137: Chapter 137 The Winds of Change

When Zhao Mengde, the head of the Zhao Family, was awakened from a sweet dream by a short, abrupt exclamation from a confidant outside his bedroom, he sat up in annoyance, about to scold them.

However, a cold night wind, accompanied by a thick smell of blood, crept in through the crack in the door, making him shudder instantly.

He discovered with horror that outside his bedroom, which was burning expensive calming incense, a group of terrifying soldiers with faint green lights flickering in their eyes had gathered at some unknown point.

The four Peak third-rank guards he had stationed at the door had long since become four cold corpses with their throats cleanly torn open, their blood staining the expensive carpet red.

"Who... who are you?!" Zhao Mengde was so scared that his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, and he scrambled to hide in the corner of the bed, which was carved from a single piece of warm jade.

Wulu walked slowly out of the shadows. There wasn't a single drop of blood on him, but the aura of ferocity that emanated from his very bones was even more heart-palpitating than Du Wei's.

He did not answer Zhao Mengde's question, but merely stuck out his scarlet tongue and slowly licked his lips. His pair of deep green eyes, like those of a wolf king, were filled with mockery and cruelty toward his prey.

"The Alpha Wolf has ordered," his voice was hoarse and low, like a devil's whisper in the silent night, "The Zhao Family shall be annihilated."

Before the words had even faded, his figure transformed into a streak of black lightning, invisible to the naked eye, and he lunged forward instantly! Only a short, sharp scream came from the bedroom before it returned to dead silence.

When the south and west sides of Yunzhou City were shrouded in blood and fire, the atmosphere at the Qian Family mansion in the north of the city was completely different, even strangely comedic.

Big Fool, this giant who stood nearly a zhang tall and resembled a Heavenly God, did not lead troops to charge like Du Wei and Wulu.

He was alone, carrying his two drum-beating gold hammers that were larger than water vats, walking slowly with a pace that made the earth tremble slightly, until he reached the magnificent vermilion gate of the Qian Family.

The Qian Family guards were already in battle formation, hundreds of them holding strong bows and crossbows, watching this lone enemy with nervous expressions.

Although they heard the faint sounds of battle coming from other directions in the city, they couldn't understand why the enemy had sent only one simple-minded giant to seek death.

"Stop! Who goes there?! If you dare to take another step forward, don't blame us if our bows and arrows show no mercy!" The Qian Family guard commander stood on the high gate tower and shouted, his voice fierce but cowardly.

Big Fool scratched his head and revealed his signature honest smile.

He didn't speak, but followed Gao Feng's instructions, slowly swinging the two drum-beating gold hammers, which weighed a total of a thousand catties, in front of him.

At first it was slow, but soon, the twin hammers transformed into two rotating black hills, the terrifying wind they generated even creating a sharp whistling sound in the air!

The Qian Family guards were blown about by this terrifying gale, unable to even open their eyes, and the bows and crossbows in their hands became unsteady!

Then, under the horrified gazes of everyone in the Qian Family, Big Fool let out a roar, his voice like a booming bell!

The muscles on his arms bulged like coiling Dragons, and his veins protruded! With all his might, he smashed the two hammers, which had accumulated boundless power, against the massive, three-zhang-tall stone archway in front of the Qian Family gate, which was meant to display the Family's centuries of glory!

"BOOM — —!!!!" A terrifying sound, a hundred times louder than a thunderclap, exploded! In that instant, the entire earth trembled violently!

Countless residents living nearby were awakened from their sleep by this loud noise, thinking a terrifying earthquake had occurred!

The members of the Qian Family stared dumbfounded at the incredible scene.

The massive stone archway, carved from the hardest granite and claimed to be able to stand for a thousand years, had, under the hammer of that simple-minded giant, disintegrated instantly, cracking from the base like a cookie hit by a hammer.

It did not collapse, but shattered directly, turning into powder that filled the sky, and was blown away into the night by the wind.

The power of a single hammer strike was actually this great! Is this still a human?! This is clearly an ancient Vicious Beast in human skin!

