Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Honorary Family
Merchants chase profit. They only ever consider their own interests.
And once the Li family and the Liu family recovered their senses, they naturally wouldn’t let the Ye family steal the show.
Soon, whispers began to circulate, questioning how the Ye family could have known the Blood Saber Stronghold’s movements. Were there some dark secrets involved?
This line of questioning didn’t originate from a single source but spread from all corners of the town, as if the doubt had sprung up out of nowhere.
As more people spread the rumor, the common folk naturally grew suspicious as well.
Indeed, why had the Li family and the Liu family suffered such heavy losses, while the Ye family had miraculously known the direction of the Blood Saber Stronghold’s attack and even set up an ambush?
An ambush was one thing, but for the great Blood Saber Stronghold—the most powerful group of mounted bandits near Blue Moon City—to be completely wiped out without a single survivor was another. And what’s more, the Ye family had suffered no casualties at all. It simply defied logic.
Was there truly something sinister going on?
In the face of these doubts, the members of the Ye family could only sneer.
Soon, someone from the Ye family came forward to dispel the rumors. It wasn’t the old master, nor Patriarch Ye Zhanxiong, nor Ye Xuan. It was Ji Ling, Chen Feng, and Leng Dao—the three captains of the City Guard.
As it turned out, they had come to Cyan Mountain Town because Vice Commander Lin Xiong had learned of the Blood Saber Stronghold’s potential plan to attack the town.
He had dispatched the three of them to investigate the situation and assist the Ye family in tracking the Blood Saber Stronghold.
Unexpectedly, the Blood Saber Stronghold had actually come to Cyan Mountain Town.
As City Guard captains, the three of them had participated in several encirclement campaigns and were naturally familiar with the Blood Saber Stronghold’s methods. After some analysis, they concluded that the bandits would likely attack the North Manor, and so they set up an ambush.
This, combined with the significant assistance from the Cyan Mountain Town Alchemist Association, which had provided antidote potions and other supplies.
Thus, the Ye family was like a tiger sprouting wings. Under the combined assault of all parties, the Blood Saber Stronghold was annihilated with no survivors.
Once this explanation was released, the public finally understood. So the three City Guard captains and the Alchemist Association had been involved! No wonder the Ye family had displayed such incredible might.
Originally, the destruction of the Blood Saber Stronghold had only brought the Ye family prestige. But with this explanation, it immediately gave the City Guard tangible merit.
This was also part of Ye Xuan’s calculations. He knew that Lin Xiong had just taken command of the City Guard and ousted the former Vice Commander, Jia Fang. If Ji Ling and the other two captains were also seen as having abandoned their posts without reason, Lin Xiong would likely face considerable resistance from both the City Guard and the City Lord’s Mansion.
Even though he had broken through to the Second Layer of the Earth Martial Artist realm, such actions would still provoke dissatisfaction from the City Lord’s Mansion toward Lin Xiong.
But with this explanation, any potential repercussions for what Lin Xiong and Ji Ling’s group had done would vanish into thin air. No one would dare to utter a word of criticism.
The Blood Saber Stronghold, a menace to Blue Moon City for years, had been surrounded and annihilated by the captains he dispatched only a month after he took command. This was a truly concrete accomplishment.
Once this news reached the City Lord’s Mansion, no one could possibly use any pretext to censure Lin Xiong.
Early the next morning, Ji Ling and his men began their return journey, carrying the heads of numerous Blood Saber Stronghold bandits. Such momentous news had to be reported to the City Lord’s Mansion.
The City Lord’s Mansion would surely review and verify the matter, and there might even be rewards.
A crisis that had seemed so immense was resolved just like that.
And Cyan Mountain Town, it seemed, returned to a state of peace.
After this incident, the Ye family became the undisputed number one power in Cyan Mountain Town. The Li family and the Liu family, on the other hand, were swept into the dustbin of history, ending up in an even more pathetic state than before they had tried to suppress the Ye family.
Two days later, Ji Ling and his men finally returned to Blue Moon City.
Waiting to greet them outside the gates of Blue Moon City were none other than Vice Commander Lin Xiong, the Imperial Guard’s Vice Commander Tie Xuan, and the City Lord’s Mansion’s head steward, Mu Shan.
This wasn’t a personal steward to some young master, like Gou Shi, but the true head steward of the City Lord’s Mansion, who served the City Lord himself.
"Ji Ling, Chen Feng, and Leng Dao of the City Guard greet Vice Commander Tie Xuan, Head Steward Mu Shan, and Vice Commander Lin!" The three men quickly dismounted and saluted.
"At ease," said Tie Xuan. He was a swarthy, middle-aged man with a stern, chiseled face. He pointed to the carriage behind them. "Are those the heads of the Blood Saber Stronghold bandits in there?"
"Yes, Vice Commander Tie Xuan."
"Very good. Men, take this back for inspection at once." At Tie Xuan’s command, a squad from the City Lord’s Mansion’s Imperial Guard surged forward and took control of the carriage.
"Be careful, brothers," Ji Ling quietly warned the Imperial Guards. "The bandits’ weapons are all coated with a potent poison."
The carriage also contained the weapons of the Blood Saber Stronghold. While there were a few decent Profound Soldiers among them, the Ye family had decided to let Ji Ling bring them back. After all, compared to what the Ye family had gained, these items were insignificant.
Mu Shan, however, wasn’t as reserved as Tie Xuan. He dismounted, walked straight to the carriage, glanced at the heads inside, and spat viciously.
