Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'
Chapter 72 - 59 Write an IOU

Chapter 72: Chapter 59 Write an IOU

"I need to spend my own money to use a Magical Treasure?"

By ’spending your own money,’ do you mean there’s a price to pay?

Do all Magical Treasures come with a price?

What’s the price for using the Copper Lotus Flower?

Li Banfeng wanted to have a further exchange, but the Phonograph didn’t respond anymore; it had grown tired.

This matter wasn’t really crucial; it was just a matter of applying some makeup.

The important thing was that he now had the First Layer of Home Cultivation, which not only significantly increased his strength but also meant that he didn’t have to worry about Traveling Cultivators suppressing Home Cultivation for the time being.

Li Banfeng’s mood was greatly improved, so he decided not to disturb his wife any further as he still needed to visit Qin Xiaopang.

Once out of the Portable Residence, Li Banfeng first went to the riverside and, under the watchful eyes of a group of laundry women, washed off the thick layer of makeup from his face.

The women chattered among themselves:

"Is this person a man or a woman? Why are they dressed like that?"

"Could it be a rabbit from Honeycomb Alley?"

"Looking at how perky that Peach is, it must definitely be from Honeycomb Alley!"

Honeycomb Alley was known for its Male Courtesan houses.

"Rabbit" referred to a Male Courtesan.

Li Banfeng couldn’t be bothered to explain himself to these superficial people and continued his brisk walk toward Yu Family Cloth Store. He hadn’t yet reached the destination when he was stopped by a horse carriage halfway down the street.

The Coachman asked, "Sir, did you call for a ride?"

Li Banfeng was taken aback. "No, I didn’t call for a carriage."

The Coachman didn’t care about Li Banfeng’s response and said regardless, "You know, the fare to this place will be twenty."

Li Banfeng was confused.

I’m not taking a ride, so why are you talking to me about the fare?

The Coachman, not considering Li Banfeng’s thoughts, lifted the carriage curtain. "Please, get inside."

Li Banfeng looked up and saw someone inside the carriage.

The person wore a black suit and a black top hat with a flat crown, the brim pulled down low. Although the face was obscured, Li Banfeng knew this was a person with Conscience. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Despite efforts to conceal it, the Conscience seemed somewhat inflated, unable to escape Li Banfeng’s penetrating gaze.

It was a woman.

The woman raised her head, and Li Banfeng immediately recognized her as none other than Yu Nan, the cloth store owner.

No wonder everyone called her a Tomboy; when she dressed in male clothes, those less observant really couldn’t tell.

Li Banfeng got into the carriage, the Coachman let the curtain fall, and the carriage set off immediately.

"Boss Yu, where are you headed?"

Yu Nan lit a cigarette. "Going to visit Boss Qin with Seventh Master."

Li Banfeng asked seriously, "Are you dressed like this because you’re planning to run away?"

Yu Nan choked on the smoke and coughed several times. "Jianghu rules—it’s all about give and take. Yesterday, we made a move against Rong Jin’an; now it’s the Geng Family Medicine Shop’s turn to strike back at us."

Li Banfeng asked, "Do they think it was you? Is there any evidence?"

Yu Nan shook her head. "No need for evidence. I have a grudge against Rong Jin’an, and the Geng Family is well aware of that. Even if it wasn’t me, in their eyes, it was. That’s the way of Jianghu. We struck Rong Jin’an secretly, so it’s certain that the Geng Family Medicine Shop will also target us from the shadows. It’s hard to defend against hidden arrows; I need to take refuge in my hometown, Hundred Fragrance Village, for a few days."

"Until when will you hide?"

"Until the Geng Family Medicine Shop is willing to bring things into the open and negotiate properly with me."

Li Banfeng was quite surprised. "You can negotiate over this kind of thing?"

Yu Nan took a deep drag from her cigarette. "We’re all doing business in Li Gou, and the Geng Family can’t afford to fall out completely with me. Hidden arrows for hidden arrows, open fight for an open fight; you respect me an inch, I’ll respect you a yard. We engage in mutual give and take—that’s the rule of Jianghu."

Speaking of the rules of Jianghu, Yu Nan always had an air of inherent superiority.

Yet, up to this point, Li Banfeng still didn’t understand what she meant by the Jianghu she referred to.

"If this can be negotiated, why didn’t you negotiate with the Geng Family sooner?"

Yu Nan sighed. "The Geng Family’s banner is strong; they’re influential. I tried to invite them for tea to talk things through, but they didn’t give me face, so I had no choice but to strike from the shadows."

