Chapter 174: The Martial World Is Not A Lawless Land
Mo Qingfeng did not argue with the sect elders. To him, sending a message and helping to put in a few good words was already enough. If it was to offend someone for Su Wen, it would not be worth it.
Another sect elder looked at Mo Qingfeng before speaking out.
"Qingfeng, how about you? You"re still young. Although our martial sects are under the Great Zhou, we don"t have to listen to the court like the officials and the common people. It"s best if we each live our own separate lives. This is especially so for our Taihao Palace, if we get too close to the people in the court and get slapped by them, our reputation will be ruined!"
His tone also became much gentler.
After all, Mo Qingfeng was one of the sect"s most outstanding geniuses. His strength had greatly increased, making him a cornerstone of the sect. There was no need to offend him.
Mo Qingfeng sighed secretly. He disapproved in his heart, but on the surface, he remained respectful.
He said, "Thank you for your guidance, Martial Uncles. Qingfeng will report this to Su Wen right now, that this matter is impossible!"
"Wait!" Right at this moment, Sect Master Cui Xu stopped Mo Qingfeng.
He said with a smile, "There"s no need for that. Since Qingfeng has spoken, then I cannot make things difficult for you. According to what you said, Su Wen acc.u.mulated the most Saint Qi in the secret realm, and I presume the final reward is absolutely extraordinary. Go tell him that if he"s willing to exchange a Heaven Rank technique and three Heaven Rank elixirs, then we"ll agree to his request. If he says he doesn"t have them, then ask him what the final reward is and if he"s willing to exchange it with us!"
All of the elders fell silent upon hearing this.
One of them could not help but say, "It"s a pity that the Demon Martial Bead"s techniques cannot be taught to outsiders. Otherwise, it would be possible to obtain Su Wen"s technique."
The other man sneered. "Actually, not necessarily. We just don"t dare to try. After we leave the mystic realm, it might not be a problem to spread the technique learnt through the beads. Qingfeng, tell that Su Wen, why don"t he exchange the cultivation technique he obtained in the mystic realm with us?
According to you, he has gathered a lot of Saint Qi, so that cultivation technique should be far more valuable than a normal Heaven Rank technique. It"s definitely a priceless treasure. Anyway, if he tries it, even if his soul is destroyed, it has nothing to do with us!"
Whether or not the Demon Martial Bead"s cultivation technique could be pa.s.sed on to outsiders, no one actually knew. Mo Qingfeng obtained a sword move from the bead. That"s right, it was only one move. But the power of this move already made everyone envious!
But no one dared to tell Mo Qingfeng to pa.s.s it down. After all, who could guarantee that Mo Qingfeng"s soul would not be destroyed? That was a mystic realm created by the Nine Saints. Even after coming out, no one could guarantee that they could violate the rules.
After all, this was their own talent, but it did not matter if Su Wen tried it, since he was from the Royal Court anyway. If Su Wen could transfer his technique, then regarding Mo Qingfeng"s sword move…
These elders all had their own plans.
Hearing the sect master and elders" words, Mo Qingfeng felt helpless.
Wasn"t this too vicious of them?
However, he knew that he was just a messenger. If Su Wen wanted to negotiate further, then so be it.
In the station, Su Wen and the Thirteenth Master were playing chess.
Su Wen had a relaxed expression, while the Thirteenth Master stared hard at the chessboard, deep in thought.
Beside the Thirteenth Master stood an innocent-looking girl.
She secretly winked at Su Wen while Thirteen Master was not paying attention.
Su Wen glared at her before turning to look at the Thirteenth Master. His meaning was clear: You are now a servant girl. What if that old man finds out?
At this moment, the Thirteenth Master raised his head and looked at Su Wen angrily. "You brat! Why are you glaring at Ying Hua when you don"t know how to play chess? Did she provoke you?"
Su Wen was not afraid of him and sneered. "Hurry up and play! At the rate you"re moving, we can celebrate the New Year before we finish the game! Besides, she"s my maidservant, so I can stare at her however I want!"
"You… you little brat! Sigh, why is this game like this? Ever since 30 years ago, no one has been able to win against me. How can you win against me?"
After saying that, the old man was a little embarra.s.sed.
After all, he was the one who insisted for Su Wen to play chess with him.
Because he had previously bragged to Ying Hua that his chess skills were outstanding…
However, from Su Wen"s point of view, this old man was a complete idiot. He reckoned that most of the people who played against him before were either newbies… or purposefully lost to him…
"Humph! This old man"s condition is not good. I"m going back to my room to rest!"
The old man couldn"t win, so he threw the chess piece and left.
