Translator: CKtalon
“You brats, hurry up and practice your boxing,” Fang Dalong shouted at the children around the aunts.
“Yes, Dad.” Immediately, six children answered loudly. They couldn’t help but look curiously at their eldest brother. They had heard that their eldest brother was a high-ranking official in the imperial government and an Exorcist. However, their father held great authority over them.
The six children went to practice as usual.
“Qi’er, I’ll bring you to your room,” said Fang Dalong to his eldest son amiably.
Meng Chuan knew about Fang Dalong’s rise to wealthiness. The reason why Fang Dalong could rise to prominence from being a normal villager was that he could fight. This world also had fist arts, and there were also so-called fist art grandmasters… However, fist art grandmasters only had 500 kilograms of strength. They relied on their exquisite fist arts to fight 100 enemies alone.
With the advent of firearms, the status of fist arts declined. After all, if more than ten firearms were fired at the same time, even fist art grandmasters would have to flee in a sorry state. After all, they were also made of flesh and blood.
If they were slightly slower, they would have a few more holes on their bodies.
“This courtyard is yours.” Fang Dalong brought Meng Chuan to a small courtyard. “The layout is the same as our old home.”
As he spoke, he pushed open the door and entered.
Meng Chuan could tell at a glance that the house was often cleaned. It was very clean, and the layout was similar to what he remembered. There was also a photo of a couple hugging their children.
The man was the young Fang Dalong, while the woman was a gentle woman.
“All your belongings have been moved here from our hometown. None of them have been lost.” As Fang Dalong spoke, he walked over and gently wiped the photos. When he was young, taking photos was an extravagance. Back then, he had happily brought his wife and children to the city to take photos.
When he was 16, Fang Dalong got married. His wife was 17 years old—a year older.
He had built his business from scratch and established a large family business in the chaotic world. He had connections with the rebel forces and had a good relationship with the local government officials. His might sent reverberations across the surrounding 50 kilometers.
There was once a local official who wanted to take him down, but that official was assassinated by the rebel army. The local villains submitted to him and followed him. He even brought many of his fellow villagers to Binhai.
“What I regret the most is agreeing to let you go to the capital and the Exorcism Academy.” Fang Dalong put down the photo and sat on the bed with a sigh. At that moment, Meng Chuan’s father looked like he had aged considerably.
“I wanted to be an Exorcist back then; it’s not your fault,” said Meng Chuan. When Fang Qi was young, he had heard of scenes of Exorcists performing Exorcisms. He yearned for it.
“If I didn’t agree, could a brat like you go to the capital?” Fang Dalong glanced at his son and sighed. “Back then, I was too ambitious. I thought that firearms were too powerful. Our Fang family wasn’t reliable enough with our fist arts, so we had to learn more powerful skills. That’s why I got you to go to the capital’s Exorcism Academy… In this chaotic world, even money and food are useless. Only by relying on people can you gain a foothold. No matter who it is, they have to respect the means of Exorcists.”
Meng Chuan could tell that Fang Dalong was indeed a formidable figure. In his hometown, he intimidated a 50-kilometer area. Now, he was in the most prosperous Binhai City. To be able to buy such a large manor and have more than ten family guards, one could tell that he still had quite a high status.
“I’ve let your mother down. I swore in front of your mother’s grave that I would take good care of you and your sister, but I went back on my word.” Fang Dalong’s voice sounded a little weak. He might still be ferocious in the outside world, but he was over 40 years old now. He could sense that his body was no longer anything like before.
“But it’s good that you’re back.” Fang Dalong looked at his son. “Now that you’re back, find a few women and have a few babies. Live a good life.”
“Where’s my sister?” Meng Chuan changed the topic.
Fang Dalong shook his head and said, “Your sister is out camping in the wilderness. I’ve pampered her too much; she’s getting more and more out of hand.” Although he later married some aunts and had children, he only doted on Fang Qi and Fang Qian. They were also the ones he couldn’t control the most.
Meng Chuan nodded. In his memories, his younger sister—Fang Qian—was Fang Qi’s biological sister.
