Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Matter Is Settled

On the deck of the warship, Ji Jiu Huo, Ji Yi Chuan, and the others were all greatly alarmed. The Yinglong Guard wanted to arrest them for interrogation? The Ji clan had committed no great crimes.

"This Yinglong Guard is probably a disciple of Snow Dragon Mountain," Ji Liu Zhen transmitted.

"Mm, they came fast. In just one hour, they arrived from the Snow Dragon Mountain sect," Ji Jiu Huo nodded.

The only enemy they had provoked was Snow Dragon Mountain.

And as a major sect, it was normal for some of its disciples to become members of the Yinglong Guard.

"The Yinglong Guard on a case?" A frivolous voice sounded. From the second floor of the warship, Bei Shan Bai Wei, dressed in black finery, leisurely descended the stairs step by step. Ji Ning followed behind him. As he walked, Bei Shan Bai Wei glanced at the red-clad youth on the red cloud in the midair and said, "What case are you, the Yinglong Guard, handling that requires arresting members of the Ji clan?"

The moment Xue Hong Yi on the distant red cloud saw the black-clad youth, his expression changed.

As a member of the Yinglong Guard...

He could be extremely arrogant across the vast lands of Anchan Commandery, but when encountering the Marquis of Anchan's estate, he needed to restrain himself. If it were just ordinary people from the estate, it might be fine, but Xue Hong Yi could tell from the youth's attire that he was a direct descendant of the Marquis of Anchan's estate.

The hierarchy within the Marquis of Anchan's estate was strict, and clothing had strict requirements. The black finery with the 'Bei Shan' embroidery on the cuffs was not something just anyone could wear.

"Why did I run into a direct descendant of the Marquis of Anchan's estate?" Xue Hong Yi frowned slightly.

After a brief hesitation, Xue Hong Yi said directly, "I am under orders to arrest the wanted criminal 'Ke Bu'. I suspect that the wanted criminal 'Ke Bu' is hiding within the Ji clan's territory and being sheltered by them."

"Arresting the wanted criminal Ke Bu?" Bei Shan Bai Wei on the warship said softly, "Do you have a military order?"

"Yes." A black scroll appeared in Xue Hong Yi's hand. When unrolled, it bore text—a military order for the arrest of the wanted criminal 'Ke Bu', with the recipient being 'Xue Hong Yi'.

Bei Shan Bai Wei could tell at a glance that it was indeed a genuine military order.

He frowned slightly as he looked at Xue Hong Yi in the distance, thinking to himself that this Xue Hong Yi was indeed not ordinary. From the first moment he saw him, Bei Shan Bai Wei guessed that he was a Snow Dragon Mountain disciple coming to arrest the Ji clan in retaliation. A full-fledged Yinglong Guard could easily deal with the Ji clan, but he had even gone to get a military order and then found a pretext, saying 'the wanted criminal is suspected of hiding in the Ji clan.' Truly watertight.

"What to do?"

"A military order from the Yinglong Guard?"

The members of the Ji clan were all trembling inwardly. Ji Ning looked at the scroll military order from afar and then carefully examined the red-clad youth. "According to what Woodmarsh Daoist said, when he became a member of the Yinglong Guard, he entered only at the late Wanxiang stage. This red-clad youth must be no weakling, and his appearance is merely that of a youth. He must be a genius."

The younger one looked, the more cautious one had to be.

If a child of five or six appeared and directly declared that the Yinglong Guard was handling a case, that would be truly terrifying.

...

"I am under orders to arrest the wanted criminal. I ask the young master to grant me convenience," Xue Hong Yi said, his tone more respectful.

"I only see that your military order says to arrest the wanted criminal 'Ke Bu,' not to arrest members of the Ji clan," Bei Shan Bai Wei shouted. "I think you should withdraw."

Xue Hong Yi on the distant red cloud grew angry and shouted, "The wanted criminal Ke Bu is hiding in the Ji clan. Are you, young master, going to shield him from the Yinglong Guard's arrest?"

At this moment, the name of Snow Dragon Mountain was useless; only the banner of the Yinglong Guard mattered.

"Bullshit!"

Bei Shan Bai Wei pointed at Xue Hong Yi and cursed, "Do you even understand the situation? Why am I here? Ask your Snow Dragon Mountain people! Dong Fan Yu, go see your sect elder."

