"But how could it be possible!"
"How could Li Mugui break through from the Xiulu Realm to the Wanxiang Realm in just a few days!"
"No matter how talented he is, it's impossible!"
Liu Yu felt like he was going crazy.
He couldn't believe that Li Mugui was such a genius.
But after knowing Li Tai for so many years, he was too familiar with the oppressive aura of a Wanxiang Realm martial artist.
Liu Yu bitterly closed his eyes.
All his schemes and plans had become a joke in front of Li Mugui's overwhelming strength.
"Hahaha!"
"May the old city lord bless us!"
"With such a genius as our city lord, the City Lord's Mansion will surely prosper!"
Zhang Ji, on the other hand, was so excited that he couldn't control himself, his eyes filled with tears.
He had already made up his mind to perish with the City Lord's Mansion.
To his surprise, their own city lord had silently broken through to the Wanxiang Realm!
"You, you can't possibly be a Wanxiang Realm martial artist!"
"There must be some kind of trickery!"
Tian Rong trembled as he muttered, his mind in a complete mess.
"Oh?" Li Mugui's gaze shifted, calmly looking at Tian Rong. "Do you want to try?"
He immediately unleashed his triple special effect, and the oppressive aura made it difficult for everyone to breathe.
"No! No, no, no! City Lord, I was wrong!"
Tian Rong's face turned pale, and he immediately came to his senses. Without hesitation, he knelt down and begged for mercy from Li Mugui.
"Nephew Mugui..."
Liu Yu struggled to speak. At this moment, he had long lost his previous high spirits. But before he could finish his sentence, Li Mugui interrupted him.
"Hmm?"
Li Mugui stared at him coldly.
Liu Yu shivered and immediately corrected himself. "City Lord, we were wrong."
"We were blind and foolish to doubt your abilities."
"You are a genius, and the City Lord's Seal and Feiying City can only be in your hands."
Li Mugui looked at Liu Yu, who was now humble and respectful, and couldn't help but feel amused.
However, his face remained calm, and he continued to stare at Liu Yu.
Knowing that empty flattery wouldn't work, Liu Yu gritted his teeth. "To show our loyalty to you, we are willing to offer two-thirds of our family's wealth as a token of our sincerity."
As he said this, Liu Yu felt a stabbing pain in his heart.
Two-thirds of their wealth!
It would take several generations of hard work for the Liu family to accumulate such wealth.
And now they were giving it all away!
But what choice did they have?
If Li Mugui decided to wipe out the Liu family, they would lose everything anyway.
Liu Yu could only pray that Li Mugui's appetite wasn't too big.
However, Li Mugui shook his head.
Liu Yu's heart sank. Did he really intend to show no mercy?
Just as despair was about to overwhelm him, he saw Li Mugui hold up three fingers and say, "Three-quarters, and you're no longer the city's assistant."
Three-quarters.
Liu Yu reluctantly agreed, knowing that it was already a generous offer.
As for his position as the city's assistant, he had no choice but to accept it. After all, he had already lost so much.
To his relief, Li Mugui seemed satisfied with their offer.
"Very well," he said. "I feel your sincerity, so this matter is now considered closed."
Li Mugui then turned to the other noble families present and said, "I give you the same choice."
"Three-quarters of your wealth, or the lives of your entire family."
Seeing how Liu Yu had submitted to Li Mugui's demands, none of the other noble families dared to challenge him.
Thus, all six noble families of Feiying City relinquished three-quarters of their wealth to the City Lord's Mansion.
"Good, I am pleased with your sincerity. From now on, this matter is considered resolved," Li Mugui said with satisfaction.
He then turned to Zhang Ji and ordered, "Zhang, go with them and carefully calculate their wealth. If they dare to conceal anything...hmm!"
He glared at the noble families, sending a chill through their hearts.
"Yes, City Lord!" Zhang Ji stepped forward obediently.
"You may all leave now," Li Mugui waved his hand dismissively.
The noble families were relieved and left as quickly as they could.
Only Shen Bing remained.
"Miss Shen, is there something else you need?" Li Mugui asked.
"City Lord Li, you are truly talented. To have become a third-realm martial artist before even reaching adulthood is truly admirable," Shen Bing said sincerely. "However, I have a few questions that I don't understand."
"Please speak," Li Mugui said.
"These noble families clearly had malicious intent and wanted to kill you, yet you showed them mercy and let them off with a warning. Why?" Shen Bing asked.
"You could have easily wiped them out and supported other noble families to help you govern Feiying City," she continued.
Li Mugui sighed inwardly. He wished he could have wiped out these parasites, but he didn't have the ability to do so.
The truth was, he only had one chance to use the Real Special Effect function, and he couldn't afford to waste it on such a trivial matter.
However, on the surface, he smiled and explained, "Wiping them out and supporting other noble families is indeed an option, but why not do both?"
Shen Bing frowned, clearly puzzled. "What do you mean, City Lord?"
"If I had wiped them out and supported new noble families in their place, what would be the difference between that and what my father did when he first came to Feiying City?" Li Mugui asked rhetorically.
"The result would be the same," he continued. "These new noble families would eventually become arrogant and unscrupulous just like the old ones."
Li Mugui let out a sigh. "By taking away three-quarters of their wealth, I have dealt a heavy blow to their strength," he explained.
"To replenish their strength, they will have to turn to the smaller noble families," he continued. "This will create conflicts between the larger and smaller noble families."
"And as long as I can control these conflicts, that will be enough," Li Mugui concluded with a mischievous smile.
After hearing his explanation, Shen Bing was greatly impressed. Not only was Li Mugui talented in martial arts, but he was also astonishingly skilled in governing and politics.
She had no doubt that his future prospects would be limitless.
"I understand now!" Shen Bing took a deep breath and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your enlightenment, City Lord."
"There's no need to be so polite, Miss Shen. I still remember your help from before," Li Mugui said with a wave of his hand.
Moreover, he wasn't worried about his words spreading and causing any trouble. In fact, he hoped that everyone would know his intentions.
Because this was an open strategy.
As long as the smaller noble families wanted to climb higher, and the larger noble families wanted to maintain their status, they would have to follow his plan.
Shen Bing then continued, "Speaking of which, I have a request."
"Oh?" Li Mugui raised an eyebrow curiously.
"I was wondering if Feiying City would be willing to accept the establishment of a branch of the Qianzhu Chamber of Commerce," Shen Bing said directly, looking straight at Li Mugui.
The Qianzhu Chamber of Commerce establishing a branch in Feiying City!
Li Mugui was taken aback for a moment. This was indeed good news for both Feiying City and him personally.
The Qianzhu Chamber of Commerce, as a giant that spanned several provinces and prefectures, had access to an incredibly vast array of resources.
In the past, when Li Tai was still alive, he had repeatedly invited the Qianzhu Chamber of Commerce and other chambers of commerce to set up branches in Feiying City, but to no avail.
And now, the Qianzhu Chamber of Commerce was actively seeking to establish a presence in Feiying City!
Whether for the city or for Li Mugui himself, this was undoubtedly a cause for celebration. However, this situation was different from when Shen Bing had previously tried to recruit Li Mugui to join the Qianzhu Chamber of Commerce. After all, one was inviting investment, while the other was offering to work for someone else.
"Miss Shen, are you confident in making this decision on your own?" Li Mugui asked politely, eyebrows raised.
"Of course," Shen Bing nodded firmly.