Chapter 339 - 330: Sweeping

Chapter 339: Chapter 330: Sweeping

The information Mu Feng gathered was incomplete, but the parts he could find were extremely detailed. He had practically dug up every last secret of the target Banner Race families, showing he’d taken his task to heart.

Fu Juemin finished flipping through the entire booklet, then casually tossed it back to Mu Feng. "The Huo Family of the Zhe Banner is next," he said in a level voice. "What do you think?"

"The Spirit Lord is wise," Mu Feng replied.

"Then gather the men. Let’s go."

Fu Juemin stood up.

The Mu Shulu Clan, the Ninggu Clan, the Chaha Clan, and now the Yan Family where they currently were.

The four Banner Race factions Fu Juemin had subdued so far were all branch clans of their respective Banners.

Each of the Lower Five Banners had three to four branches, and Fu Juemin had deliberately chosen to target those that weren’t the Banner Lord’s own clan.

The Banner Lords were chosen by the king to lead their respective Banners, and were inherently more loyal to the Top Royal Banner than the average branch clan.

By subjugating the branch clans, he could also dangle the position of Banner Lord as a tantalizing incentive—a prize to be won.

All things considered, this approach made the process of subjugation significantly easier.

Besides, Fu Juemin had just seen in the booklet that among the five Banner Lords of the Lower Five Banners, the Demon Fiends supported by three of them had reached the Third Grade.

One of them had even been appointed a Senior Third Grade Demon Official!

Right now, Fu Juemin only wanted to reap his harvest, earn Skill Points, and quickly max out the Bright King Shackles Skill. Tough nuts like these could be cracked later.

The group followed Fu Juemin out of the hall. As they walked, Mu Feng, who was at his side, began to speak.

"The exact date for the Wuchen affair has been set. It’s on the sixteenth of next month."

Mu Feng paused, then added, "While you were in seclusion these past few days, My Lord, two other major incidents occurred in the city..."

"Oh?"

Fu Juemin’s eyelids twitched. "Tell me about them," he said casually.

"First, the Royal Banner has issued an order for the city-wide arrest of the Banner-cutting Alliance rebels..."

"Weren’t they already doing that?"

"This time is different."

"The order this time came from the National Preceptor’s office," Mu Feng replied. "It may not have come from the National Preceptor himself, but it seems they’re trying to capture someone important..."

A glint appeared in Fu Juemin’s eyes. The Royal Banner Tributor, the Sang Luo National Preceptor, was a Master of Concealing and widely acknowledged as the most powerful figure in the Demon Capital. ’Who in the Banner-cutting Alliance could possibly warrant the attention of someone like that?’

He pondered it for a moment before dismissing the thought. "And the other major incident?"

"Princess Panxiang has returned to the capital."

Fu Juemin stopped in his tracks. He turned to Mu Feng and said, "Who is this Princess Panxiang? Tell me everything."

The image of the young woman in the red dress he had seen at Panxiang Temple flashed through his mind.

"Yes."

Mu Feng replied, "Princess Panxiang is the daughter of Prince Lian from the former dynasty and a woman from the Purple Banner Jiasu Clan. She was born with a unique natural fragrance, so she was given the name Panxiang.

"Though she belongs to the Jiasu Clan, she also has the blood of the Golden Rice King Banner in her veins. Today, aside from the eight-year-old Prince Che of the Wuhuan Jin Clan, her status is the most revered within the Nine Banners."

"You said she returned to the capital. Where was she before this?"

Fu Juemin asked after a moment of thought.

"I don’t know."

Mu Feng shook his head. "Though Princess Panxiang is of noble birth, she has always loathed any association with the Nine Banners. A few years ago, at an elder’s birthday banquet for the Purple Banner Family, she even spouted reckless nonsense like, ’I want to burn the Nine Banners to the ground.’

"The incident caused a huge uproar at the time. The Royal Banner even issued an order confining her, but the Jiasu Clan couldn’t control her. She secretly slipped out of Yingjing City on her own.

"Now, she’s probably come to her senses and has returned to admit her mistake..."

Mu Feng paused before continuing, "Princess Panxiang is beautiful, and her status is incredibly revered. She has countless suitors within the Nine Banners.

"With her return to the capital, I expect there will be no shortage of drama..."

Fu Juemin listened with great interest as Mu Feng spoke.

He never would have thought that the girl who so openly displayed her disgust for the Nine Banners had such a formidable background.

A master among the Manchus, yet she was clamoring to burn down the Nine Banners. Just thinking about it was enough to give him a headache on the Purple Banner Jiasu Clan’s behalf...

Fu Juemin just smiled after hearing the story and didn’t give it much thought. In any case, the more chaotic Yingjing City became, the better it was for him.

