Chapter 238: 238 Kill the chicken to warn the monkey_1
The release of the manga had its effect. At least now, everyone knew the origins of the so-called Demon Race.
And there was more.
When the fourth Chapter of the manga was released, it actually inspired many Spirit Card Masters. It turned out that the so-called Demon Race was essentially sentient spirits. Wen Jiang’s creation of the B-Rank Dual-Change Card Set also corresponded to this revelation. Could it be that other entities could also be transformed into various Demon Race Dual-Change Cards?
As a result, a large number of inferior R-Rank Card Spirits began to appear on the market.
Yes, R-Rank.
But this was actually a good start.
Not only are high-level cards difficult to make, but the increasingly scarce output of high-level cards also indirectly impacts low-level cards. The fourth Chapter of Wen Jiang’s manga carried immense significance.
First, the Six Realms System is complex, and countless living creatures can be made into cards. The Demon Race is one of the easiest to understand.
Next were ghosts.
There are still some traces of ghosts in current cultural lore, but without significant recorded deeds, their impact and the sense of immersion aren’t as strong as before. However, humans always fear the unknown, and a small number of ghost cards have now started to become popular on the market.
Ghost cards had appeared in the past, but most were low-level cards and did not have a profound impact.
As for entities like Buddhas, they are still very difficult to create as cards due to a lack of cultural influence here. Taoism, similarly, would need the context of *Investiture of the Gods* and *Journey to the West* to be elaborated upon in detail.
Everything was off to a good start. Watching the card market in Yunxia gradually begin to change, Wen Jiang felt a subtle sense of satisfaction in her heart.
After all, concepts like merit influence one’s spiritual cultivation. Could her failure in the Tribulation be due to a lack of virtue?
She was neither good nor bad and had never committed evil deeds, but she never showed mercy to those who came to bother her. Perhaps this was why the Heavenly Dao deemed her lacking in virtue.
Hua Zhuo’s phone call interrupted her thoughts. She lowered her voice, "What did Xie Lingyan say before he died?"
How could he agree to die so easily?
This was beyond Hua Zhuo’s expectation.
According to her thinking, Xie Lingyan had lived for so many years; he should have found a way out for himself.
Instead of even trying to escape, he chose to leave a suicide note and take his own life.
"He didn’t say anything." Wen Jiang lifted her eyes. "Perhaps he had one last shred of conscience."
That conscience he left for the Xie Family.
He knew Wen Jiang was truly capable of bringing the Xie Family to ruin, with his wife and mother ending up on the streets.
Perhaps it was also because the Soul Search had caused certain side effects. Xie Lingyan’s mind wasn’t as clear as usual. Dazed and confused, he chose to obey Wen Jiang, taking the most stable course of action.
Was Wen Jiang wrong? No, she wasn’t.
She hadn’t grown up in the Jimo Family and had no feelings whatsoever for the Xie Family. Why should she show mercy?
Moreover, a family like the Xie Family, if they ran into trouble, would be a serious burden to the Jimo Family.
Xie Lingyan had harmed so many people. For him to escape true justice by suicide was considered far too lenient.
From the very beginning, Xie Lingyan had been walking a path the Jimo Family did not permit. This was the retribution he deserved.
Hua Zhuo’s tone was complex. "Is that so..."
Hua Zhuo set aside her complex thoughts and turned to business. "The suicide note he left detailed many things he had done over the years. This includes matters involving members of the Yin Family and some evidence he left behind. I’ve already had someone retrieve it. If we hand it over to the police, Mount Flower will be under investigation for some time, and we probably won’t have peaceful days ahead."
"What... do you intend to do?"
She wanted to persuade Wen Jiang. It wasn’t about letting Yin Zhiqi off the hook; rather, too many people were involved.
Fortunately, Wen Jiang didn’t act rashly. She said, "Target Yin Zhiqi. It’s enough to make the Yin Family keep quiet for now. Let’s hold onto the other evidence."
