Chapter 425 - 424: Aftermath and Compensation

Chapter 425: Chapter 424: Aftermath and Compensation

The minor hiccup in between was hardly worth mentioning; it was practically on fast-forward.

"I wondered what kind of treasure the kid could possibly have to counter a Divine Art!" Fushan Yue pulled a small hourglass from his clothes. "Heh, he really did have one!"

Seeing him so full of himself, his tail nearly reaching for the sky, Hee Lingchuan played along and asked:

"What’s that?"

Fushan Yue jutted his chin toward Uncle Da. "You know best. You tell him."

"This is a treasure bestowed by the Monarch, the ’Inch of Time,’" Uncle Da said in a low voice. "Before the sand in the hourglass runs out, it can completely freeze the user’s condition. In other words, it places them in a rift in time, ensuring their injuries do not worsen. However, the user also enters a dormant state, unable to move, open their eyes, or remain conscious."

As Hee Lingchuan understood it, while the hourglass was running, the user was essentially in a "paused" state.

For the user, it was as if time had stopped.

"We originally intended to use this treasure to prolong the Young Master’s... the second young master’s life until he returned to the Capital City, and then we would ask the Monarch to devise a solution."

"Then why were you killing people for their blood?" Several men from the Stone Gate Commerce Association had been killed.

"We were afraid of an accident, fearing that the Inch of Time’s effect might not last until we reached the National Capital, so we prepared fresh blood for Young Master Jii. Just in case he woke up early..."

Hee Lingchuan asked in surprise, "The King of Chiyan can counter a Divine Art?"

"That remains to be seen." Uncle Da thought for a moment. "Even if the Monarch is powerless, we can still appeal to the Deities."

Hee Lingchuan’s heart tightened slightly.

’That’s right, the Deities.’

When Wen Xing was on the brink of death, Zhong Shengguang had immediately recalled the Red General from the front lines, urging the Divine Mitian who possessed his body to intervene and save them.

Judging by Zhong Shengguang’s expression and tone, Hee Lingchuan had thought Wen Xing could still be saved. Yet their father, Wen Daolun, had ultimately chosen to give up, most likely because the price was far too high.

The King of Chiyan, of course, would not have such reservations. It was perfectly logical that he would ask a Deity to treat Fushan Ji.

’The success rate was probably high.’

A pity, then, that Fushan Ji failed to escape his brother’s clutches a second time. He lost his life in these desolate mountains, handing the throne over in the process.

Power struggles were often like this. He had struck first but wasn’t ruthless enough, and in the end, Fushan Yue had turned the tables and killed him.

"All right, the important business is done. Time to go back and drink." Fushan Yue pocketed the Inch of Time and said to Uncle Da, "Let’s go. What are you standing there dazed for?"

Uncle Da could only get up and follow him toward the camp.

By this time, tensions in the camp were already at a breaking point.

No matter how slow on the uptake the Stone Gate Merchant Team was, they couldn’t possibly remain in the dark with their own people dying one after another.

The group was incensed, clamoring for justice.

But because Fushan Yue had just returned, killed two Chiyan People, and then abruptly left again, no one, including Shi the Second, knew what the current situation was.

The situation was at a standstill.

The return of the two men and one tiger immediately caused a commotion in the camp.

’These two sides were just fighting to the death, sworn mortal enemies. How are they suddenly in cahoots?’

’You flip-flop so quickly; how are your men supposed to know what to do?’

Amidst the eerily quiet atmosphere, Hee Lingchuan and Fushan Yue returned to their respective factions.

The first words out of Uncle Da’s mouth were, "The second young master is dead. From now on, we follow only the first young master."

All the Chiyan People lowered their heads in unison.

’The times are changing.’

’Even if the news gets back to the Chiyan Kingdom and enrages the Monarch, the fact is set in stone. No matter how furious the Monarch gets, can he really kill his only remaining heir?’

’What about the throne then? Who would inherit it?’

Now that they were taking orders from Fushan Yue, all their possessions, including the carriage, naturally belonged to him as well.

He grabbed Fushan Ji’s body and was about to toss it aside, but all his men were looking up at him with expressions that were hard to read.

After all, just a quarter of an hour ago, the two sides had been enemies. Uncle Da had led them in an attack against Fushan Yue, and Fushan Yue’s own hands were stained with their comrades’ blood.

Although he was now the "Young Master" to all the Chiyan People, it didn’t mean they were completely without resentment.

So, after a moment’s thought, Fushan Yue handed Fushan Ji’s remains, including his head, to Uncle Da and said gently, "Keep this safe. Hand it over to my father, the King, upon your return."

Uncle Da silently took it and placed it into his Storage Fang.

Fushan Yue waved for his men to gather and sized them up one by one.

His gaze was as sharp as an eagle’s and as wary as a wolf’s. He stared until the Guards lowered their heads, unable to meet his eyes, and even an owl on a branch shrank back like a sick chicken. Only then did he clear his throat and say, "Some of you have my blood on your blades!"

As soon as he said this, some of the Guards’ expressions turned uneasy.

’Is it starting? Is he going to settle old scores?’

Fortunately, Fushan Yue continued, "However, I killed many of your comrades as well, and the one responsible for all this was my second brother, Fushan Ji. He has already paid for his crime. At the end of the day, this is my family’s business and has nothing to do with any of you. Let’s wipe the slate clean. No one is to ever bring this up again. How does that sound?"

Now that he had said this, the Guards all replied, "Yes, sir," their expressions relaxing considerably.

The awkward atmosphere also subsided.

