Chapter 242: Chapter 141: Taking Stock of the Gains
"Have you considered another detail? Why did the culprit fire off a City Guard Department whistling arrow as he was leaving?"
"If he was an assassin from the Wind and Rain Tower, why would he bother with such an unnecessary act?"
Jiang Botao asked abruptly.
Mao Yong thought for a moment before replying, "I have considered that as well. The culprit likely fired the City Guard Department’s whistling arrow to mislead us, to make me shift the investigation’s focus toward the powers within Linji City."
Jiang Botao said, "Even if the perpetrator was truly an assassin from the Wind and Rain Tower, he could have been hired by the Four Great Clans of the Inner City. After all, the Wind and Rain Tower only cares about getting paid; they never ask why."
Mao Yong mused for a moment. "Lord Jiang, you would naturally not permit any member of the Jiang Family to do such a thing, and the Qin Family is equally unlikely. That leaves only the Wang and Shen Families."
"The Zhou Family has always worked for the Wang Family and has had numerous conflicts with the Shen Family in the past. Zhou Xu himself was placed in the South City District City Guard Headquarters by the Wang Family specifically to hinder Shen Qingshuang. Logically, this makes the Shen Family the most likely culprits."
"And by firing the City Guard Department’s whistling arrow, the culprit lured officials to the scene to discover the Zhou Family’s criminal evidence, leading to their swift eradication. The Shen Family stands to benefit the most from this."
"It all seems to fit together perfectly, almost too perfectly. If the Shen Family were truly behind this, they would never have made the connection to themselves so obvious. They would have been far more covert."
"Furthermore, even if the Shen Family wanted to move against the Zhou Family and needed evidence to wipe them out, their first target would have been Zhou’s Blacksmith Shop, not a direct assault on the Zhou family estate."
"Besides, the Shen Family was already under heavy suspicion for the disappearance of Zhou Hongjun. They would be highly unlikely to make a move on the Zhou Family at a time like this."
"Therefore, in my opinion, it wasn’t the Shen Family."
Jiang Botao asked, "Are you suggesting, then, that the Wang Family orchestrated this themselves?"
Mao Yong shook his head. "The Wang Family still has use for the Zhou Family, so they have no reason to move against them. After careful consideration, I still believe it was the work of the Wind and Rain Tower or some other outside power."
"The faction behind this is likely the same one responsible for Zhou Hongjun’s disappearance."
"There’s one more possibility: the Black Lotus Sect has its sights on Linji City again and is trying to stir up chaos."
"Enough!" Jiang Botao waved his hand dismissively. "Without concrete evidence, we could speculate until our heads burst and still not figure out the true culprit."
"According to reports from the Demon Suppression Department, those outside powers haven’t sent any experts to Linji City yet. They won’t be able to cause any real trouble for the time being."
"Since the Zhou Family case involves the struggle between the Shen and Wang Families and took place in the South City District, just let Shen Qingshuang handle it herself."
Jiang Botao clearly intended to let the Shen and Wang Families continue their struggle, wearing each other down.
Mao Yong understood the implication, of course. He quickly bowed, acknowledged the order, and excused himself.
After Mao Yong left, Jiang Botao turned back to gaze out over all of Linji City. His eyes glinted, and his expression grew solemn and imperious.
’The very existence of the Four Great Clans of the Inner City ultimately undermines my authority as City Lord.’
’Perhaps it’s time for a change in the landscape of Linji City!’
...
The Zhou Family affair had escalated because Chen Cheng, upon discovering their criminal evidence, had impulsively fired a City Guard Department whistling arrow, drawing constables to the scene.
This forced Chen Cheng to stay busy all night. The next morning, he was roped into leading a team to seize the Zhou Family’s assets. It wasn’t until nearly noon that he finally finished his work and returned home.
Of course, the accidental discovery of the Zhou Family’s crimes had led to their complete downfall, with Zhou Xu becoming a wanted fugitive. All of this saved Chen Cheng a great deal of trouble.
The outcome was quite satisfactory.
After lunch, Chen Cheng sat alone in his bedroom, a pile of large and small money bags spread out before him. It was the haul from his "excursion" to the Zhou Family estate the previous night.
Looking back, despite his thorough preparations for the previous night’s events, many unforeseen complications had arisen, making it incredibly perilous.
For one thing, there were the Zhou Family’s twelve Estate Guard Martial Artists clad in Heavy Armor. If all twelve had been assembled, the killing power of their Battle Array’s Momentum would have likely been several times greater.
With Zhou Hongda’s strength at Muscle Strengthening Realm Perfection, plus the Black and White Double Slaughter and the Twelve Black Armor Guards, they could have easily contended with a Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist.
If Zhou Hongda hadn’t, for some reason, withdrawn most of the Estate Guard Martial Artists from the residence, and if he hadn’t been killed in Chen Cheng’s surprise attack, it would have been far from easy for Chen Cheng to wipe out the Zhou Family.
’Walk dark paths too often and you’re bound to run into ghosts. I’d best do less of this in the future!’
Shaking his head slightly, Chen Cheng began to take stock of his haul.
Five Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pills.
Silver notes, gold coins, and scattered silver taels, altogether equivalent to more than five thousand eight hundred silver taels.
*The Chaotic Cloak Saber Technique* and *The Iron Blood Battle Array*.
’Whoa! The Zhou Family really lived up to their reputation as a great clan of the South City District. They were filthy rich! All I did was some light pilfering on the fly, and I still made out with this much. What a great feeling!’
Once he finished counting, Chen Cheng couldn’t help but be secretly astonished.
Three of the five Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pills had come from a chest in the Zhou Family’s treasury. The other two he had found in a Money Bag lifted from Zhou Hongda’s son.
With these five Low Grade Muscle Strengthening Pills, he could continue his Cultivation of the Dragon Eagle Muscle Strengthening Technique.
As for the money, adding the several thousand taels he’d acquired from the Tiger and Leopard Gang, Chen Cheng’s net worth had now skyrocketed to over twelve thousand silver taels. It was enough to splurge for quite some time.
At the very least, he would no longer have to worry about money for buying Demon Beast Meat and potent medicinal materials to replenish his qi and blood.
The *Chaotic Cloak Saber Technique* and *The Iron Blood Battle Array* were also excellent finds. The *Chaotic Cloak Saber Technique* was a Mid-level Saber Technique that prioritized pure offense. The offensive Momentum it cultivated was incredibly sharp and ferocious, capable of even slicing through Heavy Armor with ease.
