Page 26

In their eyes, Zhang Xianyang was nothing more than a wild child raised in a small, insignificant family from a backward region. He had never seen the prosperity and grandeur of Yanjing, nor had he enjoyed the various privileges reserved for true upper-class families; even if he had been spoiled, it was only to a limited extent. As long as they lowered their status and coaxed him a little, Zhang Xianyang, who had grown up without a biological father, would surely be fooled into coming to Yanjing.

Yet the Zhang Xianyang who now stood before them was a spoiled brat who could command the wind and rain in the Old District, where those who followed him prospered and those who defied him perished. Although his personality remained crude, overbearing, and unrefined, he had managed to make their lives miserable with the support of the Zhang Family bigwigs, completely shattering their original plans.

The reality did not match their intelligence reports at all, so their current retreat in defeat was inevitable.

Li Cunzhou, believing he had figured out the cause and effect, did not notice the unusual silence of his eldest son, Li Mobei. He immediately took out his phone to report the current situation to the person in charge of this project: his father, who was far away in Kyoto—the current head of the Li Family, Li Chong'en.

The two discussed the matter at length over the phone. Li Chong'en decided to take a long-term view and told Li Cunzhou to remain in the Old District to get a clear grasp of the Zhang Family's situation and wait for an opportunity to act.

Li Cunzhou, on the other end of the line, naturally patted his chest and made guarantees, even issuing a military-style pledge that he would "integrate theory with practice" and successfully complete the task of tricking Zhang Xianyang into returning to Kyoto.

Li Mobei, sitting silently to the side, watched as Li Cunzhou swore to his grandfather that he would definitely bring that little bastard Zhang Xianyang back to the Zhang Family, and he curled his lips in self-mockery.

While Li Cunzhou was busy plotting against the Old Zhang Family, the new mayor, Gu Zhaohuan, was not idle either. Upon hearing the news that the Li family had returned in defeat, the gloating mayor immediately drove to the Zhang Family Villa to pay a visit to the head of the family, Zhang Linmo. Of course, the mayor, who was not yet familiar enough with the Zhang Family to pry for information, used the catch-all excuse of discussing the Old District renovation plan.

The two adults exchanged pleasantries and took their seats. Gu Zhaohuan, feeling awkward about getting straight to the point and saying he was there to hear gossip about the Li family, spoke solemnly with Zhang Linmo for about thirty minutes regarding the renovation of the Old District, the core idea being to urge Zhang Linmo to implement the renovation plan as soon as possible. The head of the Zhang Family, who had already secretly ordered countless high-tech metal and non-metal materials and even large-scale equipment, was also anxious to build the secret base for the Old Zhang Family as soon as possible, so the two parties hit it off and decided to fully implement the renovation plan at the beginning of next month.

With the most critical practical work settled, the increasingly relaxed Gu Zhaohuan used a tone that was absolutely devoid of substance to indirectly inquire about the Li family's visit to the Old District. To show the sincerity and concern of a partner, Gu Zhaohuan disclosed the situation of the Li family in Kyoto before Zhang Linmo could even open his mouth.

"The old man of the Li family is considered a meritorious veteran who helped establish the dynasty. Moreover, he has a close relationship with the current leader, so their family is one of the best in the Kyoto circle. This Li Cunzhou who came to the Old District is the legitimate eldest son of the Li family head, and his wife is Zhang Yaxian, the eldest daughter of the direct line of the Kyoto Zhang Family. Li Cunzhou currently..."

Zhang Linmo listened to Gu Zhaohuan's chatter without a word, his hands subconsciously fiddling with jade spheres, never once offering an opinion.

Gu Zhaohuan did not care at all about Zhang Linmo's "silence is golden" attitude. The Kyoto Li Family and the Kyoto Zhang Family joining hands to scheme against the Old District Zhang Family was now as obvious as a louse on a bald head. Even if Zhang Linmo didn't say a word now, Zhang Xianyang had already caused the Li family to lose face during the ancestor worship, and Zhang Linmo's lack of reaction at the time was already a blatant slap in the face.

Moreover, Gu Zhaohuan did not believe that with Zhang Linmo's explosive temper, he could tolerate someone scheming against the Old Zhang Family like this.

After Gu Zhaohuan finished his nonsense, Zhang Linmo asked, "Has that nephew of yours who works at the Intelligence Bureau returned to the capital?"

