252: Chapter 252 Development!

The answer given by Wang Hengshan left Liu Three-Blade somewhat silent.

His earlier questioning was not because he truly believed the intelligence was incorrect. It was merely a judgment based on common sense, not specifically targeted at anyone.

While exceptions exist, they are truly rare.

Since Wang Hengshan had already acknowledged its authenticity, it undoubtedly proved that Pei Qingyun was that exception.

"In that case, this Pei Qingyun does have some strength. Regardless of what methods he used, being able to escape from the hands of Bao Er and He Jiu is something no ordinary Grandmaster could achieve. For a Grandmaster from a third-rate family to possess such means is truly remarkable." A trace of admiration appeared in Liu Three-Blade's eyes.

"If you, Lord Liu, have such great interest in this Grandmaster Pei Qingyun, I can send men to continue the investigation," Wang Hengshan said.

Liu Three-Blade shook his head and waved his hand to decline the proposal, "Then I won't trouble Commander Wang."

Seeing this, Wang Hengshan couldn't say much more.

Although he had some interest in Pei Qingyun, that was all. If not for Liu Three-Blade's suggestion, he would never have paid special attention to this matter.

...

Days passed one by one.

After the Elders were killed in battle, some families with grudges against the Lei Clan launched retaliations against them. Coupled with the involvement of various Great Families, the Lei Clan had no room to resist. The members of the main branch were either dead or had fled. The remaining unsold Family assets were almost completely carved up by the various Great Families.

Only a few collateral clansmen who were not close to the Family remained in the city to make a living, but their status had fallen to the very bottom of the prefecture city.

It took the Lei Clan only half a month to decline from a high and mighty top-tier third-rate family to a non-rated Family today. Yet, going from a non-rated Family to a top-tier third-rate family takes fifty years, or even a century.

Of course, this was inseparable from the fact that the Lei Clan Elders were courting death. If they had kept a lower profile and behaved themselves, they might have lasted a few months, or even a year, and would not have declined to such a state.

After all, as long as a few Five-Viscera Martial Artists survived and went to make a living in other prefectures, it was not impossible to return to the ranks of ordinary Great Families.

But these Lei Clan Elders were too greedy. Each one was crazed for their own interests, wanting to pack up and run, which is why they planted the bitter fruit of today.

There is cause for every effect. The victor becomes king, and the loser becomes the bandit; this was already a settled conclusion.

There are too many Great Families in Longnan Prefecture city, and the number of third-rate families had long exceeded three digits. The demise of one top-tier third-rate family was not considered a city-shaking event in Longnan Prefecture.

In Longnan Prefecture city, every year there are always one or two Great Families that fall out of the ranks of third-rate families.

What was one Lei Clan? If not for the fact that the Lei Clan's path to decline was too bizarre. A few months ago, they were clearly still in their prime, and yet in the blink of an eye, they were gone.

This was definitely the first time in twenty years in Longnan Prefecture city.

It was precisely because of this that the Lei Clan's reputation became so resounding.

If Patriarch Lei Yuanqin could come back from the dead, he would probably be laughed to anger by this operation. The Lei Clan's prestige did indeed reach its Peak after he succeeded as Clan Chief, but that was established only after the Lei Clan's destruction.

Comparing it this way, he seemed to have lived up to his ancestors.

Of course, the biggest impact was on Hengshui Street. Although half of the Lei Clan's assets on Hengshui Street fell into the hands of local Great Families.

But the other half fell into the hands of other outside Great Families. These outside forces belonged to different street districts; for example, the Yun Family was from Changming Street, and the Hu Family came from Donglin Street.

Compared to when the Lei Clan still existed, Hengshui Street was a market like a stagnant pool of water.

After the Lei Clan fell, due to the participation of multiple outside Great Families, the local Great Families had to unite, forming a natural competitiveness between the two.

This competition disrupted the balance of Hengshui Street, but it also brought opportunities for promotion to those low-level Martial Artists and non-rated families.