Ying Hua winked at Su Wen before leaving as well. At this moment, Yan Luoying appeared behind Su Wen and placed her head on his shoulder. She watched the two of them leave before asking in a low voice, "Was it nice to look?"
"This game of chess is truly a beautiful image of sophistry…"
"Hmph! Don"t you dare bring home just any sort of hussy that makes eyes at you. If you dare to bring this kind of trash in, I"ll really fall out with you…" Yan Luoying whispered fiercely into Su Wen"s ear.
Su Wen lectured her earnestly, "That"s not right. She was forced by life and has a tragic background. You have to learn to understand."
Yan Luoying said unhappily, "I understand that she has a miserable background, but if she wants to share a husband with me, I won"t be able to understand it. Let"s not talk about anything else.
At the very least, Sister Yumian married into the family as someone who was clean and virtuous. This girl there has already slept with countless men, and I don"t like being dirty. I"m not controlling you, but don"t make a move just by following the smell. Even if you want something fresh, you have to find something good…"
Su Wen pretended to be furious. "Am I such a person in your eyes?"
Yan Luoying gently bit his ear and said in a low voice, "That"s why I"m warning your lecherous side, before it gets any ideas!" At this point, she asked with some concern, "How"s Yiyi"s mother? I haven"t seen you do much since we arrived. However, Yiyi is feeling uneasy. I"m afraid she"s very worried."
Su Wen smiled and said, "Let"s see what att.i.tude these Daoists have. If they"re willing to negotiate properly, we"ll negotiate. Even if we have to pay a price, if we can resolve this peacefully, it"s not impossible. If we don"t negotiate properly, hehe, then don"t blame me for using some tricks on them."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Jin walked over and reported, "Young Master, outside the transit station, a person who calls himself Mo Qingfeng seeks an audience!"
"Let him in!"
After saying that, Su Wen turned around and kissed Yan Luoying pa.s.sionately. Zhao Jin didn"t dare to look, immediately turning around to run.
"Shall I meet him with you?"
"Might as well."
Su Wen and Yan Luoying went to the living room together.
Mo Qingfeng came in and saw the two of them. He could not help but take a few more glances at Yan Luoying.
After all, Yan Luoying had excellent looks and temperament.
"This is my wife, Yan Luoying!"
"Hiss!" Mo Qingfeng drew a cold breath and clasped his hands, saying, "General Yan! I"ve long heard of your great name!"
He smiled bitterly. "Rumors really can"t be trusted!"
Su Wen asked curiously, "What sort of rumor are you talking about?"
Mo Qingfeng looked at Su Wen and Yan Luoying and said, "After Lady Yan killed 400,000 enemy soldiers, everyone has been going around saying that Su Wen"s wife is 30 feet tall and extremely strong. I thought… maybe it"s a little biased… but there"s no smoke without fire. She might thus be… not so pretty. I didn"t expect…"
Su Wen burst into laughter. "Brother Mo, you"re underestimating me too much. With my personality, how could I marry a woman like that?"
Mo Qingfeng sighed and said, "Madam Su"s looks are so outstanding. Then, Young Master Su, why are you still being so ambiguous about Doctor Ni? Doctor Ni deals with corpses every day, and even we feel a little…"
"Cough, cough, cough!" Su Wen hurriedly coughed.
Yan Luoying narrowed her eyes and put on a fake smile. "Doctor Ni… why haven"t I heard you mention this before?"
Mo Qingfeng could tell that he stirred up a pot of sh*t!
"Young Master Su, I still have some matters to attend to. Farewell!"
Su Wen said angrily, "Sit down! Hurry up and tell me what"s going on!"
d.a.m.n it, you want to run after stabbing me?
Yan Luoying didn"t tangle on this topic as well.
Mo Qingfeng smiled bitterly and recounted the conditions of his martial uncles and Sect Master.
Su Wen and Yan Luoying frowned when they heard this.
The conditions were a little too much.
Su Wen said in a deep voice, "Heaven Rank techniques and elixirs are all priceless treasures, so how can I use them to trade? What I mean is that I can use money and resources to compensate everyone."
Mo Qingfeng shook his head and said, "That"s probably impossible. Our Taihao Palace doesn"t lack money in the first place. As for resources, unless it"s especially precious natural treasures, it"s probably very difficult to move all the martial uncles!"
Su Wen said in a deep voice, "Go and tell them that the price is negotiable. In short, I want to buy Xie Bingrui"s life! Ask them to give me a price."
Mo Qingfeng was helpless and could only leave again.
After he left, Yan Luoying went to Su Wen"s side and whispered, "I don"t think those stubborn bulls will agree to my husband"s conditions."
