The Overlord of Puluo

At seven in the morning, Xie Juncong, the seventy-year-old Boss of the Ghosthand Sect, was sprinting desperately past the gates of Freewind Wharf without a stitch of clothing on him.

Li Banfeng ran alongside him while a Film Projector hovered nearby, faithfully recording the entire scene.

Li Banfeng raised his voice so that everyone nearby could hear him. "Isn't this Xie Juncong, the leader of the Ghosthand Sect?"

Xie Juncong gave a dry laugh. "Master Qi, I never expected to run into you here."

"Sect Master Xie, why did you leave in such a hurry? Is there some urgent business you need to attend to?"

"Nothing urgent. I merely came out to stretch my legs."

"Sect Master Xie, are you wearing this little because the weather's burning hot?"

"Now that you mention it, the weather is really hot today!"

"Are you on your way home? Why don't I hire a carriage and send you home?"

"No need to be so courteous, I can walk back myself!"

Li Banfeng really wanted to send him all the way back into his mother's womb. This was already the second time the old thief had tried to steal from him.

However, the Glove begged Li Banfeng repeatedly, "Boss, we can't kill him yet. There are still things I need to pry out of him. Besides, his cultivation isn't weak. If you fight him head-on, you might not be able to gain the upper hand."

Li Banfeng smiled. "With you here, why should I be afraid we can't beat him?"

The Glove sounded somewhat ashamed. "Boss, I am only an enchanted artifact, and this body of mine is simply too ill-suited for combat. When it comes to Thievery abilities, I would definitely win, but in a fight to the death, I would be no match for him. That old bastard certainly won't dare come back to Freewind Wharf after this. Please consider it a favor to me and let the matter go for now."

Li Banfeng agreed to the Glove's request and spared Xie Juncong for the time being. He then extracted several still images from the footage and sent them straight to the newspaper office.

That evening, Li Banfeng gathered a pile of gifts and set off with Ma Wu for Hibiscus Studio.

Hibiscus Studio was an enormous estate built on Crystalwork Mountain east of Greenwater City. It sprawled from halfway up the mountainside all the way to the summit, swallowing more than half the hill in the process. Western-style houses, pavilions, terraces, and towers crowded the slopes, with more than a hundred buildings in every shape and style imaginable. The whole place was so grand and extravagant that even a blind man could have guessed that Li Haoyun was staggeringly rich.

Li Banfeng still could not quite work out what Li Haoyun was. Was he a merchant, or the leader of a sect? Ma Wu could not answer that either.

In Puluo Province, the line between the two had never been particularly clear. Every sect had businesses of its own, and every businessman had ties to one sect or another.

Li Haoyun came down to welcome them at the foot of the mountain. While the two parties were still some distance apart, Ma Junyang noticed two women standing beside him.

He turned to Li Banfeng. "Old Qi, those two women are Li Haoyun's wives. When we sit down to eat later, don't go asking about them."

Li Banfeng frowned. "Why would I ask about another man's wives?"

Ma Wu lowered his voice. "There is a story behind that. Li Haoyun's wives come from rather questionable backgrounds. Someone once made a joke about it in front of him, and when Li Haoyun lost his temper, it was a truly terrifying sight."

By then, the two parties had drawn close enough to exchange greetings. After a few pleasantries, Li Haoyun led them up the winding mountain path toward Lychee Garden.

Lychee Garden was a vast estate, though reaching it was no easy task. The path twisted and turned so badly that even within Furong Retreat, the place was considered remarkably secluded.

A grand residence stood at the heart of the estate, surrounded by dense rows of lychee trees. Unfortunately, it was not lychee season.

The host and his guests took their seats in the main hall and chatted idly for a while. Before long, one of Li Haoyun's subordinates came to report something, and Li Haoyun excused himself.

The moment he was gone, Ma Wu leaned toward Li Banfeng. "The fact that he brought us to Lychee Garden means he considers us the most honored of honored guests. Whatever you do, do not ask how this place came to be. There is a story behind that too."

