County Magnate

After the Spring Festival passed, the fourth year of Ping'an was gone for good. In the blink of an eye, the fifth year of Ping'an had arrived.

At dawn, just before the sun rose.

Wu Ming stood atop the pavilion, his expression solemn and his lungs swelling as he breathed in and out toward the east. Amid the billowing clouds and rosy hues, a wisp of purple qi appeared and vanished.

When the first ray of sunlight broke over the horizon, Wu Ming dared not move again. A glimmer flashed across his face as he activated the Internal Cultivation method, refined that wisp of morning purple qi into golden fluid and jade dew, and swallowed it in three mouthfuls.

"This Internal Cultivation method... with the body of an Innate Martial Artist as my foundation, I've been breaking through one barrier after another, advancing by leaps and bounds without the slightest difficulty..."

Half an hour later, Wu Ming slowly finished his cultivation and silently looked within. Amid the chaos, he saw that the light-filled area of his Sea of Consciousness had expanded a little. Knowing he had made further progress, he nodded with satisfaction.

Then a hint of gloom appeared on his face.

"On the second day of the second month, the dragon raises its head! The Dragon Gate Gathering!"

Time was getting tight.

"After the New Year, Sister Wu Qing went straight back to the Dao Academy to prepare. She must have sensed something, too!"

"Unfortunately... even though I've crossed the threshold of the Dao and advanced rapidly, I'm still not strong enough to take part in something like this. It's like steering a boat on a raging sea—one careless move, and I'll be smashed to pieces!"

"And the only way to quickly increase my strength is inside the Main God Hall!"

Wu Ming gave a wry smile. "Which of those Reincarnators doesn't tremble with anxiety over their missions? And yet here I am, a fool hoping one will start soon!"

He went downstairs and entered a passageway.

Filth and Yin Qi swirled through the place, making Wu Ming frown.

The light was dim. After walking a little farther, he reached the depths and saw a building resembling a dungeon.

Screams and the crack of lashes kept coming through the gaps in the door.

"Greetings, Young Master!"

The prison door opened. Wu Tiehu emerged with a feral grin, but when he saw Wu Ming, he froze and hurriedly bowed.

"Mm. How is the man inside?"

Wu Ming asked.

He had thoroughly studied the layer of mysterious light around Wu Tiehu. It was an omen that he was linked to a star above, bearing the light of some Ominous Star. In the future, he was certain to make a name for himself.

Of course, it was only a wisp. If a star truly answered his fate, then his prospects would be boundless.

Still, even that single wisp could break through the limits of his original fate. In a Chaotic World, a hero would have room to wield his talents. The fate of a Captain could no longer hold him back; when the time came, he could become a general.

The path of fate isn't fixed. The True Dragon Son of Heaven is a master of remaking fate, able to change the fates of others through the fortune of the state. And "one in the heavens, two on earth" refers to the descent of a celestial star and the energy of an Earth Dragon, both of which can also alter a person's potential...

Wu Ming understood this well.

Even in a Chaotic World, a fate like a Flood Dragon, a true dragon, or a hidden dragon wasn't something one was born with.

At most, a person might be born with a trace of their fate buried deep within. If the world remained peaceful, it would be useless, and might even leave them to languish all their life.

Only by aligning with the greater tides of the world, receiving the Will of Heaven and Earth Qi, and being gradually shaped as they grew could they soar through the heavens once the tide had turned.

Otherwise, if there were more people like Wu Ming, wouldn't they all be found?

Wu Tiehu was the same.

A trace of Ominous Star light only gave him a better foundation than ordinary people. He was hot-tempered and exceptionally brave; if he kept mixing with the wrong crowd, he might end up at the execution ground.

But once he took command of troops and gained authority, it was as if he had begun to evolve. He became a different man at once!

As his authority and fortune continued to grow, he might even attract more of the star's power, until he truly became a star-descended bearer of fate!

I wonder which Ominous Star he corresponds to?

Wu Ming knew how vast and boundless the power of the stars was. Across the entire world, those who bore a wisp of mysterious light numbered at least eight hundred, if not a thousand.

If it was a famous Ominous Star, there could be tens of thousands!

With so many seeds planted, most would yield little. Those who fell along the way could be ignored; those who prospered would receive further investment, until the final bearer of the Stars' True Fate emerged. That would be the descent of a celestial star.

It's rather like the struggle for the dragon throne. Judging by Wu Tiehu's aptitude and fate, he'd have to reach the point where his true nature became apparent before he could attract the Ominous Star's true fate. He'd need at least the authority and fortune of a Principal Seventh Rank official! If he truly answered a star and received its support, he could become a third-rank or even first-rank general...

But... the stories say that these civil and military officials who answer the stars are signs of a Chaotic World, destined to assist the True Dragon Son of Heaven... Could it be that this world is really about to fall into chaos?

Wu Tiehu had no idea that in the brief moment Wu Ming's gaze had gone distant, he had thought through so much. He bowed and replied, "It's the same as before. Ma Laosi said there's probably not much more we can get out of him, and he won't live much longer..."

"Mm!"

Wu Ming entered the dungeon and saw a bloodied figure sprawled on the ground. Both legs were broken. He was breathing out far more than he breathed in.

When the man's ashen eyes saw Wu Ming enter, they stirred. He raised a battered, haggard face—it was none other than Yu Cheng, the Zhou family's steward!

The instant he saw Wu Ming, his whole body convulsed.

"Mm! Seeing me come in, and seeing that my Wu family is still standing, you should have given up hope by now, shouldn't you?"

