The Might of the Marquis

On the warship deck, Ji Jiuhuo, Ji Yichuan, and the others felt a jolt of shock. A Yinglong Guard was going to capture them for interrogation? Their Ji Clan had committed no such great sins.

“This Yinglong Guard is most likely a Snowdragon Mountain disciple,” Ji Liuzhen transmitted.

“Mm. They came fast—just over an hour to get from Snowdragon Mountain’s main sect to here,” Ji Jiuhuo agreed.

The only enemy they had made was Snowdragon Mountain.

And it was perfectly normal for a major sect like Snowdragon Mountain to have disciples serving in the Yinglong Guard.

“A Yinglong Guard handling a case?” A frivolous voice rang out. Beishan Baiwei, dressed in a black noble’s robe, leisurely descended the stairs from the second level of the warship, one step at a time. Ji Ning followed behind him. As Beishan Baiwei walked, he glanced at the red-clothed youth standing on the crimson cloud in the distance. “What case are you, a Yinglong Guard, handling, that requires you to arrest the people of the Ji Clan?”

From afar, on the red cloud, Xue Hongyi’s expression changed the moment he saw the black-robed youth.

As a Yinglong Guard…

He was considered arrogant and overbearing throughout the vast lands of Anchan Commandery. But when he encountered someone from the Marquis of Anchan’s estate, he had to exercise restraint. If it had merely been some ordinary person from the Marquis’ estate, it might have been manageable. But Xue Hongyi, judging by the youth’s attire… could instantly tell that this young man was a direct descendant of the Marquis of Anchan’s estate.

Within the Marquis of Anchan’s estate, status was strictly hierarchical, and the rules for clothing were stringent. The black noble’s robe with the ‘Beishan’ insignia on the cuffs was not something just anyone could wear.

“Why did I have to run into a direct descendant of the Marquis of Anchan?” Xue Hongyi frowned slightly.

After a moment’s hesitation, Xue Hongyi said directly, “I am acting on orders to arrest the wanted criminal ‘Kebu.’ I suspect that the wanted criminal ‘Kebu’ is hiding within the Ji Clan’s territory, being harbored by them.”

“Arresting the wanted criminal, Kebu?” Beishan Baiwei on the warship said calmly, “Do you have a military order?”

“I do.” A black scroll appeared in Xue Hongyi’s hand. He unfurled the scroll, revealing the text. It was indeed a military order for the arrest of the wanted criminal ‘Kebu,’ and the recipient of the order was ‘Xue Hongyi.’

Beishan Baiwei could tell at a glance that it was an authentic military order.

He frowned slightly as he looked at Xue Hongyi from afar, thinking to himself that this Xue Hongyi was indeed not an ordinary man. From the very first moment he saw the man, Beishan Baiwei had guessed that he was a Snowdragon Mountain disciple sent to capture the Ji Clan as revenge! An Yinglong Guard could destroy the Ji Clan with ease. And yet, the man had even bothered to secure a military order, then found an excuse by saying ‘I suspect the wanted criminal is hiding in the Ji Clan.’ Truly watertight.

“What do we do?”

“A Yinglong Guard military order?”

The Ji Clan members’ hearts trembled. Ji Ning watched the scroll from afar, then carefully studied the red-clothed youth. According to what Mu Xiao the Taoist said, when he first became a Yinglong Guard, he was already at the late Wanxiang Adept stage. So this red-clothed youth’s strength is naturally nothing to scoff at. And with such a youthful appearance, he must be a genius.

The younger one appeared, the more cautious one had to be.

If a child who looked five or six years old came shouting that this was an Yinglong Guard matter, that would be truly terrifying.

…

“I am acting on my orders to capture the criminal. I ask the young master to allow me to proceed,” Xue Hongyi said, his tone much more respectful.

“All I see is that this military order of yours is for the arrest of the wanted fugitive, ‘Kebu.’ I don’t see any order to arrest a member of the Ji Clan,” Beishan Baiwei barked. “I suggest you withdraw.”

From the red cloud in the distance, Xue Hongyi grew angry and shouted, “The wanted fugitive, Kebu, is hiding in the Ji Clan! I, the Yinglong Guard, am here to make an arrest. Are you, young master, trying to harbor a criminal?”

At this moment, the name ‘Snowdragon Mountain’ was useless; only the name ‘Yinglong Guard’ carried any weight.

“Bullshit!”

