67: Lu Family Follow-up

"Please, I beg you, let me go! I really can't do it!"

He didn't want to sacrifice himself for others.

He genuinely couldn't win.

"Be honest." Xiao Qingyuan backhanded him, "When did you learn to do a dolphin scream?"

"What you should be thinking about is, who to kill, why, and who exactly embezzled my reward and your military funds!"

"Is there any justice left when they even embezzle money meant for buying rice?"

At this, he slammed his thigh in excitement: "I don't care what the Zhenwu Guard's rules are, or what the Wei Kingdom's rules are. Anyone who dares to embezzle my money, no matter who they are, must die!"

He was currently stacked with buffs, spirit bone and Spirit Eye.

Qi Training Completion and Body Refining ninth-layer cultivation.

Honestly, except for the abnormal Qi Refinement twelfth-layer Cultivator,

in this area of Yang Valley, he was confident he could single-handedly suppress all dissent.

Not to mention the Five Elements Escape Technique, which could kill people without consequence.

Foundation Establishment Celestials would only arrive after the autumn harvest this year.

If he didn't seize this opportunity to make a fortune,

and accelerate his rise,

would he have to be a subservient junior when the Foundation Establishment Celestials arrived?

"Impossible!" Yang Zhantang shook his head like a rattle-drum, "You're thinking too simply!"

"Even if you have enough strength, you won't be able to break through the layers of Restrictions.

Even if you can silently break through the Restrictions,

you can't kill my superior.

My superior's surname is Wei!"

"Surname Wei?" Xiao Qingyuan was stunned, asking in confusion, "So what?"

Yang Zhantang almost spat out a mouthful of old blood: "Brother, you can't possibly not even know the Wei Kingdom's imperial family's surname, can you?"

Xiao Qingyuan fell silent at this.

He had always thought the Wei Kingdom's imperial family's surname was Cao.

How embarrassing, wasn't it?

"The Wei Emperor's biological son?"

Xiao Qingyuan asked in a low voice, "Has he achieved Foundation Establishment?"

Yang Zhantang stammered: "Not Foundation Establishment, no, he just has imperial ancestors, a collateral branch."

Xiao Qingyuan rolled his eyes dramatically: "A collateral branch? What are you so afraid of, you egg? A collateral branch from who knows how many generations ago, and you're scared like this? Don't you have any ambition?"

Yang Zhantang's eyes widened like springs.

What did he mean by 'no ambition'?

Did he mean he had to kill one or two members of the imperial family to be ambitious?

Was that how ambition was defined?

It was only now that he finally realized how little reverence this person in front of him had for imperial power.

Only now did he know what it meant to fear nothing.

Perhaps he was disgracing the Yang Family a little... "No way!" Yang Zhantang shook his head even more vigorously: "Brother, you're too reckless. To be honest, the person who took your money... bah! The one who embezzled the military funds was a higher-up. The waters run deep.

And as the saying goes, if you don't take it, and I don't take it, how will the people above take it?

Everyone involved has a share!"

Xiao Qingyuan sneered inwardly at this.

He said in a hushed tone, "Oh, in that case, then all of the Yang Valley Prefecture Garrison can be killed. I should even thank you for giving me a good reason!

Now there's no need to hesitate.

Just kill them all. You, the sole survivor, will even thank me for ascending to power!"

Yang Zhantang was dumbfounded. Good heavens.

He had become the one who sold out his teammates?

How could he say such things with such a relaxed tone?

Knowing that Xiao Qingyuan was determined to make him offer a pledge of allegiance,

he fell silent for a moment, then finally proposed a compromise: "I understand."

"In that case, I do know a place we could try, but... do you really dare to go?"

Xiao Qingyuan smiled slightly at this.

"Don't dare to go? Hehe, today I'll show you whether I dare or not!"

With that, he grabbed Yang Zhantang's shoulder, and the two figures instantly vanished.

Only a faint ripple was left in the air,

proving that someone had been there just moments ago... An hour later.

One hundred meters underground in Qingshan Market.

Yang Zhantang stared blankly as Xiao Qingyuan effortlessly led him through layers of Restrictions,

heading straight towards the Garrison.

Their speed was extremely fast.

And completely silent.

