Lord of Puro

Chapter 702: Leader in Farming
The scattered branches and leaves, the withered seedlings, if Li Banfeng had not seen it with his own eyes, he really would not have believed that what he saw was real.

This was Li Banfeng’s earliest territory, a new land acquired from Bashanzhu. The local deity here was called Li Furong.

Li Furong's deeds were complete, and under Zhang Wanlong's management, the land was originally thriving. Li Banfeng wanted to come back to see the situation of the roots and to take advantage of the popularity of the land, but he didn't expect it to become such a miserable state.

The farmland was in ruins. Li Banfeng went to the village built by Zhang Wanlong. The buildings in the village were still there, but the villagers were gone.

Whether those villagers with their own characteristics and complex behaviors, or those villagers who looked like Zhang Wanlong but could only do simple labor, they all disappeared.

Li Banfeng walked to Zhang Wanlong's house. The furnishings in the house were relatively clean and there was still some rice in the pot. Although it was cold, it was not moldy.

Zhang Wanlong should still be living here, where is he?
Where did he put the roots?

Walking out of the door, Li Banfeng sniffed. The whole village was filled with an atmosphere of desolation and decay. Even Zhang Wanlong's home seemed unfamiliar to him. It was completely different from the house Li Banfeng was familiar with before.

Li Banfeng searched around in the fields and finally saw Zhang Wanlong in a field.

Zhang Wanlong was watering the seedlings with a watering can, while Genzi was following behind with a spoon, applying fertilizer.

Li Banfeng asked, "Brother Zhang, what happened?"

If Li Qi hadn't spoken, Zhang Wanlong wouldn't have known he was coming. The fourth floor residence on the cloud is too concealed.

"Seventh Master, be careful with your steps and don't step on the seedlings." Zhang Wanlong looked much more haggard than before. He kept staring at Li Banfeng's feet. He was really afraid that Li Banfeng would step on the seedlings.

When Xiao Genzi saw Li Banfeng, his eyes turned red and his voice trembled: "Seventh Master, all the crops have died. There are only these seedlings left, only these..."

Perhaps he wanted to cry but couldn't, so Genzi's voice was a little unclear.

Li Banfeng frowned and said, "Speak more clearly. What happened? Did someone call?"

Genzi shook his head and said, "No one hits me."

"Are there bugs?"

"nor."

"Is it hailing?"

Zhang Wanlong's eyes also turned red: "Seventh Master, there was no disaster or harm, but the crops in this ten-mile radius are gone just like that!"

Li Banfeng couldn't ask any more questions. He was an amateur in farming, and Zhang Wanlong was a top-notch master. He couldn't interfere here.

But we need to investigate the matter carefully. This is our own territory. Who was so cruel to Zhang Wanlong?
He Jiaqing?
Or maybe Xuehuapu?

Li Banfeng summoned the surrounding monsters, and the most educated Lao Niu told Li Banfeng about the situation: "Seventh Master, we get along well with Brother Zhang, especially those of us who are vegetarians. We have taken a lot of food from Brother Zhang.

"In the past few days, I don't know what happened, but the crops have been destroyed one by one. We don't know who is responsible. If we find out, we will kill this bastard!"

Li Banfeng told Lao Niu, "Ask around a bit more and see if anyone knows the inside story."

Lao Niu nodded and said, "Don't worry, Master Qi, I will do my best to investigate."

"Okay, I've found a clue. I'll tell the local god about it. I'll then credit you for your contribution and reward you for your cultivation!"

That being said, it's hard to rely on this group of monsters to accomplish anything.

Li Banfeng went to the next door. When Meng Yuchun heard that Li Qi was coming, she was overjoyed. She took Li Banfeng's hand and went straight into the inner room.

Half of Meng Yuchun's territory was cleared, all thanks to the three men lent to her by Li Banfeng.

That’s not all, Li Banfeng also gave her the other half of the deed.

Meng Yuchun didn't know how to repay Li Qi. As a home cultivator, she didn't know much about etiquette. She just felt that for a benefactor like Li Banfeng, she should give everything she had to him.

"This is where I sleep. This is my bed. There's another room over there. This is where my house spirit sleeps. Go in and take a look."

She pulled Li Banfeng into Zhai Ling's room and saw a mahogany dressing table with a bronze mirror on it.

Meng Yuchun said: "This is my house spirit."

