Yang Jing truly hadn’t suspected that the sons of Noble Families were abducting the Female Cultivators. The Replenishing Technique only offered temporary benefits. Absorbing Essence Qi from others would only contaminate one’s own foundation, making it impossible to achieve Core Formation.

Only those with shallow foundations would dare commit such a heinous crime, abducting Tripod Furnaces to use heretical methods to advance their Cultivation.

It takes all sorts to make a world. Among Cultivators, there were even those who colluded with Demon Cultivators when their own Cultivation stagnated. Abducting Female Cultivators to use as Tripod Furnaces was hardly unheard of.

However, such a vicious case was not only outrageous, but also a direct provocation to the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion.

That was why Yang Jing ordered Iron Head to find the culprit at all costs and rescue the Female Cultivators who had been abducted to serve as Tripod Furnaces.

To aid Iron Head, Yang Jing also had his other three disciples assist. Chi Yu possessed the Talent for Blood Absorption and Shadow Tracking, which was even more effective for finding people than Iron Head’s Bright Qi Talent.

To prevent any mishaps, he also asked Zuoqiu Feng to watch over his four disciples on his behalf.

Yang Jing also sent special Command Talismans to the Immortal Cultivation Clans and Marketplace Stewards of the Yu Kingdom, ordering them to assist Iron Head with the investigation. Given his current status, he was essentially the god of wealth for the Immortal Cultivation Clans of the Seven Kingdoms. The clans and Stewards in the Yu Kingdom naturally complied without question.

Once this massive force began investigating the disappearances of the Female Cultivators, a deluge of information immediately began pouring in to Iron Head.

Yinjiao sat at a desk, ink brush in hand, marking the times, locations, and numbers of the missing Female Cultivators on a map. According to the information they had gathered so far, the number of missing women had reached a staggering fifty-six, with cases scattered all across the Yu Kingdom.

And this was with the knowledge that some disappearances had likely not yet been discovered. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"The missing Female Cultivators are between fifteen and thirty years old. Most are virgins with outstanding looks."

Nourished by Spiritual Qi, as long as a Female Cultivator didn’t practice some Evil Skill, she would be at least average in appearance. But this group of missing women was considered exceptional even among other Female Cultivators.

"Some of the disappearances occurred around the same time. This isn’t the work of one person. It’s highly likely there’s an organization behind it."

Zuoqiu Feng gave Yinjiao a surprised look. She hadn’t expected this disciple of Yang Jing’s, who was always so low-key and practically a recluse, to be so sharp.

A hesitant expression appeared on Ji Yizong’s face. ’To have so many Foundation Establishment Cultivators at their disposal, this case is by no means simple,’ he thought. ’There might even be a Golden Core or Nascent Soul Cultivator behind it.’

The perpetrators were also very measured; all the missing were Independent Cultivators. He wanted to advise Iron Head to stop here, but after recalling the soldier who had been reprimanded the other day, he hesitated for a moment and held his tongue.

’What could the person behind this possibly want?’

In his heart, Yinjiao already had an answer. Based on the current situation, the culprits were definitely not Demon Cultivators, nor were they Evil Cultivators who practiced heretical arts. With the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion’s current control over the border, it was impossible for so many Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators to sneak in unnoticed. And those Evil Cultivators were mostly lone wolves who operated by themselves; it would be difficult for them to organize so many people.

"Hmph, it can only be the work of the Noble Families. Those Noble Sons love to keep female servants. They probably got a whim and decided to snatch some Female Cultivators to take back for their amusement."

Zuoqiu Feng said with a huff, folding her arms.

As a scion of the Zuoqiu Family, she never hesitated to assume the worst of the Noble Families.

Yinjiao’s expression was grave. He had actually come to the same conclusion. Among all the powers in the Yu Kingdom, only the Noble Families had the strength to dispatch Foundation Establishment Cultivators to abduct Female Cultivators from all over.

It was just that, having grown up under Yang Jing’s tutelage, he found such behavior difficult to comprehend.