"This Escape Technique..." He was horrified, cold sweat pouring down: "This, this, this... was the matter with Young Master Lu Liang also your doing?"

"Hm?" Hearing the sensitive words, Xiao Qingyuan's figure suddenly paused: "How do you know about that, kid?"

Xiao Qingyuan was very certain.

He had acted swiftly and decisively; Lu Liang had no reaction whatsoever and was reduced to an idiot.

It was absolutely impossible for him to know the specific method he used.

But how did Yang Zhantang know?

Could the Five Elements Escape Technique leave some kind of trace that could be discovered?

"I guessed, I guessed!" Seeing his face darken, Yang Zhantang spoke rapidly, spilling everything like beans from a bamboo tube:

"Some time ago, the matter of Young Master Lu Liang dying in his cultivation chamber caused a huge stir.

His body was only discovered much later.

The Mo Clan, who had entered Yanggu County earlier, became the Lu Family's biggest suspect.

However, just as the Lu Family was enraged, and even the Lu Family's Foundation Establishment Immortal was preparing to personally take action,

the Mo Clan's Patriarch, Mo Wendao, actually voluntarily surrendered to the Thousand Household Office.

And voluntarily confessed all the details."

At this point, he gave an awkward smile: "Although I'm just a commoner, I'm still a Yang Family member.

That's how I know many inside stories, but it's only now that I've made a guess.

To be honest, at first, I also thought the Mo Family was talking nonsense.

How could someone injure another person without damaging the Restrictions of Ten Thousand Treasures Tower's private room?

Hehehe, until I saw your move..."

"Mo Wendao?" Xiao Qingyuan understood at this, his eyes narrowing slightly: "What is Mo Dengxian to him?"

Yang Zhantang pursed his lips. Since Xiao Qingyuan hadn't refuted it, it meant the matter was true.

His heart trembled, and he quickly spoke: "He is Mo Wendao's father, the previous patriarch of the Mo Clan.

That dog Ku He saw their good cultivation and wanted to use them.

That's why he secretly accepted Mo Wendao.

However, before these two arrived, they had already taken the entire Mo Clan into the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range to become Loose Cultivators.

At best, they are just unofficial personnel.

They are definitely not in the market right now."

"Loose Cultivators?" Xiao Qingyuan sneered: "I think they're intercepting Cultivators, aren't they?"

Yang Zhantang gave an awkward laugh, tacitly agreeing.

This year, the Yang Valley region was like a Spring Festival Gala stage.

One performed, then another took the stage.

The main theme was liveliness.

The three old, first-rate Immortal Clans were doing something unknown, frantically intercepting Cultivators entering the mountains.

Now the news had already spread,

causing widespread panic.

Xiao Qingyuan also learned more inside information from Yang Zhantang.

It turned out that the Mo Family had also gotten involved.

And behind them was the shadow of the Zhenwu Guard.

He sneered inwardly, fortunate that his Xiao Clan Immortal Family hadn't entered the mountain range these past six months.

Otherwise, he didn't know how many people they would have inexplicably lost.

Thinking of this, he turned to look at Yang Zhantang again.

This kid didn't become a Hundred-Household solely relying on his family.

In the Zhenwu Guard, the Qi Refinement Stage only had the ranks of Junior Flag Officer, Hundred-Household, and above that, Captain.

A Captain required Qi Refinement tenth-layer cultivation to serve.

Above that was the Garrison Commander, which only Foundation Establishment Cultivators could hold.

Cultivation was one aspect, but merits also had to meet the standard.

And their goal today was to take over the only Cultivation market in the Yang Valley area, the newly established Qingshan Garrison.

It was also Ku He's territory, who had taken the biggest share in the embezzlement of military funds.

Xiao Qingyuan's goal was to punch him.

Then, without anyone knowing, drag him to the outskirts and have Yang Zhantang stab him with a sword.

That would be the end of it.

However, when Xiao Qingyuan and Yang Zhantang arrived at the market's core, after having already infiltrated the Garrison's perimeter, they discovered that

the place was completely empty.

Only the comings and goings of pedestrians on the streets proved that business in the market was still as usual.

"That's not right!" Yang Zhantang was equally stunned at the sight: "Where are the people? Why is there no one here?"