Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'
Chapter 83 - 70: The Rare Purple Elixir

Chapter 83: Chapter 70: The Rare Purple Elixir

Who exactly burned down the Geng Family Medicine Shop?

Yu Nan fell into deep thought, but the shop assistants didn’t have such complicated ideas.

They were swinging their fists, they were roaring, and many had already shed tears.

Wang Xuejiao was the first to cry, "Eighth Brother, did you hear? The Geng Family Medicine Shop was burned, and that bastard Geng Zhiwei was burned to death! Eighth Brother, your sister is incapable; I couldn’t avenge you, but the Heavens have opened their eyes, allowing the gods to descend and avenge us."

The people around shouted, "Geng Zhiwei, that Bird Person, committed all kinds of evil deeds; the Heavens must have claimed him!"

"He just played a dirty trick on us, and then the Geng Family Medicine Shop caught fire! This is the cycle of cause and effect; this is retribution!"

The crowd became more and more agitated, and Yu Nan still hadn’t figured out the answer.

Over the years, the Geng Family Medicine Shop had been domineering and indeed had offended many people; there were certainly many who wanted revenge against Geng Zhiwei.

But with the Jiang Xiang Gang backing the Geng Family Medicine Shop, how many would really dare to strike at them?

The Four Great Families?

Impossible, they wouldn’t concern themselves with minor players like the Geng Family Medicine Shop.

The three major gangs?

Also impossible. They generally wouldn’t entangle themselves with the Jiang Xiang Gang; it would be beneath them and not profitable.

Last night, Li Qi insisted on staying at the old residence, and now the old residence has burned down. It was likely Li Qi must have fought Geng Zhiwei.

Could it be that Li Qi single-handedly broke into the Geng Family Medicine Shop and set it ablaze?

That’s even less likely. The Geng Family’s Chief Custodian, Song Baiming, was no pushover, and he had numerous elite warriors under his command. Li Qi alone couldn’t possibly be their match.

Or could it be that Li Qi had many connections and led a group to burn down the Geng Family Medicine Shop and kill Geng Zhiwei?

If he had that kind of ability, he wouldn’t have let Qin Xiaopang suffer so much, and he wouldn’t have needed to hide in the old Yu Family residence.

If this matter truly involved Li Qi, it would completely overturn Yu Nan’s understanding of the entire Jianghu.

The Old Storekeeper Zhang Shiquan reminded Yu Nan, "Shopkeeper, you’d better hit the road quickly. With Geng Zhiwei dead, the Jiang Xiang Gang’s people are sure to make a move. With such a big commotion, they certainly won’t let us go!"

The Old Storekeeper’s reminder was right on point. This was indeed the pressing matter. Yu Nan quickly gathered his people and set off, aiming to reach the New Land before darkness fell.

「...」

After bathing and having dinner, Li Banfeng slept in his Portable Residence, as he really wasn’t accustomed to sleeping elsewhere.

Upon waking up, the Copper Lotus Flower had blossomed, revealing four Lotus Seeds.

The first three Lotus Seeds each burst forth with two Red Pills.

Li Banfeng originally had ten Red Pills on hand, and now he counted sixteen. With an abundance of such items, Li Banfeng didn’t treasure them as much.

But according to Yu Nan, these Elixirs were called Mysterious Flame Pills and were worth ten days of cultivation, priced at 150,000 each.

Sixteen Elixirs could sell for 2.4 million. Adding his previous savings and after deducting recent expenses, as well as the expenses for Qin Xiaopang’s treatment and the purchase of Yellow Paper, Li Banfeng’s total wealth amounted to 3,281,122 yuan and 84 cents.

That was enough to buy a house in Yuezhou.

Of course, that was provided he could make it back to Yuezhou.

Could he trade these funds for a Guide Token?

He guessed it shouldn’t be a problem, as long as he found the right channels.

Was that all Li Banfeng’s wealth?

