Chapter 477 - 11: Selling Off

The Zhu Family was a large clan. Zhu Ju’s father was not an only child; he had two younger brothers and an older sister.

Among them, the second brother, Zhu Chen, had always helped manage the Zhu Family’s business.

However, this "Second Uncle" of Zhu Ju’s gave off an honest and simple impression. He had worked diligently without complaint for so many years, making it hard to imagine he would be the one to hire assassins.

Even...

...daring to act himself, to kill his own nephew.

After the incident, a full six members of the Qingyi Gang arrived to handle the matter, showing how seriously they were taking it.

Among them was an old acquaintance, Guo Jie.

"We’ve gotten to the bottom of it."

Guo Jie put away the case file and sighed.

"Zhu Chen learned that your father had perished on his journey, so he set his sights on the Zhu Family business. He bribed Wang Xiaoliu and others to abduct you from the city, planning to kill you and then frame Zhu Ji of the second branch."

"That boy Zhu Ji is a fool. He believes whatever anyone tells him and walked right into the trap."

"That way, with you dead, the second branch in prison, and the third branch unable to manage the family’s affairs, he could take control of the Zhu Family and become the new master of the Zhu Mansion."

"Heh..."

"Quite the clever scheme!"

"A disgrace to the family!" Zhu Ju sighed lightly. The phrase sounded familiar; he wasn’t sure how many times he had said it.

"I’ve made a fool of myself in front of everyone."

"Not at all." Guo Jie turned his head to look, his eyes scrutinizing.

"Tonight, your second uncle, Zhu Chen, came prepared. The guards of the Zhu Mansion were also lured away. He should have had a ninety percent chance of taking you down."

"Who would have thought..."

He turned his head to the side and nodded.

"...that you would manage to invite Daoist Jingyun to stand guard. Zhu Chen walked right into a trap, and only then did the truth come to light."

"What a move!"

"What a mind!"

Guo Jie refused to believe this was a coincidence.

’Zhu Ju must have sensed something was off beforehand. That’s why he set a trap, just waiting for Zhu Chen to fall into it.’

’So young...’

’...yet so calculating.’

A Seventh-Grade Expert isn’t easy to find. Even the Qingyi Gang only has a few, and they certainly wouldn’t offer their help for just anything.

Now...

...the Zhu Family’s business had fallen entirely into Zhu Ju’s hands, including the parts Zhu Chen had controlled.

"You jest, Steward Guo."

Zhu Ju’s face was devoid of expression.

"One can’t be too careful. I was merely taking precautions, just in case."

"Haha..." Guo Jie laughed heartily.

"Young Master Zhu, you are young and promising. If your father could see you now, he would rest in peace."

"Zhu Chen and his two accomplices will be taken to the gang’s prison for now. In a few days, they will be beheaded along with Zhu Ji to serve as a warning to others."

"Mm." Zhu Ju cupped his fist in his hand.

"Thank you for your trouble."

"There is one more thing." Guo Jie’s smile faded as he spoke.

"The Celestial Eagle Thieves have colluded with Demons, causing chaos in the surrounding areas. The Government Office and our Qingyi Gang are joining forces to leave the city and eliminate them."

"All the wealthy merchants and citizens in the city must pay a fixed amount of anti-bandit silver."

"The three major cloth merchants associated with the Qingyi Gang will contribute a total of one hundred thousand taels of silver. Your Zhu Family will provide forty thousand taels, and the other two families will each provide thirty thousand taels."

Forty thousand taels!

Zhu Ju’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t ask why he had to pay ten thousand taels of silver more than the other two families.

He pondered for a moment before saying,

"That’s no small sum. I’ll need some time to gather it."

"No problem." Guo Jie clapped him on the shoulder.

"As long as it’s paid in full within half a month."

"Farewell!"

...

"Young Master!"

Nursing Director Zhang looked ashamed.

"I have been derelict in my duties! To think I let a villain sneak into the mansion and nearly cause a disaster... I ask for punishment, Young Master!"

