Chapter 265 - 244: An Unsolvable Frame-up Against the Li Family

Chapter 265: Chapter 244: An Unsolvable Frame-up Against the Li Family

"That’s good," Lu Feng nodded.

’The Li Family probably never expected so much arable land to suddenly appear out of thin air in the East Suburb. Moreover, all this land was specifically created to frame them.’

It was an unsolvable setup. The Li Family couldn’t explain why so much arable land was unrecorded.

But Lu Feng didn’t feel bad about it at all. After all, he could buy materials in the real world to neutralize even more land.

Besides, once the Hexagonal Beast incident happened and the City East Alliance collapsed, all this land would belong to his Qingfeng Base.

Just as Lin Jiao had said, within the City East Alliance, the Li Family was already at their wit’s end.

Two pieces of news spread like wildfire throughout the City East Alliance.

One was about the Beastman Race and the Cannibal Race, which sent many survivors into a panic.

The other was about the Li Family. They were responsible for the East Suburb, one of the City East Alliance’s primary food sources. Now, rumors about the Li Family lining their own pockets were spreading wildly:

"Have you heard? The amount of arable land in the East Suburb isn’t just what we see. The Li Family has hidden a lot of it."

"I heard the land the Li Family has hidden has given them more grain and wealth than all the other nobles in the Noble District combined."

"That’s not all! I heard the Liu Family, the Lin Family, the Wu Family... even their combined food supplies don’t compare to the Li Family’s!"

"If the Li Family wanted to, they could break away and build their own prosperous base."

...

Every rumor was more vicious than the last.

The City East Alliance had many noble families, all vying for power and profit. Hearing that the Li Family had so much grain and had embezzled so much, who would be pleased?

Besides, wasn’t this the perfect opportunity to move against the Li Family? They might even get a piece of the pie.

「In the City East Alliance’s Noble District.」

When Li Sheng, Patriarch of the Li Family, heard these rumors, his white beard bristled with anger. This was clearly a targeted attack against his family.

"Damn it! I never should have given that Lu Feng an opening. I should have been more decisive back then." Li Sheng’s old face was contorted with fury. He wasn’t a fool; he knew this news had to be related to Qingfeng Base.

After all, only the Li Family and the other party knew about the newly discovered farmland in the valley and the land they had hidden for seeding.

’Just as I thought. He killed that dog, Gray Wolf, and took over the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps. He’s an ambitious one.’

’And now it seems he’s stirring up trouble again.’

As one of the nobles of the City East Alliance, Li Sheng was clearly no simpleton; he had accurately guessed the instigator.

"Patriarch, it seems we must deal with the situation at the East Suburb Fortress," a member of the Li Family said with a frown. "In any case, we’ve already withdrawn some of our forces."

Li Sheng nodded. "Notify Li Kai to prepare. We’ll be sending people over!"

The words had barely left his mouth when a member of the Li Family rushed in. "Patriarch, this is bad! Several nobles are at the Flame Emperor’s protesting and calling for your impeachment! The Flame Emperor has sent someone to see you. He wants you to go to the Flame Emperor’s Mansion!"

"Damn it!" Li Sheng cursed upon hearing the news and immediately strode out of the Li Family residence.

’Now that the news has reached the Flame Emperor, this won’t end well.’

’Fortunately, it’s not an unsolvable situation. I did make a record of that newly discovered land; I just tucked it at the bottom of the document stack.’

’I can just say it was under inspection and hadn’t been officially filed yet. Once the inspection was complete, it would be filed.’

’Of course, if this hadn’t been exposed, things would be different. There would’ve been no need to play this card.’

’As for the little bit I hid before... anyone in charge would do the same. At most, I’ll be reprimanded. It won’t be enough for our Li Family to lose our jurisdiction over the East Suburb.’

’But that Lu Feng... once this is over, I have to get rid of him.’

The highest center of power in the City East Alliance was, naturally, the Flame Emperor’s Mansion.

「Inside the Flame Emperor’s Mansion.」

A young man sat in the central seat, drinking a glass of milk. Who would have thought the founder of the City East Alliance would be such a youth?

But everyone knew the Flame Emperor was not as young as he appeared. He was a high-tier ability user whose metabolism was different from that of an ordinary person, which explained his youthful appearance.

"Have the men been sent out?" the Flame Emperor asked the person beside him after finishing his milk.

The person next to him nodded. "They’ve already been sent to verify the cultivated area in the East Suburb. We’ve also investigated and found that the one spreading the news is from a place called Qingfeng Base. Their leader, Lu Feng, is the new Guard Officer of the East Suburb Fortress."

"He must be trying to expose the Li Family this way. However, the Guard Officer of the East Suburb Fortress is usually appointed by the Li Family. It seems this Lu Feng has had a falling out with them."

"Mm," the Flame Emperor nodded, annoyed. "If it’s true, then the Li Family needs to be taught a lesson. The world is already in this state, yet some people’s greed is still endless. As for that Lu Feng, regardless of whether he has a grudge against the Li Family, he should be rewarded."

"What about the other matter?" the Flame Emperor asked again.

The person beside him frowned. "That might also be true. We found some clues earlier regarding the situation we encountered in the Anhui Commercial District. The people who were roasted and eaten... the perpetrators might be the Beastman Race and the Cannibal Race."

"Furthermore, I did manage to find some survivors from destroyed bases, mostly from bases near the East Suburb. The situation seems rather grim."

The Flame Emperor’s brow gradually furrowed.

The appearance of a Beastman Race and a Cannibal Race was clearly a terrible development, as it signified a relentless conflict.

Moreover, the area where they were causing trouble was too close to the East Suburb.

Just then, someone entered from outside and reported, "Lord Flame Emperor, Li Sheng, the Li Family Patriarch, is here."

"Understood." The Flame Emperor nodded and walked out. He met Li Sheng in the main hall and asked immediately upon seeing him, "Li Sheng, do you know why I’ve summoned you?"

Li Sheng’s expression changed. He quickly said, "Lord Flame Emperor, I know. Those rumors are slander! Our Li Family did hide some arable land, but not much. One plot was newly discovered and is still under verification..."

"Enough. I’ve already sent people to check whether it’s true. They’ll be back soon," the Flame Emperor said coldly. After sitting down, he added, "So, you can just wait here for the results. They should be returning shortly."

Hearing this, Li Sheng felt a slight sense of relief.

’Thankfully, when Zheng Lin reported the newly discovered farmland, I held a card up my sleeve. With that document, I can at least talk my way out of this.’

’If that Lu Feng thinks he can take down our Li Family with a trick like this, he’s far too naive.’

’After all, I’m not an idiot. I wouldn’t do something like lining my own pockets without having a backup plan.’