But it was unexpected that the merchant council members started from the very beginning.
“Since the Divine Prohibition, the Supreme One has begun his great plan,” said the elder council member, who indeed possessed the soul of a storyteller. The “Supreme One” he referred to was, of course, the leader of the Elders’ Council—the enemy of Yang Hao and Hun Yuanzi.
The至尊 gathered all cultivators and practitioners across the land and established the Elders’ Council.
“And he declared that all cultivation must be approved by the Elders’ Council. Anyone cultivating in secret would be committing a taboo and must be executed.”
“All cultivation manuals were confiscated, and all cultivation sects were eradicated.”
The至尊also supported the imperial family and began vigorously developing technology. Space technology advanced rapidly during this period.
“Shameless.”
“Utterly shameless.”
“With the support of the Elders’ Council and the Ten Sword Streams, the Galactic Empire began a centuries-long expansion and eventually unified the universe.”
“However, every conquered star system had to be governed and managed by nobles.”
“Therefore, the true power in the Galactic Empire lies with these nobles. Whoever controls these nobles controls the empire.”
“The Supreme controls the Elders’ Council; the Elders’ Council controls the Ten Sword Streams; and the Ten Sword Streams take noble offspring as disciples, later dispatching them as governors of star systems…”
“Therefore, in the Galactic Empire, the most powerful person is not the emperor, but the Elders’ Council.”
The council members took turns speaking, and surprisingly, their explanations were quite coherent. Yang Hao understood about eighty to ninety percent of it. Still, he had some doubts: “At school, they all said the emperor had the most power. Why does he actually take orders from the Elders’ Council?”
The council members didn’t mind Yang Hao interrupting them; it seemed they even took it as a sign that Yang Hao had entered their rhythm of speaking and thinking.
The emperor indeed holds power, but that power was granted by the Supreme Sovereign.
“The Elders’ Council was left behind by the Supreme One to balance the emperor’s power.”
“The Elders’ Council controls the nobles through the Ten Sword Streams, while the emperor controls the military through the Privy Council. Both are the most powerful forces.”
“What about you guys?” Yang Hao asked. Without realizing it, he had truly been drawn into the rhythm and found this way of speaking quite amusing.
“We are local tycoons.”
“We control money, the entire economy, and all commerce in the universe.”
“The Merchant Guild controls all merchants, and the goods and resources transported by merchants are the lifeline of the empire. Without us, the empire couldn’t last three days.”
“Two days…”
“One day.”
“Negative one day.”
“You’re just arguing.”
As they spoke, two elder council members began to bicker, clearly ready to fight to the death.
Yang Hao tried hard to suppress his laughter and flattered them: “So, the Merchant Guild is the third most powerful force in the universe, only behind the Elders’ Council and the emperor, right?”
“Exactly!”
“Not that dumb either!!”
“Are you married? I have a daughter. Want to consider it?”
Yang Hao coughed repeatedly, looking at the old council member who was already over ninety years old. His daughter must be around sixty. Marrying her would be like adopting a grandmother. Seeing this method worked, Yang Hao continued flattering: “So the nine of you council members are the most powerful people in the Galactic Empire.”
“Naturally.”
“Each of the nine council members can mobilize resources from any merchant.”
“As long as we want, we can deploy tens of thousands of cargo ships, invest hundreds of billions of imperial credits, and mobilize tens of thousands of merchant armed forces.”
“We also have our sword master groups, grand sword master groups, sword sages…”
“You’re senile.”
“Damn it!” He flipped them the bird.
“That’s not right.”
“You’re right, this kid is flattering us.”
“There’s a plot, an agenda.”
Yang Hao finally couldn’t hold it anymore and burst into laughter. These old guys were just too amusing. The key was not just that they were funny, but they were also truly wise and powerful. To reach such a level of power, where they could rival even the Elders’ Council or the emperor, if the nine of them wanted to, the Galactic Empire could collapse in a single day.
True power does not lie in force, but in wisdom.
“I don’t have any schemes,” Yang Hao said sincerely. “I just want to know, with such power, why do you still want to help me? What can I do for you?”
“What can you do?”
“Sweep the floor and do chores.”
“Be my son-in-law.”
“Your daughter died last year.”
“I had another one a few days ago.”
