Ye Chen shouted as he hurled fireballs, bsting the outer walls of the nearby courtyards one after another. The cultivators inside were startled by the commotion. The middle-aged man lying on the ground, writhing in pain, was equally shocked by Ye Chen's actions.

  He had expected Ye Chen to call for help, but he thought Ye Chen would seek assistance from the Ye family elders to deal with the Jin siblings. He hadn't anticipated that Ye Chen would directly summon the Law Enforcement Team.

  As for the destruction of the walls, the middle-aged man understood. The Silver Moon Market was entirely under the Mo family's control. All cultivators living there had to pay rent, and any damage to the property would require compensation. With the area now in ruins, someone would have to pay for the Mo family's losses. The man, facing death with only a few low-grade spirit stones on him, knew that Ye Chen, as the victim and a family member, wouldn't be troubled by the Mo family. This would only increase their motivation to go after the Jin siblings.

  Ye Chen really knew how to make a scene. The rumors of him being a "lick spirit" were completely unfounded. The middle-aged man was pleased with the outcome.

  Soon, several cultivators arrived, all in the te stages of Qi Refining, with serious expressions. They showed no reaction to the sight of the middle-aged man reduced to a human stick, but frowned at the chaotic street and the affected courtyards. The Mo family collected rent, but they also had obligations. If their rented properties were damaged without cause, they had to repair them, which was no small expense. Considering the current state of their family, their expressions turned grim. The leader addressed Ye Chen, "What happened here?"

  Ye Chen bowed slightly, "Greetings, seniors. I am Ye Chen, a disciple of the Ye family, and my father is Ye Tianhe."

  "This man suddenly attacked me, and I was lucky to counterattack."

  The group gnced at Ye Chen, who was unharmed, then at the middle-aged man on the ground, and couldn't help but twitch their lips. "Lucky," indeed. However, knowing Ye Chen was a family disciple improved their attitude significantly. The cultivation world wasn't just about fighting; background mattered too. They knew of the Ye family and had heard of Ye Tianhe.

  But someone had to account for the Mo family's losses. They turned to the middle-aged man, "Killing in the Silver Moon Market, whether directly or by instigation, is a capital offense... Speak up, and we'll give you a swift end."

  The middle-aged man, already in agony, didn't hesitate to recount the events, even mentioning their killings in the mountains, which included some family disciples. Knowing he was doomed, he decided to spill everything.

  Finally, he looked at Ye Chen and said, "But he broke the wall... I was already on the ground, limbs severed, while he called for help and threw fireballs all around. It was all him."

  Though he hated Jin Wuqing, he didn't want Ye Chen to have it easy either. Ye Chen felt a bit awkward, realizing he had focused too much on motivating the Mo family to act and not enough on his own situation. It was like when his electric bike was stolen in his past life, and the police didn't care. Being exposed like this was embarrassing.

  Ye Chen awkwardly expined, "I was too nervous and lost control..."

  The Mo family members looked at Ye Chen with complex expressions. They had heard of his reputation and even joked about him over meals and drinks. A "lick spirit" like him would have been dealt with harshly in the Mo family. Yet, here he was, causing trouble over a woman. He wasn't as foolish as the rumors suggested, but not much better either.

  As for Ye Chen defeating someone at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining while being at the Fourth, it wasn't surprising. Rogue cultivators relied on luck for their training and couldn't compete with family disciples.

  A Mo family cultivator stomped the middle-aged man to death and began searching the body. He found an empty storage bag, a low-grade magic artifact dagger, a pair of artifact shoes, and some miscelneous pills. Not a bad haul.

  The cultivator handed the items to Ye Chen with a smirk, "According to our Mo family rules, since you subdued this person, his belongings are yours. Take them."

  "As for the Jin siblings, we'll deal with them immediately."

  Ye Chen was relieved that they seemed to accept his expnation about the wall. He took only the storage bag, leaving the rest as compensation for the wall damage. "I just needed a storage bag. As for the rest, consider it payment for the wall. Even if it was an accident, it was still my doing."

  The Mo family members nodded in satisfaction at Ye Chen's tact and left without further comment, not even bothering to clean up the body. All four were in the te stages of Qi Refining, at least at the Seventh Layer, and the Silver Moon Market's Guard Team operated in shifts, indicating there were more te-stage cultivators than expected. The Mo family was indeed powerful, befitting a Foundation Establishment family capable of managing such a rge business and maintaining order. Without them, the Silver Moon Market would have descended into chaos.

  Ye Chen considered following them to see the outcome, but remembering that Jin Wuqing had a sister in the te stages of Qi Refining, he decided against it. If a fight broke out and he got caught in it, it would be a huge loss. Besides, with four Mo family cultivators involved, the problem was unlikely to persist.

  Ye Chen put his mind at ease, stored the storage bag, and headed to the shop. He didn't need the storage bag himself, but giving it to Lin Ke'er would trigger a reward. After selling it post-reward, he'd earn several medium-grade spirit stones.

  That night, Ye Chen reflected on the harshness of the cultivation world. All this trouble over a woman, when on Earth, it would have been just a fistfight. Couldn't people just promote peace and cooperation for mutual benefit?

  He pondered the Jin siblings, wondering if they had been dealt with. Although Jin Wuqing wanted him dead, it might not have involved his sister. But with a name like Jin Zhaodi, she probably came from a family that favored sons over daughters. With her brother dead, she'd likely seek revenge. Ye Chen didn't want a te-stage Qi Refining cultivator targeting him, so he hoped they'd both be taken away, sparing them the pain of sibling separation. Being from China, he had a compassionate heart.

  The next day, Ye Chen received a visit from the Mo family, as he was the victim and deserved an expnation. If prominent families felt it was too dangerous to do business there, the Silver Moon Market would become deserted, reducing the Mo family's income.

  "Fellow Daoist Ye, Jin Wuqing is dead!"

  Ye Chen felt relieved, but the visitor continued, "However, Jin Zhaodi used a sinister escape technique. Though severely injured, she managed to flee into the mountains."

  "But don't worry, Fellow Daoist Ye, she's on our wanted list. If she dares to come out, she'll be killed on sight. She won't escape for long."

  Ye Chen's relief vanished. Damn... How could the Mo family's Guard Team be so incompetent? Four against two, and one still escaped? They couldn't even send the siblings off together. What else could they do? Give me back my magic artifact!

  With a new te-stage Qi Refining enemy, Ye Chen was anxious. He even considered asking someone to inform his father to take him away.

  CPDD