Chapter 129: Chen Lou Demands an Explanation, Trouble Within and Without

When Fang Xiuxian was captured, guards had already sent word back to the City Lord Manor, which was why Chen Lou was able to arrive so quickly.

However, when he saw Fang Xiuxian lying unconscious and stark naked, he realized he had still arrived a step too late.

“Qin Xiao, you dare to attack an official of the Heavenly Dynasty! You are dead for sure, and no one can protect you.”

Chen Lou hurriedly had someone drape a coat over Fang Xiuxian. With spectators gathering in increasing numbers, the priority was to cover up the disgrace.

“City Lord, I don’t know what you mean. He put down his token and took off his official uniform himself, saying he wanted to fight me in a personal capacity. All these people saw it. Don’t pin false charges on me.”

Qin Xiao naturally showed no fear in the face of Chen Lou’s accusations.

“Even so, he remains the Deputy City Lord of Tianyi City. By subjecting him to such humiliation, you are showing utter contempt for the Heavenly Dynasty.”

Chen Lou himself had never expected Fang Xiuxian to go mad and challenge Qin Xiao strictly in a personal capacity.

“City Lord, you surely do not take me for a fool? He is merely an Acting Deputy City Lord, comparable at best to a guest Elder of a sect. If he were still wearing his official uniform and holding his token, your words might hold some weight. But as an Acting Deputy City Lord without any formal official rank in the Heavenly Dynasty, where does this talk of defying the dynasty come from?”

Qin Xiao spoke with reasoned arguments, having already investigated the matter beforehand. Official positions in the Heavenly Dynasty were not handed out lightly; these so-called Acting Deputy City Lords merely skirted the edges of authority and held no genuine official status.

“Then your public brawl still violates the rules. The Heavenly Dynasty dictates that no one may engage in armed conflict within the city under any circumstances, giving me, as City Lord, the full authority to arrest you.”

Finding his other excuses failing, Chen Lou shifted the grounds to their physical altercation.

“City Lord, you’re mistaken. There was no armed fight. Did you see me strike him? Is he injured? Stripping his clothes off doesn’t count as armed fighting, does it? At worst, we offended everyone’s eyes, and I’m willing to compensate them. If no one here objects, it can hardly be a serious matter. Oh, Fang Xiuxian gets compensation too. He was the star of the show, after all.”

Qin Xiao was exploiting a loophole too, turning official business into a private dispute that the City Lord Manor had no right to interfere in. If anyone wanted revenge, it should be Fang Xiuxian. Why was Chen Lou making such a fuss?

“Everyone, anyone whose eyes were offended may come forward to collect ten Low Grade Spirit Stones. Everyone present gets a share!”

Qin Xiao raised his voice to address the surrounding onlookers.

“I want some! I can testify that Deputy City Lord Fang challenged this young master in a strictly personal capacity!”

“I can testify as well. It truly has nothing to do with this young master.”

“I can bear witness too.”

“I also testify.” The source of this chapter is novelping.com.

At the mention of free Spirit Stones, the crowd of onlookers immediately voiced their support for Qin Xiao.

“My thanks to you all. Let’s add five more-fifteen Spirit Stones per person!”

Qin Xiao’s objective was simple: overwhelm them with wealth. As long as the common people stood on his side, what could Chen Lou possibly do? Powerful though the City Lord might be, he still had to abide by the rules. Did he truly believe himself to be some local emperor?

“Fine, brat, just you wait. My uncle will arrive in Tianyi City before long, and I hope you remain as smooth-tongued then as you are today.”

With everyone testifying for Qin Xiao, Chen Lou had no other way out. He could only leave with Fang Xiuxian.

Had Qin Xiao been an ordinary cultivator, Chen Lou would have had countless methods to punish him. But Qin Xiao was backed by Ye Qiuyue, supported by the Immortal Dao Merchant Association, and on brotherly terms with Ling Wushuang, leaving Chen Lou without the courage to act heavy-handed.

Once Chen Lou departed, Qin Xiao made good on his word, distributing Spirit Stones to every spectator present. With only one or two hundred people in the crowd, the expenditure amounted to less than a single second of his production.

