282: Jiuzhonglang is our supporter

"This General gives the order: recruit the Ninth Mountain Army throughout Shu, to slay demons, destroy evil, and conquer mountains and temples!"

"This General wants to see!"

"Who in Jinguancheng doesn't obey, and who wants to play blind with This General."

"Or, like Your Excellencies."

"Voluntarily send your Family's children into the Ninth Mountain to show your stance."

Chen Yuan's eyes were like a deep abyss, unfathomable. He then fixed his gaze on the two people in front of him, a slight curve forming on his lips.

"Murong Family Head, Xia Family Second Master, what do you say, isn't that right?"

Murong Family Head and Xia Family Second Master's faces twitched upon hearing this.

Voluntarily?

One Family's eldest legitimate son, who was set to be the Family heir, was captured, and the other's Family's steward was firmly controlled by Chen Yuan.

The upheaval in the Liu Family was a clear precedent, and this Zhonglang General, against that Qian family member, was quick to kill.

He had already released a very clear signal!

Either surrender or die!

The Xia Family and Murong Family, among the Four Sects and Eight Families in Jinguancheng, had relatively low Family strength. Other families might still have the right to contend, but these two did not dare to take such a risk.

This Zhonglang General, after three days, had shown thunderous methods. Now, he had completely bared his "fangs" to the aristocratic families, preparing to extensively recruit troops.

Listening to his meaning, the Ninth Mountain's recruitment of troops this time was the final test for each Family. Either hand over their own children to show submission, or...

As the two thought of this, a chill ran through their hearts. This Ninth Mountain Zhonglang General had such great ambition; he truly wasn't afraid of the aristocratic families being pushed too far, rebelling, and ending in mutual destruction!

But as the two looked at the smile on Chen Yuan's lips, their bodies couldn't help but tremble. They quickly stepped forward, bowing their waists, which had not bent in years, and spoke in unison:

"Murong Family is willing to serve This General!"

"This General fights for the people of Shu, benevolent and unparalleled. The Xia Family will surely follow, but please, This General, show mercy to my elder brother."

"Good!"

Chen Yuan laughed heartily, patted the armrest, and then smiled slightly, "Liu Family Head and Your Excellencies are all loyal and righteous individuals. In the future, your loyal and righteous names will surely be spread throughout Shu. Then This General will get straight to the point."

"This time, the Ninth Mountain's recruitment of troops, in This General's opinion, is on a very large scale. However, the Fushi has sent out all its elites to resist demons, and the Weapon Repository is almost empty. The imperial court is even ignoring us. The soldiers are in urgent need of supplies, and This General is also in a difficult position."

Chen Yuan paused here, sighing slightly.

Liu Tianming, standing on the left, immediately understood and stepped forward.

"This General leads the soldiers to shed blood for our Shu. My Liu Family is willing to express our sincerity: we will donate ten thousand taels of silver, five hundred sets of profound gold armor, two thousand standard blades, and ten thousand piculs of grain."

Murong Family Head and Xia Family Second Master knew this was a time to "show loyalty" and spoke one after another:

"My Murong Family Family started with Alchemy, and we are willing to donate ten thousand taels of silver, one hundred boxes of basic first-grade Medicinal Pills, fifty second-grade Medicinal Pills, and also send ten basic Alchemists who can refine Medicinal Pills below second-grade." Murong Family Head spoke. The Medicinal Pills mentioned earlier were not much, but those ten Alchemists made him feel a pang of pain.

Alchemists are very rare among martial artists. Alchemy among martial artists is known as the "Head of the Six Arts of Martial Dao." The Six Arts are Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Formation, Talisman Making, Beast Taming (beast is a This General term, including Gu, insects, exotic beasts, etc.), and Spirit Plants.

Almost every martial artist, on their cultivation path, cannot do without Medicinal Pills. Cultivating an Alchemist requires immense effort and financial resources. Few people are willing to spend time and money on this path, either because their martial Dao is hopeless or their talent is exceptionally high.

However, Alchemy, without massive financial support, is simply beyond the means of ordinary martial artists. It is usually only some families that can cultivate them.

Even basic Alchemists are a valuable asset!

