knife

Chapter 685 Arrangement
Boling County now has two centers.

One of them is Boling County. Since Linghu Ye entered the pass several years ago and Linghu Zhishu became the governor of Boling County, he has been working hard to build the county city.

The other is the Cui family mansion, which is about fifty miles from the county seat.

The entire Cui family manor covers an area of ​​over 100,000 mu, with mountains, rivers and everything else. It is home to tens of thousands of Cui family members, farmhands, craftsmen of all kinds, and armed forces. The manor is a self-sufficient small society. Even if a large army surrounds the entire manor, the people inside can survive without any external support.

Before Linghu Zhishu began managing the county town, the Cui family mansion was the most prosperous and true center of power and economy in the entire Boling County.

After years of effort, Linghu Zhishu successfully won over the people of Boling County who were disliked by the Cui family, or were simply oppressed and exploited by them. He also used various favorable policies to attract bankrupt farmers, struggling artisans, and migrant workers from the surrounding areas to join him, and finally formed a second center.

From then on, they could rival the Cui family.

Naturally, Linghu Zhishu's success signified a weakening of the Boling Cui clan's local control.

Of course, the inertia built up over hundreds or thousands of years cannot be completely changed in just a few years. Linghu Zhishu only wanted to show the Cui family that they had the ability to undermine them, and without resorting to force. So, since they were allies, they should support each other publicly, but private matters were another matter, and each would have to rely on their own methods.

Inside the house, Cui Ming slowly withdrew his hand. Both he and Cui Shu, who was sitting in front of him, had an undisguised look of dejection on their faces.

The Qi of Heaven and Earth that Li Dachui had injected into Cui Shu's body was something that the father and son tried everything they could to remove, but they couldn't get rid of it even a little bit. Only then did they realize the predicament Kou Zhong had faced all those years.

Kou Zhong only suffered from the Phoenix Fire, and the Black Ice Platform could help alleviate his pain. But now, with the Phoenix Fire and Moonlight Water taking turns attacking Cui Shu's body, one can imagine the extent of Cui Shu's suffering.

“If this continues, it’s inevitable that you will fall from your cultivation level!” Cui Ming looked at his second son, unable to hide the pain on his face. This was his most capable son and the hope of the next generation of the Cui family, but now he had fallen at the hands of Li Dachui.

For a large family like theirs, without a pillar to support them, what will become of them? Just look at the Lu family in Fanyang next door.

The previous patriarch was incredibly talented, far surpassing himself. However, after dying in battle against He Qingqiu, the Lu family declined rapidly. In just over twenty years, they fell from the ranks of top families, their strength continuously diminishing. It was only two years ago, when Lu Xin finally advanced to the Innate Realm, that the Lu family saw hope again.

But falling down is easy; getting back up is much harder.

Just like Tiger Roar Plain, over the past twenty years, the Cui family's relentless encroachment has nearly taken it all over. If Lu Xin hadn't advanced to the Innate Realm, his next plan would have been to begin annexing Fanyang.

Now everything needs to be planned from scratch.

Fortunately, his health was still good, and he could hold on for many more years. He hoped that one of his grandchildren would grow up quickly. "I know!" Cui Shu gritted his teeth and said, "My elder brother is really anxious. I've only been injured for a few days, and he's already rushing to send people back to find out what's going on. Heh, doesn't he realize that even if I've fallen in cultivation, I'm still at the peak of the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan, no worse than him? With his abilities, can he control the Cui family? He's only been in Dongdu for a few days, and he's already defeated Cui Haogu in Nanyang. Now he's being held hostage and extorted by that bandit Xiao Zhongren from Nanyang. Does he really think we won't know if he keeps quiet?"

"He's still your older brother, watch your mouth!" Cui Ming scolded.

"Yes, Father!" Cui Shu said somewhat unwillingly.

"You will be stationed at Tiger Roar Plain for a period of time in the coming days!" Cui Shu instructed.

"Father, the great battle is about to begin. You want me to go to Tiger Roar Plain at this time?"

"Is there anything else you can do to help now?" Cui Ming asked coldly.

Cui Shu was speechless.

"The importance of Tiger Roar Plain to us goes without saying!" Cui Ming said, "And you are well aware of Linghu Zhishu's schemes for Tiger Roar Plain over the past few years. In Boling, besides those sent by the Linghu family, what bandits or brigands have dared to plot against our Cui family! They just haven't been able to find any evidence against us. Now that the armored men have descended upon Tiger Roar Plain, that scoundrel Linghu Zhishu will surely seize this opportunity to plot against Tiger Roar Plain again!"

"You wish!"

"That's why I'm sending you!" Cui Ming said. "Your decline in cultivation was inevitable. Use this time to contribute to the family. Even without the armored men, having a Xiantian master there will surely give them a big surprise. Don't hold back this time. Make sure to kill that brat Linghu Zhishu until he's heartbroken. He doesn't have many people like that; every one he loses is one less!"

“Son understands!” Cui Shu nodded, but his tone still betrayed his deep sorrow.

Cui Ming glanced at his son and said indifferently, "He won't die, he'll just fall in cultivation level. Xiao Zheng has a good foundation. He's already at the eighth level of the Xuan Yuan realm in his early twenties. Given time, he might even surpass his grandfather and ancestors. You have such an outstanding son, what's there to lament? While you're still useful, do more for him!"

"Yes, son was a bit stingy!" Cui Shu said with a sore voice, "I'll go to Tiger Roar Plains later. Also, father, you have to be careful. That Li Dachui seems to be trying to harm you. This man has no bottom line and will use any insidious means."

"This time, more than twenty families joined forces to attack Yangguan. He knows that I am a core member of these families, but to think he can assassinate me is truly wishful thinking," Cui Shu sneered. "I'm actually looking forward to his arrival. Once I know his background, I'll have a way to deal with him!"

"Father, is it possible for him to achieve divine travel?" Cui Shu asked in a low voice. "I read in the clan's secret records that Qingfeng came and went like a ghost back then, and there was no way to guard against her. Even at Li Qingda's funeral, which was so heavily guarded, she could come and go as she pleased. She even lifted the coffin lid of the Great Emperor. What if Li Dachui has also reached such a level?"

"So we need to find a way to kill him first!" Cui Ming said coldly. "After Qingfeng fell out with Li Qing back then, she was all alone, coming and going as she pleased. No one had a good way to restrain her. Li Dachui is different. He has many attachments. We have plenty of ways to force him to fight us to the death. And now, he's only at the Xiantian level. Even if his technique is special and his power is profound, he's still not unkillable. If it weren't for this, do you think these aristocratic families would so easily abandon their past conflicts of interest and come together? Everyone's afraid!"

(End of this chapter)