Days later, in County Governor Manor’s dungeon.
A beautiful woman was looking anxiously into the dungeons. Far into the distance, a scholar was being imprisoned.
“Hubby! Hubby!” The beautiful woman shouted.
“Leave after you are done seeing him.” County Governor Gongye, who was standing beside her, grabbed her. He easily pulled her out of the dungeon. With Gongye beside her, the beautiful woman had no means of resisting.
The imprisoned scholar breathed softly. Pain effused from every wound on his body as he could barely make out his wife’s voice.
“Dear!”
The scholar looked up but his wife could no longer be seen in the dark dungeon.
…
In another room in County Governor Manor, there was an elegant bed. Even the blankets were made of extremely soft and smooth silk. The screens that enclosed the room were extremely intricate.
Phew.
Gongye waved his arm and the beautiful woman stumbled and fell onto the bed.
“Woman, if you wish to save your husband, there is only one way.” Gongye stood there with eyes resembling a wolf’s. He stared at the beautiful woman in front of him.
The woman clenched her teeth. She knew that the person facing her was the county governor, someone who wielded so much power that he could hoodwink the public. She and her husband had no means to put up a struggle.
“Lord County Governor, you are a county governor. I believe you will hold up to your promises and would not bully a weak female commoner like me.” The woman stood up and clenching her teeth, she released the belt around her waist, allowing her clothes to flow down her body.
“Haha…”
Gongye laughed loudly as he went forward.
…
Half a day later, when the skies were dark, Gongye got out of bed. The woman wrapped herself in blankets and scrunched herself in a corner of the bed. Her eyes were brimming with tears.
“Second Liu.” County Governor Gongye instructed. “Bring him in.”
“Yes.” A voice came from outside.
On the bed, the woman was taken aback. Bring him in? Bring who in? She only wrapped the blanket tighter around herself.
The door creaked before opening.
A cold-looking man entered with a scholar in his grasps before shoving him in.
The scholar was terrified. The moment he entered the room, he saw County Governor Gongye and the beautiful woman on the bed.
“Darling—” The scholar widened his eyes as he looked at the scene in disbelief.” You, you…”
“Hubby,” The woman said with tears brimming in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Following that, she looked at Gongye and pleaded, “Lord County Governor, please uphold your promise and release my husband.”
Gongye smiled as he glanced at Second Liu.
Second Liu grinned hideously and smacked the scholar in the head. The scholar’s eyes widened and immediately, blood flowed from his nostrils as he slumped to the ground. He died on the spot.
“Hubby! Hubby!” The woman rushed down the bed with blankets wrapped around her. She crawled towards her husband’s side but he was no longer breathing. “Hubby, wake up! Wake up!”
“You said it. You said that you would release him!” The woman turned to glare at Gongye.
Gongye smiled and nodded. “That’s right. I said that I would release him. And indeed, I have released him from the dungeon! As for whether I would kill him after releasing him, I didn’t agree to anything.”
The woman’s body was trembling. “You… you are inhumane. There will be retribution! Retribution will befall you!”
“Retribution? Hahaha…” Gongye laughed out loudly.
The woman’s eyes turned red as she looked down at her husband. She whispered, “Hubby, I’ll coming to join you.” With that said, she charged to a column beside her and slammed her head into it. She collapsed to the ground with blood bursting from her head. She fell to the ground limply as she continued looking at her husband beside her. Finally, she stopped breathing.
“What true passion. How touching.”
Gongye looked down. “I was planning to have a few more days of fun with this woman but she’s too rebellious. Second Liu, clean this up thoroughly.”
“Yes,” Second Liu chuckled and lowered his head respectfully.
For County Governor Gongye to do such a thing, there was naturally a need to clean up the matter. After capturing a couple, they had no intention of letting them go. Wouldn’t releasing them only be a sully on their reputation?
“Hmph!”
Gongye walked out in high spirits. To him, it was just a day’s worth of fun. “Those fiendish demon fellow disciples of my sect kill countless humans. I have only fooled around with a few. I’m already very benevolent!”
The death of the couple did not cause a stir in Grand Dominance at all. It was only considered a case of disappearance.
The darkness lurking beneath Grand Dominance County’s bustle had never stopped. The only difference was that Grand Dominance had an additional evil entity known as the Lord County Governor. However, this evil entity was a lot more terrifying than typical wealthy families or aristocrats.
******
Dreamlike Pavilion.
Vice Minister Wang and Dreamlike Pavilion Lady were whispering in bed.
“Are the days getting worse?” Dreamlike Pavilion Lady leaned into Vice Minister Wang’s embrace.
“That’s right. The days are getting worse.” Vice Minister Wang sighed and said, “Even I was forced to deliver fifty thousand taels of silver before I could satisfy the new county governor. His actions are ruthless. Out of all the businesses in Grand Dominance, only the Hong family, which has Lord Prefecture Overseer as its backer, has not been coerced by the new county governor. Which one of the others hasn’t he fleeced? He truly is outrageous!”
