To slay a city lord, in ordinary times, would undoubtedly be an act of immense gravity. Yet, Xi Mu Nan’s circumstances were far from ordinary.

The source of the plague remained elusive, yet Xi Mu Nan was undeniably the architect of its widespread contagion. For the sake of his lineage and his own position, after the plague’s full eruption, he became a pariah in Yang Country, reviled by all. To execute him was to fulfill the will of the people. Jiang Wang, by drawing his sword and ending Xi Mu Nan’s life, was seen by public opinion as performing a righteous act.

Moreover, it was solely through Jiang Wang’s persistent efforts that the truth of the plague was publicly revealed in Jia City. His contributions, immense as they were, needed no further elaboration; all who possessed eyes could see.

Secondly, the Chongxuan family had held governance over Qingyang Town for three decades, a right recognized by the Yang Court. Jiang Wang’s inheritance of this authority, and his subsequent tireless efforts for the populace, were both emotionally and logically justifiable.

Thus, it was audacious for a mere steward from the Four Seas Merchant Alliance to presume to mediate. This steward, in fact, understood full well that the Yang Court might offer no reaction whatsoever. In other words, if the Yang Court truly did react to this matter, the Qian steward’s “mediation” would prove utterly worthless. Hence, Jiang Wang regarded his offer as a mere jest.

But let us return to the question: How would the Yang Court react to this event? Jiang Wang believed they would not!

Firstly, with the plague raging, the Yang Court was preoccupied with its own affairs. Even matters of national import, such as resource allocation, were entrusted to the Four Seas Merchant Alliance of Qi Country. This exposed the inherent weakness of Yang as a vassal state, a melancholy reality for a nation in the world’s political landscape lacking self-determination!

Secondly, and also due to the plague, Jiang Wang was among the first in the entire Yang Country to recognize the gravity of this pestilence, and he was the first to expose it. He almost single-handedly revealed the truth. While many people despised him, more regarded him as a hero. The Yang Court could not possibly disregard this fact.

Thirdly, the Yang Court’s inadequate control over its various city domains had become starkly evident. The most pressing matter for the Yang Court at this juncture should be to leverage the plague prevention efforts to strengthen their substantive control over each locality. Any discerning ruler would not overlook this. And to assert control over Jia City, what would be the Yang Court’s initial action? To purge the Xi family!

It happened that the Xi family’s concealment of the plague provided a perfect pretext for their downfall. If the Yang Court intended to seize upon this incident as a justification for their actions, then any grounds for questioning Jiang Wang would be rendered untenable. Therefore, Jiang Wang harbored no worries about these matters.

His decision to spare Xi Zi Chu was equally simple: At present, no other individual in all of Jia City could mobilize more forces and resources than Xi Zi Chu, nor could anyone replace his crucial role in aiding the populace. Of course, Jiang Wang was confident that he would not be surpassed by Xi Zi Chu. Hence, even with the suspicion of “raising a tiger to become a future peril,” for the sake of saving more lives, he could temporarily suppress his killing intent. Even if the other truly became a “tiger peril,” he was confident in his ability to confront and slay him.

Had Xi Zi Chu displayed talent akin to Yin Guan or Wang Yiwu, he would not have made this choice, but would have acted upon their initial enmity, fighting and killing him without hesitation. After all, only by being alive can one uphold principles and maintain decorum, and only by being prominent can one aid the world.

There was another, unspoken reason: a shrewd individual like Xi Zi Chu, upon calming down, would understand the situation clearly, especially after learning that Rong Country had exposed the epidemic a day earlier. In truth, Jiang Wang, after witnessing Xi Zi Chu’s efforts in battling the epidemic, presented him with an “exchange” opportunity – using his mobilization of all Xi family forces for disaster relief as the price, in exchange for the chance to utilize this window of opportunity to transfer the family’s bloodline seed. Once the Yang Court had the capacity to fully take over Jia City, given the Xi family’s crimes, their complete annihilation was not an impossible outcome!

Watching the Four Seas Merchant Alliance’s Qian steward depart with a hefty bag of Dao Yuan stones, and observing the arrogant demeanor of the bald guard commander, Xiao Xiao felt an intense urge to gnash her teeth. Yet, she would not question Jiang Wang’s decision.

Instead, Zhang Hai couldn’t help but exclaim, “Two hundred Dao Yuan stones, just like that?” How many pills could that refine! In his heart, he harbored a degree of resentment towards Steward Qian. Though the recent period had been arduous, Jiang Wang had not been stingy with them, providing all necessary resources without fail. Two hundred Dao Yuan stones was no small sum. While these Dao Yuan stones came from Jiang Wang’s own coffers, were Jiang Wang’s Dao Yuan stones solely for this small group?

