Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'-Chapter 652 - 452

The Greenwater Beggar was a beggar.

Once given, it was given—the characteristic approach of using the Begging Cultivation Technique to be greedy for more.

A well-known beggar suddenly sprung up with the attitude that once something was given, it was given. Any person who could think logically would assume he had used the Begging Cultivation Technique.

But Chu Shaoqiang knew very well the Greenwater Beggar was not a Begging Cultivator.

Wang Fuqi had been duped. Anything the Greenwater Beggar had personally touched, he should have never touched again.

His right hand was already festering. Wang Fuqi was very decisive. He pulled out a dagger and amputated his right arm at the elbow.

The Greenwater Beggar chuckled. "You’ve chopped off too little."

Indeed, he had chopped off too little. The lower arm was severed, yet the festering continued to spread upwards along the upper arm. Wang Fuqi paled in shock and swung the knife again, this time cutting down from the shoulder.

The Greenwater Beggar chuckled again. "You’ve cut too late."

With the upper arm severed, Wang Fuqi’s body began to fester, the disease rapidly spreading across him.

Chu Shaoqiang said, his eyes downcast, "Green Flower, you’ve arrived quite early."

The Greenwater Beggar just smiled and said nothing.

Cui Tiq added, "We didn’t want to come this early either, but your friend here is such an idiot. He offered up his life on his own accord. We can’t pass up a deal this good."

Chu Shaoqiang frowned slightly. "Foreign Devil, this isn’t your territory. If you die here, no one will see. Do you still have the mind to talk business with me?"

Cui Tiq shrugged his shoulders and fell silent.

Business.

That was the key point of this conversation, those two words. They weren’t meant for Chu Shaoqiang. Cui Tiq wasn’t sure if the intended recipient was present, but this was the hint he could offer.

The business had started.

The Greenwater Beggar laughed. "My disciple isn’t wrong. Your accomplice is indeed a bit dumb."

Wang Fuqi shouted at Chu Shaoqiang, "Lord Chu, save me—GURGLE..."

BANG!

Before he finished speaking, Wang Fuqi’s vocal cords disintegrated, leaving only a low, bubbling noise.

He was beyond help. Chu Shaoqiang knew that very well.

In the blink of an eye, Wang Fuqi’s body completely rotted through and then collapsed, splashing pus all over Chu Shaoqiang.

If this pus penetrated Chu Shaoqiang’s skin, it would be enough to take his life.

The Greenwater Beggar sighed. "You and he are well matched, neither particularly clever."

Chu Shaoqiang looked at the Greenwater Beggar with a hint of scorn. "With your current state, there’s not much change from the old days. If it hadn’t been for the intervention from the Outside Provinces, I wouldn’t have suffered such a loss to you!"

A layer of lime cascaded down from Chu Shaoqiang’s body, along with Wang Fuqi’s pus, all falling to the ground while Chu Shaoqiang himself remained unharmed.

The Greenwater Beggar was not surprised. Chu Shaoqiang had always been cautious; being on guard at all times was only to be expected.

Seeing this, Cui Tiq immediately burst the blisters on his face, and green fluid flew towards Chu Shaoqiang.

Chu Shaoqiang waved his hand, and the fine lime dust precisely blocked the fluid from the blisters.

"Your disciple is as reckless as you," Chu Shaoqiang said, not bothering to glance at Cui Tiq again. "You at least have some weight to your name; he is simply overestimating himself."

Green Flower chuckled. "He’s a young man who hasn’t seen much of the world. It’s natural for him to be a bit flustered in the presence of such an eminent figure as yourself."

Cui Tiq continuously squeezed his blisters, spraying their fluid towards Chu Shaoqiang.

He did indeed seem agitated, which was part of his plan. All he wanted was to expedite the battle between the Greenwater Beggar and Chu Shaoqiang.

He aimed to fish in troubled waters; the water and the fish were ready. As for the Inner State People and the Local Deity, he couldn’t care less.

Facing Cui Tiq’s persistent provocations, Chu Shaoqiang naturally wouldn’t just defend. His lime turned into a dense fog, flying towards the Greenwater Beggar and Cui Tiq.

Greenwater Beggar warned Cui Tiq, "If you don’t want to die, dodge."

Cui Tiq quickly sidestepped, while Greenwater Beggar rubbed his nose and sneezed, the powerful gust dispersing the lime.

At the same time, pustules swelled upon Greenwater Beggar’s body, breaking open one after another. Instead of pus, out peeked a small, round head with a pair of large eyes, looking around.

