Chapter 148: Chapter 140: Diamond Cut Diamond

The four hundred men behind them swiftly unslung heavy crossbows from their backs. They nocked their bolts, drew the strings, and aimed their weapons at the people of the City Lord’s Mansion.

In response, about three hundred archers from the City Lord’s Mansion appeared on the courtyard walls, aiming down at the Tiger Roar Assault Team soldiers below.

The tension in the air was so thick it was suffocating. Even the distant onlookers, hiding and watching the spectacle, didn’t dare to breathe.

Li Houlin sneered, "Third Young Master Ling, what will it be? Are you going to talk this out properly, or..."

Uncle Fu, who had been sitting in the carriage with his eyes closed as if in meditation, suddenly moved. His motion was as swift as lightning. His body blurred, leaving only an afterimage in the air, and he abruptly appeared before City Lord Li Houlin. His withered hand clamped around Li Houlin’s throat, and his aged voice was filled with an icy chill. "Don’t court death!"

"You... you-you-you... what do you think you’re doing?" Li Houlin choked out several coughs. His throat was constricted, making it difficult to breathe, and his eyes bulged slightly. He stared with an expression of seeing a ghost at the old man who had somehow materialized within his circle of guards. He didn’t need to think to know—this had to be their Demon Sword Master!

It wasn’t that Li Houlin had never seen a Demon Sword Master before; he had even seen a Sword Sect master! That was Elder Peng, the unfathomably deep retainer by the Southern King’s side, who was clearly a master of the Sword Sect level and had lived for an unknown number of years.

But Li Houlin had never witnessed a master at or above the level of a Demon Swordsmen take action. Therefore, he believed he was safe under the protection of his countless men. Besides, with over three hundred archers on the walls, all armed with heavy crossbows, the worst-case scenario was a mutual annihilation—a deadly exchange of volleys! He never imagined that the other party would completely disregard his status as a member of the Royal Family and employ a strategy of capturing the king to subdue his army. Now, he was utterly dumbfounded.

"I am a Count with the blood of the Royal Family! Aren’t you afraid of being hunted by the Royal Family?! Let me go now, and I can still spare you. Otherwise... Ugh..." Li Houlin felt the bony fingers around his throat tighten. His face turned beet red, and his hands and feet began to flail. His struggles grew more violent as he coughed fiercely, his eyes widening in terror. He realized this old man seemed intent on simply choking him to death!

All of the City Lord’s Mansion’s private soldiers and the archers on the walls aimed their weapons at Uncle Fu. Inside the courtyard, Li Houlin’s family members began to wail and cry, creating a scene of utter chaos.

Only then did Uncle Fu release his grip on Li Houlin’s neck. Li Houlin’s face was already purple. He gasped for several long breaths, his gaze vacant. His family members wanted to rush over but didn’t dare, and could only stand there, wiping away their tears. After a long moment, Li Houlin finally came to his senses and waved a weak hand at his men. "Stand down! All of you, stand down!"

The burly man with the greatsword looked crestfallen. "My Lord..." he said.

"Stand down. I’m fine." Li Houlin rubbed his throat. He had never imagined that the Death God could be so close. For a fleeting instant, he thought he had seen his deceased parents beckoning to him.

"What... do you people want?"

Li Houlin stood there, looking completely deflated, his previous commanding aura of a superior entirely gone.

"I’ll give you two hours. Take your family and your servants and leave Penzes City immediately," Uncle Fu said calmly.

"You... you people are taking this too far!" Li Houlin’s face was a mask of grievance and indignation. "You’re trampling on the dignity of the Royal Family! I... I will report you to His Majesty!"

"Are you finished?" Uncle Fu looked at Li Houlin coolly. "If you are, then hurry up. Don’t waste time. And, if even a single thing in this City Lord’s Mansion is damaged, hmph!"

A shiver ran down Li Houlin’s spine. He couldn’t help but glance at the old man’s withered, frail hand before hastily turning to leave.

Thus, a peculiar scene unfolded within the City Lord’s Mansion. What should have been a chaotic scene of frantic packing was instead eerily silent. Everyone handled items with extreme care, as if terrified of breaking anything.

As the City Lord of Penzes for many years, one could only imagine the extent of Li Houlin’s wealth. Two hours was nowhere near enough time to pack everything. Many large ornaments and sculptures, all priceless, had to be left behind. The frustration Li Houlin felt was immense, and he was filled with regret. He once had the service of a Second Rank Demon Sword Master, but that expert had been poached by the Southern King a year ago. Li Houlin had been furious but didn’t dare to speak out, thinking that with the Southern King’s protection, nothing would happen to him.

He never expected his downfall to come so quickly. ’If I had known, I would have just left obediently earlier. How could I have fallen to such a state? But back then, who would have ever thought that this minor Viscount, this little brat who isn’t even an adult, would have a Demon Sword Master in his retinue?’

’Ling Xiao, Ling Family... If I ever get the chance, I will make you suffer a fate worse than death!’

Thanks to the Li Family’s considerable resources, the fat steward, drenched in sweat, finally managed to procure over two hundred large Turtle Shell Beast carts. Turtle Shell Beasts were large Magical Beasts, ten meters long and five meters tall, but were unranked. They were docile and incredibly strong, making them the primary means of long-distance transport. Essentially, every Turtle Shell Beast cart in all of Penzes City had been gathered here.

