Luo Bingfeng? Hearing this familiar name at this very moment always evoked a strange feeling. Qian Ye’s attention finally turned entirely to the matter, asking, “Luo Bingfeng and your… Third Uncle were good friends?”
“Uh, Luo Bingfeng isn’t much older than Third Uncle. Many of Third Uncle’s secret techniques were taught by him.”
Qian Ye inquired further, “The one they rescued, wouldn’t happen to be a woman, right?”
“It was a woman named A’nan. How did you know?”
“After your Third Uncle passed away, what about your cousins?”
Zhang Xuance’s eyes dimmed slightly as he replied, “My cousin originally had talent not inferior to that of Third Uncle. But after Third Uncle’s death, she swore to avenge him and vowed to slay that behemoth herself. She trained with all her might, but less than a year later, something went wrong, damaging her foundation. One of her origin force vortices was destroyed.”
Hearing this, Qian Ye felt a deep sense of sorrow. Since the founding ancestor established the human cultivation system, nearly all human cultivation methods were built upon this fundamental path. The core of this path was the nine origin points. Transforming these nine points into substance through the point, vortex, and crystal method was like establishing nine celestial pillars, supporting all mystical powers and secret techniques.
If any one of these points were damaged, the remaining eight could not push the cultivator into the next stage. This meant that even if Zhang Xuance’s cousin had cultivated eight origin force vortices to a level similar to Qian Ye’s, she would never surpass the divine general barrier. Her achievements in this life were already capped.
Thus, a genius fell.
To think, everything started with that adventure with Luo Bingfeng. Later, A’nan was rescued and lived with Luo Bingfeng. Yet, the hope for the direct bloodline of Zhang Buzhou was cut off, and even Zhang Xuance, with his poor disposition, was cherished. It was impossible for Zhang Buzhou not to feel bitter.
Understanding this, Qian Ye now grasped why Rui Xiang wielded a sword imbued with Zhang Buzhou’s origin force during the siege on Luo Bingfeng.
So, this Heavenly King had not forgotten anything!
With this thought, Qian Ye’s opinion of Zhang Buzhou sank further. He leaned down and looked at Zhang Xuance, asking, “How long will the Heavenly King be in seclusion?”
Zhang Xuance was unable to answer, “How would I know such things?”
“Where is the Heavenly King in seclusion then?”
At this question, Zhang Xuance’s breath caught. The hostility in the words was overwhelming.
“You, you don’t mean to…” Zhang Xuance stuttered.
Qian Ye chuckled, saying, “What do I mean? You look so scared.”
Zhang Xuance, ashamed and angry, gritted his teeth, “I know you’re bold, but once the Heavenly King comes out of seclusion, it’ll be your death!”
“But the Heavenly King is still in seclusion,” Qian Ye said calmly, cutting off Zhang Xuance’s threat.
Qian Ye gently rubbed his temples, saying, “Alright, I don’t have time to chat. If you don’t want to go back with missing limbs, shut up.”
“I…” Zhang Xuance was at a loss for a response. He had never experienced such a situation in his life.
“If you wish to die, I can accommodate you.”
This time, Zhang Xuance heard the faint killing intent in Qian Ye’s voice. His heart chilled, and he cursed silently, “This madman,” but he dared not say another word.
Qian Ye glanced down and saw everyone standing silently below. He asked, “The rebellion has been quelled?”
Zhang Xuance’s face changed, and instinctively, he wanted to retort, “You are the rebel,” but remembering his situation, he held his tongue.
A mercenary leader from Dark Flame stepped forward, saying, “The major areas are under control. There are just a few small corners where some are still resisting. But they are surrounded, and none can escape!”
Qian Ye nodded, saying, “Still resisting, huh? Do they think they have Zhang Buzhou as their backing, and I won’t dare touch them? Pass the order, attack with full force, leave no survivors.”
“Yes, sir!” The mercenary leader acknowledged and left briskly.
Qian Ye’s gaze fell on the group of stewards from the workshop and trading house to his left. He addressed the steward left behind by Song Zining, “This young Master Zhang claims that when he came to Nanqing, several trading houses contributed significantly, not only with money but also by personally helping him suppress the dissenters. Is this true?”
The faces of the stewards from the major trading houses immediately changed.
The steward from Ningyuan Heavy Industries said, “It is indeed true. The ones who sent troops to suppress the rebellion were Steward Yu Cuo from the Wanjin Trading House, Steward Wang Fen from the Boundary Trading House… And the ones who provided funding were Steward Suxi from the Alloy Shield Trading House…”
He rattled off more than a dozen names.
Someone couldn’t hold back and shouted, “Song Mingxi, you were the first to surrender. How dare you talk about us?”
Song Mingxi remained calm, saying, “I had the Seventh Young Master’s orders, and I surrendered by command. How can that be compared to you? Besides, we are just craftsmen; we don’t fight on the battlefield.”
This statement made many stewards’ faces change, thinking that Song Mingxi was utterly shameless.
Several stewards, sensing the dangerous situation, quickly knelt, pleading, “Lord, we were forced by the circumstances! Please show mercy!”