Watching from the other side, Hee Lingchuan could tell that Fushan Yue must have a very good reputation. Otherwise, why would the Chiyan Guards take his casual promise to "wipe the slate clean" at face value?

"All right, back to what you were doing. And no harassing the merchant team opposite us. Dismissed!"

The Guards dispersed, and Fushan Yue headed toward the merchant team’s side.

During the standoff, the Illusion Realm of Thousand Star City slowly faded away, its disappearance just as abrupt as its arrival.

After Hee Lingchuan returned, he briefly explained the course of events to the others. When Shi the Second heard that the Chiyan People had killed his men, he was horrified. It was only when he learned that Fushan Yue had retaken power and could restrain Fushan Ji’s subordinates that he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

’This business trip has been anything but peaceful.’

Seeing Fushan Yue approach, Shi the Second felt a complicated mix of emotions and couldn’t help but sigh. "Young Master Fushan, you’ve truly given me a huge problem!"

’Four or five members of the merchant team are dead, and the Chiyan People did it. But in the blink of an eye, Fushan Yue has become their leader. How am I supposed to settle this score now?’

The merchant team members’ eyes were also full of anger as they looked at Fushan Yue.

Fushan Yue knew this was an issue he couldn’t avoid. He spoke with a serious expression, "They are my men now, so their mistakes are my mistakes. What do you want?"

Several of the merchants shouted, "A life for a life!"

"That’s right! Our brothers can’t have died for nothing!"

"A life for a life is impossible. And let me remind you, this caravan is about to enter Chiyan territory." Fushan Yue jerked a thumb at himself. "I’ll give you two options. One: each side sends people out to duel. An eye for an eye. You can kill these rascals behind me just as they killed your people, but you have to do it yourselves. Two: I’m willing to heavily compensate the Commerce Association for the brothers who died, and everyone present will also receive fifty taels of silver as compensation for the fright. Choose one."

The moment he finished speaking, many in the merchant team turned their gazes directly to Hee Lingchuan.

’If Young Master Hee fought for us, he’s guaranteed to kill a good number of them. We might even be able to have it both ways—kill the people we want and take the money.’

However, Young Master Hee was not a member of the merchant team; he was a client, a guest.

’How could they ask a guest to risk his life for them?’

So, everyone could only indulge in the fantasy for a moment before making the adult decision.

Shi the Second discussed it with the merchant team for a good while before returning to Fushan Yue. "If we choose the second option, how much compensation will our brothers who died unjustly receive?"

Fushan Yue named a number.

It was a number that would have easily swayed the families of the deceased, had they been there.

Shi the Second fell silent, then asked, "And the compensation for everyone else’s fright... ahem..."

’So that’s the real point.’ Fushan Yue understood. "Eighty taels per person."

Shi the Second wore a grave expression. "This sort of thing must never happen again."

"Of course!" Fushan Yue knew the matter was settled and breathed a sigh of relief. ’As the Crown Prince, a problem that can be solved with money isn’t really a problem at all.’ "Keep a tally of the money for now; I’ll pay up when I get back to the Chiyan Kingdom. Besides," he added, "Shi the Second is a shrewd man, and that’s exactly the kind of partner the Chiyan Kingdom likes to work with."

The corners of Shi the Second’s mouth twitched into a smile, but knowing it was inappropriate to laugh at such a time, he disguised it with a slight cough. "I look forward to our cooperation, indeed."

Then he arranged for men to collect the bodies of their fallen comrades.

’In truth,’ he understood, ’Fushan Yue’s willingness to compensate was ultimately a show of respect for Hee Lingchuan.’

Hee Lingchuan also saw things clearly. Fushan Yue using money to express his condolences and sincerity was only one part of why things were resolved this way.

The dead were gone for good, and the living were not necessarily willing to risk their own lives for them.

Everyone had a family to think about and their own personal interests to weigh. Most importantly, Fushan Yue was very likely the future Monarch. Why would merchants make an enemy of the Crown Prince?

He glanced at Fushan Yue. ’The man’s reckless bravery is probably just a facade,’ he thought. ’Underneath, his grasp of human nature is anything but lacking.’

"Hey, come take a look at Taozi," he called over to Fushan Yue.

Taozi was still unconscious.

In fact, he had just used the Eye Spider’s vision to witness the entire process of Fushan Yue beheading his own brother.

Fushan Yue had snuck back and launched an attack on the four remaining Guards, who of course fought back. Though Fushan Yue had killed one instantly, he couldn’t use one of his arms and was still at a disadvantage in numbers.

At that moment, a sweat-drenched Taozi had struggled to her feet, pointed at the four Guards, and shrieked, "Go bite them!"

With adults fighting, no one paid any mind to a child’s scream, assuming at most that she was delirious from a high fever.

But who would have known that a dozen small snakes would suddenly dart out from the nearby rock crevices and snap at the Chiyan People’s heels.

Two men were indeed caught off guard and bitten. One instinctively shook his leg, and at the same moment another guard was trying to flick a snake away, Fushan Yue punched him in the chest, sending him flying backward, spitting blood.

After that, it was much easier for Fushan Yue to finish off the remaining two, so the details need not be recounted.

By the time he got into the carriage and beheaded his younger brother, the other Chiyan People had hurried back, but the situation was already decided.

Taozi had earned the credit for distracting the enemy, but she herself had collapsed and remained unconscious ever since.

Fushan Yue felt for her pulse, circulating his own energy through her body to investigate before he spoke. "She absorbed too much Evil Qi and didn’t know how to refuse it. She released it all in one go just now, and her bodily functions are a bit chaotic as a result."