Li Banfeng used his golden eyes to take a quick look and saw a woman in the bronze mirror. She looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, and seemed to be of the same age as Meng Yuchun. She was pretty, but much inferior to Meng Yuchun.

She was looking out of the mirror curiously. She was very curious about what kind of person Li Qi was.

But she felt that Li Qi was also looking at her, and she was so scared that she quickly looked away.

Meng Yuchun continued, "That is my treasure room. All the magic weapons in my house are stored in that room.
There is also a room where some small toys are placed. They are all women's toys. If you like them, you can go and have a look.
And that door, that’s where I’m going to escape, I have to leave myself a way out…”

"Stop!" Li Banfeng waved his hand, "You don't have to tell me these things."

Meng Yuchun shook her head and said, "I should tell you everything about me. I shouldn't hide anything from you!"

Li Banfeng said, "I came to you for something. In my territory, there is a master of farming and cultivation, as you know."

Meng Yuchun nodded and said, "You are talking about Zhang Wanlong, right? I have bought a lot of food from him, so I am familiar with him."

"He's had an accident recently, did you know that?"

"I know a little. His crops withered, and we still don't know why. I guess it was some insect cultivator or poison cultivator that harmed him, but that's just a guess. I don't have any clues."

Meng Yuchun also had no clues.

Who could have done this?
Li Banfeng returned to Zhang Wanlong's farm. Zhang Wanlong was still taking care of the seedlings in the fields. Li Banfeng wanted to ask Zhang Wanlong if he had encountered any enemies recently, but unexpectedly, someone asked the question for him.

"Wanlong, have you offended anyone recently?"

Although Li Banfeng did not sense any malicious intent, he still hid far away.

Zhang Wanlong was startled, and Xiao Genzi shuddered with fear. The two of them quickly bowed, "Master."

Xu Han is here.

Li Banfeng heard from Mr. Yao that Old Xu had something to deal with. Could it be that he came specifically to deal with Zhang Wanlong?

Xu Han squatted down and plucked a leaf from the seedling: "Didn't you hear me when I asked you that? Did you offend anyone?"

Zhang Wanlong shook his head and said, "I haven't offended anyone."

Xu Han checked the two leaves again: "Think about it carefully."

Zhang Wanlong thought for a long time and remembered three people: "A Wu Xiu came here before. He wanted to buy seeds, but I didn't sell them to him."

He was talking about Du Wenming.

Xu Han waved his hand and said, "It's not Wu Xiu, let's talk about someone else."

"The other one is He Jiaqing. He also wanted to buy seeds, but he and Qi Ye were not on good terms. I didn't want to offend him, so I didn't sell to him."

Xu Han was silent for a while and said, "He is a thief. It could be him. Let's talk about others."

Zhang Wanlong added: "There was another foreigner named Cui Tike, who also came to buy seeds, but at that time Desongya had just had an incident, and I didn't want to be implicated by him, so I didn't sell to him..."

"No need to say more," Xu Han sighed, "Even if you are a farmer, you can't avoid these things!"

Zhang Wanlong cried, "Master, I have worked so hard to save a few acres of land, and now only these few seedlings are left. I think there seems to be something wrong with the leaves..."

Xu Han took the leaf in his hand, looked at it again, and then threw it on the ground: "Follow me."

Zhang Wanlong saw hope and excitedly caught up with Mr. Xu with Genzi.

Li Banfeng followed behind him, and the four of them walked out of the field together. Old Xu took out his pipe and smoked a pack of cigarettes.

After smoking half of the pack of cigarettes, Old Xu threw the ashes out of the pot.

The dust flew into the sky, turned into sparks, and fell on the fields like raindrops.

Zhang Wanlong wailed, "Master, what are you doing!"

He was about to rush into the fields, but was stopped by Xu Han: "These crops are sick. I have never seen these lesions before. Once the news spreads, it will cause endless harm!"

Sick? Lesion?

Li Banfeng's heart sank. According to Mr. Xu, the culprit of this incident had been identified.

Could it really be Tretik?

Zhang Wanlong was still crying. Xu Han frowned and said, "Why are you crying? Can't you afford to lose? You are a farmer, but you have no sense at all. You deserve to be schemed against!"

"Master, please put out the fire, I will think of a solution!"

