The Twilight Chamber of Commerce was originally founded as a maritime armed alliance to resist bandit attacks, aiming to maintain order along the trade routes and protect the safety of the merchants under its banner.
At least in Wu Yi’s memory, that was indeed the case when it was first established.
Back then, the ocean was still under blockade, and all merchants and fishermen could only sail along the coast.
Pirates weren’t exactly rampant either.
The Twilight Chamber of Commerce had gathered the private armed forces of various merchant guilds and, in its prime, was the most powerful maritime force in the Eastern world.
Bandits and warlords along the coast didn’t dare act recklessly in the face of their might.
Enjoying the shade under a big tree, smaller merchant guilds took the opportunity to paint their ships like those of the Twilight Chamber, disguising themselves and bluffing their way through trade voyages.
Before her final battle with the God-King, Wu Yi had received reports from the Beacon Envoy many small guilds along the Donghuang coast had gone missing, but it wasn’t the work of bandits.
At the time, with the final assault imminent, she had no mental space to concern herself with such local matters and could only let it slide.
Who would’ve thought that today, she’d get the chance to witness the true face of this so-called “Chamber of Commerce.”
“Your father… he’s the chairman?” Wu Yi’s face remained expressionless. No anger, no frustration, no fear, just a cold question. “What’s his name?”
“Listen up! My name is Cheng Jing, and my father is the one and only famous Chairman of the Twilight Chamber of Commerce—Cheng Yi!”
Cheng Yi?
In her prophetic state, Wu Yi’s cognitive abilities were heightened.
With hyperthymesia, she could remember every second of her past experiences in perfect detail.
So she clearly remembered the current Three Great Pirate Emperors—how Drake used to be an ambitious subordinate under her command, how Sam Bellamy used to tail her calling her “sister,” how Redbeard Hailai Ding always argued with her over decisions.
And that Cheng Yi—back then, he was nothing more than a lowly errand boy running behind the former chairman of the Twilight Chamber.
Hah. Every one of them had grown wings now.
“What’s wrong?”
Dusk was falling when Wu Ma arrived late after work.
“Perfect timing. Break this brat’s legs. And his lackeys too.” Wu Yi said coldly.
“Uh…?”
Wu Ma gave a single glance and immediately understood the situation.
These thuggish punks had long been repeat offenders.
If it weren’t for the city lord protecting them with everything he had, Wu Ma would’ve dealt with them ages ago.
He didn’t even need to ask.
He already knew what had happened here.
These bloated, shameless bastards had no doubt let their hormones take over, and had gotten some disgusting ideas in their heads.
Even now, they still hadn’t given up, continuing to surround the two girls like vultures.
“Perfect.” Wu Ma raised his spear, “Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance!”
“Wu Ma! Touch me, and I dare you!”
There wasn’t a soul in this city who didn’t know Wu Ma just like there wasn’t anyone who didn’t know the notorious Cheng Yi.
Cheng Jing and Wu Ma had long been at odds, but Cheng Jing was confident Wu Ma wouldn’t dare act, so he kept shouting: “Mind your damn business and get lost! Or when my father arrives, there won’t be a soul left standing in Bibo City!”
That was how he could act with impunity in Bibo City—even attend school here without a care.
Bibo City’s naval defense was no match for Cheng Yi’s army.
If the pirate forces marched in, the city would be plunged into hell.
His threat to wipe out the city wasn’t an empty one.
Countless others had already become past examples. Similar towns were suffering that very fate even now…
Everyone knew—he wasn’t bluffing.
If Cheng Yi’s son was harmed, Bibo City really could become a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
“General Wu Ma! Please, calm down!”
More and more people gathered.
A carriage suddenly stopped, and City Lord Lu Sheng rushed out in a panic: “For the sake of Bibo City’s people, General Wu Ma, I beg you—stay calm!”
Seeing the city lord take his side, the thug became even more arrogant. He brazenly reached out to grab Wu Yi’s hair.
“Woman, now do you understand how powerful I am? Come with me, and I guarantee you’ll be treated well.”
Before his filthy hand could touch her, Wu Yi grabbed Wu Ma’s spear and turned its tip toward Cheng Jing’s palm.
“Oh? And what are you going to do?”
Thud—
The blade pierced flesh.
Cheng Jing stared blankly at the spear tip that had gone straight through his palm and out the back of his hand.
His brain lagged a beat behind, unable to register the sheer absurdity of what had just happened.
Then, a moment later, he let out a gut-wrenching scream.
“You’re dead! All of you are dead! Wu Ma, you—and you, who the hell even are you?!”
There was no way Wu Yi could have wielded Wu Ma’s hundred-pound spear on her own strength.
But she wasn’t the only one here with deep, burning hatred for pirates.
Blood splashed onto the lips of the vice-priestess of the Dagon Cult.
She licked the blood, spat it on Cheng Jing, and a crazed light flickered across her sharp, cold features.
“Almighty and all-knowing Lady Kefulu, forgive your servant’s sin of bloodshed. For the sake of protecting our priestess from defilement. For the sake of—”
Crack—
“For the deep hatred that burns in our veins every second of every day!”
The spear drove forward again, tearing through Cheng Jing’s palm, then along the flesh of his arm, piercing up through his shoulder and out his back.
That strike split his entire arm like firewood, torn apart into a mangled mess.
The pain was beyond what the brain could even process.
Cheng Jing’s entire consciousness was reduced to a single overwhelming thought: he’d rather die than feel this.
“You’re all insane!”
Only now did Cheng Jing and his thugs realize they were in a terrifying situation.
They had always been able to threaten Wu Ma and the city lord because those men cared about the people of Bibo City.
They had attachments.
But this woman standing before them—she didn’t care at all about the lives that might be lost in the slaughter to come.
“Wu Ma! What are you doing?! That’s your spear! Why aren’t you stopping her?!”
The city lord screamed in despair at Wu Ma.
“…She zapped me. My hand’s numb,” Wu Ma muttered awkwardly, shaking his hand. “She’s an electric-type Spirit Binder.”
The city lord trembled with fury, thinking furiously, trying to force a smile and figure out any way to salvage the situation.
But it was too late.
One madwoman’s impulsive act had already made the situation irreversible.
Cheng Jing had been crippled. His arm was destroyed. The other side would never let this go.
So what now? Kill everyone, cover it up, buy time?
Impossible, this was a busy marketplace, who knew how many bystanders had seen what happened?
Messenger pigeons were already flying overhead, headed overseas.
Cheng Yi had spies everywhere.
Most of the merchant guilds had already become his eyes and ears in exchange for protection… There was no way this could be covered up!
It was over. All of it, completely over.
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