CHAPTER 302: CHAPTER 164: REUNION WITH AN OLD FRIEND

"Tell us the whereabouts of your commander, and how many of you have infiltrated the merchant caravan. What’s the name of the person who hired you, how much did they offer you, and what are you tasked with stealing?" Yun Sheng gently coaxed.

The Phantom Beast Corps had a total of fifty-one members, and this time, forty came, led personally by the Commander, stationed in a concealed cave ten miles away at Yama Ridge.

There were twenty members of the Beast Tribe mixed into the caravan, all now guarding the outskirts, including their Deputy Captain and four Phantom Beasts among those who had entered.

Yun Sheng’s Shennong’s Eyes narrowed, the golden color faded away, returning to the blackness of Moyu.

The Hunter Soldier, however, was completely befuddled, spouting nonsense.

"Wow, that’s amazing, young master, what kind of skill is that?" Zhou Quan, upon seeing it, was stunned; such a method of interrogation was truly formidable.

"This isn’t a skill but a form of Medical Skill, which you can’t learn," Yun Sheng replied with a faint smile.

"Sheng’er, you and Zhou Quan go ahead and find Zhou Qingchuan. Leave this man to me," Yun Canglang glanced at the tunnel ahead, pondering that the members of the Phantom Beast Corps should be coming out soon.

He had long ceased to be surprised by the tricks Yun Sheng had up her sleeve.

This niece of his was full of countless intriguing little secrets, and as her uncle, he had grown accustomed to them.

Yun Sheng understood what Yun Canglang would do next.

She and Zhou Quan hadn’t walked far when a low cry echoed from behind them; without looking, they knew that the member of the Beast Tribe had been killed by Yun Canglang.

As soon as the two stepped into the range of the tent, Zhou Qingchuan inside became immediately vigilant. Just as he got up, he saw two figures dart into the tent.

"Who?!" Zhou Qingchuan was not flustered and immediately grasped the Magic Wand in his hand.

"It’s me, Brother Zhou," Yun Sheng and Zhou Quan had already slipped into the tent.

"You!" When Zhou Qingchuan saw Yun Sheng, there was a moment of shock, but soon his eyes showed delight.

A light shone from the Magic Wand in his hand.

Where the light reached, he saw a figure that made his heart slightly tremble.

Yet beside this elegant shadow stood a robust man.

Just then, the tent flap was lifted, and Yun Canglang, having dealt with the Beast Soldier, entered as well.

"Sheng’er, we need to hurry, or those people might find the ledger. If we delay further, they are likely to," Yun Canglang stepped into the tent, glancing at Zhou Qingchuan.

Two men destined to be influential in their respective fields met under the dim light of Illumination Magic.

With just one look, Zhou Qingchuan was already on high alert.

The authoritative aura of Yun Canglang made Zhou Qingchuan take pause.

"Brother Zhou, this is my uncle, Yun Canglang, and this person beside me is Zhou Quan from the Sky Hunting Corps. Please extinguish the Illumination Magic," Yun Sheng was worried that the commotion inside Zhou Qingchuan’s tent might alarm Zhou Bing and the others outside.

Yun Canglang?

Zhou Qingchuan immediately recalled the person of that name.

He had been wandering the continent for years, and although he was just a child at the height of Yun Canglang’s prosperity, he still had a strong impression of this fierce general from within the territory of Great Zhou.

Yun Sheng recounted the events that happened during the day to Zhou Qingchuan.

Upon learning that his third uncle had colluded with the Phantom Beast Corps to steal the ledgers, Zhou Qingchuan showed no sign of surprise.

His face was amiable, no different from the polite steward Yun Sheng had encountered at the auction house.

"This time, we really owe a debt of gratitude to you all. I had anticipated that someone might interfere with the caravan along the way, but I never expected that person would be my third uncle," Zhou Qingchuan’s calmness took Yun Sheng by surprise.

It was only after he detailed the incident that everyone understood why Zhou Bing had taken such action.

"There’s no time to delay, Brother Zhou, we should promptly capture the thief; otherwise, if the ledger is stolen, all of Brother Zhou’s efforts will be in vain," Yun Sheng reminded him.

"Without concealing the fact from you, the ledgers have already been sent back," Zhou Qingchuan said with a smile, his expression showing clear understanding.

He glanced at Yun Sheng, a soft light flashing in his eyes.

It turned out that Zhou Qingchuan had employed a strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain. Before tonight, he had already had a copy of the ledger copied. If he was not mistaken, by now, the ledger should have already reached the headquarters of Wuji Commerce.

"Brother Zhou is indeed a member of Wuji Commerce, with meticulous thoughts. It seems that, Sheng’er, our actions this time were superfluous," Yun Canglang couldn’t help but admire Zhou Qingchuan enormously. At such a young age, he remained composed in the face of difficulty; this young man was truly not of ordinary caliber.

"No, there’s still a matter for which I must trouble everyone. Since you all are members of a Hunting Corps, I would like to ask for your help in purging the traitors from our caravan and, moreover, in capturing the mastermind behind the Hunting Corps," Zhou Qingchuan had transferred the ledgers, but he had no means to provide evidence of Zhou Bing’s wrongdoing.

However, if Yun Sheng and the others could capture the Commander of the Phantom Beast Hunting Corps and obtain evidence of his collusion with Zhou Bing, then Zhou Qingchuan was confident that he could use this opportunity to expose all of Zhou Bing’s secrets.

With that ledger, Wuji Commerce was bound to go through a significant reshuffling this time.

He looked at Yun Sheng eagerly, yet Yun Sheng glanced at his own second uncle.

Upon hearing this, Yun Canglang couldn’t help but frown. It was only after Zhou Qingchuan explained that Yun Sheng had a rough understanding of the predicament Zhou Qingchuan was currently facing.

This cargo was very significant for Zhou Qingchuan.

Although he was young and had achieved success, and was highly regarded by his grandfather, Zhou Ronghai, he had not held real power within Wuji Commerce.

The detailed reason had to do with Zhou Qingchuan’s father.

Zhou Qingchuan’s father, Zhou Hai, was the second son of the current head of Wuji Commerce, Zhou Ronghai. Zhou Bing was competent from a young age and took on the main steward duties of Wuji Commerce early on.

Unfortunately, not long after his wedding to Zhou Qingchuan’s mother, he was tragically killed by bandits while traveling for business.

The family property and power that belonged to Zhou Bing were forcibly transferred to other branches of the Zhou Family to manage.

According to Zhou Ronghai’s original plan, the family property belonging to his second son, Zhou Bing, was to be returned to the second branch for management after Zhou Qingchuan reached the age of twenty.

The other sons of the Zhou Family had agreed to this arrangement at the time, but when Zhou Qingchuan grew up, his uncles from the other branches came up with various excuses to avoid complying.

Together, they even plotted to expel Zhou Qingchuan from the core businesses of the family and sent him to a remote and secluded city like Luoxia City, hoping to keep him down for life.

But true gold must shine through; Zhou Qingchuan did not become discouraged. During the years he was dispatched, he continuously honed his abilities.

With his talent in management, he managed to turn the nearly bankrupt Luoxia Auction House into a thriving enterprise.