novelaction Chapter 123 A Shocking Olive Branch: This Child Must Not Be Allowed to Live
Chapter 123 A Shocking Olive Branch: This Child Must Not Be Allowed to Live
The appearance of the city guards seemed to reassure Zhou Qingfeng.
Zhou Qingfeng keenly sensed the concerns of the Lord of Winter City.
Since the other party also has fear, I have more confidence and assurance.
Making a public appearance under the spotlight is not just about having confidence in one's own safety.
It is also a silent declaration.
This shows that he has seen through everything and dares to face any challenge.
Zhou Qingfeng smiled as he looked around at the bustling crowd. Even when he spotted many unsavory cultivators among the people, he showed no fear or hesitation. Instead, he generously explained the purpose of his trip.
"I am here on the orders of the Lord of Sword Tower City to lead a team to explore the endless treasures of Xiyi City."
"At this moment, the crucial treasure map and key are in my hands."
As he spoke, he took out the coveted Moon Worship Diagram and Golden Key from the storage bag at his waist, raised his hands high so that everyone present could clearly see the two treasures.
With a calm smile on his lips, he asked, "Did you see everything clearly?"
“I, Zhou Qingfeng, am not the kind of person who hoards treasures; treasures should be shared.”
"Today, I formally invite all cultivators of Winter City to join the treasure hunt."
However, he then emphasized: "If you want to join me in exploring for treasure, the first condition is to demonstrate the ability to walk alongside me."
When the group of greedy cultivators mixed among the common people saw the treasure map and the key, their desire almost made them lose their minds, and they were about to rush forward to seize it without regard for anything. However, when their eyes fell on the city guards who were standing guard around Zhou Qingfeng, their minds instantly returned to normal.
In that instant, the hidden spy, Han Chan, appeared like a ghost in the crowd, silently eliminating the greedy cultivator who was trying to harm Zhou Qingfeng. He killed him cleanly and efficiently, and moved the body to a secluded alley without anyone noticing.
The Cold Cicada Spy and the Plum Blossom Spy of Sword Tower City belong to the same elite category. They are both top experts who excel in assassination, infiltration, disguise, and reconnaissance.
After receiving personal orders from City Lord Jiang Xun, this group of Cold Cicada spies had already infiltrated the crowd, watching every foolish cultivator who intended to pose a threat to Zhou Qingfeng with the vigilance of owls, ruthlessly eliminating any potential danger before it could even sprout.
"Zhou Qingfeng, you keep saying you're inviting us to explore for treasure together, but what kind of strength do we need to be worthy of exploring for treasure with you? And how should we demonstrate our strength?" A cultivator in the crowd asked loudly.
Zhou Qingfeng's smile held a deeper meaning as he responded to the cultivator who had asked the question: "The demonstration of strength does not require complicated tests. As long as you can defeat my guard commander Jin Wei, that will be enough to prove that you are qualified to explore the Xi Yi Treasure with me. Once I have settled down, you are welcome to come and challenge me at any time."
On the surface, these words seemed to extend an olive branch of cooperation to the cultivators in the civilian world. In reality, Zhou Qingfeng intended to send a signal to the potential neutral forces in the city, and even those forces that had conflicts with the higher-ups: as long as you have the ability, you can secretly send representatives to contact me to discuss cooperation.
When the cultivators heard Zhou Qingfeng's suggestion, their eyes burned with enthusiasm, yet they still harbored suspicion.
They discussed among themselves, "Is what he said true?"
"It should be true. As one of the four young masters of the Sword Tower, making a promise in public would greatly damage his family's reputation and even bring shame to the entire First Family."
“That makes sense, but I always feel that things aren’t that simple. These privileged children always keep the benefits for themselves. Why would they be so kind as to share them with us ordinary cultivators?”
It should be understood that the situation of independent cultivators in the common people is extremely difficult. Good things are basically monopolized by the powerful and wealthy at the top, and the cultivation resources of the powerful and wealthy are always the best, the most expensive and the most powerful.
