A Letter to Yang Zhenshan

By the time Zhou Qi returned to his quarters, the sky had already darkened.

No lamp was lit in the wooden cabin. Zhou Qi sat on the old wooden bed, staring blankly at the darkness beyond the window. Outside was quiet, broken only now and then by the shouts of guards.

He replayed in his mind what had happened during his visits to the Wang Family and Zhao Family today.

Zhao Dazhu had wavered.

That was a good thing. What came next depended on what Zhao Dazhu would do.

But it was not enough.

Zhou Qi knew very well that Zhao Dazhu was merely the Zhao Family's steward. Even if he realized Wang Tianfu had used him as a gun, even if resentment toward Wang Tianfu took root in his heart, he could only report it upward. He could not change the overall situation.

The decision over the alliance between the Zhao Family and Wang Family rested with the heads of the two families. At most, Zhao Dazhu could add fuel to the flames.

"The root lies with Zhao Dezhu."

"So, use the scheme of sowing discord on Zhao Dazhu and make it a spark of prairie fire. But the other crucial scheme must be used on Zhao Dezhu."

Zhou Qi muttered to himself, lightly tapping his fingers against the table.

The Lin'an Four Great Families had been fighting each other for nearly twenty years, and in recent years, their open and covert struggles had only grown fiercer.

Between the four families, there were irreconcilable conflicts of interest everywhere.

Thus, this so-called alliance existed only for the mine shares. It was not a true alliance in any meaningful sense.

To break the alliance between the Wang and Zhao Families, there was no need to make Zhao Dezhu and Wang Tiannan fall out. Zhao Dezhu merely needed to realize that his situation was not the same as Wang Tiannan's.

Strength—or rather, the strength of their family heads—was the greatest difference between the two families.

The Zhao Family head was at peak eighth-layer Qi Refining.

The Wang Family head was at early ninth-layer Qi Refining.

The Yang Family head was at late ninth-layer Qi Refining, at least according to their public claims.

One had to know that once one reached late-stage Qi Refining, every realm was a hurdle.

Zhao Dezhu had been stuck at eighth-layer Qi Refining for nearly ten years.

"Zhao Dezhu has to be made afraid!" Zhou Qi narrowed his eyes as his mind grasped at something.

He had not yet figured out exactly how to do it.

But the direction was clear.

Everything required waiting quietly for the Wang and Zhao Family stewards at the mine to fall out first. The spark of prairie fire had to be lit before anything else.

Over the following days, the mine remained calm and uneventful.

Zhou Qi cultivated in his room every day, occasionally taking a stroll around the Yang Family mine pit to inspect the mining progress.

Yang Jinshan was bored out of his mind. Several times, he wanted to pick a fight with the Wang Family, but Zhou Qi held him back every time.

With Zhao Dazhu absent, no one in the Wang Family was his match.

"Why rush?" Zhou Qi said. "Wait for them to descend into chaos on their own."

Yang Jinshan did not understand, but he asked no further questions.

That day.

The Wang Family steward's quarters.

Wang Tianfu sat in the seat of honor, his brows tightly furrowed.

Three days had passed, yet Zhao Dazhu had not come even once.

In the past, all he had to do was send someone to call out, and that brute would come running over eagerly.

But over the past few days, he had sent two groups of people to invite him, and Zhao Dazhu had always claimed his injuries had not healed and refused to come.

"Brother Tianfu, is something wrong with that kid Zhao Dazhu?" a guard asked quietly.

This guard was Wang Tianfu's confidant. They were fairly close in ordinary times, and whenever there was food and drink, he was never left out.

Wang Tianfu did not answer. He lifted his teacup and took a sip.

Something wrong?

Of course he knew something was wrong.

That brute had not left his room ever since Zhou Qi beat him up several days ago.

"Send someone to invite him again." Wang Tianfu set down his teacup. "Tell him I have an important matter to discuss and ask him to make sure he comes over."

The guard acknowledged and left.

Half an hour later, the guard returned with an ugly expression.

"Brother Tianfu, Zhao Dazhu said... said his injuries still haven't healed. He can't get out of bed, so he can't come."

Wang Tianfu's face darkened.

His injuries had not healed? When someone went to invite him two days ago, he had been practicing Diamond Fist in the courtyard. Now he could not even get out of bed?

He rose and paced around the room a few times before suddenly stopping.

"Come. I'll go see him."

The Zhao Family mine pit.

