Chapter 813

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Main Character:

Shen Yao

"The Flaming Lion's spirit resources, just lacking the most critical few types of fire-attribute mineral stones."

These mineral stones are hard currency that doesn't circulate on the market; to buy them one can only seek out those few aristocratic clans. Of course, if one could persuade the City Lord's Mansion's Jin Yu Shu Clan, that would be best of all — no one is wealthier than the Jin Yu Shu Clan.

Shen Yao raised her beautiful eyebrows. "Let me see if I can get them in advance."

Lu Yan froze. "In advance?"

Shen Yao hummed in assent. "Right now the situation outside is uncertain, but the Jin Yu Shu Clan cares most about Jin Jue City's rise and fall.

We can trade with the Jin Yu Shu Clan, and we don't need them to give anything — just a bit of mineral spirit resources. To the fabulously wealthy Jin Yu Shu Clan, that's merely a trifle."

Lu Yan stood up and grabbed Shen Yao's wrist. "You're going out?"

Going out at a time like this, even if Shen Yao's strength was truly unfathomable, Lu Yan still couldn't set her mind at ease.

One couldn't say the current situation was beyond Lu Yan's expectations; after all, from Sima Zhenzhen causing trouble until the Yuan siblings exposed the parasites before everyone, this matter was no longer controllable.

Afterwards, the Yuan Family was exterminated, and other parasites revealed themselves one after another, even implicating the internal affairs of several aristocratic clans.

The City Lord's Mansion is currently the hardest to deal with — it must target the Sima Clan, guard against the Xuan Yuan Clan, and even be careful with the Meng Clan and Luo Clan, because different species, humans and exotic beasts, how can they trust each other.

"Rest assured, I'm going out to the City Lord's Mansion. The Jin Yu Shu Clan has a massive headache right now."

They fear the Sima Clan will unleash a trump card and topple their household, and they fear the Xuan Yuan Clan will use them as cannon fodder, hiding behind them to reap the fisherman's gain.

And the other aristocratic clans in the city aren't good things either — they all hope to snatch treasures from the Jin Yu Shu Clan, preferably looting while the fire burns. Countless forces are jealous of the Jin Yu Shu Clan's abilities. Once the Jin Yu Shu Clan can't hold on, they'll be reduced to contracted exotic beasts, and the hard-won situation will come to nothing.

"If I were the Jin Yu Shu Clan, I certainly wouldn't be resigned. Why bow to humans when one can live free and easy?"

"Exactly! Our Jin Yu Shu Clan has developed to this point — who knows how much blood, sweat, and effort it cost. Our ancestors sacrificed greatly for this.

No matter what, we absolutely cannot bow to humans — even if Jin Jue City cannot be kept!"

Jin Jue — that is, the Jin Yu Shu Clan's ancestor, the current Jin Jue City Lord, the big rat — was currently in the City Lord's Mansion stating his position with other clan members.

His attitude was exceptionally firm: no matter what, he absolutely could not bow. This head was hard to raise; once lowered, it's hard to raise again.

Moreover, Jin Jue had mingled among humans for many years and long understood what humans truly are.

They are a bunch of insatiably greedy, unrepentant, selfish ghosts. Previously they agreed with the Xuan Yuan Clan to act together, but to this day, aside from the City Lord's Mansion's forces earnestly maintaining order in Jin Jue City every day, the Xuan Yuan Clan has long since hidden away to watch the tigers fight from the mountain.

Hmph!

Worthy of being an old Central State clan — back then they drove out the Sima Clan; such insidious, cunning scum it's no wonder they've survived.

"Ancestor, our people are dwindling. If this continues, we won't have the advantage."

They haven't even engaged the Sima Clan yet — they're just dealing with parasites that pop up from time to time.

In their hearts they know these parasites are the cannon fodder vanguard the Sima Clan and that evil demon cooked up, yet they can't bypass them to strike at the Sima Clan — just thinking about it feels stifling!

"Ancestor, why don't we withdraw too? The City Lord's Mansion's foundation can't compare to those few aristocratic clans. We can't keep draining ourselves like this."

"Right, Ancestor. Our Jin Yu Shu Clan still has so many juniors — we can't let them come to harm for nothing."

"..."

Many clan members started clamoring, wanting to recall all dispatched personnel. Compared to protecting Jin Jue City's commoners, protecting themselves gave them more peace of mind.

Jin Jue:...

"Nonsense! I am the Jin Yu Shu Clan's clan head and ancestor, and also Jin Jue City's City Lord — how can I abandon one for the sake of another."

"Besides, if we really abandon Jin Jue City, how will we live here in the future?"

Jin Jue City is not just a city — to the Jin Yu Shu Clan, this is the home they've lived in for a long time.

