I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1459 - Chapter 1459 Chapter 716 The World Rises Against the Tang

Chapter 1459: Chapter 716: The World Rises Against the Tang Dynasty_2 Chapter 1459: Chapter 716: The World Rises Against the Tang Dynasty_2 The seizure of Chaochang was among the most critical steps, but this vital plan was forcefully wrested away by the Tang Clan.

Putting aside the loss of time and resources for the moment, it was the death of the elite that truly hurt the Commerce Alliance. These individuals were pivotal pillars, and although they knew much of the grudge should be placed on the Xiang Family, without the Tang Clan’s interference and sudden betrayal, the Commerce Alliance would not have ended up in such a predicament.

Thus, upon hearing news regarding the Tang Clan, Ye Qingcang immediately convened an alliance council meeting, with the goal of causing trouble for the Longxi Alliance.

“Back then, the Tang family from Xiling came to Da Lin and Chuanyuan to purchase grain. The representatives seem to have been Tang Ming and Tang Qi. Take the receipts and make rubbings, verify the rumors, and confirm the Tang Clan’s malignant designs of causing the flood!”

Ye Qingcang laid out his plan, “Moreover, let the Commerce Alliance take the lead in inviting the Seven Great Aristocrat Families of Longzhou to join forces against the Tang Clan!”

“Those aristocratic families value their reputation greatly; will they agree to make enemies with the Longxi Alliance at this time?”

Although tempted, the merchants, who typically valued harmony, still feared such blatant warfare. Especially after the battle at Chaochang, they became acutely aware of how feeble their own prized fighters were against the fierce warriors of the Tang Clan, and they dared not act rashly without absolute certainty.

But Ye Qingcang’s following words dispelled their concerns, “Longzhou is only so big, and the landscape under the sects with the seven great families has lasted for hundreds of years. Do you think they really want the Tang Clan to rise? It’s just that the Tang Clan’s reputation was so imposing in the past that they couldn’t find an excuse to act. But now things have changed.”

“Like kicking a man when he’s down, the Longxi Alliance is now seen as a bandit clan that everyone is eager to strike down. They will not miss this chance. As long as the Evil King Palace can quell the internal strife and issue a call to arms, the seven families will surely respond. Once that overwhelming force arises, the Longxi Alliance will be like ants before a rolling wheel, destined to be crushed!”

…

In a world where martial prowess is revered, being a bandit may tarnish one’s reputation but does not equate to being utterly heinous.

Murder begets murder, and whether it’s bandits killing or being killed, it’s all part of the usual minor affairs, merely a matter of strength.

But to divert a flood for one’s selfish gains is to cause a disaster in the guise of a natural calamity. Recalling the corpses floating in the Lingjiang Waters ten years ago, the three giant cities that were submerged, and the refugees forced to flee their homes due to the flood, the Longxi Alliance suddenly became the target of public outrage.

In the early days of February 1791 in Longzhou, the Da Lin Commerce Alliance issued a summons to the various noble families, with representatives from the seven great families attending to discuss the joint campaign against the Tang Clan.

Following the representatives’ speeches, the various families of Longzhou united in heart and resolve to excise the Tang Clan, deemed a cancerous growth, from Longzhou. No matter the cost, they would not allow this deceitful clan to continue to blind the people.

In February of the same year, the Liu Clan of Chuanyuan from the aristocratic families of Longzhou declared war on the Longxi Alliance;

The Nong Family of Yancang from the aristocratic families of Longzhou declared war on the Longxi Alliance;

The Mu Family of Mutai from the aristocratic families of Longzhou declared war on the Longxi Alliance;

The He Family of Heqing from the aristocratic families of Longzhou declared war on the Longxi Alliance!

The early stance of these four great families incited the various clans of Longxi to respond en masse, and the Da Lin Commerce Alliance even passed a bounty resolution.

Putting a price on the heads of the various department heads and warriors of the Tang Clan of Longxi, offering divine medicines, precious grasses, secret techniques, spiritual weapons, armor, and the most basic gold and silver.

Anyone who succeeded in killing a warrior of the Tang clan could exchange the head for the corresponding bounty, and from the lowest to the highest, it encompassed all the elite fighters of the Longxi Alliance.

At the very top was none other than the Fire-Stealing Grandmaster Xiao Jinlin. The reward the Da Lin Commerce Alliance offered for him was unbelievably high.

Put it this way, if anyone managed to kill Xiao Jinlin, the resources obtained from the Da Lin Commerce Alliance would be enough for a no-name, small clan to smoothly develop into an illustrious family with tens of thousands of members!

