Chapter 1614: Chapter 68: The Approach

Hearing that the Overturning Sky Thieves had all been slain in the South Mountain Stream, Zhan Jingquan, who had been feigning slumber with closed eyes, opened them, his wicked gaze full of playful mirth.

“Is there such a swordsman in Danmu Town?”

Leaning forward like a Soaring Tiger, Zhan Jingquan said with great interest, “Can we find out where he comes from…”

“I’ve already sent people to Yan Fu City to investigate; we should have an answer in a few days.”

Zhan Jiao bowed and replied: “It’s just that the retainers have been making quite a fuss these last two days, saying they want to avenge the fourth master. Your Highness, should we…”

“Damn it, with just a word from my master, Old Bull will take the brats and flatten the Zhen Clan, and bring back that stinking bitch Zhen Ping’er!”

Upon hearing the mention of action, Fierce Bull Zhan Cheng immediately stood up to volunteer.

“Sit down.”

Zhan Jingquan gestured with his hand to calm them, speaking indifferently: “It’s easy to acquire an army, but difficult to find a good general. To take all seven towns and eighteen villages of the Southern Seas Shore under our control, these street-level martial artists are far from enough.”

Fierce Bull and Soaring Tiger exchanged puzzled looks, while Ghost Fox’s eyes shone brightly: “Does Your Highness wish to recruit this swordsman to our cause for dominance in the southern regions?”

Following Zhan Jingquan’s train of thought, Ghost Fox Zhan Jiao paced back and forth muttering to himself: “With his aid, we would indeed be like a tiger with wings added. However, this person is elusive, and with his high cultivation, recruiting him… might not be so easy.”

“Human effort is the decisive factor.”

Zhan Jingquan spoke lightly, “With his formidable skills, he chooses to hide in Zhen Mansion and not show himself; he intervened twice only for Kaba, which suggests he isn’t deeply entangled with the Zhen Clan. Otherwise, those two wind-vane old goods from the Zhen Clan would not be so obsequious!”

“So His Highness means the Zhen Clan does not know of this person’s existence?”

Ghost Fox was elated and proudly said, “If so, then we have a way to recruit him. In terms of prestige or strength, our Zhan Mansion far surpasses the Zhen Clan by many times. No matter why he is hiding in Danmu, we can offer him better conditions!”

“Is that the strategy you’ve come up with?”

Zhan Cheng, picking his nose, said, “Doesn’t sound all that good. In my view, we still need to fight, beat him into submission first, then talk about recruitment.”

“Brute!”

Irritated by the interruption of the strategy and the insolence of the other, Zhan Jiao angrily said, “He is hiding in the Zhen Clan, and even when he strikes, he uses the hand of a disciple. If His Highness forces him to reveal himself and battle, his identity would be exposed regardless of victory or defeat, and he will flee far away. Then what is there to talk about in terms of recruitment!”

“Your method won’t work, either!”

Feeling humiliated in front of Zhan Jingquan, Zhan Cheng stubbornly retorted, “What if his condition is Zhen Ping’er?”

Thinking over and over, the only thing in the Zhen Clan that could attract such a mighty person was Lady Zhen, the beauty of Danmu Town, and nothing else.

And that’s exactly why brutes are brutes: they tend to voice out the very issues that the more cautious Zhan Jiao would rather avoid, leading to an icy standstill in the conversation.

“Why stop? Why not continue the argument?”

Zhan Jingquan, with a wicked smile, said to them: “Zhen Ping’er is just a woman. If we can trade her for the allegiance of such a swordsman, what is there to regret?”

“His Highness (Master) is magnanimous!”

All three were frenzied with adoration as they praised Zhan Jingquan.

“Now is a critical moment for the use of military force against Wuning Village. Ghost Fox, you will handle the Zhen Clan and that swordsman.”

Zhan Jingquan pointed to Zhan Jiao and said indifferently, “First, send emissaries with medicinal herbs to Zhen Mansion, to apologize for any offense to the guard of the West Wing. Also, apply pressure to those old goods of the Zhen Clan.”

“Your subordinate understands. I’ll see to it at once!”

“Yes, go.”

…

“… it’s precisely because of this that it’s troublesome.”

Hidden above Zhan Mansion and having overheard the debate between Zhan Jingquan and the three, Elder Xu of the Xu Clan found the issue increasingly complicated.

One can get to know a person in many ways, but the most direct is through personal contact; after all, Elder Xu hailed from a sacred lineage, and no matter how the people of the coastal fishing villages extol Zhan Jingquan as if there’s no one like him in heaven and Earth, in his eyes Zhan Jingquan is just a commoner.

But such a view isn’t fair, because Elder Xu’s perspective is built upon the millennia of accumulation by the Xu Clan in Yuanzhou, and the lofty tower that allows him to look down upon others has nothing to do with him personally.

Therefore, after striking with his sword, Elder Xu wished to come to Zhan Mansion, to warn Zhan Jingquan not to act against the Zhen Clan. However, after hearing the conversation, the swordsman from Yuanzhou hesitated.

Under the perspective of Tongyou Intention, Zhan Jingquan appeared as a blazing flame, exceptionally distinct.

The biggest difference between ordinary people and those who drive the world’s progress is ambition.

If ambition is likened to flame, then the ambition of an ordinary person is like the flickering light of a firefly, illuminating only limited areas and easily extinguished by a breeze.

Such a person, let alone driving any regional progress, would do well to simply make it through their life intact.

But there are those who are extraordinary by birth. They believe they can go further and ascend a grander stage, so they set higher standards for themselves.

