Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'
Chapter 69 - 56 Rules and Proportions

Chapter 69: Chapter 56 Rules and Proportions

"Tomboy!" The Unlined Garment Man first smelled the smoke, then his whole body burst into flames. Only then did he realize he had encountered his sworn enemy.

No wonder the man in the red suit knew so much about the Oil Cultivator.

No wonder he even knew my killing moves.

It turned out Yu Nan had tipped him off!

Yu Nan had indeed instructed Li Banfeng; otherwise, on his own, facing an Oil Cultivator—a rarity in the Taoist Sect—Li Banfeng would have undoubtedly suffered a great loss.

Oil Cultivators fear fire. Using fire is the most effective tactic against them.

But why didn’t Li Banfeng use fire from the beginning?

Because the correct method must be used at the correct time.

The reason Li Banfeng’s sneak attack was successful was due to its concealment. If he had approached the Unlined Garment Man holding a torch, the Unlined Garment Man would have taken him down immediately.

Why didn’t Li Banfeng use fire during the fight?

Strike a match halfway through the fight? Li Banfeng had considered it.

But the Unlined Garment Man was no fool. He wouldn’t give Li Banfeng the chance to strike a match, and even if a match had been lit, the Unlined Garment Man wouldn’t have allowed the flame to reach him.

Forget Li Banfeng; even the Smoke Cultivator Yu Nan would have found it very difficult to set the Unlined Garment Man on fire. During their previous encounter, the Unlined Garment Man hadn’t even given Yu Nan a chance to light up.

Even though the fire had been successfully set this time, the Unlined Garment Man wasn’t out of options.

He immediately retracted the oil on his body and rolled on the ground, quickly extinguishing the flames.

But by the time he had put out the fire, Li Banfeng was already approaching with the Sickle in hand.

The Unlined Garment Man, having lost an eye and with burns all over his body, was running out of strength. Without using oil, he could only wait for death.

What about using oil?

The smoke was right beside him. Once he used oil, the Unlined Garment Man would catch fire again and still be waiting for death.

He was trapped in a desperate situation with no way out.

Seeing no hope, the Unlined Garment Man shouted, "Boss Yu, I was wrong about what happened in the past! We can discuss anything!"

"Discuss?" Yu Nan sneered. "Rong Jin’an, when you killed my brother, why didn’t you discuss it with me?

"When you smashed my shop, why didn’t you discuss it with me?

"When you insulted the women in my shop, why didn’t you discuss it with them?"

So, the Unlined Garment Man’s name was Rong Jin’an, Li Banfeng silently noted.

Rong Jin’an defended himself, "Some matters, our Shopkeeper discussed with you, but you didn’t agree. That’s why I burned your shop! I acted openly, not like you, using sneaky tricks in secret! You broke the rules of the Jianghu!"

Yu Nan stepped forward, kicking Rong Jin’an in the face and leaving a red and black shoe print.

Rong Jin’an wailed, "Manager Yu, I’ve apologized! I can kowtow to you, just spare my life! 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"But I have to remind you of something. You run a business and still need to make a living in Li Gou. Once you’ve vented your anger and settled the vendetta, let bygones be bygones.

"If you really take things too far, you’ll also cut off your own escape route. You know what kind of tactics the Geng Family Medicine Shop uses, and the Jiang Xiang Gang is behind them.

"You’ve been in the Jianghu for years; using underhanded tactics is inherently wrong. You know the rules and the limits. I’ve said my piece. It’s up to you now."

Yu Nan’s index and middle fingers rubbed up and down on his cigarette holder, his expression growing increasingly grave.

Rong Jin’an did have a point. When he acted in my shop in the past, it was an open fight.

But my actions tonight could be considered an underhanded attack.

This indeed broke the rules.

Killing him like this would also be going too far.

Just as Yu Nan was hesitating, Li Banfeng walked up to Rong Jin’an and asked, "What did you mean just now by, ’I’ve said my piece’?"

Rong Jin’an sneered. "You don’t understand? Is this your first day in the Jianghu? Figure it out yourself!"

Li Banfeng replied, "I have figured it out. According to my understanding, it means you’ve said everything you wanted to say."

Rong Jin’an was taken aback. "What do you mean by that?"

"You don’t understand? Now that you’ve finished your last words, it’s time for you to be on your way." Li Banfeng swung the Sickle, aiming for the Unlined Garment Man’s throat.

Rong Jin’an used his right hand to block, but it was too late to use oil; Li Banfeng chopped off his forearm.

