Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'
Chapter 53 - 42 Chu Yunlong’s Gift

Chapter 53: Chapter 42 Chu Yunlong’s Gift

Looking at Chu Yunlong lying on the ground, Li Banfeng’s heart grew heavy. He was a decent person; he even said he’d buy me a train ticket...

The area was so desolate that wild beasts might be prowling. Li Banfeng couldn’t bear to leave Chu Yunlong’s body exposed to the wilderness, so he decided to take him back to the Portable Residence and use the Copper Lotus Flower for Alchemy.

Upon entering the Portable Residence, Li Banfeng lit the candelabra and placed Chu Yunlong’s corpse next to the Copper Lotus Flower.

What kind of process is it to turn a body into an Elixir? he wondered.

HISS, HISS...

The Copper Lotus Flower sensed Chu Yunlong’s presence, its petals slowly unfurling one by one.

Why did it sense Chu Yunlong? Was it because Chu Yunlong had a cultivation level? I also have a cultivation level; why didn’t the Copper Lotus Flower turn me into an Elixir? Was it because it recognized me as its master? Or was it because it only recognized the dead, not the living?

PSSSHHT...

What was that sound?

Li Banfeng glanced back at the phonograph; it seemed to have just emitted a puff of steam.

I didn’t light any fire, did I?

As he puzzled over this, the candlelight flickered, and a whirlwind stirred within the Portable Residence.

Chu Yunlong’s gray suit and white shirt disintegrated, and even the forage cap on his head shredded into strips of cloth.

His naked corpse twisted and deformed, eventually becoming a paste-like Coagulated Cream that flowed into the Lotus Heart of the Copper Lotus Flower.

The petals of the Copper Lotus Flower immediately closed, and it was surrounded by Light Halos, in the process of Refinement.

Shattered cloth pieces littered the floor. Among them, Li Banfeng found a dagger with an exquisite appearance, complete with a scabbard.

He pulled the dagger from its sheath. Its chilling gleam proved it was a rare and fine weapon.

Not a bad find!

Just as Li Banfeng was about to examine the dagger more closely, another whirlwind kicked up inside the Portable Residence.

The whirlwind still emanated from the Lotus Heart, and a powerful force snatched the dagger from Li Banfeng’s grasp.

Li Banfeng tried to retrieve the dagger, but he was a step too slow.

The dagger turned into paste and was swallowed by the Lotus Heart.

Was Gold-rimmed Glasses’ fan swallowed like this too? That fan was refined into a Rust Pill; what will this dagger become?

Li Banfeng instinctively clutched his sickle and shovel tightly. But then he recalled that these two items had been near the Copper Lotus Flower many times before, and it had shown no interest in them.

Upon what criteria does the Copper Lotus Flower select its materials?

Losing the dagger was a slight regret for Li Banfeng as he continued to search through Chu Yunlong’s belongings.

He found Chu Yunlong’s wallet.

He opened it carefully, afraid the banknotes inside would be devoured by the Copper Lotus Flower.

I almost forgot, I took back over two hundred thousand yuan from Shopkeeper Feng yesterday, and the Copper Lotus Flower didn’t touch it. It’s a lotus that doesn’t care for money.

Inside Chu Yunlong’s wallet were 1,226.82 yuan in banknotes and six Ocean Dollars. Li Banfeng pocketed the banknotes and carelessly tossed the Ocean Dollars onto the bed.

While the Copper Lotus Flower was still in Refinement, Li Banfeng contemplated his current situation and future plans.

The first issue: how can I return to Yuezhou? I don’t know what a Guide Token is, and buying a train ticket through official channels seems very difficult. The second issue: once back in Yuezhou, how should I deal with the Dark Star Bureau? Even if I found a Guide Token, bought a train ticket, and returned to Yuezhou, could I escape the Dark Star Bureau’s entanglement? Obviously not. As long as the Copper Lotus Flower is in my possession, I’ll never escape Xiao Zhenggong’s pursuit. The third issue: should I hand over the Copper Lotus Flower to ensure my own safety? No. That thought was quickly dismissed. Handing over the Lotus Flower wouldn’t ensure my safety at all. And who would I give it to? He Jiaqing? He’s lying in the hospital, most likely still unconscious. Even if he woke up, could he protect this Copper Lotus Flower? Give it to his Third Uncle? Or directly to Xiao Zhenggong? Both of them would surely want the Copper Lotus Flower, but they definitely wouldn’t want others to know it’s in their possession. In other words, as soon as I handed the Copper Lotus Flower to them, they’d kill me immediately to silence me. Xiao Zhenggong has already proven my suspicions with his actions. His order to the Big-eyed Man was to execute me, and his order to the Jiang Xiang Gang was to kill me and retrieve the treasure. From the very beginning, Xiao Zhenggong never intended to let me live. The Copper Lotus Flower absolutely cannot be handed over. But I still need to return to Yuezhou. In Yuezhou, Xiao Zhenggong does have some constraints, whereas Medicine King Valley is clearly a much wilder place. However, to return to Yuezhou, I must first obtain a Guide Token. Where can I get one of those? Does Qin Xiaopang have connections? Does Shopkeeper Feng have a way?

