Lord of Puro

Chapter 681 Empire
Li Banfeng spent two days painting clouds at home, then took them outside and used his "Golden House Hiding Beauty" technique to turn his painting into reality. However, whether it was clouds or not was another matter.

The texture and touch, to be honest, feels more like cotton.

Moreover, this thing is not very big. The clouds drawn at the beginning are not even as big as a room you can live in.

Luo Yuni has a special painting technique that allows her to create a painting in a room that is several times larger than the area of ​​the room.

This operation is not difficult. It only requires folding the canvas during the painting process. Li Banfeng quickly learned the key points.

But can Li Banfeng control such a large painting using his skills of hiding a beauty in a golden house?
Among many techniques, the "Golden House Hiding a Beauty" is difficult to learn, and this technique consumes a lot of energy.

Li Banfeng finally painted a cloud that was twice the size of his portable house, and carried the painting out with Banfengbing, Banfengding and Banfengwu.

He tried his best to display his technique, but only half of the clouds became real, and the other half remained in the painting.

Looking at that half piece of cloud, Li Banfeng felt very strange, as if he was pulling out an object from a certain space, and it got stuck halfway.

What exactly is that space? Is it the world in the painting?
Li Banfeng reached his hand into the junction of the cloud and the painting, as if he touched some sticky liquid.

What kind of liquid is this...

boom!
The clouds that had just formed a solid body dissipated, the canvas was completely restored, and the sticky liquid also disappeared. Li Banfeng touched his fingers and found no trace left.

He could only control half of the cloud for such a short time. The technique of hiding a beauty in a golden house had too many limitations. Moreover, the larger the object being controlled was, the more difficult it was to maintain.

There is a big question mark as to whether the clouds made in this way are really practical.

Li Banfeng was still thinking about other ways to make clouds when the projector flew closer: "Director Seven, phone call."

Luo Zhengnan called, and Liao Zihui sent someone to deliver the news that the 23,000 men had arrived.

Li Banfeng, Qiu Zhiheng, Qin Tianjiu, Luo Zhengnan...a group of people went outside the city to pick someone up.

It was a big task to resettle 20,000 people in an orderly manner, so Li Banfeng brought all the people he could trust with him.

There is a circle of boundaries outside the City of Sinners, and all people entering and leaving are strictly checked.

The city gate was wide open. At Liao Zihui's command, a row of searchlights lit up on the top of the city wall. Under the overlapping light spots, a section of the boundary in front of the city gate was covered.

This searchlight is irritating.

The hidden bridge cannon that his wife had worked so hard to make was far less useful than these searchlights. Li Banfeng really wanted to find out where these searchlights were stored, but he was not very familiar with the structure of the Customs Defense Hall.

Can we tie this matter to Nevada and try to get a lamp?

Twenty-three thousand men, carrying heavy wooden suitcases, followed Liao Zihui out of the city and formed two columns.

The people taking photos and videotaping were following them. Li Banfeng and Liao Zihui had a cordial conversation with hypocritical smiles. After the handover was completed, Liao Zihui immediately returned to the city.

Liao Zihui didn't ask any questions about where these three men were going.

According to Qiu Zhiheng's plan, these 20,000 people were sent to Luobo Mountain.

Compared to other places in Santoucha, Luobo Mountain is safer and has less daylight. Qiu Zhiheng plans to purchase some weapons and then hand over the 20,000 men to Tan Jinxiao for training. They will soon be able to form a proper guard corps.

But when Luo Zhengnan went to invite Tan Jinxiao, Tan Jinxiao refused to come. The reason he gave was that he was too busy with business in Hai City and was unable to attend to him.

Qiu Zhiheng asked Luo Zhengnan: "Business in the Human Market is pretty quiet, but is business in the Earth Market busy?"

Luo Zhengnan said helplessly, "Master Qiu, the people in the underground city know how to do things and understand the rules. I haven't encountered anything in Tu City for several days. I don't think Hai City will be much busier than Tu City."

Qin Tianjiu asked: "That's strange. If he's not that busy, why doesn't Tan Jinxiao want to come?"

Qiu Zhiheng hesitated to speak, as he was trying to figure out how to approach his words.

