The Overlord of Puluo

The Pocket Dwelling offered a solution. "As long as it is during a regular station stop, the doors will remain open."

When Li Banfeng heard this, he was overjoyed.

Ever since they had gotten the two extra rails, the Pocket Dwelling could follow his thoughts and carry him to any place he chose. However, there was just one serious problem with this. The key had to be outside the Pocket Dwelling and could not travel with it. If Li Banfeng stepped outside and the doors closed behind him, he would have no way to go back into the Pocket Dwelling since he wouldn't have access to the key.

Li Banfeng asked, "How long does a regular station stop last?"

"That depends on whether it is a large station or a small one."

"How do you tell the difference?"

"By the size of the platform."

Li Banfeng sprang to his feet. "Then I will build a very large station. One where you can stop for a whole day."

"What sort of station would allow that?" replied the Pocket Dwelling. "Unless the train had broken down, it would never stay at a station for an entire day."

"Then what is the longest a train can stop at a station?"

"A large station allows a stop of up to one hour. A small station allows no more than half an hour."

It was not a very long time, but when Li Banfeng thought about how briefly ordinary trains stopped at stations, the Pocket Dwelling could stay for quite a while.

He took out a map and began to plan.

"I will build a large station in my territory, another in Greenwater City, another in Medicine King Gully, and one at Blackstone Slope too. The soda at Soda Kiln is delicious, so I might build a large station there. The food at the Ridges of Bottomless Stomachs is very good, so that place could have one as well. I doubt I will need a whole hour at Girdle-Slipping Hollow, but it would still be splendid to have a large station there..."

Li Banfeng was at the peak of his excitement as he drew stations all over the map when Wifey reminded him, "Husband dear, perhaps you should first ask our house how much material a large station needs. I am afraid the materials might not be easy to find."

Oh I almost forgot about this.

Li Banfeng then asked, "What sort of materials are needed to build a station?"

The Pocket Dwelling replied, "A large station must be built with stone."

Li Banfeng laughed. "Stone is no problem at all. There are stones everywhere here, and there are several mountains on my land that I can dig as much as I like."

"You cannot build my station with ordinary stones. A large station must be built with Heavenheart Stone."

Heavenheart Stone?

Li Banfeng had never even heard of it.

Wifey reminded him, "Husband dear, Heavenheart Stone is extremely expensive."

"How expensive can it be?" Li Banfeng looked quite unconcerned. "Do you think your husband is short of money?"

The Pocket Dwelling replied, "One Heavenheart Stone costs as much as a pair of rails, and it takes three to build a large station."

Li Banfeng went silent for a bit before saying, "Building a huge station in a wasteland this far away seems a bit too extravagant. Let's talk about the small station. Does it need a Heavenheart Stone too?"

"You can use soil to build the small station, but you need to use the Heavenspring Joysoil."

Li Banfeng rubbed his hand. "Heavenspring Joysoil... sounds expensive too... Right?"

"Whether it is cheap or not is beside the point," said the Pocket Dwelling, with a faintly mocking note in its voice. "Do you even have anywhere to buy it?"

Buy it? Would the general store sell such a thing?

Li Banfeng had never even heard the name before. Where was he supposed to buy it?

For a moment, nobody spoke. Then Wifey said, "I have seen Heavenspring Joysoil before. If you are lucky, Husband dear, you might be able to gather some for yourself."

Li Banfeng's eyes lit up. "Where can I gather it?"

"I used to know several places," said Wifey, "but all the Heavenspring Joysoil there has already been dug up. This soil is also used as a medicinal ingredient. When eaten, it can restore a man's vigour and make a woman more affectionate."

"Then why can't I just buy it from a medicinal trading house?"

"Husband dear, an ordinary medicinal trading house would never have something so rare. Even if one did, how much could it possibly have? Other people take it as medicine, but we need it to build a railway station. A few taels of soil would be nowhere near enough.

"I know of a kind of insect in the new land called the Three-Joy Bug. It lives for around a hundred years and mates three times every day. It is extremely fond of this medicinal ingredient. If you can catch a few Three-joy Bugs in the new land, perhaps they can tell us where to find some Heavenspring Joysoil."

"Wifey, what do these insects look like?"

"Their bodies are glossy, and they have very long feelers. They come in many sizes. The smallest are no bigger than a fingernail, while the largest are around one metre long..."

Wifey described them carefully, and Li Banfeng went out at once to catch one.

Before long, he came back with an insect. Wifey looked at it and said, "Husband dear, this is a cricket."

Li Banfeng went out again and brought back another.

"Husband dear, this is a longhorn beetle."

Li Banfeng went out once more and brought back another insect.

"Heyaaa!!! Husband dear! Get rid of that! You must never bring a cockroach into the house."

Finding one particular insect from a description alone was far too difficult.

