Chapter 266 106: Two Dragons
After the battle between Zheng Shaoguang and Zhou Changfa, the struggle between the Zheng Family and the Divine Capture Bureau had escalated to a fever pitch.
As the Zheng Family's only Upper Three Grade Martial Artist, Zheng Shaoguang was severely injured. The Divine Capture Bureau, however, had Zhou Changfa in command and possessed the advantage of being an official arm of the Court, forcing the Zheng Family into a steady retreat.
Under these circumstances, the various powers in the city—the major families the Zheng Family had once suppressed, and even the Prefectural Magistrate's Office—were all stirring restlessly.
Amid this delicate situation, a month passed in the blink of an eye.
...
Over the past month, Fang Rui had been nursing his injuries, listening to music, chatting with subordinates who came to visit, and occasionally spending time with Third Lady and the various maids of his estate.
Oh, and to maintain a good mood conducive to his recovery, Fang Rui even took Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, Third Lady, Fang Ling, and Nannan to the Peach Blossom Garden outside the city for a vacation that lasted the better part of half a month.
While enjoying himself, he didn't neglect his research on the Dragon Pearl, but his progress was minimal.
But where one door closed, another opened. His cultivation base for Great Medicines and Old Medicines had produced results: a peach tree had mutated into a Rare Plant, the 'Red Jade Peach Tree'. The Exotic Fruit on it, the 'Red Jade Peach', wasn't ripe yet, but it would be soon.
Furthermore, two of his Black King Bees had developed golden stripes on their bodies, which Fang Rui named 'Golden-striped Black King Bees'.
He had personally assessed these Golden-striped Black King Bees. Their combat strength was ferocious; an ordinary Fifth Grade Martial Artist wouldn't be able to defend against one, and that was just a single bee's power.
Nothing else of note happened, except that the Four Seas Commerce Association was busy, so Third Lady couldn't stay away for too long and returned after a few days. As for Fang Ling and Nannan, the two little girls were having so much fun they'd forgotten all about going home, and after a week's leave, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family had to drag them away by force.
After Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, Third Lady, and the two little girls had left, Fang Rui gave it some thought. With great interest, he used his eye for Feng Shui Skill to direct his subordinates in renovating and remodeling the Peach Blossom Garden.
In short, his days were quite pleasant, exceptionally comfortable and leisurely.
...
The Zheng Family, by contrast, was having a much harder time.
"The Divine Capture Bureau has gone too far!"
"Indeed. We can't let this go on. Lately, the other major families—who used to be as obedient as dogs to our family—are starting to get greedy looks in their eyes."
"They're not dogs, they're a pack of ungrateful wolves we failed to tame!"
"Sigh, what can we do? Our Patriarch, the family's only Upper Three Grade, is seriously injured. Speaking of which, I have no idea what method Zhou Changfa used to recover from his injuries so quickly."
"Does it even need to be said? It must have been some kind of Evil Technique!"
...
"COUGH, COUGH!"
Zheng Shaoguang covered his mouth, his face pale. His injuries clearly hadn't healed.
He raised a hand, silencing the murmurs in the hall, and said, "Contact the Divine Capture Bureau. We, the Zheng Family, admit defeat. We are willing to take another step back, relinquish all the properties the Divine Capture Bureau has seized, and give Zhou Changfa a hefty bribe to get him to stop suppressing our family and restore our positions as Chief Constables within the Bureau..."
"And what if Zhou Changfa doesn't agree?" someone asked.
"Doesn't agree?!"
A cold look appeared on Zheng Shaoguang's face. "Then we'll risk the backlash and take Zhou Changfa down ahead of schedule! Our family has connections in high places, and we even have evidence of his crimes. We haven't acted on it before simply because the cost was too great and not worth the gain."
"Father!"
Zheng Jinghan looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated, finally speaking up, "For our family to be the first to bow our heads and negotiate with the Divine Capture Bureau... that's a sign of weakness!"
"We already retreated once over the Nanshan Garden incident. Now we're retreating again. The other major families are already stirring. Even the Prefectural Magistrate's Office is starting to get ambiguous in its attitude."
"If this goes wrong, it will be a pack of wolves devouring a tiger!"
Young as he was, he had once been the Jade Seal Divine Hunter of the Divine Capture Bureau. Whether in terms of Martial Arts aptitude, foresight, or ability, he was among the best in the entire Zheng Family.
"Don't worry, I have my own plans."
Zheng Shaoguang glanced at his son, Zheng Jinghan, as if he had made up his mind. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Han'er, you just go and do it... COUGH, COUGH!"
...
「Two days later.」
"Father, something terrible has happened!"
Zheng Jinghan rushed in, flustered. "Zhou Changfa readily agreed to negotiate. But after we signed the contract and he took the payment, he disappeared."
"We just looked into it and found out that he had already resigned from his post two days ago."
The contract's terms were predicated on Zhou Changfa still being the Director of the Divine Capture Bureau. But who would have known he would resign at this very moment? The agreement was now just a worthless piece of paper.
Clearly, Zhou Changfa had ruthlessly played the Zheng Family.
This time, the Zheng Family had clearly suffered a double loss.
"To resign two or three years early, just to scheme against our Zheng Family? Good, good, very good! That Old Zhou is ruthless enough!"
Veins bulged on Zheng Shaoguang's forehead. He roared, and the overwhelming rage aggravated his injuries, causing him to spurt a mouthful of blood and pass out.
"Father!"
"Patriarch!"
...
"Zhou Changfa resigned? HAHA, excellent! Serves that old bastard right for setting me up and screwing me over for Ge Changgeng's sake!"
Zhang Henshui roared with laughter, which aggravated his own injuries and sent him into a fit of coughing.
Previously, Zhou Changfa had used him as a borrowed knife, making him charge into the fray and face the Zheng Family's retaliation. He was lucky to have survived, thanks only to having pledged allegiance to a powerful figure early on and receiving a protective Treasure from them.
"Zhang Yuzhang, you should focus on recovering. You can leave the matter of welcoming our lord to me!"
Sun Shouchai smiled, his eyes narrowing. He stood up. "Alright, I just came to tell you the news. It's time for me to go. You're injured, Zhang Yuzhang, no need to see me out."
"Take care, Spirit Master Sun! Take care!"
The moment Sun Shouchai's figure disappeared from view, the smile vanished from Zhang Henshui's face. He slammed a fist on the headboard. "That damn Sun Shouchai! He just came here to gloat! He reported me to our lord last time... I haven't settled that score with him yet!"