Chapter 339: Chapter 199: A Piece of the Pie?

"There are so many ways to increase my strength; I wouldn’t stoop to using this one. I refuse to believe this method comes without a price!"

Zhang Jinquan shook his head. "I’m not clear on the specifics. I only heard about it years ago from a wandering practitioner."

Cheng Zongyang said, "Then that settles it. Give him to me. There’s no need to examine him."

As he spoke, Cheng Zongyang crushed Lu Yan’s throat.

And so, the Patriarch of the Lu Family—one of the six families to arrive in Jade Peak County—died. Less than a month after his arrival, he was caught in a scheme and killed, an unwitting and painless death.

After tonight, the Lu Family would also be annihilated.

Cheng Zongyang left the Wilderness World with Lu Yan’s body. Hoisting the corpse, which felt as light as a chick, he leaped from the house and made his way toward the He Family estate.

He had no interest in the thing inside Lu Yan’s chest.

Of course, one possibility did occur to him.

’If Zhang Jinquan’s theory is correct, and He Shujun is relying on this sort of thing to increase his power, does that mean he plans to use this insect to reach the Sixth Grade?’

’At that point, as a newly-minted Sixth Grade Martial Artist, he’d be bursting with confidence. His first target would likely be... no, it would absolutely be me!’

The thought of this highly probable future didn’t worry Cheng Zongyang in the slightest. On the contrary, a faint smile appeared on his face.

’If he makes his move while the agreement is still in effect, things will get interesting.’

And the agreement was for seven days!

Of course, another thought occurred to him. If He Shujun did break through to the Sixth Grade, he was curious to see how Li Mingxin would handle the situation.

According to Li Mingxin, Middle Third Grade Families were not allowed to attack Lower Three Grade Families at will.

This was a rule the Royal Family had established to maintain stability among the classes under its rule. If the Upper Three Grades plundered the Middle, and the Middle plundered the Lower, the Royal Family’s own revenue would be what suffered.

Of course, this didn’t mean war was impossible. But one had to present the issue to the Li Family; if both parties consented, it was permissible.

Otherwise, if the matter was handled privately and the Li Family found out, the offender would either have to compensate the other family with three years’ worth of their tribute payments or face an even stricter punishment.

Therefore, seeing what would happen if He Shujun became a Sixth Grade Martial Artist—thereby elevating his family to a Middle Third Grade Family—would be an educational experience in itself.

「Meanwhile, at the Xu Family estate on North Street, in the northeastern part of the city.」

Inside the study of the Xu Family’s rear courtyard, Xu Tieshan was listening to his son, Xu Yuandong, report his findings.

"...Our men are in position, but He Shujun hasn’t shown himself. The He Family estate is heavily guarded right now; our spies can’t get close enough to see what’s happening inside."

Xu Tieshan had been about to go to sleep, but when he heard that the He Family’s men were rushing the Lu Family’s residence, his mind stalled for a moment.

’He Shujun is making a move on the Lu Family? To swallow their territory?’

"What about Lu Yan? Any reaction from him?" Xu Tieshan asked.

"Yes!"

Xu Yuandong’s expression was grave. "Our spies have picked up some unverified rumors. It seems the Patriarch of the Lu Family has been abducted. And judging by the He Family’s reaction, He Shujun has to be involved. Lu Wufei of the Lu Family has already sent out search parties. Father, this is our chance!"

As he continued, Xu Yuandong’s expression grew excited. "The He Family and the Lu Family are at each other’s throats! We can use this chance to seize the He Family’s territory. If we do, we can consolidate our own lands into a single block! At the very least, we can grab a few pieces!"

Xu Tieshan, however, wasn’t thinking about territory. He was thinking about who had abducted Lu Yan.

’I can rule out He Shujun. It isn’t that I underestimate the man, but he simply isn’t strong enough to abduct Lu Yan so openly.’

’If he used external aids, like a Sedative or poison, then it might be possible.’

’The second name that came to mind was Cheng Zongyang. After all, considering his clash with Lu Yan that night and the powerful aura he projected at the Restaurant, he was a strong possibility.’

’I can’t think of anyone from the other families who would do this.’

’If Cheng Zongyang and He Shujun are cooperating, the Lu Family will likely be crushed between them!’

Suddenly, he looked at his son. "Is there still no intelligence on the Cheng Family?"

Xu Yuandong said, "We found one source. But they only said they had once seen them on a wanted poster, and didn’t know their specific origins."

"A wanted poster? From Jade Peak County?" Xu Tieshan frowned.

Xu Yuandong nodded. "Yes. The man said he saw the Cheng Family on a wanted poster issued by the previous County Magistrate. But the order was rescinded by the new County Magistrate. We haven’t been able to find out anything else. The wanted poster was for two families, it seems, totaling about ten people."

After he finished, Xu Yuandong hesitated for a moment before continuing:

"Father, this really is a golden opportunity! We just need to leave enough men to guard our own home and make sure the Qiu Family doesn’t get any funny ideas. Then we can send out another group to take advantage of the chaos while the He and Lu families fight. We can definitely seize some of their territory! Even just a few alleys would represent a significant gain in the long run!"

Seeing how much thought his son had put into it, Xu Tieshan smiled. "And how do you propose we do that?"

Xu Yuandong’s spirits lifted at his father’s response, and he quickly explained, "Whether Lu Yan returns or not, the Lu and He families are now mortal enemies. I say we use this opportunity to seize their territory, alley by alley. We’ll take whatever we can hold! After all, our own numbers are limited.

Afterward, even if the He Family wants to take it back, they’ll have to consider whether they have enough men to do so.

If Lu Yan does come back, his target will be the He Family, not our Xu Family. He might even ask us to join forces to swallow the He Family whole.

So, as long as you remain here to hold down the fort, the other families won’t dare make a move on us. I can just take a group of our clan’s best fighters and handle it myself!"