Meng FanYun snickered, "Second Master said some incorrect things and was correct on some others. While Second Master may not betray the Xiao Family, it is difficult to say the same about others. Everyone in the world is aware that Miss Xiao YanXue holds a large amount of authority in the Ling Family Courtyard. She aids Ling Tian in managing his grain, money and transportation routes. How would she be suffering? Is Second Master treating Meng FanYun as an idiot? Could it be that Miss Xiao YanXue does not have the surname of Xiao and isn't a part of the Xiao Family? However, who knows which side she is actually on?! If you want me to believe that you have not surrendered to the enemy, the only way would be for you to give an order to to the armies to attack!"

Xiao FengYang flew into a rage, "Meng FanYun, I respect you as a senior and shall not be so calculating with you. However, you better not go too far! This is the Xiao Family and the million soldiers on the outside are the sons of my Xiao Family! The decision to send out the army will be made by my brother and me! Even if you are the sect master of Above Heavens, you are only a guest in my Xiao Family. I don't think you have the authority to discuss military affairs! If Senior does not have anything else, you may take your leave!"

"Xiao Family, what a good Xiao Family! Is this an eviction order?!" Meng FanYun sneered. He then raised his arm up and a powerful suction force was emitted from his palm. Despite being ten feet away from Xiao FengYang, he easily grabbed Xiao FengYang by the neck. With Xiao FengYang's neck in his hands, a cold gleam could be seen in his eyes and he said in a flat voice, "Xiao FengYang, even if you are the number two figure in the Xiao Family, this old man can easily turn you into ashes if you frustrate me! Do you think this old man doesn't dare to do that?!"

Xiao FengHan was startled and hurriedly attempted to mediate. "May Senior Meng quell your anger. Second brother suffered from great humiliation during his captivity and his emotions aren't stable. I hope that Senior Meng can show mercy for his rudeness."

Meng FanYun snorted before saying coldly, "My Above Heavens has hidden in the south-east for four generations and aided your Xiao Family with all of our might. We aided your Xiao Family to rise up from a small insignificant family to a financial magnate capable of influencing the entire continent! Why did we bother doing all that? Isn't it so that our Above Heavens would be able to regain our status as the number one hidden sect in the world? If not for this, how would your Xiao Family be able to enjoy such favor from my Above Heavens?! I believe that Family Head Xiao is extremely clear about that! Now that the arrow is nocked, you guys still want to protect yourselves and cease battle? How would there be such a nice thing in the world? Since Above Heavens is able to help your Xiao Family to rise up, we can also destroy your Xiao Family!"

Xiao FengHan let out an apologetic laugh, "With Senior's mystical prowess, FengHan naturally believes in Senior's capabilities. We will definitely fight this battle. But before that, I have already sent people to Sky Bearing to investigate just what is the Ling Family's secret weapon. The might of that weapon is too powerful and we have no choice but to guard against it. If we hastily go out to battle and suffer a huge loss, it will be too late to regret it at that time. I believe that Senior Meng already has a plan in your heart so there isn't a need to continue joking." He then chuckled.

Meng FanYun chuckled coldly and said, "Second Master is someone who understands the art of war. The truth is hidden within the lies and the lies are hidden within the truth. This old man has been rude. I hope that Second Master will not blame me." He then let go of his grip and took two steps back.

Xiao FengYang touched his throat and coughed a couple of times with his face reddened. His throat had already been bruised from Meng FanYun's grip and after sitting down, he looked at Meng FanYun and forced out a smile, "Senior Meng is too polite. However, such a joke is not something that anyone would be able to endure."

Meng FanYun let out a feigned smile, "Second Master, you must believe this old man that if there is another time, this joke could become true anytime."

Xiao FengHan hurriedly cut in the conversation, "Senior Meng, my second brother and I were just discussing that we should send an envoy to congratulate the Ling Family. This is a good chance to investigate the foundations of the Ling Family. However, I am afraid that second brother may miss out some things. Senior Meng has countless experts under your charge and it would be best if Senior can send a few of your experts to guard second brother in the open while spying on the Ling Family in secret. Apart from the peerless experts in Above Heavens, no one else would be able to accomplish such a mission."