“Alright, alright,” Yang Hao blinked his eyes sincerely. “I’m really grateful for your help, but I feel like I really can’t do much for you. I don’t have as much money as you, as many people as you, or even as many daughters as you. So I’ll just leave first. You guys keep chatting.” Saying this, Yang Hao turned to leave.
“Stop!”
Sure enough, all nine of them shouted together.
Yang Hao scratched his head and slowly turned around. He had already expected that these nine old guys wanted him for something important, not just for casual conversation. However, these nine council members were all business geniuses who clearly understood that they couldn’t let Yang Hao be too arrogant.
“This… well, there is indeed something we need you to do.”
“Since you’re already getting along well with the Ten Sword Streams, just keep fighting them.”
“That… you promised us three-tenths of the Dan Ding Group’s shares, right? You have to keep your word.”
“Your love potion is still quite good. Leave the recipe with us first.”
Yang Hao pondered the meaning of these few sentences and asked, “You want me to continue fighting the Ten Sword Streams? But I’ve already been beaten down by them. What if they kidnap my people again?”
“What’s there to fear? We’ve got your back.”
“Exactly, from today on, you’re part of the Merchant Guild. Who dares to fight you?”
Yang Hao nodded and understood: “So that’s it. The Merchant Guild wants to weaken the Ten Sword Streams’ power but doesn’t want to start a war directly. So you brought me in and are using me as a pawn.”
“More or less.”
“Somewhat close.”
“But there’s still a bit missing.”
“You want me to continue developing the Dan Ding Sword Sect, using it to attract noble offspring and compete with the Ten Sword Streams for control over the nobles. In other words, to compete for control over various star systems.” Yang Hao figured it all out. These old guys were indeed incredibly smart, calculating every step carefully. “You and the Elders’ Council are in a state of balance, and you need me as a catalyst to completely stir up the waters of the empire.”
Suddenly, a strange thought arose in Yang Hao’s mind. He felt that this was an opportunity, a perfect one, that could instantly grant him immense power. But the key was that he had to negotiate carefully with these old council members.
“I agree,” Yang Hao said, his eyes gleaming with cunning.
But the nine council members fell silent simultaneously. It was rare for none of them to speak, and they exchanged glances for a long time. After exchanging several signals, one old man finally asked with difficulty, “You agree? What do you want in return?”
Yang Hao smiled and began counting on his fingers: “First, the entire Dan Ding Group will belong to the Merchant Guild, with one hundred percent of the shares given to you. Of course, the management rights will still be mine.”
The old men’s expressions did not show pleasure but rather became more solemn.
“Secondly, the Dan Ding Sword Sect and the Hao Sword Group will also belong to the Merchant Guild. They will become your private armed forces from now on.”
The elder council members began to wipe their sweat, with some even sighing, as if Yang Hao had handed them a major challenge.
“Lastly…” Yang Hao stood up and loudly declared, “I, as the Lord of Shen Yu Autonomous Territory, hereby announce that Shen Yu Autonomous Territory also belongs to the Merchant Guild and will henceforth be under the Guild’s sphere of influence.”
The nine council members’ mouths opened wide, their nearly missing teeth clearly visible. What Yang Hao had just said was simply too shocking, too unimaginable. The old foxes naturally wouldn’t be happy. They knew well that there was no such thing as a free lunch. The more Yang Hao gave, the more he would inevitably demand in return.
They gasped for a while before another person finally came forward to ask, “What do you want?”
This was the key point.
Yang Hao spoke casually, “Me? It’s simple. Just leave a seat at this table for me.”
It was like a thunderclap.
It almost scared the nine old men to death.
“You want a seat at this table?”
“You also want to become a council member of the Merchant Guild?”
“Is becoming a council member that easy? We can mobilize billions of assets, hundreds of thousands of ships, and tens of thousands of armed forces. We are…”
“There are only nine council members. What would you be inserting yourself as? A third party intruding?”
Yang Hao sat back down and crossed his legs, saying, “The Elders’ Council has nine directors, and you are nine council members. The numbers are the same, but it’s not impressive enough. Adding me makes ten, which is one more than the Elders’ Council. We can outmatch them in numbers.”
“That does make sense.”
“Nonsense!”
