Yin Long walked through the room and rummaged through the interspatial rings of the gamblers as well as the guards, quickly finding the information that he was looking for. He used the information to open the secret room that had been hidden here, his gaze landing on the metal safe covered in arrays that was tucked away in the corner of the room.
The arrays locked it up tight and made it so that only Elder Shaohe could open it, but Yin Long never planned on opening it. He placed his hand against it and activated his law of space, his hand phasing through the safe as they came to exist on two different dimensions of space. He rummaged about within it until he found the item that his senses had locked onto, pulling out the record book.
Every organization and den, no matter how illegal, would keep a logbook like this. After all, if you didn't keep a close record of your expenditures and gains, how would you be able to tell what made you a profit and when someone tried to embezzle money? He didn't touch any of the money or valuables in the safe, only bringing out the logbook and putting it away.
He got what he came for so he left the secret room and closed it up again so that it looked untouched. Jin Wang ate up almost all the corpses and even swallowed all the stray drops of blood so that the place looked spotless, or at least as spotless as it could be. Before he and Yin Yu left the room, he pulled out a piece of paper and wrote a few lines on it, stopping in front of the brown-haired and blue-eyed youth that had caught his eye earlier.
"If you just want to live normally, then you can just crumple this paper and toss it away, the ones that save you will still provide for you. But if you want to choose how to live your own life, then take this paper and hand it to the woman that will likely come here, hand it to Tang Fen. If you do, then you will at the very least be able to choose the path of your life, for better or for worse."
The child accepted the folded note with trembling hands, his gaze constantly roaming between it and Yin Long. He had been tossed aside as a child, sold before he could even learn how his parents looked. If there was one thing he had never had then it was choice, his life had always been in the hands of someone else, his path decided by everyone but him. He clenched his hand strongly, taking great care to not crumple the paper, his burning gaze following Yin Long's back as he called out.
"Name...I don't have a name... Thank y...I'll repay yo...Thank you, Benefactor! Please...name, please give me a name I can use for you!"
The child called out in a rather awkward manner, he first wanted to give his own name but then remembered that he didn't actually have one, he was just Slave. He then tried to thank Yin Long, but cut it off to declare that he would repay him. But then he realized that he probably would never be able to do that so he changed back to just showing his gratitude. Yin Long didn't mind it at all and just waved his hand as he walked away.
"Don't worry about it. I'm Yin Long, but I'm nothing more than a wanderer so I don't think you'll get the chance to meet me again, much less repay me."
He didn't even look back as he spoke, leaving the hall and shutting the door behind him. He said that they probably wouldn't ever meet again, but the nameless boy burned with determination. He had been given a life and the power of choice, if he couldn't even repay that gratitude and benevolence then he would not be deserving of what he had been given.
It meant everything to the boy, but to Yin Long, it was just another act that he did without much thought. He liked the eyes of the boy, the fire and will within them, so he gave him the freedom of choice, that was all there was to it. The three retraced their steps as they left the mansion, Yin Long picking up a few robes that bore the mark of Elder Shaohe as they left.
They quickly left the mansion and the garden around it, climbing over the walls again and blending into the crowded street as Yin Yu undid her technique. Yin Long didn't waste any time and brought the group to the closest transmission station, the guards activating the array he asked for and sending them closer to the northern end of the city.
From there, he brought them to the mansion of Elder Zhang, the one who was the target of the second mission that Yin Long had picked out. Once outside the mansion, they repeated what they had done previously and entered it. But Yin Long didn't go to any underground room this time and headed directly for the office where Elder Zhang was currently working, he seemed to be in the middle of a meeting with several of his subordinates. The group stopped in front of the office, Yin Long once again turning to Yin Yu.
"Can I ask that you act again? No need to be stealthy this time, make it as loud and eye-catching as possible, get them all."
Yin Yu acted the moment Yin Long made the request, her Qi bursting out like a violent tidal wave. The door turned to ash under the ferocious wave of lightning that washed into the room, the sheer heat of the azure lightning scorching the people currently in the meeting. Elder Zhang was already one of the weaker elders so there was no way he would be able to resist the attack, he died practically instantly.
The lightning turned into a grand pillar that burst through the ceiling of the mansion and rose high into the sky, its thunderous rumbling drawing the attention of everyone within several tens of kilometres. Once the deed was done, Yin Long tossed out the few corpses that Jin Wang hadn't eaten, dressing them in the robes he had snatched up.
He fixed up their exterior a little so that it looked like they had gotten into a fight with the men of Elder Zhang and then placed the logbook he had stolen into Elder Zhang's interspatial ring. He took the opportunity to go through Elder Zhang's interspatial ring, it never left his side so it was where he would keep his most vital things. And sure enough, the information he was looking for was also tucked away safely within a locked box in the interspatial ring.