Su Wen sighed and said, "So what? We have to try. If they really don"t know how to appreciate my kindness, then don"t blame me for being rude."
Yan Luoying looked at him and smiled. "So… who is Doctor Ni?"
"Huh? What doctor?"
"Doctor Ni!"
"Ni What?"
"Little baddie! I"m going to teach you a lesson tonight with my sisters!"
"Haha! Who"s afraid of who?"
Cultivating the Heaven & Earth Great Solar Sutra had its own benefits. One was that the Yang Qi in the body was extremely abundant!
He was full of "combat power"!
A day later, as expected, Mo Qingfeng brought a piece of news that made Su Wen extremely unhappy.
Taihao Palace had rejected Su Wen"s suggestion.
Mo Qingfeng said helplessly, "My Martial Uncle Xuan Song said before, what"s the use of having those tacky money? It"s fine as long as there"s enough money to spend. There"s no benefit in having more."
When Su Wen heard his words, he smiled and said, "I"ll have troubled Brother Mo to relay the message back and forth. That"s all then. Consider it as me owing Brother Mo a favor. If you need my help in the future, you can come and find me."
Regardless of whether the matter was successful or not, he had helped him in being a messenger to run back and forth.
Su Wen coldly smiled as he watched Mo Qingfeng leave. What a bunch of ox-nosed people!
Did they really think of themselves as infallible?
Money wasn"t important, right?
Today, this Daddy will let all of you know what it means to live without money!
"Zhao Jin! Prepare the carriage! Follow me to County Governor Manor!"
Su Wen valiantly led Zhao Jin straight to County Governor Manor.
When they arrived, Su Wen directly barged in!
"Get Liu Xiong to see me!" he said as he walked.
Liu Xiong was the county governor"s name!
"Who are you?"
"Commander of the Secret Shadow Guard, Su Wen!"
The soldier hurried to report.
Su Wen walked into the living hall leisurely.
Not long after, Liu Xiong arrived. At this moment, he realized that Su Wen"s gaze was rather unfriendly!
How did he offend this grandfather?
Liu Xiong was perturbed.
Su Wen said coldly, "County Governor Liu, I"m very disappointed in you!"
Liu Xiong hurriedly said, "Lord Su, why do you say that?"
Su Wen said, "Let me ask you. Recently, many people from the martial world have come to this city, right?"
"Yes!" Liu Xiong naturally knew.
"Why are they here?"
Liu Xiong replied, "It"s naturally because of the matter of the Thousand Illusion Demoness Xie Bingrui being executed by the Taihao Palace!"
Su Wen slammed the table!
Pa!
The table shattered. He stood up and angrily shouted, "If you already knew about such a major matter, why didn"t you report it to me? Why didn"t you act? Are you still an official of the Royal Court?"
County Governor Liu was dumbfounded. Within the martial world, one had always turned a blind eye and allowed the dogs to bite each other. What was with Lord Su? However, he did not dare say it directly. He carefully probed, "Lord Su… What do you mean?"
Su Wen said righteously, "What bullsh*t Taihao Palace is this! In your territory, they actually dare kidnap the people in broad daylight, imprison them, and even execute our Great Zhou citizens at will! Is there any justice? Is there any law? Oh? County Governor Liu, what are you doing? In a smaller sense, it"s called an evil cult. In a larger sense, it"s a rebellion!"
"If they are like this, wouldn"t the citizens of our Great Zhou be afraid of their reputation? Would there still be peace and prosperity in this world?!"
Su Wen"s voice became progressively louder.
County Governor Liu understood when he heard that. This person was planning on attacking the Taihao Palace!
Although he didn"t know how the Taihao Palace had provoked this person, his intentions were already clear.
To be honest, County Governor Liu did not wish to be involved in such matters.
Why? The Taihao Palace had a deep background, a ma.s.sive influence, and countless expert. If they were truly provoked and sent people to kill them, wouldn"t they suffer a great loss?
The problem was that Su Wen"s badge had been pinned on him the moment he entered the room. There was no room for negotiation.
If he did not listen to Su Wen and offended him, he would probably send a memorial to the capital immediately.
The other party was a Secret Shadow Guard, he had connections all the way up. If he did not agree to whatever this Su Wen wanted to do, the latter might just go back and accuse him.
Moreover, looking at the proficiency of him dragging him in, once he made up his mind to deal with him, there was probably no chance of himself making a comeback.
While he pondered, Su Wen was not in a hurry either, just leisurely waiting for his response.
Why was he so unyielding? It was precisely because all these people were so smooth and slick. Once they were given an opening, he would try to smooth things over and not offend either side.
Su Wen then said calmly, "His Majesty did leave a Royal Decree. During my stay in Qing Prefecture, you must listen to my orders!"
