Chapter 967 - 933: Limited Cooperation

Through the video, Wu Yuanyi couldn’t see the details clearly, but the result was very clear. Yuanrong had his martial arts abolished by Meng Huaiyi, and Cha Youliang expelled him from the courtyard wall. Now, no one was competing with him for the spotlight.

Wu Yuanyi was astonished by Xiahou Zun’s formidable martial prowess, but he wasn’t afraid of Xiahou Zun, because he held an important leverage.

Wu Yuanyi said, "Xiahou Zun, these years of secluded practice have indeed not been in vain."

Xu Chunliang laughed and said, "What? You want to give it a try too?"

Wu Yuanyi instructed Black Swallow to hand the phone to Xu Chunliang.

Wu Yuanyi said, "Your biggest drawback is not seeing the situation clearly. In this era, what good is formidable martial arts? Convening the four elders for a meeting? Do you really see yourself as the Sect Leader who commands with a word? The sect is fragmented, yet we few remaining still uphold the Jianghu loyalty to support you, but you’re the one who repays kindness with enmity. Now your life and death are in my hands, and at my command, none of you will escape."

Xu Chunliang laughed and said, "Wu Yuanyi, you do have some guts, undermining your superior and openly rebelling."

"That’s nothing compared to you, casting me out of the sect and cutting off my financial path. You owe Old Yan two fists, but you owe me a life. Without me, you wouldn’t have become the Sect Leader. How about you explain why your daughter takes the surname Cao?"

Xu Chunliang calmly said, "You’re really out of the loop. My daughter has already returned to her original surname, and I have already passed the Sect Leader position to her."

"A guilty conscience, returning things to their rightful owners?" Wu Yuanyi taunted.

Xu Chunliang smiled and said, "You really think you can control the situation with a few little minions? You’ve overestimated yourself and underestimated our sect."

Xu Chunliang turned to Black Swallow and said, "Do it, do it!"

With a thud, Black Swallow and six accomplices suddenly felt dizzy and fell to the ground one by one.

Cha Youliang and Xiahou Mulan hurried forward to pick up their weapons.

Wu Yuanyi, watching the scene unfold through the camera, couldn’t believe his eyes. What on earth just happened?

Xu Chunliang said, "I’ll take care of them first, and you’re next." After saying that, he hung up the phone.

Xu Chunliang’s gaze swept over the four elders, and intimidated by his might, they all averted their eyes, not daring to meet his gaze.

Xu Chunliang said, "Wu Yuanyi intends to overthrow the sect and harm his fellow members. Elder Cha, deal with it according to the sect rules!"

"Yes!"

Xu Chunliang continued, "From today, Mulan will exercise the duties of Sect Leader on my behalf. Anyone who dares to disobey is disrespecting me. After the six skills assessment, she will be the 66th Sect Leader of the sect."

No one dared to voice objections now. The ability Xu Chunliang displayed was astonishing. Judging from how he dealt with Yuanrong, purely in terms of martial prowess, no one in the sect could match him.

Xu Chunliang glanced at the seven unconscious people on the ground and said, "These seven are not from our sect, so naturally, they shouldn’t be dealt with according to sect rules. Elder Zhai, you’re in charge of reporting to the authorities! Assist Mulan in handling this matter well."

Zhai Pingqing stared at Xu Chunliang in astonishment. This clearly is dragging me into the mess too. Xiahou Mulan can’t report to the authorities? You’re forcing me to report so Wu Yuanyi will hate me too? This old fox is really cunning.

After arranging everything, Xu Chunliang asked everyone to disperse, leaving only Zhai Pingqing to accompany Xiahou Mulan to handle the aftermath.

He also left. The task of Xiahou Zun’s identity was complete; it wouldn’t matter much if he didn’t appear again.

Yuanrong, with his martial arts ruined, couldn’t possibly achieve anything with his abilities. Yan Hong was a sect disciple, and clearing the ranks according to sect rules was unquestionable. The two fists were returned. If Yuanrong dared to retaliate, it would be against the entire sect.

As for Wu Yuanyi, there’s nothing more to say. His actions today have already betrayed the sect, making him an enemy to all.

Wu Yuanyi should have known that Xiahou Zun was a fake. He originally intended to use this to coerce Cao Xinwei into submission. But he never expected that Cao Xinwei was also a fake.

Xu Chunliang mimicked Cao Xinwei flawlessly with the skills of Thousand Muscle Transformations, successfully poisoning Black Swallow and the seven others. As for why the four elders and Xiahou Mulan were unaffected, it was because Xu Chunliang tampered with the tea they drank.

Wu Yuanyi intended to expose the truth, but he also knew that doing so would mean showing his hand. This thought caused him to miss his best chance to deal with Xiahou Zun, and Xu Chunliang didn’t give him that opportunity either.

It can be said that Wu Yuanyi’s conspiracy was thoroughly crushed today. Even if he tells the truth, no one in the current Pi Men will believe him.

After Xu Chunliang left, he made a detour to make sure no one was following him, and then restored his original appearance in a secluded and deserted place.

In the afternoon, Xiahou Mulan called to tell Xu Chunliang that everything had been dealt with, and the police had taken Black Swallow and a few others away. However, for the next couple of days, it would be best if they didn’t meet to avoid complications.

