[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-proles":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-proles-lord-of-the-proles-chapter-70":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},2290368,4478,"Chapter 70: Rare Purple Pill","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-70",70,"\u003Cp>Who burned down Geng Family Pharmacy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Nan fell into deep thought, but the shop clerks had no such concerns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They punched the air, they roared, and many had already shed tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Xuejiao was the first to cry: “Old Eight, did you hear? Geng Family Pharmacy was burned down, Geng Zhiwei the bastard was burned to death—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Eight, I’m powerless to avenge you, but heaven has opened its eyes—divine beings descended from above to avenge us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those around shouted in unison: “Geng Zhiwei, that vile worm, did nothing but evil—Heaven must have claimed him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He just struck us down, and Geng Family Pharmacy caught fire—this is karma, this is retribution!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd grew more agitated, but Yu Nan still hadn’t found an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over the years, Geng Family Pharmacy had grown arrogant and offended many; there were certainly no shortage of people who wanted revenge on Geng Zhiwei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Geng Family Pharmacy had Jiang Xiang’s backing—who among them would truly dare to strike at it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Four Great Families?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Impossible—they looked down on a shop like Geng Family Pharmacy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Three Major Gangs?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also impossible—they rarely tangled with Jiang Xiang’s faction; it would tarnish their status and bring no profit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last night, Li Qi insisted on staying at the old residence—and now the residence is burned. Li Qi must have clashed with Geng Zhiwei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could Li Qi have single-handedly stormed Geng Family Pharmacy and set it ablaze?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even more impossible—Geng’s chief guard, Song Baiming, was no pushover, and he commanded plenty of elite warriors; Li Qi alone could never defeat them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or did Li Qi have many allies who burned down Geng Family Pharmacy and killed Geng Zhiwei?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he had that power, he wouldn’t have let Qin Xiaopang suffer so much, nor would he have fled to Yu’s old residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this truly involved Li Qi, it would completely shatter Yu Nan’s understanding of the entire martial world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old warehouse keeper, Zhang Shiquan, reminded Yu Nan: “Boss, get moving quickly—Geng Zhiwei is dead, Jiang Xiang’s people will surely act. With this much commotion, they won’t let us go!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old warehouse keeper was right—this was the real matter. Yu Nan quickly gathered his men and set off, determined to reach the new destination before nightfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After bathing and eating dinner, Li Banfeng slept a while in his portable dwelling—he simply couldn’t sleep well anywhere else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he woke, the copper lotus bloomed, revealing four lotus seeds inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first three seeds each burst forth with two red pills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng originally had ten red pills; now he had sixteen. With so many, he barely cherished them anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But according to Yu Nan, this pill is called Xuan Chi Dan—it can buy ten days of cultivation, worth 150,000 apiece.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sixteen pills could sell for 2.4 million. Add his previous savings, subtract expenses during this period, and deduct the costs of treating Xiaopang and buying yellow paper—Li Banfeng now had a total fortune of 3,281,122.84 yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sum was enough to buy a house in Yuezhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, assuming he could return to Yuezhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could this money buy him a travel permit?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably not a problem—as long as he found the right connections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this all the money Li Banfeng had?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course not!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Geng Zhiwei and the two Wu Xiu entered, they carried one box of silver dollars and four boxes of banknotes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You came, and you brought all this…?” Li Banfeng felt slightly embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened the boxes and carefully counted them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The box of silver dollars contained only 920 pieces—not many.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at a payout rate of 500 yuan per coin, that amounted to 460,000 yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How much was in the four banknote boxes?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first box held 860,000, the second 920,000, the third slightly less at 730,000, and the last 970,000.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Combined, the four boxes totaled 3.48 million—each box was worth more than the silver dollars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng simply couldn’t understand why Geng Zhiwei clung to the silver dollars while handing the four banknote boxes to his men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>3.48 million plus 460,000 equals 3.94 million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Add his previous savings, ignoring loose change—he now had 7.22 million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t about a down payment anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there was still the 500,000 owed to Master Yao—the Medicine King’s money could never be left unpaid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not particularly attached to money,” Li Banfeng sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chit!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phonograph spat out a puff of steam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I feel earning money in Puluozhou is far easier than in Yuezhou,” Li Banfeng sighed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, the phonograph didn’t mock him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The money really had been easy to make.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After organizing the wealth, Li Banfeng stared at the last lotus seed, feeling uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This seed still hadn’t cracked open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng worried—if it burst too violently, or produced some extraordinary thing, he might get hurt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He placed the seed in the corner of the main room and hid behind the phonograph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click-click-click~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After nearly half an hour, the seed finally split open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It split—but did not explode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng crept forward cautiously, slipped on a pair of cotton gloves, peeled away the shell, and revealed the pill inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single deep-purple pill—just one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pill was crystal-clear, slightly larger than the Xuan Chi Dan; even from afar, Li Banfeng could smell its soothing, uplifting medicinal fragrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of pill is this?” Li Banfeng murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chit! Chit! Chit!