The Overlord of Puluo

"Old Qi, I am really in awe of you. All our businesses are running again!" Ma Wu was so excited that he wanted to kneel down and kowtow on the spot.

Li Banfeng quickly stepped aside. "I will say it again. If you consider me your brother, then don't kneel to me."

Ma Wu was really in awe. He had tried countless methods to persuade Shen Rongqing, but she never agreed. Yet somehow, Li Banfeng had succeeded.

Obviously, Ma Wu was very curious as to what method Li Banfeng used or what pill Li Banfeng had taken. Then again, perhaps it was not because Li Banfeng used an ability. Ma Wu suspected that Shen Rongqing might really have developed feelings for him.

But whatever it was, it didn't matter anymore. Their businesses were running again. It began at Blackstone Slope. The factories sold their goods locally, and although they earned slightly less from the price difference, the loss was small.

More than a dozen merchants bought the goods in separate batches and transported them to different places for resale. Every one of those merchants worked under He Jiaqing.

So why did the Border Control Office not raise their shipping fees as well? Why not simply issue an order declaring that anyone transporting goods from Li Qi and Ma Wu would have to pay fifty percent more?

That would be difficult as these merchants came from all sorts of backgrounds. They had different identities, worked in different trades, and moved their goods through entirely different channels. If the Border Control Office raised all their shipping fees, there was no telling how many other businesses would be implicated. Blackstone Slope, and perhaps the whole of Puluo Province, would be thrown into chaos again.

One by one, the problems in Blackstone Slope and the other regions were resolved. Ma Wu was so delighted that he arranged for Jiang Mengting to sing for Li Banfeng all night.

Li Banfeng had to admit that Jiang Mengting's voice was pleasant enough. But no matter how beautifully she sang, how could she possibly compare to his wifey?

Seeing that Ma Wu had arranged this with such enthusiasm, Li Banfeng did not want to embarrass him. And so, he came up with an excuse. "Old Wu, what fun is there in having her sing for me alone? Why don't we put on a song gala and gather all our friends together?"

Ma Wu was not nearly as confident. With the Border Control Office targeting them, he had no idea how many people would dare to attend.

Li Banfeng did not care at all as he said, "Anyone who comes is our friend. As for anyone who doesn't, they will never set foot through our doors again."

Ma Wu followed Li Qi's suggestion and sent out the invitations at once.

He was very fond of song galas. He liked watching one famous singer after another step onto the stage and try to outshine the rest. Of course, the competition was mostly make-believe, but Ma Wu did not mind in the least. It was the bustle and excitement he enjoyed.

When the invitations went out, he thought they would be lucky to fill half the seats. Instead, more than eighty percent of them were taken. Apart from the Chu Family and their closest followers, everyone who were invited showed up.

The Lu Family, naturally, came in full force. Everyone who received an invitation showed up. Lu Chunying came, Lu Yuanxin came, and even Duan Shaoxia came.

The He Family was in a much more difficult position. He Yuxiu had vanished, and no one else in the main family had stepped forward to take charge. She had one younger male cousin and two younger female cousins, but they thought their status was too low and did not dare attend. Ma Wu went to invite them himself. At a time like this, the He Family needed support more than ever.

What surprised Ma Wu most was the arrival of Ma Junjiang, the fourth son of the Ma Family.

Ma Wu had been half expecting Ma Junjiang to make trouble, but his brother had come with perfectly sincere congratulations and two gifts besides.

"One of them is from our father," Ma Junjiang said

Ma Wu was stunned. "How come? Has my father suddenly decided that I am worth something again?"

Ma Junjiang smiled. "He still looks down on the things you did before. That hasn't changed. But this time, he told me you have got the same hard backbone he has."

"Hard backbone? You mean the business with the Border Control Office..."

Ma Junjiang quickly glanced around and signaled for him not to mention the Border Control Office here. He then said, "Old Wu, come home when you have the time. The old man misses you."

Ma Wu had no wish to go home, but he accepted the gift all the same.

A little more than ten percent of the seats were still empty, and Li Banfeng was not going to let good seats sit there doing nothing. He told the support hooks, the Cook Monster, and the workers who swept the floors and wiped away the dust to find a seat for themselves.

"Everyone, if there's work to do, then do it. If there isn't, come over and enjoy yourselves. Eat and drink as much as you like. I am paying!"

The sweeper found himself in a rather awkward position. His broom was no ordinary broom, but sitting there with it clutched in his arms would look ridiculous. Yet if he left it somewhere, someone might take it by mistake or simply walk off with it.

The song gala began, and cheers rang through the grand dance hall without pause.

Li Banfeng swept his gaze across the audience and met the eyes of a thin young man. After looking at each other for a moment, the two left the hall one after the other and entered a private room.

The thin young man was none other than Chubby Qin.