Meng FanYun looked at Xiao FengYang for a long while before snickering, "That's right, how can I be at ease without sending anyone to accompany Second Master? I will naturally send someone to follow Second Master. I hope that everything will go... smoothly!" He then snorted coldly before leaving the room.

"Outrageous!" Fire seemed to be spewing out of Xiao FengYang's eyes as he looked at Meng FanYun's departing figure with hatred in his eyes. "Big brother, are we going to allow the Above Heavens faction to continue being so arrogant? So what if we gain the world? Can't you hear it from his words? While he seems to be obeying your words on the surface, his intention of sending men along with me is obviously to spy on me! Above Heavens is truly too unbridled and arrogant. We cannot tolerate them any longer!"

"So what if we cannot tolerate them? If we truly become enemies with them, Above Heavens has the strength to easily wipe out our Xiao Family!" Xiao FengHan suppressed his voice and reprimanded, "It is best for you to watch your words in future and make sure to be more tolerant!" A cold gaze shot out from Xiao FengHan's eyes as though he made a resolute decision.

"Big brother, why did you take the initiative to get old devil Meng to send men to Sky Bearing with me? Aren't you obviously asking him to spy on me? Could it be that even big brother does not believe in this little brother's loyalty?!" Xiao FengYang was extremely dissatisfied.

"Second brother has misunderstood me. With your intelligence, you should be able to understand that I had no choice but to do so. However, such an arrangement is also for the best. The only way to prevent my Xiao Family from being eradicated is to allow them to watch over you." Xiao FengHan's face was chilly. "However, you will be the envoy of our party on the trip to Sky Bearing. At that time, you can act at your own discretion!" The last few words were said in a barely audible volume.

Xiao FengYang's eyes lit up and replied, "I understand! I will definitely act carefully."

Xiao FengHan chuckled and comforted Xiao FengYang with a pat on the shoulders, "Rest a.s.sured second brother, while the members of Above Heavens are all martial arts experts and even ten of our Xiao Family members wouldn't be a match for a single Above Heavens expert, but in terms of politics and schemes, ah ah, you are the true expert in the family."

The two brothers looked at each other and burst out laughing together. However, their laughter was filled with a bone-chilling cold and dense killing intent!

"Second brother, follow me. I received a piece of treasure a few days ago. Come take a look at it." Xiao FengHan said.

Xiao FengYang laughed and replied, "I truly want to take a look at big brother's collections." The two brothers then walked away together.

***

The horses were sprinting with the gusting wind welcoming them in the face. Xiao FengYang had a bitter expression on his face. Xiao FengHan's words echoed in his mind word by word, and the scene of Xiao FengHan frowning flashed by.

"Second brother, your current trip to Sky Bearing will determine the survival of our Xiao Family and you have to be more tolerant! The Ling Family is sufficiently powerful and it would be best if we can borrow their strength. We still have some relations.h.i.+p with the Ling Family after all. The only reason why they have not dealt with our Xiao Family over the years is probably because of my big brother and sister-in-law. All these years, I have forgotten their benevolence and truly owe them too much! I no longer have the face to meet them. While I should personally make a trip to the Ling Family to give my apologies, a pity..."

"I remember that I had a bet with sister-in-law back then and her words still ring in my ears. In your trip to Sky Bearing, you can help me to inform sister-in-law that I admit my defeat in that bet! I have long known that I lost but I just did not dare to admit it!"

"Because of our ambitions, we were restrained by Above Heavens and had no room to advance or retreat. Our brotherly ties back then were also harmed because of this and I even gave up the position of little Xue being empress! If not for us annulling the marriage back then, little Xue would be the undisputed empress today! It seems like Xue'er is the one with the greatest foresight in the entire Xiao Family!"

"Now that we have lost the bet, while Xue'er can still be together with Ling Tian, she lost her greatest advantage and will no longer have a chance to become empress. At the very most, she can only be a consort in the future and this is a result of our Xiao Family's ambitions and selfishness. You can talk to sister-in-law to let Xue'er have her wish and see how big brother and sister-in-law reacts. No matter what, I believe that they will not trouble you."

