novelaction Chapter 121 The Arrogant and Domineering Old Wicked Woman Spreads Throughout the Cold Winter Realm i
Chapter 121 The Arrogant and Domineering Old Wicked Woman Spreads Throughout the Cold Winter Realm i
Ten days ago, Gancaobao was thrown into chaos. Buildings within hundreds of meters of the Tianyao Hall were destroyed, and the guard commander Wen Zhan and two squads of guards were killed by Ye Tingxiu. Some nearby residents saw Ye Tingxiu's face.
Then, at night, the garrison's mansion was suddenly engulfed in flames. Lan Yue, the steward, and two servants perished in the fire. Two guards died inexplicably, and a maid went missing. After a thorough investigation, the clues were quickly discovered.
After a thorough investigation, it was discovered that Lan Yue had faked her death and escaped, only to be abducted by Ye Tingxiu.
Xing Cishu was both angry and pleased. He was angry because his wife had been abducted, and if this got out, he would lose face. He was pleased because Ye Tingxiu was Zhou Qingfeng's deputy, and Ye Tingxiu's appearance proved that Zhou Qingfeng was nearby.
Therefore, Xing Cishu immediately decided to take Chai Ronggui back to the city to report to the city lord, intercept Zhou Qingfeng in the cold winter territory, and incidentally kill Ye Tingxiu and Lan Yue, that 'adult couple,' to save face for him.
A spirited woman stepped forward and shouted, "Shut up, Chai Ronggui! You are a disloyal and unjust scoundrel. Letting you stand here will only tarnish the Jiang family's place. You have no right to speak here."
"And you, Xing Cishu, as the garrison general of Gancaobao, you dared to return to Handong City without the city lord's order. You really don't respect the city lord. Who gave you the guts?"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at him with wide eyes.
The woman was wearing a close-fitting black outfit with flame patterns embroidered in red silk thread on the collar and cuffs. She wore a wide black leather belt around her waist, adorned with iron rings.
Around her neck she wore a rough necklace of animal teeth, each tooth polished and gleaming coldly. On her wrists were iron chain bracers, with red tassels interspersed between the links, exuding arrogance and wildness with every movement.
She wore heavy smoky makeup, her eyes were sharp, and her brows exuded an air of arrogance. Her lips were deep red, as if dripping blood. Her hair was tied up high and braided into a thick braid, the end of which was tied tightly with a red rope. Several silver wolf teeth decorated the braid, fluttering in the wind, further highlighting her unruly temperament.
Xing Cishu and Chai Ronggui were speechless and remained silent. They dared not refute her, because this woman was Jiang Li, the eldest granddaughter of the city lord Jiang Xun, a well-known old wicked woman who was extremely arrogant and domineering.
Jiang Xun sat on his high throne like a god, and said indifferently, "Alright, Jiang Li, we are discussing important matters. We can talk about such trivial matters later. You may leave now."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li glared fiercely at Chai Ronggui and Xing Cishu, then stepped back into the queue.
Jiang Xun glanced at the dignitaries and officials below and said calmly, "The treasure of the ancient city of Xiyi must contain billions of treasures. What do you all think? Should we send someone to intercept and kill Zhou Qingfeng and seize the treasure?"
A man stepped forward, clasped his hands and bowed towards the throne, saying, "City Lord, in my opinion, Zhou Qingfeng has a special identity. He is the fourth young master of the Sword Tower and is nominally the fourth in line to succeed him."
"If we were to intercept and seize the treasure, it would undoubtedly be an undeclared war on Sword Tower City."
"This is not a minor skirmish or a localized conflict involving a few hundred people. It could really provoke a full-scale war between us and Sword Tower. Sword Tower's prestige as the number one power cannot be challenged, and they will definitely send troops to punish us."
"What will Winterfell use to withstand the wrath of the Sword Tower army?"
"Our territory is less than half the size of Sword Tower, and our registered population is no more than one million."
"In terms of historical foundation, our Winter City has only been established for six hundred years, while Sword Tower City has stood for tens of thousands of years."
"Our overall strength is not as great as that of the Sword Tower. Once the war starts, we will definitely lose."
"I firmly oppose the interception and killing of Zhou Qingfeng, the fourth young master."
"This is simply digging one's own grave. Please consider the consequences, City Lord."
Silence, stillness, that's the truth. Sword Tower's overall strength is formidable. Within a radius of ten thousand miles, no city lord dares to challenge Sword Tower City one-on-one; even remaining undefeated in a one-on-one duel is difficult.
A general clad in armor stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, “Lord, I have a different opinion. Sword Tower City may be strong, but Winter City is not weak either. How can we let others boost their morale and diminish our own prestige?”
"Just a young master of the Sword Tower, so what if we steal him?"
"There's no reason to watch a fat piece of meat walk right under your nose and then cower and hesitate to make a move."
