"Dammit! Someone tell me what in the hell is going on! Why has everyone from the marketplace flocked to the Xiao Clan?!"
Inside the Galie Clan's main hall, the middle-aged Galie Bi sat on the master's seat, his face dark and menacing. He stared down at several stooped marketplace managers, his voice a cold growl.
Under the pressure of a Da Dou Shi's aura and Galie Bi's frigid gaze, the managers were drenched in sweat, their legs trembling.
"Clan… Clan Head, it's… it's not our fault! It's the Xiao Clan! They somehow got their hands on a batch of treasure-grade weapons that can slice through iron, and they're selling them in the marketplace. The price is incredibly low, less than half of what such weapons used to cost..." one of them stammered. "So… so…"
Hearing this, Galie Bi's expression turned even blacker. How could he not understand why the Xiao Clan had regained its popularity? Treasure-grade weapons! He, Galie Bi, the head of a clan at the apex of Wu Tan City, knew perfectly well how much excitement those words generated among mercenaries.
After all, he still remembered that mercenary from a year ago, Wang Zhi, who had made a name for himself precisely because of such a weapon.
"That little bastard! To think he'd side with the Xiao Clan!" Galie Bi grit his teeth at the thought.
More than half a year ago, the Galie Clan had its own spies among those watching Zhou Changqing. Galie Bi knew very well that the treasure-grade weapons came from the hands of this youth. He was even ninety percent certain that the Monster Core Armor was also his creation. He just never expected the little beast to cooperate with the Xiao Clan! Still, based on past investigations, the boy was close with the Xiao Clan's third young master, so it wasn't hard to understand why he would favor them.
"This won't do. I have to find a way to solve this! If this continues, our Galie Clan's marketplace will be deserted and eventually go bankrupt. The consequences are too severe!" This was a crisis that could shake the very foundations of the Galie Clan. One wrong move, and their strength would be gravely wounded.
But no matter how much Galie Bi wracked his brain, he couldn't find a solution. Aside from killing Zhou Changqing and stopping his cooperation with the Xiao Clan, he could think of no other way. Yet Zhou Changqing was under the protection of the Miter Auction House. Moving against him would certainly offend them and invite their retaliation. What's more, the Xiao Clan wouldn't just stand by; they would undoubtedly strike the Galie Clan with all their might. The Galie Clan wasn't afraid of the Xiao Clan alone, but add the Miter Auction House to the equation, and even they couldn't withstand the pressure.
As Galie Bi pondered, the group of managers didn't dare to breathe. After a long while, a decisive glint flashed in his eyes.
"Little beast, you dare interfere in the struggle between my Galie Clan and the Xiao Clan? Do you think the Miter's protection makes you untouchable?" he muttered to himself. "The Aoba Clan must be suffering as well; their marketplace has surely taken a hit. And then there's Chelluo... hehe... While my Galie Clan can't afford to provoke the Miter family behind the auction house, this place is just a branch office. If I unite with the Aoba Clan, Chelluo, and a few other powers greedy for the weapon-forging techniques... tsk, tsk. Even if the Miter Auction House is displeased, they'll have no choice but to let it go."
"After all, no matter how powerful they are, they can't possibly annihilate so many factions at once, can they? Not unless they're willing to abandon their Wu Tan City branch for a dead man. At worst, I'll just hand over the forging techniques to them afterward. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to accept. Once the person is dead, pursuing the matter brings them no benefit. But if they acquire the means to forge these weapons themselves, they can auction their own creations. It's a net gain. The difference in profit between auctioning items for others and auctioning items they've made themselves... I refuse to believe Miter won't be tempted!"
A cold smile spread across Galie Bi's lips. However, considering his target possessed the powerful Monster Core Armor and was a high-level Dou Zhe, killing Zhou Changqing required careful planning. He couldn't afford a single mistake. With that, Galie Bi sent messengers to the Aoba Clan, Chelluo, and other factions allied with the Galie Clan.
A few nights later, Zhou Changqing was cultivating on his bed.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open. His gaze shot past his room, sweeping across the small courtyard outside. A flicker of understanding crossed his face, and his expression hardened. His senses told him that his courtyard was surrounded. And there were quite a few of them.
"You're certainly patient, waiting this long to make your move. I underestimated you, Chelluo..." Zhou Changqing's mind immediately went to the man who held a death grudge against him. Only Chelluo would risk defying the Miter Auction House to come after him. After all, Chelluo knew that offending Miter might not be a death sentence, but allowing Zhou Changqing to grow stronger certainly would be.
Sensing the intruders closing in from all sides, Zhou Changqing knew they intended to leave him no chance of escape. But he wasn't worried. Even if Chelluo himself was here, Zhou Changqing was confident he could hold out for some time. As long as he made enough of a commotion to alert the Miter staff, the crisis would be resolved. Besides, his senses detected no auras that were overwhelmingly stronger than his own; none of them had reached the level of a Da Dou Shi. With this in mind, he got out of bed.
With a creak, he opened the door and stepped into the courtyard. Looking toward the surrounding walls, a smile played on his lips. "My friends," he called out, "since you're already here, why not show yourselves? Are you planning on a sneak attack?"
His enemies were hidden and numerous; he had no chance of picking them off one by one. It was better to call them out into the open. By disrupting their plan, he could sow chaos and seize control of the tempo, making it easier to decide whether to fight or flee.
"Damn! We've been spotted!"
"Go! Don't let him escape!"
"Watch out for that kid's weapon! Don't get careless!"
The moment Zhou Changqing's voice faded, six figures leaped from behind the courtyard walls, rushing toward him from all directions.
All six were clad in black, their faces covered by masks, melting into the night. If not for the faint moonlight, they would have been nearly invisible. Behind them, more than a dozen other black-clad figures swarmed into the courtyard. The first six were clearly the leaders.
"Good!" A flicker of excitement lit up Zhou Changqing's eyes. He charged forward, targeting the leader with the weakest aura.
Since his transmigration, he had never had a proper, head-on battle. The street fight from half a year ago had been won through the advantage of his weapon and the element of surprise. What man didn't yearn for a truly satisfying fight? By denying him the chance to be ambushed and creating such a grand scene, his opponents were inadvertently fulfilling a long-held wish.
In an instant, Zhou Changqing closed the distance to the weakest leader. With a flash from the storage ring on his right hand, a massive greatsword appeared in his grip.
"Die!" he roared. With a surge of power, lightning-attribute Dou Qi flared to life, coursing through the heavy blade as he brought it down in a devastating overhead slash