Chapter 357 - Chapter 357: Undeserved Disaster
Chapter 357: Undeserved Disaster
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Chen Fei furrowed his brow slightly. Although the entry of rebel forces into the city might suppress the power of the original families within, it was rare for them to completely wipe out a family as long as they cooperated obediently.
Of course, there was also a possibility of establishing dominance. To make other forces in the city understand the situation, they might target a few families.
However, given the strength of Qinhai City, to put it bluntly, the Yashan soldiers didn’t need to establish dominance. As long as their wits were intact, they could understand the power disparity, and they would naturally cooperate.
After some thought, Chen Fei went around to several other family forces in Qinhai City and found that the other families were fine. Although the atmosphere was tense, at least their mansions had not been confiscated.
In other words, the Ruan family was the only force wiped out in this attack by the Yashan soldiers.
Chen Fei contemplated for a moment, then turned into a few alleys within Qinhai City and arrived at a particular alley. Here, there was a shop specializing in buying and selling information.
In many cities, there were places like this, usually supported by the local powers, or they wouldn’t be able to operate for long. However, at this moment, the front door of this shop was tightly closed, indicating it was not open for business.
Chen Fei’s ears twitched slightly, and his figure flickered as he landed in the backyard. When the people in the backyard saw Chen Fei suddenly appear, they were momentarily stunned but quickly reacted, surrounding him with weapons in hand.
Kid, where did you come from? How dare you sneak in over the wall? Are you looking to die?” Lang Jiushan glared at Chen Fei, with a fierce and malicious demeanor. He seemed ready to keep Chen Fei here indefinitely. In Qinhai City, doing this kind of business required a fearsome reputation to ward off unnecessary trouble.
“I have a question!”
Chen Fei completely disregarded the approaching individuals and his voice carried into the house. In Chen Fei’s perception, there were still two people inside the building who were the real decision-makers compared to these guards.
“It’s me who’s asking you, not the other way around!” Lang Jiushan saw that Chen Fei was ignoring them and his eyes widened. He raised the blade in his hand and swung it towards Chen Fei.
Chen Fei turned to look at Lang Jiushan. When Lang Jiushan made eye contact with Chen Fei, an immense sense of fear involuntarily welled up from the depths of his heart.
This fear was so horrifying that it left Lang Jiushan frozen in place. The blade in his hand had just been raised and was now suspended in mid-air, which seemed rather comical to onlookers.
The other people in the courtyard saw Lang Jiushan’s expression and their hearts tightened. Lang Jiushan was their leader, and he had reached the Marrow tempering realm. Before the arrival of the Yashan army, Lang Jiushan was considered a prominent figure in Qinhai City.
Although he couldn’t compare to the major family forces, most people would address him as “Lord Lang” upon seeing him. This indicated Lang Jiushan’s status in Qinhai City.
This status was partly due to Lang Jiushan’s martial prowess and partly because of his ruthless temperament.
When Lang Jiushan drew his knife just now and said he would strike, it was not a pretense but a genuine intent to strike at Chen Fei’s vital points, without the slightest hesitation.
However, at this moment, the blade was suspended in mid-air, frozen in place. People who had followed Lang Jiushan for so many years were encountering this situation for the first time.
“I have a question, and I’ll leave once it’s answered.”
Chen Fei waved his right hand gently, and those in the courtyard felt an immense force pressing against them. Their bodies involuntarily moved backward and were pinned against the courtyard wall, unable to move.
At this moment, everyone’s gazes changed completely.
With just a casual move, they had been rendered helpless like this. If they still didn’t understand the cultivator’s level in front of them, they might as well have their eyeballs gouged out.
“Apologies, apologies, forgive my lack of courtesy!”
As if sensing the situation in the courtyard, the tightly closed door suddenly swung open, and two individuals stepped out from inside. One of them, the portly innkeeper, upon seeing Chen Fei, immediately bowed respectfully and spoke.
Chen Fei looked at the innkeeper and retracted his power. The guards slid down from the courtyard wall one by one, their eyes filled with fear as they gazed at Chen Fei.
Lang Jiushan swallowed hard, his forehead and back covered in cold sweat. He had dared to draw his blade against such a powerful individual and was still alive—it felt somewhat unbelievable even to Lang Jiushan himself.
“Esteemed guest, please this way,” the innkeeper said carefully as he approached Chen Fei, slightly bowing and gesturing with his right hand. Chen Fei nodded and followed him into a nearby tea room.
“Serve some tea!” The innkeeper glared at Lang Jiushan and called out to the others.
Lang Jiushan felt a bit awkward, grimacing slightly. He thought it was quite ironic that he was being scolded by the innkeeper, who had taught him how to behave properly in the first place. Now he was the one being blamed.
Of course, Lang Jiushan could only think such thoughts in his heart; he dare not show them on his face. Inside Qinhai City, others addressed him as Lord Lang.
However, in the eyes of the true family forces, although the Marrow tempering realm was decent, it was still far from the higher echelons. When a real need arose, they could easily discard him.
