The Overlord of Puluo

Chuff! Chuff!

A train pulled into Blackstone Slope Station. With so many trains running over the past two days, the station staff had barely had a moment to breathe.

After Cheng Mingke left, transport through Blackstone Slope finally went back to normal. The large and small factories in Blackstone Slope rushed to secure freight cars for the goods that had been waiting to ship, while trainloads of grain poured into Blackstone City.

Order had been restored in Blackstone Slope, but what about the kidnapping that happened before?

The Jiangxiang Gang was responsible. The Border Control Office had said so plainly in its public notice. It also insisted that it had never had any dealings with the gang and promised to launch a major crackdown against them in Blackstone Slope.

Naturally, the people of Blackstone Slope paid no attention to any of that nonsense. What they remembered was that a man known as Benefactor had brought their children home and even delivered rice when they had nothing to eat.

Before long, Blackstone Slope returned to its peaceful, cheerful way of life. The clearest sign of this was the newspapers. When the newspapers began operating again, sales of Night-Blooming Jasmine became as high as ever.

Blackstone Slope had not forgotten about their hatred toward the Jiangxiang Gang. In fact, the major newspapers sold at the Blackstone Slope had just begun condemning the gang.

Old cases were dug up one after another, and nearly every newspaper began running a regular column on the Jiangxiang Gang.

Stacks of newspapers were placed before Xiao Zhenggong. He flipped through them briefly, then looked at Shen Jingye, the director of the Dark Star Bureau. "Why are you showing me this?"

"I just wanted to remind you that the Jiangxiang Gang is in a difficult position," Shen Jingye said. "If it intends to survive in Puluo Province, it will have to make some changes."

Xiao Zhenggong felt bewildered as he asked, "Change what exactly? The Jiangxiang Gang has lived off these businesses since the day it was founded. If we don't do such things, how are we supposed to maintain contact with the Sage? How are we supposed to keep the balance between Puluo Province and the Outer Provinces?"

"We have our methods," Shen Jingye said. "And your old methods will have to change."

"Tell me about it. What kind of change?"

"The plan is still being refined. Once it is ready, you will be informed."

Xiao Zhenggong could already see what they were doing. They meant to keep nibbling away at the Jiangxiang Gang, one piece at a time, until there was scarcely anything left to call a gang at all.

The more he thought about everything that had happened since he used the Balancer Seal, the uglier the picture became. To everyone else, he must have looked like a complete fool.

He had handed five branches over to the Border Control Office with his own two hands. Another three had been wiped out, and to this day, no one had managed to discover who had done it.

The Jiangxiang Gang had once done its business quietly in the shadows. Now it had been dragged into the open, where everyone could point at it and shout for its blood.

And what had Xiao Zhenggong received in return?

He had only gotten a lump of flesh that was said to belong to He Jiaqing. Whether it was really He Jiaqing's, there was no way to find out.

The He Family's assets had been frozen for a period of time. Then, under pressure to prove that the Border Control Office had nothing to do with the Jiangxiang Gang, the Border Controllers released them again.

And was that the end of it? Not at all.

Shen Jingye said, "We gave careful consideration to the He Family's attitude toward you. For the sake of your safety, we agreed that certain necessary measures should be taken."

Xiao Zhenggong didn't understand. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"We have decided to eliminate He Yuxiu in the name of the Jiangxiang Gang. She is currently the head of the He Family. Killing her would send the family a powerful warning and provide you with greater security."

Hearing this, Xiao Zhenggong laughed out loud and scoffed, "Provide me with greater security?"

This is really the art of talking, Xiao Zhenggong thought.

Xiao Zhenggong knew that He Yuxiu had been at odds with the Border Controllers ever since she took over as head of the He Family.

"So you want He Yuxiu dead, and you want the Jiangxiang Gang to take the blame?"

Shen Jingye did not bother explaining. "The restriction imposed by the Balancer Seal has expired. You are free to act as you please now. Let me remind you once more. You can stay with the Public Security Team, but I strongly advise you to choose another post."

Xiao Zhenggong said nothing. He stood up and left the office.

Back home, he settled onto the sofa while two young women prepared a hot bath. They filled the tub, tested the water, and helped him wash.

When he reached the bedroom, Xiao Zhenggong dismissed them both. He lay down on the bed and stared silently at the ceiling, lost in thought.