“The boss really is generous, handing out Spirit Stones in public like this. Being his bodyguard is worth it!”

Li You watched the distribution with undisguised envy, though having already received his wages, he felt too embarrassed to claim an additional fifteen Low Grade Spirit Stones.

Fifteen Low Grade Spirit Stones. Even a little was still something.

While such a sum meant little to cultivators, to ordinary folk it represented an immediate fortune sufficient to secure a life free of hardship. It was little wonder they had dared to back Qin Xiao right in front of the City Lord-such a chance to turn one’s fortunes around came perhaps once in a lifetime.

After receiving their stones, the onlookers thanked Qin Xiao profusely and called him their benefactor. He answered each of them. Giving out money really did feel good.

Then an idea struck him: perhaps he could establish a force of his own. How could a man spend his whole life meekly serving under others?

Take over a city and become a City Lord?

Qin Xiao dismissed the notion immediately. Even the master of a minor city required formal appointment by the Heavenly Dynasty as a proper official, a path closed to him due to his lack of official connections. No, that was unfeasible.

Building a city from scratch was equally unrealistic; he lacked the population base, and it would only invite trouble. If the Heavenly Dynasty mistook it for an act of defiance and sent troops to suppress him, the consequences would be disastrous.

Found a sect?

That wouldn’t work either. Apart from all the tedious paperwork, founding a sect was no easy matter: the cultivation world had many requirements for recognizing one. Besides, he didn’t know how to cultivate. How could he be a sect’s founder?

In the end, Qin Xiao could only consider forces below Third-Level. A force like the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion needed no approval, though it could now apply for Third-Level Force status: Ye Qiuyue had reached Body Integration, meeting the minimum requirement.

Yet the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion had never bothered to apply. First, they wished to avoid tedious complications; second, they had no desire for excessive restrictions, as their focus lay primarily in commerce rather than cultivation contests.

A pavilion? A tower? A gang, perhaps, or some other faction?

“Xiao’er, what’s wrong? You’ve been staring into space. Has something happened?”

Seeing that the crowd had dispersed while Qin Xiao remained lost in thought, Ye Qiuyue asked with a note of concern. Enjoying the story? Read on at novelрing.com.

“Oh, nothing. I was thinking about something. Since everyone’s gone, let’s close this shop too. Close all our shops in Tianyi City, or they’ll keep coming to cause trouble. Let’s be decisive.”

Recovering his wits, Qin Xiao suggested closing down their operations in Tianyi City for the sake of peace and quiet.

“Xiao’er has a point. We’ve been harassed constantly lately, and business hasn’t been good. Let’s take a break for a while.”

Recognizing the wisdom in his words and sharing the sentiment herself, Ye Qiuyue readily agreed.

With that, the five of them set off toward the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion.

But when they reached the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion, it was unsettled too. Many disciples were coming and going; something seemed to have happened.

“What is the meaning of this? Why is everyone in such a panic?”

Puzzled, Ye Qiuyue stopped a disciple to ask.

“Reporting to the Great Elder! Our transport convoy was intercepted and robbed! The Fifth Elder, who was personally escorting the silver and Spirit Stones, was injured, her Storage Bag seized, and she is now gravely wounded!”

Recognizing Ye Qiuyue, the disciple quickly explained the situation.

“Who is audacious enough to pull this?”

Ye Qiuyue flew straight into the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion in anger.

Qin Xiao and his companions stood momentarily stunned-the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion had actually been plundered?

Recovering their composure, the four quickly hurried inside as well.

Meanwhile, at the City Lord Manor, a steward hurried to report news he had just received.

“City Lord! The operation over there was a complete success! Every single convoy belonging to the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion has been intercepted, their Fifth Elder was wounded, and all the Spirit Stones and silver have been seized!”

The steward delivered the news happily.

“Hmph. Cut off the Heavenly Clothes Pavilion’s financial lifeline, and we shall see how long they maintain their arrogance.”

Much of Chen Lou’s earlier anger faded. Weren’t they so arrogant? Let him see how arrogant they could be now.