It was the head of a dragonfly. Afflictions resembling dragonflies kept crawling out of the pustules, flapping their wings and taking flight.

The lime was hard-pressed to stop such large afflictions as the dragonflies. Even if it killed some, it would be no help. Just one dragonfly on his person could pose a great threat to Chu Shaoqiang.

Chu Shaoqiang, with no sign of panic, untied his scarf and tossed it into the air.

The scarf quickly expanded, its surface covered in a sticky gel, acting like flypaper, capturing all the afflictions.

As he hunted the dragonflies, Chu Shaoqiang secretly maneuvered the lime closer to Greenwater Beggar.

Greenwater Beggar belched; he felt nauseous.

Acid rushed up from his stomach. He spat out some to coat himself and held back the rest, sealing his mouth and nose.

This was a defense specifically against Chu Shaoqiang’s lime. Under the protection of the acid, Greenwater Beggar withstood the lime and quickly approached Chu Shaoqiang.

With the foundation of a Martial Cultivator, plus the fact that his opponent wouldn’t dare touch him, he was nearly guaranteed victory in close combat.

When he was less than five meters from Chu Shaoqiang, a ball of flame suddenly engulfed Greenwater Beggar.

Fire Cultivation?

The rolling flames melted the crust of pus, and layers of poison began to seep into Greenwater Beggar’s body.

And Poison Cultivation too!

Greenwater Beggar’s body oozed a viscous liquid, which looked like it could extinguish the flames, but a basin of cold water fell from the sky, putting out the fire prematurely.

Who had lent Greenwater Beggar a hand?

That assistance was completely unnecessary.

As Greenwater Beggar was puzzled, an elderly voice reached his ears: "Since you’ve taken my water, just stand still and don’t move!"

Feng Cultivation!

Having accepted something from a Feng Cultivator, he owed him something in return. The Feng Cultivator didn’t forcibly take Greenwater Beggar’s life, aware of his strength. Instead, he used his Technique to forcibly control Greenwater Beggar’s knees.

Greenwater Beggar’s knee joints stiffened, as if petrified, unable to bend or move.

The Fire Cultivator quickly wrapped Greenwater Beggar in fierce flames. Relying on his high cultivation level, Greenwater Beggar forcefully twisted his own knee joints, making the bones regrow and heal swiftly to leap out of the Feng Cultivator’s control range.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, Greenwater Beggar landed in a mud pit, sinking from his ankles to his waist in an instant.

A Mud Cultivator too?

Counting Wang Fuqi, who had just been killed by the Greenwater Beggar, Chu Shaoqiang had brought along five helpers.

These five helpers were all hiding in the dark, their presence concealed by Chu Shaoqiang’s magical treasure, undetected by the Greenwater Beggar.

The moment Greenwater Beggar sank into the mire, Chu Shaoqiang approached, holding a small bag of cement. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

This bag of cement was specially tailored for the Greenwater Beggar—the cement would harden rapidly upon contact with his body, completely solidifying him and leaving him no chance to escape by dissolving into pus.

Just as the cement bag was about to cover his head, the Greenwater Beggar found it unavoidable.

Chu Shaoqiang suddenly felt a chill in his palm and grasped at nothing.

Where’s the cement?

How did it suddenly disappear!

Hidden behind a tree, Li Banfeng faintly heard a voice from the Gloves praise, "Nice skill."

He Jiaqing? The first person Chu Shaoqiang thought of was He Jiaqing, because he had recently been bested by him in Wuqin Village.

"Jiaqing, come out! I’ve seen you long ago," Chu Shaoqiang bluffed, not knowing He Jiaqing’s current whereabouts.

He Jiaqing didn’t fall for the bluff; while everyone else was still attacking the Greenwater Beggar, he poured a bag of cement directly onto the Mud Cultivator.

The Mud Cultivator struggled fiercely, trying to break free from the cement that was greatly harming him, as it was directly damaging his body’s structure.

As He Jiaqing scattered cement in all directions, Chu Shaoqiang’s helpers scrambled to dodge.

Seizing the opportunity, the Greenwater Beggar shot two tendrils of mucus from his nostrils, sticking them onto Chu Shaoqiang.

Chu Shaoqiang, protected by his lime, was not afraid of these two tendrils of mucus.

The Greenwater Beggar had no intention of harming Chu Shaoqiang with these tendrils of mucus; he planned to use them to gain leverage on Chu Shaoqiang and pull himself free.

Two pliers flew out from within Chu Shaoqiang’s robes, yanking the tendrils of mucus from his back, roots and all.