Li Banfeng was curious about how influential the Geng Family Medicine Shop actually was. "Does the Geng Family call all the shots in Medicine King Valley?"

Yu Nan was rather dismissive. "The Geng Family falls far short. In Medicine King Valley, the He Family originally had the strongest banner. In the past two years, as the He Family declined, the Lu Family rose in power and took most of the business in Medicine King Valley. I heard that the He Family’s eldest son is to marry the Lu Family’s daughter, so in the end, Medicine King Valley will still belong to their one family."

The He Family and the Lu Family getting married? Are they talking about He Jiaqing and Lu Xiaolan? He Jiaqing is bedridden. Lu Xiaolan is confined to her home. Given their current situations, getting married might be a bit challenging.

"Apart from the He and Lu families in Medicine King Valley, are the Geng Family next in line?"

Yu Nan exhaled smoke. "Beyond the two major families, there are also the Han Family, Bai Family, Huang Family, Lu Family, and Liu Family—all big banners in Medicine King Valley. Compared to them, the Geng Family is just a junior. They only grew bold last year because they made connections with Jiang Xiang Gang."

"Which family does Jiang Xiang Gang belong to?"

Yu Nan laughed upon hearing this. "The families you’re talking about are ’white path’ banners. Jiang Xiang Gang is a ’dark path’ banner. The dark path is Jianghu."

Li Banfeng tried his best to sort out his thoughts. "So, on the dark path, Jiang Xiang Gang’s power is the greatest?"

Yu Nan glanced at Li Banfeng. "Seventh Master, what line of work were you in before? Your moves are ruthless enough, but you don’t seem to know the first thing about the rules of the road."

Li Banfeng said, "I used to be in a legitimate business, and I’m still quite respectable now."

To help Li Banfeng understand, Yu Nan made a very vivid analogy: "The Three Heroes Gang, Qingyun Society, and Hundred Flowers Gate are the truly big factions. These factions are pillars of society. Jiang Xiang Gang, at best, is just a dog. A cornered dog will bite, but an angry person can stomp a dog to death with a single kick."

Li Banfeng was perplexed. "If they’re just a dog, why do you fear them?"

Yu Nan found herself unable to answer.

Logically, she should have admitted she was worse than a dog. How could this Li Qi be so tactless! Was he genuinely clueless, or was he being deliberately obtuse?

"Boss Qin is in Hundred Fragrance Village. It will probably take half a day to get there," Yu Nan said, deflecting the topic.

Yuezhou had a Hundred Fragrance Hall that sold medicine. From the name, Li Banfeng guessed that Hundred Fragrance Village should also be a place that produced medicinal herbs.

Given that Yu Nan’s hometown was Hundred Fragrance Village, she should know something about pharmacology.

Li Banfeng took out a Red Pill and asked, "Boss Yu, do you recognize this Elixir?"

Yu Nan picked up the Elixir and looked at it for a moment, her eyes widening. "Seventh Master, where did this Elixir come from?"

Li Banfeng smiled. "A friend gave it to me but didn’t explain what this Elixir is used for."

This reason sounded a bit far-fetched; how could anyone give away such a precious Elixir without mentioning its purpose?

Yu Nan didn’t ask any further. After staring at the Elixir for a while longer, she said, "If I’m not mistaken, this is a Mysterious Flame Pill. One pill is worth ten days of cultivation."

"Boss Yu has good eyesight!" Li Banfeng praised her earnestly, as if he recognized the Elixir and was deliberately testing Yu Nan.

Yu Nan shook her head. "I don’t have great eyesight; I’m far behind Shopkeeper Feng in discerning Elixirs. The reason I recognize it as a Mysterious Flame Pill is because I’ve seen someone selling this Elixir before. At that time, the going rate was 150,000 for one. I don’t know what the price is now."

After speaking, Yu Nan returned the Elixir to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng immediately put the Elixir away.

150,000 for one? I originally planned to give you one, but now I can’t just give it away so carelessly. Is this Elixir really that expensive?

Li Banfeng asked, "I remember the Snake-Patterned Pill is 10,000 for one, and it grants a day’s worth of cultivation. The Mysterious Flame Pill is equivalent to ten days of cultivation. Logically, it should sell for 100,000, so why does it go for 150,000?"

Yu Nan was startled. Is this man testing me again? she wondered.

She explained, "All medicines carry some toxicity, and Elixirs are no exception; in fact, they are even more potent. Even Poison Cultivators, who fear poison the least, dare not consume too many Elixirs. Taking ten Snake-Patterned Pills means enduring ten times the toxicity. Taking one Mysterious Flame Pill means enduring only the toxicity of a single pill. Calculated this way, the Mysterious Flame Pill is naturally more precious."

