Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'

The number one Taoist Sect in the world?

Scary as hell!

Why aren't Home Cultivation and Traveling Cultivator the number one Taoist Sect?

Li Banfeng expressed his disagreement. "My dear, what Techniques does this Taoist Sect have?"

"Oh, my dear husband, you've stumped me with that question. I don't know what Techniques Foolish Cultivation has. I've never seen a Foolish Cultivator; the Taoist Sect of Foolish Cultivation has been extinct for a long while, and for many years, no Cultivators of this sect have been seen in the world. All I know is that this sect is extremely formidable. They are extremely clever, their methods are bizarre, and among those of the same level, they have no match."

No match?

The Peddler had said that in the world, except for Gold Cultivation, all Taoist Sects have interdependent and restrictive relationships.

"Is there no Taoist Sect that restrains Foolish Cultivation?"

The Phonograph said, "It is said that in all the world, there is only one Taoist Sect that can restrain Foolish Cultivation, but that sect is powerless to fight them."

"Wait a minute," Li Banfeng frowned. "I don't understand. Which Taoist Sect can restrain Foolish Cultivation? And why is it powerless to fight them?"

"I also do not know which Taoist Sect it is, nor am I aware of the reason they are powerless to fight. According to my speculation, it might be because that sect has too few members, or perhaps because their hearts are not united."

"Is Foolish Cultivation united at heart?"

"Not entirely united, but they can still join forces in battle. They collectively established Fool's City in Puluo State. Because Foolish Cultivation is so strong, the very name of Fool's City instills fear in everyone within Puluo State."

"If they are so strong, how did they become extinct?"

"It's not clear. Some say they fell to internal strife and perished because they deceived and played tricks on each other.

"Others say it was because they drew too much attention and were besieged and eventually destroyed by other Taoist Sects.

"Opinions are mixed, and the truth is difficult to distinguish. However, I only remember one thing: when I was cultivating, a senior once warned me that Fool's City is still in the Old Land. Although there are no living Cultivators, there are deceased Lost Souls.

"Even as Lost Souls, Foolish Cultivators remain extremely formidable. That senior warned me never to go to Fool's City. How did you come to be here, my dear husband?"

Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead, his thoughts in complete disarray.

How did I end up in Fool's City? What am I doing here?

"My dear, is the Technique of Foolish Cultivation just about deceiving people?"

HEH HEH.

"My dear husband, when I first heard about Foolish Cultivation from my seniors, that's what I thought too. I believed Foolish Cultivation should be called Deceive Cultivator.

"But there was an elder who had seen Foolish Cultivators, and he warned me, 'Foolish is foolish, deceit is deceit; the essence of Foolish Cultivation lies in the foolish, not the deceitful.'"

What does this elder do, and why does he speak so confusingly?

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment and seemed to grasp some clues.

Foolish is foolish, deceit is deceit.

Their deceitful techniques might not necessarily be incredibly clever.

My intelligence has dropped.

They've turned me "foolish"!

This is where the power of Foolish Cultivation lies!

"No wonder I've been getting tricked ever since entering the city. Even the street vendor selling plasters managed to scam one Yuan from me!"

Li Banfeng immediately got up, wanting to leave Fool's City.

The Phonograph called out, "My dear husband, why don't you wait a bit before leaving? Your thoughts still seem a bit muddled; you might have been affected by a Foolish Cultivation Technique."

Li Banfeng turned to look at the Phonograph. "My dear, do you have a way to counteract the Foolish Cultivation Technique?"

"That..." The Phonograph was helpless.

She had never even seen a Foolish Cultivator; how could she counteract the Technique?

"My dear husband, rest a little longer in the house before going out." This was the only suggestion the Phonograph could offer. The recovery ability of Home Cultivation within one's own dwelling was unmatched by other Taoist Sects.

But Li Banfeng had another concern. "My dear, I feel increasingly confused. If I'm under a Foolish Cultivation Technique, the longer I delay, won't the effect become deeper?"

"That..." The Phonograph couldn't explain.

