Chapter 39

At this moment, under Ding Xuan's gaze.

Jiang Daoxuan's expression was indifferent as he said with cold mockery, "City Lord, do you still wish to test my skill?"

As his words fell, Ding Xuan's expression darkened, and thick, vicious veins bulged at his temples.

Though at this moment he desperately wanted to teach the other a harsh lesson, he had no choice but to swallow his pride, lacking the strength to do so.

He silently lowered his head, his chest heaving, gritted his teeth, and said fiercely, "Clan Leader Jiang truly has fine methods! This time I admit my eyes failed me, I'm no match for you, I concede!"

A true man knows when to yield and when to stand firm; he would never recklessly throw his life away over mere face!

Immediately after, Ding Xuan didn't want to stay here a moment longer. With a flick of his sleeve, he turned around at once, preparing to leave.

But he had only taken a single step when a voice came from behind him. "Wait."

Ding Xuan's whole body stiffened, his right foot frozen mid-air. He turned his head to look at Jiang Daoxuan: "What? Is Clan Leader Jiang perhaps planning to take my life?"

Jiang Daoxuan shook his head and said softly, "In the future, how much commercial tax does the City Lord intend to levy from my Jiang family?"

According to the laws of the Great Qin Dynasty, ordinary families engaged in commercial activities—running taverns, marketplaces, shops, escort agencies, and so on—would have a portion of their commercial tax collected by the imperial court to be deposited into the national treasury.

As was customary, the four great families had to settle accounts each month and hand over twenty percent of that month's earnings to Ding Xuan, the City Lord.

Ding Xuan would then submit it to Tiandou Prefecture, which would in turn submit it to the imperial court.

However, after passing through so many layers of transfer, just how much of the money actually made it into the national treasury was anyone's guess.

Moreover, because this world was one of the supernatural, many great clans were home to powerful experts, no weaker than some powerful sects. United, they could even contend with the imperial court.

Under such circumstances, the commercial tax was a heavy shackle for ordinary people or the weak, but for great clans and the powerful, it was nothing more than a token gesture.

At this moment, after a brief moment of thought, Ding Xuan forced down his fury: "Half..."

He had been about to say the Jiang family only needed to hand over half a tenth of commercial tax, but upon noticing Jiang Daoxuan's icy gaze, it was as if a huge basin of cold water had been dumped on him, and his raging fury was instantly extinguished.

Afraid he wouldn't make it out of the Jiang family's gates, he hurriedly changed his words: "N-no... no need. The Jiang family's commercial tax will be entirely exempt from now on."

The moment these words left his mouth, Ding Xuan instantly felt a great weight lift off his shoulders, his whole body growing lighter.

But immediately after, he began to feel a pang of heartache.

The current Jiang family was nothing like before. Especially after annihilating the Tang family and swallowing up the Tang family's assets accumulated over several centuries, their monthly earnings were undoubtedly staggering. The Jiang family not paying commercial tax meant he couldn't squeeze a single drop of oil from it.

But having money to spend with no life to enjoy it—life still came first......

Ding Xuan shook his head, casting aside these feelings of reluctance, turned around, and walked out the gate.

Soon, the entire council hall was left with only Jiang Daoxuan and Jiang Chen.

Jiang Daoxuan surveyed his surroundings, looked at the corpses strewn across the ground, and without the slightest hesitation, immediately walked out of the hall, swiftly gathered his clansmen, and headed to the strongholds of the Sun and Gao families to cut the grass and dig up the roots!

In the face of absolute power, the two great families had no capacity to resist. After a brief struggle, they were successively annihilated by the Jiang family!

When a group of Jiang family juniors carried boxes filled with large quantities of gold, silver, jewelry, spirit stones, land deeds, and other supplies through the streets.

A large number of watching commoners were all struck with shock.

"It's only been a single day, and the Jiang family has struck again?"

"Hiss~ Yesterday it was the Tang family that was destroyed. I wonder which family has met with such a calamity today?"

"I just heard someone say that the strongholds of the Sun family and the Gao family are already rivers of blood, with corpses strewn everywhere. It must be the work of the Jiang family."

"Hmph! In the past, these three great families were birds of a feather. While Jiang Daoxuan was in closed-door cultivation, they madly suppressed the Jiang family. It seems Jiang Daoxuan is settling old scores now."

"Settling scores is one thing, but isn't the Jiang family's way of doing things a bit too heartless? They wipe out entire clans at the drop of a hat. In just two days, they've slaughtered three families totaling several hundred lives. Such conduct could hardly be called anything less than that of demonic cultivators, could it?"