[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-lord-of-the-proles":3,"chapter-lord-of-the-proles-lord-of-the-proles-chapter-71":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},2290369,4478,"Chapter 71: The Suspended Sack Beneath the Tree","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-71",71,"\u003Cp>Li Banfeng practiced with the iron ruler for two hours and felt he had gained some insight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phonograph kept urging: “Master, a true man’s ambition stretches a thousand li—why stay cooped up at home? Go buy groceries!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is buying groceries what makes a true man?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng checked his pocket watch—it was already ten o’clock. He really ought to step out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at Yu’s Village, Li Banfeng first went to find Old Zhu for lunch, then decided to take a walk through the New Land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Travel cultivators must cover at least fifty li daily; though yesterday’s route was longer and exceeded the quota, in cultivator parlance, he had saved up some time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even with surplus time, one shouldn’t waste it on mundane cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Zhu couldn’t dissuade Li Banfeng, so he told him the New Land’s taboos: “Master Li, don’t cut trees, don’t pull up grass, don’t harm the birds or beasts in the forest,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>don’t eat the fruit or drink the water from the forest, and if you see someone you can’t understand or encounter something you can’t fathom, return immediately,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>you passed through this area once before—try to follow the same path, and be extra careful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warnings must be heeded, but retracing the same path won’t help accumulate cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng relied on the travel cultivator’s technique of seeking fortune and avoiding doom, steering clear of the most perilous areas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the New Land, safe places were few.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within three li of Yu’s Village, progress was smooth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond three li, Li Banfeng repeatedly felt danger drawing near—goosebumps rose one after another, and every two steps he couldn’t help shuddering; the travel cultivator’s technique kept warning him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After walking nearly ten li, Li Banfeng realized his daily foundational cultivation was complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should he head back now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine, he’d go back—take an afternoon stroll, then return for a nap. A reasonable plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng turned to retrace his steps when suddenly someone called from the tree:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother, is that you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whose voice was that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Jiaqing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng silently looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw a thread, as thick as a finger, nearly transparent, hanging down from the tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following the thread upward, Li Banfeng saw a massive “bamboo basket,” slowly sliding down along the thread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was that a bamboo basket?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pitch-black and airtight, it seemed woven from branches, completely covered in leaves, sealing every gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The basket’s opening faced straight down, directly above Li Banfeng’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thread entered through the opening, passed through the basket’s bottom, and was tied to the tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man’s voice came from inside the basket: “Brother, you’ve finally come.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first time he heard that voice, Li Banfeng was stirred—he thought he’d found He Jiaqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing it again, he realized the voice differed greatly from He Jiaqing’s; it was muffled by the basket, only slightly resembling He Jiaqing’s hoarse tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng stared at the basket, sensing no danger, and asked calmly: “Why call me brother? Did you mistake me for someone else?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The basket hung suspended in midair. After a pause, another voice came from within: “Child, is that you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice was hoarse and gentle, like an elderly mother with white hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng was skilled at mimicking female voices, but this time he detected no trace of imitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was there another person inside the basket?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though still sensing no danger, Li Banfeng decided to leave immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered the driver’s warnings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the other party was stronger than him, he might not perceive their malice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng had just taken one step forward when the thread suddenly shot out from the basket, wrapping around his legs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was tripped and fell onto his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He struggled twice to break free—the thread was incredibly resilient, his legs wouldn’t budge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t rashly grab the thread with his hands; if his hands got trapped too, he’d have no chance to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slipped both hands into his pockets—his right hand pulled out a pair of mandarin duck daggers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A peculiar weapon formed by two crescent blades crossing each other, their edges razor-sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after several attempts, the mandarin duck daggers couldn’t cut the thread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive basket slowly descended, trembling gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another voice came from the basket, soft and delicate: “Husband, you’ve come?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the voice of a young woman—again, no trace of imitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re mistaken,” Li Banfeng replied calmly, immediately stowing the mandarin duck daggers and drawing his iron ruler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The iron ruler had no blade, but its spikes were extremely sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The basket continued descending, shaking more violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A woman’s face slowly emerged at the basket’s opening—beautiful features, exquisite; the finger-thick thread emerged from her lips, stretching downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the thread came from her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This reminded Li Banfeng of a special caterpillar that hangs itself from trees with silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was it called again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was called a bagworm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this woman a bagworm?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single thread pierced her body—one end came from her mouth, where was the other end?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what was this basket?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the bagworm’s cocoon!