I Have A Martial Dao World

In recent days, the incident at Sacred Heart Institute has completely exploded public outrage.

As soon as the news hit the papers, it provoked the masses to curse vehemently, and even the noble ladies of Imperial City, usually aloof from worldly matters, couldn't help but mutter "sinful."

The Imperial Court, Ministers of Menes, and the Church all played dead, leaving the populace with no choice but to follow the matter through the newspapers.

By the third day, suddenly two explosive pieces of news were published.

First was the statement from the Jiade Minister in Jinmen:

[The Church is founded on compassion and has no intention to harm others. The Sacred Heart Institute is innocent, and the matter must be fishy. We urge Shun Country to immediately punish the murderer severely and compensate the Church for all losses.]

Such a shameless statement caused an immediate uproar.

The newspapers at the time carried pictures. The deep pit full of skeletons, the tiny corpses with their arms bound behind them, everyone saw them clear as day.

Even those who were skeptical understood once they visited the site themselves.

And yet some still had the audacity to blatantly spout lies!

Moreover, the missionaries inside Shun Dynasty were indeed not doing human things.

They repeatedly condoned parishioners oppressing the commoners, were themselves full of sin, and some missionaries were even Demon Beasts!

Consequently, the Menes consulate in Jinmen was surrounded by nearly 20,000 enraged civilians that very day.

There were no fewer than ten churches around Jinmen, and the people had long suffered persecution.

Now, recalling their own experiences, their anger ignited spontaneously without anyone's instigation, and they organized themselves.

In the end, it was Yuan Kaisheng who personally took action, using the prestige of a Great Grandmaster to disperse the crowd.

~~~~~~~~~

As for the "severe punishment of the murderer" demanded by the powers, the Imperial Court put up a rare display of backbone for once.

Lu Yao had acted several times, driven merely by righteous indignation, but it had preserved some vitality for the Imperial Court.

Moreover, the foreigners were engaged in internal strife and were preoccupied with the meat grinder-like trench warfare, lacking much energy to focus on Shun Dynasty.

The recently self-governing Emperor Yong'an, young and vigorous, was actively promoting Westernization ministers with the intention of restoring the nation's strength and thus ignored Menes' demands.

When Emperor Yong'an heard of the public fury, he was even invigorated, "When the public rises in a tumult, there is a reason behind it, an outrage born from righteousness, incomparable to the chaos of rabble. It is right to sharpen their edge and hone our spears and shields!"

In the eyes of the rulers, the public's anger towards the churches and even the foreigners was a force to be relied on.

~~~~~~~~~~

What attracted the attention of Martial Artists and ordinary people the most, however, was a special supplement in today's newspaper—

Young Master Lu offered a bounty on the Linjiang Gang! From top to bottom, including the gang leader and the ordinary members, all were subjected to the bounty.

And the newspaper prominently featured verification from Jiade Commercial Bank—

Lu Yao had deposited ten thousand taels of silver as a deposit in a public account!

Some people in the streets, upon getting their hands on the newspaper, exclaimed on the spot, "He's putting a bounty on an entire gang!"

"It seems Young Master Lu really wants to eradicate the Linjiang Gang."