The corners of Yin Long's lips turned up unconsciously, a somewhat sinister smirk forming on his face, as if everything was going according to plan. It was an expression Yin Yu had never seen Yin Long make before, but just like the warm smile he had worn earlier, she felt that it fit him quite nicely. The warm smile that Yin Long showed for his sister and the sinister smirk the Silver Wolf showed to the enemies of the Lang clan, they were complete opposites, but both were part of what made up Yin Long.
"Alright, now we just need to wait and watch. This is quite close to one of the transmission stations so we probably won't have to wait long."
Yin Long dusted off his hands as he spoke, his chin gesturing towards the exit to show that they should leave. Yin Yu followed him and they moved a bit away, but they didn't leave the mansion, keeping a close eye on it while remaining hidden. And indeed, it didn't take long for the first regiment of guards to arrive, quickly securing the mansion and making sure that no one could come or go.
They surveyed the damage, their expressions somewhat grim when they saw that Elder Zhang had died. Tang Fen arrived while the guards were surveying the site, Yin Long's gaze following her as she walked. She was the same as Lang Huo, paler and more haggard than he remembered her, but she had gained an additional touch of maturity in her eyes. Her golden hair wasn't brushed and had just been tied up quite simply, her gleaming blue eyes sweeping the ruined room.
Yin Long knew that Lang Huo had gone to take part in the Province Championship, and Lang Ru would definitely follow her because this was a chance to meet Yin Long and Lan Yun. But someone still had to stay behind and take care of the clan while they were gone, and the most suitable person for this would be Tang Fen, she was the wife of the matriarch and was thus one of the clan's two rulers.
"Alright now, Tang Fen, don't hesitate. You can handle this, right. My sister chose you after all, show her that you can stand stably."
Yin Long's voice was so soft that Tang Fen and the others couldn't hear it despite them being only a few hundred metres away, it was once again only Yin Yu and Jin Wang that heard him. And as they watched, Tang Fen was given the interspatial rings of Elder Zhang and the others.
She was the acting ruler of the Lang clan so she had to come to a commotion as large as this, and since she was the acting ruler, the guards here had to run everything by her. She checked the interspatial rings, her brows sinking heavily when she found the logbook that Yin Long had planted in the interspatial ring.
She checked the corpses he had tossed about, her expression sinking a bit further when she recognized the bloodied and torn symbols embroidered into the robes. She opened the locked box in Elder Zhang's interspatial ring, her eyes flickering as went through what it contained. Her fingers were unconsciously tapping her thigh as she looked at the two items, Yin Long observing her and quietly urging her on.
"Go on, you know what you need to do, you know what will ease Lang Huo's burden. It's not easy to be a ruler, sometimes you must make the heavy choice."
Tang Fen couldn't hear him and his urging on so her fingers continued to tap her thigh, her thoughts racing. But she didn't allow it to go on for long, especially when she saw the somewhat hesitant gazes of the guards that stood a bit further away. She hardened her expression into one of pure and inviolable regality, sweeping out her arm as she augmented her voice with her Qi.
"Soldiers, heed my command! Capture Elder Shaohe and his men, bring them all to the 4th Market! Do the same for everyone that remains of Elder Zhang's entourage, I don't care how much force you have to use, it's fine if you need to cripple them, just get them all without fault!"
She tossed out several more names as she spat out the order, the tone of her voice making the soldiers straighten their back and quickly scurry about. Yin Long's lips curved up softly as he saw the scene, indeed, she didn't disappoint and made the correct choice. She quickly left the mansion after handing out the order, Yin Long's group quietly following her.
They took a spatial array to reach the 4th Market, the one closest to the Lang clan estate and thus closest to the centre of the city. Tang Fen immediately gave the order to clear out the market and activated an array that was hidden beneath the paved stone. The array lit up and projected the empty 4th Market high into the sky, everyone in the city is now able to see and hear what was happening there. And at the centre of the image stood Tang Fen, her back perfectly straight and her expression regal and solemn.
"Dear citizens, I apologize for disturbing you, but I have grave news that I need to report. Elder Zhang has died just now, killed in his own mansion. But despair not, for his death is not something to be mourned. I have here evidence that Elder Zhang has been selling information about the training routes of several of our more promising young cultivators, at least nine separate groups of juniors have met their end thanks to the information he sold to the Deshi clan."
Tang Fen unfurled the information that had been hidden in the locked box as she spoke, Elder Zhang had kept a close record of it all in case he had to flee to the Deshi clan and prove his loyalty. A collective lull ran through the city as Tang Fen's voice reached them all, but she didn't stop there and brought out the logbook that had been planted.
"But he wasn't alone, he had also gathered up evidence on our own Elder Shaohe, he probably hoped to present it to the matriarch to pretend like he was actually loyal. What a pathetic dog, wagging his tail at someone else but still trying to eat from the bowl of his master. Our loyal soldiers are raiding Elder Shaohe's home as we speak, and I've already been informed that the information in this book is correct. Elder Shaohe has engaged in illegal bloodsports, sending servants and slaves to their death for the amusement of others. He has also kidnapped Lang clan members loyal to other elders and sent them into his pits, faking their death so that they wouldn't be traced back to him."