Dong Fan Yu was trembling with fear.

"Dong Fan Yu." Xue Hong Yi on the red cloud looked at him and confirmed it was indeed Dong Fan Yu. When he came earlier, he had naturally learned about the appearance of the Yan Mountain branch disciples. When passing by Snow Dragon City earlier, he found not a single Zifu cultivator inside. "What's going on? Why is this young master of the Marquis of Anchan's estate here?"

Dong Fan Yu quickly said, "This young master of the Marquis of Anchan's estate is an envoy from the estate, here to sign a transfer contract with the Ji clan."

"Transfer contract?" Xue Hong Yi frowned.

Bei Shan Bai Wei laughed heartily, "Your Snow Dragon Mountain disciples, including that Wanxiang Zhenren Xu Li, all died here trying to seize this spirit stone mine. But now this spirit stone mine is being transferred to my Marquis of Anchan's estate. Naturally, my estate will protect the Ji clan's safety."

"Even if you are handling a case and have a military order specifically naming members of the Ji clan to be arrested, your Yinglong Guard high command needs to coordinate with my Marquis of Anchan's estate in advance," Bei Shan Bai Wei shouted. "Also, pass this message to your Snow Dragon Mountain's Primordial Daoist: The Ji clan is under the protection of my Marquis of Anchan's estate. Tell them to know their place!"

Xue Hong Yi gritted his teeth.

"Fine." Xue Hong Yi immediately drove his cloud, turning into a red streak of light that quickly disappeared into the distance.

If Bei Shan Bai Wei were helping the Ji clan as an individual, Xue Hong Yi would still dare to fight him using his identity as a Yinglong Guard.

But...

If the other party was an envoy signing a transfer contract, that represented the entire Marquis of Anchan's estate! Those under the explicit protection of the Marquis of Anchan's estate, within the territory of Anchan Commandery, could not be harassed even by the Yinglong Guard. If there were truly heinous criminals within the Ji clan, the Yinglong Guard would need to negotiate with the Marquis of Anchan's estate and obtain their consent before making an arrest.

...

"Thank you, young master."

"Thank you, young master, for saving the Ji clan." The members of the Ji clan watched the red-clad youth leave, all overjoyed. Earlier, when they heard 'the Yinglong Guard on a case,' they were terrified.

Ji Ning also said, "Thank you, Bai Wei young master."

"I came to sign the transfer contract; it's only natural that I protect your safety," Bei Shan Bai Wei said with a light laugh. "That Xue Hong Yi, wrapped in the imperial skin of the Yinglong Guard, doesn't even know who he is! So arrogant even in front of my Marquis of Anchan's estate. Hmph! Just a Snow Dragon Mountain!"

The Ji clan members listened with envy.

Look at how domineering those words were—'just a Snow Dragon Mountain.' To the Marquis of Anchan's estate, Snow Dragon Mountain was merely a force under its rule. If the estate grew angry, uprooting the entire Snow Dragon Mountain would not be difficult. But to the Ji clan, Snow Dragon Mountain was a behemoth, and the Marquis of Anchan's estate was an unimaginable monster.

Three figures flew over from the distance.

The three figures quickly landed on the deck. They were armored soldiers. One of them said respectfully, "Reporting to the young master, we have investigated. This spirit stone mine spans over four thousand li in circumference and extends more than three hundred li deep. The quality is excellent, and there are many high-grade spirit stones."

"Mm." Bei Shan Bai Wei nodded in satisfaction, then smiled at Ji Ning and Ji Jiu Huo. "Clan leader Ji Jiu Huo, and Ji Ning, both of you come into the hall with me to sign the transfer contract."

"Yes."

Ji Jiu Huo and Ji Ning both responded and followed Bei Shan Bai Wei into the hall on the second floor.

...

On a table in the hall lay two scrolls, their text identical—both were formatted transfer contracts.

The terms, including how to distribute and protect the Ji clan, were clearly stated.

"Take out your Ten Thousand Swords City vassal tokens and leave your marks on them. Then both of you sign your names," Bei Shan Bai Wei said. "The seal of my Marquis of Anchan's estate has already been affixed. We're just waiting for you."

