novelraw Chapter 1730 1234: Let Me Do One Good Deed
Chapter 1730 1234: Let Me Do One Good Deed
"No, absolutely not!" Mu Xiang was the first to voice his objection.
The formation of the Hong Yun Empire isn't exclusive to the Royal Family but is jointly built by the Royal Family and the four major families. Each family holds 10-20% of the shares, which account for a significant portion of their family's income source. Giving it away would be akin to severing an economic lifeline.
Moreover, Mu Xiang was well aware of Zhang Menglong's intentions. Just through the Skyless Realm channel alone, he made a fortune by raising prices as the number of people has increased a hundredfold now. If Zhang Menglong repeats his trick, he'd simply become rich overnight!
The Teleportation Array of the Hong Yun Empire is a crucial hub on the entire continent. If anyone wants to travel to other areas, they must go through here! Even if they travel to neighboring empires, they must transfer at Hong Yun Empire, unless they spend years or even decades using other methods to reach the next hub, but the time cost may not necessarily be more cost-effective than this price difference.
The most serious consequence of such an action would severely impact the image of the Hong Yun Empire.
"Did I allow you to speak?" Zhang Menglong commanded a puppet, "Go up there and give him two big slaps!"
The puppet took two steps forward and landed two loud slaps on Mu Xiang's face, echoing loudly in the silent scene.
Although these slaps didn't use the puppet's full power, they still left two bright red marks on his face. If it had been at full strength, his head might have exploded on the spot.
Mu Xiang looked at Zhang Menglong with lips trembling in anger, yet he dared not speak up.
"Mr. Gu, please be merciful!" Jun Xing immediately came forward to plead.
However, two puppets blocked Jun Xing's path, preventing him from advancing. The rest of the puppets were in a fully alert state. These puppets weren't limited to simple attacks; they could exist as long as their energy wasn't exhausted, unless a single attack directly depletes all their energy.
"Merciful?" Zhang Menglong sneered, "If I didn't have these puppets, would you show mercy to me?"
"I'm only responsible for capturing people; I don't know anything about the aftermath," Jun Xing remarked, clearly aware that once Zhang Menglong fell into their hands, he would undoubtedly face a very tragic fate.
"My terms are simple," Zhang Menglong chuckled, "260 trillion Divine Crystals or equivalent value in other assets. Unless their families don't want to rescue them, just consider me saying nothing. I happen to be short of two servants for chores like serving tea and cleaning toilets, and they seem exceptionally gifted, rare work emperors. Perhaps they could work hard for me?"
"Take them away!" Zhang Menglong ordered the puppets to instinctively control the two, preventing Hong Yang from resisting, only to be met with two similarly loud slaps in return.
"If you don't want to get beaten, you'd better not act foolishly," Zhang Menglong warned them, "You should pray that you are worth this sum of money to your elders!"
"Gu Tianle, how dare you?" The two were still in disbelief.
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Zhang Menglong responded, "Since you dared cause trouble for me in broad daylight, you should be prepared for your bravado to backfire."
"Mr. Gu, please treat the Prince and Master Mu kindly," Jun Xing said, "I'll immediately send word back."
"Don't worry, I won't harm them until I get the money," Zhang Menglong laughed, "I consider myself a principled kidnapper."
"I hope you keep your promise."
Jun Xing waved his hand, "Move out!"
Hundreds of Imperial Guards left in order, but unlike their arrival, they now appeared crestfallen, as if they'd lost a battle.
Hong Yang and Mu Xiang watched their departing figures, feeling an infinite sense of defeat and regret.
Hong Yang sighed; Zhang Menglong didn't intend to crush them completely. Losing just a little money, a mere ten million, wasn't really significant to him, yet he insisted on confronting Zhang Menglong for a momentary spat, ending up in this predicament.
Mu Xiang initially thought that in his territory, Zhang Menglong would have to submit even if he were a dragon. But he hadn't anticipated that the first nightmare had barely ended, and he was plunged into yet another nightmare.
"Wuhu, my ranking has gone up again!" Zhang Menglong felt a surge of fortune entering his Heavenly Pride Order once more.
Making the Royal Family's Imperial Guards retreat with clipped wings, Zhang Menglong naturally stole the limelight again. The vast fortune that descended seemed only logical.
The original ranking of 666 increased nearly by 100 positions, finally settling at 588.
Zhang Menglong walked towards them with a smile, "Why do both of you look so gloomy? You seem a little unhappy. Weren't you laughing happily just now?"
"Gu Tianle, you better think it over," Hong Yang remained defiant, "Don't think that just because you have these puppets, you can act with impunity. While we are momentarily in your hands, if you dare harm us, even if my grandfather breaks protocol, he'll definitely kill you!"
Hong Yang was not only the Prince of the Hongmeng Empire but also the top contender for Crown Prince. His gift was the highest among his generation in the Royal Family, and he had a great chance of being selected by a superpower. If something happened to him, the entire high level of the Hongmeng Empire would be enraged.
Even within the Hong Yun Empire, the Princes would avoid him, and some would even respectfully call him Brother Prince.
"Oh?" Zhang Menglong was even happier, "It seems you have a high position in your grandfather's mind, that means I mustn't kill you. The more important you are, the greater my bargaining power with them."
"What about you, Master Mu Xiang?" Zhang Menglong turned to Mu Xiang.
Mu Xiang's eyes evaded his.
His status in the Mu Family certainly didn't match Hong Yang's status in the Royal Family.
In fact, Mu Xiang was only an illegitimate child in the Mu Family. Merely because his father is the next family head, he received a little family protection. He obtained a Heavenly Pride Order entirely because his father felt guilty towards him and wanted to compensate him in this way.
Honestly, Mu Xiang's gift was just average; otherwise, he wouldn't have only four Divine Cultivator Eighth Grade Martial Artists as his personal guards.
It's known that the Mu Family also had a Dao Realm expert, and was the leading family among the four major families of the Hong Yun Empire, maintaining good relations with the Royal Family. For a truly core member, protection at the level of Divine Cultivator Ninth Grade would be expected. Zhang Menglong wouldn't have embarrassed him so easily at Skyless Realm's bank.
Within the Mu Family, Mu Xiang was actually discriminated against. Without his father being the next family head, the humiliation he suffered would likely be worse than what Gu Xiao originally experienced.
Expecting the Mu Family to pay a hundred trillion Divine Crystals for his life? Frankly, Mu Xiang himself hadn't even considered this.
"Oh, I see, you don't have much worth," Zhang Menglong noticed from his expression. It seems there's no potential for extortion from him.
The best scenario is I kill him and attract the Mu Family's retaliation, which may even just be for the sake of their reputation.
"Oh, poor guy, about to be killed, and his family won't spend money to save him," Zhang Menglong spoke with a tone of pity, "How about this, I do you a favor and help you leave this cold world?"