Chapter 8:
But he would never forget that his father had spent half of the family's fortune and all his personal assets to buy the body-tempering elixir that allowed him to start training four years earlier.
This kindness and familial love deeply moved him, so over the years, he operated in secrecy to avoid implicating the Xiao family.
Of course, if it ever came to it, he wouldn't risk his life for the Xiao family. He appreciated his parents in this life but had no affection for the Xiao family as a whole.
However, now wasn't the time to dwell on such thoughts.
Xiao Lingfeng took out a Beast King Pill from his system vault and threw it to the Gale Black Wolf King.
The Gale Black Wolf King recognized the pill's extraordinary nature, and swallowed it in one gulp. Soon, a powerful dark aura rose from its body as it began to absorb the pill's power and prepare for a breakthrough to the sixth level.
Seeing this, Xiao Lingfeng was satisfied.
Creating the Black Wind Cavalry had cost him over half of his assets, and he had invested a lot of effort in the fierce Black Wolf King.
Years ago, he hired ten Martial Commander Realm assassins and a mercenary group with Martial Commander Realm experts to capture Black Wolves in the Beast Mountain Range.
He chose the Black Wolf because its power was the highest he could manage with his abilities and resources. Additionally, its speed and dark attribute made it perfect for his own dark attribute.
Moreover, the Gale Black Wolf was a pack beast. By controlling the Wolf King, he could control the entire pack, which was much more efficient than subduing them one by one.
After a large-scale capture operation, he finally caught over a hundred Black Wolves and eight Black Wolf Kings. To form his cavalry, he had the eight Wolf Kings fight until only one remained.
The current Black Wolf King, then a fourth-level, fourth-grade beast, defeated the others to become the ultimate ruler.
Once the target was determined, he spent considerable time taming the beast, eventually forming a contract with it, making it his spirit pet.
Afterwards, everything naturally fell into place. With the Wolf King subdued, the rest of the pack followed suit.
The masters of these Black Wolves, the Black Wind Cavalry, were actually powerful assassins and mercenaries. The high benefits of the Black Wind Cavalry attracted many mercenaries.
Joining the Black Wind Cavalry provided a set of fourth-grade armor and weapons, which would take an ordinary Martial General cultivator years to acquire.
Additionally, the Black Wind Cavalry offered abundant training resources, making it an attractive option for mercenaries and assassins without strong ties.
As for their loyalty, Xiao Lingfeng had no concerns. He had spent a fortune buying many Poison Pills.
These pills were made from poison insects, which came in pairs of mother and child. The mother insect could control the child, and both were sold together.
The Poison Pills were almost impossible to neutralize unless one had cultivated Divine Qi.
Upon joining the Black Wind Cavalry, each member was given a Poison Pill. They could refuse, but their benefits would be less than those who took it.
Xiao Lingfeng didn't trust these killers and mercenaries completely. If someone hadn’t voluntarily taken the Poison Pill after a year, they would mysteriously die.
The reason was simple: the given Poison Pills were actually ordinary pills, identical in appearance and taste.
This was a test of loyalty, with their lives as the gamble. In truth, they unknowingly consumed the real Poison Gu Pills upon joining the Black Wind Cavalry.
The ordinary pills were merely a test. Those who used Xiao Lingfeng's resources but weren't willing to be loyal deserved death.
Fortunately, few among the assassins and mercenaries were foolish, so he didn't waste many Poison Pills.
This enforced loyalty wasn't unbreakable but was more reliable than abstract loyalty.
Because of this cautious approach, there hadn't been a single traitor in the Black Wind Cavalry.
This wasn’t due to the Black Wind Cavalry's fear of death or unwavering loyalty but because each member underwent Xiao Lingfeng's unique 'baptism.'
Chapter 009:
He applied every method of loyalty testing he had learned from spy dramas in his previous life to his subordinates.
Thus, every member of the Black Wind Cavalry had been 'baptized.'