These words made Liu Xiong completely give up on the Taihao Palace. He said in a low voice, "Lord Su, what do you need me to do now? I will do it!"
What he meant was to push Su Wen to the front.
He was most worried that Su Wen would ask him to fight to the death with the Taihao Palace. However, since Su Wen said that he had to listen to his orders, things were much easier.
He had already thought it through. As long as Su Wen left, he would immediately send someone to spread the news that Su Wen was using the royal decree to seize power. He was the one who wanted to target the Taihao Palace, and it had nothing to do with him!
However, at this moment, he still had to listen to Su Wen.
Su Wen then said in a deep voice, "Pa.s.s down my order, get people to gather all the soldiers near Chang Sheng County! Including those from the Martial Inspectorate"
"Yes!"
County Governor Liu did not hesitate.
A campaign against the Taihao Palace was about to begin!
In the next few days, the atmosphere in Chang Sheng Country changed drastically!
Meanwhile inside the Taihao Palace, a group of Daoists gathered together with gloomy expressions.
Sect Master Perfected Cui Xu said in a deep voice, "In just the past five days! Three of our Taihao Palace"s mines have been sealed! The reason is that the procedures are not in accordance with the rules! All the ores that have not been transported out are stuck in there. Furthermore, the other party is going to pursue responsibility for illegal mining of the mines."
Another person said, "Our Taihao Pharmaceutical Store in the city has also been sealed. Everyone has been arrested and thrown into prison. It"s said that Su Wen bought our elixirs and had diarrhea. He said that if he, as a martial artist at Earth Rank, could have diarrhea, then as a commoner, wouldn"t he die? That"s why he said that selling fake medicine would harm people!"
"This is preposterous!"
One of them said furiously, "How can they do this? I"m going to kill Su Wen right now!"
"Stop right there!" Perfected Cui Xu coldly said, "Do you know how many experts Su Wen has by his side? If we go rashly, what will happen if we lose?"
While they were having a hard time agonizing over their losses…
Suddenly, a young Daoist priest rushed in and reported in a panic, "Not good, not good. Sect Master, there are many people outside. They said that they want us to move out!"
"Who dares to come to my Taihao Palace and be impudent!"
Perfected Cui Xu was furious and led a group of experts to charge out.
At this moment, Su Wen was standing at the entrance of the mountain with thousands of people.
Mo Qingfeng saw Su Wen and whispered to Perfected Cui Xu, "Sect Master, the leader of this party is Su Wen."
Perfected Cui Xu suppressed the anger in his heart and came to the mountain gate. He looked at Su Wen and asked in a deep voice, "May I know what this Lord intends to do?"
Su Wen glanced at him and casually asked, "Are you in charge?"
"That"s right!"
Perfected Cui Xu said coldly, "I heard that you want us to move out. We have a deed for the land here!"
Su Wen glanced at him and sneered. "You have a t.i.tle deed? I know you have one, so what?"
Perfected Cui Xu didn"t hold back at all. "Are you going to ignore the laws of the country and take over our residence? Then I"ll report this to His Majesty!"
Su Wen took out a doc.u.ment from his chest pocket and smiled. "According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, all Daoist temples, monasteries, and nunneries must be approved by the government before they can be established. I wonder if your Taihao Palace has gotten any approval procedures?"
Perfected Cui Xu"s eyes widened.
Approval procedures?
He did not know that the Great Zhou had such a rule.
In fact, this rule was mainly targeted at temples that were open to the commoners and charged incense money. It was mainly to prevent people from scamming the commoners.
But the problem was, if Su Wen were to bring it out, wouldn"t Taihao Palace also have flouted the rules?
Su Wen smiled and said, "This Daoist here, you can possess the t.i.tle deed, and this land is still yours. However, your Daoist temple isn"t legal. We have to demolish it. After that, if you want to rebuild it, you can apply for approval from the government."
"By the way, since you guys are involved in illegal mining, I have reason to suspect that everything in front of you is illegal goods as well. Therefore, I want to detain you temporarily."
"Also, someone reported you for kidnapping two women. We have to search thoroughly!"
Su Wen looked at the furious Cui Xu and said in a low voice, "If you want to resist the law by force, I"ll give you a chance. You can go and organize your men now and hold your weapons. You can kill the thousands of people behind me as you please, but believe me, after you kill them, His Majesty"s wrath will not be something that your Taihao Palace can withstand."
With that said, he looked at all the Taihao Palace cultivators and shouted, "The martial world is no lawless land! Since everyone is in the Great Zhou"s territory, they must abide by my Great Zhou"s laws! Anyone who violates the laws, dies!"