Gu Zhaohuan, full of curiosity, was stifled by Zhang Linmo's words. Silently swallowing a mouthful of blood, Gu Zhaohuan smiled and said, "Thanks to the information from Big Brother Zhang, my nephew has already returned to the capital to report for duty."

Having said that, he still somewhat unwillingly hinted at his goodwill: "I heard about what happened this morning. What the Li family and the Zhang family did was indeed underhanded. Actually, I had heard rumors that you had once sent people to assassinate Li Cunzhou. The Li family explained it with flowery words, but I didn't expect the truth to be so sordid. If you agree, our Gu family will clear the name of the Old District Zhang Family at the appropriate time."

Zhang Linmo smiled slightly and nodded in thanks: "I have troubled you, Mayor Gu."

He paused, then said casually: "Since the Old District renovation plan was approved, I have heard some movements in the city. However, I am a rather conservative person and have never liked dealing with strangers. In the future, if there is anything, I will have to trouble Mayor Gu to take care of it."

The implication was: don't panic, I will still give you a share of the pie that is the Old District renovation.

Seeing Zhang Linmo's gesture of goodwill, Gu Zhaohuan was somewhat flattered and immediately replied with a smile: "Big Brother Zhang, rest assured. Our cooperation has been very pleasant, and it will be even more pleasant in the future."

Zhang Linmo did not care about this point. The ultimate goal of his agreement to the Old District renovation plan was merely to provide cover for the construction of the Zhang Family base. Therefore, whether Gu Zhaohuan was cooperating with all his might or harboring ulterior motives, it would have little impact on him.

Zhang Linmo was confident that the Old District, which had been firmly controlled by the family forces led by the Old Zhang Family for a hundred years, would not be pried away while it was in his hands.

With that said, there was nothing left to talk about. Gu Zhaohuan glanced regretfully at the black lacquer gold-filled vintage grandfather clock, the hands of which had just pointed to three in the afternoon; he really felt too embarrassed to suggest staying for dinner. He had no choice but to stand up awkwardly and say: "It's getting late, I won't disturb your rest."

Having deeply learned the lesson of Gu Zhaohuan pushing his luck, Zhang Linmo, not daring to continue the pleasantries, immediately stood up to see him off: "Mayor Gu, you are dedicated to the public and should also get some good rest. I won't keep you."

Gu Zhaohuan: "..." You should have kept me for a meal! I haven't had enough of the Manchu-Han Banquet yet!

After sending Gu Zhaohuan away, Zhang Linmo, who had decided to concentrate his energy on building the Zhang Family base and implementing the Old District renovation plan in the coming time, immediately called the three Zhang brothers to the study. Zhang Linmo decided to hand over most of the gang's affairs to Zhang Muyang.

"You are eighteen this year. When I was your age, I had already taken over the Zhang Family and the Old District. The family upbringing of the Old Zhang Family has been like this since ancient times, and you are not lacking in anything, you just lack the aura of someone who can stand alone. Take this opportunity to gain some experience."

He then said to Zhang Xiyang, who was standing to the side: "The old saying goes that when brothers are of one mind, they can cut through metal. Now that I am going to put all my energy into building the secret base, your second uncle will shift most of his energy to renovating the Old District and building the Game City to provide me with cover. The affairs of the gang will be left to you two brothers. Save some worry and help your brother more; when you encounter things, discuss them more with your eldest cousin."

The two boys nodded obediently.

Zhang Linmo then worriedly instructed Zhang Xianyang: "I don't care how you want to mess with those two from the Li family. Just one thing: you must pay attention to your own safety. As the saying goes, a dog will jump over a wall in desperation, and even a rabbit will bite when pushed. If you push them too hard, you must also guard against what they might do. Don't capsize in a gutter."

Zhang Xianyang said with a smile: "Don't worry, Dad. I have a plan for those two."

Indeed, he had been deceived by people for over a decade in his past life; in this life, he certainly had a plan.

So, people just get used to being deceived, and the same goes for deceiving others.

Zhang Linmo scrutinized Zhang Xianyang's expression for a while, feeling that the child was speaking from the heart, so he let the matter go.

