Chapter 124: Territory Expansion by One Town-The Overlord from Humble Origins(Jin Xixi)

Lin Yang hurriedly explained, "My Lord Count, at the time, I thought that since you had only recently been granted your title and had just returned to Chu Family Town, you had not yet built your own army. I figured that asking you to assemble at Qingtan Town would not only be of little help but would also place you in grave danger. I believed it would be better for us to rescue the Prince of Qi ourselves and then join forces with Qingtan Town to protect him."

Chu Yun smiled upon hearing this. "Lin Yang, judging by what you're saying, I should be thanking you for not sending me a carrier pigeon with the news?"

Lin Yang quickly waved his hands. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!"

Chu Yun scoffed, "A pack of lies! If you were truly forced to support the Witch Doctor Cult and were merely caught in such a massive misunderstanding, why were you acting so arrogant just a moment ago?"

Lin Yang, his son Lin Yan, and the sixteen guards were left speechless once again.

After a long silence, Lin Yang finally offered an explanation: "My Lord Count, we weren't being arrogant! We knew we were in the wrong and were filled with fear. When we saw you charge in on horseback, looking so aggressive, we were terrified that you would immediately hold us accountable and execute us. That led to our foolish behavior."

Chu Yun calculated the time. He knew that Chen Ping measured time by the natural burning of tobacco. Two quarters of an hour was roughly equivalent to three sticks of tobacco. Sensing that the time was about right, he waved his hand and said, "Enough. Although I do not believe everything you say, your explanation is at least somewhat plausible. Perhaps you were indeed forced, and there was indeed a massive misunderstanding here..."

Lin Yang and the rest of the Lin family were overjoyed to hear this. Before Chu Yun could continue, Lin Yang prostrated himself and said, "My Lord Count, you are the person the Prince of Qi asked me to join forces with to secure a retreat for him in the south. You are also my benefactor who cured my hidden ailment and saved my life. Even if I, Lin Yang, were a scoundrel, I could never help the Witch Doctor Cult move against you!"

Lin Yan, the sixteen guards, and many other members of the Lin family chimed in, "That’s right, My Lord Count! You are our benefactor. No matter how wicked we might be, we could never commit the act of helping the Witch Doctor Cult against you!"

Chu Yun waved his hand to silence them and continued, "That may be so, but if my master, the God of Thunder, had not intervened and unleashed his thunder magic to crush the Witch Doctor Cult's army, I would likely be dead right now!"

"Therefore, even if you were forced, even if there was a huge misunderstanding, and even if you were tricked by the Witch Doctor Cult, I cannot forgive you."

"However, in light of the help you provided when we were staying in Nanhai Town, I can spare your lives—provided you hand over Nanhai Town to me."

The people of the Viscount’s estate were stunned by this final demand. It was clear they had not expected Chu Yun to demand their fiefdom.

Chu Yun looked coldly at Lin Yang. "Are you willing to give Nanhai Town to me?"

Lin Yang was silent for a moment before replying, "My Lord Count! By now, the Prince of Qi must have been murdered, or perhaps he has been controlled by some sinister means by the Witch Doctor Cult..."

Chu Yun scoffed, cutting him off. "Answer my question."

Lin Yang continued, "My Lord Count, what I mean to say is that you are a Count and I am a Viscount; it is only right that I follow your lead. My fiefdom should naturally be your fiefdom. I hope that you, My Lord Count, will grow in strength so that we may together fight the Witch Doctor Cult and reclaim the Royal City."

This was a beautifully phrased response. It sounded as if he were eager to assist Chu Yun against the cult, but in reality, he was simply trying to avoid relinquishing his land. The others in the Viscount's estate caught on to Lin Yang's intent and echoed his sentiments: "My Lord Count, from now on, Nanhai Town shall be your fiefdom. We will pay you the same taxes we previously paid to the Prince of Qi, and we will do our utmost to help you fight the Witch Doctor Cult."

Chu Yun was speechless, secretly sighing at how clever these people were.

*BOOM!*

Just then, Chen Ping detonated the bomb outside the city gate. The sudden, deafening roar, sounding like a thunderclap, startled everyone in the Viscount’s estate.

Chu Wencai immediately dismounted and knelt on the ground: "Welcome, God of Thunder!"

Chu Yun's four guards followed suit, kneeling with profound reverence: "Welcome, God of Thunder!"

Chu Yun bowed in the direction of the blast. "Master, please do not be angry! I believe that Viscount Lin Yang and his people might truly have been forced, and they may have indeed fallen for the schemes of the Witch Doctor Cult."

The people of the Viscount’s estate, having heard the sudden thunder outside, had initially thought it was merely a storm. But remembering that Chu Yun’s master was the God of Thunder, they began to suspect that this was indeed his magic. Seeing the reaction of Chu Yun and his men, and noticing the clear, sunset-streaked sky, they became completely convinced that this was the God of Thunder’s power. Although they could not see the deity, they assumed it was because he was a divine being, otherwise Chu Yun and his men would not have reacted the way they did.

They hurriedly knelt and kowtowed, begging for mercy: "Spare us! Please, spare us! God of Thunder, have mercy! My Lord Count, please, beg your master to let us go!"

Chu Yun said, "If you do not hand Nanhai Town over to me, how can I intercede on your behalf? My master said that if he hadn't arrived at Chu Family Town in time, I might have been killed by the Witch Doctor Cult. Even if you were coerced or tricked, the fact remains that you aided them and nearly caused my death. That is unforgivable."

Lin Yang kowtowed frantically. "My Lord Count, I will give you Nanhai Town! I will hand over my Viscount’s identity token, the seal of the Nanhai Town territory, and all relevant documents immediately."

Chu Yun nodded. "In that case, I will put in a good word for you with my master."

He then spoke to the empty air, "Master, although they have erred, they have helped me much in the past. And now, by giving me Nanhai Town, they have paid the price required..."

He stopped there. The people of the Viscount’s estate saw this and kowtowed again. "My Lord Count, please, for the sake of the grain we provided you in the past, intercede for us once more."

Chu Yun looked at them and said, "My master has departed. It seems he has agreed to my request and forgiven you. After all, this is my affair, and he respects my decision."

Hearing this, the people of the estate were ecstatic and began to offer their thanks.

"Thank you, My Lord Count! Thank you, God of Thunder!"

Lin Yang then handed over his Viscount’s token, the Nanhai Town seal, the token of command for the Fierce Tiger Army, and all the relevant documents to Chu Yun.

And just like that, Nanhai Town became Chu Yun’s fiefdom. As for why Chu Yun did not kill Lin Yang and the others, it was simply impractical. Furthermore, using a bomb to kill them would have risked revealing the secret that the "thunder magic" was actually just explosives.