A show of force!
Seeing Wu Qi being falsely accused, the old man was terrified and hurriedly put down his carrying pole. "Your Honor, this young man is from our village. He's not Mountain Bandits. I'll leave now."
The officials didn't care about such things. Even if someone wasn't Mountain Bandits, once they were caught, a simple interrogation would make them confess.
The officers persisted. "You think you're so loyal, huh? I bet you're one of the Mountain Bandits too! Arrest them all!"
Wu Qi frowned, a powerful surge of Soul Power emanating from his body and sweeping away all the officials. "It seems the bureaucratic system of Wangbei City is rotten to the core."
Originally, he thought that by getting the major families under control, he could quell the chaos.
Now I understand that the root of the chaos, besides the major families, also lies with the local officials.
While no one within the Spirit Hall system can alter the Official System of the Heaven Dou Empire, Wu Qi is not without powerful backing.
Later, he decided to write to Xue Qinghe, asking him to replace the garrison in the city in order to curb the collusion between officials and merchants.
The officials were no match for Wu Qi, but their greatest skill was summoning reinforcements.
After uttering these harsh words, the officials were about to leave when the young man in white blocked their way.
"Gentlemen, that's a friend of my Li Family. Please do me a favor."
The official's expression immediately changed, and he repeatedly smiled apologetically, "Young Master Li, you're too kind. This is all a misunderstanding."
With that, the officials bowed to Wu Qi and then left.
Wu Qi ignored the young man and turned to the old man. "Sir, I'll take all your vegetables. Go home early. Don't come to the city to sell vegetables for a while."
As he spoke, he calmly handed two Gold Soul Coin to the old man, and then put all the vegetables in the basket into his Soul Tool.
The old man thanked him repeatedly, not daring to linger, and hurriedly left the city with his carrying pole and vegetable basket.
The young man in white stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Brother, you are truly a man of character. May I ask your name?"
He paused, then added, "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Li Jinglong, and my father is Li Wenzhong."
The Li Family is one of the major families in Wangbei City, and Li Jinglong, though unassuming, is actually a level 59 Soul King.
He is clearly under twenty years old; such Talent is truly remarkable.
Wu Qi cupped his hands in greeting, "You will know my name tonight. Farewell."
Li Jinglong quickly followed and asked, "Brother, there are some things I don't want to do, but the Li Family has the Elephant Armor Sect behind it, and in this position, we have no choice but to do them."
"To you, brother, this may be seen as extortion and tyranny, bringing disaster to the country and its people, but our Li Family has no choice."
Wu Qi did not express his opinion.
Li Jinglong is very clever. With one sentence, he completely absolved the Li Family of any responsibility, while simultaneously pointing the finger at the Elephant Armor Sect!
Li Jinglong continued, "Brother, may we talk? There are some things I hope you can help me with."
Wu Qi insisted on leaving, and he couldn't stop him, so he could only do as the other party said and meet again that evening.
Not long ago, Li Jinglong learned about the Spirit Hall group's drinking party from his father, so it seems that the other party is most likely a member of the Spirit Hall.
The Li Family was ultimately a small family, and in the power struggles among these major forces, they could only become victims, unable to win both sides.
Li Jinglong understood everything long ago, but he was powerless to change it!
The chaos in Wangbei City goes far beyond this.
There are only a few large markets selling goods in the city, and these markets are jointly guarded by government officials and Soul Master from several major families.
Anyone entering the premises, regardless of whether they purchase any goods, is required to pay a "commercial tax."
Moreover, the prices of goods here are more than double the average price on the mainland, even more outrageous than those in Heaven Dou City and Spirit City.
Don't forget, Wangbei City is just a small city. With such high prices, Ordinary Person already use all their strength just to survive.
Anyone with even a little bit of wealth has already been thinking about moving away from this place.
In the evening, Watt sent someone to find Wu Qi and told him the location of the banquet.
As dusk fell, the Clan Head the several major families who had been invited arrived at the banquet one after another.
The main character hadn't arrived yet, and the group looked at each other, wondering what the Spirit Hall was up to.
Of course, the Lower Four Sects behind them are also members of the Spirit Hall, so they are fearless and not worried about anyone harming them.
Among them, Li Wenzhong and his son more or less guessed the purpose of this trip, but since there was a competitive relationship between the major families, they would not tell others about the situation.
Before long, Wu Qi and Watt arrived at the scene together.
The Clan Head the Wang Family couldn't help but ask, "Hall Master Watt, what brings you here?"
"Also, who is this person next to you? Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to eavesdrop on our conversation."
Watt was about to lash out when Wu Qi stopped him.
He sneered, "That was a good show of force, but I don't like it!"
After he finished speaking, the Divine Slaughter's Domain rapidly expanded from his body.
The members of several major families were caught in the turmoil, completely terrified.
The thugs from the major families were unable to move under the oppressive aura of the Divine Slaughter's Domain, let alone attack Wu Qi.
Li Wenzhong said repeatedly, "Sir, is there some misunderstanding between us?!"
This level of strength far surpasses that of the experts from the major families. In fact, Wu Qi is even younger than Li Jinglong.
Such a talented and powerful individual must have an extraordinary background!
Wu Qi withdrew his Divine Slaughter's Domain, a faint smile appearing on his face, "Don't you all like to give people a show of force? How about my show of force? If you think it's not enough, I can increase the intensity."
"However, if anyone dies then, it's none of my business."
The Clan Head were well aware that this was a trap.
The Wang Family Clan Head's previous actions gave Wu Qi a reason to attack them.
Many people realized that after today, the city's landscape would be completely rewritten.
Although the Wang Family Clan Head was unwilling, he had no choice but to bow his head. "You flatter me. My Wang Family has no intention of being enemies with the Spirit Hall. I misspoke just now, and I hope Watt Hall Master Watt will not take offense."
Wu Qi's domineering presence forced all the Clan Head to bow their heads.
The banquet has only just begun; there's still much to talk about.
As the food was served, Watt introduced Wu Qi's background to everyone.
"You're the Team Captain of the Seven Treasures Team?" Li Jinglong was shocked and at a loss for words.
Clearly, Wu Qi was his idol.
Li Wenzhong couldn't help but praise, "Truly, heroes emerge from among the young! Young friend Wu's abilities put us all to shame!"
Flattery will get you everywhere.
Several Clan Head simultaneously began to flatter, hoping to force the other party to compromise in the ensuing negotiations.
Wu Qi maintained a calm and composed expression.
As soon as the Clan Head finished speaking, he said, "I'll give you all two choices."
"First, restore the Wangbei City Market, and return all goods to market prices. Furthermore, allow nearby villagers to come into the market to sell their grain."
"Secondly, the entire family will be shut down, and I will send someone to take over the vacated Commercial Market."
"Listen, this is not a discussion. If you want to leave the meeting today, you must make a decision!"