CHAPTER 104: CHAPTER 103: Q&A (PART 1)

A conical transparent glass bottle was brought to the dining table by the servants. Inside the glass bottle were clear water, apple juice, distilled liquor, milk, and even a few deep blue ice cubes. Below the glass bottle was a small golden bowl containing coal and tobacco, with a slender hose inserted into the mouth of the glass bottle.

The servant lit the coal in the golden bowl, and thick blue-gray smoke rose, filtered through the mixture in the glass bottle, transforming into milky white smoke that continued to rise under the residual heat of the coal.

Jing Qingfu bit the hose, turned the small steel ball in the regulator of the hose, finally found a comfortable rhythm, and began to puff away while sitting in the wheelchair.

This complex assembly of utensils was the ’healthy pastime’ that had been popular among the wealthy in Xuanzhu County for years—the communal meal. However, compared to such an ’ethereal’ name as the communal meal, ordinary people who despised the pretentiousness of the rich preferred to call it hookah.

The tobacco industry was a top-tier pillar industry in the Silver Blood Association, and no merchant association could take it on alone. Now, all three major tobacco companies in Xuanzhu County had investments and collaborations from various associations, and not only were they exported overseas, but even domestically, ’Dongyang Tobacco’ was a renowned brand.

Of course, wealthy people also knew that smoking and drinking were bad for their health, but enjoyment was still necessary. Otherwise, what was the point of earning so much money? To train combat techniques?

So they invented a ’smoking method’ for the wealthy: let the smoke produced by burning tobacco pass through a ’water base’ mixed with apple juice, milk, and distilled wine for filtration, then slowly inhale through a hose. This method was both elegant and healthy, with a taste that had hints of milk and wine fragrance, far superior in style and flavor to the smoking methods of peasants.

Once water hookahs were introduced, they immediately became all the rage throughout Xuanzhu County. Jing Qingfu was a serious hookah enthusiast with a severe ’cloud mist addiction,’ and even when bedridden, he needed to smoke a water hookah daily. Just the hookah utensils he collected over the years could fill an entire room, which he even aptly named ’Treasure Hall.’

In fact, Jing Qingfu didn’t have any illnesses. Given his status, any illness would have long been eradicated by medical officers using light therapy. The reason he was already in decline and nearing death in his fifties was not just because the average lifespan of glorious people was low (the vigorous life force activated by spiritual power actually prematurely expended lifespan), but also largely due to his cloud mist addiction.

Smoking is harmful to health.

After taking a few satisfying puffs of smoke, Jing Qingfu finally picked up chopsticks and placed a piece of green vegetable in his bowl, then coughed and said, "Let’s start eating."

The sound of glasses clinking echoed in Hui Fu Hall, but still, no one spoke. Everyone was entirely focused on the main table, with no appetite for food.

Originally, everyone was prepared to shed a few tears and wait for Jing Qingfu’s funeral banquet, then joyfully welcome the new patriarch. But today, surprisingly, Jing Qingfu appeared in a wheelchair—had his health improved? Or was it the last flicker before dying?

Many people glanced toward Jing Zhengfeng, who kept his head down drinking, with a vague suspicion in their hearts. The patriarch called back the fourth son, Jing Zhengfeng, for a family banquet, indicating his plan to gather all troublesome matters and resolve them at once.

Jing Qingfu, indeed, didn’t have much time left.

And tonight, the Jing Family would experience a significant upheaval.

Not many people at the main table had an appetite either. Even someone like Qing Lan, an outsider, could sense the strange and heavy atmosphere. Only Le Yuxin and Jing Zhengtang seemed to be eating and drinking without a care, though Le Yuxin was relatively self-absorbed, while Jing Zhengtang would also serve dishes to his fiancée, Feiwei.

Le Yuxin couldn’t help but glance at Feiwei a couple of times. In all fairness, this girl who bewitched the third son of the Jing family wasn’t considered stunningly beautiful—but she certainly wasn’t ugly either. The Jing family was very selective about buying servants, and ugly girls didn’t even have the chance to become servants in Jing Garden. But whether due to Jing Zhengtang’s support or her own mindset, Feiwei exuded a serene calmness that inspired trust and deterred contempt.

Suddenly, Jing Zhengfeng heavily put down his wine glass and said, "Speak up, old... "

At this moment, he glanced at Le Yuxin sitting next to him, noticed Le Yuxin’s gentle and amiable expression, and immediately obfuscated, "...what exactly did you call me over for? My time is very valuable, unlike you who can enjoy yourselves all day long."

Jing Qingfu exhaled a puff of white smoke and sneered, "What, can’t you even handle the mess with the Qinghong Gang? Useless is useless."

Jing Zhengfeng didn’t get angry, "After all, the Qinghong Gang is filled with desperados who dare to kill and fight, unlike these parasites you raised in the Jing family; managing them is much more troublesome."

The parasites raised by the Jing family? Workers, servants, or perhaps this group of clansmen?

Many clansmen felt a surge of anger, yet not many dared to stand up and show their displeasure to Jing Zhengfeng. Hearing this, Le Yuxin finally recalled the background information on Jing Zhengfeng from memory and glanced at him.

Jing Zhengfeng was the illegitimate son of Jing Qingfu left behind outside, having grown up in the slums of the outer city. However, according to Jing Zhengwei’s analysis, Jing Qingfu had probably been secretly observing this fourth son all along, though he never brought him home until three years ago when he announced Jing Zhengfeng’s true identity to everyone.

By that time, Jing Zhengfeng was already the third leader of the biggest gang in the outer city of Xuanzhu County, the Qinghong Gang.

