Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'-Chapter 721 - 475: The Yin-Yang Trap_2

Black Glove had been lurking in Portable Residence for an entire day and night, and White Glove hadn’t noticed a thing. It wasn’t just him; the Old Man hadn’t noticed either. What was even more impressive was that Black Glove could open the door of Portable Residence, something White Glove couldn’t do. When comparing people, some might die of envy; when comparing goods, some are simply thrown away. The stark difference was right before his eyes—there was nothing to argue about.

With his head hanging low, White Glove walked to the corner of the room. Just then, he saw Li Banfeng pointing at Black Glove and saying, "Wife, collect his soul."

Black Glove exclaimed in alarm, "Why?"

The Phonograph didn’t hesitate for a moment, immediately stabbing her needle into Black Glove.

The former Supreme Commander of the Three Armies—who hadn’t she seen? White Glove was difficult to nurture, but Black Glove was absolutely impossible to tame; the Phonograph could see that at a glance.

Black Glove shouted, "Seventh Master, I am more skilled than that other glove! Why won’t you keep me?"

Li Banfeng said expressionlessly, "Because you hurt my Brother."

Brother? Black Glove couldn’t understand. Wasn’t it just a Magical Treasure? Since when did it become a Brother?

It was no use whether he understood or not. As the Phonograph’s needle trembled, it collected Black Glove’s soul.

Li Banfeng picked up White Glove and inspected the wound on his back. "Bear with the pain. I’ll have Wife stitch it up; at most, it’ll leave a scar."

"It’s nothing... it’s nothing..." White Glove choked out, his five fingers trembling, unable to speak for a long time.

The Phonograph took some silk thread. While stitching White Glove’s wound, she said to Li Banfeng, "That Black Glove still has a bit of Spirit Attribute. Some of his abilities could still be useful."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "No need. Our family only needs one Glove."

He went to the Ninth Room and brought Lotus Flower over to where Black Glove lay. "Collect it."

Red Lotus unfolded her Lotus Leaves. Just as she was about to draw Black Glove into her Lotus Heart, she heard White Glove exclaim, "Third Lady, please wait a moment!"

Red Lotus spat at White Glove. "Who are you calling Third Lady?"

White Glove fell silent for a moment, then took a leap, jumping right into the Lotus Heart.

Li Banfeng was shocked and shouted at Red Lotus, "Spit him out! Spit him out now!"

Red Lotus quickly closed her Lotus Leaves. "Too late. He and Black Glove have already turned into Lotus Seeds."

"How could they have turned into Lotus Seeds so quickly? Why weren’t you this fast during Alchemy? Hurry and release them!"

Li Banfeng tried to pry the Lotus Leaves open, but the Phonograph advised, "My dear husband, Red Lotus doesn’t digest the living. Our Glove has a soul; he won’t be completely refined by Red Lotus. However, his physique will undergo a significant transformation, and it’s uncertain if his soul will be harmed. Please, don’t disturb her for now. As long as that wretch didn’t intentionally try to harm our Glove, he should be fine."

Li Banfeng immediately let go of Red Lotus. He cleared a table in the Second Room and placed Red Lotus quietly upon it.

The table in the main room was split in two. As Li Banfeng was about to throw away the broken wood, he spotted the Judge’s Pen on the ground. He quickly picked it up and said admiringly, "You did a great deed today! I didn’t see you touch Black Glove, so how did you make him fly?"

The Judge’s Pen replied, "Light!"

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment. "Is it because the glove is light enough?"

"MM!" the Judge’s Pen confirmed. It could make lighter objects fly without direct contact.

Li Banfeng expressed his surprise. "I’ve never seen you use that ability before."

"HMPH!" The Judge’s Pen snorted disdainfully. He had used this technique before. Although few had noticed, it was a very important ability for him.

Important how?

Li Banfeng placed the Judge’s Pen on a storage shelf. The Judge’s Pen flipped over, trying to sleep, but found the shelf a bit cold. He glanced at the newspaper beside the bed. Instead of moving himself, he made the newspaper on the table fly over and cover him.

Now it wasn’t cold anymore.

Li Banfeng sat before Red Lotus, waiting for the outcome. The Phonograph said, "My dear husband, these things can’t be rushed. Just get a good night’s sleep for now."

Li Banfeng couldn’t sleep, so he went to the Third Room.

The Old Man was also awake, deeply affected by the recent events. "Someone opened my door, and even I didn’t see it happen," he said. "This is the first time I’ve encountered something like this. That Black Glove is not simple."

Li Banfeng also felt a lingering fear. "It doesn’t matter. That glove is gone now."

"Ah Tao put himself through Refining," the Old Man continued. "He must be trying to learn Black Glove’s abilities. We need to be more cautious with him in the future."

Li Banfeng frowned. "But he’s one of us."

Portable Residence chuckled twice. "I don’t trust him. Even if he took a blade for you, I still wouldn’t trust him."

「When daylight came」

Red Lotus still hadn’t bloomed. Li Banfeng left Portable Residence, ready to go for a walk. Just as he reached the entrance of Xiaoyao Lodge, a steam car made him halt. In Puluo State, a steam car was a distinctive symbol. Li Banfeng turned to see Liao Zihui stepping out of the breakfast shop beside Xiaoyao Lodge.

"I arrived a bit early and didn’t want to disturb you, so I grabbed a bite to eat here first." Liao Zihui looked at Xiaoyao Lodge and then suggested, "Shall we go in and talk?"

Li Banfeng had a private room opened. Liao Zihui entered alone and sat opposite him.

"I read about the Jiang Xiang Gang incident in the newspaper," Liao Zihui began. "There are some details I’d like to verify with you. Did you kill Xiao Zhenggong?"

"I did." Li Banfeng nodded.

Liao Zihui was not surprised by Li Banfeng’s candor. "The Jiang Xiang Gang is an extremely malevolent Gang. I have no objection to you eliminating that scourge. However, Xiao Zhenggong was a Balancer. I believe you were aware of his special status."

Li Banfeng feigned surprise. "A Balancer? What’s that? I’ve never heard of such a thing."

Liao Zihui explained, "Balancers are special individuals capable of maintaining equilibrium among various factions. To be specific, Balancers hold considerable influence in the Inner State, the Outside Provinces, and Puluo State. They possess the ability to mediate and resolve conflicts between different parties."