I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1759 - 193: Yielding

Chapter 1759: Chapter 193: Yielding

"Unparalleled City? Are you crazy to provoke that beast for two dragon beasts!?"

Cao Yanran asked incredulously.

"I thought being part of the holy sect ancestry might mean more interaction, but who knew the servants of Unparalleled City wouldn’t regard Ten Thousand Beasts Manor at all, especially Du Sha from Marshal Star Pavilion and Shen Dafa from the City Hall!"

Stone Muzhi, growing more aggrieved, rolled up his sleeve, revealing a yet-to-heal bite mark, and lamented, "The commander of the Unparalleled City guard bullied Yu Qing, and as an old man, I just stepped forward to mediate and was instead made a target for attacks. I don’t know what cultivation this Meng Jiao has, but his poison attack is formidable. I not only failed to save Yu Qing but almost lost my life. If it weren’t for the detoxifying and evil dispelling elixirs I always carry as a merchant, I fear I wouldn’t have made it alive to Long Valley to see the true transmission!"

Looking at the deeply infected wound on Stone Muzhi’s arm and hearing his aggrieved complaint, Cao Yanran naturally felt compassion. Seeing this head of the household, who should be considered his uncle in terms of seniority, in tears, made this true disciple of the Mao Sect utterly displeased with the lackeys from Unparalleled City.

Wounds don’t lie; this man named Meng Jiao attacked with lethal intent. Such severe poison is very difficult to cleanse, and even if Stone Muzhi recovered, he would be left with hidden ailments, ruining any hope of spirit forging.

What’s more appalling is that they even killed Stone Yu Qing!

He had seen the young man before: handsome, well-mannered, and well-bred.

What grave mistake could such a child commit that warrants death?

It’s often said that some clans outside the holy lands are unruly and arrogant; now it seems the lackeys of Void Grandmaster have truly mastered their ways.

Cao Yanran wanted to support Stone Muzhi in seeking justice at Red Cloud, but when he thought about the Flame Sun Sword Master settled in Red Cloud and that little rumor from Zhongzhou, he felt a headache.

If a large-scale conflict erupted now, Yuanzhou might blame Long Valley for poor upbringing.

After a moment’s thought, Cao Yanran considered, "After all, we are Mao Sect relatives. If we can’t make a noise when being bullied, it won’t do. But Red Cloud Mountain is home to refugees from the flood-stricken Longxi folk; even if we blame, it shouldn’t involve the entire city. So, write a letter to Unparalleled City, demanding they hand over the murderer of Yu Qing and compensate for the loss of the wild beasts."

Sighing helplessly, Cao Yanran comforted Stone Muzhi, saying, "I know even with this, Master Shi still feels wronged. However, currently, Red Cloud is a major force in Longzhou, unmatched among the scattered cultivators, and people won’t care how much Ten Thousand Beasts Manor has suffered. If conflict arises now, it will only be you who suffer."

"Since the true transmission said so, this old man... this old man will comply."

Perhaps because he was truly heartbroken, Stone Muzhi again let down his rolled-up sleeve to cover his face, sobbing quietly.

Seeing the elder’s sad state in front of him, Cao Yanran also felt a bit heavy-hearted and thus comforted, "Master Shi, don’t be too upset. Although this time Ten Thousand Beasts Manor will definitely rank at the bottom, I will do my best to preserve its breeding qualification. In addition, the cultivation quota from Long Valley will also be reserved for you. Select another outstanding young person to come."

The saddened true disciple of Mao Sect promised aloud, while Stone Muzhi, barely concealing his inner joy, couldn’t hide the smile at the corners of his mouth.

Fortunately, with his sleeve-covered face, even his trembling shoulders appeared to be sobbing.

After a long while, Stone Muzhi calmed his emotions, bowing deeply to Cao Yanran, "Thank you for your care, true transmission. I am eternally grateful."

"We are all relatives here, no need for such courtesy. Master Shi should return soon and select a disciple to send to Long Valley. The pressure on inner sect studies is high, and if they arrive late, they might not keep pace."

As he spoke, Cao Yanran remembered Yu Qing’s polite and courteous demeanor, shaking his head in regret, "What a pity, what a pity."

...

The crying child gets the milk, as is often the way of the world.

The grievances quietly endured are often ignored; not everyone has eyes to perceive them.

Thus, after Stone Muzhi’s tearful complaint, Ten Thousand Beasts Manor, ranked endmost this year, received plenty of fine beast species and even a beast-rearing secret strategy personally written by Mao Sect’s true disciple, Cao Yanran.

Were it not for the fact that various families were present during the evaluation, one would think Ten Thousand Beasts Manor was rated excellent in this substitution assessment.

The sense of injustice was certain, but what could the families say? The extra beast species were personally supplemented by Cao Yanran, and even the secret strategy was voluntarily authored.

It goes to show having connections makes things easier; some matters are met with mere envy, though everyone still teases Stone Muzhi when they gather.

After all, with the best resources, Ten Thousand Beasts Manor consistently hovered around the lower-middle tiers, inevitably stirring disbelief.

Yet, when Stone Muzhi recounted his experiences at Red Cloud Mountain with tears in his eyes, the listeners were left in bewilderment.

Stone Muzhi never appeared aggressive, only ever clasping hands, awkwardly smiling, and apologizing, much like a fluffy mass of cotton.

With such an impression established, none of the forces would doubt the truth in Stone Muzhi’s words.

Though begrudged that Ten Thousand Beasts Manor always benefited, they were ultimately part of the Beast Taming Clan, and while mockery behind closed doors was fine, outsiders bullying was intolerable.

Thinking that as a relative of the Mao Sect, Ten Thousand Beasts Manor, having suffered such great injustice, would naturally have Mao Sect to back them up, one would not have expected Cao Yanran to respond with such a weak solution.

This aroused a feeling of sympathy for Stone Muzhi among the crowd, who naturally refrained from further mockery.

After a few exchanges, leaving a note to signal if help was needed, the various great powers each departed.

Having endured for so long, Stone Muzhi, upon gaining such support, couldn’t even wait to return home and immediately repaired a letter to Unparalleled City.

Following Cao Yanran’s instructions, demanding the handover of the murderer Meng Jiao who killed Stone Yu Qing and compensation for the loss of over thirty fine wild beast species, roughly fifty billion gold.

...

Red Cloud Mountain, Unparalleled City

"Ridiculous, laughable!"

Meng Jiao, seeing the letter from Long Valley, was filled with bewilderment in his lone eye, "Over thirty fine wild beast species? I don’t recall killing that many. Can it be that the wild beasts of Ten Thousand Beasts Manor are so frail, they died along the way from a whiff of poison gas?!"

Compared to Meng Jiao’s anger, Du Ting couldn’t suppress his glee: "Commander Meng, don’t speak in anger. If Ten Thousand Beasts Manor is considering compromise, that’s all for the better! This letter from Long Valley signifies the attitude of the Beast Taming Sect. If compensation solves it, isn’t that better than a big fight? Let me draft a letter. If Master Shi agrees to drop the first condition, then paying for those resources is fine!"

"Old fool, the fault isn’t ours!"

Meng Jiao fumed, "Since ancient times, life pays for life. Stone Yu Qing killed Lu Liang, so I killed Stone Yu Qing. If Stone Muzhi wants my life, let him come fetch it himself!"

"Barbarian!"

Du Ting retorted angrily, "A concession has already been made by Ten Thousand Beasts Manor; why not let it go and mitigate the issue? Do you truly desire to see Red Cloud Mountain brimming with death and destruction?"