Even if the cultivation resources of the upper-class nobles are inexhaustible, they would rather let them gather dust or even destroy them than give away a single bit to the common people for free. There is no such thing as eating leftovers.
Eating leftovers is something only those who serve the powerful and wealthy are entitled to.
Therefore, among the independent practitioners in the common folk, becoming a lackey of the powerful and wealthy is the best way out.
In this turbid and evil world, the strong remain strong, and the weak remain weak.
Unaffiliated cultivators can never truly rise to power; they can only grow wildly, eating whatever is available.
However, there are also some very unorthodox masters among the independent cultivators, but their numbers are extremely small compared to the large number of masters cultivated by the powerful and wealthy generation after generation.
Faced with Zhou Qingfeng's promise, some independent cultivators remained skeptical: "His talk of cooperation might be a facade. Why would the sons of powerful and wealthy families easily share their benefits with us?"
Other independent cultivators expressed their agreement: "Regardless of whether it's true or not, Zhou Qingfeng is now in Winter City. We have enough time to observe and prepare. Don't worry, he can't escape right under our noses."
"Why not wait until he's settled in, then go and test the waters, see if this cooperation opportunity is a windfall or a trap?"
The convoy moved leisurely, its progress like the quiet passage of time.
Zhou Qingfeng extended an olive branch to the civilian cultivators in the city with great fanfare.
This move was like a bombshell, and news of it quickly spread to the city lord's mansion.
At this moment, Jiang Xun remained seated in the snow-covered pavilion, holding a chess piece, as still as water, immersed in a meditative game with himself.
Across the chessboard sat his flamboyant and spoiled granddaughter, Jiang Li.
Jiang Xun remained calm and asked indifferently, "Ah Li, what do you think of Zhou Qingfeng?"
Jiang Li held a small, short hammer in her hand, casually stroking and playing with it, and replied, "This boy has already seen through our plan."
"His arrival not only broke the deadlock we had carefully laid, but also forced us to ensure his safety in Winterhold."
"Based solely on this courage and wisdom, it is indeed evident that he is an outstanding talent, and can be temporarily described as possessing both wisdom and courage."
"However, based on his current performance, he has not yet reached the level of extraordinary talent that is rumored to exist."
"At best, he's a character who's somewhat clever and courageous."
“His trespassing into Winterfell is like walking into a trap, a lamb to the slaughter. Even if I don’t take his life, there are hundreds of ways to force him to hand over the treasure map and the key. Otherwise, let him stay in Winterfell as a ‘distinguished guest’.”
A smile flickered in Jiang Xun's eyes as he gently placed a chess piece down, teasingly saying, "Ah Li, it seems you look down on Zhou Qingfeng quite a bit."
Jiang Li spun the short hammer in her hand, rested her chin on her hand with boredom, and said in a contemptuous tone: "It is said that the four young masters of the Sword Tower are unparalleled geniuses praised by the First Lady herself. Their wisdom and strategy are unmatched and their reputation is as loud as thunder. But in my opinion, they are nothing special."
Just then, the secret agents of Hanchan delivered a detailed report on Zhou Qingfeng's every move after entering the city.
After listening to the report, Jiang Xun waved for the spies to leave, then asked with great interest, "Ah Li, do you still look down on him so much now?"
Jiang Li frowned slightly, and suddenly gripped the short hammer tightly: "This boy must not be allowed to live."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xun smiled slightly and asked knowingly, "Oh? What makes you say that?"
A sharp killing intent flashed in Jiang Li's eyes: "After entering the city, he ostensibly invited folk cultivators to explore the secrets of Xiyi City, but in reality, he harbored malicious intentions and attempted to use interests to divide our internal forces."
"In turn, they won over some and attacked others, plunging Winter City into a deep abyss of internal strife."
“Once he has the support of a powerful force, he will no longer be a pushover for us to manipulate, but will instead have the leverage to confront my Jiang family.”