As they made their way out of the Yan Mansion, the number of people following Fu Juemin gradually grew, creating the imposing sight of a Spirit Lord’s procession.

When they reached the gates, however, and Fu Juemin got a clear look at the vehicle his subordinates had arranged for him, he couldn’t help but let out a soft "Huh?" A surprised look appeared on his face.

Parked at the entrance of the Yan Mansion was a Western convertible, painted completely white!

The car’s front grille was two-toned white and platinum, and it had red leather seats. While it looked a bit dated to Fu Juemin’s eyes, in this day and age, it was an absolutely stunning, top-of-the-line fashion statement.

You probably wouldn’t find many cars like this even in Shenghai.

Fu Juemin walked down the stone steps and up to the car, running his hand gently along the top of the door. He couldn’t help but laugh. "Who managed to get their hands on a Western car like this?"

"Who else could it be but that hopeless Tingzhou?"

Mu Feng said, feigning annoyance, but his face was full of smug pride. "I just happened to mention that you, My Lord, were used to riding in Western cars. He immediately procured one from Xinjing and had it sent over, saying it was to honor you!"

"Where is Tingzhou?"

Fu Juemin then remembered. He hadn’t seen Mu Tingzhou since the man was knocked unconscious by Elder Huai Hai’s Heart Scene at Panxiang Temple. He’d completely forgotten about the kid.

"Master! I’m over here!"

No sooner had Fu Juemin asked than a voice called out, and Mu Tingzhou came running up excitedly from the back of the group.

"Did you get beaten up again?"

Fu Juemin asked casually, noticing Mu Tingzhou’s arm was bandaged and held in a sling.

"Of course not! Who would dare to hit me now?"

Mu Tingzhou grinned and lifted his arm. "I’m preparing to have Mr. Gu perform a Concealing procedure on me."

"You’re getting a Concealing?"

Fu Juemin’s eyes shifted, and he instinctively glanced at Mu Feng, but the other man’s face was impassive.

"Young Master Tingzhou felt the strength in his hands was insufficient..."

Before Mu Tingzhou could speak, Xu Chu, who was standing to the side, spoke up. "He also asked me for a... slapping technique.

"He’s been practicing it tirelessly every day."

"That’s right, that’s right!"

Mu Tingzhou puffed out his chest with pride. "From now on, when I go out with you, Master, I’ll slap whoever you tell me to! I’ll slap them as many times as you say! I’ll never bring you shame!"

’So he’s risking his life for a Concealing procedure just so he can be better at slapping people for me.’

Looking at Mu Tingzhou, who wore the expression of a man who had just discovered his true purpose in life, Fu Juemin was momentarily at a loss for words.

All he could do was reach out, pat Mu Tingzhou on the shoulder, and say, "You really are... dedicated."

Having received Fu Juemin’s encouragement and approval, Mu Tingzhou’s face absolutely beamed, as if he had been granted some supreme honor. He immediately scampered over to open the car door for him.

....

「Twenty days passed in a flash.」

The sky was clear and the last of the spring chill had passed. In the small rear garden, the plants were already growing with a lush, dense vitality that seemed more fitting for midsummer.

Yet the air held little of the fragrance of grass and trees, filled instead with an overpowering, putrid stench.

A huge mud pit sat in the middle of the garden, the source of the foul smell.

At this moment, Fu Juemin stood beside the mud pit, watching the black, viscous sludge slowly churn within it.

Every so often, a large bubble or two would rise to the surface and burst with a POP, releasing the pungent odor of marsh gas.

"Fall back," Fu Juemin said softly.

The men behind him immediately backed away, following the small path they had come by until they were completely obscured by the head-high foliage and out of sight.

Once the men were gone, Fu Juemin calmly began to unbutton his long robe, one button at a time.

His robes fell away, and then... Five Souls, activate!

BOOM!—

A tangible wave of heat erupted from the edge of the mud pit, instantly blasting the surrounding vegetation flat in a massive, radiating circle.

Having entered his [Flame Monarch] form, Fu Juemin swept his indifferent, dark-gold eyes over the surface of the mud pit. He then reached out one hand, splayed his fingers, and slowly placed his palm on the ground at his feet.

WHOOSH—

The terrifying fiery power of the Hundred-legged Fire Centipede channeled down through the ground. In an instant, the patch of earth beneath Fu Juemin’s palm transformed into hard, solid, scorched soil.

The fertile soil was baked dry, becoming brittle. It then crumbled into fine gravel before finally beginning to melt under the infusion of fiery power.

Meanwhile, the mud pit, only a few feet away, began to crackle and pop from the indirect heat. The entire pool gradually began to "boil."