Chapter 109 - 107: Jianghu Bosses
Zhuang Ren watched these people leave, then shook his head and sighed lightly.
"The Xu Family is probably going to suffer greatly; let’s hope it won’t disrupt the city’s order."
"Sir, are you referring to that Elder Liu?" Song Changming also heard what Liu Dingsheng said earlier, undoubtedly unwilling to let this matter rest.
"Yes." Zhuang Ren nodded.
"Why not stop him?" Song Changming asked.
"Not to mention that Brother Liu himself is a well-known expert in Jianghu, even if he wants to quit, his martial arts prowess won’t just vanish. Back then, he offended so many influential families and figures, and none could do anything to him.
Now, even though he is getting older, I have not the slightest confidence in stopping him.
Let alone his wide network; many people with power and influence, or strong individuals, received his favors in the past.
As long as he speaks up, many might help him deal with the Xu Family here in the County City, and he might not even need to take action himself for this matter.
It’s best for us not to interfere; blame it on the Xu Family itself for having a lax family discipline and offending such a formidable person," Zhuang Ren explained.
In fact, including himself, he also received favors from Liu Dingsheng in the past.
To have him confront Liu Dingsheng, he was unwilling in his heart.
Jianghu isn’t just about fighting; it’s also full of human relationships and worldly affairs.
In this, it is the same in officialdom.
That night, at the Xu Family’s residence, some masked individuals quietly left through a side door from the courtyard.
They went to a large, three-entry courtyard on Brocade Street.
This residence was originally the ancestral home of a local prominent family, but it couldn’t withstand the Xiao Family’s upheaval and was confiscated, becoming an empty residence idly held by the government.
Until recently, Liu Dingsheng returned to Donglai County City and took interest in this courtyard.
Since then, it became the Liu Residence.
This group quietly climbed over the wall, and before they could do anything, several martial experts rushed out from a side room in the courtyard, quickly subduing these masked intruders.
Torches lit up in the courtyard, and Liu Dingsheng, dressed in casual attire, walked out slowly from the main house.
"Who are you? Why do you come to my place?" Liu Dingsheng asked leisurely, his expression calm and composed.
"Misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding. We came from out of town and have an old vendetta with the former Liu Family here..." the masked individuals hastily explained.
Liu Dingsheng didn’t believe a word, and without waiting for these masked people to finish, he ordered: "Pry open their mouths, as quickly as possible."
"Rest assured, Master Liu, this is my skill," one of them laughed.
In no time, Liu Dingsheng learned what he wanted to know.
"The Xu Family truly has death wish, Master Liu. Tonight, I’ll go and finish them off," one person said.
Liu Dingsheng didn’t refuse, only chuckled lightly: "I wasn’t in such a rush, but it seems they are more anxious."
"Then I’ll trouble all of you."
Upon hearing this, seven or eight martial arts experts in the courtyard responded one after another.
"Master Liu, should we bring that father and son to you?" one person asked at this moment.
"No need." Liu Dingsheng glanced in the direction of another courtyard.
"Don’t disturb my granddaughter’s rest."
...
The next morning, Brocade Street, Xu Residence.
Song Changming received the news and quickly arrived with his Patrol Guard.
The expansive Xu Residence, within a single night, was devoid of any trace of individuals.
From the direct kin of the Xu Family Patriarch down to the maids and servants, all disappeared without a trace.
Had it not been for the decorations and furnishings still in place inside the Xu Residence, even the storerooms locked with everything intact, Song Changming would have thought the Xu Family fled overnight as a whole.
"Some courtyards and wing rooms have signs of struggle." After some searching, Liang Zhao Long reported to Song Changming.
"Where are the people? Truly not a single one found?" Song Changming asked.
"Yes, no one can be seen." After triple-checking, Liang Zhao Long confirmed.
"Send someone to question the other residents on this street, find out what happened last night, and also search the nearby alleys for clues," Song Changming instructed.
Liang Zhao Long agreed and left in a hurry.
"This revenge action is way too swift; is retaliation something that ought to happen overnight..." Song Changming murmured to himself while walking alone in the courtyard of the Xu Residence.
Looking around, the entire Xu Residence was eerily silent.
A faint scent of blood lingered in the air, and occasionally some knife marks and sword imprints could be found, along with signs of tiles being broken.
Considering what happened yesterday, it was hard not to think that the overnight disappearance of the Xu Family had nothing to do with the Heroic Thief Liu Dingsheng.
To achieve this in just one night, the means of this old Jianghu master were indeed extraordinary.
Not long after, Zhuang Ren also received the news and went straight to the Xu Residence without even stopping by the General Department.