After doing all this, Big Fool seemed to have just done a trivial thing.

He shouldered the two giant hammers, which were still flashing with a terrifying cold light, and then sat down with a silly smile on the ruins of the Qian Family gate, which had already been shaken into fragments, without saying a word.

He sat there quietly, like an impassable god or demon, blocking the path of life and hope for everyone in the Qian Family.

Inside the Qian Family council hall, there was a deathly silence.

Sea of Fortune, the head of the Qian Family, was completely stunned after witnessing that god-like hammer strike with his own eyes.

He collapsed onto the grand armchair made of golden nanmu wood, his whole body trembling incessantly like a sieve, and cold sweat had already soaked through his luxurious silk clothing.

Just then, a scout responsible for gathering information rushed in, tumbling and crawling, his voice filled with endless fear and despair!

"Family Head! It's bad! The Wang Family... the Wang Family has been annihilated! Even their fifth-rank Old Ancestor, who had been sleeping for a hundred years, was slashed to death by that Gao Feng with a single blade!"

"The Li Family... the Li Family is also finished! The estate was burned to the ground, and all three hundred and seventy-two members of the household were slaughtered, not a single one left!"

"The Zhao Family... the Zhao Family also... also..."

Before the scout could finish, another servant responsible for guarding the gate ran in, terrified, and shouted with a crying voice: "Family Head! Sur... surrender! If we don't surrender now, it will be too late! That evil god blocking the door said! The Lord only gives us the time it takes for an incense stick to burn! If we don't open the door after that... he... he will smash our entire Qian Family into meat paste!"

A series of terrible news struck Sea of Fortune's already fragile psychological defense line like ruthless heavy hammers, and he finally collapsed completely.

Resist? With what? With these few hundred guards in the estate who aren't even enough to fill the gaps in someone's teeth? Or should he use his own head to test if that simple-minded giant's hammer is hard enough? The Wang Family even lost their fifth-rank Old Ancestor, so what is his Qian Family worth?

He knew that resistance was a dead end. Faced with the absolute power that could shatter the Family's glory with a single hammer strike, he made the most humiliating yet wisest choice.

"Open... open the door..." Sea of Fortune issued the most difficult order of his life in a trembling voice filled with tears, "Set up the incense table... we... surrender..."

A moment later, the Qian Family's broken gate slowly opened. Sea of Fortune led all the core members of the Qian Family, each of them looking ashen, dressed in plain clothes, and walking out trembling.

Then, under Big Fool's gaze filled with curiosity and simplicity, with a few "thuds," over a hundred members of the Qian Family, led by Sea of Fortune, knelt down on the ground in unison.

"Sinner Sea of Fortune, leading the Qian clan, pays respects to the Heavenly God!" Sea of Fortune slammed his forehead heavily onto the cold floor, his voice humble to the extreme, "My Qian Family is willing to offer half of the Family's wealth! Offer all private troops! And hereby swear that from now on, we will be loyal to Lord Gao Feng forever and ever! If we violate this oath, may heaven destroy us and earth punish us, and may we die a horrible death!"

Overnight, the winds and clouds changed.

When the first ray of sunlight the next morning pierced through the mist and fell upon this Yunzhou City, which was still permeated with a faint smell of blood, a shocking piece of news that was enough to make the entire Northern Territory tremble violently spread instantly to every corner of Yunzhou City like a magnitude 12 super earthquake!

The four great Families that had occupied Yunzhou, were deep-rooted, and had a Legacy of hundreds of years — Wang, Li, Zhao, and Qian — had actually seen three families annihilated and one surrender in a single night!

This news was so shocking that at first, no one was willing to believe it! But when they saw the ruins of the Wang Family ancestral home that had been completely razed to the ground, when they saw the carts of corpses covered in white cloth and seeping blood being continuously transported out of the Li and Zhao families, and when they saw the stone archway that symbolized the Qian Family's centuries of glory turned into a pile of powder!

All voices of doubt vanished, replaced by endless fear and awe!