After inheriting this body, he owed Fang Qi karma. Meng Chuan naturally placed great importance on the person he cared about the most.
…
In just an hour, his sister—Fang Qian—rushed back.
“Brother, Brother.” The wavy-haired Fang Qian ran to Meng Chuan’s courtyard.
When Meng Chuan heard the voice, he walked out of the house. At a glance, he saw a young, energetic, and beautiful woman.
His younger sister, Fang Qian, looked a little like his mother in the picture, but she was even younger. Her eyes were very bright. After all, she had been practicing boxing since she was young. She was very energetic.
Fang Qian also looked at the linen-clothed youth in front of her. His sleeve was empty; clearly, he had lost an arm. His aura was restrained and calm. He didn’t look like he was in his early twenties at all. Instead, he looked like an elder in his forties or fifties who had experienced hardships.
Fang Qian looked at her brother. He was already a teenager when he left home. She could recognize him; it was just that he looked more mature now.
However, this bearing…
Fang Qian knew that losing an arm would definitely be a huge blow to her brother.
“Brother.” Fang Qian ran over and hugged her brother tightly. Her tears soaked Meng Chuan’s clothes.
…
“Third Sister, now that this Eldest Young Master is back, Master won’t let him manage the family, right?”
“Master dotes on that pair of siblings very much.”
Five women gathered and ate snacks as they discussed.
“Don’t worry. If Eldest Young Master Fang Qi wasn’t crippled and had the ability to exorcise fiends, there’s a high chance he’d be the family head. However, he’s crippled. Our Fang family is also a wealthy family, so a crippled family head will become a joke in Binhai City. I heard that after being crippled, one’s exorcism abilities are crippled as well. He can’t even use firearms. In this world, he doesn’t have the right to be a family head,” said Third Aunt confidently.
Third Aunt now had the highest status in the Fang family household. After all, she was one of the dozens of ferocious people who followed the master. She had great marksmanship and had taken many lives. After marrying the master, the other aunts naturally feared her.
Her knowledge was also much greater.
Her deduction was very reasonable. Fang Qi—who was originally an ordinary Exorcist—needed several companions working together to deal with a single Bizarro Fiend. After losing his arm, he probably only had 10% of his strength left… He didn’t even have the right to join forces with his companions to deal with a Bizarro Fiend. It wasn’t too far off to say that his exorcism abilities were neutered.
However, Meng Chuan’s arrival naturally made things different.
…
What made these aunts relieved was that this Eldest Young Master, Fang Qi, didn’t participate in any family matters after returning. The Eldest Young Master rejected the money his father gave him. Instead, he casually took out a pearl and arranged for people in the manor to buy exorcism materials.
This made Fang Dalong solemn. It looks like my eldest son’s efforts all these years weren’t for nothing.
The aunts were dumbfounded since most of them were short-sighted. They had married the master for money and survival.
That fist-sized pearl was worth tens of thousands of taels! This young master had been in the capital for so many years and was very ‘rich.’ Immediately, some young aunts’ attitudes changed, and they tried to curry favor.
Meng Chuan naturally didn’t think much of the Fang family’s wealth. With his hallucination capabilities, he had casually picked up some treasures from the royal family when the imperial palace was in chaos. Just half a bag of treasures he picked up made him a hundred-fold richer than the Fang family. He was definitely considered one of the richest in Binhai City.
It couldn’t be helped. Meng Chuan needed to refine Dharma artifacts. The more precious the materials were, the higher the price was. He might not even be able to buy them.
The pearl he publicly produced was the cheapest treasure in his bag.
Now that I’ve cultivated the Lightning Dharma and the Five Elements Dharma to the Heaven Master realm, I still need to study array formations and weapon refinement techniques. Meng Chuan sat cross-legged in the room with a calm expression.
Lightning Dharma was divided into many combat mystic techniques and escape arts.
There were also many mystic techniques and escape arts for the Five Elements Dharma.
If he couldn’t win, he had to escape! After all, he was now a mortal. If he failed and lost his life, he would fail the tribulation.
