Invincible Starts From Dao Fruit-Chapter 102: Zhangg 80 A Joke: 8th-Rank Grandmaster Breaks Up a Fight, Gets Killed! Haha~ [6th update, asking for first subscription!]

Chapter 102: Zhangg 80 A Joke: 8th-Rank Grandmaster Breaks Up a Fight, Gets Killed! Haha~ [6th update, asking for first subscription!]

Outside Wusheng City.

A large crowd of people gathered around the outskirts, watching as one group after another of Black Prison mine slaves were released.

Some clapped and cheered.

Some watched with concern.

Others craned their necks to see.

Chen Jichuan, accompanied by Chen Shaohu, stood amidst the crowd. Watching the miners being released from Black Prison brought a mix of joy and deep reflection to their hearts.

"Thirteen months." freēwēbηovel.c૦m

"We’ve been out of Black Prison for over a year now, and now the rest of them are coming out too."

Chen Shaohu gazed at the mine slaves, as if looking at his former self.

One year passed.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

He had spent this year cultivating martial arts and studying at Haitang Mountain, enjoying life’s luxuries with his fourth brother. His days had been fulfilling, but the memories of his time in Black Prison remained etched in the depths of his mind.

Seeing these mine slaves now, awakened from their plight, made him treasure the present even more.

His admiration for his fourth brother grew stronger—

In just one year,

his fourth brother had virtually rounded up the leaders of three major factions, organized the Martial Alliance, and held it firmly in his grip. The next phase was to exact justice on the evildoers from those factions, especially those who had persecuted their family, the Chen Family, in the past.

"I want to personally burn at least two of them!"

With anticipation in his heart, Chen Shaohu lifted his head and looked toward the distant city gates.

One by one, the mine slaves were led away. Chen Shaohu knew that if they had families, the Three Mountains Army would reunite them. For those with nowhere to go, they would be resettled in the counties of Liding, Yongfeng, and Lipu, provided with two plots of farmland and some grains to live as farmers.

After successive wars, countless civilians in ten counties had perished or suffered, leaving much farmland vacant. Anyone who could and was willing to farm received ample land.

As for those unwilling or unskilled in farming, they were assigned to the Martial Alliance’s embryonic Six Ministries, specifically the Ministry of Industry.

Their tasks included building roads, constructing houses, dredging rivers, and other duties.

It gave them something to do.

Preventing the tragedy of being released from prison only to starve, or idling to the point of committing crimes against innocents.

"Fourth Brother is truly meticulous."

"These are all suffering people. If they were to die of hunger for lack of land, work, or sustenance after leaving Black Prison, or end up harming innocent families, wouldn’t that be a terrible sin?"

Chen Shaohu leaned closer to his fourth brother, praising him endlessly.

"That’s why I instructed Mu Junxiong to review the records before releasing anyone,"

"to keep those who truly deserved punishment—those whose crimes were beyond redemption—locked in Black Prison. They cannot be released, as it would threaten public order."

"As for those being released, while they may not all be saints, at least ninety-nine percent aren’t vile criminals guilty of heinous crimes like rape and murder. As long as they have food to eat, most won’t cause trouble."

Chen Jichuan spoke with a smile.

He wasn’t one of those impulsive, outdated bureaucrats who hastily proposed plans without considering consequences.

Take the matter of Black Prison, for instance.

He had been drafting and refining the plan repeatedly for four to five years back in Da Liang World. It wasn’t something he thought about constantly, but whenever it crossed his mind, he added details or revised the approach.

When the Martial Alliance was finally established,

convinced that he had considered everything, Chen Jichuan handed the plan to Mu Junxiong and specifically instructed him to assemble a team to identify shortcomings in the proposal.

Several days later, after reviewing it again, Chen Jichuan finalized it completely.

Now, there was the orderly release and resettlement of Black Prison mine slaves.

Of course, keeping Black Prison permanently closed wasn’t viable either.

Lately, Wusheng Sect had begun recruiting workers in various counties within Shi’an County to mine in Black Prison.

The generous pay attracted quite a few idle farmers. Compared to the past, Iron-repellent Ore’s mining output had undoubtedly decreased. However, the reduced consumption of Iron-repellent Ore by the three factions balanced things out.

In comparison,

inventory levels continued to increase, now sufficient to sustain Shi’an County’s defense needs.

...

The Martial Alliance was being organized at full speed.

Everything was progressing methodically under unseen hands of meticulous control.

Hundreds of miles away.

Linhe County, Qingkong Mountain.

Qingkong Mountain had thirty-six peaks, quite a spectacular sight. Its summit was broad and flat, forming two layers with the natural defenses of the Four Heavenly Gates. According to "Linhe County Chronicles," during the war between Han and Chu, Emperor Xuanzong of Han, forced to flee the capital, once retreated to Qingkong Mountain and stationed troops at its summit, hence the name "Yuzhai Mountain."

