The Overlord of Puluo

After seeing Sun Junfu off, Liao Zihui turned his attention to more serious matters.

Chu Huaijun was dead, which was far beyond anything Liao Zihui had expected. During his many years as Border Controller, he had dealt with plenty of unexpected situations, but never one this outrageous. A force he had personally supported and built up had suddenly lost its leader. Nothing this crazy had ever happened before.

It wouldn't be hard to find out how Chu Huaijun died. Miss Chu came back and rejected the sale of the Paramount Club. She also took over the Chu Family's business. All these events indicated that Chu Huaijun had likely been killed by her.

The real problem was deciding what to do with her. Should he kill her? But killing her wouldn't solve any issue. It would only cause an even greater uproar and make the whole situation even more intense.

Liao Zihui summoned his secretary, Ling Sujun. "Draft a report. Put the acquisition of the Paramount Club on hold, along with the operation against He Yuxiu."

Ling Sujun wrote down his orders in her notebook, then cautiously raised an objection. "Commissioner, the task list we received gave clear deadlines for both the Paramount Club and He Yuxiu. If we request a suspension now, I am afraid..."

Liao Zihui shook his head. "As long as I remain Commissioner, both matters will stay on hold. If we continue, it might result in consequences that are impossible to save.

"What about the operation against Li Qi? Should we put that one on hold as well?"

Liao Zihui hesitated for a long while before rubbing his chin. "No. The operation against Li Qi must continue, but we need to change our strategy."

***

Li Banfeng bought more than a hundred boxes of film from the Wonderful Sound Gramophone Shop, nearly clearing out Ling Miaosheng's entire stock.

Ling Miaosheng found the purchase rather puzzling. "Mr. Li, as far as I know, you own a film company. Surely you have no need to buy film from me. And when it comes to price, I cannot offer you any advantage at all."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I don't care about the price. All I care about is art."

The Wonderful Sound Gramophone Shop mainly sold gramophones and records, though it also sold shadow-play machines and rolls of film. Ling Miaosheng was extremely particular about the quality of his goods, and his shop stocked top-grade film that was rarely found anywhere else in Puluo Province.

This sort of film was very suitable as payment for the Film Projector.

Besides the film, Li Banfeng also bought two clockwork gramophones. Both had been made in the Amikan Kingdom, and their parts were compatible with those used in his wifey.

The workmanship was exceptionally fine. Some of the smaller details even bore a faint resemblance to his wifey.

As Li Banfeng admired these two gramophones, he suddenly had a few questions. These gramophones' craftsmanship was excellent, their parts were standardized and interchangeable, and they had clearly been made through a distinct manufacturing process.

They could not have been the work of a lone artisan, nor did they seem like something a small workshop could produce. These gramophones had to have come from a proper enterprise.

In the Outer Provinces, electronic devices were everywhere and even electromagnetic playback equipment had already become outdated. Would people in the Outer Provinces still want to buy these old gramophones, even though much more advanced music players already existed there?

If no one in the Outer Provinces wanted these gramophones anymore, why were enterprises in the Amikan Kingdom still making them? Were they producing them only to sell in Puluo Province?

Even if one Amikan enterprise made gramophones specifically for Puluo Province, how could the gramophones from Geman, Ingris, and Ostria? Puluo Province was probably not a large enough market to attract manufacturers from so many countries.

Li Banfeng asked Ling Miaosheng, "Is the Amikan Kingdom you speak of the same Amikan Kingdom known in the Outer Provinces?"

Ling Miaosheng often imported goods from the Amikan Kingdom, so he understood exactly what Li Banfeng meant.

"This question is not easy to answer. There are two different explanations, and I don't know which one you would rather believe. According to the first, there is only one Amikan Kingdom. It can be reached directly from the Outer Provinces, and the goods produced there are transported through the Outer Provinces before arriving in Puluo Province."

"What is the other explanation?"

"The other explanation is that there are two Amikan Kingdoms, an Outer Amikan and an Inner Amikan. The relationship between them is much like the one between Puluo Province and the Outer Provinces."

An Inner Amikan Kingdom? Amikan has their own version of Puluo Province as well?

Li Banfeng asked, "You have dealt with the world outside of Puluo Province often enough. Surely you know which version of the story is true."

Ling Miaosheng shook his head. "Mr. Li, you misunderstand. Actually, I rarely have the chance to deal with the outside world directly. Whether the goods come from Inner Amikan or Outer Amikan, they must first pass through the Outer Provinces before they can enter Puluo Province. I can only import things from the Outer Provinces.

"Officially, there is only one explanation. All such goods are said to come from Amikan, with no distinction between inner and outer. But since you want the truth, I can tell you this with certainty. Inner Amikan does exist, and every Amikan gramophone sold here comes from there."

Li Banfeng trusted Ling Miaosheng, but he still needed to understand how he knew this. "How did you learn the truth?"

