Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'

Chapter 540 - 376 Ah Xia_2

A Wounded Demon Fiend is a being that failed to advance from the Ninth to the Tenth Layer, suffering between twenty and fifty percent Soul damage.

Because of the severe damage to its Soul and the difficulty of repair, it could live long in the world and was one of the strongest types of Evil Spirits in Puluo State.

"Can a Wounded Demon Fiend also become a Local Deity?"

Meng Yuchun shook her head. "Logically, she isn’t qualified. However, I haven’t seen her for many years, so I have no idea what changes she might have undergone. Judging by the situation just now, she didn’t seem intimidated by me. Perhaps her cultivation level isn’t below mine."

"With such severe Soul damage and difficulty in repair, could she still continue to advance?"

Meng Yuchun gave Li Banfeng an awkward look; her knowledge in this area was very limited.

This matter wasn’t urgent; he could ask his wife about it when he had a chance. The pressing issue now was whether Gao Shuxia was telling the truth. Did her information really come from a Wandering Monster? Did the Wandering Monster she mentioned even exist? This needed to be verified with the Cook first.

Li Banfeng went to Oil Peach’s plot. Oil Peach sat on the ground, her gaze vacant, like a clay sculpture.

Meng Yuchun frowned. "Look at her current state! If Strange Monsters come to test her now, she could be killed with a single slap. She doesn’t deserve to succeed in breaking new ground; she’s not worthy!"

Meng Yuchun wasn’t wrong. In Oil Peach’s current state, she truly wasn’t worthy of this piece of land. But Li Banfeng wanted Heavenly Light. As a good omen, he didn’t want his first attempt at clearing land to end in failure.

He stood outside the Boundary and nodded toward the Projector in the tree.

The Projector adjusted its lens, making Li Banfeng visible.

Upon seeing Li Banfeng, Oil Peach stood up and walked towards him dispiritedly.

"Brother Bai Sha, you’ve come."

"I have."

"What do you think of my face? Is it pretty?"

"It is."

"And my figure? She always said I had a great figure. She said holding me was never tiresome, no matter what."

Li Banfeng nodded. "Yes, certainly not tiresome."

"Brother Bai Sha, do you like me? Do you want me? I’ll go with you. I’m all yours. You can do whatever you want."

Oil Peach spoke calmly, like a soulless person muttering to herself.

She walked step by step towards Li Banfeng, who gestured for her to stop. "Don’t come any closer. One more step and you’ll cross the Boundary, and your land clearing will fail."

"Clearing the land?" Oil Peach laughed, a foolish, heartbroken laugh. "What’s the point of me clearing the land anymore? I’ve been played! I’m just a tattered rag used by others to shield them from the elements. She treated me like a rag, do you understand, Brother?"

Li Banfeng said, "What she thinks of you, I don’t know, nor is it important. I consider you a friend. I invited this Cook here to help you clear the land. You should repay this kindness, shouldn’t you?"

"Fine, I’ll repay you now. I’m all yours," Oil Peach moved toward Li Banfeng again.

Li Banfeng shook his head repeatedly. "Don’t ever suggest repaying with your body. That would demean both you and me. If you don’t want to clear the land, then just go. Let’s pretend we never met."

After speaking, Li Banfeng glanced at the Cook, lowered the brim of his hat, and walked away.

The Cook took another dish from his food box. "Miss, please eat. These are tender and smooth meat slices, appetizing and refreshing. Once your stomach is full, there are no troubles that can’t be resolved."

Oil Peach stood still. The Cook placed the food box on the ground, set the dish of tender meat slices on it, and then went to find Li Banfeng.

Oil Peach looked at Li Banfeng’s retreating figure, then at the food box on the ground, and couldn’t help but sob. Two streams of tears rolled down, tracing the corners of her mouth.

「 ... 」

Li Banfeng asked the Cook, "How many Wandering Monsters did the Mountain-Uprooting Master initially hire to look for Meng Yuchun?"

The Cook pondered. "Aside from me and Old Vine, there was the Playful Matron, Weng Fangqu, and a Hundred-Eyes Fish. The rest were her local people."

"What’s the origin of this Hundred-Eyes Fish? A creature from the river?"

The Cook shook his head. "She’s no fish from the river. She’s a type of insect, resembling a silverfish. But she doesn’t just eat clothes—she eats everything. As for her background, I can’t say for sure. I also haven’t inquired about how high her cultivation level is. However, I’ve seen her make a move once. In the blink of an eye, she devoured Old Vine’s arm. Since then, none of us have dared to provoke her. Her cultivation level must be above ours."

According to Gao Shuxia, it must have been this Hundred-Eyes Fish who leaked the information. But is that really true?

Li Banfeng asked the Cook, "Is it possible to find out any information about the Hundred-Eyes Fish?"

The Cook thought for a moment. "I’ll try. I’ve been out of touch with outside news ever since I started following Manager Meng."

Li Banfeng never asked for favors without offering something in return. He took out two Mysterious Red Pills and gave them to the Cook.

Finding the Hundred-Eyes Fish’s whereabouts wouldn’t solve the root of the problem. News of the Mountain-Uprooting Master’s death has already spread. He dealt with Gao Shuxia today, but who knows who might come tomorrow to fight for the territory. Meng Yuchun could handle competitors on her own turf. But what if adversaries from Above the Clouds appeared? What if the Inner State found out about this?

In the year and a half since arriving in Puluo State, Li Banfeng had reached the Seventh Layer of cultivation. His rate of progress was enough to make countless people envious.

But now, Li Banfeng felt his advancement wasn’t fast enough. A Seventh Layer cultivation level was not just insufficient for a Local Deity; it was somewhat embarrassing.

He found a quiet place and consumed an Elixir.

He didn’t have many Gold Yuan Pills left. According to his calculations, reaching the Eighth Layer wouldn’t be a problem, but he still needed about ten more pills for the Ninth Layer.

He didn’t know what was going on with Red Lotus. Recently, it had only been producing either the Mysterious Red Pills, which Li Banfeng didn’t want to consume, or Xuanyun Pills, which were useless to him. He needed to find a source for these ten or so pills quickly. Moreover, improving only his Traveling Cultivation wasn’t enough. He also needed to find some supplements for his wife to boost her Home Cultivation.

「 ... 」

Gao Shuxia flew out of Li Banfeng’s territory with Xiao Feng on her back. She arrived at a cave and found a woman dressed in a silver long gown.

The woman looked at Xiao Feng’s disheveled appearance and asked Gao Shuxia, "You failed?"

Gao Shuxia nodded. "Meng Yuchun took the plot."

"Were you unable to defeat Meng Yuchun, or did you not want to move against her?"

"You make it sound so easy. Meng Yuchun’s cultivation is at the Above the Clouds level. She’s not that easy to deal with."

The woman in white sighed softly. "Then we’ll have to wait. However, there’s good news from Bei Wushuang’s side."

Gao Shuxia was taken aback. "You want me to go after Bei Wushuang? He’s even harder to deal with than Meng Yuchun."

"I’ve heard he’s provoked someone he shouldn’t have. It won’t be long before a fierce battle ensues. Whether we can seize an opportunity then will depend on our abilities."

"Our abilities?" Gao Shuxia scoffed. "When have you ever lifted a finger?"

"Ah Xia, why are you still keeping score with me?" the woman in white said, gently stroking Gao Shuxia’s hair. "It’s not that I’m not willing to put in the effort, it’s just that the time isn’t right yet."

PS: The fact that Bei Wushuang seized the Mountain-Uprooting Master’s territory is recorded in the Contract Book. For Li Banfeng, this person remains a hidden threat, as detailed in Chapter 318.