Li Banfeng thought of something and asked Qiu Zhiheng, "Is Old Tan angry with me because I became a prince?"

This hits the nail on the head.

Qiu Zhiheng said: "Old Tan fought a war with Neizhou, you know this, and now you are the prince of Neizhou, and you have to help the emperor of Neizhou train a guard. This is indeed difficult for him."

Xiao Yeci was somewhat dissatisfied: "What's the problem? Doesn't he know who the emperor he is protecting is? He is one of his own!"

Liang guessed that he could understand Tan Jinxiao: "He knew that the emperor was Juanzi, and he and Juanzi were also very familiar with each other. After all, we fought for our lives together, but the gap in his heart might not be so easy to get over."

Li Banfeng was speechless, but this matter really could not be blamed on Lao Tan. If it were Li Banfeng, even if he understood the reason, he might not be willing to do it.

"Brother Qiu, first settle these people down and select two hundred strong ones. I will arrange for them to enter the Dao Sect and train them into elite soldiers.
Find a job for the remaining people so that they can support themselves. Pick more people from among them and I will find you a good piece of land for you to use when you open up wasteland."

Qiu Zhiheng was happy because Old Seven had agreed to two important things and gave him both the land and the manpower.

But while he was happy, Qiu Zhiheng was also worried about Li Qi: "Old Qi, these 20,000 people are to be the guards. You have finally got them from other states. You can't let them go so easily."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I didn't plan to have 20,000 troops. I just wanted to train 200 elite soldiers. This is Pro Province. If 20,000 troops can't keep up with the weapons and cultivation, they may not be able to fight better than 200 elite soldiers.
We don't know how to train tens of thousands of troops, but we can train one or two hundred people ourselves. Brother Qiu, if you are too busy, let Tangyuan and Dengbao help you. They also know some training methods from other states. "

Qiu Zhiheng nodded, and Luo Zhengnan discussed the food and lodging for the three people with Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng repeatedly reminded: "You must treat these three heads well. Everyone in Santoucha thinks that the three heads are guilty, even they themselves think they are guilty. This bad habit must be changed."

Qiu Zhiheng looked at the slowly advancing team of three men. They looked back from time to time, looking at the City of Sinners behind them, and their relatives in the city.

If you take a quick look, they will immediately lower their heads and walk forward silently. In the City of Sinners, you have to get permission to do anything, and looking around without permission will be punished.

One of the three-headed men looked back twice, then slipped and stumbled. The strap of the suitcase broke and the heavy wooden box almost fell to the ground.

The box was not light, and looked to weigh more than 200 pounds. A three-headed man behind him caught the box before it hit the ground.

He signaled to the three men in front to keep moving forward and not make any noise to avoid being punished.

Seeing this, Xiao Chuanzi said to Qiu Zhiheng: "Brother Qiu, this guy is good. He is strong, has a good physique, and has good character."

Qiu Zhiheng nodded: "Please ask this person's name for me and put him on the list."

……

Duan Shuqun handed the list to He Jiaqing: "There are thirteen who agreed, and they are all on the list. There are six who did not agree, and they are written on the back of the list."

"There are really some people who don't want to accept my toast. Do they think I can't do anything to them?" He Jiaqing stared at the six people on the back of the list for a long time.

He Jiaqing brought back twenty-one deeds of the local gods of the new land from Wenyuan Pavilion of Dashang. He exchanged one deed for Chu Yaoxian's with Li Banfeng, and sold one to Li Haoyun. There were nineteen copies left. He Jiaqing found the owners one by one and prepared to hand over the deeds to them.

These people all have some friendship with He Jiaqing. Of course, the deed is not given for free. These local gods must sign a contract and join the brotherhood alliance before they can get the deed to their own territory.

Thirteen local gods signed the contract on the spot, but six others negotiated the conditions with He Jiaqing.

They also want the contract, but joining the Brotherhood is not a trivial matter. They have to work for the Brotherhood and will offend many ruthless people, including Li Qi, a person no one wants to offend.

Naturally, the six local gods did not dare to take the deed for free, so they wanted to negotiate the price. Some offered money, some offered magic weapons, and some were even willing to give all their life savings to He Jiaqing.

But He Jiaqing didn't want any of these things.