“I’ve worked for decades to earn this position. He just shows up and wants it? Dream on.”
“You raised a daughter for seventy years and still want to marry her to him?”
“Damn it!” He flipped them the bird.
After arguing for a long time, they finally reached a conclusion: “This is impossible, Yang Hao. You’re not that important. The Merchant Guild can still survive in the Galactic Empire without you. We can’t give you that much. It’s just fantasy.”
“Surviving doesn’t mean winning,” Yang Hao pointed out their weakness in one sentence. “You’re always arguing together. Isn’t it just to surpass the Elders’ Council?”
“Still no. Without you, we can find someone else. No matter how strong you are, you’re just a child. We have plenty of sword sages at our disposal…”
As soon as this council member finished speaking, someone nearby gave him a meaningful look, and he realized his slip of the tongue, covering his mouth and saying no more.
Yang Hao pretended not to hear. He appealed to their reason and emotions: “You found me, of course, because you know enough about me. You know that I have something the Elders’ Council fears. The Star Cloud Flower behind me, the divine power within me, and the ancient inheritance are all unique.”
The council members’ faces turned serious, obviously aware that Yang Hao’s secrets were already completely exposed to these old foxes who could eat tigers for breakfast.
“What I’m giving you is no less valuable than the power you’re giving me.”
Yang Hao analyzed, “The Dan Ding Group’s assets are worth hundreds of billions. After joining the Guild, they can at least multiply a hundredfold. Even if the Dan Ding Sword Sect and the Hao Sword Group are not strong enough, they can later control noble offspring with love potions, which is a benefit that money can’t buy. As for the Shen Yu Autonomous Territory, it goes without saying. It has one-tenth of the empire’s territory and planets, countless population and resources, and a technological center in the San Jing Hai star system. Such assets, packaged and given to you in one go, would be foolish not to accept.”
The council members frowned, closed their eyes, and silently calculated. What Yang Hao had just said was indeed tempting. Even if he couldn’t actually control San Jing Hai, Yang Hao still held the title of lord. In the future, the Merchant Guild could send people to help take control of the entire autonomous territory, which would indeed not be a problem.
In this way, the deal started to become reasonable. The strength of the Merchant Guild would at least increase by ten percent, and adding Yang Hao as a council member was just adding fresh power, not weakening it.
Although the council members didn’t say anything, they were already secretly moved.
Yang Hao added more fuel to the fire: “I have a secret agreement with the ancient gods. They will lend me divine power. When I obtain this power, not only the Elders’ Council, but even the Zunzhi…”
“Could it be that power…” one council member suddenly asked.
Yang Hao was also surprised. He didn’t expect these people to know about the Creator’s power. Then, what in the world was there that they didn’t know? Yang Hao bravely agreed, “That’s right. That power. Moreover, I also have an ancient goddess as my little lover. As long as I want, she can come out and help me anytime.”
The nine council members took a deep breath. They looked at each other, thought for a long time, and finally made their final decision.
The council members of the Merchant Guild had equal status. Each could mobilize all the forces within the Guild. If Yang Hao joined, he would instantly become one of the highest-ranking powers in the empire, no less than the chief minister of the Privy Council, who commanded the empire’s entire military.
This was no simple decision. Their words from the nine people could very likely affect the entire empire’s development trajectory.
At the very least, it would make the already murky waters of the empire even more turbulent.
Yang Hao stayed at the Merchant Guild for two days. Two days later, he returned home with Long Yun and the Promise Squad. These few people had narrowly escaped disaster and were naturally elated, completely unaware of the faint concern in Yang Hao’s eyes.
“Old Long,” Yang Hao had the Promise Squad’s four couples go to the side to flirt and love, while he chatted with Long Yun, “On the day things went wrong, Zhuge Jian asked you to take people to support. What happened?”
Long Yun slapped his head; he had completely forgotten this important matter after being captured: “It’s complicated. Old Zhuge also thought it was complicated. Our business was doing too well. Many busy streets had Dan Ding Group stores occupying more than half, causing some merchants to be very unhappy. Those days, there were always merchants bringing their own armed forces to disrupt Dan Ding Group stores. Old Zhuge couldn’t handle it, so he asked me to go help guard.”
