Chapter 206: Another Round of Danger
March 29, Sunday, is a good day for socializing.
In City B, Province A, at the central manor of the Hermit Alliance on Huangshan Mountain.
Zhuang Jianfei had been recuperating at the Central Manor for over half a month. Although Zhu Bixian’s blood insect attack had not caused him foundational damage, it had indeed put his body through considerable strain.
Today the weather was nice, and Zhuang Jianfei was rarely seen dressed in loose sportswear, sitting by the lotus pond in the manor, soaking up the sun while holding a tablet and reading online news.
“Hehe, young people have a solid foundation, and I see you’re recovering well.”
Chu Dali slowly walked over from the corridor, playing with two iron balls in his hand, looking very relaxed, with Yao Li and Wei Jun following him from a distance.
“Old man, I heard that Deng Baoyi went to northern Myanmar this time, and Guo Hao didn’t manage to accomplish anything, plus no one came back—everyone is missing, and Nawa is also unaccounted for.”
Zhuang Jianfei quickly stood up, took a few steps, and supported Chu Dali’s body.
“Hmph, I don’t know where the leaks are, what madness the Dark Arrows are up to, suddenly intervening over there. I suspect Nawa is dead. I initially wanted to take advantage of Nawa to set a trap for Feng Jiulong, letting the Dark Arrows surround him, but it turned out like this… Let’s go over there and sit for a while.”
Hearing Zhuang Jianfei’s question, Chu Dali’s expression fell, and he seemed a bit displeased.
The two walked along the viewing corridor beside the lotus pond until they reached a small, deserted courtyard and found a small pavilion to sit down.
“Jianfei, you arranged for Nawa to set a trap, and it seems to have failed. If Deng Baoyi dies there, Feng Jiulong will be more vigilant. I’ve heard that the Luo family and that girl Wan Yue are also involved in Guo Hao’s affairs.”
Looking at the southern sky, Chu Dali seemed a bit regretful as he spoke, not once glancing at Zhuang Jianfei’s face.
“Old man, I should personally run over there… How about, next, trying to find a way from the Liang family to encircle Feng Jiulong?”
Zhuang Jianfei thought for a moment, awkwardly lowering his head, seeming to take all the blame onto himself.
Chu Dali turned back, gently patted Zhuang Jianfei on the shoulder, visibly comforted: “Jianfei, I’m not blaming you. You’ve already made significant contributions last time, and your injury is not a small matter… Sigh, in this alliance, aside from you, it’s hard to find anyone with a good head on their shoulders.”
“Using Nawa to frame the Frankenstein agent for Feng Jiulong won’t work anymore. Those defectors from the Liang family are being hunted by the Dark Arrows for using the Frankenstein agent; Feng Jiulong has long cut off relations with them.”
“Feng Jiulong, a private salt trader, has always survived on caution. He is already looking for excuses not to meet us in S City, East China. I assumed control of Wu Yuqing’s territory in the name of the Central Alliance, and that made him suspicious.”
The iron balls in Chu Dali’s hand spun faster, emitting a screeching sound of friction, reflecting his inner agitation.
The atmosphere grew tense; Zhuang Jianfei didn’t dare to speak, simply keeping his head down and staying low-key.
“It’s unexpected that Wan Yue escaped a disaster last time but has now turned her focus onto Xiang Zuxing’s territory. I suspect that the Wang family is behind this. With her intelligence, she should be sharper than Feng Jiulong and likely senses the signs, knowing our next move will be in the south.”
“The Wang family seems to be currently in a position where they dare not act openly, yet I’m worried they will support Wan Yue, the Luo family, and Feng Jiulong to join forces, making us cautious in our approach.”
Chu Dali’s iron balls suddenly stopped. His frail palm pressed tightly, and a fierce expression flickered on his face: “Jianfei, since the plan has been compromised, we can’t wait any longer! As long as Feng Jiulong is alive, not only will the alliance be unstable, but your viscount breakthrough medicine will also be delayed.”
Zhuang Jianfei froze, stood up, and looked quite astonished: “Old man, if we directly confront Old Master Feng, it’s equivalent to telling everyone that there’s something wrong with the deaths of Xiang Zuxing and Wu Yuqing.”
