Chapter 354: Confiscation
Chapter 354: Confiscation
The An family had donated several hundred thousand spirit stones, which Mo Hua handled and sent to the Daotingsi. The stones piled up in the treasury, ready to be used for the grand formation.
In return, the An family gained the gratitude of Elder Yu, the Daotingsi, and the Daobingsi, as well as a favor from Mo Hua.
However, the spirit stones were still not enough.
Mo Hua frowned as he looked at the grand formation jade slip, calculating the amount of spirit stones required. To his surprise, there was still a shortfall of several hundred thousand. He couldn't help but wonder:
"Do grand formations usually require this many spirit stones?"
Mo Hua had a good memory, and he recalled Mr. Zhuang mentioning that the spirit stones from a small spiritual mine would be enough to build a small grand formation.
Of course, that didn't include the craftsmen's wages or the spirit stones required for the formation's operation.
But now, with so many spirit stones, equivalent to several small spiritual mines, the budget was still insufficient.
"Could this really be a first-grade ten-pattern formation?"
"Could Mr. Zhuang have deceived me...?" Mo Hua muttered to himself.
However, it was pointless to dwell on such thoughts now. On the contrary, the higher the grade of the formation, the stronger its power, and the more assured they would be in hunting Feng Wei.
Mo Hua now hoped for an even higher-grade formation. After all, he had already learned how to create it.
The biggest problem now was how to make up for the shortfall of several hundred thousand spirit stones.
Mo Hua thought for a moment and then went to find Yang Tongling of the Daobingsi. "Uncle Yang, we don't have enough spirit stones."
Yang Tongling sighed, feeling helpless. "We've collected all the spirit stones we could. The Qian family has sent theirs, and the An family has donated as well. The loose cultivators have contributed what they could, and the Daotingsi has also applied for some, but it won't be a large amount..."
As Yang Tongling rattled on, he suddenly looked up and saw Mo Hua's calm expression, showing no signs of worry. He asked curiously, "Do you already have an idea?"
Mo Hua smiled.
Yang Tongling was taken aback. "You really have an idea? We're talking about several hundred thousand spirit stones here."
Mo Hua didn't keep him in suspense any longer and whispered, "We can confiscate property..."
"Confiscate property?" Yang Tongling was surprised. "The Qian family has already handed over their spirit stones. It wouldn't be appropriate to confiscate more from them."
"Not the Qian family," Mo Hua clarified.
Yang Tongling thought for a moment, and as he looked at Mo Hua, his gaze turned slightly wary. "You don't mean the An family, do you? Although they've donated quite a bit, they must have kept some for themselves. We could squeeze them for more, but..."
But first, we show courtesy, then we demand their compliance. We deceive and then strike, leaving no room for survival.
Such a strategy was truly ruthless.
As Yang Tongling looked at Mo Hua, a chill rose in his heart. He hadn't expected Mo Hua to be so cold and unyielding.
Mo Hua was speechless. "Where is your mind going? How could we confiscate from the An family..."
Yang Tongling breathed a sigh of relief.
Of course, Mo Hua wasn't that kind of person.
"Then who do you plan to confiscate from?" Yang Tongling asked, intrigued.
Mo Hua took out a finely crafted jade pendant from his storage bag. It was obviously valuable.
Yang Tongling was taken aback. "A family pendant?"
Mo Hua nodded and turned the pendant over. On its front was the character 'Kong'—the Kong family.
The Kong family...
Yang Tongling thought for a moment but couldn't quite understand. "Is there another Kong family in Tongxian City?"
"Not in Tongxian City, but in Qingxuan City," Mo Hua replied.
His expression turned solemn, his gaze hardening as a cold light flashed in his eyes.
Noticing Mo Hua's demeanor, Yang Tongling asked softly, "Have they offended you?"
Mo Hua shook his head. "It's not that they offended me... they've simply done too many despicable deeds."
Mo Hua proceeded to tell Yang Tongling about the Kong family's actions in Qingxuan City, including their bribery of the local Daotingsi, their collusion, their hiring of assassins, and the plight of the Ji Qingbai family...
Yang Tongling, with his upright nature, flew into a rage upon hearing this. "This is utterly unreasonable!"
However, he still had some doubts. "But this pendant..."
Mo Hua explained, "This pendant belongs to Kong Sheng, a direct descendant of the Kong family. He's usually up to no good as well and is not a decent person..."
"I infiltrated Heishanzhai to gather information and discovered that Kong Sheng was also there, and he seemed to have a good relationship with the heretical cultivators. It seems that the Kong family is colluding with Heishanzhai!"
The heretical cultivators kept Kong Sheng in a separate room and even brought him food, indicating a close relationship.
Kong Sheng intended to make a deal with the heretical cultivators to save his own life, so it wasn't a stretch to say that they were colluding.
Mo Hua spun a web of lies, mixing truth with fiction.
"Then how did this pendant end up in your hands?" Yang Tongling asked.
"I picked it up," Mo Hua replied.
Yang Tongling looked at him skeptically. "You picked it up?"
Mo Hua nodded. "The heretical cultivators killed Kong Sheng and fed him to the pigs. I just happened to pick up the pendant..."
