[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-proles":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-proles-lord-of-the-proles-chapter-69":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},2290367,4478,"Chapter 69: New Land","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-69",69,"\u003Cp>Before discussing business, the private detective Daboyens asked one thing first: “Madam, given your status and position, you have no shortage of capable people to handle your affairs—these three tasks don’t require you to hire me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuo Yuling fell silent for a moment, then replied: “For the last two tasks, I don’t want anyone else to know—especially not anyone from the Lu family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daboyens smiled: “The land reclamation is being done for the Lu family, but that’s just a cover—your daughter’s rescue and the killing are for you, Madam?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuo Yuling frowned slightly: “I remember you used to be less talkative. Just name your price.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s consideration, Daboyens set his fee for the three tasks Zhuo Yuling proposed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First task: land reclamation. That has a standard rate. The land you want costs three thousand silver dollars—no need to argue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuo Yuling nodded and agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daboyens continued: “Second task: find someone. This is extremely difficult—harder than finding a needle in the ocean.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A needle dropped into the ocean won’t move on its own, but your daughter is currently fleeing the He family’s pursuit—finding her won’t be easy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Zhuo Yuling felt displeased but showed no expression: “Who told you the He family wants to kill my daughter? What has my daughter done to offend them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daboyens smiled: “Madam, walls have ears. This information didn’t come from me, and you needn’t be angry with me—I’m merely warning you this won’t be easy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuo Yuling extinguished her cigarette and dropped the subject: “Just name your price. No more nonsense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daboyens held up one finger: “Ten thousand silver dollars.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuo Yuling asked: “Can you guarantee success?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daboyens shook his head: “No guarantee. But if I fail to find her, I won’t take your money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuo Yuling nodded: “Fine. I’ll pay your price.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Third task: kill Li Banfeng—and preferably capture him alive…” Daboyens paused, then said, “Alive: twenty thousand silver dollars. Dead: ten thousand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuo Yuling sipped her tea, fell silent for a moment, then asked: “Ten thousand silver dollars to kill some lowlife? Do you think that’s reasonable?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wanted to say: Li Banfeng’s worthless life couldn’t possibly be compared to Lu Xiaolan’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she didn’t say it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would never compare Li Banfeng to her daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, according to Daboyens’ live-capture price, Li Banfeng was worth more than her daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daboyens flipped through the dossier on Li Banfeng and told Zhuo Yuling: “I don’t know Li Banfeng’s background, and your intel is inaccurate—that means I’m taking on great risk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why do you say the intel is inaccurate?” Zhuo Yuling frowned slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daboyens remained patient: “Madam, your report says Li Banfeng has no cultivation base, but I know he’s a cultivator who’s reached a certain level.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A cultivator?” Zhuo Yuling didn’t believe him. “How do you know he’s a cultivator?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daboyens smiled: “I say I just saw him—would you believe me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You saw him?” Zhuo Yuling laughed, shaking her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She naturally didn’t believe such a thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daboyens had never met Li Banfeng, let alone had any contact with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Daboyens believed the man he’d just passed on the road was Li Banfeng—the flamboyantly dressed man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your price is too high,” Zhuo Yuling lit another cigarette and shook her head. “Li Banfeng isn’t worth that much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How much he’s worth doesn’t matter—I’m worth this price,” Daboyens adjusted his sunglasses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuo Yuling forced herself to control her emotions, maintaining a lazy, casual smile: “Da Binzi, I called you here because I remember our past connection. Don’t overstep your bounds.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you for your kindness, Madam,” Daboyens removed his hat and bowed again, then lowered his voice: “I call you Madam out of respect. Xiao Lingzi, you’re a wealthy lady now—why are you still so petty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuo Yuling’s eyelid twitched, her eyes flashing cold light: “Spider Bin, watch your words.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daboyens smiled: “Wall Lizard Ling, you watch your own limits. If you can pay, I’ll do the job. If you can’t, find someone else.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuo Yuling’s expression changed—her laziness and indifference vanished, replaced by unmistakable fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daboyens put his hat back on, still wearing a perfectly gentlemanly smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng sat in the gatehouse of Yu’s Village, chatting with the old gatekeeper, Zhu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng claimed to be a friend of Yu Nan, and Zhu believed him without a single doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss Li, you clearly are our young mistress’s friend—she, like you, prefers men’s clothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Men’s clothing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I am a man!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could this old man…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng touched his face and felt a slick, greasy layer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blush?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng suddenly understood—no wonder the spider in the gorge called him “Madam.” That vile Han Xue had painted his face with heavy makeup again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When did she do it? How did I not notice?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Master Zhu, could you fetch me a basin of water? I’d like to wash my face.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu was a long-term laborer for Yu Nan’s family, having entered the Yu household at seventeen and worked ever since.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now old, he could no longer handle heavy labor, but Yu Nan hadn’t dismissed him—she gave him two rooms in New Land to help guard Yu’s Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu’s Village consisted of two rows of wooden huts, each row holding seven or eight rooms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two rows of huts were unusual: all around them stretched endless, pitch-black forest—yet only this spot, where the huts stood, was illuminated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng looked up at the sky and noticed a faint halo of light, precisely centered over Yu’s estate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where did this light come from?