CHAPTER 189: STORM STIRRING IN THE SHADOWS

Wei Jun’s butler walked through a corridor filled with famous paintings in the Wei family manor, located at the south of the city. He stepped on the thick carpet until he arrived in front of a study.

The servant standing in front of the doors opened one side and whispered, “Mr. An, the master has been waiting for you.”

An Feng smoothed out his clothes and gingerly walked into the meticulously decorated study. Then, he bowed to the elderly man reading the newspaper inside. “Master.”

Wei Hang, Wei Jun’s father, was nearly ninety years old, but he had taken good care of himself, so he still had a head full of neatly combed black hair, though there was some graying on his sideburns.

His face showed no signs of sagging, and he had a neatly trimmed beard. He was thin and looked full of life. At most, he appeared to be around fifty years old. The medicine Central City had been providing to him had allowed him to maintain his health.

He showed no emotion on his face, and no one could tell that he had just lost a son. Slowly, he set the newspaper down and looked up. “You’re back. Have you retrieved Xiao Jun’s body?”

An Feng bowed his head. “The Cult Investigation Bureau said that they’re still looking into the cause of his death, so they will need to keep his body for some time.”

“Is that so? Then let them keep him for a few days. Once this matter comes to an end, they’ll return his body intact,” Wei Hang said slowly.

“Master, it might not be so easy to remove ourselves completely from the Two-Faced Cult,” An Feng said uneasily.

“Yes. Since we used their ritual, it won’t be easy to wash our hands off this matter,” Wei Hang agreed.

Their greatest problem with the abandoned factory case was the ritual.

The Great Shun Republic’s government was particularly sensitive about cults and their rituals, so the Cult Investigation Bureau had a lot of power. Even their budget was independent of the other departments. They also rarely had any contact with the other governmental departments, so it was difficult to influence their decisions.

If they became sure that a ritual was involved and decided to dig deep, they could cause a lot of problems. The higher-ups might even use this incident to break the fixed political and economic structure that had been maintained for years in Yangzhi City, thereby shaking the embankment they had built to keep the middle- and lower-class from reaching their circle.

A breeze blew in. Even though it was summer, Wei Hang felt a chill down his spine. “Lao Feng, isn’t the window open a little too wide?”

“I’ll shut it right away,” An Feng quickly said.

“Don’t be in such a hurry. The room is stuffy. Getting the occasional ventilation is pretty good.”

“You’re right, Master.”

“Have you looked into what I asked you?” Wei Hang asked.

An Feng came forward and removed the stack of documents he had under his arm, then set them respectfully on the table. “It’s all here, Master... But I wasn’t able to find any information about Chen Chuan’s parents.”

“You couldn’t?”

“His father isn’t from Yangzhi City, and his mother left Yangzhi City a long time ago. Later, she sent her son to live with her sister. That was all I could find.”

“If you couldn’t find anything about them, that’s fine. It’s not important.” Wei Hang didn’t mind. As long as he could be sure that Chen Chuan didn’t have a powerful family behind him, that was enough.

“But we found something worth noting.” An Feng walked over and retrieved a document from the envelope he still carried. He handed the paper over.

Wei Hang took it and grabbed a pair of glasses from An Feng. After reading it carefully, his expression turned grave.

“The Meng family’s heiress is close to Chen Chuan?”

“Yes, and everyone in his high school knew this. Miss Shu never denied it either. When she went to Central City, she even wanted to bring him along, but he rejected the offer. She then gave him a business card. Everyone saw it, so this is true.”

Wei Hang pondered over this before saying, “But he needs to die, or we won’t ever be able to regain our footing in Yangzhi City. The embankment we’ve built will fall.”

The most important person in the whole ordeal was Chen Chuan. As the sole survivor of the abandoned factory incident, the center of the conflict, and a key witness, he was the linchpin. Once he died, they could twist the truth however they liked and stop the Cult Investigation Bureau from digging deeper.

Wei Hang looked at the swaying branches outside. “If the Meng family takes action, I’ll ask someone from Black Orchid to negotiate with them. They won’t cause us trouble for one dead person.”

He cast a glance at the mantle clock. It was five minutes from 7 p.m. Wei Hang shut his eyes and leaned back, as if to rest. An Feng did not bother him and just stood still.

After five minutes, the clock struck, and the servant outside said, “Master, your guest is here.”

“Lao Feng, my legs aren’t good anymore. Welcome them for me,” Wei Hang said as he opened his eyes.

An Feng nodded and went out. After a while, a young man in an employee’s uniform came in. Wei Hang grabbed a cane and stood up from the chair.

The young man stopped in front of him and said with a smile, “Good evening, Mr. Wei. Mr. Luo asked me to wish you well on his behalf.”

“Thank him for me. Come, take a seat,” Wei Hang replied.

The young man sat down in the chair next to Wei Hang. The smile remained on his face as he said, “Mr. Wei, Mr. Luo would like to express his greatest sympathies for your loss and that of the other parents.”

Wei Hang bowed in thanks.

“Mr. Luo has heard the partners’ demands and promises to help you get through these difficult times,” the young man said.

Wei Hang’s expression eased a little, and he said politely, “Please thank Mr. Luo for me. We’ll work together with your company to apply pressure on the Department of Administrative Affairs during the next governmental meeting and achieve your requests.”

“We’re thankful for your contribution, Mr. Wei. Mr. Luo has said that he will be there tomorrow. Mr. Luo is waiting for me to send him word, so please excuse me,” the young man said and stood up.

Wei Hang, too, stood up with the help of his cane. “Please tell Mr. Luo that Wei Finances will always be his friend and partner.”

