[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-proles":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-proles-lord-of-the-proles-chapter-48":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},2290346,4478,"Chapter 48: Homestead Spirit","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-48",48,"\u003Cp>The greatest of heroes!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Chunying poked her head out again, staring at Li Banfeng for a long time, feeling this young man was exceptionally majestic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My benefactor, take care!” Xiao Yeci turned back, embraced Lu Chunying, and swiftly left the back courtyard, heading for the main gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To deal with a homestead spirit inside a cultivator’s residence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This person is insane!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yeci led her daughter Lu Chunying out of the back courtyard; when they reached the front gate, she glanced back once and couldn’t help sighing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Chunying sneered, “Stop looking—he wouldn’t even notice you, you’re not beautiful enough for a great hero!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yeci frowned, “Don’t talk nonsense—you’ve lost all sense of propriety!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Chunying snorted, “What do you mean lack of propriety? You really think you’re my mother? When I meet the Lu family, I’ll tell them everything!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yeci gritted her teeth, “You dare! If you speak up, we’ll starve together, sleep on the streets together, get sold into brothels together—see who ends up crying then!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Chunying frowned, “If you want to play my mother, clean up your speech—stop saying ‘ya’ and ‘ya’ all the time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What nonsense? I told you not to talk like that, ya!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they spoke, the two exited the residence and entered a grove of trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Chunying gently tugged Xiao Yeci’s sleeve and whispered, “I remember this place was a village when we came—how did it turn into a forest?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish~ Swish~ Huh~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold winds swept through, branches and leaves rustling incessantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yeci grew tense, hugging Lu Chunying, “Something’s wrong—let’s go back inside the residence!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the mother and daughter turned around, the residence had vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around them stretched an endless forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where are we?” Lu Chunying gripped Xiao Yeci’s arm tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yeci glanced around, calm, “This must be the homestead spirit’s doing—we’re probably still inside the residence, just unable to leave for now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what do we do?” Lu Chunying gripped even tighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry—I’ll reason with him. No matter his origin, if I can make him see sense, he’ll let us go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yeci’s expression was resolute; behind her, Lu Chunying’s fear diminished greatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yeci began reasoning with the homestead spirit: “Friend, I don’t know where you came from, but the master of this residence is dead—you should consider where you belong now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The master committed countless cruel and wicked deeds; you were her accomplice. If caught by the Underworld judges, you’d be punished in the Netherworld!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve read about it—I’ve seen the judgment scrolls of the Punishment Bureau, witnessed every instrument of torment in the Underworld, seen the suffering of every ghost there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, you were coerced by her; your actions were beyond your control. Now that she’s dead, why continue these wicked acts? What’s your purpose?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Friend, let us go. It will absolve you of some sin and earn you merit—why not?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold wind gradually subsided; the branches and leaves calmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yeci’s words seemed to have taken effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over the years, life had been hard; this “mother,” not her real mother, had quarreled with Lu Chunying, held grudges, and built walls between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet whenever danger struck, Xiao Yeci always stood fearlessly before Lu Chunying—Lu Chunying believed her the most reliable person in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come, follow Mama!” Xiao Yeci walked straight ahead by instinct; Lu Chunying clung tightly to her side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After just two steps, a willow branch struck their faces with lightning speed—whack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yeci clutched her face, gritted her teeth, and held back tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Chunying, young, couldn’t hold back—tears spilled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yeci pulled out a handkerchief, wiped the blood on Lu Chunying’s face, and whispered, “Don’t cry, little one—I misjudged the direction. We should’ve gone left. Come! Hold tight to Mama!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both bore a single bloodstain, walking leftward through the forest beneath the night wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After walking ten meters, another willow branch struck—again, on their faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yeci wept; Lu Chunying cried aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now their faces bore not one, but two bloodstains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two bloodstains formed an X.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mama must’ve been wrong—let’s go right instead. Come! Hold tight to Mama!” Xiao Yeci firmly took Lu Chunying’s hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mama, you go first—I’ll follow behind you,” Lu Chunying pulled her hand away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She retracted her earlier thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yeci was utterly unreliable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng entered the old woman’s room, examining every object inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bed, a table, two chairs, a standing cabinet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The furnishings were simple; Li Banfeng scanned each item, guessing which might be the homestead spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the table sat an antique clock—no spiritual aura at all, clearly not the spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside the clock was a teapot—seemed full of spirit. Could this be the homestead spirit?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next to the teapot was a sewing box; the thread spools were neatly arranged, the needles inserted with precision—exuded homestead spirit qualities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside the sewing box lay a rolling pin, its flour coating even and uniform—clear signs of spiritual trace!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which one was the homestead spirit?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng felt torn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m a homestead cultivator—there must be mutual resonance between me and the homestead spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The antique clock chimed once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng glanced at the dial—it was 9:30.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This traditional clock chimes once at half-past, and strikes the hour count at full hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, at nine, it chimes nine times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At 9:30, it chimes only once—dang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That single chime shattered Li Banfeng’s train of thought—he was displeased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glared at the clock, continuing to scan the room’s other objects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, his gaze settled on a feather duster—he felt it possessed the most spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, its color was vivid; second, its feathers were soft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng picked up the feather duster, preparing to use his homestead cultivation talent for deeper communion—when suddenly, the antique clock rang: dang, dang, dang… ten times in succession, loud and piercing, fully capturing his attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten chimes?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng looked at the dial—the hour and minute hands pointed to ten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just now it was 9:30—now it was suddenly 10:00?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This clock is broken?