Chapter 554: Merit Rewarded, Tripod Erected

For the Liu family, Bai Shiwu is one of their own, a son-in-law of the family; everything can be negotiated.

The only one difficult to handle is Yin Sanfen; he is a Qiangwu Jiuzhongtian, and aside from the Fucheng Monarch, he does not need to give face to anyone.

Yet, this matter must not trouble the Fucheng Monarch, otherwise, if the situation blows up, it will be impossible to suppress.

"Venerable one, please speak your mind: how should this be handled?"

The Liu Clan Head looked respectfully at Yin Sanfen, his peripheral vision observing Zhou You on the side.

Zhou You of the Daqian Martial Arts Hall is merely a small figure; he never expected him to have Yin Sanfen as a backer behind his back.

He vaguely sensed that if today's matter were to land smoothly, the breakthrough point would still have to lie with the other party.

Yin Sanfen nodded at the Liu Clan Head and turned to Zhou You, "Young lad Zhou, this matter today is one you used a favor to invite me over for; how to decide is not for me to command—the one who commands is you."

This sentence directly left the Liu family's various house managers astonished; they had originally thought Zhou You was just a junior valued by Yin Sanfen, but now it seemed far more intimate than they had imagined.

"Senior, with so many Venerable ones here, as well as the Clan Head and managers, it is not appropriate for a junior like me to speak."

Yin Sanfen said straight out, "You may speak freely; I promise that whatever you say is my intent."

Whoa, some people began to guess whether Zhou You was Yin Sanfen's illegitimate child.

No, even if he were an illegitimate child, it would be impossible to receive such generous treatment.

Many of the Liu family's managers asked themselves: their own illegitimate children were more numerous than the horses in the stables, yet they were never shown such favor.

They cast their gazes toward Zhou You, waiting for his answer.

The Qiangwu not far away frowned one after another; could it be that Yin Sanfen was going to take Zhou You as a disciple? "Tiger Corpse, I heard Zhou You practices Tiger Fist and even created the Tiger-Crane Dual-Action Fist, merging Tiger Fist and Crane Fist; such talent, yet it was let slip through the fingers of your Dayin Mountain."

"Now that it is going to benefit Yin Sanfen, don't you find it a pity?"

Tiger Corpse did not think so, "Stop daydreaming; let alone that Yin Sanfen has no intention of taking disciples, this tiger cub Zhou You is somewhat similar to me—both are unconstrained; where is the joy in having an ancestor hovering over one's head?"

Coming from the mouth of the delicate young girl on the tiger's back, this sounded somewhat strange.

"In that case, I will offer a suggestion."

Zhou You deliberated before speaking, "With a great enemy at the gates, the situation should not be escalated."

Once this sentence was out, it set the tone for the conclusion of this matter, and the Liu family members breathed a sigh of relief after hearing it.

A manager whispered to his brother beside him, "I heard Zhou You has a good relationship with your girl; you must exert some effort."

The Liu family member who was prompted was none other than Liu Jinguo's biological father; upon hearing this, he slapped his thigh, "That's right!"

To say that recruiting Zhou You as a son-in-law was still too early, but to be on good terms with the other party through the connection of Liu Jinguo was a business that could only profit and never lose; it had to be set in motion.

"... This junior believes that the Fuji Organization secretly developing Liu Chengen was definitely not because they valued his ability; most likely, they valued his status as a member of a prominent family, attempting to use him to destroy the unity of Fucheng from within."

"Precisely because of this, we must not be fooled; this matter is clearly his own doing, and it must not implicate others."

Hearing this, Liu Tianxian wished he could kneel down on the spot with Zhou You and swear an oath of brotherhood.

He knew the weight of this sentence; Yin Sanfen might very well, in a single thought, spare his life because of it.

This young hall master of the Daqian Martial Arts Hall is truly a talent worth cultivating; his future is boundless! "Moreover, I heard that Liu Chengen's father has a connection with the Golden Immortal Dao that manufactures Storage Pockets, and he controls the channels for bringing a large number of Storage Pockets to Fucheng; his importance goes without saying."

