Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'-Chapter 588 - 408: Do You Recognize This Sword? (High Energy - )
Li Banfeng walked around his territory, seeing that Zhang Wanlong had already built up a village, with farmlands stretching across a three-mile radius and rows of farmhouses.
Planting so many crops was reasonable, but what was the point of building so many farmhouses? Weren’t just he and Root living there?
Li Banfeng entered the plot of land and walked on the country road, observing many farmers working in the fields and chatting by the roadside.
A man was chopping wood in his yard, and a woman, presumably his wife, was rinsing rice next to him.
Li Banfeng activated the Hundred Flavors Delicate Skill and sniffed around the entrance of the courtyard.
The couple emitted a spicy and sweet aroma; they were a pair of radishes.
An old man approached, driving an ox cart filled with potatoes that gave off that distinctive earthy smell.
They brushed past each other, and the old man smiled at Li Banfeng, his scent indistinguishable from that of his ox and potatoes.
By the riverbank, several women were doing laundry with mallets. Some were wiping sweat, some chatting leisurely, and others frolicking. An ordinary person would never realize these women were all zucchinis. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
In the field, a young man with seven buckets strapped to his back was busy with a spoon in hand.
What kind of crop had become this?
Li Banfeng did not dare to sniff any further; he immediately turned off the Hundred Flavors Delicate Skill and approached the young man.
"Root."
Upon seeing Li Banfeng, Xiao Genzi’s face lit up with surprise, "Seventh Master, when did you arrive!"
"Just now, just taking a stroll. You have two more buckets on you. Have you been promoted?" In the past, Root would typically have five buckets strapped to his back.
Root nodded and said, "Seventh Master, my cultivation level has reached the Third Layer."
"Well done!" Li Banfeng praised, handing Root two Mysterious Red Pills and glanced over at the farmers working in the fields, asking, "Did Zhang Wanlong plant all these?"
Root nodded, "Big Brother Zhang is really skilled; I’ve learned quite a lot from him."
"What’s the point of all these houses you’ve built?"
"Big Brother Zhang says the crops he grows become people, and they need to live like people!"
Li Banfeng chuckled. He figured this must be Zhang Wanlong’s defensive strategy. If someone were to invade the village, it would be difficult to distinguish the true identities of these villagers, and the invaders would surely be at a disadvantage because of it.
After a brief chat with Root, Li Banfeng was about to leave when suddenly he turned back and asked, "Root, where did you get your buckets from?"
The buckets on him were not commonly seen; as far as Li Banfeng remembered, only Peddlers had them.
Root replied honestly, "I bought them from a Peddler who had just passed by here a couple of days ago."
The Peddler had been here?
Li Banfeng was taken aback, "He came here to do business?"
Root nodded. "The Peddler said he comes often. He’s friends with the Local Deity here."
Li Banfeng shivered.
The Peddler and the Mountain-Uprooting Master were friends?
Did he know the Mountain-Uprooting Master was gone?
"Did the Peddler ask about anything else?"
Root thought for a moment and said, "He didn’t ask much about my affairs, but he did give me some Medicinal Powder to kill bugs, telling me to pass it on to Big Brother Zhang."
"He knows Zhang Wanlong is here? Why didn’t he give it to Zhang Wanlong himself?"
Root said, "The day before the Peddler came, Big Brother Zhang had disappeared. It seemed like he didn’t want to see the Peddler. However, after he saw the Medicinal Powder the Peddler gave, Big Brother Zhang was quite happy and even said he wouldn’t need to hide from the Peddler anymore."
Li Banfeng recognized this Medicinal Powder. At Hai Chi Ridge, the Peddler had given it to the villagers to eliminate pests.
It seemed that the Peddler approved of Zhang Wanlong’s actions.
Root asked, "Seventh Master, are you looking for Big Brother Zhang? I can take you to him; around this time, he should be at home mixing seeds."
Li Banfeng arrived at Zhang Wanlong’s residence, had a casual conversation, and bought two more bags of seeds from him.
After leaving Zhang Wanlong’s plot, Li Banfeng headed to Bei Wushuang’s territory and first visited the cave to find the Heavenly Spring Delighted Earth.
The Portable Residence would help itself to preferred items; Li Banfeng hoped it would take more and build a few more stations.
After a short stay in the cave, Gloves wriggled out of Li Banfeng’s pocket. "Master, our Old Man has probably made his move by now, but he couldn’t take much this time."
"What? Has he started to feel ashamed?"
With a wag of a finger, Gloves responded, "Ashamed? That old thing has never cared for face. The real issue is that there isn’t much Joy Soil left here."
"Who says there isn’t much left? Isn’t it all over the place?" Li Banfeng scooped a handful from the cave wall, making a hole.
The surrounding Joy Soil seemed intact, but in reality, only a thin surface layer remained; the inside had been hollowed out.
Gloves said to Li Banfeng, "Master, you see for yourself. When our Old Man makes a move, it’s always done meticulously. He almost stole everything without showing any trace on the surface."
With Bei Wushuang gone, who was there left to hide from?
Li Banfeng took a bag and collected all the outer layer of Joy Soil, thinking even if it wasn’t enough for stations, he could take it back for personal use and pamper his wife with it later.
After taking all the surface layer of Joy Soil, the cave expanded by several meters around. The remaining walls were left without soil, revealing the clean-scraped dark rocks.
Back at the Portable Residence, Li Banfeng immediately asked, "How much did you take this time?"
The Portable Residence huffed, "I didn’t take anything."
As soon as the words were out, some soil trickled out from the Third Room.
Gloves scoffed, "That’s how high and mighty our Old Man is."
Li Banfeng opened the Third Room to look, "Is this soil enough to build a station?"
The Portable Residence made a rough estimate, "It should just be enough. Where do you want to build the station?"