In prosperous times, dogs and hounds appear; in chaotic times, true Dragons emerge. That is how it is. Only when powers are reshuffled can giants emerge.

Just like the fall of the previous Dynasty, everyone says it was the decay of the Dynasty, but who knows how many shadows of Great Families were behind this decay.

This world has never lacked ambitious people and behind-the-scenes instigators.

A month passed quietly. It was now autumn.

The cool autumn breeze dispelled the heat brought by the summer, and also created a new harvest season for the people.

The Lei Clan of Hengshui had become a thing of the past, but their deeds had become fodder for conversation after meals for many people. Especially for some Great Families with internal power struggles, they even used the Lei Clan's actions as a negative example to discipline the Elders within their clans.

As for how effective it was, that was another matter. But at least the Lei Clan still contributed a little bit of effort.

Besides this, the disputes among the various Great Families on Hengshui Street had not yet stopped, but they had eased quite a bit. This might be a long process, but until interests are balanced, such disputes will never stop.

Compared to the changing winds and clouds of Hengshui Street, Changming Street was also experiencing surging undercurrents.

The matter of the Yun Family losing a large number of Martial Artists during this voyage out to sea could no longer be completely hidden.

With so many elites lost all at once, the defensive strength of the Yun Family's various industries had clearly declined significantly.

Logically speaking, the Yun Family should have contracted their forces.

But the Yun Family not only did not contract, they expanded. The Yun Family annexed the Lei Clan's assets on Changming Street and, incidentally, also intervened in the Lei Clan's assets on Hengshui Street.

This way, manpower was even more lacking. Furthermore, as time fermented, this drawback became increasingly obvious.

In response, the Yun Family could only recruit Martial Artists from the outside. But among the recruited Martial Artists, how many were truly working for the Yun Family? It would be good if even thirty percent were.

The remaining seventy percent might even include people with ulterior motives sent by other forces.

Over time, even those outside street district forces that were competing with the Yun Family in Hengshui would reach their hands into Changming Street.

If not for Grandmaster Yun Tenglong still being alive, the Yun Family would have already suffered a backlash.

However, the Yun Family chose to do the opposite.

Hundreds of years had passed, and the Bloodline Power inherited from the Yun Family ancestors who consumed the innate yuan qi fruit had become increasingly diluted.

This caused Patriarch Yun Donglai, the current Clan Chief, to not have enough innate yuan qi fruit to enhance his Bloodline Power, and his failure to break through to the Six Viscera Realm nearly severed the Grandmaster Legacy.

It is foreseeable that if the Yun Family does not have descendants with atavistic Bloodline, then the inherited Bloodline Power will only become weaker.

His generation is already like this, so the next generation will only be more difficult.

The Yun Family has reached the point where if they do not advance, they will retreat.

The downfall of the Lei Clan was undoubtedly a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity for the Yun Family to expand externally.

As long as there are enough resources, even if the Bloodline Power is weaker, it can still be piled up.

But the Yun Family still had time; at least his generation had not yet had problems.

The real reason that prompted him to do this was that he was only one step away from the Grandmaster Realm.

Now, all the innate yuan qi fruits had been consumed.

The Bloodline Power had also reached the standard for a Breakthrough.

As long as he breaks through to the Six Viscera Realm, then all difficulties will be easily resolved.

...

Compared to the changing winds and clouds of the outside world, inside the Pei Clan's separate courtyard.

Pei Qingyun was lying on a recliner, which creaked as it rocked.

Having arrived in this Longnan Prefecture for over two months, this past month had been very comfortable. Every day, besides Cultivating, he would fish, nurture his health, and listen to music.

Although he had not handled many Family affairs this month, the Pei Clan was still steadily advancing.

Not to mention the distant ones, just within Changming Street, the Pei Clan already owned many shops and had built stable supply channels.

In this, the role played by the Yun Family was unquestionable.

To put it bluntly, Pei Qingyun was the thickest thigh the Yun Family could come into contact with.