“No need for us to take action; we can just set up another trap. You’ll understand when you meet someone later…”
Chu Dali’s cold smile appeared, and he raised his palm to lightly clap. In the distance, Yao Li and Wei Jun quickly walked away. Zhuang Jianfei, for a moment, was unsure of what their true intentions were.
A few minutes later, a strange chaotic aura quietly drifted into the courtyard, and both Zhuang Jianfei and Chu Dali turned their heads simultaneously.
An elderly man dressed in black, seemingly in his sixties or seventies, stood arrogantly at the entrance of the courtyard, with a nervous Yao Li and Wei Jun behind him.
“Ah, Fifth Brother, I haven’t been a good host… Yao girl, hurry and arrange this year’s new tea. Wei Jun, go to the kitchen and prepare some game for lunch.”
Chu Dali stood up with a big smile, his previous grim mood now dissipated, appearing as joyous as if he were greeting an old friend.
He was the fifth uncle of the Wang family, who together with Chu Dali had a hand in the deaths of Xiang Zuxing, Wu Yuqing, and several other viscounts of the Wang family… Zhuang Jianfei’s pupils constricted, and one hand clasped behind his back turned into a fist.
“Come, let me introduce you to a promising young man, Zhuang Jianfei. He contributed significantly last time, so Fifth Brother should give him more guidance from now on.”
Chu Dali welcomed the black-clad elder into the pavilion and nodded at Zhuang Jianfei.
“Fifth Master…” Zhuang Jianfei quickly bowed, feeling extremely anxious.
“Don’t worry about calling me Fifth Brother or Fifth Master. I’m not part of the Wang family anymore. You’re quite remarkable.”
The black-clad elder scrutinized Zhuang Jianfei closely, gradually revealing a satisfied smile, and his cold demeanor softened considerably.
“Zhuang Jianfei, your grandfather Qin was indeed known as the chief strategist of our Blood Clan Alliance of Huaguo. Thanks to his information and plans, we Hidden Alliance managed to keep the Japanese Blood Clan firmly in check!”
“Unfortunately, like me, he also suffered serious injuries in his younger years, risking his life for most of his life, only to end up sacrificing his own future. It’s truly unfair!”
Chu Dali reminisced about past glorious years, while old fifth uncle seemed somewhat absent-minded. He waited until Chu Dali’s opening remarks were nearly finished before coldly saying, “Old Chu, let’s get to the point. When will the corpse of Elder Gao be turned into viscount breakthrough medicine?”
“The Engel family is still preparing other materials, but I can guarantee it will be within a year!” Chu Dali smiled, then resumed a serious expression, “Originally, I planned to set a trap for Feng Jiulong this time, forcing him to death and using him for the viscount breakthrough medicine for Jianfei, but it went wrong…”
A few minutes later, old fifth uncle’s face gradually grew darker as he stood up and paced around in the small pavilion.
Old fifth uncle had been an upper-class viscount half a century ago, but because of past injuries, he had shaken his foundation and had not yet broken through the bottleneck to reach a dormant advanced state.
I initiated the plan with Old Chu, and Feng Jiulong was an intermediate viscount from Aletai long ago; he may have advanced to upper-class over the years, and I’m not sure I can win against him. This salt trader is very cautious and almost never gives us the chance to act alone.
Old fifth uncle stopped, looking at Chu Dali, who appeared to be nearing the end of his strength, with a grave expression and shaking his head repeatedly: “I won’t mince words, Old Chu. Given your current state, it’s tough just to stay upright, not to mention taking action together. The Dark Arrows also can’t offer any assistance now; Zhen Guangquan is dead.”
Old fifth uncle’s concerns were not unfounded. Although he was an upper-class viscount from the Caucasus, he couldn’t say he had an advantage over the explosive power of an intermediate viscount from Aletai, especially at night. Moreover, Feng Jiulong had a few trusted barons under him.
Now it was Chu Dali’s turn to be astonished, nearly losing grip on his teacup: “Zhen Guangquan is dead? When did this happen… the Dark Arrows have sealed the news so tightly this time?”
As he spoke, he turned to look at Zhuang Jianfei, only to find the latter even more shocked than himself.
“Hmph, yes. The secret order from Kong Ming. I acted; he didn’t tell you? I suspect Zhen Guangquan must have done something inappropriate.”
Old fifth uncle sat back down, lifted his teacup, and remained unfazed.
