Ten Thousand Sword Masters

"Lord Cao, I am merely a lowly soldier. How could I possibly cause trouble for such a vast dynasty?" Zhang Jianyun said with amusement.

"A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant hole. Every matter in any region of the dynasty should be taken seriously. Do you think there are many experts at the Golden Wheel Realm that the dynasty can just call upon at will, let alone use one as the mayor of a town?" Cao Jin said with dissatisfaction.

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Jianyun said, "How about this, sir? I will speak to Tang Guanshan and tell him not to target the government or do anything that would harm the interests of the dynasty. If the White Tiger Gang dares to oppose the government and cause trouble in the town, I will personally deal with them."

Having received Zhang Jianyun's promise, Cao Jin relaxed: "I'm relieved to hear that."

Cao Jin's arrival broadened Zhang Jianyun's thinking; if the White Tiger Gang became too rampant in the future, he could use him to gain more hostility.

As soon as Cao Jin left, Zhang Jianyun received a series of system notifications.

"You have received hostility from xxx, the leader of the Green Fang Gang."

"You have received hostility from xxx, the leader of the Green Fang Gang."

···

"You have received hostility from xxx, the leader of the Green Fang Gang."

I received five system notifications in a row, and that wasn't all; I received another one.

"You have received hostility points from Xiao Fan, the leader of the Qingya Gang."

It seems I'm collectively hated by the Green Fang Gang. I wonder if the stewards, disciples, and apprentices under the leader will also resent me. If they all hate me, my hostility level will skyrocket.

Thinking of this, Zhang Jianyun couldn't help but think of the elephant girl from Camel Bell Village. She hated me so much, so why didn't she give me any hostility points?

Not long after Cao Jin left, Tang Guanshan arrived at Zhang Jianyun's place, looking travel-worn.

"Sir, I heard that Cao Jin from the government has come here?" Tang Guanshan asked somewhat nervously.

"Just now," Zhang Jianyun said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip of water.

"What is he here for?" Tang Guanshan asked seriously.

"Naturally, we're worried that after your White Tiger Gang unifies the Jianghu of Cangxi Town, you'll oppose the government," Zhang Jianyun said with a smile.

"Please rest assured, sir and government officials, I will never oppose the government," Tang Guanshan assured them.

"I know you wouldn't dare. If you ever dare to oppose the government in the future, I will personally deal with you," Zhang Jianyun said coldly.

"I would absolutely not dare," Tang Guanshan hurriedly shook his head.

"Sir, we've decided to raid a few shops belonging to the Flying Dragon Gang and the Green Fang Gang tonight to test their reaction," Tang Guanshan said.

"Go ahead and do it. If they manage to get someone from the History Realm to oversee things, I'll personally take action," Zhang Jianyun said readily.

"Alright, then I'll instruct them to get started."

As the night deepened, Zhang Jianyun prepared to go to sleep, but received a series of system notifications.

"You have received hostility points from Xiao Fan, the leader of the Qingya Gang."

"You have received hostility from xxx, the leader of the Green Fang Gang."

···

"You have received hostility from xxx, the leader of the Green Fang Gang."

"You have received hostility points from Qin Long, the leader of the Flying Dragon Gang."

"You have received hostility from xxx, the leader of the Flying Dragon Gang."

···

"You have received hostility from xxx, the leader of the Green Fang Gang."

Receiving these hints, Zhang Jianyun felt much better and thought, "Let the hostility level come even stronger!"

The next morning, shortly after arriving at the pavilion, Zhang Jianyun was invited to Yang Changping's office.

Since Zhang Jianyun broke through to the History Sea Realm, Yang Changping has not assigned him any tasks, treating him as an equal.

"Lord Cao came to see me yesterday. He hoped I could talk to you more about this, so you don't go astray and get too involved with those gangs in the martial arts world," Yang Changping said with a smile.

"Lord Cao doesn't trust me," Zhang Jianyun said with a smile.

"We can't blame Lord Cao, after all, he hasn't had much contact with you. I told him that, based on my understanding of you, you wouldn't choose this path of the martial world," Yang Changping said.

Zhang Jianyun smiled but did not reply.

"Jianyun, there's a task for you now. I'm worried that the others won't be able to handle it," Yang Changping said.

"What mission?" Zhang Jianyun asked curiously.

"I received news that an evil god ritual has appeared in Lianshan Village, Malan. I want you to go to Lianshan Village, find the evil ritual, and destroy it," Yang Changping said.

"Okay," Zhang Jianyun readily agreed.

Afterwards, Zhang Jianyun went to the scribe Du Zhong to collect the Crimson Flame Horse and headed directly to Lianshan Village.

After galloping for a while, Zhang Jianyun arrived at the foot of Malan Mountain.

Looking at the mountain peaks, Zhang Jianyun thought of the Elephant Woman. What was she doing now?

After being lost in thought for a while, Zhang Jianyun dismounted and led his horse up the mountain.

We passed Camel Bell Village, then Sad Moon Village, and arrived outside Lianshan Village.

Lianshan Village is a settlement of the Western Miao people. At this time, the village gate was wide open, and people were coming and going.

Upon entering the village, Zhang Jianyun inquired about the situation and then headed towards the village elder's residence.

"So it's Lord Nine Star Guard, please have a seat." Feng Shou, the village chief of Lianshan Village, warmly welcomed Zhang Jianyun, who was dressed in a Nine Deer Robe.

"Elder, I've come today on official business," Zhang Jianyun said after a brief exchange of pleasantries.

"May I ask what brings you here, sir?" Feng Shou asked cautiously.

"Elder, there are rumors that an evil spirit has appeared near your village. Have you heard anything about it?" Zhang Jianyun asked.

Upon hearing this, Feng Shou frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "I have heard some things about evil rituals."

"Oh? Could the village elder tell me about it?" Zhang Jianyun asked expectantly.

"Around mid-May, the frequency with which some women left the village suddenly increased. At first, I didn't pay attention, but gradually, I found that there were more and more women like this. Later, these women would take their children with them when they went out. At this point, I became alert and asked people to inquire. Some said they were taking their children to visit relatives, some said they were taking their children to town to broaden their horizons, and some said they were going out to see a doctor. They all had their own reasons."

"I wanted to investigate further and ask the husbands of these women, but I got the same answer from them all."

"I also sent people to follow these women, but every woman who was followed was actually doing what she had given as the reason for leaving the village. This made me doubt myself and wonder if I was overthinking it."

"Later, something happened."

"What happened?" Zhang Jianyun asked alertly.

"An eight-year-old boy in the village injured a burly thirty-two-year-old man," Feng Shou said.

Zhang Jianyun was startled upon hearing this, "Was it an accidental injury, or an injury sustained in a direct confrontation?"

"A head-on confrontation."

"How is this possible? Is that man a good-for-nothing?" Zhang Jianyun exclaimed in shock.

"That man was considered a pretty good hunter in our village," Feng Shou said leisurely. "But after that incident, I never dared to investigate why those women took their children out again."

An evil god who can directly grant power to people is absolutely incomparably powerful.

Of course, these children or their mothers must have paid a price.

"Can I see the child?" Zhang Jianyun asked.

I like the Ten Thousand Swords Master.