Crack!
A crisp, ear-piercing sound of bone breaking suddenly rang out in the deathly silent space before the manor gates.
Jiang Feng had just uttered a single word before his voice abruptly cut off.
His eyes bulged, nearly popping out of their sockets, filled with shock and disbelief.
Chu Tianyuan’s hand… rough with thick calluses, like the bark of an ancient tree, was tightly gripping his throat.
That hand looked aged, yet it carried a force as immovable as a mountain. With effortless ease, it crushed Jiang Feng’s throat.
Bang!
With a flick of his arm, Chu Tianyuan casually tossed Jiang Feng’s corpse to the ground. The still-warm body bounced once before going completely still.
For a moment, the air itself seemed frozen.
The members of the Royal City Division all turned pale, their hands trembling on their sword hilts, yet not a single one dared to step forward.
Zhao Quan and the others were struck dumb, standing there as if hit by lightning, their mouths wide enough to fit an egg.
“Take his body… and get lost.”
Chu Tianyuan’s icy gaze swept over the Royal City Division members. His voice was not loud, yet it carried the killing intent of a battlefield soaked in iron and blood. “If you dare come here again to make noise, I won’t mind purging the entire Royal City Division from this capital.”
The moment those words fell, their hearts trembled violently. Not daring to say another word, several of them hurriedly lifted Jiang Feng’s limp corpse and fled in panic, disappearing around the corner.
Only then did Chu Tianyuan turn his gaze to Zhao Quan and the others, his eyes as cold as winter frost. “Why are you still here? Do you want the Northern Suppression King’s Manor to prepare coffins for you as well?”
Before the four could respond, the surrounding citizens had already erupted.
“You raised sons like that and still dare come here to mourn? What a joke!”
“Exactly! If their sons are like that, what kind of people are the fathers? They should all be investigated together!”
“Beat these shameless old fools to death!”
Someone shouted first, and in the next moment, rotten vegetables, spoiled eggs, and even worn-out shoes rained down on Zhao Quan and the others.
The four powerful officials, who were usually untouchable, were now covered in filth, utterly miserable. Their servants scrambled to shield them with their sleeves, but they could not block the fury of the crowd.
“Go! Hurry, go!”
Zhao Quan screamed, abandoning all dignity. He and his people hastily lifted the four empty coffins and fled in disgrace under a storm of curses and thrown objects.
Just like that, the farce came to an end.
Chu Tianyuan glanced at Chu Feng beside him and said, “You brat, you’ve improved. You even prepared a move like that.”
“Of course. Look whose grandson I am,” Chu Feng grinned, seizing the chance to flatter him.
He had already planned everything beforehand. As the former lackey of those four, he knew all their dirty deeds clearly. Revealing just a few was enough to destroy them.
“Enough nonsense.” Chu Tianyuan snorted, though his gaze sharpened. “Tell me, why did you insist on killing them?”
“They deserved it.” Chu Feng shrugged, unwilling to elaborate further. Then his expression instantly changed to a flattering smile. “Anyway, grandfather, now that this matter is settled, you don’t need to worry about it anymore.” You are reading on NovelPing, the official source.
“Oh, right, your grandson has been wanting to buy some things recently, but I’m a bit short on money. So I was thinking…”
“How much?” Chu Tianyuan didn’t even raise his eyelids.
“Not much, not much.” Chu Feng casually held up a few fingers and said, “Just give me a few tens of millions taels.”
“What?!”
Chu Tianyuan’s eyes widened instantly, as if he had heard the most absurd joke in the world. He glared and scolded, “You brat, do you think our family runs a bank? Tens of millions? Even if I sold you, it wouldn’t be worth that much! No!”
With that, he snorted angrily and turned back into the manor.
Chu Feng was left speechless, so he turned his pleading gaze toward Uncle Fu.
Uncle Fu smiled bitterly and lowered his voice. “Heir, the Patriarch has always been frugal, and… the manor really can’t produce that much silver at once anymore.”
“Then how much can we take out?” Chu Feng asked unwillingly.
Uncle Fu silently raised one finger.
Chu Feng’s eyes lit up. “10 million? That’ll do. It’s something at least.”
Uncle Fu’s expression grew even more bitter as he shook his head. “Heir, not 10 million… it’s 1 million.”
“What?!”
Chu Feng’s eyes widened. “Only 1 million? Uncle Fu, don’t joke with me. I have a weak heart! Our dignified Northern Suppression King’s Manor is this poor?”
