Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo' Chapter 1201 589: Soul_3

Zhang Wanlong considered for a moment, slapped his forehead, and quickly ran to the bamboo forest, where a few bamboo shoots had just broken through the soil.

"My negligence, luckily the Local Deity hasn't come yet. If he saw this, who knows what kind of trouble it would cause." Zhang Wanlong scattered some moss, and the moss quickly grew, covering the iron rods on the bamboo shoots.

Zhang Wanlong wanted to return to the Gong table and have another look, but suddenly saw someone walking towards the bamboo forest in the distance.

"Who is that?"

Looking at the person's outline, Xiao Genzi immediately recognized him: "The Seventh Master is here!"

Zhang Wanlong hurriedly went forward to greet him: "Seventh Master, long time no see! How come you have time to visit me?"

This sounded awkward because Li Banfeng is the Local Deity here, yet he becomes a guest at Zhang Wanlong's place.

"Big Brother Zhang, I'm here to do business with you. Do you have any good seed varieties lately?"

"Of course! All my business relies on the Seventh Master's care. As long as you speak, I will bring out the best kept secrets. Let's sit at the manor and chat slowly."

Zhang Wanlong led Li Banfeng to the manor, which was a village they specifically built for the Plant People he cultivated to live in.

Just arriving at the village gate, an old man was smoking. Upon seeing Zhang Wanlong, the old man greeted first: "Mr. Zhang, you're back! My wheat is almost ready for harvest, but my family is short on help, still need your support, Mr. Zhang."

Zhang Wanlong nodded and said: "Don't worry, I've arranged it. In a couple of days, there will be wheat harvesters going to your house to work. Be nice to them, make sure they have enough to eat and drink, and don't short them on their wages!"

It's early winter, not the time for wheat harvesting. Yet, for Zhang Wanlong, this was not a difficult matter; with his skills, he had harvests year-round.

The wheat was not the key point, the special one was the old man just now.

Li Banfeng scrutinized the old man and whispered: "Is this person real?"

"Real for what," Zhang Wanlong laughed and shook his head, "This is one of my Squash Men. If you look closely at his throat, you can even see the squash seeds!"

"Squash Men speak so naturally?"

Zhang Wanlong sighed: "Honestly, you might laugh, this old man only knows a few sentences, all taught by me, word by word. Actually, he doesn't understand what these words mean, mimicking like a parrot. I spent so much effort teaching him just for fun, or else we two brothers would be bored to death in this barren place."

Such smooth question and answer, just for pure amusement?

Further along, a beautiful young girl approached, around sixteen or seventeen, smiling sweetly at Xiao Genzi: "Brother Root, didn't you say you'd teach me to read the day before yesterday? I've been waiting for two days at home."

Xiao Genzi naïvely smiled: "Oh, I'll come over in a while."

With a flushed face, the girl walked away, and Xiao Genzi said to Li Banfeng: "Seventh Master, the girl asked me over. Should I go or not?"

Li Banfeng looked at the girl, unsure how to respond, while Zhang Wanlong frowned: "Brother, that's not right. You're causing misunderstanding with the Seventh Master?

The girl is made from persimmons. I specifically created her for Root. I'm of an age where I'm no longer interested in these trivial matters, but Root is still young, needs a girl to talk to."

Root looked at Li Banfeng and said: "I believe this girl is sincere."

The words were honest, but his expression suggested something different.

Li Banfeng watched the villagers coming and going, unable to resist exclaiming: "Brother Zhang, your craftsmanship is truly exquisite."

"I wouldn't dare claim it's exquisite," Zhang Wanlong shook his head, "You haven't seen the works from my master. Not only do they look alike, but they can also fight; that's true skill."

Old Xu cultivated Eggplant People, which Li Banfeng had seen before. Whether they could fight or not was another matter, but their appearance was not as detailed as Zhang Wanlong's creations.

At Zhang Wanlong's courtyard, two women with basins and towels attended Zhang Wanlong, helping him wash his face and change clothes.

One girl used a handkerchief to wipe Zhang Wanlong's face, then kissed his cheek.

Zhang Wanlong pinched the girl's cheek, both showing affection, which annoyed the other girl.

Li Banfeng laughed: "Big Brother Zhang, are these two cherished companions also your creations? Weren't you not interested in such things anymore?"

Zhang Wanlong sighed: "I may not be interested in romance, but day-to-day survival can't be forgotten. I work so hard on farm work that I need someone around to wash clothes and cook.

Seventh Master, it's mealtime now, I don't have mountain delicacies, just a homely meal; would you do me the honor of sharing a couple of drinks?"

Li Banfeng nodded, and Zhang Wanlong quickly invited Li Banfeng to the living room, where the table was set with wine and dishes, both meat and vegetarian, elegantly prepared.

"Seventh Master, you didn't bring any cherishing companions, so let me serve you instead." Xiao Genzi hung up Li Banfeng's coat and poured drinks for the two of them.

After two cups of wine, Zhang Wanlong asked: "Seventh Master, what type of seeds would you like this time, those suited for fetching water and chopping wood, or ones for charging into battles?"

"What are the ones fetching water and chopping wood like?"

"I have a batch of Celery People who are hardworking and able to endure, you can take them home; task them with the harsh and demanding jobs, just give them plenty of water and let them sunbathe, they'll last a year and a half easily."

"What about the ones for charging into battles?"

"Those Celery People won't do, they're too fragile. I have a group of Winter Melon People, big bodies and strong, they can carry a log and follow you to attack! Of course, Winter Melon People aren't too sturdy either; I also have a batch of Walnut People. They aren't large in size, but are naturally armored with a hard shell, strong enough to withstand knives and axes. However, they're a bit fragile and need special fertilizer care; if the oil inside the walnut kernel dries up, they won't be of any use."