Of course not!

When Geng Zhiwei and two Martial Cultivators entered, they also carried a box full of Ocean Dollars and four boxes full of banknotes.

"You came all this way and brought so much stuff..." Li Banfeng felt a bit embarrassed.

He opened the boxes and counted everything carefully.

One box of Ocean Dollars contained only 920 pieces, not too many.

But if calculated at an exchange rate of 500 yuan per piece, that equaled 460,000 yuan.

How much money was in the four boxes of banknotes?

The first box contained 860,000, the second had 920,000, the third one a bit less with 730,000, and the last one had 970,000.

All four boxes totaled 3.48 million; any one of those boxes was worth more than the box of Ocean Dollars.

Li Banfeng couldn’t understand why Geng Zhiwei clung to that box of Ocean Dollars but gave the four boxes of banknotes to his subordinates.

3.48 million plus 460,000 makes 3.94 million.

Added to his previous savings and not counting small change, Li Banfeng had a total of 7.22 million.

This wasn’t just a matter of a down payment anymore.

Of course, this sum included the 500,000 owed to Old Master Yao. One must not owe debts to the Medicine King.

"I, as a person, don’t place too much importance on money," Li Banfeng let out a sigh.

HISS!

The Phonograph released a puff of steam.

"But I always feel that making money in Puluo State is much easier than in Yuezhou," Li Banfeng sighed again.

This time, the Phonograph didn’t tease him.

Indeed, the money was quite easily earned.

Having organized his wealth, Li Banfeng stared at the last Lotus Seed, feeling slightly uneasy.

This Lotus Seed still hadn’t exploded.

Li Banfeng was worried that if it exploded too violently, or if something special emerged, he could get hurt in the process.

He placed the Lotus Seed in the corner of the main room and hid behind the Phonograph.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

After almost half an hour, the Lotus Seed finally split open.

It only split open; it did not burst.

Cautiously approaching, Li Banfeng put on his cotton-lined gloves and peeled off the outer shell of the Lotus Seed to reveal the Elixir inside.

A deep purple Elixir, just one.

The Elixir was crystal clear, slightly larger than the Mysterious Flame Pills, and even from a distance, Li Banfeng could smell an Elixir scent that was truly pleasing.

"What kind of Elixir is this?" Li Banfeng muttered.

HISS! HISS! HISS!

"Hey, my dear husband," the Phonograph suddenly spoke up, startling Li Banfeng.

"This Elixir is a rare treasure; you must keep it safe, dear husband," she said.

"Rare treasure?" Li Banfeng glanced at the Phonograph, surprised that she even recognized Elixirs.

This was good news. If his wife knew about Elixirs, why bother trying so hard to find someone else to identify them?

"My dear, what is the use of this Elixir?"

"Oh, dear husband, this Elixir has great uses; it’s just that your servant here is famished and cannot recall at the moment..."

Famished...

She wanted something to eat again.

Just last night, she had three fresh souls, and today she’s hungry?

"My dear, at the rate you eat, I can’t afford to keep you..."

HUMPH!

The Phonograph snorted disdainfully and started singing while beating the drums: "I have dedicated myself to following my husband, yet I cannot even have a decent meal. I grieve, how bitter is my fate..."

"My dear, don’t cry yet. Let’s first talk about the effects of the Elixir..."

HUMPH!

The Phonograph hummed again: "I’m too hungry to think. Dear husband, find someone knowledgeable to sell this Elixir."

Li Banfeng’s eyes lit up. "How much could it fetch?"

"Oh, dear husband, I am just starving, I just can’t seem to remember..."

Li Banfeng’s face turned green with frustration. "All you think about is eating, yet you don’t gain an ounce! Cold and hard all over, where is the demeanor of a proper wife?"

HUMPH!

HUMPH!

Droplets spilled from the horn of the Phonograph as it shed tears.

