With Lei Su acting out, the protective formation of the City's hall activated, releasing pressure enough to suppress even an initial stage Warrior Emperor. Not that the former cared much about the formation. Her combat prowess and title of future Empress of the Sword weren't for show, and while she couldn't fight against a Warrior Emperor, no matter how lowly the other was, she wasn't scared by just a formation, no matter how skillful the master behind it was.
Plus, there was also Zhu Chen acting out, releasing his aura to support Lei Su. No matter how much he cared about the Zhu clan or how much he respected the father of Dongpo Liao, he had already reached his boiling point. And if the young lady wasn't inclined to hear him out, now that he had come on behalf of his current power, he was also ready to force her to do so.
As the two released their peak aura, they cared nothing about the guards or officials present in the nearly ten thousand feet room, forcing many to their knees or even making the puke bile and gore, the latter's cultivation being simply not enough to resolve such power.
Not even the arrival of Zhu Yun, Zhu Gao's sister, and Zhu Chen's niece, changed much. Her peaked 7th level Warrior King cultivation unable to stand against the two experts, even with all of her achievements as the current leader of the [Zhu] clan soldiers serving as the [Eastern Inscription] city vanguard.
Seeing this and receiving the information from the already cracking guarding formation, Dongpo Lian couldn't help but shiver.
And in truth, they could. Except for Dongpo Ao, the city had no truly powerful cultivator. What to say about Warrior Emperors - they had not a single peak Warrior King! No matter what prestige had accumulated the Emperor of their clan - it had been lost after consecutive defeats and 18 years of disappearance, provoking a situation where the top cultivators of the city were few, with the 6th level, inexperienced in battle and without any extra prowess, Dongpo Lian being the actual 4th!
With the first one, the 8th level Zhu Gao not present, and with Minister Tang, the one ranked third, with his weak martial cultivation but a mind power of the 16th degree, escaping as soon as he sensed danger, leaving Dongpo Liao to face the threat, even if stating that he was rushing out to gather reinforcements, Lei Su and Zhu Chen were basically suppressing all of the top cultivators in the city, including the 5th ranked one, Dongpo Zan, a 5th level Warrior King who served as the city lord's guard.
"Traitors will always be traitors! Stand down or...!" Losing her mind, as she hadn't expected to be subjugated inside her residence, Dongpo Liao shouted out, only to find that Lei Su had already moved close to the throne while unsheathing a sword, "Lady Liao, there wouldn't have been any trouble if you had just listened to us. But now that it has worsened to such a state, do you think you can command or threaten us?!"
***
As Lei Su said, neither of the two experts had expected that a simple visit to the City's palace would become a standoff. Not even they could know what would be the reaction of their powers as soon as such an event got out, and that it would, they had no mistake. Their previous adoration of Bai Qi's talents now turned into a deep doubt, as, after all, was it even worth it for them to get into such trouble just because of a single Warrior Lord?
Not that the two could take over the city, even if they wanted, as even ignoring Dongpo Ao, the city protection formation was far grander and stronger than the protection methods of the inner palace. And while weaker than in more renowned and ancient cities, the [Great Eastern Inscription Guarding Formation] could resist the assault of several expert Warrior Emperors and counterattack them as well. Granted, with the enormous cost of activating the formation, even if it was fed by the natural qi spring beneath the city, it would be used only in great danger or with the city besieged.
Although, by now, Dongpo Liao was indeed clutching at the jade hanging from her bracelet, suddenly understanding that if she didn't, the two cultivators she had just angered would level the palace and everyone within, she was still doubting as to do it.
On the other side, after reacting as they did and now suppressing a good chunk of the fighting force of the city, Lei Su and Zhu Chen also found themselves asking what to do. After all, they had come to the city as visitors and visited the palace to ask for help, but now, the situation was nearing one resembling a war declaration.
And maybe the situation would have worsened enough for true hostilities to start, with actual deaths following, but suddenly, a young man, just in his early twenties, strutted into the hall.
