"An ancestral foundation stained with blood—better to have none at all!" Wei Wenhe said coldly. "Family Head Yang may enjoy these ill-gotten gains with a clear conscience, but I cannot stomach these human-flesh mantou!"
Hearing Wei Wenhe's reply, Yang Ling's expression immediately turned ugly.
"Lord Wei, are you saying you intend to leave us no path to survive?"
"I gave every family a chance three years ago!"
"You call forcing us to destroy our ancestral halls and let you butcher us a path to survival?! Wei Wenhe, since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, then wait for the blood to run like a river through Heyuan County!"
"Pop~"
The golden flames leaped violently. The envelope then burned away completely, turning to nothingness, and Yang Ling's figure vanished as well.
"What a pity." Wang Long sighed. "Such a fine thing actually fell into that old thief Yang Ling's hands."
"Indeed. To be honest, Senior Brother, even I was tempted just now." Wei Wenhe chuckled. "I nearly agreed first and played along with him, planning to get the Five Dragon Token into my hands before anything else."
"Then why did you change your mind, Wenhe?"
Wei Wenhe shook his head. "It's a trap. The Five Dragon Token is so important—how could Yang Ling hand it over to me so easily?"
"This was merely a test. That old thief Yang Ling has the upper hand now, yet he put on a humble front and came to beg me. He only wanted to use this to confirm whether the court's current was truly as reported."
"They only know that there is a current in the court opposing the Destroying Sects and Temples campaign. They don't know whether the news is true."
"The Destroying Sects and Temples campaign was proposed by Grand-Ancestor. If even I hesitated, or truly agreed to him, wouldn't that be tantamount to telling him the news was true?"
Wang Long asked in a low voice, "Wenhe, then is that news true or false?"
Wei Wenhe shook his head. "There have been opposing forces for years, but they have always remained hidden. Now that they've come into the open, I don't know whether that's good or bad. The family has kept its lips sealed, so I can't make a judgment either."
Wang Long's brows knitted tightly, and he remained silent.
Wei Wenhe said solemnly, "Regardless of whether the Son of Heaven ultimately issues the order, it is absolutely certain that the Li and Yang Families have committed every evil under the sun and brought calamity upon the region! My resolve to eliminate these villains will never change! So long as those two Yin Gods are destroyed, even if they eventually rebuild their golden bodies, without their former accumulation, it will be absolutely impossible for a lineage as powerful as the Li and Yang Families to appear in Heyuan County again within twenty years!"
"As long as the successor isn't utterly incompetent, with the groundwork I've laid, Heyuan County can enjoy several decades of peace. If I can accomplish this, then I will not have betrayed Grand-Ancestor's trust or the Son of Heaven's grace."
Wang Long said, "Wenhe, your heart is devoted to the people. This senior brother admires you. It's just that more than twenty days have passed since the ban was issued. Rumors are already spreading throughout the county office, and everyone is panic-stricken. In just these past three days, more than ten people in my Martial Arts Department have either resigned or defected."
"Over at Steward Liu's side, a large number of village heads have also entered the city to voice their grievances."
"Earlier, the Family Head of the Li Family invited all the large and small families in the city to a feast. A victory banquet will be held ten days from now. If we don't do something soon, I fear that the smaller families in the city will turn to the Li and Yang Families once more."
"If this continues, I'm afraid we'll completely lose the people's support, and all our efforts over the past three years will go to waste."
Wei Wenhe stared at the map in thought for a long while. After some time, he finally turned back and sighed.
"Senior Brother is right. I've been too fixated on finding the whereabouts of those two Yin Gods."
"I originally intended to eradicate those two Yin Gods directly. But now it seems we must first kill a number of people and weaken the Yin Gods' strength!"
"In that case... the ban will remain for now. But Senior Brother, you may secretly lead those men and the divine temple edicts out of the city."
Wei Wenhe suddenly waved his hand, and a Green Token appeared. With murderous intent surging from him, he said, "Wang Long of the Martial Arts Department, receive your order!"
"This subordinate is present!"
"I order you to take twenty divine temple edicts and leave the city for Anyang, Hekou, Phoenix Mountain Ridge, and Guluo. Slay the wicked villains!"
"Remember: destroying the Yin Gods' branch shrines is the first priority, and killing Xiantian Martial Artists is the second! You must return and report within ten days!"
"This subordinate obeys!"
In the city, at Cloud Smoke Tower.
Shen Zhui, Zhao Hu, and two others were seated inside Cloud Smoke Tower.
One of them was a square-faced young man with a long beard. His name was Han Mao.