He used his fingertips to trace the names of the six local gods again and again, and said with a cold face: "This is the bad habit that the peddler has cultivated in them. If there weren't so many messed up rules, I would immediately go to their territory and take back their deeds and lives."

This is not just a casual remark. With He Jiaqing's strength, if he was not afraid of the peddler's rules, he could go to the land and kill all these local gods and take all six pairs of deeds for himself.

He Jiaqing threw the list aside and laughed mockingly: "It is because of his stupid rules that the strong are shackled, the weak have the courage to challenge the strong, and Pro Province has fallen into endless fighting and chaos."

Duan Shuqun felt that He Jiaqing had lost his composure.

He Jiaqing did lose his composure. He had been planning for this day for too long and he really couldn't control his emotions.

These six new plots of land were very important to He Jiaqing. Except for the deeds of Li Furong and Chu Yaoxi, which were unexpected gains, each deed he stole from Neizhou was the result of a long period of planning, and each deed was an important piece of the puzzle for his grand ambitions.

Jigsaw puzzle, literally.

He Jiaqing unfolded the map. Including Chu Yaoxian's territory, he had twenty deeds in his hands, and thirteen pieces of land had already been in place.

There are still ten pieces in Li Banling's hands, one of which is the land of Chuyaoxi, which He Jiaqing has never heard of. The other nine pieces were also carefully selected by He Jiaqing in advance.

Adding these nine pieces of land, there are a total of twenty-nine new pieces of land, which are connected to each other, forming a huge territory on the map.

He slowly traced the map with his fingertips, erasing all the boundaries between the twenty-nine new plots of land.

Ho Ka-hing laughed and said, “New lands originally had no boundaries, but what happens when they become proper lands?”

After being asked, He Jiaqing gave his own answer: "After becoming a proper place, there will be no boundaries either."

After becoming the positive land, why is there no boundary?
Duan Shuqun was very clear about this matter.

As long as these twenty-nine pieces of land have the same local god, these boundaries will really disappear.

"I risked my life to get each and every deed. This belongs to the empire of the Brotherhood, this belongs to..." He Jiaqing didn't say anything else. He smiled, and the hand that was stroking the map was trembling a little.

To be honest, Duan Shuqun was a little excited to see such a large area with no boundaries between them.

"Old Duan, go talk to them again," He Jiaqing's fingertips never left the map, "Tell them that the Brotherhood Alliance can definitely accomplish what they want to do, and that the result will be the same sooner or later. Advise them not to hurt the relationship."

Duan Shuqun left and He Jiaqing put the map away.

Bai Wuchuan, leader of the Baihe Gang, walked into the office.

"Mr. He, Shen Jinzhong has agreed to attend the banquet tomorrow night. I should be able to convince him."

He Jiaqing nodded: "Well done, if he agrees, tell him to do something for me, a very small thing."

"What do you want him to do?"

He Jiaqing looked up at Bai Wuchuan, who shuddered. It seemed that he had asked too many questions.

After looking at each other for a moment, He Jiaqing smiled and said, "I will tell you when he agrees."

Bai Wuchuan left, and Shen Rongqing entered the office: "Jiaqing, you called me?"

He Jiaqing nodded: "There is a man named Li Banling, help me find his whereabouts, he is an orphan, grew up in another state, is a shadow cultivator, and has close contacts with Li Qi."

Shen Rongqing nodded: "I will investigate immediately."

After leaving the film company, Shen Rongqing went to the Hundred Flowers Garden and found Zhang Xiuling.

"Xiu Ling, I want to have a meal at your house. What time do you think is suitable?"

Zhang Xiuling said with a smile: "Why are you pretending to be so rude to me? Do you need to choose a time to eat at my house? Tonight is suitable. You can stay here after dinner. It's just right for us to study the next volume of "Yuxiang Ji"."

Shen Rongqing nodded and said, "That's all easy to say. I want to invite someone else to your house for dinner. Do you think it's convenient?"

Zhang Xiuling's eyes lit up: "Who are you talking about? Li Qi? If Li Qi could come, we wouldn't study "Yuxiang Ji" tonight."

Shen Rongqing shook his head: "It's not Li Qi, it's Li Qi's brother."

"Brother?" The light in Zhang Xiuling's eyes disappeared. "You are not talking about Ma Wu, are you?"

