Urban God of War: The Live-in Son-in-law

Chapter 163: The Southern King Dugu Ming’s Little Scheme

Originally, the crowd was in the midst of a merry drinking spree when the shouting outside ceased the laughter suddenly, and everyone turned their heads to look at Ye Feng, who was seated in the place of honor. It was clear to everyone that this visit from the Heng Mountain Sword Sect was intended for the Northern Border King.

"The Heng Mountain Sword Sect is a major faction of our Southern Border. Please invite them in quickly!" King of the Southern Territory Dugu Ming called out loudly.

King Dugu Ming had not been enjoying the banquet because the limelight had been stolen by the Northern King, and as the host, he had been reduced to a mere background figure. Even the Four Great Protectors and various Commanders had been toasting the Northern King, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

However, Dugu Ming knew that the Northern King Ye Feng had once saved his life and owed him a great debt of gratitude, so he couldn’t just flare up in anger. Now, seeing the envoys from the Heng Mountain Sword Sect, he was naturally pleased to witness a break from the current situation.

Soon enough, everyone saw three middle-aged men in deep blue cotton robes, swords in hand, gracefully making their entrance.

None of the three men seemed particularly old, only around forty years of age, but their presence was calm and composed, clearly indicating that they were Great Grandmasters at the Huajin Level. It was evident that these three were meant to represent the Heng Mountain Sword Sect.

The Heng Mountain Sword Sect Grandmaster stepped into the hall, and with a brief bow toward King Dugu Ming, asked in a deep voice, "Which of you is Northern King Ye Feng?"

"I am Ye Feng," Ye Feng spoke up.

"So you are Ye Feng?" The three men frowned.

The intelligence had described him as a cripple in a wheelchair, but the man before them did not seem to fit that description. However, since he could sit at the main seat next to Southern King Dugu Ming, his status must not be low.

Ye Feng did not put down his chopsticks and simply said indifferently, "Are you looking for me?"

The three were momentarily taken aback, but without wasting more words, the man in the middle immediately pulled out a gold-embossed invitation from his sleeve and handed it over, saying, "On the Double Ninth Festival this month, which is in three days, our Heng Mountain Sword Sect cordially awaits the grand presence of Northern King Ye Feng!"

A nearby guard stepped forward to receive the invitation and then handed it to Ye Feng.

Ye Feng took it without looking and nodded, "Go back and tell your Heng Mountain Sect Leader that on the Double Ninth, I shall visit and pay respects to the mountain. Remember, it will be a Martial Bow."

The three Heng Mountain messengers raised their eyebrows and retorted coldly, "Your Excellency should think carefully. The Double Ninth is a festive day, and many friends from the Martial Arts World will gather at Heng Mountain. If you wish to pay your respects, especially with a Martial Bow, you had better consider the consequences!"

Ye Feng chuckled and responded, "We are in the midst of a banquet here. If you three have come in good spirits, you’re welcome to stay and have a drink. If you’re looking for trouble, you can leave right now!"

The three Heng Mountain Sword Sect messengers huffed, "Then we take our leave. Now that the message has been delivered, we hope Your Excellency takes it to heart!"

Having said this, the three bowed slightly and then turned to leave.

Seeing this, King Dugu Ming smiled and said, "Regardless, the Heng Mountain Sword Sect is a major Martial Sect of our Southern Territory. I shall see the messengers out personally!"

After hearing this, Ye Feng smiled and replied, "Feel free."

Dugu Ming no longer spoke, quickly stood up, and motioned to two nearby Commanders to follow him. The three of them left together, evidently aiming to forge connections with the experts of the Heng Mountain Sword Sect.

Meanwhile, Lan Youzhong, Xia Lengchan, and Li Jingang did not move, but Zhuge Yu pondered before deciding to follow after them. Ye Feng noticed but did not comment.

He had come to the Southern Territory, not to vie for power or riches, and indeed had no need to, so he could not care less about the subtle maneuverings of the Southern King at this moment.

Indeed, the Southern Territory had always exercised some control over the Sects of the Martial Arts World, taking the opportunity each year to select experts from these Sects to serve as Commanders in the military or Martial Instructors.

As a result, the Martial Sects had developed a haughty and overbearing temperament, knowing that many of their disciples had held positions across various regions.

Therefore, even when faced with the Northern King Ye Feng, the Heng Mountain Sword Sect did not pay much heed, mainly because they were a Sect of Ancient Martial Arts, accustomed to feeling detached from mundane affairs, and secondly, because they were backed by numerous powerful experts from within their sect.

This time, King Dugu Ming had hurried out to see off the guests, likely seeking this opportunity to establish good relations with the Heng Mountain Sword Sect, so as to leverage their strength and fill the vacant Commanders’ posts in the Southern Territory, given that over the past period, many Commanders had either died or been injured and needed replacement.

"Come, let’s drink!" Ye Feng roared with laughter, raising his glass, and everyone else hastily followed suit, drinking deeply.

After King Dugu Ming had left, he never returned, and the others had no idea what he discussed with the three from the Heng Mountain Sword Sect. Of course, Ye Feng also had no intention of inquiring.

