Strategy

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mining area, inside the Wang Family's steward's quarters.

Three men sat around a square table.

At the head of the table sat an old man in his fifties, with a sinister face and sharp eyes.

He was Wang Tianfu, the Wang Family's chief steward at the mine, Wang Tiannan's cousin, at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement.

To his left sat a middle-aged man in his forties, broad and powerfully built, his face covered in fleshy folds.

Zhao Dazhu, chief steward of the Zhao Family, Peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement.

To his right sat a lean middle-aged man with a goatee. His eyes were narrowed into slits, making it impossible to read his emotions.

Li Dehou, chief steward of the Li Family, Fifth Layer of Qi Refinement.

Wang Tianfu raised his cup toward Li Dehou. "Brother Dehou, this cup is for you."

Li Dehou lifted his cup, took a small sip, and said nothing.

Wang Tianfu set down his cup and sighed. "Brother Dehou, we've worked together for so many years. I'll speak plainly about some things."

Li Dehou narrowed his eyes. "Brother Tianfu, please speak."

"That kid from the Yang Family, Zhou Qi, will arrive tomorrow." Wang Tianfu's tone was dark. "You should have heard what kind of person he is."

"At the Great Clan Tournament, he took on our three families by himself. Even Li Feng fell into his hands."

Li Dehou nodded. "I've heard."

"Then you should also know what he came here for." Wang Tianfu stared at him. "To take over the mine pits!"

Li Dehou said nothing.

Wang Tianfu continued, "For all these years, our four families have fought in Lin'an City, yet we've always been evenly matched. No one has ever been able to keep another beneath their heel."

He paused, his voice growing colder. "But Blackstone Mine has always been the foundation of our four families. More than that, it is our only path to getting on the Upper City's line."

"If those twenty percent go to the Yang Family, then the Yang Family will become the dominant force in the mine."

"Forget Lin'an City. In the eyes of the Upper City alone, our three families will already be a head shorter!"

Zhao Dazhu slammed the table and said in a muffled voice, "Brother Tianfu is right! If we really let the Yang Family get on the Upper City's line and squeeze our three families out, then Lin'an City will belong to the Yang Family from now on!"

Li Dehou glanced at him but remained silent.

Wang Tianfu looked at Li Dehou. "Brother Dehou, your Li Family lost shares too. Doesn't it pain you?"

Li Dehou finally spoke, his voice unhurried. "It pains me, but rules are rules."

"Rules?" Wang Tianfu sneered. "Brother Dehou, we've been in this mine for so many years. What rules haven't we seen? Rules are dead, but people are alive."

He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "The Yang Family wants to swallow it all alone. If our three families join hands, what can they do to us?"

Li Dehou was silent for several seconds before asking, "What does Brother Tianfu want me to do?"

A flicker of delight passed through Wang Tianfu's eyes, though his face remained calm. "You don't need to do anything else. Just don't hand over the mine pits. If our three families drag this out while still handing over the seventy percent demanded by the Upper City without a penny missing, then so long as the monthly tribute remains intact, the Upper City won't interfere in our affairs."

He paused, then added, "If the Yang Family dares to use force, our three families will join hands. They won't gain any advantage."

Li Dehou was silent for a long time.

Wang Tianfu and Zhao Dazhu both watched him, waiting for his answer.

After a long while, Li Dehou raised his cup and slowly took a sip.

"Brother Tianfu, I'll need to think this over." He put down his cup and stood. "The Li Family isn't like your two families. Our foundation is thin. We can't withstand much turmoil."

Wang Tianfu's expression changed, but he quickly returned to normal and rose as well. "Brother Dehou, it's only right that you consider it. But things at the mine change by the day. What matters most is that we stand united and don't let the Yang Family break us one by one."

Li Dehou nodded, said nothing further, and turned to leave.

The door closed.

Zhao Dazhu leaned close to Wang Tianfu and lowered his voice. "Brother Tianfu, what does that old bastard mean? Is he agreeing or not?"

Wang Tianfu narrowed his eyes at the door and slowly said, "He neither agreed nor refused."

