Chapter 290: The Xie Clan's Sincerity!

Chapter 290: The Xie Clan's Sincerity!



Outside the courtyard.

"Head of the Xie Family, come in!" A voice echoed directly in Xie Zhengtian's ear.

He was instantly startled.

Secret Sound Transmission!

His heart became even more solemn.

As the head of the Xie Family, he naturally knew about this technique.

This was often a skill that only those at the Fifth Stage Inner Strength could master.

It required controlling inner breath and transforming mental energy into a tangible form, capable of being projected outside the body, to use such a minor skill as Secret Sound Transmission.

For this reason, this technique was typically mastered only by Fifth Stage Inner Strength experts.

"Can't afford to offend him!"

Xie Zhengtian couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Then, he stepped into the courtyard where Jiang Ning was.

Upon entering, he immediately saw Jiang Ning, wearing loose white training clothes, slowly getting up from a mat.

"Was Jiang Ning just practicing the Inner Fortitude Technique while meditating?" Xie Zhengtian thought, glancing up at the blazing sun.

He suddenly recalled the meditation and breathing techniques he had seen Shen Congyun practice.

He instantly connected this with the relationship between Shen Congyun and Jiang Ning.

"No wonder!"

Xie Zhengtian suddenly felt a bit enlightened, as he began to understand where Jiang Ning's Inner Fortitude Technique might have come from.

"If that's true, it's truly terrifying!!!"

His heart became even more aware of Jiang Ning's formidable nature.

The Inner Fortitude Technique, in normal circumstances, required a water-grinding effort.

Therefore, the older one was, the more profound and robust the inner breath would be.

He had never heard of any expert reaching an extremely high level in the Inner Fortitude Technique in less than a year.

At this moment, Jiang Ning looked at Lu Yi and instructed her to go to Ten Thousand Flowers Tower to buy the necessary Sand of Polishing and Skin Nourishing Cream.

Women were always more cautious during the skin refinement stage.

No woman wanted her skin to become dull and rough because of the skin refinement process.

Therefore, most women, in addition to using Sand of Polishing, also needed Skin Nourishing Cream to protect their skin.

Jiang Ning cared deeply about this aspect for Lu Yi.

Lu Yi was now by his side, and looking good would always make his mood better.

A beautiful woman was naturally a stunning sight.

A moment later.

In the pavilion.

Xie Zhengtian sat opposite Jiang Ning.

"Commander Jiang, I'll do it!" Seeing Jiang Ning pouring tea for him, Xie Zhengtian quickly stood up, a smile on his face.

Jiang Ning didn't object.

He found himself increasingly accustomed to the ease of having someone attend to his daily tasks, as Lu Yi served him.

Questioning the landlord, understanding the landlord!

Thinking of this phrase, Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile.

He understood why, in his previous life, wealthy people often hired maids.

Given a choice, who would want to do these tedious chores every day?

Who wouldn't want to enjoy having everything at their fingertips, freeing up time for more important matters?

At the same time.

Xie Zhengtian saw Jiang Ning's smile, and his nervousness lessened.

The better Jiang Ning's mood today, the greater the chance that the Xie Clan would overcome this calamity.

With this in mind.

After pouring tea for Jiang Ning and himself, Xie Zhengtian handed over a thick dossier to Jiang Ning.

"Commander Jiang, this is the result of my thorough investigation into the past crimes of all 247 members of the Xie Clan over the past half month. There are 109 members with major crimes and 73 with minor crimes, all recorded here."

Hearing this, Jiang Ning looked at Xie Zhengtian in surprise and took the dossier.

He skimmed through it quickly.

After a few moments.

As he flipped to the back, Jiang Ning couldn't help but be amazed.

"Wow!"

"You really went all out!"

A quick scan revealed that Xie Zhengtian had indeed been ruthless. According to the records, nearly a hundred people would be sentenced to death.

Seeing that Jiang Ning had reached the end, Xie Zhengtian spoke up.

"Commander Jiang, I have already handed over a copy of this dossier to the government office. All crimes committed by the Xie Clan will be dealt with according to the Great Xia Legal Code, without leniency."

Then, he gave a nod to the dark-faced man behind him.

The dark-faced man quickly placed a red wooden box on the stone table.

Seeing Jiang Ning's gaze, Xie Zhengtian hurriedly opened the box, revealing ingots of gold that shimmered with a brilliant golden light.