Therefore, Meng Chuan placed great importance on escape arts. He had learned the fastest lightning escape art and the Five Elements escape art that could deal with all kinds of dangerous environments.
When he was at the Exorcism Academy, his lightning arts had reached the Heaven Master realm! The Five Elements escape arts were much more complicated. After obtaining the three precious Exorcism manuals from the Imperial Palace, he returned to Binhai City and cultivated for half a year before reaching the Heaven Master realm.
The first step of my cultivation is to reach the Heaven Master realm in the art of Exorcism, weapon refinement, and array formations. My first step is still lacking.
According to Meng Chuan’s plan, if he wanted to become the strongest in this world, he would follow the world’s system and cultivate it to the strongest state, including artifact refining and array formations.
After gaining sufficient experience, he would begin the second step: creation and development. He would attempt to create stronger methods.
The third step was to refine Dharma artifacts and Dharma Arrays that were most suitable for him.
The reason why humans were humans was that they were good at using tools! Many of the original Dharmic artifacts and array formations in this world had been damaged due to time. Secondly, Meng Chuan didn’t think much of the ones that had been preserved. After all, there was a limit to the realm Artifact Refinement Master Exorcists could reach.
Only by refining the strongest Dharmic artifacts and array formations and combining them with his many Exorcism mystic techniques could he reach an unprecedented level.
Even so, can I kill an Origins Fiend? Meng Chuan didn’t know. This was because no Origins Fiends had ever died.
I’ll find a few Fiends to practice with. Every time Meng Chuan cultivated to a certain level, he would experiment with fiends. With a flip of his hand, he took out a Dharma treasure compass: Fiend Aura Tracker.
This compass was a Dharma artifact. It could sense the fiendish aura within a 15-kilometer radius.
Oh? Meng Chuan was astonished when he saw the black light on the compass. Such a powerful fiendish aura. It’s a Great Fiend? A Great Fiend appeared in Binhai City?
I haven’t encountered any Great Fiends after descending to this world. Meng Chuan was tempted.
Over the years, there were only nine Origins Fiends, and all of them had been sealed. Once one broke out of the seal, it would be a calamity.
Although there were more Great Fiends, they were still extremely rare. Perhaps there were dozens of them in this era, but they were scattered across the world. It was rather difficult for Meng Chuan to encounter one unless he deliberately searched for it.
To encounter a Great Fiend in Binhai City?
That night, Meng Chuan silently left Fang Manor. With the compass in hand, he tracked down the fiendish aura.
After walking for more than five kilometers, he arrived at a bustling area.
Meng Chuan looked up and saw a large number of military guards in front of a luxurious manor. There were also many esteemed guests arriving in cars.
Cars were novel items that appeared almost at the same time as firearms. A car cost more than 1,000 taels of silver, and they were a symbol of status in Binhai City.
“President Wan, please.”
“Chief Ma, the Marshal didn’t invite you. You can’t enter.”
“Mr. Wu, please.”
“Young Master Liu, please.”
One famous figure after another entered the manor.
“F**k, our Blood Axe Gang has over a hundred people. I’m the chief, but I’m not allowed to enter? Isn’t that an insult?” A man dressed in decent clothes was rather indignant as he looked at the mansion that had many nobles entering.
It was the Marshal’s residence. The Marshal was currently the most important figure in Binhai City.
Outside the manor, Meng Chuan watched from afar.
Oh? Meng Chuan saw this.
Three cars arrived in a row. Out of the three cars, six people walked toward the mansion; Fang Dalong was one of the six.
Father is also here? Meng Chuan fell into deep thought. Back then, Fang Dalong had brought his fellow men from his hometown to Binhai City and joined his good friend’s gang, the Gold Silver Gang. The Gold Silver Gang was one of the three biggest gangs in Binhai City, and Fang Dalong was ranked fifth in the Gold Silver Gang.
Meng Chuan walked over.
When the one-armed youth walked over, he didn’t attract any attention. It was as though people had instinctively ignored him.
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“Please.” The usher at the door didn’t stop him. Instead, he smiled and let Meng Chuan in.