"Besides that, if we can accomplish this matter, our Xiao Family would definitely be facing an even greater danger. Above Heavens is like a cleaver above our neck and we have to get rid of them. You can find Ling Tian for this matter and see if he can aid our Xiao Family in this matter. Haiz, he is probably the only person capable of saving our Xiao Family from this tribulation."

"The times today are different from the past. I truly regret! I truly regret!"

Thinking about the tone of his big brother and desolate profile, Xiao FengYang's feelings were indescribably complicated!

The dark clouds approached and a humid wind blew past. The boundless spring rains covered the entire world like the dense mist.

"Second Master, it is raining. Shall we find a place to take shelter from the rain and continue our journey after the rain is over?" Seeing Xiao FengYang lost in his thoughts and not noticing the weather, an Above Heavens expert finally could not help but open his mouth.

"Alright then." Xiao FengYang snapped out of his thoughts and ordered his subordinates blandly. Looking at a young lady beside him, Xiao FengYang said dotingly, "YouHan, how are you? Can you still take it? If you are tired, we can rest for a while."

This black-robed young lady had bright eyes and white teeth but her face was like a block of ice that rejected everyone miles away. Even when Xiao FengYang was talking to her, her face was still frosty. "I am fine." She then refused to say another word.

Xiao FengYang let out a sigh.

This young lady was the clan sister of Xiao YanXue, Xiao YouHan. She was one of the few Xiao Family disciples who had the fortune to enter Above Heavens. However, the Xiao Family had actually raised her up as a cold-blooded killer and taught her the art of killing. After a long time, she naturally developed a cold character. Her entire body emanated a dense killing intent that made an individual tremble when approaching her.

Every time Xiao FengYang saw her, he would let out a sigh. A good lady was trained by Above Heavens into an ice mountain. While the other female disciples were cold, they would not be frosty when facing their family members. However, this Xiao YouHan would not even smile when facing her family members.

Xiao FengYang never expected that of the six experts which Above Heavens sent out, Xiao YouHan was also sent. This made the Xiao Family members extremely puzzled.

Along the way, Xiao FengYang had tried to create small talk with Xiao YouHan, hoping that he would be able to find out the plans of Above Heavens from her. However, he never expected Xiao YouHan's lips to be completely sealed and her personality to be like a complete block of ice.

"Above Heavens has truly harmed many people!" Looking at this distant granddaughter of his like an ice mountain, Xiao FengYang let out a long sigh.

In Sky Bearing City, the original Sky Bearing imperial palace was being renovated and busy figures could be seen all around.

With regards to the upcoming ceremony, the three generations of the Ling Family seemed extremely casual about the entire event. Old Master Ling had even instructed, "Just fix the palace up and ensure there are no leaks. There isn't a need to spend so many resources and money on these houses. What a waste."

While the three generations of the Ling Family were casual about the event, how would the various ministers be willing to deal with the matter casually? This was the imperial palace and not some pig sty! This was the pride of the entire empire and no ordinary individuals would be staying there.

However, Ling Tian added another condition to the instructions. "You guys can build the palace as you wish but you must not get a single tael of silver from the commoners." This condition of his had immediately stumped the various ministers. As such, Ling Jian came up with a brilliant plan and ordered the various ministers to make a donation. He had even taken the initiative to donate all of his a.s.sets, a full 36 taels of silver.

Everyone cursed Ling Jian in their hearts, Isn't this a.s.sa.s.sin going too far? Despite guarding a mountain of gold and silver, he still dares to claim that his wealth only consists of 36 taels of silver?

However, they did not know that Ling Jian truly did not have the slightest bit of silver on him. He even found banknotes a complete burden to have and had already given everything he gained to his young n.o.ble. Even the 36 tales of silver that he donated was s.n.a.t.c.hed from the personal stash of Ling Chi.

