Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo' Chapter 1426 641: Lai Baifan (4)

Li Banfeng picked up a stone and weighed it: "These are all entry-level medicinal materials. After quarrying stones for a month here, the money earned would be enough for the workers' wages."

The Account Manager shook his head and said: "What you mentioned is the outside price. To do business at Three-Head Fork, you must follow the rules of Three-Head Fork,

There is a saying from the Outside Provinces: businesses aren't allowed at Three-Head Fork. If a stone quarry wants to open, it first needs to give a share to the Border Defense Envoy. If you want to ship out the stones, you have to give another share to the Border Defense Envoy. If you're short by even a cent, they'll shut you down tomorrow!

These stones can only be sold to designated buyers at a very low price. Additionally, this business is under the name of the Ancestral Master. The bulk must be handed over to the Ancestral Master. If the remaining money is used for wages, you won't profit, and we won't have any hope,

All these people came seeking Medicinal Powder. They sincerely follow the Ancestral Master and didn't even ask for wages. It's not that we are heartless, but this business is..."

"This business needs a change," Li Banfeng reviewed the account books one by one. "From now on, this business belongs to me. I won't give anything to the Border Defense Envoy or the Ancestral Master. I'll choose who to sell the goods to, and anyone who's not convinced can come to me for a talk."

That night, Light Bulb and Dumpling each got a wooden house and had a good sleep.

Li Banfeng gathered the overseers to ask about business matters.

Business at Three-Head Fork is not easy; the Account Manager was right. Various rules all require real gold and silver.

Li Banfeng has legal operating rights at Three-Head Fork, which is unique in Puluo State. He contacted Ma Wu using a simple telephone: "Old Five, how's the business at Three-Head Fork?"

"Old Qi, it's tough to do business here. It's deeply entangled, with too many local bullies and too many troublesome issues. Let's discuss slowly once you get back."

No wonder business at Three-Head Fork has been slow to start. Even someone as shrewd as Ma Wu finds it difficult to intervene.

The next day at dawn, workers got up early to work in the quarry.

More than two hundred out of the three hundred workers had run away, leaving more than a hundred.

The escaped workers fell into two categories: the smart ones, who realized they'd been duped and didn't want to stay here working to the bone.

The other category was dimwits, hopelessly so, who were still waiting for the Ancestral Master to provide Medicinal Powder. Now that the quarry's situation shifted, they feared getting caught up, so they left to avoid trouble for a while.

The remaining hundred or so were still keen to work, even without overseers, working diligently.

They transported the stones they quarried to the foot of the mountain, placing them in a pile, intending for the new boss to assess by evening whether their day's work was worth the wage.

Light Bulb came over for a look, roughly estimated the workers' output, noting a particularly large pile. He pondered who had done this work when all the workers suddenly knelt, foreheads touching the ground, bodies motionless.

A visitor arrived at the quarry, an elder, approximately 1.6 meters in height and weighing an estimated 250 to 260 pounds, with a rotund, rolling figure and a face full of bumps and pits.

Observing his gait, extremely splayed feet, stepping with forceful strides.

This was clearly a Body Cultivator capable of transforming into a toad. Whether he was a Transformed Body Cultivator or a Reincarnated Body Cultivator was uncertain; seeing the group's respect, Light Bulb naturally inferred this was surely the Grandmaster of Body Cultivators.

Twelve followers accompanied the elder, varying in height, weight, and build.

While Light Bulb observed the elder, the elder also noticed Light Bulb, as he was the only one not kneeling among all the people at the hillside.

The elder looked at Light Bulb and smiled: "Kindly inform your master that Lai Baifan has reportedly come to see him."

Light Bulb quickly went to find Li Banfeng, who was already standing outside the wooden house.

He instructed Light Bulb and Dumpling to find a place to hide: "If things go wrong, you two should leave at once."

"Seventh Master, what about you?"

"Don't worry about me. Three-Head Fork is Body Cultivator territory, and with the Grandmaster of Body Cultivators here, I might not have the upper hand. Moreover, he brought quite a few experts; when I make my move, you two mustn't become burdens to me."

Light Bulb and Dumpling quickly hid, while Li Banfeng stood at the door briefly as Lai Baifan approached.

Judging by his name and appearance, he was almost certainly a toad.

Li Banfeng greeted him: "Boss Lai, greeting you with clasped fists, I hope it's appropriate?"

Lai Baifan smiled, clasped his fists in a return gesture, saying: "The guest follows the host, I'm the guest, you're the host, all manners are according to you."

Li Banfeng returned the gesture, invited Lai Baifan inside, poured tea, exchanged polite words, and each took their seats.

Lai Baifan, holding the teacup, watched Li Banfeng for a moment, then lowered his voice to ask: "If I guess correctly, you are Li Qi, right?"

This Grandmaster indeed had insight. Despite Three-Head Fork's seclusion and never having seen Li Banfeng, he recognized him by appearance and dress.

"That's me." Li Banfeng did not deny it.

From outside came two muffled grunts; Iron Baldy was still tied below the window, having awaited the Grandmaster's arrival to save his life.

Lai Baifan cursed toward outside: "Shameful thing, how dare you make noise there, do you know whom you've offended? Those eyes of yours should be gouged out by yourself and crushed underfoot."

Iron Baldy dared not make another sound.

Lai Baifan laughed: "Li Qi, my brother, you suddenly came to this quarry, stirring up this strife. What's the reason? Did I offend you somehow?"

Li Banfeng shook his head: "We are strangers; there's no hostility. I'm interested in the quarry's business and want to discuss with Boss Lai if you can let me take over the quarry?"

Lai Baifan sighed: "This business isn't easy to do either."

"Profit and loss make a business, I sincerely want this quarry; you name a price first."

Lai Baifan shook his head: "I am, after all, an elder; talking money with you, a junior, would make people laugh."

Li Banfeng said: "Business is business; no need to stand on ceremony."

"Between us, it's not just business; there's also fate."

"Fate, you say? How so?"

Lai Baifan carefully recalled: "Calculating carefully, it's almost three years now, when you first came to Puluo State. Bitter Granny told me, if I encounter Li Qi, to take special care. She said Li Qi took something of hers,

you came by train back then, but didn't get off at Three-Head Fork. I wanted to watch over but couldn't."

So Lai Baifan had dealings with Bitter Granny?

But what he said sounded a bit strange...

Lai Baifan continued: "Later, the Peddler came to find me, saying there was a brother named Li Qi who needs special care,

the Peddler's face, of course, I had to honor, yet you never came to Three-Head Fork, and I rarely went out, so we never crossed paths,

later hearing you went to Elbow Mountain, but the Peddler didn't tell me, so in the end, we never met."

He has connections with the Peddler, too?

Lai Baifan further said: "There's also a high master who hasn't shown up for years, yet he passed on a message for me to look out for you. Guess who this high master is?"

Who could it be?

City Master Sun?

Lian Bud?

Ah Yi?

Li Banfeng listened intently.

Lai Baifan lowered his voice: "This high master is..."

He opened his mouth wide, swallowing Li Banfeng's head whole.

With a contraction of his belly, he forcefully sucked Li Banfeng entirely into his mouth, swallowing him.

This was Culinary Cultivation Technique, Old Glutton Sea Seal.