402: Chapter 402 Knife Mountain Theme Park

General Tong Yu snapped out of his shock and nodded.

"I know. Although the Moon Worship Cult's headquarters is hidden, the Great General taught me how to find it before we parted ways, saying that if I had a change of heart, I could go look for him."

"Eldest Miss, are you planning to persuade the Great General? I can take you there right now!"

Leng Bingyan hesitated, then shook her head. "No, I must report back to my husband first. The situation is quite complex this time; I cannot make decisions on my own."

"This... you're looking for your own father, and you still need to report this to the Prince?" General Tong Yu asked anxiously.

"Uncle Tong, the way our Prince does things has always been far-sighted. He was the one who asked me to come find my father this time."

"But since my father has joined the Moon Worship Cult, which assassinated the Prince, this matter is different."

Leng Bingyan patiently advised, "Uncle Tong, rest assured, I will come back to find you as soon as possible. We will certainly get to the bottom of the Moon Worship Cult."

General Tong Yu sighed helplessly. "In that case, Eldest Miss, please take care. Since the Moon Worship Cult assassinated the Prince of Zhenbei, and you are someone close to the Prince, you must be careful if you encounter people from the Moon Worship Cult..."

Upon this reminder, Leng Bingyan felt a chill in her heart and nodded solemnly.

...

Du Province, Blade Mountain City.

As soon as Lin Xiao arrived at the port, he saw Qin Hengjiang waiting early with a group of Blade Mountain elders and prodigy-level disciples.

Local officials, including the inspector general, were also present.

The townspeople had already packed the pier, all wanting to catch a glimpse of the world-renowned Prince of Zhenbei.

Lin Xiao exchanged brief pleasantries with the local officials and greeted the townspeople warmly, then had the Blade Mountain disciples clear a path and headed up Wanren Mountain.

The women wore veils and had entered the carriage early, so they did not cause much of a stir.

The magnificence and scale of the Blade Mountain sect far surpassed the Dao Sect.

"Heavens, these Blade Mountain disciples are wearing almost entirely Shu brocade. Even though this place is close to Western Shu, it's not cheap," Xie Juner noted at a glance, seeing that Blade Mountain's financial foundation was solid.

"It's laughable to say, but in our Western Shu imperial palace, not that many people wear Shu brocade," Xiao Qingxuan remarked with a smile.

"And have you noticed? More than seventy percent of these Blade Mountain disciples haven't even practiced internal energy."

Su Wansha felt it was incredulous. "Do these people really know how to use swords?"

"That's where you don't know. More than half of Blade Mountain's sword techniques don't have mental cultivation formulas; they are all external martial arts."

Mu Wanying shook her head. "My father once said that out of ten disciples who come to Blade Mountain to be an adjutant, nine are slackers who only know flashy moves."

"But you have to admit, the way Blade Mountain organized this welcome and arranged everything along the way is very meticulous. Compared to the Dao Sect, they are much more presentable."

Zhao Caiwei sighed. "I'm afraid even the officials of the Ministry of Rites could only do this much."

"What's the use of that? They are a martial arts sect, not the Ministry of Rites..." Mu Wanying said with disdain.

"You can't say it like that."

Lin Xiao spoke up then. "Martial arts sects are just like people; they all have their strengths and weaknesses."

"Blade Mountain certainly has various problems, but being able to support so many disciples and put on such a big show is its own capability."

"Practicing martial arts ultimately depends on talent. Many people want to be martial arts heroes, but if they don't have that talent, coming to Blade Mountain to satisfy their craving is also fine."

Lin Xiao thought of the "theme parks" from his original world and mused casually:

"Just imagine, among those royalty and wealthy young masters, how many can endure the hardship of practicing martial arts?"

"Let them come to Blade Mountain, take a master, learn some flashy moves, get a nominal disciple title, and walk a bit of the martial arts world path..."

"For example, let them experience a martial arts competition for a spouse, have some people pretend to be bandits, stage a scene of drawing a sword to help when seeing injustice, or perhaps capture a flower-picking thief, saving a damsel in distress..."

"Believe me, for these experiences, they wouldn't even blink at spending thousands or tens of thousands of taels!"

"If it were those noble young ladies who fantasize about becoming martial arts heroines, they would be even more willing to spend money!"

Upon hearing Lin Xiao's words, the women's eyes lit up, feeling it was extremely novel!

"That's right! I always wanted to be a sword-wielding heroine wandering the world! But I just didn't have the talent!" Xie Juner felt deeply about it, thinking this business was viable!

"With my husband putting it this way, I am enlightened. It seems this Blade Mountain business has great potential!"

Su Wansha also got excited. The key was that it wasn't just profitable; it was also very interesting!

