[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-proles":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-proles-lord-of-the-proles-chapter-52":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},2290350,4478,"Chapter 52: The Millionaire","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-52",52,"\u003Cp>Li Banfeng had completely forgotten about the short knife; he was now sitting at the front door, muttering to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The phonograph didn’t kill me—she still has a soft spot for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But when she suddenly started singing, it was terrifying.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s terrifying? She sings beautifully.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No matter how beautiful she sings, one day she’ll eat you and not even spit out your bones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If she wanted to eat me, she would’ve already. She probably doesn’t like eating the living.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if she changes her taste one day? Gets angry and roasts you until the outside is charred and the inside tender—body and soul, not even a speck left!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You have no conscience at all. The phonograph has protected you from the start—how can you slander a young girl like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How do you know she’s a girl? Maybe she’s a grotesque, singing demon!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng waved his hand at his own forehead—arguing with himself was utterly pointless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Focus your thoughts—think about how to deal with this phonograph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throw it away?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never mind that such a good household spirit is too precious to discard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key point is Li Banfeng dared not throw it away!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He feared that the moment he entertained the thought, the phonograph would scald him to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She obliterated Luo Yujun in an instant—what about someone like me? One burp would roast me alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ideal outcome would be to successfully subdue the household spirit—but only if I knew its true name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where could I find out?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only channel I can think of right now is Feng the Shopkeeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I need to return to Ligou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before going back, I must clean out this courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The master of the house and the household spirit are both gone—Li Banfeng felt deeply sorrowful and wanted to gather their belongings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng didn’t care about the money—he did it out of respect for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng first went to the cellar. Xiao Ye Ci said there were many things there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn’t lying—the old lady had stored most of her stolen goods in the cellar, and some in the cabinets of the main house. Li Banfeng gathered everything; the cash alone totaled 763,236 yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In addition, Li Banfeng found numerous gold and silver ornaments and other valuable personal items. Since he didn’t know their true value, he estimated them at 200,000 yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had previously sold elixirs and bought the phonograph, leaving him with 230,000 yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Excluding petty daily expenses, Li Banfeng now had 1,180,000 yuan in assets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this real?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I have 1,180,000 yuan!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From birth until now, Li Banfeng had never possessed more than 10,000 yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he had 1,180,000 yuan!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this sum wouldn’t even cover a down payment in Yuezhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for Li Banfeng, this was his second peak of wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His first peak was when he sold the Snake-Spot Elixir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were other miscellaneous items in the house that Li Banfeng could use.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second son, De Mao, was a Wu Xiu—his room held many martial cultivation texts. Li Banfeng picked out a few and took them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the old lady’s room, a table and two chairs looked decent, so Li Banfeng took them; the sewing board was also good, so he took that too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was also a pocket watch—likely stolen from a passerby. It was gold-plated and looked stylish, but its craftsmanship was inferior to the one Feng the Shopkeeper had recommended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng had always wanted a timekeeping tool—he took it too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>De Mao had a bathtub; Li Banfeng took that as well. In his Portable Dwelling, he could only fetch water in a wooden bucket to wipe himself down—he hadn’t had a proper bath in ages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After gathering the useful items, he also took some things that seemed useless for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>De Cai’s collection of bottles, jars, and special herbs used for poison-making—Li Banfeng took them. Who knew what use they might serve?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In De Mao’s room was a long spear. Li Banfeng didn’t know how to use such a long weapon, but De Mao had related texts—he could learn slowly later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In De Cai’s room were many dart-like hidden weapons, smelling of fishy rot—likely soaked in poison. Li Banfeng didn’t know how to use hidden weapons, but he took them anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After gathering everything, Li Banfeng found De Cai and De Mao’s corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two bodies were originally meant to be taken to the Portable Dwelling for alchemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, Li Banfeng was hesitant to return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, after careful thought, fear was useless—he had to spend at least two hours daily in the Portable Dwelling; it was the foundation of a Household Cultivator’s practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gathering courage, Li Banfeng opened the door and dragged everything inside—the cash, valuables, furniture, corpses… a mountain of items.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phonograph made no sound—perhaps it had fallen asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bronze lotus made no sound either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That shouldn’t be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such fine corpses right before it—didn’t it want them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng studied it closely and noticed a faint aura on the bronze lotus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was refining an elixir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What elixir was it refining?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dammit—that knife! The blood-sucking short knife!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was that supreme weapon being refined away?