“If we let him do this without stopping him, he could potentially turn the tide and control the entire situation in Winter City.”
"This boy is cunning and shrewd, and his methods are sophisticated. He should be eliminated quickly, otherwise once he has grown strong enough, the Sword Tower will enter a new golden age."
"And the first to be hit was Winterfell, which is adjacent to the Sword Tower."
Jiang Xun shook his head helplessly: "Ah Li, as the future city lord, is the successor I have chosen."
"You must understand one thing: for a ruler of a city, to easily choose to kill when faced with a difficult problem is undoubtedly a bad strategy and a foolish act."
"Killing is easy, cleaning up the mess is hard. There are no absolute secrets in the world. Once you take action, the news will inevitably leak out, especially if it is aimed at the offspring of other city lords."
"Assassinating the young master of another city undoubtedly breaks the tacit agreement among city lords, and those who break the rules often only face one outcome: being ostracized by all the city lords and expelled from the game of power."
"If my Jiang family is to establish itself in this turbid world, we must abide by the rules set by the city lords, act within the framework of the rules, and try not to violate them, unless we have the power to overturn the existing rules and rewrite the order."
"Otherwise, you must never attempt to assassinate any city lord or his descendants."
"Just like the number one family that stands out from the crowd, even if it is so powerful, it still has to abide by the rules. Once it is violated, the consequence is that the number one Taibai was forced to commit suicide by self-dismemberment, and a generation of geniuses fell."
The reason why the city lords are so strict in following the rules is that only by abiding by the rules can they avoid being killed or their clans wiped out, even if they are in fierce open or covert struggles.
Conversely, if the rules are ignored, all parties may resort to any means necessary, with no bottom line remaining, and the city lord's own life will be in constant extreme danger.
The rules of this world are built around the royal family and the city lords, and their core purpose is to ensure that the lives of the city lords can be preserved no matter how turbulent the country is.
Even if they lose their territory and become exiled city lords, they still have two ways out: either to reclaim their lost land with their own strength, or to conquer a new world and occupy new territories.
Although Jiang Li loathed these constraints, she also knew that what Jiang Xun said was an indispensable lesson on the path of the city lord's cultivation. If she could not understand and practice it, she would not be qualified to ascend to the position of city lord.
Jiang Xun chose Jiang Li as his successor from among his many children and grandchildren, but this did not mean that Jiang Li could inherit power smoothly. If she was negligent or performed poorly, she could be deposed at any time and someone else could be chosen to succeed her.
Jiang Xun calmly placed a chess piece, his gaze indifferent: "Alright, take the Wolf Guards to pick him up."
Jiang Li nodded in agreement, stood up, clasped her hands in a fist salute to receive the order, tucked the short hammer diagonally into the buckle at her waist, and then quickly left.
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Li led a hundred well-disciplined wolf guards to the wide welcoming avenue.
Each member of this wolf guard team possessed profound cultivation, having reached the Devouring Fiend Realm. They wore gleaming silver armor, the runes inlaid on the armor shimmering with cold light. They held ten-foot-long fine steel spears in their hands, carried heavy giant shields on their backs, and had incredibly powerful short hammers hanging at their waists, exuding an awe-inspiring presence.
His mount was a rare Snow Moon Demon Wolf. These wolves had been cultivated using secret methods and possessed extraordinary strength, reaching the level of the Fiend. Their bodies were as white as frost and as bright as the moon. When they ran, they were like gusts of wind, with an imposing aura.
On a winter street where the cold wind howls.
The team of wolf guards and demon wolves created a breathtaking sight.
Jiang Li stood in the middle, with Chai Ronggui and Xing Cishu standing on either side of her.
When Zhou Qingfeng's convoy arrived at Yingbin Avenue.
Jiang Li clasped his hands in greeting: "I am Jiang Li, the young master of Cold Winter City, and I have come to welcome Special Envoy Zhou on the orders of the city lord."