Qian Ye’s voice remained calm, “Young Master Zhang mentioned that my Dark Flame wasn’t well-trained, and there weren’t many good-looking ones. There were a few, though. So, which of you helped Young Master Zhang ‘appreciate’ them during this time?”
Cold sweat broke out on several stewards immediately.
One steward, realizing the dire situation, stood up and loudly declared, “Lord Qian Ye, there were indeed some misunderstandings. Now that you have returned, everything will be as before. Your losses, including the Wanjin Trading House, will be compensated by all the trading houses, to your satisfaction.”
“Wanjin Trading House, so you are Yu Cuo?” Qian Ye’s face showed no expression.
“Indeed, I am.” Yu Cuo forced a smile, saying, “The chief of our trading house is my brother-in-law.”
Ignoring him, Qian Ye ordered, “All the stewards from the trading houses that sent troops will be executed, and all their wealth will be confiscated and nationalized.”
“You! You’re crazy, if you dare to kill me, the Wanjin Trading House will never let you off!” Yu Cuo, startled, yelled.
“The Wanjin Trading House…” Qian Ye thought for a moment and added, “Leave his steward robe on. After execution, hang him outside the city gates.”
Many were already sweating profusely, and now they were drenched. Qian Ye was clearly tearing up relations with the major trading houses. The fate of the stewards present here was evident from Yu Cuo’s example.
“We’ll fight this madman!” someone shouted.
But before the words were finished, a light flashed, and a greenish sword beam instantly appeared, circling around him, severing his hands and feet, and then retracting gracefully.
Qian Ye’s sword struck like lightning and retracted calmly. The re-forged Dongyue was indeed handy, allowing him to wield the sword light as if it were an extension of his arm. Only after the sword light had retracted did the steward realize what had happened, beginning to scream in agony.
“What will you fight with now?” Qian Ye sneered, then looked at the pale-faced stewards, saying, “If you surrender, you can keep your whole body, and the others in the trading houses can also save their lives. If you resist, this is the outcome. Anyone in the trading houses who participated in the rebellion will be pursued one by one.”
A steward, trembling, pointed at Qian Ye, stammering, “Y-you are trying to destroy the workshop system of Nanqing City! Lord Zining would never do this.”
“Zining is not here,” Qian Ye said calmly, “There are other trading houses in the Neutral Grounds dealing in metals, and the same applies to them. Even if it affects the workshop system, so what? If it was built before, it can be rebuilt. Compared to temporary profits, I prefer to let everyone know that anyone who dares to reach out to me will have their hand chopped off!”
The stewards were all silent, too afraid to speak. Qian Ye was making it clear that he didn’t care about Zhang Buzhou’s face, as evidenced by Zhang Xuance’s treatment. No matter how powerful the background of these trading houses, they couldn’t match the Heavenly King.
“As for those who offered gold…” Qian Ye pondered for a moment and said, “This time, I won’t pursue the stewards. But you will pay the same amount as you contributed.”
Many stewards, while grimacing, were relieved.
The subsequent handling of the rebels’ aftermath was left to the people left by Song Zining. Qian Ye took Zhu Ji and returned to his original residence.
The courtyard where he lived had been taken over by Zhang Xuance, who had spent considerable effort redecorating and modifying it. Admittedly, it was much better than when Qian Ye left.
But when he opened the courtyard gate, the first thing Qian Ye saw was several naked women. Clearly, the young master Zhang had a significant interest in this area.
As female mercenaries, constantly on the brink of life and death, many didn’t really care much about relationships. Whether these women in the courtyard were willing or forced, Qian Ye didn’t bother to discern, ordering them to be taken away.
Closing the courtyard gate, Little Zhu Ji could no longer contain her excitement, running around the yard, looking here and touching there, curious about everything, exclaiming:
“This statue is so interesting!”
“This painting looks impressive; it must be worth a lot of delicious food!”
“The chair is so comfortable…”
“This bed is huge!!!”
Qian Ye could no longer bear it and called out, “Zhu Ji!”
In a flash, the little one appeared in front of him, standing straight. Qian Ye was taken aback, and somewhat worried, he touched her head, asking, “What’s wrong?”
Little Zhu Ji pouted, whispering, “I’m scared.”
“Scared of what?” Qian Ye’s pupils turned blue, scanning the surroundings, but he didn’t detect any hidden threats.
“Scared of you.”
These words almost made Qian Ye fall over. He sighed, looking at her bright eyes, and seriously asked, “Why are you scared of me?”
“Scared that if you get angry, you’ll eat me.”
Qian Ye couldn’t help but laugh and cry, rubbing her head hard, saying, “If I eat you, you can run away!”
“Can’t run, can’t fight. And, and I don’t dare to fight…” Zhu Ji’s mouth became increasingly flat, as if she was about to cry.
She truly saw him as a father, and a bit of a natural enemy.
Qian Ye felt a headache coming on.
At that moment, a servant’s voice sounded from outside, “Lord Qian Ye, the City Lord requests an audience.”
Qian Ye’s face turned cold, “Let him wait.”
Qian Ye hadn’t noticed that he only showed a softer side in front of Little Zhu Ji.
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