Beishan Baiwei pointed at Xue Hongyi and cursed, “Do you even know the situation? Ask the people from your Snowdragon Mountain! Dong Fanyu, go see your sect’s senior!”

Dong Fanyu trembled with fear.

“Dong Fanyu.” Xue Hongyi from the red cloud glanced over and confirmed that it was indeed Dong Fanyu. He had learned the basic appearance of the Yan Mountain branch disciples before coming. Earlier, when he had passed by Snowdragon City, he had noticed that there wasn’t a single Zifu Disciple in the city. “What’s going on? Why is a young master from the Marquis of Anchan’s estate here?”

Dong Fanyu quickly replied, “This young master from the Marquis of Anchan’s estate is an envoy. He has come to sign a transfer contract with the Ji Clan.”

“A transfer contract?” Xue Hongyi frowned.

Beishan Baiwei laughed heartily. “Your Snowdragon Mountain’s disciples, including that Wanxiang Adept Xu Li, all died trying to forcibly seize this prime essence vein. But now this prime essence vein has been transferred to my Marquis of Anchan’s estate. My estate naturally has to protect the Ji Clan’s safety.”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re just investigating a case,” Beishan Baiwei bellowed. “Even if you had a military order specifically to arrest a member of the Ji Clan, your Yinglong Guard’s high command would need to clear it with my Marquis of Anchan’s estate first! Now hear this: send a message to your Snowdragon Mountain’s Primal Daoist. The Ji Clan is under the protection of my Marquis of Anchan’s estate. Tell them to know their place!”

Xue Hongyi clenched his teeth.

“Fine.” Xue Hongyi immediately mounted his cloud and transformed into a streak of red light, quickly disappearing into the distance.

If Beishan Baiwei had been helping the Ji Clan as a private individual, Xue Hongyi, with his status as an Yinglong Guard, would have dared to fight him.

But…

If he was acting as an envoy, signing a transfer contract, that meant he represented the entire Marquis of Anchan’s estate! If the Marquis of Anchan’s estate explicitly extended its protection to a clan, within the borders of Anchan Commandery, even the Yinglong Guard was not allowed to harass them. If a truly heinous criminal was hiding in the Ji Clan, the Guard would need to negotiate and coordinate with the Marquis’ estate. Only after the estate agreed could the Guard make an arrest.

…

“Thank you, young master.”

“Thank you, young master, for saving the Ji Clan.” The Ji Clan members watched the red-clothed youth leave, all of them overjoyed. They had all been terrified when they heard the words ‘Yinglong Guard handling a case.’

Ji Ning also said, “Thank you, Baiwei.”

“I came to sign the transfer contract; it’s only natural that I protect your safety,” Beishan Baiwei chuckled lightly. “That Xue Hongyi, just because he’s wearing the imperial skin of the Yinglong Guard, he’s forgotten who he is! So arrogant even before my Marquis of Anchan’s estate. Hmph! It’s just a Snowdragon Mountain!”

The Ji Clan members listened with envy.

Look at how tyrannical those words were. Just a Snowdragon Mountain. To the Marquis of Anchan’s estate, Snowdragon Mountain was merely a force under its rule. If the Marquis of Anchan’s estate grew angry, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to uproot the entire Snowdragon Mountain. But to the Ji Clan, Snowdragon Mountain was a behemoth, and the Marquis of Anchan’s estate was an unimaginable monster.

Three figures flew over from afar.

They quickly landed on the deck. They were armored soldiers. One of them saluted respectfully and said, “Reporting to the young master. We have scouted the area. This prime essence vein spans over four thousand li in circumference and is over three hundred li deep. The quality is excellent, and there is an abundance of high-grade prime essence stones.”

“Mm.” Beishan Baiwei nodded in satisfaction, then smiled at Ji Ning and Ji Jiuhuo. “Patriarch Ji Jiuhuo of the Ji Clan, and you, Ji Ning. Come with me into the hall to sign the transfer contract.”

“Yes.”

Ji Jiuhuo and Ji Ning both acknowledged and followed Beishan Baiwei into the hall on the second floor.

…

Inside the hall, two scrolls lay on a table. The text on both scrolls was identical—a standard transfer contract format.

It clearly detailed the distribution terms, the protection of the Ji Clan, and everything else.

“Produce your Ten Thousand Swords City’s vassal token and leave your imprint on them. And both of you must sign your names,” Beishan Baiwei said. “My Marquis of Anchan’s estate has already affixed its official seal. We were just waiting for you.”

