Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Chapter 104 Clearing the Field

"brute."

Shen Wanzhou saw Ye Ci and cursed through gritted teeth.

"Now that I'm selling off my property, several powerful families in the county have joined forces to drive down the price, and my son Zonghan has even sided with them!"

He seemed to be a hands-off manager, even mixing his own businesses with his children's, and then handing over the businesses to Shen Yixi to manage.

But in fact, he knew everything about his family's businesses.

Shen Wanzhou could tell at a glance if anyone had tampered with things or interfered, especially since Shen Yixi would inform him.

Ye Ci, however, thought this was quite normal.

When wealthy families acquire money, interpersonal relationships often become less close.

The image of Shen Zonghan at the banquet that day flashed through my mind, and I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

As if sensing what he was thinking, Shen Wanzhou's face darkened considerably: "Qiu Tang died too late. He was quite cunning, managing to sow discord among the descendants of the major families in the county, making them all think about selling out their fathers for survival, or even seeking glory."

"

'

After listening to Shen Wanzhou's rant for a while, Ye Ci understood Qiu Tang's trick.

Sow discord, undermine the family, win over some and suppress others, let them fight amongst themselves first.

As expected of a centurion of the "Wolf" tribe, he does have some brains.

The man is dead, but the wicked scheme remains.

"So, are you still planning to leave?" Ye Ci asked.

"Of course we'll go! I have that much foresight. The head of the five great families, Shen Bancheng—these titles are usually incredibly prestigious. But now, they're deadly titles."

"I'm only selling off my properties in the county now. If I stay here, Zhang Guan might try to take over my other properties. Sooner or later, he'll have nothing left to lose."

"Young man, as you know, I, Shen Wanzhou, have been in business for many years and have some old friends in various prefectures. We exchange goods and services with each other and are no longer limited to just one county. If I weren't getting old, I would even like to start my own business."

"I have already raised 200,000 taels of silver, but I am not in a hurry to hand the money over to Zhang Guan. Firstly, I am delaying the time, and secondly, I am using the excuse of raising money to sell my property."

"But—my unfilial son! He has no intention of leaving, and even thinks he can get on Zhang Guan's good side! Doesn't he realize that relationships are based on social standing? Just like my business, no matter how big it is, how much influence can I possibly have with the three major merchant houses? They won't even give me a second glance!"

After cursing for a while, Shen Wanzhou saw that Ye Ci did not speak, so he brushed off his sleeves and got back to business.

"Qiu Tang instigated the various families to betray each other, which is not a united front against my Shen family! The low-price sale went smoothly, and it even kept it from many outsiders! They all felt they had benefited."

"I'm just worried that things might get complicated if I wait too long, and I hope I don't attract Zhang Guan's attention."

"By the way, I heard that the Commandant's Mansion was attacked a few days ago. Zhang Guan withdrew all the guards and deliberately leaked the news. I'm afraid he's trying to lure us in."

"The guards have withdrawn?"

After Master Shen left, Ye Ci also fell into deep thought.

You don't need to worry about how the Shen family sells their assets, but what they say afterward is worth pondering.

Judging from the information Shen Wanzhou received, Zhang Guan seemed quite confident.

Are you inviting me into this trap?

According to Ye Ci's estimation, he was able to deal with a master like Hu Yu when he was at the Dark Force level. Now that he has reached the Transformation Force level, combined with the Embracing Mountain Seal, he should have a certain ability to protect himself.

But Ye Ci would be more cautious when dealing with people like Zhang Guan.

Who knows if people like them might also have some powerful killing moves?

Moreover, the Embracing Mountain Seal has a clear drawback: after using it, one will experience a brief period of discomfort.

Given Ye Ci's cautious nature, he hoped that his trump card would be overwhelming enough, rather than constantly using it.

"Kill Duan Wu first—"

"Duan Wu, who was chosen by Zhang Guan, must be no weakling."

"Now I am in the shadows, and they are in the light. Whether to advance or retreat is up to me, so there is no need to be too anxious."

******

Three poles in the sun.

