Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'

In New Land, there are two signs of successful land reclamation.

One is the sighting of Heavenly Light. It wasn't the Heavenly Light that Li Banfeng himself could project, but rather a faint brightness from the sky casting light onto the plot of land. Although the Light Halo in the sky wasn't conspicuous, there was definitely light.

The second is finding a water source.

Now there was water in the pit!

Li Banfeng was very excited, but he wasn't sure if this was a true water source. He reminded himself to be cautious.

He took a bucket, carefully made his way to the edge of the water pit, scooped up a bucketful, and returned to the Portable Residence.

His wife looked at the water in the bucket and chuckled softly, "This water is a bit muddy, but it's not poisonous. Just let it settle for a bit, and it can be used."

They had water.

The land had been successfully reclaimed!

Overjoyed, Li Banfeng quickly rushed out of the Portable Residence.

This plot of New Land now belonged to him.

Even though there was nothing on the plot, when Li Banfeng grabbed a handful of soil, he felt it was priceless. It was the first piece of land he had owned since he was born.

I shouldn't have been so conservative back then, he mused. I should have prepared more offerings to claim a territory three li square. Three li is still too small! It should have been ten li, the largest possible! Anyway, I'm just cooped up in the Portable Residence; it wouldn't have mattered how large I made it! It's not too late now!

The altar table was still there, and there was fine aged liquor in the Portable Residence.

Li Banfeng moved the altar table out of his plot, set it up, placed six bottles of aged liquor and six cans of food on it—for the auspicious meaning of "six-six smooth sailing"—and made an offering to the Local Deity.

He also set up Incense Candles. He had all these things in his Portable Residence; the only item missing was the Contract Book.

The Contract Book was easy to prepare. Its content was very simple; Li Banfeng had heard it recited once and remembered the gist.

After writing the Contract Book and burning it to ash, amidst the drifting paper ashes, Li Banfeng saw a cluster of blue-green flames.

It's here! he thought. The Local Deity has come!

The liquor on the table vanished, the cans were opened, and soon their contents were devoured.

The Local Deity accepting the offerings meant that the contract was accepted.

Li Banfeng looked around but did not see the Light Halo of the Boundary.

No light... What's going on? Could it be because the Local Deity granted a plot so large I can't see its end at a glance? Very likely!

Li Banfeng broke into a run, heading into the distance. After running for a long time, he still could not see the Light Halo.

WHOOSH~

A cold wind blew.

SPLOOSH~

Rain suddenly began to fall.

It should be snowing this season. Why is it suddenly raining?

Amidst the sound of rain, Li Banfeng faintly heard a deep and ancient voice.

The voice kept repeating one sentence: "Bah! This shameless creature!"

It ate my offerings, didn't give me land, and now it calls me shameless? Who's the shameless one here, you or me? If I weren't weaker than you, I'd definitely give you a piece of my mind!

As the Local Deity refused to grant more land, Li Banfeng, with no other choice, took the altar table back into the Portable Residence.

There was light, there was water, and the land had been claimed, but Li Banfeng still felt something was missing. What exactly is missing? he wondered.

Where's Ma Wu? Weren't we supposed to meet at the plot when the time came? Did he forget? Impossible. Ma Wu has a Pocket Watch, and he's very punctual. Did something happen to him? Could he have broken a rule in the Orange Orchard?

Li Banfeng dashed towards the Orange Orchard. After wandering about for a moment, he saw the owner of the Orange Garden.

"Young man, craving Oranges again?" the owner asked.

Li Banfeng nodded. "Actually, I am a bit hungry for them."

The old man picked an Orange and handed it to Li Banfeng. While eating, Ban Feng inquired, "Has any young man come to the Orange Garden in the past few days?"

The elder pondered for a moment before saying, "There was one who came, picked a few Oranges, and then left."

Ma Wu picked some Oranges and left? Why wasn't he staying put in the Orange Orchard? What was he doing wandering around? Was that person Ma Wu?

As if sensing Li Banfeng's thoughts, the elder added, "Since you left, only one person has come to the Orange Orchard. I guess that's who you're looking for. He went east. You could go and check, but I'd advise against it. The person you're seeking may have encountered someone formidable."

A formidable person? Li Banfeng thought. For the garden owner to call someone formidable, they must have an extraordinary background. What kind of situation is Ma Wu in now?

Assuming the person who came for Oranges was Ma Wu, and assuming he really did encounter this formidable individual, what was his purpose in taking the Oranges? To eat. Right now, that's the only purpose I can think of. Ma Wu is looking for food, which means he still has some freedom of movement. He didn't eat in the Orange Orchard, nor did he seek shelter there. This suggests Ma Wu isn't just finding food for himself, but also for that 'eminent person'. It seems they're getting along relatively well. And since the eminent person didn't come to the Orange Orchard himself, his condition probably isn't too good. Of course, this is all just my own speculation. But even if my speculation is true, I need to find Ma Wu quickly. I once heard my wife say that high-level Cultivators recover very quickly.

Li Banfeng ate an Orange, carefully devised a plan, took his feather duster, left the Orange Orchard, and headed east.

His plan was this: first, to confirm whether Ma Wu was together with that eminent person.

Then, to find out the condition of that eminent person.

And then, to discern that eminent person's attitude.

If the eminent person held good intentions, the matter would be easily resolved.

If the eminent person bore ill will but was in poor condition, then he would fight him.

If the eminent person harbored malice and was in good health... This scenario is the most complicated, Li Banfeng thought, and I don't know how I'd deal with it.

But one thing was clear. Ma Wu was his friend. Ma Wu had followed him to reclaim this land. No matter what happens, I will do everything in my power to save him.