Everyone knew that from this night on, the sky over Yunzhou had completely changed. The era belonging to the four great Families had completely become the past.

A brand new, more powerful, and more domineering absolute overlord had stepped onto the historical stage of this Northern Territory in the bloodiest and most unquestionable way!

When the first ray of morning sunlight pierced the clouds and illuminated this ancient city that had experienced a night of baptism by blood and fire, the entire Yunzhou City fell into a strange, deathly silence.

The streets were empty, and every household had its doors and windows tightly closed. Everyone was hiding in their homes, peeking through the cracks in the doors with complex gazes mixed with fear, curiosity, and awe at this world that had just been completely overturned.

They saw squads of Panshi Army soldiers, clad in heavy armor and emanating an aura of iron-blooded Evil Qi, taking over all the key thoroughfares in the city. Their steps were steady and powerful, their eyes cold as knives, and just by standing there, they exuded a suffocating sense of oppression.

They saw that the mansions of the Wang, Li, and Zhao families, which had once been high and mighty and used to lord over others, were completely sealed, with grim seals bearing the City Defense Office's stamp posted on the doors. In front of the mansion gates, which used to be bustling with activity, there were now only stone steps stained black by blood and debris everywhere.

They also saw Sea of Fortune, the head of the Qian Family, a wealthy man who used to be a person of some standing in Yunzhou City, now acting like the lowliest pug, following a general of the Panshi Army with a fawning face, bowing and scraping, personally directing his own servants to help the Panshi Army count and move the mountains of gold and silver treasures confiscated from the other three families.

Everyone understood that the sky over Yunzhou had truly changed.

After dawn, Gao Feng did not rest at all. He had hardly slept all night, but his spirit was exceptionally excited. He immediately issued his first order as the new master of Yunzhou City.

"Pass the order, Du Wei!" Gao Feng's voice echoed in the newly cleared council hall, carrying a trace of unquestionable majesty.

“General reporting!” Du Wei strode forward. The blood on his body had not yet fully dried, and he stood there like an unsheathed lethal weapon.

“I order you to immediately lead the Law Enforcement Hall and join forces with the surrendered Sea of Fortune's Family to conduct a comprehensive search and liquidation of all properties belonging to the Wang, Li, and Zhao Families, both inside and outside Yunzhou City. This includes, but is not limited to, farmland, shops, mines, and salt wells!”

“I want them to spit out every drop of blood they have sucked from the people of Yunzhou over the past few centuries, with interest!”

“Furthermore,” a cold glint of murderous intent flashed in Gao Feng's eyes as he emphasized his tone, “tell Du Wei to round up every single corrupt official who is deeply connected to these three families and has been acting as their accomplice in oppressing the people. No one is to be spared! The Sea of Fortune's Family has the complete account books and lists; have them cooperate fully. For those with conclusive evidence, there is no need for a trial—execute them on the spot!”

“As you command!” A bloodthirsty glint erupted in Du Wei's eyes; he had long despised those fat, gluttonous wretches.

At Gao Feng's command, a thunderous storm—far wider in scope and more profound in its impact than the bloody massacre of the previous night—was unleashed across all of Yunzhou!

Like the sharpest of scalpels, Du Wei's Law Enforcement Hall, guided precisely by their “inside agent” from the Sea of Fortune's Family, struck with thunderous momentum against the vast, deeply entrenched industrial network of the three great families.

Secret granaries, filled with enough grain to feed the entire city for three years, were forcibly broken open! When the golden grain poured out like a waterfall, the onlookers erupted in earth-shattering cheers.

Underground vaults, hidden in the most secretive locations and protected by complex mechanisms, were violently breached! When the neatly stacked gold bricks, silver ingots, and chests of dazzling jewelry and jade were exposed to the sunlight, even the battle-hardened soldiers of the Law Enforcement Hall couldn't help but gasp.

Trade routes, mineral veins, and salt wells that had been monopolized by them for centuries were all confiscated! Those industries, once guarded by the three great families as their exclusive domain—where any interference by outsiders would invite death—now all fell into the hands of Gao Feng.