Li Banfeng peeled off two green Lotus Seeds. The first Lotus Seed quickly burst, revealing a rust-red Iron Bead, identical to the Rust Pill he had seen before.

Seeing the Rust Pill, Li Banfeng felt his scalp tingle and hurriedly threw the Elixir onto the ground.

Despite his swift action, Li Banfeng’s palm still felt a faint, sharp sting. The Elixir’s toxicity and corrosiveness were too potent; he still felt an urge to test it himself.

The previous Rust Pill came from a fan, so this one must be from the dagger.

Li Banfeng carefully collected the Rust Pill into an eyeglasses case. The two Rust Pills lay quietly in the case, showing no reaction to each other.

After a while, the second Lotus Seed burst.

Li Banfeng peeled it open, and two entirely red Elixirs appeared.

Two Elixirs? When Gold-rimmed Glasses and Hu Gaizi were refined, only one Elixir came out per person. Why did refining Chu Yunlong alone yield two Elixirs? Gold-rimmed Glasses and Hu Gaizi had entered the Taoist Sect but had no cultivation level. Did Chu Yunlong produce more Elixirs because his cultivation level was higher than theirs? That would mean Chu Yunlong was likely a First Layer Cultivator. But this First Layer Cultivator’s strength wasn’t impressive at all! Could it be because I didn’t give him a chance to show his abilities?

"Brother Yunlong, I’m sorry," Li Banfeng muttered. "Next time, I’ll definitely let you show your strength."

Li Banfeng swept the scattered pieces of fabric into a corner of the room and lay on his bed, continuing to ponder his next moves.

Since I can’t return to Yuezhou anytime soon, I need to figure out how to survive in Medicine King Valley for a while. I’m not short of money, at least for food and drink. I need to improve my living conditions as much as possible and acquire more furniture. I should try not to go out for the next few days. With Chu Yunlong dead, the Jiang Xiang Gang will definitely be searching for me everywhere. But staying cooped up isn’t an option either. What about my cultivation? First Layer Traveling Cultivators had to walk fifty miles a day—a necessary condition. Or should I just walk in this small house?

Li Banfeng got up and started pacing back and forth inside the room.

Pacing in such a confined space was extremely difficult for Li Banfeng. If he didn’t carefully control his strength, he could slam into a wall at over twenty miles per hour.

Li Banfeng estimated he paced back and forth in the Portable Residence for at least five hours, ending up bruised and swollen.

He had mostly gained control over his legs, but Li Banfeng sensed his cultivation level hadn’t increased at all.

Constantly strolling in such a small room obviously wouldn’t feel like real progress; no matter how many steps I took, it wouldn’t count as a Traveler’s cultivation. But now is not a good time to go out! How I wish I could have been purely a Home Cultivator! There was no choice. This house couldn’t produce a House Spirit, and the cultivation level of a Home Cultivator was doomed to stagnate. In the future, I still have to prioritize being a Traveling Cultivator. Of course, I also remember the Peddler’s admonition: the gap between Home Cultivation and Traveling Cultivation should not exceed three Layers. Once I return to Yuezhou, I have to quickly buy a house. Even if it’s small, I need to nurture a House Spirit. But those are concerns for later. Right now, I have to complete the basic practice for a Traveling Cultivator.

Li Banfeng left the Portable Residence and retrieved the key from the rubble of the abandoned farmhouse.

Dressed in a beige suit and wearing a black top hat, Li Banfeng pulled the brim down low and swiftly made his way across the wilderness.

The sky had darkened. With no one in the desolate village, Li Banfeng initially restrained his steps. Once he left the village and arrived at a stretch of open field, he no longer held back, running wildly and unbridled.

Running, for a Traveling Cultivator, was an extremely gratifying activity.

There were no roads in the wilderness, but for Li Banfeng, everywhere was a road. Running without restraint brought an internal satisfaction and release.

After running for over an hour and passing several villages, Li Banfeng felt his cultivation level respond—he had done enough for today’s basic practice.

He didn’t stop running but continued to sprint forward.

He didn’t stop because he hadn’t run his fill, but because he was hungry and needed to find food.

This wasn’t difficult, as he remembered the roads and every place he had passed.

Approaching a village entrance, Li Banfeng looked at the stone stele. It bore three characters: Changliu Village.

There was still a light on in one of the houses in the village. Li Banfeng walked up to the door, preparing to ask the homeowner for something to eat.

To be precise, it can’t be called asking; it should be called buying. This was the method Qin Xiaopang taught me.

Calming himself, Li Banfeng carefully sensed his surroundings. Detecting no danger, he knocked on the door.

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