Chapter 1238: Does the Disappearance of Zhongshan County Have Anything to Do with Lu Yang?

Just as Manggu was lost in thought, an old farmer carrying a hoe walked over and looked at him with a smile.

"Are you Manggu?"

Knowing that everyone present at Zhongshan Pit was a person of importance, Manggu didn't dare to be impolite. "May I ask who you are?"

Jiang Ping'an didn't reply, instead scrutinizing Manggu from head to toe. "Not bad, not bad. It's been a while since someone from the Dao Sect became an official, especially one who rose through the ranks so quickly. The imperial court is stagnant; it needs talent like you to invigorate the atmosphere. Work hard, I have high hopes for you." With that, Jiang Ping'an vanished on the spot, demonstrating his mysterious nature.

"Huh? Oh." Manggu was utterly bewildered by the old farmer's words.

"Senior Brother, who was that person?" Manggu asked Lu Yang.

Lu Yang waved his hand. "He's not a big shot. His position isn't as high as mine as a State Pillar Minister."

After returning to the Fengdu Dimension, Manggu gathered everyone to inform them about the outside situation.

"Although Zhongshan Prefecture has been destroyed, please rest assured that early in my tenure, I purchased insurance for the prefecture from the Golden Coin Merchant Association. The association will fully fund our rebuilding of Zhongshan Prefecture!"

The high-ranking officials of Zhongshan Prefecture exchanged glances, all marveling at Governor Mang's decision. Insuring the entire prefecture was a significant expense. When Manggu first took office, he used the prefecture's funds to buy the insurance, which drew considerable criticism. Now, the irrefutable facts showed them that his initial decision had been absolutely correct!

"Lord Mang is truly unfathomable."

Looking at Manggu, who often wore a foolish grin, the Zhongshan Prefecture officials felt a chill despite their admiration. His disguise was incredibly deep. Indeed, how could someone who managed to eliminate three successive governors and then assume the position himself be as simple as he appeared on the surface? Furthermore, when they first entered the Fengdu Dimension, both the Nine Nether Sect and the Radiant Sun Sect voluntarily surrendered to Manggu. What an achievement! They couldn't even comprehend how Manggu had managed it.

Upon hearing this news, the King of Thieves clutched his heart and fainted on the spot. Fortunately, Divine Lords Si Heng and Si Shi were there to support him, preventing him from collapsing to the ground. As Manggu stepped down to thank the King of Thieves, he happened to see him faint, which startled him. He thought it was a hidden injury from the previous battle. The two Divine Lords worked together to rouse the King of Thieves, who slowly regained consciousness. The King of Thieves thought to himself that he didn't need to be sad so soon. He was a prisoner now and would be confined for several years, so the merchant association wouldn't hold him responsible anytime soon.

Upon regaining full consciousness, the first thing the King of Thieves saw was Manggu's large, simple-looking face. Manggu grasped the King of Thieves' hand and excitedly congratulated him: "Senior King of Thieves, I have good news for you: you've been released!" The King of Thieves had fought valiantly against the shadows, performing great deeds. With the unanimous agreement of Zhongshan Prefecture's senior officials, he was to be released. Hearing this terrible news, the King of Thieves fainted once more.

Upon hearing that the merchant association would help them rebuild their homes, the people of Zhongshan Prefecture became less restless and even found leisure to discuss the battle.

"Speaking of which, how did Young Sect Master Lu and that Great Qian Divine Lord manage to reduce our prefecture to just a pit?" In their eyes, Lu Yang and Divine Lord Si Heng had fought their way from the Fengdu Dimension to the outside world, after which news of Zhongshan Prefecture's destruction spread. As for Divine Lord Si Shi, the Qilin Immortal, Emperor Zhongtian, and the multiple immortal battles that occurred in between, they knew nothing.

Lu Yang was speechless. "Don't wrongfully accuse good people! How does this relate to me? I didn't damage a single brick or tile of Zhongshan Prefecture."

