I Can Transfer the Side Effects of Evil Skills

Chapter 158: Chapter 137: A Way to Court Death

Everyone present began to speculate on the identity of this ”Young Master Yuwen.”

Some of the guests, who had heard a rumor or two, quickly understood what kind of trouble this fellow was trying to stir up.

High-ranking officials like Yuwen Boxi, the Governor of Jiangnan, often had many children. No matter how strict their upbringing, one or two oddballs were bound to pop up.

This ”Young Master Yuwen” was clearly one of them.

The young man clearly wanted to prove his own abilities. He was pretending to have struck out on his own, keeping his father in the dark.

In reality, however, he was still just leveraging his father’s name, planning to get something for nothing.

Just imagine: if he actually managed to pull together a group of Jianghu influences, organize them into the Cheetah Camp, and then successfully eliminate the Roving Bandits in the region...

If he achieved that, the methods he used wouldn’t matter. Yuwen Boxi would only think his foolish son had finally grown up and could now share his burdens.

He might even reconsider the selection of the Crown Prince.

At least, that was likely the scenario this ”Young Master Yuwen” had envisioned.

The problem was, this kind of crude, forced conscription—without even mentioning any rewards or compensation upfront—was utterly absurd.

First, any talk of ”every man’s duty to the nation” was complete nonsense.

Every Martial Artist, wealthy family, and rich merchant from Yuan Guang County attending this banquet knew that the Southern Prince’s rebellion was, at its core, a front for the Major Sects’ attempt to redraw their territories.

The turmoil might be escalating now, but if the Major Sects reached an agreement one day, the storm would pass in an instant.

Of course, it was also possible that the Major Sects backing the Great Yan Dynasty would lose. They would concede, and the dynasty would change.

But even if the dynasty changed, as long as the ultimate power didn’t fall into the hands of some extremist Demonic Sects, it wouldn’t have any real impact on the common people or the various Jianghu influences.

Thus, the whole notion of ”the rise and fall of the nation” didn’t apply to the current situation at all.

Based on Zou Feng’s knowledge of the Demon Sect, sects composed entirely of fanatical lunatics were extremely rare within the Great Yan Dynasty’s borders.

Even if one did appear, it would never amount to anything significant.

So, while everyone present had their own thoughts, they all agreed on one thing: this Young Master Yuwen was courting death.

But given the man’s status, no one dared to be the first to stick their neck out and explicitly refuse to participate.

Huang Wenbin, naturally not wanting the stifling atmosphere to continue, chimed in with a few pleasantries. He even spoke on Young Master Yuwen’s behalf, promising certain benefits for participating in the bandit extermination campaign.

Unfortunately, these benefits were nothing compared to the risks involved. They weren’t the least bit tempting.

After all, being drafted into the Cheetah Camp to fight rebellious Roving Bandits was a completely different matter from a street brawl between gangs.

Even a Seventh Grade Martial Artist had no guarantee of safety amidst a chaotic battle; they could be cut down in an instant.

A single, overwhelming volley of arrows could deplete a Seventh Grade Martial Artist’s Protective Qi Force, leaving them as exposed as if they’d been stripped naked.

That wasn’t even mentioning coordinated battle formation assaults, rampaging warhorses, and other Martial Artists who specialized in large-scale chaotic warfare...

In any case, Zou Feng had no intention of going. His Poison Fury Fire Lotus Seal was actually perfect for mowing down hordes of enemies...

After all, with such a large-area poison attack, he could take down swathes of enemies at once.

But that would also make him a priority target for the enemy’s top experts or elite squads.

In short, unless you’d been kicked in the head by a donkey, only an idiot would go and be cannon fodder.

The awkward, silent atmosphere dragged on.

Although Huang Wenbin was still speaking eloquently, desperately trying to salvage the situation and persuade some of the guests, it was all for nothing.

Huang Wenbin wasn’t stupid. He knew his efforts were futile, but with the ”big shot” right next to him, he had to maintain a proactive attitude.

Just as Huang Wenbin had talked himself hoarse and was beginning to feel helpless, Young Master Yuwen took two steps forward. A smirk, like someone watching a circus act, played on his lips as he swept his gaze over the crowd below.

”I seem to have forgotten to mention something. My apologies. I have no intention of negotiating with you.”

”This is... an order!”

”If you wish to disobey, feel free to try!”

As he spoke, the space around Young Master Yuwen seemed to tremble.

A tangible Qi Force radiated from him, making it unmistakably clear that he was a Gang Qi Realm expert.

No one present was surprised by this.

The son of the Governor of Jiangnan would have had access to every possible resource since birth. As long as he wasn’t born with a major defect or had talent so abysmal it was hard to look at, it wasn’t surprising he could be force-fed his way into the Gang Qi Realm.

However, a Gang Qi Realm cultivator created in this way was severely watered-down.

Zou Feng had seen Gang Qi Realm experts from the Celestial Essence Sword Sect and the Ten Directions Sect. He made a quick mental calculation. ’Three Young Master Yuwens combined couldn’t even defeat a single Gang Qi Realm expert from the Sword Sect.’

However, while Young Master Yuwen himself wasn’t intimidating, the father behind him certainly was.

Furthermore, the Martial Artists at Eighth Grade and above could faintly sense a bone-chilling aura emanating from an unseen corner of the room. There was another expert present.

This was Young Master Yuwen’s true trump card.

No matter how reckless he was, he wouldn’t have been foolish enough to sneak out and cause trouble all by himself.

He definitely had at least one legitimate, non-watered-down Gang Qi Realm expert with him.

Under normal circumstances, Young Master Yuwen and his bodyguard—two Gang Qi Realm experts—would be more than enough to suppress all the Jianghu influences in Yuan Guang County by force, even without invoking the name of the Governor of Jiangnan.