The Gramophone said, "Three-Joy Bugs are not especially rare, but they do possess a little spirit essence, so they are not easy to find.

"I will teach you a song called Little Husband. I often used it to lure these insects in the past, and this song never failed to lure them. You might as well give it a try."

The sound of a pipa filled the room, and Wifey began to sing a little tune.

"「The sun shines over the flowering branches. Before the mirror, I prepare my face.

I long so dearly for my love, but curse him for his faithless ways.

When my love comes home again, I will keep him here with me.

I will loosen my silken gown for him, and untie my sash for him.

My red lips will welcome him into my arms.

For all I want is my dear little husband... ♪」"

No wonder the song never failed. Never mind the Three-Joy Bugs. Li Banfeng had already picked up the oil can and moved behind the Gramophone.

Wifey called out sharply, "HEYAAA! HUSBAND DEAR! DO THE IMPORTANT THING FIRST! HAVE YOU EVEN LEARNED THE SONG?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "Heyaa~ Wifey dear, you are making things far too difficult for me. Do you honestly think I could learn that? Even if I did, would anyone want to hear me sing it?"

Wifey said, "That does not matter. I will cut a record for you. Find a suitable place to play it, and bring back any insects that look similar. Three-Joy Bugs possess only a little spirit essence, and very few people in the world can speak with them. Your Perceiving the Spirit's Melody ability is not yet advanced enough, but it doesn't matter. I can speak with them. As long as you catch the right insect, I will be able to ask it..."

Li Banfeng waved his hand. "That is far too troublesome. Wifey, come outside and catch insects with me."

The Gramophone was stunned for a long moment. "Husband dear, did you just ask me to leave the house?"

Li Banfeng knew that a dwelling spirit could not leave its home as it pleased.

"Wifey, don't misunderstand. I am just asking. If you would like to go outside for a walk, we can wander around together. It doesn't matter whether we catch the insect or not. I only want you to go out and get some fresh air. If you would rather stay home, then forget I said anything."

The Gramophone was really looking forward to it. Ever since she entered the Pocket Dwelling, she had never been outside again.

Li Banfeng picked up the Gramophone and was about to leave when Wifey called out, "Husband dear, wait! Do you really trust me?"

Taking a dwelling spirit outside its home was the same as freeing it from the restraints of the house. When a dwelling spirit is out of the house, they could then kill the Homebound Cultivator. Once the Homebound Cultivator was dead, the dwelling spirit could kill anyone it wished. At that point, the dwelling spirit would be exactly the same as a vengeful spirit.

Li Banfeng smiled. "Why would I not trust my own wifey?"

"But..." Wifey still had her worries.

Li Banfeng knew what troubled her. A dwelling spirit needed the house's permission before it could leave.

He spoke to the Pocket Dwelling. "We are only going out for a little walk. We will be back soon."

The Pocket Dwelling remained silent for a long while before answering, "Only this once. It must not happen again. You must return within two hours, and she's not allowed to take her combat abilities out."

Not allowed to take her combat abilities out? You can do that? Li Banfeng thought. He looked over at his Wifey and said, "Wifey dear, do you still want to go out?"

"This little wifey does want to see the outside world."

Li Banfeng lifted the Gramophone into his arms and carried her through the door.

The moment Wifey left the room, all her combat strength vanished. Only a few abilities with no fighting power remained, and even moving by herself became difficult.

As Wifey inhaled a breath of the air in the New Land, she couldn't help but tremble slightly. Her three speaker horns swayed about in the darkness, as though she were eagerly taking in every part of the view.

There was not much to see, only a stretch of barren hills. Even so, Wifey gazed at them carefully for a long while.

A melody began to play, and Wifey sang Little Husband once more. She had only reached the middle of the song when an insect about the length of an index finger appeared on a tree. Its body was glossy, and its feelers were long and slender. It clung there quietly, listening to the song.

Wifey extended the gramophone needle, and the insect obediently landed on the needle arm. She exchanged a few words with it using Perceiving the Spirit's Melody.

"Heyaaa~ Husband dear, this bug does not know very much. There is a gorge ten kilometers to the east, where an old insect over sixty years old lives. It should know a little more. Let us go and have a look."

Li Banfeng carried Wifey in his arms and headed east. With a hint of embarrassment, she sang, "This body of mine is rather heavy. I am afraid I am making you work very hard."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "How could carrying my own wifey ever feel like hard work? I am moving rather quickly. It is not too bumpy for you, is it?"

"This little wifey would gladly spend my whole life being jostled about in my dear husband's arms."

Li Banfeng raced through the hazy mist with Wifey in his arms. Worried that carrying her would tire him, she tried to persuade him to put her back inside the Pocket Dwelling. "Husband dear, if this little wifey went back into the house, the house would still be following you. Wouldn't this be the same as me going on a walk with you?"

