but a hundred or so would have been enough to make the territory look a little more respectable. But who could he possibly count on to activate them?

Could he use his identity as Li Qi to activate land for Li Furong? The very idea was absurd, and if anything went wrong, the contract of the territory might even turn against him.

So far, however, Nectarine was the only person who had come to activate land and expecting her to activate a hundred plots on her own was hardly realistic.

"When did you become a cultivator?" Li Banfeng asked.

Nectarine smiled. "I began cultivating at sixteen, so it has been eight years now. I am not far from level two."

The Cook Monster raised his eyebrows. "I had better go and make dinner."

He was too polite to say it aloud, but judging by Nectarine's current condition, she was nowhere near level two.

Li Banfeng looked at her. "Your cultivation has progressed far too slowly. You have not been taking it seriously, have you?"

Nectarine sighed. "My cultivation depends on fate. If no suitable partner ever appears, who am I supposed to cultivate with?"

As Nectarine spoke, she glanced at Li Banfeng, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

Li Banfeng stared at Nectarine with a hint of coldness in his eyes. She blushed? She knows to be ashamed? Her entire attitude toward cultivation is wrong! Look at Ma Wu! Ma Wu has followed this Hedonism path for one and a half years and he has reached level three. That is because he has never once been picky with his partners. He doesn't even care if they are not humans!

Seeing the hostility on Li Banfeng's face, Nectarine lowered her head. She suddenly thought about Feng again and felt a little sad.

Li Banfeng reminded her, "You have stopped cultivating for three days. You better find a partner as soon as possible."

Just then, Goldwing flew over. Li Banfeng thought she might make a suitable choice, though he had no idea whether Meng Yuchun would agree.

Nectarine, however, showed no interest in Goldwing. To be perfectly honest, there was something about Goldwing's appearance that made her uncomfortable.

In any case, Goldwing had not come for Nectarine. She had come looking for Li Banfeng.

"A madwoman has shown up in Miss Meng's territory asking for you. She is frighteningly fierce."

What madwoman could possibly be that fierce! Li Banfeng muttered inwardly. Suddenly, he remembered He Yuxiu and hurried to Meng Yuchun's territory.

He Yuxiu had seized a python and was demanding an answer from it. "Did you hear what I asked? Has a man come through here?"

The python was so terrified that it looked ready to shrink into a harmless little green snake. It had no idea which man He Yuxiu was asking about.

Meng Yuchun watched from the shadows, slowly clenching her fists. A land deity should not normally interfere over something so minor, but Meng Yuchun had a fiery temper and could not bear to watch He Yuxiu run wild in her territory.

Li Banfeng came to her side and quickly explained, "She is my little sister. I apologize for any offense she has caused."

Meng Yuchun gave a cold snort and turned away while Li Banfeng approached He Yuxiu and said, "You got here so quickly?"

He Yuxiu tossed the python aside and dusted off her hands. "Big Bro Qi, this place was terribly hard to find. Have you finished taking care of your business?"

After going back to Greenwater City, He Yuxiu had managed to get hold of a considerable sum of money. Even so, she was still wearing the oversized men's clothes Li Banfeng had bought for her.

She wore a checked shirt beneath a beige suit and tucked her hair beneath the fedora. The outfit still made her look every bit as handsome and dashing as before.

Li Banfeng stared at her for a long moment, then grabbed her hand. "Little Sis, come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"Back to my place. It is urgent."

He Yuxiu was startled. "That urgent? Well, Big Bro Qi, I have been travelling all this way and I am covered in sweat. Let me find somewhere to wash first."

"That is fine. You can wash at my place. I have water there."

"Big Bro Qi, you can't wait at all, can you~"

Li Banfeng was in a dreadful hurry. Indeed, the longer he looked at He Yuxiu, the more urgent the whole matter seemed.

What a splendid figure she has! Just look at those strong shoulders, that straight back, those sturdy arms, that slender waist, and those wonderfully shapely hips! With how handsome she looks, it would be a waste for her not to activate a plot of land!

The moment they reached Li Banfeng's territory, he waved a hand at the ground around them. "Little Sis, choose a plot!"

He Yuxiu stared at him in astonishment. "Big Bro Qi, if we are really going to... do that out here, should we not at least put something beneath us? The ground looks terribly prickly!"

Li Banfeng bent down and rubbed his palm over the earth. "It seems perfectly smooth to me. It is not prickly at all!"

"How can you say that?" He Yuxiu sounded rather aggrieved. "If you don't believe me, lie down and try it yourself."

Li Banfeng felt so confused and asked, "Lie down for what?"

He Yuxiu lowered her head and said, "I mean...we don't have to lie down, but it will be hard on my palms and knees."

"How will it be hard on your palms and knees? I thought you practiced martial arts?"

"Even if I am a Martial Cultivator, this is not the right place."

"If this is not the right place, we can choose another," Li Banfeng said. "Just tell me how big you want it first."

