Chapter 157: Close The Net

The red pines stretched on and on, tall and straight, like soldiers who had been standing at attention for far too long.

Right in the middle of them, Li Banfeng was riding a woodlouse. Not a normal woodlouse, of course. This one was enormous.

This was a woodlouse, also known as a pill bug or a potato bug[1].

Ordinary woodlice liked damp corners and rotten logs. They were small, many-legged, and easy to squish if you weren't careful. This one, however, had a back more than two meters long and was wide enough to seat a man comfortably, luggage included. It plodded along with a steady rhythm, its shell rising and falling beneath Li Banfeng like a gently rocking bench.

The woodlouse had spirit essence as well. It could think and talk, and it was a down-to-earth old grandpa who charged Li Banfeng only fifty Huan yuan to carry him across the red pine forest.

Li Banfeng was a forthright one and gave the woodlouse a hundred Huan yuan. He was only curious as to where this woodlouse would spend the money he earned.

"Young man, you don't understand. We have our own villages. Food, lodging, even markets. There are plenty of places to spend money, cough, cough..."

The weather was bitterly cold, and the sharp wind choked the old woodlouse into a fit of coughing.

Seeing how old he already was, Li Banfeng felt a twinge of guilt about continuing to ride on his back.

It wasn't that Li Banfeng was too lazy to walk. The old woodlouse had said that if he carried Li Banfeng along this path, there would be no trouble at all. But if Li Banfeng walked it himself, serious problems would follow.

The liquor gourd confirmed the woodlouse's words. "This is an Ironhide Ball Bug. I saw one once, long ago, when I was young. In the new land, Ironhide Ball Bugs are rare and benevolent creatures. Near their dwellings, all kinds of beings show them a measure of respect."

"Elder sister, aren't you still young now?" Li Banfeng said as he caressed the liquor gourd.

"Your tongue is sweeter than honey," the liquor gourd said, spraying out a mist of wine.

While Li Banfeng was chatting idly with it, the old woodlouse suddenly asked, "Young man, who were you talking to just now?"

The woodlouse could not hear the liquor gourd's voice, so Li Banfeng explained casually, "I have a habit of talking to myself."

"I have a daughter with the same problem," the woodlouse said earnestly. "The village physician said it was hysteria. After three prescriptions, she was cured. You should visit our village physician too. Illnesses like this need early treatment to be cured."

"You have a physician in your village?"

"Of course. Excellent medical skills and extremely handsome. A first-rate fine young lady!"

What kind of girl is that supposed to be?

Li Banfeng wondered.

After a full eight hours of steady plodding, the woodlouse finally carried them out of the red pine forest. Just as it had said, not a single scrap of trouble appeared along the way.

Li Banfeng hopped down from the woodlouse's back and slipped it another fifty, bringing the total to one hundred and fifty.

The old fellow immediately grew flustered and tried to refuse, once, twice, then a third time, but Li Banfeng would not hear of it.

The woodlouse let out a long sigh and said, "Young man, you are a good person. Up ahead is Golden Shrimp Pool. You have come to scoop shrimp, haven't you?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "What's so special about those shrimp?"

"The shrimps stay alive as long as they're in the pool," the old woodlouse said. "Once you scoop them out, they die. Two hours after that, they turn into gold. In the past, plenty of people came to scoop shrimp. But after Mount Bloodfang suddenly appeared, hardly anyone dares to come anymore.

"If you do decide to scoop them, don't be greedy. If you catch a small one, let it go. Scoop a dozen at most. And whatever you do, don't anger the Shrimp King. That thing is more than thirty meters long. One hooked strike and it'll drag you straight into the pool and chew you up until there's not even a scrap of bone left."

Li Banfeng thanked him and turned to leave.

The old woodlouse stayed at the edge of the forest, waiting patiently for his next customer.

Before long, a centipede crawled onto his back, its antennae curling neatly around a silver dollar as it passed it over.

The old woodlouse tapped the coin with his antennae, tested its quality, and said, "Little bro, with this much money, I can't make change."

