Chapter 51: Court and Jianghu

At the door, two disciples held lanterns.

It was already deep night; autumn wind howled through the courtyard, rustling the grass and trees, and an old man stood with his hands behind his back behind the lanterns.

He wore a green robe, his features deep-set, three vertical creases between his brows, lips downturned, and a pair of triangular eyes that made one feel uneasy.

He was tall and had unusually long arms, yet he hunched his chest and slumped his back, like a giant monkey carrying its hands behind it, his white hair and beard neatly combed.

Behind him followed two real giant monkeys, scratching their ears and rubbing their faces, baring their teeth at the crowd.

The visitor was none other than Zhou Pan, chairman of the Xianyang Divine Fist Association!

At his cold gaze, all eight Golden Giants—even the furious Zhou Peide—lowered their heads and dared not speak another word.

Zhou Pan said nothing, walked into the room with his hands behind his back, glanced at the gravely injured Zhou Bai, then sneered: “Come with me.”

The Zhou family’s courtyard consisted only of single-story buildings, no pavilions or towers, yet it was spacious, with six large courtyards connected together, each equipped with a training ground, and many disciples patrolled back and forth with lanterns.

The group arrived at the main hall of one of the large courtyards; Zhou Pan sat down above, then began peeling a small tangerine beside him, calmly saying: “So, normally you’re all so mighty—why start infighting when it matters?”

The eight Golden Giants stood below, their foreheads breaking into cold sweat.

Zhou Peide clenched his teeth and bowed: “Brother…”

Halfway through, seeing Zhou Pan’s expressionless face, he felt a chill and quickly corrected himself: “Master, I didn’t act recklessly—it’s this Yuan who harbors ill intent, using sorcery to cheat.”

“Looking back, Zhou Bai was clearly dominating—yet suddenly lost his composure. It must have been due to this sorcery!”

Yuan Qu kept his head bowed, silent.

“Enough!”

Zhou Pan frowned. “This matter was Yuan Qu’s idea—to help Zhou Bai grasp the Monkey Essence early and avoid complications. Still, he lost.”

“Yuan Qu, you’ll handle Zhou Bai’s expenses from now on.”

“Yes, Master.”

Yuan Qu exhaled in relief and quickly bowed in agreement.

He knew the matter was settled.

“M-Master…”

Zhou Peide stared at Zhou Pan in disbelief.

Zhou Bai was the Zhou family’s most promising next-generation disciple—now barely alive, his future shattered, and a few silver coins were all it took to make it right?

Recalling how Zhou Pan had always cared for and admired Zhou Bai, yet after his injury, merely glanced once and ignored him…

At that moment, Zhou Peide suddenly felt a chill in his heart.

“Hmph!”

Zhou Pan glanced at Zhou Peide, as if sensing his thoughts, and said coldly: “Do you think those people have endured for ten years just to strike now?”

“The root of this isn’t in Xianyang—it’s in Chang’an, in the imperial court!”

“Recently, the court issued an edict: Lu Qing, Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shanzhou, was dismissed and imprisoned for corruption. His vacancy will be filled by either Lu Canzheng or Li Canzheng…”

At these words, several of the Eight Golden Giants immediately brightened.

Military and administrative authority over the entire Shanzhou rested primarily with the Three Bureaus: the Bureau of Civil Administration, the Bureau of Judicial Inspection, and the Bureau of Military Command.

Of these, the Bureau of Civil Administration held the greatest power.

The Zhou family’s rise over the years came from aligning with Left Canzheng Lu Kang; now that Lu Qing was imprisoned, the next appointment would likely come from among the two Canzhengs.

One of the Eight Golden Giants, a middle-aged man resembling a scholar, mused: “I understand—someone is trying to find a flaw in you, Master.”

“Good. You understand.”

Zhou Pan said coldly: “The death match was Old Man Zhang’s first Shitan . If Zhou Bai won, it would preserve the Zhou family’s reputation and make those fence-sitting elders hesitate.”

“Given the Zhou family’s future, I agreed. Even the Chenghuang Temple emissaries pretended ignorance. Zhou Peide, do you still harbor resentment?”

Zhou Peide opened his mouth, then bowed deeply. “Master’s foresight is profound—I dare not resent you.”

He said he dared not—but how could he not?

Zhou Pan had just sacrificed Zhou Bai’s future outright.

Zhou Pan glanced at him, too indifferent to care, and spoke in a low tone: “Old Man Zhang is pressing hard, trying to force me to make a mistake.”

“Tomorrow, announce publicly that I am unwell and entering seclusion—no visitors. For now, swallow this insult and let them revel in their arrogance.”

“Once the Daju is settled, I’ll deal with them one by one!”

“And you—all of you—clean up your own messes. Don’t blame me when I purge the sect!”

“Yes, Master!”

All disciples bowed in unison.

Zhou Pan nodded, gazed out the window, and spoke calmly: “Since Li Hu, that fool, died, I’ve learned one thing.”