The Old Zhang Family did not consider the two from the Li family as anything significant, but the Li father and son were very actively probing the situation of the Old Zhang Family. From the history of the Old Zhang Family's development to the habits and deeds of the current members, they even progressed to finding out who was at odds with the Zhang Family in the Old District and who had grudges against them, and they even secretly met with several people. One of them was Wang Zhaoyi, the "Boss Wang" who was rumored to be at odds with the Zhang Family in the Old District. The Li father and son felt their actions were covert, but the Old District was only so big, and everyone had lived together for nearly a hundred years; who didn't know who? Just watching the two from the Li family jumping around, some kind-hearted people would drop a hint to the Zhang Family, but seeing that the Zhang Family made no move, they stopped caring.

At the same time, after strictly monitoring the actions of the Li father and son, Zhang Muyang, who had already taken over most of the gang's work, pondered silently for half a day before reaching out to make a call to Wang Zhaoyi.

"Something's up, come out!"

===================================

Author's note: Ying ying, the editor notified me that I'm going to be a VIP on Thursday, but I haven't written any buffer chapters yet, so there might not be an update tomorrow. I beg everyone's forgiveness.

Thanks to Feng Guo Qiang Wei and Demeter for throwing a landmine.

Also, the seme needs to rise up! Everyone, please applaud and support this seme who has always had such a thin presence!

28

To ensure the confidentiality of the conversation, Zhang Muyang booked a private room in a club under his own name. To show his importance, Zhang Muyang arrived ten minutes early to wait patiently in the room. As a result, before he could even settle into his seat, Wang Zhaoyi, whose face was even more bruised and swollen than it had been two days ago, rushed in.

Zhang Muyang looked at Wang Zhaoyi silently and asked calmly: "Did Third Uncle Wang hit you, or did Big Brother Feng hit you?"

Wang Zhaoyi's face darkened. He gave a haughty, cold snort and asked: "Why did you call me here?"

Seeing Wang Zhaoyi clearly avoiding the topic, Zhang Muyang changed the subject as he wished: "I heard that the people from the Li family looked for you?"

Wang Zhaoyi was holding a pot of Biluochun tea and pouring it into his mouth. Hearing this, he raised his eyebrows in defiance, slammed the teapot onto the table with a "bang," and asked with a provocative look: "What do you mean? You don't think that I, Wang Zhaoyi, would turn my back on my own and help outsiders deal with your Old Zhang Family, do you?"

One of the cultural characteristics of the Old District is an extremely strong sense of xenophobia. Therefore, no matter how fierce the internal fighting is, everyone's attitude is consistent when facing external enemies. This was the reason why the Li father and son had been jumping around in the Old District for so long without any results.

Zhang Muyang curled his lips in a good mood and said: "On the contrary, I want to ask you to be patient and continue to contact the people from the Li family."

Wang Zhaoyi cast a deep, searching look at Zhang Muyang and sneered, "Playing spy versus spy, are we?"

Zhang Muyang offered no confirmation, saying in a low voice, "I won't let you work for nothing."

Wang Zhaoyi's eyes lit up, and he instinctively rubbed his hands together. After a long moment of contemplation, he said with a serious expression, "Your request isn't exactly small. If things go south, my reputation will be on the line. My wounds from that antique forgery business haven't even fully healed yet; if the elders of the Tang Association catch me double-crossing them, I'll lose half my life."

Zhang Muyang asked directly, "What do you want?"

Wang Zhaoyi straightened his back, looked Zhang Muyang up and down for a long while, then stroked his chin and squinted with a sly grin. "I want to beat you up, and you aren't allowed to fight back."

Zhang Muyang didn't even think about it before answering, "Fine."

Upon hearing this, a sense of suspicion arose in Wang Zhaoyi's heart. He pondered it carefully for a long time before asking cautiously, "You agreed that quickly?"

This time, Zhang Muyang simply didn't respond. He found that Wang Zhaoyi was truly tedious, as indecisive as a woman; it was no wonder his father said Wang Zhaoyi's temperament was lacking and that even if he jumped around energetically, he would never amount to much.

Seeing that Zhang Muyang had once again gone blank-eyed and expressionless, Wang Zhaoyi knew the conversation had reached its end. He stood up immediately and said, "There's a gym downstairs. Let's go spar right now—and I'll say it again, you aren't allowed to fight back."

Zhang Muyang nodded with absolute certainty.