Fire
Sun Residence, West Corner Gate.
Fang Yu waited outside the door for more than an hour before he finally saw Sun Dongrong.
Although he still had a cold expression, he asked, "What is it?"
"Someone is targeting me today; I think I should inform Sixth Master!"
Fang Yu took out the contract and handed it to Sun Dongrong, then recounted the whole story of the Jixiang Gambling House.
He came directly after dumping Xu Bao's body in the mass grave, regardless of why the Wu Household chose such a nobody as him as their target.
He has now returned the money and retrieved the person, so the Jixiang Gambling House has no reason to cause him any further trouble.
However, this matter still needs to be discussed with the Sun Household. Firstly, the reason why Jixiang Gambling House is causing trouble for him may be to send some kind of signal to the Sun Household through his words, in order to test the Sun Household's reaction.
Secondly, if this matter truly only concerns Xu Bao and the gambling den, then he needs to speak with the Sun Household even more.
The fact that Jixiang Gambling House dared to target him even though they knew he was from the Sun Household means that the Sun Household's prestige is no longer enough to deter petty criminals.
This is a very dangerous sign, meaning that something may have happened to the Sun Household that is unknown to ordinary people, and that they may be on the verge of decline.
The Wu Household knew some inside information that ordinary people didn't know, but they couldn't be sure, so they wanted to see the Sun Household's reaction by causing trouble for him.
"I understand, you can go back now!" After asking about some details, Sun Dongrong put away the contract and turned to leave.
*****
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
At dawn that day, Fang Yu, as usual, got up to practice his martial arts before daybreak.
"Clang clang clang... The fire's started... The fire's started..."
Suddenly, the sound of a gong, mixed with a cacophony of shouts, came from afar.
Fang Yu looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the sky in the distance had been burned red.
"That looks like the direction of the Jixiang Gambling House!"
Fang Yu murmured to himself, went back inside to change his clothes, and then headed towards the Jixiang Gambling House.
Soon, he arrived nearby and could see from afar that the area where the Jixiang Gambling House was located was already engulfed in flames, and many residents were fighting the fire.
'It seems the Sun Household is reacting very strongly!'
Fang Yu pursed his lips. His family had just been swindled out of three hundred taels of silver by the Jixiang Gambling House, and just a few days later, the Jixiang Gambling House caught fire.
It seems that the Wu Household's probing has provoked a strong reaction from the Sun Household.
But isn't this reaction a bit excessive?
If the Sun Household were innocent, their response should have followed the basic code of the underworld. "An eye for an eye." But now, it has clearly gone beyond the scope of "an eye for an eye."
Such a strong reaction indicates that something significant must have happened within the Sun Household that could affect their normal response.
Firstly, the Sun Household is indeed in decline. For example, a core member of the Lineage, Master- level expert, may be seriously injured or dead. To avoid revealing their true strength, they need to adopt a tough stance and tell everyone, "Don't mess with me."
Secondly, the Sun Household's power has been further enhanced. For example, another Master or Grandmaster has emerged. This dramatic reaction tells everyone that the Sun Household Sun Household is about to expand, and anyone who dares to stand in their way will face even greater retaliation.
Regardless of the reason, it's not a good thing for people like Fang Yu who are at the bottom. After all, prosperity brings suffering to the people, and decline brings suffering to the people. Whether the Sun Household rises or falls, those at the bottom and on the front lines will be the first to suffer.
And so he was implicated. He was sitting at home when disaster struck. It was just a small test, and his father, Xu Bao, died, and he also lost three hundred taels of silver.
Having confirmed that the Jixiang Gambling House had been burned down, Fang Yu turned and returned home to continue his practice for the day.
After he finished his morning exercise and left home for a stroll, Zhou Daqing and the others gathered around, chattering about the Jixiang Gambling House.
"Master Fang, this Jixiang Gambling House was burned to the ground. I heard someone poured kerosene on it, and ordinary water can't extinguish it at all."
"Third Master Wu and many gamblers were burned to death inside; there were more than twenty charred corpses!"
"I wonder who set this fire, it's so cruel!"
"If you ask me, they're definitely not ordinary people. This Jixiang Gambling House is the Wu Household's property; who would dare to touch it!"
"By the way, Master Fang, I heard your old man owed money to Jixiang Gambling House. Did you help him pay it off?"
"Yes, that's right, 300 taels! And look, the old man just came out of there and died suddenly!"
"Ah! This, this, how come none of you brothers knew? Has the old man been laid to rest?"
He's long since been laid to rest!
"Oh no, they haven't even held a funeral?"
"Why bother with funeral arrangements? We're all just ordinary folks, there's no need for so many formalities. Besides, I've used all my money to pay off his debts, where would I get the money for his funeral!"
"Master Fang, this isn't how you do things. You should at least set up a couple of tables so the brothers can go and pay their respects."
"Next time, next time..."
"..."
After chatting with Zhou Daqing and his group for a while, Fang Yu had a pretty good understanding of the situation at Jixiang Gambling House.
Third Master Wu and Yang Liuzhi, who informed him, were both burned to death inside the gambling den. Dozens of gamblers also died inside. Fang Yu guessed that the murders were committed first, and then the fire was set; otherwise, how could they all have been burned to death inside?
"Alas! The Wu Household has truly suffered a heavy loss this time. I wonder if they will retaliate against the Liu Household later."
If it's about retaliation, it will definitely escalate. Even if it's an eye for an eye, then the target of that retaliation won't be myself anymore.
He was just an outsider in the Sun Household's system.
Killing him would not only fail to achieve the goal of avenging the Sun Household, but would also make us a laughingstock.
Therefore, he should be alright.
As he was lost in thought, a figure appeared in his line of sight—it was Sun Dongrong.
"You guys chat, I'm going to take a leak!"
Fang Yu casually remarked and walked towards Sun Dongrong. Sun Dongrong then turned into a small alley, and Fang Yu followed him. At a corner, he found Sun Dongrong waiting for him.
"This is a reward from Sixth Master!"
As Sun Dongrong spoke, he handed the five gold ingots along with the contract to Fang Yu.
"Thank you, Sixth Master!"
Fang Yu happily accepted the gold ingot and asked, "Does Sixth Master have any instructions?"
Sun Dongrong said in a deep voice, "Sixth Master said that your timely reporting is a great achievement. In the future, if there are any similar matters that may be related to the Sun Household, no matter how small, you must report them immediately. I have already spoken to the gatekeeper, and they will let you into the mansion next time you come."
Fang Yu immediately replied, "Please rest assured, Sixth Master Sixth Master, I will do my utmost to repay your kindness!"
Five gold ingots are roughly worth five hundred taels of silver. After deducting the three hundred taels of silver he paid to redeem the person, he still made a profit of two hundred taels.
It must be said that Sun Hu was quite generous to his subordinates and not stingy with money.
Therefore, Fang Yu felt that the Sun Household's strength should have increased significantly, rather than declined. After all, if they were truly declining, they wouldn't be so generous with the money they give to their subordinates.