Dressed in bright golden robes with red trim and engravings of the auspicious Pixiu, his brownish, somewhat reddish hair loose, and a gemstone-inlaid sheat holding a golden-pommel dagger, the man looked like an utmost-high-tier heir taking a stroll or maybe attending a banquet.
Although the man did release the aura of a martial cultivator, it was just one of an 8th level Warrior Lord, someone who should have been frozen as soon as he entered the area affected by Lei Su's and Zhu Chen's powerful combined aura; he still strolled without a care on the world as he approached Lady Liao's seat, giving a small salute before turning around to the other present cultivators, calling each by their name as he saluted, giving only special attention and deeper salute to the representatives of [White Grove] sect and [Yuxuan] city.
***
In any other situation, such an arrogant young master who ignored the circumstances would be killed on the spot - Lei Su and Zhu Chen retracted their auras as soon as he greeted them, returning a polite greeting as well. Seniors as they may be, and with their high level of cultivation, they were still not on the level to disrespect the [Pan Trade Company] heir, especially with both of their powers having agreements and even an alliance with the former.
And while the retraction of the aura and Lei Su's and Zhu Chen's revealing openings as they returned the greeting, not even Dongpo Lian dared to act, no matter how good the situation appeared to be. After all, if cultivators from renowned and powerful 3rd tier vassals dared not to disrespect Pan Tong, how could she do so?!
The [Pan Trade Company] was a special power, after all. With several known Emperors related or even working for them and having four of their own, as well as an 8th level Warrior Emperor guardian in their midst, the [Pan Trade Company] held strength comparable to a high-tier 2nd-tier vassal of the [Great Forest] sect. In fact, they could compare themselves even to the 1st-tier vassals, their coffers running deeper than some of them and having allies inside and outside the region.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Originally a small but powerful family that had even carved out a small region of their own between the lands now known as the [Ten Families] and the [Eternal Sect] regions, but different from the powerful powers from 800 years ago, they had chosen to leave that land, offering services and bartering in between the powers of the era, including five of the now known as overlords. At the moment, even with the closure of the [Sacred Sect] lands, and the usual reluctance of the [Sky Tear Sect] people to deal with outsiders, the [Pan Trade Company] still traded with three overlords and all of their member powers, only avoiding business in the [Demon Worshiping] and [Southern Beast] lands.
With no lands to claim as their own except their headquarters, the [Trade Company] claimed ownership of hundreds of mansions and thousands of businesses located in every nook and cranny of the plane and their actual strength was tremendous, even when not taking into account their alliances and trade agreements. Some people even claimed them to be the 8th overlord of the plane, and probably, they weren't wrong.
Their stores, interests, and investments ran so deep that there was even a saying, [You can't spit in a commercial street without offending the Pan's]. Even Bai Qi had already interacted with a few of their smallest associated branches, like the nominally independent [Shoumen Trade Hall].
"Senior Lei Su, Senior Zhu Chen, thank you for retracting your auras. I understand that you had acted because forced, but please restrain yourselves for now. After all, we would be bad allies if I allowed you to create such an incident from something I am responsible for myself, even if partially. Thus, please forgive me and allow me to solve it." From all the words that everyone present expected, the ones that sounded - an actual apology from Pan Tong.
After which, everyone would blank out once again as he, while respectful, nearly berated Lady Liao and even somewhat offended her by not acknowledging her official position, even if it had never been officiated before the rulers of the area by Dongpo Ao, "Acting City Lord, while it pains me to visit you as a guest and then ask you for explanation, I am not able to not do so. Not only on behalf of myself but also of the two associates of the [Pan Trade Company], I can only ask you to explain yourself on which charges you have arrested one of my friends and [Future Sword Empress], Lei Su, as well as [Yuxuan] city's Estemeed Inner Guard Elder, Zhu Chen, ward?"
