Chapter 284: Chapter 158: Marrow Cleansing in One Day
The Inner City, at the Wang Family’s estate.
In the magnificent, opulent main hall of a vast and towering estate located in the very center of the compound.
Patriarch Wang Tingxuan sat upon the head seat, listening to Wang Xiongying report on the family’s affairs.
Wang Tingxuan was over sixty, yet he looked like a man in his forties. His hair and beard were both jet-black, without a single strand of white to be seen.
He had a slender build and a lean face, but his forehead was exceptionally broad. His large eyes flashed with an intimidating light.
A more timid person would likely start trembling just from meeting his gaze.
The Wang Family’s foundation in Linji City, which allowed them to become one of the Four Great Clans of the Inner City, was indeed established by their Ancestor.
However, in recent years, the Wang Family’s power had grown daily. They had subtly surpassed the Qin Family to become the second most powerful clan in Linji City, second only to the Jiang Family who controlled the City Lord’s Mansion. This was all thanks to Wang Tingxuan’s planning and schemes.
The Wang Family’s influence within Linji City’s official circles was unremarkable, but their control over the Jianghu influences in the Outer City District had long since far surpassed the other three great clans.
Even the Black Market in the Outer City District and the various factions outside Linji City were, in one way or another, under the Wang Family’s control.
It was no exaggeration to say that the Jiang Family, who controlled the City Lord’s Mansion, was only the number one clan in Linji City on the surface.
In terms of subordinate forces under their command, the Wang Family was far larger and more powerful than the Jiang Family.
Those figures from the Jianghu might be able to evade the government’s forces, but they could never escape the notice of the Wang Family’s spies.
Any outside power wanting to establish itself in Linji City’s territory had to pay homage to the Wang Family first. This was true even for bandits, and even for Demon Sects like the Black Lotus Sect.
In a sense, the Wang Family were the true kings of Linji City.
As Patriarch of the Wang Family, Wang Tingxuan had always been proud of this fact, ready to replace the Jiang Family and claim the City Lord’s Mansion at a moment’s notice.
However, the recent infiltration of Linji City by powers from the State City—such as Marquis Zhenbei’s Mansion, the Taiyi Sect, the Blood Moon Sect, and the Sutra of Ultimate Sect—was growing increasingly aggressive. The Wang Family was the most affected by this, which gave Wang Tingxuan a major headache, though he was powerless to stop it.
The Wang Family was merely a local powerhouse, completely unable to contend with these major players who had the backing of State City factions. They didn’t even dare entertain the thought of suppressing them.
When it came to conflicts involving State City powers, the Wang Family could only choose to step back and wait for the Su State Daoist Sect to intervene.
After all, all of Linji City’s wealth and resources ultimately had to be handed over to the Great Dao Sect. There was no way the Great Dao Sect would simply stand by and do nothing.
Once the Great Dao Sect suppressed the other State City powers, the Wang Family would return to its position of strength.
After hearing the report from Wang Xiongying, the most capable scion of the Wang Family’s younger generation, Wang Tingxuan was utterly enraged.
A report came from the Wang Family’s spies in the Cold Crow Village Black Market: the Shadow Eighteen Bandits had suddenly vanished. This was the group secretly controlled by the Wang Family, the one that specialized in eliminating their enemies and carrying out their dirty work.
And all this was likely because the Shadow Eighteen Bandits had received a tip and ambushed a member of the Shen Family who was carrying a great treasure.
"How could Peng Ze and his men be so foolish? How dare they make a move against the Shen Family?"
"Doesn’t he know what being one of the Four Great Clans of the Inner City means? Did he really think they were people that bandits like him could touch so easily?"
"Even if he was going to make a move on someone from the Shen Family, he should have reported to us first and let the Wang Family make the arrangements!"
Peng Ze was the leader of the Shadow Eighteen Bandits. He was originally just a Jianghu Martial Artist who had committed a serious crime. Wanted by the Government Office, he had no choice but to flee the city and become a bandit near the Cold Crow Village Black Market.
He was quite capable, managing to gather a band of followers and make a name for himself.
The Wang Family took this band of miscreants under their wing, investing a large amount of Martial Arts Resources into them, forging them Heavy Armor and teaching them Battle Arrays.
This caused their power to skyrocket to the point where they could even surround and kill a Great Success Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist. In one fell swoop, they became the infamous Shadow Eighteen Bandits.
The Shadow Eighteen Bandits could act without fear of the Government Office, making them the sharpest hidden blade in the Wang Family’s arsenal.
The loss of the Shadow Eighteen Bandits was clearly a huge blow to the Wang Family. As the Patriarch, Wang Tingxuan was naturally furious.
Once Wang Tingxuan had finished venting his anger, Wang Xiongying finally spoke. "Grandfather, Peng Ze and his men were likely instigated by someone from the Hundred Treasures Studio."
"Frankly, it’s my fault. The Zhou Family had always handled the weapon business in the Cold Crow Village Black Market, with Peng Ze and his men providing protection."
"After the Zhou Family was wiped out, we never found suitable people to take over their business. Peng Ze’s group suddenly lost that source of income, which is probably why..."
"Hmph! Hasn’t our Wang Family been giving them silver taels to make a living?"
Wang Tingxuan snorted. "That Hundred Treasures Studio is truly despicable."
"By the way, who from the Shen Family did Peng Ze and his men ambush? Have you found anything out?"
Wang Xiongying shook his head. "The Shen Family is being very tight-lipped; no news has gotten out."
"However, according to rumors from the Black Market, the Shadow Eighteen Bandits were killed by two young members of the Shen Family."
"The only ones in the Shen Family’s younger generation with that kind of power are Shen Qingyao and Shen Qingshuang. Shen Qingshuang is unlikely to go to the Black Market, so it must have been Shen Qingyao."
The Wang Family had spies in the Shen Family as well, so Wang Tingxuan knew a bit about Shen Qingyao. "Isn’t Shen Qingyao a Small Success Martial Artist in the Bone Forging Realm? How could she have killed the Shadow Eighteen Bandits?"
"Who was with her?"
Wang Xiongying was also quite puzzled. "The person with Shen Qingyao should be Chen Cheng, a recent recruit to the Demon Suppression Department."
"But Chen Cheng is only nineteen, and his Martial Arts Power is merely at the Small Success in Muscle Strengthening Realm. Even working together, the two of them shouldn’t have been a match for the Shadow Eighteen Bandits."
Wang Tingxuan waved his hand dismissively. "Enough. I don’t care what this Chen Cheng’s Martial Arts Power is. Since he helped Shen Qingyao kill the Shadow Eighteen Bandits, he cannot be allowed to live."