Meng Chuan walked into the manor and walked past the front yard. He arrived at a brightly lit hall, where many guests were already seated.
At the front of the hall was a tall platform. On the platform was a female singer singing. A group of dancers dressed in thin clothes was also dancing erotically. The singer was also a famous singer in Binhai City, but not many guests paid attention to her.
“Marshal has occupied more than half of Binhai City. Today, he has summoned all the famous people in Binhai City. I’m afraid he has ill intentions.”
“Humph, he hasn’t completely occupied Binhai City. If he angers the entire Binhai City, he would probably have to flee back to where he came from when everyone unites.”
“Everyone unite? It’s not that easy.”
The guests discussed secretly.
Fang Dalong sat there with a frown.
“Brothers, the Marshal hasn’t summoned us from the Gold Silver Gang since he came to Binhai City. The first time he’s summoning us is in public. Something doesn’t feel right,” said the skinny old man in the lead coldly.
“Let’s see how it goes,” said a muscular man beside him.
“Previously, he refused to meet us when we visited. He must want great things,” said a fair-skinned man gently.
“Let’s see how big his appetite is,” said Fang Dalong.
…
Meng Chuan sat at a corner table. There were two guests at the same table; they smiled and nodded at Meng Chuan, but they were somewhat puzzled. It was as though they didn’t know this person.
A warlord actually has 16 Bizarro Fiends and one Great Fiend in the residence. Meng Chuan was somewhat surprised. At such a close distance, he could already sense the deep and vast Great Fiend aura.
It far exceeded Meng Chuan’s, but an Exorcist relied on the Heaven and Earth powers to fight an enemy. One couldn’t determine their strength from the surface.
Moments later, the singing and dancing ended.
Finally, escorted by two deputy generals, a middle-aged man with sharp eyes and dressed in a military uniform walked to the center of the stage. Immediately, all the guests below the stage fell silent. The person in front of them was the most powerful person in Binhai City.
“Everyone, I’ve led the army for more than ten years. Now that the Great Yu Dynasty has finally been overthrown, many of my brothers in the military have fallen on the road. When we fight, we fight with money. I can’t even take out the money to repay my fallen brethren; I’ve let them down,” said the middle-aged man with a sigh. “I know that Binhai City is a city of heroes. Everyone here is one of the best. I’ll naturally be grateful if all of you can support me with a few taels. With your wealth, you will be my enemy if you remain stingy.”
The middle-aged man looked at a fatty sitting in the front row.
The fatty immediately shouted, “Marshal led the army into battle. We naturally have to contribute. I’m willing to give 100,000 taels of silver.”
“Thank you, President Wan.” The Marshal smiled and nodded.
The expressions of many guests changed.
President Wan wasn’t considered an important figure in Binhai City’s upper echelons, but even he had to fork out 100,000 taels of silver. Wouldn’t the faction with the highest status need to produce 1,000,000 taels of silver? This wasn’t sucking blood but cutting off one’s thigh!
“Lord Li, what about you?” The Marshal’s gaze landed on an old man next to President Wan.
“I-I’m willing to pay…” The elder gritted his teeth. “I’m willing to pay 30,000 taels of silver! Marshal, this is all the liquidated money I have.”
“That’s too stingy.” The Marshal shook his head.
Bang!
A bloody hole appeared in the elder’s glabella, and blood gushed out. It was one of the soldiers standing in the hall who had fired.
This made the entire hall jittery.
“As I said, stinginess makes you my enemy.” The Marshal’s sharp eyes were filled with killing intent. “I naturally have to kill my enemy.”
“How much money we pay depends on our own wishes. Even if you aren’t satisfied, we can discuss it. Why didn’t you give him a chance to negotiate? How could you just shoot?” An old man—who had a wart between his eyebrows—sitting in the front row spoke calmly with a gloomy expression.
“To gather money in such a way, aren’t you afraid of losing your teeth by robbing the entire Binhai City?” Another young man, who had brought his wife, scoffed.
Meng Chuan knew these two people; these two were rather famous Master Exorcists.