Not only do humans find it hard to leave their native soil; exotic beasts are also reluctant to part with the homeland they've built. Moreover, beneath Jin Jue City lie so many mineral veins — all spirit resources the Jin Yu Shu need for daily sustenance. Once they switch to another city, never mind whether they can find this many mineral veins; just letting the Jin Yu Shu Clan live as comfortably as in Jin Jue City would be hard to achieve.

Waving a hand to suppress the still-clattering Jin Yu Shu clansmen, Jin Jue helplessly sent them back to soothe the other Jin Yu Shu, while he continued to hold down the City Lord's Mansion. Until things were truly beyond saving, Jin Jue would absolutely not be the first to abandon Jin Jue City.

Jin Yu Shu clansmen:...

Fine. The clan head/ancestor makes sense. They're just ordinary clansmen — they'll just do their own duties properly.

The originally lively great hall became empty and desolate. Jin Jue closed his lantern-sized eyes, then heard a sudden pa-pa-pa clapping sound beside his ear.

"Who's there? Sneaking around!"

Jin Jue was in a foul mood — someone was actually making trouble right under his nose.

"City Lord Jin Jue, I've come to discuss a deal with you."

Shen Yao appeared in the great hall, wearing a moon-white long dress, holding a beautiful round fan in her hand, its surface patterned with circles of lovely flowers.

Jin Jue looked at the unfamiliar woman, a hidden fear stirring in his heart.

He couldn't sense her existence. If his eyes hadn't happened to see her, he would have suspected she was merely an illusion.

"You say deal with me? What deal? Why should I agree."

Jin Jue decided to play along first. Since he had no confidence in taking this person down, he couldn't be stiff and cold.

As a beast who had learned rules for many years, Jin Jue had his own survival logic: face those he can't afford to offend by appropriately lowering his posture. Better to resolve enmity than knot it. He wasn't a beast controlled by bestial nature.

Shen Yao shook her round fan as she scanned the great hall, not saying what she'd come to trade, only remarking that the hall Jin Jue stayed in wasn't safe. "To show my sincerity in coming, City Lord Jin Jue had best look carefully."

Jin Jue:... Huh?

What does that mean!

The literal meaning, of course. Shen Yao directly waved the round fan in her hand, and the originally calm great hall suddenly spawned a vortex-patterned gale. It wantonly attacked the hall's various structures, yet didn't cross the hall doors.

Jin Jue:!!!

Jin Jue watched helplessly as his heart's blood was about to be destroyed in that gale — then something that could overturn his worldview appeared. The gale actually passed through the hall's interior structures, strangling out several slightly illusory human figures.

Human figures?

What is this thing?

Jin Jue's pair of lantern-sized eyes shone bright enough to be scary; if one looked another time at the expression on its face, hmm, although the big rat was also furry, whether human or strange beast, as long as they were angry it could still be felt.

Afraid Jin Jue was too far to see clearly (Jin Jue saw more clearly than Shen Yao), Shen Yao maliciously pinched a hand seal, directly sending the human figure to right in front of Jin Jue.

"City Lord Jin Jue, this is a means of surveillance; it seems the City Lord's main hall was tampered with long ago, like certain things said daily, perhaps the moment the City Lord's side makes a move the other party knows everything."

Tsk tsk tsk

Just thinking of this scene, Shen Yao felt those with unstable mindsets would directly explode.

What difference is there from real-time surveillance?!

'There is still a difference, though; this surveillance method, although hard to discover, wanting to completely transmit information is also not too realistic, at most just sending out some vague bits and pieces,' but for this kind of force, sending out a bit of trivial details is enough to make people red-hot with anger; if it were truly completely leaving no privacy, that would be naked declaration of war and provocation, once discovered, both sides would fight to the death!

City Lord Jin Jue looked at the several human figures before it, angrily extending its claw and smashing them to pieces notwithstanding, it even very viciously injected a burst of violent energy inside; if the other side dared recycle these fragments, they would be blown up by its methods.

Hmph!

"You, very good, the transaction you spoke of, I will do it!"

Jin Jue did not care what this woman wanted to do, but just from the methods the other party displayed, no matter what she did it was not something it could resist.

A wise man submits to circumstances; moreover, compared to the woman before it, Jin Jue hated the Xuan Yuan Clan and Sima Clan who used methods against it even more, truly hoping they would mutually destroy each other, best if they all died in the hands of evil demons, also counting as a fortune amidst misfortune.

Jin Jue is a beast not a human, its nature had more clear-cut likes and dislikes.

Seeing Shen Yao below not speaking, Jin Jue still very generously gave the other party time; the chubby big rat shrank its body, finally becoming no taller than a person's height before jumping down and walking to Shen Yao's side, extending its claw.

Shen Yao:... hmm?