Li Banfeng naturally wouldn't ask about the history of a garden. Still, from the way Ma Wu talked about Li Haoyun, Li Haoyun seemed to be someone with a lot of rules and Li Banfeng was already beginning to dislike him.

If Li Haoyun was such a melodramatic and troublesome man, Li Banfeng was perfectly prepared to stand up and leave. Yet when Li Haoyun came back and the conversation resumed, he seemed surprisingly easygoing, not at all like a man burdened with so many peculiar taboos.

Perhaps he was simply hiding his temper very well and might explode at any moment.

Before long, the tables were covered with wine and a magnificent spread of dishes.

Li Haoyun summoned several women to warm the wine and serve the food. They waited on the two guests so attentively that neither man had to lift a finger.

Ma Wu had already seen such scenes often. Still, this was a chance to earn cultivation progress, and he could not neglect his cultivation. After only two cups of wine, he already had his hands on the girls.

Li Banfeng, on the other hand, showed no interest in his attendant and had little desire to continue making small talk with Li Haoyun.

Noticing his lack of enthusiasm, Li Haoyun smiled. "Master Qi, do you look down on me because you think my business is dirty?"

Li Banfeng returned a faint smile. "That depends on what sort of business you are running."

Li Haoyun glanced at the woman beside him. "The women of Hibiscus Studio are free to come and go as they please. Those who want to earn money here are welcome to stay. Those who wish to seek their fortunes elsewhere are free to leave, and I even pay their travel expenses. As far as I am concerned, there is nothing dirty about my business."

Li Banfeng gave a slight nod. If that was really how he ran things, there was nothing wrong with it.

Li Haoyun continued, "To tell you the truth, my parents were in the same trade. They died young and left the family business to me, but I could not stand the way it was run back then, so I changed professions."

Ma Wu froze. Li Haoyun had brought up his own past without the slightest hesitation. He clearly did not see Li Qi as an outsider.

Li Banfeng asked, "What profession did you change to?"

Li Haoyun laughed and said, I bought and sold things. I sold off everything my parents had left behind and opened a new shop. I started out selling antiques and paintings. I lost money. Then I sold clothes and dyes. I lost money again. After that, I sold rice, flour, grain, and oil. I still lost money. When I had only a little money left, I came up this mountain and planted lychee trees. I have kept the Lychee Garden ever since. This is the very place."

Is that why he doesn't want people asking about the Lychee Garden? Li Banfeng thought and said, "There is nothing embarrassing about selling lychees, is there?"

"No, but I lost money selling lychees too. In the end, the only things I had left were the lychees themselves. I could not even afford a meal. My name is Li Haoyun, but everyone who knew me back then started calling me Lychee Yun. I would not have minded if they had said it once or twice, but they kept using it to mock me. Of course I got angry."

So that's why he doesn't like people asking about the Lychee Garden.

Li Banfeng smiled. "After the lychee business failed, did you try anything else?"

Li Haoyun shook his head. "I wanted to, but I couldn't. I had lost every last coin. There were still two maids by my side who had served me since childhood. I gave them what little savings I had left and told them to return to their hometown, but they refused.

"They sold themselves to raise enough money for me to start again. I did not dare squander that money. I could not afford another failure, so I had no choice but to go back to the family trade.

"Once I was back on my feet, the first thing I did was marry those two maids and bring them into my household as my wives. Some people say they come from shameful backgrounds. I cannot control what they say behind my back, but if they say it to my face, I will turn on them. They can look down on me all they like, but they cannot look down on my wives. That is the one thing I am touchy about."

As Li Haoyun spoke, he smiled and raised his cup. Li Banfeng raised his own and drained it in one gulp. This was Li Banfeng's first cup and the atmosphere instantly became much better.

Li Banfeng then asked, "Shopkeeper Li, if you were so good at this business, why did you switch trades?"

Li Haoyun let out a sigh. "Master Qi, you do not know the half of it. My parents ran the same trade, but they did things very differently. Their business was filthy. Every girl they had was bought from human traffickers. Once a girl was bought, she belonged to them for life. While she was young and useful, they made her earn money. Once she was no longer profitable, they sold her to someone else.