The Li Family household numbered between fifteen and sixteen hundred people. It was a good thing they had found Turtle Shell Beast transport vehicles. Besides carrying a massive amount of cargo, each cart could also seat over twenty people. If they had used horse-drawn carriages, who knows how many would have been needed to move everything.

Even so, a great deal had to be left behind.

The members of the City Lord’s household wore expressions as if they had lost their parents. Li Houlin gazed wistfully at the City Lord’s Mansion, particularly at the oldest building which housed the ancestral tablets—it had a history of nearly a thousand years. Now, the last fiefdom of their family branch was about to become history as well.

From now on, they would become idle nobles in the Capital City. For a few generations, they might still live well thanks to the vast capital they had accumulated over the years. But after a few generations... their fortune or ruin would be left to the heavens.

Li Houlin let out a long sigh, his eyes moist and his heart boiling with hatred. He had originally planned to clip Ling Xiao’s wings, to render him powerless and turn him into a mere figurehead, a minor noble in Penzes City with no real authority!

’How laughable my ideas seem now.’ In the face of their overwhelming power, he didn’t even have a chance to fight back before he was subdued. He had no power to resist at all and could only leave in disgrace!

Li Houlin lifted his head, his dull, lifeless eyes looking at the nobles and wealthy merchants of Penzes City standing in the distance. Every one of them who met his gaze immediately looked down.

A sneer touched Li Houlin’s lips. ’Just yesterday, these people were passionately discussing how to put the new Lord in his place. Today... they just watch as I’m driven out. Hmph, don’t think you’re safe. With that formidable army and that Demon Sword Master attendant, this young Lord is far more than any of you can handle!’

"Lord City Lord! Lord City Lord! Bad news, bad news!!"

Hearing this voice, Li Houlin’s heart clenched. Seeing the man running towards him in a panic, his mind went blank for a second before he roared, his lips trembling with anger, "What’s all the panic! Speak! What happened?"

The man cried out, "Lord City Lord, it’s terrible! The supplies we’ve been moving out these past few days, they’re all gone! SOB SOB SOB, they’ve all been robbed! That damn bandit..."

"What... what did you say!" Li Houlin felt a rush of blood to his head. He surged forward, grabbed the subordinate by his collar, and ground out through his teeth, "Say that again! Who robbed them? Weren’t there more than ten Great Sword Masters on guard?"

"The other party... there was only one person, but his strength... was astounding..."

"Ling Xiao, it was your people, wasn’t it?!" Li Houlin spun around and roared at Ling Xiao, who was standing nearby. "It must be you! It has to be you!"

Ling Xiao’s expression turned cold. "Lord Count, I dare you to slander me one more time." Beside Ling Xiao, Uncle Fu raised his head and watched Li Houlin with a placid gaze.

Li Houlin had absolutely no proof. The number of men Ling Xiao had brought was the same as the number of men who remained. So many people were watching; if anyone had left, it wouldn’t have escaped their notice. Li Houlin felt a sweet taste in his throat, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out. His vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.

...

「Three days later, in the City Lord’s Mansion, which had now been renamed the Ling Mansion!」

A brand-new plaque hung above the main gate. The two magnificent, calligraphed words on it announced to all who passed that this place had a new master!

The five hundred elite soldiers were quartered in a separate courtyard behind the main mansion, where the guards had originally lived. Ling Xiao’s residence was in the inner-mansion, where Chunlan and Qiuyue had completely replaced all the furnishings. The two of them were the only maids in the entire vast inner residence, so they had to do everything themselves. They planned to find time to purchase some more maids; otherwise, even with their cultivation as Fourth-rank Great Sword Masters, they would be exhausted sooner or later.

Meanwhile, Ye Wen Ni had been swamped for the past few days, sorting through the accounts of Penzes City and the sea of various treasures Meng Li had brought back from outside the city. Among them, Gold Coins were the least valuable items!

That day, Meng Li had single-handedly stormed the place where Li Houlin had hidden his treasure. He instantly killed three Great Sword Masters, and the rest were no match for him, scattering in all directions. The treasures there were then swept clean by a few members of the Tiger Roar Assault Team who had arrived afterward, disguised as bandits.

Valuable items don’t necessarily take up much space. Those few assault team members, who were former ruffians, had secretly slipped away upon entering the city. For them, this kind of work was practically second nature.

"Young Master, Ling Wu says that the nobles and wealthy merchants have sent another joint invitation. This is the third time!" Chunlan had a light sheen of sweat on her brow. A lock of hair was stuck to her smooth, jade-like forehead, and her delicate face was slightly flushed.

Indeed, starting from the night Li Houlin had dejectedly departed, the nobles and wealthy merchants had been jointly inviting Ling Xiao to a banquet. Each time, Ling Xiao had refused. By today, the list of names on the invitation had more than doubled compared to the first day!

"Tell Ling Wu that I will attend the banquet on time tonight."

After speaking, Ling Xiao closed his eyes again. He had spent most of the past three days in a state of cultivation.