He Yuxiu froze. "Big Bro Qi! How can I ask how big I want it to be? It depends on you!"

"I can give you any size you want!"

He Yuxiu froze. What does he mean by any size I want? Isn't it just one size? Maybe Li Qi is not a Wanderlust Cultivator but a Physique Cultivator?

He Yuxiu pondered for a while and said, "I think the bigger the better."

"True," Li Banfeng responded with a nod. He then added, "But it can't be too big."

"Yes. I won't be able to handle it if it is too big."

Li Banfeng thought for a moment. "How about one and a half kilometers?"

He Yuxiu stared at him in horror. "You measure it in kilometers?"

"Of course. Half a kilometer, one and a half kilometers, or two and a half kilometers. Choose whichever you like. But you better not try five kilometers. No one can handle that alone."

He Yuxiu stood there looking rather dazed. At last, she began to understand what Li Banfeng had meant.

***

On the one-and-a-half-kilometre plot, He Yuxiu laid out the offerings and burned the contract.

She had decided that Li Qi made perfect sense. If she was going to hide from trouble in New Land, then she should own a plot of her own.

Hanging from the Judge's Brush, Li Banfeng lit up the plot first. He then drifted over to the offering table, waving both arms as he went, and ate the offerings.

The offerings consisted of a jar of sorghum liquor and an entire roasted lamb. Li Banfeng could not normally have eaten so much, but He Yuxiu had bought the lamb from the Cook Monster, whose cooking was far too delicious to resist.

Li Banfeng ate a good deal before putting the rest into the Pocket Dwelling for his next meal. He had wondered where the lamb had come from. If it had been raised in New Land, could it possibly be poisonous?

However, the Cook Monster had told him not to worry and to eat to his heart's content. No matter where an animal came from, once it became an ingredient in his hands, he could remove every trace of poison from it.

He Yuxiu had not troubled herself with any special preparations. Unless nothing special happened, a plot measuring one and a half kilometres would not be difficult for someone like her.

She wanted to find a place to rest when she discovered that Nectarine had already put up a tent for her.

He Yuxiu stopped and looked at the girl in surprise. "Do I know you?"

"My name is You Xuetao," Nectarine replied. "A friend with the surname Li asked me to come and help you."

A friend with the surname Li... So Li Qi asked her to come, He Yuxiu thought. She then smiled and responded, "Sure! What's your cultivation path and cultivation level?"

It was not the sort of question one should ask lightly. However, since You Xuetao had come to He Yuxiu of her own accord, it was only right that she explain a little about her background.

"I am a level-one Hedonism Cultivator."

"Hmm.. a level-one cultivation is not much. Can you do some chores?"

"Yes!" Nectarine nodded vigorously. Every now and then, she would secretly glance at He Yuxiu. The woman looked so bold and dashing, and the men's clothing made her appear even more handsome.

Nectarine did not recognize He Yuxiu. She rarely read the newspapers, and someone of He Yuxiu's standing moved in circles far beyond her reach.

He Yuxiu turned to her. "Fetch me some water. I would like to wash myself."

"All right!"

She's going to wash herself, Nectarine thought as she hurried away with burning cheeks and a wildly beating heart.

***

AMAZINGGGGGGGGG! Li Banfeng exclaimed inwardly. With He Yuxiu here, I am sure I can get another eight or ten plots activated!

Li Banfeng was still in high spirits when he suddenly felt his heart skipping a beat again.

Someone else has come to activate land in my domain! The value of my land is increasing!

Li Banfeng flapped his arms excitedly, pretending to fly as the Judge's Brush carried him along. Halfway there, the Judge's Brush suddenly dumped him onto the ground.

"WALK ON YOUR OWN!"

It was rare to hear the Judge's Brush speak this loudly. He was really mad this time.

When Li Banfeng reached the plot, he found that someone had indeed set up an offering table.

Two men had come to activate the land. The older of the two said, "Brother, I still think we should make more preparations. Activating a half-a-kilometer plot might not be difficult, but it's never wrong to be more careful."

"Leave everything to me. I wouldn't dare make such a promise about a larger plot, but I have never failed to activate one this size. I brought everything we needed, and Master Qi personally recommended this place. There are not many aberrant creatures around here."

"It's not that I don't trust you, but things can always go wrong when activating land. What if we run into a roaming aberration? It never hurts to be better prepared."

"I have prepared more than enough. Let me show you right now."

The younger man unfastened the bucket and reached for the ladle.

Li Banfeng recognized him and sprinted over at once. "Little Gen! Put that bucket down!"

Author's Note

PS: Li Banfeng cannot let Little Gen activate land using his usual method. For details about this method, check chapter 265. My esteemed readers, have a wonderful weekend, and please give all your monthly votes to Salagus!

1. This is not actually a door. Uh.. they are doors on the body! ☜

2. Personally, I don't understand how you can feel that the Gramophone became slimmer but okay I will play along. ☜