I run a casino in the immortal realm.

After the tax official had gone far away, Zheng Yifei turned around and went into the backyard.

He didn't go to argue with the county magistrate or check any accounts. Instead, he changed into plain clothes, left through the back door of the multi-treasure pavilion, and headed straight for the back courtyard of the county government office.

Inside the Jingxinzhai residence, County Magistrate Liu Zhengyi was practicing calligraphy.

"grown ups."

Zheng Yifei pushed open the door and went in, then gave a full account of what had happened.

After hearing this, Liu Zhengyi slammed his calligraphy brush heavily on the table, splashing ink all over it.

"That old bastard Zhao Dezhu, he's got his hands on things way too far!"

Liu Zhengyi's face was gloomy.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, anyone in the county government with a modicum of sense could guess that Liu Zhengyi held a 30% stake in Duobaoge.

Zhao Dezhu sent people to seal up Duobaoge, ostensibly to suppress Zheng Yifei, but actually targeting him, the county magistrate, to cut off Liu Zhengyi's source of income.

Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents.

"Zheng Yifei, you did the right thing. You didn't get into a conflict with them on the street, which preserved the dignity of the county government."

Liu Zhengyi sneered: "The Zhao family is indeed deeply rooted in Liuhua County, but Zhao Dezhu, don't forget that the seal of Liuhua County is still in my hands, Liu Zhengyi!"

Liu Zhengyi picked up the official seal on the table and stamped it on a blank document. Then he picked up a pen and quickly wrote a few lines.

"Take my warrant, tear off the seal, and continue doing business. I want to see if Zhao Dezhu dares to bring people to smash up my place!"

Liu Zhengyi tossed the official document to Zheng Yifei.

"Understood."

Zheng Yifei took the official document and turned to leave.

That afternoon, the Duobao Pavilion, which had been sealed off less than two hours earlier, reopened its doors.

Zheng Yifei stood at the door and, in front of all the merchants on the street, tore off the seal affixed by the tax official.

The magistrate's order was hanging on a pillar by the door, written clearly in black ink and red seal on white paper: Duobao Pavilion's accounts are clear, no evidence has been found, resume business immediately.

Upon receiving the news, Tax Officer Zhang was so angry that he smashed a teacup in his office, but faced with the magistrate's order, he didn't dare utter a single word.

Duobaoge's business was not affected at all. On the contrary, because of this incident, many people saw how powerful the backing behind the store was, and even more people came to buy things.

In the east of the city, at the Zhao Family Compound.

Zhao Wuji, the head of the Zhao family, sat on the grand chair in the main hall, listening to the steward's report with a livid face.

"Bang!"

Zhao Wuji suddenly smashed the teacup in his hand on the ground, shattering the fine celadon and splashing tea everywhere.

"That old scoundrel Liu Zhengyi! He actually dares to openly oppose our three major families!"

Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth.

He had thought that by putting pressure on the county magistrate, he could make the outsider constable back down and obediently close the Duobao Pavilion.

Unexpectedly, Liu Zhengyi showed no mercy and directly issued the order to resume business.

The steward lowered his head and said cautiously, "Master, the magistrate is determined to protect Duobao Pavilion. We are afraid we can't take any action in the official capacity. If things get out of hand and reach the prefectural city, it will be bad for our Zhao family."

If official channels don't work, then we'll take the back roads.

A cruel glint of murderous intent flashed in Zhao Wuji's eyes: "It's perfectly normal for a few people to go missing every year in Liuhua County. Since that Zheng Yifei is so stubborn, let's wipe him out along with his shop!"

"What the head of the family means is..."

"Go to the Earth-Rank Death Squad and pick twenty of the best fighters. Tonight, slaughter everyone in the Treasure Pavilion and burn it all down!"

Zhao Wuji coldly gave the order.

"Yes, Master."

Late at night, a curfew was imposed in Liuhua County, and the streets were eerily silent.

On Chang Le Street, the three-story building of Duobaoge was already dark, but in the lobby on the first floor, three people were still awake.

Night Owl sat in the shadows of the counter, toying with a black dagger in his hand.

Ouyang Zhan leaned against the doorpost, closed his eyes to rest, and held a thick-backed cleaver in his arms.

Li Jianfeng sat at a square table in the center of the hall, carefully wiping his longsword with a white cloth.

The three of them were all Nascent Soul Perfection cultivators who had fought their way out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the Southern Wilderness.

Zheng Yifei had long anticipated that the other party would resort to underhanded tactics after their official position was thwarted, so he specially arranged for the three of them to stand guard on the first floor tonight.

It was just past midnight.

The owl suddenly stopped playing with the dagger and stood up silently, like a cat blending into the darkness.

"They're here."

Ouyang Zhan suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in them, and a bloodthirsty smile spread across his lips.

Li Jianfeng also stopped wiping his sword, sheathed it, and stood up.

On the street outside, twenty men dressed in black and masked approached Duobao Pavilion like ghosts.

They carried steel knives in their hands and leather bags filled with kerosene on their backs.

These people were all quite powerful; the three leaders were at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, and the rest were all at the late-Golden Core stage.

In Liuhua County, such a force is enough to wipe out a medium-sized gang.

The leader of the men in black gave a gesture, and two men stepped forward, using an extremely thin wire to probe through the crack in the door, preparing to loosen the bolt.

"Squeak—"

Before the bolt was even loosened, the heavy wooden door opened by itself from the inside.

The men in black outside the door were all stunned for a moment.

Before they could react, a dark figure darted out from under the door.

It's too fast! So fast that the naked eye can't even see it.

The owl's dagger traced a deadly arc in the moonlight.

The two men in black standing at the front felt a chill on their necks, and the world before their eyes began to spin.

They didn't even feel the pain before their heads were severed from their necks, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

"Ambush! Kill!"

The leader of the men in black reacted extremely quickly, roaring as he swung his knife at the shadowy figure.

But he only struck a wisp of air; Night Owl had already circled around to his side like a ghost, his dagger stabbing towards his ribs like a venomous snake.

At the same time, a furious roar came from inside the door.

"Grandpa's here! Prepare to die!"

Ouyang Zhan, like a humanoid bear, smashed through half of the wooden door and rushed out.

He didn't bother with any fancy moves; his thick-backed broadsword whistled through the air as he swept across the battlefield.

Three men in black, all at the late Golden Core stage, raised their swords to parry.

"Clang! Snap!"

The moment the weapons clashed, the steel blades in the black-clad men's hands were severed as if made of paper, and their bodies were cut in two at the waist by Ouyang Zhan's strike. Internal organs and blood splattered all over the ground.

"Nascent Soul Perfection?"

The leader of the men in black finally sensed the terrifying spiritual pressure emanating from Ouyang Zhan, and was so frightened that his soul almost left his body.

Didn't the intelligence report say that Duobao Pavilion only had a few rogue cultivators? How come there's a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage?

Moreover, judging from this murderous aura, it is definitely not a cultivator from Liuhua County.

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

The leader realized he had messed up, and without regard for his companions, he turned and tried to run away.

"Since you're here, don't leave."

A cool, clear voice rang out from above the street.