What Do You Mean?

"You mean?"

Norman seemed to have grasped the key point, but perhaps because he was old, his thoughts were not sharp enough, and he could not think of anything specific. He could only beg Zhou Qing not to keep him in suspense any longer.

"Judging from their expressions, they are not so loyal to Dales. They probably have something on them that Dales has a hold over them."

Zhou Qing chuckled and shared his guess.

"And they are all Soul Master, who love freedom and have always been carefree. What can make them bow down is power, money, status, beauty, or being threatened."

"Judging from their angry but silent attitude towards the Fake Dales, it can be basically determined that they were threatened, rather than Dales promising them anything. Otherwise, how could they be so stubborn in a life-or-death situation? Life is much more precious than money or beauty."

"With the old gentleman's abilities, if he can find their information and resolve their predicament, he might be able to win them over to our side."

"To defeat Dales in a fair and square manner, we must strive for every conceivable force!"

Norman's eyes lit up when he heard that.

Strive for every force that can be won.

That is truly a profound truth!

This kid not only has a strong talent for cultivation, but also a unique charm in his interpersonal relationships, and moreover—

[Are they trying to win me over, or rather, to gain the power of the Spirit Hall, to achieve their goals? That's truly remarkable!]

[If we become enemies with the Spirit Hall...]

Norman dared not think any further and continued to ask, "And then what? With evidence, can Dales be executed? But I don't have the authority to deal with Dales. Only the high-ranking officials of the Star Luo Empire can do it in person. At most, I can only stall him and prevent him from having a chance to destroy the evidence."

"That's why I said we can treat this fake as real," Zhou Qing chuckled. "Since he's fake and has no official position, we can simply kill him. After all, you're not killing the real Dales, just an imposter! So, what crime have you committed?"

"The reason for treating him as if he were really killed is simply to show the people of Falling Star City that if the city lord makes a mistake, he will also be punished accordingly... I think you know that I have a big heart, and this is also an experiment of mine, just consider it my selfish desire."

Norman pondered for a moment, then asked, "Aren't you afraid I'll tell the Spirit Hall, the higher-ups, everything?"

"For You Hui..."

"Fine!" Norman said, both angry and amused. "You've got me cornered! If I weren't a match for you, and if I weren't still single with no children, I wouldn't care what happens to my granddaughter."

Zhou Qing chuckled twice and continued:

"When the relevant personnel from the Star Luo Empire arrive and question you, you can release the real Dales and describe his shady operation of finding a substitute for himself as described above—at that time, in order not to damage the reputation of the Star Luo Empire, the real Dales will also have to die."

"Or, you could hand over the real body of Dales and say that he committed suicide out of guilt."

Norman sighed and said, "If I were to fight you and not kill you with my superior strength immediately, but instead try to outmaneuver you, I would probably die an unjust death."

"On the contrary, except for those Fallen Ones, or those I think are mentally unstable, I will make sure that everyone who dies by my own hand in the future dies clearly and understands everything."

When Zhou Qing said this, his tone was extremely calm, like an ancient glacier, chilling to the bone.

But for some reason, Norman inexplicably found his heart pounding rapidly, not out of fear, but rather—

Excited!

He actually got excited!

He was very eager to see how Zhou Qing would make sure Dales died knowing why...

···

The next day.

Dales had just finished breakfast and walked into the courtyard. He looked up at the Red Sun shining through the eastern clouds and squinted.

The morning sun is really dazzling today!

"Thump!"

"Bang! Bang!"

"Swish swish swish!"

Hearing the faint noise coming from the City Lord's Mansion, Dales frowned and cursed, "Can't those lowly commoners keep the noise of digging Soul Sand down a little?"

Then, Dales summoned his servant and said, "Find a few people to collect Soul Sand and Soul Crystal in the square. Also, contact the Four Great Families and ask them to help transport the Soul Sand to Star Luo City for sale. Afterwards, split the profits 60/40 according to the original rules."

"Lord City Lord, what is the purchase price?"

"One Copper Soul Coin weighs ten jin!"

"Isn't this a bit...?"

Snap!

Before the man could finish speaking, Dales, annoyed by the noise, slapped him to the ground and scolded, "My orders are for execution! Ten catties for one Copper Soul Coin is already a high price! What more do they want? If they don't like it, they can transport it to Star Luo City or other major cities themselves. They can bear the risks along the way!"

"Yes, yes!" The servant hurriedly got up and knelt down, but then worried, "It's just... Lord City Lord, aren't you going in person? If it's just me, I'm afraid I won't be convincing enough."

"Fool! I should be out there exterminating the Fallen Ones, how can I appear in front of those lowly people?" Dales cursed. "You are a member of my City Lord's Mansion, what do they dare to question? They don't have the guts! What are you standing there for? Go and carry out the order!"

"Yes!"

Fearing further scolding and punishment, the man hurriedly left the courtyard, summoned several guards, and began beating drums and gongs in the square to attract the attention of the city's residents.

When the people of the city learned that the City Lord's Mansion was going to buy Soul Sand, they immediately set off and carried the sand they had dug up a couple of days earlier to the square.

"How much will the City Lord's Mansion offer?"

"Five Silver Soul Coin per pound."

"I doubt it! The city lord still needs us to Tax Donation to raise enough money to go out of the city and wipe out the Fallen Ones."

"Tch! Who doesn't know the city lord is incredibly wealthy? He just doesn't want to spend his own money and doesn't want us to have an easy time!"

"He might even be colluding with the Fallen Ones!"

Shh! Silence!

"I think the extermination of the Fallen Ones is just a pretext. Dales just can't stand seeing us have money, so he's trying to find ways to get our money into his own pocket..."

The people were talking about it, discussing all sorts of topics, making the whole square extremely noisy.

Only when the servants of the City Lord's Mansion displayed a sign indicating the purchase price of Soul Sand and Soul Crystal did the crowd quiet down, and then—

That would only lead to a greater uproar!

"What? Soul Sand costs one Copper Soul Coin for ten jin! Soul Crystal costs five Copper Soul Coin for one jin!"

"You're robbing me!"

"We dug up the road and worked so hard for so long, and this is all the money we get?"

"My family doesn't even have enough to pay taxes!"

"Protest!"

Immediately, the people gathered outside the square began to protest!

But the servant, holding Amplifying Soul Tool, shouted, "What are you yelling about? Are you digging for Soul Sand for money? That's Evil Soul Tool Core Formation set up by the Fallen Ones! Do you know Magic Array is? You're digging for Soul Sand to save your own lives!"

"Also, this is the purchase price for the City Lord's Mansion's Soul Sand and Soul Crystal!"

"Take it or leave it! If you're not selling, get out!"

"I'd like to see how many of you have the money to hire Soul Master to escort you to the big city to sell Soul Sand and Soul Crystal!"

Subsequently, the guards also released their Martial Soul and Soul Ring. Although their Soul Power was not high, they were still Soul Master, which made the commoners present dare not resist and could only suppress their anger.

They still had some money, but they were ordinary people and didn't have the courage to use their last bit of money to hire Soul Master.

What if something unexpected happens on the way to transport the Soul Sand to the big city?

They can't afford the risk!

Dales had precisely anticipated this, which is why he dared to drive the acquisition price down so low...