Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'

Chapter 1058 555: Birch Tree Secret Cult

Li Banfeng exchanged a few moves with Chuuni and gave him some martial arts texts to study and practice.

Chuuni was very earnest and began examining the texts as soon as he got into the vehicle, but Li Banfeng understood one thing: Chuuni's current training was of very limited effect.

In Puluo State, Martial Cultivation is the most common Taoist Sect, and Li Banfeng had seen many low-level cultivators. Chuuni's diligence led Li Banfeng to overlook a problem: the gap between fighters and true martial cultivators.

In actual combat, the first priority for fighters is to choose the right weapon.

However, martial cultivators don't need to consider these things; they use whatever they pick up.

This creates an inherent gap in adaptability, with fighters being a tier lower than martial cultivators at the foundation.

On the way back, Li Banfeng asked Light Bulb, "What is the term for Oil Cultivators in the outside provinces?"

"Lubricators!"

"Did you also become a Dark Energy User through the Guidance Agent from the bureau?"

Light Bulb shook his head and said, "The Guidance Agent I used is a family heirloom, my grandfather left it to me."

"Was your grandfather an Oil Cultivator?"

"I don't know which Taoist Sect he belonged to, I never met my grandfather. He left before I was born, and my parents never told me about his sect."

"In our bureau, who else has a Taoist Sect that's family heirloom?"

"Quite a few. Insect Cultivator He Bensheng's sect is a family heirloom, Candied Fruit Sister's sect is also a family heirloom, and Big Head's sect is a family heirloom too, along with several others that I can't recall right now."

When mentioning Big Head, Light Bulb paused for a while.

Big Head is still being held in the Dark Star Bureau; he hasn't been home or seen his family.

Back at the residence, Li Banfeng entered the Portable Residence; Chu Zikai was already gone, and Hong Ying had organized the flesh, waiting for the magical treasures to arrive at the table.

The phonograph originally wanted Chu Zikai to stay longer, but things took an unexpected turn: "Husband, Chu Zikai suddenly said something, and then his body began to explode, similar to An Zongding's situation."

"What did he say?"

"He said that so-called civilization is all fabricated."

Hong Ying said: "At that time, I was asking him about the Birch Tree Hermit Society, and just about that Luo Fu's residences, he mentioned more than a dozen."

Li Banfeng glanced at Hong Ying's notebook: "More than a dozen places, it won't be easy to find."

Hong Ying said: "I was quite harsh, so I doubt he was lying."

The family sat down for a meal, while Li Banfeng reviewed Chu Zikai's testimony and Chuuni's information.

The Birch Tree Hermit Society is a problem that Li Banfeng urgently needs to address because this organization knows Li Banfeng's identity. Li Banfeng is in the open, while they are in the shadows, and delaying could lead to them ambushing him at any moment.

Both the information and testimony mentioned a place, the black market.

The Birch Tree Hermit Society is also short on money; besides making money through the Ferry Gang, they also conduct business in the black market. Chuuni marked several vendors who have had dealings with the Birch Tree Hermit Society in the black market.

Chu Zikai also mentioned in his testimony that Miglov has his own business in the black market.

The family sat down for a meal, and the phonograph instructed Hong Ying: "Send some food to the Fifth Room, Seventh Room, and Bafang, and let the other rooms see that as long as they work for us, we certainly won't treat them poorly."

Li Banfeng left the Portable Residence and called Tang Changfa.

Tang Changfa quickly handed over his business to Yan Hong'er and Yan Cui'er and went to Li Banfeng's residence. Li Banfeng asked: "Are you adapting well to the black market over there?"

"Adapted! It's truly a good place, the business is easy to conduct, and people are pretty easy to get along with."

"Where do you get your supplies from?" This issue was something Li Banfeng hadn't helped Tang Changfa resolve; when he first started the business, Tang Changfa could only sell his small stock.

"Seventh Master, you don't need to worry about that," Tang Changfa was indeed faring well in the black market, "there are plenty of people wanting to supply us, wanting me to purchase their goods. The products must be superior, and the price must be right; there are heaps of sources for me to choose from."

Li Banfeng showed the list of vendors from Chuuni to Tang Changfa: "Do you know these people?"

Tang Changfa pointed to a person named Zeng Hongfu and said: "I know this guy, he's in his fifties, been in the black market for many years. Last night, he kept coming to me, saying he wanted to buy medicine for limb regeneration."

Limb regeneration?

"Does he want to grow an arm?"

Tang Changfa said: "I don't know if he lacks an arm or a leg; at first, I really didn't sell it to him because this medicine is too precious."

"You really have such medicine?"

"Yes! I have two kinds, one is the paste given by the City Lord, a treasure from Glue Cultivation. Sticking a bit of flesh and blood is no problem, and sticking arms and legs is manageable,

the other is even more powerful, it's the peddler's ointment. No matter what's missing from the body, as long as it's aligned and pasted, it guarantees to work."

Li Banfeng had seen these two things, especially the way the peddler glued Qiu Zhiheng's hand, it indeed left a deep impression on him.

Tang Changfa said: "Right now, there's only one bottle of paste left, and only one batch of ointment left. With such valuable items, I couldn't bring myself to sell them to him. He raised the price several times, and I ignored him. He'll probably come to find me again tonight."

Li Banfeng said: "Are there no other people of Puluo State in the black market? Can they possibly buy ointment or paste from others?"

"That's difficult," Tang Changfa shook his head and said, "the paste is something our City Lord obtained from a Glue Cultivator friend. That friend put in a great effort, able to create only two or three bottles a year. If someone else asks, that friend probably won't give it,

the peddler's ointment is even more elusive. If someone loses a limb, they can seek the peddler to buy ointment, and they'll get as much as they use. They won't be allowed to take extra; paying any amount is useless,