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, my husband,” the phonograph suddenly spoke, startling Li Banfeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This pill is a rare treasure—your wife must be careful to keep it safe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A rare treasure?” Li Banfeng glanced at the phonograph, surprised she recognized the pill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was good news—if his wife knew pills, why bother seeking others to identify them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wife, what is this pill’s use?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, my husband, this pill has great power—but my belly is empty, I can’t recall right now~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belly empty…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wanted food again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You just devoured three fresh souls last night—and you’re hungry again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wife, if you keep eating like this, I can’t afford to keep you~~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phonograph snorted, clanged her gongs and drums, and sang: “I’ve devoted my heart to you, yet I can’t even get enough to eat—I’m heartbroken, my fate is cruel~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wife, don’t cry yet—let’s first discuss the pill’s effects…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phonograph snorted again: “I’m hungry, I can’t remember—find someone who knows and sell this pill.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng’s eyes lit up: “How much can I get for it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, my husband, I’m just hungry—I just can’t remember~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng’s face turned green with anger: “All you care about is eating! You eat and gain no flesh, cold and hard all over—where’s the wife supposed to be?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Water droplets seeped from the speaker—tears streamed from the phonograph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My husband mocks me~ Huff, my husband treats me poorly~ Huff!” the phonograph sang, sobbing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng sighed helplessly: “At least tell me the pill’s name—I’ll sell it and buy you something delicious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My husband doesn’t lack money~ Huff~ My husband just doesn’t want to feed me~ Huff~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng could no longer endure the phonograph’s endless whining—he decided to step outside for a walk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took up the pistol Geng Zhiwei had given him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a revolver; Li Banfeng knew nothing about firearms, couldn’t name the model, and after struggling with the barrel for ages, couldn’t chamber a round or pull the trigger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What use was carrying this thing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng set the pistol aside and pulled out the iron spike the Wu Xiu had given him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This iron spike feels better.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng swung the iron spike twice—the phonograph couldn’t bear to watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chit! Chit! Chit!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was mocking Li Banfeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, my lord, what are you taking that weapon for, and where are you going?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go buy vegetables!” Li Banfeng replied offhandedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Buy vegetables? Really?” The phonograph perked up, no longer teasing Li Banfeng. “Husband, this weapon in your hand isn’t called Iron Spike—it’s called Iron Ruler, a tool excellent for both offense and defense.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A long shaft with two smaller prongs branching from either side—that weapon is called Iron Ruler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng stared blankly for a long moment, then suddenly remembered something: the name Iron Ruler, he thought he’d seen it before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On television?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he’d seen it on television, Li Banfeng couldn’t recall its name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a novel?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Possibly—he must have seen it written somewhere…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng remembered: not a novel, but a martial arts manual—he’d taken it from the eldest son of the old lady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng dashed into the outer chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the martial arts manuals De Cai had collected, there was one detailing unusual weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The manual cataloged various strange weapons, including a dedicated section on the Iron Ruler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Iron Ruler’s offensive techniques were relatively simple, primarily relying on thrusts; its two side prongs were mainly for defense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Written descriptions were never quite clear enough. Li Banfeng practiced a few moves and found the Iron Ruler awkward to use—he turned his gaze instead to the pair of forks, their crescent blades interlocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wife, what’s this pair called?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phonograph grew impatient: “Husband, you don’t need to carry so many weapons—hurry up and go buy vegetables.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How am I supposed to buy vegetables without a weapon?” Li Banfeng snapped, scolding the phonograph. “Do you think it’s easy out there, facing spears and swords? You won’t even teach me how to use a weapon? How am I supposed to find food for you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hrrrrrrr~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wisp of steam trembled and escaped from the speaker’s mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phonograph felt ashamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Husband, don’t be angry—your humble servant knows her mistake. That pair of weapons is called the Mandarin Duck Yue, and it cannot be mastered in a day or two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Husband, let your servant first teach you the use of the Iron Ruler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Husband, plant your feet firmly—thrust the ruler straight ahead!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Husband, steady your hand, go slower—martial training requires perseverance and patience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your servant loves your bravery, your servant loves your determination, your servant loves your bearing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the cadence of opera recitation, blended with the phonograph’s unique voice, each word dripped with tenderness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng felt warmth—he and the phonograph had forged a trust and connection unlike any before. He followed her guidance, refining his martial skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phonograph did not sense this bond; she kept encouraging Li Banfeng:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Husband, what natural talent! You learn so quickly! Your thrusts are precise and steady!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Husband, don’t rush—focus on your strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Husband, uh… don’t strike so hard—the Iron Ruler shouldn’t be pointed at your servant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Husband, you—you’ve got another ruler now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Husband, that… that ruler—don’t point it at your servant either…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Dear readers, practice martial arts with Salad!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1782,"2026-06-20T03:43:13.043Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9791632266d531f9794d969f8d92942a006a3542e5e1cd3fae3a7666c40c7b84","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-71","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-69",863,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-proles-cover.jpg"]