The immense wealth, frantically accumulated over centuries and three generations, surged like a bursting tide from every corner of Yunzhou City, pouring endlessly into Gao Feng's already overflowing treasury.

Gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, paintings, divine weapons, and rare medicinal herbs... the sheer quantity and immense value left even the seasoned strategists Liu Chengfeng and Xu Changqing, who had seen their fair share of the world, dumbfounded and speechless.

“My Lord... we've struck it rich... we've really struck it rich this time!”

Xu Changqing held the preliminary inventory list, his hands trembling slightly. Pointing to the long string of zeros on the list, he said excitedly, “Just the gold confiscated from the Wang Family's most secret ‘Qiankun Treasury’ exceeds three million taels! The silver is piled up like a mountain, beyond counting! Add to that the assets of the other two families and all the confiscated industries... it is no exaggeration to say that we are now wealthier than the national treasury of the Great Qian Dynasty!”

Gao Feng merely nodded calmly upon hearing this; he had anticipated as much. What he valued more were the ugly faces that had been exposed alongside this liquidation.

Guided by the secret account book provided by Sea of Fortune—a ledger sufficient to cause an earthquake in the entire Yunzhou officialdom—one by one, the officials who usually postured with a veneer of respectability were dragged out of their warm beds and luxurious mansions.

The registrar of the Yunzhou Salt and Iron Department, who had colluded with the Li Family for years, had been selling government-allocated salt to the common people at triple the price while lining his own pockets. In a hidden compartment within his walls, they actually found one hundred thousand taels of gold.

The head of the Yunzhou Tax Department had secretly provided favors to the Zhao Family, facilitating massive tax evasion. When the soldiers of the Law Enforcement Hall dug up the rockery in his backyard, they discovered a secret vault beneath it comparable to a small gold mine.

The deputy commander of the Yunzhou City Defense Battalion had accepted bribes from the Wang Family, provided protection for their weapon smuggling, and even resold high-quality imperial-issued weapons to the Wang Family's private soldiers...

One shocking charge after another, and one outrageous atrocity after another, were made public as these officials were captured. Gao Feng showed absolutely no mercy toward these individuals.

At Du Wei's command, heads that had once been held high rolled to the ground. The ground at the vegetable market was stained red over and over again by the blood of these corrupt officials. The entire officialdom of Yunzhou was cleansed! The common people cheered and celebrated, spreading the news and hailing Gao Feng as “Gao Feng the Upright Official.”

Faced with this vast wealth, enough to drive any emperor mad, Gao Feng made a decision that caught everyone by surprise.

He cleanly and decisively divided this astronomical sum of wealth into three parts.

“The first portion: three hundred thousand taels of gold and one million taels of silver, all to be deposited into the military treasury!” In the temporary council hall, Gao Feng pointed to the sand table, his voice ringing out with sonorous power, echoing in the hearts of every general.

“Du Wei, Wulu, I give you three months! Use this money to expand the Tiger Guard Battalion and the Green Wolf Battalion to three thousand men! Furthermore, use the best equipment and the most abundant supply of Medicinal Pill to arm them to the teeth! I want the Panshi Army to become the most elite and powerful invincible force in the entire North!”

“As you command!” Du Wei and Wulu were so excited that their faces flushed crimson, their voices trembling. They had never dreamed that one day they would be able to expand the army with such “financial might.”

“The second portion: two hundred thousand taels of gold and five hundred thousand taels of silver, all to be invested into the Hundred Crafts Institute!” Gao Feng's gaze turned to Gongshu Ban, the usually stern and serious technical madman.

“Mr. Gongshu, I don't understand technology, but I know that technology is the primary productive force! I will provide you with money, manpower, and all the resources you need! I have only one requirement: I want the Hundred Crafts Institute to develop a ‘Thunderbolt Crossbow’ with greater power and longer range in the shortest possible time! Forge sharper and sturdier ‘Black Iron Armor’! Even... develop the kind of firearms that would allow ordinary people to threaten a Martial Artist!”

