Chapter 2242 Raw 2349 : Kingly Speech, Wily Speech
“Second Brother! Third Brother!” the gray-robed old man cried out in grief and pain as he knelt on the ground. What could be more sorrowful than seeing one’s brothers die before one’s eyes?
Xiao Chen’s expression remained calm as he turned to look at Wu Meng. Then, he looked at the two sabers stabbed into Wu Meng’s chest.
Although Wu Meng remained standing, he had already stopped breathing, unable to speak.
Xiao Chen reached out and removed Wu Meng’s mask. Blood flowed out of every orifice on Wu Meng’s face, presenting a shocking sight.
Wu Meng’s eyes glared in anger as blood leaked out from them.
The blood coming from his lips, ears, and nostrils had not dried yet, making him look malevolent and terrifying.
Xiao Chen placed his hand on Wu Meng to check Wu Meng’s injuries. Then, he entered deep thought for a while.
The two sabers in Wu Meng’s chest were not fatal. What was fatal was that Wu Meng completely drained himself in battle, exhausting his Soul Energy, Qi, and blood.
Although Wu Meng had not died, he was on his last breath. Xiao Chen had arrived late.
Without the gray-robed old man having to do anything, Wu Meng would die. Not killed by others but fighting to the death from overexertion.
When Xiao Chen looked at Wu Meng’s injuries, he realized that Wu Meng could have avoided all this.
As long as Wu Meng activated his Alloy Battle Armor, he could have escaped, given his strength.
However, Wu Meng did not want to expose his ident.i.ty, so he chose to fight to the death.
“Whoos.h.!.+ Whoos.h.!.+ Whoos.h.!.+”
A few more figures arrived at the courtyard. They were Nangong Feng and the others, who had rushed over.
Upon seeing that Wu Meng had not returned even when the sky was bright, Xiao Chen had decisively searched for Wu Meng. The others were slower and had only just arrived.
“Big Brother Wu!”
Nangong Feng and the others immediately revealed pained expressions at Wu Meng’s state.
Only Mo Chen calmly checked Wu Meng’s injuries.
“I have already sealed his Divine Seal to prevent his soul from scattering. He won’t die, so don’t be too upset. Mo Chen, take care of him. I’ll leave for a while and return soon,” Xiao Chen said softly before turning to the gray-robed old man.
A sinister look flashed in the gray-robed old man’s eyes. However, he did not let hatred overwhelm his rationality. He glowered at Xiao Chen and quickly retreated.
How unfortunate…
Leaving such a person alive will leave a potential disaster. However, he took the initiative to withdraw, so there is no reason to kill him now.
Xiao Chen looked around and saw the hole in the wall of the main pavilion.
The ten a.s.sociation Chiefs and Su Ye looked at him with strange expressions.
“Whoos.h.!.+”
Xiao Chen spread his arms and soared into the air, followed by dragon images.
Clearly, Xiao Chen was a human, but he gave the impression of ten thousand dragons soaring, feeling unblockable.
“Clop! Clop! Clop!”
Urgent but fl.u.s.tered footsteps rang out as the ten a.s.sociation Chiefs retreated a few steps simultaneously.
Their Sovereign Emperor guards moved forward, s.h.i.+elding them as they looked at Xiao Chen warily.
As the adage went, there is safety in numbers. Just considering the 3-Vein Sovereign Emperors alone, there were already several of them in this main pavilion.
However, even gathered together to deal with Xiao Chen, they felt unnerving pressure and did not dare to underestimate him.
The reason went without saying.
There was the royal Azure Dragon bloodline, the 3-Vein Sovereign Emperor Soul Energy from the Demonic Sovereign’s divine flame, the Ten Thousand Dragons Art, which had pa.s.sed down for countless epochs, and Xiao Chen’s stubborn and pure heart of innocence.
How could this group of people face all these?
Even a 4-Vein Sovereign Emperor would receive mountain-like pressure and feel cautious at all times if Xiao Chen did not intentionally withdraw his aura.
“Who are you?! Why did you barge into this old man’s private residence and kill my guards?” The Bountiful Treasure Pavilion’s Liu Zhang questioned Xiao Chen with a shout. As he hid behind his many guards, he glowered at Xiao Chen.
Right after Liu Zhang spoke, Su Yu bowed slightly and said, “Greetings, Envoy Inspector.”