“This is the value of the Four Seas Merchant Alliance’s name!” Jiang Wang declared. “But if they continue to abuse it so, it will soon be worth far less!”

Xiao Xiao seemed to contemplate this deeply. Looking at the people gathered in the town hall, Jiang Wang continued, “I hope that one day, when we reveal our own banner, it too will be a name that resonates throughout the land. A name that can inspire retreat and submission. When that time comes, I implore you all to cherish it.”

What he did not voice was that while the two hundred Dao Yuan stones were primarily to swiftly quell the Four Seas Merchant Alliance’s inclination to cause trouble, a portion of that payment was a premium paid to Qian Xiang himself. From beginning to end, Qian Xiang, with his air of a fallen uncle, spoke no words. He merely kept his fish-like eyes perpetually drooped, as if nothing truly mattered. Only when Jiang Wang finished speaking did he nod slightly, indicating he had been listening.

“Steward, that fellow Jiang is so flush with resources, why didn’t you demand a bit more?” As they left the Qingyang Town hall and were still on the road, the guard commander couldn’t resist asking. “Could it be that he still dares to defy the Four Seas Merchant Alliance?”

“Idiot!” Steward Qian rebuked him. “How much oil can a mere Jiang Wang be squeezed for? The Merchant Alliance’s disaster relief operations throughout the entire Yang Country – *that* is where the true interests lie. I won’t shortchange you a single coin of the thousand taels of gold in extra income, but you are not permitted to deduct even a copper from the warehouse. If you dare to delay this grand matter, I will personally kill you!”

“Yes!” The bald guard commander, his heart unwilling, could only nod in assent. He wasn’t truly foolish; he of course knew where the true bounty lay. Pillage from the entire Yang Country’s income was far beyond what could be compared to fleecing a small lord like Jiang Wang. But what benefit was the increased income of the Four Seas Merchant Alliance to him? Only what was in his hand was his own. He had long known Steward Qian’s stinginess, but he hadn’t expected it to reach this extreme. He himself had received two hundred Dao Yuan stones, and yet was only to be given one thousand taels of gold!

Alas, circumstances were stronger than men; an official at a higher level could crush a subordinate to death. The Four Seas Merchant Alliance boasted hundreds of stewards, and Steward Qian was not particularly prominent among them. Yet, dealing with him, a mere guard commander, was effortlessly easy. After this incident, he could also be considered to have seen clearly. Compared to that one who directly kicked down the door to rob eggs and shaved him bald, that young cultivator named Jiang Wang was truly a ruthless individual. To toss out two hundred Dao Yuan stones so readily, it demonstrated a certain attitude. Having been in the Merchant Alliance for so many years, he understood one thing above all: those who acted most generously, those who seemed like young masters scattering wealth, were the ones most worth vigilance. People willing to expend capital to achieve their ends were also more willing than anyone to take your life. Moreover, he had personally slain the City Lord of Jia City!

Since instigating Steward Qian had yielded no results, the bald guard commander decided he would behave himself from now on. In any case, with the thousand taels of gold from Steward Qian’s side, plus the batch of “plundered” goods worth a thousand taels of gold, his income was not bad. Reselling them later, in the current market, would likely yield more than a thousand taels of gold. It was only a pity he hadn’t obtained any Dao Yuan stones; he would have to purchase those separately at that time. He calculated his small gains in his heart. The Merchant Alliance warehouse in Qingyang Town would operate normally from now on. Anyway, it would be difficult to squeeze out another thousand taels of gold by being as stingy as before.

“Why wouldn’t they? The Four Seas Merchant Alliance are smart people indeed!” In the Taixu Illusory Realm, Chongxuan Sheng’s eyes narrowed to mere slits. “The steward has the steward’s cleverness, and the guard has the guard’s cleverness.”

“Otherwise, how could they have thrived for so many years, yet as the oldest chamber of commerce in Qi Country, their momentum gradually falls short of the Jubaohui!”

Jiang Wang looked at him with a puzzled expression. “What are you planning?”

“Planning what?”

“Your eyes are narrowed; you must be planning to kill someone!”

“Oh?” Chongxuan Sheng touched his tri-folded chin. “I must be more careful about that in the future.”

“As for what matter…” He looked at Jiang Wang and smiled. “Military orders are like a mountain; I cannot speak of it!”