“The Jianghu isn’t about who’s powerful now—it’s about who laughs last.”

“Hmph! When there are no tigers in the mountains, monkeys become kings…”

“Do they really think I still care about this?”

…………

As the sun rose, Zhang Shitong arrived at the Wenda Hall.

“What are you doing here?” Sha Lifei, just about to leave, snapped.

He wasn’t a fool; after Li Yan’s warning, he realized the father-son duo pretended righteousness but used them as free blades.

“Oh, what did you eat? Your face is so sour.”

“Freshly caught—aren’t you fond of this?”

Zhang Shitong’s dead-fish eyes sparked Sha Lifei’s temper instantly.

Just as Sha Lifei was about to shout, Zhang Shitong waved his hand. “Enough, save it for another day. Today’s important—where’s Li Yan?”

“Lying down. No visitors!”

“Dead?”

“Relax—he’ll outlive you!”

Sha Lifei had barely cursed when Zhang Shitong twisted aside, slipped past him, and strode into the courtyard.

“Stop right there!”

!.

Sha Lifei reached out to grab his collar.

Zhang Shitong didn’t even look—he sidestepped, then twisted his wrist in a silk-winding grip, grinning: “Oh? Master Sha, where’d your storm-and-rock beggar’s bravado go last night?”

Sha Lifei lost the fight but not his tongue: “If you’ve got guts, stand still—I’ll throw it at you!”

Creak~

As the two struggled, Li Yan stepped out, bandages wrapped around him, staring coldly at Zhang Shitong.

Zhang Shitong chuckled, released Sha Lifei, and shook his head: “No need to pretend—it’s useless. The Zhou family won’t move against you for now.”

At this, Li Yan frowned slightly; Sha Lifei immediately asked: “What’s happened? What’s going on?”

“The old monkey announced seclusion—no visitors.”

Zhang Shitong grinned. “So? Won’t you invite me in? Let’s talk properly.”

Li Yan’s face was blank; he raised his hand in invitation.

Zhang Shitong didn’t mind, chuckled, and walked in.

…………

“That’s the situation…”

After sitting down, Zhang Shitong dropped all pretense and explained everything plainly, shaking his head: “Truth is, even without you, we’d have had to act.”

“Once Left Canzheng Lu Kang takes power, Zhou Pan will head to Chang’an to compete for the overall chairman of the Shanzhou Divine Fist Association. When his power swells, we’ll be crushed—forced to flee the province.”

“Father told me to tell you: hiding won’t work. Unless you’re willing to vanish, become a bandit.”

Li Yan’s gaze darkened. “You have another option.”

“Oh?”

Zhang Shitong’s eyes lit up instantly.

Li Yan’s eyes flashed with killing intent. “Cut it at the source. Hire assassins—kill Lu Kang.”

Zhang Shitong froze, then swallowed hard. “You… you’re talking about rebellion?”

Li Yan sneered: “No matter how much power, it’s still just one head. If there’s no way out, are you going to stick your neck out for them to cut?”

“No, no—it’s not that bad yet!”

Zhang Shitong looked at Li Yan, suddenly uneasy, speaking more seriously: “To be honest, Right Canzheng Li Siyuan has deep ties with us. Even if we fail, there’s still room to maneuver.”

“If you act recklessly, you break the rules.”

“Break the rules, and everyone will kill you.”

“What comes next is simple: the Zhou family has retreated—but they’ve committed countless crimes and paid Lu family plenty of silver. Find enough evidence, and Li Canzheng will have a way to rise.”

“Then it’ll be the Zhou family that suffers.”

Sha Lifei laughed bitterly. “The Zhou family stinks so bad in Xianyang, you could smell them ten miles away. Evidence? The yamen’s piled so high with complaints it can’t hold them!”

“Not enough!”

Zhang Shitong shook his head. “For commoners, ten beheadings would suffice. But for officials—especially someone like Lu Kang—it means nothing.”

Li Yan mused: “You want to pressure them step by step until they slip up?”

Zhang Shitong nodded. “It’s the only way now. In the yamen, they smile; in the Jianghu, you draw blood. All eight Golden Giants have rivals watching them.”

“This… forget it. You shouldn’t get involved. Don’t stir up chaos.”

“For the sake of our families’ longstanding ties, I’ll warn you: if things turn sour, vanish immediately—leave Shanzhou!”

Afraid Li Yan might act recklessly, Zhang Shi reiterated a few warnings before leaving the Wenda Hall.

"Fuck, now things have gotten this big—what do we do?"

Having learned the full story, Sha Lifei clearly felt uneasy.

Li Yan pondered for a moment. "Since the Zhou family dares not act at this critical moment, we should carry on as usual and find ways to boost our strength as quickly as possible."

"Even if we have to flee later, we need enough funds first!"

"Also, get me a dossier on the Eight Golden Giants—they might be our breakthrough..."

(End of Chapter)