The Commandant's mansion was bustling with noise. The mansion was under renovation inside and out, and the sounds of axes and chisels striking the ground were incessant, making people feel annoyed.

Zhang Guan had just woken up when he suddenly pushed open the door.

The noise outside rushed in, and his face instantly darkened, his brows furrowing with impatience at being disturbed.

Under the eaves, Magistrate Fang had already been standing with his hands at his sides. When he saw him come out, he quickly bowed and paid his respects.

His gaze swept casually across the room, but he first caught sight of two young girls huddled on the floor of Zhang Guanfang's house.

His clothes were disheveled and thin, his face was pale, his hair was messy, one eye was red and tear stains were still wet, and he was trembling all over.

One of them had her head down, biting her lip tightly, her eyes filled with fear and sorrow.

To Magistrate Fang's horror, the two women were covered in bloody welts from being whipped.

He recognized the two women, and his heart skipped a beat.

Do these elders in the family know about their daughter's situation?

Noticing Magistrate Fang's gaze, Zhang Guan merely glanced at him coldly, his tone extremely impatient: "Stuck here so early in the morning, spit it out."

"General, you have been stationed here for some time now. Should we go to the official roads around Songjiang and see where to set up checkpoints and conduct inspections?"

He was only halfway through his sentence when he saw Zhang Guan slowly raise his eyes: "You take me for Qin Lie? With me here, who would dare to make a move against me?"

"That's it, that's it!"

Magistrate Fang forced a smile and said, "Then General, please rest."

"etc."

Zhang Guan glanced around, picked at his ear, and said, "The craftsmen come and go here every day, it's very noisy, not to mention—"

He glanced around the room and said, "Too many people, too much gossip. This general doesn't want to hear any rumors—"

"That's it, that's it!"

The magistrate, despite his advanced age, explained with sweat pouring down his face, "I've already given instructions, and no one dared to say a word."

Being too talkative can cost you your head.

"Didn't you hear me?"

Zhang Guan's face darkened again, and he said coldly, "I said it's noisy every day. Does Qin Lie only have this Commandant's Mansion as his residence?"

Magistrate Fang hurriedly said, "The county garrison has another residence, but it's rather simple and certainly won't suit the general's taste. How about I go and discuss with the wealthy merchants in the county to ask them for a house for you to use temporarily?"

"Alright."

Zhang Guan stretched and looked around, feeling a bit bored. He said, "It's quite dull staying in the room for so long. Come on, take me to the county town."

Magistrate Fang dared not be negligent and immediately bowed and led the way.

Since it was just a stroll, Zhang Guan didn't ride a horse, but only brought a dozen or so personal guards with him.

An elderly man, known as Song Rongyi, was also among them.

The group left the Commandant's Mansion in a grand procession and entered the streets and alleys of Songjiang County.

People on the street saw the group and quickly made way for them.

Some people recognized Magistrate Fang, but no one dared to speak; they all looked at each other.

His eyes were full of curses. He had heard from the county magistrate that Zhang Guan was a general who conquered the south and was very powerful. In fact, his men wouldn't even give him a copper coin to drink a bowl of tea.

As the group turned onto a bustling street, Zhang Guan suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Not far from the street corner, a grand mansion has a black plaque with gold lettering that reads "Ping An Escort Agency".

"What place is that?"

Zhang Guan raised his chin.

"Reporting to the General, it's a security escort agency—"

Before Magistrate Fang could finish speaking, Zhang Guan strode off and headed straight for the gate of the escort agency.

Stepping across the threshold, one sees a large courtyard paved with bluestone slabs, with rows of dart boxes neatly arranged on both sides of the corridor. The boxes are heavy and the corners are covered with copper sheets.

Several bodyguards dressed in short clothes and carrying single swords at their waists were sitting under the eaves, wiping their knives.

"I was unaware of your arrival, sir. Please forgive my failure to greet you properly!"

A middle-aged man dressed in a close-fitting outfit strode out of the main hall; this man was Jiang Qian.

Unfortunately, he didn't recognize Zhang Guan.

However, having managed the various affairs of the escort agency for many years, he was very knowledgeable about human relationships. Seeing Zhang Guan's extraordinary demeanor and the county magistrate following behind him, he knew that the visitor was of noble status.

