Chapter 51: Court vs Jianghu
Outside the door, two disciples stood holding lanterns.
It was already deep into the night. Autumn wind howled through the courtyard, rustling the grass and trees. An old man stood under the lantern with his hands clasped behind his back.
He wore a green robe and had sharp features. There were three deep vertical wrinkles between his brows, and the corners at his mouth dropped downwards. When combined with his triangular eyes, his appearance made others uncomfortable.
Despite his age, he was massive, and his arms were unusually long. Yet, his chest caved inward and his back was hunched, making him resemble a giant ape standing upright when he held his hands behind his back. His white hair and beard, however, were combed meticulously.
He was followed by two large monkeys, constantly scratching themselves and baring their teeth viciously at the crowd.
The man who had arrived was none other than Zhou Pan, chairman of Xianyang’s Divine Fist Association. Under his cold gaze, every member of the Eight Vajras, even the furious Zhou Peide, lowered their heads and dared not say another word.
Zhou Pan walked deeper into the room. He shot the heavily injured Zhou Bai a calm glance before snorting coldly. “All of you, follow me.”
The Zhou Family estate consisted entirely of single-story buildings. There were no lofty pagodas or elegant pavilions, but the compound was extremely spacious. Six large courtyards were connected, each with its own martial training ground. Numerous disciples carrying lanterns patrolled back and forth.
It didn’t take long for the group to arrive at the main hall of one of the courtyards. After Zhou Pan took a seat at the head of the hall, he casually began peeling a small tangerine beside him.
He asked calmly, “What’s this? Usually every one of you acts so imposing, yet when something actually happens, you start turning on each other?”
The Eight Vajras stood below the hall, cold sweat unconsciously appearing on their foreheads.
Zhou Peide gritted his teeth and cupped his fists. “Big Brother...”
But then he caught sight of Zhou Pan’s expressionless face and felt his heart skip a beat.
He hurriedly corrected himself. “Master, it was not my reckless behavior. It was Yuan Qu hiding his evil intentions and tampering with the battle through the use of rituals. Thinking back now, Bai’er clearly had the upper hand, yet suddenly lost control of himself. There must have been a problem with the spell!”
Yuan Qu kept his head lowered without saying a word.
“That’s enough!” Zhou Pan frowned. “This matter was Yuan Qu’s suggestion to begin with. The purpose was to let Zhou Bai comprehend monkey intent ahead of time and avoid unexpected complications. No one expected him to still lose.”
He stated, “Yuan Qu, Zhou Bai’s future expenses will be your responsibility.”
Yuan Qu secretly let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly cupped his fists in agreement. “Yes, Master.”
He understood that Zhou Pan’s declaration had settled the matter.
Zhou Peide stared at Zhou Pan in disbelief. “M-master...”
Zhou Bai had been the most promising disciple of the Zhou Family’s next generation. Now that his life hung in an uncertain balance, with his future path completely severed, all they were doing was compensating him with silver?!
He thought back to how much Zhou Pan had favored and appreciated Zhou Bai in the past, yet had only glanced at him once now before ignoring him entirely...
At that moment, Zhou Peide suddenly felt a chill rise in his heart.
“Hmph!” Zhou Pan glanced at Zhou Peide, seemingly guessing what he was thinking, and said coldly, “You think those people endured for ten years without acting. Why do you think they suddenly chose to strike now? The root of this matter is not in Xianyang. It lies in Chang’an, in the imperial court!
“A few days ago, the court issued an edict. Lu Qing, the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shanzhou, was dismissed and imprisoned for corruption. The vacant position will either go to Minister Lu[1]or Minister Li...”
The moment the words were spoken, the faces of several members of the Eight Vajras immediately lit up with realization. The military and administrative authority of Shanzhou was primarily handled by the Three Departments: the Provincial Administration Commission, the Judicial Surveillance Commission, and the Regional Military Commission.
Among them, the Provincial Administration Commission held the greatest power.
