The Overlord of Puluo

Miss Chu had come to activate some New Land. That put Ma Wu at a loss for words.

Ma Wu said, "Miss Chu, don't joke around. If you really want to activate some New Land, you can go do it yourself. If you come to us, we can't afford to pay you."

Miss Chu's expression was composed, and her tone was utterly serious. "Young Master Wu, I'm not joking. I don't want your payment. I'll activate the land, and every plot I activate will go to Li Qi. Consider it my way of repaying him."

Miss Chu had truly changed. She had changed so much that Ma Wu felt uncomfortable. He could not even bring himself to joke with her anymore.

She continued, "Young Master Wu, I'm not familiar with the area where the New Land is. Could you tell me about it? If you're too busy, forget it. I'll ask someone else."

"What are you saying?" Ma Wu made a welcoming gesture. "Miss Chu, please come inside."

Miss Chu followed Ma Wu into Freewind Wharf, and the man in the ash-gray overcoat silently followed behind them. Once they reached the private room, Ma Wu took out a map and gave a general explanation of the characteristics of Qiu Luoye's territory.

After weighing her options, Miss Chu chose a plot of land measuring five hundred meters in diameter.

Then she felt a little embarrassed. "I've taken up so much of your time, and I'm only activating such a small plot. If I can succeed with it, then we'll activate another fifteen hundred meters."

"It's fine. As long as you're activating land, that's enough. I'll thank you on Old Qi's behalf."

While Ma Wu was still considering whether his words were appropriate, Miss Chu had already stood up to take her leave.

Ma Wu escorted her out of the private room, and they made their way through the main dance floor. However, on the way, a drunken customer stumbled into Miss Chu and knocked the cufflink off her sleeve.

The drunkard even dared to reprimand Miss Chu. "Are you blind?! Don't you watch where you're going?"

Ma Wu frowned and waved over Zuo Wugang, who was behind him.

Did he really need to summon Zuo Wugang just to deal with a drunkard? That depended on the situation.

Standing beside Miss Chu were Yang Yanzheng, Wen Hongyan, and her senior sister, Xiang Fenglan. The fact that the drunkard managed to bump into Miss Chu and even knock off her cufflink in front of so many skilled fighters meant that this drunkard was no ordinary person.

Just after Wen Hongyan moved to shield Miss Chu, the drunkard's fierce expression suddenly went slack, and he staggered toward the door as though he was sleepwalking.

Ma Wu had Zuo Wugang follow him out, but by the time Zuo Wugang reached the entrance of Freewind Wharf, the drunkard had already vanished. Still, the others remained on guard.

Then the man in an ash-gray overcoat picked up the cufflink from the floor and handed it to Miss Chu. "Miss, this is yours."

Miss Chu stared at the man for a long while before taking the cufflink and thanking him.

The music began to play, and the patrons took their partners and started dancing. The man in the ash-gray overcoat turned away, disappearing into the crowd on the dance floor.

Ma Wu became high-strung with tension. It seemed that quite a few formidable people had arrived at Freewind Wharf today.

Miss Chu warned him, "Young Master Wu, be careful."

Ma Wu nodded. "Go home. I'll handle things here myself."

Upon reaching the entrance of Freewind Wharf, Yang Yanzheng said, "Miss, that man looked very familiar."

Miss Chu nodded. "I feel like I've seen him before too, but I just can't remember who he is."

As soon as Miss Chu left, Ma Wu summoned the manager. "For the next song, have Jiang Mengting sing 'When Will You Return?' Once she's done, clear the venue immediately. We're closing early today."

At the entrance of Freewind Wharf, there was a beggar standing outside. No one else could see him, but he saw someone, the man in the ash-gray overcoat.

"He is actually at the Cloudborne Layer now," the Greenwater Beggar remarked, narrowing his eyes. "I thought he was dead. Turns out he went to the Inner Provinces and became someone's dog."

Beside him, Wan Jinxian said, "Great Ancestral Cultivator, he's the one who was with Zhong Huaien."

"The Inner Provinces sent him here. He came with Zhong Huaien. What is he doing in Greenwater City?" the Greenwater Beggar wondered aloud. He squeezed one of his sores, and green pus oozed out.

Wan Jinxian dodged the spray of pus and whispered, "I overheard him talking with Zhong Huaien just earlier. They've been watching the recruitment for land activation, and they said something about it being almost time."