There were two large Exorcism sects—Soul Bell Sect and Sea Fiend Sect—in Binhai. Exorcism sects had a long heritage. With Master Exorcists and Exorcists as the core, they had guns and people in these chaotic times. They also used various Heaven and Earth powers. These were the true top factions in Binhai City.
The Marshal looked at the two and knew that they represented the sect behind them. He couldn’t help but smile. “I admire the contributions the Exorcism sects have made to countless people. I’m very satisfied with just one million taels of silver from the Soul Bell Sect and the Sea Fiend Sect.”
“And you think those tens of thousands of soldiers give you the right?” The young man gently stroked his wife’s hand and questioned the Marshal indifferently.
The Sea Fiend Sect had thousands of well-equipped troops., and they controlled Sea Fiends. In a head-on battle, the Sea Fiend Sect wasn’t afraid of the so-called 30,000-strong army. However, sects that had long legacies rarely fought.
Master Exorcists never feared any political intrigue or a handful of battles! Master Exorcists were the only existence in this world that could deal with fiends. They could even deal with fiends, much less mortals.
“The Marshal has waged war everywhere. Fellow brothers of the Sea Fiend Sect and Soul Bell Sect should empathize with the Marshal’s hard work.” A gray-robed elder appeared from an illusion and stood beside the Marshal.
“Sect Master Feng?”
“Sect Master Feng?”
The young man and the wart-faced elder’s expressions changed.
The gray-robed elder in front of them was the current sect master of one of the top ten large sects in the world, the Fiend Refinement Sect. The Fiend Refinement Sect focused on controlling fiends! In the Fiend Refinement Sect’s history, it had refined a total of three Great Fiends. Two of these three Great Fiends were still alive.
Although it was difficult to control them… controlling one Great Fiend was comparable to the strength of a Heavenly Master Exorcist. Sect Master Feng was the one who could control the Great Fiends in the sect. He was a true figure in the Exorcism world.
“I believe my fellow brethren from the Soul Bell Sect and Sea Fiend Sect are willing to pay a million taels of silver each,” said the gray-robed elder with a smile.
The young man and the wart-faced elder exchanged looks.
“Since Sect Master Feng has spoken, we are willing to give in to the Marshal.” The young man and the wart-faced elder could only endure it. After all, the two sects in Binhai City combined were inferior to the Fiend Refinement Sect.
Since the Fiend Refinement Sect’s Sect Master had appeared, the Fiend Refinement Sect definitely had other Master Exorcists following them.
From the looks of it, the Fiend Refinement Sect is supporting Marshal Shi in this era of chaos. Everyone in the hall understood this point.
Now that all the warlords in the world had risen, Marshal Shi’s strength wasn’t too eye-catching. He couldn’t be considered a first-tier warlord, but the first-tier warlords also had the support of powerful Exorcism factions.
Since Marshal Shi was able to gain the Fiend Refinement Sect’s support, everyone’s thoughts changed.
“My Li family is willing to support the Marshal with 200,000 taels.”
“My Fu family is willing to offer 200,000 taels.”
All parties made bids according to their strength, with the first person—President Wan—as a reference.
They weren’t afraid of the Marshal’s army, but if one added a top Exorcism faction in the world—the Fiend Refinement Sect—it was somewhat terrifying.
“My Gold Silver Gang is willing to pay one million taels,” said the Gold Silver Gang’s leader.
“The Gold Silver Gang is one of the three biggest gangs in Binhai City, and they are famous for their wealth. One million taels seem too little,” said Marshal Shi with a smile. “I think five million taels is more in line with your Gold Silver Gang’s status.”
The expressions of the Gold Silver Gang’s upper echelons changed drastically.
The Gold Silver Gang was indeed powerful, but the daily expenditure of its many members was astonishing. The gang appeared to be glamorous on the surface, but in reality, its foundation was inferior to some large merchants. Taking out one million taels was already draining the gang’s cash flow, and the gang would have to mortgage their assets in the future.
As for five million taels? It was no longer cutting off their thighs but their lives.
Marshal Shi smiled as he looked over, but his eyes were very cold. He could be lenient toward Exorcism factions and large family clans with deep backgrounds.
