129: Chapter 129 I also want to keep a low profile, but my strength won't allow it.

The midday sun was scorching, baking the bluestone slabs in front of the Martial Arts Hall until they were searing hot.

Yet, inside the hall, it was chillingly cold.

Twenty-three Clan Heads lined both sides, none daring to sit, none daring to wipe the beads of sweat sliding down their temples and across their cheeks. Sweat dripped onto their shoes, blooming into small, dark stains—the only movement to be seen at this moment.

Apart from their breathing, there was dead silence.

Clan Head Zhao stared fixedly at the ground half an inch in front of his toes, his calves trembling minutely at an incredibly high frequency.

Half an hour ago, the Li Family from the east side of the city had not arrived.

A quarter of an hour ago, the head of the Li Family had been casually tossed onto the steps of the Martial Arts Hall by the Gu Family guards. The blood had not yet dried, and the stench of gore seeped through the door cracks, turning everyone's stomachs.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Footsteps came from the back hall, very light, unhurried. Each sound felt like a foot stepping on everyone's carotid arteries, causing this group of big shots, who usually commanded the wind and rain in Baifeng City, to collectively hold their breath.

Gu Yan walked out.

He had changed into a moon-white robe, his hair loosely tied up with an ebony hairpin. There wasn't a trace of the murderous aura from having just experienced a life-and-death battle; instead, he looked like a scholar preparing to lecture at an academy.

He walked to the main seat and sat down with a flick of his sleeves. He didn't even scan the crowd below, simply lifting a teacup and gently blowing away the foam.

The tea lid clicked against the teacup. Cling.

This crisp sound made Clan Head Zhao's knees go weak, and he fell to the ground with a "thud."

"Gu... Patriarch Gu!"

This kneeling triggered a chain reaction. Clatter, clatter. In an instant, the entire hall was kneeling. The twenty-three leaders of the Foundation Establishment forces were now like prisoners awaiting sentencing, heads bowed, their postures humble to the point of being in the dust.

[Wow...]

The System's cheeky voice whistled in Gu Yan's mind: [Host, I give this act of showing off full marks! Look at that fat guy in the purple clothes; his sphincter is twitching. He's basically scared himself silly.]

[Real-time data shows that the fear level on site has maxed out, with 99.9% submission from everyone! The remaining 0.1% is because that bald guy fainted from fear and couldn't submit.]

Gu Yan ignored the System's chatter, took a slow, methodical sip of tea, and finally spoke.

"The Black Fiend Sect branch is gone."

Just seven words, needing no embellishment. The crowd below shuddered violently. Although they had already received news, hearing it personally confirmed by this god of slaughter was still like a thunderclap to their ears.

Golden Core Master Wu Yong was dead, and the Black Fiend Sect branch, which had a massive backer, had been wiped out.

"From now on, the Gu Family calls the shots in Baifeng City."

Gu Yan set down the teacup; the sound of the porcelain base hitting the table was dull and forceful. "I believe you all have no objections, right?"

"No... no objections!" Clan Head Zhao knocked his head against the floor with a loud thud, leaving a red mark on the bluestone slab instantly. "The Zhao Family follows the lead of the Gu Family! From now on, wherever Patriarch Gu's sword points, that is where our Zhao Family's heart shall follow!"

The others, a beat slower in their reaction, were immediately filled with regret and hurriedly scrambled to pledge their loyalty.

"The Wang Family is willing to offer 30%... no, 50% of our Family treasury's revenue! This is to honor Patriarch Gu!"

"The Liu Family is willing to be the vanguard for the Gu Family!"

Gu Yan tapped his fingers against the armrest, the rhythm lazy. This one-sided submission was within his expectations.

In the cultivation world, there has never been such a thing as morality or balance; having the biggest fist is the only hard truth. Yesterday he could slay a Golden Core, and today he is the king of this Baifeng City.

"The rules are going to change."

Gu Yan's voice was not loud, but it instantly suppressed all the noisy pledges of loyalty.

"First, regarding the assets left behind by the Black Fiend Sect, I want 70%. You can split the remaining 30%."

Everyone looked up sharply, their eyes filled with disbelief. They had originally thought Gu Yan would swallow it all, or perhaps even suck them dry like the Black Fiend Sect. They hadn't expected... that he would actually leave them some broth?

"Second." Gu Yan held up two fingers. "The 'safety tax' previously collected by the Black Fiend Sect is abolished. The Gu Family does not collect protection fees, but I require channels. I want priority purchasing rights for your respective trade routes, mines, and Spiritual Plant gardens."

This wasn't exploitation; this was clearly... win-win cooperation?

Although the Gu Family took the lion's share, compared to the Black Fiend Sect's method of draining the pond to catch the fish, Gu Yan's way of eating was simply too "civilized."

"Third."

Gu Yan leaned forward slightly, and the terrifying pressure belonging to the Peak of the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, comparable to the Golden Core Stage, was released without reservation.

