Chapter 186

"My lord... what... what is the meaning of this!"

Li Feiruo sat in the seat of honor, smiling as she looked down at the group of elderly ministers below. All of them had graying hair and looked anxious, speaking in succession:

"We all contributed to dealing with Qimu! Why have our clansmen all been seized... This... calling them remnants of Qimu is truly a misunderstanding!"

Li Feiruo frowned. She beckoned the ministers to step forward and said in a low voice:

"You all contributed greatly, and I have kept it in mind. Hearing this morning that people were seized from several clans, I rushed to ask the Young Master."

The ministers looked at each other, then bowed and said:

"Many thanks, my lady! But these remnants of Qimu..."

Li Feiruo waved her hand, showing a helpless expression as she explained:

"This matter is handled by Young Master Jiao. That young man is tyrannical and lawless; even the Young Master of the main branch is wary of him, so naturally, I am powerless to intervene..."

"Moreover, that young man's mother is of the Mulu Clan, and Mu Jiaoman was his uncle. Qimu killed his brothers and father, so Young Master Jiao naturally hates him to the bone. He is cruel and greedy by nature; your descendants falling into his hands will surely cost them a layer of skin!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the clan elders below were all startled. While the younger ones were still anxious and at a loss, several of the elders exchanged glances and breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to themselves:

"This is extortion; they want to squeeze us for a fortune, not truly take our lives..."

Li Feiruo watched them with a smile. An elderly man with white hair stood out from the crowd. He was highly respected among the clans and had spent half his life in officialdom, so he naturally understood what Li Feiruo wanted. He coughed and spoke slowly and deliberately:

"My lady, the Upper Sect sent a righteous army to enthrone the Great King. My Wutu Clan once served the false king, but now we have abandoned darkness for light. We are filled with trepidation and wish to offer up our managed spirit fields and over thirty spirit items. We ask for nothing else, only to serve the Upper Sect, and hope you will put in a good word before Young Master Jiao."

The old man was decisive; knowing the spirit fields were impossible to keep, he offered them all up in one breath, along with over thirty spirit items—mostly shamanic artifacts and spirit materials of the Qi Refining realm. While these were inferior to the magic treasures and elixirs of immortal cultivators, they were enough to enrich the resources of Li family's low-level cultivators.

"The old patriarch is righteous."

Li Feiruo nodded in satisfaction. These shamanic artifacts and spirit materials were the accumulation of the clans over many years. Even for clans that had held this land for a long time, thirty-plus items was a heavy blow. She glanced at the others below, and the heads of the clans, seeing this, called out one after another:

"My clan is willing to offer twenty-five units of spirit fields... and fifteen spirit items..."

"My clan is willing to offer fifteen units of spirit fields and twenty spirit items..."

Li Feiruo listened to them one by one, then smiled:

"Everyone, do not be impatient. I have noted it all. Go back and wait for my news. I will plead with Young Master Jiao and then give you all a reply."

Seeing that Li Feiruo had signaled for them to leave, the men hesitated before exiting the hall. Li Feiruo watched them leave, then beckoned to someone and gave an order:

"Yes."

The attendant retreated. Li Feiruo smiled, picked up the brush in her hand, and greedily drew a circle on the cloth before her, thinking to herself:

"The feeling of holding power and suppressing others with force is truly intoxicating... I wonder if I can get an official position when I return to the town..."

————

Mulu Town Palace.

When Mu Jiaoman built the palace, he established several dungeons to imprison dissidents. As his rule became more stable, the dungeons grew emptier. Now that Shamoli had ascended, the dungeons were suddenly packed, with three to five people squeezed into cells meant for one, filthy and reeking of excrement.

Li Yuanjiao raised his whip, stepping on the blood-stained face beneath his feet. His expression was dark and uncertain. He lashed out with the whip, which cracked in the air and struck the man's body, causing him to scream in pain. Li Yuanjiao said in a low voice:

"Say it again."

"Mu Jiaoman... was the younger brother of Gani Xi... they were... half-brothers... Gani Xi's... mother was a slave... she fled into the forest to give birth to him..."

Li Yuanjiao was silent for a moment, then lashed the man again, saying in a low voice:

"How many spirit items are in the clan? How many spirit fields? Do not try to hide anything; the Wutu Clan is not just you alone."

"I... I am merely a mortal... I truly do not know!"

The man trembled in pain and begged for mercy. Li Yuanjiao waved his hand, lashed him a few more times, and then took a small letter handed to him by an attendant. He sneered:

"You are a wicked man yourself; this is more than just physical suffering, so do not blame me."

With that, he unleashed his Qi Condensation Level 2 cultivation, and without waiting for the man to beg further, he struck with the force of his spiritual power, exploding the man's head and splattering red and white matter all over the floor.

"Reporting to the Young Master, the Lady has sent a roster."

Li Yuanjiao took the cloth, glanced from top to bottom, and understood the situation. He gave an order, and the clan soldiers dragged another man from the dungeon, who was crying and begging for mercy. Li Yuanjiao raised his whip again, but a sound of spiritual power being channeled came from the door:

"Brother Jiao, wait!"

Li Yuanjiao curled his lip. Shamoli hurried into the room, looking somewhat embarrassed:

"Brother Jiao... I know you are filled with hatred... but these people of the Six Great Clans have deep ties with my Mulu Clan. Could you... give your brother some face..."

"So it is Brother Shamoli."

Li Yuanjiao dropped the whip and smiled warmly:

"Brother, you have just ascended the throne and have many affairs of state to handle. Why bother coming here for such trifles? Leave it to me."

Seeing Shamoli smiling awkwardly and remaining silent, Li Yuanjiao explained:

"I am doing this to clear out dissidents for you and establish your authority. Rest assured, I have a sense of proportion..."

Shamoli, who had already received favors from Li Yuanjiao, found himself unable to speak. He sighed and asked in a low voice:

"When will Brother Jiao return to Lijing Town? I would like to arrange a time to play the host."

Li Yuanjiao laughed and said in a low voice:

"If the Six Great Clans cooperate, we can resolve the remnants of Qimu within a month, and we will depart for the east. If they are dilatory and try to stall me, it could take several months or even half a year!"

Shamoli was overjoyed to hear that the Li family would leave once they had squeezed the Six Great Clans dry. He felt a sense of relief and nodded repeatedly:

"I understand! I understand!"

Li Yuanjiao patted him on the shoulder and said warmly:

Shamoli couldn't wait to see the Li family leave, so he no longer cared about the interests of the Six Great Clans. He felt a sense of relief and nodded gratefully, saying in a low voice:

"Brother Yuanjiao is righteous; I will do my best to cooperate with you."

(End of Chapter)