184: Chapter 185 I am treated as a national hero

The process of destroying the Dantian was quick.

Strategist Zhu Ge was not there, nor was Lei Lie. The one who performed the execution was a Bronze Rank Professional from the Supervision Department.

When the spiritual power descended, the man's whole body seemed to have its bones pulled out; he arched violently, and a shattered scream squeezed out of his throat.

"Ah—!"

The sound only lasted for half a moment before it was bitten off tightly.

No one in the room spoke.

Only his heavy, trembling gasps remained, hitting the ground one after another.

When it was all over, he was drenched as if pulled from water, collapsed on the spot, his eyes vacant.

Black Iron Nine Star.

Gone.

Zhou Yun did not look at him again, only leaving a sentence before turning away.

"If you still do not repent, then go back to where you came from."

After speaking, he left.

That sentence was not loud, nor was it cold and stern. But falling into that man's ears, it was more chilling than the destruction of his Dantian just now.

Because he suddenly understood.

It was not that Flower City lacked a blade.

It just hadn't drawn the blade until now.

And once it was truly drawn, it wouldn't cut flesh; it would cut the bones that the troublemakers relied on most.

...

By late night, this case had spread across most of the city.

In the Tree House District, those newcomers huddled in their respective rooms; no one spoke as loudly as they had in the previous few days.

Someone whispered: "Was it really destroyed?"

Another person lowered their voice and replied: "I saw it outside the door; the man was carried out."

"Flower City... is that ruthless?"

"Ruthless?"

In the darkness, someone replied in a low voice.

"Didn't you see how many times they gave face before?"

"Besides, if that palm had actually landed, what you'd be hearing now wouldn't be this conversation; it would be a funeral dirge!"

The other side immediately fell silent.

At the same time, the lights in the Supervision Department were still on.

Shang Youjun sat behind the desk, recopying the previous cases one by one.

Writing to the end, his pen tip paused, and he looked up at the door.

The night was deep, but the wind was light.

This city had quieted down again.

But this silence was different from the previous few days.

A few days ago, some were testing, and some were enduring.

Everyone stepped on that line, but no one had truly lowered their head to see exactly where it was.

Now, that line had finally been drawn by Zhou Yun himself.

What lies one step forward.

What lies another step forward.

Everything was clear.

Thinking of this, Shang Youjun lowered his head to write the final stroke, gently blowing on the ink on the paper.

Footsteps suddenly came from outside.

A bailiff walked in quickly, offered a salute first, then spoke in a low voice.

"Minister Shang."

"Those merchants from the outer city who remained in Flower City just sent someone to ask."

Shang Youjun raised his eyes.

"Ask what?"

"Ask..."

The bailiff's expression was a bit strange.

"Asking if there is any other way to travel between cities besides mounts, if one wants to be faster."

Shang Youjun was silent for a moment.

Immediately, the coldness in his eyes moved slightly.

The case had just concluded, and the trade route side was already asking for a path.

And asking for a "faster" path at that.

He put the pen back on the desk, his voice very light.

"Tell them they asked the wrong person."

"They should ask Minister Wang and Strategist Zhu Ge such questions."

The bailiff acknowledged and withdrew.

The room was quiet again.

Shang Youjun sat in place, looking down at the ledger that had grown by a page, his fingertips tapping lightly on the cover.

Then, he looked up at the pitch-black night outside.

This blade, Flower City had already unsheathed it.

Next, it was time for the road.

...

As the morning light climbed the city wall, Minister Wang Fugui walked into the City Lord's Mansion, clutching an account book.

He walked faster than usual, the abacus beads in his sleeves clinking with his steps, sounding as if something was weighing on his mind.

Zhou Yun was drinking his first cup of tea in the hall. Seeing his hurried appearance, he smiled and pushed an empty cup toward him.

"So early?"

Minister Wang Fugui sat down opposite him, not taking the tea, but placing the account book on the table first.

"City Lord."

"Something happened last night."

"It's not big, but it's not small either."

Zhou Yun's eyebrows moved slightly.

"Tell me."

Minister Wang Fugui leaned forward and lowered his voice.

"Those merchants from The Four Cities who remained in Flower City sent someone to ask for a path last night."

"They asked—is there any other faster way to travel between cities besides mounts?"

When this sentence fell, Zhou Yun's teacup paused slightly.

Immediately, he raised his eyes, and a smile slowly surfaced.

"Are they... truly curious?"