Old Xu shook his head and said, "This fire cannot be extinguished. It must burn for three days to burn the lesion thoroughly. It must not be allowed to spread outside the land.
Wanlong, wipe your tears. This fire can burn away all the lesions and insects. The ashes can also nourish the land. When everything is burned clean, you can sow seeds.

The previous harvest was just taken away by others. We are farmers, and we must learn to get up on our own after falling down."

Zhang Wanlong squatted on the ground and cried, and Xiao Genzi also cried, tears falling one by one. He felt uncomfortable, but seemed afraid to cry out loud.

Old Xu turned to look at Li Banfeng and said, "Seventh Brother, who does Cuitik belong to? Is he yours or the peddler's?"

Li Banfeng said: "He is considered my friend."

Elder Xu nodded and said, "Since he is your friend, please tell him something. He did have a conflict with my disciple before. I don't want to ask about the right and wrong anymore.
My disciple suffered a loss this time, and I don't intend to argue with him, but if there is a next time, I must ask him for an explanation."

After saying that, Xu Han turned around and disappeared into the night.

Xiao Genzi cried, "Brother Zhang, our master is gone, let's put out the fire quickly."

Zhang Wanlong cried and shook his head: "Brother, please don't make a fool of yourself. What is our master's method? He said that the fire must burn for three days, so it must burn for three days, not even one day less."

Li Banfeng advised: "Don't be sad for now, you two, go home and talk about it if you have anything to say."

Zhang Wanlong also said he wanted to go home, but his home was gone.

The farm and house run by him and Xiao Genzi were all burned down. The fire set by Old Xu almost covered all the land within a radius of ten miles.

Li Banfeng had built a wooden house on his land before, and arranged for the two of them to live there temporarily. There were also people running the business on Youtao and He Yuxiu's land, so there was water and food, so there was no shortage of food for the two of them.

The strange monsters around rushed over and brought a lot of expenses to the two of them. It must be said that Zhang Wanlong was indeed quite popular. With everyone's consolation, his emotions gradually calmed down.

After seeing off the others, Li Banfeng asked Genzi, "How is your cultivation going?"

Xiao Genzi said: "Thanks to the guidance of Brother Zhang, we are now almost at the sixth floor."

Li Banfeng nodded: "Please try harder. When you reach the seventh floor, remember to find me."

Zhang Wanlong suffered such a great loss. Li Banfeng gave him some elixirs. Zhang Wanlong waved his hands and said, "You can't do that, Master Qi. This is my own fault. It has nothing to do with you."

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I'm not apologizing on behalf of Cuitik, I'm thanking you on behalf of Genzi. With your cultivation level, you may not be able to use these pills. You can exchange them for money or something else. Anyway, just grit your teeth and run the land."

After chatting for a while, Li Banfeng left, and Zhang Wanlong and Genzi saw him off.

When it was time to say goodbye, Genzi sobbed and shed tears.

Zhang Wanlong sighed, "Brother, stop crying. You've cried enough. If you cry any more, Master Qi will laugh at you!" Genzi wiped his eyes and said, "I didn't cry. The wind and sand blinded me."

Li Banfeng nodded: "I'm leaving first, remember to find me if you have anything."

As he walked further away, the fire behind him was still clearly visible, but Li Banfeng still did not hear Genzi's crying.

Should Genzi cry out loud?

should!

Li Banfeng had seen Genzi crying. He had cried loudly because he had stolen the medicine powder and forced his way into the Jinxiu Sect.

This is his temperament. He laughs out loud when he is happy and cries out loud when he is frustrated. He picks up buckets when fighting and he has no habit of gritting his teeth and holding back tears.

The wind and sand blinded my eyes.

Is it so windy and sandy here?
Li Banfeng took a detour and passed through the cliff without any hindrance, and entered the residence of the local god.

The blind wolf was extremely happy when he smelled Li Banfeng's return. Li Banfeng was worried that they would not have enough food, so he specially brought them a lot of food and drink.

The mountain wolf wagged its tail and said, "Master, you rarely come back, how can you let us eat your food? The monsters in the mountains usually send us food. I'll ask the kitchen to prepare wine and food. You have to eat at home no matter what!"

Li Banfeng went to the backyard first, took the land seal, and attracted popularity.

The popularity of Ditouyin is very high, which is expected. The crops grown by Zhang Wanlong are popular, which has been verified before.

