190: Chapter 190 Killing the Chicken to Warn the Monkey

At dawn the next day, as the gates of the Jia Ma Holy City opened, merchants and mercenaries rushing to the morning market were greeted by a row of corpses hanging from the city walls. There were thirty-seven in total, from Minister of Revenue Zhao Jingtang down to the youngest male descendant of the Zhao family—not one was missing. There were no superfluous marks on the bodies; it was clean and efficient, as if they had all had their throats slit by an extremely sharp blade at the same moment, and then hung from the city wall simultaneously. As the morning breeze blew, the bodies swayed gently, their robes fluttering in unison—a scene that was both eerie and hair-raising. The city gate was soon crowded with people, a sea of heads, yet no one dared to speak loudly. Some recognized the purple official robes of Minister of Revenue Zhao Jingtang and gasped; others whispered as they counted the corpses, their fingers trembling when they reached thirty-seven. The Zhao family had been rooted in the Imperial Capital for decades, their proteges and subordinates spread throughout the court, wielding immense power. Yet overnight, the entire family had been wiped out.

The news spread through the entire Imperial Capital as if it had grown wings. From the city gates to the markets, and from the markets to the court, everyone who heard the news wore the same expression—shock, followed by fear, and then silence. No one asked who had done it, because the answer was already obvious. Yesterday, Minister of Revenue Zhao had led hundreds of armored soldiers to break into the auction house and seize a young girl in red. A few hours later, the girl appeared safe and sound at an inn in the city, while the entire Zhao family was hung from the city walls. More importantly, some had personally witnessed Hall Master Hun Yu of the Hall of Souls branch leading a team to surround the Shangshu Mansion last night. That Dou Sheng powerhouse, who was like a deity in the Imperial Capital, had stood at the entrance of the Shangshu Mansion for a full half-hour, only turning to leave after the last scream from within the mansion had completely faded. Word soon spread through the streets that the girl in red had the surname "Hun" and was the eldest daughter of the main Hun Clan family. People began to piece together the scattered details: Zhao Huan had publicly harassed the eldest daughter of Emperor Shitian at a teahouse and was slain with a single sword strike; Minister of Revenue Zhao Jingtang had led troops to force his way into the auction house, thrown this young lady into the dungeon of the Shangshu Mansion, and even shackled her hands and feet with black iron chains. Thirty-seven lives—not one more, not one less—were exactly enough to repay this debt.

At noon, a royal carriage stopped in front of the Hall of Souls branch. The curtain was lifted, and a young woman dressed in court attire stepped out gracefully. Her face was exquisite and dignified, her brows carrying a touch of the unique nobility and composure of the royal family. Yao Ye, the eldest princess of the Jia Ma Empire and the current de facto ruler of the royal family. She was dressed in a simple, elegant light cyan court gown today, with only a white jade hairpin in her hair. She brought no attendants and displayed no pomp, stepping into the doors of the Hall of Souls alone. Hall Master Hun Yu received her in the main hall, maintaining her usual calm and composed demeanor, holding a teacup without even raising her eyelids.

Yao Ye did not beat around the bush; she bowed deeply to Hall Master Hun Yu, her words earnest: "Hall Master Hun, I have come today to represent the Jiama Royal Family and offer an apology to the young lady. The father and son of the Zhao family offended the young lady and deserve death. Although this matter was the doing of the Zhao family, it happened in the Imperial Capital, and the royal family bears the responsibility for failing to supervise them. I have already petitioned His Majesty to strip all members of the Zhao family of their official positions, and all their proteges and subordinates in the court will be dismissed, never to be employed again." After saying this, she took a gift list from her sleeve and presented it with both hands: "This is a small token of the royal family's sincerity. Please, Hall Master, pass it on to the young lady. The Jiama Royal Family is willing to provide every convenience for the young lady's trip."