He bowed with his hands clasped, bending so low that his waist almost touched his clothes.

Zhang Guan ignored him, his gaze slowly sweeping over the scenery in the courtyard, then he looked up at the main hall with its blue bricks and gray tiles, a cryptic smile playing on his lips, and said lightly, "This house is quite nice, very grand—"

Jiang Qian replied with a smile, "You flatter me, sir. It was just expanded a few days ago. It wasn't this big before. My brothers and their families all lived here, and it was very crowded."

Zhang Guan disliked being interrupted, so he frowned.

Duan Wu, who was behind him, suddenly stepped forward and slapped Jiang Qian across the face.

"How dare you interrupt the general?"

The crisp sound was particularly jarring in the courtyard, causing the bodyguards present to stop what they were doing and look over.

Jiang Qian's mouth was bleeding from the beating, but he dared not fight back.

"Head Manager!"

One of the bodyguards shouted.

The head manager was Jiang's eldest uncle. Hearing the commotion, he rushed over and recognized Zhang Guan. Seeing that Jiang Qian had been beaten, he didn't dare to say anything but bowed respectfully.

"I don't know where I offended you, sir."

"offend?"

Zhang Guan glanced down at him and asked, "Why are you wearing such a long face? Give me a smile."

Uncle Jiang, who always had a cold face, looked up in astonishment upon hearing this.

His lips twitched, and he forced a smile.

"His smile is uglier than his crying," Zhang Guan said.

Upon hearing this, Uncle Jiang quickly opened his mouth wider and tried his best to smile.

Zhang Guan waved his hand: "This house is nice."

Uncle Jiang paused for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Please enlighten me, sir."

sieve-

Before anyone could even react, they saw Duan Wu move.

The next instant, Uncle Jiang's head tilted to one side like a collapsed stilt house.

Fresh blood gushed out of his throat like a hot spring.

Duan Wu licked his fingers.

An expression of disbelief finally appeared on Uncle Jiang's cold face. He wanted to say something, but no sound came out. His body slowly fell down, his eyes wide open until the very end.

The courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

Jiang Qian's eyes revealed shock and anger.

Magistrate Fang was so frightened that his face turned pale. He took two steps back, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Zhang Guan raised his eyes slightly and glanced at Duan Wu.

"What are you doing?"

"Reporting to the general, this man is ungrateful—"

"Snap—"

With a crisp sound, Zhang Guan raised his hand, and Duan Wu's face was slapped so hard that he staggered several steps before regaining his balance.

Zhang Guan looked displeased: "With so much blood, doesn't it take time to clean up the yard?"

"yes!"

Duan Wu kept his head down.

"Clear the area."

Zhang Guan waved his hand impatiently.

No sooner had he finished speaking than several of his personal guards attacked. Jiang Qian, a martial arts expert, had no time to react before everything went black.

"Ah ...

Magistrate Fang covered his mouth and let out a scream.

He saw the familiar镖头 (bodyguard/escort) whose neck had been snapped.

At this moment, screams rang out one after another, and some of the scouts had their necks snapped before they could even react.

Zhang Guan slowly walked to the stone table in the center of the courtyard and sat down. He raised his hand to brush the dust off the stone table and said in a calm tone, "Hmm, this place is not bad. It will serve as my temporary residence from now on."

He turned to Fang Dongling, whose face was deathly pale: "Go, bring over those girls who serve me."

"Yes, yes, I'll take care of it right away."

Magistrate Fang bowed and agreed immediately, closing his eyes and not daring to look at the corpses.

Zhang Guanke stood by the stone table, looking up at the blue sky in the courtyard, a wanton smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

In his eyes, Songjiang Well City was nothing more than his possession, and its people were nothing more than lambs to be slaughtered at will.

The wind blew in through the open door, carrying a wisp of smoke from the streets and alleys, but no one dared to peek.

At this moment, Fang Jingling rushed out the door as if fleeing, but he looked up in astonishment just a few steps after stepping out the door.

He then stepped back.

: