[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-proles":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-proles-lord-of-the-proles-chapter-180":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Lord of the Proles",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2290478,4478,"Chapter 180: Kucai Zhuang","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-180",180,"\u003Cp>The wife was right—in combat, Li Banfeng’s paper maiden would dissolve within a minute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, even fifteen minutes was possible: when Li Banfeng stood still, timing himself with a pocket watch, the paper maiden held together for that long without doing anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he did minor tasks, it lasted three and a half minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In hand-to-hand combat, it lasted between fifteen and twenty seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In weapon combat, it lasted between ten and fifteen seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The duration was indeed short, but the paper maiden could fight—its actual combat power depended entirely on Li Banfeng’s will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he infused his will gently, the paper figure could perform simple actions like punching or stabbing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he infused his will fiercely, the paper figure could even display a degree of martial skill—though it would shatter faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pendulum advised: “Master, stick with learning painting. This trickery is useless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll learn painting, but this method is useful too.” Li Banfeng bought a pile of brushes and pigments, training alongside the pendulum while practicing with his stamped paper figures, striving to maximize combat effectiveness within the limited time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither task was easy. After preparing all his supplies, Li Banfeng secluded himself in the new land to cultivate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the road, Li Banfeng suddenly muttered to himself:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t you forget something?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t you supposed to return to Yuezhou?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s no longer urgent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s still in Yuezhou, and I don’t know his intentions. If I go back now, I’m no match for him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Yuezhou, Zou Guoming (Big Head), an agent of the Dark Star Bureau, was eating dinner—his wife’s cooking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Head’s wife, Miao Ruifang, was an excellent cook, frugal, capable at managing the household, and considerate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since losing her job, Miao Ruifang’s temperament had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Midway through the meal, she suddenly put down her chopsticks and said to Big Head: “Let’s sell the house.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?” Big Head froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Yuezhou, owning a 103-square-meter home was Big Head’s only pride after all these years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miao Ruifang said: “Our child starts middle school next year. Either we get a school district house, or we send the child to a private school—we can’t keep settling for like we did in elementary.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dark Star Bureau paid well; even without his wife working, their family lived comfortably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the tuition for private schools in Yuezhou made one shiver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for school district housing, it robbed one of even the strength to shiver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Head looked at his wife: “I’ll find a way to solve the school placement.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What way? You said the same thing when our child was in elementary—what did you actually do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When their child entered elementary school, the Bureau had promised to apply for a placement at a key elementary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The placement was eventually approved—but for various reasons, it was never given to Big Head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bureau explained it was for the sake of the greater good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bureau had also promised to apply for a middle school placement—but what if they again demanded he sacrifice for the greater good?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m on night shift tonight. I’m leaving.” Big Head put down his chopsticks and put on his jacket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t you just work a night shift yesterday?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Last-minute overtime.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I truly don’t know what kind of job you even have!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For over a decade of marriage, his wife had never visited his workplace or asked much about his job. She only knew he worked at an appliance company—but why an appliance company required frequent night shifts, she never understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not understanding meant not asking. His wife scowled as she cleared the dishes; Big Head lowered his head and left the house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today he wasn’t on night shift—he went to Huahu Park.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the Western-style building, he saw the weeping woman again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Lishan, who drowned herself—was she still here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, she hadn’t been here for long—not her corpse, nor her soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What remained was only a marker—a mark left by He Jiaqing for Big Head. Only Big Head could see the weeping woman; seeing her meant finding the entrance to the new land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Head followed the woman step by step into the lake. Unlike before, he was prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He brought an oxygen bag, ensuring he could last twenty minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew how to exit the new land—if he couldn’t hold on, he had escape methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Diving into the icy lake, Big Head found an eel in the lakebed mud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carefully, he pulled the eel from the mud; it measured about twelve to thirteen centimeters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This eel could increase a man’s length by five to six centimeters—no surgery needed, just swallow it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Head had once investigated a case where people smuggled these eels from Pulu Province to the black market—each sold for 800,000. The case went cold, but Big Head knew where the black market was and who to sell to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I just made a business deal. I caught the eel. I sold it. It’s no big deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One eel won’t buy a school district house—but it’s enough for three years of private school tuition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Head gripped the eel, ready to surface—when the once-tame eel suddenly surged with unnatural strength, wriggling free and biting Big Head hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a sharp pain, his body went numb; his head slammed against the lake’s surface like hitting a rock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t break through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t get out!