And just below Xiao Jinlin were the next tier of targets, including the Sect Heads of the Martial Halls in various cities of the Tang Clan, elders of the Elder Council, and the heads and law enforcers of various city sects.

The bounty on each head was mouth-watering, and within a mere half-month, countless masked wandering warriors and bounty hunters gathered at the Bounty Hall in Da Lin City.

Looking at the magnificent hall that soared tens of meters high, adorned with clearly priced bounty portraits, everyone felt their hearts surge with excitement.

An activity that not only upheld justice but also offered substantial bounties galvanized these desperados, living on the edge of swords, to take eagerness to a new level.

Stack upon stack of neatly arranged bounty posters were taken away with a visible speed, and those overeager fools, all of whom considered the Tang Clan of Longxi as fish in a chopping board.

They thought that if they just brought their swords, those people would stretch out their necks for the taking, but they didn’t realize that this was a family of bandits who had looted for hundreds of years, and the only reason for their stability was absolute might.

So the truly capable bounty hunters never rushed into action; they stayed in the Bounty Hall, carefully weighing the targets they could hunt.

Yet, to the hunters’ surprise who had pored over these bounty posters, there was no mention of Longxi’s Pride, Tang Luo. What was going on?

“Tang Luo’s poster, has it been taken down? What’s the reward?”

A clueless bounty hunter asked the staff of the Bounty Hall.

“Tang Luo? He has no bounty. Don’t even think about going after him.”

The Commerce Alliance staff running the Bounty Hall replied, “Given Tang Tianjiao’s age, whether it’s looting the Wancheng Treasure Ship or causing floods, none of it has anything to do with him. The bounty resolutions issued by the Da Lin Commerce Alliance are to reward the valiant who slay deceitful and notorious criminals, not to encourage indiscriminate killing. Remember that!”

Hearing this, many bounty hunters lost their steam, but some were still insistent.

“We can overlook Tang Tianjiao’s bounty, but what about his father, Tang Sen? He’s the Sect Head of Jiejiang City, an absolute powerhouse revered as a terrestral deity. Moreover, considering his age and position, he must have participated in the hunt of the Wancheng Treasure Ship. Is there no bounty for him? Is it because their house is related by marriage to the Xu Clan of Yuanzhou, and the Da Lin Commerce Alliance is intentionally protecting them?”

A bounty hunter carrying a long sword stared angrily and interrogated the staff of the Bounty Hall.

“Nonsense!”

The Commerce Alliance staff replied with a mix of bravado and apprehension, “How the Da Lin Commerce Alliance operates is none of your business, lad. The bounty posters are placed in the hall. If you’ve got the skill, go take one, and stop spouting nonsense here.”

With that, he turned and left hastily. But the whole hall was full of bounty hunters, many with sharp ears and eyes, all drawn to the commotion.

After listening to the employee’s explanation and seeing his expression, who could not know that the man with the sword had hit the nail on the head?

…

Long Valley Lin Clan

“This Ye Qingcang is truly a talent!”

Cao Ziqi looked at the bounty poster about the Longxi Alliance before him and laughed heartily, “Evil King Palace, the Four Great Families of Longzhou, and these leech-like greedy bounty hunters, I’m really curious what expression Tang Luo has on his face now.”

“Send someone to the Da Lin Commerce Alliance, find Ye Qingcang, tell him that in addition to the bounty from the Da Lin Commerce Alliance, the Longzhou Beast Taming Sect will also offer a bounty!”

Upon hearing this, the Steward went pale with shock, “Absolutely not, Second Master! The plans of the Da Lin Commerce Alliance are internal affairs of the families, and the sect’s business must remain utterly neutral, not to be trifled with. This is the iron rule set by the Old Master–one must not cross!”

“Got too excited and nearly forgot about that!”

Cao Ziqi tapped his forehead with his forefinger several times, reining in his expression and said, “Then let the treasurer of Da Lin go find Ye Qingcang, tell him the bounty can be distributed through the Beast Taming Sect’s courier service, and give him a discount. That shouldn’t overstep the rules set by the Old Master, right?”

“If that’s the case…”

The Steward pondered for a moment, then nodded, “It should be feasible since it’s business, after all. But, to give a discount to the Da Lin Commerce Alliance, we would still need a directive from the Sect Head or the Dao Child…”

Cao Ziqi’s face turned a shade of ashen gray, perhaps because his recent experience of manipulating situations had made him forget that as the Second Young Master of the Lin Clan, he had no authority to order the treasurer of the Beast Taming Sect.

“I’ll make a trip to the Dragon Nest.”