Chapter 96: The Night Visitation
The Gong Estate loomed like a mountain at dusk.
Inside the grand hall, the Matriarch sat on her throne, carved wood and cold authority combined.
She fixed the elder in charge of external affairs with an icicle stare that allowed for no delay.
"How is it? Has it been done?" Her voice cut through the chamber; there was no room for hesitation. She wanted an answer, and she wanted it now.
"Matriarch," the elder replied, steady but clipped, "the clans have stopped their supplies. From tomorrow, the Blazing Sun Pavilion will begin to feel the heat." He bowed his head slightly as he reported.
"And what of the smaller ore houses? Have they been warned? I don’t want any excuses." Her tone was minimal, an order disguised as a question.
"Everything has been arranged. Every clan that deals in ore within the city has been contacted. They’ve been advised. Jun Wu will soon come begging." The elder’s voice carried the thin confidence of a man certain his orders would be obeyed.
"Good." The Matriarch inclined her head once; expressionless, implacable. "Deploy our men. We cannot delay any longer."
"I will see to it immediately."
.....
Inside Jun Wu’s mansion, crates filled with various grades of iron ore were stacked neatly in the storehouse.
Guards moved with practiced efficiency, arranging boxes in precise rows as if preparing for a long winter.
With the deal sealed with the City Lord, Jun Wu had wasted no time. He’d placed orders for hundreds of boxes and arranged for immediate delivery.
With the City Lord’s backing, shortages were no longer a looming threat; the Chen, Lian, and Han clans’ attempt to cut off his supply had seriously made a huge mistake.
When the last of the carts was pushed away, Elder Peng could not hide his satisfaction.
"Hahaha— I can’t wait to see those bastards’ faces," he sneered, pacing the courtyard with barely contained fury.
"Now that the City Lord supplies us iron ore, they can all go to hell for all I care." He clicked his tongue in derisive glee.
Jun Wu watched him with a mild smile. "Don’t worry. They’ll learn their lesson soon enough," he said softly.
Night crept over Mystic City.
Lanterns blinked along the streets.
The city’s night life spilled into the alleys, brothels and gambling dens filled with people, the laughter of revelers rising and sinking like waves.
With no moon to pierce the darkness, the lanes took on a thicker blackness.
Drunkards staggered home, dogs barked in hidden courtyards, and distant howls echoed under the veil of night.
In the wealthy western quarter, where most of the affluent clans had their estates, two figures melted into shadow.
"Young Master, this is the Han clan estate," Mao Yun whispered.
Jun Wu nodded.
They moved with the quiet precision of someone who had rehearsed this descent many times.
The guards dozed on their benches, half-asleep and overconfident.
Under Jun Wu’s concealment array they were oblivious, breathing slow and even as if the night had swallowed everything around them.
Swiftly, Jun Wu dismantled the estate’s protective array formation with practiced motions.
To him, Grade-1 Array Formation was like an open book. He could find their weakness with one eye closed.
They scaled the estate wall and slipped into the compound. Patrols were avoided with ease as if they already knew their routine .
Jun Wu intelligence gathering group– Wei Jian beggars gang had done a perfect job. Who would have a group of begger kids could find out so much about a wealthy clan like the Han clan
Silently, Jun Wu and Mao Yun jumped over the Han clan master courtyard wall and arrived beside his room.
With a slight push, the window was open and they sneaked in.
Inside, the Han clan master lay sprawled on his bed, pot-bellied and snoring, nightcap askew.
Jun Wu set down a Sound Barrier Array Plate. It unfurled with a faint hum, cloaking the chamber in a ring of silence; beyond the dome, the city’s sounds continued, indifferent.
Within, it was another world.
Then the interrogation began.
Pah! Pah! Pah!
Mao Yun’s slaps landed like hammers. The clan master bolted upright, face streaked and eyes wide with shock.
"H—how dare—" he began, the words cutting off as he recognized Jun Wu standing by the bedside.
"Y-Young Master..." he gasped, voice trembling.
Fear uncoiled inside him.
He had believed the rumor that Jun Wu would not retaliate. His power and influence are weak and without any backing. But now, he realized everyone was wrong.
He wanted to cry but there were no tears in his eyes. Inwardly, he was already cursing all the generations of the Gong clan.
Jun Wu’s expression was like winter. Clear, hard, without warmth. "I ask. You answer," he said.
"Y-yes..." the man stammered, nodding like a bird.
"Why did you stop selling me iron ore?"
"The— the Gong clan," the merchant blurted.
Panic gave him no loyalty; merchants bowed to coins, and his life was more important than gold coins.
Jun Wu listened, methodical, filing every scrap of information. Nothing surprised him, though each confirmation tightened his chest.
When Jun Wu judged he had what he needed, he gave Mao Yun a signal.
Bang! Bang!
Ahhhh! Ahhhh!
The room erupted into screams. The Han clan master’s protests became animal howls as pain tore through him.
The methods were swift and efficient; within minutes the once-proud merchant lay crumpled on the floor, reduced in size and spirit.
His rounded belly seemed to have shrunk; his arms twisted in an impossible position.
"Speak of what happened, and I will return. But when I do..." Jun Wu’s voice trailed off into a promise so cold it seemed to chill the very air. He did not finish; he did not need to.
Watching Jun Wu and Mao Yun disappear from the room, the Han clan master summoned all his strength.
"H-e-l-p," the Han clan master whimpered. Outside, the night kept its indifferent rhythm.
Jun Wu and Mao Yun left as quietly as they had entered, slipping back over the wall and merging with the city’s shadows.
Tonight, he would make sure those targeting would have to think twice.