Shen Rongqing was a little embarrassed: "He just came to have a meal."

In fact, Ma Wu also often came to Baihua Garden. He was a fan of Zhang Xiuling's books and respected Zhang Xiuling very much. He had never done anything inappropriate. It was just that Zhang Xiuling felt a little strange when these words came from Shen Rongqing's mouth.

Zhang Xiuling stared at Shen Rongqing from head to toe and said, "It's just a meal. He must leave after the meal. You can stay, but he can't stay overnight." Shen Rongqing shook his head and said, "He and I don't eat together. When he comes, I can't come."

Zhang Xiuling was confused: "If you don't come, who will invite Ma Wu?"

Shen Rongqing said: "I can't invite Ma Wu, you have to do it."

Zhang Xiuling was puzzled: "What does that mean? What do I want him to do? What will it look like if it gets out?"

Shen Rongqing lowered his voice and said, "This matter cannot be spread out, no one can know about it. If you invite him secretly, it will be like a private meeting."

Zhang Xiuling's face darkened as she asked, "Shen Rongqing, are you here to help Ma Wu? What do you think of me?"

Shen Rongqing waved his hand and said, "Xiu Ling, that's not what I meant..."

“Shut up!” Zhang Xiuling gritted her teeth and said, “If you dare mention Ma Wu again, I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

"Xiu Ling, I'm doing this for Li Qi!"

……

The next night, Ma Wu prepared gifts and went to the Hundred Flowers Garden for a banquet.

After losing the Baihua Gate, Zhang Xiuling concentrated on writing in the Baihua Garden. She was under the protection of Li Qi and Ma Wu. In fact, Ma Wu could come to the Baihua Garden openly.

But Zhang Xiuling said that this matter must not be known to anyone, and Ma Wu must go to the appointment in the most confidential manner.

Ma Wu was very excited to receive such a private invitation from the most talented woman in Provo, but when he arrived at Zhang Xiuling's house, his intuition told him that what Zhang Xiuling was going to do was different from what he expected.

After exchanging greetings and sitting down, Zhang Xiuling wrote the word "quiet" to block out the room.

Zhang Xiuling first asked Ma Wu: "Among Li Qi's friends, there is a man named Li Banling. Do you know him?"

Ma Wu lit a cigarette, looked at Zhang Xiuling and asked, "Who wants to ask about this?"

This is definitely not what Zhang Xiuling wants to ask. There should be no intersection between her and Li Banling.

Zhang Xiuling answered truthfully: "Rong Qing asked me to ask this."

Ma Wu smiled and said, "Although Shen Rongqing is my friend, she is ultimately He Jiaqing's person. Is it appropriate to ask me this question directly?"

Zhang Xiuling shook her head and said, "It's not appropriate, so I asked you."

Ma Wuyi frowned: "What's the logic behind this?"

Zhang Xiuling said: "The truth is, Rong Qing will say whatever you say."

Ma Wu understood what Zhang Xiuling meant: "Since you are Lao Qi's friend, then I will ask Lao Qi first?"

……

In Qianyue Tower, in the private room, the wine and food are served.

Bai Wuchuan, the leader of the White Crane Gang, said, "Brother Shen, have you heard? He Jiaqing has obtained contracts for many local gods."

Shen Jinzhong nodded and said, "I heard about it. I originally thought that only Li Qi could do this, but I didn't expect He Jiaqing to have this ability."

Bai Wuchuan lowered his voice and said, "Although the He family is not what it used to be, He Jiaqing is a young man from a famous family after all. When it comes to how he handles things and how he behaves, he is completely different from the gangsters in the underworld."

Shen Jinzhong smiled: "Brother Bai, are you looking down on people from the underworld? Aren't we also people from the underworld?"

Bai Wuchuan shook his head and said, "We are different. We have a sect and a school, and we have a proper background. We have offered incense to our ancestors and kowtowed to them. We know the rules and limits of doing things. Do you think he follows the rules? The White Crane Gang is now in charge of the inner sect leader."

Shen Jinzhong sighed, "This is indeed a bit outrageous. I'll have to talk to Master Qi about it some other day."