After a night of hearty drinking, the following day at dawn, Ye Feng got up early for his morning cultivation, as was his habit.

After this period of uninterrupted practice, he had managed to clear ninety-eight acupoints within his body, inching closer to reaching the total of one hundred and eight. Ye Feng felt a vague sense of anticipation—what realm would he ascend to once all the acupoints were completely unblocked?

"However, within the Xuanyuan Nation, has anyone broken through to a realm above the Martial King?" Ye Feng couldn’t help but think to himself.

To his knowledge, King Kao Shan, the very pinnacle of power in the country, was currently at the Peak Martial King Realm. In addition, there was Divine General, the true Guardian of the Xuanyuan Nation, who had already been a renowned Martial King in the last century. His current realm was probably unfathomable by now. Continue your journey with empire

"The imperial capital is indeed a place where dragons hide and tigers crouch!" sighed Ye Feng, just as Hong Qingyan came to knock on his door.

Although Ye Feng had fully recovered from his injuries, the two still slept in separate rooms. Perhaps out of habit, Hong Qingyan continued to help him with his daily needs each morning.

After breakfast, Ye Feng walked straight out of the attic, where Xiao Chuanqi, Sima Zhantian, Xia Lengchan, and Li Jingang were already waiting for him. Zhuge Yu, however, was not there, which didn’t surprise Ye Feng, as he had noticed at yesterday’s banquet that Zhuge Yu seemed to have been won over by the Southern King once again.

"Is everyone ready? Let’s set out now!" Ye Feng was not one to dawdle, and he promptly pulled open the car door, about to get in with Hong Qingyan.

Just then, a guard at the gate raised his voice and announced, "The Southern King has arrived!"

As the voice fell, the Southern King walked in with several Great Commanders and the Four Great Protectors in tow.

"Oh my, I almost arrived too late, nearly missing the chance to see you off, Northern King. I truly feel extremely apologetic!" said Southern King Dugu Ming with a smile.

Ye Feng had to stop in his tracks and turned around, smiling, "You jest, Southern King. If I’m not mistaken, you are probably about to depart for the Heng Mountain Sword Sect to attend the Double Ninth Festival as well?"

Southern King Dugu Ming paused for a moment, then smiled, "You truly have a divine foresight, Northern King. The Heng Mountain Sword Sect has indeed extended an invitation to me, and since I happen to be free these few days, I was planning to take a trip there."

Ye Feng nodded and said, "In that case, why don’t we set out together?"

Dugu Ming hurriedly waved his hands, "No rush, the Northern King should go ahead. I have some matters to attend to, and leaving in the afternoon will not be too late."

He did not want to accompany Ye Feng, as the Northern King’s trip was clearly a gesture of challenge by performing a Martial Bow, signifying a settling of scores. If he went along, it would likely make it difficult to establish good relations with the Heng Mountain Sword Sect later on.

Ye Feng saw through this but did not point it out, as he wanted to leave some room for maneuver for the other party.

"In that case, I shall take my leave. I have troubled you much these past days, please forgive any inconveniences," said Ye Feng with a bow, then got into the car.

He could tell that the Southern King Dugu Ming was not a straightforward man, quite the contrary, he was somewhat petty and lacked vision. With such people, Ye Feng seldom bothered to become closely acquainted.

At this point, Xia Lengchan and Li Jingang stepped forward to the Southern King, and with a bow, they said, "Southern King, as per our agreement from last night, we are no longer your Commanders of the Southern Territory. From now on, we choose to follow the Northern King. Thank you for the past years of nurture!"

In reality, talking of nurture was just a formality; in their three years as Commanders of the Southern Territory, they had hardly met the King of the Southern Territory and had, instead, faced constant sideline. Thus, they hardly had any affection for the Southern Territory or its King.

Dugu Ming did not care; as long as he could establish good relations with the Heng Mountain Sword Sect, was he worried about a lack of experts in the Southern Territory? He waved his hands, saying, "Go on then, to each their own. I can understand."

Xia Lengchan and Li Jingang then bid farewell to the other Commanders and got into the car as well.

As for Chief Commander Lan Youzhong, he glanced at Ye Feng inside the car, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he held back, although the look he gave Xia Lengchan and Li Jingang was undeniably envious.

Honestly, Lan Youzhong wanted to seize the opportunity to follow Northern King Ye Feng, seeing that the gap between the Southern King and the Northern King was significant. However, Lan Youzhong knew that the Southern King had shown him favor, and unlike Xia Lengchan and Li Jingang, who were outsiders, his own family had deep roots in the Southern Territory, making it impossible for him to leave.

"Everyone, let’s part here for now, until we meet again, let’s set off!" Ye Feng declared.

Sima Zhantian stepped on the gas, and the SUV roared out of the Southern Territory Base Camp, speeding along a broad road.

Leaving the broad road behind, the vehicle made a turn, heading in the south-east direction. By following this path, in about a day and a half, they would arrive at the foot of Heng Mountain!