Xie Lingyan’s actions had targeted too many people. If all of it were truly handed over to the police, it would indeed cause a storm in Imperial City.
Wen Jiang could keep Yin Zhiqi under tight scrutiny, but if she chose to involve too many people, the others would fight her to the death.
Of course, she wasn’t afraid, but she also had to consider the others in Mount Flower—so many ordinary people were entangled in this.
After a moment of thought, she said, "We can thoroughly investigate everyone he implicated and then bring them under control."
Hua Zhuo felt somewhat relieved by this answer. She said, "You are just like your father."
When her father was mentioned, Wen Jiang never responded.
Hua Zhuo continued on her own, "If he had encountered this situation, he would have made the same choice as you."
For the Nobility, this was a rare and commendable quality.
They hardly regarded ordinary people as human, but Jimo Xiao was different. Her senior brother was righteous and upright his entire life, open and honest; he would never have tolerated such things.
She also knew that even if Jimo Xiao were alive, Xie Lingyan would undoubtedly still have to die.
Regarding Wen Jiang’s decision to handle this, Hua Zhuo was only slightly worried that Wen Jiang might regret it because he was one of her few remaining relatives. However, she never felt Wen Jiang had gone too far.
So she was relieved. "If your senior brother knew in the afterlife, he would be happy. Your mother would be happy too."
Their daughter, like them, was also walking towards the light.
Wen Jiang still didn’t respond to this, only asking, "Haven’t the Yin Family members come looking for us yet?"
Hua Zhuo replied, "Soon. Perhaps hearing the news of Xie Lingyan’s suicide will make them hesitate."
The matter between Xie Lingyan and Yin Zhiqi was intricately connected. With Yin Zhiqi arrested and imprisoned, the Yin Family members could certainly have come aggressively to Wen Jiang to demand an explanation, questioning the Jimo Family’s intentions.
But if Xie Lingyan committed suicide out of guilt, the implications were terrifying.
The Jimo Family’s heir dared to kill her own uncle; would she care about a mere child from your Yin Family?
Moreover, Yin Zhiqi wasn’t even the Family Head’s son. If they truly wanted to oppose the Jimo Family over this, they would have much to consider.
「* * *」
"Madwoman! She’s a complete madwoman!"
News of Xie Lingyan’s suicide swiftly spread throughout Imperial City. Those unaware of the specifics were still observing, wondering, "How did Yin Zhiqi get arrested, and why did Xie Lingyan commit suicide?"
As for the Yin Family members who knew the truth, like Yin Zhiqi’s father, he had just rushed back from abroad. Before he could even take a sip of water, while preparing to confront the Jimo Family about his son’s situation, he heard the news of Xie Lingyan’s suicide and was utterly stunned.
His son was a scoundrel, with a pile of sordid deeds done in private that they had become accustomed to cleaning up after.
Xie Lingyan had even helped him out with such matters before, though few knew about it. It was because of this that Xie Lingyan had managed to connect with Yin Zhiqi.
Yin Boyuan exclaimed in disbelief, "But that was her uncle!"
Lady Yin Boyuan also understood the gravity of the situation. She had been crying over her son’s predicament for a long time. Now, with tears in her eyes, she seethed with hatred for Wen Jiang. "What’s her relationship with that little slut? Why would she oppose our Yin Family for such a lowlife? Has she gone mad?"
Yin Boyuan’s face was grim; he said nothing.
He roughly knew what Wen Jiang intended to do. She had only recently returned; the Jimo Family surely hadn’t fully consolidated control over its many enterprises yet.
Xie Lingyan committing suicide out of guilt was the perfect example of killing a chicken to scare the monkeys.
Now, who under Mount Flower’s banner would dare to oppose her?
Of course, she could kill the chicken to scare the monkeys, but to drag the Yin Family into it as well? That would make her an absolute madwoman!