Li Banfeng frowned. "You have grown so thin I can hardly recognize you. Didn't I tell you to come to me if you ran out of money? You can't keep going hungry."

Chubby Qin sounded short of breath. "Big Bro Qi, I don't know what's happening to me. I pour dozens of kilograms of food into my stomach every day, but it still won't fill up."

Li Banfeng frowned. "Is this Intestinal Roller Silkworm really so vicious?"

Chubby Qin shook his head. "The Silver Seal from my gang has seen people with Intestinal Roller Silkworms before, but he's never seen anyone eat as much as I do. No matter how much food I shove into my mouth, I am still hungry. I weighed myself yesterday, and I wasn't even fifty kilograms."

"This won't do! I will help you find someone to get the worm out!" Li Banfeng was feeling a little worried as he realized that there was something wrong with the Intestinal Roller Silkworm that Pan Dehai gave him.

"Don't! Big Bro Qi, if I can just endure for another month, I will reach level four. It's all thanks to this work that I am able to become this capable!"

"Level four?" Li Banfeng muttered. The more he thought about it the more he felt that there was something wrong with this worm.

He advised again, "Brother, you should just listen to me and get rid of that worm."

"Big Bro Qi, just give me another couple of days. If I really can't hold on anymore, I will think of something then," Chubby Qin assured. He then quickly changed the subject and started talking about the things that had been going on in his sect.

"My cultivation has been advancing so fast that the Silver Seal thinks highly of me now. He takes me everywhere. A few days ago, I went with him to the Second Boss' house. The Second Boss had a few drinks too many and let slip a few things he shouldn't have said."

"What is it?"

"He said the First Boss was spineless. Said he was nothing more than a dog for people from the Outer Provinces, and that the Three Heroes Sect would sooner or later be ruined by him."

Upon hearing this, Li Banfeng fell into a deep thought.

"Do you think he really meant it," he asked at last, "or was he saying it for you to hear?"

"Why would he say that so I could hear him? I'm nobody important..."

Halfway through, Chubby Qin suddenly caught on. "Big Bro Qi, does he know I have someone backing me?"

Li Banfeng grinned. It would have been perfectly normal for him to know. After all, Chubby Qin had reached level three in less than two years, and this was hard to achieve with talent alone.

Li Banfeng had also given him plenty of financial support, so it was only natural that he had caught the Second Boss' attention.

"I actually hope he meant for you to hear it," Li Banfeng said. He opened his wallet, took out a stack of banknotes, and handed it to Chubby Qin.

Chubby Qin waved his hand. "Big Bro Qi, I don't need money lately..."

"Take it first. Look into your Second Boss' past and find out whether he really has any guts and whether he has ever done anything to prove it.

"Also, give a little more to the Silver Seal. Seniority is built with resources. Only when you have resources can you gain influence!"

***

When Li Banfeng went back to the dance hall and took his seat, Ma Wu sat down beside him and pointed to a man in his forties. "That man is He Yuxiu's cousin, He Haijian."

Li Banfeng glanced at where the man was sitting and frowned. "He shouldn't be sitting there. He should be in the VIP section."

"I invited him to sit in the VIP section, but he didn't dare. He said his status wasn't high enough.

"I wanted to discuss some business with him, but he said he wasn't in a position to make any decisions, so there was no point talking to him. Just look at the way he's sitting, all cautious and nervous. He's only here for a song gala. Does he really need to be so frightened?"

He Yuxiu had been right. He Haiqin had frightened the He Family's branch members into submission. Expecting them to save the family would be nothing but a joke.

They really needed to find a way to bring He Yuxiu back to Greenwater City, but how could they guarantee her safety?

Li Qi and Ma Wu had offended the Border Controller, so they were no longer safe. Lu Chunying was now openly clashing with the Border Controller over the Paramount Club, which meant she was in danger as well.

If they brought He Yuxiu back now, trouble would be waiting around every corner. Even if they prepared for it in advance, they still wouldn't know where the real danger was. So where were they supposed to focus?

As the song gala drew to a close, Ma Wu stepped forward to present the award for Singing Queen. Unsurprisingly, the title went to Jiang Mengting, while the remaining awards were given to several promising young singers Ma Wu had been carefully raising into stars of his own.

Lu Chunying slipped into the seat beside Li Banfeng and lowered her voice. "Big Bro Qi, Duan Shaoxia wants to invite us to dinner later. What do we do?"

"Where? At the Lu Family's main residence?"

"No. Right here at Freewind Wharf."

"Then there's nothing to be afraid of. Go and hear what she has to say. But if she tries to make you give up the Paramount Club, don't you dare agree."

Lu Chunying nodded. "Don't worry, Big Bro Qi."