But he was still a step too slow; the Greenwater Beggar had already taken advantage of the leverage, breaking free from the mire.

The Greenwater Beggar let out a hoarse scream, pus spewing in all directions.

Chu Shaoqiang had the means to withstand it, and his helpers had ways to dodge.

Only the Mud Cultivator was in a bad situation. Weighed down by cement, his movements severely slowed, he couldn’t avoid the pus splatter and felt a splitting headache from the mere touch on his forehead.

It wasn’t just a feeling of splitting—it *had* split! The Mud Cultivator’s skull cracked under the intense pain, his brain matter immediately boiling and gushing out.

With his brain matter gone, the Mud Cultivator stood motionless, gradually falling silent.

However, his body hadn’t completely perished yet. Chunks of flesh fell from his body and, together with the remains of the Peeping Cultivator Wang Fuqi, turned into hundreds of "Slugs" that wriggled all over, leaving trails of mucus that spread everywhere, infecting whatever they touched with the Greenwater Beggar’s contagion.

Even Chu Shaoqiang was caught off guard by this; he sprinkled lime in a circle to create a safe zone for himself.

The Fire Cultivator was not afraid; he’d burn anything that approached.

The Feng Cultivator was smart, staying close to the Fire Cultivator.

The Poison Cultivator didn’t get along with the Fire Cultivator, so he didn’t move closer but, to avoid the "Slugs," took shelter under a willow tree.

Strange, there didn’t seem to be a willow tree here just now.

Something’s not right. This tree might be an ambush. Green Flower might have brought more than one helper.

The Poison Cultivator’s method for dealing with ambushes was straightforward: no need to verify, just release poison. Guessing right meant a big win, and even if wrong, there was no real loss.

Layers of poison mist quickly rose around him, aiming for the tree canopy, when two "Slugs" carrying the Greenwater Beggar’s contagion slid across the snow to the Poison Cultivator’s feet.

The Poison Cultivator dodged swiftly; he was agile, effortlessly leaped over a Light Halo, and evaded the "Slugs" on the ground.

Wait, why was there a Light Halo?

Where did this Light Halo come from?

When evading danger, if I encounter something out of the ordinary, I must avoid it, or I might trigger a trap. This is battle experience, a basic instinct.

But the Poison Cultivator couldn’t comprehend why, after leaping over the Light Halo, he felt as though a layer of his skin had been peeled off.

Before he realized who had attacked him, Li Banfeng suddenly appeared, his figure flickering past in a blur.

Such speed! This must be the Traveling Cultivator Green Flower hired!

The Poison Cultivator’s thoughts raced as he made an immediate judgment.

All these wounds are because I was just hit by the Traveling Cultivator’s Trample Over Thousands of Rivers Technique.

He’s using Passing Glance now! I can’t let him out of my sight!

Despite his injuries, the Poison Cultivator, drawing on his extensive combat experience, focused his gaze on Li Banfeng. His right hand swelled as all the poison accumulated in his palm, ready to strike Li Banfeng a deadly blow.

He was a Tenth Layer Cultivator, just like Scholar Guo and Tian Dasong, waiting for a great achievement to ascend Above the Clouds.

I’m self-aware. I know I can’t possibly kill Greenwater Beggar, and the credit for rescuing Ge Junma won’t be mine.

But if I can kill one of Greenwater Beggar’s helpers, that would be enough to ascend Above the Clouds and seize the next enfeoffment opportunity... and then pass through a Light Halo again...

Another Light Halo...

This Light Halo seemed to bring the Poison Cultivator into a nightmare.

With his gaze locked on Li Banfeng, he was waiting for a chance to counterattack while still guarding against the Greenwater Beggar, but the Light Halo passed beneath his feet once more.

The Poison Cultivator hadn’t even figured out where this Light Halo came from before another layer of flesh was stripped away.

This injury was serious; as his body shook, the Light Halo made several passes beneath his feet.

One pass means two cuts.

Several passes equated to being cut by thousands of blades over a dozen times. Wounded all over, the Poison Cultivator was temporarily incapacitated.

Li Banfeng, using the Arrow Homing Skill with his Sickle, hooked onto the Poison Cultivator’s skull and dragged him back to his Portable Residence.

"My dear, this is a Poison Cultivator. He’s a bit spicy, so eat slowly."

The Phonograph couldn’t even think of eating. "Darling, the battlefield is dangerous, please be extremely careful."

PS: Green Flower allied with He Jiaqing. Chu Shaoqiang brought five helpers, and now three are dead. Cui Tiq was right; this battle was indeed better prepared by Green Flower.