Chapter 639: Slaying the Ghost

"Since when did the Green-Faced Villa latch onto the thigh of the Marquis of Jing'an?"

A man dressed in gorgeous brocade robes asked with a sinister tone.

The man wore meticulously groomed facial hair, and from the thumb ring on his hand to the jade pendant hanging at his waist, everything exuded an air of wealth.

He was Bai Yukai, the younger brother of the head of the Bai family, the number one noble family in Baiyang City.

The Bai family held absolute sway in Baiyang City, being even more overbearing and arrogant than the Tiger Blade Gang of Xingcheng back in the day; even the Chief of Baiyang City had to live in the shadow of the Bai family and cater to their every whim!

Yang Zhe looked at Bai Yukai, his smile unchanging, his eyes narrowed into slits:

"You should have already clearly investigated the relationship between the Ghost King and the Marquis of Jing'an, so are you now playing dumb while knowing the truth?"

The only connection between the Green-Faced Ghost and Li Fei that was out in the open was the Zhang family.

The Zhang family were allies of the Green-Faced Villa, and Shangguan Xiao was Li Fei's martial aunt.

Shangguan Xiao was once a member of the Zhang family, and Li Fei had publicly stood up for the Zhang family before.

As for the specific relationship between the Green-Faced Ghost and Li Fei, the outside world had no way of knowing.

"Shangguan Xiao is already dead; will the Marquis of Jing'an still care about your Zhang family?"

Bai Yukai looked toward the representative of the Zhang family, the head steward Ma Le.

Ma Le was the person in charge of handling martial arts world affairs for the Zhang family; he was fifty-seven years old this year and had a cultivation base at the early stage of Qi Transformation.

Hearing this, he smiled and remained silent.

Bai Yukai let out a scoff, finally looking at Zhao Yi, who was sitting in the middle, and shook his head:

"No matter how noble the Marquis of Jing'an is, he is still an official figure. Special Envoy Lan manages the officialdom, not the martial arts world. If you think you can scare us off by pulling on the banner of the Marquis of Jing'an, you are being a bit too naive."

"Oh?"

Zhao Yi twitched the corner of her mouth, "What a big mouth you have. Since when did your Bai family produce a Marquis?"

These words made Bai Yukai's expression turn gloomy. Without waiting for him to reply, Zhao Yi turned her head to look at a young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses on her left.

The man looked to be under thirty, wearing a well-fitted suit and a bowtie; he looked like a respectable person at first glance.

He was the secretary to the Chief of Mingqi City.

"Does Secretary Wang think so too?"

Zhao Yi asked.

The Bai family was half-underground and half-legitimate, with their roots primarily in the martial arts world, so it was understandable that they were not as wary of the Special Envoy Lan.

But that Chief of Mingqi City should not have been so unscrupulous.

If Li Fei wanted to move against him, wouldn't it just be a matter of one word?

Others might not be certain of the relationship between the Green-Faced Ghost and the Marquis of Jing'an, but Zhao Yi was absolutely certain that the relationship between the two was far from simple!

She had met Li Fei first, and only joined the Green-Faced Villa afterward.

Li Fei had made her the proxy for the Green-Faced Ghost King with a single word; could the relationship between the two be simple?

Therefore, Zhao Yi was full of confidence!

Secretary Wang adjusted his glasses and did not answer Zhao Yi's question, instead asking in return:

"Miss Zhao, the world is driven by profit; cutting off someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents. It would be one thing if your Green-Faced Villa didn't make money yourself, but to stop others from making money—that is unreasonable, isn't it?"

The Bai family and that Chief of Mingqi City had previously been trading exotic beast feed with the 'Beast King' of Datong Prefecture, purchasing opium from the 'Poison King', and conducting arms deals with the 'Cannon King'.

After these three major forces were all wiped out by Li Fei, their businesses were all taken over by the Green-Faced Villa in the aftermath.

Among them, the exotic beast feed and arms trades continued as usual, but the opium business was completely banned by Li Fei!

The 'Poison King' was originally the largest opium supplier in the entire Datong Prefecture; the Green-Faced Villa not only cut off this source but also prohibited others from selling opium in Datong Prefecture City.

