Surrounded by Black-Clad Men

"Damn it! Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?! Why has everyone from our Marketplaces flocked to the Xiao Clan's side?!"

In the Jia Lie Family's main hall.

Jia Lie Bi, a sinister-looking middle-aged man, sat in the seat of honor. His face was dark as he stared at the several Marketplace Managers bowing before him and demanded coldly.

Under the imposing aura of a Da Dou Shi and Jia Lie Bi's icy gaze, the managers were drenched in sweat, their calves trembling.

"F-Family Head, this has... this has nothing to do with us! It's the Xiao Clan! Somehow, the Xiao Clan got hold of a batch of Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapons and started selling them in their Marketplaces. And their prices are very low, less than half what Treasure Weapons used to cost..."

"So... so..."

At this, Jia Lie Bi's face darkened further. How could he not understand why the Xiao Clan had won back the crowds?

Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapons!

Even he, the Jia Lie Family Head who stood at the pinnacle of Wutan City, knew very well how wildly popular those words were among mercenaries!

After all, he still remembered the Mercenary named Wang Zhi, who had made his name a year ago thanks to an Iron-Cleaving Treasure Weapon!

"Little bastard! He actually sided with the Xiao Clan!"

The thought made Jia Lie Bi grit his teeth!

Over half a year ago, some of the spies watching Zhou Changqing had belonged to his Jia Lie Family.

Thus, Jia Lie Bi knew very well that the Treasure Weapons came from the hands of this youth named Zhou Changqing.

There was even a ninety percent chance that he had forged the Magic Core Armament as well.

He simply had not expected the little beast to start working with the Xiao Clan!

Still, their earlier investigations had revealed that he was close friends with the Xiao Clan's third young master, so it was not hard to understand why he had chosen to draw closer to them.

"No, I must find a way to resolve this! If this continues, our Jia Lie Family's Marketplaces will inevitably be left deserted, perhaps even forced to close outright. The impact would be far too great!"

This crisis could shake the very foundation of the Jia Lie Family. One wrong move, and the family might suffer a devastating blow!

Yet no matter how Jia Lie Bi turned it over in his mind, he could not find the slightest clue to a solution!

Aside from killing Zhou Changqing to stop him from continuing to work with the Xiao Clan, he could think of no other way.

But Zhou Changqing had the Mittel Auction House backing him. Doing so would inevitably offend them and might invite their retaliation.

What was more, the Xiao Clan was waiting in the wings. They certainly would not stand idly by then and would strike at the Jia Lie Family with everything they had.

The Jia Lie Family naturally had no fear of the Xiao Clan alone, but with Mittel added to the mix, even they could not withstand it.

While Jia Lie Bi pondered, none of the managers dared so much as breathe loudly.

After a long while, a flash of resolve crossed Jia Lie Bi's eyes!

"Little beast, you dared meddle in the struggle between my Jia Lie Family and the Xiao Clan. Do you think Mittel's protection lets you do whatever you please?"

"The Ao Ba Family must be having a rough time now, too. After all, their Marketplaces have also taken quite a hit. And there's Che'erluo... heh heh..."

"Although my Jia Lie Family cannot afford to provoke the Mittel Family behind the Mittel Auction House.

"In the end, they are merely one of Mittel's branch auction houses. If I join forces with the Ao Ba Family, Che'erluo, and a few other factions coveting the Treasure Weapon forging techniques...

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Even if the Mittel Auction House is displeased afterward, they will probably have no choice but to let the matter rest."

"After all, no matter what, they cannot possibly wipe out so many factions, can they? Unless Mittel is willing to abandon its Wutan City branch for a dead man."

"At worst, we can hand the Treasure Weapon forging techniques over to Mittel afterward. I imagine they would be delighted."

Once the man was dead, Mittel would gain nothing by pursuing the matter.

Besides, with the forging techniques in their hands, they could forge Treasure Weapons themselves and auction them off. They would lose nothing.

