Chapter 406: Triple the Price
The moment Yu Luo spoke, Yu Haojie’s expression turned into one of sheer bewilderment!
Seeing her father’s exaggerated reaction, Yu Luo quickly realized that her tone had been inappropriate.
She cleared her throat awkwardly, took a seat beside Yu Haojie, and turned to Chi Jinchen with an apologetic look.
“I didn’t mean it that way. I was just surprised to see Young Master Chi here again.”
Chi Jinchen, ever composed, merely offered his signature warm smile, his gaze calm and unwavering as he looked at Yu Luo.
“It’s fine. I understand that Miss Xiao Luo speaks her mind. I came today to discuss the matter of raising troops in Luo City, which you previously agreed to.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Luo’s expression shifted slightly.
She sat up straighter, her gaze serious as she looked at Chi Jinchen, then at her father.
She wanted to see how far their conversation had progressed.
Noticing her silent inquiry, Yu Haojie frowned slightly and spoke.
“Didn’t you agree to Master Chi’s request, Xiao Luo?
As your father, I naturally have to approve it.”
“Yes,” Yu Luo nodded. “During my trip to the capital, Master Chi helped me a great deal. Whether out of gratitude or simply to repay a favor, I can’t go back on my word. I’ve already weighed the pros and cons—it’s too late to change things now. Besides, this might be a necessary step to secure Luo City’s future.”
She then turned her gaze back to Chi Jinchen.
“But, Master Chi…”
“You may speak freely, Xiao Luo.”
“Since you are stationing private troops in Luo City, this is a matter of secrecy. I will leave the details to you and my father to discuss.”
With that, Yu Luo stood up, excused herself, and left for the back courtyard.
As soon as she was gone, Chi Jinchen turned to Yu Haojie, his expression unchanging.
“Miss Luo went to Feng City today?”
Yu Haojie sighed.
“Yes. Just returned yesterday, and insisted on going today. I was supposed to go myself, but my daughter is too strong-willed and insisted on handling it alone.”
“You should consider training more trusted subordinates, City Lord Yu. It’s not appropriate for you to personally visit such places. Luckily, Xiao Luo returned safely this time.”
Yu Haojie nodded gravely.
He understood the risks.
Not just for himself—but for his wife and daughter as well.
He would never allow a repeat of the last incident.
*
In Feng City—
“Second Brother, that woman was with Chi Jinchen last time. We originally planned to take her back to the City Lord… But who would’ve thought she was actually Luo City’s young lady? With Chi Jinchen involved, should we be more cautious?”
After Yu Luo left, Third Master immediately reported his concerns to Xing Yong.
Xing Yong’s expression darkened slightly.
“No wonder Chi Jinchen bought up so much property in Luo City. But are you certain about their relationship?”
“Last time, Jiang Wu tried to take her by force, but Chi Jinchen stopped him. He even publicly declared that she belonged to him.”
Hearing this, Xing Yong’s face grew even more serious.
He paced back and forth several times before finally stopping.
“If Chi Jinchen is involved, we can’t use brute force. But didn’t they announce some food festival? We’ll just make sure it fails.”
Third Master’s eyes lit up with understanding.
“Then how about we host a martial arts tournament at the same time as their festival? That way, no one will care about their food event.”
Xing Yong nodded approvingly.
“Given Feng City’s influence across Jianghu (Martial World) and the major nations, if we announce a tournament, many fighters will flock to us instead of Luo City.
Who would waste their time at a food festival?
Go ahead and spread the word—send the announcement to the major nations.
Also, what was the grand prize for Luo City’s previous tournament?”
“10,000 taels of silver. They also charged a 10-tael entry fee per participant. If we charge for our tournament too—forget 10 taels, we could easily demand 100 taels per participant. Not to mention, our participant numbers will far exceed Luo City’s.”
Xing Yong’s lips curled into a devious smirk.
“Of course. Feng City’s entry fee can’t be a mere 10 taels—that would cheapen our reputation. Announce that the entry fee is 300 taels, and the champion’s prize will be 200,000 taels.”
Hearing this massive sum, Third Master grinned from ear to ear.
“Second Brother, you are truly generous! Luo City’s tournament only had a few thousand participants, but given Feng City’s reputation, our entries will exceed 10,000! We’ll easily collect millions in entry fees alone. Spending 200,000 taels on a champion prize? That’s nothing! Hahaha! I’ll get started immediately!”
As Third Master hurried off, Xing Yong’s smile deepened.
He wasn’t just trying to steal Luo City’s spotlight.
Feng City had the power.
Luo City did not.
*
Meanwhile, in Xing Yong’s Study
“Second Master, the new bounty requests have arrived. Would you like to review them now?”
Shortly after Third Master left, a subordinate entered the study, bowing respectfully.
“Bring them to my desk. I’ll review them now.”
“Yes, sir.”
As the subordinate left, Xing Yong sat down and began flipping through the thick stack of bounty requests.
His expression was calm—until he reached one particular request.
His eyebrows lifted slightly, interest sparking in his gaze.
“Oh? Someone wants these two people dead for just 5,000 taels? Whoever placed this order must not realize how difficult they are to eliminate.”
He tossed the bounty notice to his subordinate and smirked.
“Send them a message—triple the price. For 5,000 taels, they can choose one target. If they want both dead, the price is 300,000 taels. Otherwise, I’m not accepting this job.”
The subordinate’s eyes widened in shock.
“Second Master… these are just exiled criminals—and women at that. Isn’t 300,000 taels… a bit excessive?”
