Chapter 00184: City Lord Xue Bu
# City Lord Xue Bu
Chapter 184
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 184: City Lord Xue Bu
Old Six, being a level nine genetic beast, realized who had arrived upon seeing the grim fate of the Iron Force Alliance leader.
It hurriedly dashed back, unleashing a barrage of water arrows.
Ding Huan was equally unrelenting.
With his mind focused, he summoned dozens of wind blades, slicing through the air.
In the blink of an eye, the Ascend Road had turned into a hellish battlefield.
Those who had come to cheer on or simply observe dared not linger a moment longer; they fled in panic.
Just moments ago, over twenty members of the Iron Force Alliance had come, and everyone believed they were ready to wipe out the city guards.
Yet within an instant, not only had the Iron Force Alliance, including its leader, been completely annihilated, but over a hundred merchants who had attempted to ingratiate themselves found themselves dead as well.
"Uncle Seven..."
The woman from the only grocery store paled as she spoke.
Uncle Seven, with his white hair and beard, stared at the blood-soaked ground filled with corpses, murmuring, "How fearsome! Is the Lord of the Blazing Star Territory planning to enforce order in West Wind Street?"
"Uncle Seven, we’re lucky we didn’t go up there," the woman said, shaking with fear yet relieved.
“Brother Huan.” Seeing Ding Huan approach, Yan Mei rushed forward.
He had been nearly killed by the Iron Force leader.
Ding Huan patted Yan Mei on the shoulder and said, "Yan Mei, your cultivation is too weak. Once things settle down, you must work on improving your strength."
"Brother Huan, I did okay, didn't I?" Old Six proudly chimed in.
It had discovered new abilities; not being able to establish a foundation seemed unimportant when it could easily dispatch those weak humans.
It found joy in that.
Ding Huan shot a cold glance at Old Six.
"Is it what you consider good to let your teammates die while you flee from the enemy?"
Old Six made a mournful face.
"Brother Huan, I wasn’t his match."
"That doesn’t justify letting your teammate die. You could have retreated with Yan Mei," Ding Huan scolded.
"Yes, Brother Huan, I understand," Old Six nodded, but inside it was unrepentant.
Facing death, only a fool would not escape.
The three city guards who had come out together were caught between joy and despair.
They had come to help Yan Mei save her husband, only to nearly be killed by four members of the Iron Force Alliance.
Luckily, the vice-captain had intervened in time to save them.
As they hoped to get away, the Iron Force Alliance arrived faster than they imagined.
At the sight of a crowd closing in, the three had shut their eyes, awaiting their demise, only to be rescued again by their captain.
Life can change from great highs to great lows just like that.
Now, they were even more stunned by a speaking beast.
Beasts could talk, wasn’t that a trait of the great sects?
"What are your names?" Ding Huan asked the three city guards.
Honestly, he hadn’t cared about their names before, but seeing them so serious now made him reconsider.
After all, they were long-time residents of West Wind City and knew it well.
The tall man quickly bowed, "I’m Gu Bin, and these two are Wu Xun and Bei Huoer."
Ding Huan nodded.
Gu Bin was quite tall and seemed a bit braver.
Wu Xun was the shortest and skinniest, comparable to the recorder Peng Lei.
Bei Huoer was notably dark-skinned.
"You three did well today. Now tell me how we usually handle corpses here."
Ding Huan praised them.
Hearing him, the three were over the moon.
What did it mean? It meant Ding Huan wouldn’t kill them; they had bet right.
Gu Bin hurriedly replied, "Captain Ding, we usually don't deal with this many corpses at once. The city guards handle them, taking them to the crematorium outside."
He hesitated to add that handling corpses was a dangerous job.
Once the fighting was done, they had to collect the bodies, and if they weren’t careful, they could be attacked by friends of the deceased.
But today was unprecedented—over a hundred had been killed openly on Ascend Road.
"Are you three the only city guards left?" Ding Huan frowned.
Managing so many corpses with just three people wouldn’t be easy.
"We have a corpse cart that can carry thirty bodies. There are more city guards, but a few are too scared to show up. We know where they live," Gu Bin explained cautiously.
Ding Huan contemplated for a moment, then said, "First, gather everything up here. Wu Xun and Bei Huoer will handle the corpses. You can call in the other city guards for help. Inform them that starting today, city guards won’t be casually killed. Gu Bin, you, Yan Mei, and Old Six check each shop on Ascend Road. Seal any shop with dead bodies. If they refuse to accept the seal, they must pay in crystal stones. For businesses that aided the Iron Force, impose a fine of fifty crystal stones. If they refuse, shut them down and transfer ownership to the city guards."
Ding Huan had seen clearly that anyone doing business on Ascend Road in West Wind City had to be dirty.
They wouldn’t be wronged even if they were killed a hundred times.
"Understood," Gu Bin responded loudly.
He felt Ding Huan’s approach was reasonable.
In West Wind City, wasn’t it the strong who ruled?