“I will send your message to him. You don’t have to send me out, Mr. Wei.”

“Lao Feng, see him out.”

The young man left the study and went out of the manor to a sedan parked outside. He opened the car door and went in. Once he was inside, he said to the person sitting in the back seat, “Mr. Luo, Wei Hang said that he’ll cooperate with us.”

“Wei Jun’s death is a good thing. We haven’t been able to get him to say yes for such a long time. This time, we might just be able to do it,” Mr. Luo said.

“Once these two puzzle pieces merge together, our setup in Yangzhi City will be complete,” the young man stated.

“It won’t be easy. Azure Floodworks is owned by the Water Management Department, and it’ll be difficult extending our claws into them. We need to be patient with it. As for private security companies, we can use this chance to get Martial Valor University out of the picture.” He made a motion for the young man to start driving. “Let’s go.”

The car left the Wei family manor.

***

Chen Chuan sat in a spacious room at the headquarters of the Constabulary in the Quanzhou District. He was reading a book.

On paper, he was taken away and put under detention, but in reality, he was brought back and put under heavy protection. His meals were delivered to him, and he had everything he needed. The conditions in the Constabulary were much better than in the university dorm.

Just then, someone knocked on the door, and he looked up. “Come in.”

Gao Ming walked in and sized up the place before walking over and saying with a smile, “Looks pretty good here, though I doubt that you will be able to stay here for long.”

Chen Chuan set the book aside. “Do you have any news?”

Gao Ming sat down in front of Chen Chuan. “I learned before coming here that there will be an internal tribunal held in the name of the Department of Administrative Affairs tomorrow. They’re going to discuss how to convict you.”

“The Department of Administrative Affairs got shocked into action, huh?” Chen Chuan smiled.

“Yes. I heard that quite a number of council members from the Consultative Council will be there. The powerful families know all too well that if they want to kill you through the law, they need to suppress the people and forces of power supporting you. That includes Martial Valor University, the Constabulary, and the Cult Investigation Bureau.

“But these departments and the university won’t just be pushed around. That’s why most of the forces of power in Yangzhi City are either going to get involved themselves or be dragged into it. No one can stay out of this.”

Since Gao Ming was facing the window, his glasses shone brightly as he grinned. “Everyone has their own interests to pursue. We won’t be the ones to dictate how things go next. Cuz, you’re at the center of this, but at the same time, you’re just a marginal figure. No matter what you say or do, it’ll be insignificant and useless in this fight for power.”

“No, I have some power,” Chen Chuan said languidly.

“You’re right, you do. So, next comes... the fourth step.” Gao Ming grinned wider and spread his thumb and index finger to nudge his glasses up. “Cuz, you started this fight, so it’s only natural that you end it.”

They discussed this matter at length before Gao Ming went back to get ready.

After he left, Chen Chuan returned to his desk to continue reading. He appeared even more relaxed than when he was at Martial Valor University.

Guan Yuming came to visit him after he had dinner. He asked his assistant to leave. Once the door closed, Guan Yuming sat down and asked, “How do you find the place, Chen Chuan? Have you gotten used to life here?”

“Thanks for taking care of me, Sir. This place is really nice. It’s like I’m back at home. I even had an extra serving of rice,” Chen Chuan answered with a smile.

Guan Yuming laughed at that, but his expression quickly turned stern. “You’re right. The Constabulary is your home. I believe your cousin has told you about what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

Chen Chuan nodded.

“Don’t think too much about it. The Constabulary will support you, but you can’t think too highly of where some people draw the line. You don’t have to fear the enemies who have exposed themselves to you because you can see them. You only need to be wary of those you can’t see.”

“I know, Sir. Thank you,” Chen Chuan said seriously.

“Alright. You should go to bed earlier today and rest well. Then, you’ll have the energy to face what’s to come tomorrow. As long as you refuse to admit to it, we’ll support you to the very end,” Guan Yuming said earnestly before standing up.

Chen Chuan thanked him and saw him out.

***

Outside, the constables in the headquarters were all talking about the incident.

“Xiao Chuan is amazing! He actually killed more than a hundred people on his own, and I heard that most of them were from powerful families! I feel great just thinking about it!”

“Hell yeah! Us constables and our families are the best!”

“What did the higher-ups say? Are we going to protect Xiao Chuan?”

“They didn’t, but if the higher-ups refuse to protect our own, how can they still command our respect? The Constabulary’s words won’t hold weight anymore if we don’t protect him. Besides, we’re in the right here!”

***

When Nian Fuli returned home, Yu Wan immediately went up to him. “How is Chan’er? I heard that he’s going to the tribunal court tomorrow. Is that true?”

“He’s going to be fine. The Constabulary is going to protect him, and Gao Ming is working with him as well. You know that Gao Ming is smart, so Xiao Chuan will be fine. Don’t worry about him,” Nian Fuli replied in a relaxed manner.

“He’s exactly like my sister. She also did things without anyone ever noticing. I’m just worried that Chan’er will end up the same way as she did,” Yu Wan said with a sigh.

“Enough. Don’t worry too much. Just go rest, and we’ll know what will happen after tomorrow. Xiao Chuan also has Martial Valor University supporting him. No matter what, he’ll be fine,” Nian Fuli dismissed her worries.

“Okay.”

Once Yu Wan calmed down, Nian Fuli went out alone to smoke. The relaxed expression he had disappeared and was replaced with a scowl.

Dozens of children from powerful families had died under Chen Chuan’s hand. Even though there was evidence that they were carrying weapons illegally and had even conducted a ritual, he doubted that this matter was going to be over that easily, despite the evidence being in favor of Chen Chuan.

I should send a telegram to Qian’er, he thought.