Xu Chunliang told Xiahou Mulan to be extra careful. Among the four elders, there was certainly still an inside man for Wu Yuanyi. Currently, it seemed that Meng Huaiyi and Zhai Pingqing were the most suspicious, which was also why Xu Chunliang deliberately dragged them into the mix. The main task now was to find this insider, and remove this hidden danger before Xiahou Mulan passed the six skills assessment.

Xu Chunliang contacted Liu Haiyu and handed him the phone obtained from Black Swallow, asking Liu Haiyu to use the technical department to dig up Wu Yuanyi based on the content inside the phone.

Liu Haiyu, as if he had found a treasure, looked happily at Xu Chunliang and said, "Finally you’ve come around. Don’t worry, we will provide the best possible conditions for cooperation in the future if you join us."

Xu Chunliang said, "Do you misunderstand something? Providing you with leads doesn’t mean I’m cooperating with you, nor does it mean I’ll join your organization."

Liu Haiyu replied, "Brother, I really admire you. With your abilities, if you joined us, you would definitely thrive. It wouldn’t be long before you’d stand out, and you might even surpass my achievements one day."

A phrase popped into Xu Chunliang’s mind: "A horse doesn’t know how long its face is." Does Liu Haiyu really think he’s that impressive? Xu Chunliang wondered if Liu Haiyu’s organization was the same as his mother’s, and if it was, this guy might actually be working under his mother. Xu Chunliang patted Liu Haiyu’s shoulder and said, "The reason I won’t join you is mainly because you can’t manage me. I have no organizational or disciplinary qualities. If something goes wrong, you simply can’t handle it."

Liu Haiyu said, "Looking down on people?"

Xu Chunliang said, "You’ve probably investigated my background, so now think carefully: who had a good ending working with me? Zhao Feiyang’s dad died, his wife died, his patron, the Huayuan Group, faced a debt crisis. Oh right, his wife Pei Lin used to be my superior. After I joined the Department of Culture and Tourism, Director Fu Guomin even lost his job and now runs a BBQ stall. Qiao Rulong, almost became my brother-in-law, and not long after we worked on something together, he had a car accident and had to replace his heart."

Liu Haiyu stared at Xu Chunliang, stunned. Damn! It seems to be true.

Xu Chunliang patted his shoulder and said, "You were doing pretty well, but insisted on taking me as a brother, and if you lost your job because of me, that’s one thing. But you’re in a high-risk industry, and if you lost your life because of me, I’d feel a bit guilty. However, if you think you’re tough enough to handle me, I don’t mind you continuing down this path."

Liu Haiyu was sweating a little. What he said wasn’t entirely without reason. There’s no harm in believing in such things. It seems like those in leadership who worked with him didn’t meet good ends.

Actually, Xu Chunliang counting Qiao Rulong in was just to make up numbers. Even so, Liu Haiyu felt jittery and realized this guy was pure bad luck. Since Xu Chunliang was so reluctant, it was better not to force it.

Liu Haiyu cleared his throat: "What age are we living in now, still relying on feudal superstitions? We Communist party members don’t believe in that."

Xu Chunliang said, "Lao Liu, tell me about your organization?"

Liu Haiyu replied, "That’s classified. I can’t casually disclose national secrets to an outsider."

Xu Chunliang laughed, "Alright, I won’t ask then. Lao Liu, how about this: we maintain the current mode of interaction, limited cooperation, exchange information. If I have intel, I’ll contact you as soon as possible. When I need your help, you use your resources on the premise of possibility, and take all credit for yourself. I don’t want recognition or profit. How does that sound?"

Liu Haiyu nodded, "By the way, has Bai Lan been in touch lately?"

Xu Chunliang shook his head, "Have there been any leads on the BBQ shop incident?"

Liu Haiyu said, "Intentional detonation has been confirmed, but it currently seems less likely that it was aimed at you."

Xu Chunliang thought to himself that it was definitely aimed at him. He wondered whether Liu Haiyu said this intentionally or if his limited abilities led the investigation in the wrong direction.

Liu Haiyu continued, "As for the car outside, according to our investigation, the car was used by Bai Lan. As for where she went and how the people in the car died, it’s still under investigation."

Xu Chunliang said, "Bai Lan used to be employed by the Lexus Group’s Li Bingxing to write a biographical novel for his family. Could there have been a problem that offended the Lexus Group, leading them to murder Bai Lan?"

Liu Haiyu said, "We are in contact with the Peninsula side, trying to get more information about her. It currently appears that Bai Lan is not an ordinary person. She killed her foster parents at a very young age and was once judged to have mental problems."

Xu Chunliang said, "I think you should focus your investigation on the Mingde Group. Huang Youlong seems very problematic. Che Shixiong has always been working for him, and I suspect both the BBQ shop explosion and Che Shixiong’s disappearance are related to him. Bai Lan’s disappearance might also be connected to him."

Liu Haiyu nodded, "We are also increasing our investigation efforts on the Mingde Group. We absolutely will not allow foreign forces to act so recklessly on our soil."

There’s something going on today, so just one update.