Chapter 101: Extermination of Ten Clans, Infiltrating the Night (Please Subscribe and Vote)

"Kill them! Such vipers must not be allowed to remain in My Great Zhao!"

As the heir to the Prince of Guangze, Han Wugui, hurried to finish sweeping away the loose ends of his ruthless actions, the backlash from the river of history had already spread from the Min Prefecture to the entirety of Great Zhao, and even to the grasslands of the north.

The Cloud-Mongol Empire, though briefly powerful after retreating to the steppes, had long since fractured into pieces. Upon receiving this news, the Golden Family felt nothing but rage, yet they were unable to muster any substantive countermeasure.

However, the "Master of the Altar and State," Emperor Shaozhi of the Great Zhao Dynasty, was a different story.

Though he grew weaker as his dynasty declined, and the nation was burdened by deep-seated, intractable problems, he was far from possessing the omniscient and terrifying power of a true deity. Yet, he was the first to discover the truth of his own deception. Furious and indignant, he roared:

"What are the local officials doing? They are nothing but corrupt sycophants occupying positions without performing their duties!"

He had been leisurely tending to a furnace of precious elixir he had meticulously crafted. Upon hearing the news about the Pu clan, he nearly kicked the furnace over in his rage. His Taoist robes, the silk curtains in the grand hall, and even the lanterns outside all began to sway without a breeze. The sky above the capital suddenly darkened, thick with clouds that refused to rain—a testament to the high level of his cultivation and the weight of his authority.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. It is not worth ruining your health over those who have no loyalty to sovereign or father. Quickly, take a Clarity Pill to cool your temper."

The chief eunuch, serving him closely, hurried forward to offer warm water and a shimmering green pill. Only after the Emperor had swallowed it did he let out a long, shuddering breath. The medicinal power dissolved rapidly within the divine light of his first-rank "Cinnabar Cauldron Taoist" cultivation, while the toxic remnants were purged, leaving his body unharmed.

Emperor, court officials, royalty, and nobility usually held two types of positions: one was the official legal status derived from personal cultivation, and the other was the imperial title or government rank established by the state’s ruling system.

Unlike the "Dragon Descendants" commonly held by the Cloud-Mongol royalty, the tradition of the Han (Zhu) family dictated that whether one was an Emperor or a royal kinsman, one had to be multi-talented to be considered capable. The official legal positions they held were diverse; as long as one did not interfere with court politics, intervene in military affairs, engage in commerce, sail the seas, farm, or labor, one could follow any of the Three Teachings and Nine Schools or the inner and outer eight disciplines.

The first tier consisted of the noble Taoists of the Heavenly Class: the Divine Empyrean Taoists, Cinnabar Cauldron Taoists, Divine Mechanism Taoists, Omen-reading Taoists, Martial Altar Taoists, and so on, each with their own unique expertise.

The second tier comprised those of the Earthly Class: monkey performers, carpenters, physicians, musicians, and craftsmen.

At the very bottom, there were many royal kinsmen who held titles but starved to death.

Because Emperor Shaozhi had inherited the throne as a minor branch of the outer nobility, he was already a Heavenly Class "Cinnabar Cauldron Taoist" at the time of his ascension. Coupled with the auxiliary power of the "Master of the Altar and State" title, he had spent years focusing on his cultivation, having long since "trained his form to resemble a crane, and read two scrolls of scripture beneath a thousand pines." Among those in the Three Teachings, at most, there were Taoists of equal rank, but none surpassed his cultivation.

Simply put: "The Taoist Sovereign Emperor, he had succeeded!"

Though he had only mastered the internal cultivation of the spirit—his body would still bleed, age, and be killed by cannons, and the bonus to his cultivation derived from his position would fade by more than half if he lost his throne—he was already one of the premier divine officials in the entire world, sitting atop the Jade Capital, looking down upon all living beings.