After informing Manggu of his resignation, Lu Yang instructed, "Old Meng, I have matters to attend to in the Buddhist Kingdom. Zhongshan Prefecture is in ruins and awaits rebuilding, so Junior Brother Mang needs assistance. Please help him out here."

"Of course," Meng Jingzhou nodded. Even without Lu Yang mentioning it, he intended to stay.

"By the way, I kept feeling that Senior Sister was strange during the battle. Her expressions were remarkably vivid. Old Lu, do you know what was going on?" Meng Jingzhou pondered for a long time but couldn't explain what he had witnessed. Senior Sister's expressions were so rich, it was as if she had been struck by a Seven Emotions Dao Fruit.

Lu Yang thought to himself, 'Senior Sister's expressions weren't just rich; if you had been reckless enough to peek out again, you would have seen her self-destruct.'

"She was possessed by a fairy."

"What?"

After Lu Yang departed, the King of Thieves was also released and left Zhongshan Prefecture. Upon truly seeing Zhongshan Prefecture reduced to nothing but a massive pit, the King of Thieves' eye twitched. He quickly activated his nascent Speed Dao Fruit to escape that wretched place.

"Chairman, you're back?" The chairman's secretary was startled to see the King of Thieves. It was the first time he'd seen his chairman so anxious, with eyes that seemed to devour.

"Did Zhongshan Prefecture buy insurance from us?!"

"Yes."

"Bring me the original risk assessment report! How did you evaluate such a massive risk?!"

The chairman's secretary didn't dare to delay and quickly retrieved the thick risk report. The King of Thieves immediately flipped to the last page to see the conclusion: "Risk: Extremely Low." The report also detailed the investigation process of seven elders, covering everything from Zhongshan Prefecture's history and local customs to an analysis of the newly appointed Governor Mang's personality. It was incredibly thorough, with not a single flaw to be found.

The King of Thieves stood up. Since things had come to this, it was better to flee. He was already a half-immortal; there was nowhere in the world he couldn't go. "Little Wang, when you see the old man, tell him that whoever wants to be chairman can be chairman."

"Where do you think you're going?" An old man with one leg, leaning on a crutch, pushed the door open and entered. His hair and beard were completely white, and thick white eyebrows obscured his eyes.

The King of Thieves' expression changed. "Damn it, why is the old man here now?"

"It's nothing. I've been chairman for quite some time, and this position has become a shackles for me, limiting my talents. I just want to travel around a bit." The King of Thieves forced a smile, retreating as he spoke. Seizing a moment when the Grand Thief Ancestor wasn't looking, he smashed through a window and fled!

The Grand Thief Ancestor raised an eyebrow, a sharp glint appearing in his cloudy eyes. "Good boy, you've gained quite a lot! You've condensed a nascent Speed Dao Fruit!"

Soon, the King of Thieves was caught and brought back by the Grand Thief Ancestor. This clearly showed that there was still a gap between newly promoted half-immortals and established ones.

"Why are you running away for no reason?" The Grand Thief Ancestor asked, puzzled. "Did you condense a nascent Speed Dao Fruit just to run from me?"

The King of Thieves had no choice but to explain the failed investment case of Zhongshan Prefecture.

After listening, the Grand Thief Ancestor smacked the King of Thieves. "This is good news! Why are you running?"

"Huh?" The King of Thieves was bewildered. How could this be good news?

"Think about it: if Zhongshan Prefecture hadn't bought insurance from us, they would have exhausted their finances and still couldn't cover this hole. Huangzhou and the imperial court would have had to allocate funds, and the governor's evaluation would definitely have dropped. But the fact is, they bought insurance from us, suffered no losses, and saved money for Huangzhou and the imperial court. So what kind of evaluation will this governor receive from Huangzhou and the imperial court? His future prospects are immeasurable! This is an incredibly successful investment case that should be heavily promoted. What happened in Zhongshan Prefecture was purely coincidental. Can officials in other prefectures and counties guarantee that what happened in Zhongshan won't happen to them? Of course not. Therefore, they will also come to us to buy insurance. This is a huge business opportunity!"