Dark Wizard: Rise! My undead army!

Black Mountain circled the courtyard and caught an old servant.

The old servant was dozing in the kitchen when Heishan grabbed him by the back of the collar and lifted him up. He was so frightened that he couldn't even scream.

"Where is your owner?" Black Mountain asked.

The old servant seemed terrified, trembling and unable to speak.

Black Mountain had no patience to wait for him to speak, and raised his hand to conjure a spider the size of a fist.

The spider was entirely black, with a swollen abdomen, eight legs covered in fine hairs, and a dense array of eyes on its head.

He grabbed the old servant's chin and, under his horrified gaze, shoved the spider into his mouth.

"Tell me, where did your master go?" Black Mountain's voice carried a hint of malice.

"If you don't tell me, this spider will crawl into your mouth, eat your tongue first, then your throat, and then your stomach and intestines."

"It won't kill you immediately; it will slowly gnaw at you, making you watch your belly shrink little by little."

The old servant was so frightened that his whole body stiffened, his face was covered in tears and snot, and he made a "woo-woo" sound in his throat while nodding frantically.

Black Mountain released his grip, and the spider stopped at the old servant's mouth, not crawling inside.

"Master...Master has been in seclusion in the cultivation room for several days and hasn't appeared yet." The old servant gasped for breath, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Three days ago, other members of the collateral branches of the clan left one after another, some driving horse-drawn carriages, and some disguised as caravans, heading in different directions."

"The lady and the young clan leader come during the day, but I don't know where they go at night. I'm just a gatekeeper; I really don't know anything else!"

"Hmph, trying to fool me? There's a mannequin in the training room. Tell me! When did Lynn leave?"

"I don't know! I haven't even seen the head of the family these past few days."

"All I know is that people from the clan left one by one. First the ones in charge, then the collateral branches, and later even Madam Sisi and the young lady left."

"Young Miss?"

"It's Miss Lin Yao, the clan chief's daughter," the old servant said. "She was the last to leave with Madam Xixi."

After listening, Heishan looked down at the old servant.

The old servant's eyes were full of pleading, his lips trembling, thinking that he would live if he finished speaking.

Unfortunately, in the face of a dark wizard, ordinary people are no different from ants.

Heishan didn't speak, he just waved his hand.

The black spider slithered into the old servant's mouth.

The old servant's eyes widened suddenly, and he gripped his own neck tightly with both hands, making a "gurgling" sound in his throat.

His face went from red to purple, and then from purple to ashen.

My belly swelled up and then quickly deflated, as if something was churning inside.

He rolled twice on the ground, his fingers digging into his throat, black blood gushing from his mouth.

When the spider crawled out of his mouth, it had grown fatter, and its eight legs were covered in slime.

Heishan didn't even glance at it, then turned and left.

The old servant lay on the ground, his eyes still open, and the last faint bubbles came out of his throat.

Black Mountain returned to the front hall, sat in the chair Lynn usually sat in, put his feet on the edge of the table, and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

The Gray Feather Clan has run away, and Lynn has probably left long ago as well. The "Lynn" who is in seclusion is a puppet.

The collateral relatives left, the family members left, leaving only the wife and son to run a shop in the city.

"Is it really necessary?" Black Mountain said.

He only wanted a witch crystal mine, not to wipe out the entire Gray Feather family.

There was no deep-seated hatred between the two sides, and he didn't even intend to kill anyone.

But the Gray Feather Clan's reaction was excessive.

They abandoned all their assets and the whole family fled, as if being chased by something terrifying.

Moreover, judging from the timeline, Lynn ran away right when he was promoted, without any delay.

This kid is way too timid.

Black Mountain wondered, "Where did he go this time?"

However, the thought only lingered in his mind for a moment before dissipating.

who cares!

Now that everyone has left, Graystone City is empty.

A magic crystal mine plus an entire city—this deal is more profitable than the original plan.

Black Mountain stood up from his chair, walked to the window, looked at the empty courtyard of the Gray Feather Clan, and suddenly smiled.

"Let them run," he said. "It'll save me the trouble of doing anything."

...

The next morning, the Black Fang family made a grand entrance into Graystone City.

Several teams, operating under the guise of separate operations by the Black Fang family, took over the shops and properties of the Gray Feather family one by one.

The head steward personally oversaw the operation, visiting each establishment one by one with a map in hand.

The grocery store on East Street was the first to be taken over.

With the shopkeeper absent, several employees stood at the door, unsure of what to do.

The head steward walked in, glanced at the shelves, and said to the steward behind him, "Take inventory and put it into stock. The shop will be closed for now and will reopen when we get new staff."

The shop assistants looked at each other, and one of the older ones mustered up his courage and asked, "Sir, we are a shop owned by the Gray Feather family. The manager hasn't returned yet, so we can't make any decisions."

"Your manager has run away with the Gray Feather family and won't be coming back," the head steward said.

"From now on, this shop will be managed by the Black Fang family. Those who want to stay can sign a new contract, and those who don't want to stay can leave now."

The men looked at each other, but no one said a word.

The shopkeeper has run away, but the shop is still there and needs someone to manage it.

These experienced people aren't afraid of being kicked out.

As long as they can stay and work, their wages will continue to be paid, which is not a problem for them.

The head steward left two people to take inventory, while he led his men to the next house.

The herbal medicine shops in the city are managed by a collateral branch of the Gray Feather family.

Although the shopkeeper was not there, the shop's old employees, all servants of the Gray Feather family, blocked the doorway and refused to let the Black Fang family members in.

"This is the Gray Feather family's shop! What right do you have to occupy it?"

"Why should I?" The Black Fang family steward chuckled.

"Your clan leader has run away, and your head of household is not here. If you know what's good for you, get out of the way. If you don't, don't blame us for being impolite."

"So what if I'm not polite?" the old man said, sticking his neck out, not afraid of the Black Fang family at all.

"We've been working here for over a decade, and we built this shop up from scratch. How can your Black Tooth family just take it over like that? Is there no law anymore?"

Without another word, the manager waved his hand, and several guards from the Black Fang family rushed forward and pulled the old man away.

The old man struggled desperately, but was kicked in the stomach and curled up on the ground for a long time, unable to get up.

Seeing this, some of the others dared not move, while others continued to curse, but were all knocked down by the guards with a few punches and kicks.

The shop was forcibly taken over, the medicinal herbs on the shelves were emptied, and even the hidden compartments under the counter were pried open.

The old folks sat on the ground, looking at the shop turned upside down, and covered their faces as they cried.

The city guards patrolling the streets didn't dare utter a sound when they saw this.

Previously, the Gray Feather Clan was the overlord of Graystone City, so they naturally flattered them and dared not offend them.

Now that a tough nut has been thrown into the air, daring to seize the Gray Feather family's assets, they dare not offend them.

The days ahead are probably going to be tough...