Plan? Kill them all is the plan!

"Kid, do you even know what you've done?"

After a long pause, Magistrate Li finally spoke, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Those Black Cloud Stronghold bandits are nothing but dogs owned by Grand Commandant Wu Zongren! They're just tools to do his dirty work!"

"By killing them, you've handed him the perfect excuse to move against my Li family!"

"I'm telling you now, if I get dragged into this, I'll wash my hands of Dongjiang City. Your recklessness will bring ruin upon the Shangguan family!"

Li Yan paid no mind to Magistrate Li's threats, casually tossing the saber in his hand aside.

"Magistrate Li, you jest. I've known the Shangguan family for barely half a month. Today, I was merely delivering a message. Their lives or deaths are of no concern to me."

"You... Hmph, is that so? If what you say is true, why would you go to such lengths to find my hiding place?"

Li Yan smiled and didn't dwell on the topic. He tossed the saber in his hand aside again and walked to a square table not far away, sitting down and staring intently at Li Fucai.

Li Fucai took a deep breath. Though deeply displeased, he walked forward and pulled up a chair to sit down.

"Magistrate Li, why bother? Don't these people also cause you a great deal of trouble?"

"Hmph, they're merely troublesome. But your actions could bring about my utter destruction!"

"Utter destruction? Are you afraid Wu Zongren will find out his dog died here and use it as a pretext to attack you?"

"Kid, if you're just going to spout nonsense, then don't bother."

"Hey~ Magistrate Li, why the rush? I killed them, and I'll definitely find a way to keep you out of it."

"You have a way?"

Li Fucai's face was a mixture of suspicion and disdain. The kid's swordsmanship earlier was impressive, but just knowing a few moves wouldn't let him take on the Black Cloud Stronghold. That would be like dreaming with your eyes open!

"Of course. Think about it, only a few people from the Black Cloud Stronghold died here. What if more of them died? Then, the deaths of these few wouldn't be the focus, would they?"

"More deaths?"

Li Fucai frowned. He looked at Li Yan, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.

"Exactly. As long as those guys die in greater numbers elsewhere, will anyone still care about the fate of these few?"

"...For example, if everyone in the Black Cloud Stronghold died on the mountain."

As soon as Li Yan said this, Li Fucai couldn't help but shiver. His gaze towards Li Yan trembled slightly.

The killing intent flashing in the kid's eyes was no pretense. He genuinely intended to slaughter every single person in the Black Cloud Stronghold!

"You! You're truly insane to say such things!"

"Do you know how many people are in the Black Cloud Stronghold? How could you possibly do it alone?"

"If you go there alone, you won't even know how you died!"

Hearing this, Li Yan's smile widened. "Magistrate Li, do you truly not understand, or are you pretending not to know?"

"As you said, the Black Cloud Stronghold has nearly a thousand people, but they're just a bunch of mountain bandits. How strong can they really be? They just have someone backing them."

"So, if I kill people within the Black Cloud Stronghold, it will definitely cause chaos and buy you time. At the very least, it's more effective than you hiding here."

Magistrate Li's gaze towards Li Yan gradually changed. While the kid's idea was dangerous, it wasn't entirely without merit.

If handled correctly, it could create enough chaos within the Black Cloud Stronghold to significantly alleviate his current pressure.

"Kid, do you understand the risks involved?"

"The current Grand Commandant's power far exceeds your imagination. If you do this, you'll be cutting yourself off from Great Wu!"

"That will be my concern, esteemed Magistrate. You needn't worry."

Li Fucai fell silent again. While the kid's proposal had some merit, there were still considerable loopholes. A single misstep could lead to disaster. Before he could ponder further, Li Yan's voice rang out again.

"Magistrate Li, I know you have many reservations, but you don't have much time left."

Li Yan glanced at the corpses nearby, a half-smile playing on his lips.

