Chapter 284 112: Good Company
At the main gate of the Zheng Mansion, Fang Rui led the Chief Constables and constables of the Southeast Branch to catch anyone who might slip through.
They called it catching those who slipped through, but with Zhen Daoji's myriad schemes, it was practically impossible for any members of the Zheng Family to escape. Even if someone did manage to get out, they wouldn't choose the heavily guarded main gate.
In other words, this was an extremely safe post.
Clearly, Fang Rui was receiving special treatment yet again.
"Chief, we're reaping the benefits of following you again!" Xun Buhe remarked.
"Isn't that the truth?"
Niu Bajin's face was plastered with a grin. "These days, who in the Divine Capture Bureau doesn't know that our Chief is in the Lord Director's good graces?"
"Alright, cut the flattery."
Fang Rui chided them with a laugh and waved his hand. "Just as long as you don't say I'm holding you back from earning accolades."
"You're joking, Chief. I know my own limits," Xun Buhe said with a wry smile.
"Don't even get me started. My strength is a disgrace to the Seventh Grade. If I were actually on the front lines, I'd be far more likely to get myself killed than to earn any accolades."
Niu Bajin scratched his head. "I'm not greedy. I'm perfectly happy just like this, tagging along behind you, Chief, and picking up some easy benefits."
"That's right. You can't be too greedy or bite off more than you can chew. Otherwise, you'll choke on it."
Fang Rui muttered.
For instance, this time he had no intention of fishing in troubled waters to get his hands on the other Yin Attribute Dragon Pearl.
'Judging from my visit to the Zhen Mansion two days ago, Zhen Daoji is extremely confident in his plans. The Zheng Mansion is an inescapable trap right now. Any idiot who thinks they're clever enough to try something would just be courting death.'
Besides, since the essence of the Dragon Pearl Origin couldn't be extracted, the pearl was only good for cultivating Great Medicines and Old Medicines. One Yang Attribute Dragon Pearl was more than enough for Fang Rui's needs.
"Chief, look over there! How ruthless. The Zheng Family members who surrendered are all being forced to fight their own kinsmen."
"That's to be expected."
Xun Buhe understood the situation. "With those who surrendered, who knows if they're being sincere or just pretending? Making them prove their loyalty puts everyone's mind at ease."
"Better to have them go up against each other than our own men," Fang Rui said with a smile.
After what happened at Nanshan Garden, not a single member of the Zheng Family could be considered innocent. And that's not to mention the "Spirit Medicine Cultivation Base" they reportedly set up later.
For a family with a list of atrocities too long to recount, the death of its members was nothing to be mourned.
"The Chief has a point. Right now, it's basically the Zheng Family fighting amongst themselves—a real dog-eat-dog situation. Meanwhile, our Divine Capture Bureau and the Government Soldiers are just watching the show with few casualties."
"It's a testament to the Lord Director's brilliant tactics. He launched a multi-pronged assault, striking from both inside and out. It's no wonder the Zheng Family couldn't withstand it."
"Don't get careless. A major family like the Zhengs might still have a trump card up their sleeve."
Fang Rui had already sensed something was wrong. The air seemed to be growing colder, and an inexplicable, oppressive feeling began to settle in.
'I wonder where Zhen Daoji is and what he's doing right now,' he mused. 'What preparations has he made for the Zheng Family's final counterattack?'
...
On a high-rise building not far from the Zheng Mansion.
Zhen Daoji and Zhen Yi sat across from each other. With a CLICK, CLACK of pieces on a board, they were, of all things, playing chess.
"To ally with the Prefectural Magistrate's Office and the city's other great families, to turn the Zheng Family's third and fifth branches against their own, all without them suspecting a thing... Impressive work!"
Zhen Yi remarked in admiration, "However, are you really prepared to share the spoils? And what do you intend to do about the members of the Zheng Family who surrendered?"
Having accomplished what he had in Yunzhou's Changshan County, he was, of course, an exceptionally clever man. He only asked this to fulfill his duty of supervising the trial and to test Zhen Daoji.
"Hoarding all the spoils for yourself only breeds resentment. The superior strategy is to make more friends and fewer enemies, gathering an overwhelming force to crush your opposition."
Zhen Daoji placed a piece on the board and said magnanimously, "Let the spoils be shared. It's merely tossing out some bait. When the little fish grow into big fish, won't they just end up as a meal on our plate anyway?"
"As for the Zheng Family members who surrendered, if they manage to survive after proving their loyalty, I will naturally make good on my promises. It's the perfect chance to establish a new branch of the Zheng Family, which will also appease their patrons."
"As long as you've thought it through."
Zhen Yi smiled. "However, the Zheng Family is a major family in the Prefecture City. Their foundations run deep. They won't be so easy to annihilate. There may yet be a twist in this affair."
As he spoke, he placed a piece down with a sharp CLICK.
With this move, Zhen Yi's position, which had seemed hopelessly lost, suddenly took on a posture of mutual destruction. He was clearly forcing a draw that would leave both sides crippled.
...
BOOM!
CRACK! K-K-K-CRACKLE!
Amidst an earth-shattering boom, the entire Zheng Mansion began to shake violently. The ground split open in wide fissures, tiles slid from the roofs, and walls crumbled.
A chorus of panicked cries erupted.
"What's happening? Is it an earthquake?"
"Why is it suddenly so cold!"
"Look! Over there! That's..."
...
A black cloud, ten zhang in radius, had appeared out of nowhere, instantly making the air incomparably cold and grim.
—It was no longer a simple cold, but a bone-chilling sensation that made one's hair stand on end.
Furthermore, it was moving with incredible speed!
Wherever the black cloud passed, a subtle crackling sound could be heard as the endlessly dense Yin Qi condensed into countless, razor-sharp, grayish-black ice shards.
"Aah, monster!"
"Patriarch?! Spare me, I'm on your side!"
"No, that's not a person, it's..."
...
The black cloud began to slaughter everyone indiscriminately—members of the Divine Capture Bureau, Government Soldiers, and even the Zheng Family themselves.
...
Even outside the main gate of the Zheng Mansion, a grayish-white, icy mist billowed toward them, sending a chill down their spines.
'This aura... First Grade?!'
Fang Rui's True Essence mimicked Bright Force. He swatted away the mist with a casual wave of his hand, his expression growing extremely grim as he felt the terrifying pressure from the distance. 'The Zheng Family actually has a First Grade expert? How is that possible?!'