Hearing Pan Tong's words, Dongpo Liao almost stood up as her body shivered. While toned down, such an accusation, and coming from such powers, if proven true, wouldn't it become the reason for an absolute suppression of the [Dongpo] clan, even by unrelated powers?! Only an enormous amount of qi and soul-power emotional suppression allowed her to not jerk up her feet or scream. Even so, she couldn't manage to ask, even if in a muffled tone, "Arrested..? Friend..? Ward..?"
Muffled not only by her control but because Zhu Chen would roar out, only Lei Su's quick action of holding him back preventing his outrage, "Arrested?!"
"Indeed, arrested. And as to explain better, let me invite an eyewitness." Pan Tong nodded as he signaled to someone inside the hall, someone no one had sensed before.
The newly revealed cultivator was in his mid-forties, and while his cultivation wasn't low, bordering the peak of the 4th level of the Warrior King realm, his looks were the first thing that attracted attention. Well-toned and not overly muscular, one could consider him a cultivator of a well-balanced martial path if not for the almost transparent skin and muscles, which allowed one to see his bones and the dozens of shadows that obscured part of his skeleton, making him appear as a set of broken bones inside a dark-colored robe that seemed to integrate with the shadows of the corner he walked from.
"Before you reach any conclusions, let me just say that Protector Boling has been a member of our company since his birth, and thanks to his [Innate Shadow Body], he has saved both mine and a few other lives on several occasions." Pan Tong was anything but unknowledgeable, so he immediately explained before continuing, "Since the incident at the gates, and fearing for my friend's life, making me even not taking him along as for him to avoid trouble, I asked Protector Boling to follow Bai Qi. And while now I regret that choice, as it actually did the opposite, I now bring him here as an eyewitness of the arrest. Which he could have prevented if not for my orders to respect Lady Liao's city and laws."
***
What followed after, would be an explanation of the incident before the gates. While Lady Liao had learned about it, as soon as it was mentioned that the [Pan Trade Company] had been involved, she had immediately ordered for everything to be forgotten, left as it happened, as well as to count all of the spirit stones paid by Pan Tong as to return to him when he eventually visited the city's palace. She had even made arrangements for her son, Dongpo Qingqiu apologize to avoid any trouble when the time arrived.
While she had expected that something could happen, with such preparations, she had prepared everything that she could. Regretfully, as Pan Tong's and his protector's explanation continued, it turned out that not only did her son act far above what she was reported, but he even then targeted a friend of Pan Tong's! And if that wasn't enough, the same person also turned out to be the current ward of two elders from powers that she couldn't dare to offend!
In such a situation, especially with the [Dongpo] city's laws invoked during the arrest, Lady Liao only had two options: Either to acknowledge all fault - which was the same as signing up a sentence for her son, as he would be wrong - or try to spin it somewhat differently, protecting her son and city while appearing righteous.
To do the latter, her only way would be to latch on to the words of Protector Boling. As the latter, even if telling only the truth, still had given her some grounds, as killing in the city was forbidden, precisely stated it as a crime even if it was in self-defense.
"Hmm, Young Heir of the Tan's actually puts me in a difficult situation." Measuring her words, Lady Liao started her counterattack, "While I do understand that your friend acted in self-defense, and the attackers were wrong to act as they did, meriting punishment as well, he still killed." She stopped for a moment to both gather her breath and look at the countenances of the three people she couldn't offend, not now, before continuing, "And while it can be, when looked closely at, considered against the law, I would gladly oblige to turn a blind eye, as indeed, he was attacked inside the city that I control."
With her words, Dongpo Liao not only showed respect to the three powers, her previous offenses against Zhu Chen easily explainable as an outburst for the sake of a vassal clan, but also made the three powers somewhat indebted to her, as she was even going so far as acting against the laws that she was supposed to enforce as a City Lord.
And from this thought, he was ready to cave a bit, even promising a few things as he was indeed interested in Bai Qi's release, even if his reasons were hidden from anyone but his Warrior Emperor protector, Lord Yelu.
And yet, he would be stopped by the arrival of a soldier, who irrupted into the hall without announcement or call. And how much he would save, no, even win, from this interruption!