Sigh…
Uncle Fu let out a heavy sigh. “Heir, you may not know. In the recent war at the northern border, the Northern Suppression Army suffered heavy casualties. The Patriarch took most of the manor’s savings and distributed them as compensation to the families of the fallen and injured soldiers. So now… there’s really not much left.”
The smile on Chu Feng’s face froze.
He fell silent for a few seconds, something in his heart stirring faintly.
“Alright, forget it.” He waved his hand. “I’ll think of another way.”
Looks like I need to find a way to make money.
Not only for cultivation resources, but more importantly… there’s an Auction at the Misty Rain Pavilion tonight. If something appears that can restore Grandfather’s vitality, he absolutely cannot miss it just because of money.
Meanwhile, in the teahouse not far away…
Bang!
The young man crushed the teacup in his hand. Scalding tea and porcelain shards splashed across his hand, yet he seemed not to feel it. His face was so dark it looked like water could drip from it. “Damn it! That waste actually had a move like that!”
“Your Highness,” the refined man beside him frowned slightly and said in a low voice, “I have a feeling… this boy is no longer the same as before.”
“Today’s events, from stirring public opinion to presenting evidence, were perfectly linked, flawless. This is not something that former wastrel could have done.”
“Not the same? What, did he become a different person?” the young man snorted, attributing everything elsewhere. “It must be that old fox Chu Tianyuan who prepared everything in advance and helped that bastard escape again!”
“Your Highness, there’s no need to rush…”
“No!” The young man cut him off sharply. “Nihuang will return to the capital soon! That waste must die! Contact Luo Qing immediately. Within three days, I want to hear news of his death!”
“Yes!” The refined man’s heart trembled as he bowed and accepted the order.
At the same time, on the main road from the Great Qian Empire’s border to the capital.
A cavalry of several hundred riders galloped at full speed, kicking up clouds of dust.
At the front rode a young woman in crimson light armor, her posture straight as a pine, her aura sharp and commanding. She was none other than the number one female war god of the Great Qian Empire, Xiao Nihuang, who was returning to the capital.
“Halt!”
Suddenly, Xiao Nihuang pulled on the reins. Her warhorse neighed loudly and reared up.
“General, what’s wrong?” a female guard in green beside her asked alertly.
“There’s an ambush.” Xiao Nihuang’s eyes narrowed slightly as she spoke calmly, her gaze sweeping the silent forest on both sides like a hunting hawk.
At her words, the several hundred battle-hardened soldiers behind her instantly became solemn. Without a trace of panic, they moved in perfect unison, drawing their blades. The edges gleamed coldly under the sunlight.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Almost at the same moment, dense sounds of air being torn apart echoed from the forest.
Hundreds of black-clad figures surged out like ghosts, instantly surrounding the entire group. Killing intent filled the air.
“Bold! Who are you to dare ambush General Xiao?!” the female guard shouted sternly.
A low, hoarse voice came from behind the black-clad figures. “General Xiao, someone wants your life. You won’t be returning to the capital.”
As the voice fell, a middle-aged man in a gray robe stepped forward with a sword in hand.
His eyes gleamed sharply as a terrifying aura burst from his body, pressing down like a mountain.
Peak Innate Realm!
The expressions of the female guard and the soldiers changed drastically.
At the same time, the hundreds of assassins all released their auras. Every single one of them was above the level of a 4th Grade Martial Artist, with dozens even at the 9th Grade.
This overwhelming force caused the guard and the soldiers’ faces to darken. Clearly, they hadn’t expected such a powerful lineup for this ambush.
Yet Xiao Nihuang, standing at the center of the encirclement, remained calm as still water.
“Trying to kill me?” she said slowly. “With just you?”
“I’ve long heard of the Great Qian Empire’s number one female war god. Today, I shall have a taste of it myself!”
The gray-robed man drew his sword. The blade hummed as terrifying true energy surged, sweeping up fallen leaves from the ground.
“Have a taste?” Xiao Nihuang’s lips curved into a cold smile. “Then I’ll grant your wish.”
Before her words even settled, her clear eyes suddenly turned blood-red.
A terrifying killing aura, as if from the depths of hell, erupted from her, sweeping in all directions.
Everyone present, friend or foe, felt as though they had been dragged into a battlefield of corpses and blood. Endless fear gripped their hearts.
Whoosh!
The gray-robed man’s pupils shrank violently. Looking at Xiao Nihuang, who now seemed like a completely different person, he exclaimed in shock, “You…”