"Then whose side is he on?"

Wang Tianfu fell silent for several seconds, then suddenly smiled. "That's perfect. If he had agreed too readily, I'd be the one feeling uneasy."

Zhao Dazhu scratched his head, not understanding.

Wang Tianfu offered no further explanation. He lifted his cup and drained it in one gulp.

Night had fully fallen.

The convoy stopped at the entrance to the camp. Several guards came forward, led by a middle-aged man in his forties. He was of average build, with an honest-looking face, dressed in a faded gray cloth robe.

He strode to the carriage and cupped his fists in salute. "Fifth Elder, Elder Zhou, you must have had a hard journey."

Yang Jinshan jumped down from the carriage and patted his shoulder. "Ah Hong, it's been a long time."

Yang Hong smiled, then looked toward Zhou Qi with a hint of appraisal in his eyes. "So this is Elder Zhou? I've long admired your name."

Zhou Qi returned the salute with cupped fists. "Steward Yang, you're too kind."

The system panel popped up:

[Name: Yang Hong]

[Realm: Peak of the Fifth Layer of Qi Refinement]

[Techniques: Stone-Shattering Palm (Major Mastery), Shadow-Escape Steps (Minor Mastery)]

[Weakness: Limited aptitude, steadily declining vitality and blood]

Zhou Qi withdrew his gaze, his expression unchanged.

Yang Hong stepped aside to lead the way. "Please, both Elders. Your accommodations have already been arranged."

"This mine is nothing like our Yang Residence. The conditions are far worse, so I hope you two can bear with it."

Yang Hong arranged a separate wooden cabin for Zhou Qi, roughly two zhang square.

Inside were a plank bed, a square table, two chairs, several wooden chests piled in the corner, and a floor of compacted earth that felt hard beneath one's feet.

Zhou Qi swept his gaze over the room, said nothing, and set down his luggage.

Yang Hong stood at the doorway, looking somewhat embarrassed. "The conditions at the mine are simple. Please make do, Elder Zhou. In a couple of days, I'll have someone tidy up a better room for you."

Zhou Qi waved a hand. "No need. This is quite good."

"Elder Zhou is straightforward." Yang Hong laughed loudly. "The Fifth Elder is staying next door. Dinner has already been prepared. Elder Zhou, rest for a while. We'll eat shortly."

Zhou Qi nodded.

Yang Hong withdrew.

Zhou Qi stood inside the room for a moment, then walked to the doorway and looked outside.

Sparks of lamplight dotted the camp, while footsteps and voices drifted over from time to time.

Far away, the entrances to several mine tunnels were pitch-black. Occasionally, people could be seen pushing mine carts in and out.

He withdrew his gaze and shut the door.

Dinner was arranged in the discussion hall.

The room was large enough to hold more than twenty people. Just inside stood a large table, used for both meetings and meals on ordinary days.

At the moment, dishes covered the table: a pot of stewed meat, two plates of stir-fried vegetables, a dish of pickles, and a jug of wine.

Yang Jinshan was already seated. When he saw Zhou Qi enter, he called out, "Come quickly. We've been hungry all day."

Zhou Qi sat down, and Yang Hong personally poured wine for the two of them.

After three rounds of wine, Yang Hong began discussing business.

"Before the two Elders arrived, the master had already sent someone with instructions." Yang Hong set down his cup, his expression turning grave. "The situation at the mine is somewhat complicated."

Zhou Qi asked, "How is it complicated?"

Yang Hong sighed. "It's still because of those twenty percent in shares."

He rose and walked to the wall, where a hand-drawn map hung, marking out the distribution of the mining area.

"Blackstone Mine is divided into eastern and western sections. The eastern section has rich veins and produces more ore; the western section has poor veins and produces less." Yang Hong pointed at the map. "Previously, the four families divided things according to shares: the Yang Family and Wang Family had thirty percent each, while the Li Family and Zhao Family had twenty percent each. The eastern section belonged to the Yang and Wang Families, while the western section belonged to the Li and Zhao Families."

