Han Yu settled into White Peacock Town with a calmness that felt almost criminal.
The echoes of screams from the Birch Leaf rchant Clan had faded days ago, the sll of burnt flesh had long since been washed away, and the blood that soaked the floors of their grand hall had been scrubbed clean.
The survivors had already been scattered or silenced, and now the only sign that the clan ever existed at all was their lingering influence, now twisted, redirected, and bound entirely to Han Yu’s will.
The days that followed were a quiet storm, silent on the outside, but violently transformative beneath the surface.
Driver Yun moved like a shadow through the town. Heart pounding. Mind sharp. Every step he took was laden with purpose, urgency, and the weight of new authority. n who once laughed at him or dismissed him as a lowly carriage driver now bowed their heads when he walked past.
So were polite. So practically trembled. All treated him as soone far above their station.
But Yun himself did not let any of it reach his heart. His loyalty remained tied entirely to Qing Luan, and through her, to Han Yu. He knew clearly that his entire rise ca from one fact alone.
He was under Ju Fan’s wing.
And being under Ju Fan’s wing could raise one to the heavens, or send one into the deepest hell.
Yun knew this too well to ever act with arrogance.
He contacted his old acquaintances in the taverns, marketplaces, and rchant stalls. Many were forr peers, fellow servants, workers, or low level cultivators with basic livelihoods.
They listened to him, so out of friendship, others out of fear. ssages were delivered discreetly across the town, landing in the hands of clan heads, rchant families, smiths, guild officials, and even minor city authority mbers.
The news spread like wildfire: The Birch Leaf rchant Clan was no more. The slayer was a disciple of the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect. And he had summoned them.
Summoned.
As if they were his retainers already.
And none dared to even consider refusing.
Within two days, the estate was seeing waves of visitors. Wealthy rchants whose gold-studded shoes clicked nervously. Clan heads who tried to walk confidently but whose legs betrayed the fear inside them.
Minor cultivators who tried to look dignified but visibly sweated through their robes. These n and won were used to sches, politics and intimidation. They were not used to confronting a disciple of the Blood Sect.
Han Yu entered the eting hall without theatrics. He did not need any.
His presence alone was a declaration.
The rchants rose to bow the mont he walked in. So bowed too low, others too quickly, but not one dared make eye contact with him.
Han Yu’s gaze drifted over them lazily, almost bored, as if he were inspecting livestock. He took a seat at the head of the hall.
"Sit," he said.
His tone was cold and casual, but it struck them like an imperial decree. They sat instantly on the chairs that had been prepared for them.
His fingers tapped the table with slow deliberation.
"Let us begin," Han Yu said. "The Birch Leaf rchants have vacated many properties. You will take them."
A murmur rippled through the crowd. This was an unexpected developnt. They had expected punishnt or demands, not rewards and that too for nothing.
Han Yu raised his hand slightly, silencing them.
"These businesses are now being divided. You will manage them. You will profit from them. But do not misunderstand. The true control lies elsewhere."
Every eye fixed on him. The room felt icy.
Han Yu nodded toward Qing Luan who stood behind him silently, her expression calm yet sharpened by new resolve.
"All of you will be reporting to her. She is the one who holds the rights to what remains of the Birch Leaf line. Any profit you make cos with tribute. Any decision you take will be overseen by her."
So people opened their mouths as if to speak, but no sound erged. It was as if their tongues had frozen.
They owed their livelihoods to the whims of powerful clans and fickle markets. But this was on an entirely different scale. A youth of thirteen, even if clearly gifted, being placed above them in this manner was unprecedented.
Han Yu spoke again before anyone could gather a thought.
"You all understand the workings of power. Today, you simply receive what I allow you to receive. If you want to keep it, you WILL remain obedient. If you want more in the future, you will show your worth to Miss Luan."
His tone remained calm and slow, but no one could mistake the threat lying beneath the surface.
Then Han Yu added, almost casually, "Those who serve well may earn my favor. Perhaps one day I will allow you to serve under ."
The entire hall tensed.
He was selling servitude as if it were an opportunity. And none dared to scoff. None dared to even consider refusing.
Because every person present had seen what had remained of the Birch Leaf rchant clan. The bloody alleys, the burned corpses, the shattered bones on the main road. They had seen the consequences of provoking a disciple of the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect.
If this Ju Fan wanted to build an army of rchants and clans under him, none would stand in the way.
Han Yu continued issuing instructions.
So clans were given orchards. So received shares in mines. So were handed the rights to shops or warehouses. It looked to the outside world like they were feasting on the remains of the Birch Leaf clan. They appeared as vultures circling a corpse.
Yet the true master of the feast sat quietly at the head of the hall.
Only the inner circle knew the truth.
Miss Luan held the strings. But Ju Fan held her soul.
If he asked her to go right, she would definitely not dare to go left. If he asked her to kill, she would kill. If he even asked her to jump off a cliff, she would jump.
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