Therefore, regarding matters the Pei Clan encountered on Changming Street, the Yun Family not only took the initiative to resolve them but also handled them more actively than their own affairs.

"In a few days, the handover date for the next batch of blood origin grass will arrive. I wonder if the quantity will be more this time," Pei Qingyun thought secretly. "The first phase of Yuanhong Trading Market has been completed for several months now, the shops have all been rented out, and the revenue results are quite good. It is much smoother than I expected. Perhaps I underestimated the potential of Yuanhong Trading Market."

Since the completion of the first phase of Yuanhong Trading Market, after a large number of merchants and Great Families on good terms with the Pei Clan moved in, its popularity flourished.

At first, those Great Families on good terms were mostly buying some shops in moderation for the sake of the Pei Clan's Face.

They were not coming with the mindset of making a profit; as long as they could ensure a balance of payments, the deal would not be a loss.

With low expectations, naturally, there would be no disappointment.

It was with such expectations that he came to Yuanhong Trading Market.

A few months passed, and their thoughts had completely changed. They were not just losing out, they were numb with regret.

The popularity of Yuanhong Trading Market far exceeded their expectations.

From the first month, their shops started to make a profit, and the monthly turnover was steadily increasing.

It was now the fourth month since Yuanhong Trading Market opened, and the profit was nearly fifty percent higher than when it first opened.

Although the profitability of these shops could not yet compare to the shops in the prefecture city, the future was uncertain.

At most, in three to five years, they would be able to earn back the money they spent on purchasing the shops.

For any Great Family, this was an incredibly cost-effective deal. It especially showed the potential of Yuanhong Trading Market.

They regretted not purchasing more shops when the Pei Clan was offering discounts.

Now, let alone purchasing shops at the original price, even with a premium of twenty or thirty percent, they might not be able to purchase a shop.

In a few more days, perhaps they might not even be able to rent one.

This also caused the planning of the second phase of Yuanhong Trading Market to be put on the agenda.

Originally, Pei Qingyun planned for the second phase of the Yuanhong Trading Market project to start at least by the middle of next year. If the feedback was unsatisfactory, he would continue to postpone it.

But based on the current situation, it might be able to start by the end of the year.

This was more than half a year ahead of what he had expected.

However, time was still ample, with about three months left until the end of the year.

Of course, those who regretted it the most were the merchants and Great Families who did not look favorably upon Yuanhong Trading Market.

Especially those Great Families who had business dealings with the Pei Clan.

Back then, the Pei Clan took the initiative to invite them to participate in the opening, but they were all too afraid to come.

Admittedly, these Great Families alienated the Pei Clan for their own interests.

Looking at it this way, it didn't seem like a huge mistake.

But for Pei Qingyun, these fence-sitters who didn't dare to come were equivalent to having taken the side of the Qian Clan.

In the future, wanting to get a share of the pie from the Pei Clan again, they shouldn't even think about it.

"I have been in Longnan Prefecture for two months now. Should I return to Wuyang City first? There shouldn't be any big events here anymore," Pei Qingyun was considering.

If not for considering that there might still be Blood Demon Sect Martial Artists lurking in Longnan Prefecture city, Pei Qingyun would have already returned.

After all, the Yun Family was once chased all the way to Tianyuan Island by Blood Demon Sect Martial Artists.

Although he and the Yun Family slew all the Blood Demon Sect Martial Artists, who could be certain that the news had not been heard by other Blood Demon Sect Martial Artists?

More than a month had passed, so it should be safe.

However, just as Pei Qingyun was considering this, Pei Tianlin walked in, "Old Ancestor, the Yun Clan Chief has broken through to Grandmaster. He says that in seven days, he will hold a Grandmaster Banquet and hopes you can attend."

"In seven days, I will be there," Pei Qingyun was not surprised and said directly.

"Calculating the time, it's about right. Back then, he was only one step away. Being able to cross it this time can be considered a natural result," Pei Qingyun sighed with emotion.