"Tell me about it?" Bai Wuchuan sneered, "Will talking about it help? Is Li Qi a reasonable person? Qin Tianjiu himself offended An Zongding and almost lost his life. Logically, this matter has nothing to do with Brother Shen, right? How did Li Qi do it at that time? He made Brother Shen suffer a lot of injustice!"

Shen Jinzhong sighed: "It's better not to talk about the past."

Bai Wuchuan shook his head slightly: "Brother Shen, if we don't mention it, I'm afraid this matter won't be resolved. Qin Tianjiu is missing again. It's been a long time since the incident at the gold shop last time, and we still can't find him."

"I have already explained this matter clearly to Li Qi."

Bai Wuchuan nodded and said, "I was too talkative. Since Brother Shen feels that it has been made clear, then let it be made clear."

Bai Wuchuan poured wine for Shen Jinzhong, but Shen Jinzhong's face turned pale and he couldn't eat at all.

"Brother, you asked me to come here today, so you must have something else to say, right? Qianyue Tower is the He family's territory."

Bai Wuchuan smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. I just want to tell you a message from Master He. If you are willing to join the Brotherhood Alliance, we will all be brothers in the future."

Shen Jinzhong frowned and said, "It's okay if I'm the only one who heard this. Li Qi and I have a close relationship. You shouldn't say such things in front of me."

Bai Wuchuan smiled and said, "Brother Shen, I am a straightforward person. Now I am still talking about friendship with Li Qi. Isn't it a bit presumptuous? He has become the Prince of Pingyuan in Neizhou. Do you think we are still of the same status as him?"

Shen Jinzhong smiled and said, "I am a straightforward person. Since Li Qi has become a prince, I have to hold on to this high branch."

Bai Wuchuan sighed, "The cost is too high, I'm afraid you can't afford it. He became a prince in Neizhou. Do you know how many people in Purozhou can't stand it? Do you know how many people want to kill him?
He is very capable and won't die anytime soon. The people around him might be implicated by him. Brother Shen, is it worth it to risk your life to climb the ladder?"

Shen Jinzhong drank two glasses of wine and asked Bai Wuchuan: "What is your relationship with He Jiaqing?"

Bai Wuchuan filled the glass with wine: "Brothers' alliance, we are all brothers."

Shen Jinzhong said: "In other words, I want to join the Brotherhood Alliance. Can you introduce me to it?"

"It's easy to introduce someone, but you know the rules. If you want to rely on the kiln, you'd better not do it empty-handed."

Shen Jinzhong smiled and said, "The Sanying Sect is the largest gang in Pro Province. If I defect to the Brotherhood Alliance, how many gangs will follow me? Have you ever calculated this?"

Bai Wuchuan nodded: "This account has definitely been settled, but others are others, you are you, at least do something small for the Brotherhood to show your appreciation."

Shen Jinzhong asked: "Just a little thing?"

Bai Wuchuan raised his glass and said, "As long as Brother Shen agrees, I will talk to Mr. He tomorrow. Don't worry, it's just a small matter. If you think it can't be done, just regret it and pretend that I never said anything about it."

……

After the banquet, Bai Wuchuan sent Shen Jinzhong downstairs. Silver Medal winner Tan Jinle and Bronze Seal winner Yue Shucai were waiting downstairs.

Tan Jinle was originally Qin Tianjiu's boss. When Qin Tianjiu was shorting the copper seal, Tan Jinle made a lot of contributions. Li Qi and Shen Jinzhong joined forces, and Tan Jinle also made a lot of efforts in the middle.

Yue Shucai was Qin Tianjiu's follower. He was efficient and diligent in his work. After Qin Tianjiu was promoted to the silver seal, he promoted him to the bronze seal.

The two men prepared a rickshaw, helped Shen Jinzhong onto the rickshaw, and escorted him all the way to the Jinyin Lobby.

After returning to his own hall, Tan Jinle sent everyone away and said to Yue Shucai alone: ​​"Shucai, something big is going to happen in our gang."

Yue Shucai also felt that something was wrong, but he did not speak directly. He asked tentatively: "Mr. Jin, what do you think is going to happen?"

"The White Crane Gang has been competing with the Seventh Master recently, and has had a lot of dealings with He Jiaqing. Today he invited Da Jinyin to have dinner at Qianyue Tower. What does this mean?"