Taking an Elixir comes with a price. The efficacy of the Mysterious Flame Pill is ten times that of the Snake-Patterned Pill, yet consuming one is only equivalent to ten days of cultivation. Taking one hundred would equal one thousand days of cultivation; taking one thousand would equal ten thousand days. Ten thousand days—not even thirty years. In terms of cultivation level, that’s only the Fourth Layer. One Elixir costs 150,000; one thousand Elixirs would be 150,000,000. All that money for Fourth Layer cultivation, and you still have to endure side effects. A Tenth Layer cultivation level only grants three times the lifespan. The path of cultivation is truly arduous! Forget it. I’d better focus on earning more money, find a way to get a Guide Token, and return to Yuezhou to live a carefree life.

"Boss Yu, do you have any connections with the Border Defense Envoy?"

Yu Nan thought for a moment. "I can’t say I have connections, but I have some dealings. If you want to get a Guide Token, it’s possible, but it will cost you."

"The cost is not a problem," Li Banfeng said, very confident in his current financial situation. "I really need to trouble Boss Yu to help with this matter."

Yu Nan nodded. "Let’s wait for the situation to blow over, and then I can help Seventh Master make the connections. May I know where Seventh Master wishes to go? If it’s to Greenwater Bay, it would be very easy to arrange. Going to Pants Belt Pit wouldn’t be difficult either, but if it’s to Hai Chi Ridge, that would be much more challenging."

Hai Chi Ridge, a difficult place to get to? It seems I was too optimistic, Li Banfeng thought.

Seeing that Li Banfeng was silent for a long while, Yu Nan tentatively asked, "Seventh Master, you want to go to Pants Belt Pit for a few days of enjoyment, right?"

She was very confident about Pants Belt Pit, but Li Banfeng had no interest in it.

"What if I want to go to the Outside Provinces?" Li Banfeng asked straightforwardly.

Yu Nan immediately shook her head. "That would be too difficult for me. Not to mention the Outside Provinces, even the Three-way Fork is not a place ordinary people can go to. I can’t help you with that."

Li Banfeng smiled. "No problem, I was just asking."

「After half a day, the Coachman arrived at Hundred Fragrance Village with the horse-drawn carriage.」

Li Banfeng had thought Hundred Fragrance Village would be a Medicine Village, but he was wrong.

It was called Hundred Fragrance Village because most of the villagers grew tobacco, and there was a scent of tobacco leaves in every household.

This was a gathering place for Smoke Cultivators.

Li Banfeng got off the carriage and followed Yu Nan into a small courtyard.

The yard had three tiled houses and one storage room. Li Banfeng, having traveled through many places in Medicine King Valley for his cultivation, recognized this kind of courtyard as standard for a middle-class family in the villages.

Middle-class families didn’t have many Maids, but they hired long-term and short-term workers, and some even employed one or two servants.

Yu Nan usually didn’t live in this secondary residence. There were no servants in the house; the rooms had just been cleaned by an employee from her cloth store.

Little Fatty was staying in the east wing, with an attendant looking after him. The Spell on him had not yet been broken, and he lay on the bed, the lower half of his body still frozen in a kneeling posture.

Yu Nan asked the attendant, "Has a doctor seen him?"

The attendant replied, "Yes. The doctor said he’s been cursed, and medicine won’t help." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Yu Nan said, "I’ll go ask Mister Yao to cure it tomorrow."

The attendant replied, "Shopkeeper, I went to ask Mister Yao this afternoon. He already came to see him. Mister Yao said that without 200,000, it can’t be done!"

Yu Nan looked at Li Banfeng.

The implication was very clear: the two were in a business partnership. Yu Nan sought revenge, and Li Banfeng sought to save someone; each would get what they needed, and neither would owe the other anything. After the matter was settled, it was generous enough of Yu Nan to find a place to settle Qin Xiaopang; she certainly wouldn’t pay for his treatment.

Qin Xiaopang raised his head, looked at Li Banfeng, and forced a smile onto his pale face. "Brother Li, you saved my life. This is a debt I can never repay. I don’t want to be a cripple for the rest of my life. Give me a quick end, and I will repay you as a cow or a horse in my next life."

"The next life, eh? Not impossible," Li Banfeng said, smacking his lips. "But even if you reincarnate immediately, you’d have to wait at least eighteen years to repay me. That’s too long, and the interest would be hard to calculate. How about this: you write me an IOU first."