"Captain, thank you for saving my husband and me. We are willing to help the city guards clear away the corpses," said a couple who had been hiding inside a shop that had been smashed.
They had initially prepared to wait for death at the sight of the Iron Force members surrounding the city guards.
But with Ding Huan’s arrival, their fate turned, and they excitedly knelt in gratitude.
Ding Huan, realizing that manpower was insufficient, nodded and permitted them to assist Wu Xun and Bei Huoer.
After leaving Ascend Road, they returned to the Broker's office, where a clerk was attending to a new customer.
Once the clerk finished his work, Ding Huan approached him.
"I want to buy a yard in the large crystal area."
Ding Huan had come three times already, willing to even have the captain of the city guards assist him to purchase a house.
His determination to buy property in West Wind City was unyielding.
Whether he lived or died tomorrow, today he could still make this business deal.
"Friend, if you’re serious about buying, you’ll need to pay a deposit of five crystal stones..."
The clerk intentionally paused, knowing that eager clients usually interrupted him to protest.
Seeing Ding Huan’s calm demeanor, the clerk sighed and continued, "We have recently obtained a treasure that allows you to view the houses for sale in an instant. However, using this device will incur a cost, which is why we ask for five crystal stones as a deposit. If you choose not to buy, the deposit is non-refundable. If you do purchase, it counts towards the payment."
Ding Huan didn’t wait for the clerk to continue his sales pitch; he directly placed down five crystal stones. “Then let me take a look.”
The clerk was astonished that someone was actually willing to pay the deposit.
This crystal ball viewing has been advertised for a long time, and up until now, Ding Huan was the first to offer the five crystal stones.
Since Ding Huan had produced the money, the clerk took out a crystal ball and activated it.
A movie-like scene appeared, with a woman on screen introducing a small courtyard for sale…
Ding Huan stared at the crystal ball in shock.
What kind of magic was this?
In the next moment, a clear message appeared in his mind.
The crystal image ball was a magical tool that utilized a recording technique.
Higher-tier image balls even included spiritual artifacts, or even greater treasures…
The usually bustling Ascend Road felt eerily quiet today.
Regardless of whether people had died, both sides of the street were shrouded in silence.
In the distance, the owner of the Star Symbol Craft Workshop, who had paid Ding Huan six hundred and fifty crystal stones, wiped the sweat from his brow repeatedly.
He was filled with dread.
It was only at this moment that he realized how restrained and polite Ding Huan had been in his shop.
He had even tried to have someone keep an eye on Ding Huan.
A person capable of easily wiping out the Iron Force and over a hundred shopkeepers was far beyond what his backing could handle.
Fortunately, he hadn’t lost anything himself.
He worried that Ding Huan might return with a vengeance, but Ding Huan had long since left Ascend Road.
Having become the captain of the city guards, everything he did in West Wind City was to find a quiet place to settle down and seek his own path to foundation establishment.
If he couldn’t find that path while living here, he wouldn’t hesitate to leave again.
In this second life, Ding Huan was unwavering in his pursuit of immortality; nothing could stop him.
Yan Mei, Gu Bin, and Old Six sequentially knocked on the doors of the shops on Ascend Road.
During the earlier attack by the Iron Force, very few shops had dared to help.
When faced with the city guards demanding crystal stones, no one was willing to gamble with their lives.
This round could be said to have made the city guards rich.
…
Inside the City Lord's residence of West Wind City, a man with phoenix-like eyes calmly listened to reports from his subordinates.
This was Xue Bu, the City Lord who seldom left his abode.
After a long time, he finally spoke, "Are you saying this Ding Huan managed to kill over a hundred people without even lifting a finger? This includes the leader of the Iron Force Alliance, who was at the eighth layer of Qi training?"
"Yes, I suspect Ding Huan has a secret technique; otherwise, it’s impossible for him to kill so many without attacking," replied a black-clad woman standing in front of Xue Bu, giving her assessment.
"Is it possible that Ding Huan is a foundation establishment cultivator with his own divine sense?" Xue Bu frowned as he asked.
The woman shook her head.
"West Wind City has already been abandoned by the Blazing Star Territory. How could a foundation cultivator care for such a place? If Qi training cultivators could condense their divine sense, I would suspect he might be one."
"As long as he doesn’t provoke me, let him be. He can manage the city guards for me; it won’t be a bad thing. Just keep an eye on him. There’s no need for direct interaction," Xue Bu said after a moment of silence.
"Ascend Road is under Pan Qi’s influence. If he goes out and we help him watch a bit, when he comes back to find so many of his people dead, won't that be..."
The black-clad woman hesitated.
Xue Bu sneered, "His territory? I need to establish my foundation now and don’t have time to waste chattering with him. I’ll just give him some scraps. Once I establish my foundation, I’ll crush him. If he comes back and clashes with Ding Huan, let them fight among themselves."
"Understood."
The black-clad woman replied before retreating.
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(End of chapter)