In Xuanzhu County, gangs were always an unavoidable issue, and they represented the only gray area where various forces could compete with each other. Organizations like the Silver Blood Association, which encompassed officialdom, business, military, and political spheres, naturally had many internal factions. Even the top ten commercial organizations had people eyeing each other, and the lower-ranked forty commercial organizations changed faces every ten years or so. Even the official military faced internal strife, with intense competition.

All beneficiaries wanted to maintain their status, and the easiest way to do so, with immediate results, was naturally—violence.

But the Assassin Organization doesn’t take internal orders from the Silver Blood Association, and the merchants aren’t foolish enough to let the Heyang Army meddle in their competition—that would be a direct, table-flipping act of dimensional reduction attack.

However, violent gangs cannot be formed in a single day, and the Silver Blood Association has rules prohibiting internal violent conflict. If evidence isn’t left behind, that’s fine, but if evidence is caught, the people in the Silver Blood Association will tear themselves apart.

Naturally, the mafia becomes the choice for all business associations. It’s convenient for training troops, easy to control, used and discarded... From the day the Silver Blood Association was established, the mafia has always been the dark side of Xuanzhu County, and those audacious, combative young people entering the mercenary mafia also makes it easy for the Silver Blood Association to control, achieving multiple benefits.

The fact that Jing Zhengfeng could become a leader of the three gangs at a young age is due not only to his outstanding personal abilities but also to Jing Qingfu’s covert support, which undoubtedly played a part. Because of Jing Zhengfeng’s status, the clansmen dared not provoke him—nothing inspires more fear in the carnivorous than violence.

Most importantly, they sensed that Jing Qingfu actually has high hopes for Jing Zhengfeng. In the entire family, only Jing Zhengfeng dares to face off against Jing Qingfu, which itself speaks volumes.

If Jing Qingfu were to support Jing Zhengfeng’s rise to power, it wouldn’t be impossible...

"Desperadoes are hard to manage because they have nothing, but those with attachments have weaknesses, and having weaknesses means they can be exploited," Jing Qingfu said indifferently. "But you must remember one thing—desperadoes only have two outcomes, either they become the latter or... die. You can now roam freely with the identity of a desperado, but once you have attachments, you’ll also have to bear the backlash that comes with this identity."

Simply put, it’s ’what goes around comes around’, ’every lawbreaker in the underworld catches a knife’... Le Yu wanted to summarize with a few mafia sayings, but the lobster in his hand was so delicious, and while eating, he missed the chance to grandstand.

Jing Zhengfeng sneered, not refuting.

Jing Qingfu took another puff of Bai Xia, saying, "Look at how impatient you all are... Only Zhengfeng and Zhengtang know that when it’s time to eat, just eat. Even if something’s going to happen, sitting here waiting like this is just a waste of time."

Jing Zhengwu shook his head, "Father, we’re worried about your health, so we can’t eat heartily."

Are you implying that my mouth full of greasy food shows I’m not worried?

Though that’s indeed the case, how has this brother managed to make every word sound so sarcastic and biting... Le Yu silently mocked in his heart, while Jing Zhengtang hurriedly explained, "Father, I, I’m also very concerned about you!"

"Enough."

Jing Qingfu took several deep breaths of Bai Xia before slowly saying, "The Silver Blood Association harbors resentment towards the Jing Family."

Upon hearing these words, the listeners immediately changed their expressions!

The Silver Blood Association isn’t just a business alliance; it includes Dongyang’s ruling official Quanyuan, Governor Yun Qinghe, Heyang Army’s commander Gai Shiwen, Wanghaigong Huyan Xiu, and various other forces. The Silver Blood Association’s resentment against the Jing Family can be a matter of significance, and if handled poorly, it could lead to the family’s annihilation!

"You don’t need to be overly tense. Actually, this issue has been around for a while, and I was originally planning to take a few years to handle it, but... cough cough."

Jing Qingfu coughed twice, then took another deep breath of Bai Xia and continued, "Our Jing family controls one-third of the plantations around Xuanzhu County, owns five factories, three mines, and the workers and servants depending on our family for sustenance number in the tens of thousands."

"The Silver Blood Association isn’t dissatisfied with the Jing Family so much as it’s dissatisfied with all business associations possessing a large number of workers and servants. Now that refugees from Skyrim have come to Dongyang, the associations can choose to employ cheaper, more laborious Skyrim People, and at the same time, with wars about to start across various regions, transportation is cut off, and a large number of goods cannot be transported out for sale, cough cough..."

"...There are many factors, but the most direct result is our business association has to shrink development, reduce workers’ wages, and even lay off workers... And when workers can’t survive, they naturally begin to cause unrest, coupled with the Backlight Organization’s incitement and encouragement..."

Jing Qingfu let out a long breath, "Just within our Jing family, there have already been multiple worker uprisings in recent years, and the Silver Blood Association’s primary goal is to maintain Xuanzhu County’s stable development... They hope that our Jing family can control the workers and servants, and under no circumstances allow the Backlight Organization any opportunity to exploit."

"So then..." He looked around, scanning the Jing family’s four brothers with his gaze, "If it were you, how would you handle this issue?"

How to handle it? Give money, give a lot of money, is it possible to expect a horse to run without feeding it? Fewer tasks, more money, closer to home—surely one of these must be satisfied?

Despite already sitting in the capitalist’s seat, internally Le Yu was still on the side of the impoverished proletariat.

"Father."

Jing Zhengwu spoke loudly, "The method to deal with these rabble is no more simple."