Hearing this, Minister Wang Fugui snorted.

He tapped the edge of the table lightly. The tap wasn't heavy, but it carried the crispness unique to a businessman seeing through someone else's little schemes.

"Curious, my foot."

"These days, there are more and more nodes of the Hongdao Array being set up on top of the Heavenly Jianmu in Flower City."

"They can see it the moment they look up when entering or leaving the city."

"This is asking while knowing the answer!"

Hearing this, Zhou Yun finally laughed out loud.

He picked up the teacup, took a slow sip, and set it down again.

"Then ask them all to come and discuss it."

"Strategist Zhu Ge, Wan'er, Lei Lie, invite them all."

Minister Wang Fugui acknowledged.

Only then did he pick up the cup of tea that had been pushed toward him, drank it in one gulp, as if swallowing the breath he hadn't been able to voice earlier.

...

By the time everyone arrived, the sun had climbed higher.

The wind in the hall was not strong, and the window paper was shining brightly from the light outside.

Strategist Zhu Ge was the last one to be pushed in, his feather fan waving gently. The wheelchair moved at a leisurely pace, and he stopped at his usual position upon entering.

Wan'er sat quietly at Zhou Yun's side, sleeves gathered.

Lei Lie sat down heavily, legs spread, and elbows rested on the table.

"Speak, speak."

"Dragging me from the training grounds early in the morning, it must be a big deal, right?"

Zhou Yun looked at Minister Wang Fugui, signaling him to speak.

Minister Wang Fugui repeated the events of last night concisely.

The moment the words "they came to ask for a path" were spoken, Strategist Zhu Ge's feather fan paused slightly.

Immediately, he smiled.

The smile was faint, but it made Minister Wang Fugui feel an inexplicable tightness in his heart.

Strategist Zhu Ge raised his feather fan unhurriedly, waved it slowly twice, and then spoke.

"I have already replied to the envoys about this matter."

This sentence was like a small stone thrown into a calm water surface.

Minister Wang Fugui's expression changed on the spot.

"Strategist!"

He leaned forward abruptly, his voice rising by half a pitch.

"You didn't agree to it already, did you?"

"How could you make such a decision on your own—"

Before he could finish, Strategist Zhu Ge looked over sideways, his smile deepening.

"How could that be?"

Strategist Zhu Ge paused, slowly closed the feather fan, and tapped it lightly against his palm.

"I only set one condition for them."

Minister Wang Fugui choked.

He opened his mouth, the latter half of his words stuck in his throat.

Several gazes in the room fell on Strategist Zhu Ge at once.

Minister Wang Fugui stared at him, the uneasiness in his eyes not yet dissipated, but he couldn't help but ask.

"...What condition?"

Strategist Zhu Ge did not answer immediately.

He just waved his fan slowly, as if talking about the most ordinary matter.

"Ten times the basic construction Materials."

"They pay."

The room was quiet for a breath.

Lei Lie's eyes widened visibly.

"Bang!"

He slapped the table, and the teacup jumped.

"Ten times the construction Materials?!"

"Strategist! Aren't you clearly rejecting them?!"

"This doesn't match our plan!"

"Only a fool would agree to such a condition!"

His shout exploded, making the ears of everyone in the hall buzz.

But Strategist Zhu Ge did not move.

He just waved his fan gently, not even raising an eyebrow, as if he had been waiting for this outburst.

Zhou Yun held his teacup, the smile in his eyes actually deepening.

Just as the echo of Lei Lie's shout hadn't faded, Wan'er smiled lightly.

The smile was extremely light.

"No."

She only said this one word, then slowly added the second half.

"They will agree."

Lei Lie was stunned.

"Huh?"

He turned to look at Wan'er subconsciously, his eyes full of "Are you kidding me?"

Wan'er did not explain further, only lowered her head to adjust the teacup in front of her.

For two breaths, the hall was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

Minister Wang Fugui stared at Strategist Zhu Ge, then at Wan'er, his brows slowly relaxing from their initial tightness, then slowly twisting in another direction.

He was a businessman.

When he ran this account in his head for the first time, it was anger.

The second time, it was confusion.

But when he suppressed that anger and combed through the account from beginning to end—

His eyes lit up bit by bit.

"..."

"..."

"...I understand."

He leaned back slowly, exhaling a long breath, as if spitting out the fire that had been pent up in his chest.

His gaze swept across Strategist Zhu Ge's face, fell to the table, and drifted back to Strategist Zhu Ge's face.