The Zhou Family’s rise over the years had been due to attaching themselves to Left Minister Lu Kang. Now that Minister Lu Qing had been imprisoned, the replacement would very likely be promoted from among the other Left and Right Ministers.
Among the Eight Vajras, a middle-aged man dressed like a scholar pondered for a moment before speaking. “I understand now. Someone wants to probe for a weakness in Master’s side.”
“It’s good that you understand.” Zhou Pan said coldly, “The life-or-death duel was that old bastard Zhang’s first test. If Zhou Bai had won, not only would the Zhou Family’s reputation have been preserved, but those old fence-sitting bastards would also have remained hesitant to make more moves.
“The reason I agreed to it was because it concerned the Zhou Family’s future. Even the people from the City God Temple pretended not to notice. Peide, do you still harbor resentment in your heart?”
Zhou Peide opened his mouth, then bowed deeply and cupped his fists. “Master is farsighted. I dare not resent you.”
He said he dared not, but how could there truly be no resentment? Zhou Pan had sacrificed Zhou Bai’s future for a gamble for his own! But Zhou Pan merely glanced at him and could not be bothered to care further.
In a deep voice, he continued, “That old bastard Zhang keeps pressing because he wants to force me into making a mistake. Tomorrow, announce publicly that I am unwell and entering secluded cultivation. I will not meet outsiders. We will endure this humiliation for now and let them grow arrogant. Once the overall situation is settled, I will deal with them one by one!
“As for all of you... If any of your own affairs are dirty, clean them up quickly. Don’t blame me for purging the Zhou Family when the time comes!”
All Eight Vajras cupped their fists in unison.
“Yes, Master!”
Zhou Pan nodded and looked out the window as he spoke calmly, “Ever since Li Hu died, I have come to understand one thing. In the jianghu, it has never been about who looks imposing at the moment. It is about who can laugh last.
“Hmph. When the mountain lacks a tiger, the monkeys proclaim themselves kings. Do they really think I still care about such things?”
***
Just as the sun rose, Zhang Shitong arrived at the Dao Inquiry Hall.
Sha Lifei immediately grew annoyed. “What are you here for?”
He was about to head out earlier, but he couldn’t help but feel slightly irritated when he saw the newcomer. He was not stupid. After Li Yan’s reminder, he immediately realized that the father and son duo only appeared loyal and righteous on the surface. In reality, they had been using the trio as hired thugs to do their dirty work.
Zhang Shitong chuckled, “Oh? What did you eat this morning? Why’s your face so sour?”
Sha Lifei answered him with a grunt. “I ate shit I just shat out. Isn’t it something you like?”
Zhang Shitong rolled his eyes and instantly ignited Sha Lifei’s temper.
Just as Sha Lifei was about to start a huge argument, Zhang Shitong waved his hand. “Alright, alright. I’ll argue with you another day. There’s important business today. Where’s Li Yan?”
Sha Lifei retorted, “He’s resting and not seeing guests!”
Zhang Shitong asked, “Is he dead already?”
“Relax. He’ll definitely outlive you!”
Sha Lifei had only just finished cursing when Zhang Shitong slipped past him, striding directly into the courtyard.
Sha Lifei immediately reached out to grab the back of his collar. “Stop right there!”
Without even looking, Zhang Shitong sidestepped the grab, then used a Silkhand to seize Sha Lifei’s wrist.
A wide grin appeared on his face and he mocked, “Oh? Hero Sha, where did all your prestige from last night, when you dealt with those beggars with a few pieces of stone, go?”
Sha Lifei might lose the exchange, but not the argument. “If you’ve got guts, stand still and let me throw one at you!”
As the two stood tangled together, Li Yan pushed open the door and walked out. Bandages were still wrapped around his body as he stared coldly at Zhang Shitong.
Zhang Shitong chuckled, released Sha Lifei, and shook his head. “No need to pretend. Pretending won’t help. The Zhou Family won’t make a move against you for now.”