If the Gramophone went back home now, it would be difficult for her to come back out again. However, she already felt very content. She nestled her horn close to Li Banfeng's ear and said, "Husband dear, one look is enough for me. There will be other chances in the future."

The Pocket Dwelling had only agreed this time because it was in a good mood and wanted the train station built. It was hard to say whether she would ever get the chance to come out in the future.

"No!" Li Banfeng said with a smile. "My dearest wifey, it is rare for you to be out, so you must go on a proper walk with me!"

The night wind was bitterly cold, so Wifey rested one of her speaker horns on Li Banfeng's shoulder and gently breathed steam over him. She was afraid of holding it too close and scalding her husband, but if she moved it too far away, she worried that he would grow cold.

While she carefully tried to find the right distance, Li Banfeng teased her by squeezing her butt, scratching her back, and tickling her under the arms[1]. Wifey became so ticklish that she nearly laughed herself breathless.

Li Banfeng ran all the way to a mountain ravine before setting Wifey down. She wiped the sweat from his face, then began singing Little Husband again. This time, she had sung only two lines when an insect nearly one meter long crawled out of the earth and stopped beside her.

It was an elderly Three-Joy Bug. After Wifey finished the song, she exchanged a few words with it before turning to Li Banfeng. "It knows where to find Heavenspring Joysoil. The place is more than forty kilometers from here. As long as this little wifey sings two more songs for it, it will lead us there."

Li Banfeng nodded slightly. While Wifey continued singing, he returned to the Pocket Dwelling and changed into a set of coarse cloth clothes. He also put on a pointed bamboo hat, making himself look like a hunter from the New Land.

The Pocket Dwelling was beginning to grow impatient. "It is about time you brought that girl back!"

Li Banfeng smiled. "There is no need to rush. The two hours are not over yet."

Wifey sang two more little songs, and the Three-Joy Bug was very pleased. It then led Li Banfeng and the gramophone towards the southeast.

After travelling more than five kilometers, they reached the edge of Li Banfeng's territory. The Three-Joy Bug did not move very quickly, so they had already used up quite a lot of time.

Wifey said, "Husband dear, our time is almost up. Please take this little wifey home. Don't make the house angry. It would also be better for me not to show myself once we enter someone else's territory."

Li Banfeng sent the Gramophone back into the Pocket Dwelling, then followed the Three-Joy Bug beyond the borders of his territory.

After another dozen or so kilometers, they came to a small stream. A man with a cloth wrapped around his head stood beside it, holding the reins of a one-humped camel.

He called out to Li Banfeng, "Brother, come and take a look! I have just received a fine new batch of goods. Once I make my money back, everything else must go, so take your pick!"

A peddler? This was indeed a peddler, but not the Peddler that Li Banfeng was familiar with. Peddlers like this only did business in the New Land. They sold everyday necessities to land activators and hunters and were also known as Wandering Merchants of the New Land.

The man's call sounded friendly enough, so Li Banfeng went over and bought a beaded hair ornament for Wifey, two hair ribbons for Hong Ying, and a cleaning rag for Crimson Lotus.

Supplies were terribly scarce in the New Land, which made everything much more expensive than it was in the Proper Land. Li Banfeng had only stopped because the familiar call had made him feel kindly towards the merchant and he wanted to give him some business. And so, he did not buy much.

After paying, Li Banfeng continued following the Three-Joy Bug in search of Heavenspring Joysoil. A little over one kilometer later, he bent down as though to tie his shoelaces and dropped two silver dollars onto the ground.

Once Li Banfeng had gone some distance, the wandering merchants led his camel after him and found the silver dollars.

It was Li Banfeng's warning to him. He was telling the man to be satisfied with what he had already gained and stop following him.

The wandering merchant hesitated, but the camel beside him urged, "What are you standing there for? Keep following him. Once the time is right, kill him."

The wandering merchant nodded. He felt along the rack on the camel's back to make sure he knew where his weapons were, then continued following Li Banfeng with killing intent in his eyes.

They had not gone much farther when Li Banfeng suddenly vanished. The wandering merchant did not notice a thing. By the time he realised what had happened, his body had already swollen up. A moment later, it burst apart in an explosion of blood and flesh.

Li Banfeng did not continue on his way. He stood a little over ten metres away and watched the one-humped camel beside the wandering merchant.

The camel was watching him too. In a calm voice, it said, "Those are impressive skills, my friend. May I ask what brings you to this place?"

Li Banfeng's voice was equally calm. "I haven't asked who you are."

While they spoke, the Three-Joy Bug flew far away.

The one-humped camel gave a snort. "I have only one hump on my back, so some people call me Old One-Hump. Others call me Bei Wushuang[2]."

Author's Note:

PS: Old enemies or potential enemies always seem to cross paths!

1. Gramophone does not have a body so he's tickling the doors and what not. ☜

2. This means someone who doesn't have two on his back. ☜