Compared to Him, Dales Was Much Busier
After the speech, Dales was immediately taken back to his mansion by his butler and guards for treatment.
Among the three Soul Grandmaster, one was Healing System, so after the broken ribs were set in place, Dales ' injuries recovered quickly. However, the knocked-out teeth did not grow back and had to be replaced later.
"That Zhou Qing! Ugh~ Damn it!"
Dales spoke with a lisp and his eyes were bloodshot.
When has he ever suffered such injustice?
In Star Luo City, I was bullied and ostracized by other nobles because I chose the wrong side. But in this remote rural town, I was actually bullied by Commoner Soul Master.
However, on the stage, Zhou Qing held the initiative. He could not seek revenge openly. Moreover, those four guys were too strong, especially Zhou Qing, who was just a Soul Master but whose strength was no less than his own as Soul Elder.
More importantly, he seemed to feel some kind of inner turmoil, which caused him to lose his composure and his Soul Power, thus making him a target for being hit like a ball.
Even now, recalling that strange power still makes him tremble with fear, and even his hands and feet tremble slightly involuntarily.
Fear!
It covered his body and mind!
That Zhou Qing! He's too dangerous! He has to die!
Does danger refer to strength?
Absolutely not!
There are many people in the world stronger than Zhou Qing, such as Soul Saint and Soul Douluo. He had seen them and even felt the pressure they brought when he was in Star Luo City.
That was a power that could kill him in the blink of an eye!
However, when faced with such a powerful figure, he could only feel awe and admiration, and even if he were killed... He thought he probably wouldn't have many complaints, and his only regret might be that he was relatively weak.
But what about Zhou Qing?
At that moment, fear and unease gripped his heart, causing him to tremble uncontrollably. He desperately wanted to escape, yet he had the illusion that he could never escape.
Although Dales didn't know why he had such thoughts, one thing was certain: as long as Zhou Qing lived, he would be a disaster for him and people like him. Only by dying could the Star Luo Empire... no, the entire Douluo Continent, be at peace!
Thinking of this, Dales didn't rush to get his teeth fixed. He summoned the three Soul Grandmaster, took out his Storage Soul Tool Belt from his waist, handed it over, and said, "Inside is a method for refining Rakshasa Avatar, as well as four Dharma Body puppets that are already mostly refined. The three of you take it to Falling Star Slope, and the four of you cultivate together, using your blood and Soul Power to refine the four Dharma Bodies."
One of the Soul Grandmaster took out the method for refining and controlling the Rakshasa Avatar, flipped through it, and stared wide-eyed, saying, "My lord, to completely refine the Rakshasa Avatar, it needs to be cleansed by the Heaven and Earth Energy. At the very least, it needs to be refined with the Soul Power of a Soul Saint-level. But we are just Soul Grandmaster!"
"The combined Soul Power of the four of you is over level ninety, not much different," Dales said.
The three of them. "..."
Can these be counted the same?
The three of them, plus their companion from Falling Star Slope, did indeed have a combined Soul Power Level of over ninety, but could they compare to Titled Douluo?
Perhaps a Soul King, or even Soul Ancestor, would be enough to toy with the four of them!
However, since Dales had given a strict order, they had no choice but to obey...
On the other side.
Zhou Qing and the others also returned to You Hui's house.
The speech had just ended, and the people were still paying taxes and donating money. The funds had not yet been raised, so it was impossible to set off immediately.
"Zhou Qing, I didn't expect you to be so mean, making Dales suffer in front of everyone, and Dales can't even blame us." Xiao Wu waved her fist and chuckled, indicating that she hadn't had enough of beating him before. "But that Dales was too weak, he couldn't take a beating at all."
"That's normal. He's so fat. Even if he's Soul Elder, he's used to a life of luxury, so his combat power is probably not that great." Tang San didn't seem to care.
It's only because this world possesses such a wondrous thing as Martial Soul that things work out. Otherwise, with Dales's fat head, big ears, and potbelly, he would be panting heavily even with the slightest movement.
"Hehe."
Zhou Qing chuckled twice and said leisurely, "This is just to let Dales pay some interest first."
"What should we do next? Will Dales really gather his forces and go out of the city to wipe out the Fallen Ones?" Romantina asked with some doubt.
"He's the city lord, he's already made that promise, and in front of the entire city, how can he go back on his word?"
After saying that, Zhou Qing made a small joke, "High-ranking officials and nobles care the most about their reputation, unlike you, who have no aristocratic manners at all."
"How could you say that about me!" Romantina covered her burning face, lost in a state of self-ecstasy.
Zhou Qing shook his head slightly and continued, "We know the situation of the Fallen Ones better than anyone else, and Dales's actions are just as I guessed. He labeled all the people in the know in his mansion as Fallen Ones, intending to silence them all in this extermination operation."
"I just didn't expect him to be so bold. Under such circumstances, he actually dared to join forces with other families in the city to amass wealth. The excuse of Fallen Ones ' is really useful—creating various pretexts to win over wealthy gentry and Tax Donation. The gentry's money is returned in full, while the common people's money is split 70/30. Tsk tsk, with this scheme, the common people have no choice at all... When I seized the initiative on stage before, it was just to let the common people vent their anger."
Upon hearing Dales's scheme once again, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Romantina, You Hui all clenched their fists in fear.
Xiao Wu: "That combination of a pig and a bear is really annoying!"
Romantina: "No wonder my father didn't like to associate with him..."
You Hui: "The cause of my parents' deaths may also include their reluctance to associate with him."
"There is already Path to Death!"
This was the first time Tang San had truly uttered this "catchphrase," and then he sighed, "If a mere Dales has such abilities, I can already imagine what the other powerful figures in the Star Luo Empire must be like. Perhaps there are capable and ambitious people who want to eliminate corrupt officials, but with various networks of interests connecting them, they find it difficult to move forward... And the situation is probably even worse for the Heaven Dou Empire, which has even weaker control over its subordinates."
"No, in this respect, the situation is actually better within the Heaven Dou Realm," Zhou Qing said, offering a different perspective.
"Um?"
Tang San was puzzled.
"It's very simple. The Star Luo Empire is a unified entity, and there aren't that many kingdoms and duchies within its borders. But the Heaven Dou is different. The kingdoms and duchies within its borders are merely subjects of the Heaven Dou, paying tribute every year. However, the autonomy and self-governance of the kingdoms still belong to the king. Xue Ye will not interfere with the systems and policies within the kingdoms. Therefore, the systems of these kingdoms and duchies are not entirely consistent, which leads to a lack of significant interest connections among the powerful figures in each other."
Zhou Qing saw things clearly. "The places are small and independent of each other, so the network of interests is not so tight. And being small also has its advantages—it's easier to manage."
Tang San pondered for a long time before finally nodding in agreement with Zhou Qing's assessment. At least judging from the situation in Nuoding City, setting aside Xiao Lang's personal moral issues, managing Nuoding City seemed quite easy for him, considering he kept so many mistresses... In comparison, Dales was indeed much busier...