Chapter 215: Oh My Holy Offering

“So—that’s everything that happened?”

“Yes, Lord City Master.”

Wang Yu covered his face, looking despairing. “Xu Ruozhou, Xu Ruozhou, you are truly foolish.”

By this time, Wang Yu had safely returned from the Yanluo Ghost Market. He stood before the main hall of the City Lord’s Manor, looking at the Central District, which now consisted of only one mansion, and his anger flared.

Xu Ruozhou knelt on the ground, his head bowed, his face beet red from embarrassment.

Wang Yu spoke with a tone of disappointment. “Master Tianshui is a direct descendant of Jinmanlou’s artifact refiners. He caused such destruction in Guiling City, and a simple ‘thank you’ was enough to dismiss you? So many people died, all affected by his actions. Rebuilding the city and providing post-war relief will cost money, won’t it? Did he give any? Huh!!!”

Xu Ruozhou suddenly remembered something. He fumbled in his pocket and presented a black iron pellet embedded with lightning. He explained, “Senior Tianshui said that when he was eradicating those dead soldiers, he misjudged the power of this item, which accidentally caused such a scene. He therefore gave this item to you, Lord City Master, and said he would find a way to compensate you when he returns from the East Coast. He also mentioned that Miss Jin Miaoshan would personally come to thank you after she comes out of seclusion.”

Wang Yu took the Thunder Tribulation Pellet, speechless. “Do I lack her thanks? Why didn’t you bring this out sooner?”

“Your subordinate… momentarily forgot.”

Xu Ruozhou had recorded the scene of the lightning storm erupting in Guiling City with a spirit-recording stone. This would not only help Wang Yu understand what happened afterward but also serve as incriminating evidence against the other party, making it easier to demand compensation. However, this unassuming iron pellet was indeed powerful. It was like a peculiar, single-use magic artifact whose explosion range exceeded its firing radius. Though powerful, it required careful use to avoid being caught in its blast.

Wang Yu wondered how many Thunder Tribulation Pellets Master Tianshui had used to cause such a scene. He put the item away. Without his direct command, his subordinates had already begun organizing repairs and relief efforts. He was now particularly curious about the public reaction in Yunling Province when news spread that he had once again ordered the destruction of a building. Although it was false and everyone knew it, there was no shortage of gossips in Scarlet Kite.

Shortly after returning and dealing with the matters at hand, Wang Yu was about to go pet Snowy Jade. The creature was mostly left to roam free in the City Lord’s Manor and, thanks to cultivation with premium elixirs, was not far from its next advancement.

Just then, Han Jia from Heavenly Treasure Pavilion came to visit. His voice arrived before he did: “Lord Wang! You’ve done something big again. You’ve leveled Jinmanlou! From now on, you are a lifelong friend of Heavenly Treasure Pavilion!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa—you can eat anything, but you can’t say anything! Brother Han Jia, if those words get out, wouldn’t you be dooming your younger brother?”

This time, Han Jia came alone; his twin children were not with him. He draped an arm over Wang Yu’s shoulder and chuckled strangely, “I understand, I understand. A prominent tree catches the wind.”

Wang Yu looked exasperated. “It wasn’t me. Just wait, someone from Jinmanlou will step forward and take responsibility.”

Han Jia looked suspicious. “It really wasn’t you?”

“Otherwise?”

“Alright.”

Han Jia, finally grasping the situation, smacked his lips. He recalled the conversation he had overheard and surmised that Wang Yu had been implicated in Jinmanlou’s internal struggles. Realizing this, Han Jia’s expression grew even stranger. “Lord Wang, your knack for getting into trouble is truly beyond me.”

“Is this me looking for trouble? Some people just dig their own graves.”

“True.”

“So, Brother Han Jia, what brings you here? I still have a mountain of official duties to attend to.”

“You see, I almost forgot!” Han Jia slapped his thigh and adjusted his cap, speaking seriously. “You see, Jinmanlou has been flattened, and everyone is dead. Does that mean the market in Guiling City will now belong to Heavenly Treasure Pavilion?”

Wang Yu frowned but didn't deny it. “For now, yes.”

Han Jia immediately breathed a sigh of relief. “Great! I want to discuss buying more land, especially in the Central District. And that Thunder Jade Banana Orchard outside the city, why not sell it all to me? Heavenly Treasure Pavilion plans to expand significantly in Guiling City.”

“Land is not a problem, but the Thunder Jade Banana Orchard is not. It’s a legacy item of the Guiling City Lord’s Manor, and I only have ownership rights for three hundred years.”

“Then never mind that. Let’s talk about buying land, specifically in the Central District.”

Unable to acquire the orchard, Han Jia didn’t press the matter. He merely wanted to push out the businesses of the Guan, Jiang, and Core Formation sects, and incidentally, nullify the inflated contracts signed previously to seize market share. Times had changed, and Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was not a charity. His timing for stepping in was excellent, and Wang Yu truly couldn’t refuse.

This dispute dragged on until the afternoon. Only after Han Jia was hosted for a banquet did the negotiations conclude.

However, no sooner had Wang Yu returned to his room and was loosening his belt than Xu Ruozhou’s panicked voice burst in: “Disaster! Disaster! Lord City Master, this year’s sacred tribute has been robbed, everyone is dead, and there are no clues.”

*Bang!* The door to Wang Yu’s room shattered. He grabbed Xu Ruozhou by the collar, his eyes bloodshot, and roared, “What did you say?!”

…Night.

