277: Wang's methods

It was the first time they had ever witnessed such terrifying methods; with a mere wave of his hand, he could make a person vanish into thin air.

To what terrifying Realm had this Prince Duan's strength actually reached?

"By the way, Old Hua, now that Wang Shihua is dead, can your Hua Family take over the Wang Family's businesses?" Duan Zhengchun suddenly asked, looking at Hua Manlou beside him.

"Rest assured, Prince, I know what to do."

Hua Manlou nodded, placed two fingers in his mouth, and a loud whistle rang out.

Next, the cry of a warbler was heard, and a dark shadow flashed, appearing on Hua Manlou's arm.

Seeing the true form of this dark shadow, a look of surprise appeared on Duan Zhengchun's face.

"Oh, a Gyrfalcon..."

"A Gyrfalcon? Isn't this a Saker Falcon?" Lu Xiaofeng looked at Duan Zhengchun in a daze.

"More or less, they are the same thing."

"The Prince is right, it is indeed a Gyrfalcon. This creature is incredibly fast and the most reliable for delivering messages. Because it is fast and flies high, there's no need to worry about anyone intercepting it."

"Of course, if it were someone in the Heavenly Human Realm or Earth Immortal Realm, catching it would be easy."

"However, I imagine that no Master of that level would deliberately go around staring at a Gyrfalcon," Hua Manlou said with a smile.

"These creatures are very difficult to tame. For your Hua Family to use them for messaging, you must have spent a fortune."

"It's no wonder your Hua Family's business has grown so large; it's not without reason." Duan Zhengchun nodded.

"Whether in the marketplace or on the battlefield, the most important thing is information."

"Only by possessing more comprehensive information than others—knowing yourself and knowing your enemy—can you be victorious in every battle."

Hua Manlou's words made everyone present nod in agreement.

Indeed, no matter the time, information always plays a decisive role.

Especially in this era, where transportation is inconvenient, the most common way for ordinary people to send messages is through Courier Stations.

That is, sending letters by horse, which is very slow. Even if every Courier Station is equipped with thousand-mile steeds, a round trip would still take a long time.

This causes information lag. Another method is Carrier Pigeon Messaging, which is a faster way to communicate besides Courier Stations.

Pigeons are relatively docile and easy to train. However, due to their speed, they are also easily intercepted.

Even so, carrier pigeons are still much faster and more convenient than riding a horse.

As for using Gyrfalcons for messaging, it's not that no one uses them, but they are too difficult to breed and capture.

Martial Artists also disdain doing such things, and it is hard for ordinary people to obtain a Gyrfalcon, which invisibly increases the cost dozens of times over.

Very few people use them; even among the nomadic tribes of the Northwest, not many use Gyrfalcons for messaging.

This was why Duan Zhengchun was so surprised.

Only a wealthy merchant family like the Hua Family would have the money and energy to cultivate them.

The group headed to Jiangnan with talking and laughter. At the same time, the Jiangnan Hua Family's businesses began to suppress the Wang Family's enterprises.

The marketplace is like a battlefield. While the Wang Family and the Hua Family had maintained a surface peace over the years, there were still secret business conflicts.

This time, the Hua Family's sudden move against the Wang Family did not surprise anyone.

Outside Suzhou city, a group of people on tall horses appeared at the city gate.

"Prince, do you need our help?" Lu Xiaofeng asked, looking at Duan Zhengchun.

"The mere Murong Family—if I couldn't handle them, I would be unworthy of my martial arts." Duan Zhengchun's tone was relaxed, yet filled with endless confidence.

"In that case, we won't disturb the Prince's business."

"If there is anything you need, just ask. This is my Hua Family Token."

"If the Prince has any needs, he can go to any Hua Family shop and present this Token; they will unconditionally satisfy the Prince." Hua Manlou handed a jade pendant he carried with him to Duan Zhengchun.

Duan Zhengchun did not refuse, although he had no use for it.

After all, it was a kind gesture.

"Then, many thanks," Duan Zhengchun said, cupping his hands.

Bidding farewell to Lu Xiaofeng, Hua Manlou, and West Gate Blowing Snow, Duan Zhengchun took Moon Princess directly toward Swallows Nest.

What Duan Zhengchun didn't know was that a group of Jianghu people had gathered at Swallows Nest.

These people were all Masters of the Martial Forest hired by the Murong Family at a great price.

"Everyone, I've invited you here today simply to ask for a favor."

"I imagine you have all heard that the Murong Family has offended the Prince of Zhennan of Dali."

"Rumor has it that this Duan Zhengchun is a Devil Head who kills without blinking; the Emei Sect sealed their mountain because of him."

"This person is also associated with the Demonic Cult. My husband only wanted to stand up for the people of the Martial Forest, but in the end, he was Ruthlessly killed by this Duan Zhengchun."

"My husband also acted for the sake of the people of the Great Song, yet he ended up in such a state."

"This Duan Zhengchun relies on the heavenly demon zither in his hands to be arrogant and wantonly slaughter people of the Jianghu."

"He even threatened to destroy my Murong Family. I implore you all to help; my Murong Family will surely provide a heavy reward."

"Furthermore, the treasures in Duan Zhengchun's possession will belong to you; my Murong Family will never seize them."

"What my Murong Family wants is for Duan Zhengchun to die."

In Swallows Nest today, there was only Murong Bo's wife, Lady Wang, who was also Wang Shihua's older sister.

Hearing the words of Lady Wang of Murong, everyone present couldn't help but start discussing.

There were likely few in the entire Nine Provinces Continent who did not know Duan Zhengchun's great name by now.

Duan Zhengchun's fierce reputation also echoed through the Jianghu.

The treasures on him were even more covetable, especially that heavenly demon zither.

Rumor had it that it was a Divine Weapon beyond the level of the heavenly sword and dragon-slaying saber; obtaining this heavenly demon zither would make one invincible under heaven.

Who wouldn't want it? However, at the thought of Duan Zhengchun's methods and strength, their hearts were still a bit uneasy.

No one was certain they could deal with Duan Zhengchun, but if they set an ambush in advance and swarmed him together, it wasn't without a chance.

"Does what Madam just said count? The treasures on Duan Zhengchun will belong to us? Your Murong Family will never interfere?"

"That's right, my word is my bond. Moreover, as long as you can kill Duan Zhengchun, everyone will receive ten thousand taels of gold."

Ten thousand taels of gold was no small sum. Forget ordinary people, even some merchants might not accumulate ten thousand taels of gold in a lifetime.

Wealth moves the hearts of men. In this world, there is no such thing as a bottom line; it's just that your stakes aren't high enough.

Hearing about the ten thousand taels of gold and the treasures on Duan Zhengchun, these Martial Artists—the strongest of whom were only at the Great Grandmaster level—actually gained the confidence to kill Duan Zhengchun.

"Fine, since that's the case, we'll take this deal."

"However, before this, we must make some preparations. This Duan Zhengchun's strength is not weak."

"Ordinary methods certainly won't work against him, so we must use extraordinary means."

"Exactly. We can set up some Explosives in the surroundings and put Poison inside them."

"When the time comes, we only need to detonate the Explosives, and we can destroy Duan Zhengchun without the slightest effort."

"No matter how powerful he is, he is still just a Martial Artist. As long as he is human, he absolutely cannot withstand the blast of Gunpowder."