Yue Shucai thought about it and said, "I also find it strange. Why do we have to go to the He family's place to eat?"

Tan Jinle sighed, "Xiaojiu has given us a good start. It's not easy, don't you think?"

Yue Shucai nodded: "Yes, it's not easy for Master Jiu."

Tan Jinle looked at Yue Shu and said, "So, huh?"

What is huh?
Yue Shu was stunned for a moment.

Tan Jinle patted Yue Shucai and said, "Brother, go home and rest."

As soon as Yue Shu walked out of the hall, several brothers followed him.

When they reached a fork in the road, Yue Shu said, "You guys go back first. I'm sleepy and want to go home to sleep."

The brothers quickly stopped him and said, "Brother Yue, you haven't eaten yet. We have booked a table of wine at Yao's Restaurant and are waiting for you to come with us."

"I'm not hungry."

"It doesn't matter if you're not hungry. You can do something else. I've found the girls who will sing."

"I can't do it tonight, you guys go and have fun." Yue Shucai took two dollars, sent his brothers away, walked around two streets, and went to Qin Tianjiu's residence.

I knocked on the door twice, and it opened. There was no one behind it.

Yue Shucai plucked up his courage and walked into the yard. He passed the front yard, which was empty, and entered the main yard. He finally saw a woman in green with a cold face, looking at him.

If it were someone else, they would be scared to death.

But Yue Shucai was familiar with Qin Tianjiu and knew that Qin Tianjiu had no maids at home, only a wife named Feng Yuqiu.

"Sister-in-law, I have something to tell Brother Nine."

Feng Yuqiu turned around and took Yue Shucai into the living room.

She took out a phone from the inner room, dialed the number, and handed it to Yue Shucai.

……

Li Banfeng arrived at Luobo Mountain, settled the three men, and had a meal with Qiu Zhiheng and Qin Tianjiu.

After eating and drinking, Li Banfeng was about to go up to the sky holding the newly painted clouds when the phone suddenly rang.

When I picked up the phone, it was Ma Wu who called: "Seventh Brother, He Jiaqing asked Shen Rongqing to find out about Li Banling. Shen Rongqing asked Zhang Xiuling to find me. How should I reply to her?"

Li Banfeng said without hesitation: "Tell him that Li Banling is an orphan who grew up with me, and now he is an ordinary worker in another state."

Ma Wu had seen "Li Banling" and felt that things were not that simple: "Seventh Brother, we can't deal with this matter carelessly. I suspect He Jiaqing is testing Shen Rongqing. Shen Rongqing risked her life to send us a letter. We can't let her down."

Li Banfeng said, "Don't worry, this is all true. Ask Shen Rongqing to tell He Jiaqing that I have nine deeds waiting to be sold. Just say that Zhang Xiuling found out about this from me."

After hanging up the phone, Li Banfeng immediately found Luo Zhengnan and said, "Get me a pass. I'm leaving Santoucha tonight."

Before the pass was issued, Qin Tianjiu found Li Banfeng and said, "Seventh Brother, something happened at Sanying Gate."

He recounted what Yue Shucai had seen and heard tonight, and Qiu Zhiheng's heart sank: "Not good, the Sanying Sect is too powerful, and this will involve many gangs. He Jiaqing has always been hesitant, so why is he doing it so ruthlessly this time?"

"He wants the contract." Li Banfeng rubbed his forehead. He couldn't care about the affairs of Sanyingmen now.

Qin Tianjiu said: "Seventh Brother, ask Lao Luo to get another pass, and leave the matter of Sanying Gate to me."

Qiu Zhiheng shook his head and said, "This matter is not easy to handle. I'll go with you."

Qin Tianjiu waved his hands repeatedly: "Brother Qiu, you are too famous. If you go to Green Water City, this matter will be difficult to handle.

"Seventh brother, I understand the rules of Sanyingmen. I have not been with you for nothing in the past two years. Even if I am not good enough, I still have Fifth Brother to take care of me. Just wait for my news."

PS: Tan Jinle and Yue Shucai were characters during the period when Qin Tianjiu served as the Kongma Bronze Seal, and they appeared in Chapter 258.

(End of this chapter)