Longzang

Chapter 982 Business Proficiency
Four airships lined up in the air, slowly approaching the border of the Ji Kingdom. In the last airship, Zhang Sheng, who had been sitting in meditation, slowly opened his eyes and then stood up.

The airship convoy was slowing down when four young men in brocade robes lined up in front of it, blocking its path.

Two Dharma Aspect cultivators flew out of the flying boat, bowed respectfully, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "We are the transport fleet of the Qingyang Military Governor of the Great Tang Dynasty. May I ask your names and origins, gentlemen, and why you have stopped our fleet?"

A young man opened his folding fan, gently waved it, and said, "We are the Four Young Masters of Jiangnan. You must have heard of our reputation."

Both Qingming Dharma Aspects frowned. They had never heard of the Four Young Masters before, nor did they know where this so-called Jiangnan was. However, the four people in front of them were very young, yet all of them were Dharma Aspect cultivators, and their auras were quite unusual, clearly indicating that they were not of low status.

The two Azure Netherworld Dharma Images, unaware of each other's identities, still politely asked, "Then may I ask why you are blocking our way?"

A young man in purple robes said, “Your flying ship is quite interesting. Now that we have reached the border of the Ji Kingdom, as citizens of Ji, we should share the burdens of our country and cannot allow suspicious individuals to move about at will. We need to inspect the people and cargo on board to see if they are connected with the rebels. If there is nothing wrong, you may leave.”

The two Azure Netherworld Dharma Images' faces darkened, and they said coldly, "We kindly advise the four of you to return to where you came from while there's still time. We'll let bygones be bygones for blocking our fleet. Otherwise..."

The four young masters laughed in anger, saying, "What else could we do? Do you know who we are? This one is Brother Meng from the Duke of Longguo's mansion! In Jiguo, you dare to speak so arrogantly in front of Brother Meng? You really don't know your place!"

Another young master said, "We knew that someone was going to take advantage of the national crisis to use the mountain people's land to do wicked things! If I'm not mistaken, these flying boats are all carrying supplies for the rebels, right?"

The young master surnamed Meng said, "Our second grandfather is fighting the enemy on the front lines, and we must also do our part for the country! If you hand over the flying boat today, bind yourselves, kneel down, and await your fate, you may be treated leniently. Otherwise, however our second grandfather slaughtered the rebels, we will slaughter you in the same way!"

"Brother Meng is too kind-hearted, actually willing to give such a person a way out... uh..."

The young man in blue suddenly forgot what he was going to say next and just stared straight ahead.

Zhang Sheng appeared behind the two Azure Netherworld Dharma Images.

Her hair was not tied up at this moment; it was naturally loose and flowing down her back. Her usual disguise seemed to come and go. Standing by the railing, Zhang Sheng's breathing was uneven, but his eyes burned like stars. The injuries from the previous battle had not yet fully healed, and his breathing carried a deep, heavy quality. A chilling sword intent was gathering around him, ready to be unleashed. His skin was as white as snow, and his features were as cold as jade. In the occasional glimpse of his eyes, a hint of his true appearance and an unparalleled aura of dominance over the world were revealed.

The Fourth Prince's breath and heartbeat faltered for a moment, as if a celestial being had conjured that instant of time.

The four young masters were all at the mid-to-late stage of the Dharma Aspect realm, and their combined strength was indeed not to be underestimated. Originally, their bodies were already strongly warning them, and they felt a chill in their hearts, but their primordial spirits refused to leave. The four of them either stole glances or glanced sideways out of the corner of their eyes, but none of them dared to look directly at Zhang Sheng, nor were any of them willing to look away.

Zhang Sheng seemed to be deep in thought when a young Taoist appeared above his head. With a casual grab, a rusty sword flew out of the sword tomb and shot towards the one with the highest cultivation among the four young masters.

Young Master Meng was still in a daze, but at the critical moment of life and death, he finally came to his senses. When he sensed the power of the flying sword with his divine sense, he was instantly terrified and screamed as he turned and ran away.

But how could a cultivator be faster than a flying sword? Seeing the flying sword rapidly closing the distance, the other three young masters turned pale and dared not make a move to help!
Enraged by the sight of the flying sword chasing him, Young Master Meng shouted, "From this day forward, I will sever all ties with the three of you!"

He turned and flew into the sky, where a dignified old man appeared. He snorted heavily and shouted, "How dare you! You dare to touch someone from our Duke's Mansion!"

Then a large hand reached for the flying sword. However, just as the hand was about to touch the sword, the young Taoist suddenly opened his eyes, and the flying sword accelerated rapidly, instantly piercing through Young Master Meng's back and exiting through his chest!

Young Master Meng looked down at the wound on his chest with a surprised expression, and then fell from the sky.

The old man was first shocked, then furious, and then deeply ashamed and annoyed. He threw a golden plate at Zhang Sheng's head!

The golden disc grew larger and larger, instantly becoming the size of a palace, not only attacking Zhang Sheng but also covering the entire fleet!
This old man was a newcomer to the Imperial Realm, but his offensive skills were extraordinary, and his insight was sharp. At this moment, Zhang Sheng was injured and lacked a unified aura, which the old man saw through at a glance, revealing his extremely strong offense but weak defense.