"Commander Jiang, this is a small token of my appreciation. Previously, Commander Jiang thwarted the Black Mountain Army's rebellion, saving the lives of over 300 members of my Xie Clan and preserving the foundation we have built over 200 years.

Looking at the gold inside the rosewood box, Jiang Ning couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude.

"The head of the Xie family has already expressed his gratitude!" Xie Zhengtian exclaimed.

"It's not enough! It's not enough!" Xie Zhengtian insisted, his voice filled with determination. "The rebels have entered the city, and we don't know how many lives will be lost. The foundations of our clan are at stake. This is a debt of gratitude to all the people of the Xie family, and to the entire city's populace!"

"This gesture represents the gratitude of the entire Xie family, as well as the thanks of all the citizens and commoners of the city."

"Please, Commander Jiang, you must accept it!" Xie Zhengtian pleaded earnestly, his eyes fixed on Jiang Ning.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning glanced at Xie Zhengtian, his gaze lingering on him for several breaths.

It wasn't until he noticed Xie Zhengtian's erratic breathing and accelerated heartbeat that he slowly spoke.

"Alright, I'll take it."

Upon hearing these words, Xie Zhengtian's tense expression relaxed, and his legs felt a little weak.

At that moment, Jiang Ning placed the file on the table in front of Xie Zhengtian.

"Xie family head, you just mentioned that the crimes committed by your clan members will be dealt with according to the Great Xia Legal Code, without any leniency. Are you truly prepared to do this?"

Xie Zhengtian quickly assured him, patting his chest, "Please rest assured, Commander Jiang. I've come to a decision! If I allow these pests in our clan to continue causing chaos, my Xie family will eventually face disaster."

"For a family to thrive and endure, it must go through such growing pains."

"The existence of these pests within the clan only brings harm to the long-term prosperity of the Xie family, and no benefits."

"The case files of these individuals have already been transferred to the government office, and they will be dealt with according to the law, without any leniency!"

"Moreover, my Xie family is the largest grain merchant in the county. I have made it clear that on a chosen day, we will open the Xie family granary to provide relief to the entire city's populace, helping them through this harsh winter!"

Hearing Xie Zhengtian's final words, Jiang Ning nodded in agreement.

"Good! I hope you keep your word and open the granary to provide relief to the entire city's populace!"

Xie Zhengtian, once again, patted his chest and guaranteed, "Please be at ease, Commander Jiang. Since I've made this promise, I will certainly fulfill it!"

"The county's populace is also my fellow villagers. At this critical moment, as the wealthiest family in the area, it is our duty to help."

After a brief moment, Jiang Ning bid farewell to Xie Zhengtian and turned his attention to the piles of gold ingots on the table, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He had never expected that after receiving a silver ticket worth twenty thousand taels from Xie Zhengtian previously, he would receive sixty-six taels of gold today.

In Great Xia, gold was a precious commodity, and one tael of gold was equivalent to one thousand taels of silver.

Sixty-six taels of gold, at the official exchange rate, amounted to sixty-six thousand taels of silver.

In private transactions, there was often a premium added to the value.

These sixty-six taels of gold were worth approximately eighty-eight thousand taels of silver.

"With this money, I can also purchase the last Immortal Treasure from the Ten Thousand Flowers Tower!" Jiang Ning's heart was filled with anticipation at this thought.

With this wealth, combined with the gifts received from various factions in the county on the first day of the new year, he would have more than ninety thousand taels of silver.

Holding the VIP token left by Shen Congyun, he could purchase any item from the Ten Thousand Flowers Tower at a twenty percent discount.

"I'll have to make a trip to the Ten Thousand Flowers Tower this afternoon!"

"With this, my Five Animal Fist should be able to complete four limit breaks tomorrow!"

"Not only will I gain new attributes, but the breakthrough in Five Animal Fist will also increase the Qi and blood flow when I practice, and allow me to absorb more Five Elements Spirit Essence to nurture my Five Viscera and Six Bowels!"

"Xie Zhengtian is indeed thoughtful!" Jiang Ning couldn't help but smile as he thought of Xie Zhengtian.

To be honest, in Jiang Ning's opinion, Xie Zhengtian was indeed ruthless.

According to the records in the case file, if judged by the Great Xia Legal Code, over a hundred members of the Xie family would face the death penalty.

Additionally, several dozen more would receive heavy imprisonment and exile sentences.

Only a few dozen members of the Xie family would escape judgment.

In Jiang Ning's view, even if there were some omissions, they wouldn't be significant.