“Rest assured, my Lord!” Gongshu Ban's eyes welled up with tears of excitement. He bowed deeply to Gao Feng and said, “With such vast funding, I dare to issue a military pledge: within half a year, I will certainly present you with a brand new Hundred Crafts Institute! I will elevate the combat power of the Panshi Army to the next level!”

“As for this last portion—which is also the largest—” Gao Feng paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, and said slowly, “all remaining funds are to be used for the people's livelihood!”

“Liu Chengfeng, Xu Changqing!”

“Your subordinates are here!” The two strategists stepped forward immediately.

“I order you to immediately establish larger-scale free porridge kitchens, public relief centers, and recruitment halls both inside and outside Yunzhou City!”

“I want every commoner who has been displaced and starved due to war and the exploitation of the noble families to be able to eat a hot meal! I do not wish to see the tragic sight of people freezing to death on the roads within my territory ever again!”

“I want all the poor who are sick but cannot afford treatment to receive free medical care! A healthy subject is far more valuable than a soul dead from sickness!”

“I want every talented and ambitious scholar from a humble background, who has been suppressed and buried by the noble clans, to have an opportunity to showcase their talents! Tell them that here under Gao Feng, I do not ask about origins or look at Family background—I promote only based on talent!”

“In short, one word!” Gao Feng's voice was resonant, filled with an unquestionable determination! “I want this Yunzhou to be free of hunger and cold from this day forward! I want it to be free of injustice! I want this Yunzhou to become a paradise on earth in the hearts of every refugee and humble scholar throughout the Great Qian Dynasty!”

Gao Feng's words were like a heavy bomb, detonating in everyone's hearts! They were deeply shaken by his unimaginable, magnificent boldness and expansive spirit!

Soon, as Gao Feng's orders were implemented, the entire city of Yunzhou began to boil with excitement!

Steaming porridge kitchens sprang up in every corner of the city and its outskirts. The thick, sweet rice porridge—in which one could even see minced meat—brought hot tears to the eyes of countless refugees who had gone hungry for days. They knelt on the ground, kowtowing endlessly in the direction of the City Defense Office.

Bright and clean public relief centers opened their doors to all the impoverished commoners. With experienced physicians and free medicinal soups, countless families struggling in the throes of illness finally saw a glimmer of hope for survival.

Notices written in Gao Feng's own hand, expressing a thirst for talent, were plastered across every street and alley of Yunzhou City. No questions about origins, no regard for background—only talent is promoted! This left countless scholars from humble backgrounds, who possessed great talent but no path to serve their country, so excited they couldn't sleep. They packed their bags overnight and set off to join him.

For a time, the entire city of Yunzhou was in a fervor of public support! Countless commoners spontaneously gathered before the City Defense Office, kowtowing toward Gao Feng's residence and hailing him as the “Upright Official”!

“Umbrellas of the Ten Thousand People,” signed by the masses and embroidered with the words “Virtue Covering the Common People,” and shrines spontaneously built by the beneficiaries to house longevity tablets dedicated to Gao Feng, poured into the City Defense Office like falling snowflakes.

The hearts of the people are with him!

At this moment, Gao Feng truly felt the immense power contained within those words.

This power made him feel even more secure and formidable than his own cultivation.

However, just as the entire Panshi Land was immersed in an atmosphere of prosperity and joy, a new crisis was quietly closing in.

A massive power vacuum had emerged in Yunzhou City. Of the four great families, three had been annihilated and one had surrendered, and the entire officialdom of Yunzhou had been purged. Although Gao Feng had temporarily seized control of the situation through sheer force, he ultimately lacked a legitimate title.

He was merely a General of Tianmen Pass. By slaughtering the noble families and interfering in local governance, no matter the reason, in the eyes of the imperial court, it was an act of treasonous overreach! Once the imperial court pursued the matter, he would instantly transform from the “Upright Official” revered by the masses into a “traitor to the state” whom everyone would have the right to punish!