Yang Tongling pondered, "If Kong Sheng was colluding with Heishanzhai, why would the heretical cultivators kill him and feed him to the pigs?"
"The heretical cultivators don't follow any rules," Mo Hua explained. "They often kill their own, and it could have been a case of one black-hearted person taking advantage of another."
"Alright then..."
Yang Tongling knew that Mo Hua was definitely hiding something from him, that there were details he wasn't telling.
But he didn't mind. With this jade pendant, it proved that Kong Sheng had indeed been at Heishanzhai, and the Kong family couldn't escape their implication.
Later, they could investigate and verify the Kong family's crimes in Qingxuan City, and then send the Daobing troops to confiscate their property directly. If anyone resisted, they would simply surround and annihilate them.
Normally, the Daobing troops wouldn't interfere with local powers, but in the face of this great disaster, they could afford to be less concerned with protocol.
As long as they had a reasonable pretext, they could always fabricate the necessary evidence and documentation afterward.
Yang Tongling weighed the jade pendant in his hand and nodded.
Then he looked at Mo Hua with a curious expression, as if he had just thought of something.
"You've kept this jade pendant hidden for so long. Were you planning to set up the Kong family all along?"
The opportunity hadn't been right before, and producing the jade pendant wouldn't have been useful, but now, in this critical moment, it was the perfect time to strike.
Mo Hua replied earnestly, "It's called the heavens' justice, which is wide-reaching and never misses. The Kong family has violated the laws of the Daoting. Since their property was confiscated by the Daobing troops, it is only reasonable, and it has nothing to do with me. I didn't do anything..."
Mo Hua distanced himself from the matter entirely.
Yang Tongling was taken aback, then shook his head helplessly. In his heart, he sighed, "Mo Hua is so clever and adept at scheming. I hope he doesn't stray down the wrong path and fall into the demonic path in the future, or else it will be a big problem."
"It seems that we still need to find a way to get him to join the Yang family. With the Yang family's upright values, he will surely be influenced to stay on the right path."
After turning it over in his mind, Yang Tongling's thoughts circled back to this conclusion.
From then on, Mo Hua didn't need to worry about the matter anymore.
Yang Tongling personally led the Daobing troops to Qingxuan City and confiscated the Kong family's property, but the outcome surprised Mo Hua.
Not only was the Kong family's property confiscated, but they were also exterminated.
According to Yang Tongling, they had only intended to surround the Kong family and question them about their crimes. However, the Kong family disciples took the initiative to attack the Daobing troops arrogantly.
Some of the other Kong family disciples even egged them on.
Meanwhile, those Kong family disciples who understood the implications of their actions turned pale and fled for their lives.
The Daobing troops represented the authority of the Daoting.
To attack them without cause was akin to defying the Daoting itself.
With a somber expression, Yang Tongling showed no mercy. With a point of his spear, he led his troops, who moved like a mighty dragon, and began to slaughter the Kong family cultivators.
There were only two Kong family members at the Qi Refining stage, and having bullied others for years, their combat skills were rusty and no match for Yang Tongling and his experienced troops.
One of the Kong family elders, a Qi Refining cultivator, lasted only a few exchanges before Yang Tongling's spear pierced his chest, and he was kicked to the ground, gasping for his last breath.
The Kong family master, also at the Qi Refining stage, knew he was outmatched and made a swift decision to flee.
The rest of the Kong family disciples immediately crumbled.
Although the Daobing troops were few in number, they could defeat the Kong family disciples, but they couldn't prevent them from escaping and scattering in all directions.
However, the situation took another unexpected turn.
The loose cultivators of Qingxuan City held a deep-seated grudge against the Kong family.
They had endured years of oppression, with no avenue for justice, and countless tears had been shed.
The Kong family had Qi Refining cultivators guarding them, so the loose cultivators were no match, and there was nothing they could do.
But now, with the two Kong family Qi Refining cultivators defeated, one dead and the other fled, the pent-up resentment of centuries burst forth, fueled by boundless rage.
The loose cultivators of Qingxuan City, their eyes burning with fury, began to slaughter the Kong family cultivators.
Any Kong family cultivator, identifiable by their clothing, who managed to escape the confines of the family compound, would be dragged down by the loose cultivators, and then others would rush forward to hack and slash at them with their blades.
The Kong family master could have escaped, but he, too, was stopped by the loose cultivators.
As a Qi Refining cultivator, he didn't fear these loose cultivators at the lower stages, but these cultivators were fearless, throwing themselves at him in waves.
Many of the loose cultivators didn't even use their cultivation techniques, relying only on their fierce determination as they rushed towards the Kong family master, seeking to tear a piece of flesh from his body or hold him back with their lives.
The Kong family master killed one, only to face another, and then another, and another... But far from being intimidated, the loose cultivators' bloodlust and hatred only intensified.
They relentlessly hounded him, their attacks laced with angry curses:
"Give me back my son's life!"
"My parents died at your hands, you beast!"
"Kong family cur, you deserve to die! Even if I perish, I will eat your flesh and drink your blood!"
...
(End of Chapter)
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