Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Collecting from the Cao Family
The entire Great Xia Dragon Guard assessment lasted for nearly half a month.
Throughout that half-month, Chu Qingyun hadn’t been able to get any proper rest.
Even though he was a Martial Master Level expert, he felt mentally exhausted.
After returning to the Golden Lion Martial Arts Hall, he slept like a log, not waking up until noon the next day.
After a wonderful night’s sleep, Chu Qingyun felt refreshed and clear-headed. All his fatigue, both physical and mental, was swept away.
Sleeping in the wild was never as sound as sleeping in a bed.
After getting up, he washed up and had lunch. In the afternoon, Chu Qingyun went to the place he had agreed to meet Xia He and the others yesterday, ready to go collect the debt from the Cao Family.
According to You Yun, the Martial Soul Hall was still very afraid of directly clashing with the Great Xia Dragon Guard.
Therefore, with Liu Canghai in the city, he wasn’t afraid that the Martial Spirits of the Martial Soul Hall would dare to make a move against him.
After a short wait, Xia He and Sun Daxiong arrived together.
"Chu, the Cao Family owes you eighty thousand Top-Grade Primordial Stones, but... are you really only planning to ask them for eighty thousand?"
"No one ever complains about having too many Top-Grade Primordial Stones. Since the Cao Family treated you like that in the past, if you don’t do something about it, it won’t be right. You’ll look like a pushover."
"Besides, the Cao Family are no saints. There’s no need to feel any guilt about bullying them," Sun Daxiong said to Chu Qingyun with a cheerful laugh as they walked.
His meaning was obvious: he wanted Chu Qingyun to use this opportunity to stir up trouble and demand an extra sum of money from the Cao Family.
Chu Qingyun had considered this himself.
The Cao Family had hired Zhao’s Three Heroes to deal with him in the past, and now Chu Qingyun certainly had no intention of letting them off easily.
However, because he was going with Sun Daxiong and the others, and because he was now a Great Xia Dragon Guard, he had some reservations. "Well... we’re all Great Xia Dragon Guards. Doing this so openly... isn’t that a bit much...?"
"Tch, what’s so bad about it? It’s precisely *because* we’re Great Xia Dragon Guards that we have nothing to fear. I refuse to believe the City Guard Army would dare to meddle in the affairs of the Great Xia Dragon Guard."
"With our colleagues in the Great Xia Dragon Guard, we operate with integrity and follow the rules. But with outsiders, you can’t be polite when it’s time to strike."
"Don’t you worry, Chu. Just watch me later!"
Sun Daxiong, clearly intending to befriend Chu Qingyun, clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a look that said, ’I’ve got this, don’t worry.’
Chu Qingyun was speechless. His opinion of Sun Daxiong had been completely updated. ’This guy,’ he thought, ’looks like a seasoned pro at this...’
Beside them, Xia He was also getting excited. "Yeah, we should make some outrageous demands! Crush them!"
Xia He had never witnessed something like debt collection in his entire life, so he was visibly thrilled, practically chomping at the bit and eager to get started.
Chu Qingyun shot him a glance and said, "I seem to recall making a bet with a certain someone in the valley. Something about the loser becoming the winner’s underling."
Hearing this, Xia He’s expression froze. Then he tried to play dumb. "Haha, was there? I don’t seem to remember that at all, hahaha..."
Chu Qingyun shook his head in resignation, not pressing the issue.
’Forcing someone to be an underling is useless. It might even lead to outward obedience but inward betrayal, which would be even worse.’
Besides, Chu Qingyun’s impression of Xia He was actually quite good.
The guy was a bit flashy and arrogant, but he was genuine and wore his heart on his sleeve. At least he was much better than someone like Wen Yanlie.
The three of them chatted and laughed, and soon they arrived outside the Cao Mansion.
The Cao Mansion looked the same as ever, with two guards standing at the main gate.
The last time he came, Chu Qingyun hadn’t waited for them to announce him and had just barged right in.
This time was no exception. The three of them shoved the guards aside and stormed in with a menacing air.
The two guards didn’t dare to stop them and could only scramble away to inform the Patriarch.
Halfway there, the Cao Family Patriarch, Cao Jingwen, came rushing out to meet them with a group of people in tow.
Seeing Chu Qingyun again, Cao Jingwen was terrified. He had, of course, already received news that Chu Qingyun had passed the assessment and become a Great Xia Dragon Guard.
But terrified or not, things had come to this, and he could only brace himself and face the situation.
Standing before the members of the Cao Family, Chu Qingyun said nothing, merely staring at Cao Jingwen with a mocking glint in his eyes.
Behind him, Xia He and Sun Daxiong looked around with great interest, the aura of Level Nine Martial Artists they were emitting—whether intentionally or not—exerting a heavy pressure on the members of the Cao Family.
The strongest expert in their Cao Family was merely a Level Six Martial Artist, yet behind Chu Qingyun stood two Level Nine Martial Artists!
This fact alone instantly cowed the members of the Cao Family!
"L-Lord Chu, it’s been a while. Congratulations on passing the Great Xia Dragon Guard assessment. From now on, you are a Lord of the Great Xia Dragon Guard."
Unable to bear Chu Qingyun’s stare, Cao Jingwen wiped away a cold sweat and forced a smile as he spoke.
His smile, however, was uglier than a grimace.
"Oh? Then I suppose I should thank you. Those two hundred Primordial Stones of yours were a great help in passing the assessment. Hmmm... Lower Grade Primordial Stones, wasn’t it?" Chu Qingyun said faintly, his eyes narrowing.
At these words, Cao Jingwen’s legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to his knees.
He was filled with endless regret. ’Hiring the three Zhao brothers to drive Chu Qingyun away was one thing, but why did I have to be so damn stupid as to humiliate him with Lower Grade Primordial Stones?’
’And now look. He’s come right to my door, bringing up this very incident.’
"Lord Chu, that... that was all a misunderstanding! It was... it was the three Zhao brothers who made me do it!"
Cao Jingwen’s eyes darted about as he quickly shifted the blame to Zhao Hanfeng and his brothers.
They were all dead anyway. The dead tell no tales, so there was no way to investigate.
As for whether this would offend the Zhao Family, he couldn’t worry about that now. He just had to get through this current crisis first.
’Blaming the dead. How original.’
Chu Qingyun sneered but didn’t plan to get bogged down in this matter. He cut straight to the point, "Patriarch Cao, what are you going to do about the IOU?"
"Pay! We’ll pay! Of course, we’ll pay back the money we owe!"
"Men, bring it over!"
At Cao Jingwen’s command, four men dressed as servants in coarse gray clothes walked over, carrying two large chests.
The chests landed with two heavy THUDS, clearly containing something of great weight.
"Lord Chu, eighty thousand Top-Grade Primordial Stones. Not a single one is missing. Would you like to count them?" Cao Jingwen said with a fawning smile.
However, the pained look on his face and the reluctance in his eyes could not be concealed no matter how he tried.
Ever since the results of the Great Xia Dragon Guard assessment were announced, Cao Jingwen had been busy selling off the Cao Family’s various assets to scrape together the money owed to Chu Qingyun.
Because time was short and he was in a rush to sell, he had certainly been lowballed and viciously ripped off time and again.
But he had no one to blame but himself. Chu Qingyun had given him plenty of time in the beginning, but unfortunately, he had failed to seize the opportunity.