Ji Ning and Ji Jiu Huo exchanged a glance.

Without hesitation, they stepped forward and left their marks and signatures on the two scrolls.

"One copy of the contract goes to you, and one goes to my Marquis of Anchan's estate," Bei Shan Bai Wei said. "These are the rules."

Ji Jiu Huo quickly laughed and said, "We are already overjoyed to have survived this great calamity. As for this spirit stone mine, seventy percent goes to the marquis's estate, and the Ji clan will keep just ten percent. The remaining twenty percent, the Ji clan wishes to gift to you, young master, as thanks for saving us."

Ji Jiu Huo, after all, was an old fox who had lived nearly four hundred years; he was extremely cunning.

He knew very well.

Although on the surface the spirit stone mine was said to give thirty percent to the Ji clan, in practice there would often be some squeezing. It was better to directly offer it to a big shot and gain some goodwill instead.

"No need," Bei Shan Bai Wei said with a smile. "Ji Ning and I hit it off at once. Rest assured, no one will squeeze this spirit stone mine. Who would dare touch my friend's property?"

Friend?

Ji Ning felt a warmth in his heart.

"I will arrange for some soldiers to be stationed here to oversee the mining of the entire spirit stone mine," Bei Shan Bai Wei said. "Then your Ji clan can dispatch some people to help mine. The spirit stones mined can be handed directly to the soldiers I station here."

"Good." Ji Jiu Huo nodded repeatedly.

"Mm." Bei Shan Bai Wei nodded lightly.

Ji Jiu Huo could see that the other party still had something to say to Ji Ning, so he quickly said, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave." Then he withdrew.

Only Ji Ning, Bei Shan Bai Wei, and two maids remained in the hall.

"Ji Ning," Bei Shan Bai Wei said, "You have achieved so much even within the Ji clan. Your talent far surpasses that Xue Hong Yi. I advise you not to stay too long in such a small place. What truly belongs to you is a larger world. In the future, you are destined to be a prominent figure in Anchan Commandery."

Ji Ning quickly said, "Bai Wei young master flatters me. However, I will soon go out and explore the world."

"Mm." Bei Shan Bai Wei nodded.

"I have been very curious," Ji Ning said. "May I ask how you arrived at the Ji clan so quickly? Even spreading the news of the spirit stone mine to the Marquis of Anchan's estate would take a long time."

If the envoy from the Marquis of Anchan's estate had not arrived this time, the Ji clan would have faced much more trouble.

"Hahaha..." Bei Shan Bai Wei laughed. "Do you know how this spirit stone mine was formed?"

"This?" Ji Ning shook his head in confusion.

Bei Shan Bai Wei smiled and said, "This spirit stone mine was formed when a Primordial Daoist, seeking to break through, went into seclusion here and set up a great formation, absorbing the boundless natural energy from the surroundings. Eventually, it formed such a large spirit stone mine. That Primordial Daoist also broke through and became an Earth Immortal."

"Earth Immortal?" Ji Ning was startled. So that stone chamber had been used by an Earth Immortal.

"That Earth Immortal is the Fire Dragon Immortal," Bei Shan Bai Wei said. "After his breakthrough, he was invited to my Marquis of Anchan's estate. At the welcoming banquet, my father soon learned that there was a spirit stone mine here and that it was within the Ji clan's territory. So I got this assignment to come and sign the contract with your clan."

Ji Ning understood.

So it wasn't that the Ji clan had reported it, but that the Marquis of Anchan's estate had known all along. No wonder they arrived so quickly.

"Alright, the matter is settled. I won't linger here. If you, Brother Ji Ning, ever visit Anchan City, be sure to come see me. I will gladly play the host," Bei Shan Bai Wei said with a smile.

"Certainly," Ji Ning replied.

...

The Nether Dragon Locking Heaven formation on Oxhorn Mountain had been withdrawn. The members of the Ji clan all looked up at the distant horizon, where the warship had departed, leaving only eight Zifu cultivator soldiers behind.

"Cough." Ji Yi Chuan, who had been exuding a sharp aura, suddenly weakened. His face turned pale, and he began to cough.

"Father." Ji Ning turned to look at his father, Ji Yi Chuan.

...