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, Li Banfeng had thought his residence lacked a timepiece—maybe he should move this clock there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, clearly, this clock couldn’t be kept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng communed with the feather duster for a while—no response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside the duster sat a metal mooncake box, heavily chipped and worn, clearly old, yet spotlessly clean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Homestead spirits love cleanliness—could it be inside this box?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng pried open the lid—inside lay only a stack of old newspapers, yellowed and brittle, as if ready to crumble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could a homestead spirit dwell in newspapers?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng picked up one sheet—before he could unfold it, he truly felt the resonance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sensed the text on the paper touching him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tiny characters, no larger than fly’s heads, seemed to twist into worms, wriggling toward his fingertips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is it really inside the paper?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click. Click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pendulum’s ticking grew louder, each beat striking his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng set the paper down, gazed at the golden pendulum—its motion, lit by candlelight, cast faint images.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The images were blurry at first, then gradually sharpened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng felt as if watching a faded old film on the pendulum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A beautiful woman in a qipao sat before a mirror, painting her eyebrows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man appeared behind her, took the eyebrow pencil from her hand, and gently, stroke by stroke, drew upon her brows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After eyebrows, he painted her lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After lips, he bit her lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After biting her lips, he bit something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two faced each other, biting for a long time—then the man circled behind the woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pendulum clicked, clear and bright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man had been gripping her shoulders; in their collision, his left arm wrapped around her neck, his right hand locking his own left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face pressed to hers, his left shoulder forcing her head forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naked choke!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This isn’t singing naked choke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is eye-gouging naked choke!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was still analyzing the technical difficulty when the woman in the footage froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was strangled to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man pulled out, dressed himself, and vanished quickly from the frame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman’s corpse remained in the room; the image seemed frozen, yet light and shadow shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dawn turned to dusk, day gave way to night; the corpse gradually rotted, crawling with maggots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until one day, her body was discovered and moved out of the center of the frame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In and out came many people, of unknown origin; they emptied everything from the frame—jewelry, stacks of cash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when the frame was utterly empty did this story seem to end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what did this story prove?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did this old mantel clock show me this story?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he pondered, Li Banfeng realized the story wasn’t over!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A woman appeared in the empty room—the woman who had died before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was applying makeup, smiling as she did so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the mansion, the woman who had been strangled had reappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was applying makeup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no mirror in the room; she applied makeup facing Li Banfeng, her alluring smile filling him with warmth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This must be the mansion spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman suddenly vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man appeared in the frame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though dressed differently, Li Banfeng recognized him—he was the killer of the woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He seemed to be searching for something, carefully feeling along the floor until he found a hidden compartment, from which he pulled a knife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng recognized the knife—it was the short blade the old woman treasured, now stuck in his belt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man was thrilled; this was what he had been looking for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gently brushed his finger along the blade, but the hilt violently trembled and slipped from his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The short blade floated, suspended before the man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man was terrified, supporting himself with his hands and scrambling backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He crawled too slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade lunged at the man, slicing his throat; blood gushed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man clutched his throat, struggling desperately—his posture mirrored the woman’s final convulsions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman’s form slowly reappeared in the frame; she continued applying makeup with a tender smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She ignored the writhing man on the floor; her eyes never left Li Banfeng, holding a sweetly chilling coldness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’re applying makeup—why keep staring at me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grudges have a source, debts have an owner—I didn’t kill you!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng tried to look away, when suddenly the woman set down her comb and picked up something like a key, extending it toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What are you doing? Are you going to attack?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this woman is the mansion spirit, do I have to defeat her to subdue her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng braced himself, but the woman opened a glass case and slowly turned the key.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After studying it closely, Li Banfeng realized it wasn’t a key in the true sense—it was the key to wind the old mantel clock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman wasn’t applying makeup for Li Banfeng; she was applying makeup for the clock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman’s room hadn’t been emptied; one thing remained—the old mantel clock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng hadn’t watched this scene as an observer; he had witnessed it all from the clock’s perspective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman painted her eyebrows, applied lipstick, lifted her head, parted her lips, and softly asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Am I beautiful?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time, Li Banfeng heard the woman’s voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is she asking the clock—or me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes brimmed with eager anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, Li Banfeng replied: “Beautiful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman smiled; she was satisfied with the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she asked another question: “Do you know my name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng pondered, then looked down at the iron mooncake box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled out an old newspaper from inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the second page of the paper, a news article trembled—every word quivering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The headline read: “Celebrated Beauty Luo Yujun, Brutally Killed in Outside Residence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman asked again: “Do you know my name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng nodded: “I think I do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at me, keep looking at me, speak my name—and you’ll be mine.” The woman’s smile grew sweeter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Today’s two chapters together are as long as four—Shala is utterly exhausted. Dear readers, leave a comment, cast a vote, give Shala a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2019,"2026-06-20T03:43:13.043Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","43d1a0c83cde1e21b8ee81237279d96a580fe0ef4aa3b01b1b98b0868bda638f","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-49","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-47",863,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-proles-cover.jpg"]