The Greenwater Beggar nodded. "Almost time, yes, it's almost time. With so many people activating land, Elephant Qiu's territory is nearly fully activated. I knew Li Qi had no reason to do something like this. So it was those in the Inner Provinces who directed him here. Those in the Inner Provinces have always wanted a proper territory of their own. Before, they wanted Greenwater Bay, and they discussed it with me several times. I kept stalling. Now they're doing things in secret."

Wan Jinxian did not know what relationship the Greenwater Beggar had with the Inner Provinces, but the Greenwater Beggar's words sent chills down his spine.

The Greenwater Beggar continued muttering to himself. "That bastard on Vilefolk Hillock must have realized I didn't want anything to do with him, so he started thinking about finding another helper. But why did he choose Li Qi? What dealings does Li Qi have with him? Because of that Benefactor business... He Jiaqing is the Benefactor, isn't he?"

The Greenwater Beggar looked at Wan Jinxian.

Wan Jinxian shook his head repeatedly. "I have never regarded He Jiaqing as my benefactor. My only benefactor is you."

"Only me?" the Greenwater Beggar smiled. "What proof do you have?"

Wan Jinxian was filled with regret. If only I had gotten that tattoo on my chest earlier!

"I... well... in my heart..."

He did not know what to say, and the Greenwater Beggar could not be bothered listening to Wan Jinxian struggle to produce an answer. Instead, the Greenwater Beggar was still thinking about the Benefactor.

"The Benefactor is He Jiaqing. Li Qi wants to deal with He Jiaqing. Vilefolk Hillock wants to deal with the benefactor. They have the same enemy. I knew something about this was suspicious. They're actually on the same side. Tell me, how did I not realize it?"

Wan Jinxian could not figure it out either, so he had no idea what to say.

The Greenwater Beggar looked at the people signing up to activate New Land. They were lined up in a queue that stretched for an entire street.

The Greenwater Beggar smiled. "They came to my territory without telling me, and they've poached so many land activators from me. The low-level cultivators have all been poached. And what about the higher-level cultivators? The great aristocratic families are all getting along famously with Li Qi now. They've been poached too.

"Once they've poached all the cultivators, they'll start poaching the Bleaters. With enough human presence, they can turn Elephant Qiu's territory into another Greenwater Bay. And after that, what do you think they'll do with me? They don't trust me, and they think I know too much. It's about time they killed me to silence me.

"I have your junior brother to thank for this. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have been on guard. But come to think of it, you've heard me say so much. Should I kill you to silence you as well?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the Greenwater Beggar grabbed Wan Jinxian by the face.

Wan Jinxian did not dare struggle against it. He squeezed out, "Great Ancestral Cultivator, I am utterly, wholeheartedly loyal to you. I will never tell anyone about what happened today."

"It's fine. Don't you just want to tell He Jiaqing?" The Greenwater Beggar kneaded Wan Jinxian's face. "Go tell him. And while you're at it, tell him one more thing. Business can be done with anyone. Let's see what price he can offer."

"As long as the Great Ancestral Cultivator commands it, I will deliver the message."

"No hurry. We'll deal with those two pieces of trash first." The Greenwater Beggar was smiling, but he was gritting his teeth. "I almost forgot. Not two, three. That man in white is really difficult to deal with."

***

In a patch of wilderness outside Greenwater City, the man in the ash-gray overcoat patted the drunkard's face.

The drunkard came to his senses, saw the man before him, and scrambled two steps backward. "Sir, who, who are you? What are you trying to do?"

The man asked expressionlessly, "Why did you provoke Chu Huaiyuan at Freewind Wharf earlier?"

"Who is Chu Huaiyuan?" The drunkard shook his head. "I don't know her."

The man wagged his index finger. The drunkard's right arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder, dropping to the ground with a thud. No blood flowed; there was only an ash-gray wound left at the amputation point.

The drunkard cried out in alarm, but he did not actually feel any pain. "Sir, what kind of spell is this? I really don't know Chu Huaiyuan."

The finger of the man in the ash-gray overcoat twitched again, and the drunkard's left arm was severed as well.

"Sir! Please spare me. This is terrifying!" the drunkard cried out, on the verge of tears.

"You think this is fake? Just because it doesn't hurt, you think it isn't real?"

The man in the ash-gray overcoat made a chopping gesture with his hand and softly cut through the air. The drunkard's legs were severed at the hips.