"Strategist."

Minister Wang Fugui spoke slowly, the shrewdness of a businessman suddenly surfacing in his voice.

"They are riding a tiger and can't get off now."

"Once that case of the destroyed Dantian came out, they started panicking in their hearts. They're afraid Flower City will really turn hostile, afraid the people they sent in won't be able to get out, and afraid their little schemes will be seen through by Flower City."

"By that time, all their previous efforts will be wasted."

"So, if we loosen up a bit at this moment and say 'it can be built', then no matter how harsh the conditions are, they will grit their teeth and accept."

"Because if they don't accept, they will completely cut off the room for maneuver with Flower City."

He couldn't help but shake his head and smile as he said this.

"The more they calculate this account, the more they won't be able to bear not doing it."

Strategist Zhu Ge spoke again, naturally.

"Not only that."

"Ten times the Materials, it looks harsh, but it's actually a calculation I made for them."

"They can afford this batch of Materials. Split among the four families, each family pays only a little over twice. To them, the flesh hurts, but not enough to dismantle their bones."

"And this ten times is just the threshold for entry."

"If it really comes down to each city, which section to build first, how to connect the nodes, how to send labor, how to maintain it later, everything will have to be negotiated item by item."

"More importantly, they all know in their hearts—once this road is built, they can use the name of trade to send people, talk about affairs, and scout Flower City more conveniently."

"If they want to do this business, they are bound to lose."

"But it's a loss they can't bear not to take."

Minister Wang Fugui twitched his mouth after hearing this.

He suddenly thought of something, and looked up abruptly.

"What about the ownership of the Hongdao Array nodes?"

Strategist Zhu Ge looked at him.

That look was very calm, even with a hint of a smile.

"Of course it belongs to us."

"Whether to open the array, when to open it, what goods to transport, what people to move, all decided by Flower City."

"They are buying a road."

"Not a key."

Minister Wang Fugui choked.

He opened his mouth, and after a long while, he exhaled a long breath from his chest.

He exhaled long and deep, as if to breathe out the dissatisfaction of "being acted upon without prior consultation by Strategist Zhu Ge".

He shook his head slowly.

"I didn't expect it..."

"I didn't expect it."

"The Strategist is the true master of the business path!"

When this was said, Lei Lie finally reacted completely.

He was originally in a fog, the look on his face changing from "Damn, ten times the Materials" to "Wait, something is wrong here", and then slowly to—

"Wait!"

He slapped the table and turned to look at Strategist Zhu Ge.

"How come I hear... they pay the money, provide the Materials, provide the labor, and after it's built, the road is still ours?"

Strategist Zhu Ge just smiled and didn't answer.

This smile was more accurate than any answer.

Lei Lie was stunned for two breaths, then slapped his thigh hard.

"High!"

"Truly high!"

His shout was louder than the "ten times the construction Materials" from before, and everyone in the hall was amused.

Minister Wang Fugui waved his hands, a look of "I'm convinced, I'm convinced" on his face.

Wan'er also pursed her lips and smiled lightly.

Even Zhou Yun couldn't help but lower his head and smile, pushing the teacup again.

The tension that had been weighing on the hall was truly released at this moment.

...

After the laughter faded a layer, Zhou Yun put down the teacup and spoke.

"Strategist."

Strategist Zhu Ge raised his eyes.

"For The Four Cities, handle it as you said."

"As for..."

"The section for Heyang City, we need to go a separate way."

The remaining laughter in the hall stopped abruptly.

Strategist Zhu Ge's feather fan paused.

"Separate?"

Zhou Yun nodded, his tone still gentle.

"Flower City owes City Lord Qin Fang a favor for that trip."

"This favor must be repaid."

Several people in the hall looked at each other.

Zhou Yun didn't let them think too much and continued.

"Flower City will cover the Hongdao Array section for Heyang City."

"Leave a node for Heyang City as well."

He paused here, his gaze falling on Strategist Zhu Ge's face, his tone softening a bit more.

"Let Heyang City be able to travel a section of the road itself, without having to ask us about everything."

After saying this, the hall was quiet for two breaths.

Strategist Zhu Ge slowly put down the feather fan.

He looked down at his palms, then looked up at Zhou Yun, his voice very low.

"City Lord is..."

"Treating Heyang City as a true friend."

Zhou Yun smiled.

"Treat me as a national scholar, and I shall repay you as a national scholar."