Li Banfeng took the Earth Seal and divided the cultivation points among the monsters in the house. Then he returned to the land and divided the cultivation points among the monsters. After all the Earth Seals were divided, he returned to the house with the Earth Seal.

What Shanlang said before was not just a polite remark, he really asked someone to prepare wine and food: "Master, if you think highly of us, let's have a meal."

Li Banfeng had a meal at the house. He seldom came home, so his family was a little afraid of him.

But when it was time to eat, everyone felt that the master was quite easy-going. Knowing that they were blind, Li Banfeng personally helped when pouring wine and serving food.

After eating and drinking, Li Banfeng went to the backyard and put the land seal back to its original place.

As soon as he put it on, Li Banfeng felt something was wrong.

There is induction printed on the ground, and it has received popularity.

Li Banfeng waited for a moment, took the land seal from the deed, and put it on his head.

There are some people, not many, but Li Banfeng can sense it.

From taking down the seal, gathering people's favor, dividing the cultivation, having a meal, and then taking it back, it only took a few hours.

Why has it gained popularity in these few hours?

If it was Green Water City, it would be fine. There are so many people and it is naturally popular. It is normal to receive some. But in such a desolate place, Zhang Wanlong’s army of vegetative people are gone. Where does this popularity come from?
Li Banfeng put the land seal back, sat in the main hall of the mansion, and fell into deep thought.

Zhang Wanlong’s crops are sick. Is it really Cuitik’s fault?
Li Banfeng admitted that Cuitik was a ruthless man, but Zhang Wanlong simply refused to sell him seeds. Was this matter worth Cuitik's revenge?
Moreover, Li Banfeng solved the seed issue for Cui Tik. Now that he wants to take revenge on Zhang Wanlong, how should he explain this to Li Banfeng?

This doesn't seem like something Tritik would do.

Who did this?
After thinking for a long time, Li Banfeng picked up the ground seal again.

Ditouyin has become popular again, and the speed at which its popularity is accumulating has surprised Li Banfeng.

Could it be that Zhang Wanlong’s army of vegetative patients is still there?
where?
……

In the fire, Li Banfeng walked back and forth in the flames.

He held the bowl with green flowers in his hand and quietly observed the changes in the three spoons.

The flames left by Xu Han were very fierce. Relying on the techniques of avoiding danger and seeking good fortune, leaving no trace and riding the wind and clouds, Li Banfeng walked and stopped in the fire, and after two hours, he finally found an entrance.

When he opened the entrance, the scene before him stunned him.

He saw a road with lush crops on both sides.

The road leads to a village. At the entrance of the village, there is an old man squatting at the door smoking a pipe.

A woman was threshing corn with her child on her back.

There was a shy girl who was carefully copying calligraphy with an oil lamp lit in the room.

Zhang Wanlong's two daughters-in-law were washing clothes in the yard.

Li Banfeng entered Zhang Wanlong's yard, sat next to the table, looked at the two women, and smiled: "Ask your man to see me and tell him that Li Qi wants to see him."

The woman didn't dare to ask more questions and quickly left the house. After a while, Zhang Wanlong came.

"Seventh Master."

The moment he saw Li Banfeng, Zhang Wanlong felt a little embarrassed.

But after a short moment of embarrassment, Zhang Wanlong's expression returned to normal.

"You've seen it all, so I won't say any more."

Li Banfeng nodded: "Brother Zhang, can you tell me where this place comes from?"

Zhang Wanlong said: "I have been farming here for so many days and discovered this unnamed place. So I built a new farm in this unnamed place to give myself an extra defense."

Li Banfeng raised his head and lifted the brim of his hat: "Who are you guarding against?"

Zhang Wanlong shook his head and said, "Seventh Master, I am definitely not on guard against you. I know you are the local god of this land."

Li Banfeng did not deny: "How did you know?"

Zhang Wanlong replied: "This is not difficult for me. Farming depends on the land for food. You have been to the underground city of Santoucha. There is a place called Tushi in the underground city. I have stayed there for a long time.

I have a connection with the land, and this land has a connection with you. Every time you come, this land is extremely happy.

I have been cultivating this land, and I have never been on guard against you. I am doing this to guard against my master."

Li Banfeng asked, "Do you know your master is coming?"

Zhang Wanlong nodded: "In my life, the person I fear most is my master. I must keep an eye on his whereabouts."

