Chapter 490: Chapter 311: The Surnames of the Three Families!_2

“But, if someone wants to harm you, that involves injuring a national civil servant. That’s another matter altogether.”

“What if someone kills me first and then accuses me of being in the wrong?”

“How dare they! In my Phoenix Empire, who would dare do such a thing?”

Tang Fei understood the deeper meaning in Zhong Daolong’s words; his response implied that others would not dare, rather than explaining what he would do if someone did.

This is a way of avoiding the issue.

Thus, Tang Fei reiterated his stance, saying, “I have already investigated the Lu Family and the Yu Family, and my relationship with the Qin Family, one of the nine major families, isn’t great either… I have already antagonized three of the nine major families. I fear if I continue investigating, I will have offended all nine major families.”

“If, by that time, the Royal Family can’t stand up to protect me, I fear I will have nowhere to be buried. It’s not just my life at stake; I have a younger brother… I fear for his safety as well.”

Zhong Daolong’s expression darkened as he said, “With your cowardly nature, you still want to marry my daughter?”

“The King knows that I come from the Old Land, where the conditions for survival are extremely harsh. The first rule we follow there is to stay alive, no matter what. Because there’s nothing more important than living.”

Zhong Daolong fell silent.

After a long while, he looked at Tang Fei and asked, “Do you want a guarantee?”

“Yes,” Tang Fei nodded without hesitation, saying, “I want to know what exactly we are doing. How far do we need to go? Will we be the ultimate victors? It doesn’t have to be me… but will it be the King?”

This was Tang Fei’s goal, the answer he sought.

He knew Zhong Daolong wanted to suppress the nine major families or, rather, to clean up their influence.

However, the roots of the nine major families were deeply entrenched, their influence, astounding.

If he were to wage war against all nine major families simultaneously, the negative impact could be severe, possibly even shaking the foundations of the nation.

Zhong Daolong was not a foolhardy brute. How could he possibly undertake such an action?

Therefore, within these nine major families, there must be some who supported him.

Aligning with some, eliminating others—this was the proper strategy.

Tang Fei needed to clarify who was to be co-opted and who was to be eliminated.

With this information, he and his old master would have much greater autonomy in their actions.

The ones you clean up, I align with.

The ones you align with, I undermine.

In this way, leveraging their position and exerting force judiciously…

Their quest for revenge could be much more effective.

This was also why Tang Fei seized the moment and resigned when he did, all for this critical moment of usurpation.

He relentlessly pursued the Lu Family to demonstrate his loyalty.

He had Gongshu Wuyu and Lu Yunhang thrown into prison to prove his capability.

During his time in the Monitoring Bureau, Tang Fei had already proved his worth.

Moreover, feeling “fear” is a common human emotion.

As a young man without any backing, facing a behemoth like the Yu Family without any hesitation…

First, it proved the man was foolish. A foolish person cannot garner respect from others.

Second, it proved the man was overzealous, too desperate, and overly loyal.

Abnormal behavior always arouses suspicion. Observers like Zhong Daolong and Yan Wenli might begin to doubt his true intentions.

If Zhong Daolong and Yan Wenli still wanted to use him as their ‘sharp blade’, then they would need to show some sincerity.

At the very least, they needed to provide him with some assurance.

And, to officially recognize him as one of their own…

Zhong Daolong, his gaze thoughtful, looked at Tang Fei and asked, “What’s the matter? You’re worried I might lose?”

He knew that since Tang Fei had posed this question, it proved that he had already guessed some of the nuances.

Caught in the midst of it all, acting as the sharpest dagger. Am I qualified to know a bit more?

“No, I am not worried about that. The King, strategizing from behind the curtains, secures victory from a thousand miles away. Since he took the initiative to make the first move, he must already have the assurance of victory,” Tang Fei said with conviction. “However, this process is making me apprehensive.”

“Why apprehensive?”

“Because I don’t know who is the enemy and who is one of us.”

