With the wealth of the Ding Clan dangling before him like a tantalizing reward, it didn't take much convincing for Chu Qiguang to sway Wu Wei.

"You're right, Nephew Chu! These deplorable traitors to the empire must be brought to justice by the people! However, before we make a move, I have to report the situation to my father."

While Wu Wei was writing a letter to his father, Chu Qiguang took a separate letter from him and made his way to the Hao Manor to inform Hao Wen of the situation.

After some negotiation, he decided, "Once we seize the Ding Clan's assets, twenty percent of it can go to your clan."

Hao Wen immediately jumped at the offer, stating that he was willing to rally all of his guards and servants to attack the Ding Clan. From there, Chu Qiguang paid a visit to Abbot Chen Zhu with letters from both Hao Wen and Wu Wei.

The destruction of spirit veins didn’t fall under the Heavenly Master Religion's jurisdiction, but colluding with fiends was a major offense. Abbot Chen Zhu knew that he had to act before the Demon Vanquishing Department was informed of the Ding Clan's crimes. Thus, he immediately agreed to work with the Wu and Hao Clans to attack the traitorous Ding Clan.

After securing letters from the Wu Clan, the Hao Clan, and the Daoist temple, Chu Qiguang went straight to the county office. At first, he was denied an audience for an hour, but when He Wenyan finally agreed to see him, the bombshell he dropped in the form of the three letters was enough to leave He Wenyan reeling.

"You're going to attack the Ding Manor? This is absurd! Do you think you're above the law?!"

"I think we're acting well within the boundaries of the law. In fact, I'd say we're enforcing the law," Chu Qiguang replied as he presented the incriminating account books.

Looking at the records of the Ding Clan's annual bribes to the capital and the profits they had earned through illegal trade, He Wenyan fell into a grim silence.

He could pretend to be oblivious to the Ding Clan's illegal dealings. The corruption of the nine border military bases certainly had nothing to do with him, while the destruction of the spirit veins could be blamed on negligence from the previous county magistrates. However, he couldn't just ignore evidence that the border military bases were colluding with a powerful official in the imperial court. Furthermore, he knew who that official was, because he technically belonged to that official's faction.

"If you lead the charge, you'll be the heroic county magistrate who led the people in bringing down a clan of traitors," Chu Qiguang said. "Alternatively, you can go down with that sinking ship and drown alongside your entire political faction. The choice is yours."

Before long, Chu Qiguang returned to the Wu Manor with letters from the Wu Clan, the Hao Clan, the Daoist temple, and the county office.

Wu Wei was ecstatic with this outcome, and he was itching to rush into the Ding Manor to seize its assets.

However, Chu Qiguang remained calm and patient as he said, "I still have to speak to the other wealthy clans of the county one by one. Only then can we ensure that this operation proceeds without a hitch."

Wu Wei was becoming more and more in awe of Chu Qiguang with each passing day.

Not only has he managed to single-handedly recruit all of the most powerful entities in the county, but his composure and attention to detail are simply unheard of for someone so young. If he can pass the imperial examination, then he'll surely have a political career of unmatched success.

From there, Chu Qiguang personally visited each clan, and he also sent a cat fiend to the Ding Manor.

***

"When's the next batch of goods coming?" White Rice asked, while Ding Daoxiao stared at him in surprise.

"Why have you come directly to me?" Ding Daoxiao asked, thinking that White Rice had been sent by the Great Qian Empire.

After some probing, White Rice revealed some details about the Ding Clan's past transactions with the Great Qian Empire, and Ding Daoxiao was quickly convinced that White Rice had indeed come on behalf of the wolf fiends. Of course, all of this information had been fed to White Rice in advance by Qiao Zhi.

"I heard that the Great Han Empire is planning to establish trade relations with us, is that true?" White Rice asked. "That means your Ding Clan won't be useful anymore. How about you consider joining our Great Qian Empire? If you ever want to defect to our Great Qian Empire, you can come to this address to meet me."

White Rice left an address before promptly departing, leaving a bemused Ding Daoxiao behind.

What was that all about?

Over the next few days, the Ding Clan continued working with He Wenyan and Li Changqing to cause trouble for the Wu and Hao Clans. However, following Chu Qiguang's advice, Wu Wei and Hao Wen simply endured everything in silence. Even as their land was seized, their shops were plundered, and more of their people were detained for interrogation, they continued to weather the storm without retaliating.

As time passed, Ding Daoxiao and Li Changqing began to resent Chu Qiguang more and more for his role as the advisor of the Hao and Wu Clans.

Beneath the surface, hidden amid the chaos, all of the county's prominent clans were quietly being tied together one by one for a common cause.

***

That night, Chu Qiguang was meditating in his room when someone knocked on his door, announcing that they had brought him some hot water.

Qiao Zhi jumped in through the window, then warned, It's a third-state martial artist. I've never seen him in the Wu Manor before, so he was most likely sent to kill you.

Chu Qiguang nodded, then invited the man inside while quietly grabbing the large bag of lime powder that he kept hidden under the table.

Now that Chu Qiguang was a third-state martial artist, he had prepared a bag of lime powder the size of a watermelon.

As I grow stronger, I'm able to throw larger quantities of lime powder. Once I reach the fifth state, I should be able to throw an entire sack of lime powder the size of a cow and blind dozens of people at once!

Chu Qiguang shook his head to clear those stray thoughts. The moment the man entered the room, he was blasted in the face with lime powder. Immediately afterward, Chu Qiguang lunged at the assassin like a ferocious beast, unleashing fifteen consecutive punches in the blink of an eye.

A series of heavy thumps rang out as the assassin was beaten down before he could even get a clear look at Chu Qiguang. Every punch struck like a hammer blow, and before he could even let out a scream, his ribs had been shattered, and his internal organs ruptured.

In his final moments, he stared at Chu Qiguang with shock and fury in his eyes.

Isn't he supposed to have just reached the second state? He's clearly already a third-state martial artist!

Meanwhile, Chu Qiguang calmly wiped the blood from his hands as he thought, If they're already sending people to assassinate me, then the Ding Clan is most likely only going to become more brazen and reckless.

At the same time, this incident served as another harsh reminder of just how important individual strength was in this world. One could have all the wealth and status in the world, but if they couldn't defend themselves, then anyone could kill them.