Yang Hao frowned. It was indeed strange for merchants to cause trouble. A week ago, even though Yang Hao hadn’t yet reached an agreement with the Merchant Guild, they shouldn’t have opposed him so directly.
Seeing Yang Hao in deep thought, Long Yun thought he also found it complicated:
“Speaking of it, those merchants hired swordsmen who were really good, all at the level of sword masters, which must have cost a lot of money.”
“All sword masters?” Hun Yuanzi suddenly spoke, having been in cultivation for days and not speaking much during this time, “Any nobles among them?”
“A bit,” Long Yun nodded, “They indeed looked a bit like nobles. But it’s strange, if they were noble offspring, why would they take sides for the merchants?”
Yang Hao began to laugh coldly. He had caught a clue to the matter. More importantly, he had previously feared certain things, but now he was no longer afraid.
Returning to the Dan Ding Sword Sect, Yang Hao summoned all the senior members for a meeting. During their absence, many things had happened in the capital.
The Dan Ding Sword Sect had problems, and the Hao Sword Group was collectively injured. This news spread throughout the noble circles on Earth within a day. Seeing Yang Hao’s loss of power, all the noble offspring newly recruited by the sword sect fled. Within a few days, only a few people remained. Now, the Dan Ding Sword Sect was deserted, and the bustling days of recent times were gone.
More importantly, the Ten Sword Streams suddenly launched their largest recruitment campaign in history during these days. They widely accepted disciples, and regardless of their qualifications, as long as they were from noble families, they could join freely, of course, at a hefty fee.
But those noble offspring lacked everything except money. They had always wanted to join the Ten Sword Streams but couldn’t get in, so they reluctantly joined the Dan Ding Sword Sect. Now, the most orthodox and promising Ten Sword Streams was recruiting on an unprecedented scale, a once-in-a-century opportunity. How could they not join immediately?
In short, within just a few days, the entire noble circle on Earth was mobilized. Joining the Ten Sword Streams became a matter of pride, and not joining it was a shame. As for that Dan Ding Sword Sect, it was already forgotten, with not even a registration form being distributed.
The commercial expansion of the Dan Ding Group
also encountered significant setbacks. The merchants in the twenty most prosperous cities of the empire seemed to have banded together under someone’s instigation and began a series of commercial actions against the Dan Ding Group. On one hand, they lowered the prices of goods, while on the other, they raised the prices of shops, making it impossible for the Dan Ding Group to secure the best locations. More importantly, they even dispatched private armed forces to surround the Dan Ding Group’s chain of love potion stores.
The number of these private armed forces was simply too large. With just a few members of the Hao Sword Group, it was impossible to provide adequate defense. Therefore, according to predictions, the group’s income this month would see a hundredfold decrease.
After hearing these reports, Yang Hao couldn’t help but start laughing coldly.
This was indeed a chain of traps. First, the Ten Sword Streams severely injured the Hao Sword Group and kidnapped members from the Dan Ding Sect. This stripped Yang Hao of his dignity as a newly risen martial arts expert, causing the nobles to flee the Dan Ding Sword Sect. Then, they expanded wildly, luring all the promising nobles in the capital into their ranks. Finally, they delivered a decisive blow, making it impossible for the Dan Ding Sect’s operations to continue. With Yang Hao losing his source of income, he would naturally have no choice but to retreat shamefacedly to his own territory.
Ultimately, it all came down to one word—face.
The nobles of the empire valued face the most. If a person had face and status, naturally, others would fawn over and flatter them. Naturally, people would join the sword sect they ran. But if they lost face, they wouldn’t even be able to survive in this circle.
The key point Yang Hao and the Ten Sword Streams were competing for was control over the noble offspring. Controlling these people meant controlling the power of the Galactic Empire. And the first requirement to attract noble offspring was face. Previously, Yang Hao had repeatedly defeated the Ten Sword Streams, seizing divine swords, which completely humiliated them. Now, the opponent was using their own methods against them, taking back the noble resources, which was only natural.
After a brief discussion with Hun Yuanzi, master and apprentice devised a clever countermeasure.
Yang Hao said to Zhuge Jian, who was deeply worried and almost plucked all his fan feathers:
“Starting tomorrow, for the next month, all businesses under the Dan Ding Group will operate at half price.”