Speaking to this point, Zhou You suddenly asked Liu Chengen, "I ask you: the connection for the Storage Pockets, have you stolen it and leaked it to the Fuji Organization?"

"No, my father guards it extremely strictly; I have probed indirectly, but every time I was beaten and warned, gaining nothing." This was correct; Liu Tianxian had not even revealed the channel for the Storage Pockets, which showed he was also guarding against this son.

Since there was wariness in his heart, there was even less talk of collusion or private transfer of benefits.

Hearing this, Liu Tianxian wished he could call out 'Clear-sky Magistrate'; an outsider understood him so well! "Senior, in my humble opinion, this matter all stems from Liu Chengen alone; please execute him."

Yin Sanfen nodded, noncommittal, and asked again, "Not keep him for a bit of interrogation?"

"Forget it; with his status, he cannot touch upon many secrets, and it is also to save some face for the Liu family and Senior Bai Shiwu."

"Good, as you say!"

Yin Sanfen flicked his hand casually, and the palm wind enveloped Liu Chengen; with a series of popping sounds, his entire body's bones and flesh were pulverized.

The person died on the spot, beyond saving.

"Bai Shiwu, is this handling acceptable?"

Bai Shiwu nodded, "It is acceptable; leave the remaining cleanup to the Liu family."

The Liu Clan Head agreed hurriedly; only one Liu Chengen had died, which was already the most ideal resolution.

Although after returning, there would inevitably be procedures to go through, 'remnants' to sweep away, and the secret lines Liu Chengen had developed in the family to clear out—at least a thousand lives would be tossed away—but the Liu family's tree was large and its roots deep, so its vitality was not damaged.

Hmm, the cleanup in Bai Shiwu's words was not just this? Self-punishment with three cups of wine was a must, and repaying kindness was also indispensable, otherwise, would Yin Sanfen have given them face for nothing? The Grandmasters are high and mighty; the things that can move them are all rare treasures, and the Liu family would have to pay a heavy price this time, but there was a lot of room for maneuvering on Zhou You's side.

Based on their relationship, rewarding Zhou You heavily was indirectly showing respect to Yin Sanfen.

"Venerable ones, please allow me to report: Hall Master Zhou previously fought the Martial Artists in a great battle and performed countless meritorious deeds; this time, he has again thwarted the Fuji conspiracy."

"My Liu family is willing to gather the prominent families of Fucheng to forge a Merit Tripod to reward him."

Erecting a tripod?

The group of Qiangwu felt it was ordinary, but Yan Shan reacted strongly; this honor originally belonged only to the Bawang Martial Arts Hall.

This tripod, named the Merit Tripod, was erected to reward achievements, and standing it before the gate was to proclaim it to the world.

The tripod is a ritual vessel, a tool exclusive to prominent families, not easily passed on to outsiders; it belongs to one of the two poles of name and vessel.

Only if one receives the recognition of the prominent families will one be allowed to erect a tripod at one's own gate, displaying a status and identity different from other households.

Moreover, the expenses required for a large tripod—opening the furnace, burning charcoal, preventing sand, building molds, and melting copper and iron—were truly not cheap, and it often required the joint name of many prominent families to mobilize such vast resources.

Among the hundreds of martial arts halls in Fucheng, previously only the Bawang Martial Arts Hall had this honor.

Now, the Liu family's proposal to give the Daqian Martial Arts Hall a tripod as well could be called an unprecedented move.

When this suggestion was given, no one around expressed opposition; clearly, they also tacitly agreed that this move was reasonable and appropriate, and thus, the matter was decided.

"Hall Master Zhou, after returning to the martial arts hall, find someone to tamp down the foundation; the place where the tripod is erected cannot be sloppy!"

The Liu Clan Head said politely to Zhou You.

Before today, it would have been as difficult as ascending to heaven for Zhou You to see his son Liu Fengji, yet at this moment, he was having an equal conversation with Liu Fengji's father, and the other party was even courteous and polite.

One has to say, life's encounters are impermanent; one can never imagine what will happen.

(End of chapter)