The Misty Rain Twin Demons, who were at the side, also bowed and greeted Xiao Chen respectfully.
“What?!”
A huge commotion broke out among the ten a.s.sociation Chiefs. They showed strange and interesting expressions.
Xiao Chen had arrived at the Misty Rain Pavilion only last night. More accurately, only about twelve to fourteen hours ago.
Although the a.s.sociation Chiefs knew that the new envoy inspector was young, they did not have a portrait of him. In their hearts, they felt that the new envoy inspector was just a child who posed no threat.
Thus, they did not relate the new envoy inspector with the person they saw.
When the a.s.sociation Chiefs heard Su Ye’s words, they felt shocked.
They were shocked that the person who killed the Thunderbolt Twin Sabers was the new envoy inspector. More shockingly, the envoy inspector was very different from the rumored inexperienced child.
“Greetings, Envoy Inspector.”
No matter what, Xiao Chen held the Heavenly Alliance’s certificate of appointment, making him their superior. Even if they did not want to submit, they still did not dare to show blatant disrespect.
“You may dispense with formalities,” Xiao Chen said indifferently. Then, he walked over. The various a.s.sociation Chiefs parted to open a path for him.
Without saying anything, he directly sat in the host’s seat.
“Have a seat. There’s no need to stand,” Xiao Chen said calmly.
The Nine Cauldron Merchant a.s.sociation’s Fatty Wei guffawed and said, “Meeting you in person is better than hearing about you. Lord Envoy Inspector is truly a dragon among men. You are extraordinarily handsome and very skilled. Your heroic grace makes this fatty submit with just one glance. However, this fatty suddenly recalled that I have something urgent going on at home. My eighty-seventh concubine seems to be giving birth soon. I will definitely go to the Misty Rain Pavilion to offer apologies and compensation before the sun sets. Sorry about that. I really have to go now.”
With the fatty trying to slip away, the other a.s.sociation Chiefs immediately cursed him as shameless in their hearts.
However, since there was already a precedent, they all spoke up and also claimed to have urgent matters at hand.
Those that simply could not think of an excuse just used the same excuse as the fatty, saying that their concubine was about to give birth and that they would go to the Misty Rain Pavilion that night to offer apologies.
Clearly, the atmosphere now was not quite right. No one knew if the envoy inspector’s friend would survive, and his anger might not have abated yet.
The Bountiful Treasure Pavilion’s Liu Zhang lost face and was very angry.
If the other a.s.sociation Chiefs remained, they would find it unbearable to be sandwiched between the two.
Furthermore, if Xiao Chen chose this moment to make things difficult for them, they were not prepared for it at all.
The a.s.sociation Chiefs had to return and discuss with the factions behind them first before making a decision.
Then, it would be much easier for them to decide whether they would go to the Misty Rain Pavilion or not.
It would not be like the current situation, where they were caught off guard and unprepared when facing a strong envoy inspector.
Xiao Chen looked at this fatty. Yun Fei was the one who investigated the Nine Cauldron Merchant a.s.sociation’s information. Fatty Wei did indeed have eighty-seven concubines, so he was not lying.
However…
“You took in your eighty-seventh concubine only four months ago. If she is giving birth so soon, it is clearly not your child. There is no need to rush back. I’ll help you find someone to kill her tomorrow and settle everything. There’s no need to thank me.”
Su Ye, who was at the side, could not help letting out a peal of laughter.
After Xiao Chen finished speaking, he ignored the fatty’s attempt at explaining. Turning to the others, he said seriously, “Everyone, there is no need to beat about the bush. There is an excellent saying, arriving early is not as good as arriving at the most opportune moment. Since everyone happens to be here, let’s discuss what happened last night.”
Since Xiao Chen met them already, naturally, he would not let these people leave.
“It is good that everyone is not leaving. Just stay here. Putting aside the other matters, even though you are the envoy inspector, if the matter of your killing my Sovereign Emperor guards reaches Alliance Chief Hua Tianyang, reason does not stand with you. This old man respects you, as you are the Lord Envoy Inspector. However, you have to give me an account for today. Otherwise, this old man will not let things rest.”
The Bountiful Treasure Pavilion’s Liu Zhang showed a cold expression, taking the initiative to make things difficult. Then, he looked at Xiao Chen as he picked up his teacup.