“Half price!” Zhuge Jian was startled. Although the profit margin on love potions was high, reducing it to a tenth wouldn’t result in a loss, but other businesses wouldn’t fare so well. This was clearly a move that would eat into the principal, “Boss, are you not thinking straight? We’ll suffer a lot of losses this way.”
“That’s the point. We need to lose, and lose big.”
Zhuge Jian was clever after all. He thought Yang Hao might be planning to hurt the opposing merchants with this strategy, but he was still a bit worried: “The merchants are already targeting us. If we do this, won’t they just go crazy? It won’t take two days before someone starts causing trouble.”
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” Yang Hao chuckled sinisterly, “You should immediately challenge those angry merchants and invite them to the most prosperous commercial plaza in the capital in three days. I’ll give them a proper response.”
Yang Hao turned to Xie Fengting, who had been staying at the Dan Ding Sect: “Do me a favor. Spread the word that in three days, there will be a century battle at the commercial plaza. Let those young nobles and aristocratic descendants come and watch.”
“What are you planning to do?” Xie Fengting was puzzled.
“They want to make a big deal, so I’ll make it even bigger.” Yang Hao took a deep breath, his eyes shooting out a cold and sharp light.
The most prosperous commercial city on Earth, the Nico Commercial Prefecture, was almost entirely composed of shopping malls. It was only more than 5,000 kilometers away from the capital and had a global instant transportation network, capable of accommodating tens of millions of people daily.
The center of the Nico Commercial Prefecture was a super plaza, with twelve of the most prosperous commercial streets radiating outwards, eventually converging here.
In the past six months, the price of shops in the Nico Commercial Prefecture had skyrocketed. In just a few months, it had already tripled. It was said that an outsider, the Dan Ding Group, had come here and aggressively bought up properties. This Dan Ding Group was particularly aggressive, especially its general manager, Zhuge Jian, who was simply a sly old fox. He managed to buy up all the shops on six entire streets through a mix of deception and trickery.
This was simply unacceptable.
Who didn’t know that there was a Nico Merchant Association in the Nico Commercial Prefecture, a direct branch of the Merchant Guild, which had ruled the city’s commercial order for decades. Anyone doing business here had to be approved by the Nico Merchant Association, or they would be driven out within three days.
But this Dan Ding Group was extremely arrogant. They relied on the support of the Dan Ding Sword Sect and brazenly bought and sold properties without going through the association, and in one night, they occupied almost all the business in every industry. The stable order in the Nico Commercial Prefecture, which had lasted for decades, was thus broken.
So anyone with insight knew that a war between the Dan Ding Group and the Nico Merchant Association was inevitable.
No one expected the war to come so quickly and intensely.
A week ago, the Nico Merchant Association sent nearly a thousand private armed forces to occupy the six commercial streets of the Dan Ding Group, not allowing anyone to enter. Although the Dan Ding Sword Sect sent people to reinforce, news soon came that their main base was attacked. Therefore, in Nico City, the Merchant Association reigned supreme, and the Dan Ding Group’s business almost couldn’t continue.
However, it was strange for those with insight to notice that although the Nico Merchant Association was the leader of the merchants here, they didn’t usually have so many skilled swordsmen. How could they suddenly have several powerful sword master groups overnight?
But regardless, the Nico Merchant Association still maintained this victorious posture for several days. Until three days ago, the Dan Ding Sword Sect suddenly launched a full-scale attack and recaptured three commercial streets.
The Dan Ding Group then issued an announcement that all its businesses would operate at half price for a month.
This time, everyone knew that the real battle had just begun, not ended.
But today was indeed strange. The large central plaza, which usually had at most ten thousand people even in the busiest season, now had hundreds of thousands of people gathered, with more pouring in from the periphery. It looked like there were at least a million people here.
Even more terrifying was that these million people all seemed to be high-ranking noble offspring. In the empire, nobles also had distinctions between collateral, branch, and direct lines. Some noble collateral members, even with a title, wouldn’t get good positions, so they were considered low-ranking nobles, not much better than commoners.
But some of the empire’s officials’ children, sword sect families’ sons, and military generals not only had noble titles but also had excellent prospects, possibly being dispatched to govern a star system at any time. These people with bright futures were naturally high-ranking nobles.