News of one elder's betrayal was bad enough, but Tang Fen simultaneously brought out evidence that two elders had betrayed them. And they were even amongst the oldest elders in the clan, it was enough to classify it as massive news. But if this was it then Tang Fen wouldn't have gone through the trouble of activating this large array, the actual show had yet to come.
"Look, here they come!"
Tang Fen's gaze turned to the side as her voice echoed throughout the city, a somewhat bloodied Elder Shaohe, a white-haired man with a beard that went down to his knees getting placed down in front of her. Along with him, a bit over 200 other people were also dragged along, all of them were people who had helped either Elder Zhang or Elder Shaohe. The one who was at the head of the soldiers who brought them was the hunch-backed Lang Cui, his brown hair and eyes gleaming with a merciless light.
"Elder Shaohe, co-conspirators of Elder Zhang and Elder Shaohe, you stand here accused of breaking the laws of the clan and actively conspiring against it. The evidence is conclusive and we have already gotten several confessions just on the way here, you all were really quick in trying to save your own hide, weren't you?"
Lang Cui sneered as he spoke, his voice augmented by the array so that it reached all the citizens. Lang Cui was the punishment elder of the clan, he was the one in charge of the dungeon and punishing criminals that had been judged through trial. He was fiercely loyal to the clan and its stability, to the point that he had even been willing to risk rousing the matriarchs anger by arresting Yin Long for the crimes he had been set up for in the past.
"Clan Leader Fen, it is with great shame that I must admit that I have failed to properly investigate our elders, I allowed their heinous deeds to go unnoticed due to my own negligence. I hereby ask that you grant me the right to perform the execution to cleanse me of my own sin."
Lang Cui bent his waist and spoke with the utmost respect and regret, the punishment elder had allowed such things to happen right beneath his nose, he felt like he turned the title into little more than a joke. But Tang Fen placed a hand on Lang Cui's shoulder and shook her head.
"You need not beat yourself up over it, you have done the best that you could. If anyone should feel shame then it should be me, my wife left me in charge of the clan before she left but I failed to discover rats like this, I bring shame to the trust she placed in me. So please, allow me to atone to her and the rest of the city by doing the deed."
Lang Cui straightened his back again and looked Tang Fen in the eye, lowering his head respectfully and stepping back, taking up position behind her. Tang Fen swiped the purple interspatial ring that was shaped like a plum flower, a gift from Yin Long's parents, and brought out the second gift they had given her, a light blue rapier. She stepped in front of Elder Shaohe, who had been forced to his knees.
"Elder Shaohe, you bring shame on the title you have been given and the years you have spent in that seat, may your sin and shame be engraved in the annals of history."
Those were the final words Elder Shaohe got to hear before Tang Fen stabbed out with her rapier, piercing cleanly through his skull and stealing his life. There was no need for a trial when the evidence was this conclusive, dragging things out would only give the elder a chance to move his forces in secret so it was better to handle it quickly. Elder Shaohe's corpse fell to the ground with a dull thud, Tang Fen directing her gaze out towards the city and lowering her head.
"Forgive me, my dear citizens. I have failed you by allowing sinners like these to linger around, I cannot imagine how many of you have lost friends and loved ones due to this error. I know I do not deserve it, but please grant me your forgiveness, I swear that I will not fail you again, I will bring pride to the trust that you and the matriarch have placed in me."
Yin Long smiled as he observed Tang Fen's actions, she really had not disappointed him. The Lang clan now had two rulers, Tang Fen and Lang Huo, and both needed to be strong and respected for everything to run smoothly. Lang Huo had the strength and respect already, but Tang Fen hadn't gotten the chance to earn that respect yet since Lang Huo was so resplendent.
But now? Now she had shown the city her decisiveness and willingness to dirty her hand for it, she had also shown that she wasn't so arrogant that she couldn't lower her head. Apologizing and asking for forgiveness like that would unconsciously bring the citizens closer to her and make them like her more, it was a great way to win their hearts over.
They could not hear the citizens from where they were, the line of guards around the market made sure of that. But Yin Long could tell just from looking at the expressions of the soldiers that Tang Fen's actions were right on the mark, they too were invigorated by her short speech and apology.
And so Tang Fen moved from person to person, personally executing every single one of them with her rapier. In the past, she may have just been the wife of the matriarch, but now she would truly be considered one of the two clan leaders, humble when needed and merciless when needed. Her cultivation wasn't quite up to snuff when compared to Lang Huo, but she was very young so she had plenty of time to work on that.
Yin Long watched quietly as Tang Fen executed the people one by one, that little girl that was always glued to Lang Huo had really grown up in the time he took his eyes off of her. Having seen this he would be able to rest a bit more easily after he left again, she was decisive enough to handle things appropriately.
"Alright, only one more place in this city to check out, let's go."