Led by Wang Yu and Qing Yang, the hall was filled with cultivators. Many were commanders, mostly in the late Qi Condensation stage. Most were recruited rogue cultivators, whose combat strength was average and loyalty questionable. This was unavoidable; Wang Yu had been in Guiling for less than thirty years, and the initial batch of talent he had screened had only just begun to mature, still lacking experience from “blood and fire.”

At this moment, the atmosphere in the hall was very somber. Everyone kept their heads down, afraid to speak. Wang Yu was also extremely agitated. Twenty-five years had passed, and the previous four sacred tributes of a million spirit stones had gone off without a hitch. Yet, this time, a problem had arisen, especially when one issue after another was piling up. The Scented Assembly’s disastrous defeat, Guiling City’s lightning storm stalemate, and now… his sacred tribute had been robbed. It felt as if this year was plagued by misfortune, with all the troublesome matters erupting at once.

“Who exactly is trying to cross me?!”

Seeing this, Qing Yang proposed a theory. “Lord City Master, could it be the people from the Earth Demon Sect? After all, Old Demon Earth Puppet died in Guiling, and they haven’t reacted at all, as if they don’t know.”

Wang Yu listened. Although the surging murderous intent was uncontrollable, making him appear like a figure shrouded in a red mist, emitting a terrifying bloody aura, his mind was remarkably calm. He stated with certainty, “Impossible. The Earth Demon Sect is an old sect in Yunling Province. Their silence is just them playing dead. It’s better to pretend ignorance than to completely lose their sect’s prestige. Burying one’s head in the sand sometimes doesn’t work, but sometimes deceiving oneself is quite effective.”

“This—” Qing Yang glanced at the people in the hall and transmitted his voice, “Then could it be Little Talisman Lord, Luo Chen? Although He Gu is dead, the reply at the time said the mission was successful. Could this be retaliation?”

Wang Yu paused. After some thought, he shook his head at Qing Yang. Regardless of the internal factions within the Spirit Reversal Blood Sect, the spirit stones offered to the sect would not be touched. Moreover, Luo Chen was also from Zhuo Shouqing’s lineage. He had indeed tricked Wang Yu, but he hadn't openly broken ties, nor had he shown any mockery or triumph, clearly not wanting to directly confront him.

“Then it can only be Jinlin? But he has no reason to do this, no motive. Conspiring against you is one thing, but robbing the sacred tribute is equivalent to provoking the Sacred Sect.” Indeed, Jinlin had even less reason.

Just as Wang Yu and Qing Yang were discussing through voice transmission, Xu Ruozhou, who had also been deep in thought, suddenly spoke in the hall. He said, “Lord City Master, could it be the remnants of the Bai family?”

These words were like a flash of lightning, piercing through the fog in his mind. That’s right. His gaze had always been fixed on higher levels, and he had forgotten about the Bai family, which he had casually destroyed when he first arrived in Guiling.

In the Scarlet Kite Demonic Domain, the greater one’s backing, the more one could appreciate the might of the Five Demonic Sects—overlord forces capable of fighting five against seven and still maintaining an advantage. In the Taihu Spirit Domain, seven overlord forces were merely on par with the demonic path, which clearly showed the disparity.

But Foundation Establishment forces… they were too far removed from Nascent Soul overlords, possessing instead the reckless courage of a newborn calf. If anyone could have touched his sacred tribute, it was most likely the remnants of the Bai family. Furthermore, the Bai family’s Grand Elder hadn’t died back then but had been taken away by people from the Yellow Springs Temple. If the Yellow Springs Temple had acted against Guiling City, this matter could immediately escalate into a conflict between overlords. Wang Yu personally felt that the Yellow Springs Temple’s direct involvement was unlikely, but they certainly provided support to the Bai family’s Grand Elder. It was even possible he had broken through to the Core Formation stage.

After a moment of contemplation, Wang Yu had to admit that Xu Ruozhou had some shrewdness after all. “Where is the ancestral home of the Bai family remnants? Twenty-odd years have passed, surely the Bai family patriarch is dead?”

“Reporting, Lord City Master, the Bai family ancestors were not from Yunling Province. We do not know where their ancestral home is…”

“Useless.” Wang Yu snorted coldly. “The immediate priority is to find a way to make up for this year’s sacred tribute, Qing Yang.”

“Here.”

“Go and notify the Guan and Jiang families, Purple Dragon Mountain, Ink Painting Gate, and Scented Assembly. All five of them must contribute. Tell them their spirit stones were stolen by the Bai family remnants.”

“Yes!”

The City Lord’s Manor was also short on resources; they could only try this for now.

“Xu Ruozhou, take a team and come with me to the scene to see if there are any other clues.”

“Yes!”

“The others, go investigate the location of the Bai family’s ancestral home. This time, I want their entire clan wiped out, not even a chicken or dog left alive.”

“Yes!”

After the late-night meeting disbanded, Wang Yu quickly penned a letter and sent a messenger to the provincial capital of Yunling Province. Unlike Feng Province, which was sparsely populated with few spiritual veins and no adjacent powers (and only a few Core Formation cultivators stationed in its capital), Yunling Province, though smaller in area, was full of vital resources. Spiritual veins were densely distributed, and there were popular areas like the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest and the ancient ruin of Dongji Capital. Many people came from other provinces, and even cultivators from other forces would cross borders. Therefore, Yunling Province’s capital had Nascent Soul cultivators stationed there, more than one. Sensing the connection between the Bai family and Yellow Springs Temple, even if nothing had happened yet, he could prepare for it by stating the situation and his conjectures. Moreover, his letter could only be delivered to Yunling Province’s capital. Reporting above his direct superiors could easily offend people. He would send a letter to test the waters first; if something truly happened, he would have a reason to avoid culpability.

After handling these matters, he set off with Xu Ruozhou and the others.