Chapter 471: Sincerity Behind the Sunlit Glass Window (1)

If the people used were not Jiepeng Empire's own citizens, then who were they? When one considered the madness of the Haisha Gang kidnapping and trafficking in the slums, the answer became clear.

They sacrificed living, breathing people from Great Xia to the divine weapons. These weapons were then used to drive star beasts to slaughter the people of Great Xia, invade their lands, and seize their resources. It was utterly shameless.

Li Xiaofei’s eyes grew colder.

Tsukiha Yaiba, fearing that the young man might start harboring thoughts of killing her again, quickly said, “I can help you.”

“Help me with what?” Li Xiaofei asked.

Tsukiha Yaiba replied, “I can help you destroy the sacrificial ritual, prevent the divine weapons from activating, and delay the beast tide’s invasion of Great Xia’s coastal regions... Li Xiaofei, we can truly cooperate.”

Li Xiaofei looked at her and asked, “Why would you do that?”

Tsukiha Yaiba responded, “It’s my own secret. Can I keep it? I swear, this secret poses no threat to you or your people.”

Li Xiaofei shook his head. “You see, this lack of openness makes communication shallow.”

Tsukiha Yaiba gritted her teeth. “Fine... It’s for revenge. My enemy holds a high position within the Jiepeng Empire. To exact my revenge, I must rely on your strength.”

Li Xiaofei fell into thought. From Tsukiha Yaiba’s expression and the hatred that surfaced in her eyes as she spoke of this matter, what she said was likely true. The Jiepeng were not a monolithic entity.

“Alright. I’ll trust you this once.” After a moment of consideration, Li Xiaofei agreed.

The words Tsukiha Yaiba had just spoken, especially her initiative in bringing up the matter of the divine weapons, had demonstrated her sincerity. Keeping such a mole within the Jiepeng forces might actually be beneficial. Moreover, Li Xiaofei had already devised a new plan.

Meanwhile, Tsukiha Yaiba finally let out a sigh of relief. The young man before her was simply too unyielding. She had initially thought that she could leverage their past acquaintance to cooperate. However, death had brushed past her twice during this encounter. If it weren’t for the protective heirloom that her father had left to her, she might already be a corpse.

“Go back,” Li Xiaofei waved her off. “I’ll contact you soon. There’s something I’ll need you to do.”

“Alright, I’ll wait for you,” Tsukiha Yaiba replied. She didn’t bother with any questions as she turned and left.

Her purpose had already been fulfilled, so she was content. Her expression didn’t flicker as her eyes passed across the corpses of the Jiepeng soldiers and other elite fighters lying in pools of blood inside and outside the hall. Instead, the corners of her lips curved upward slightly. Clearly, she was in an excellent mood.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

“What a pity that Tsukiha Tensō is in seclusion,” Li Xiaofei remarked. “It seems it won’t be possible to kill him anytime soon. Well, the strongest rankings still have other troublesome figures. I might as well take care of them.”

Huang Fulai’s heart skipped a beat at his casual tone and quickly interjected, “There’s no rush. The others are officials from various nations. If something big happens, it could easily trigger international disputes.”

Li Xiaofei glanced at him and nodded. It wasn’t that he felt the need to hold back. He was simply planning something else in his mind.

He scanned the bodies and pools of blood scattered across the floor. Li Xiaofei turned to the police officers lurking fearfully outside the door and shouted loudly, “Cops! Get in here and clean up this mess!”

***

The slum.

Li Xiaofei arrived at the Haisha Gang's headquarters. As the former largest gang in the slum, the Haisha Gang's base was a massive structure. It had been built atop an abandoned military base and repeatedly renovated and expanded over time, transforming it into an impenetrable fortress with both above-ground and underground defenses.

Many gangs preferred to use abandoned military bases left behind during the early days of the star beasts' emergence as their headquarters. In gang wars, these bases could indeed maximize protection for the gang and fend off attacks. But even the strongest fortress was useless in the face of a truly powerful individual.

With the gang’s elites, along with several leaders and deputy leaders, all slain by Li Xiaofei, the Haisha Gang had effectively collapsed. Thus, Li Xiaofei encountered no resistance upon his arrival. Nan Hua and dozens of Dragon Group members helped him swiftly take control of the entire base.

