Chapter 449 - 321: The News Spreads, Purchasing Weapons

Chapter 449: Chapter 321: The News Spreads, Purchasing Weapons

Although the Sun family did their utmost to block the news, you can’t wrap fire in paper.

A troop movement of that scale, especially, couldn’t escape the notice of prying eyes.

And so, it wasn’t long before all sorts of rumors about the incident began to spread...

This was a high-end club in the heart of downtown Qing Province. The only people who could afford to come here were the scions of the major families; it was never open to outsiders.

Right now, in a private room within this exclusive club, a group of young men were drinking and chatting.

"Tsk, tsk. What a pathetic way for a punk like Sun Lingchen to die, getting himself killed by some Martial Cultivator from the backwoods." A young man, no older than twenty, propped his legs on the coffee table. He was sunk deep into the plush sofa, a gloating look on his face.

He was from the Bao family. While not as powerful as the Sun family, they were still a force to be reckoned with.

But it was clear he hadn’t gotten along with Sun Lingchen. In fact, when he heard of Sun Lingchen’s death, he was happier than anyone.

"I’ve been saying it for ages—that Sun punk was heading for trouble. He was too damn arrogant! Out of all of us, he wouldn’t give anyone the time of day except Young Master Tian. I’ll admit the Sun family has some real power, but it’s not like he earned it himself. Did he really need to be so high and mighty?" another young man added.

This young man’s surname was Zhang, another scion of a powerful family who had also been on bad terms with Sun Lingchen. It was a testament to just how unpopular Sun Lingchen had been.

"You can say that again! His death is the perfect reason for a toast. We should all have a drink to that!" Bao Zhichao excitedly raised his glass.

The others in the room chimed in, but the young man sitting in the center of the group remained silent.

He was young and handsome, but more importantly, he possessed a natural air of nobility that made him the center of attention wherever he went.

This group, too, clearly looked to him as their leader.

It wasn’t just because of his looks, but because his name was Tian Zhong Mountain.

And the Tian family was the most powerful family in all of Qing Province.

So when he saw Tian Zhong Mountain hadn’t raised his glass, Bao Zhichao couldn’t help but ask, "Young Master Tian, what’s wrong? Don’t tell me you actually feel sorry for that Sun punk?"

Tian Zhong Mountain chuckled. "Of course I don’t feel sorry for him. I just find this Wu Liangchen... rather interesting."

At his words, the other men exchanged a look. Then, Bao Zhichao grinned. "What’s this? Has our Young Master Tian taken a fancy to his talent?"

"I wouldn’t go that far. But I heard that when this Wu Liangchen was speaking with Sun Fusheng, he actually threatened to take on the entire Sun family by himself—a fight to the death. That’s what I don’t get. He’s an outsider, a Martial Cultivator with no roots here whatsoever. Where does he get the audacity to make a claim like that?"

Hearing this, the others all fell into contemplation.

He had a point.

Where did Wu Liangchen get his confidence?

"I heard he even wiped out one of the Sun family’s Heavenly Punishment Squads. Wu Liangchen’s strength is not to be underestimated. But, that’s got nothing to do with us. It’s the Sun family’s problem, and it shouldn’t stop us from drinking. Come on, cheers!" Bao Zhichao said, raising his glass to break the heavy atmosphere.

Tian Zhong Mountain smiled as well. "Bao is right. Let’s drink!"

The party continued, but just as the girls were brought in, Tian Zhong Mountain made an excuse and left early.

Once he was in his car, the smile on his face slowly vanished, replaced by a serious expression.

"What’s the latest?"

A tall female secretary in the passenger seat heard his question and immediately reported.

"The team the Sun family sent out found Sun Lingchen’s body at sea, along with the remains of the Heavenly Punishment Squad members."

"And Wu Liangchen?"

"He wasn’t found. They only discovered a deserted merchant ship registered under the Xiong family’s name."

Tian Zhong Mountain leaned back in his seat, his fingers drumming lightly on the armrest as he thought.

The secretary didn’t dare to speak, waiting silently for his next command.

"Pass on the order: monitor the situation discreetly. I want to be informed immediately of any news regarding this Wu Liangchen."

"Yes, sir!" the secretary replied instantly.

The car was now driving on an elevated highway. Outside the window, the dazzling lights of the downtown core glittered, and the tallest skyscraper among them was the headquarters of the Tian Clan.

Just as Bao Zhichao had suspected, Tian Zhong Mountain was indeed very interested in Wu Liangchen.

Unlike Sun Lingchen, who had been coddled and favored, Tian Zhong Mountain faced brutally fierce competition, despite also being a direct scion of the Tian Clan.

The Tian family believed in survival of the fittest. It didn’t matter how high your birthright; if you lacked ability, you were relegated to the sidelines, forced to live as an idler on a monthly family stipend.

For someone as proud and ambitious as Tian Zhong Mountain, this was an utterly unbearable fate.

And so, he had been fighting since he was a child.

Now, he had finally carved out his own enterprise.

He had gathered a following of scions from less powerful families, like Bao Zhichao. Combined with the recognition he’d earned within his own family, a small faction was already beginning to form around him.

But Tian Zhong Mountain was still filled with a sense of urgency.

Because he had an older brother with an even more powerful faction above him, and an astonishingly talented younger sister below him.

The two of them placed him under immense pressure.

Tian Zhong Mountain knew his greatest weakness: his faction lacked a powerful Martial Artist to serve as an enforcer.

But there was nothing to be done about it. With his currently limited resources, recruiting a powerful Martial Artist was pure fantasy.