Hua Xianle

Chapter 84:

When Wen Xu arrived in Blooming Waters, he found it deserted, little more than a ghost town. Boats were missing from the piers, shops were boarded up and closed, homes were emptied, and not a single cart could be seen. Kicking down the gates to Blooming Waters revealed an empty compound, the walls stripped of what little finery there was and everything of value taken.

Blooming Waters was nothing more than a worthless husk.

“Are you kidding me?!” Wen Xu bellowed, slashing at the paltry seat that served as the throne. “This was meant to be a conquest! A battle that would allow me the chance to rectify my mistakes in Gusu!”

“I don’t see why you’re so upset,” Wen Chao declared as he walked in behind his brother with that damn whore of his. “The cowards knew they couldn’t face the sun and so they all fled. It is proof of our power, is it not?”

With a yell, Wen Xu turned on his heel and backhanded his brother. The brat fell hard, his whore shrieking in terror as she rushed to his side. It made the Wen Heir want to puke. How could he share blood with such a worthless person?

“They took everything of value with them and sent the merchants away. There’s not so much as a fishing boat left! Whatever they couldn’t take with them is worthless and any boats left behind were likely scuttled or set adrift! We have the land, but we have nothing else! Nothing to work off of!”

Angrily, Wen Xu turned to his men. “Search the area! Find anyone who is still lurking around! Bring them to me immediately! I want to know where the Jiangs have gone!”

His men all bowed, then scattered to the four winds. Once they were gone, Wen Xu turned his attention back to his brother.

“And you, get out of my sight. This day is bad enough without having to subject myself to your disgusting self. And take your whore with you!”

And with that, he stalked off to clear his head and check the wards. He needed to get them up so he could defend these stupid waters. Then he needed to send missives for supplies and funds. He could already feel a headache coming from how frustrating this was going to be.

…

Wen Chao’s face was still stinging as he and Wang Lingjiao made their way to the outskirts of Yunmeng. While he abhorred being treated like some sort of lesser being by his own brother, the Wen Spare couldn’t deny that it helped with his plan. The last thing he wanted was his brother interfering in his revenge scheme.

“Chaochao,” his woman whined, peppering his bruised face with gentle kisses. “What a terrible thing to do to you.”

“My brother is a meatheaded brute,” Wen Chao scoffed, pointedly ignoring the pain. “He should be grateful for such an easy victory. Plus, we can easily spin whatever tale we want to add to the glory of the Wens.”

“Yes!” Lingjiao cheered, clapping her hands happily. “Oh that’s such a wonderful idea! And because of the reputation of the Jiang, the other clans will easily believe whatever story we tell them!”

“Indeed.” Wen Chao grinned, stroking his chin as he thought. “How about this? We arrived in Yunmeng to negotiate for the construction of the supervisory office, only to discover Yunmeng Jiang committing high treason against the Chief Cultivator.”

“I did see some kites littering the ground just beyond the training area,” Lingjiao recalled, brightening a bit. “Many of them were One-Eyed Monster kites with large red spots.”

“A-ha! They want you to think they are just kites, but that red spot is a representation of the sun! By shooting the kites, Yunmeng Jiang was declaring their intention to shoot down the sun!”