https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-239-The-Ninth-Lord-s-Shocking-Performance/12980231/
Chapter 238: Starlight Shines on Baiyunzhou
Chapter 238: Starlight Shines on Baiyunzhou
"The Baiyun Martial Academy has already mobilized. In the recent period, all fifth-year students are on vacation, assisting in the defense of the Guardian Pavilion to ensure the safety of Baiyunzhou."
Divine Old Man hummed, "Do you take me for a fool? What don't you know?"
"You can rest assured about this matter. If others don't know, how can you not know, Old Man?"
Fang Che laughed, "I'm quite cunning."
"Haha... You're a cunning little devil!"
Divine Old Man said, "You haven't been cultivating at the Martial Academy recently. Has your cultivation improved?"
Fang Che leaned in close to Divine Old Man's ear and whispered, "I've reached the Handsome Rank, the pinnacle of the First Grade. Surprised?"
"Holy shit, that was fast!"
Divine Old Man blurted out, then scowled and angrily said, "Handsome Rank is nothing! You still need to work hard!"
But this sentence, combined with the previous outburst, seemed a bit ridiculous.
Fang Che burst out laughing.
"Mo Gan Yun and the others have gone out on a mission. Before they left, they came to see me. If you want to ask about them, I'll let you know. This trip into the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain won't be short, I'm sure."
Divine Old Man nodded.
"That's good."
Fang Che sighed in relief.
He was truly afraid of such fierce battles. He worried that Mo Gan Yun and the others might not be strong enough, and if they got involved, they might be killed by a single strike.
"I'll go and check on your instructors. They all miss you."
Divine Old Man remained silent.
"I'm afraid they'll keep me here again." Fang Che smiled wryly, "Last time, for four days and four nights, they nearly starved me. It was terrifying."
"It'll be difficult for you to have such good fortune again."
As he finished speaking, Li Changkong and the others entered.
Bing Shangxue came in and immediately looked at Fang Che. Seeing him standing tall and unharmed, he seemed even more spirited, and she couldn't help but smile warmly.
Habitually, Fang Che straightened the wrinkled part of his waist caused by his belt.
"Why haven't you come to see us in so long?"
There was a hint of blame in his tone.
Fang Che smiled wryly, "Ice Instructor, it hasn't been that long... I'll be free soon, right?"
Everyone laughed and sat down.
Duan Zhong Liu started taking out dishes from the package he was carrying and set up a table.
He shouted, "I'll take care of the wine. It's just that Old God has good wine here. Now, I want to drink and enjoy it, so I bought some dishes to pair with the wine. Old Man is so stingy, always giving me a small dish of peanuts. Today, with Fang Che here, we can have a good drink and feast like tycoons!"
Divine Old Man angrily said, "You always bring a small dish of peanuts and expect to drink Iron Blood Platform's wine? You're so stingy!"
Everyone burst out laughing.
But this night's meal was truly abundant.
The wine was also excellent.
Fang Che drank until the moon was high in the sky.
Everyone finally left, satisfied.
During the meal, Li Changkong and the others kept sharing their combat experiences, and when they got excited, they even demonstrated their moves.
Although they didn't mention the upcoming crisis, Fang Che understood in his heart what the instructors were doing.
So he listened attentively and learned seriously.
Bing Shangxue's face was full of gentleness as she stood by Fang Che's side, quietly saying, "If you encounter danger, run to the Baiyun Martial Academy."
"Good."
Fang Che's heart warmed.
Even when he was walking alone on the street, he still felt the warmth lingering.
Midnight.
The cold wind howled.
The stars in the sky shivered and trembled from the cold.
Fang Che disappeared into a dark alley.
...
That night, all of Baiyunzhou was unusually quiet.
Wu Family Pawnshop.
It had been peaceful for a long time, but Wu Zhang, the shopkeeper, always felt anxious, unable to put his mind at ease.
He and his apprentices and clerks all felt uneasy.
Could it be truly gone?
If it's truly gone... that might be good too?
In the cold winter, the master and his apprentices sat in their rooms, warmed by a large stove.
"Another day has passed."
Wu Zhang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Prepare to rest..."
Before he could finish his sentence, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Knock! Knock knock knock! Knock! Knock knock knock!"
The rhythm was 1314.
It was the secret signal of the One Heart Sect.
Everyone's expressions tightened, and the four apprentices turned to look at their master, their faces filled with tension.
Wu Zhang's face showed hesitation for a moment, then he stood up and opened the door.
A cold-clad figure rushed in, making everyone shiver.
A plaque was presented, and with a nudge of spiritual power, a heart-shaped bright spot appeared. The visitor's voice was faint yet filled with arrogance, "One Heart Sect Baiyunzhou Branch Leader Starlight, reporting for duty."
"I pay my respects to the Branch Leader!"
Five people knelt down simultaneously.
Fang Che gave them a cold glance and directly spun around, sitting down in the grandmaster's chair.
He spoke coldly, "You all, during this time, have been quite relaxed."
"We dare not, we've been eagerly awaiting the Branch Leader's call."
"A call?"
Fang Che let out a cold laugh and said calmly, "During this time, our branch has been destroyed. I see you all have breathed a sigh of relief."
"We dare not, absolutely not. Please see it for yourself, Branch Leader."