Hall Master Hun Yu set down her teacup and took the gift list, her gaze sweeping over it—ten-thousand-year blood jade, gold scale armor, a high-tier Earth class cultivation technique, and a top-spec passage token of the Jiama Royal Family, which allowed unrestricted travel in any city of the Jia Ma Empire. She tucked the gift list into her sleeve and looked up at Yao Ye, her tone indifferent but with a hint of a smile: "Princess, you are thoughtful. However, I must also remind you—the young lady only came to the Jia Ma Empire to relax and will be leaving in a few days. The royal family need not be too nervous, nor do you need to deliberately avoid us; just carry on as usual. However, if there are any more people like Zhao Huan in the city in the future, I would not mind cleaning house for the young lady once more." A thin layer of cold sweat had seeped out on Yao Ye's back, but she maintained her dignified and composed smile, bowed again, and took her leave.

Hall Master Hun Yu watched the royal carriage disappear at the end of the long street, then turned and returned to her study. She casually placed the gift list sent by Yao Ye on the desk, picked up the communication jade slip, and injected a soul imprint into it. A moment later, the lazy voice of Hun Feng came from the other side: "Speak." Hall Master Hun Yu reported the events one by one: the thirty-seven members of the Zhao family being hung from the city walls, the Eldest Princess Yao Ye personally coming to apologize, and the royal family's declaration to strip all members of the Zhao family of their official positions. There was a silence for several seconds on the other end of the jade slip, and Hun Feng's tone was as indifferent as if he were listening to an unrelated trifle: "If they are killed, then they are killed. Xiao Xiao wasn't hurt, was she?"

"The young lady is completely unharmed."

"That's fine." There was a touch of natural indulgence in Hun Feng's tone. "As long as she is happy. Handle the matters in the Jia Ma Empire as you see fit; you don't need to report everything to me."

Hall Master Hun Yu put away the jade slip and leaned back in her chair, a very faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. As expected of the Young Master; thirty-seven lives sounded like killing thirty-seven chickens to him. But thinking about it—this gentleman had annihilated the Medicine Clan, pacified the Ancient Dragon, and subdued the Heaven Phoenix back in the day; which of those events wasn't a major affair that flowed with blood? A mere Shangshu Mansion wasn't even heavy enough to serve as a punching bag for his daughter.

A few days later, outside the North Gate of the Jia Ma Holy City, Hun Muxiao was still wearing that fiery red immortal dress, the blood abyss sword slung across her back, her jet-black hair tied high in a ponytail, with seven ribbons in her hair swaying gently in the morning breeze. Hall Master Hun Yu personally saw her off to the city gate and presented a heavy storage ring with both hands: "Young Lady, the items from the auction house are all inside, as is the gift list sent by the royal family. Additionally, this subordinate took the liberty of adding some travel expenses and a change of clothes to the storage ring."

Hun Muxiao took the storage ring and gave her a bright smile: "I have troubled you these past few days, Hall Master Hun Yu. Among the items from the auction house, there is a Rank 7 Marrow Cleansing Pill and a Cold Jade Lingzhi. Please have someone send them to the Lu family in Yan City, to City Lord Lu Yuanshan. Just say—it is a small token of gratitude from Mu Xiao." Hall Master Hun Yu agreed.

Hun Muxiao turned her head and took one last look at this bustling Imperial Capital. The thirty-seven corpses on the city walls had long since been taken down, but when the commoners passed by the city gate, they would still subconsciously look up at that empty section of the wall, as if the swaying corpses were still hanging there. She withdrew her gaze, waved at Hall Master Hun Yu, turned, and stepped onto the official road leading north. With one step, she was already dozens of feet away.

Hall Master Hun Yu stood at the city gate, watching the fiery red figure gradually fade into the distance. She suddenly remembered many years ago, when she had just been sent to the Jia Ma Empire to serve as the branch hall master, she had once seen Hun Muxiao from afar in the Soul Realm. At that time, the little girl was only seven or eight years old, wearing two small braids, riding on Hun Feng's shoulders to pick ghost bell orchids. Now, she was already a young woman capable of handling things on her own. She turned and walked toward the branch hall. After taking a few steps, she looked down at a bluestone slab by her feet, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly. The trial in the Jia Ma Empire had only just begun; she wondered who the next unlucky person would be.

PS: Friends, because I have been organizing information about the Great Thousand World these past two days, I wrote a bit more about Xiao Xiao! Please don't mind.