The Prodigies War

The Forbidden City, The Ruyi Merchant Company.

Zuo Baolin was sitting leisurely in a chair made from cloud hardwood, smoking a pipe carved from ink crow jade. 

Behind him was a beautiful and polite young woman in skimpy clothes massaging his shoulders. 

On the other side, a musician was playing a melody on the zither. The simple and elegant tune created a tranquil atmosphere in the room. 

Zuo Baolin was the boss of the Ruyi Merchant Company and also a member of the Zuo Clan, one of the seven high clans. 

He had little talent in cultivation and was mediocre in other aspects, so he didn’t hold much status within the clan. But regardless, he was still a member of the Zuo Clan. 

That status alone helped him become the boss of the Ruyi Merchant Company and made people of the same trade respect him. 

He made a lot of money every day by just relying on his business contacts, so he lived an extravagant life. 

Bang!

The door of the room flung open, followed by a housekeeper-looking old man hobbling in like he had suffered a beating. 

Immediately, the disruption destroyed the tranquil atmosphere in the room and startled Zuo Baolin. The pipe visibly trembled in his hands, and the sparks from the pipe touched his lips. He grimaced and roared in fury, “Bastard! What’s the panic?! Do you want to die?!”

“Master, something bad is happening!” the housekeeper cried anxiously.

“Hmph! What’s wrong? Don’t tell me the sky has fallen?” Zuo Baolin drew a deep breath and dismissed the young woman and the old man playing the zither with a wave of his hand. “Old Ma, if your daughter wasn’t my concubine, then I would have kicked you out for your irritating temperament!”

Old Ma broke out in cold sweat, looking grim. “Master, something really happened! I am just doing this for your sake.”

“Fine, tell me briefly,” Zuo Baolin said calmly. He had always envied the big shots for being able to stay calm and collected, so he tried to adopt the same facade. 

As the saying went, a person who was able to maintain a straight face despite the thousands of things on their mind could accomplish great things. That was the style that a big shot should have. It would be too disgraceful and embarrassing to panic at every little thing. 

“Yes...the people from the Lin Clan are here again, and they want to take away our Ruyi Merchant Company!” Housekeeper Ma cried sullenly. 

“Hmph! The Lin Clan has a death wish! Do they think they can do anything just because Lin Xun has come back?!” Zuo Baolin snorted disdainfully. 

He became calmer and calmer as he spoke, “The Lin Clan isn’t even considered a low aristocratic clan in the Forbidden City. They are nothing compared to our Zuo Clan. They are dreaming if they think they can take the Ruyi Merchant Company from our hands!” 

“Master, you...why don’t you go out and take a look? I think they are serious this time.” Old Ma trembled uncontrollably. 

“Old Ma, can you calm down? Huh? Even if Lin Xun came in person, so what? No matter how powerful he is, how will he dare to be openly hostile to our Zuo Clan?” Zuo Baolin shot a contemptuous look at Old Ma, hating the fact that he couldn’t get rid of the useless old man. Can’t he control his panic for a minute? How embarrassing!

“But…” Old Ma tried to explain when Zuo Baolin impatiently interrupted him, “Old Ma, you are an idiot. You are too short-sighted and don’t understand the power of the high clans. In the Forbidden City, even the imperial family won’t dare to offend us, let alone Lin Xun?” 

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He continued in frustration. “Remember, your master is from the Zuo Clan! Not many dare to provoke me in the Forbidden City!”

Boom!

At that moment, a distant ear-splitting explosion shook the tables and chairs in the house and shattered the teacups. 

“Huh?” Zuo Baolin sprang up abruptly, face turning ashen. “Could...they really dare to do something? They must have a death wish!”

PA!

He lashed out with a slap across Old Ma’s face. “Old bastard, something big is happening outside! Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”

Old Ma was almost in tears, clutching his cheek in aggrievement. He had already said that something bad was happening from the moment he stepped in, but no one believed him, so why was he being blamed? 

“I will deal with you later!” Zuo Baolin was no longer able to keep his composure, no longer able to imitate the way that the big shots stayed calm and collected at all times. 

“Damn it, I want to see who dares to come to my territory and act wildly! Today...I...”

His voice abruptly stopped like a duck being strangled. 

The great hall of the Ruyi Merchant Company was in utter disorder with tables, chairs and counters overturned and ornaments littered everywhere. Even the walls and pillars had suffered unimaginable damage.

Pools of blood dotted the hall and corpses were strewn across. 