Ling Miaosheng studied him for a moment before answering honestly. "When I was young, I traveled to the Amikan Kingdom in pursuit of art."

"You mean Outer Amikan?"

"I have been to both Inner Amikan and Outer Amikan," Ling Miaosheng said with a trace of sadness in his voice. "Part of my memory was taken from me, including everything I remembered about Inner Amikan. But some things cannot be erased. The art I found there is carved into my mind. It will never fade."

"What kind of art is it?" Ling Miaosheng shook his head. "I cannot describe it. I don't know how to put it into words, and even trying to do so causes me great pain."

"Then don't force yourself," Li Banfeng responded. The fact that Ling Miaosheng had already told him so much showed just how honest he was being.

Ling Miaosheng instructed. "Mr. Li, I hope you will not tell anyone what I told you today."

Li Banfeng nodded and pulled the brim of his hat lower. He arranged for the film and gramophones to be delivered to his secondary residence.

After Li Banfeng had placed the things in his Pocket Dwelling, he went to the Freewind Wharf. Ma Wu handed him an invitation. "The Border Control Commissioner has invited you to dinner at the Border Control Office on the evening of the day after tomorrow."

Li Banfeng looked at the invitation and pressed it back into Ma Wu's hand. "Not going."

"Old Qi, Liao Zihui invited you himself, and you still won't give him the courtesy of showing up?"

"It isn't about courtesy. If I step into the Border Control Office, I will probably end up killing him."

Ma Wu laughed. "Don't say things out of anger. Our future business still depends on the Border Control Office."

Li Banfeng did not laugh. "I am not saying anything out of anger. If I go to the Border Control Office, he might kill me. Instead of waiting for him to kill me, I might as well kill him first."

This was Li Banfeng's logic and Ma Wu couldn't find anything wrong with it.

"Then how about this? I will invite Liao Zihui to Freewind Wharf. If he is willing to come, you can meet him here."

"That works."

Ma Wu took out another invitation. "Mr. Li from Furong Studio has invited us to his home for a gathering. He wanted to hold it the day after tomorrow as well, but I told him we already had plans, so now he is asking if we can make it tomorrow. Shall we go?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "We can go to this one."

Ma Wu sighed. "I am in awe... In your eyes, Li Haoyun deserves more respect than Liao Zihui?"

"Furong Studio is a fine place, isn't it?"

Ma Wu nodded eagerly. "A very fine place. Once you go in, you never want to leave."

"If I have somewhere pleasant to go, why would I go to the Border Control Office?"

Ma Wu blinked. Once again, Li Banfeng's reasoning sounded perfectly sensible.

***

At midnight, Li Banfeng went to the rear building of Freewind Wharf. He climbed to the third floor, entered his private suite, hid the key, and went back to the Pocket Dwelling.

He was in a splendid mood that night. With the oil can in hand, he headed straight for his wifey.

The Gramophone quavered in a tight voice, "Husband dearrrr! Husband dear, please listen to me first. Your little wifey has something urgent to discuss..."

"Urgent indeed!" Li Banfeng said as he held the Gramophone from the back. "Come! Wifey, tell me all about it, and take your time."

***

At two in the morning, someone quietly opened the door to Li Banfeng's private suite.

Both the door and its lock had been custom-made. Even forcing them open would have been difficult, yet the intruder had picked the lock without making a sound.

A ring gleamed on the intruder's index finger. It was an artifact made specifically for opening locks.

Dressed entirely in black, the intruder slipped into the room without a single footstep. Even a high-level Spycraft Cultivator would not have heard a thing. This was not only because of the intruder's cultivation. Their clothes and shoes were artifacts as well. The soles made no sound against the floor, and the fabric did not rustle as they moved.

After a quick glance confirmed that the room was empty, the black-clad figure took out a brilliantly colored feather from their sleeve and flicked it into the air.

It was a Thievery Cultivator ability known as No Treasure Escapes Its Descent, a method used to locate hidden treasures. The higher a Thievery Cultivator's level, the better their treasure-hunting skill became.

With the cultivation level of this black-clad figure, finding a treasure on someone's person was simple. A pinch of dust and a glance at where it settled would usually be enough.

Li Banfeng's suite, however, was far too large for such a casual method. To locate the treasure precisely, the intruder needed a little help.

The Intruder had a feather. The feather was a tool made specially for Thievery Cultivators. It floated through the room for a moment before landing on the safe beside the bed.

The black-clad intruder gripped the dial and turned it twice. After finding the combination, they used a tool fitted over one fingertip to open the safe with ease. Inside were stacks of checks, gold bars, and silver coins.

Could these be treasures? To a Thievery Cultivator, they certainly were. However, they were not what the intruder had come for. The intruder touched nothing that was not part of the target, just in case doing so caused unnecessary trouble.

The black-clad intruder closed the safe and tossed the feather into the air again. It drifted around the room for a moment before floating beneath the bed.

There was a supreme treasure hidden there. The intruder crouched down and reached under the bed, running a hand along the gaps between the floorboards until they found a key.