Wu Ming spoke calmly. A flicker of despair appeared in Yu Cheng's eyes.

"You're a clever man. You must have guessed that the Zhou family has already abandoned you... I'll tell you plainly: the Zhou family has listed all your crimes and struck your name from its records! They drove out your entire family, old and young. They've cut all ties with you."

"They're still helping your family in secret, but you were born into their household. You should know how quickly people forget you once you're gone. This sort of favor is the least reliable of all. Once your masters forget you, how much goodwill do you think will remain?"

Wu Ming spoke slowly, while Yu Cheng's eyes flickered.

"I won't hide it from you: you're going to die. And this is your last chance..."

"If you can still give me some information worth my while, I can send your family some silver and look after them in secret..."

"You can choose not to trust me. But if you want to protect your family, this is your only choice!"

After calmly laying the cold facts before Yu Cheng, Wu Ming turned and walked out.

Once he was aboveground, he breathed in the fresh air and let out a slow sigh.

"Young Master, Yu Cheng is dead. This is what he wrote before he died!"

After a while, Wu Tiehu came up behind him and presented a sheet of white paper, covered in several lines of crooked writing.

"Mm. You've worked hard. Go to the accounts office and collect fifty taels of silver. Give Ma Laosi twenty taels as a reward, too! And you remember the rules, right?"

Wu Ming spoke casually, but Wu Tiehu stiffened and shuddered. He loudly promised, "Rest assured, Young Master. If even a single word leaks out, I'll kill Ma Laosi at once and bring you his head! Then I'll kill myself to atone!"

After sending Wu Tiehu away, Wu Ming returned to the room.

With a calm expression, he lit a firestarter and burned the paper. Recalling what had been written on it, he let out a quiet sigh. "A County Magnate... the Wang family?"

The only information Yu Cheng had guarded until now, offering it up in exchange for his family's future, was this.

Unfortunately, for Wu Ming, it was no good news.

The hidden hand directing the Zhou family in the county was none other than the Wang family, the County Magnate of Chu Feng Commandery, a clan that had lived in the commandery seat for generations!

Wu Ming rubbed his brow, and some information came to mind.

The Wang family had lived in Chu Feng Commandery for generations. It had risen to prominence a hundred years ago, and now numbered thousands, owned two hundred qing of land, had servants enough to form an army and maidservants as numerous as clouds. Its power was rooted throughout all eight counties of the commandery. It was truly the foremost family of the commandery, a great clan of the nobility!

Most important of all, the head of the family a century ago had been Wang Zhong, the Commandery Governor!

The man who had built a dam across the gorge, erected a stele to suppress the White Flood Dragon, and turned the Angry Dragon River's devastation into a blessing. The commandery's people had been grateful to him and built a shrine while he was alive. After his death, he was said to have become the City God of the prefectural city in the underworld!

"Wang Zhong, the City God of the prefectural city, the White Flood Dragon, the second day of the second month, the dragon raises its head... The Dragon Gate Gathering! It's all connected!"

Wu Ming gritted his teeth, then gave a cold laugh.

The Wang family's strength was at least five times greater than the Zhou family's, and its influence was extraordinary.

Not to mention, it also had a City God of the underworld quietly presiding over it, augmenting its virtue and fortune!

Without a doubt, this was a terrifyingly powerful opponent!

Boom!

A muffled thunderclap seemed to pass through the air.

Wu Ming froze, then opened his spiritual eye and was startled again.

The moment he learned the identity of the hidden hand, a dense layer of black qi, thicker than he could have imagined, parted the mists and appeared near his own fortune!

The black qi surged upward, even gathering into dark clouds, bearing down with the force of a crushing landslide.

Dark clouds loom over the city, threatening to crush it!

The line surfaced in Wu Ming's mind.

When fortune turned, all forces lent their strength; when fortune ebbed, even heroes lost their freedom. The way of fortune lay in making people lose themselves amid its shifting colors, turning things upside down until they could no longer see the truth.

Especially since the physician couldn't heal himself, and the law couldn't be applied to its own author.

Before he had seen through this barrier, he couldn't have perceived the dense Calamity Qi. Only when it struck and nothing could be undone would he finally understand a little.

"No wonder they say the Qi Gazing Technique is useless!"

Wu Ming gave a bitter laugh. He knew that with his own fortune, his chances of weathering this black cloud were vanishingly small.

And it wasn't only him. Even Wu Qing's prospects were uncertain.

Given the nobility of her fate, she might preserve herself, but her fortune would likely be cut down by more than half. What came after that was impossible to say.

"Heaven moves with strength; the noble-minded man ceaselessly strives for self-improvement!"

Wu Ming murmured, then fell silent for a moment before suddenly reciting the line aloud.

"There's always a thread in the workings of Heaven. Even amid the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth, there's a sliver of life! Besides... what's so great about a County Magnate? Since they're preparing to move against my family, they can't be allowed to remain!"

A ruthless glint appeared in his eyes.

"I'll go to the commandery seat first and observe their fortune. If there's even a crack, I can find a way to break through!"

But at that moment, a message suddenly appeared:

[ Ding! Respected Reincarnator, Number Gengshen 69, Main God Apostle! Your mission will begin at the hour of the Rat in three days. Please be prepared!]

[ This mission is a medium-sized mission! Scenario size: medium!]

[ Mission difficulty: Flood!]

[ Main Quest description: ...]

Wu Ming froze, then burst into laughter. "Just in time!"