"Who wouldn't want to do that, I want to as well! Those mother-fed beasts!"

~~~~~~~~~~

The Linjiang Gang received the news immediately but treated it as a joke.

[There are three Blood-Exchange experts in the gang, and the boss himself is at the Innate Realm. This Lu fellow must be out of his mind.]

[I would like to see who dares to come.]

These were people capable of loading a ship full of young girls and shipping them overseas for Demon Beasts to enjoy, completely devoid of humanity; naturally, they wouldn't be scared.

Even the leader of the Linjiang Gang—Hou Lin—didn't take it to heart.

At the moment, he was just angry, "That kid named Lu really doesn't know whether he's coming or going! Damn it, offering just 8000 taels! Does he think I'm old and frail?"

"Dad, calm down, don't stoop to his level."

Hou Bo was carefully attending to him. His family's fortune and honor all depended on his father, who couldn't afford any mishap.

But the elderly man in front of him had withered hair and a stinking body, showing the signs of the five decays of heaven and man, clearly not long for this world.

No wonder they were only offering eight thousand taels.

Honestly, that was already a high price... but it also touched a nerve for the boss Hou Lin.

When he was young, he encountered complications while advancing into the Innate Realm. Although the advancement was successful, his lifespan significantly decreased.

He had originally counted on the initial embrace of a Western demon beast to extend his life, but now it had all been disrupted by Lu Yao!

Thinking that his hope for survival was gone, Hou Lin clenched his fists so hard that he crushed the armrests of his Taishi Chair and growled, "This little beast has ruined my grand plans!"

But immediately after, something even more infuriating happened—

"Report~~~" A close attendant came in to report, "Boss, the Third Master has been killed! Along with him, two hall masters have also fallen..."

"What!?" Hou Lin, agitated, his face turning blue, quickly channeled his energy to suppress his reaction.

The attendant continued his report: "The Third Master was conducting business in Mingzhou with the two hall masters when they were ambushed and all killed. Even their heads were taken. And..."

The attendant cautiously looked up at the gloomy-faced Boss and continued, "There are reports from our men that someone seems to be targeting our new ship!"

He was referring to the newly purchased Western-style heavy oil cargo ship, which could navigate inland rivers and coastal seas. Fast and with a high cargo capacity, it was the lifeline of the gang.

Hou Bo quickly asked, "Dad, what should we do?"

Hou Lin pondered for a moment and decisively said, "Mobilize our influence on the official side to suppress this matter. We can't let a man with the surname Lu blatantly contract killers! If that doesn't work..."

Hou Lin's eyes turned cold, "Find out the backing of that Lu kid—where Yu Yanmei is! I want her exact location."

Hou Bo exclaimed, "Start a fight? The Moon Star Sect that Yu Yanmei belongs to is an extremely formidable assassin sect. We can't afford to provoke them. Wouldn't it be better to take a step back for broader skies..."

"Shut up!" Hou Lin rebuked, "Can't you see? If we don't stop this now, we will have no place to stand in the future!"

The Linjiang Gang overestimated the deterrence of their gang, even of their own boss.

Under the overwhelming publicity from all newspapers and countless martial artists called by Li Pei to personally experience the incident, the impact of the Sacred Heart Institute event was immense.

At this moment, the Linjiang Gang was facing public outrage, like a rat crossing the street. Not to mention, there were hefty rewards involved—Lu Yao had opened high bounties to the lower-ranking gang members as well.

The development of the situation greatly exceeded everyone's expectations.

Several ordinary Linjiang Gang members walked out of a restaurant, arm in arm, and before they could enjoy a moment of cool breeze, they were hacked to death on the spot by several knife-wielding tough men;

A hall master of the Organ Refining Realm had just docked his boat when he was surrounded by four individuals of the same realm. Even jumping into the river didn't save him; he was dragged ashore from the water and beaten to death. His head was taken!

Similar events kept happening, with the killers proudly proclaiming their own names, aiming to achieve fame.

The Linjiang Gang was like a piece of meat falling into a school of piranhas, torn apart by numerous people.

~~~~~~~~~

Lu Yao spent three days quietly cultivating at home, feeling his teeth were slightly loose.

This was good news; shedding teeth again was a sign of the "Forty Teeth Phenomenon," an indication that the Blood-Exchange had reached a major milestone.

Subsequently, he could "penetrate the governor and conception vessels" and advance to the Innate Realm.

But today, Governor Wen Renliang, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, suddenly came to visit.

After sitting down, Lu Yao knew the purpose of his visit and took the initiative to ask, "Has Governor Wen come about the bounty matter?"

Wen Renliang admitted frankly, "Indeed. Young Master Lu, publicly contracting killers through the newspaper is ultimately not good.

Moreover, in these three days, countless Linjiang Gang members have been killed, including the Third Master who possessed the Blood-Exchange Mirror.

Better to bury the hatchet than perpetuate the feud. How about we both step back?"

Of course, Lu Yao knew about these matters; Zhang Jin would report to him every day. The Linjiang Gang's predicament, not gaining public support, was unexpected.

He smiled and asked, "What if I don't want to back down, Governor Wen?"

Wen Renliang smiled and changed his tone, "I am merely passing a message on behalf of an old friend. Young Master Lu need not take it to heart. Since you come from Yunzhou, naturally I am on your side in this matter."

"Thank you for your care, Governor Wen."

"It's what I should do."

The two exchanged pleasantries for a few moments until Su Er'ya came over with today's newspaper and respectfully said:

"Uncle Master, the lady asked me to bring you this extra edition of the 'Yunzhou Times.'"

Lu Yao took it and smiled lightly. Then he handed the newspaper to Wen Renliang, who saw it read:

[Trading young children to feed demon beasts, no different from beasts! All levels of the Government Office must investigate thoroughly. We must all remember—a weak country leads to a weak populace, a strong country to a strong populace. Never forget our national humiliation; rejuvenate the Divine Land.]

It was a public article by Left Minister directly in the newspaper! With his reputation, this matter was hereby settled.

Governor Wen secretly congratulated himself for not choosing the wrong side just now.

This Linjiang Gang... was finished.