Han Mao had been born into a wealthy merchant family in Heyuan City. He had loved martial arts and hated commerce since childhood. He was generous and forthright, and he got along well not only with everyone in the Martial Arts Department but also with people in the other departments.
While Shen Zhui and Zhao Hu were leaving the county office, they had run into Han Mao's invitation and come to Cloud Smoke Tower together for a small gathering.
The other young man had swordlike brows, bright eyes, and a resolute appearance. His name was Yan You.
Yan You came from a poor family and was Han Mao's maternal cousin. He was usually quiet and rarely spoke with others, but this time Han Mao had dragged him along as well.
Both men were Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm. Although Yan You was only three years older than Shen Zhui, he had already reached Peak Houtian and could be considered a rare martial prodigy.
Shen Zhui had originally only been acquainted with Han Mao by sight, and he had barely spoken with Yan You at all. When he took his seat, he had merely come along as company.
However, Zhao Hu and Han Mao were both locals and had a deep friendship. With Zhao Hu as a link, after some casual conversation and toasting, Shen Zhui grew considerably closer to the two men.
After several rounds of wine, Zhao Hu brought up the old matter again. His eyes red, he looked toward Han Mao.
"Brother Han, I heard the Li Family has some kinship with you. What terms did the Li Family offer you this time? I bet they were definitely better than what they offered me, Zhao Hu!"
Han Mao naturally knew Zhao Hu was joking with him, not questioning his allegiance. Those words were clearly meant for someone else to hear.
So he raised his wine cup and smiled at Shen Zhui. "There is indeed some connection. My wife's distant cousin is from a branch of the Chunling Li Family. But speaking of it, I only saw him once, when I got married seven years ago. We hardly ever associate."
"Four days ago, the Li Family sent him to persuade me. They promised five hundred mu of fields and residences, along with over a thousand silver taels. The moment he opened his mouth, my wife drove him out with a broom. I didn't even know about it until I got home."
"That spendthrift woman didn't even know to accept the benefits before sending him away. What a blunder!"
"Hahahaha." Zhao Hu couldn't help laughing at Han Mao. He raised his wine cup and drained it in one gulp.
Shen Zhui also smiled faintly and raised his cup in a distant toast.
"What about Brother Yan You?" Zhao Hu asked again.
Yan You glanced at his cousin and said sullenly, "About the same as my cousin's. With one Human-grade Bead added."
"Damn that Li Mingtai. Who knows how much ill-gotten wealth he's amassed?" Zhao Hu spat.
Although he would certainly never pledge himself to the Li Family, he was also Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm. Yet they had offered him such a low price, and Zhao Hu immediately felt discontented.
"A hundred mu of land and a luxury residence—that's all they thought it would take to send me packing. Damn them for looking down on people!"
Han Mao laughed heartily. Zhao Hu had only recently broken through to Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm, so they had probably offered him the acquisition price for Eighth Stage of Acquired Realm.
He turned to look at Shen Zhui.
"Brother Shen, did you receive a letter?"
Shen Zhui nodded. "Three hundred mu of fertile land, a luxury residence, a thousand silver taels, and assistance in becoming a Xiantian Martial Artist."
"Oh? Brother Shen is worth even more than us." Han Mao was slightly startled.
Although Shen Zhui seemed inferior to him and Yan You, money and land could not compare to the price of raising one's cultivation.
Take his cousin Yan You, for example. The land and silver taels were secondary. The main offer was that single Human-grade Bead capable of enhancing cultivation.
Because Yan You had reached Peak Houtian, giving him a Human-grade Bead was a case of offering exactly what he desired. But whether it could help him become a Xiantian Martial Artist was still uncertain, making it a one-time gamble.
As for the terms offered to Shen Zhui, they involved no tangible items. That was tantamount to saying they would definitely help Shen Zhui become a Xiantian Martial Artist. The treatment was entirely different.
"The Li Family doesn't make losing deals. To spend this much to recruit Shen Zhui... could it be that the Li Family considers Shen Zhui more important than my cousin?"
Han Mao had heard something about Shen Zhui's feat of killing a Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm martial artist while at Eighth Stage of Acquired Realm. But because Shen Zhui had benefited from the advantage of the Bloodburn technique, Han Mao believed that when he had been at Eighth Stage of Acquired Realm, he too could have dealt with an ordinary Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm martial artist. He had not paid much attention to Shen Zhui.
Now that Zhao Hu showed no sign of disagreement, Shen Zhui's words were clearly true. Han Mao's gaze toward Shen Zhui immediately grew more fervent, while Yan You, beside him, also cast Shen Zhui another glance, curiosity stirring in his heart.
Just as Han Mao was about to inquire further, the tokens at all four men's waists suddenly began vibrating at the same time.
"Come to the Martial Class Hall at once!"