Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'

Chapter 395 - 272 Thoughts

Wu Decheng wiped the Golden Juice from his face, quietly watching Shopkeeper Ye.

His goal today had been to kill this Ye, to earn merits with Lu Maoxian, to reclaim the reputation Tang Peigong had squandered, and to snatch Tang’s position in the Strict Law Society.

He had lost on the stage, but it seemed it wasn’t too late to kill this Ye.

Yue Qingsong, a Fourth Layer Poison Cultivator, reminded him from the side, "Master, the other disciples have all arrived. We can make a move at any time."

Wu Decheng clenched his fists but ultimately calmed down. He had someone take the injured disciples and left the stage.

He had just decided to kill Shopkeeper Ye, so why had he changed his mind so quickly?

Wu Decheng, a veteran of the Jianghu, could clearly see the situation. He didn’t care about others pointing fingers. The winner becomes king, the loser a bandit—he understood this principle very well. But Wu Decheng knew it would be very difficult to kill this Ye now. His earlier intention to kill him was based on the assumption that Ye would be off guard. Now it seemed that not only was Ye on guard, but he had also set a trap to plot against him. The two skinny men on the stage were not to be trifled with. It appeared Ye hadn’t brought any Support, but in reality, his Support was likely hidden within the crowd. If he continued this entanglement, he would gain no advantage. Wu Decheng’s retreat was very decisive.

Seeing the other party flee in a panic, Li Banfeng lowered the brim of his hat, a smile playing on his lips.

A breeze blew by. Li Banfeng’s smile vanished. He took his people and left. The place reeked, which was very unfriendly to his Hundred Flavors Delicate Skill.

The fighters from the stage left, and the onlookers dispersed. The few left to clean up the venue were quietly worrying.

"Should we keep this stage?"

"Let it air out for a couple of days. It should be fine then."

Back at the Newspaper Office, Bai Qiusheng was busy with drafts, and Ma Wu was busy printing newspapers.

After the evening paper was sent out, Li Banfeng had someone buy wine and food, setting up a few tables in the factory. The factory’s dining hall was quite large, and the atmosphere was good. Today’s main event was to celebrate the three who had fought.

Xiao Genzi said with a look of guilt, "I didn’t help much. The credit mainly goes to the two sisters."

Li Banfeng said with approval, "Root, put down the bucket for now. Today, all three of you are the top heroes. Eat your fill, drink your fill, and enjoy yourselves. There will be red envelopes for you all later."

Ah Qin glanced at Ma Wu and said with her head down, "I don’t want a red envelope."

The Swearing Woman spat and said, "Shameless! If you don’t want the red envelope, what do you want? Relying on what little a man gives you, you think that can keep you fed?"

Ah Qin retorted angrily, "You old woman, your words are so vile! Today is a wonderful day, and I have no intention of bickering with you!"

Indeed, it was a good day. Everyone ate and drank merrily until after two in the morning before finally going to sleep.

More than an hour later, close to four in the morning, a scent drifted into Li Banfeng’s room.

He’s here.

He knew he would come tonight.

He knew he wouldn’t let it go.

He’d lost too much face; he knew Wu Decheng couldn’t bear it.

That spoonful Xiao Genzi gave him on stage was precisely to guard against this!

Li Banfeng stood at the door and quietly opened the Portable Residence.

Wu Decheng silently ascended the stairs, looked around for a moment, and arrived before Li Banfeng’s door. He pushed it open. The room was pitch black, and Wu Decheng vaguely saw some mist.

Strange, why is there fog in this room?

Wu Decheng tensed. Just as he was about to retreat, he felt a sharp pain in his calf; something sharp had hooked onto his leg bone. He tried to break free, but his opponent’s strength was far superior. In the struggle, Wu Decheng was dragged into the room.

BANG!

The door slammed shut.

SIZZLE!

Li Banfeng struck a match and lit a cigarette. He then casually lit the candle beside him.

By the candlelight, Wu Decheng could see the room’s furnishings more clearly. It was a very small room with a bed and a Phonograph. The needle of the Phonograph had hooked Wu Decheng’s leg bone. With a sudden jerk, it pulled back, and Wu Decheng fell to the ground.

Li Banfeng sat on the bed, looking quietly at Wu Decheng, "The fight on the stage is over. Why are you still coming after me?"

Wu Decheng gritted his teeth and said, "Faithless and treacherous! You despicable scoundrel, you deserve to die!"

"And how exactly am I faithless and treacherous?"

"What was our initial agreement?"

"It was clear from the start: three rounds on the stage. You were to win the first, I would win the second, and the third would be a draw. I didn’t agree. I said I had to win the first round, and you agreed to let me win the first round. Isn’t that right?"

Wu Decheng said, "I already let you win the first round!"

"Yes, you let me win the first round. Then I should win the second, and the third should be a draw. There’s no problem with that, is there?"

"Rubbish! If I let you win the first round, then the second round should have been mine!"

Li Banfeng shook his head, "That’s not what I think. It’s your fault for not making it clear."

"Isn’t it obvious? Does it even need to be made clear?"

Li Banfeng laughed, "You just don’t like to make things clear. During the first match, regarding the literary and martial challenges, you purposely didn’t clarify. You took advantage of me, an outsider, not understanding the rules. With Tang Peigong, you probably didn’t clarify some minor details either. He lost face at the movie theater and was eager to get it back, so you vaguely tricked him into your scheme. You used me to beat him up. He lost face, and then you planned to win yours back in the second round. Is that how it was?"

Wu Decheng scoffed, "So what if it is? You didn’t suffer any loss!"

Li Banfeng continued, "In the second round, whether it was to be a fight to the death or just to determine a winner, you still weren’t clear. Bringing in a heavy hitter to deliver a killing blow, you thought you could catch me off guard and wipe me out completely. Is that what you were thinking?"