Chapter 95

"Th-this... how can I accept it?"

Zhao Yun chuckled, saying this, but his hands were not idle. He had a point! Lord Wanggu was very reasonable. I blew up the Wangyue Tower, and even used up all my explosive talismans, almost getting buried in the rubble. I should get some compensation, no matter how much. He understood that Yang Xiong gave him the silver note out of respect for his master, and indeed, he was quite generous, giving him fifty thousand taels, a thick stack of silver notes.

He left, with the silver notes in his pocket.

Behind him, Yang Xiong stroked his beard, finding Zhao Yun more and more likable. A missing arm was no problem; with such a prodigious talent, he would surely become a great figure in the future. Having been the Lord of Wanggu City for so long, he had the discernment to see this.

"Will you attend the auction tomorrow?" the steward asked.

"I've already seen the auction list; there's nothing of interest," Yang Xiong said, getting up and leaving, clearly indicating that he didn't care who went, but he definitely wouldn't go. He'd rather find a quiet place to count his money.

No one knew how much he had extorted.

Roughly estimated, it was at least two hundred thousand taels. The major clans were not like the minor ones; they were all incredibly wealthy, and he had caught them with their guard down.

On this side, Zhao Yun did not stop.

Looking at his current state, he was different from before. His body was covered in fresh blood, even his mouth and nose were bleeding, and he was limping. Anyone who saw him would naturally assume he had been beaten up.

Of course, this was all an act by Zhao Yun, for the benefit of others.

Today's commotion was too big, and Yang Xiong was ruthless, bleeding many major clans. If he walked out lively, the major clans would think he was unfair, not punishing him at all, which would be unacceptable.

In short, he was reducing pressure on Yang Xiong and showing the major clans that the city lord treated everyone equally, punishing and beating those who deserved it.

That's why Yang Xiong found Zhao Yun very likable, because this kid knew how to handle things without being told.

The sky was already dark, and there were many guards in the city.

When they saw Zhao Yun, their expressions were filled with respect.

This kid was impressive. He blew up the Wangyue Tower, and it wasn't just a building; the people inside were all from influential backgrounds, and they were scattered everywhere. Even the city lord was alarmed. That day, the city lord did nothing but invite the major clans for tea, extorting a lot of silver.

All of this was Zhao Yun's doing.

There were people at the city lord's residence, and there were also people outside.

The onlookers had been there for a long time, watching the major clan's descendants leave the city lord's residence, their faces grim and dark. There was no need to ask; the price of tea was not cheap.

They were even more curious about how the city lord would deal with Zhao Yun.

"He's out," someone shouted.

From a distance, they could see Zhao Yun's figure, his remaining arm holding his waist, limping, covered in blood. It was clear he had been beaten, and the state he was in suggested it was severe.

"See! The city lord is still fair, punishing the major clans and Zhao Yun alike."

"The problem is, it's not Zhao Yun's fault! It's those brats who were too overbearing."

"Still, he did blow up the Wangyue Tower."

"Being beaten is better than paying money."

"What I'm more curious about is how Zhao Yun reconnected his spirit veins and cultivated to the second level of True Spirit in such a short time."

"Is the former genius back?"

There were many people, and many voices, chattering and gossiping, sighing at Zhao Yun's experiences and marveling at his talent.

More people felt awkward.

Who knew when Zhao Yun had reconnected his spirit veins? Everyone present only found out today, especially those who had shown disdain for Zhao Yun in the past, who were now thoroughly embarrassed. Some of them hadn't even reached Zhao Yun's level of cultivation, so they had no right to mock him.

"Kid."

Niu Hong was also there, running up quickly. Seeing Zhao Yun in such a state, he almost cursed, but when he helped Zhao Yun up, he raised an eyebrow, realizing Zhao Yun was just acting.

"Keep it low."

Zhao Yun wiped his nose, baring his teeth in a convincing act.

Even Yue Shen, upon seeing this, couldn't help but sigh.

Some people, when they act, are completely unrecognizable. In every field, they are incredibly talented, and with proper training, they could become Oscar-worthy actors.

Zhao Yun limped away, disappearing into the crowd.

The street was noisier because of him, just like on his wedding day, people pointed and whispered, but this time, it wasn't ridicule and mockery, but admiration and sighs.

Unfortunately, the Zhao family had severed ties with the outside world.

It was also unfortunate that Zhao Yuan was in seclusion; otherwise, he would have come as soon as he heard the news.

His son, Zhao Yun, had risen from the ashes.

From then on, the term "broken spirit veins" would no longer apply to Zhao Yun.

"Master."

"It's fine."

When they returned to the barracks, Zhao Yun was lively again, tearing off his blood-stained clothes.

The fat old man, the purple-haired child, Zhuge Xuandao, and Chi Yan were not surprised at all. Even if Yang Xiong had ten lives, he wouldn't dare to hit Zhao Yun. As the saying goes, "When you beat a dog, you look at its owner." Zhao Yun might not be a dog, but his master was a formidable Tianwu Realm cultivator, who no one dared to provoke.