Even if they were captured by the enemy, they would believe it was just another test. They would say nothing until their death, and after they were dead, they couldn't speak anyway.
This was the secret behind the 'loyalty' of the Black Wind Cavalry.
Even now, Xiao Lingfeng didn't see anything wrong with this.
Having lived a long life, he understood one principle: 'Every person has their own inherent flaws, and under certain circumstances, these flaws can grow into towering trees that bear destructive fruits.'
So, he would soak these seeds with hot water before they had a chance to sprout, ensuring they never had the opportunity to awaken.
Seeing the Black Wolf King's rising aura, Xiao Lingfeng felt relieved.
Compared to complex humans, beasts were much simpler.
After all, although they were difficult to tame, once they submitted, they would remain loyal and never betray.
Well, now wasn't the time to think about these matters.
He directly communicated with the system spirit in his mind, "System, can I check my detailed information?"
[Host, that's possible. However, I think it’s best for you to go out now]
The system spirit replied.
"What's happening?" Xiao Lingfeng asked, puzzled.
[Host, I mentioned earlier that I can provide some assistance. One of the biggest helps is that I can detect protagonists within a one-mile radius of you. Right now, I sense a protagonist within that range] The system said.
Xiao Lingfeng frowned at these words.
It wasn't because he feared the so-called destiny protagonists, but because this was the Xiao family's pavilion, the center of the entire Xiao family.
A protagonist appearing within this range likely meant they were a young genius from his own Xiao family.
To confirm this, Xiao Lingfeng exited the secret chamber.
He wasn’t worried about the Black Wolf King being disturbed because the chamber's button was made of a special sensing stone.
Apart from him and a few loyal subordinates who had taken the Poison Pills, no one could open it.
To open it by force, one would need to destroy it violently, but no one in Tianye City could destroy this chamber without alerting him.
Following the system spirit's guidance, he searched for the first protagonist he needed to deal with.
According to the system spirit, the protagonist was located in the Xiao family’s conference hall. This confirmed that the protagonist was indeed a member of the Xiao family.
When he arrived at the hall's perimeter, he found most of the Xiao family disciples gathered there.
He tapped the shoulder of one of the disciples who was watching the scene.
"Who’s that? Don’t you know I’m... Master! I didn’t realize it was you. Please forgive me." The disciple said, initially impatient but almost frightened out of his wits upon seeing Xiao Lingfeng’s face.
Seeing the disciple's trembling demeanor, Xiao Lingfeng paid no further attention to it and directly asked, "What are you all doing here? Has something happened?"
The disciple, relieved that Xiao Lingfeng hadn’t reprimanded him for his earlier rudeness, respectfully replied, "Reporting to the master. Miss Nalan Yanran from the Nalan family has come with an elder from the Xuanbing Sect to break off her engagement with our Xiao family."
Hearing this, Xiao Lingfeng was certain that the protagonist was indeed from his Xiao family.
The protagonist of this story was named Xiao Zhi, the only son of his second brother, Xiao Zhan. Five years ago, Xiao Zhi was also a renowned genius in Tianye City.
He began training at the age of twelve, reached the 7th stage Body Tempering Realm at thirteen, and made a breakthrough into the Martial Apprentice Realm at fourteen.
However, after reaching the Martial Apprentice Realm, his cultivation regressed, slowly falling back to the 4th stage Body Tempering Realm.
The Nalan family, once one of the four great families in Tianye City, started declining after Xiao Lingfeng led the Xiao family to prominence.
Five years ago, when Xiao Zhi's fame was at its peak, Nalan Zhen, the head of the Nalan family, betrothed his daughter, Nalan Yanran, to Xiao Zhi to forge an alliance with the Xiao family.
Although Xiao Lingfeng had once married, his wife was tragically killed. After avenging her, he never remarried and had no children of his own. Thus, the Nalan family chose Xiao Zhi, who had considerable talent.
(+10 Advance chapters are available on Patreon!)
-To be continued!
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Translated & Edited by:
-SilverBerry