"Girls who obeyed were coaxed into submission. Girls who did not were beaten until they did. There were twelve whips hanging in our house, and every one of them was stained with blood. There was one girl in particular who was incredibly strong-willed. They beat her half to death, but she still refused to yield. My mother had a way of dealing with people like that. She had medicine. The finest medicine. She treated the girl's wounds, then personally took care of her. Every day she brought her food and soup, looked after her every need, and even helped her to the toilet.

"After a while, the girl recovered completely. And do you know what happened? She started treating my mother as her savior. Whatever my mother said, she believed. Everywhere she went, she told people that my mother had rescued her. But how could she forget who had beaten her into that state in the first place?

"Master Qi, that trick works. It works frighteningly well. So many people fall for it, and they do it willingly. Tell me... is that not infuriating?"

Ma Wu froze. Only then did he realize Li Haoyun was hinting at something with this story. Li Banfeng raised his cup and drained it in one gulp.

***

The following evening, Liao Zihui arrived at Freewind Wharf. He left his driver and bodyguards downstairs, then went up alone to the private room where the dinner was being held.

Once everyone was seated, Liao Zihui spread his hands. "I came in a hurry and did not bring any gifts. I hope you two won't mind."

Ma Wu smiled. "There is no need to stand in ceremony."

Li Qi nodded. "Actually, I do mind. I am very much bothered by it."

Liao Zihui froze. "Are you saying I have been discourteous?"

Li Qi looked at him. "Do you think you have not?"

Liao Zihui laughed. "In that case, I suppose I did bring a gift after all."

"Then let us see it."

Liao Zihui took out a written order. "Starting today, the transport fees on your business will return to their original rates."

Ma Wu was delighted. The greatest obstacle facing their business had finally been removed. He reached for his glass and was about to offer a toast when Li Banfeng stopped him.

"Commissioner Liao, what sort of gift is this supposed to be?"

Liao Zihui was stunned for a long moment. He had decided to try a different approach with Li Qi and had even backed down first, but Li Qi's response was nothing like what he had expected.

The smile slid off Liao Zihui's face. "The fees are back to the old rates, and you are still not satisfied?"

Li Banfeng smiled. "The old rates mean we are paying exactly what we paid before. So tell me, what have we gained?"

Liao Zihui frowned. "The rate you had before wasn't the original one."

Li Banfeng remained very calm. "Then that means you guys made a mistake previously."

"Do we really have to dig up every old grievance and count them one by one?"

"Why not? I am rather good with numbers. I doubt I will miscount."

Liao Zihui's cheek gave several twitches. "I didn't come here to rake over old grievances. I came in good faith because I really want to settle this matter."

Li Banfeng remained perfectly unruffled. "If settling it makes you feel that you have been taken advantage of, we don't have to settle this."

Ma Wu didn't dare to say a word. The air in the room had grown so heavy that he felt like he couldn't breathe.

Liao Zihui drew a deep breath. "What exactly do you want?"

"Cut the transport fees in half."

Liao Zihui laughed. "Do you honestly think that's possible?"

Li Banfeng laughed as well. "Entirely possible."

Liao Zihui was silent for a long while before shaking his head. "You are making things difficult for me. I can't make that happen."

Li Banfeng gave him a look of great and solemn encouragement. "A man mustn't run away merely because something is difficult. He must put his mind to it and show a little initiative. How will you know what you can achieve if you never even try?"

Liao Zihui clenched his jaw, rose from his seat, and marched out. A moment later, the steam car coughed to life outside the window and carried him away.

Ma Wu knew there was no talking Li Banfeng out of it, but he still could not help trying. "Old Qi, you are really making things hard for him. Cutting the fees in half is hardly something he can decide on his own."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "If I asked him to halve transport fees across the whole of Puluo Province, then he wouldn't be able to do it. But cutting the fees in half for us alone? He should be able to do that."

Ma Wu sighed. "How are we supposed to get along with them from now on?"

Li Banfeng smiled. "He will learn to live with it. After all, this is only the beginning."