"Young Master, don't agree to his terms!"
Wes Wei couldn't help but urge him.
What happened next was straightforward.
Deputy Director Wayne was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected Ian Song to actually agree to his outrageous demand. Instantly, a strange smile appeared on his face: "Now, I've changed my mind. Not only do you have to hand over a hundred million taels of gold, but you also have to let those three sleep with me for a night!"
As he spoke, Deputy Director Wayne's greedy gaze swept shamelessly over Lena Wei, Rosie Ning, and Yanna Zhou.
For a moment, everyone except Ian Song looked furious, their eyes toward Deputy Director Wayne filled with hostility. If not for his official status, they'd have rushed up and taught him a lesson already.
"Any other conditions? Feel free to list them all!"
Ian Song spoke again, his tone utterly calm.
Deputy Director Wayne couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Ha, you know how to adapt. You're an interesting one." At that, he pointed at Wes Wei: "Here's the deal. I don't like this kid's attitude. Make him kneel in front of me and slap himself twenty times!"
"Wes Wei, come here!"
Feeling the incredibly dense spiritual energy and the ever-clear laws of nature, Ian Song couldn't help but sigh. No wonder everyone from the Nine Domains fights to get in; the environment here is ideal for cultivation.
"Young Master, are we heading for the Imperial Capital?" Lena Wei asked.
"No rush. We'll go to Mangmount State first!" Ian Song replied. He wasn't in a hurry to reach the Imperial Capital, since Princess Myra might not be there yet. As for why Mangmount State—it was simple: Flora Thrall's home was there, and Ian had promised to help her kill Drake Tang.
"Ah!"
Wes Wei froze. "Really? I can?"
"No wonder everyone from the Nine Domains fights to get in; the environment here is ideal for cultivation."
"Of course I do—I've been dying to give that fat pig a good slap!" Wes Wei, maybe worried Ian Song would pick someone else, charged straight at Deputy Director Wayne as he spoke.
His will was shockingly weak. The Puppet Mastery Divine Art entered his sea of consciousness and took control in an instant.
Deputy Director Wayne wasn't much of a fighter—barely at early Sigilforge Realm—and after living a pampered life for so long, he'd practically forgotten how to fight. He could only block three moves before Wes Wei knocked him to the ground, then straddled him and started slapping away. The hall echoed with the sharp sound of slaps, one after another, and his face swelled so much he looked just like a pig.
"Help! Somebody help!"
Deputy Director Wayne kept yelling for help as he got beaten, but the hall seemed completely cut off from the outside world. No matter how loud he screamed, the guards outside ignored it.
The reason was simple: Ian Song had set up an isolation formation ahead of time. No matter how much noise they made inside, nobody outside could hear or see a thing.
After a wild round of beating, Wes Wei finally vented all his anger. Deputy Director Wayne's face was swollen high, and with his already fat features, he looked just like a pig's head.
"You... You dare assault an imperial official... The Empire will never let you off!"
"Take it or leave it. If you don't want it, get out! I'm not interested in having you here anyway!" The innkeeper sneered.
"Anyone else itching for a turn?" Ian Song looked around and asked.
The innkeeper snorted. "Heh, even the beggars in the Central Domain are nobler than outsiders like you. Get lost and stop bothering my business!"
Holly Hong jumped in.
She rushed up and started punching and kicking Deputy Director Wayne, making him howl in agony again. Fortunately, they knew their limits and controlled their strength—painful, but not fatal.
"My turn!"
Yanna Zhou went up next.
Once Yanna Zhou finished, Rosie Ning stepped up and gave Deputy Director Wayne a thorough beating. This time, he was knocked out cold.
"And he's supposed to be a Sigilforge martial artist? So weak!"
Holly Hong sneered and rolled her eyes.
"Young Master, what do we do now? After all this, can we still get Temporary Identity Tokens?" Lena Wei asked worriedly.
"Of course we can!"
Ian Song smiled confidently, then walked up to Deputy Director Wayne, pointed a finger, and sent a Puppet Mastery Divine Art sigil into his brow.
His will was shockingly weak. The Puppet Mastery Divine Art entered his sea of consciousness and captured him instantly.
"Get up!"
Ian Song kicked Deputy Director Wayne. He immediately flipped over, knelt before Ian, and said respectfully, "Wang Fu greets Young Master!"
Seeing this, everyone else felt weirded out. Just what had Young Master done to this guy?
Why did he turn out like this?
What happened next was simple.
With Wang Fu personally leading the way, they quickly got their Temporary Identity Tokens processed. He even paid the seven-million-tael processing fee himself.
"Young Master Chu, did you get it done? If not, I can find someone else!"
Back at the inn, Ian Song ran into Brother Joe, who was waiting for him.
"It's done. Thanks to your introduction to Deputy Director Wayne, this is your reward—take it!" Ian Song tossed Brother Joe a thick stack of gold notes, a full six million five hundred thousand taels.
All of those gold notes came from Wang Fu's tribute to his new master, totaling over fifty million taels.
"Let's go!"
With a thought, Ian Song took his six followers and vanished from the small city, reappearing inside the Central Domain. The previous sense of repulsion was gone.
Feeling the incredibly dense spiritual energy and the ever-clear laws of nature, Ian Song couldn't help but sigh. No wonder people from the other nine domains all scramble to get into the Central Domain—the environment here is perfect for cultivation.
"Young Master, are we heading for the Imperial Capital?" Lena Wei asked.
"No rush. We'll go to Mangmount State first!" Ian Song replied. He wasn't in a hurry to reach the Imperial Capital, since Princess Myriadphenom might not be there yet. As for why Mangmount State—it was simple: Flora Thrall's home was there, and Ian had promised to help her kill Drake Tang.
As for Flora Thrall, Ian Song had already sent her to the border of the Central Domain days ago; she should have reached Mangmount State by now.
With the Art of Great Teleportation, anywhere in the world was within reach. In less than half an hour, Ian Song arrived in Mangmount State, inside the Central Domain.
Mangmount State was just one of dozens in the Central Domain, but its actual area was even larger than the entire Sun Heaven Domain. The Tanner Clan was based in Skywind City, Mangmount State.
The Central Empire ruled with an iron grip; every city within its borders was under imperial control.
All those so-called sects and clans had to survive under the Empire's shadow.
Before the Flora Clan was destroyed, it barely counted as one of the thirteen major families of Skywind City. The Tanner Clan ranked third among them.
"Do you have any upper rooms left?"
Ian Song and his companions entered an inn and asked the middle-aged innkeeper.
"May I see your Identity Tokens, please?" the innkeeper asked politely.
So Ian Song and the others produced their Temporary Identity Tokens. As soon as the innkeeper saw they were only temporary, his expression cooled. "We do have upper rooms left, but not for you. There are three standard rooms available, one hundred taels of silver per day. Are you taking them or not?"
"Why so expensive?" Wes Wei couldn't help but complain. The inn was pretty ordinary, no more than a regular guesthouse.
"Take it or leave it. If you don't want it, get out! I don't want your kind here anyway!" The innkeeper sneered.
Wes Wei was furious. "Watch your mouth! We're paying customers, not beggars!"
The innkeeper snorted. "Heh, even the beggars in the Central Domain are better than bumpkins like you from the outer domains. Get lost and stop bothering my business!"