Chapter 99: Remnants Strike Back
The news brought by Xie Yansheng was indeed not good.
The stewards appointed by the Town Sea Alliance in Qingxu County and Yangquan County, over a dozen of them, were killed within a single day, with the words “blood debt must be repaid in blood” left at the scene.
After Hong Yuan occupied half the prefecture city and Qingxu County and Yangquan County, although he did not care about the size of the territory, since he had taken it, it was impossible to merely control it in name only.
First, he cleansed the gangs in the prefecture city area and some great families that had caused much harm.
Qingxu County and Yangquan County did not escape either; a large batch of local snakes were directly executed.
And in Qingxu County, led by the Zhang Family, families like this that had been rooted for over a dozen generations, and with their central power lost and no legal constraints, how could they not be stained with sins?
The Zhang Family head was precisely that County Lieutenant Zhang whose ear was cut off by Hong Yuan. Without even needing Hong Yuan to act, the Zhang Family was wiped out by the Town Sea Alliance in one net, given a family reunion.
The Huang Family Industry swallowed by the Zhang Family, and even the Zhang Family’s accumulations over a dozen generations, all returned to Hong Yuan’s hands.
Hong Yuan had also fulfilled the wish from a few months ago, keeping the family property for his good brother Huang Shaotang.
With the old forces cleared, it was necessary to replace them with a batch of new people for management.
Besides selecting people from within the Town Sea Alliance, Hong Yuan had three other channels.
The first was Black Iron Town where Xu Qingjing was located.
The second was the Wuding Sword Sect with which he had some ties.
There were quite a few good seedlings in the Wuding Sword Sect; it would be a waste not to gather them under his command.
Even Qing Lingzi and Qing Songzi, this pair of senior brothers, Hong Yuan had set his sights on.
He was not a patient person and could not stay long in Linjiang Prefecture.
But without him guarding it, the Town Sea Alliance would be somewhat unstable.
Although it was a force he had casually established, he could not let it fend for itself, so he needed a master to sit in command.
Since Wu Duxiong, Yang Erhu, and Yang Jinbao were not returning, the remaining choices were limited.
This pair of senior brothers from the Wuding Sword Sect was the most suitable.
Their character was passable, their martial arts not weak, both having reached the freely control level.
Originally, the two brothers were quite hesitant, but Hong Yuan sent someone to tell them that he could help them reach the microscopic level.
The two immediately became moved.
After some discussion, in the end, it was Qing Lingzi who came over, leaving Qing Songzi to guard the home.
Although Qing Lingzi was the sect leader of the Wuding Sword Sect, he was younger, so perhaps in Qing Songzi’s view, the chance of reaching the microscopic level was higher.
The third channel was naturally the martial arts school disciples accumulated by Yang Erhu over more than a dozen years.
The gentry and great families in Qingxu County and Yangquan County, and the jianghu gangs, had all been cleansed, with ample sources of wealth and fields; managing them required no great talent.
The three batches of people were soon summoned to the prefecture city.
Black Iron Town and Wuding Sword Sect needed no explanation; the disciples of the Yang Family Martial Arts School, knowing that a earth-shattering great figure had emerged from their school, also had the chance to rise with the tide and eagerly participated.
Even after Xie Yansheng, Tao Gongwang, Qian Shan Zhi, and others first screened them once, nearly a hundred still arrived before Hong Yuan.
Hong Yuan’s spiritual sense was sharp and could easily discern the truth or falsehood of others’ words.
He merely casually asked a few everyday livelihood questions and selected thirty or so people, having the Town Sea Alliance mobilize men to escort them to Qingxu County and Yangquan County for their posts.
Hong Yuan’s expression did not change upon hearing that over a dozen had died; he looked toward Xie Yansheng.
“There were survivors at the scene. According to them, the killers were remnants of the Guo Family and Hua Family.”
Xie Yansheng said in a deep voice.
“I destroyed their clans; it is reasonable for them to seek revenge from me.”
Hong Yuan was not angry.
This was the lack of foundation in terms of forces.
Hong Yuan had only been in this life for a little over three months; his personal combat power had already approached the superhuman, but the forces he controlled were not yet cohesive.
The Wei Family and Xiang Family were stronger than the Guo Family and Hua Family, but Song Yinglong had accumulated power for twenty years and still was taken down in one stroke, his direct line completely eliminated.
The Guo Family and Hua Family had quite a few fish that slipped through the net, and now they were biting back.
This backlash was nothing more than a ripple to Hong Yuan, but it was aimed at his subordinates.
The opponent’s strength might not be very great, but now they had turned from open to covert, hiding in the shadows, biding their time, occasionally assassinating a few people—it could not harm him at all, but could disgust…
Hmm?