Emperor Shaozhi’s face regained its composure, but his eyes remained chillingly cold:

"The Pu clan, a fine Pu clan indeed! All the righteousness, shame, and integrity of our vast Middle Kingdom have been cast aside by your lot, these outsiders. Think of it: my Great Zhao’s founding ancestor was the ninth-generation grandson of Emperor Huizong of the Zhao-Song. He vowed to expel the barbarians and restore the glory of the Great Song. Although he did not take 'Song' as the dynastic title, he never betrayed the lineage of his ancestors. How could I, the Emperor, be blinded by such evil villains for so long?"

"Kill them! Execute them to the tenth degree! Not just those surnamed Pu, but the students they have cultivated and their legal successors—kill them all. Send an order to the Min Prefecture government: watch the entire Pu clan and do not let a single one escape. Have Lu Yi, the Vice Commander of the White Scale Guard who is currently on official duty in Min Prefecture, handle this personally. Do not spare the officials, nobles, or royal kinsmen who have ties to them. There is no need to wait for dawn. With my imperial decree, there are no taboos within the borders of Great Zhao!"

The roar, like that of an angry dragon, echoed through the grand hall. The unfathomable pressure radiated from the palace throughout the entire Jade Capital, silencing countless people and beasts as if they were cicadas in winter. When the officials and the common people saw the notice released by the court, they praised the Emperor’s wisdom, and not a single person felt such a punishment was cruel.

"His Majesty is wise!"
"Blood must be paid for with blood!"

The four branches of the father's side, the three of the mother's, and the two of the wife's—this method of execution covered almost the entire extended family. The tenth degree included students and legal disciples, completely severing all inheritance of their lineage. It was enough to wipe the influence of a person and their family from this land forever.

This group of people was different from all other nations in the world. Others often recorded their victories and glories, feeling ashamed to mention their failures. But they recorded their victories in passing—even a war of conquest was merely "relocating four kingdoms" or "destroying twelve nations to dominate the Western Rong." Conversely, they wrote extensively about their failures; one could say their entire history book was a collection of mistakes recorded by their ancestors, from which their descendants could find the answers to most of their own problems.

They knew that by using history as a mirror, one could understand the rise and fall of nations. Only the memory of suffering and humiliation could help descendants grow; flowers and honey could not.

Thus, the descendants cried out: "Our desire for revenge is extremely strong, our period of revenge is extremely long, and our power of revenge is extremely great!"

Every act of vengeance was justified and absolutely righteous. After all, ever since the invention of the eight characters "Eastern expeditions and Western raids, Southern pacification and Northern crusades," the Central Plains dynasty had never invaded anyone.

*Aren't we always fighting a defensive war?*
*Why is my national border drawn in front of your house? Is that my problem?*
*Damn you, take this blow from my lance!*

As night fell, at Zaitun Port in Min Prefecture, a cloud of vapor flying at high speed along the coastline landed lightly on a reef by the sea, revealing Wang Cheng and two Yunxiao, who, despite their different appearances, possessed an identical temperament.

They had long since initiated the strategy of "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang," and were not afraid of being discovered before they struck.

"To be honest, many of the buildings in this city have quite an exotic charm."

The two Yunxiao spoke in unison with a calm expression, like a pair of telepathic twins. Wang Cheng looked at them, banishing the bizarre "buy one, get two free" thought from his mind, but he had to agree with her.

He had been to Zaitun Port once before, and from the sky, he could still see the grave he had erected for Borjigin Daiqin.

The land of Min Prefecture was indeed lacking in resources, but the coastline was jagged with many deep-water ports, making it perfectly suited for foreign trade. During the Zhao-Song and Cloud-Mongol dynasties, when the ban on maritime trade was not yet strict, the seas within the Mountain and Sea Spell Restrictions were still navigable, and maritime trade brought the court rich returns.

Zaitun Port, relying on its safety as a "land that military strategists do not contest," had become the port most favored by foreign merchants, attracting countless Semu merchants to settle and conduct business there. Although most of the merchants had dispersed following the great chaos at the end of the Cloud-Mongol Empire and the subsequent severe maritime bans, the area still retained a considerable amount of its unique architectural style.

The residence of the Pu clan was the most conspicuous among them, occupying vast grounds with an imposing air.