Naturally, this provoked public anger.

Just as Secretary Wang said, cutting off someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents; it is one thing if you don't make money, but to stop others from making money—who could tolerate that?

At the beginning, the Green-Faced Ghost King had just ascended the Wind and Cloud General Ranking and was in his prime, sweeping through the entire Datong Prefecture martial arts world; no one dared to say a word of dissent.

Later, as the Green-Faced Ghost King did not appear for a long time, the others naturally began to stir.

By now, the Bai family, Mingqi City, and the newly risen Ghost-Slaying Gang of Datong Prefecture had united to 'force the palace' at the Green-Faced Villa.

These three forces represented everyone in the entire Datong Prefecture who was dissatisfied with the Green-Faced Villa!

Zhao Yi sneered and looked at the bald man sitting opposite her.

The man was burly and had the highest cultivation among everyone present—a Force-Refining Martial Master.

He was the Hall Master of the Ghost-Slaying Gang, Guo Yang.

The Ghost-Slaying Gang was a gang that had suddenly risen in the last six months, gathering many remnants of forces previously wiped out by the Green-Faced Villa, expanding at a shocking speed. By now, it was already the strongest martial arts force in Datong Prefecture City, aside from the Green-Faced Villa.

In fact, the rise of the Ghost-Slaying Gang was also the reason why the major forces had suddenly become so bold.

If the Green-Faced Ghost King were still around, how could he have let this gang rise so easily?

Why, after so long, had the Ghost King not taken action? Instead, in many small conflicts, the Green-Faced Villa was losing ground everywhere.

This indicated that either something had happened to the Green-Faced Ghost King, or the Green-Faced Ghost King simply couldn't do anything about the Ghost-Slaying Gang!

Zhao Yi looked at the murderous bald man opposite her.

She felt that the reason the Chief of Mingqi City was so tough, and the reason the three major forces were suddenly 'forcing the palace', all had to do with the Ghost-Slaying Gang.

They had specifically chosen to negotiate on the day Li Fei arrived in Datong Prefecture to test the waters.

They wanted to see what the relationship between the Green-Faced Ghost King and that Marquis of Jing'an really was, and whether the Marquis of Jing'an would still care about old ties and continue to look after the Zhang family.

"Speak, how do you want to negotiate?"

Zhao Yi said to Guo Yang.

Guo Yang rubbed his bald head and gave Zhao Yi a malicious smile:

"First, from now on, the Green-Faced Villa cannot interfere with any opium business on the grounds of Datong Prefecture.

Second, all territory south of the Buling District in Datong Prefecture City belongs to our Ghost-Slaying Gang; your people must withdraw within three days.

Third, hand over three exotic beast feed plantations."

After hearing this, Yang Zhe stopped smiling, and the Zhang family's steward Ma Le sat up straight.

These conditions were practically cutting flesh directly from the Green-Faced Villa!

Zhao Yi's eyes were cold: "Then there is no need to talk!"

She felt some doubt in her heart, not understanding where the other side's confidence came from.

Even if it were to test the relationship between Li Fei and the Green-Faced Villa, they shouldn't be this aggressive.

Were they not afraid that Li Fei might actually help the Green-Faced Villa?

The atmosphere in the main hall became tense.

Being inside the Green-Faced Villa, on someone else's home turf, Guo Yang and the others were not the least bit nervous.

Guo Yang's face was ferocious, and a flash of killing intent crossed his eyes:

"If you don't want to talk, that's fine. After tonight, everyone will rely on their own abilities!"

Having said that, he was the first to stand up.

Bai Yukai and Secretary Wang also stood up one after another, and the three of them walked toward the outside of the main hall.

Yang Zhe and Ma Le looked at Zhao Yi simultaneously, but Zhao Yi remained in her seat without moving.

Outside the main hall, Guo Yang and the other two left in a grand procession with their underlings.

Until they had all walked out of the villa, no accidents had occurred.

"Hall Master Guo, it seems the Green-Faced Villa does not intend to take action."

Secretary Wang said with a worried look on his face.

They had chosen to come to the Green-Faced Villa to negotiate tonight specifically to give Zhao Yi and the others a chance to act.