"At worst, we'll just fight. Who's afraid of who?"
"We've faced the Sword Tower army before, why fear them like snakes and scorpions?"
Upon hearing this, the generals in armor stood up and shouted, "Fuck them! The best thing is to fight! If we don't fight, how can we earn military merit? Without military merit, how can we get a chance to rise in the ranks?"
A nobleman dressed in brocade robes stepped forward and said, "Shut up! You bunch of brainless idiots! Do you know how many people die and how much military spending goes into war? War is all about money."
"Don't be unconvinced. Let me do the math for you. To raise an army of 100,000 demon-eating soldiers, it would cost 600 million magic coins a month just to pay the soldiers' salaries. That's 72 billion magic coins a year. Once the war starts, who knows how long it will last?"
"How many years would it take us to conquer the treasure of Xiyi City? A year? Or two?"
"If this war drags on for ten or eight years, the entire economy of Winter City will be ruined. The more we fight, the poorer we become, and the weaker our foundation grows. When we have to cede territory and pay reparations, you will be the sinners of Winter City!"
“Lord of the city, we have worked hard for over a hundred years to bring Winter City to its current prosperity and economy. If war breaks out and the flames of war reach Winter City, all trade will be interrupted, the population will be reduced sharply, production in various parts of the country will decrease, and tax revenue will plummet. If a large-scale war breaks out, Winter City will not be able to recover for over a hundred years.”
"It would be a losing proposition, Lord City Lord. I implore you to reconsider your decision."
City Lord Jiang Xun remained indifferent, his gaze fixed on his most beloved eldest granddaughter, Jiang Li, as he inquired, "Li, what's your opinion?"
Jiang Li raised her head and said, "What's there to think about? We won't fight a war or kill anyone, but we must seize the treasure."
Jiang Xun smiled and said, "Oh? Does A-Li have any ideas?"
Jiang Li paced back and forth with her hands behind her back, surveying the crowd. She said with high spirits, "There's nothing to argue about. The gap in strength between us and the Sword Tower is obvious. If we can't beat them, we can't beat them. That's a fact."
"Starting a war will not benefit either the Sword Tower or us. Both sides will become weaker and weaker as the war progresses, which will only benefit the surrounding city lords. Therefore, this war must not be fought!"
"However, we must seize the treasure, because we are weak and must take advantage of any opportunity to strengthen Winter City, otherwise we will always be overshadowed by the Sword Tower."
"The most important thing is that the people who steal the treasure cannot be our people. That way, if the Sword Tower holds us accountable later, we will have a good excuse to shift the blame. In short, we will take the benefits and let others take the blame."
Upon hearing this, City Lord Jiang Xun burst into laughter: "Good, good, good... Ah Li is truly intelligent, worthy of being my eldest granddaughter, just like me, just like me, haha, what does Ah Li plan to do?"
Jiang Li suddenly spread her arms wide, her face showing malice, and gave a wicked smile: "I'm going to spread the news and let the folk cultivators chase, fight, and seize it, so that Zhou Qingfeng will be chased by the folk cultivators until he has nowhere to go, no way to escape."
"If Zhou Qingfeng wants to live, he will definitely throw out the treasure map and key to save his life. Once the treasure map and key fall into the hands of civilian cultivators, I will lead people to seize them. In this way, the Xiyi Treasure will be entirely in my hands."
"Even if the Sword Tower holds me accountable afterward, so what? I didn't steal anything from the Sword Tower's young master. It was the Sword Tower's young master who was weak and his treasure was taken by some civilian cultivators. In the end, I was the one who took action to deal with those troublemakers and vented the anger of the Sword Tower's fourth young master. The Sword Tower's fourth young master should be thanking me."
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately clasped their hands, bowed, and shouted, "Young Master Jiang Li is wise!"
Lord Jiang Xun looked at his eldest granddaughter with satisfaction: "Ah Li, this matter is entrusted to you. Xing Cishu and Chai Ronggui, you two will be at Ah Li's command. After the matter is accomplished, you will be richly rewarded!"
Xing Cishu and Chai Ronggui immediately showed joy and clasped their hands in response: "Yes, City Lord (City Lord Jiang)."
Chai Ronggui was able to get a share of the Xiyi Treasure Trove, which was an unimaginable fortune, and he could also take revenge on the Sword Tower. This was already enough for him.
He never considered joining Winterhold, nor would Winterhold accept a traitor.
Because traitors have no place to stand anywhere. Once labeled as traitors, they are basically rejected by all forces, with no way out except to join evil sects or establish their own independent sects.
Xing Cishu was even happier. This trip would not only allow him to kill Ye Tingxiu and Lan Yue, that 'adult couple,' but he could also gain merit along the way. Perhaps he could be transferred back to the city, promoted, and enjoy wealth and honor in the near future.
However, Xing Cishu was still somewhat afraid of Jiang Li.