Furthermore, the Xie family, despite their circumstances, was still willing to open their granary to provide relief to the entire city's populace.

This was undoubtedly a great act of kindness.

This harsh winter, according to Jiang Ning's senses, had an average temperature of around minus ten degrees Celsius.

Although not extremely severe, it was still a challenging time for the people who lacked proper clothing and food.

Especially during the previous summer and autumn, there was extreme drought, and even though the surrounding areas of Luo Shui County could divert water from the Luo River to irrigate the fields, the harvest was still significantly affected and not very good.

Therefore, this winter seemed even more difficult to get through.

Especially as time went on, with the decreasing food reserves, it became harder and harder to endure.

Now, with the Xie family opening their granaries, things are different.

The Xie family is the largest grain merchant in Luo Shui County.

Their food reserves are abundant enough to help the entire city's people, who were on the brink of starvation, survive this harsh winter.

This is a great act of kindness.

On the other side.

Xie Zhengtian and the dark-faced man walked out of the gate.

Hoo—

Xie Zhengtian's expression was one of relief.

Although the price he paid was high, it was well worth it for him.

If the Xie family were to fall to the same level as the Liu family, all his careful planning would have been in vain.

At this critical juncture for the Xie family, he dared not have any delusions of luck.

Today's actions were also a testament to his great wisdom!

"Fortunately, this is a sign of Jiang Commander's kindness and wisdom!"

"Why do you say that, big brother?" The dark-faced man asked, even more puzzled.

Xie Zhengtian said, "If I gave you a bowl of porridge mixed with sand, would you drink it?"

"How could I, the second young master of the Xie family, possibly drink this?" The dark-faced man widened his eyes.

Xie Zhengtian smiled and said, "But if you were starving and about to faint from hunger, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I wouldn't be so picky!" The dark-faced man scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

"That's it!" Xie Zhengtian laughed, "When there's plenty of food, no one would want to drink porridge mixed with sand. But for the poor who are starving and struggling to survive this winter, they would even pick up half a bun from gutter water, let alone this porridge."

Hearing this, the dark-faced man suddenly understood, his eyes widening.

"I get it! No wonder you say that Jiang Commander is a wise man!"

"Yes!" Xie Zhengtian sighed, "If we really had to feed the entire city's people with porridge, even with the Xie family's food reserves, it wouldn't last long."

"But this way, only the truly starving poor will come to drink the porridge mixed with sand!"

"This way, most of them should be able to get through this winter!"

At noon.

"Young Master, I'm back!" Lu Yi appeared before Jiang Ning, who had just finished practicing his punches, panting lightly with sweat on her forehead.

"Have you eaten?" Jiang Ning asked.

"Not yet, I was on my way back!" Lu Yi replied.

"Perfect, let's go eat together!" Jiang Ning stood up.

"Young Master?" Lu Yi was surprised, then said, "Hasn't Lady Liu called you for dinner yet?"

Jiang Ning calmly said, "We're all waiting for you!"

"Young Master..." Lu Yi's eyes turned red.

Watching Jiang Ning's departing figure, she quickly followed him out of the courtyard.

After leaving the courtyard, Lu Yi also calmed herself down.

"Young Master, Lady Lin just told me that she wants you to visit her when you have time. She has a letter for you."

"A letter for me?" Jiang Ning stopped in his tracks, surprised, "How could there be a letter for me?"

"I don't know, Young Master!" Lu Yi replied.

"Don't call me Young Master anymore!"

"Yes, Young Master!" Lu Yi finally reacted and was startled, covering her mouth.

"It's okay!" Jiang Ning smiled, "It's normal for you to not be used to it yet!"

Lu Yi spoke again, "I don't know either! But Lady Lin said that the letter is for you, and she asked me to pass it on to you."

"Then let's go together this afternoon!" Jiang Ning said.

Then he glanced at Lu Yi, "Did you buy everything needed for the skin refinement?"

"I've bought the skin refinement sand, Young Master!" Lu Yi replied.

Hearing this, Jiang Ning stopped in his tracks again, "What about the skin nourishing cream?"

"That's too expensive!" Lu Yi lowered her head, as if wanting to bury her face in her chest.

"This afternoon, when we go to see Lady Lin, I'll buy it for you. Without this cream, your skin will deteriorate, and I don't like that! I prefer you with your clear and radiant skin!"

Hearing this, Lu Yi, with her head lowered, bit her lip.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end