noffsinger Chapter 112 Humiliation
Chapter 112 Humiliation
Upon hearing this, the elder from the Great Yuan Dynasty immediately sensed something was wrong. This person in front of him was indeed the one that Li Xin had wanted to investigate back then.
But now that he is knocking on the door of the Holy City and holding the Heavenly Jade Token, he can't help but suspect that Kongming is really a member of the Sima family of the Holy State. Even if he isn't, he is probably closely related to them.
Elder Dayuan's forehead creased at this thought.
He couldn't help but break out in a fine sweat, and he quickly bowed again, his tone tinged with fear: "There must be some misunderstanding here, and I apologize for any offense I may have caused. I hope you will forgive me, fellow Daoist."
"Hmph! If I wanted to kill you all, it would only take a word. I summoned you here today to see if you are sincere!" Kongming snorted coldly, gently stroking the Heaven-grade jade tablet in his hand, and said in a deep voice.
"Then...this...I hope you can enlighten me, fellow Daoist!" The elder from the Great Yuan Dynasty was uneasy, but he had no choice but to ask with a forced smile.
"Secretly investigating the affairs of ancient aristocratic families is a crime punishable by death. Considering that you were unaware of the matter, each of your nations will contribute five million gold coins, and we will let this matter rest!"
Kongming waved his feather fan, his expression nonchalant, as if five million gold coins were nothing to him.
Actually, he invited these cultivators from the four countries not just to make money, but also to have them send messages back. However, since he had already invited them, he had to have a reason!
Five million gold coins?
Upon hearing this, the group was shocked. This amount would undoubtedly be an astronomical figure for ordinary cultivators or for them personally, but for them and their sects, although it was not a small amount, it was not impossible to raise.
"What? You think I haven't asked for enough?" Kongming's face immediately darkened when he saw their expressions.
“Fellow Daoist, five million is no small sum. We need to report this to our sect! Besides, we are truly wronged…”
The elder from the Ming Dynasty glanced at the elder from the Yuan Dynasty and said with a sense of frustration.
They didn't even understand what was going on, and were inexplicably extorted for five million gold coins.
He had already cursed the ancestors of the three major sects of the Great Yuan Dynasty for eighteen generations in his heart, and cursed inwardly for having to provoke the people of Shengzhou of all people.
"Ok?"
Kongming stared coldly at the Ming Dynasty cultivator, a hint of displeasure showing between his brows. He slowly closed his feather fan, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
"If you can't even come up with a mere five million gold coins, then it'll be two million. If you dare to refuse again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Kongming's words came to an abrupt end, but the invisible pressure made everyone present feel a tightness in their hearts.
Although Zhao Yun was also surprised by his prime minister's ruthlessness, he immediately held his spear horizontally and said in a deep voice, "Today's punishment is both a warning and a protection. If you still don't know what's good for you, don't blame me for killing you all one by one!"
As soon as Zhao Yun finished speaking, a vast martial arts power enveloped the group.
The group's eyes narrowed, some of them puzzled.
Does a mere mortal intend to kill all four of them? Besides, even if Zhao Yun has the strength, the Cloud Hidden Inn has a clear rule that fighting is prohibited inside the inn. Does this person intend to disregard the rules?
Kongming glanced at the group, smiled slightly, and said, "Do you not believe that Zilong has the strength, or do you think I wouldn't dare to kill you inside the inn?"
"How do you compare yourselves to Li Xin?" Zhao Yun said coldly.
The four were all shocked upon hearing this. Li Xin was a powerful figure who ranked high on the Great Yuan Golden Core Peak Ranking. Could the person in front of them be comparable to Li Xin?
"Fellow Daoist, if you want money, then you want money. Why resort to violence?"
The elder from the Tang Dynasty was the first to back down. Although he didn't quite believe that Zhao Yun could kill all four of them on his own, he was more wary of the hidden power behind him.
Although he had heard of a person named Kongming in the Tang Dynasty before, he was a man who did not show off and might actually be from an ancient family, just here to gain experience in the Tang Dynasty.
After saying this, the elder from the Tang Dynasty took out two million gold notes and handed them over.
Seeing this, the other three reluctantly pulled out their gold notes as well...
"Prime Minister, won't this cause trouble?"
After the group left the inn, Zhao Yun asked.
"No problem! This concerns the ancient aristocratic families of Shengzhou. I doubt they would dare to go and verify it!" Kongming waved his feather fan, looking confident.
After all, the fact that Kongming was able to obtain the Heavenly Jade Token of Kousheng City already spoke volumes, so they had no choice but to act cautiously.
On the contrary, it was the display case of Yunyin Inn that made Kongming somewhat uneasy, since he knew exactly what was going on inside.
……
"Fellow Daoist Feng, if you don't give us an explanation today, you won't be able to leave so easily!"
After leaving the inn, the elders from the various countries felt increasingly aggrieved. Losing two million gold coins for no reason would make anyone complain, so the three of them followed the elder from the Yuan Kingdom to the Yuan Kingdom's encampment.
“Fellow Daoists, I truly do not know this person’s background. Two years ago, Elder Li Xin sent a letter asking us to investigate a person named Sima Yi. However, it was later said that he was Zhuge Liang of the Tang Dynasty impersonating a holy envoy, so the matter was dropped. But I never expected that this person would reappear in this Holy City.” The Yuan Kingdom elder explained.
“We don’t care. You offended this person first, and you, the Great Yuan, must fully compensate us for today’s losses,” the elder of the Song Kingdom said.
“You can’t say that. I didn’t ask you for this money, so why should we bear the loss?” the Yuan Kingdom elder said.
"Hmph! If you hadn't provoked this person, how could we have been implicated?"
“Please be patient, everyone. I’m sending a message back to inquire about Zhuge Kongming’s situation. If he really is impersonating the Holy Envoy, how about we take back the principal and interest?” said another elder from the Yuan Kingdom.
"You make it sound so easy. Regardless of whether this person is from the Sima family or not, the fact that he was able to obtain the top-tier jade tablet means he must be connected to the Sima family. Are you trying to harm us again?"
The elder from the Tang Dynasty narrowed his eyes and spoke. He had always been at odds with these people from the Yuan Kingdom, so how could he let them have an easy time now?
"That's right!"
"You must compensate for the losses today..."
……
Just as Kongming and Zhao Yun were discussing their next plan, a knocking sound came from outside the cave.
"Zilong, no matter what happens later, you must not act rashly, remember that!"
Upon hearing this, Kongming gave instructions to Zhao Yun, who was standing nearby.
"Prime Minister, this..."
Kongming waved his feather fan, interrupting Zhao Yun, and signaled him to quickly open the cave.
"Steward Xu, is there anything else this late?"
After the cave door opened, Steward Xu of the inn walked in with a gloomy face, but he did not respond to Kongming's words.
Snapped……
Suddenly, Steward Xu slapped Kongming across the face, staring at him with icy eyes.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Yun's expression changed drastically, and he gripped his silver spear tightly, but was stopped by a single glance from Kongming.
"In my previous life, when had my prime minister ever suffered such humiliation?" Zhao Yun gritted his teeth, but Kongming had repeatedly warned him beforehand...