Chapter 177: Chapter 117: Treasure Island (2)

The porcelain bottle was unmarked, yet it faintly exuded a chillingly sinister and ferocious aura!

Hong Yuandong’s nose twitched, and his expression changed drastically. He strode forward, grabbed a porcelain bottle, and pulled out the stopper.

Instantly, a more potent and nauseating stench—blood mixed with some strange medicinal fragrance—wafted through the air.

Inside were dozens of longan-sized, dark-red elixirs!

“Blood Marrow Pills!”

Hong Yuandong’s voice was filled with shock and towering rage. “These are Evil Pills made primarily from human Essence Blood and bone marrow, refined using a Demon Sect Secret Technique! They’re used for rapidly advancing one’s Cultivation of Demon Skills or treating the backlash from them! This is a core forbidden medicine of the Demon Sect… You’ve certainly hidden your secrets deep!”

Zheng Tong looked as if he’d been struck by lightning, his face instantly turning as pale as a sheet. “Impossible… This is impossible… How could they be here? I was sure…”

He suddenly looked toward He Yueting, his heart lurching in sudden alarm.

“A frame-up! This is planted evidence! Someone must have used the chaos to hide this in our Zheng Family cellar…”

“Enough!”

He Yueting barked, “You were caught red-handed, and the evidence is irrefutable! The Zheng Family is suspected of colluding with the Demon Sect, hiding forbidden medicine, and bringing chaos to Yunlin! Seize them at once and imprison them in the Black Water Prison! The entire Zheng Family, up and down, will be confined here to await judgment! All Zheng Family assets are to be temporarily seized! Kill any who resist!”

At his command, the elite experts from Qixia Manor and the Wutai Sect pounced like a pack of ravenous wolves.

Zheng Tong tried to resist, but Hong Yuandong struck him with a palm from across the room. Searing True Astral pierced his body, instantly sealing his major acupoints and leaving him to collapse limply to the ground.

In the front courtyard, the cries of the Zheng Family’s women and children mingled with the terrified screams of their servants.

However, after a thorough search, the Zheng Family Patriarch, Zheng Yuankui, along with some of his core confidants and children, and the family’s immense wealth accumulated over many years… had all vanished without a trace, as if they had evaporated into thin air.

He Yueting turned to look at Hong Yuandong. “Brother Hong, it seems that old fox Zheng Yuankui knew the jig was up. He’s already escaped to Nine Waves Island through a secret waterway he controls!”

Hong Yuandong said coldly, “Hmph! Perfect. We can settle old scores and new, and wipe out that den of thieves on Nine Waves Island all in one go.”

He Yueting nodded slightly, then commanded, “Pass down my orders! Issue the ’Bandit Suppression Edict’ immediately!”

“For all remnants of the Zheng Family: whoever captures Zheng Yuankui shall be rewarded with one hundred thousand taels of gold and a Top-Grade Treasure Artifact! Whoever captures a core member of the Zheng Family shall be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver and their choice of any Lower-Grade Treasure Artifact!”

“Annihilate the bandit nest on Nine Waves Island! Whoever breaks through Nine Waves Island’s defenses can legitimately divide the island’s wealth! All gold, silver, goods, Treasure Medicines, and Weapons are yours to share, after surrendering any forbidden items belonging to the Demon Sect!”

The moment this edict was issued, all of Yunlin Prefecture, and even the surrounding counties, erupted in a frenzy!

An astronomical bounty!

A license to legally plunder!

It instantly ignited the greed and ambition of countless people.

“The Zheng Family is finished!”

“They found Demon Sect Blood Marrow Pills! They were caught red-handed!”

“Second Master He and Dean Hong acted personally! Zheng Tong has been captured!”

“The Prefecture City… is about to undergo a massive shake-up!”

“It took three days and nights to empty the Zheng Family’s Treasure Vault! Secret Manuals were piled up like mountains, and they ate Treasure Medicines like they were daily meals!”

“Nine Waves Island is the real prize! All the wealth they’ve plundered over the years, plus what the Zheng Family took with them… good heavens, can you imagine how much that must be? If you can grab just a handful, you’ll be set for life!”

“The Four Great Sects are really sparing no expense this time! A Bandit Suppression Edict! This is a golden opportunity to get rich! Quick, go to the Weapon Shop and buy a good blade!”

“Elixirs! Healing medicine, Antitoxic Pills, Yuan Recovery Pills to restore True Qi—buy as many as you can! A boat! Quick, find a boat! If we’re late, there won’t even be scraps left!”

The streets, alleys, taverns, and teahouses of the Prefecture City were all abuzz with exaggerated rumors of the Zheng Family’s centuries of accumulated wealth and feverish fantasies of the mountains of gold and jewelry piled up on Nine Waves Island.

Weapon Shops and Elixir Medicine Squares were packed to the rafters, their prices rising several times a day.

The docks were even more uproarious. Boats large and small were snapped up, and even dilapidated fishing boats became hot commodities.

Countless Jianghu Loose Cultivators, members of small and medium-sized families, and even some desperadoes hoping to fish in troubled waters were all frantically arming themselves. They gathered friends and formed parties of all sizes, eagerly swarming toward Qianchuan Marsh with their sights set on that legendary land of wealth, Nine Waves Island.

…

In an elegant private room on the top floor of a Prefecture City tavern, a carved wooden window was half-open, providing a perfect view of the chaos and frenzy below.

The long queues in front of the Weapon Shops, the sea of heads crowding the Elixir Medicine Squares, the clamor at the docks as people fought over boats…

Liu Han stood by the window, a cold sneer playing on his lips.

The Zheng Family—a behemoth that once rivaled the Liu Family and had even slightly overshadowed them—had collapsed overnight, its reputation in tatters, becoming like rats in the street that everyone rushes to beat.

He Yueting and Hong Yuandong had taken action personally, catching them red-handed and cementing the charge of colluding with the Demon Sect. These thunderous tactics had completely snuffed out any chance for the Zheng Family to make a comeback.

’Zheng Yuankui… was ultimately too greedy, and too foolish.’

Liu Han’s voice was soft, as if he were talking to himself. “Did he really think that by hitching his wagon to that broken-down ship of Nine Waves Island, he could hide in the shadows and reap exorbitant profits forever? Did he think the Demon Sect’s business was something he could just dabble in?”

In the shadows behind him stood the Liu Family’s head steward, Liu Fu, a middle-aged man with a calm and steady presence.

Liu Fu bowed slightly, his voice hushed. “Young Master, the balance of power in the Prefecture City and the Yunlin Commerce Association has been completely upended. The ’Bandit Suppression Edict’ jointly issued by the Four Great Sects has only added fuel to the fire. Now, all of Yunlin Prefecture is focused on Nine Waves Island. What move should the Liu Family make?”

Liu Han slowly turned around, a cold glint flashing in his deep eyes.

“What move should we make?”

He chuckled softly. “The Zheng Family colluded with Water Bandits—the evidence is conclusive. This is a disgrace to Yunlin Prefecture, and an even greater disgrace to the Commerce Association. Now their remnants have absconded with their ill-gotten gains to Nine Waves Island to make a desperate last stand, intending to continue disrupting the trade routes. The Liu Family is a pillar of the Yunlin Commerce Association. For the sake of both the public and ourselves, how could we possibly sit back and do nothing?”

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