Li Banfeng pressed further, "Since Fool's City is the domain of Foolish Cultivators, if I stay in this city for too long, won't I be affected and become increasingly dull-witted?"

"That..." His wife still couldn't explain.

"I'd better leave as soon as possible!" Li Banfeng headed for the door again, not even taking his Magical Treasures with him.

His wife called out, "My dear husband, take all the Magical Treasures with you! Gourd Girl, if someone tries to scam our man again, make sure you remind him."

The Wine Gourd responded, "When he was buying the plasters, I never imagined the little brother would fall for it. After he bought them, I figured that small amount of money didn't matter much."

The Phonograph's heart tightened.

Had the Gourd also been affected by the Technique?

The Phonograph continued, "Blood-Thirsty, you can deal with Lost Souls; go with my husband.

"Pulling Strings, you're often by my husband's ear; remind him from time to time.

"Old Teapot, you've woken up too. You're worldly and wise, so go with them.

"Two Blades, stay by my husband's side for protection.

"Don't bother with the Judge's Pen; that thing is useless.

"Take the Month Plate; that vixen is quite clever."

Li Banfeng equipped himself with a host of Magical Treasures and, tucking the Month Plate under his arm, walked to the door.

After thinking for a moment, Li Banfeng put the Month Plate back.

"I'm on the run. Walking down the street carrying a Month Plate would be too conspicuous."

Li Banfeng left. His wife still felt uneasy. "My dear husband didn't seem quite right today."

Red Lotus said from the side, "Let me go out and check. I've encountered Foolish Cultivators before; maybe I can help."

"Let you go out?" The Phonograph considered it seriously. "Wait a bit longer."

"Wait until when? Until that madman loses his life?"

The Phonograph exhaled a puff of steam, scorching Red Lotus until she glowed bright red. "Sister, don't say such unlucky things. Be patient and wait a bit longer. Maybe in your next life, I'll let you out."

"Witch!" Red Lotus spat at the Phonograph, who retaliated with more scorching steam.

After a bout of squabbling, Red Lotus fell silent. The Phonograph looked toward the Month Plate and said, "My dear husband should have taken Meng De with him. Virtue Cultivation and Dream Cultivation can both agitate the mind; they would definitely be useful against Foolish Cultivators."

Meng De voiced his agreement, "Lady speaks the truth. I am useful."

The Judge's Pen sneered, "Too many."

His wife paused, asking the Judge's Pen, "What did you just say was 'too many'?"

"HUMPH..." The Judge's Pen couldn't be bothered to repeat.

「...」

Li Banfeng returned to his room at the inn, only to find it ransacked.

This establishment is unusual; it's likely a dangerous inn.

Why did I even enter such a shady place?

The Shopkeeper didn't find me and must assume I've escaped.

Should I play along with their assumptions and escape? Or launch a surprise counterattack?

If this were before, Li Banfeng's first reaction would undoubtedly be revenge.

Even though the inn was full of Lost Souls, with the Clock Pendulum in hand, Li Banfeng wasn't afraid of them at all.

But in Fool's City, if I were to confront Foolish Cultivators, would I gain any advantage?

Besides, there might be others in the inn. What if I were surrounded? How would I escape?

The more Li Banfeng thought about it, the more his head ached.

Forget it. I'll seek revenge later; escaping is the priority now.

Li Banfeng jumped out of the window onto the street and headed toward the city gate.

After walking for a moment, Li Banfeng began to ponder an important question.

Should I go left or right?

Where is the city gate?

Didn't I come through the city gate?

Li Banfeng remembered the path from the city gate to the inn's main entrance.

But now, having jumped out of the guest room window, he found himself in a small alley instead of on the main street. He was a bit confused about which way to go to reach the city gate.

Just because I used a different exit, I can't recognize the way?

A Traveling Cultivator who can't recognize directions?

Li Banfeng kept rubbing his head, growing increasingly anxious as he walked.

The Wine Gourd advised, "Little brother, don't rush. Let's check the wind direction first, then determine our path."

Wind direction?

