chapter 39 Martial Law

Magpie Bridge Mountain, located to the west of Yeoannes City, rises ten thousand meters high, piercing the clouds. Standing from a distance and looking up, there is a huge hollow from the midsection of Magpie Bridge Mountain upwards, making the mountain's peak resemble a magpie bridge. According to legend, it is here that the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meet every year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. At this moment, the entire Magpie Bridge Mountain is filled with various construction vehicles. Many people have come specially to watch the excitement, eager to witness the construction of Magpie Bridge Palace bit by bit. There are even many reporters on the scene reporting on the construction progress. Gillespie smiled and pointed to the mountain peak, "The foundation of Magpie Bridge Palace has been laid. Tomorrow, helicopters will be used to cover the entire Magpie Bridge Mountain with curtains. Until the completion, no one except the construction team will know the true appearance of Magpie Bridge Palace." "That's thoughtful," Atius said with a smile, nodding his head. His gaze suddenly turned toward the middle of the mountain. There, a group of people in orange work clothes and another group in blue seemed to have a conflict, and hundreds of people from both sides suddenly clashed. Gillespie's expression turned cold, "With the construction so urgent, they still have the mood to cause trouble and fight. Lord, rest assured, Nereus and Indivar are up there; they will handle it." Sure enough, as soon as Gillespie's words fell, a group of hefty men in black clothes rushed to the middle of the mountain. Soon, the troublemakers were separated. Atius was also about to turn around and leave. But just as he turned his head, he caught a glimpse of two figures out of the corner of his eye. They were an old man and a young man. The elder was dressed in a gray robe, with silver hair tied behind his head, his figure lean, exuding an air of immortal grace. The young man had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, a tall and straight posture, dressed in casual gray clothes. Although his face was expressionless, there was an air of unrivaled pride between his brows. Noticing Atius looking at him, the elder also smiled at Atius, then turned around with the youth and left. Gillespie looked at the departing pair and asked with a frown, "Lord, is there a problem with those two?" Atius shook his head and asked, "Has anything significant happened in Yeoannes City these past few days?" "Something significant?" Gillespie frowned and thought for a moment, "Apart from the matter of Magpie Bridge Mountain, it's probably just the Dunn family that has just moved in." "Speaking of which, Lord, do you know where the Dunn family has chosen to settle?" Before Atius could ask, Gillespie blurted out, "It's the same place where the Yates family used to be. At that time, Lord, you had it leveled, and the Dunn family has already rebuilt it." "Moreover, the Dunn family is hosting a banquet tomorrow for the various families and upper-class individuals of Yeoannes City, and our Jernigan family has also received an invitation." "It's normal. The Dunn family is new here and will inevitably have to deal with us in the future." Atius nodded, the image of the elder he had seen earlier coming to mind, and suddenly said, "I'll go with you tomorrow, just say I'm a junior member of the Jernigan family." Gillespie nodded, called for the car, and drove Atius toward the Jernigan family. The night passed without incident. The next morning, Gillespie, along with Atius and Calandra—a total of five people—headed to the former site of the Yates family, which was now the Dunn family's territory. In just a few days, many pavilions and towers had been rebuilt here. The young man Atius saw yesterday was standing at the entrance, supposedly to welcome guests, but his face was devoid of emotion, and he did not utter a word. As the five of them passed by him, he just glanced at Atius faintly, with a flash of arrogance in his eyes. Walking along the corridor for a while, Atius and his group arrived at a palace-like building. The grand hall was decorated in an antique style, which was quite eye-catching. At this moment, there were already hundreds of people in the hall, but there were still many seats empty. As soon as Atius and his group sat down, young women in cheongsams served tea and pastries. About half an hour later, the entire hall was full. The elder Atius had seen yesterday appeared again with the young man, first greeted everyone with a fist and palm salute, then sat in the most prominent position. The young man stood by his side, looking straight ahead. "Hehe, welcome, everyone." The elder smiled, took a sip of tea, and slowly said, "The Dunn family is settling in Yeoannes City, so I especially invited everyone to get acquainted. After all, we will inevitably have dealings in the future." No one in the audience spoke. After all, the origins of the Dunn family were still unclear to everyone, and under such circumstances, silence was undoubtedly the best choice. The elder seemed to understand what everyone was thinking and smiled, "My name is Zandy Dunn, and this is my grandson, Armoni Dunn." "My Dunn family's ancestors made their fortune during the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and for over a thousand years, we have remained hidden in Mount Zorree." Many people showed a look of surprise. There are many mountain