In the past, there were not many cultivators at the Aperture tempering realm in Qinhai City, but there were quite a few experts at the Visceral tempering realm. Marrow tempering realm experts were at most at the middle level.
The innkeeper seated Chen Fei at the main position, and the attendants brought two cups of tea to the table. Mist floated from the tea, and the subtle fragrance of tea began to fill the room.
It was as if the previous conflict had been just a passing cloud.
“Sir, how may we serve you?” The innkeeper noticed that Chen Fei didn’t dwell on the earlier incident, and he breathed a sigh of relief. These recent days had been very peculiar; cultivators at the Aperture tempering realm, who were once a rare sight, now seemed to be everywhere.
First, the Yashan Army occupied Qinhai City, and their Aperture tempering realm cultivators were an overwhelmingly formidable force for Qinhai City to contend with. The people of Qinhai City had also seen the sight of so many cultivators at the Aperture tempering realm gathered together, which dispelled many unwarranted notions.
Due to the terrifying presence of the Yashan Army, this shop had been closed recently to avoid trouble. In the past, the forces behind this shop could handle any problems that arose in Qinhai City. However, now if any trouble occurred, especially with ties to the Yashan Army, it was not a matter of whether they could handle it or not.
It was not just them; the families behind them might also be implicated.
They had closed their doors, yet someone had come knocking, and it was a cultivator at the Aperture tempering realm. Who could they reason with now?
“I’d like to purchase some information,” Chen Fei said.
Chen Fei picked up the cup of tea on the table and took a sip, enjoying the refreshing taste. His eyes brightened slightly; the tea was quite good.
Since he began cultivating, Chen Fei had not pursued material comforts excessively. Most of his time was spent on cultivation.
In the eyes of many, Chen Fei seemed to be practicing like an ascetic monk. As a result, people admired both his natural talent and his determination in cultivation.
For example, his senior disciple brother, Guo Linshan, had been inspired by Chen Fei’s efforts and had dedicated himself entirely to cultivation, even giving up most forms of entertainment.
Sir, please go ahead. As long as we know it, we will not withhold any information,” the innkeeper immediately assured.
“When did the Yashan Army enter Qinhai City?” Chen Fei set down his teacup and looked at the innkeeper. Chen Fei needed to piece together the details to have a clear understanding of everything.
“Ten days ago.”
Upon hearing the question about the Yashan Army, the innkeeper felt somewhat uneasy, but he dared not hide anything and answered straightforwardly, “The Yashan Army arrived just ten days ago. The city’s defense barely lasted a moment, and they breached the city gates.”
Chen Fei nodded, not surprised at all. Their respective strengths were simply on different levels. Qinhai City, in the eyes of the Yashan Army, was a matter of “want it or not” rather than “can we get it.”
“After the Yashan Army entered the city, they summoned all the family powers and assigned quotas to each family, and no one opposed it,” the innkeeper said. He understood that Chen Fei was seeking information about the Yashan Army, so without waiting for Chen Fei’s questions, he continued, “The original soldiers of Qinhai City were incorporated into the Yashan Army, but apart from that, everything in Qinhai City remains the same.”
Chen Fei recalled the scenes he had witnessed on the streets earlier. Although the lives of the common people had been affected, the impact was still bearable. Many shops were open as usual, but there were very few people coming and going.
Clearly, most people were staying at home and dared not venture out on the streets without good reason.
Currently, the Yashan Army seemed relatively disciplined, but in Qinhai City, the Yashan Army was unquestionably the ruler. If the Yashan Army soldiers were to do something, it was impossible to predict what might happen.
If you accidentally became their target, all you could do was grit your teeth and endure.
As for those family powers, their assets had undoubtedly been plundered for the most part. However, as long as they were still alive, it was unlikely that anyone would dare to resist. More importantly, resistance would be futile.
“What about the Ruan family? Did they offend the Yashan Army?” Chen Fei asked the innkeeper.
“Well, I’m not sure about the specific reasons,” the innkeeper hesitated before continuing, “But there are rumors that the Ruan family had some grievances with the Yashan Army due to an Aperture tempering realm expert they befriended in recent years, and that’s why the Ruan family was wiped out.”
The innkeeper finished speaking, and suddenly, he seemed to recall something. He had been feeling that Chen Fei looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he had seen him before. Now that he had mentioned the Ruan family, he took a closer look at Chen Fei’s face and realized that this was the Aperture tempering realm expert the Ruan family had befriended in recent years.
Chen Fei’s portrait was kept in most of the prominent families in Qinhai City. Although it couldn’t be considered an exact likeness, there was a resemblance of about sixty to seventy percent.
The reason these prominent families kept portraits was to serve as a warning to their family members, reminding them to be vigilant with their actions and avoid offending those they shouldn’t. Otherwise, it could bring trouble to the family, and the first person to take action and commit murder would likely be someone from their own family.
The innkeeper had naturally seen this portrait before, and even half a month ago, he had revisited it. After all, when news of Chen Fei’s appearance in Qinhai City had spread, it had reached the members of various families.
So, was the person before him the reason why the Ruan family was wiped out?