Chapter 333 - 321: Cloud Guest

Chapter 333: Chapter 321: Cloud Guest

Liyang.

An alley in the west of the city.

A young man dressed in green brocade with a Jade Pendant hanging from his waist walked with a composed gait to the gate of a small courtyard.

He was handsome, his features carrying a heroic air. His gaze swept over the door’s lintel, and once he confirmed he was at the right place, he raised a hand and knocked gently on the door knocker.

"KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK."

The sound of knocking was especially clear in the quiet alley.

After a wait of about a dozen breaths, the sound of light footsteps came from within. The door opened with a CREAK, just a crack.

A serving girl poked her head out, warily eyeing the visitor. "Who are you looking for, sir?" she asked in a soft voice.

The young man said, "Please inform the young lady of the house that a Cloud Guest has come to call."

Hearing this, a flash of surprise appeared in the maid’s eyes. She quickly whispered, "Please wait a moment, sir."

With that, she gently closed the door. The sound of someone running could be heard from inside the courtyard.

About a dozen breaths later, the courtyard gate opened again.

He Zhanglin, the eldest daughter of the He Family, personally came out to greet him. She was dressed in a plain white dress, her unadorned beauty impossible to hide despite the lack of makeup.

Seeing the young man, a hint of surprise crossed her eyes. "Brother Tian? Why is it you? Please, come in."

The young man known as "Brother Tian" smiled faintly and stepped inside. "Master received your Mirror Book, Sister. He knows you’ve run into some trouble and sent me to make this trip. You’re in need, so how could I, as your senior brother, just stand by and do nothing?"

The courtyard was a riot of colorful flowers, but neither of them was in the mood to appreciate the view.

He Zhanglin led Brother Tian through the courtyard and into the side room where she usually lived.

The serving girl had already deftly brewed two cups of flower tea and served them before quietly withdrawing.

Brother Tian sat in the guest’s seat, picked up the blue-and-white porcelain cup, and took a small sip. "It’s been years, Sister, but you’re as skillful as ever," he praised. "This flower tea is a masterful blend, brewed to perfection. It could rival many of the famous teas of our time."

"You flatter me, Brother. It’s just something I concocted in my idle time. Hardly anything special."

He Zhanglin shook her head lightly, her mind elsewhere. She clearly had little interest in discussing the art of tea.

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries about their time apart.

Brother Tian set down his teacup and asked with a serious expression, "Sister, Master only said you’ve encountered significant trouble and that I should come quickly. What exactly has happened?"

He Zhanglin’s fingers tightened around her teacup, and her voice grew low. "To be honest, Brother... it’s about my father."

"My condolences, Sister. These villains are completely deranged. To dare assassinate a Court Governor... Are they not afraid of inviting the Court’s thunderous wrath and heavenly annihilation?"

Brother Tian sighed, clearly already aware of He Mingyun’s death. "Has the Court sent anyone to investigate?" he asked comfortingly. "Are there any leads on the killer?"

He Zhanglin gave a bitter smile and shook her head. "The Court did send investigators from the Kyoto Garrison Command. But after looking into it for a while... a few days ago, those three officials disappeared as well."

"Disappeared?"

Brother Tian was stunned.

"Yes, disappeared."

He Zhanglin took a deep breath. "Right now, no one knows if they met with foul play or returned to Kyoto."

Brother Tian fell silent.

Even agents from the Garrison Command had "disappeared." The depths of this affair sent a chill down his spine.

He pondered for a moment before looking at He Zhanglin. "Sister, do you already have someone in mind?"

He Zhanglin lifted her eyes. A frigid glint shone in them, radiating a bone-deep hatred and chill. "I do! And I’m almost certain."

She no longer held back and briefly explained the whole story, but she omitted the part about the He Family colluding with the Cao Family and others to plot against the Zhou Family, saying only that the two families had a long-standing grudge.

Then, she recounted in full detail how she had posted a mission through Si Zhong, spending a great fortune to hire a Void Transformation expert and two Divine Hall Grandmasters for help, only for all three Grandmasters to be killed by the Chen and Zhou Families in league with the Tuo Long Bang.

"Besides the Chen and Zhou Families, with whom we have a long-standing grudge, I can’t think of anyone else with the ability and motive to do such a thing. Even if they didn’t kill my father with their own hands, they are definitely involved!"

He Zhanglin’s voice was filled with rage and sorrow.

Brother Tian drew in a sharp breath.

’One Void Transformation expert, two Divine Hall Grandmasters, plus He Mingyun, a regional Governor... a force of that magnitude would be enough to cause a storm in any province, and yet they all died without a sound?’

’What kind of power must the enemy possess to pull this off so cleanly?’

"In that case, the Zhou and Chen Families are indeed highly suspicious."

Brother Tian’s expression was grave. "To be able to eliminate so many Grandmasters without a trace... that level of power is truly troublesome."

He looked at He Zhanglin, a trace of confusion in his eyes. "Sister, the enemy’s strength is unfathomable. Why haven’t you tried to contact your master? With her Grandmaster-level Cultivation, if she were to act personally, she could surely handle this with ease."

A flicker of sorrow and helplessness crossed He Zhanglin’s eyes as she shook her head bitterly. "The year before last, my master answered the Court’s summons and went to the Northern Territory to slay demons. She has yet to return. In the Northern Territory, even the Cloud Mirror can’t establish contact. I don’t even know where she is or if she’s safe."

Brother Tian’s eyes widened in understanding, and then he realized something. "So, Sister, you sought out *my* master..."

