"The Mu family attacked the Miteer Family's caravan? What's going on?"
Yun Tianming tapped his forehead with his finger, releasing his Soul Power that could cover an area of hundreds of miles.
The Mu family and the Miteer Family are both among the three major families in the Imperial Capital, with equivalent overall strength. The former represents the military, while the latter is the leader in commerce, with little to no conflict of interest between them. Why did they suddenly start fighting, and with lethal intent no less?
"What's wrong, Yun Tianming? Someone you know?"
Zi Yan asked curiously.
"Could it be your little lover?"
Cai Lin squinted her eyes, suddenly staring meaningfully at Yun Tianming.
"Uh, why did you suddenly bring this up?"
Yun Tianming was initially taken aback but then gave an awkward smile.
"Hmph~"
Cai Lin snorted coldly. With her Soul Power, she couldn't cover such a vast area. Her intuition, however, told her that Yun Tianming wasn't someone who liked to meddle. If he did, there must be something unusual.
"Ahem~ I have an old acquaintance in the Miteer Family. I'll be back soon. You guys go ahead."
With that, Yun Tianming unfolded his Dou Qi Wings and swiftly flew towards Zhen Gui Pass.
At the exit of Zhen Gui Pass's city gate.
"A Dou King expert? How is that possible!"
Ya Fei looked up in disbelief at Mu Zhan, who was vibrating green Dou Qi Wings in the sky.
Three years ago, he was merely a Dou Grandmaster. Even if he had taken pills every day like eating beans, it shouldn't have been possible to cross two whole ranks and advance to the Dou King realm!
"Haha! Surprised, Ya Fei!"
"Now, I am a respected Dou King expert!"
Mu Zhan laughed loudly.
"It is quite surprising, but three years ago, Yun Tianming was already capable of fighting Dou King experts. So it's not that impressive, is it?"
Ya Fei quickly regained her composure, her response dousing Mu Zhan's arrogance.
"Yun Tianming!"
Hearing this name, Mu Zhan's fury ignited, his eyes gleaming with a sinister red light. He gritted his teeth and said, "That brat better not appear in front of me, or I'll definitely twist his head off!!"
You're the one who will get your head twisted off, right?
A trace of disdain flashed in Ya Fei's eyes, but to avoid provoking him further, she moderated her tone. "Mu Zhan, do you know what you're doing? Attacking the Miteer Family openly, aren't you afraid of our retaliation?"
"Retaliation? Heh! The Miteer Family will cease to exist. I'm protecting you, Ya Fei!"
"As long as you marry me, you'll be part of the Mu family. I'll plead with the royal family on your behalf to spare your life."
Mu Zhan looked at Ya Fei with excitement, his eyes revealing a pathological fervor.
"The royal family."
"So Jia Xing Tian is indeed the mastermind behind this?"
Ya Fei lowered her gaze, successfully extracting crucial information from Mu Zhan.
Three years ago, Yun Yun's breakthrough to Dou Ancestor altered the power balance within the Jia Ma Empire. Although Yun Yun showed no intention of expanding the Misty Cloud Sect, it still caused great unease for the royal family.
The following year, Yun Shan broke through to Dou Ancestor, giving the Misty Cloud Sect two Dou Ancestor experts, completely disrupting the internal balance of the empire. Most major forces and families leaned heavily towards the Misty Cloud Sect. The royal family fell silent, seemingly giving up resistance. They even ordered the imperial troops stationed at the foot of Misty Cloud Mountain to withdraw, displaying a posture of submission to the Misty Cloud Sect.
Just a year ago, an explosive piece of news spread: Jia Xing Tian had successfully advanced to a Dou Ancestor expert. He challenged Yun Shan, and the two fought for three days and nights without a clear winner. After this battle, the royal family seemed to gain the confidence to confront the Misty Cloud Sect. They redeployed their troops to surround the Misty Cloud Sect and began to suppress all forces allied with it, with the Miteer Family and the Nalan Family bearing the brunt.
However, Ya Fei never expected the royal family to be so deranged as to directly order the Mu family to attack the Miteer Family!
It seemed as though an invisible hand was orchestrating everything from behind the scenes.
"You're indeed the wife I've chosen, so smart!"
Seeing that Ya Fei had seen through him, Mu Zhan no longer hid his intentions and bluntly said, "The emperor has issued a decree. My Mu family is carrying out an imperial order to suppress the rebellion, justified and legitimate! Ya Fei, I advise you not to resist pointlessly."
"Imperial order to suppress rebellion? May I ask what treasonous acts my Miteer Family has committed?"
"We've contributed 40% of Jia Ma Empire's commercial taxes, provided millions of jobs, and even the materials for the armor your army wears are imported by our Miteer Merchant Association from the southern countries."
Ya Fei argued with reason and evidence.
"Yes, yes, I know everything you're saying."
"But this Dou Qi Continent doesn't run on reason."
"Blame yourselves for doing business with the Misty Cloud Sect and angering the royal family. We had no choice but to eliminate you!"
Mu Zhan, looking impatient and unusually irritable, responded.
"Isn't that just finding excuses to impose blame? Even without the Misty Cloud Sect, with the current tyrannical attitude of the royal family, they would find other reasons to annex all of Miteer Family's industries, wouldn't they? And you Mu family, you want a share of the spoils too, right?"
Ya Fei said angrily.
"Hehe~ Those decisions are made by the old guys above. I only want you, Ya Fei!"
"I've told you, you belong to me!!"
Mu Zhan smiled sinisterly, his gaze fixed intently on Ya Fei.
"In your dreams!"
"By the way, I already belong to him."
Ya Fei's lips curved into a smile as the image of a certain man appeared in her mind, and a sweet expression spread across her face.
"W-What do you mean?"
Mu Zhan was initially stunned, then quickly considered the possibility, his face turning green.
"Ya Fei! What do you mean by that!!"
His anger skyrocketed, and Mu Zhan's eyes widened as if ready to burst, glaring at Ya Fei with a murderous look.
"Hmph~"
In his agitation, Mu Zhan tightened the Dou Qi vines in his hand, causing Ya Fei to struggle for breath and let out a cry of pain.
"Speak up, Ya Fei!!!"
Mu Zhan showed no mercy, his face twisted with ferocity, his eyes gleaming with an eerie red light.
"You definitely have a problem!"
Ya Fei endured the intense pain, her gaze fixed on the frenzied Mu Zhan, her expression thoughtful.
Jia Xing Tian, who had been stuck at the peak of Dou Emperor for decades, suddenly advanced to Dou Ancestor. The strange rise in strength of both Mu Tie and Mu Zhan also seemed unusual.
"Ya Fei!! I want you to be with me forever. Hahaha!"
Mu Zhan suddenly let out a maniacal laugh, his powerful Dou Qi causing the vines around Ya Fei to grow rapidly, wrapping around her limbs and even her head, threatening to mummify her.
"Cough, cough~ Is this the end?"
Ya Fei's breathing became increasingly difficult, and her consciousness began to fade.
In her daze, she seemed to faintly hear a familiar voice.
"Sorry, I'm late."
****
Support me on Patreon and get advanced chapters up to 50 so far patreon.com/Sakurai45