"Fortunately, my husband is the Prince of Zhenbei. If he were in business, he would definitely be wealthier than a nation, making everyone in the world jealous."

Xiao Qingxuan was used to it. Others had to rack their brains to make money, but with her husband, any casual idea could bring in thousands of gold daily.

They arrived at the "Heavenly Blade Peak" of Wanren Mountain.

A statue of the founding patriarch stood at the very back of the main hall.

Lin Xiao took one look; the patriarch's appearance was extraordinarily handsome, much like the female Celestial under Ding Lake, looking like a pre-designed face.

At Qin Hengjiang's respectful invitation, Lin Xiao sat down in the topmost seat, while Xiao Qingxuan and the other women sat on both sides of Lin Xiao.

In the past, even the inspector general of Du Province, or even the Prince of Nanling, could not have received such treatment.

But Lin Xiao's identity and strength meant that the hundred-plus Blade Mountain elders and high-level officials present dared not voice any objections.

"Elder Qin, is everyone here?"

Lin Xiao asked indifferently after scanning with his Eye of God.

"Reporting to the Prince, upon learning of your arrival, everyone has arrived, except for a few high-level deacons stationed in the East Sea and Yan Region."

Qin Hengjiang said, introducing them to Lin Xiao one by one.

Although there were many people, fewer than twenty were truly worth him introducing specifically.

They were either elders with real power or deep-rooted families of Blade Mountain.

These dozen or so forces accounted for over ninety percent of Blade Mountain's assets.

Lin Xiao patiently drank his tea, and only after Qin Hengjiang finished introducing them did he say leisurely: "Presumably, Elder Qin has already mentioned to you all the reason for my visit this time."

"The reason Blade Mountain is in such a foul state, with despicable master-disciple pairs like Wuming and Child Ghost, is because you are too focused on fame and profit."

"If martial artists have too many material desires, they naturally cannot calm their minds to practice."

"Therefore, professional matters should be left to professionals."

"From today on, you will hand over the farmlands, shops, security firms, martial arts halls, and pawnshops you currently hold to my Northern Trade Alliance for management..."

As soon as he finished speaking, rustling sounds broke out in the room, and many people looked uneasy, glancing at each other.

Qin Hengjiang and the rest of the Qin family feigned ignorance, acting as if they were uninvolved.

"Why, are you unwilling?" Lin Xiao frowned, looking dissatisfied.

Hua Zhengyang and Chu Xianfeng in the front row exchanged a look and nodded slightly in tacit agreement.

Hua Zhengyang stepped forward, looking stern. "Prince, although your status is noble, the ancestral assets of Blade Mountain are the result of decades of hard work by our Hua family. As descendants, how can we hand over our ancestral assets so easily?"

Many people at the scene nodded in agreement, saying "Makes sense," "We hope the Prince will reconsider"...

"That's right, even if the Prince wants to punish us, I, Chu, have to say a few words!"

Chu Xianfeng stood out and argued reasonably: "Even though the Blade Emperor offended the Prince and deserves to die, the rest of us in Blade Mountain have no disrespect toward the Prince!"

"That's right! Prince, Clan Leader Chu is right. We hope you will give Blade Mountain a chance..."

"Nanling is not the Northern Border. The Northern Trade Alliance is not familiar with this place..."

Seeing that many more people were speaking out in opposition, the scene became noisy.

And Lin Xiao's expression gradually darkened...

Seeing this, Hua Zhengyang and Chu Xianfeng showed satisfaction in their eyes.

This was exactly it. Once they angered the Prince of Zhenbei, they would then turn around and be the first to "submit" to the Prince, which would seem logical.

After all, in order for the family to survive, it was normal to "endure humiliation."

"Do you think I am discussing this with you?"

As soon as Lin Xiao finished speaking, he flicked his two fingers toward the void in front of him...

"Whoosh! Whoosh!!"

Two sword qi beams appeared out of thin air, piercing directly through the throats of Chu Xianfeng and Hua Zhengyang!

"Pfft! Pfft!"

After two sounds, the two men, Chu and Hua, opened their eyes wide on the spot, clutching their leaking necks, their faces full of disbelief!!

Feeling their lives fading away, they couldn't even scream in terror.

What made them feel incredibly aggrieved was, why, with so many people opposing, did the Prince of Zhenbei happen to kill them two!?

Could it be that their Moon Worship Cult identity was exposed?

Impossible! The Blade Emperor had no reason to spill it!

Then... were they just unlucky!?

As soon as they thought of this possibility, their vision went black, and amidst infinite grievance and unwillingness, they completely lost their lives!

[ Kill +2, Comprehension Ability +2, prestige +300 ]