When a person raises their self-expectations, they find opportunities to change their lives. The burning ambition inside them becomes like a hot bonfire that not only illuminates their surroundings but also attracts glimmers from all directions.

The more fire and light gather, the more they can eventually form a wildfire. Such people are one in a thousand, but each time one appears, they bring vitality and change to the area.

In Elder Xu’s eyes, Zhan Jingquan, who rose from a coastal fishing village, was such a person: talented, disciplined, clever in means, decisive in choice.

If we were to continue with the fire analogy, the ambition in Zhan Jingquan’s heart is bright enough to illuminate the entire Southern Seas Shore.

What is even more impressive is that this man is not a mere martial brute. He appreciates the use of wisdom alongside valuing martial prowess.

If Zhan Jingquan’s power can reach the level of the rumors, he would undoubtedly unite the seven towns and eighteen villages of the Southern Seas Shore and build a regulated small city.

He’s a man who can change the power dynamics in Danmu Town…

Steward Xu sat dejectedly on the ridge of the main house in Zhan Mansion, his arms crossed in front of him.

After racking his brain for two days, he failed to come up with a solution. When he finally thought of a way to warn Zhan Mansion, someone else had already taken action.

“Should I really pretend to be a reclusive swordsman expert, telling Zhan Jingquan to retract the Naxing Letter?”

“That wouldn’t work either. Impersonating is easy, but if they actually retract the letter, where would I find a swordsman expert? I can’t just hang around Danmu Town indefinitely!”

Steward Xu was fraught with vexation as he simulated various scenarios when a sudden flash of Spiritual Light struck, leaving him dumbfounded for a while.

“Does the driver of local processes really need to be a man?”

…

In front of Zhen Mansion

What treatment does a hero receive? Being tossed up by a cheering crowd or receiving the yearning gazes of lovestruck maidens?

Kaba had such thoughts before intercepting the sedan, but afterward, he understood that imagination was just that – imagination.

To be a hero, others must also see you as one. Enduring his dizziness and pain, Kaba gave a bitter smile as he saw the civilians on the street fleeing, leaving him invisible to the three elders who didn’t care about him, and he shook his head in resignation.

Using the great spear discarded by his guard as a crutch, he hobbled back to the West Wing step by step, crossing paths with servants from Zhen Mansion.

While the guards looked at him with admiration from afar, not daring to approach, the maids avoided him completely. This was hardly the treatment a hero would expect.

He limped back to the West Wing’s side room, where his wife was ceaselessly wiping tears from her face.

“Why cry? I’m not dead yet.”

Annoyed, Kaba threw down the spear and fainted to the ground.

…

After Kaba injured Zhan Qi, the Zhen Clan was in an uproar

The three Zhen Clan elders flitted around the room like headless flies, fear visible in their eyes.

As the steward rushed in and out, delivering updates, their fear grew deeper until they finally collapsed into their chairs, faces ashen.

“The retainers from Zhan Clan are causing a ruckus, saying they will use our Zhen Clan as a sacrifice before they send troops to Wuning!”

“The house guards and protectors heard the news and all ran off. Now amongst Zhen Mansion’s ranks, including the Main Branch Disciples, there are less than thirty who have transcended Mortal Realm and fewer than a hundred Mortal Realm warriors… If Zhan Mansion sends troops, we wouldn’t even need the four Omens to act, just those retainers alone could break down the doors of the Zhen Clan!”

Zhen Pan’s plump face was covered in sweat as he wiped it with a sleeve, his chubby cheeks trembling.

“What about the letters? The letters sent to the other families?”

“They didn’t even make it through the gate, before being chased away by the guards of those families.”

As he spoke, Zhen Pan knelt down, grabbing onto the Great Elder’s trousers, weeping profusely, “Great Elder, is the Zhen Clan finished?”

“Impossible, impossible…”

The Great Elder of the Zhen Clan trembled, “How could those people just watch as Zhan Jingquan annihilates our clan!?”

“It’s all that bastard’s fault, I’ll send someone to tie him up and deliver him to Zhan Mansion right away!”

The Second Elder was seething with rage, about to command the house guards to seize the person, and shouted towards the door, “Someone, anyone!”

“Report~~~”

A servant waiting outside the room responded to the call, only to deliver the news: “Ghost Fox Zhan Jiao is right outside, seeking an audience with the two elders!”

“What.. what did you say!?”

The previously enraged Second Elder’s face deflated, his voice trembling, “Zhan.. Zhan.. Zhan Jiao is outside, how…how..how many soldiers has he brought?”

“Second Elder, Ghost Fox Lord only brought a few servants, no soldiers are sighted.”

“Hurry, invite him into the main hall!”

The Great Elder of the Zhen Clan immediately stood up upon hearing Zhan Jiao didn’t bring troops and urged action, then quickly changed his mind.

“No, no, brother, come with me to meet him, quickly, let’s go!”

Perhaps deeming it not respectful enough to invite him inside, the Great Elder hurried out, trousers in hand, with the Second Elder following close behind, not wanting to keep Ghost Fox waiting.

…

East Wing

Zhen Ping’er’s boudoir

After leaving Zhan Mansion, Steward Xu flew back to Zhen Clan directly, knocking out Dongmei and Chunxiang, the two close maids, before barging into Zhen Ping’er’s boudoir.

“People from Zhan Clan have no manners, not even proper communication?”

Zhen Ping’er, dressed in bridal attire and covered with a red veil, sat in the middle of the bed, speaking coldly.

“I’m not from Zhan Clan, it’s me!”

Steward Xu spoke up, “I’m here this time for a very important matter which I need to discuss with you.”