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It struck the ground without spreading—according to Li Banfeng’s understanding, there must be an extremely high-performance, high-precision light source in the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhu didn’t think that way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“New Land originally had no sky-light—it only appeared after reclamation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sky-light!” Li Banfeng tensed—he remembered the sky-light he’d once encountered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu waved his hand: “Not that sky-light. This is the kind of light that should be here during daytime.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng asked: “Was this place once completely dark too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course,” Zhu sighed. “Our young mistress struggled running her textile business. She saved over a thousand silver dollars and spent them all on this new land.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was even more confused: “Did she buy this land?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Buy? Where would you buy it?” Zhu chuckled bitterly. “Our young mistress hired six reclamation workers, paying two hundred silver dollars each. Five of them died—only then did they reclaim this land.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Five out of six died? Can you die from farming?” Li Banfeng was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu explained: “Reclamation isn’t farming. You live on the wasteland for three days. The owner first offers sacrifices and makes a pact with the spirit, then sends workers inside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The workers enter at a certain time, and exactly three days later, they emerge. If the land glows, the owner drips blood to mark it—then the land is reclaimed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of ritual is this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was utterly baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Zhu explained again in detail, Li Banfeng began to grasp the process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Nan’s reclamation had three steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, Yu Nan brought offerings and made a pact with the spirit of the wasteland—though which spirit exactly remained unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, on the day of the pact, Yu Nan sent her reclamation workers to stay beside the offering table for three days and nights. If even one survived, the reclamation succeeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third, Yu Nan returned to the wasteland and left her own blood as a mark—then the land became hers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng understood the general procedure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the procedure made no sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yu Nan hired six people. Five died. The one who survived dripped his blood on the land—wouldn’t the land then belong to him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu shook his head: “No. He never made a pact with the spirit of this land.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t making a pact simple? Just set up offerings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still no. Our young mistress already made the pact with the spirit of this land. The spirit won’t accept another offering within three days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If he makes a pact elsewhere, that land becomes his—but he’d have to pay the reclamation cost himself. Would he spend a thousand silver dollars to buy such a wasteland? That’s up to him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng still didn’t understand: “If the reclamation workers won’t pay for it themselves, why does Yu Nan spend so much to reclaim this land?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu sighed: “Our young mistress wants a backup plan. We’ve all tried to persuade her, but she won’t listen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng dropped the subject. Right now, he cared more about Yu Nan’s schedule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Zhu, when will our young mistress arrive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu thought a moment: “You said they departed last night. They’ll likely arrive by tomorrow night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two days and two nights?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu nodded: “Even two days and two nights is fast.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng arrived too early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a traveling cultivator, he reached New Land in seven hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Yu Nan couldn’t do that—she carried a group of non-cultivators and heavy baggage. Two days to arrive was indeed fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu stood up: “Boss Li, I’ve prepared your room. Wash up, rest a bit—I’ll go prepare dinner.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they first met, Li Banfeng had only briefly introduced himself—yet Zhu had not doubted him at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t you afraid I’m a bad person?” Li Banfeng asked casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu shook his head: “This is Yu’s Village—our young mistress’s territory. The spirit protects her. No bad person dares come here. Once our young mistress drips her blood on Yu’s Village, anyone who intrudes will be shattered to pieces.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was stunned: “Is that even possible?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Nan and his subordinates were still on the road, trudging forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This journey had been even slower than expected, due to too many wounded men and that Qin Fatboy, who did nothing but eat and sleep, barely waking up at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One hundred li from Mount Jiangyue, Yu Nan received word that the Yu family’s ancestral home had been burned down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though expected, everyone’s eyes turned red with rage; Wang Xuejiao cursed: “That bastard Geng Zhiwei—I’ll chop him into bits and feed him to the dogs! Boss, let’s not go any further—we’re going to kill him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group erupted in shouts: “Let’s go kill them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We won’t let Geng Zhiwei, that son of a bitch, off the hook!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Nan bit down hard on his pipe, saying nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old warehouse keeper Zhang Shiquan urged: “A gentleman seeking revenge need not rush—ten years is not too late. Let’s follow the boss’s lead and say less.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After another thirty li, the group rested by the roadside when a clerk ran up with news, gasping for breath: “Boss, the Geng family’s pharmacy was set ablaze—Geng Zhiwei is missing; he’s probably burned to death!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Nan was stunned into silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Geng family’s pharmacy was burned down?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who did it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Hey reader, Shala has prepared a pot of hot wine—come join me for a chat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1816,"2026-06-20T03:43:13.043Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2748e36d21d503c376890935d2d26653c0bda19b631e7263552696200c74045d","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-70","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-68",863,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-proles-cover.jpg"]