If the Green-Faced Villa had taken action against them, they would have actually felt more at ease.

Letting them all leave now meant that the Green-Faced Villa still had a trump card.

"Could the Marquis of Jing'an really be helping them?"

Bai Yukai said viciously.

Guo Yang glanced at the two of them, saw the anxiety in their hearts, and laughed:

"Don't worry. Even if the Marquis of Jing'an really wants to help the Green-Faced Villa, we can all sit down and talk again. Although that Marquis is a powerful outsider, we local snakes are not so easy to bully."

His words made the two of them feel slightly more at ease.

Zhao Yi's guess was correct; this 'forcing the palace' was indeed organized by the Ghost-Slaying Gang.

Without the promise given by the Ghost-Slaying Gang, the other two forces would have chosen to wait and see for a period of time, rather than rushing to take a stand now.

Soon, the group of people boarded their cars one after another, and the motorcade drove away from the Green-Faced Villa.

Inside the villa, Zhao Yi returned to her room alone.

Before she could turn on the electric light, she was startled:

"Who?!"

As she turned around, she formed a spell gesture, preparing to activate a technique.

Then she saw a somewhat familiar figure sitting on the sofa.

"... host King?"

Borrowing the light from outside, Zhao Yi recognized that ghost mask.

There was a unique pattern on this ghost mask; this was the authentication of the Green-Faced Ghost King's identity, which only Zhao Yi knew about and could use to distinguish the real from the fake.

"You have done well."

The Green-Faced Ghost King's low voice sounded in the dim room.

Over the past few months, in the days when he was away, Zhao Yi had managed to hold the situation together with great difficulty, despite being short-handed in every aspect.

This woman not only possessed a talent for Daoist cultivation, but also a ruthlessness that far exceeded that of ordinary people!

During these days as the agent for the Green-Faced Ghost King, she was able to command respect from within and make enemies wary from without.

If she had been born in troubled times, she would have been a natural-born warlord!

"The Ghost King has finally returned."

Zhao Yi said with a complex expression, without much joy.

At first, she followed Li Fei's arrangements to work at Green-Face Shanzhuang, and she did her utmost only because she admired the person known as Green-Face Ghost.

Back in the wilderness, their group was transporting rations for exotic beasts when they were besieged by several Dao Foundation realm combatants, including Yu Longqing.

At that time, Green-Face Ghost would rather risk his own life than abandon these subordinates, even taking the initiative to shoulder the risks for them.

Over the past dozen years or so, Zhao Renjie had taken Zhao Yi to see the sinister nature of the human heart, all so that she would not easily trust anyone.

Green-Face Ghost was the first person Zhao Yi had ever met who was willing to risk his own life to save others.

This feeling of being cared for was something that, in Zhao Yi's life, only Green-Face Ghost had made her feel, aside from Zhao Renjie.

That was why, back in the wilderness, she had been willing to risk danger to fight.

Later, when Li Fei asked her to come to Green-Face Shanzhuang to work, she also did her best to stabilize the situation.

However, Zhao Yi later discovered that she actually quite liked this feeling—the feeling of power!

But the moment she saw the Green-Faced Ghost King, she felt that her power was about to be taken back.

"I heard the conversation just now; what is the background of that Ghost-Slaying Gang?"

The person who arrived was naturally Li Fei, and he asked this question.

"This gang rose up suddenly, and there must be someone behind it, but I had people investigate and couldn't find any information at all."

Zhao Yi said, "Currently, this gang has openly revealed three Dao Foundation realm powerhouses and over a dozen Qi-Refining martial artists; in terms of combat strength, we are no match for them at all."

"Dao Foundation realm powerhouses don't just appear out of thin air; can't you find any clues?"

"Two of the Dao Foundation realm powerhouses are martial artists from the pugilistic world who were recruited. There is also the leader of the Ghost-Slaying Gang, who is very mysterious; his background cannot be traced."

"Very well, leave this Ghost-Slaying Gang to me to resolve."

On the sofa, Li Fei said nonchalantly.

Hearing this, Zhao Yi, who had been under immense pressure for days, immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

But then, she suddenly felt a sense of loss.

There will be another chapter around 12 o'clock.

(End of this chapter)