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Panicked, Big Head didn’t know what to do. Though he’d been to the new land before, this environment was still alien to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a hole opened on the lake’s surface—a hand grabbed his jacket and pulled him up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was He Jiaqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m a patient. I’m supposed to lie in bed—I can’t keep running out to save you!” He Jiaqing looked at the wound on Big Head’s hand. “Why did you catch the eel?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wanted to earn some extra cash—for my child’s tuition.” Big Head explained about his child’s schooling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Jiaqing handed Big Head an elixir: “Fifth-layer Wu Xiu, worrying over this little money? You’d be better off going to Pulu Province—work as a big branch, earn more than you do now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Head swallowed the elixir and quickly thanked him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He truly wanted to see Pulu Province—but he couldn’t abandon his wife and child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll dive again.” The elixir had taken effect—the numbness had eased. Big Head wanted to return to the lake, but He Jiaqing stopped him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You go to the black market to trade—don’t you fear someone investigating you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Head paused, then said: “Some in the Bureau also deal with the black market. They’ve never been caught.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They haven’t been caught—but you’re not them! If you sell today, you might be arrested tomorrow. What will your wife and child do then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Head said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Jiaqing thought a moment: “Your wife lost her job?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Head nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What was her job before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hotel lobby manager. The hotel went under—she lost her job.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have a friend who just opened a hotel. He needs a lobby manager—twenty thousand a month, bonuses extra. I’ll arrange the school placement. Have your wife go work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Head’s status was special. He couldn’t be given money directly—it would trigger an investigation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was He Jiaqing’s safest solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Head froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t understand why He Jiaqing was helping him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew He Jiaqing was a man who could change his fate—he was the one who showed Big Head the new land beyond the provinces. They would eventually cooperate on some matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since they met, He Jiaqing had never asked him anything, never asked him to do anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you helping me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No reason. You’re a man with real ability. Someone with real ability should live with dignity.” He Jiaqing took out paper and pen and wrote down the hotel’s address.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The paper and pen were just bought from a stationery shop—he moved too fast for Big Head to see clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fifth-layer Wu Xiu, you must live with more backbone. Risk your life over this?” He Jiaqing handed Big Head the address. “Come find me if you need anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you stop coming to see me?” Ma Wu looked helplessly at Chu Er. “The Baiyue Gate incident is over. I’ve even fled to the new land—why are you still hounding me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Er’s expression was bleak: “I’ve come to say goodbye. I’m going to Kucai Zhuang to cultivate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Baiyue Gate incident, Chu Er had become much clearer: in Pulu Province, the only real capital is cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu nodded: “Kucai Zhuang is good. Do you lack a travel permit or funds? No permit is needed for Kucai Zhuang—if you lack funds, I’ll lend you some.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Er rolled her eyes: “Ma Wu, we’ve had some history. You don’t have to be so cruel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have no history with you. Never did. Do you have anything else? If not, I won’t see you off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yanzi had told Ma Wu: never speak of sentiment with cultivators. Cultivators don’t speak of love or affection. If they truly feel something, they won’t say it. If they say it, it’s only pretense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Zhong Desong and Old Han’s wife—no matter how much he longed, he never dared tell her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Er sighed: “I do have one favor to ask. I want to meet Li Qi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why? Do you even know him? You danced with him once—don’t tell me there’s some sentiment here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for sentiment, Chu Er herself didn’t believe it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she knew that since Ma Wu met Li Qi, everything had changed—Li Banfeng had the power to turn someone’s fate around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I respect those with talent—I want to meet him, or I won’t leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you won’t leave, I can’t force you. Li Qi isn’t here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He has land here,” Chu Er said calmly, watching Ma Wu. “I found you; I can find him. But if I go looking for him myself, I can’t promise what I might do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu sneered. “What could you possibly do? Do you think I’m afraid of you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Er lowered her head. “You can take the gamble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu fell silent for a long while, then sighed helplessly. “Fine. I’ll take you to see him. But if Li Qi refuses to meet you, I can’t help you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two plots were ten li apart; under Ma Wu’s arrangement, each had a row of wooden huts built.