It did not seem disgusting at all.
Hong Yuan’s mind was very calm, even a bit wanting to laugh.
He would not feel the slightest self-blame for this, much less attribute the enemy’s casualties to himself.
That kind of “I did not kill Berent, but Berent died because of me” self-inflicted torment did not exist in his thinking.
Moreover, before those people took their posts, Hong Yuan had both promised them wealth and clearly stated the risks.
“Call Qing Lingzi!”
Hong Yuan had no time to act personally.
The opponents were just a group of hiding moles; where could they not hide in mountains, rivers, and ditches?
If he personally went to find them, it would instead become hide-and-seek.
Moreover, if he had to handle everything personally, why had he established this Town Sea Alliance?
Hong Yuan’s gaze flickered as he pondered another issue—not these remnants of the Guo Family and Hua Family, but what to do if future enemies also hid like this?
Were there sorcery techniques for finding people?
Thinking of this, Hong Yuan instructed Xie Yansheng to pay more attention to collecting sorcery techniques in this area, and also to recruit one or two sorcerers.
Of course, if they were sorcerers with deep evil karma, just capture them directly.
After reading many books and summarizing, Hong Yuan had some understanding: sorcery was profound and mysterious, indeed capable of many things unimaginable to ordinary people.
But there was no need to mythologize sorcerers; over ninety percent of them were not presentable, their bodies suffering various side effects and backlash, even inferior to ordinary people.
If they did not hide in the shadows to harm people with sorcery, in direct combat, they might not even beat a strong man.
Soon, a tall and slender middle-aged man carrying a long sword entered the hall, came before Hong Yuan, and bowed: “Greetings, Alliance Leader!”
Although he did not call him “Lord,” Qing Lingzi’s demeanor was extremely respectful, not only in awe of the young man’s achievements in martial arts, but also because of the other’s guidance in recent days.
After cultivating the Six Void Force and reaching the unprecedented fourth layer of form transformation, looking down from above, any microscopic level force held no mysteries for Hong Yuan.
For the Wuding Sword Sect’s secret transmission “Flowing Cloud Wuding Strength,” Hong Yuan’s understanding and attainment probably surpassed even the sect’s ancestors of past generations.
Often with just a word or two, he could resolve Qing Lingzi’s many confusions.
Even when Qing Lingzi was cultivating and his force had a slight anomaly causing backlash, with a light wave of his hand, an invisible force would emerge, suppressing the anomaly in his own force.
This shocked Qing Lingzi immensely.
Force was condensed from one’s own qi and blood; he had never imagined that someone could assist another’s force cultivation externally.
If not for his position as sect leader of the Wuding Sword Sect, he would already want to kowtow in grand salute and call him “Teacher”!
The able are teachers; Qing Lingzi did not feel it beneath his dignity.
Hong Yuan looked at Qing Lingzi, his fingers lightly tapping the table as an imperceptible breath spread out, turning into a net that enveloped Qing Lingzi, swiftly perceiving every change in his body.
This “Net of Other Forces” could extend up to two zhang at most; it was not true qi or internal force like a qi wall and could not defend against physical attacks, but it had an incredibly wondrous effect for probing.
It could even quickly analyze others’ cultivated force, and for Qing Lingzi’s progress, it was crystal clear.
“Qing Lingzi, it seems you will soon reach force microscopic level.” Hong Yuan smiled faintly.
Force transformation was something you either understood or you didn’t; once Hong Yuan pointed it out, progress would be swift.
Of course, even if Qing Lingzi reached the microscopic level, his physique would still be inferior to other microscopic level grandmasters.
After all, force transformation could let Hong Yuan cheat for him, but physique had to be trained by oneself.
It was also because Qing Lingzi’s own attainment was high and his talent not low; if he were truly a stubborn stone, even Hong Yuan’s cheating would be useless.
“My progress is all due to the Alliance Leader’s guidance. I wonder what important matter the Alliance Leader has called me for? Qing Lingzi will go through fire and water.”
Qing Lingzi spoke sincerely, unable to hide his joy.
His Wuding Sword Sect had also been founded by a microscopic level grandmaster, and even among microscopic level, it was first-rate; after years of decline, unexpectedly, in this generation, he Qing Lingzi would lead the sect to greatness again.
Hong Yuan nodded at Xie Yansheng, who immediately briefly recounted the matter.
After hearing it, Qing Lingzi directly cupped his hands and accepted.
Not long after, Qing Lingzi brought two disciples and over a dozen Town Sea Alliance martial artists, mounted horses, galloped out of the prefecture city, and headed straight for Qingxu County and Yangquan County.