The white robe hanging from the clothes rack spoke. "Senior Brother, you didn't have to pay such a heavy price. You should have listened to me at the hospital and killed He Jiaqing then.

"Now you have used the Balancer Seal. It has left you badly weakened, and the Outer Provinces have taken a huge chunk out of the Jiangxiang Gang. You came out of this deal at a terrible loss."

Xiao Zhenggong replied, "I am only this capable. Go report back to our teacher. He Jiaqing is dead, and that's what matters."

The white robe sighed. "I will tell our teacher exactly what happened. Whether he rewards or punishes you, however, is no longer for me to decide."

The following evening, the white robe slipped out of the residence without a sound, while Xiao Zhenggong drove to the Dark Star Bureau.

He was never one to arrive at work on time, but tonight was different. It was his turn to be on duty.

Chuunibyou had been assigned to the same shift again. Xiao Zhenggong knew there was no getting rid of him, so he ignored him and sat quietly in his office.

As midnight approached, Xiao Zhenggong lit a cigar. The heavy smell drifted through the room, and Chuunibyou rubbed his nose, though he did not seem particularly bothered.

By the time the smoke had thickened around them, Xiao Zhenggong was already gliding toward the stairwell.

Chuunibyou saw none of this. From where he sat, he still saw that Xiao Zhenggong was in the office.

Xiao Zhenggong made his way down the stairs and returned to the records room. After searching through several rows of shelves, he finally found the file he was looking for. It was the information on the boundary lines.

The Jiangxiang Gang would soon no longer belong to Xiao Zhenggong. So what? Was the Jiangxiang Gang really important?

He Jiaqing had come straight for him, the Sage was breathing down his neck, and the white robe had even arrived in person to make sure the job was done. One way or another, someone had to answer for all of it.

Xiao Zhenggong simply had no intention of being the one to settle the score. He was not about to give up his position in the Public Security Team.

He had used the Balancer Seal for one reason: to put on a convincing show for the Sage.

Once he controlled the boundary lines, he would control all of Puluo Province.

***

Li Banfeng ordered a bowl of mutton noodles at a small noodle shop. The place was generous with its portions, serving plenty of both noodles and meat, so many workers stopped there after their shifts. For someone who had spent the whole day laboring, a bowl of noodles, a mutton bone, and a bowl of liquor made for a well-earned reward.

It might not have been a lavish meal, but it was deeply satisfying. Li Banfeng could never seem to get enough of Blackstone Slope.

Once he had eaten and drunk his fill, he wandered through the city. When he passed a jewelry stall, he crouched down and picked out several pieces.

The jade bangles were made of stone, and the gold necklaces were made of copper. Even after buying more than a dozen pieces, he spent less than a hundred yuan.

Li Banfeng knew exactly what sort of quality these trinkets were, but wifey liked them.

Back in Greenwater City, he had once spent two hundred silver dollars having a pair of gold hairpins made for her. Wifey had picked them up with her needle and tossed them straight into the storage cabinet. They were not bright enough for her.

The jewelry sold at roadside stalls was much more colorful, with all sorts of elaborate designs. It was cheap enough that it did not matter if anything broke, and whenever wifey picked up a new piece, she could amuse herself with it for ages.

Hong Ying was always laughing at her for having such tacky taste. So what if it was tacky? All those vivid reds and greens looked rather pleasing to Li Banfeng too.

Once Li Banfeng had made his selections, he reached for his money, but the young woman at the stall refused to take it.

Why don't you take my money? Li Banfeng thought.

The young woman stared at him for a long time and whispered, "You are Benefactor, aren't you? My family ate the rice you gave us."

Li Banfeng tossed down two Huan banknotes, snatched up the jewelry, and left.

He couldn't stay in Blackstone Slope anymore. If anyone discovered that the Benefactor and Boss Ye were the same person, things would become troublesome.

Li Banfeng returned to the newspaper office and asked Bai Qiusheng to arrange a travel permit for him. That same evening, he headed to the train station.

However, after reaching the ticket checkpoint, he turned around and came back out.

The travel permits were being inspected with unusual care that day, and every passenger was repeatedly asked to state their name.

Why do they keep asking everyone to repeat their names?

Could they have brought in that enchanted artifact belonging to a Moralism Cultivator? The one that could sense if you were lying?

Li Banfeng never used his real name when applying for a travel permit. If they were really using that Moralism Cultivation enchanted artifact at the checkpoint, he would be in serious trouble.

