Chapter 00189: I Know What to Do
# I Know What to Do
Chapter 189
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 189: I Know What to Do
West Wind City had become lively once again.
The reason for this commotion was that the City Patrol was recruiting new guards, and not just a handful—over a thousand recruits were needed.
For most people, the fact that the Patrol had eliminated Pan Qi and Bone Zhanjian to take control of West Wind City was not surprising.
This was something that had often happened before.
The leaders of the city changed frequently, and Pan Qi had only risen to power in recent years.
He had simply killed the previous leader and taken over the territory—nothing complicated.
However, what was new was that the Patrol not only took over the territory but was now actively recruiting guards with decent wages.
One crystal stone a month was enough for a common low-level cultivator to cover their training expenses.
This was just one part of the plan; the Patrol had also seized control of the city gates and even the household registration office.
They rolled out new rules and even banned certain businesses…
Regardless of what happened next, the Patrol's recruitment attracted many in West Wind City who lacked a steady income.
In just half a day, five thousand people had signed up.
If it hadn't been for Yan Mei stopping further registration, the number might have exceeded one hundred thousand.
From the five thousand applicants, they sifted through to select twelve hundred, almost all exceeding the original qualifications.
Yan Mei was skilled at managing these affairs.
After the selection, he appointed five patrol captains, including Wu Xun and Bei Huo.
Each of these captains was assigned one hundred recruits to establish sub-units in the eastern, southern, western, and northern sectors of West Wind City, ensuring timely response to any incidents.
As for Gu Bin, he was placed in charge of city defenses, leading five hundred guards to secure West Wind City.
Even the recording officer Peng Leizhi was tasked with more responsibilities.
He led a hundred people to take over the household registration office, managing the records of everyone in West Wind City, while also establishing registration for those without any.
Beyond the registration office, Peng Leizhi was also in charge of the tax office.
…
In a small courtyard of the Great Crystal District, Ding Huan easily dismantled the simple restrictions on four storage bags.
Each of these bags held less than two cubic meters of space, far inferior to the Star House.
What astonished Ding Huan was that he had collected a total of fifty thousand crystal stones from the four bags.
Notably, Pan Qi and Bone Zhanjian’s bags together contained forty thousand.
In addition to the crystal stones, the bags were filled with various low-level spiritual herbs, ores, low-level techniques, and magical tools, all of which Ding Huan collected into his own bag.
Among them, he found a sign in one bag that read "Ascension Realm," though its purpose was unclear, so he tossed it into the Star House for now.
Once his things were organized, Ding Huan planned to wait for Yan Mei to return to share the knowledge of the Technique of Connectivity before beginning his closed-door meditation to develop his foundation-building direction.
Just then, the simple restriction on the courtyard was triggered by someone.
Ding Huan used his spiritual sense to see a woman in black.
He realized that once Yan Mei returned, he would need to set up a protective formation outside the courtyard…
While having a protective formation made it inconvenient for Yan Mei to enter and exit, he still needed at least one set up outside his own room.
If he were to meditate on building his foundation but was interrupted repeatedly, he might as well not meditate at all!
“Who are you looking for?” Ding Huan asked, stepping out of the courtyard.
The woman in black bowed slightly to Ding Huan and said, “City lord Xue would like to invite you to the city lord’s mansion for a discussion. May I ask if you have time, Daoist Ding?”
Ding Huan thought about how he had eliminated Pan Qi and Bone Zhanjian, and how he had demanded control over the city center.
It was only a matter of time before he had to face this person.
To avoid being disturbed during his meditation later, it would be better to meet with him now and come to an agreement.
“Sure, lead the way,” Ding Huan agreed to the woman’s invitation.
As Ding Huan approached the city lord’s mansion, two guards quickly lowered their heads upon seeing him.
It hadn’t been long, yet the man they had thought was doomed was not only unharmed but had also been invited by the city lord.
“City Lord, Daoist Ding has come to visit,” the woman in black reported respectfully as they arrived at Lord Xue's residence.
Ding Huan couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
He was here to visit? What a flattering way to put it.
If Xue hadn’t known he was coming, he certainly wouldn’t have dared to enter the Great Crystal District.
“Ha ha, Captain Ding, please come in,” Xue’s voice boomed with warmth and enthusiasm.
Ding Huan didn’t wait for the woman in black to open the door; he pushed it open and walked straight in.
Xue’s anger flashed across his face for a moment before it melted back into a smile. “Have a seat. I’ve been quite busy. I just heard that one of my patrols found a talented individual and had to make the time to invite you.”
Why does he have to pretend?
If Ding Huan hadn’t just walked in, he might have been fooled by such antics.
Now he understood clearly that even if he killed Xue here in West Wind City, it probably wouldn’t have serious consequences.
Ding Huan didn’t want to waste time on this hypocritical man.
He stated bluntly, “Lord Xue, let’s get to the point. I’m quite busy right now.”
Ding Huan had noticed earlier that the city lord’s mansion only had a secondary defense formation outside.
Inside, there was merely a primary attack formation and a confinement formation.
If it had been a secondary attack formation, he might have felt some apprehension.
But to him, the primary formations were hardly worth worrying about.
Xue’s face darkened at Ding Huan's blatant disregard.
As long as Ding Huan maintained some semblance of politeness, they could negotiate a few terms.
Ding Huan would not interfere in West Wind City's matters, as long as the city was off-limits to him, he wouldn’t mind other matters.
“Captain Ding, I hope you can withdraw the patrol guards from the city center. I won’t interfere elsewhere, but this area cannot be touched.”