Song Changming roughly described the situation here, and after hearing it, Zhuang Ren immediately concluded that this must be the work of his old acquaintance, Liu Dingsheng!
"Looking at the entire County City, to make the Xu Family disappear overnight without a trace, the only person I can think of is him." Zhuang Ren said with a frown.
Song Changming noticed that Zhuang Ren was not surprised, as if he had been mentally prepared beforehand, and even after hearing the report, he seemed slightly relieved, appearing quite satisfied with the result.
After all, aside from the disappearance of the Xu Family, Liu Dingsheng did not cause much commotion in the city as he had promised.
"Besides the people being gone, everything inside and outside the house is still here, including the money and silver in the Xu Family’s warehouse..." Song Changming said, handing over a bunch of keys to the warehouse to Zhuang Ren.
This incident had a significant impact, and to avoid unnecessary trouble, Song Changming hadn’t moved anything in the Xu Family’s house before Zhuang Ren arrived.
"This is something Brother Liu left deliberately, indicating that he only wanted the people, leaving all the Xu Family’s money and resources to us as a favor to the government." Zhuang Ren said.
The entire Xu Family’s assets combined were certainly a considerable amount, effectively used to bribe the government, allowing them to turn a blind eye to this matter and let it pass.
"Recently, the Governor has been struggling with a budget deficit due to military expenditures, and this money is quite useful. I think this matter will be likely diminished in significance..."
Zhuang Ren predicted the reaction from the Governor’s Mansion, believing that receiving such a benefit, they would likely accept this unspoken agreement.
In Song Changming’s view, Liu Dingsheng and the government were like two wolves, biting off what they each needed in perfect harmony.
As for the Xu Family, one could only say that they brought this upon themselves.
"Sir, we found quite a few of the Xu Family’s servants and maids in the city. It seems they were the only ones who managed to escape last night." Liang Zhao Long said.
"Take them back for questioning, and also make a list of everything from the Xu Family as soon as possible. I’ll have my Personal Guard come over to assist." Zhuang Ren instructed.
Song Changming nodded in agreement.
The enormous Xu Family, just inventorying and moving all the items, was a daunting task.
A group of Patrol Guards took almost two days to complete the work and then transported everything box by box to the Governor’s Mansion.
Subsequently, Song Changming and the other Patrol Guards were instructed to keep this a secret and not let it leak out.
In return, they received a substantial hush money.
Even though Song Changming didn’t exert much effort, just maintaining the scene earned him a full five hundred silver!
Song Changming didn’t know how much profit his General Director made from this, but it must have been a hefty amount.
From the Patrol Guards to the Governor, everyone was quite satisfied with this sudden windfall.
Song Changming was no exception; this five hundred silver was a timely blessing for him.
Over the past year, his Body Refining Cultivation had progressed rapidly, depleting his savings completely.
The silver he spent on buying wild ginseng and jade marrow at the fish market was already more than a few thousand!
Even though Father Song’s profit from the Bisho Silkworm had gradually increased, it still couldn’t satisfy the financial needs of his body refinement.
No choice, cultivating at full speed in four Body Refining Skills required far more Martial Arts Resources than specializing in just one path.
Additionally, now that he had reached the Sixth Realm in body refinement, the effectiveness of ordinary quality herbs was diminishing.
Take the monthly wild ginseng for instance; even to barely suffice, it needed to be at least forty years old.
And to pursue efficient body refinement, it was best to have wild ginseng aged sixty to eighty years, with each priced at over a hundred silver on the market, while an eighty-year-old ginseng was over three hundred silver.
Not to mention centennial ginseng, an absolute rarity in Martial Arts materials, which Song Changming had the fortune of experiencing once but never again.
The item was excellent, but at a thousand silver per piece, it was unsustainable for him.
The other three Body Refining Skills were the same; the higher the realm, the more potent high-grade medicinal herbs were needed to maintain refining efficiency.
Therefore, even with these five hundred silver in hand, it would barely last him for two to three months of Martial Arts Cultivation.
In reality, the limitations due to lack of financial resources affected not only him.
Looking around the entire Martial Realm, many martial artists faced the same plight.
Even those with decent innate cultivation aptitude were hindered in their Martial Tao due to a shortage of cultivation materials, causing them to squander their potential and ultimately achieving limited success.
Such regrets were all too common.
In comparison, the situation for Song Changming was still relatively good; though born into a humble farming family, with a truly low starting point,
he fortunately seized opportunities and at least held an official position, supported by the government, drawing a stable income, which was considerably better than many martial artists struggling in the Jianghu.