“You want to know if I have any trump cards or backup plans?”

“Same thing.”

Zhong Daolong stared deeply into the bowed head of Tang Fei before him and asked in a grave voice, “Tang Fei, can I trust you?”

Tang Fei lifted his head, meeting Zhong Daolong’s gaze fearlessly and answered loudly, “King, I believe I have already proven my loyalty.”

“Besides, how could I establish a footing in New Star without the support of the Royal Family?”

“In my current situation, if the Royal Family shows even a slight sign of estrangement, I fear countless people would want to take my head.”

“A Grandmaster Disciple would not just let anyone chop off his head,” Zhong Daolong stated.

Tang Fei understood that Zhong Daolong meant he wasn’t just relying on the Royal Family, as the White Crane Academy and the Great Grandmaster’s prestige could protect him thoroughly.

“The Great Grandmaster can protect me temporarily, but not for a lifetime. He is a celestial being and does not wish to meddle in worldly matters.”

“Moreover, the Great Grandmaster dedicates himself to his quest, sometimes entering seclusion for three to five years… If someone really killed me, by the time the Great Grandmaster emerges, I doubt even my bones would remain.”

“Even if the Great Grandmaster were to find and kill the person who harmed me at that time, what good would it do me?”

Zhong Daolong pondered for a moment, then looked at Tang Fei and said, “Stand up and speak. A graceful lady is a gentleman’s delight. It’s natural for a man to like the woman he desires. Why kneel?”

“Thank you, King.” Tang Fei got up from the ground.

He knew that Zhong Daolong’s attitude had softened, and his performance, no, his behavior had indeed satisfied him.

Otherwise, if you contradict what is expected and resign at the slightest disagreement, you should properly kneel down.

As the saying goes, serving the king is like living with a tiger.

A tiger not showing its might doesn’t mean it is a Hello Kitty.

Is it time to have a heart-to-heart talk now?

Sure enough, Zhong Daolong looked at Yan Wenli and said, “Although this young man is audacious, even daring to show insolence in front of Dean Yan… his words do hold some truth.”

“Being alive, there’s nothing more important than staying alive. Having come from Old Land to New Star, everyone hopes to live a few more years and die a natural death. That’s only logical.”

Yan Wenli understood Zhong Daolong’s implications and smoothly went along, adding, “Yes, though his words are harsh, he is a candid man… He’s a worker, and if he only knew how to bury his head in his work, that would mean he isn’t very clever. But once a person starts getting clever, they start having a lot of ideas.”

Yan Wenli nodded at Tang Fei, smiling and said, “He belongs to the second type.”

“Mm,” Zhong Daolong nodded and looked at Tang Fei, “Tang Fei, I am willing to trust you, and I hope you don’t betray this trust.”

“From now on, every word I say is top-secret, and at no time, no matter how dangerous the situation is, you are not to leak a word.”

“Yes, I swear, if I leak even a word to the outside world, may lightning strike me dead,” Tang Fei pledged without hesitation.

Tang Fei was very nervous the first time he made such a vow, fearing that it might actually come true.

But then, the more you make these vows, the more accustomed you get.

The gods of thunder and lightning are busy too; there are so many scoundrels they can’t strike all of them, so why would they have time for you?

“This is just superstition,” Zhong Daolong waved his hand, “I don’t believe in such bizarre things. If a leak does come from you, I have my own ways to deal with it.”

“Yes, I understand,” Tang Fei said respectfully.

He heard the threat in Zhong Daolong’s words.

“Everyone knows that I want to take back the power of the nine major families. But they are also guessing, why do I have the courage to do such a thing… Where does my confidence come from?”

Zhong Daolong, with his right hand’s middle finger, dipped it in whiskey and wrote on the white Moon Gold Stone table three beautiful characters: “They are my confidence.”

“Three family surnames, forgotten upon sight,” Yan Wenli said sternly, giving a reminder.