Li Banfeng didn't remember the wind direction from when he entered the city.

The Earrings suggested, "Sir, why don't we go back to the inn's main entrance and retrace our original path?"

The Clock Pendulum scolded the Earrings, "You idiot! If we go back to the inn's entrance, aren't we just waiting for the Shopkeeper to see us? How is that different from walking into a trap?"

The Earrings retorted, "Then what brilliant idea do you have?"

Li Banfeng couldn't be bothered to listen to their quarreling. These Magical Treasures were clearly affected by Fool's City; their intelligence seemed to have dropped.

At critical moments, when facing key problems, Li Banfeng still had to make the decisions himself.

Stuck in the alley with limited visibility, Li Banfeng certainly couldn't find the way out of the city.

Wouldn't finding a place with a clear view reveal the way out?

There was a clock tower not far away. Li Banfeng ran through the alley and along the main street to the base of the clock tower, then climbed all the way to the top.

The view from here was indeed expansive!

This clock tower must be the tallest structure in all of Fool's City, right?

Li Banfeng surveyed his surroundings and quickly located a city gate.

In fact, not just one—he found the locations of all Four Gates of the City.

He was thrilled, overjoyed.

About a dozen people from the Friendly Inn rushed out, 'celebrating' along with Li Banfeng.

"Look! He's up there on the clock tower!"

"Quick! Don't let him get away!"

"Get him and hack him to pieces!"

A crowd rushed toward the clock tower, and Li Banfeng hurriedly fled.

How did they see me? How did they know I was here?

After running a few steps, Li Banfeng frowned as he realized the problem.

He was the only living person in the entire city; the rest were all ghosts.

And this sole living being had just been standing atop the city's highest point.

What on earth was I thinking?

Why did I climb so high?

It would have been difficult for those people from the inn *not* to find me.

Racing through the city, Li Banfeng finally managed to shake off his pursuers after considerable effort.

After he caught his breath for a moment, another voice spoke near his ear, "Young man, I advised you earnestly, but you wouldn't listen. Do you still intend to leave the city?"

Li Banfeng turned and saw it was the man from the Gold-picking Sect (the fortune teller) to whom he had previously given one hundred Yuan.

"How did you find me?"

"A baleful aura clings to you; I can see it from a great distance."

"How do you know I want to leave the city?"

The fortune teller smiled. "One's destiny is written on their face; it cannot escape my eyes. Young man, you absolutely must not leave the city. A disaster involving bloodshed awaits you."

Li Banfeng walked away without saying another word to the fortune teller.

I'll face a true disaster if I stay in this city! My mind is getting more muddled by the minute. If I stay any longer, I won't even know to dodge if someone comes at me with a knife.

Walking through the alley, Li Banfeng kept muttering to himself, There must be a main street ahead... It has to be a main street...

But the exit from the alley only led to another alley.

Li Banfeng was lost again.

What am I going to do now?

Should I ask someone for directions?

Would anyone here even tell the truth?

The Teapot, seeing Li Banfeng becoming agitated, advised, "Young brother, go home and rest. Take a nap. You're a Home Cultivator; you'll feel better after catching your breath."

The Old Teapot's suggestion was similar to the others—of little value.

But for now, Li Banfeng could only return to his Portable Residence.

His head throbbed; he didn't know if it was from exhaustion or frustration.

His thoughts grew increasingly chaotic, and even contemplating a small matter became mentally draining. Exhausted, Li Banfeng returned to his Portable Residence, collapsed onto the bed, and fell asleep.

The Phonograph asked what had happened, but the jumbled accounts from the group of Magical Treasures made no sense.

The Phonograph began to panic. "What's going on? Have they all become idiots?"

She was somewhat frightened, worried that Li Banfeng might never escape.

"My beloved husband, sleep. Once you wake up with a clear mind, things will be better," she murmured.

"HUMPH!" The Judge's Pen snorted coldly and went to sleep first.

PS: Among the medicine seller, the fortune teller, and the Shopkeeper of the shady inn, who has the highest cultivation level?