Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'-Chapter 729 - 477: Where the Great Omen Lies (High Energy - )_2

Hong Ying spat and said, "Pah! What do you mean, ’what I have been through’? I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Tell your story to the Husband for him to hear!"

Hong Ying said, "When I was eleven, my second brother was preparing for the imperial exam. Everything was arranged from top to bottom, making the exam itself just a formality. However, he still needed to read some books. He said he was afraid of being disturbed, so he moved to the East Courtyard to study. After a while, his studies didn’t improve, and his health deteriorated. He couldn’t walk more than two kilometers without breaking out in a cold sweat. Our father had a doctor examine him. The doctor simply said he was weak and needed more nourishment. One day, my mother made some soup and asked me to deliver it to him. When I entered his room, I found him trying to crawl into a painting on the wall.

I was terrified and quickly told my father. My father had someone investigate the painting, and only then did we realize it was a technique of Painting Cultivation.

The painting was a gift from a friend to my brother, painted by the talented lady Mu Yuejuan. This Mu Yuejuan was both a Painting Cultivator and a Lust Cultivator. With her paintings, she seduced countless young men. If we had found out any later, my second brother’s life would have been lost."

Li Banfeng said, "Be more specific. What was in that painting?"

Hong Ying shook her head and said, "I’ve never been inside, but I know the painting depicted a large mansion. My brother told me there were seventy-two rooms inside, each containing a stunning beauty. He would spend the night with a different woman each evening. It took him two and a half months to go through all of them. But when he returned to the first room, he found that the beauty there had been replaced by a new one. For such a wonderful place, he said he would have willingly given his life."

Li Banfeng said, "What happened next? Where did that painting go? And what about Mu Yuejuan?"

Hong Ying replied, "My father burned the painting, but it was no use. Mu Yuejuan had hundreds of similar paintings, and each one was connected to the others. She could walk from one painting to another, making it impossible for anyone to catch her. My brother thought he had slept with over seventy beauties, but in fact, it was all Mu Yuejuan, just changing her appearance through her artistic skill."

Li Banfeng smacked his lips and said, "Such a fine painting, burned. What a pity."

The Phonograph said angrily, "What are you thinking of doing?"

Li Banfeng explained, "I wanted to study the battle techniques of Painting Cultivation."

The Phonograph scoffed. "You can’t even tell doors from windows; what techniques could you possibly understand? Husband, the Painting Cultivator has brought his painting into your territory. This is somewhat troublesome. Make sure not to engage with him on his canvas; you’ll definitely suffer a great loss."

This was exactly as Li Banfeng had expected.

Hong Ying said, "Then just burn his painting!"

The Phonograph replied, "It’s not so easy to burn. Painting Cultivators have fireproof techniques. Besides, do you even know where he painted his mountains? What if he painted them on the ground? Are you going to burn the Earth Skin too? Husband, if this Painting Cultivator harbors no ill will, it wouldn’t hurt to let him stay in your territory for a while. But if he does mean harm, it would be best to draw him out of the painting before making a move."

Hong Ying asked, "What if we can’t draw him out?"

The Phonograph cursed, "Who’s as useless as you, good for nothing but fighting? The Husband has his ways!"

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment, then took out pen and ink to start painting.

After more than three hours, Li Banfeng completed a Beauty Painting. Hong Ying praised it repeatedly. "Qi Lang, your painting skills have truly improved! This painting could fetch a good price at an art gallery."

Even the Blood-Thirsty Pendulum, which typically didn’t appreciate ink paintings, praised Li Banfeng. "This painting has a Spirit Attribute. If the master tried oil painting, he could also create something very touching."

Li Banfeng looked at the Beauty Painting and shook his head slightly. "It still lacks a certain something. I feel it’s missing a bit of Spiritual Energy. I’ll go up the mountain again tomorrow and talk to him more about painting."

That night, Li Banfeng slept in the Portable Residence, holding the Phonograph. He abruptly awoke a little after three in the morning.

Seeing him covered in sweat, the Phonograph asked with concern, "Husband, what’s wrong?"

Li Banfeng said, "I want to see that old painter again."

The Phonograph was puzzled. "Husband, why go see him in the middle of the night? Can it not wait till tomorrow?"

"I’m worried he might flee overnight."

The Phonograph laughed. "The New Land makes no distinction between day and night. If he wanted to run, would he really need to wait for nightfall? Besides, if he did run away, wouldn’t that be exactly to the Husband’s liking?"

"True." Li Banfeng lay back in bed, but he felt restless, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Shortly after, he sat up again. "I still need to check. It’s fine if he’s run away, but I worry he might harm my territory."

Armed with a multitude of Magical Treasures, Li Banfeng left the Portable Residence and sprinted towards the mountain.

Running made Li Banfeng feel much calmer. In what felt like no time, he reached the foot of the mountain. Li Banfeng had just stopped when the Judge’s Pen said, "That was fast, wasn’t it?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

As an Eighth Layer Traveling Cultivator, isn’t being fast normal? Was it worth the Judge’s Pen even commenting?

The Gloves said, "Boss, you were truly fast today! I was in your pocket and didn’t dare move an inch, afraid I’d be thrown out."

Li Banfeng stretched his knees and indeed felt a particular strength in his legs.

He was about to ascend the mountain when suddenly he heard a thunderclap.

BOOM!

Li Banfeng shuddered.

He was a grown man; it wasn’t as if thunder would scare him. So what was this shudder about?

When he first learned the Technique, Li Banfeng recalled the Coachman’s teachings. The key to Seek Fortune and Avoid Disaster lay in meticulous attention to detail. A Traveling Cultivator journeying through the Thousand Mountains and over countless rivers had to weigh their life with every step.

Even though he didn’t sense any danger, Li Banfeng decided not to ascend the mountain tonight. But if I don’t go up, how can I check on Fu Taiyue’s condition? Still, the most important thing is to guard against a sneak attack. With this thought, Li Banfeng decided to patrol his territory instead.