"Pah! Good riddance. Death is too good for them, those animals." As he spoke through clenched teeth, Mu Shan’s eyes grew moist. "Nephew... the Blood Saber Stronghold bandits have finally been brought to justice. You can finally rest in peace."
It turned out that Mu Shan once had a nephew who was a procurement officer for the City Lord’s Mansion. On one of his trips, his convoy was attacked by the Blood Saber Stronghold.
Mu Shan’s nephew had died a horrible death in that ambush, his body hacked to pieces.
This matter had always weighed heavily on Mu Shan’s mind. Now, with the Blood Saber Stronghold annihilated, the weight on his heart was finally lifted.
"Head Steward Mu Shan, please don’t grieve too much. Take care of your health," Ji Ling comforted him. There was hardly anyone in the City Guard who didn’t know Mu Shan’s story.
"Vice Commander Lin, these men of yours are excellent. Truly excellent," Mu Shan said appreciatively as he composed himself and swung back onto his horse.
"Hehe, you flatter me, Head Steward Mu Shan," Lin Xiong said with a smile.
"Head Steward Mu Shan, we also have letters here showing correspondence between the Blood Saber Stronghold and certain families in Blue Moon City. I cannot vouch for their authenticity, so I can only submit them to the City Lord’s Mansion for a ruling."
Ji Ling then produced the letters that had been passed between the Wang family, the Zhou family, and the Blood Saber Stronghold.
The letters bore no family seals, nor did they explicitly name the families involved. However, the content of the correspondence made it easy to guess their identities.
However, this couldn’t serve as concrete evidence. Major families like the Wang family and the Zhou family could hardly be brought down by a few unsigned letters. That was why Ye Xuan had instructed Ji Ling to present them directly to the City Lord’s Mansion. How the Mansion chose to act was their own affair.
Now, upon seeing Head Steward Mu Shan, Ji Ling immediately presented the letters.
He knew the City Lord’s Mansion wouldn’t take action against the Wang family and the Zhou family over a few unsigned letters. But Mu Shan, the head steward who had personally suffered at the hands of the Blood Saber Stronghold, would certainly develop a deep-seated hatred for those two families.
And that, in itself, was a significant victory.
Soon, the heads of the Blood Saber Stronghold bandits were brought back to the City Lord’s Mansion. After a thorough review, the matter was officially confirmed.
Two hours later, a proclamation was posted in prominent locations at every gate of Blue Moon City.
It announced the final conclusion regarding the demise of the Blood Saber Stronghold, praising the City Guard and Cyan Mountain Town’s Ye family for their involvement. Furthermore, the Ye family of Cyan Mountain Town was granted the title of "Honorary Family of Blue Moon City," which came with certain privileges. The proclamation concluded by stating that the net of justice is vast and misses nothing; all criminal activities within Blue Moon City would be eradicated.
Although news of the Blood Saber Stronghold’s destruction had already reached Blue Moon City via messenger hawk, the official proclamation still sent the entire city into a jubilant uproar.
And with that, the name of the Ye family was deeply etched into the hearts of every citizen in Blue Moon City.
In the Wang family’s council hall, Patriarch Wang Hai, Wang Xuan, Wang Cong, and the others listened with grim expressions as a subordinate delivered his report.
"That Ye family... They’re just too lucky. To think that even the Blood Saber Stronghold couldn’t handle them!"
After the report concluded, Wang Hai couldn’t help but speak, his heart heavy with frustration.
"Brother, if you ask me, this was all just dumb luck on the Ye family’s part. If they didn’t have someone from the City Guard with them, I’m sure the outcome would have been completely different," Wang Xuan said through clenched teeth.
But Wang Cong, standing to the side, shook his head. "Second Brother, you don’t actually believe it was all thanks to a few City Guard captains, do you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I did some digging. Ji Ling and his two men are only at the Third Layer of the Martial Master realm. What good could that level of strength possibly do against the Blood Saber Stronghold? The way I see it, if the Ye family was able to wipe out the stronghold, their own strength must not be underestimated."
"Heh, Fourth Brother, aren’t you being a little alarmist? Besides Ye Batian, who’s a Second Layer Earth Martial Artist, the Ye family only has two First Layer Earth Martial Artists. Why not let me go handle it myself? I guarantee I will exterminate their entire clan." Wang Xuan’s gaze was sinister, filled with venomous hatred for the Ye family.
"Enough, Second Brother. Don’t say such things again. The Wang family is not a pack of bandits. An act like that would be pushing our entire family into a pit of fire," Wang Hai said, shaking his head. "We in the Wang family are facing a difficult problem now. The Li and Liu family manors have suffered heavy losses, and they can now barely supply our own businesses. Because of this, our original plan to use the medicinal herb market to swallow the Ye family is likely to fall through."
"That Ye family is too cunning! The Li and Liu families investigated. The Blood Saber Stronghold actually attacked the Ye family’s North Manor in the first half of the night. The ’bandits’ who attacked the Li and Liu family manors in the second half of the night were most likely Ye family members in disguise! That family is truly audacious! Why don’t we report them to the City Lord’s Mansion? We can surely get them convicted."
"Wang Xuan, are you an idiot? The City Lord’s Mansion just granted the Ye family the title of ’Honorary Family.’ Do you think they’re going to turn around and slap themselves in the face? Besides, even if what you’re saying is true, do you have any proof?"
The gathered elders of the Wang family were at a complete loss.
For the first time, they realized that a minor family from a place as distant as Cyan Mountain Town could actually cause them such a massive headache.