"A Cultivator’s power belongs to themself. A single Realm higher gives one the power of life and death over Low Tier Cultivators," Zuoqiu Feng said. "A Fiefdom like the Yu Kingdom, which is under the jurisdiction of the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion, is better off; there are still some rules to restrain High Tier Cultivators. In the Fiefdoms of those Noble Families, these Noble Sons are even more unrestrained."

She continued, "In order to maintain their independence and avoid being controlled by the Noble Families, the Six Sects are more than happy to see them move out of the Sects. They often grant them an entire kingdom as a Fiefdom—and not in destitute places like the Northern Domain Seven Kingdoms or the Three Western Kingdoms, but in rich, fertile lands with stable Dragon Veins and abundant Spirit Veins.

The Five Elements True Spirit Sect has seen quite a few Noble Families move out.

Before Ancestor Zuoqiu Hui achieved Nascent Soul Formation, the Zuoqiu Family had considered moving out of the Five Elements True Spirit Sect themselves. They only abandoned the idea after she formed her Nascent Soul and regained power."

"I need to ask Master for instructions."

Since Noble Families were involved, the matter could not be taken lightly.

A moment later, Yang Jing’s reply came back. It was just four short words.

"Investigate without holding back."

Ordinarily, Yang Jing wouldn’t be able to take such a hard line against the Noble Families. But right now, it was during the Seven Nations Ticket Shop’s shareholder meeting. These Noble Families who had traveled from afar were all competitors. They definitely wouldn’t unite against a common enemy as they usually would; they might even take the opportunity to kick someone while they were down.

He picked up the message Yinjiao had sent and, for some reason, thought of Sima Peng.

’Although these Noble Sons are lawless in their own Fiefdoms, they are usually quite well-behaved right under the nose of Canyuan True Monarch of the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion. At least, they hadn’t bothered mortals or Independent Cultivators before.

For this to suddenly change, for them to start abducting Independent Cultivators... perhaps Sima Peng is the one instigating it.’

***

"Young Master Sima, I’ve heard rumors outside that Demon Cultivators are causing trouble, abducting young Female Cultivators. It’s already causing a huge stir and might attract the attention of the Northern Army Governor’s Mansion. We’ve captured quite a few Female Cultivators these past few days. Why don’t we just stop now?"

Sha Li suggested nervously.

A treasured light swirled across Sima Peng’s face. It was obvious he had reaped great rewards over the past two days by using the Mingfei Joyful Method to absorb the Essence Qi of Female Cultivators.

"Hmph. I heard you used to be a Tribulation Cultivator, Sha Li. Back then, you dared to rob people and seize treasures. How is it that after becoming an Honored Guest Elder for my Sima Family, your nerve has gotten smaller?"

Hearing Sima Peng’s words, Sha Li knew he had angered him and wisely shut his mouth.

"Today, I’m hosting a banquet for Dong Xiji. Whether this plan succeeds or fails all depends on today’s banquet."

After Dong Xiji left the gathering abruptly that day, Sima Peng found himself struggling to make any headway in the Yu Kingdom. Once most of the Noble Sons heard that Dong Xiji didn’t think he could succeed and had bluntly said he was far inferior to Yang Jing, they only offered him superficial cordiality. The only ones who truly supported him were the few who had stayed behind that day to cultivate the Mingfei Joyful Method with him.

With just this small handful of people, it was fine for drinking and carousing, but trying to influence the situation and remove Yang Jing was simply a joke.

The Golden Core Clans and Royal Families of the Northern Domain Seven Kingdoms, in order to protect their interests in the Seven Nations Ticket Shop, had already started to band together tightly. Unless the tide was irreversible, they were completely unwilling to issue more shares and dilute their own control over the Ticket Shop.

Their position was the opposite of many Noble Families; they would absolutely not help the Noble Families oust Yang Jing.

Meanwhile, the top-tier families of the Western Continent like the Dong Family and the Han Family had already made secret deals with Yang Jing, securing their own interests. They had even less motivation to remove him.