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was heartbroken—he wanted to pry open the lotus petals and snatch the blade back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room was cluttered. As Li Banfeng stepped toward the lotus, he tripped over the bathtub, nearly fell, and his satchel slipped from his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pendulum inside the satchel slid out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phonograph’s flames flared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hssssss~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Steam billowed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had the phonograph been awakened?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang clang clang clang~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wei ya~ my husband!” the phonograph began singing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wei ya~ my wife!” Li Banfeng sang back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phonograph was a being capable of communication—she wasn’t scary at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wei ya, my husband—where did you acquire all this wealth?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phonograph’s voice was gentle, utterly unthreatening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wei ya, my wife—I picked it up along the way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng wiped his sweat and slowly walked toward the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My husband, you’ve worked so hard~” Her voice was tender and warm—she wasn’t scary at all!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My wife, you’ve worked hard too~” Li Banfeng ran outside and shut the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phonograph exhaled a puff of steam, floating a set of table and chairs to the wall, then stood the bathtub upright in the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside the bathtub, the phonograph spotted the broken pendulum—Luo Yujun’s only remaining relic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hssss~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phonograph was displeased—it disliked this object.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That madman really is ridiculous—why bring back this broken trash again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sssss~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bronze lotus petals opened, drawing in the corpses and the broken pendulum into its heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hssss~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phonograph laughed scornfully: “Wei ya~ you didn’t want this pendulum before, yet now you scavenge it to eat? Clearly, hunger has stripped you of all dignity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You wretched creature—once you ruled with power and majesty, now reduced to gorging on garbage. How pitiful, how laughable! Hahahaha~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clear dewdrop spewed from the lotus heart, landing precisely on the phonograph’s loudspeaker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The laughter stopped instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How dare you spit on me?” The phonograph flew into a rage—its three speakers smoked, and a cloud of steam engulfed the bronze lotus. “How dare you defy me! Today I’ll show you the family law!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lotus remained unmoved—the dewdrops danced through the steam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng returned to the courtyard and looked around—the familiar walls were gone; before him stretched a dense forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old lady was dead, Luo Yujun was gone, and all ghosts had been devoured by the phonograph—all illusions vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After wandering through the forest for a while, Li Banfeng spotted Xiao Ye Ci and Lu Chunying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two women were covered in wounds, huddled together, trembling and motionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Banfeng approach, Xiao Ye Ci trembled and cried: “Master, you’ve finally come! We’re trapped in a ghost maze!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without asking, Li Banfeng could see what they’d endured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You want to go to Li Gou, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, sir!” Xiao Ye and Lu Chunying nodded vigorously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I take you to Li Gou, how much will you pay me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Name your price, sir!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A thousand!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Done, sir!” Xiao Ye was pleasantly surprised—it was less than she’d expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ban didn’t ask for more. He remembered how the pharmacy at the foot of Kuwu Mountain had slashed the price of Snake-Spot Chrysanthemum to twenty-five coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thousand coins could buy forty stalks of Snake-Spot Chrysanthemum—enough to make many risk their lives. It was indeed a substantial sum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But some conditions needed to be made clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A thousand coins covers only the basic escort fee. If you encounter bandits, the price may rise depending on the situation. If I suffer losses, you must compensate me at market value.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The terms were fair. Xiao Ye nodded repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ban led Xiao Ye and Lu Chunying toward the edge of the forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, Xiao Ye trembled with fear, while Lu Chunying clung tightly behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had been terrified of branches striking them, yet as they walked with Li Ban, not a single blow fell upon them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ghosts in the trees were gone—they wouldn’t be struck, though they didn’t know why.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of man is this…?” Xiao Ye was astonished. “He’s so strong, and he even knows magic—he can subdue ghosts too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Chunying tugged at Xiao Ye’s sleeve. “Mom, use your mouth skills and subdue him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ye shook her head. “I don’t have that ability. If you can, go ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they stepped out of the forest, Li Ban saw a stone stele.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the stele were three characters: Changliu Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he entered the village, Li Ban had seen this stele—and he’d truly believed such a village existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he saw: Changliu Village was an illusion created by the old woman and her household spirit, Luo Yujun. This place held only forest and a mansion. No wonder, when Li Ban entered the village, only one house had its lantern lit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this stele looked ancient—not like a fake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps Changliu Village once truly existed here. Perhaps the old woman and Luo Yujun had killed everyone in it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A whole village vanished—and no one cared?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li Ban argued with the ticket seller at the station, someone had cared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of order was there in Puluo Province?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Dear readers, the Lord of Puluo is pushing for Level 2. The out-of-circle index is sufficient, fan count is nearly there—only interaction remains. Leave a comment, just one word, one sentence—I’ll thank Li Ban on your behalf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1750,"2026-06-20T03:43:13.043Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","c0595fb17e8477c81c1b0b978713ab5d0fd5bf67fcdcf3b742dcc917ef870c08","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-53","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-51",863,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-proles-cover.jpg"]