"Let's go quickly. As a local deity, I cannot leave my altar for too long. I must return to Yue Port before dawn to re-arrange the earth veins and the overall Feng Shui layout there. Do not let us miss out on making a fortune, hurry, hurry!"

Yunxiao grabbed Wang Cheng’s hand and took the lead, her cold, aloof appearance contrasting sharply with the golden light flickering in her eyes.

However, three blocks away from the ancestral home of the Pu clan, Wang Cheng had already learned some unfortunate news from a group of night owls using his "Gathering Beasts and Summoning Fowl, Enlightening All Creatures" ability.

Just a quarter of an hour after the great battle at Yue Port, the Yamen of Zaitun City had received the imperial edict. The bailiffs and the garrison troops from the nearby walled city had all been dispatched, sealing off the Pu family kinsmen and all properties under their name completely.

As they got closer and observed with their "light of the mind," they could see that the official aura had formed a "heavenly net and earthly snare," creating a second layer of blockade. Even a talented official would have to force their way in. Perhaps only the "Thief Lords" and "Flying Burglars" of the Thieves' Guild, the "Sword Knights" who punished the wicked, or certain special evil spirits could possibly enter and exit with ease, unnoticed.

Some of the Pu family members had tried to flee, but they were captured by soldiers before they could even get out of the city gates, waiting for the White Scale Guard to arrive and execute them on the spot.

This was a point that many wondered about: why didn't the families of criminals flee when the court came to confiscate their property and exterminate them? Regardless of whether they possessed Taoist arts or strange abilities, no one in the country could transmit messages faster than the court. By the time they reacted, the local Yamen had already surrounded the residence tightly. If the distance was too great and the imperial envoy in charge of the confiscation traveled slowly, they were more likely to starve to death before the executioner arrived.

Yunxiao also discovered this and was somewhat disappointed:

"We were a step too slow. Although I knew that the response speed of that Master of the State would be fast, it is still a pity. This fattest piece of meat is going to fall into that Master of the State's mouth."

Wang Cheng comforted her:

"Didn't we already anticipate this situation? No matter how fast a dragon flies, it cannot outpace the 'Heaven-Reaching Wish-Fulfilling Incense' and the Emperor’s laws. If I gain it, it is my luck; if I lose it, it is my fate. It is not convenient for us to directly clash with the government; if we can pick up scraps, we do, and if we can't, it doesn't matter. Besides, have you forgotten what Xie He said before? Being able to keep one million out of three million is already doing the Emperor a favor. Oh, this time it’s the White Scale Guard carrying out the extermination, so he might get a slightly larger share."

Yunxiao chuckled and agreed:

"That's true, we shouldn't be greedy. As long as we can gather enough wealth for you to take the position of 'Court-Serving Gentleman' during the second solar term of the Spring Equinox, 'Thunder Begins to Sound,' on the twenty-sixth of the second month, it will be a gain. Theoretically, the more legal positions you hold, the closer you are to the Tao. If you are lucky, you might truly be able to carve out a new path for the Dan people and the water-gatherers by relying on the 'White Water Gentleman' and 'Court-Serving Gentleman' statuses. The key problem is that the ancestral home of the Pu clan likely hides things we don't understand; letting the court probe it head-on might be for the best."

She took out the "precious pearl" transformed from the soul of Pu Shouying. She had easily deciphered the outer layer of memories, but at the center, there was still a tiny, cross-shaped silver glint that stung the eyes. It seemed to carry the terrifying aura of some strange, exotic deity. Every time they tried to decipher it, Wang Cheng’s unique skill, "Star Gazing," would give a strong warning, making them afraid to act rashly. Because of this, they had never been able to peek at the secrets Pu Shouying had hidden deepest, such as the identities of the "Noble Person" and the collaborators of the Five Peaks Flag.

"I will send the 'Debt-Collecting Ghost' to probe first. If it cannot be done, we will retreat immediately."

A shadow flashed under Wang Cheng’s feet. The evil spirit shadow, "The Heir to the Throne Inspecting on Behalf of Heaven," which looked exactly like him but stared with two square-shaped money eyes, followed its "debtors" and vanished into the darkness.