Zhao Dazhu was seated at a table, drinking tea while shelling peanuts. He did not look like someone recovering from injuries at all.

When Wang Tianfu entered, Zhao Dazhu did not even lift his eyelids. He merely said in a muffled voice, "Why has Chief Steward Wang come in person?"

Wang Tianfu sat down beside the bed with a smile on his face. "Brother Dazhu, I've been busy these past few days and haven't come to see you. That's this brother's fault. How are your injuries?"

Zhao Dazhu snorted. "Won't kill me."

Wang Tianfu's smile did not change, though a trace of displeasure flashed through his eyes.

But the next moment, Wang Tianfu recovered his smile. "Your health comes first. Rest up and don't rush to get out of bed and work. I'm watching over matters at the mine, so don't worry."

Zhao Dazhu said nothing.

Wang Tianfu continued, "I came today because I want you to go with me to the Li Family."

"That old fox Li Dehou keeps dragging things out and refusing to state his position. If our two families go together, we can put some pressure on him."

Zhao Dazhu was silent for a few seconds before saying, "My injuries haven't healed. I can't go."

Wang Tianfu's smile stiffened slightly. "We're just going over to sit for a while. You don't need to do anything."

Zhao Dazhu shook his head. "Can't walk."

Wang Tianfu looked at him, the smile on his face fading somewhat.

"Dazhu, what do you mean by this?"

Zhao Dazhu did not reply.

Wang Tianfu waited for a while. Seeing that Zhao Dazhu would not speak, he stood up, his tone turning heavy. "Fine, then rest up."

He turned and left.

Several more days passed.

Wang Tianfu brought two bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills to the Zhao Family mine pit.

"Brother Dazhu, are you feeling better?" Wang Tianfu did not have anyone announce him. He entered directly and placed the two bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills in his hand on the table.

"These are two bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills. Last time, I heard your injuries still weren't healing well, so I specially had someone transfer a few bottles over from Lin'an."

Zhao Dazhu said nothing. Upon seeing the two bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills Wang Tianfu had placed on the table, his expression softened slightly.

Seeing Zhao Dazhu remain silent, Wang Tianfu laughed heartily. He stepped closer, patted Zhao Dazhu on the shoulder, and said, "I came today first to see how Brother Dazhu's injuries are doing. The other reason is to discuss something with Brother Dazhu."

Zhao Dazhu replied, "What is it?"

"Brother Dazhu, all along, you have been the strongest person in the mine tunnels. We only need to take care of our own affairs." Wang Tianfu paused. "But ever since that brat Zhou Qi came, he first poisoned the Li Family's ears, then came to our Wang Family to stir up trouble and injured more than ten of our people. Worse still, he injured Brother Dazhu himself, leaving you unable to move about freely for five or six days."

Zhao Dazhu's eyes shifted slightly as he listened carefully to see what pit Wang Tianfu was digging for him.

Ever since Zhou Qi visited that day, he had suddenly seen the light.

He had written seven or eight letters in a row and had guards deliver them to family head Zhao Dezhu. Every single one denounced the Wang Family.

Seeing Zhao Dazhu listening intently, Wang Tianfu continued, "That brat Zhou Qi has no martial virtue, and he has disrupted the rules at our mine. So..."

"So what?" Zhao Dazhu was engrossed.

Wang Tianfu continued, "I have a plan to make the Yang Family remove him and send someone else over. It would be even better if they only left that Fifth Elder behind."

"What plan?"

Wang Tianfu lowered his voice. "Spirit Blast Stones. You've heard of them, right?"

Zhao Dazhu's gaze shifted.

Spirit Blast Stones were stones passed down from the Upper City that could absorb spiritual energy. Once they absorbed enough, they exploded. The mine occasionally used them to blast open mineral veins, but they were rarely used because they were difficult to control and accidents could easily happen.

"You mean..." Zhao Dazhu asked.

Wang Tianfu nodded. "Place a few in the Yang Family mine tunnel. Once they've absorbed enough spiritual energy, boom..."

He made an exploding gesture, an insidious smile on his face.

"By then, the mine tunnel will collapse and people will die. The Yang Family will definitely investigate. Whether they find anything or not, Zhou Qi, the newly appointed chief steward, will not escape responsibility. At best, Yang Zhenshan will scold him. At worst, he'll be removed directly."

"What about the people in the mine pit..." Zhao Dazhu asked doubtfully.