It is evident that this Murong Family Head also bled a little.

Xia Family Second Master was about to speak but, seeing that Murong Family Head had already set a high standard, his face slightly changed. Their Xia Family was at the bottom among the Four Sects and Seven Families, and their financial resources could not compare to these two families. He had no choice but to pause, reorganize his words, and then bowed, saying:

"The Xia Family is willing to donate ten thousand taels of silver, one thousand fine horses, five hundred sets of profound iron armor. Additionally, I, Xia Qijia, personally, am willing to donate ten thousand taels of silver to the Ninth Mountain, ten boxes of spiritual materials, and am willing to send my young daughter to the Ninth Mountain Residence to be a female official. After all, the This General's daily life is also a major matter!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Tianming and Murong Family Head couldn't help but look at Xia Qijia, the Xia Family Second Master who was bowing his head, their eyelids twitching.

It seemed they were saying, "Alright, alright, so you're playing this card, huh? We're just being compliant, but you're even selling your daughter. Hmph, that's a good plan, trying to send your own person to Ninth Zhonglang's side through this move, to become someone close to him."

He truly sold out completely.

However, it had to be admitted that this kind of declaration would undoubtedly please Ninth Zhonglang.

Indeed, when Chen Yuan heard this, the curve of his lips rose even higher, and he chuckled.

"This General appreciates Your Excellency's intentions, but there's no need for that."

"All three of you are generous and righteous individuals, helping This General solve problems. Very good, This General is very pleased."

Then, Chen Yuan's gaze fell on Liu Tianming, and he instructed:

"Liu Family Head, arrange for someone to bestow wine!"

Soon after, the three Heavenly Gates of the Liu Family, Murong Family Head, and Liu Family Second Master walked to the threshold of the main hall, bowing towards the top. In the sky, mist rolled, accompanied by neighing horses, rapidly moving away.

The few of them looked at a limp corpse not far from the main hall's entrance, their eyes flickering intensely.

"Liu Tianming, do you think this This General truly intends to take action against the aristocratic families? Is he not afraid of chaos in Jinguancheng?"

Murong Family Head spoke, somewhat uneasy.

Liu Tianming's brows remained indifferent, "Murong Family Head, you ask me, but who should I ask? Since we have already boarded This General's ship, it's best not to have other thoughts. There is chaos everywhere now, and Your Excellencies also know the current situation. People like us, even if we are the Four Sects and Eight Families, are still not in control of our own destinies. More and more unfamiliar faces are appearing in this city. Before this This General returned to the city, my Liu Family had already run into trouble with a mysterious person, and several people died consecutively. My elder brother also returned disappointed, without mentioning a word, not even to me. What do you think we amount to?"

Upon hearing this, Murong Family Head and Liu Family Second Master's expressions changed slightly.

The increasingly frequent appearance of these mysterious powerhouses had indeed been reported to their respective families. For example, during the projection of Ninth Zhonglang's great battle last time, they were naturally startled and went to watch. At the scene, they saw many unfamiliar or mysterious figures.

These people concealed themselves, making it difficult to see them clearly. In the end, they all left in one direction, but the Qi inadvertently revealed by these powerhouses was sometimes astonishing.

It was said that some people from a few families followed these powerhouses, wanting to understand the situation, but it ultimately came to nothing. Some lost track, while others disappeared and never returned.

It was just that at the time, too many outsiders poured into Jinguancheng, making it truly difficult to ascertain the identities of these people.

But as time passed, these suddenly appearing powerhouses became more and more frequent, and their origins were gradually learned by their respective families: these were powerhouses from outside Shu, almost all of them Heavenly Gates.

Among them, there were even people from the Blessed Lands!

That Ninth Zhonglang, the day before yesterday, killed that Martial Treasure Divine Ability user, who was from the Blessed Lands.

Each Family had been looking for these people and trying to make contact. Their appearance surely held a secret.

Something big must be happening in Shu.

"We should still rely on This General to carve out a path!" Liu Tianming said slowly.

I'm about to become a father, so I've been busy preparing for the baby recently, which has slowed down updates. Please bear with me. Tomorrow will be eight thousand characters. If not, I'll send red envelopes in the group. Charge!