Chapter 469 - 450: The Confucian Flamer Squad
"Is this a trap to lure us in? If we bid, is he just going to back out?"
"Is he stupid? I heard there’s a magical sword and an authentic painting from a master artist coming up later. Those are the real main events! He’s blowing all his money here, what’s he going to use to compete for the rest?"
Su Ling’er couldn’t move, but a storm was already raging in her heart.
’Senior Brother... he’s really changed!’
Every other time, he had squandered a huge portion of the family’s fortune on that pile of red coral and the broken pipa. But this time, he was spending lavishly for this Memory Stone!
Two hundred thousand taels!
’What is Senior Brother trying to do?’
’Could this storage-type Memory Stone truly hold the key to breaking this cycle?’
’Or... has Senior Brother decided he’s done playing along with the Demon Venerable pulling the strings, and he’s using this crazy spending to vent his rage?’
Just as the crowd was abuzz with discussion and Su Ling’er’s mind was racing with wild thoughts...
Another voice rang out.
"Two hundred and thirty thousand..."
It was an old man in the front row. It seemed he also had a need for the Memory Stone, but he lacked confidence in his bid.
Lin Qingfeng set down his teacup and finally gave the old man a proper look.
’Tsk.’
Then, he raised his bidding paddle for the third time.
"Three hundred thousand."
The entire hall: "..."
The old man’s eyes rolled back in his head.
The auctioneer had never in his life seen such bidding for a mere energy-storing Memory Stone.
"Three hundred thousand going once!"
"Three hundred thousand going twice!"
"Three hundred thousand going three times! Sold!"
The gavel fell, and the sound made everyone’s ears ring.
The auctioneer’s hands trembled violently. He held the stone with immense solemnity, as if afraid of bumping this unknown ’ancestor.’
’Three hundred thousand taels for a Memory Stone that’s useless for anything but recording images? Does this young master not want to participate in the auction for the next three items?’
Lin Qingfeng raised his hand and accepted the Memory Stone from the attendant.
Afterward, the magical sword and jade dice he had donated, as well as the painting "Autumn in the North," were brought to the stage one by one.
Following the script of the plot, Lin Qingfeng secretly activated the Memory Stone, aiming it squarely at the high platform.
"Everyone, please look! This ’Autumn in the North’ is a peerless treasure, jointly authenticated by three master appraisers! The paperwork is complete, and its origin is clean! It is only being sold because the declining House of Xuzhai must part with it for the sake of cash flow..."
’Paperwork complete? Origin clean?’
Lin Qingfeng almost burst out laughing when he heard this.
’What a blatant lie!’
"Its history is clean! Guaranteed by the reputation of the Business Alliance! If there’s a single false word, may our auction house be struck by lightning from the heavens!"
Su Ling’er, also controlled by the plot, could only stand aside, her body rigid.
She watched as her Senior Brother didn’t kill these Evil Cultivators on the spot this time, feeling a little disappointed.
’Did Senior Brother finally fail to endure this endless cycle? Has he finally bowed his head to that Demon Venerable, showing his willingness to abide by these filthy rules just to protect himself?’
The light in Su Ling’er’s eyes dimmed.
’In the end... he still couldn’t hold on... Then again, after the torture of countless cycles, anyone’s spine would have broken.’
’For Senior Brother to have made it this far already surpasses most people.’
The auction ended.
The usual river of blood did not flow, nor were there any of the expected impassioned speeches.
Then, following the plot, Lin Qingfeng left with Su Ling’er from this underground demon den that had consumed countless cycles.
They had finally broken out of the cycle here.
The night was deep, and the gates of the Lin Mansion were tightly shut.
Everything seemed to be moving forward at last.
...
「The next day.」
[Current Stage: Public Opinion War]
[Key Items: Recorded Memory Stone evidence, the Lin Mansion’s donation manifest and inventory records from that year.]
[Funds Remaining: 0 (The Lin Mansion’s liquid assets have been depleted)]
[Open the pay-to-win channel?]
Lin Qingfeng looked at the big "Yes" button and didn’t hesitate.
’Spend!!!’
Over the next few days, the news spread through every street and alley of the city.
Teahouses, taverns, brothels, and theaters—wherever people gathered, the news could be heard! In fact, this sort of thing was quite common in the city; this time, however, it had been exposed.
The system even thoughtfully presented him with an option: did he need to [Recruit] personnel?
[Special Unit: Confucian Scholar Flame Squad]
[Price: 5 Coins/Person]
[Skills: Quote the Classics (Spiritual Damage +100%), Condemn by Word and Pen (Lowers enemy morale), Curse Without Swearing (Creates a harmonious society)]
"What’s there to think about? Buy!!! Give me two hundred of them," Lin Qingfeng said without batting an eye.
Soon after, the entrance to Nabo Garden was surrounded by a throng of scholars in long robes, blocking it completely.
This group didn’t get physical. They just stood at the entrance, centered their qi in their Dantian, and began their barrage.
"Great rat, great rat, do not eat our millet! The likes of Nabo Garden claim to be patrons of elegance but are, in fact, thieves! You guard the vault only to steal from it, deceiving the world for fame! The thickness of your faces could rival the city walls!"
"Alas, what a tragedy! A place meant for sage-like cultivation has become a den of filth! To all you stewards, when you startle awake in the middle of the night, can you not hear the weeping of the cultural heritage you have trampled?"
"Damn your mothers! You people..."
The curses came like a tide, rhythmic and cadenced, some even rhyming. And due to the unique characteristics of Confucian cultivators, the surrounding crowd was more inclined to believe their words.
The onlookers listened with great interest, bursting into cheers from time to time.
Nabo Garden’s gates remained shut tight, and the people inside didn’t dare show their faces. Even the auction house’s business was brought to a standstill by this storm of spittle.