In the end, Sima Peng discovered that he was somewhat helpless against a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Western Continent.

This dealt a severe blow to his sensitive pride.

Today’s banquet was a small one. Sima Peng had only invited Dong Xiji and a few others to make his persuasion easier.

Arriving at the banquet, Dong Xiji had brought a towering giant of a man with him. The man had disheveled hair and wore Heavy Armor, and a foul, fishy stench clung to him that wouldn’t wash away.

The moment Sha Li saw this person, he was on high alert, as if facing a great enemy.

This man clearly had Golden Core Cultivation and looked like a Demon in Transformation. Considering Dong Xiji’s identity, the man’s original form was obvious: he was clearly a transformed Dragon Beast.

The Magical Combat abilities of Dragon Beasts were already among the best of all Demons. And now, they were all at a banquet, in close quarters.

Although the banquet followed the ancient tradition of separate dining tables, the distance between them was still no more than five zhang. For a Golden Core Dragon Beast, that was just a single stride. Sha Li knew that if this Dragon Beast attacked suddenly, he would be completely unable to protect Sima Peng.

Sima Peng had naturally realized this as well, and his expression grew a little stiff.

"Brother Dong, you left in such a hurry the other day. It’s a real shame we didn’t have a chance for a heart-to-heart talk."

Before he could even finish speaking, the giant grabbed a tureen of fish soup from the table in front of him, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one go.

"Where’s the food? Hurry up and bring more!"

Sima Peng’s face twitched, and he had no choice but to order the Maid to quickly bring more dishes.

"Uncle Yu is unruly by nature. If he offends you in any way, Brother Sima, please don’t take it to heart."

Dong Xiji said to Sima Peng with a graceful bow.

"Brother Dong, I’ve heard that we Noble Sons all consider it our duty to bring glory to our families. The Seven Nations Ticket Shop is flourishing. Even a great cross-continental trading house like my Celestial Treasure Tower has to defer to it. Once the Six Sects’ restrictions on it are lifted, it will surely sweep through the Thirty-Six Western Continent Kingdoms. With its first-mover advantage, how can we Noble Sons, even with our home-ground advantage, compete with this mighty dragon crossing the river? In the future, the great clans of this Northern Domain might rise on its coattails, be promoted to Noble Families, and compete with us for profit!"

Sima Peng recited the speech that Li Xishan had prepared for him to the other Noble Sons present.

Li Xishan was truly worthy of being the General Manager who had controlled the Celestial Treasure Tower in the Seven Kingdoms for so long; his grasp of the Noble Families’ psychology was extremely precise. Not only did the Noble Sons in Sima Peng’s faction nod repeatedly, but even some of those Dong Xiji had brought with him were visibly moved.

For a moment, the only sound at the banquet was the loud chomping of the giant as he feasted.

Dong Xiji toyed with his wine cup and shook his head:

"The most important lesson my Dragon Taming Dong Family has learned in its development is to only do what we are good at. The Seven Nations Ticket Shop is managed so successfully, but if we were to run it, we might not achieve the same results. My Dong Family has come to the Northern Domain this time only to buy a stake. We have absolutely no intention of taking over the nest or starting from scratch. Brother Sima, you can save your breath."

He put down his wine cup and looked up, meeting Sima Peng’s gaze:

"Besides, we Noble Sons, even though we are from the Direct Lineage, have almost no influence over our families’ decisions. In the end, we’re just here to watch the show. Brother Sima, all your elaborate schemes are nothing more than a child’s game in the eyes of our elders."

When Sima Peng heard this, a rush of hot blood shot to his head, and he almost stood up on the spot.

Dong Xiji’s words made him feel like a monkey in a circus act. How could someone as proud and arrogant as him possibly tolerate that?

But when he saw the towering giant give him a cold, direct stare, he immediately calmed down.

"Brother Dong has a point. I was merely trying to plan for the future of our Noble Families. I was a bit too hasty and made a fool of myself. Let’s just drink."

As he spoke, Sima Peng raised his cup and drained the Spirit Wine in one gulp.