With his hand severed, Rong Jin’an gasped, "Young man, you’re just getting paid to do a job! The one in charge hasn’t given the word yet. You’re acting out of turn; it’s against the rules!" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"What’s with all your rules?" Li Banfeng struck another blow at the Unlined Garment Man. He intended to hit his head, but the Unlined Garment Man desperately dodged and lost an ear.

"Never mind the rules, let’s talk reason! I have no grudges against you..."

"What’s with all your reasons?" Li Banfeng chopped again, aiming for the neck. Rong Jin’an continued to dodge, and Li Banfeng sliced through his left shoulder.

"I—I am a man of the Jiang Xiang Gang..."

"So you’re a Jiang Xiang Gang member? That earns you an extra strike." Li Banfeng chopped again.

"I—I’m not really a Jiang Xiang Gang member! I’m from the Geng Family Medicine Shop..."

"Then why did you lie to me just now?" Li Banfeng chopped again.

The final stab pierced his chest, and Rong Jin’an moved no more.

Seeing this, Yu Nan, who had still been somewhat hesitant, could only accept reality.

After a brief discussion, Li Banfeng took responsibility for handling the corpse, and Yu Nan took care of erasing the traces.

Qin Xiaopang had already been rescued by an employee of the Yu Family Cloth Store. Yu Nan said, "Seventh Master, come find me at the cloth store first thing tomorrow morning, and I’ll take you to visit Boss Qin."

Li Banfeng nodded, lifted the Unlined Garment Man’s corpse over his shoulder, and turned to leave.

Yu Nan watched the man’s blood seep out, staining Li Banfeng’s red suit. Without a close look, the stains were hardly noticeable.

Was that why Li Banfeng wore a red suit?

Had he been determined to commit murder from the very start?

Yu Nan sighed. "Seventh Master, you really don’t observe any rules or propriety."

Li Banfeng turned his head back, looking quite surprised, and asked, "What exactly are rules and propriety?"

Yu Nan was taken aback, unsure if Li Banfeng was genuinely confused or just feigning ignorance.

After a moment of silence, Yu Nan smiled. "Rules and propriety are the Jianghu."

Jianghu?

That profound?

I don’t understand.

Li Banfeng never dwelled on things he couldn’t understand.

He walked to the deepest part of the alley, made sure no one was around, and took Rong Jin’an’s corpse into the Portable Residence.

He moved very carefully, afraid of waking the Phonograph. After placing the corpse next to the Copper Lotus Flower, he noticed that the Lotus Petals were open, revealing three Lotus Seeds inside the Seven-Hole Lotus Heart.

Li Banfeng picked out the Lotus Seeds.

Two of the Lotus Seeds had been produced from the corpses of Decai and Demao.

The other seed had been produced from the Bloodsucking Dagger.

Shortly after, the two seeds from the corpses exploded, each revealing two Red Pills, which Li Banfeng collected.

Li Banfeng now had eight Red Pills. Assuming a yield of two pills per First Layer cultivator, and that Rong Jin’an’s corpse would also produce two, he would have a total of ten Red Pills. However, Li Banfeng still didn’t know what the Red Pills were for.

While Li Banfeng was contemplating, Rong Jin’an’s eyeballs shifted slightly.

He wasn’t dead. The moment Li Banfeng stabbed him in the chest, he had generated oil over his heart, and the knife had merely grazed it.

Now, with that Tomboy gone, only this bewildered kid is left.

Rong Jin’an planned to gather his strength and take Li Banfeng’s life.

CRACK!

The last Lotus Seed exploded.

Three Rust Pills burst forth, and Li Banfeng quickly used the Gloves to gather them.

Besides these Elixirs, a Clock Pendulum also burst out from the Lotus Flower.

This Clock Pendulum... Li Banfeng recognized it; it was Luo Yuni’s relic.

When had it gotten into the Copper Lotus Flower?

Li Banfeng felt the edge of the Pendulum. It was extremely sharp.

What is this for?

He glanced at Rong Jin’an. "Do you know what this is for?"

Rong Jin’an’s heart went cold, and he dared not make a sound.

He’s trying to trick me! I can’t fall for it!

"Just bear with the pain for a moment; I’m going to test it," Li Banfeng said, striking at Rong Jin’an’s skull with the Pendulum.

Rong Jin’an’s skull swiftly generated oil, but it was too late.

The Traveling Cultivator was too fast; the Pendulum had already embedded itself in his skull.

Rong Jin’an’s body convulsed violently. Li Banfeng stared at the wound, frowning.

Strange, why isn’t he bleeding?

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