To the west of Qingkong Mountain stood Liantian Peak, its highest peak. A northern cliff covered in green vines flourished in summer, creating a scene of refreshing beauty.

Legend has it that Prince Yongg’s second wife, Tushan Ji, once resided here. Known for her martial talents, Tushan Ji founded Biqing Cliff, establishing its foothold in the southern martial arts world.

Seven years ago, when Great Chu faced a major upheaval, Biqing Cliff seized the moment, annexing Linhe and Hengshan Counties in quick succession, solidifying its influence.

On this day,

within the halls of Biqing Cliff’s palace, more than ten people gathered, voices clamoring—

"It’s like seeing a ghost!"

"Isn’t it? They were fighting tooth and nail, with Innate Grandmasters nearly wiped out, and yet they ended up shaking hands and establishing this nonsense Martial Alliance?!"

"It’s fishy! Definitely fishy!"

"Now that I think about it, Wuu Guangquan, Mo Qingdi, and Chu Nan were all Grade Eight Grandmasters. So why was Wuu Guangquan able to kill the latter two? And have you noticed? Over the past few months, whenever the top tiers of the three factions clashed, someone always ended up dead. This is way too strange. Can’t they even retreat when defeated?"

"And the internal conflict within Wusheng Sect—now it seems laughable. Shi Zhen and Cao Zheng were only Grade Six experts, yet Wuu Guangquan, a Grade Eight Grandmaster, attempted to mediate and ended up accidentally killed? Ridiculous! Who are they trying to fool?"

"Chaos! Absolute chaos!"

...

The place was a cacophony of voices.

These were Biqing Cliff’s upper echelon, individuals who had made moves in Shi’an County for years. Both Wusheng Sect and Lishui Gang were within their scope of influence. Their familiarity with names like Shi Zhen and Cao Zheng from the three factions was testament to their deep involvement.

However, fear of Iron Leaf Island had kept them from taking action.

Who could have predicted,

in the blink of an eye, the situation in Shi’an County underwent a complete transformation? The three factions, which had been mortal enemies only moments before, suddenly shook hands and united to form the Martial Alliance.

It was utterly absurd.

BiQing Cliff’s leaders couldn’t accept it.

"Someone must be orchestrating all this!" Biqing Cliff Elder ’Meng Zhou’ declared firmly. He turned to Sect Leader ’Tushan Ji,’ his thick brows knitting tightly, and said gravely: "Let me go to Shi’an County and capture one of the three alliance leaders alive for questioning. Then we’ll know for sure if there’s a hidden mastermind."

Meng Zhou was advanced in age, but his arrogance was shocking.

Within the Martial Alliance, the three leaders were all Innate Grandmasters. Yet Meng Zhou dared to boast of seizing them alive—it was an audacious claim.

That said, Meng Zhou indeed possessed remarkable abilities—

The name ’Kicking Star Kick’ Meng Zhou was renowned across Linhe and Hengshan Counties. His combat prowess stood out even among Innate Grandmasters.

Though capturing someone alive might be an exaggeration,

overpowering a newly advanced Innate like Mu Junxiong was certainly within his means.

"Elder Meng, no need to be hasty."

Tushan Ji, with his pale complexion and long hair, appeared refined and spoke calmly. He looked at Meng Zhou and shook his head. "The situation in Shi’an County is peculiar. Who knows what figures lurk beneath the surface? Blindly heading there could lead even an Innate expert to their downfall."

The point was valid.

Within the three factions in Shi’an County, even Grade Eight Grandmasters like Wuu Guangquan had met inexplicable deaths. What made Biqing Cliff’s Grade Seven Innates any safer?

"But we can’t let this slide either."

Seeing Meng Zhou stiff-necked and ready to push his argument further, Tushan Ji gestured for him to stop and dismissed the others in the hall, directing them to attend to various matters related to Biqing Cliff.

Having occupied two counties,

a myriad of issues arose every day. These martial artists weren’t remotely equipped to handle governance, so they had sought scholars and literati to manage civil affairs.

But in their haste, chaos persisted.

Internal instability plagued them.

Reliance on brute force to quell unrest was one reason Biqing Cliff hadn’t moved on Shi’an County after taking Hengshan County—

They had the ability to conquer.

But governance required another level of competence.

Failing at that would be a disaster.

Once the crowd dispersed, Tushan Ji turned and walked to the rear hall. There, he faced an imposing staircase built within the structure, stretching downward, further and further...

Its end unknown.

Tushan Ji descended the stairs, vanishing into the unseen depths.

...

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