It seemed the earlier incident had not completely blown over. Not long after leaving the station, Li Banfeng sensed that someone was watching him.

Why would they be watching me? Is it because I turned back just before the ticket inspection?

Turning away at the last moment certainly looked suspicious, but as a level-seven Homebound Cultivator, Li Banfeng would not normally draw attention unless someone happened to spot him.

There was another possibility. His clothes might have given him away.

He wore a black suit and a black hat with the brim pulled low. The Border Control Office might already be watching for someone dressed exactly like that.

Li Banfeng needed to change. He found a secluded spot and entered the Pocket Dwelling.

Once inside, Li Banfeng considered what he should wear.

The white suit? The gray one? No. Better not wear a suit again while I am in Blackstone Slope.

He had once ordered a blue-green changshan in Greenwater City, but later found it too troublesome to wear and tossed it into the third room. He had barely touched it since.

Li Banfeng went into the third room, changed into the changshan, and put on a gray-white felt hat. Then he tossed the suit onto the floor and considered his next move.

Should I go back to the newspaper office and hide there for a while? No.

The newspaper office openly clashed with the Border Control Office before. They are probably monitoring the newspaper office as well. Can I go back through the New Land? That's a bit difficult.

Blackstone Slope was not marked in Old Mister Yao's map, which meant that Li Banfeng would have no idea where to go if he was in the New Land.

Besides, he had a very traumatic experience when he ventured into the New Land at Blackstone Slope last time. It was because he was trying to find his way to the New Land that he accidentally entered the Dreambinding Tower.

Is there another way out? Maybe I can hide inside a parcel and have someone from the newspaper office send it out.

The plan seemed safe enough, but it would not work now.

He had already considered the possibility that someone was watching the newspaper office. If one of its workers took the parcel to the station, failed to get it onto the train, and had it confiscated instead, Li Banfeng would be in serious trouble.

As he weighed the risks, something inside the discarded suit began to rustle.

Li Banfeng assumed the noise had come from his gloves. He lifted the suit and found a small metal box sliding out of the inner pocket.

The box held the screws Brother Tang had given him. Li Banfeng had more than enough concealed weapons, so he had carried these screws around without ever finding a use for them.

The moment the box touched the floor, however, it vanished straight into the ground.

Li Banfeng stared in surprise. "You oldie! Why did you take my screws?"

"Good stuff!" the Pocket Dwelling exclaimed.

"What's so good about them? What are they even for?"

The Pocket Dwelling gave no answer.

Anything given to him by the land deity of Blackstone Slope had to be some sort of treasure, and now the Pocket Dwelling had swallowed it whole.

That was fine. Li Banfeng had no use for the screws anyway, and at least they had not fallen into someone else's hands.

The Pocket Dwelling had gained something valuable, so his fortune would probably improve as well.

As Li Banfeng pondered, another object slipped out of the suit. It was the remote control device he had taken from one of the Jiangxiang Gang hall master's subordinates during their fight.

Could this thing be useful? Suddenly, Li Banfeng had an idea!

Late that night, Li Banfeng set off with a map of Blackstone Slope in hand. Dressed in the blue-green changshan and gray-white felt hat, he sped north.

He crossed the city, passed through the outskirts, and continued for more than three hours before reaching the border of Blackstone Slope.

Like every boundary line he had seen before, it formed a single line stretching endlessly in both directions. Not a blade of grass grew anywhere near it.

Li Banfeng took out the device, gripped the lever, and pulled. Nothing happened along the boundary.

He tossed a branch across. The instant it passed over the line, it crumbled into ash. It seemed he had been overthinking things.

The boundary lines that he could control and the boundary line at the border did not seem to be the same thing. At the very least, the remote did not work on both.

Li Banfeng returned to the Pocket Dwelling and continued searching for another solution. Then an old-sounding voice whispered beside his ear. "Come to the third room. I'll modify it for you."

It was the voice of the Pocket Dwelling.

Modify what? The remote? This house can modify something like that?

Li Banfeng entered the third room and placed the remote on the floor.

Just as it had done with the screws, the floor quickly swallowed it.

More than an hour passed before the remote rose back out of the ground.

Li Banfeng picked it up and examined it, but it looked exactly the same as before.

"Will this work on the border line?"

The Pocket Dwelling answered once more. "That depends. Are you brave enough to try?"

Author’s Note:

PS: If you have got the nerve, give it a shot!