The situation escalated, eventually alarming the higher-ups.
...
In the afternoon, dark clouds pressed down on the city.
Outside the Lin Mansion, the sound of orderly footsteps shattered the tranquility of the streets.
Fully armed government soldiers swarmed in from all directions, surrounding the Lin Mansion completely.
The one in the lead was none other than the City Lord, flanked by the fat steward with a venomous look on his face.
"The Lin Family is spreading malicious rumors and stirring up trouble, intending to rebel!" the fat steward roared, pointing at the Lin Mansion’s main gate. "My Lord City Lord, arrest these treasonous villains at once!"
The City Lord, mounted on a tall horse, snorted coldly and waved his hand, ordering, "Seal the Lin Mansion! If there is any resistance, kill on sight!"
Su Ling’er stood in the courtyard, listening to the shouts and cries of battle from outside, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword.
’It’s finally here.’
’Will it be a fight to the death, or will we surrender to be slaughtered?’
’Senior Brother, what are you doing now? Are you preparing to surrender, or...’
Inside the study.
Lin Qingfeng looked at the dense cluster of red dots on the map and smiled.
[Tower Defense Strategy Mode can be activated.]
[Activate?]
’Whoa! This game-like world really mashes up a lot of genres. It’s got turn-based combat and now tower defense strategy. What a mix!’
’Since they want a fight...’
’A fight they’ll get!’
’Let them see the power of pay-to-win!!!’
[Heavy Infantry Battalion: Purchase!]
[Divine Archer Array: Purchase!]
[Jianghu Heroic Group: Purchase!]
[Defense Works Package (includes rolling logs, Thunder Stones, automatic arrow towers): Purchase!]
The funds in Lin Qingfeng’s Leviathan account drained away rapidly, but compared to the enormous compensation he’d received before, it was just a drop in the bucket.
From the various buildings, burly men clad in heavy armor and wielding Mo-dao swords flooded into the once-empty front courtyard.
On the rooftops, rows of archers had appeared at some point, leaping onto the beams with their bowstrings taut, their arrowheads glinting coldly.
Even the surrounding walls now sported several automatically operating mechanisms and a few automatic arrow towers built with Mechanical Technique, their firing ports aimed at the main gate.
Countless members of the Jianghu Heroic Group poured in from a slew of secret passages that had appeared out of nowhere.
This was the power of pay-to-win!
...
Outside the mansion gates.
The City Lord was waiting to see the pathetic sight of the Lin Family crying for their parents, and he had even planned out how he would humiliate that Mr. Lin once they broke in.
"Charge! Break down the gate!"
Several soldiers carrying a battering ram roared as they charged toward the main gate.
BOOM!
The gate flew open with the impact.
However, what greeted them was a wall.
Several hundred heavy infantrymen took a step forward, raising their Mo-dao swords in unison.
"Kill!"
A furious roar exploded on the scene.
The soldiers at the very front were crushed by the well-trained military formation before they could even react.
"Wh-what is this?!"
When the fat steward had visited before, the Lin Mansion clearly had only a few sweeping servants and even the watchdog was skin and bones.
’Where did all these soldiers come from? And look at that equipment! It seems on par with the City Lord’s personal guard—no, it looks even better!’
’Wait a minute, I just slapped you with the label of "intending to rebel," and you’re actually going to rebel for real?’
"Fire!"
From the rooftops, a volley of arrows blotted out the sky.
The soldiers who hadn’t even had time to draw their swords fell in droves in the blink of an eye.
The automatic arrow towers let out piercing whirs, and each time they fired their thick bolts, they took out a line of enemies.
"It’s true! They really are rebelling! This is high treason!!!" The City Lord’s warhorse shied in fright, nearly throwing him to the ground.
His mind went completely blank.
’This isn’t a merchant family! This is clearly a nest of rebels who have been plotting for ages!!!’
"How can this be... how can this be..." The fat steward’s legs went soft, and he collapsed to the ground.
Just then, the melodious sound of reading drifted from the depths of the Lin Mansion. Lin Qingfeng’s purchased Confucian Scholar Flame Squad was taking the stage!
"The Master said: ’Repay grievance with virtue?’ Then with what do you repay virtue? Repay grievance with justice, and repay virtue with virtue!"
Along with the sound of reading, robed Confucian scholar-cultivators actually charged out. Although they held only brushes and scrolls, the righteous aura emanating from them also made the nearby soldiers’ limbs go weak.
"You feast on the people’s bounty, yet instead of thinking of serving the country and protecting its citizens, you help a tyrant oppress the innocent! I’d like to see how you’ll face your ancestors after you die!"
"For shame! Look at that official’s skin you’re wearing! Doesn’t it burn you to wear it? It’s all made from the fat and sweat of the common people!"
"Damn your mothers! You are all nothing but beasts in fine clothing, unworthy of wearing human skin!"
Some with weaker willpower actually dropped their weapons on the spot, fell to their knees, and wept bitterly.
"I was wrong! I shouldn’t have helped a tyrant!"
"I am guilty! I have failed the teachings of the sages!"
The tide of battle turned in an instant.
Su Ling’er stood amidst the crowd, staring at the fantastical scene before her, her mind also in a daze.
A moment ago, this Lin Mansion was just a merchant’s residence with only a few sweeping servants and a yellow guard dog so skinny it was just skin and bones.
In these hundreds of cycles, she felt she could even remember how many weeds grew by the dry well in the backyard and how many beads had fallen off the accountant’s abacus.
But now?
Where did those heavy infantrymen come from? Where did those divine archers come from? Was the Lin Mansion hiding this many people? Did it have this many secret passages and mechanisms?
’What did Senior Brother do?’
’Where in the world did all these... these people come from?!’