A million high-ranking noble offspring were almost all the elite on Earth. They came to Nico Prefecture, of course, not because of Yang Hao’s reputation, but because the Nico Merchant Association and the Ten Sword Streams had invited them.
Because today was the day Yang Hao had challenged them, and it was also the day the Ten Sword Streams planned to deliver the final blow to Yang Hao.
Teng Bowen was the chairman of the Nico Merchant Association, a merchant in his forties, in the prime of his life, and with the greatest ambition. He was now leading a sword master group of a thousand people, standing in the center of the central plaza.
“Are we ready?” Teng Bowen asked a middle-aged man beside him who wore a cross-shaped golden sword.
This middle-aged swordsman had a unique aura; anyone approaching him would naturally lower their heads, as if afraid to look him in the eye. Only Teng Bowen could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
The middle-aged swordsman was the leader of the Ten Sword Streams’ Divine Pardon Sword Group and also the older brother of the deputy leader of the Divine Pardon Group, who had been killed by Yang Hao using the “Thousand Mile Flow Kill” technique. His name was Haik, considered one of the younger generation’s experts in the Ten Sword Streams. According to Elder Tiance’s estimation, Haik would qualify to enter the Elders’ Council within a year.
Upon hearing Teng Bowen’s question, Haik’s face revealed a trace of disdain:
“Rest assured, once they come, they won’t be leaving. The Ten Sword Streams have deployed twelve sword master groups, with thousands of sword experts hiding in various places. Today, we will deliver a fatal blow to Yang Hao.”
“The key is to let the Dan Ding Group know that Nico Prefecture is not a place where they can act recklessly,” Teng Bowen frowned. This cooperation with the Ten Sword Streams to deal with the Dan Ding Group was unavoidable. Although everyone knew that the merchant groups and the Elders’ Council were two separate forces, like well water and river water that never mixed, in order to protect their own positions, they had no choice but to rely on others.
“Don’t worry. Yang Hao is as good as dead. How can his group survive after that?” Haik also had no good feelings towards these merchants, “You can just wait to take over their business.”
Teng Bowen finally felt somewhat relieved, but he reminded again, “Remember to have your people change their clothes. Don’t wear the Ten Sword Streams’ uniforms. If others find out that I hired you, my position as chairman might not be secure.”
Teng Bowen’s concerns were very reasonable. He was now inciting the merchant association members to oppose the Dan Ding Group. Once it was discovered that he had used the Elders’ Council’s power, the merchants would definitely oppose him. After all, there was a deep-seated enmity between the merchants and the Ten Sword Streams.
Haik smiled slightly and changed the subject, “I heard that your Merchant Guild recently added a secret council member?”
Speaking of this matter, Teng Bowen was indeed troubled. Three days ago, the Merchant Guild issued an official directive stating that from that day on, the nine council members would become ten, and the identity of the new council member was even kept secret.
You know, the identity of a Merchant Guild council member was no small matter. Not just the commercial system of a Nico Prefecture, but even the entire universe’s commercial system could be commanded at will. The position was so high that it was beyond reach.
Teng Bowen had always hoped to become the tenth council member, but his hopes were dashed.
“Our Guild’s matters have nothing to do with you,” Teng Bowen said expressionlessly. He looked around. The thousands of swordsmen brought by Haik were hidden among the crowd, completely invisible. The twenty thousand Nico Prefecture merchants he could incite had already arrived, forming a circle around him. Outside this circle were over a million high-ranking noble offspring. These were the elite backbone that the Ten Sword Streams recently wanted to recruit.
The sword stream wanted these people to witness Yang Hao’s downfall, so they gathered them all together.
Now everything was ready, except for Yang Hao, the eastern wind.
Yang Hao indeed arrived on time. From the three commercial streets controlled by the Dan Ding Sect, more than 500 people poured out. These were the remaining forces of the Dan Ding Group and the Dan Ding Sword Sect, the orphans Yang Hao had recruited on Laimeng Star.
Yang Hao’s people came out in full force. Long Yun, Maya, and Zhuge Jian each led a team to appear first, while Yang Hao dragged Xie Fengzhen behind, dawdling before finally coming out.
Xie Fengzhen originally had no intention of coming, but Yang Hao insisted on bringing him along to help boost morale, saying that every expert counted.
