Chapter 51: Probing by the Three Great Families! Dividends

Not long after dawn, news of the events in the Hengduan Mountains quickly spread throughout Liuyang Town and its surrounding powers.

With beasts and birds capable of traveling thousands of miles a day, the transmission of information was incredibly swift.

The Jiang family had mobilized their entire clan to attack the Xingfeng Sect, only to find themselves annihilated by them instead.

This news left many surrounding factions in a state of shock.

One had to realize that the Jiang family was no minor clan.

They held vast territories, including four great mountains on the northern border of the State of Yue.

Many factions began dispatching personnel to scout for detailed information. Simultaneously, some factions sent people to attempt to establish ties with the Xingfeng Sect.

The ability to destroy the Jiang family proved that the strength of the Xingfeng Sect was now comparable to that of some major powers.

Furthermore, the name of the Xingfeng Sect Leader, Chen Feng, became known to many.

Rumors circulated that Chen Feng had already reached the Transformation Realm, which was how he had managed to wipe out the Jiang family.

In a place like the State of Yue, the strong are respected regardless of where they are.

The Yue Imperial Family does not interfere in the wars between various factions, and the Yue military only mobilizes when other nations invade.

The factions that rule the towns of Yue only need to pay a certain amount of tribute to the Imperial Family every year.

This resulted in a landscape where martial arts factions flourished independently throughout the State of Yue.

***

Inside Liuyang Town.

At the main gates of the Jiang residence, Liu Qian arrived leading a group of martial artists.

Liuyang Town had a population of about 500,000, making it a major town within the State of Yue.

The entire town was controlled by four great martial arts families, but at this moment, only three remained; the Jiang family had been exterminated.

No one attempted to block Liu Qian and the members of the Xingfeng Sect as they entered Liuyang Town.

It seemed the local families had already received the news.

Looking at the Jiang family's main estate, which spanned dozens of acres, Liu Qian felt a surge of emotion.

He had been born in Liuyang Town; back then, he was merely a scholar.

In the past, the Jiang family had been an existence beyond his reach.

It wasn't until he joined the Black Wind Fortress that his status slowly began to rise.

Even so, the Black Wind Fortress at that time was nothing compared to the Jiang family, and he still had to act with utmost respect whenever he encountered them.

But now, the Jiang family was gone, and it was he, Liu Qian, who had brought men to seize their assets.

A sense of achievement rose within him.

He knew that all of this was brought to him by Chen Feng; without Chen Feng, there would be no Liu Qian today.

Liu Qian spoke to the Xingfeng Sect martial artists beside him

"Go in and search. Load all wealth and property onto the carriages. If you find anyone resisting, leave no one alive—kill them all."

The Xingfeng Sect martial artists immediately took their orders and headed toward the Jiang main estate.

This time, Liu Qian had brought one hundred martial artists and six members of the Xingfeng Sect's inner circle.

These six were armed with submachine guns; even against a Xiantian expert, they possessed the strength to fight.

Wang Hu had not come along; he was cleaning up the aftermath in the Hengduan Mountains. It was impossible to kill all thousand members of the Jiang family, and many had chosen to surrender.

Liu Qian did not enter the Jiang residence but waited at the entrance.

His primary purpose for coming was to transport the Jiang family's wealth and treasures away, and then proceed to take over their other territories.

At that moment, a group of people approached from a distant street.

There were about a dozen of them, all martial artists dressed in tight-fitting combat attire. Leading them was an elderly man at the early stage of the Xiantian Realm.

The six men beside Liu Qian immediately raised their submachine guns, aiming them at the newcomers.

In addition to the submachine guns, these six were wearing bulletproof vests and had several grenades hanging from their persons.

Combined with their ancient clothing, the appearance was somewhat bizarre.

"May I ask if you are the person in charge of the Xingfeng Sect? I am Mo Yuandao of the Mo family," the leading elder asked politely.

Liu Qian stepped forward. "Liu Qian, Manager of the Xingfeng Sect."