Wang Tianfu waved a hand. "They're just a few miners. It's not as though our people are dying."

Zhao Dazhu hesitated for a while.

Wang Tianfu patted Zhao Dazhu's shoulder and continued, "This needs you to do it. You're the strongest, and your movement technique is good. No one but you can handle this!"

Zhao Dazhu was quiet for a while. He seemed to be considering whether the plan was feasible, but in truth, he was organizing in his head the words he would use to curse Wang Tianfu. After pondering for a long time, he came up with one sentence: "Wang Tianfu, do you take me for an idiot?"

Wang Tianfu's smile froze.

Zhao Dazhu pointed at his own chest. "I'm injured like this, and you want me to plant Spirit Blast Stones in the Yang Family mine tunnel? What if someone spots me? What if I don't run fast enough? I'll be fucking buried in there!"

Wang Tianfu's expression changed, but he quickly returned to normal and hastily waved his hands. "Brother Dazhu, don't get worked up. I was only suggesting it. If you don't want to, we can think of another way."

"Another way?" Zhao Dazhu sneered. "Last time, you asked me to help you fight. I went without a second word."

"And what happened? I got beaten into this state. Did you come look at me even once? Did you give me a single pill?"

Wang Tianfu opened his mouth, unable to say anything.

Zhao Dazhu continued, "My injuries are nearly healed, and only then do you come to see me with those two fake-ass bottles of lousy Qi-Nourishing Pills."

"Who doesn't have ten or eight bottles of that trash stocked at home? Did you really need to transfer some over from Lin'an?"

Wang Tianfu's face turned ashen. Clearly, he had not expected Zhao Dazhu's verbal abilities to have become so vastly different from before.

"Wang Tianfu, what do you take me for? A thug for your Wang Family? Or one of your dogs?" Zhao Dazhu continued his assault. "Come when called, leave when dismissed."

Wang Tianfu abruptly stood and slapped the table. "Zhao Dazhu, what do you mean?"

"What do I mean?" Zhao Dazhu also stood and slammed a palm on the table. "I mean your Wang Family's problems are for you to solve yourselves! Stop shamelessly asking others to do this and that all day!"

Wang Tianfu stared at him, his chest heaving violently.

The two stood locked in confrontation, the air seeming to congeal around them.

After a long while, Wang Tianfu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his fury, and said slowly, "Zhao Dazhu, think this through. The relationship between your Zhao Family and our Wang Family is not something you alone can decide."

Zhao Dazhu sneered. "My Zhao Family's affairs aren't for Wang Family people to decide on our behalf either!"

Wang Tianfu stared at him for several seconds before speaking.

"Fine. Very good."

With that, he strode away.

Zhao Dazhu remained where he was, watching Wang Tianfu's retreating back as his fists clenched with cracking sounds.

In all his life, he had never enjoyed insulting someone as much as he had today.

But after cursing him out, he still felt strangely unsettled inside.

It was not satisfying. Instead, it felt as though something was blocking his chest.

After a long while, Zhao Dazhu reflected on himself: someone as considerate of others as he was truly was not suited to tearing his face with people.

By the time the news reached Zhou Qi, it was already evening.

The guard who brought the report had been sent by Yang Hong to keep watch. He spoke with animated excitement. "Elder Zhou, you should've seen it! Wang Tianfu's face was green when he came out! Zhao Dazhu was slamming the table inside, and he was so loud that people outside could hear him!"

Zhou Qi nodded. His expression remained calm, but his mind was calculating rapidly.

Zhao Dazhu and Wang Tianfu had fallen out even faster than he expected.

Presumably, Zhao Dezhu would receive the news as well.

What happened next depended on Zhao Dezhu's reaction.

If Zhao Dezhu protected his own and stood up for Zhao Dazhu, then cracks would appear in the alliance between the Wang and Zhao Families.

If Zhao Dezhu suppressed Zhao Dazhu's temper for the sake of the bigger picture, then there would still be variables in the matter.

But no matter what, the two families at the mine were no longer a solid iron plate.

"Keep watching them," Zhou Qi told the guard. "Report to me at once if anything happens on Zhao Dazhu's side."

The guard acknowledged and left.

Zhou Qi stood and walked to the doorway, looking at the Wang Family's lights in the distance.

After a long while, Zhou Qi returned to the room, walked to the table, sat down, and spread out a sheet of paper.

He picked up a brush and dipped it in ink.

The letter was for Yang Zhenshan.