Li Xiaofei met the key leaders of the Haijing City Dragon Group for the first time in the T0 conference room of the base. Apart from Nan Hua and Hua Wuying, the rest were all unfamiliar faces.

There were ten district captains from various regions of Haijing City, who were examining Li Xiaofei curiously. They had already been briefed on the situation. They knew that this new envoy had killed hundreds of Jiepeng soldiers in just a day or two.

This included top-tier fighters like Tsukiha Meiryū and Chiyo Tsukio. Even Elizabeth, a member of the infamous Blade of Verdict, hadn’t been spared.

All evidence pointed to one conclusion: the new envoy was a formidable and decisive war hawk with unparalleled strength and ruthless methods. This was undoubtedly fantastic news for the members of the Dragon Group. They did not fear battle, nor did they fear sacrifice. What they dreaded most was restraint justified by a so-called ‘greater good’.

Li Xiaofei, in turn, was also studying the ten unfamiliar faces before him. Their appearances were entirely ordinary. They resembled an elderly vegetable farmer, a plump housewife, a landlady with her head wrapped in curlers, a balding middle-aged school teacher, an old thug with a plaster on his face, a bus driver, a nightclub dancer, an herbal doctor, a deliveryman, and a beggar.

These people looked utterly unremarkable. No one would give them a second glance in a crowd. It was hard to associate them with the image of masters. Yet, Li Xiaofei could discern that all of them had cultivation levels beyond the Five Spirits Realm.

Among them, the herbal doctor, the housewife, and the elderly vegetable farmer stood out as the strongest, since they had stepped into the Golden Body Realm. They were truly powerful. Anywhere else, they would have been showered with riches and privileges.

But for the sake of their country, Great Xia, they had hidden themselves in plain sight and endured the grind of mundane daily life. They had accepted the hardship of risking their lives to achieve extraordinary feats while remaining unsung heroes. They were even prepared to die without the promise of honor. They were true patriots!

“This is my first time meeting all of you,” Li Xiaofei said as he stood up and bowed deeply. “It is my honor to fight alongside you.”

The group was visibly stunned. They had not expected the envoy, who was rumored to be domineering and ruthless, to show such respect and regard for them.

Li Xiaofei continued without pausing, “You’ve endured much suffering and countless grievances these past days. For the so-called greater good, you have had to swallow your pride and bide your time. I know all of this.”

His tone suddenly rose sharply.

“But today, I am here to tell you, you no longer have to endure humiliation or restrain yourselves from this moment on. Whatever you want to do, do it boldly. Don’t worry about the consequences, because I will bear them.”

The group was shaken to their core.

“Envoy, are you serious?” The old thug’s eyes lit up.

"Of course it’s true. We, the Great Xia Dragon Group, operate within the borders of Great Xia. Why should we grovel? If anyone dares to stand in our way, we’ll deal with them with no hesitation," Li Xiaofei said with a hearty laugh. "But there’s one condition: always fight battles you can win. Don’t be careless and get yourselves trapped. If you run into trouble you can’t handle, come to me. I’ll handle it. I have one defining trait, I protect my own."

“Haha! That’s what I’ve been waiting to hear!” The old thug thumped the table in excitement.

The others also began to show signs of enthusiasm. The members of the Great Xia Dragon Group were largely drawn from grassroots societies, which had never lacked true heroes and remarkable figures.

However, some still maintained a cautious, probing attitude. While the envoy spoke boldly, whether he truly had the capability to back up his words was something they needed to observe further. After all, the situation in Haijing City was a complete mess. Even a Saint would struggle to turn the tide under such circumstances.

Though the envoy’s words are inspiring, can he really change the current situation?

They felt the need to proceed carefully. Li Xiaofei was fully aware of their doubts. Thus, he refrained from assigning any new tasks to the group.

“As I said, do whatever you wish from now on. If trouble arises, call on me for help. It’s as simple as that,” Li Xiaofei reiterated with a calm smile. He stood up and added, “This is my first time here. If I’ve done anything wrong, I ask for your guidance. That’s it for this meeting. Dismissed.”

His approach was crisp and straightforward. Once the district captains had left the room, the atmosphere settled into a thoughtful silence.