Boom! The air became as heavy as if filled with lead. The people kneeling on the ground felt as if their chests had been struck by heavy hammers; breathing became difficult, and those with weaker cultivation even tasted blood in their throats.

"I do not wish to see any more Black Fiend Sect eyes in the city."

Gu Yan's gaze swept over everyone, his voice as calm as water. "Do you understand what I mean?"

Clan Head Zhao endured the palpitations, gritted his teeth, and roared: "Understood! Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, the Zhao Family will ferret out those rats and kill them all!"

"Go do it." Gu Yan waved his hand, leaned back against the chair, and issued the order to leave.

The crowd felt as if they had been granted amnesty and scrambled out of the Martial Arts Hall. Only after exiting the gates of the Gu Mansion and being hit by the heatwave outside did they realize their backs were already soaked through, as if they had just been fished out of the water.

The Martial Arts Hall returned to silence. Gu Yan closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

[Tsk tsk tsk, Host, you play the 'slap and give a sweet date' game quite skillfully.]

The System popped up a series of emojis on the light screen: [I thought you were going to slaughter them all and then ransack their homes. That doesn't fit our cool-novel protagonist's decisive and ruthless persona, does it?]

"If I slaughter them all, who will work for me?"

Gu Yan sneered in his heart: "Baifeng City is just a stepping stone; I don't have time to stare at a bunch of trivial matters every day. Let them fight, let them scramble for that 30% of the benefits; in order to curry favor with me, they will bite flesh off the Black Fiend Sect's remnants more viciously than I would."

[High! Truly high!]

The System popped up a thumbs-up: [By the way, reporting that the Awe Points contributed by that group just now have been exchanged for an 'Elementary Formation Mastery' experience pack. Do you want to... Wait!]

The System's voice suddenly became lewd, carrying the unique excitement of a bystander.

[Host! High-energy warning ahead! Your 'old flame'... ahem, your ally is here!]

[Right outside the door! Leng Yuechan! She changed her clothes! This outfit... hiss, isn't this fabric a bit skimpy? Look, look!]

Gu Yan opened his eyes. Against the light, a tall figure was stepping over the threshold.

Leng Yuechan wore a black dress with a red silk sash tied around her waist, outlining breathtaking curves. She wasn't wearing a veil today, and her cold, stunningly beautiful face carried a hint of complex emotion that she was trying hard to hide.

She looked at the man sitting in the main seat. Only one night. The aura on this man had actually become somewhat unfathomable to her.

"Patriarch Gu." Leng Yuechan stopped three steps away, her voice somewhat dry. "Quite the display of power."

Gu Yan smiled but didn't get up; he simply pointed to the chair beside him. "If Fairy Leng is here to compliment me, there is no need."

"I am here to fulfill my promise."

Leng Yuechan took a deep breath, retrieved an ink-colored Jade Slip from her sleeve, placed it on the table, and pushed it over.

"This is the map to the secret treasury of the Black Fiend Sect branch, as well as... the ledger of their private dealings with certain people in the Yunlan Sect."

Gu Yan raised an eyebrow slightly. This was the true pledge of allegiance.

[Oh ho! An SSR-grade plot item has appeared!]

The System exploded instantly: [Host, take it quickly! There must be a big scoop behind this thing! Maybe we can dig up some ancient Secret Realm or Sect scandal!]

Gu Yan reached out and pressed down on the Jade Slip, his fingertips accidentally touching the back of Leng Yuechan's cold hand.

Leng Yuechan seemed to have been scalded; she pulled her hand back abruptly, and a faint, imperceptible blush appeared at the roots of her ears.

"There is also..." She bit her lower lip, her voice so low it was almost inaudible, yet every word clearly drilled into Gu Yan's ears: "Last night you said, if we could survive, you would want me to be the mistress of this Gu Mansion... Does that still count?"

Gu Yan looked at her, his fingers gently stroking the smooth, warm Jade Slip.

[Agree to her! Agree to her! Agree to her!]

The System was wildly cheering in his mind, even starting to play the wedding march BGM: [This kind of top-tier mature woman, once you miss this village, you won't find this shop! Plus, she has a special Bloodline fluctuation; although it's still very weak, she is definitely a top-tier Cauldron for having children... oh no, for continuing the Bloodline!]

Gu Yan ignored the System's madness and just quietly looked into Leng Yuechan's eyes. Those eyes, which usually always exuded a chill, were now filled with anxiety and determination.

"It counts." Gu Yan spat out the two words.

Leng Yuechan's tense shoulders instantly slumped, as if a thousand-jin burden had been lifted.

"However," Gu Yan changed the subject, leaning forward, his aggressive gaze landing on her, "being the mistress of the Gu Family is not just a title."

"I know." Leng Yuechan raised her head, meeting his gaze. Although her cheeks were burning hot, she did not retreat a single step. "I, Leng Yuechan, can afford to lose, and I can afford to give."