Divine War Pill Emperor

"It was Cao Huai and the others. They ordered me to set fire to your Chenxi Pavilion."

Li Zhen confessed everything.

Jiang Chen and the others listened. This was all within their expectations.

They just needed to secure the evidence. Now, they had it.

Jiang Chen didn't make things difficult for Li Zhen. A person like him was just a minor character.

"You can go."

With a wave of his hand, Jiang Chen let Li Zhen go.

Xiao Jun hurriedly asked, "Young Master, why would you let a guy like that go?"

"He tried to burn down our Chenxi Pavilion. It's unforgivable."

Jiang Chen said calmly, "I let him go, but someone else won't."

"He's already told us about Cao Huai's conspiracy. When he goes back, Cao Huai and his men will kill him."

"There's no point in him dying by our hands. He brought this upon himself and can't escape the consequences. He'll get his punishment."

Hearing this, Xiao Jun and Mr. Jiao didn't make things difficult for Li Zhen.

They let Li Zhen leave.

Cao Huai and his men didn't see Chenxi Pavilion go up in flames.

Instead, a disheveled Li Zhen returned to them.

"Li Zhen, why didn't you burn down Chenxi Pavilion?"

Cao Huai and the others stared at Li Zhen.

Li Zhen's face was covered in blood. He cried out, "Boss, I... I was caught by the people from Chenxi Pavilion."

What?

The expressions of Cao Huai and his men changed drastically.

They asked urgently, "Then how did you get back? Did you tell them about us?"

Recalling the scene of being captured by the people from Chenxi Pavilion, Li Zhen was overcome with fear.

They'd nabbed him so quietly it was like they were ghosts.

He wailed, "They were going to kill me, so I told them!"

"I'm sorry, Boss."

At that moment, Cao Huai and the others trembled violently.

'It's over,' they thought. 'This Li Zhen is completely unreliable.'

"Die!"

The man who had hired Li Zhen walked over and, in a fit of rage, cut him down with a single slash.

He then said, fuming, "Now the people from Chenxi Pavilion know we did it. What are we going to do?"

"Damn it all."

The faces of Cao Huai and his men were ashen.

However, Cao Huai was the first to compose himself.

"It's fine. As long as we stick together, Chenxi Pavilion can't do anything to us."

"It's just one measly Chenxi Pavilion. They're nothing special."

"Right, let's all boycott Chenxi Pavilion together."

They discussed it through the night, uniting most of the shop owners on Celestial Water Street to resist Chenxi Pavilion together.

The next day, Celestial Water Street was as bustling as ever.

At the same time, Cao Huai suddenly received an invitation from Jiang Chen, the owner of Chenxi Pavilion, to a banquet at the Joyful Restaurant in Xingyuan City.

Cao Huai and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

"What does the owner of Chenxi Pavilion mean by this?"

"Inviting us to a banquet at the Joyful Restaurant? Is he afraid of us? Is he going to apologize?"

"So, are we going or not?"

"We're going. Whatever the reason, let's all go and see what tricks the owner of Chenxi Pavilion has up his sleeve."

"That's true. If we all go together, what's there to be afraid of?"

And so, Cao Huai and the others made their way to the Joyful Restaurant.

The Joyful Restaurant was considered one of the most luxurious restaurants in Xingyuan City.

Today, the entire restaurant had been booked out.

Jiang Chen stood at the entrance of the Joyful Restaurant. Seeing the invited guests arrive one by one, he smiled faintly. "Thank you all for doing me this honor."

Jiang Chen watched as Cao Huai and the others all appeared at the restaurant.

Over thirty people arrived, all of them owners of Magical Treasure businesses on Celestial Water Street, and every one of them carried themselves with an air of importance.

After almost everyone had arrived, Jiang Chen appeared at the main table.

He cupped his hands in salute to the crowd. "Fellow bosses, I am the unworthy Jiang Chen. Greetings to you all."

No one understood what Jiang Chen was trying to do.

Cao Huai was the first to speak. "Jiang Chen, what is the meaning of this banquet today?"

He knew that Jiang Chen was already aware of the arson attempt. He was probably planning to hold them accountable, but since they had all come together today, they weren't afraid of Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen said calmly, "As a newcomer, I've been ignorant of the local ways. I've been meaning to pay my respects to all of you, but I haven't found the time. My apologies."

"I've invited you all to this banquet today in the hopes of building a good relationship with everyone. We're all neighbors here, and I hope you'll look out for me, the new guy."

As he spoke, Jiang Chen raised his cup.

"Come, let me toast each and every one of you. If I've done anything wrong, please don't hesitate to point it out."

Then, playing the part of the host, Jiang Chen began toasting them one by one.

But as he made his toasts, Jiang Chen's fingers moved slightly, and a wisp of Black Fire silently landed on every person present.

No one was able to detect it.

Seeing Jiang Chen acting so spineless, one of them grew bold and said, "Boss Jiang, since you put it that way, allow me to say a few words."

"Right now, your Chenxi Pavilion has taken all the business on Celestial Water Street. The rest of us are about to be left eating dirt."

"For the sake of us all being in the same trade, how about you spare a few of your Supreme-Grade Dharma Artifacts for us? Give us a way to survive, and we'll show you some respect and look out for you."

"That's right. We've all been in Xingyuan City for years and have some connections. We can definitely help you, as long as you're willing to part with some of those Supreme-Grade Dharma Artifacts."

Cao Huai didn't understand what was happening, but he felt that something was off.

Jiang Chen shouldn't be speaking in such a subservient manner.

But Jiang Chen simply nodded. "I'm already considering this matter. How about this: don't be hasty. I'll go back and think it over for a couple of days, and I will definitely give you all an answer."

Everyone was quite satisfied with Jiang Chen's tact.

"Boss Jiang is a sensible man after all."

"Very good. From now on, we've got your back."

After a while, the crowd dispersed.

As for Jiang Chen, he returned to Chenxi Pavilion by himself.

Sitting inside Chenxi Pavilion, Jiang Chen focused his thoughts.

He had left a trace of Black Fire on every single person.

Under his control, the Black Fire could erupt at any moment.

Originally, he had planned to deal with Cao Huai and the others one by one, but that would have been too time-consuming. So, he simply gathered them all together.

Now, he used his Divine Thought to sense the Black Fire he had left on each person.

His eyes were cold and indifferent.

'They wanted to burn down my Chenxi Pavilion? Then I'll give them an eye for an eye.'

Filled with suspicion, Cao Huai and the others returned to their respective shops.

Cao Huai was still puzzled.

"What on earth is that Jiang Chen up to?"

Just then, he felt a sharp pain on his body.

Suddenly, someone cried out in alarm, "Boss, you're on fire!"

Cao Huai looked and saw black flames roiling behind him. A searing heat burned across his body, and in an instant, Cao Huai was engulfed in fire.

"AH—"

"Help me! Save me...!"

Cao Huai screamed for help.

The people in the shop brought water and threw it on Cao Huai, but the black flames only burned more intensely.

At the same time, the Black Fire spread rapidly, engulfing the entire shop in the blink of an eye.

With most of the shop on fire, the other people inside fled for their lives.

But Cao Huai had already been swallowed by the Black Fire. He let out a few more wretched screams before he and his shop were reduced to a plume of thick, rolling smoke in an instant.

Seven or eight others suffered the same fate as Cao Huai, bursting into flames the moment they stepped into their shops.

In the blink of an eye, half of Celestial Water Street was ablaze.