"Go and investigate which family in South Sea City is related to that ship from Jiangnan, and whether anyone has actually come to visit relatives. Once you have the information, come back and report to me immediately."
"Yes," the man in black who had been given the order quickly responded and left. However, the steward who was in charge of handing over the cargo from the Jiangnan ship was slightly taken aback and said cautiously, " Young Master Zhuo, is this really necessary? Didn't we just check? It's just an ordinary merchant ship."
"Ordinary merchant ships don't mean they can't hide experts inside. The situation is different now. Father isn't with the Chen Household, and the heads of other families and most of the elders have gone to Cloud Capital, even the more capable young disciples have gone with them. Being cautious with outsiders is to avoid making mistakes, isn't it?"
Upon hearing this, the butler quickly cupped his hands in thanks. " Young Master Zhuo is indeed very thoughtful."
The Chen Household's head stewards respected Chen Zhuo, the third son of the family, because he was indeed a very capable person.
Although he lacked the talent of a sorcerer, the head steward felt that in terms of personnel management, interpersonal relationships, and seizing business opportunities, he was no less capable than the old stewards of the major merchant houses. Moreover, the young master was skilled at managing his subordinates, and in some aspects, he even did a better job than the head of the family. He used both kindness and strictness, and the people under the young master's management were all well-behaved. Such ability was rare.
Unfortunately, the world is not fair; no matter how well you do in these aspects, it's not as useful as having the talent of a warlock.
After giving instructions to his subordinates, Chen Zhuo went straight home by carriage. The mansion that the Chen Household had acquired in the South Sea was quite luxurious. The South Sea was hot, and wealthy families now liked to place cold jade from Jiangnan in their rooms. However, it was rare for a family like the Chen Household to place cold jade in every courtyard to cool down. Although the sorcerer families had a superior status, they still had to follow the rules when doing business. In particular, many families had given up their businesses in the capital and came to the South Sea, and many of them were not used to it, which led to a shortage of funds.
Although the Dragon Palace has no shortage of resources, the quality of life has visibly declined. The Chen Household is one of the few whose quality of life has not declined. Under Chen Zhuo's management, the business in the South Sea has flourished in just one year, allowing the Chen Household to maintain a lifestyle even more luxurious than that in the capital. In the entire South Sea, only the Chen Household can afford to be so extravagant, with cold jade covering the entire courtyard.
"Zhuo'er, why are you so late? Are you hungry? I had Qingju make some soup. Quickly sit down and rest."
The speaker was a beautiful woman, Chen Zhuo's mother, the first wife of the Chen Household. Because the first wife was born into a family of sorcerers, she had a long lifespan. Although she was already over fifty, she looked no different from someone in their early twenties. To outsiders, Chen Zhuo even looked older than his mother. People might even believe that he was the first wife's brother.
This is also why in most aristocratic families, the relationship between the eldest son without talent and the mistress is generally poor. By the time they reach their fifties or sixties, the son without talent is already an old man, while the mistress might look about the same age as their granddaughter. In such a situation, they wouldn't even have the face to call her "mother."
Fortunately, fate didn't leave him with no way out.
Chen Zhuo touched his chest, then laughed and said, "Mother, you can eat by yourselves. Why are you waiting for me?"
"Your father and two brothers are both out. If you don't come and keep me company, how can I eat by myself?" The other person rolled their eyes at him, then instructed their subordinates to set out the dishes, adding, "You can have the servants keep an eye on the dock business. Do you really need to go yourself?"
"It's not about watching every day, but going once or twice occasionally. Otherwise, the people below might become complacent when they realize there's no supervision from above. Besides, a ship carrying goods from Jiangnan arrived today, so we'll go take a look. Mother knows that goods from Jiangnan are quite valuable, and if we're too quick to grab them, others might be eyeing them."
"Oh?" The mistress's eyes lit up. "Do you have the latest ice jade? I heard that the latest ice rain in Jiangnan can not only cool down the temperature but also dehumidify. Oh dear, you don't know, since I came to the South Sea, the humidity is so high that I can't sleep. During the day, I can use my spiritual power to expel the humidity, but at night, once I'm asleep, there's nothing I can do. When I wake up the next day, my back and waist are aching."
"Not yet," Chen Zhuo said with a wry smile. "This time, we only received wine, tea, and other goods. We don't have the latest jade or some handicrafts yet. However, Mother noticed that I've already instructed the ship that came to bring some of the newest ice jade so that Mother and Father can have some for now. That shouldn't be a problem."
"Get one for yourself too." The mistress quickly said, "You're not like us; you need to take care of your health. You're still not married."
Why is Mother bringing this up again?
The two chattered on and on, and dinner lasted for about half an hour. Chen Zhuo remained patient until his mother left, at which point he sighed slightly, but a hint of coldness appeared in his eyes.
In that instant, his demeanor changed drastically, completely different from his usual gentle and refined style, and the way he looked in the direction his mother had left even carried a hint of malice.
"Your mother has been good to you, why hold such a grudge?"
A gentle female voice echoed in my mind.
"Not bad?" Chen Zhuo chuckled coldly. "The best things all go to my eldest and second eldest brothers. If I didn't have any talent as a sorcerer before, that woman could say there was nothing she could do. But this time? She clearly knew that you could change my fate, but she still gave the opportunity to my eldest brother. He already has so many resources, and with that kind of talent, he even became a Dragon Vein sorcerer. Mother still wasn't satisfied and wanted this opportunity for him too. She just wanted to give all the good things to my eldest brother."
But did he not consider that his other sons also needed that opportunity?
Suddenly, the woman's voice turned serious. "Something's happened!"
"Huh?" Chen Zhuo was taken aback. Since he had been with this thing, he had never heard her tone so serious. He quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
"Something has happened to the kin who was parasitizing your elder brother. His Highness the Dragon King summons you."
"Alright!" Chen Zhuo nodded and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something. He then reached the door and instructed the steward, "Has the person I sent to inquire about the ships in Jiangnan not returned yet?"
"No. What's wrong, Young Master Zhuo?" The head butler was somewhat taken aback upon hearing this. "That Jiangnan cargo ship belongs to the Zhou Household, and their cousins are the Li Household in the east of the city, which is quite far from the dock. It's impossible for them to get information so quickly."
"Understood. Tell him to wait for me at the manor when he returns." Chen Zhuo shook his head and left.
"It's Young Master Zhuo."
After leaving the Chen Residence, Chen Zhuo said directly, "Have your undercover agents keep a close watch on the Li Household, awaiting orders. If anything happens, take action immediately!"
"You suspect that the people from Jiangnan are not simple?"
"They just arrived, and then this happened on the other side; it's quite a coincidence," Chen Zhuo said in a low voice. "Although it might just be a coincidence, in this situation, it's better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free."
"What a charming man," the voice in my head chuckled.
--
There's a problem.
Having arrived at the Li Residence, Ao Zhen sensed something unusual and looked around with a serious expression.
"What's the problem?" Murong Yunji looked around in confusion. Although her strength hadn't increased much since joining the Thunder Division, she was still a Transcendent- level expert. Yet, she couldn't sense anything amiss when the other party said there was a problem, and her heart sank.
After returning to Jiangnan, she discovered that some of the younger kids were already on par with her. This feeling of being constantly surpassed was really unpleasant; she felt like she had fallen behind.
"Aquatic life has been wiped out." Ao Zhen looked into the distance and said, "A large number of aquatic life has been wiped out, at least tens of thousands!"