"My husband mocks me... HUMPH! My husband is unkind to me... HUMPH!" The Phonograph sang as it sobbed.

Li Banfeng let out a long, helpless sigh. "At least tell me the name of this Elixir. I will get money for it and then get you something delicious."

"My husband doesn’t lack money... HUMPH! He just doesn’t want to feed me... HUMPH!"

Unable to stand the Phonograph’s constant nagging, Li Banfeng prepared to go outside for a walk.

He picked up the handgun that Geng Zhiwei had sent.

This wasn’t a revolver. Li Banfeng was no expert in firearms and couldn’t name the model. He fiddled with the barrel for a long time without being able to load it or pull the trigger.

What use was this thing if he brought it?

Li Banfeng set the handgun aside and took out the Iron Thorn that the Martial Cultivator had given him.

"The Iron Thorn is more to my liking."

Swinging the Iron Thorn a couple of times, Li Banfeng noted the Phonograph seemed unimpressed.

TSK! TSK! TSK!

It was mocking Li Banfeng.

"Oh, dear husband, where are you off to with that weapon in hand?"

"To buy vegetables!" Li Banfeng casually replied.

"Buy vegetables? Really!" The Phonograph perked up, stopping its mockery. "Husband, that weapon in your hand is not called Iron Thorn; it’s called an Iron Ruler, and it’s a balanced weapon for both attack and defense."

A long spike with two smaller, branching spikes on the sides—this weapon was called an Iron Ruler.

Li Banfeng was puzzled for a while, then suddenly remembered something. He seemed to have seen the name Iron Ruler somewhere.

On television?

Even if he had seen it on TV, Li Banfeng couldn’t recall the name.

In a novel?

Possible; it must have been something he saw in writing...

Li Banfeng then realized it wasn’t a novel but a martial arts tome he had taken from the old lady’s eldest son’s house.

Li Banfeng hurried into the outer room.

Among the martial arts tomes collected by Decai, there was one that introduced exotic weapons.

The tome featured a variety of unique weapons, including a special section on the Iron Ruler.

The Iron Ruler’s attacking techniques were relatively simple, focusing on thrusting, with the two spiked branches mainly for defense.

Descriptions in text were always less vivid. After practicing with it, Li Banfeng felt the Iron Ruler was not very handy and turned his attention to the pair of forks, two crescent moons crossed together.

"My dear, what is this pair of things called?"

The Phonograph sounded slightly irritated. "Dear husband, no need to carry so many weapons. Just hurry out to buy the vegetables."

How can I buy vegetables without a weapon? Li Banfeng, infuriated, rebuked the Phonograph, "Do you think it’s easy for me out there amidst gunshots and sword fights? And you won’t even teach me to use a weapon? How am I supposed to find you something to eat?"

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

A cloud of steam trembled and escaped from the horn of the Phonograph.

The Phonograph appeared somewhat ashamed.

"Do not be angry, husband. Your little servant admits her mistake. That pair of weapons is called Mandarin Duck Axes. They’re not something you can learn overnight. Husband, let me first teach you how to use the Iron Ruler. Stand firmly, husband, and first thrust straight out! Steady your hand, take it slow. Training in martial arts requires perseverance and patience. Your little servant adores your bravery, your little servant admires your persistence, your little servant loves your bearing."

The opera recitation, infused with the unique singing style of the steam Phonograph, was filled with tenderness in every word.

Li Banfeng felt a sense of warmth; there was an unprecedented trust and rapport between him and the Phonograph. He sharpened his martial arts under her guidance.

The Phonograph, however, didn’t seem to notice this connection and continued to encourage Li Banfeng:

"You have great talent, my husband. You learn quickly, and your thrusting is accurate and stable!

Don’t rush, husband. Control your strength.

Husband, that... don’t exert too much force, and don’t aim the Iron Ruler at your little servant.

Husband, you... how come you have another ruler?

Husband, that ruler... don’t aim that one at your little servant either..."