The centipede laughed. "Just keep it for now. It's not the first time I have done business with you. I'll save myself the trouble of paying you every day later."

The woodlouse carried the centipede back into the red pine forest, the two of them chatting and laughing as they disappeared among the trees.

Li Banfeng brushed the snowflakes from his clothes and made his way to the edge of a cliff.

The cliff was riddled with caves, packed so tightly together that they looked even denser than the holes made by the iron-thread insects scattered across Li Banfeng's own body.

According to the markings on the map, the cave he was looking for lay in the seventh row from the bottom and the sixth opening from the left.

The climb ahead was no simple matter. After studying the cliff for a while, Li Banfeng decided to rest for the day and enter the cave tomorrow.

He took out a Golden Essence Pill and a Blue Poplar Pill, swallowed them both, and sat down quietly beneath the cliff.

After a dozen or so minutes, a numbness spread through his body.

The numbness itself was not an issue. His Tang saber, pendulum, liquor gourd, and Threaded Earring were all close at hand.

Still, he did not dare return to the Pocket Dwelling to take the pill.

His wifey's breathing had been uneven the previous night. By the standards of ordinary sleepers, she seemed close to waking.

According to Li Banfeng's calculations, once he consumed this pill, he would advance to the third level of the Wanderlust Cultivator.

Next, he would face a difficult hurdle. He would have to master the third-level Wanderlust Cultivator technique: Treading Through Ten Thousand Rivers.

***

At the First Ridge of the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs, every household brought out its brooms, mops, and rags and began cleaning in earnest.

Dust and trash were minor concerns. This time, what truly needed dealing with were mosquito corpses.

Mosquito bodies carpeted the entire First Ridge. They were swept up at night, only for a fresh layer to appear by morning, as if the insects were determined to die there in shifts.

Lu Dongjun had once said there was no need to bother with mosquito corpses.

The people of the First Ridge disagreed. They never grew tired of it. Whenever they spotted mosquito remains, they gathered them up, piled them together, and burned them, convinced that this was the only way to wipe out future trouble for good.

Besides, the process was immensely satisfying.

As for Lu Dongjun's other instructions, they followed those without question.

When Lu Dongjun told them to line up at the train station to receive grain, they went properly, queued obediently, and not a single person tried to rush ahead or grab more than their share.

When he said everyone should make a decent set of clothes for the New Year, anyone with even a little spare money went straight to the Lu family's fabric shop. They bought cloth until the largest fabric store in the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs was completely sold out.

When Lu Dongjun planned to open a factory, some people prepared land for him, others contacted suppliers for equipment, and many more were already waiting in line to work there.

And when he decided to expand his business, the major and minor local gangs gathered up all the enterprises ruined by the insect disaster and sold them to him at low prices.

This was their pledge of allegiance to Lu Dongjun.

All the local gangs wanted to attach themselves to Lu Dongjun.

By now, Lu Dongjun had become the god of the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs. All because he had wiped out the mosquitoes in the First Ridge!

Ever since he scattered poisoned white rice at the Hall of Celestial Feasts, the mosquitos in the First Ridge all died!

It was late at night when Lu Dongjun, reeking of alcohol, returned to his residence. After drinking a cup of tea, he asked Wan Jinxian, "Old Wan, when do we make our move on the Second Ridge?"

Wan Jinxian handed Lu Dongjun a list.

"Master, there's no rush. We haven't even begun managing the businesses at the First Ridge yet. I've selected a dozen or so shops for you. Please take a look first."

Lu Dongjun pushed the list aside. "Don't bother me with this stupid stuff. I already told the bookkeeper that all business matters are to be handled by you.

"What I'm telling you is this! You need to pay close attention to the Second Ridge. I already discussed it with the people from the Outer Provinces tonight. Within five days, the mosquitoes in Second Ridge must go extinct!"

Wan Jinxian nodded. "You can rest easy on that. However, I have heard that both the He family and the Ma family have sent people to the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs. I'm worried they're here to pick the fruit of your labor."

"Let them come," Lu Dongjun sneered. "Let's see if anyone in the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs even pays them any attention."