Ding Huan, unwilling to beat around the bush, made his refusal clear.
Xue had no choice but to be straightforward.
He feared Ding Huan might act against him, and deep down, he did not wish to get into a conflict with him.
Eliminating Ding Huan would be ideal, but if the confinement formation didn’t work, that would be troublesome.
His only goal in West Wind City was to build his foundation; as long as Ding Huan didn’t disturb his cultivation or interfere with his income, he wouldn’t care about anything else.
Ding Huan’s hold on the city's taxes and management fees, along with the prohibition on the business of “Happy Branches,” had already squeezed him of any means to survive.
After saying this, Xue seemed worried that Ding Huan might get angry, and he hastily added, “I heard you were cracking down on the business of Happy Branches in West Wind City. I can help you with that. The main seller is a former disciple of the Great Star Sword Path, Wan Qian. He's not an easy foe. We can work together to take him down.”
Ding Huan appeared to be thinking deeply, eyes closed, but in reality, he was using the Great Calculation technique to assess the situation.
Soon, Ding Huan opened his eyes, clearly understanding Xue’s intention.
In West Wind City, there might be a Wan Qian who dealt in the Happy Branches, but Xue was undoubtedly one of those involved in such businesses as well.
This man was devious, wanting to use Ding Huan's hands to eliminate Wan Qian.
If Wan Qian was taken care of, Xue would become the sole dealer in "Happy Branches," and Ding Huan would bear the consequences of that act.
How could things be this twisted?
As Ding Huan planned how to deal with Xue, a guard rushed in, shouting, “Lord City, the Patrol has confiscated all the homes in the city center that lacked ownership deeds, and they have killed Teng Xiaosheng!”
“Why?” Xue’s face turned dark as though water could drip from it.
His fists tightened; they hadn’t even settled the negotiation yet, and Ding Huan was already pushing him to the edge!
Teng Xiaosheng was one of his men, and the shop belonged to him too.
“They said Teng Xiaosheng was selling Happy Branches and had killed people; the houses were also taken by force…”
Xue pressed for details, and the guard didn’t dare to hide anything.
“Captain Ding, aren’t you going a bit too far?”
Xue struggled to contain his fury, glaring at Ding Huan.
These men did quite well; Yan Mei was indeed capable.
Luckily, they hadn’t fallen into the hands of the Dual Soul Sect.
Otherwise, it would have been a real loss.
Ding Huan didn’t even bother responding to Xue’s words and stood up. “I’m giving you two choices: first, stay here and diligently pursue your path; second, leave the city lord’s mansion now, for it’s not suited for you.”
“Ding Huan, do you know who I am?” Xue shouted, standing up in anger.
This small captain of the Patrol was truly arrogant beyond measure.
“Oh? Who are you?” Ding Huan asked in surprise.
Furious beyond measure, Xue recalled how both Pan Qi and Bone Zhanjian had perished at Ding Huan's hands, yet he was forced to swallow his rage.
“I am the city lord appointed by the Lord of the Shining Star Principality, protected by the Principality and recognized by the Great Star Sword Path. If you tear apart our friendship, you’ll be at odds with both the Great Star Sword Path and the Shining Star Principality!”
Xue wasn't quite sure whether Ding Huan could withstand the primary killing formation, and therefore he hesitated to attack.
“You really know how to hold back, huh? I’ll give you three breaths to decide… three…”
Ding Huan had only uttered a single number when Xue waved his hand, unleashing several formation flags, and in an instant, the space around them shifted.
The space became hazy, and waves of killing intent surged toward Ding Huan.
In the midst of this killing intent, Xue summoned his long knife, aimed perfectly at Ding Huan’s position, and unleashed a fierce strike filled with his true essence.
He wished to slash Ding Huan into pieces with one blow.
At the same moment, Ding Huan hurled several formation flags and then swiftly repositioned himself.
“Crack!” Xue’s blade split the chair Ding Huan had just left in half.
Before Xue even realized what had happened, the killing intent in the space transformed, and he was horrified to discover that the very killing array he controlled was now aimed back at him.
This was bad; Ding Huan was quite skilled in formations.
Xue realized immediately, feeling a wave of regret wash over him.
The only reason he was brave enough to confront Ding Huan was because of the killing array and confinement array working for him.
Using the weakest confinement and killing array against someone proficient in formations was akin to seeking his own death.
Having a Qi Refinement expert who was well-versed in formations was terrifying.
He had been able to initiate the killing array because it had already been set up beforehand.
But by the time Xue realized this, it was too late; a blade of wind sliced through his neck.
“The Great Star Sword Path will not let you off,” Xue uttered those words before collapsing to the ground.
Ding Huan collected the formation flags, and the space returned to tranquility.
Cang Yiyi walked in, her eyes wide as she beheld Xue's lifeless body, hardly believing what she saw.
She quickly came to her senses and said, “Daoist Ding, I was just working for the city lord!”
Ding Huan nodded. “Don’t worry, I know what to do.”
Cang Yiyi hurriedly retreated, vowing to herself that if she didn’t get this news to the Great Star Sword Path, she would be no better than worthless.
After all, Xue was also a disciple of the Great Star Sword Path.
“Puff!” A blade of wind pierced through the back of her neck.
Cang Yiyi turned in surprise to ask Ding Huan why he was killing her, but alas, she could not utter a word.
Ding Huan seized Xue’s storage bag and turned to leave.
He would let Yan Mei handle the cleanup here.
(End of Chapter)