ranges in Wimston Province, among which Mount Zorree is the most mysterious, always shrouded in mist, and most who enter it never return. There have been rumors that there might be a hidden family in Mount Zorree, and it turns out to be true. Zandy smiled and saluted again, "My Dunn family has been studying medicine for generations. If you ever need help in the future, just speak up." After learning about the origins of the Dunn family, someone immediately stood up and saluted with a fist and palm, "Lord of the Dunn family, since the Dunn family has always been hidden, why have you decided to emerge now?" Zandy waved his hand with a smile, "Generations change." "Even the strongest families, if they cannot keep up with the times, are destined to disappear in the river of time." "In fact, I have been planning for the Dunn family to enter the world for twenty years." Gillespie glanced at the expressionless Atius and suddenly stood up to ask Zandy, "Lord of the Dunn family, do you know the story of the land under our feet?" Zandy looked at Gillespie with a smile, "Of course, this used to be the Yates family's territory, but after they offended someone, it was leveled to the ground." With these words, many people's faces showed puzzled expressions. Generally, big families do not choose to build on ruins, as it is considered inauspicious. Zandy waved his hand with a smile, "Actually, this place is just a transition; we'll use it as an annex in the future." "The place I'm truly interested in is that Magpie Bridge Mountain." After saying this, Zandy looked towards Indivar, "Yesterday I saw people from the Jernigan family at Crow Mountain, so you must have contact with the owner of Magpie Bridge Mountain. Am I right?" Indivar suddenly snorted coldly, "Your Dunn family sure has a big appetite, taking over this place is one thing, but to also covet Magpie Bridge Mountain, are you not afraid of bursting your belly?" Zandy remained unfazed, shaking his head with a smile, "There's a saying in the mundane world that harmony brings wealth." "Everything can be discussed, and I believe the other party will be satisfied with my offer and willingly exchange Magpie Bridge Mountain with me." Gillespie looked at Zandy coldly, "The Dunn family is welcome to settle in Yeoannes City, and we, the Jernigan family, are very welcoming." "But if you dare to covet Magpie Bridge Mountain, then my Jernigan family will fight you to the end!" With these words, everyone's brows furrowed. Calandra whispered to Atius, "Who actually bought Magpie Bridge Mountain? Why is my father so agitated?" Atius did not explain, but just watched the Dunn family's patriarch coldly. "Jernigan family head, it seems you and your brothers have a problem with my Dunn family," Zandy said with a smile, taking a sip of tea, "Besides getting to know each other today, there is another message I would like to convey to everyone." "From today onwards, in Yeoannes City, my Dunn family will have the final say." As he said this, an intimidating aura suddenly emanated from Zandy. Even though there were several Heaven Rank experts present, their faces changed drastically at the sensation of this aura. Saint Rank! Atius frowned slightly, feeling that something was amiss. First, there was Riggan, Sect Master of the Profound Darkness Sect, then the monster Blood Shark from Blood Shark Island, and now Zandy. In a short period of time, three Saint Rank beings had appeared. It is known that advancing through each minor realm in martial arts requires accumulation over time. Those who can cultivate hidden strength account for only about one percent, and of these, only one percent can become Earth Rank masters. Advancing further to become a Heaven Rank is even more difficult, not to mention Saint Rank. In the Red Dragon Kingdom with over three hundred billion people, there are only a handful of known Saint Rank experts. Not just Saint Rank, Atius had noticed since returning to the country that Heaven Rank experts were also becoming more numerous. Seeing that he had subdued the audience, Zandy stroked his white beard and placed the teacup aside, asking Gillespie again, "Now, can you tell me who bought Magpie Bridge Mountain?" Gillespie replied coldly, "Don't think that just because you're a Saint Rank expert you can do whatever you want. I will repeat myself, I advise the Dunn family not to have any designs on Magpie Bridge Mountain." Seeing Gillespie's continued defiance, Armoni said coldly from beside Zandy, "You the Jernigan family are ungrateful!" "My grandfather is a respected Saint Rank expert, one of the strongest existences in this world, and the fact that he is speaking to you nicely is already a favor!" Gillespie said, "Are you implying that you want to destroy the Jernigan family?" "It's not impossible," Zandy's smile disappeared, "Saint Rank must not be insulted, Gillespie, I give you three seconds to consider." As soon as he finished speaking, three middle-aged men entered from outside. These three exuded the might of Heaven Rank experts, their killing intent undisguised. The three of them stood in front of Gillespie. Nereus and Indivar immediately stood up and joined Gillespie. Although they were only Earth Rank in strength, their faces showed no fear. As the atmosphere grew tense, Calandra also turned pale from the aura of the three Heaven Rank experts, but she still stood by her father and uncles. Zandy began to laugh, "Your Jernigan family is tough, hmm, very good." He then looked at Atius, "Boy, why don't you stand up?"