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Li Banfeng’s wooden hut, Ma Wu knocked on the door. No answer. “You came at a bad time. Li Qi isn’t here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Er sat down by the door. “I’ll wait for him here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t wait. He’s gone—might not be back for three or five days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Er sat for over half an hour, saw no sign of Li Qi, and left, dejected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu didn’t see her off. He returned to his plot and went to train with Yanzi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With so many oddities in the new land, Ma Wu favored Yanzi the most. He hadn’t spoiled her—she trained under the Eighth-Level Cloak Moth Lady, and his cultivation surged, now reaching the Second Level. If Chu Er dared cause trouble, he’d be ready to face her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he hadn’t expected Chu Er to not go far—she came back around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She crouched by Li Banfeng’s window, watching—maybe he was hiding inside, avoiding her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What she saw sent a chill through her: a massive spider, hanging from the ceiling, using one leg to dig a key out from a crack in the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Er shouted: “Daboyens! Is that you? You dare come here to steal! Ma Wu, did you see that? Someone’s stealing here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ma Wu had long since left. Chu Er was trying to scare the spider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the spider showed no reaction—still hanging by its silk, hooking the key, preparing to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Er pulled a nail clipper from her skirt pocket and threw it through the window bars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The nail clipper instantly grew large, snapped with a click, and severed the spider’s leg holding the key.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The nail clipper darted down, clamped the key, flew out the window, and slipped into Chu Er’s skirt pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Er bolted away; the spider chased behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the spider closed in, Chu Er grew more panicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is that really Daboyens?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it is, I’m finished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Er knew Daboyens had high cultivation. She hadn’t brought a support charm—she couldn’t possibly match him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After running over two li, the spider suddenly stopped chasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Er leaned on her knees, face pale green, gasping for breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She touched the key—it was still clamped in the nail clipper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Give it to Ma Wu?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Er turned to find Ma Wu, then suddenly stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This key is so important—should Ma Wu even know about it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait by the hut for Li Qi to return?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if the spider comes back?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That spider wasn’t Daboyens—it was his puppet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stopped chasing her because the puppet had gone beyond his control range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sent the puppet to find Honglian; by chance, it discovered the key buried in the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is this key for?” Daboyens muttered to himself. “Why does Chu Er, the Second Miss of the Chu family, want it too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Chu Er had seen his trail, Daboyens dared not linger—he left Xin Di immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The train arrived at Kucailian Station. Chu Er prepared to disembark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yanzheng and Wen Hongyan wanted to follow, but Chu Er stopped them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know the rules of Kucailian. Go back. Unless it’s urgent, don’t come looking for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Er stepped off the train with her suitcase. Wen Hongyan and Yang Yanzheng watched, worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Yang, what if she causes trouble again in Kucailian?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If she deserves a beating, she gets one. If she deserves punishment, she gets it. That’s up to her fate. What else can we do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng used his mind to control the paper doll, sparring with Tang Dao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Tang Dao struck, the paper doll split in two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng frowned. “Didn’t I tell you not to go for the kill?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Dao replied, “I only used three-tenths of my strength. This woman just can’t take a hit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then use two-tenths this time!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even two-tenths was too much—the paper doll couldn’t withstand it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After three strikes, Tang Dao rested. In his place came the Pendulum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the Pendulum, the paper girl still couldn’t survive a single round.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What use is she, then?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In battle, the Pendulum could just go straight in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—she must train more!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng hadn’t left his room for two days, training hard in Fourth-Level techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His cultivation as a traveling cultivator had slipped a little, but his skills had improved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He made the paper figure and the Pendulum spar for two rounds. Though the Pendulum held back, the paper figure now had openings to counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His white paper was nearly gone. Li Banfeng went to ask Ma Wu for more. He opened the door—and found himself not in his wooden hut, but inside a mud house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mud house was dark and dilapidated, with only a hole in the southern wall barely serving as a window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where is this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A jolt ran through Li Banfeng’s mind—he realized someone had taken his key.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sounds came from the outer room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone was chopping wood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng walked out and saw a simple peasant woman, head wrapped in a towel, dressed in coarse cloth, axe in hand, staring at him in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You really came looking for me!” the woman exclaimed, delighted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng stared for a long while. “Who are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Er removed her towel, wiped the dust from her face. “Don’t you recognize me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do I know her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looks familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Er froze. “You came here yourself—and you don’t know where this is? This is Kucailian!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Kucailian has powerful figures!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2648,"2026-06-20T03:43:13.043Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","476c796479bf3eb0a2941c51584a711e8e5dfd41d4a40686d275aa0e197c6ff5","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-181","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-179",863,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-proles-cover.jpg"]