Zhou Qingfeng stood on the top of the carriage, looked down at Jiang Li, then glanced at Xing Cishu and Chai Ronggui. He jumped down from the carriage with a smile and stepped forward to greet them: "Young Master Jiang, Qingfeng greets you."
Jiang Li narrowed her eyes and carefully examined Zhou Qingfeng. This young man had an extraordinary bearing and was handsome and dashing. Most importantly, he possessed the air and composure of someone in a superior position, which was something that ordinary people could not have.
This kind of temperament can only be possessed by those who are born into noble families and hold high positions for many years.
I heard that Zhou Qingfeng was just the First Lady's adopted son, and he only took two years to get to his current status and position. Now that I've seen him in person, he doesn't look like a commoner who rose to power.
This child is truly strange.
Jiang Li's thoughts raced inwardly, but outwardly she stepped aside and gestured for him to follow: "Special Envoy Zhou, please come with me. The city lord has been waiting in the mansion for a long time. He was very pleased to hear that you have arrived."
Zhou Qingfeng clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "Then I'll trouble Young Master Jiang to lead the way."
Jiang Li nodded and smiled, politely leading Zhou Qingfeng into the City Lord's Mansion.
Although she was known as a wicked woman in Winterfell, with a reputation for ruthless killing and wantonness.
But in fact, she knows very well when to be assertive and when to be humble and polite.
Born into a noble family, she understood what her arrogance relied on.
They also know how to skillfully avoid unnecessary risks.
Although she was arrogant, she was by no means reckless.
Just before stepping into the majestic vermilion gates of the city lord's mansion.
Jiang Li suddenly felt a pang of confusion, revealing a subtle hint of bewilderment.
She glanced back quietly, her gaze settling on an elderly man in the procession who was nearly bald and slightly lame. His weathered, unfamiliar yet strangely familiar face, like a fleeting shadow of bygone days, stirred ripples deep within her heart.
However, for a moment, the threads of memory became disjointed.
She could not recall exactly any past interactions with this person.
Jiang Li gently shook her head, unwilling to be held back by the fog that lingered in her mind at this crucial moment. She decisively pulled her thoughts back, and her graceful figure moved forward again, leading Zhou Qingfeng through the halls and corridors, slowly heading towards the deep and tranquil backyard of the City Lord's Mansion.
Everywhere you go along the way is a magnificent and uniquely crafted landscape.
The magnificent pavilions and towers stand side by side, while the verdant artificial hills and proud pine forests echo each other.
It is dotted with small, exquisite arched bridges and babbling brooks.
Rare birds and animals hide in the snowy region, adding to its charm.
At this moment, the heavy snow in the world covers this place like a poem or a painting.
This made the winter scenery of the city lord's mansion appear even more beautiful and refined, leaving people in awe.
"Grandpa, the person has been brought here." Jiang Li stepped forward and bowed to Jiang Xun, who was playing chess at the chessboard.
Jiang Xun nodded in response, smiling broadly, and then turned his deep gaze to Zhou Qingfeng, scrutinizing him closely.
Jiang Li, observing their expressions, quietly stepped aside, giving the two space to talk.
Zhou Qingfeng, sensing the situation, stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "Zhou Qingfeng of Sword Tower greets City Lord Jiang."
Jiang Xun smiled warmly: "Nephew, please sit down. Don't be shy, make yourself at home. Your mother and I have a long-standing friendship. You can just call me Uncle Jiang. Calling me City Lord would be too formal."
"Thank you, Uncle Jiang." Zhou Qingfeng was the kind of person who would seize any opportunity to climb up the ladder. He wasn't afraid at all and shamelessly sat down, acting as if he were at home. He picked up a bunch of grapes and started eating: "Uncle, you have to stand up for me."
Jiang Xun raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Who would dare to make my nephew suffer such an insult?"
Zhou Qingfeng smiled meaningfully and said, "There are high-ranking people in Cold Winter City who plotted against me and caused me a lot of trouble."