The drunkard broke down. He was not in pain, but he had lost all feeling in his limbs. He began to suspect it might not be fake after all.

"Sir, please spare me. I'll tell the truth. The Border Controller sent me here. He told us to cause trouble at Freewind Wharf and keep Ma Wu tied up there."

"'Us'?"

"In addition to me, there are three other people. Two are on the main dance floor, and one is in a private room preparing to start a fire."

The man in the ash-gray overcoat pointed to the side. "Are they them?"

The drunkard looked over and realized that three people had appeared beside him. They were his three colleagues, and they were all in the same situation as him. Their limbs had been severed, and they lay there with vacant eyes.

The drunkard wailed hoarsely, "Sir, what are you doing? Grandsire, please!"

The man in the ash-gray overcoat asked, "What's the purpose of holding Ma Wu back?"

"I really don't know, grandsire. We were only given this one assignment!"

The man in the ash-gray overcoat asked expressionlessly, "Is that the truth?"

"Everything I've said is the truth!"

"You can go."

The man in the ash-gray overcoat waved his hand, and the limbs of the four men were restored to their bodies without a single scar.

The drunkard trembled as he stood up, and the other three men did the same.

"We'll... be leaving then," the drunkard said.

The man in the ash-gray overcoat nodded. "Leave quickly."

The drunkard and his three colleagues turned and ran, feeling as though they had just awakened from a nightmare. However, the four men had not run very far before they collapsed simultaneously. Their limbs fell away from their torsos with gushes of blood.

It wasn't a dream? It was real!

All four men wailed in agony.

Zhong Huaien said to the man in the ash-gray overcoat, "Mr. Chu, they may truly have been sent by the Border Controller. If we deal with them like this, I'm afraid it could damage the relationship between the two sides."

"The Border Controller? Liao Zihui?" The man in the ash-gray overcoat was well acquainted with the Commissioner. "He's not a good man."

"I know you've had conflicts with the Commissioner, but right now, we—"

The man in the ash-gray overcoat looked at Zhong Huaien. "You think I'm abusing my post to settle a personal grudge?"

Zhong Huaien shook his head repeatedly. "That's not what I meant."

The man in the ash-gray overcoat remained expressionless. "Those men did not tell the truth. If they wanted to hold Ma Wu back, they could have acted at any time. They would not have needed to time it so specifically that they would run into Huaiyuan."

Zhong Huaien was taken aback. "You mean—"

"Liao Zihui already knows I've arrived, or at least, he received the news. He wants to use Huaiyuan to investigate something. That bastard has always been this despicable."

Zhong Huaien grew even more worried. Judging from Liao Zihui's attitude, those in the Outer Provinces were not particularly friendly toward them. "Mr. Chu, we've been in Greenwater City for two days now. Should we inform the Greenwater Beggar about this?"

The man in the ash-gray overcoat shook his head. "I came this time not only to investigate the land activation but also to investigate the Greenwater Beggar. I've heard that he has handled certain matters very improperly."

Zhong Huaien nodded. "It was indeed improper. Especially in Lu Maoxian's case, the Greenwater Beggar went through the motions without putting in real effort. That greatly displeased my teacher."

The man in the ash-gray overcoat sighed. "The Greenwater Beggar is fickle and unpredictable. It's hard to say whether he has any connection to that Benefactor. This matter must be investigated thoroughly. Find someone Huaiyuan will listen to and convince her to stay out of this. My daughter is all I have left. She must not be dragged into this affair."

***

Cedric arrived at Blue Poplar Village, entered the New Land, and pulled the nail from his heel.

This was a Wanderlust Cultivator's enchanted artifact he had borrowed from Wan Jinxian. It allowed him to run undeniably fast, but Cedric was exhausted. Using this pair of boots consumed an enormous amount of his stamina, and the nail had genuinely given him a lot of pain.

Cedric saw the beggar begging by the roadside and noticed a row of sores on the beggar's face. He recognized those sores. That row of sores was the mark the Greenwater Beggar had left on the beggar.

The Greenwater Beggar had told Cedric to kill someone here, but who exactly did he want him to kill?

***

Inside the Pocket Dwelling, Li Banfeng sat on the edge of the bed, muttering to himself, "Yuan Shoulü blocked my path. I can't let that slide. If I can't let it slide, then I'll just have to kill him."