The moment those words came out, Li Yan frowned slightly while Sha Lifei hurriedly asked, “What happened? What’s going on?”
“The old monkey announced he’s entering seclusion and refusing visitors.” Zhang Shitong smiled and added, “So? Aren’t you inviting me in? Let’s sit down and talk properly.”
Li Yan expressionlessly raised a hand in invitation as he gestured to one of the rooms. Zhang Shitong did not mind at all. Chuckling, he stepped inside.
“So this is the situation...” After entering and sitting down, Zhang Shitong no longer hid anything. He explained the entire matter from beginning to end before shaking his head. “To be honest, even without you, we still would’ve had to act.”
“Once Left Minister Lu Kang rises to power, Zhou Pan will inevitably head to Chang’an to compete for the position of overall chairman of the Shanzhou Divine Fist Association. At that point, his authority will become overwhelming and people like us would have no path to survival. We would only be able to flee to other provinces.
“My father asked me to tell you this so that you understand that hiding is impossible unless you’re willing to abandon your identity and become an outlaw.”
Li Yan’s expression darkened. “Actually, you still have another option.”
Zhang Shitong’s eyes immediately lit up. “Oh? What might that be?”
Killing intent flickered in Li Yan’s eyes as he said coldly, “Deal with the source. Find some experts and kill Lu Kang.”
Zhang Shitong instantly froze in shock. It took him a long while to recover, and he gulped hard. “Y-you brat, are you trying to rebel?”
Li Yan sneered. “No matter how strong someone is, they still only have one head resting on their shoulders. If there’s already no path left to walk, are you people seriously planning to stretch out your necks and wait to be slaughtered?”
“No, no. Things haven’t reached that stage yet.” For some reason, Zhang Shitong suddenly felt a little fear looking at Li Yan, and his tone became much more serious. “To be honest, we have close ties with Right Minister Li Siyuan. Even if we fail, there’ll still be room to maneuver. If you act recklessly, that means you’ve broken the rules. Once the rules are broken, everyone will come for your life!
“The next steps are simple. The Zhou Family may be shrinking back now, but they’ve committed countless evil deeds over the years and funneled huge amounts of silver to the Lu Family. As long as enough evidence is gathered, Minister Li’s side will have a way to rise to power. At that point, the Zhou Family will be the ones in trouble.”
Sha Lifei burst out laughing. “The Zhou Family’s reputation in Xianyang stinks so badly that the wind can carry it for ten miles without problems. Finding evidence should be easy. The courthouse probably has more complaints against them than it can even store.”
But Zhang Shitong shook his head. “It’s not enough!”
“For commoners, their crimes are enough to get them beheaded ten times over. But for officials, especially someone like Lu Kang, what they did means nothing.”
Li Yan narrowed his eyes thoughtfully before speaking again. “So your plan is to pressure the Zhou Family step by step until they expose their weaknesses?”
Zhang Shitong nodded. “This is the only method available right now. In the courthouse, everyone greets each other with smiles. In the jianghu, though, blades have to be drawn and blood has to flow. Each one of the Zhou Family’s Eight Vajras already has major jianghu figures watching them. You guys can forget about this matter and stay out of the conflict. Otherwise you might cause some enormous disaster.
“For the sake of the friendship between our families, let me warn you. If you sense something wrong, immediately change your name and flee Shanzhou.”
Apparently afraid that Li Yan might truly do something reckless, Zhang Shitong continued to warn them several more times before finally leaving the Dao Inquiry Hall.
After learning the entire story, Sha Lifei was visibly intimidated, and asked worriedly, “Damn it, things have gotten this serious. What do we do now?”
Li Yan pondered briefly before deciding, “Since the Zhou Family doesn’t dare move recklessly at this critical moment, then we continue doing what we need to do and focus on growing stronger as quickly as possible. Even if we eventually have to flee, we’ll need enough travel funds first!
“One more thing, get me information on the Eight Vajras. They might be the real breakthrough point...”
1. another Lu ☜
