103: Lord City Lord, something terrible has happened!

"If I were to face City Lord now..."

A frightening gleam of light flashed in Li Qing's eyes.

"Beating him to death would be a piece of cake!"

City Lord: Have I become a unit of measurement?

This was the absolute confidence brought by a monstrous surge in strength!

He slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid Qi, completely reining in his soaring aura.

Outwardly, he was still that Condensing Essence Realm Early Stage youth, unchanged in the slightest.

But only he himself knew what a terrifying transformation he had just undergone.

The sky was beginning to lighten.

A new day had begun.

For most people in the City Lord's manor, this was just another ordinary morning.

No one knew that last night, within their very residence, an earth-shattering theft, one worthy of being recorded in history, had taken place.

Li Qing pushed open his door, stretched lazily, and breathed in the fresh morning air.

Everything seemed so peaceful.

"Young Master Li, you're awake."

The maid assigned to serve him walked over, carrying washing utensils, and bowed respectfully.

"Mm."

Li Qing nodded, behaving as usual.

Just as he finished washing up and was about to have breakfast,

a steward from the City Lord's manor hurried over.

"Young Master Li, the City Lord requests your presence."

"Oh? What does the City Lord want with me?"

Li Qing asked, knowing full well the answer.

"The City Lord said he wishes to discuss the preparations for the Great Xia Martial Selection with you."

The steward answered respectfully.

"Alright, I'll go right away."

Li Qing put down his chopsticks and followed the steward towards City Lord's study.

All along the way, his demeanor was calm and unruffled.

Discuss preparations?

I'm afraid the show is about to begin.

Soon, he arrived at the City Lord's study.

City Lord was sitting in the main seat, looking at him with a smile, seemingly in a rather good mood.

"Li Qing, how did you rest last night?"

"Thanks to the City Lord's grace, everything was fine."

Li Qing replied neither obsequiously nor arrogantly.

"Haha, that's good!"

City Lord nodded with satisfaction and said,

"I called you here today mainly to tell you that in half a month, we will set off for the Royal Capital."

"During these two weeks, whatever you need, just tell me. Whether it's Cultivation Techniques or Medicinal Pills, I will spare no effort to provide them!"

He looked at Li Qing, his eyes filled with expectation.

"Thank you, City Lord."

Li Qing thought to himself, what I needed, I've already taken myself, and what I took is far, far more than you could ever give.

The two were conversing in perfect harmony.

Right at that moment.

"BANG!"

The study door was violently and roughly slammed open!

A Guard responsible for watching the treasury stumbled in, his face filled with terror and pallor, as if he had seen a ghost!

"City Lord! N-no... it's terrible!"

The Guard's voice, twisted by extreme fear, became sharp and distorted.

"Something terrible has happened!!"

The smile on City Lord's face instantly froze.

He slammed the table furiously and roared.

"Outrageous! What is it that has you so panicked? Has the sky fallen?!"

"The... the treasury..."

The Guard knelt on the ground, trembling like a leaf, barely able to utter a complete sentence.

"The treasury has been robbed!!"

"What?!"

City Lord felt as if struck by lightning, leaping up from his chair, the color draining from his face!

He grabbed the Guard by the collar, his eyes bloodshot, and roared.

"Explain yourself clearly! What do you mean it's been robbed!"

"The Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, Heaven And Earth Treasures inside... they're all... all gone!!"

The Guard cried out tearfully.

"BOOM!"

City Lord's mind felt as if struck hard by a heavy hammer, instantly going blank.

He staggered back two steps, his body swaying unsteadily, his face filled with disbelief.

The treasury... the treasury he had spent half his life building, amassing countless wealth... robbed?

How was this possible!

He could no longer care about anything else. His figure flickered, transforming into a blur as he frantically rushed towards the treasury's location.

Following behind him, Li Qing promptly wore an expression of "shock" and "concern" and quickly followed.

The wind whistled past his ears.

City Lord pushed his speed to the limit, his entire body becoming a streak of light as he darted through the City Lord's manor.

His heart was bleeding!

The treasury!

That wasn't just his personal wealth; it was the Foundation of the entire Jinling City, the bedrock for his future ascent to greater heights!

Now, you want him to work for nothing?

Milk the cow without feeding it grass?

How was that possible!

Now, someone was actually telling him the treasury had been robbed?

He didn't believe it!

He absolutely refused to believe it!

This must be some bastard playing a joke on him!

Soon, the thick black iron door of the treasury appeared in his sight.

A large crowd of Guards who had heard the news had already gathered at the entrance, all of them pale-faced and silent as cicadas in winter.

City Lord saw at a glance that the treasury door was intact. The protective Formation on the door was still operating smoothly, emitting a faint spiritual light.

Seeing this, he felt a slight sense of relief.

The door wasn't broken, the Formation hadn't been triggered.

This meant the thief hadn't even gotten in!

That Guard from earlier must have been reporting false information!

"You scoundrel! Whoever dares spread such wild rumors again, I'll execute his entire clan!"

The City Lord roared, the killing intent in his voice making everyone present feel as if they had fallen into an icy abyss.

He strode forward, took a special token from his bosom, and pressed it against the Formation's core on the door.

"Hum..."

The protective Formation emitted a soft hum, and the spiritual light slowly dissipated.

Then, City Lord took out a peculiarly shaped key and inserted it into the complex keyhole.

"Creak——"

The incredibly heavy black iron door was slowly pushed open.

City Lord took a deep breath, with a mix of anger and relief, and stepped inside.

However, the moment he saw the scene inside the treasury.

It was as if a divine thunderbolt from the Nine Heavens had struck him from head to toe!

The color drained completely from his face in an instant, turning paler than a corpse.

His pupils abruptly contracted to the size of pinpricks.

His body began to tremble violently, uncontrollably.

The treasury, which should have been filled to the brim with rare treasures, was now... completely empty!

No!

It wasn't completely empty either.

The least valuable gold, silver, and jewels were scattered all over the floor.

The Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals he had treasured were haphazardly thrown in a corner.

The Spirit Stones! Medicinal Pills! Heaven And Earth Treasures he had spent countless effort to collect!

All were gone!

Vanished without a trace!

City Lord tremblingly reached out a hand to steady himself against the black iron door.

"Pfft——!"

A mouthful of blood violently sprayed from City Lord's mouth!

His vision went dark, his body swayed, and he nearly collapsed on the spot.

"City Lord!"