“What happens if you do not give?” Dreamlike Pavilion Lady asked.
“The moment he came, he punished the Liu family with death. How many people would dare defy him?” Vice Minister Wang said in hushed tones. “The backer he has is rather robust as well. Thankfully, he doesn’t dare to go that far with a large county like East Sea County. In Grand Dominance, I’m considered one of the ones that are better off. I have quite a lot of connections in East Sea County and some connections in the imperial capital. He spared me after I delivered fifty thousand taels. If not, he would definitely have requested a hundred thousand taels from me, considering my status.”
Dreamlike Pavilion Lady nodded.
Vice Minister Wang was one of the most ruthless entities before the Hong family rose in power. The Hong family had relied on Lord Prefecture Overseer to rapidly become Grand Dominance’s first family clan.
In comparison, Vice Minister Wang was just a merchant by trade. He had trading businesses in East Sea County and even the imperial capital. This was the reason why Dreamlike Pavilion Lady clung tightly onto him.
“In recent days, all the family clans of reasonable background in Grand Dominance have suffered.” Vice Minister Wang continued, “The county governor does not exert pressure on those that are strong enough, such as the Hong family which is backed by Lord Prefecture Overseer and family clans which are backed by top cultivation sects like the Qin family. Instead, he tries to befriend them.”
“Under his rule, I have to be very careful in the coming years.” Vice Minister Wang whispered and sighed. “I even have thoughts of hiding in East Sea County for the next few years. Dreamlike, when that happens, would you be willing to follow me?”
Dreamlike Pavilion Lady continued being embraced by Vice Minister Wang. “Darling, I’ll follow you wherever you go. If you want me to close this Dreamlike Pavilion, I’ll close it.”
Vice Minister Wang laughed as he nodded. Immediately he began thinking.
The new county governor truly made him feel threatened.
…
Indeed, the days that followed after County Governor Gongye’s arrival in Grand Dominance left many family clans cowering in fear. Unlike the compassionate County Governor Wen, County Governor Gongye’s governance was more overbearing!
“When would such days come to an end?” Every family muttered secretly but did not dare to offend the county governor in public.
******
At night, County Governor Manor’s cultivation chamber.
A stone door was sealed shut.
Gongye sat cross-legged alone. There was black aura billowing behind him, transforming into a terrifying fiendcelestial phantom. Terrifying waves effused from his surroundings, ones that were much more powerful than Golden Firmament.
“Oh?”
Gongye suddenly frowned and stopped. He flipped his hand and took out an ancient bronze mirror. In it, Nine Mountain Island Lord’s figure appeared.
“Senior Brother, why are you contacting me so late into the night?” Gongye said with a smile, “Could the reason still be that of the children’s heart blood?”
“Junior Brother, you sure are smart.” Nine Mountain Island Lord said.
“A few days ago, I saw Disciple-Nephew Golden Firmament’s assault on Qin Manor late into the night.” Gongye chuckled and said, “No one expected a flying sword to suddenly fly out of Qin Manor. The Heaven and Earth powers trembled and the flying sword produced an extremely powerful and mystical attack. It scared Golden Firmament so much that he escaped immediately.”
Nine Mountain Island Lord nodded. “Therefore, I’m here to request your help. I know that you have the means of succeeding.”
“It’s difficult.” Gongye said, “Unless you are willing to lend me the Fiendcelestial Phalanx for fifty years…”
“Impossible.” Nine Mountain Island Lord’s eyes suffused a coldness. “You can forget about the Fiendcelestial Phalanx. Raise another condition.”
Gongye looked into the mirror at Nine Mountain Island Lord and fell silent for a moment before saying, “Senior Brother, that Qin Yun has accomplished great deeds. He also has a top cultivation sect behind him. It’s not easy to deal with him! Let’s do it this way. You are, after all, my senior brother. Let’s compromise. You give me one Cloudfiend Mountain Blood Crystal, and I’ll help you settle the matter.”
Nine Mountain Island Lord hesitated for a moment before smiling. “Alright, it’s an agreement.”
Gongye smiled as well. “If anyone else were to make such a request from me, I would absolutely not have agreed. Senior Brother, I’m only willing to do it because you requested my help and are willing to give me a Cloudfiend Mountain Blood Crystal.
“Are you confident?” Nine Mountain Island Lord was a little worried. “There should be a powerful sword immortal residing in Qin Manor.”
“Haha, since I’m going to take action, I’m naturally confident,” Gongye said confidently.
“If you are confident, it’s best you kill that Qin Yun as well.” Nine Mountain Island Lord’s eyes suffused coldness.
“Alright, if it’s possible, I’ll kill him as well.” Gongye was very amiable at that moment. “Alright. Senior Brother, you just need to await my good news.”
In the bronze mirror, Nine Mountain Island Lord revealed a smile.
Gongye kept the bronze mirror and his eyes glowed coldly. “Qin Yun? I didn’t plan on doing anything to you. But in order to obtain the Cloudfiend Mountain Blood Crystal, I’m sorry!”