The Four Great Lineages
Without uttering a single wasted word, Shen Jingchuan spurred his horse forward and charged back at the enemy once more.
His State of Mind was different now. Since entering the Second Layer of Qi Refinement, his body was filled with Spiritual Qi, and he unconsciously felt a sense of disdain for these mortals.
Today he was determined to kill these people until they were terrified and would never dare to plot against him again; it would be best if none of them escaped.
With a thought, he channeled all the Spiritual Qi within his body into the spear.
The gun instantly glowed with a pale golden light, and its force became several times greater than before.
He swept his spear horizontally, creating a gust of wind that sent three or four men charging at him flying, weapons and all, the sounds of bones cracking mingling with screams of agony.
The remaining masked men were utterly terrified. Knowing they had provoked a demon they shouldn't have, they dared not fight any longer. With a shout, they scattered and fled, wishing they had more legs.
Shen Jingchuan, unable to catch up on horseback, watched as everyone scattered in different directions. Suddenly, he remembered the new Cultivation Method he had been practicing and decided to test its combat effectiveness.
He focused his mind and silently recited the Method Formula of the "Geng Metal Escape Technique Instruction". This was his first time using it in actual combat, and his technique was still a little rusty.
He aimed at a masked man riding a horse at full gallop five or six meters away. A golden light flashed at his fingertips, and an arrow formed from Metal Spiritual Qi shot out suddenly. It was so fast that it was invisible to the naked eye and pierced the man's back in the blink of an eye.
The man didn't utter a sound; he fell off his horse and died instantly.
Shen Jingchuan was secretly delighted; this Law Technique was indeed effective. He immediately changed direction, aimed at the person who had fled the farthest on the other side, and activated the Method Formula again. Another golden arrow shot out and hit its target precisely.
The bandits below, scattering in all directions, were too busy trying to escape to notice the golden arrow that had appeared out of nowhere.
But Steward Huang, who was looking back from the distant hillside, could see it clearly. He rubbed his eyes hard, his hair standing on end in fright—I've kicked a hornet's nest! This is a celestial master!
The golden arrow appeared out of thin air, moving so fast that its trajectory was invisible; this was a skill no ordinary person could possess.
Steward Huang was so frightened he almost jumped out of his skin. He didn't dare linger for even a moment longer. He spurred his horse and whipped it hard on the rump, galloping wildly into the city without even looking back.
Seeing the masked men scatter and disappear from sight, Shen Jingchuan didn't bother to chase them anymore. He called out to Big Black and slowly slowed down.
There were more than a dozen corpses lying haphazardly on the ground. Now that his standards had risen, he looked down on the scraps on these bandits and didn't even consider searching the bodies.
The horses left behind by the thieves were scattered along the roadside; some were munching on withered grass roots, while others circled their masters' corpses, whinnying softly.
Shen Jingchuan remembered that he still needed to borrow horses from the escort agency this morning, and that his family was indeed short of a few good horses. So he looked around and picked out three that he thought were the best in appearance. He tied the reins to the Big Black saddles one by one and led them back.
He hadn't gone far when, on a whim, he channeled his Spiritual Qi to cast a Cleaning Technique. A faint light flashed, and the bloodstains and dust on himself, the Big Black coat, and even the three horses behind him vanished completely, leaving not a trace of blood.
The guards at the north gate had just seen Steward Huang rush in in a panic. Several soldiers recognized him as a member of the Huang Household and let him pass without asking any questions. A short while later, several knights dressed as members of the Huang Household came running back in a disheveled state and also went straight into the city.
After a while, Shen Jingchuan was seen riding a sleek Big Black, followed slowly by three other horses, as they leisurely made their way to the city gate.
The guards approached and vaguely sensed a heavy, murderous aura emanating from the man. However, after a thorough examination, they found his clothes to be clean, his face calm, and he showed no signs of distress. Following protocol, they checked his travel permit and, without daring to question him further, stepped aside to let him pass.
Once the soldiers had gone some distance, the guards exchanged glances, and one of the veterans muttered in a low voice:
"This person's aura is terrifying; something must have happened up north."
Shen Jingchuan returned to his own house, knocked on the stable gate, and Liu Hu greeted him. Seeing the three horses behind him, Liu Hu quickly took the reins. He glanced at Shen Jingchuan, his eyes lighting up.
"Young master, is this a newly acquired horse? What a fine steed! You have an excellent eye; its shoulder height is almost as tall as Little Red's. It's a top-class warhorse."
Shen Jingchuan asked with a smile, "Would it be suitable for pulling a cart?"
Liu Hu was taken aback, subconsciously rubbing his hands together, somewhat speechless:
"It's not that it's impossible, but these are all good horses fit for battle. Using them to pull a carriage would be a waste. But then again, they're perfect for our four-wheeled carriage; they don't look out of place at all."
After lunch, Shen Jingchuan didn't take Lin Qingyao with him and went to Zhenyuan Escort Agency alone. As the son-in-law of the Lin Household, he didn't need to announce his arrival and went straight to the main house in the backyard.
Inside the room, Lin Weiyuan was sitting and drinking tea, while Lin Yue sat on a bench to the side, wiping a short knife with a cotton cloth until it gleamed.
He looked up and saw Shen Jingchuan enter. He immediately put the knife on the table, grinned, and stood up. "Jingchuan's here! Please sit down."
Lin Weiyuan put down his teacup, pointed to the chair opposite him, and said, "Sit down. What brings you here at midday?"
Shen Jingchuan sat down and, without much pleasantries, went straight to the point. "Father-in-law, Second Brother, I've come here today to discuss something with you."
He briefly explained the cause and effect:
Previously, the Huang Household had tried to force their way into the glass mirror business at the general store. After the negotiations broke down, they sent people to spy on his residence every day. Today, when he was seeing a business friend off out of the city, the Huang Household sent dozens of masked men to ambush him on the way back, intending to kidnap him.
After hearing this, Lin Yue slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup shake.
"The Huang Household has gone too far! They couldn't force a sale, so they dared to intercept people? They know you're the son-in-law of the Lin Household, yet they still dare to be so insolent. They clearly don't respect the Zhenyuan Escort Agency!"
Lin Weiyuan frowned. He knew Shen Jingchuan was in the glass mirror business, but he hadn't expected this turn of events. He said in a deep voice:
Why didn't you tell me sooner that this happened?
Shen Jingchuan said:
"Hey, I originally thought they were just keeping watch at the door. I usually stay at home and don't go anywhere, so I thought nothing would happen and I didn't come to tell you."
Lin Weiyuan nodded, and after softening his tone, said:
"Alright, what's done is done, let's not talk about it anymore. You've been in Yuxi Prefecture for so long, but I haven't told you the details of this prefecture. Today, I'll tell you all about it. Yuxi Prefecture is the largest prefecture in the northern part of the Great Qian Kingdom, governing five counties and one state. There are four families with the deepest roots in the prefecture, known as the Four Great Lineages Families: Li, Wang, Pan, and Huang."