Zhou Qi studied the map. "And now?"

"After the tournament, according to the wager, each of the three families lost twenty percent of their shares to the Yang Family." Yang Hong's finger moved across the map. "Logically, the new division should be: forty-four percent for the Yang Family, twenty-four percent for the Wang Family, sixteen percent for the Li Family, and sixteen percent for the Zhao Family."

He paused, his tone becoming helpless. "But the Wang Family and Zhao Family refuse to acknowledge it."

"Of the Wang Family's mine pits in the eastern section, they only handed over the two poorest ones. They haven't touched the rich one."

"As for the Zhao Family's mine pits in the western section, they haven't handed over a single one. They claim the accounts are unclear and say they have to wait until the end-of-month settlement."

Yang Jinshan slapped the table. "Bullshit! What unclear accounts? They just want to renege on the debt!"

Yang Hong gave a bitter smile. "The Fifth Elder is right. They just want to renege. And..."

He glanced at Zhou Qi, hesitated, but ultimately said it. "And recently, the Wang Family has been constantly seeking out Li Dehou, trying to pull the Li Family into opposing us. That old fox Li Dehou neither agreed nor refused. His attitude is ambiguous as could be."

Zhou Qi raised his cup and slowly took a sip.

Yang Jinshan grew anxious. "What is there to think about? Tomorrow, I'll bring men to the Wang Family's mine pit, drag out their steward, and beat him senseless. We'll see whether they hand it over then!"

Zhou Qi put down his cup. "Fifth Elder, the master said before we left that you should speak less!"

Yang Jinshan froze. He had just been about to retort, but then remembered Yang Zhenshan's instructions and shut his mouth resentfully.

Zhou Qi looked at Yang Hong. "Steward Yang, do you think the Li Family will side with the Wang Family?"

Yang Hong pondered for a moment and shook his head. "Hard to say. Li Dehou looks honest and simple, but he's sharper than anyone. He doesn't want to offend the Wang Family, but he also doesn't dare offend our Yang Family."

"He's probably planning to wait and see, then side with whichever party gains the upper hand."

Zhou Qi nodded and asked again, "Who is the Wang Family's steward?"

"Wang Tianfu, Wang Tiannan's cousin." Yang Hong said, "He's at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement, Early Stage. He's been at this mine for more than ten years, has deep connections, and his methods are ruthless."

Yang Jinshan muttered, "Only the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement, Early Stage. I'm at the late stage of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement."

Zhou Qi ignored him and continued asking, "What about the Zhao Family?"

"Zhao Dazhu, Peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement. He's nothing but a brute." Yang Hong said, "He's Wang Tianfu's little tail. Whatever Wang Tianfu says, he does."

"Zhao Dazhu is stronger than Wang Tianfu, yet he's willing to listen to him?"

"Who told the Wang Family to be so powerful?" Yang Hong answered directly. "Besides, Zhao Dazhu has no brains. Wang Tianfu has him wrapped around his finger."

Zhou Qi was silent for several seconds before asking, "How many people does our Yang Family have at this mine?"

"Thirty guards, five of whom are at the Qi Refining Third Layer or above. The rest are below the third layer. There are more than two hundred miners, mostly ordinary people, with only a few at the first or second layer of Qi Refining." Yang Hong paused before continuing, "Most of them committed crimes."

"The Wang Family has roughly the same number as us. The Zhao and Li Families are somewhat weaker, but the Zhao Family's steward, Zhao Dazhu, is extremely strong."

Zhou Qi rapidly calculated in his mind.

In terms of fighting strength alone, the Yang Family held no advantage.

Moreover, this was the mine, not Lin'an City.

The Wang and Zhao Families had operated these twenty percent of mine pits for many years. The advantage of local tyrants could not be underestimated.

Seeing him remain silent, Yang Jinshan could not help asking, "What do you plan to do?"

Zhou Qi raised his head and said mildly, "No rush. Let's watch first."

Yang Jinshan was stunned. "Watch? Watch what?"

Zhou Qi ignored the little old man, raised his cup, and slowly took a sip.