Li Banfeng touched the dining table. It was a familiar table. He had eaten on it before. “So you built such a big farm again?”

Zhang Wanlong sighed and said, "It can't be helped. I have worked so hard for so many days and finally made a name for myself. I can't let my master ruin it all."

Li Banfeng picked up the teacup. This teacup was very familiar to him. He had drunk tea here before. "Can't you just talk to Mr. Xu?"

Zhang Wanlong smiled bitterly: "Seventh Master, you don't know the difficulties here. I want to do something different, but in the eyes of my master, everything I do is wrong.
You just saw it. He said the crops had a lesion. There are many ways to destroy the lesion, but he chose to set it on fire.

Master Qi, do you think Master really trusts me? This fire burned the crops, the farm, and the land to a depth of three feet.

If I hadn't taken precautions early, I'm afraid not even a single seed would have been left."

Li Banfeng raised his head and asked, "So, this Zhuangzi was newly built by you?"

Zhang Wanlong nodded and said, "I made it new. I did it right. At least I kept the important things.
Mr. Qi, for the sake of our friendship, could you please not tell my master about this?
If you really tell him, you won’t have anywhere to buy those good seeds if you want them again.”

Li Banfeng did not answer. He asked a question first: "What happened to the crops on the land? Why did so many crops wither? How did you deceive Mr. Xu?"

Zhang Wanlong shook his head: "I didn't lie to him. The crops were really sick, but I was the one who caused the disease."

Li Banfeng was startled: "Do you have the means to cure illness?"

Zhang Wanlong shook his head and said, "No, but a friend of mine did. He always wanted my seeds, so I did a business with him."

Li Banfeng asked: "Is your friend Cuitik?"

Zhang Wanlong did not deny it.

Li Banfeng put down his teacup, stood up and said, "I won't tell anyone about this for now."

Zhang Wanlong nodded and said, "Thank you, Master Qi."

He didn't see Li Qi off because he knew Li Qi definitely didn't want to be followed by anyone at this time.

He trusted Li Qi's promise, but the word "temporarily" made him feel uneasy.

Why did Li Qi find this place? This is the biggest doubt in Zhang Wanlong’s mind.

Could this matter be related to the root?
The root is still over there at the cabin, should we go over and take a look?

As Zhang Wanlong stood up, he suddenly heard a crisp ding-bell sound.

A silver dollar fell to the ground.

Someone put a silver dollar on him!
Who put this there? When was it put there?
Zhang Wanlong picked up the silver dollar and looked at it in the oil lamp.

There are two words engraved on the front of the silver dollar: Geng Xiu.

Two words are engraved on the back: Leader.

Zhang Wanlong clenched the silver dollar tightly. The mixture of fear and excitement made his body tremble uncontrollably.

……

Li Banfeng was walking on the road to Zhuangzi, wondering whether he should go to Cuitik to find out the truth.

Looking at every blade of grass and every passerby, Li Banfeng felt very familiar.

Because he has been here, Lu Xiu will never forget the path he has taken.

Zhang Wanlong did not tell the truth. This manor was not newly built. It was Zhang Wanlong’s original manor. The one that was burned down by Old Xu was his new manor. That manor made Li Banfeng feel unfamiliar.

But how did Zhang Wanlong move an entire manor into this unknown place?

Did he move in, or lock himself in?
Li Banfeng had seen the lock repair technique in Huangtu Town, but the peddler said that lock repair had been lost. So how did Zhang Wanlong use the lock repair technique?
If Genzi hadn't mentioned "wind and sand", which reminded Li Banfeng of the sandy land, he might never have found this place.

Genzi had reminded me of one thing before, that Zhang Wanlong had iron-reinforced bamboo in his hand, although it did not have ten reinforcing bars.

Now think about Tretik.

If Cuitik really created a lesion that could poison crops, what kind of business would he do with Zhang Wanlong?
Zhang Wanlong was just putting on a show in front of Mr. Xu and pushed all the blame onto Cuitik. In this business, Cuitik took on extremely high risks and might even be retaliated against by Mr. Xu.

Faced with such a huge risk, he must be doing more than just asking for seeds.

What else did he want?
Li Banfeng walked out of the unknown place. In the fire, he always felt a chill on his back.

Could it be that Zhang Wanlong has already...

The peddler said, "He may have cracked the lock repair powder."

PS: I was shocked. Why did the peddler come out?
(End of this chapter)