That's right. These few were dead. Even if Magistrate Li had nothing to do with it, neither the Black Cloud Stronghold nor Wu Zongren would accept that explanation.

With such a perfect excuse and opportunity, these people would never let it go. His entire family, his vast fortune, would likely vanish in an instant.

"Damn it..." Magistrate Li gritted his teeth fiercely, his mind in turmoil. He then stomped his foot hard. "Damn it, I'll die if I do, and I'll die if I don't. In that case, let's do it!"

Getting the answer he wanted, Li Yan nodded with satisfaction.

After that, Magistrate Li began to inquire about Li Yan's plan. After all, directly charging into a stronghold of nearly a thousand people would be suicide.

Li Yan didn't hold back, briefly explaining his plan.

"Are you sure? If it's just you, and you get discovered, then..."

"Magistrate Li, don't worry. Even if I fail, I won't reveal any information about you."

"Hmm... Tell me, what do you need?"

"Hahaha, I do need a few things."

Magistrate Li was known as the Treasure Official not just because he was an official in Duobao Town. The items Li Yan requested were immediately prepared by the magistrate.

Of course, this was good news, as he was eager to ascend the Black Cloud Stronghold as soon as possible.

In Dongjiang City, within the Shangguan family manor, the three siblings sat in the main hall, their brows furrowed with worry.

Huang Lingyan's actions had far surpassed their wildest imaginations. On the very night of the incident, he had killed Wang Jin, and in doing so, had seized control of all the various powers within Dongjiang City.

Following that, this fellow had Xu San continuously spread rumors among the residents, claiming that Wang Jin's death was entirely due to their Shangguan family.

Wang Jin had many disciples in Dongjiang City. While these individuals dared not confront the Shangguan family directly, it didn't mean they couldn't stir up trouble in other ways.

In just a few short days, the Shangguan family's businesses and shops had been repeatedly vandalized. Some were set ablaze in the dead of night, while others were ransacked in broad daylight.

Furthermore, Xu San had also been spreading rumors among the common folk, painting the Shangguan family as villains who disregarded Dongjiang City's safety and harbored evildoers, thereby making them solely responsible for the city being targeted by the Fierce Wind Bandits.

This had led the populace to turn a blind eye to the destruction of the Shangguan family's shops, let alone offer any clues about the perpetrators.

As a result, in just a few days, the Shangguan family had suffered heavy losses.

"Sigh, we underestimated Huang Lingyan. I didn't expect him to move so fast," Shangguan Feiyun grumbled through clenched teeth.

"Indeed, we underestimated him. I didn't expect him to be so ruthless as to directly kill Wang Jin," Shangguan Liuyun added, his brow deeply furrowed. The current situation was far beyond his expectations.

"I wonder how Brother Wan is doing now," Shangguan Xiyun said, a hint of worry in her voice as she thought of Li Yan. They knew Huang Lingyan had issued a Martial Kill Order to pursue Li Yan and his companions, and they had no idea what their current situation was.

"I fear it's not optimistic..." Shangguan Liuyun sighed softly. "I only received the news after he left. The person I asked him to find has also run into trouble, so I doubt he'll be able to spare any thought for us."

"Ah? Then what should we do?"

Shangguan Liuyun was somewhat dumbfounded. With powerful enemies surrounding them, if their reinforcements were also gone, their predicament would be dire.

"Little sister, do you have any ideas?" Shangguan Liuyun asked, looking at Shangguan Xiyun.

Shangguan Xiyun pondered for a moment. "The current situation is indeed not good. To resolve this completely, unless Huang Lingyan suddenly dies."

"How is that possible?" Shangguan Feiyun scratched his head in confusion.

"Therefore, we can only resort to delaying tactics."

"Tell us, what's your plan?"

"We can let go of some of our family's industries."

Shangguan Feiyun looked puzzled at this suggestion, but Shangguan Liuyun nodded in approval. He then sighed again, "This is merely a delaying tactic. I hope Brother Wan won't disappoint us."