***

Once the song gala was over, Duan Shaoxia arranged a dinner at Freewind Wharf. She invited Li Qi, Ma Wu, Lu Chunying, and Lu Yuanxin, along with Zhang Xiuling, the leader of the Hundred Flowers Sect.

Li Banfeng found himself an excellent excuse not to go. Ma Wu knew a few tricks for dealing with a Love Cultivator, while Li Banfeng did not, so he really didn't want to interact with Duan Shaoxia.

Ma Wu's smile stiffened the moment he spotted Zhang Xiuling. She was every bit as famous as Shen Rongqing, and she carried the weight of one of Puluo Province's largest sects on her shoulders. People did not become legends while they were still alive very often, but Zhang Xiuling had managed it.

As of now, Zhang Xiuling treated Duan Shaoxia like she was her sister, which meant that if Duan Shaoxia wanted to target Lu Chunying, Lu Chunying's situation would become much worse.

Once the pleasantries were over, Duan Shaoxia finally got to the point. "Chunying is the one running the Lu Family now, so its business isn't really mine to meddle in. But I was Dongliang's wife, and for the Lu Family's sake, there are a few things I have to say. Chunying, I heard you have been on rather bad terms with the Border Controller over the Paramount Club."

Here we go!

Lu Chunying gave a small nod and didn't deny it.

Ma Wu slowly turned the wine cup in his hand. Of everyone at the table, Zhang Xiuling was really the only one that intimidated him.

Lu Yuanxin sat stiff and straight in his chair, without touching so much as a morsel of food or a drop of wine. He was every bit as wary of Zhang Xiuling, and he was ready to spring into action the instant anything went wrong.

Duan Shaoxia looked at Lu Chunying straight in the eyes and grabbed her hand. "Chunying, listen to me. The Border Control Office is not one to be trifled with, but the Paramount Club is the Lu Family's flagship establishment, a landmark of Greenwater City, and a symbol of Puluo Province. We cannot let outsiders from the Outer Provinces take it from us.

"If the Border Control Office wants to settle this through negotiation, then talk to them. You know how to handle that side of things. But if they resort to force, don't be afraid. I am here, and Xiuling is here too. WE will fight them to the very end!"

Lu Chunying, Ma Wu, and Lu Yuanxin all froze in astonishment. Who would have expected the usually meek and timid Duan Shaoxia to speak with such backbone?

Ma Wu looked toward Zhang Xiuling.

Zhang Xiuling met Lu Chunying's gaze. "Miss Chunying, the Hundred Flowers Sect has never bowed to outsiders. The Paramount Club is the symbol of Puluo Province, and it should remain in the hands of its own people."

Zhang Xiuling had made it perfectly clear that she would support Lu Chunying.

Ma Wu no longer found Zhang Xiuling, one of the more talented women in Puluo, quite so frightening. There was something in the way she spoke that set her apart from Shen Rongqing. She was not as gentle or refined, but she had a lot more fire. She gave off this aura of a hero.

Duan Shaoxia said to Lu Chunying. "Chunying, just keep your back straight. No matter what happens, the Lu Family must hold on to the Paramount Club."

Lu Chunying nodded. "Madam, the Lu Family is standing firm. The problem is that we only own half of the Paramount Club."

The core of the issue was that the Lu Family and Chu Family each owned half of Paramount Club.

Lu Yuanxin sighed. "When Chu Huaiyuan bought the Paramount Club, Chu Huaijun did not even have the nerve to go near the place. Now that she is away, the shameless bastard has come running over to claim the fruits of her labor!"

"That bastard Chu Huaijun would gladly lick the soles of the Border Controller's shoes," Zhang Xiuling said through gritted teeth. "He has embarrassed all of Puluo Province."

At the mention of Chu Huaijun, disgust spread across Duan Shaoxia's face. "No one should have anything to do with a man like that. Chunying, from now on, we should cut off all business with the Chu Family, not just over the Paramount Club.

"Junyang, I will speak to your father tomorrow and see which sides he's on with this matter involving Chu Huaijun. You have a backbone, and your father shouldn't do anything that would shame you."

It was hard for Ma Wu to respond about this, so he just raised his cup.

When he was drinking, he was observing everyone at the table.

Ever since the trouble at Blackstone Slope, something in Puluo Province seemed to have changed. The change was faint and difficult to put a finger on, but it was there all the same.

***

Inside a private room, Li Banfeng was messing with Xiao Yeci.

"You got an older sister coming to Greenwater City. Let her stay at your place for a few days."

Xiao Yeci was a little confused. "But I don't have an older sister."

"You just got one now. A blood-related one."

"That makes no sense! How can I suddenly have a blood-related older sister?"

"Because I say you do now! And that's not all. You got a younger sister now as well. Your family's house is plenty big enough, so the two of them can stay with you for the time being."

Author's Note:

PS: Where is this little sister and older sister coming from!