Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

After he finished speaking with Chairman Qian, Lin Yun asked, "What about the matter I had you investigate last time? Are there any Qing Zhu Association members in Fire City?"

"Oh, speaking of that, Young Master Lin, your prediction was spot on. There are indeed Qing Zhu Association members in Fire City, about twenty or so," Chairman Qian replied.

Hearing this, Lin Yun said calmly, "That’s not all of them. Keep investigating. You must find every single Qing Zhu Association member in Fire City."

Lin Yun wasn’t a seer; he just knew that during the assault on the Celestial Spirit Auction House, over a hundred members of the Qing Zhu Association had infiltrated Fire City. Knowing their typical methods, they would have certainly ordered those members to hide themselves locally within the city.

Hearing Lin Yun’s words, Chairman Qian nodded in agreement. Although Chairman Qian could now be considered the head of the Celestial Spirit Auction House’s Eastern Domain, in front of Lin Yun, he was more like a humble attendant.

After Chairman Qian left, the Flowing Water Saint appeared silently by Lin Yun’s side again. Without so much as a greeting, she sat down on the stone bench next to him and poured herself a cup of tea.

"Hey, can you give me a heads-up before you show up next time? Don’t you know you’re a Saint? It’s startling," Lin Yun said to the Flowing Water Saint, exasperated.

Despite being a Saint, she showed no sign of anger at Lin Yun’s tone. "I’m bored to death," she said languidly. "Tell me, are you going to make a move or not? The Wei Family is already on the offensive. If this drags on, I’m just going to leave."

"Suit yourself," Lin Yun replied curtly.

After a pause, Lin Yun continued, "Making a move blindly is pointless. Let them tear each other apart first. The ones left standing will be the strongest. That’s when we’ll have our chance to strike."

"I really don’t get it, my dear little brother. You’re not even thirty yet, are you? How did you get to be so scheming?" Patting Lin Yun’s head, the Flowing Water Saint feigned confusion.

With that, the Flowing Water Saint let out a tinkling, bell-like laugh.

’She’s a Saint revered by tens of thousands, yet she acts like a crazy woman. Every time I’m alone with her, she ends up teasing me, and I can’t even say anything about it. After all, she’s a Saint.’

After teasing Lin Yun for a bit, the bored Flowing Water Saint wandered off somewhere again. This woman was supposedly here to protect him, but she came and went without a word. Lin Yun never knew where she was. If something really happened, he wouldn’t even know how to contact her.

Over the next few days, Chairman Qian followed Lin Yun’s instructions. On one hand, he secretly searched for members of the Qing Zhu Association in Fire City. On the other, he completely ignored the struggles between the city’s major families. And the families of Fire City were smart enough not to cause any trouble for the Celestial Spirit Auction House.

The chaos escalated step by step. One could say that Fire City was now probably even more chaotic than Wood City. The major families formed various alliances, fighting and killing one another to seize resources.

However, if one were to ask who was the most powerful force in Fire City, the answer would undoubtedly be the Wei Family. In just a few short days, the number of families they had wiped out accounted for more than half of all the families in the city.

And the resources and wealth of these families all ended up in the Wei Family’s pockets. Indeed, in the Wei Family’s main hall, Patriarch Wei had been in high spirits for the past few days.

"HAHA, no wonder they say plundering is the fastest way to get rich." Thinking of the wealth that had doubled in the Wei Family’s warehouses, Patriarch Wei laughed heartily and spoke to the three Commanders below him.

In just a few days, the Wei Family’s wealth had at least doubled. The resources of half of Fire City’s families were now in their possession.

"Patriarch, will plundering like this cause public outrage?" the Second Commander asked with some concern, looking at Patriarch Wei.

"Outrage, my ass! The entire city is in chaos. Every family is trying to take advantage of the situation. Who’s going to stir up public outrage?" Patriarch Wei said dismissively upon hearing this.

Seeing Patriarch Wei so happy, the Grand Commander hadn’t wanted to bring this up, but he was genuinely worried.

"Patriarch, Taiqing Academy has been completely destroyed. What will we do if the other major powers attack?"

Hearing this, Patriarch Wei said confidently, "Don’t worry. None of the major powers will enter Fire City right now. Who would want to be the one to stick their neck out?"

In truth, Patriarch Wei wasn’t smart enough to think of this on his own; Wei Yunhang had told him all of it. Furthermore, there was one thing Patriarch Wei hadn’t yet told his three Commanders: he had already secretly pledged allegiance to the Qing Zhu Association.

The chaos completely transformed Fire City. At the same time, it wasn’t just Fire City; riots broke out in all the major towns within Taiqing Academy’s former territory.

Without Taiqing Academy to keep order, all these factions, large and small, naturally wanted to seize this opportunity to make a fortune. So, the powerful factions plundered the weaker ones, and the weaker ones, in turn, robbed the common people.

But in the end, it was the common people who suffered the most. They were powerless against Martial Artists. For a time, the populace across Taiqing Academy’s former territory cried out in misery.

The people of Fire City suffered most of all. The wars between the major families brought them endless misery. Moreover, with no law and order, bandits ran rampant throughout the city, and the common folk couldn’t protect their property at all.

Having never left the Celestial Spirit Auction House, Lin Yun spent his days cultivating, paying no attention to the events in the city. Amidst the turmoil of Fire City, his location had become a small pocket of tranquility.

Every day, Chairman Qian would come to report the latest situation to Lin Yun. Today was no different. After listening to Chairman Qian’s report, Lin Yun asked softly,

"Can the Celestial Spirit Auction House no longer provide relief for so many people?"

Hearing this, Chairman Qian replied truthfully, "Young Master Lin, the number of homeless people is growing. The Celestial Spirit Auction House is truly at its limit. After all, Fire City has a population of several billion."

Several days prior, Lin Yun had told Chairman Qian to have the Celestial Spirit Auction House do its utmost to provide food and water for the common people. After all, in times of chaos, they were the ones who suffered most.

But now, there were simply too many afflicted people. The Celestial Spirit Auction House was willing but unable to help further.

"Young Master Lin, do you think it’s time to act now? If this continues, the number of suffering people will only increase," Chairman Qian inquired.

Letting out a soft sigh, Lin Yun said slowly, "It’s not time yet. Just do what we can. Help as many people as you can."

Lin Yun’s heart ached for these people, and he desperately wanted to end their suffering. But the time wasn’t right, so he couldn’t make a move.

As someone who had lived two lives, Lin Yun knew that no matter what he did, he must remember not to let foolish sentimentality disrupt his plans. He had to strike at the most opportune moment.

(Seeking collections, recommendations, tips, and Monthly Passes!)