With the difference in profits between auctioning someone else's goods and making their own to sell, he did not believe Mittel would remain unmoved!

At the thought, a cold smile curled Jia Lie Bi's lips.

Still, considering that Zhou Changqing possessed such powerful weapons and armor as the Magic Core Armament, as well as the strength of a High-Rank Dou Zhe, Jia Lie Bi felt that killing him required caution and careful planning.

There could be no room for the slightest mistake!

And so, Jia Lie Bi sent men to notify the Ao Ba Family, Che'erluo, and several factions close to the Jia Lie Family.

One night, a few days later.

Zhou Changqing was sitting on his bed, cultivating.

Suddenly, his eyes snapped open. He looked beyond his bedroom, his gaze repeatedly sweeping the area around the small courtyard.

His eyes flickered, and Zhou Changqing's expression darkened.

From what he sensed, his small courtyard seemed to have been surrounded, and quite a few people had come!

"You really are patient, waiting so long before making your move. Looks like I underestimated you a little, Che'erluo..."

Zhou Changqing immediately thought of Che'erluo, with whom he had a grudge. After all, their feud would not end until one of them was dead.

Only Che'erluo would risk striking at him despite the pressure from Mittel.

After all, Che'erluo understood that offending Mittel might not get him killed, but if he allowed Zhou Changqing to grow, he would certainly die in the future!

Sensing that the intruders had surrounded his courtyard from every direction, Zhou Changqing knew they did not intend to leave him any chance of escape.

Yet Zhou Changqing was in no hurry.

Even if Che'erluo had come, Zhou Changqing was confident he could hold out against him for a while.

As long as he made enough noise to alert Mittel, this crisis could be resolved.

Moreover, among the people Zhou Changqing sensed, none had an aura much stronger than his own. Clearly, none of them had reached Da Dou Shi.

With that thought, Zhou Changqing got out of bed.

Creak...

He opened the door and stepped into the courtyard. Looking at the surrounding walls, Zhou Changqing smiled and called out, "Friends, since you're here, why not show yourselves? Sneaking around like this—could you be planning an ambush?"

With multiple enemies concealed in the shadows, he certainly could not lie in wait and find opportunities to pick them off one by one. He might as well expose them and make them come out.

Only by disrupting their next moves could he throw them into disarray and take control of the fight's rhythm himself, making it easier to decide whether to retreat or fight.

"Damn! He's spotted us!"

"Attack! Don't give him a chance to escape!"

"Everyone, watch out for that brat's weapon! Don't let our boat capsize!"

The instant Zhou Changqing finished speaking, six figures leaped out from behind the walls on every side and charged toward him!

All six wore black clothes and masks, seeming to merge with the darkness.

Without the faint moonlight, they would have been difficult to see.

And that was not all. Behind those six black-clad men, another dozen or so black-clad men poured in a moment later.

Clearly, the first six were the leaders!

"Just what I wanted!"

At the sight, a flicker of excitement suddenly lit Zhou Changqing's eyes. He charged out as well, attacking the black-clad leader with the weakest aura!

Since transmigrating, he had not experienced a single proper head-on battle.

Even the street fight over half a year ago had relied on his weapon's superiority and the element of surprise.

What man had never yearned for a thoroughly exhilarating battle?

Now that his opponents had denied him the chance of a sneak attack and staged such a grand assault, they had instead given him the chance to fulfill that lingering wish!

Hum!

In an instant, Zhou Changqing reached a spot a short distance in front of the weakest black-clad leader. The Storage Ring on his right hand flashed faintly, and an enormous Heavy Sword appeared in his grip!

"Die!"

With a thunderous shout, he unleashed the strength in his arm. Lightning attribute Dou Qi surged wildly, empowering the Heavy Sword as Zhou Changqing slashed down at him with Forcefully Cleave Mount Hua!

(End of chapter)