This woman's wickedness is known to all. Perhaps it's because she's too intelligent, but she's a bit neurotic, especially when she laughs. It's extremely morbid and extremely evil; she's simply the worst of the worst.
His impotence was caused by Jiang Li. Just because he glanced at Jiang Li's buttocks by chance, he was secretly dragged to a dark alley and raped a hundred times.
Even if the best doctors are found afterward and the patient recovers completely.
However, this caused him a huge psychological trauma. He could no longer get an erection when he saw a woman, and he even harbored hatred towards women. He dared not retaliate against Jiang Li, but he dared to retaliate against weak women.
This is a perfect example of the strong bullying the weak, and the weak bullying the even weaker, forming a food chain.
The news that the Xi Yi Treasure Map and the key were in Zhou Qingfeng's possession, and that he was in the territory of Han Dong, spread throughout the entire territory of Han Dong in just one day. The names and portraits of the core members of Zhou Qingfeng's team were also revealed.
In an instant, all the cultivators in the Frozen Winter Realm were in an uproar. All the cultivators sharpened their swords, rushed around, and poured out of the wilderness to search for Zhou Qingfeng's location, intending to kill him and seize his treasure.
Zhou Qingfeng was instantly cornered by Jiang Li, the young master of Han Dong City.
On the road to Despair Slope, a carriage was parked by the roadside, and a fire was burning in the snowy forest next to it. Zhou Qingfeng was heating meat pies and asked Jin Wei, Xiao Hongyun, and Ye Tingxiu to each lead a group to scout ahead.
Jin Wei led his men back in a hasty attack and reported, "Young Master, something terrible has happened. Cultivators are searching for your whereabouts everywhere. For some reason, everyone knows that you have the key and map to the Xi Yi Treasure in one day."
Xiao Hongyun brought back bad news: "Old Zhou, something terrible has happened. I went to investigate several caravans that were resting ahead, and they were all talking about how we have treasure. Our appearance and names have been exposed. If I hadn't disguised myself beforehand, we probably would have been recognized."
Ye Tingxiu led his men back hastily, bringing roughly the same message: "What do we do?"
Zhou Qingfeng's expression changed slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "It seems that a master is plotting against us. This person has great courage, skill, and strategy. Ordinary people would keep the news of the treasure to themselves and search for us in secret."
"This person, however, did the opposite and wanted to use a large number of people to dig us out."
"There are very few places that can spread this news throughout the entire territory in a single day."
"It seems the higher-ups in Winter City have made their move."
Xiao Hongyun frowned and said, "That's not right, Lao Zhou. If Winter City were to take action, they should be sending a large army to search for us, not just civilian cultivators. This is unusual and unreasonable."
Zhou Qingfeng glanced at him sideways: "That's normal. Winter City doesn't dare to touch me openly. To do so would be to declare war on the Sword Tower. If they dare to touch me today, the Sword Tower army could be at the city gates tomorrow, and they can't afford the consequences."
"I suspect that there are experts in the upper echelons of the Cold Winter City who want to use civilian forces to ambush and kill me, forcing me to have nowhere to hide and to abandon my treasure to save my life. Then the Cold Winter City will step in to clean up the mess, kill civilian cultivators, and seize the treasure."
Upon hearing this, everyone present gasped in unison: "Hiss... This person's methods are incredibly vicious!"
They could almost foresee what would happen next: soon, civilian cultivators would discover their group and hunt them down. Eventually, the number of pursuers would increase until they were forced to abandon the treasure map and key to escape.
This is a dead end, there's no solution. If we don't abandon the treasure, we're doomed.
Escape? Where can you escape to? There are people on the road, people in the village, people everywhere. As long as there are people, there is almost no place to hide. Even if you disguise yourself, you will be discovered by some cultivators who are proficient in seeing through disguise techniques.
These folk cultivators from the Cold Winter Realm wouldn't care whether Zhou Qingfeng was the young master of the Sword Tower or not.
Because they don't make a living in the Sword Tower, they don't need to worry about Zhou Qingfeng's identity and power.
The old cripple frowned and said, "This is troublesome. If things continue like this, we won't be able to hide for even a day longer."
Xiao Hongyun clicked his tongue in amazement: "Tsk, this move is too ruthless. It has driven us to a dead end. Even if we go to heaven or earth, we can't hide it from so many eyes."
Ye Tingxiu gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, his face expressionless, but his eyes revealed worry and urgency: "Old Zhou, we need to find a way, as soon as possible, there's no time."
Zhou Qingfeng rubbed his temples and gestured, "No rush, let me think about it."
The situation has suddenly changed, with a mastermind orchestrating things behind the scenes, and their move is a fatal one.
You can either hand over the treasure map and the key to save your life.
They either stubbornly refused to hand it over, or they were besieged and killed by the folk cultivators.
There is no third way.
How exactly?