All of the old men in the palace were completely helpless. Taking out money? They were penniless. But if they didn't take any money out, were they going to allow the palace to remain at its current state? All of them could not help but let out a long sigh. Since ancient times, there hadn't been a single emperor that did not bother about the appearance of the palace. However, there were a total of three now!

They hated the fact that they did not choose to enter the army back then and chose the wrong path. If they had abandoned their brushes and entered the army back then, they could have gained some fortune from war. How would they be in their current dilemma? Before the empire was established, the salary of the ministers was naturally non-existent. They were all eating into their savings already and would naturally not have any excess money to donate. Even if they had money, they couldn't bear to donate it either. After all, the palace had nothing to do with them.

Ling Tian's intelligence net had investigated the reactions of all the various ministers and placed their report on top of Ling Tian's desk. It couldn't be helped, as Old Master Ling wasn't willing to bother about anything. He only wanted to be the t.i.tular emperor and enjoy his fortune. As for political affairs of the empire, that would be discussed by Ling Xiao and Ling Tian!

Ling Xiao had already sped back to the front lines and refused to return. As such, all the political affairs of the empire were sent to the Ling Family Courtyard!

Ling Tian went crazy again!

However, after the donation affair that Ling Jian had stirred up, Ling Tian was extremely satisfied with the results of the investigation. The majority of the ministers were still considered clean. With the strength of Ling Tian's information net, even the brocade guards from his previous life would probably be incomparable! They managed to investigate all the details without the slightest commotion and they probably knew the number of rats every family had, not to mention having mountains of silver or gold. Their efficiency was truly stunning!

Of course, there were a few wealthy individuals among the ministers and they were all singled out by the investigations. The former minister of internal affairs was guarding a large mountain of gold that was almost turning moldy. He actually learned to act like an honest official and donated 20 taels of silver while dressed in tattered robes. Before Ling Tian could even say anything, Ling Jian had already led his men to raid the former minister's house. He had raided more than a hundred thousand taels of silver and a few thousand taels of gold. To think that the former minister even argued that he was only corrupted under Long Xiang's rule and was completely honest right now. In a fit of rage, Ling Jian cleaved him in two without any mercy.

As such, before the new emperor had even ascended to the throne, a bunch of memorandums were piled on Ling Tian's desk criticizing Ling Jian for doing as he wished and his arrogance. Ling Tian immediately had a huge headache! When he called Ling Jian over to question him, Ling Jian had replied with a cool tone, "If this fellow can climb back out from the gates of h.e.l.l, I will cleave him in two again!"

"F**k!" Ling Tian was thoroughly speechless and was completely helpless when facing Ling Jian. Ling Jian was an a.s.sa.s.sin who he had personally trained. He could only wave Ling Jian away with a long sigh. This imperial throne is truly a hot potato! Will I be able to do as I please and settle my grievances as I like?!

However, Ling Jian's thunderous methods also had a stunning effect. During the time when Ling Jian was overseeing the investigations, not a single official dared to engage in any corrupt acts!

In just a single day, Ling Tian got the talented ladies of his harem to aid him. He then took out a large sum of silver and paid the various officials half a year's worth of salary. This action of his elated all of the various officials in the empire.

However, this action of his gave Chu Ting'er and Xiao YanXue a large headache. They dragged Ling Tian before them to reprimand him before nagging at Ling Tian about the lack of money for the next few days. In a fit of rage, Ling Tian immediately summoned Ling Jian over to issue his new instructions. Regardless of whether they were bandits or robbers, there wasn't a need for any other gifts. Silver and gold would be the best gift and the more the merrier!

Ling Jian left with his orders and after discussing the matter with Ling Chi, they made contribution ranking list with 50 names on it. The top few on the ranking list were Ling Jian, Ling Chi, Feng, Yun, Lei, and Dian. They had all generously written a number beside their name to set a standard for the others.

Ling Jian: 5,000,000 taels of silver. Ling Chi: 3,000,000 taels of silver. Ling Feng and the others: 1,000,000 taels of silver each. They then spread the notice out.

The three continents were immediately sent into a frenzy!