Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'-Chapter 684 - 466: This is the Real Lu Dongliang

Chu Shaoqiang said Lu Dongliang was about to arrive.

Li Banfeng struggled to hold back his laughter; it was a very strenuous effort.

In Puluo State, it was possible for the dead to come back to life, and Chu Shaoqiang was a case in point.

Some said he had died during the Ten-mile Reclamation, others said he had fallen at the hands of the Defense Agency, and still others claimed he had perished in a clash with the Greenwater Beggar.

There were various rumors, but facts proved them all wrong because Chu Shaoqiang hadn’t died at all.

Could such a thing have happened to Lu Dongliang? To others, it might indeed seem possible.

Chu Shaoqiang said, "Li Qi, you must have received some information about Lu Dongliang. You probably think that because he’s been missing for many days, he’s already dead. But Lu Dongliang is a Ninth Layer Traveling Cultivator. Haven’t you ever considered that he might have been at the threshold of ascending to the Tenth Layer, and it was just the right time to go to Inner State to complete his cultivation?"

When he spoke these words, several were pronounced with particular emphasis, yet no soap bubbles spilled from his mouth.

Could it be because those words were true? Did Chu Shaoqiang truly believe that was Lu Dongliang? Could it be that the Peddler’s foreign soap also had the function of making people tell the truth?

Chu Shaoqiang continued, "When I received the news that Lu Dongliang was about to come to Puluo State, I was also surprised. Before that, I hadn’t seen him in Inner State. He was once ambushed by Lu Dongjun and Zhuo Yuling together. You might think Lu Dongliang isn’t that strong, but to me, that’s exactly what’s terrifying about him.

"I pretended to encounter trouble during the reclamation to seize the chance to train in Inner State, and as a result, the Chu Family suffered a catastrophe. Lu Dongliang, on the other hand, deliberately exposed a weakness. This forced the traitors in his family to act, exposing the identities of people like Lu Dongjun and Zhuo Yuling, and also revealing the ambitions of Lu Maoxian’s family.

"Now that the traitors have been killed one by one, although the Lu Family suffered losses, its vitality wasn’t affected. Lu Dongliang only announced his disappearance. With that one move, he stabilized the Lu Family’s situation. And now, being able to return openly and with integrity, he has outdone both me and He Haiqin.

"I’ve struggled against Lu Dongliang for half my life, and I truly admire his wisdom."

Others might indeed join Chu Shaoqiang in admiring Lu Dongliang’s wisdom.

But Li Banfeng wouldn’t, because he knew exactly where Lu Dongliang had gone.

His corpse was eaten by Red Lotus, his Elixir was consumed by Li Banfeng, and his Soul was devoured by Li Banfeng’s wife. Lu Dongliang had played an extremely important role on Li Banfeng’s path of growth.

Lu Dongliang hadn’t been *deliberately* ambushed by Lu Dongjun and Zhuo Yuling. That attack had nearly cost him his life and exhausted all his resources.

As for how Lu Dongjun died, Li Banfeng didn’t know.

Zhuo Yuling died at Li Banfeng’s hands; she brought it upon herself. Lu Maoxian repeatedly schemed against Lu Chunying. His plots were seen through by Li Banfeng, and he died at Li Banfeng’s hands. This also had nothing to do with Lu Dongliang.

The Lu Family had managed to hold on until now thanks to Qiu Zhiheng’s arduous efforts and the mutual support between him, Li Qi, and Ma Wu. Chu Shaoqiang, however, credited all these successes to Lu Dongliang.

The only thing Chu Shaoqiang got right was that Lu Dongliang could now return legitimately.

This "Lu Dongliang" who was about to appear was undoubtedly an imposter. Inner State’s purpose in sending him was likely not just to deal with Loess Bridge.

Lu Dongliang’s influence in Puluo State was too great. A fake "Lu Dongliang" could very well change the entire power structure of Puluo State.

After Chu Shaoqiang finished speaking and left, Li Banfeng thanked him seriously because this piece of news was crucial.

First, he had to inform Qin Bulou to be ready. The Lu Dongliang sent by Inner State was an imposter, but despite the fake identity, the man himself was undoubtedly a master. A fierce battle was inevitable.

And he also had to let the others know not to be deceived.

He needed to immediately notify Lu Chunying to prepare. They couldn’t let this "Lu Dongliang" reclaim the position of Family Head.

He also had to remind He Yuxiu and Chu Er not to form any alliances with "Lu Dongliang."

Other powers also needed to be informed. But how to notify them? Go door to door and tell them in person? That would be too exhausting and counterproductive; it would be like trying to hide something only to make it more conspicuous, and would instead make people believe this Lu Dongliang was genuine.

Soon, Li Banfeng thought of a suitable method.

He had to add some drugged ingredients to this "Lu Dongliang."

In the back building of Xiaoyao Lodge, Luo Zhengnan was in his room, lying on a lounge chair listening to the radio.

"Dear listeners, spring is almost here. A friendly reminder: those of you who killed someone last winter should promptly move any bodies buried in the snow..."

BUZZ! BUZZ!

Luo Zhengnan felt his communicator vibrate. Seeing it was a call from Li Qi, he quickly answered it.

"Old Luo, go to the newspaper office. Tell them to publish a series of articles over the next few days. Just say that someone is impersonating Lu Dongliang and committing fraud everywhere. Include several case examples, and make it look convincing."

"Seventh Master, do you have any material for the news stories?" Luo Zhengnan asked worriedly. "If each newspaper writes its own version, I’m afraid there might be discrepancies."

Old Luo’s concern was valid. To ensure the quality of the news, a unified script was needed.

Black Stone Slope was right beside Loess Bridge, and they were experts at fabricating things out of thin air. "Old Luo, wait for the Black Stone Slope newspapers to come out first, then Greenwater City can follow suit," Li Banfeng said.

At dusk in Medicine King Valley, Qiu Zhiheng got off the coach and handed the Coachman a stack of banknotes.

This time, he had gone to various villages to buy medicinal herbs. The trip was originally scheduled for three days, but because he encountered this Coachman halfway, he finished his business in less than two.

Speaking of which, the Coachman was an old acquaintance. Qiu Zhiheng had encountered him when he first went from the train station to find the Peddler.

"Friend, with your high cultivation level, isn’t pulling a cart a bit of a waste of your talents?"

The Coachman was unfazed. "What’s wrong with pulling a cart? Isn’t it good to live an honest life? Does one have to go out and risk their life for it not to be considered a waste of talent?"