Seeing Yang Hao’s arrival, the central plaza instantly erupted with voices. Especially the tens of thousands of Nico Prefecture merchants, who already had a belly full of resentment towards the Dan Ding Group, were further incited by Teng Bowen. They rushed forward to scold Yang Hao, and some even started to get physical.
Yang Hao made a gesture. Over a hundred flying swords from the Hao Sword Group flew out simultaneously, a spectacular sight that frightened the merchants who didn’t know martial arts, causing them to retreat dozens of meters, leaving a large open space for Yang Hao.
Seeing his people retreat, Teng Bowen hurriedly glared at Haik.
Haik issued an order, and the swordsmen hidden among the merchant ranks stood up and faced off against the Hao Sword Group.
“I’m here,” Yang Hao leaped onto a high platform and said to the crowd with great momentum, “I heard some people here admire me so much that they insisted on worshipping me, so I came…”
“BS!”
“Go back where you came from!!”
“Damn commoner, how dare you come to our merchants’ old nest!”
The curses from below were endless, the vulgarities making the young girls in the Hao Sword Group frown.
But Yang Hao seemed not to hear at all. He was self-satisfied:
“Although I am indeed a bit handsome, and my love potion is indeed effective, you guys don’t need to be so passionate and worship me so much.”
Yang Hao’s words made Xie Fengmo roll his eyes. He thought this thick-skinned person was too self-obsessed.
Yang Hao’s self-obsession didn’t move the angry merchants below, almost triggering another wave of physical confrontation.
Fortunately, Teng Bowen feared the situation would get out of hand and wanted to end it early. He waved his hand and stepped forward, pointing at Yang Hao and said, “Are you that little brat from the outer regions?”
“Little brat?” Yang Hao was secretly amused. Since the beast arena battle, no one on Earth had dared to call him that. It seemed the merchant in front of him was completely ignorant of martial arts.
“I, as the chairman of the Nico Prefecture Merchant Association, order your Dan Ding Group to immediately withdraw from Nico Prefecture and crawl back to the outer regions,” Teng Bowen emphasized the word ‘crawl’, “Otherwise, we’ll make you crawl out one by one.”
The merchants erupted in cheers.
“By what authority?” Yang Hao asked.
“The Nico Prefecture Merchant Association,” Teng Bowen rebuked angrily, “I am the chairman of the Association. I order you to leave immediately.”
“Does this association even exist?” Yang Hao pretended to be ignorant and turned to ask Xie Fengzhen. Xie Fengzhen rolled his eyes again, looking at the clouds in the sky, which no one could see. He had been dragged here as a conscripted soldier and didn’t want to get involved in the merchants’ quarrels. Although Xie Fengzhen was part of the Merchant Guild, ordinary merchants didn’t recognize him.
Seeing Yang Hao belittle him, Teng Bowen was not angry but secretly pleased. This was exactly the kind of conflict he wanted today. If Yang Hao had obediently left, he wouldn’t have known how to handle it.
Teng Bowen waved his hand and incited the merchants: “This foreign brat dares to look down on our Merchant Association. He has broken the rules and monopolized the market. Can our Association just let him get away with it?”
“Kill him!”
“Beat him up!!”
“Kill him!!!”
The merchants below were indeed easy to incite, naturally with the help of the Ten Sword Streams’ hidden people. With over a hundred thousand people shouting to kill Yang Hao, the momentum was like a mountain collapsing, shaking the earth, making the Dan Ding Sword Sect members’ faces turn pale. Although these merchants didn’t have much martial power, if a hundred thousand of them rushed forward, they might crush the sword sect members to death.
Seeing his side’s momentum rising, Teng Bowen became even more pleased and threatened with a sinister smile: “Yang Hao, order your people to lay down their weapons and withdraw from the imperial commercial circle, otherwise, we will demolish all your properties and kill all your people.”
The plaza erupted in explosive cheers, as if Yang Hao had already become a beaten dog. Teng Bowen and Haik saw that with just a few words, they had completely humiliated Yang Hao, which was an unexpected bonus. Their goal today was to make the Dan Ding Sect have no place to stand in front of so many nobles.
“Do you want to kill all my people? On what basis?” Yang Hao’s expression didn’t change; he still smiled as he asked.
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