"I know the purpose of your coming; speak, if I can help my Jin Yu Shu Clan will absolutely not refuse," as the ancestor of the Jin Yu Shu Clan, Jin Jue's words still carried great weight.

Shen Yao also did not doubt Jin Jue's ability; she raised her hand smiling and touched her chin, straightforwardly listing several types of mineral ores the Lie Yan Lion needed, "This is just a bit of interest, just treat it as the reward for City Lord Jin Jue finding the surveillance in the main hall.

As for the transaction I spoke of, it is very simple, the Sima Clan and Xuan Yuan Clan, I believe City Lord Jin Jue also finds them displeasing to the eye; why don't we cooperate, let them face each other properly."

City Lord Jin Jue:...

A bit disbelieving the other party's transaction was this, even the interest the other party wanted was only that little; City Lord Jin Jue sized up Shen Yao up and down several times, "You can speak the truth; our Jin Yu Shu Clan lacks all kinds of mineral ores the least," no need to test them; compared to humans' saying one thing and meaning another, Jin Jue expressed it was really very generous.

Shen Yao:...

Alright, beasts and humans think differently, she indeed could not use human logic to demand things of beasts.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Yao smiled, straightforwardly multiplying the previously mentioned reward by several times over.

Jin Jue nodded its head, this was more like it; the little bit mentioned before was simply insulting their Jin Yu Shu Clan.

Leaving aside the later transaction or not, Jin Jue first waved its big claw, giving out the reward Shen Yao wanted in advance, then they straightforwardly changed to another place to communicate.

After all, a transaction still needs to be carried behind other people's backs; otherwise if words are heard, wouldn't it be very troublesome for the two of them.

System:...

'Host, just with your methods, and that big rat is even more not a vegetarian saint,' who would really dare to offend them.

'Cannot say that; speaking too absolutely is giving people a loophole to exploit.

The previous situation in the main hall, wasn't it because City Lord Jin Jue was too taken for granted, and the result?' If not for her move, City Lord Jin Jue would still be kept in the dark.

Whether to say it or not, the Sima Clan and Xuan Yuan Clan really have huge guts; possibly so many years of hegemon status made them lose the most basic judgment ability; not even in Chen Zhou and the Floating City, they actually still dare play this kind of insidious routine, just wait for the enraged big rat to come find trouble.

Shen Yao here was thinking the Sima Clan and Xuan Yuan Clan might not necessarily suffer how much loss, result the two clans she was keeping in mind actually did not disappoint expectations, successfully blowing up in their own homes.

Previously the human figure fragments pinched and crushed by City Lord Jin Jue were retrieved by the two clans; because the situation before their eyes was one that changed many times a day, the Xuan Yuan Clan and Sima Clan both worried that in corners they weren't paying attention to the City Lord's Mansion would produce some mishap, therefore their surveillance of the City Lord's Mansion became increasingly frequent.

It was also because of this that City Lord Jin Jue's methods all fed back onto the Xuan Yuan Clan and Sima Clan; not only were the clan elders blown up grey-headed and soil-faced, even the core members participating all suffered injuries to varying degrees.

Sima Clan, Xuan Yuan Clan:...

Forget it

This naturally goes without saying, definitely the City Lord's Mansion discovered their surveillance.

Even blown up grey-headed and soil-faced, the elders did not dare run to the City Lord's Mansion to make a big scene; this was originally their not-in-the-right matter.

"Elder, what to do now?"

"Temporarily no need to bother; since the City Lord's Mansion discovered, we cannot make moves again."

Xuan Yuan Elder waved his hand, following which he had the other people restrain the clan juniors, everything quietly waiting for changes.

"Heh, what changes can there be? Just an excuse found for their own inability."

Sima Elder unconcernedly patted his sleeve, then had the other people routinely urge those parasites to show their faces, further exterminate the City Lord's Mansion's forces, strive to suppress the City Lord's Mansion until powerless to fight again before they and the evil demons launch a major offensive.

"Yes, Elder."

The ordered people swiftly scattered and left; the Sima Elder alone staying in the room thought and thought, then straightforwardly followed the room's secret passage to arrive behind the rockery.

"Venerable, this old man requests audience with the adult; the City Lord's Mansion has already discovered the main hall's surveillance, this old man feels at this time we cannot continue slowly planning, should timely expand the battle gains, as soon as possible take down Jin Jue City."

The middle-aged man was still in the black cloth hood getup; he gave an "mm" sound, letting the Sima Elder wait here, himself entering the rockery secret realm to inform the adult.

Not long after, the middle-aged man appeared, "The adult wants to see you, follow."

Sima Elder hearing this nodded his head, subconsciously raised his hand to tidy his somewhat messy collar, then with a serious face disappeared into the rockery secret realm entrance together with the middle-aged man.