Ji Ning and Ji Jiuhuo exchanged a glance.

Without any hesitation, they stepped forward and left their imprints and signatures on both scrolls.

“One copy goes to you; the other goes to my Marquis of Anchan’s estate,” Beishan Baiwei said. “These are the rules.”

Ji Jiuhuo quickly laughed and said, “That we were able to escape this great calamity is already an endless joy for my Ji Clan. As for the prime essence vein, seventy percent will go to the Marquis’ estate. My Ji Clan is content to keep just ten percent. I would like to give the remaining twenty percent to you, young master, as a token of gratitude for saving my Ji Clan.”

Ji Jiuhuo had lived for nearly four hundred years; he was a crafty old fox.

He understood very well.

On the surface, the agreement said thirty percent went to the Ji Clan, but in the shadows, there would always be some extortion. It was better to directly give it away to a powerful figure. It might even earn a little goodwill.

“There’s no need,” Beishan Baiwei said with a smile. “I consider Ji Ning a friend at first sight. Rest assured, no one will squeeze you on this prime essence vein. Who would dare to steal from a friend of mine?”

Friend?

Ji Ning felt a warmth in his heart.

“I’ll arrange for some soldiers to oversee the mining of the entire vein,” Beishan Baiwei said. “Your Ji Clan can also send some people to help. Any prime essence stones you dig up can just be handed directly to the soldiers I station here.”

“Excellent,” Ji Jiuhuo quickly nodded.

“Mm.” Beishan Baiwei nodded faintly.

Ji Jiuhuo could tell that the young master still had something to say to Ji Ning, so he quickly said, “Then I’ll take my leave.” He then withdrew.

Only Ji Ning, Beishan Baiwei, and the two maidservants remained in the hall.

“Ji Ning,” Beishan Baiwei said. “To have achieved so much while still in the Ji Clan shows that your natural talent far surpasses that of Xue Hongyi. My advice to you is: don’t stay in a small place like this for too long. Your true place is in the wider world. In the future, you are bound to become a figure of renown in all of Anchan Commandery.”

Ji Ning quickly replied, “You flatter me, Baiwei. But it’s true; I intend to set out and explore the world soon.”

“Mm.” Beishan Baiwei nodded.

“I’ve been very curious about one thing,” Ji Ning said. “May I ask how you managed to arrive at my Ji Clan so quickly? From the time the news of the prime essence vein reached the Marquis of Anchan’s estate, it should have taken a long while.”

If it hadn’t been for the arrival of the envoy from the Marquis of Anchan’s estate, the Ji Clan would have faced much more trouble.

“Haha…” Beishan Baiwei laughed. “Do you know how a prime essence vein is formed?”

“This…?” Ji Ning shook his head in confusion.

Beishan Baiwei explained, “This prime essence vein was formed after a Primal Daoist set up a great formation to go into secluded meditation for a breakthrough. He absorbed the boundless natural energy of heaven and earth all around, concentrating it, and over time, it coalesced into a vein of this size. That Primal Daoist successfully broke through to become an Earth Immortal.”

“An Earth Immortal?” Ji Ning was startled. So that stone chamber had been used by an Earth Immortal.

“That Earth Immortal was known as the Fire Dragon Immortal,” Beishan Baiwei said. “After his breakthrough, he was invited to my Marquis of Anchan’s estate. At the welcoming banquet, my father soon learned that there was a prime essence vein here, and that it was within the Ji Clan’s territory. So I was given this task: to come here and sign the contract with your Ji Clan.”

Ji Ning understood now.

So the news hadn’t been submitted by the Ji Clan but had already reached the Marquis of Anchan’s estate. No wonder they had arrived so quickly.

“Well, business is done. I won’t linger here,” Beishan Baiwei said with a smile. “If you ever come to Anchan City, Brother Ji Ning, you absolutely must come see me. I will be a proper host.”

“I will,” Ji Ning promised.

…

The Blackflame Dragon Prison Formation on Oxhorn Mountain had been withdrawn. The Ji Clan members all looked up at the distant skyline as the warship departed, leaving behind only eight Zifu-level soldiers.

“Cough.” Ji Yichuan, who had maintained his sharp, aggressive aura until now, suddenly had his aura weaken. His face grew pale, and he even began to cough.

“Father.” Ji Ning turned to look at his father, Ji Yichuan.