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cocoon slowly drew nearer; the woman’s face writhed as it slowly crawled out of the cocoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long black hair fell onto Li Banfeng’s face; the exquisite woman looked down at him, silk still in her mouth, and asked in a muffled voice: “Did I guess wrong three times?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, all wrong,” Li Banfeng replied, his brow relaxing into a faint smile. He gripped the iron ruler tightly and thrust it toward the woman’s third eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Travel cultivators moved swiftly—Li Banfeng had just left his home, his stamina at its peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thrust was fast and precise—the iron ruler’s spike was about to pierce the woman’s forehead when another silk thread shot from the cocoon and wrapped around Li Banfeng’s arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another silk thread?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where did this one come from?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cocoon swung back and forth, its motion growing wilder; a short-haired man’s head struggled to emerge from the opening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bushy eyebrows, large eyes, thick lips—a sharply defined man, silk in his mouth, looking down at Li Banfeng: “Really all wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not lying,” Li Banfeng said, pulling his left hand from his pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could open his palm, another silk thread tightly coiled around his entire left arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From within the cocoon, a white-haired old woman’s head squeezed between the other two, biting silk as she strained to emerge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was an elderly woman with wrinkled skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were three worms crammed into one cocoon?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or was it one worm with three heads?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman, toothless, bit the silk and grinned at Li Banfeng: “I guessed wrong. Now it’s your turn—guess who I am?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng blinked and asked: “What if I guess wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman replied: “Then we’ll eat you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng asked again: “What if I guess right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man answered: “Then you’ll live with us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, they weren’t giving him a chance to live!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng poured all his strength into his left arm, struggling desperately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman bit down harder, tightening the silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s in your hand? It must be something fun—let me see, quick, let me see! Hehehe~” The old woman bit the silk, emitting a strange laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the silk’s pull, Li Banfeng’s left hand slowly opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t his keychain—it was a glove, and on the glove lay a rust-red elixir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman tried to coil the silk around the elixir; the moment the silk touched the rusted pill, rust instantly spread across it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spread was so rapid it startled Li Banfeng—even faster than the rusted elixir corroded his iron cigarette case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did the rusted elixir suppress the silk?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a fortunate surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silk on his left arm rusted through quickly; Li Banfeng grabbed the rusted elixir and rolled it over his entire body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rust spread across every silk strand—the resilient threads rapidly became brittle, and Li Banfeng broke free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three heads inside the cocoon also bit through their own silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had no choice—the rust was crawling up the silk, nearly entering their mouths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three heads spat out their silk and lunged toward Li Banfeng together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time Li Banfeng was ready—he rolled aside, dodging the silk, then swung his iron ruler and drove the spike into the man’s temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man screamed in agony; the other two heads felt the pain and joined his cries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng raised his hand and threw the rusted elixir into the cocoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three heads twisted in unison, sensing unbearable pain, and retracted into the cocoons simultaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after, the young bride’s head emerged from the cocoon, her beautiful face streaked with rust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, Li Banfeng truly considered carrying the cocoon into his Personal Dwelling, feeding the soul to his wife, and seeing what the Copper Lotus might forge from the corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after a moment’s hesitation, Li Banfeng left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng still did not know the true state of these three worms—if the Rust Elixir failed to subdue them, he might be forced to stay here and join them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the New Land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng finally understood why five out of six men had died within three days of reclamation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng did not dwell on it further; he ran at full speed back to Yu Family Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he walked beneath a massive banyan tree, he suddenly saw the canopy tremble, and another bundle of silk fell before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng leapt back swiftly, avoiding the silk, cold sweat bursting across his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had the three worms followed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had the Rust Elixir failed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A woman’s voice came from the canopy—not the old woman, nor the young bride.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My children only wanted to play with you—why did you hurt them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A middle-aged woman’s face emerged from the canopy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this the mother of the three worms?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dense leaves rustled as a massive body slithered between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Banfeng changed direction—he intended to circle around the tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A muffled thud as the woman fell from the tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had a human face, and a human head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she had no neck—behind her head was a fat, bloated emerald body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a green worm, lying on the ground, taller than Li Banfeng by a full measure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t leave—stay here, become my child.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ripples spread across the worm’s body as it crawled toward Li Banfeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Shalatou spat silk, entangling the Reader—don’t go, stay and talk with me!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1746,"2026-06-20T03:43:13.043Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","125a242c5c8c98e5809605b90afa2970dafa49b729aab547cd718212d8e5db93","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-72","lord-of-the-proles-chapter-70",863,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flord-of-the-proles-cover.jpg"]