He Zhanglin nodded, admitting it openly. "My master is absent. As for the other Celestial Officials in Si Zhong, they are either too elusive to find, or they have eccentric temperaments and can’t be swayed by ordinary gold and silver. After thinking it over, only your master..."

She paused here, the words seemingly difficult to say, and did not continue.

But Brother Tian understood. He picked up where she left off, a wry smile on his face as he finished for her. "Only my master, despite also being a Celestial Official in Si Zhong, has always been fond of worldly possessions. As long as the reward is sufficient, he will agree to act."

He Zhanglin didn’t deny it, only saying in a low voice, "I have no other choice right now. This is my last resort."

Brother Tian sighed and changed the subject. "So, Sister, what is your plan? What do you need me to do? But let me be frank—although I’m a few years your senior, my Cultivation is only at the Divine Hall level. I’m afraid I’m not strong enough to deal with villains of this caliber and won’t be of much help."

He Zhanglin shook her head. "You misunderstand, Brother. I’m not asking you to risk your life fighting the enemy. I asked you here to help me put on an act."

"An act?"

Brother Tian froze, a look of surprise on his face. He clearly hadn’t expected such a request.

"There’s something you don’t know, Brother..."

He Zhanglin lowered her voice. "Back then, to hire those three Grandmasters, I used the deeds to twenty-nine thousand acres of prime farmland under my uncle’s Sun Family name as collateral to get three thousand taels of gold from Si Zhong."

Brother Tian nodded slightly. That wasn’t surprising.

Missions from Si Zhong, especially those involving Grandmasters, always came with staggering rewards.

He Zhanglin’s tone turned cold. "Now, those three Grandmasters have met with disaster. According to Si Zhong’s rules, even if the mission fails, as long as the hired party is confirmed deceased, the client must still pay half of the agreed-upon reward as compensation and for Si Zhong’s commission. I have yet to pay that one thousand five hundred taels of gold."

Brother Tian understood. "So, the deeds used as collateral are still being held in Si Zhong’s vaults?"

"Exactly. And that is where my plan lies."

He Zhanglin nodded. "I plan to use the massive debt the Sun Family owes the Zhou Family from the purchase of that Textile Workshop as a pretext. Under that guise, I’ll offer those twenty-nine thousand acres of land, along with some of the Sun Family’s other valuable assets, to the Zhou Family as discounted collateral, or even transfer ownership to them directly."

"This will create a conflict over the ownership of those twenty-nine thousand acres of farmland. And I will also refuse to pay the final balance of one thousand five hundred taels of gold."

Hearing this, Brother Tian already understood most of the plan, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

He Zhanglin continued, "This October marks one year, when the collateral term expires. At that time, according to Si Zhong’s rules, if I don’t repay the debt to redeem the deeds, Si Zhong will have the right to dispose of the collateral."

"Given Si Zhong’s typically aggressive style, when they send people to take possession of this land only to find it occupied by outsiders, will they just let it slide?"

"At that point, your master only needs to make a few arrangements within Si Zhong to frame this as an operation to eliminate enemies who have seized Si Zhong assets. Then he can legitimately dispatch even stronger experts."

"When that time comes, annihilating the Chen and Zhou Families will be a matter of recovering Si Zhong’s property... and also of avenging my father and my brother."

Brother Tian was silent for a moment, then chuckled in spite of himself. "Sister, your plan to use their own strength against them is truly brilliant. I’m impressed."

His tone shifted as he asked, "But what difficulties are there in carrying out this plan?"

He Zhanglin sighed, her voice tinged with frustration. "The biggest difficulty is... the fish refuse to take the bait."

"Oh?"

Brother Tian raised an eyebrow.

"Neither the Zhou Family nor the Chen Family, who are the real masterminds behind them, seem to have any interest in the bait I’ve thrown out. Or rather, they are extremely wary."

He Zhanglin said helplessly, "Last time, I feigned contact with the Su Family and leaked information through a spy sent by the Chen Family. I let it be known that I was selling off the Sun Family’s assets in a package deal at an extremely low price, trying to create a sense of urgency and lure them in. But they... they actually made no move. They just watched as I reached an agreement with the Su Family and did nothing afterward."

She rubbed her brow. "After that deal, I was at a loss for what to do next. That’s why I thought of asking you to come, Brother."

Brother Tian was thoughtful. "To make use of my identity?"

"Precisely."

He Zhanglin nodded. "You come from the Tian Family of Taizhou, a prestigious and highly respected clan. Since you aren’t from one of Jiangzhou’s local Noble Families, they won’t be able to figure out your background. If you were to appear and show interest in the Sun Family’s assets..."

"I can then devise a way to put enough pressure on the Chen and Zhou Families to force them to enter the fray and take the bait. You only need to reveal your identity, meet with the Sun Family a few times, and pretend to be negotiating a price. I have my own plans for how to lead them into the trap after that."

After listening, Brother Tian didn’t answer right away.

He picked up the now lukewarm flower tea, took another sip, and pondered for a long time.

He Zhanglin didn’t rush him, but simply waited in silence.

After a good while, Brother Tian finally spoke. "Sister, since they were able to plant a spy near you, it means they aren’t entirely uninterested in the Sun Family’s assets. Their inaction is likely because they have doubts and want to ascertain the truth of the situation. But for them to be so patient, to even see that your deal with the Su Family was just a feint..."

He looked up at He Zhanglin. "Have you ever considered, Sister, that perhaps the problem isn’t with the bait, but that you have a mole in your midst?"