Holding it up, the intruder studied it for a long while, trying to figure out what it opened. Since the key itself had been identified as a supreme treasure, its true value could not lie in the key alone. It had to come from whatever the key led to.

Perhaps it opened the door to a room, a cabinet, or a chest. Whatever the case, the true supreme treasure had to be hidden behind it. But where was the door?

The black-clad intruder used No Treasure Escapes Its Descent again, searching every corner of the suite, but found no other treasure. They went through every chest and cabinet as well, yet still found nothing that matched the key.

This would require further investigation. Until they figured everything out clearly, they couldn't actually take the key. It had to be returned to the exact place where it had been found. The same went for everything else in the room. Not a single object could be left out of place.

Standing in the middle of the suite, the black-clad intruder gave a light flick of the sleeve. A breeze swept through the room, wiping away every trace of their presence. Even the dust carried in from outside was drawn into the sleeve.

A Thievery Cultivator ability: The Wild Goose Leaves No Trace.

Once everything had been properly dealt with, the black-clad intruder left Li Banfeng's suite and went back to a room downstairs. After changing clothes, they went to sleep. They would wait until tomorrow to find clues through the things on Li Banfeng.

It was three in the morning. The Gramophone was crying in the Pocket Dwelling. "Shameless madman. He ate the Heavenspring Joysoil again and oil me for an entire three hours!"

Li Banfeng gently stroked the horn of the Gramophone and said with a beaming smile, "Wifey, let your husband go use the bathroom. I will be right back."

The Gramophone trembled all over as she watched him leave. "What? You still want more?!"

She turned around and grabbed Hong Ying, who struggled fiercely in her grasp. "You vicious woman! He's your man, so why are you ruining me and making my life hard?"

"Wretch woman, didn't you grow doors. It would be a waste not to use them!"

Li Banfeng went back to his suite and went to the toilet to relieve himself.

The Glove went around the room and said to Li Banfeng, "Boss! Someone came in here."

Li Banfeng's heart leaped into his throat. He hurried under the bed to check the key, then let out a long sigh of relief when he saw that it was still there.

The Glove shook its index finger. "Something's not right. The key is not in the original spot. Someone moved it."

Li Banfeng had always thought his own eyes were sharp enough, yet he couldn't tell that the key had been moved. Still, he trusted the Glove.

"Boss, go out for a walk with me," the Glove said.

Li Banfeng picked up the key and followed it to the corridor. The Glove felt its way along the passage until it reached the stairwell. It led him down to the second floor, then raised a finger and told him to stay quiet. After creeping along the hallway for a while, it slipped into one of the rooms.

Two minutes later, it came back and climbed into Li Banfeng's pocket. Li Banfeng then carried it upstairs to his suite.

The Glove said to Li Banfeng, "I have dealt with that old man. Boss, we can sleep peacefully now."

Li Banfeng was not quite so easily reassured. To be safe, he went back to the Pocket Dwelling and told his wifey that he would not be sleeping at home that night.

His wifey let out such a long breath of relief that the whole horn seemed to relax. Then she released Hong Ying.

Hong Ying gave a cold snort. "He ate the Joysoil. Aren't you afraid that he will crawl into someone else's bed?"

"Not at all. Anything is better than him messing around with me! Once I grow a door of my own, perhaps my days will finally become a little easier."

Hong Ying looked at her. "Didn't you say you could grow one?"

The Gramophone sighed. "That is what they say, but where am I supposed to find that one drop of blood?"

***

Li Banfeng kept the key with him and went to spend the night in Jiang Mengting's room.

Worried that he might be cold, Jiang Mengting took off all her clothes, laid them over him like a blanket, and wrapped him tightly in her arms. Sleeping together like that kept them wonderfully warm in winter.

***

Before dawn the next morning, Xie Juncong, the Big Boss of the Ghosthand Sect, opened his eyes and prepared to get moving.

There was something very important he had to do that day, but what was it?

Xie Juncong sat on the edge of the bed and thought for a long while, yet nothing came to him.

Where is this? It seems to be Freewind Wharf. What am I doing here at Freewind Wharf?

He looked around the room, but could not remember that either. It felt as though someone had scooped a whole chunk out of his memory.

Knock, knock, knock~

Someone was at the door.

Xie Juncong jumped and was still wondering who it could be when the woman who cleaned the guest rooms pushed open the door and walked straight in.

"Owh! You shameless old man!"

The moment she saw that Xie Juncong was naked, she slammed the door shut.

Xie Juncong froze. Only then did he realize that he was not wearing a single stitch of clothing.

Where are my clothes? Shoes? Ring? Feather? The precious treasures that I always carry with me?

The cleaning woman was still cursing outside while Xie Juncong frantically searched the room.

Where are the bedsheets? Blanket? At this point, even a towel would work. I just need something to cover myself with!

Author's Note:

PS: Would a single towel really be enough to cover him?