Chapter 49: From This Day On, Jiangzhou Bears the Name Ling

Jiangzhou has always been a place without a true master.

Though there was Xu Long, in the end, Xu Long belonged to the mortal world.

Now, Xu Long intended to hand over Jiangzhou, to offer it up to Kongtong. This meant that Jiangzhou would, from this day forth, have a true master above its head, one it would never be able to cast off.

Naturally, this could be seen as both good and bad.

The good: with Jiangzhou under Kongtong’s control, no one would dare to provoke Jiangzhou lightly anymore.

Especially the martial cultivators, who posed a great threat to the wealthy of Jiangzhou.

But the bad: from now on, the people of Jiangzhou would have to bleed, and not a little—every year, they would be obliged to pay tribute to Kongtong.

So this news was nothing short of explosive.

Xu Long swept his gaze over the crowd and, seeing no one respond, could not help but frown slightly.

“What? Do you all have objections to my decision?”

No sooner had he spoken than those who served under Xu Long dropped to their knees without hesitation.

“Master Xu, you are wise and far-sighted. We are willing to follow you and submit to Kongtong together. Congratulations, Master Xu, on becoming the King of Jiangzhou!”

Xu Long smiled in satisfaction and nodded.

Yet among the crowd, there were still some who did not kneel.

Xu Long glanced at them, his eyes flashing with a chilling light.

“And you, why do you not kneel?”

A few of the local bosses sneered coldly.

“Xu Long, for your own interests, you’ve sold out all of Jiangzhou, and you still expect us to kneel to you? What a joke!”

“That’s right! Kongtong is in the northwest, so far from us. Even if we get into trouble, by the time Kongtong’s people arrive, we’ll be finished!”

“Rather than submit to Kongtong, why not turn to the Iron Fist Sect? At least the Tiger Gate under Iron Fist is right here in Jiangzhou!”

Xu Long gave a cold laugh.

“As long as we submit to Kongtong, they will naturally send their experts to garrison Jiangzhou. What is there to fear?”

“Hmph! Even so, we will not yield! Jiangzhou borders Jiangnan. It may not be as prosperous as Jiangnan, but it’s still leagues above the northwest. To make us submit to the northwest? If word got out, wouldn’t we become a laughingstock?”

“Exactly!”

The chill on Xu Long’s face deepened. Narrowing his eyes, he fixed a deadly stare on the dissenters.

“You all have some nerve! Jiangzhou is my domain. Who do you think you are, to question my decisions here?”

They gritted their teeth.

“We’re only speaking for what’s right!”

“As people of Jiangzhou, if we do not speak for Jiangzhou but instead sell our land for glory, that is shameful indeed. And you still dream of being King of Jiangzhou? Laughable! If you weren’t colluding with Kongtong and sought the throne, I’d respect you. But now, you can kill me, but don’t expect me to kneel!”

“Very well, very well,” Xu Long sneered. “You’re all hard bones, aren’t you? In that case, don’t blame me. You… can go die now! Men, drag these loud-mouthed fools out and break their bones! I want to see whose bones are harder—yours or my iron staff!”

The dissenters’ faces changed dramatically.

At that moment, a mocking voice suddenly rang out from outside.

"Old Master Xu, what a temper you have! You haven’t even become King of Jiangzhou yet, and you’re already so fierce. If you truly ascended the throne, would you not reach the heavens?"

“Who dares speak so boldly?” Xu Long barked coldly, staring hard at the entrance.

The crowd turned in unison, gazing toward the door, where they saw Zhang Daochu strolling into the hotel, followed by several of the Ghost Valley representatives from across Jiangzhou.

Whispers began to ripple through those gathered.

"Isn’t that Zhang Daochu from the Zhang family? Why is he here?"

“They say Zhang Daochu has always kept a low profile in Jiangzhou, never getting involved in any disputes. Why would he show up now and challenge Master Xu?”

Xu Long’s eyes narrowed, the cold light in them directed straight at Zhang Daochu.

"Zhang Daochu, you have some nerve! Who gave you the courage to oppose me?"

Zhang Daochu chuckled.

"I, Zhang Daochu, am a son of Jiangzhou too. Today, I saw a dog wagging its tail and begging, trying to sell Jiangzhou to Kongtong. I couldn’t swallow my anger, so I had to speak up!"

“Insolent! Did you just call me a dog? Do you have a death wish?”

Everyone else stared at Zhang Daochu in shock, unable to fathom what game he was playing. In Jiangzhou, to offend Xu Long so deeply was courting death.

Yet Zhang Daochu’s face showed not a trace of fear. His smile faded into an indifferent coolness, and he let out a cold snort.

“Xu Long, you don’t need to bluster with me. Who will triumph in the end is still undecided.”

With that, he called out toward the entrance:

“Young master, the old thief Xu Long is right here in this hotel!”

At his words, all eyes turned to look outside.

Moments later, Ling Xiao entered the hall with hands clasped behind his back, accompanied by Xiu’er and Ming Cheng.

His extraordinary and ethereal appearance drew a flicker of astonished admiration from the crowd.

Though Ling Xiao was strikingly handsome, there was an awe-inspiring majesty between his brows that made people hesitate to meet his gaze.

Most were shocked by his presence and bearing, but in the corner, Shen Wantong narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Ling Xiao from head to toe again and again.

Before Xu Long could speak, Xu Beichen suddenly cried out from below the stage, pointing accusingly at Ling Xiao.

“Grandfather, that’s him! He’s the one who hit me!”

“Oh?” Xu Long’s eyes narrowed even further, two sharp beams shooting toward Ling Xiao’s face.

“You’re bold indeed! You dare strike a member of my Xu family? And after that, you don’t flee, but come here to stir up trouble? You must be tired of living!”

Ling Xiao remained utterly calm.

"Whether I’m tired of living or not is irrelevant. I’m not here tonight to settle accounts with you."

"Then why have you come?"

"I want… Jiangzhou."

“What did you say?”

The old master’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“I said, I want Jiangzhou,” Ling Xiao repeated.

Hearing this, the old master threw his head back and laughed.

“Hahaha… how amusing. Truly amusing! In all my years, I’ve never encountered anything so entertaining!”

His laughter faded, and his expression turned icy, his smile twisting into a sinister sneer.

“You want Jiangzhou? And what are you, to dare ask me for Jiangzhou?”

“What I am is none of your concern. All you need to know is that, from this day on, Jiangzhou bears the name Ling.”