“No matter what, they were Sovereign Emperors. How could you kill them offhand? Even if they were in the wrong, they were people of the Heavenly Alliance. Was there a need to be so ruthless?”
“Lord Envoy Inspector, you should account for this. Otherwise, Old Liu’s anger will not abate.”
“The Bountiful Treasure Pavilion’s contribution to the Heavenly Alliance is the greatest in the Yanwu Dynasty. No matter what, you have to give him some face.”
The Bountiful Treasure Pavilion’s Liu Zhang had been established in the imperial capital for many years already. His connections and prestige among the top ten merchant a.s.sociations gave his words a lot of weight.
Liu Zhang just made a simple statement, and the other Alliance Chiefs chimed in.
However, the other Alliance Chiefs adopted a gentler tone. If Xiao Chen had not shown his strength earlier, their words would have been extremely harsh and deliberately ambiguous.
The Golden Essence Merchant a.s.sociation’s Jin Bao showed a meaningful cold smile as he fiddled with three treasure pearls in his hand.
Jin Bao wanted to see how this new envoy inspector, who possessed an extraordinary air despite being so young, would deal with a crafty old fox like Liu Zhang.
Was Xiao Chen a True Dragon or a false dragon? One could not differentiate between the two just by looking at his imposing manner.
The Nine Cauldron Merchant a.s.sociation’s Fatty Wei seemed to be thinking about whether his concubine was having his child or not, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.
When the other a.s.sociation Chiefs saw the situation, they cheered in their hearts.
As long as the Bountiful Treasure Pavilion’s Liu Zhang pursued this matter, causing a huge commotion, it would be good. If it prevented this envoy inspector from checking their financial records, that would be the best.
If Xiao Chen could not deal with this properly, the neutral a.s.sociation Chiefs would soon join the ranks of Liu Zhang.
The seemingly calm room was actually filled with schemes, ulterior motives, undercurrents, and boundless danger.
Xiao Chen did not give a direct reply. He just looked at Su Ye and said, “Pavilion Master Su Ye, what do you think?”
Su Ye felt startled upon hearing that. Clearly, she did not expect Xiao Chen to toss the ball into her court.
This moment surprised many people, causing them to focus their attention on Su Ye.
Xiao Chen was forcing Su Ye to express her stance. There was no retreat. Everyone gazed at her, preventing her from skirting the issue.
Su Ye thought quickly. In the blink of an eye, countless considerations flashed in her heart.
However, she soon realized that she knew everything about Liu Zhang but not much about Xiao Chen.
No matter what, she could not completely offend Xiao Chen for now.
Furthermore, Xiao Chen had not expressed any enmity when they tested each other out in the Misty Rain Pavilion.
However, Su Ye did not expect Xiao Chen’s seemingly joking comment about pulling him out of the river to be put to the test so soon.
“There seems to be some misunderstanding there. It is still too early to say that the envoy inspector is at fault. It would not be too late to uphold justice for a.s.sociation Chief Liu after we investigate properly,” Su Ye said softly in an unhurried manner.
Su Ye’s voice was not loud, but everyone heard her clearly.
Those people that wanted to support Liu Zhang immediately gave up the thought.
Su Ye’s words sounded fair, but in reality, she took Xiao Chen’s side.
The commotion that Liu Zhang wanted to cause got resolved with the word “misunderstanding.”
More importantly, Su Ye’s words meant that she had already taken a side, forcing everyone to think twice.
Xiao Chen smiled faintly and looked at the Bountiful Treasure Pavilion’s Liu Zhang. Even though he did not speak, his message was clear.
Since Pavilion Master Su Ye already said that it was a misunderstanding, you will not enjoy popular support even if you want to cause a commotion.
“Misunderstanding?”
Liu Zhang gave a cold laugh, then said indifferently, “Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. It looks like this old man does not need to remain here.”
Liu Zhang stood up, wanting to walk away. However, he felt disappointed to see that no one stood up with him.
Cursing in his heart, Liu Zhang showed a sullen expression as he quickly turned to leave.
However, a cold voice rang out when Liu Zhang reached the doors, causing him to freeze.
“If you dare to walk out of this room without my permission, this Xiao dares to treat you as a person not from the Heavenly Alliance!”