It was all an act.

It had to be said that Zhao Yun's move was indeed impressive, not just in Yang Xiong's eyes, but in theirs as well. Today, they were also spectators, and seeing the major clans' grim faces was particularly satisfying. The disciple of the imperial family truly lived up to his reputation, shocking the world with his first move.

"How much did you get?"

The fat old man poked Zhao Yun, winking and smiling.

"What?"

"Keep acting, did Yang Xiong not give you anything?"

"Really, nothing."

"Come here."

Zhuge Xuandao was the most direct, pulling Zhao Yun away.

Afterward, he locked the door and gave Zhao Yun a small bag. Inside were all spirit pills, about a dozen Essence Yuan Pills, some he found himself, some he took from the purple-haired child, and the rest he bought from the fat old man at a high price.

The purpose was clear: to exchange for cultivation techniques.

He urgently needed a complete cultivation technique to help him recover his peak cultivation, and then beat the fat old man into a pulp. He was a very vengeful person.

"You're really generous."

Zhao Yun chuckled, quickly putting the bag away and writing on a piece of paper.

Zhuge Xuandao's face turned dark.

The cultivation technique Zhao Yun wrote was still incomplete. After knowing each other for so long, couldn't he give a little more? He was counting on Zhao Yun to show off.

If you have the technique, bring the pills.

Zhao Yun didn't say anything, but his expression said it all. He wasn't refusing to give; he was asking for pills. After all, he was once a Dizang Realm cultivator and could easily get some pills. Besides, using a single Essence Yuan Pill to exchange for such a complete and profound cultivation technique was a great deal.

Zhuge Xuandao couldn't deny this.

After cultivating the new technique, his waist no longer ached, his legs no longer hurt, and his whole body felt rejuvenated. His physique was far better than before, and his long-standing ailments were gradually fading. Although he had dropped in rank, it was a process of rebirth and transformation.

Because of this, he respected and was grateful to Zhao Yun's master, who truly had great power and cultivation, able to complete a broken cultivation technique so perfectly.

That night, many people couldn't eat.

Like the major clan's descendants who were extorted, like the Liu family, and other families in Wanggu City, they all had one thing in common: Zhao Yun.

The outsiders were furious, their teeth grinding in anger.

The local families felt threatened, as Zhao Yun's talent was truly terrifying.

There was another common point, and they all had a tacit understanding: to target the Zhao family.

The major clans and local families had this understanding, to suppress Zhao Yun before he rose to power. Many, like Wang Yang of the Wang family, had already developed murderous intentions, wanting to eliminate the genius again to prevent future trouble.

After dinner, Zhao Yun retreated to his room.

After Liu Ruxin fell asleep, he used true essence to nourish his body. At midnight, he secretly left his room, found an empty room, and prepared to draw explosive talismans. The explosive talismans were gone, so he needed to restock.

The auction was the next day, and he would attend.

With Yue Shen's divine ability, no treasure could escape her eyes. If he didn't have enough silver, he could use the explosive talismans to make up for it.

In fact, unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't use the explosive talismans as silver. Who knew where they would end up, and they might be used against him. After all, the explosive talismans were powerful, and he, at the True Spirit Realm, couldn't withstand them.

Similarly, the speed talismans were better kept for himself, and he wouldn't give them to anyone except those very close to him, like the little fatty.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

While drawing, he suddenly heard sharp whistling sounds.

They were arrows, shot from all directions, entering the barracks. Each arrow carried a black iron ball, which exploded upon entering the barracks.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The explosions were loud in the quiet night, and half of the barracks were destroyed, with flames burning. A row of houses was reduced to ruins.

"What the hell, in the middle of the night!"

"Hey, it's the Zhao family's barracks."

"Who did it?"

"Even a fool could guess, it must be the major clan's descendants. They suffered such a big loss today, they couldn't help but seek revenge. Since they couldn't do it openly, they resorted to underhanded tactics."

"Truly shameless."

The quiet night became noisy, with many people awakened by the explosions. Windows opened, and people watched the Zhao family's barracks, chattering and gossiping.

In addition, many patrolling guards had gathered.

Unfortunately, the scene was too chaotic, and the attackers were not caught.

Not catching them was fine, as long as they knew who did it.

Zhao Yun knew, or rather, Yue Shen knew.

This was a planned attack, with arrows shot from a distance. The attackers had fled before the explosions, and even though he was fast, by the time he reached the rooftops, they were already gone.

Fortunately, no one was injured.

"Starting the revenge already?"

Zhuge Xuandao sighed, and Zhao Yun, like him, was still in shock. It was easy to dodge an open attack, but hard to guard against a hidden one. The attackers were too quick, and they couldn't react in time.

"Yan Kang, Han Ming, Yuwen Hao, Wang Yang..."

Zhao Yun spoke each name, engraving them in his heart.

These were the people who attacked tonight.

He would make them pay, one by one, in the future.