"Don't play a role with me."
Fang Che said coldly, "During this time, the amount to be paid, you all have it calculated, right?"
"Calculated, calculated. We've prepared it well.
"Hmm, double it!"
Fang Che's cold voice echoed.
"Ah?"
Wu Zhang was startled.
"I'm saying..."
Fang Che's gaze was as cold as ice as he looked at the white-haired old man behind the counter. "Double it! Did you hear me this time?"
A chilling killing intent filled the air.
"I... I heard you."
Wu Zhang shivered.
He keenly realized that if he didn't comply, his head would be on the ground in the next moment.
Trembling, he went to get the silver bills.
The original amount of 50,000 taels of silver had now become 100,000.
He felt so pained that he almost fainted.
"Please verify the amount, Commander."
"Heh, do I even need to verify this amount..."
Fang Che took the silver bills and casually tucked them away. "I'm saying... Do you know about the previous branch at Xiangyang Old Lane, number six?"
"I know."
"There's a big courtyard not too far from there, right? It used to be an official's residence, and it's been vacant for a while, rumored to be haunted?"
"The Ghost Mansion, I know. It's not far from the previous branch."
"Yes, tomorrow morning, go and inquire about the price, buy it, and it will be our new branch from now on."
"Yes, sir."
"I'll allocate the necessary funds, understand?"
"Yes, yes!"
Wu Zhang bowed deeply, filled with fear and trepidation.
A strange laugh echoed, and when they looked up again, the Starlight Commander before them had vanished without a trace.
Stunned for a moment, Wu Zhang finally asked, "Starlight Commander... left?"
"Yes, Master."
Wu Zhang finally sat down on the chair, his eyes devoid of any life.
"Master, what's wrong?"
His disciples were perplexed.
Reconnecting with the organization should be a good thing, shouldn't it?
"You don't understand."
Wu Zhang's face turned pale. He slowly shook his head. "This Starlight Commander... his methods are much more straightforward than the previous branch commander. Moreover, his killing intent is chilling. I fear our days ahead..."
He sighed deeply, unable to continue.
...
On the other side.
"Dong, dong dong, dong, dong dong dong..."
The Starlight Commander had knocked on the fifth house.
"One Heart Sect, Starlight Commander of the new branch in White Cloud Continent!"
"At the first hour of the day after tomorrow, report at the Ghost Mansion!"
...
"One Heart Sect... Starlight!"
"Slap!"
A head shattered like a watermelon, and Fang Che's cold voice echoed, "Do you have the right to speak?"
"Commander, we were wrong..."
"Too late!"
Slap, slap, slap...
Blood splattered everywhere.
In one night.
Fang Che had visited a total of forty secret establishments under his command and had personally killed a member of one of the establishments.
He then divided the remaining thirty-six establishments into four groups, each representing the four cardinal directions. The other three establishments were useful.
He collected a massive sum of four million taels of silver.
Moreover, he successfully established an image of being 'ruthless in pursuit of goals, using any means necessary, heartless and ruthless, merciless, unpredictable, and ungrateful.'
This made the thirty-six secret establishments immediately submit to the new branch commander.
"It's true that evil people need to be polished by other evil people!"
Fang Che suddenly felt that being an evil person was much more comfortable than being a good person.
He could do whatever he wanted without hesitation.
And everyone feared him.
A single glare would make them kneel.
But as a good person, even if you glared, or tried to talk, others would still ignore you.
"No wonder there are so many evil people in this world. Being evil means having fewer concerns."
Fang Che never imagined that he had even fewer concerns than evil people! Evil people also needed courage to kill their own subordinates.
Or perhaps it was a concern.
After killing someone, who would do the work?
And what if they killed the wrong person? But Fang Che had no such concerns: whoever he wanted to kill, he would kill! A single glance, and a sword would be drawn.
...
At dawn, the first hour of the day.
The Ghost Mansion.
The pine trees were dense and eerie.
Indeed, there was a ghostly atmosphere.
The Starlight Commander began the morning roll call.
All thirty-six establishments were present. Not a single cultivator above the Martial Grandmaster realm dared to be absent.
The Starlight Commander held a long rope in his hand, the other end hidden behind a curtain. No one knew what it was, but he walked around with the rope in hand.
"I've gathered everyone to establish some rules."
"Since we're operating in the Guardian's territory, we must abide by the law. So, we won't engage in heaven-defying and immoral acts. This will facilitate long-term infiltration."
All the managers widened their eyes in surprise.
Is this... the words of the One Heart Sect's commander? Could the executioner Starlight, known for his ruthless killings, say such things?
"I won't say much about casinos, brothels, and pawnshops. After all, they are ancient professions, and no matter what, they won't bring you glory. But brothels must stop forcing women into prostitution. Otherwise, death."
"Casinos... well, they are what they are. Do as you please."
"Pawnshops are just pawnshops, nothing more."
"I won't say much about wine houses, restaurants, and inns. Just operate as usual, and if there's any issue, come to the branch. We'll handle it."
"Don't think that being part of the One Heart Sect means we can't stand up for ourselves. If anyone dares to bully us, we'll fight back!"
"I'll stand by you! But if a single copper is missing from the monthly tribute, I'll take your lives!"
"..."
(End of Chapter)
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