CHAPTER 510: CHAPTER 76: RAIDING THE FAMILY ASSETS

Having confirmed this news, Yue Jinghua returned to White Moon Pavilion without any visible reaction. The time was not yet ripe to make a move; she must clarify the specific deployments and actions of the Empire.

Hitting the snake at its vital spot is crucial, but impulsiveness is always detrimental.

The changes in Fengdan County and the assertiveness of its new Lord were no longer a secret.

The blockade of the town had no practical effect on Yue Jinghua; if she wanted to send out news of the Imperial Army, she had at least three or four ways to do so.

A tax force of a thousand elite Imperial Soldiers posed no particular threat to Fengdan County as it stood now.

Yet Yue Jinghua was not willing to fall out with the Imperial Ministry of Revenue at this critical juncture.

After all, geographically, Fengdan and Bailu Counties were directly under the jurisdiction of the Dragon War Empire.

Winter was drawing to an end, and with spring plowing upon them, for the residents of Fengdan and Bailu, who had just emerged from the cold and turmoil, conflict now would undeniably deal a fatal blow to the stability and construction of both areas.

Moreover, fighting to the death with the Empire’s tax-collecting army meant a definitive break with the Dragon War Empire.

The defenses of the Dark Beasts and Burning Poison Algae in Fengdan County could fend off a thousand-strong Imperial contingent but would be incapable of withstanding the iron cavalry of the Dragon War Empire.

How to protect the interests of the Blood Cherry Duke Mansion while giving the tax-collecting army of the Empire a demonstration of power had become the biggest obstacle in front of Yue Jinghua.

After much thought, Yue Jinghua wrote two letters overnight. One was sent back to Fengdan County through the Transmission Array at Mazaro Mountain Farm, and the other was urgently dispatched to Wo Hua Imperial City from the post station in Five Saints Town.

Once both letters had been sent, Yue Jinghua performed a set of Dragon Slaying Fist Technique in White Moon Pavilion before calmly strolling towards Ancient Hero Statue Square.

This afternoon, Niu Er, Tax Officer, would seal the Qing Family’s properties in public, escorted by a squad of Imperial Soldiers.

Five Saints Town, Ancient Hero Statue Square

In just a short span of ten days, the once beautiful fountain square, a scenic highlight of the town, had undergone dramatic changes.

The statue of the Dragon Slayer Hero Mo Kang, once worshipped by many, now lay askew beside the fountain, like a beauty in her twilight years.

The splashing fountain waters fell upon the statue’s face, trickling like tears.

The ancestral home of Lady Qing Yan, long since emptied, where historical antiques of great collectible value and various Spiritual Treasures, were all carted away.

The crying maids and the anxious old servants were also detained nearby, awaiting interrogation.

When Yue Jinghua arrived, Niu Er, Tax Officer had already led the Imperial Army with great authority, sealing dozens of the Qing Family’s shops, and as for White Moon Pavilion, it was spared trouble by being redeemed by the Five Saints Branch.

After all the shops were cleared, Niu Er, Tax Officer returned to the Ancient Hero Statue.

Yue Jinghua blended into the crowd, and saw Niu Er, Tax Officer wearing a swan velvet ceremonial robe with red base and yellow collars symbolizing his status, his chest buttons looking like they could burst open at any moment.

"Reporting to the officer, all the shops of the Qing Family and their assets have been tallied; a total of thirty million Fifth-Order Xuan Pills," a young Imperial soldier, donning a helmet from the Empire Charge Camp, presented a thick ledger and reported to Niu Er, Tax Officer after checking each item.

Niu Er, the Tax Officer, rolled his eyes slyly, "Thirty million Fifth-Order Xuan Pills, the Qing Family’s assets surely aren’t limited to this. Bring out the Cloud-Riding Ship deployed by the Empire, there is still a piece of ’immovable property’ belonging to the Qing Family waiting to be audited above our heads."

Having said that, Niu Er, the Tax Officer, pointed towards the Sky Dragon Palace hanging in the sky ten thousand meters high, with his stubby fingers adorned with gem-studded rings.

The town spectators and mercenaries who came to watch the seal-off operation in the square were by no means in short supply, and upon his announcement, everyone looked up together; in an instant, hundreds of eyes were fixed on the sky.

Under the cloudless sky, several clumps of cotton-white clouds piled up in a cascade on the northeast corner.

That majestic Dragon Palace suspended in the sky, appeared both real and illusory, like a mirage in the sea.

The small-minded Niu Er, the Tax Officer, has always been bitter about the last time he was thrown off the dragon’s back by Black Beauty and failed to reach the Sky Dragon Palace.

Even though Lord Jin Nuo, the Dragon Knight, reassured him time and again after returning to the town that he saw no gold, silver, treasures, or Xuan Pills inside that Dragon Palace,

However, Niu Er, the Tax Officer, was adamant about taking a trip to the Sky Dragon Palace himself. In his view, the Empire’s tax collection should be all-encompassing; anything that belonged to the Qing Family must be seized.

So, ignoring Jin Nuo’s objections, he wrote a passionately stirring, yet grievance-filled memorial, which he sent at full speed to his immediate superior, Minister of the Ministry of Finance, Reldon. He painted the Sky Dragon Palace in his memorial with as much grandeur as the Dragon Palace of the East Sea from legend, where one could stumble upon Imperial gold coins with every step.

After much persuasion, he managed to borrow a Cloud-Riding Ship from the Imperial Military Department, proclaiming his intent to take down the Sky Dragon Palace and plant the flag of the Imperial Ministry of Revenue upon it.

Under the command of Niu Er, the Tax Officer, a troop of Imperial Soldiers surrounded the rotund Niu Er and boarded the Cloud-Riding Ship.

Yue Jinghua observed for a moment in the crowd, a hint of mocking smile spreading across his lips, just as he was about to turn and leave, a young man emerged from the crowd and stopped Yue Jinghua’s footsteps, "Are you Yue Jinghua, sir?"

Although the July Mercenary Team has gained fame in Five Saints Town, not many people recognize Yue Jinghua.

After all, the affairs of the July Team are mostly handled by Feng Buhui and Shalman at present.

Yue Jinghua recognized the person coming towards him.

With brown hair and blue eyes, and a polite smile on his lips, the mercenary genius Bo Xiyu had a face very similar to Qin Dongting’s.

However, unlike Qin Dongting’s early life of losing his mother and being abandoned by his family, the successful young Bo Xiyu exuded confidence and the aura of a strong personality much earlier on.

Such a person, even in a crowd, could be instantly recognized.

"Indeed, that is me. May I inquire if Lord Bo Xiyu comes on official business or personal matters?" Yue Jinghua folded his arms and maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far from Bo Xiyu.

Upon learning of Qin Dongting’s background in the Sky Dragon Court, Yue Jinghua anticipated that Bo Xiyu, or rather, the Mercenary King Bo Sai, would sooner or later come knocking.

If he hadn’t guessed wrong, the one who had been secretly taking care of Qin Dongting all this time was Mercenary King Bo Sai.

As Yue Jinghua assessed Bo Xiyu, the latter was also evaluating the young man before him.

Yue Jinghua, just ten days ago, was still a two-star mercenary.

According to the Mercenary Manual, he had only been a mercenary for a little over a year, but the most puzzling aspect was his level of cultivation.