As for the so-called three big gangs? He didn’t plan on letting go of any of the gangs formed by a bunch of mudlarks.
“The three big gangs have equal status. I think it’s quite good for each one to offer five million taels,” said Marshal Shi.
“This…”
“Marshal!”
The other two gangs’ upper echelons also reeled with anxiety.
Gangs appeared to have many members, but they were far inferior to factions with tens of thousands of soldiers. Therefore, with a single order, the three gangs’ upper echelons had to come over. However, they didn’t expect Marshal Shi to be so ruthless.
“Don’t be in a hurry. I’ll talk to the Gold Silver Gang first. I believe they love the military and the people.” Marshal Shi looked at the Gold Silver Gang’s upper echelons, and the other two gangs’ upper echelons turned pale.
“Marshal, your actions imply that you want to devour the three gangs,” said the skinny old man.
“Isn’t the law of the jungle only natural?” Marshal Shi looked at the old man.
“We can’t produce five million taels.” The thin elder shook his head.
The muscular man beside him also said, “Even if the entire Gold Silver Gang is handed over to you, we won’t be able to gather five million taels.”
“Of course, the gang can’t produce it. After all, a lot of the gang’s money is in your families. Your families should be able to scrounge up some if you search your households,” said Marshal Shi with a smile. “Either you become my enemy, in which I kill you and send troops to search your households, or you become my friends and take the initiative to offer five million taels.”
If he really killed these upper echelons, the gang would be in chaos, and the gang members would flee with the money. It would be very difficult for him to gather the money.
If he forced these upper echelons to gather it themselves, he would be able to gain more.
“These mudlarks.” The other people in the hall watched this scene coldly.
Gangs were very different from large family clans, large merchant associations, and Exorcism sects. Gangs rose from the bottom, becoming massive forces in an era of chaos.
It was obvious that although Marshal Shi was ruthless toward the other factions, he was simply lethal toward the three big gangs.
“Does the Gold Silver Gang want to be my enemy?” Marshal Shi looked at the six upper echelons of the Gold Silver Gang.
Immediately, soldiers raised their guns and pointed them at those six people.
Fang Dalong felt extremely aggrieved.
When the rebel army was weak, they had to befriend local factions. This was the case back in his hometown.
But after the Imperial Court was completely destroyed, the rebel army became much more ferocious. When Fang Dalong saw that the situation wasn’t looking good, he sold all his fields, uprooted his family, and brought them to Binhai City. He sought refuge with his old friend and joined the Gold Silver Gang.
Unexpectedly, the Gold Silver Gang was also being coerced.
In this era of chaos, big fish eat small fish. The Gold Silver Gang is also a small fish. Fang Dalong understood this point.
Oh? Fang Dalong suddenly sensed something. He turned around and saw a one-armed youth walk to his side.
“Qi’er?” Fang Dalong was alarmed. Why is my son here?
Although Meng Chuan’s Exorcism techniques were brilliant, he was ultimately a mortal. If he was far away, he wouldn’t be able to intercept a bullet. Therefore, he stood by Fang Dalong’s side! No matter how many soldiers there were, it would be difficult for them to threaten Fang Dalong.
“Leave quickly,” urged Fang Dalong in a low voice. The soldiers were targeting the Gold Silver Gang’s upper echelons. They hadn’t targeted his son, but now that his son had appeared, wasn’t he throwing himself into a dire situation?
“It’s nothing.” Meng Chuan comforted him and looked up at Marshal Shi. “Marshal Shi, I’m very puzzled. The capital is in the north, and most of the Imperial Court’s armies are gathered in the north. If you want to overthrow the Imperial Court, why did the army keep heading south and end up in Binhai City?”
The hall fell silent.
Everyone was astonished by how bold the one-armed youth was. Even the Gold Silver Gang’s upper echelons were alarmed.
“Who are you?” asked Marshal Shi coldly.
The gray-robed elder, Sect Master Feng, formed a seal with one hand in his sleeve, and his eyes glowed with purple light as he looked at Meng Chuan.
Then, his expression couldn’t help but change slightly.