Liu Qian's reply was flat. Had he been the strategist of the Black Wind Fortress before, he would never have dared to speak to a member of a Liuyang Town martial family in such a manner.

But now, his identity and status were entirely different.

Furthermore, he now represented the Xingfeng Sect; naturally, he could not allow the sect to lose face.

"So it is Manager Liu. We heard your sect annihilated the Jiang family, and our Family Head specifically sent me to offer congratulations. I wonder if Sect Leader Chen is available?"

Mo Yuandao did not look down on Liu Qian for being a mortal; a smile remained on his face.

Liu Qian replied, "The Sect Leader is in seclusion. If the Mo family has business, you may speak to me, and I will relay it to him."

Mo Yuandao asked with a serious expression

"Actually, I have come on behalf of the three great families of Liuyang Town to ask: does your sect intend to establish a presence here in Liuyang Town?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Qian immediately understood that the other party was here to test him.

Although Liuyang Town was merely a town, its population was 500,000. Every year, even those living in the town had to pay money to the local families just to reside there.

In return, these families maintained the security of Liuyang Town.

This was a form of indirect exploitation. If the Xingfeng Sect moved in, their power and profits would be divided.

Liu Qian could not make such a decision, so he said immediately

"I need to report this matter to the Sect Leader. If he has an answer, I will send someone to notify you."

Mo Yuandao nodded and said

"Very well! Then we shall await Sect Leader Chen's news. By the way, please convey a message to Sect Leader Chen: if he chooses not to settle in Liuyang Town, our three families are willing to provide him an annual dividend of five hundred thousand taels of silver."

"Furthermore, the annual tribute to the Imperial Family will not need to be paid by the Xingfeng Sect; our three families will cover it."

Rather than yielding a share of the profits, the three great families were even more reluctant to let the Xingfeng Sect enter Liuyang Town.

If the Xingfeng Sect could destroy the Jiang family, they could destroy their other families as well. That was why he had been sent to probe the situation.

Once the Xingfeng Sect settled in Liuyang Town, it would be as if a tiger were sleeping beside them.

This was something the three families did not want to see.

"I will convey the intentions of your three families to the Sect Leader."

"Then I shall not disturb you further. Farewell." With that, Mo Yuandao led his men away.

Watching Mo Yuandao's retreating figure, Liu Qian said

"Send some men to keep an eye on these families."

Although the Xingfeng Sect's destruction of the Jiang family was enough to intimidate many, no one knew if the three families would conspire to pull small tricks behind their backs. They had to remain vigilant.

A martial artist beside Liu Qian nodded immediately and quickly departed with several others.

On the other side, Mo Yuandao was walking through the streets of Liuyang Town with his group.

One of his martial artists whispered

"Elder, the strongest of those Xingfeng Sect warriors was only at the sixth level of the Houtian Realm, and that Liu Qian is merely a mortal. Why bother being so polite to them?"

The martial artist was quite disdainful. He was at the ninth level of the Houtian Realm, and his elder was Xiantian. Liu Qian's attitude had displeased him.

Mo Yuandao looked coldly at the martial artist.

"The Xingfeng Sect is not as simple as it appears on the surface. Although the rumors that Chen Feng is a Transformation Realm expert might be somewhat exaggerated, those few people beside Liu Qian are certainly not simple."

Hearing this, the martial artist remembered that the people beside Liu Qian were carrying strange weapons.

Although their martial cultivation was not high, the gaze of every single one of them was piercing.

Mo Yuandao said with a grave expression, "I do not know what they are holding in their hands, but my intuition tells me those things are very dangerous."

"The fact that the Xingfeng Sect could destroy the Jiang family means they are definitely not as simple as they look. This matter requires further investigation. In the future, do not judge others solely by their martial cultivation, or you will bring great disaster upon our family!"

The martial artist did not dare to speak again, nodding repeatedly to show his understanding.

(End of Chapter)