After a long while, Chu Dali finally regained his composure, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table before laughing coldly: “Hehe, since we can’t rely on the Dark Arrows anymore, then let’s set up another trap for Feng Jiulong.”
“Regarding Feng Jiulong, Deng Baoyi is likely dead, and this time it’s not just you acting alone… Liang family’s third son, you, me, Jianfei, and also Qian Guilong. With a viscount acting as the enforcer, do we even need you, Old Qin, to personally take charge?”
Old fifth uncle turned his head, watching Chu Dali with a sinister look, saying nothing.
Zhuang Jianfei, on the side, was already drenched in cold sweat.
Qian Guilong actually woke up; it turned out that not only Cao Kuang and Zhu Bixian but even Qian Guilong was standing with Chu Dali.
“Jianfei, these days think carefully about how to get Feng Jiulong into the trap. It’s best to resolve Wan Yue this time as well…”
Chu Dali smiled mysteriously and returned to sipping tea.
Zhuang Jianfei quickly stood up and bowed deeply.
Since old fifth uncle appeared, Zhuang Jianfei felt the other’s gaze had never left him, as if this was not their first meeting.
……
……
In a high-end villa community in Q District, City C.
“Ah, dear family, you’re too courteous! Qingtai, your grandfather is too thoughtful, making us seem insincere!”
In the main hall of the villa, Aunt Zhong couldn’t stop smiling, even changing the way she addressed Hejian Qingtai. The recently returned Hejian Qingtai had become increasingly polite and well-mannered, making Aunt Zhong like her more and more.
Especially, the Hejian family this time was following Huaguo’s traditional etiquette completely; the engagement step was entirely handled by the female side. The Zhong family hadn’t even decided what betrothal gifts to give, and the Hejian family had already prepared the list for thank-you gifts!
This future daughter-in-law and in-laws could really work it out!
“Hey, the engagement ceremony will be arranged in Gunma Prefecture, and all itinerary arrangements will be handled by the Hejian family. As for the timing, it needs to be confirmed by Uncle and Aunt. Grandfather also said that once the engagement is complete, the manor and ranch in Hokkaido will be exclusively reserved for Uncle and Aunt to escape the summer heat.”
Hejian Qingtai lowered her head, blushing.
“Xiao Jing, what are you still dawdling for? Qingtai has been hopping around so much, she must be tired. Accompany her back to her room to rest; arrange for the housekeeper to prepare Japanese food tonight!”
In the living room, Zhong Jing, who had been silent, was directly kicked off the sofa by his mother, looking completely dazed.
As for Zhong Hai, he sat on the sofa, slowly reading a letter hand-written with a brush by the old chairperson of the Hejian consortium.
Once his son and Hejian Qingtai went upstairs, Aunt Zhong quickly moved closer to Zhong Hai, took hold of his arm, and looked troubled.
“Um, dear, what do you think we should prepare for the betrothal gifts? They’ve brought out the manor and ranch from Hokkaido. The Zhong family can’t appear too shabby. They certainly won’t lack for money; what should we do?”
“Hehe, you still don’t know what your son has been up to recently…”
Zhong Hai sighed helplessly: “A few days ago, he and Hejian Qingtai, under their personal names, led the EVN Group and the Hejian Consortium to open a joint multinational pharmaceutical enterprise in our country. In a few years, the Zhong Group might just seem like a small fry in their eyes…”
“Your son has given 25% of this new pharmaceutical company’s shares to the Hejian family. That’s a conservative future value of hundreds of millions of euros.”
“Yesterday, General Han from the China National Pharmaceutical Group even personally called to inquire about this matter, thinking that I was hiding it from him.”
Saying this, Zhong Hai displayed a rather envious expression.
Aunt Zhong was taken aback, and after a few seconds, her eyes sparkled: “Really, Xiao Jing is that promising?! Then we don’t need to prepare anything this time; we’ll look good enough as is. I was worried that Xiao Jing wouldn’t match up to Qingtai, but wow, a share worth hundreds of millions of euros makes our Zhong family look affluent!”
“Hey, dear, what is that expression of yours… it’s all theirs in the future anyway. Our son is young and capable, much better than you were back then. You should be happy; you can’t feel like it reflects poorly on you, right?”
“Right, right, right; in your eyes, our son is always the best.”
