"A purple-gold token — that really is a purple-gold token! How on earth does that old man Lin have something like this?"
Every person's expression changed, for the significance of a purple-gold token was extraordinary — far more intimidating than the Azure Dragon banner Chu Feng had brought back.
After all, no matter how powerful the Azure Dragon Sect was, it was still merely a sect. It could intimidate various factions, but it couldn't command them.
The Purple-Gold City was a different story. In terms of heritage and strength it might not rival the Azure Dragon Sect, but it was the overlord of this region. There was a saying — even a mighty dragon couldn't suppress a local snake — and that was precisely the situation here.
Moreover, there were hierarchical connections between cities. Purple-Gold City was a second-tier city that ruled its own territory, but above it sat first-tier cities whose strength was in no way inferior to the Azure Dragon Sect.
And above the first-tier cities stood the Royal Princes' Manor. The Manor's power was immense — not one bit weaker than the Lingyun Sect, the foremost sect within the borders of Qingzhou.
But most importantly, behind the Royal Princes' Manor loomed an enormous entity: the Jiang Dynasty, the supreme ruler of the entire Nine Provinces Continent.
In other words, while the Jiang Dynasty did not restrict the development of various factions nor directly govern every corner of the Nine Provinces, it had in fact established a complete administrative system across the continent. Everything on the Nine Provinces Continent was under the Jiang Dynasty's control.
This had created a situation where no matter how powerful a sect might be, it was ultimately just one faction, while even the weakest city had the backing of a dynasty.
Sects could attack other sects, but very few dared to provoke any city — they simply couldn't afford to.
Therefore, for the many noble families living under Purple-Gold City's jurisdiction, the name of Purple-Gold City was far more terrifying than the Azure Dragon Sect, and the deterrent power of a purple-gold token far surpassed that of the Azure Dragon banner.
"You see a purple-gold token, and you still haven't knelt?" Seeing the fear on everyone's faces, Manager Lin grew even bolder. He pointed at the crowd and shouted at the top of his lungs.
His words did indeed startle the crowd. Quite a few people actually dropped to their knees with a thud, and the Zhao and Li families were the worst of all — as though they had grasped a lifeline, they began kowtowing to Manager Lin.
Watching this scene, Chu Feng's brow furrowed slightly. Taking it all in, he suddenly understood a phrase and realized what it meant to be a fence-sitter blowing whichever way the wind went, for right before his eyes stood a crowd doing exactly that.
"Why haven't the rest of you knelt? Do you dare defy this purple-gold token? Do you dare defy the City Lord himself?" Seeing that many people still had not knelt, Manager Lin roared.
"Anyone who kneels to him, try it — I dare you," Chu Feng bellowed in fury.
Hearing Chu Feng's words, those who had been about to kneel wavered, caught in a dilemma. Purple-Gold City was indeed powerful, but it was far away — the mountains were high and the emperor was distant. A mere token could only serve as a deterrent.
Right now, Chu Feng was the most formidable person here. If they angered him, given his temperament, he might very well cut every last one of them down on the spot.
"Chu Feng, you brat, how dare you defy Purple-Gold City's rules! You not only refuse to kneel upon seeing the purple-gold token, but you even threaten others! Are you trying to oppose Purple-Gold City? Oppose the Jiang Dynasty?" Manager Lin pointed at Chu Feng and roared, his voice thick with menace.
"So what if I am? Believe it or not, I'll kill you right now." Far from being intimidated, Chu Feng answered with a cold sneer.
"Feng'er, don't you dare do anything rash! His purple-gold token is real — you absolutely must not make a move against him, or Purple-Gold City will never let you go!"
Seeing that Chu Feng truly harbored killing intent, Chu Yuan was terrified. He hurriedly grabbed Chu Feng's sleeve, desperate to stop him from attacking Manager Lin.
"Hahaha! Chu Yuan, at least you know your place!" Manager Lin let out two arrogant laughs at the sight of Chu Yuan's cowardly expression, then declared in a booming voice: "I'll let you all in on a secret. The City Lord of Purple-Gold City has already learned that a dark iron ore vein has been discovered within the Kaoshan territory. Right now the City Lord is leading a large force this way, and I expect they'll arrive very soon.
"From this day forward, the Kaoshan territory will be under Purple-Gold City's direct management. And I — I am the administrator personally appointed by the City Lord.
"The Chu Family deserves credit for discovering the dark iron ore vein, so you'll continue to handle the mining going forward. However, every ounce of ore extracted must be handed over to Purple-Gold City. Embezzle even a shred, and you will be executed without mercy."
Manager Lin's words made everything clear. Purple-Gold City's army was already on its way here, and this was his way of warning Chu Feng and the others not to make any moves against him — or the entire Chu Family would face death.
As for why Purple-Gold City had come — it was all about the dark iron ore vein. And if one wondered how Purple-Gold City had learned of the ore, that wasn't hard to figure out either. One only needed to look at the purple-gold token in Manager Lin's hand.
That old man had clearly been the informant, and the City Lord of Purple-Gold City, rewarding him for his tip, had granted him the token and the right to manage the Kaoshan territory as proof.
"That old bastard."
At this moment, though Chu Feng's face betrayed nothing, his fists beneath his sleeves were clenched tight. He truly had never imagined that such a treacherous old dog would be lurking within the Kaoshan territory.
But anger was anger — Chu Feng still had his wits about him. What he could do right now was absolutely not to attack Manager Lin. He would wait quietly, and only after Purple-Gold City's army arrived would he make his decision.
And indeed, just as Manager Lin had said, several dozen li outside of Kaoshan Town, a force clad in armor and armed with weapons was approaching in tight formation.
It was a massive army, easily over a thousand strong, every last one of them no weaker than Spirit Martial Fifth Level. Those mounted on warhorses were all Yuan Martial realm experts, and the one leading them stood head and shoulders above the rest.
He was a man past middle age. Rather than armor, he wore a loose robe of purple, embroidered with dragons and phoenixes stitched in gold thread — resplendent and magnificent.
But it wasn't just his attire that was impressive. His face radiated an air of authority that none of those around him possessed. Most important of all was his strength — he was a Yuan Martial Ninth Level expert, just one step away from stepping into the Xuan Martial realm. He was the City Lord of Purple-Gold City: Chen Hui.
Lately, Purple-Gold City had been running short on resources, and Chen Hui had been fretting over the tribute he owed his superiors. Then intelligence reached him that a dark iron ore vein had been discovered in the Kaoshan mountains. He was overjoyed — in his elation he not only rewarded the informant with a purple-gold token, but personally led his forces to Kaoshan Town to see things for himself.
Now he was humming a little tune and chatting idly with his subordinates, when suddenly he noticed a figure standing in the middle of the road ahead, blocking their path.