Cang Sheng saw at once that the other party had come with ill intent, and his smile immediately vanished.
Wusheng Mountain was a hill several dozen miles outside Hua City.
Its terrain was perilous, easy to defend and hard to assault, so it had gradually become a rat's nest where drifters and mountain bandits gathered.
More than a century ago, some cultivators who had committed crimes fled to this mountain.
Relying on their formidable combat strength, they quickly claimed the mountain as kings, absorbed those drifters, and established a sect.
From that time onward.
Anyone escorting goods out of Hua City had to live under Wusheng Mountain's shadow, and all who passed by had to leave behind toll money.
Nor was Wusheng Mountain's sect master an ordinary man.
He had originally betrayed a great sect and fled. His vision, strength, and breadth of mind all surpassed those bandits by far.
He called himself a righteous member of the orthodox path, helped the authorities suppress bandits, and often organized his disciples to do good deeds and accumulate virtue, earning the deep affection of Hua City's people.
Yet behind the scenes, they did a robber's work, utterly at odds with the image they held in the hearts of the people and the authorities.
The merchants of Hua City had suffered under Wusheng Mountain for a long time, but they had no way to root out this chronic disease and could only let themselves be carved up like fish on the chopping block.
Just as Cang Sheng was about to step forward and reason with them on his father-in-law's behalf.
Situ Taili stepped forward and blocked Cang Sheng behind him.
Situ Taili's face was as dark as still water; it was clear that he was furious.
As the Situ Family Head, Situ Taili