"People from the Three Heroes Sect and the Azure Cloud Society have also arrived in great numbers."

Lu Dongjun spat. "Let them all come. All of them. I'll deal with them one by one."

"The head of the Chu Family has arrived as well. He's not here to cause trouble. He wants to talk business with you. We've taken in quite a few businesses, and he wants a share."

Lu Dongjun laughed. "He wants to get rich with us? Fine, we'll include him. Boss Chu has always been a sensible man. It's just that his younger sister is too reckless!"

"The Hundred Flowers Sect and the Jiangxiang Gang have also asked to discuss business..."

"Sure. I can talk to everyone," Lu Dongjun said coldly. "As long as they're sensible, they can have a bite of this pie.

"However, I do have one rule. I will sell them the shares of any business I bought at triple the price. The lowest I can go is triple the original price. If they don't want to buy, then they can fuck off!

"If they want to open new businesses in the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs, that's fine too. However, they must give me half the shares. If they refuse and try to open their business today, I will smash their shop tomorrow. They are welcome to try."

Wan Jinxian lowered his head. "Master, I'll follow your instructions in everything."

Lu Dongjun shook his head. "You don't need to bring everything to me. I'm already busy enough dealing with reporters every day. Old Wan, leave all of this to you."

***

Outside the residence, He Haisheng bought an evening paper from a newsboy.

The local newspaper of the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs had devoted its entire front page to Lu Dongjun, with the second and third pages also filled with extensive coverage about him.

He Haisheng glanced over the layout of the residence, pulled up the collar of his wool coat, and slipped soundlessly into the night.

***

At the Lu Family's main residence, Monkey Qiu was also reading the newspaper. News from the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs had already reached Greenwater Bay.

The Lu family's eldest young master, Lu Yuanshan, asked, "Uncle Qiu, should we make a trip to the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs?"

Qiu Zhiheng shook his head. "We can't. Now is not the time."

Lu Yuanhai said, "If we don't go now, we'll lose all our businesses in the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs."

Qiu Zhiheng set the newspaper aside. "The businesses are already lost. The shopkeepers in the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs have handed over all their account books to Lu Dongjun."

Lu Yuanshan glanced at Lu Yuanhai. It seemed that Qiu Zhiheng had quite a few informants in the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs as well.

However, Qiu Zhiheng showed no concern. "We're not the only ones who lost businesses. The He family, the Ma family, and the Chu family all suffered heavy losses too. Let's wait and see who loses patience first."

Lu Yuanshan raised another matter. "The leader of the Three Heroes Sect sent me another invitation. Should I go or not?"

Qiu Zhiheng nodded. "Go, but don't agree to anything. Talk to him slowly. Wait until there's a result with the Ridge of Bottomless Stomachs before deciding."

***

At the Third Hospital of Yuezhou, He Jiaqing sat up in his hospital bed.

A man leaned in close and whispered into his ear, "Lu Dongjun is having the time of his life. The First Ridge is completely his now. Whether it's big businesses or small businesses, he buys low and sells high, scooping up money by the cartload."

He Jiaqing remained calm as he asked, "What about the Second Ridge?"

"Quite a few families there have already gone to him to pledge allegiance."

He Jiaqing made a small, displeased sound in his throat. "Pledge allegiance? What's the use of this allegiance? And where are their assets?"

"They didn't hand anything over."

He Jiaqing frowned, as if he had just bitten into something rotten. "Pledging loyalty with empty mouths and empty hands. Utter nonsense. These people pull the same tricks every day. They're a damn blight on Puluo Province!"

He paused, then asked, "Can the Second Ridge still be taken?"

The man hesitated. "That will be difficult. It will be hard to even take control of the First Ridge, not to mention the Second Ridge."

He Jiaqing gave the order, "If we can't sustain that anymore, then let's stop. "If it cannot hold, then stop holding," He Jiaqing gave the order. "Tell Old Wan to close the net."

Author's Note:

PS: How long can Lu Dongjun enjoy this moment of glory?

1. Actually, the raw said watermelon bug or rice-soup bug. However, it doesn't work in English ☜