Zhang Sheng had only just completed the cultivation of the Dharma Aspect Nourishing Spirit Realm, so his physical strength and total Dao power were only average. However, his methods of killing were earth-shattering and inconceivable, and his Dao heart was flawless and impeccable.

Faced with the mountain-like golden plate, the old Taoist priest reappeared above Zhang Sheng's head, his black and white qi rotating in his hands. The golden plate suddenly lost its direction, tilted upwards, and flew directly into the sky.

The old man was startled and quickly grabbed the golden plate, otherwise the treasure might have truly flown to the heavens. At this moment, the young Taoist drew the immortal sword beside his seat, pointed it into the air, and the sword hung in the western sky. Then he summoned three more swords from the sword tomb, hanging one in each of the east, south, and north, and flicked his finger, causing the four swords to vibrate and emit a sword cry!
The old man felt a sudden dizziness, his primordial spirit almost leaving his body, and his aura plummeted! At this moment, with his primordial spirit separated from his body and without the protection of his physical body and sea of ​​consciousness, he could be easily killed by any Dao Foundation cultivator.

Fortunately, the old man managed to escape the sword's influence at the last moment thanks to his unwavering Dao heart and steely will. But that attack had already brought him to the brink of death!
The old man was both shocked and furious. He immediately distanced himself and shouted, "Who exactly are you? Do you have to be an enemy of the Duke of Long? If so, Ji Kingdom will be in dire straits!"

His words, though seemingly harsh, actually softened his stance. Given Zhang Sheng's demeanor and methods—it seems killing people of higher ranks is commonplace for him—how could such a person not have a powerful backer?

While pointing out the background of the Duke of Longguo, the old man probed Zhang Sheng's identity, hoping to see if they could have a talk.

But Zhang Sheng didn't want to waste time arguing with him, and said calmly, "My Qingming rules dictate that anyone who dares to intercept a caravan must be killed first, and then we'll discuss right and wrong. Take another strike from my sword!"

The young Taoist priest raised his hand and flicked it towards the sword formation in the air!

The old man snorted heavily and said, "Very well, remember this: this matter will not be left unresolved!"

He had only uttered the first few words when the old man's figure vanished, leaving only a trace of magic power to finish his statement.

This move was completely unexpected by Zhang Yi. Indeed, there are many extraordinary people in the world, and their methods are endless. Today, she has truly broadened her horizons.

The three young masters in the air remained standing there, not daring to move. They were of extraordinary birth and possessed keen eyesight; knowing they could not escape the pursuit of the flying sword, they figured it was better to stand still and perhaps save their lives.

Zhang Sheng glanced at them, pointed to the bow of the boat, and said, "Come here and kneel down."

The third young master obediently flew over and knelt down, sealing his magical powers and taking out all his magical treasures and valuables, neatly arranging them in front of him.

Zhang Sheng was taken aback by this and said, "How come the three of you are so skilled in your work?"

The three young men looked embarrassed and couldn't bring themselves to say anything.

At this moment, the two Azure Netherworld Dharma Images had already gone down and retrieved Young Master Meng, placing him on the bow of the boat. Zhang Sheng's sword strike had shaken his sea of ​​consciousness; the physical injuries looked frightening, but were not actually fatal. At that time, Zhang Sheng's injuries had not yet healed, and his remaining Dao power was not much. He also needed to conserve his strength to deal with the hidden Elder Yu Jing in the air, so he used Young Master Meng as bait, and sure enough, he lured the elder out.

At this moment, the Qingming cultivator brought over a chair. Zhang Sheng put away his Dharma form, sat down in the chair, and asked, "Do you lot think your lives are worth that much?"

The four nodded hurriedly, like pecking at rice, even Young Master Meng, who had just woken up.

Zhang Sheng asked again, "Is your family wealthy?"

One of the young men hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes! My family members wouldn't dare say we're the wealthiest in the entire country, but we're at least among the top ten."

Zhang Sheng said calmly, "Write a letter to your family and ask them to bring money to ransom you. The exact amount depends on how much your lives are worth."

After saying this, Zhang Sheng got up and went back to his cabin.

Only then did the Fourth Young Master dare to slightly raise his head and steal a glance at Zhang Sheng's figure, his heartbeat and breath quickening.

At this moment, the four people's emotions were in turmoil and extremely complex. When they first met Zhang Sheng, they were all amazed by her extraordinary abilities and were even more impressed by her earth-shattering methods. But now, Zhang Sheng was talking about money all the time, revealing a bit of her mortal side. She was no longer the aloof fairy that no one dared to look up to.

The four young masters had long since given up on comparing themselves to Zhang Sheng on the road, but when it came to money, they were quite confident, each secretly calculating their own wealth and fortune. Three of them felt that their families were richer than the Duke of Longguo, and secretly decided to first oust Young Master Meng.

The three were filled with trepidation, their emotions fluctuating wildly at the glimmer of hope they held: they wondered if offering up their entire fortune would at least earn them a chance to be severely punished. If a beating didn't work, a few scoldings would be just as good.

(End of this chapter)