"Enough." Zhu Ju waved his hand.

"How is Zhang Yuan?"

Zhang Yuan was Nursing Director Zhang’s son. He had suddenly fallen gravely ill last night, which was why the Nursing Director hadn’t been at the Zhu Mansion.

"It’s nothing serious. He was just given a laxative by some scoundrel. It looked severe, but it was actually nothing." Nursing Director Zhang looked embarrassed.

"Thank you for your concern, Young Master. I..."

"That’s enough." Zhu Ju sighed softly.

"You are dismissed."

Nursing Director Zhang opened his mouth to speak but knew that by leaving the mansion so suddenly without resigning, he had already lost Zhu Ju’s trust.

He cupped his hands and backed out of the room, step by step.

"Young Master."

Seeing that they were alone, Shuang’er finally dared to speak.

"Now that the real culprit who tried to harm you has been found and the trouble is resolved, you won’t have to live in fear anymore."

"It’s not that simple." Zhu Ju shook his head.

"Father had just died, and before I even received the news, my second uncle, Zhu Chen, had already completed the process of hiring assassins."

"Who told him?"

"How was his information so timely?"

"Even if I had really died and the second branch was framed by him, there’s still the third branch and other members of the Zhu clan. What made him so confident he could seize the inheritance of the Zhu Mansion from so many people?"

Zhu Ju spoke slowly.

"If I’m not mistaken, Zhu Chen must have another backer, one with a high position within the gang."

"Heh..."

"No matter!"

He gave a faint smile and looked at Shuang’er.

"My dear Shuang’er, your Talent has been recognized by Senior Jingyun. With time, you’ll surely achieve great things. When that day comes, I’m afraid I’ll be the one needing your protection."

"Don’t you worry, Young Master!" Shuang’er puffed out her barely-there chest with a look of gallant loyalty.

"In life, Shuang’er is your person; in death, she is your ghost."

*

*

*

"What?"

"You want to sell the formula for Ink Jade?"

"No! Absolutely not!"

...

Early in the morning.

The living room of the Zhu Mansion was already in an uproar, with several elders of the Zhu Family shouting and waving their canes.

"Zhu Ju."

One of them pleaded earnestly.

"Ink Jade is a dyeing formula that our Zhu Family ancestors discovered after countless trials. It can produce a black far superior to that of any other cloth house. If you sell it, how will you face our ancestors in the afterlife?"

"That’s right!"

"You can’t sell it!"

"Very well." Zhu Ju sat calmly in the main seat and spoke.

"Whichever of you can raise forty thousand taels of silver in a short time, then I won’t sell the Ink Jade Dyeing Formula."

The room fell silent.

"Or perhaps..."

He looked at the few people on his left.

"...we should sell the shops in the West City?"

The expressions of those few people changed. Most of their income came from the West City shops; if they were sold, their lives would surely become difficult.

"Or..."

"...sell the shops in the East City?"

The other elders’ expressions changed as well.

As elders of the Zhu Family, they received a share of the shops’ profits without having to work.

The Ink Jade formula, on the other hand, wouldn’t affect their income in the short term even if it were sold.

"Well..."

one person began in a low voice.

"It’s all for the continuation of the family. If we have to sell a formula, so be it. Don’t we still have the Red Cloud Dyed Cloth?"

"I’m sure our ancestors will forgive us."

"Indeed! Indeed!"

"It’s the only way."

Zhu Ju took in all their changing expressions. His sharp Divine Soul could even perceive their complex thoughts, and a cold sneer couldn’t help but touch his lips.

’Age breeds treachery.’

’The older they get, the more they scheme. They’re not as pure as the young.’

He was selling the Ink Jade Dyeing Formula this time for two reasons: first, to raise the forty thousand taels of silver for the Qingyi Gang, and second, to buy some Demon Blood Flesh.

There are Demons in this world!

A lot of them.

Demon Blood Flesh was a great tonic, an excellent choice for a Cultivator to advance their Cultivation.

Of course, he had to give it a try.