Chapter 374: Chapter 374: City Construction Department
"Who the hell is that, making a racket in my ear? And with such a lousy attitude for someone who wants to ask a question."
The men were in the middle of a lively chat when a cold voice suddenly cut in. Their good mood instantly soured, and one of them snorted.
Turning their heads, they saw Ye Xuan staring at them coldly.
When they saw he was just a teenager, the disdain on their faces deepened. One of them was about to spout some filth when a terrifying aura suddenly erupted from the youth, pressing down on him so hard he could barely breathe.
The displeasure on their faces vanished in an instant, replaced by a cold sweat that beaded on their skin.
’He’s so young, yet his aura is so terrifying. He must be a disciple from some great house or powerful clan.’
One of them hastily stammered, "Young Master, what would you like to ask?"
His expression was filled with apprehension.
In the Imperial Capital, the hardest people to provoke weren’t the vicious Martial Artists, but disciples from prestigious families like this young man.
When they decided to throw their weight around, they feared neither heaven nor earth.
Ye Xuan frowned and said coldly, "Cut the crap. What did you mean by what you just said? What happened to the Luo family?"
The man hastily explained, "It’s like this. The Luo family’s Young Master, Luo Cheng, offended the Qin family’s Young Master Qin Yu and an Artifact Refiner at the Artifact Refining Workshop today. Now, Young Master Qin Yu is down at the marketplace making trouble for the Luo family."
’Ye Xuan immediately understood. His own actions at the Artifact Refining Workshop today had implicated the Luo family. Since Qin Yu couldn’t deal with him, he was taking it out on them instead.’
Although Ye Xuan didn’t have any particular feelings for the Luo family, he did admire Luo Cheng. At the very least, when trouble arose, he didn’t just stand by to save his own skin. He had the courage to step forward and speak up for him. He was a young man who dared to act and take responsibility.
"Qin Yu... that guy is courting death."
Ye Xuan’s gaze was icy. After asking for the location of the marketplace, he swiftly flew off in that direction.
The Martial Artists who had been talking watched Ye Xuan’s figure vanish in the blink of an eye. They wiped the cold sweat from their brows and whispered cautiously, "I wonder which family that guy is from. He looks so young, probably not even twenty. But that speed... he has to be at least a Late-Tier Four Celestial Martial Artist. I wonder if he’s connected to the Qin family or the Luo family."
「The Imperial Capital Marketplace.」
At this hour, the place was a cacophony of voices.
It was the liveliest spot in the Imperial Capital, and also the place where money flowed like water.
Essentially, whenever any Martial Artist in the Imperial Capital needed something, they would come to the marketplace for a look.
Here, you could buy not only all kinds of Pills and materials, but also various weapons—Spiritual Treasures, Profound Treasures, you name it.
To own a shop in the marketplace was the dream of countless families in the Imperial Capital.
The Luo family, a house that had prospered in the Imperial Capital for hundreds of years, also owned a small shop on the eastern street of the marketplace.
In reality, the Luo family had many businesses, and this wasn’t their only property in the Imperial Capital. However, this inconspicuous little shop in the marketplace was undoubtedly the most important.
It generated nearly seventy to eighty percent of the Luo family’s annual profits.
At this moment, inside the Luo family’s shop, several of the family’s leaders were discussing anxiously, their faces etched with worry.
After being dealt with by Qin Yu at the entrance of the Artifact Refining Workshop, Luo Cheng knew he had caused a disaster. He had returned to the family at the first opportunity to explain the situation.
When Luo Cheng’s father, the Luo family Patriarch Luo Min, found out, he was so furious he almost broke Luo Cheng’s legs. Fortunately, others nearby held him back.
The Luo family immediately convened an emergency meeting.
But before they could figure anything out, a message arrived from the marketplace authorities, telling the Luo family to move everything out of their shop.
The reason was simple: the marketplace was going to "rezone" a small section of the eastern street.
Since the Luo family’s shop happened to be in this area, it had to be demolished for new construction.
Luo Min and the others were in disbelief, but they quickly understood: this was definitely the Qin family making a move against them.
The Imperial Capital’s marketplace had existed for hundreds of years and had never once been "rezoned." So why the sudden change? And why was the rezoning happening in the exact area where their shop was located, putting them directly in the line of fire?
Upon receiving the news, they had rushed to the marketplace at once to stop the workers from demolishing their shop, while also sending someone to the Murong family for emergency aid.
As a vassal family to the Murong family, their only hope was to ask them for help.
And now, they were anxiously awaiting a response.
But before the Patriarch who went to the Murong family returned, Qin Yu’s boisterous laughter echoed from outside the shop. "The City Construction Department needs to rezone these shops, and my Qin family is in full support! The way these few shops on the eastern street were built is an eyesore. They should have been properly planned out long ago. Captain Huang, you’ve really made a great contribution to the people of our Imperial Capital!"