Zhong Hai sighed and turned to walk toward the study.
In the master bedroom on the second floor, Hejian Qingtai was sitting in front of the vanity removing her makeup, her cheeks still flushed.
“Aren’t you going back to discuss cooperation with Fujisawa Kyozan about EVN? Why are you suddenly planning to get engaged? I said before, it’s best to wait until…”
Zhong Jing stood behind Hejian Qingtai with his hands in his pockets, his expression somewhat awkward.
“If we don’t do this, how can we let Fujisawa Kyozan drop his guard? After all, he’s well aware of your relationship with Kofuji. He’s very satisfied with our collaboration with the EVN Group this time. Jing-kun, please don’t worry. I’m not an unreasonable woman; I’ll wait for you to fully recover.”
Hejian Qingtai put down her earrings, stood up, and embraced Zhong Jing from behind with a charming smile, but her eyes held a hint of regret: “In a couple of days, I’ll be flying to Europe again for the second round of negotiations with the EVN Group people.”
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it for your birthday, so please, Jing-kun, take care of your health… Now, I want a form of compensation and reward.”
After saying this, Hejian Qingtai closed her eyes and raised her chin.
Gazing quietly at the seemingly ageless girl before him, Zhong Jing couldn’t help but sigh slightly, and a few seconds later, playfully poked her lips with his fingers.
“…”
Hejian Qingtai did not receive the expected kiss, and disappointment flickered in her eyes.
“Master asked me to ask you one thing: Is the Frankenstein agent appearing in Southeast Asia in Fujisawa Kyozan’s hands?”
Zhong Jing touched his nose, quickly steering the topic away.
“Not clear; there are no labels, so it can’t be identified. However, he has struck a deal with the Engel family, so he must have given some away. Therefore, every vial of the Frankenstein agent outside could be one that Fujisawa Kyozan traded out.”
Hejian Qingtai pondered, first shaking her head and then gently nodding.
“What can the Fujisawa family, or Fujisawa Kyozan, gain from this?”
Zhong Jing frowned, deep in thought.
“For the second-level project, sharing the research results of the Holy Grail, and also allowing him to secretly gain ownership of another person if the identity of the queen is confirmed.”
Hejian Qingtai gritted her teeth, stating another top-secret detail obtained from this trip.
“Secretly? Doesn’t he represent the Fujisawa family?”
Zhong Jing was puzzled.
“Hehe, every elder of the Fujisawa family represents a faction and is also an independent lord. Just like me, although I am a baron of the Fujisawa family, I also have my own vassals and territories.”
“Hmph, apart from the family’s worship, I only really pledge my allegiance to Fujisawa Kyozan, not the other elders. Not even the head of the family can command me directly over Fujisawa Kyozan.”
As she said this, Hejian Qingtai let out a cold laugh.
“Alright, you seem to have understood feudalism well… Remember to take this with you; Master prepared it.”
Zhong Jing smiled, pulling out a small metallic box from his pocket. He opened it in front of Hejian Qingtai to reveal a small blood sample vial half-buried in dry ice.
“This is Jiang Yao’s blood, allowing the Engel family to see our sincerity.”
Zhong Jing closed the metallic box again and handed it to Hejian Qingtai.
“Ah… Do we really have to expose their condition?” Hejian Qingtai was stunned, a bit confused.
“Can we still talk about hiding? According to what you said, their growth has reached a certain stage, and everything will become a known factor. Thus, the secret on Jiang Yao or Jiang Yan is no longer necessary for them as part of a conspiracy.”
“Moreover, Jiang Yao is already under 24-hour protection from the Wang family, and given this situation, the Engel family cannot be unaware, which makes this blood even more valuable.”
Zhong Jing shrugged, looking nonchalant.
“But Jiang Yao is the queen…” Hejian Qingtai held the metallic box, hesitating, “What if it aligns with the secrets held by the Engel family? Wouldn’t that be very dangerous?”
“Hehe, truth and falsehood intermingle; who knows? Perhaps Master has long arranged this with the Wang family. At the very least, it could test the Engel family’s reactions.”
After speaking, Zhong Jing took two steps back, lit a cigarette, and turned his gaze toward the balcony.
There, it was empty, but Zhong Jing always felt that a pair of eyes was watching from the shadows.