They were the guards of the Ruyi Merchant Company, but now they were all dead!

“They...they actually dare to target the Zuo Clan’s property! Does the Lin Clan not want to live anymore?!”

Zuo Baolin’s face became livid and smoke seemed to be spiraling from his seven orifices. He had long lost his composure and calmness. 

He spotted the culprit right away. 

His appearance was very conspicuous. He had a burly and tall body like a majestic mountain towering into the sky. Even if he was simply standing there indifferently, a stifling oppressive aura filled the room.

He wielded a blood-red saber in his hand. Drops of blood trickled down the saber body, breaking into many smaller droplets and creating striking red splashes.

”You…how dare you! Do you know the consequences of your actions? Do you know what price you will have to pay for angering the Zuo Clan?” Zuo Baolin screeched in anger, but his heart was filled with indescribable panic. 

It was terrifying to face a ruthless character that dared to break into the Ruyi Merchant Company and start a massacre.  

Only a streak of blade light responded to him. 

It was swift and direct like it was slaughtering a chicken. Zuo Baolin collapsed to the ground with a thud. Even as he died, he couldn’t understand how someone could be so fearless to kill without a single word.  

Was it out of disdain or was he a man of few words?

Zuo Baolin didn’t know before he died. 

Meanwhile, Old Ma immediately went limp and fainted on the spot. 

“What a good blade!”

It wasn’t until Third Old Zhu left the area that he wiped the blood stains off the saber, eyes gleaming with joy. 

The blade was from Lin Xun and was called Prairie Fire. It was said to be an ancient treasure from the Demon Elephant Clan in the Spirit Burial Sea.

……

Similar incidents happened one after another in different areas of the Forbidden City.

Xingyuan Treasure Corporation.

Ruijin Workshop.

Yuyuan Restaurant. 

The Lin Clan properties that were occupied by the Zuo and Qin Clans all suffered similar bloodbaths.  

The major forces that had been paying close attention to the movements of the Zuo and Qin Clans had never thought that the Mind Cleansing Peak Lin Clan would be the first to attack!

The incidents caused a great commotion. 

The previous night, Lin Xun had stormed the three collateral branches of the Lin Clan and launched a killing spree. 

Who would have imagined that the next night, the Mind Cleansing Peak Lin Clan would launch another strong operation and attack the properties owned by the Zuo and Qin Clans?

Not only that, but they also launched into action right away and allowed no chance of negotiation! 

“What is wrong with the Lin Clan? Are they crazy? Those are two high clans! How dare they attack them without thinking?”

Many people couldn’t believe what they heard.

It stirred up clamors of discussions. Some didn’t think that Lin Xun would be so crazy, and they believed that he had the backing of someone. 

“That guy has disappeared for half a year, but he is as fierce and ruthless as before. He might even be more tyrannical. He directly slapped the faces of two high clans! When had something so unbelievable happened before?!”  

Many cultivators gasped, astonished by Lin Xun’s power.

Back then, Lin Xun dared to force the Marquis of Rising Sky to kneel and slap Princess Linghuang in public.

Now, he was even more amazing. The day he returned to the Forbidden City, he challenged the top clans in the city. 

“That kid is likely going to tumble and fall. Even if he is a rune founder and even if he possesses astonishing strength, he is alone. How can he challenge the high clans by himself?”

“Even a Life Death Stage King wouldn’t dare to rashly challenge a high clan!”

“It seems that he is still too young and naive. He thinks he can do whatever he wants in the Forbidden City after earning some achievements. He must not know that the reason the high clans can stand for thousands of years in the empire is not only because of their strength. A behemoth such as the high clans can easily kill someone like Lin Xun.”  

Some powerful forces weren’t optimistic about Lin Xun’s situation, thinking that he had been blinded by his previous victories. Did he think he could challenge the high clans just because he solved his clan’s internal strife?

How ridiculous!

What was a high clan? 

Even in the entire empire, they were considered behemoths. Their powers spanned across the world!

It was no exaggeration to say that, apart from the imperial family, the Qinglu Academy and the Rune Master Association, the seven high clans were the most respected in the empire!

Based on that, to outsiders, Lin Xun was biting off more than he could chew if he thought he could challenge two high clans. 

Amidst the uproar, many people ridiculed Lin Xun’s decision and had nothing but negative opinions about it. 

Lin Xun, you are indeed a rare young genius who overshadows your peers, possesses many dazzling titles, and captures the attention of everyone. But if you think you can challenge the high clans based on that, that’s too ridiculous.