A gruff voice replied, "Young Master Qin Yu, you jest. Serving the people of the Imperial Capital has always been the duty of my City Construction Department. It is my responsibility, and a duty from which I cannot shrink."
"Haha, Captain Huang, your dedication to serving the people is truly admirable. For a good official like you who is so devoted to the public, I, Qin Yu, will definitely have to visit the City Construction Department to offer some proper praise."
Hearing the voices from outside, the faces of the Luo family members turned ashen.
Just then, a middle-aged man walked into the shop. Seeing him, the others immediately swarmed him as if they had found their backbone. "Patriarch, how did it go?" they asked anxiously. "What did the Murong family say?"
This was the Luo family’s Patriarch, Luo Min, who had gone to the Murong family for help.
Luo Min gave a bitter smile and shook his head, his tone filled with dejection. "It’s hopeless. When I got there, I couldn’t even get past the Murong family’s main gate, let alone see their Patriarch."
"What? How could this happen?"
"Does this mean the Murong family has completely abandoned us?"
The elders were dumbstruck, their faces filled with despair.
The Luo family was a vassal to the Murong family. For their Patriarch to be denied entry at the gate... what did that mean? It clearly meant that the Murong family had completely given up on them.
"Father, I’m sorry. I’m the one who brought this upon our family."
Luo Cheng said, his face a mask of shame and anguish.
"It’s not your fault. The conflict between our Luo family and the Qu family has been escalating, and the Murong family’s attitude toward us has grown colder in recent years. Today’s incident was just the excuse they needed," Luo Min said, shaking his head, his heart heavy. "I just never expected it would be the Qin family to come after us, and not the Qu family."
Although the Qu family was backed by the Profound Mystery Sect, the sect was not a power within the Sky Empire and couldn’t interfere brazenly in the Imperial Capital. The Qin family, however, was a prestigious house that had flourished in the Imperial Capital for hundreds of years. They were several times more terrifying than the Qu family.
At least the Qu family didn’t have the power to mobilize the City Construction Department to tear down their shop.
But the Qin family had more than enough connections to do just that.
"By the way, Luo Cheng, who exactly is this Xuan Ye you mentioned? How dare he say such things in the Artifact Refining Workshop and offend the Qin family’s Qin Yu? If it weren’t for him, our Luo family wouldn’t be in this situation," an elder said indignantly.
"Now he’s trapped in the Artifact Refining Workshop, his fate unknown, and he’s dragged our Luo family down to take the fall for him."
"Luo Cheng, even though he saved you once, you shouldn’t have stuck your neck out for him in that kind of situation."
Several elders sighed, clearly displeased with Luo Cheng’s actions. But with the Patriarch present, they didn’t dare say too much.
Luo Cheng gritted his teeth, his face flushed. Though he felt guilty, he didn’t regret his actions.
Luo Min knew his son’s character. He patted his shoulder and sighed. "Forget it. What’s done is done. There’s no use talking about it now. Perhaps our Luo family was fated to face this tribulation. At worst, we lose the shop. Our family’s business has been getting more and more dismal in recent years anyway. What I’m truly afraid of is that this is only the beginning of the Qin family’s revenge."
His words had barely faded when a loud CRASH echoed from outside.
"Patriarch Luo, the time I gave you to move your things is up. Please leave immediately. If you don’t, I’ll have to remove you by force."
Captain Huang’s gruff voice rang out. It was clear he had started smashing the door.
A fire of rage ignited in Luo Min’s heart. This Captain Huang was going too far!
His face livid, he strode out of the shop in a few steps and said coldly, "Captain Huang, our Luo family paid a hefty price to purchase this shop. We hold the deed of ownership. That means this shop is the private property of our Luo family. On what grounds are you demolishing it and telling us to leave?"
The man, Captain Huang, was an exceptionally ugly middle-aged man with short, yellow hair. He said with disdain, "On what grounds? On the grounds that this marketplace is under the jurisdiction of my City Construction Department. You may have the deed to the building, but the deed to the land is with us. The City Construction Department can rezone this place however we see fit."
"Besides, the City Construction Department isn’t just seizing your shop by force, we’re simply rezoning. Don’t worry. Once the planning and construction are complete, the shop in this spot will still belong to your Luo family."
Qin Yu laughed from the side. "Captain Huang is right. The City Construction Department always acts with reason and justification. Don’t worry, not a single inch of the land that belongs to the Luo family will be lost."
"You’ve gone too far!" Luo Cheng said furiously.
"You little bastard." Qin Yu’s eyes narrowed into a sinister squint. "You have only yourself to blame for associating with that guy. I told you before, I’ll make you wish you were dead. Don’t worry, this is just the first step. The Luo family’s businesses will be swallowed up, bit by bit. Without the Murong family’s protection, the Luo family is less than nothing."
