Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Jiang Fa received Zhao Zhen's orders and sent someone to Guan Chao's stronghold that afternoon. By evening, news was already coming back.
Jiang Fa rushed into Zhao Zhen's villa, his plump belly bouncing with each hurried step. Upon seeing Zhao Zhen, he opened his mouth to speak, but the breath he had prepared was spent on the way here, leaving him gasping for air.
Zhao Zhen looked at Jiang Fa with irritation, inwardly lamenting the decline of talent. Otherwise, he wouldn't hesitate to entrust important tasks to someone as foolish as this.
Suppressing his impatience, Zhao Zhen waited for Jiang Fa to catch his breath. He unusually offered him a cup of tea. Seeing this, Jiang Fa was overwhelmed with gratitude, nearly bowing in worship.
Zhao Zhen waved his hand dismissively and said, "Enough of that. Let's get to the point. What did you find out at Guan Chao's place?"
Jiang Fa swallowed hard, his voice still shaky as he replied, "Brother Zhao, you truly have a knack for predicting things. Just this morning, you told me to send someone to keep an eye on them, and now, just one afternoon later, something unusual has indeed happened at Guan Chao's side."
Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Zhao Zhen's eyes as he leaned forward and asked, "What happened?"
Jiang Fa continued, "Just a moment ago, my brother reported that a member of Hua Gang met with Guan Chao. They talked for five minutes inside a room before Guan Chao sent him off properly. Brother Zhao, while we are at odds with each other here, Guan Chao is secretly meeting with Hua Gang and keeping it from us. There’s definitely something fishy going on!"
Unlike Jiang Fa's simplistic thinking, Zhao Zhen grasped the key point: it was Hua Gang that took the initiative to contact Guan Chao, not the other way around. This alone meant they couldn't simply eliminate Guan Chao without considering the consequences; acting rashly could alert their enemies. Zhao Zhen fell into deep thought.
Seeing that Zhao Zhen wasn't reacting as expected—rather than being excited, he had fallen silent—Jiang Fa felt a pang of anxiety. However, after a moment of reflection, he understood Zhao Zhen's concerns and added,
"Brother Zhao, my brother can serve as a witness. Even if Hua Gang has matters to discuss with our Unification Alliance, they should have approached you directly. The fact that they didn't means it's personal rather than between our two factions. I firmly believe that Guan Chao must have ulterior motives. Think about it; since we arrived in Zhangjia City together, when has he ever inquired about your strategic plans? He’s been holed up in his stronghold with his trusted subordinates. I suspect he's waiting for an opportunity to stab us in the back. Brother Zhao, we can't hesitate now."
Jiang Fa's impassioned speech did sway some of Zhao Zhen's thoughts; however, his motivations were not as noble as they appeared on the surface! Ultimately, it was because he discovered this matter and reported it; if it ended without any action taken, he would miss out on a chance for merit. As for whether Guan Chao had ulterior motives or not? That was irrelevant to him—if sacrificing Guan Chao could elevate his status further, then so be it.
Zhao Zhen furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment before decisively stating, "In that case, let's bring Guan Chao here and ask him directly. If he can't explain himself satisfactorily, then we will have no choice."
Seeing that Zhao Zhen had made up his mind brought joy to Jiang Fa’s heart. He prepared to rush out and summon Guan Chao but was taken aback when he stepped outside the villa only to see Guan Chao getting out of a car and walking toward the villa.
Jiang Fa thought to himself that since Guan Chao had come right to them, it saved them some trouble. Suddenly an idea struck him: if they could eliminate Guan Chao right here in the villa and pin the blame on him afterward—making it look like there was no evidence—wouldn't that be splendid?
Before his dream could even begin, Guan Chao approached them and glanced at Jiang Fa with indifference before asking, "Is your leader here?"
Impassive and indifferent, sometimes it represented an attitude, a condescending demeanor. This was quite reasonable; one was a former Northeast Alliance Leader who once wielded great power and directed the course of events, while the other was merely a sycophant who rose through the ranks by following in his wake. It was no wonder that Guan Chao inadvertently revealed his disdain.
And often, it was this kind of unintentional behavior that hurt the most.
Jiang Fa maintained a calm facade, greeting with a smile, but inside he had already dismembered Guan Chao countless times with his thoughts. He replied, "Ah, Alliance Leader Guan, my lord is inside. Please, come in."
Guan Chao paused at these words, feeling something off about the tone of this sycophant, which made him uncomfortable. However, he had urgent matters to discuss with Zhao Zhen and chose not to dwell on it. He quickened his pace and brushed past Jiang Fa into the villa. Jiang Fa, fearing he might miss some crucial information, hurriedly followed Guan Chao inside.
Inside the villa, Zhao Zhen paced back and forth, contemplating the likelihood of Guan Chao's betrayal. Suddenly, he noticed Jiang Fa returning after just leaving, and he was following closely behind Guan Chao.
Jiang Fa was quick-witted; he knew that Guan Chao must have come for a reason but was unsure if he knew that Zhao Zhen was already aware of his secret dealings with Hua Gang. He worried that Zhao Zhen might think he had hastily brought Guan Chao in to leak confidential information. Thus, he hurriedly explained to Zhao Zhen.
"Brother Zhao, I just ran into Alliance Leader Guan at the door. I didn’t have time to say anything before I invited him in."
Zhao Zhen understood immediately and put on a perfectly normal smile as he said, "Alliance Leader Guan is quite a rare guest! What brings you here today?"
Zhao Zhen gestured for Guan Chao to take a seat. Jiang Fa discreetly poured a cup of tea for Guan Chao and stood by attentively, eager to hear what Guan Chao had to say.
Guan Chao felt anxious and didn’t even glance at the tea Jiang Fa offered. With a serious expression, he addressed Zhao Zhen.
"Zhao Alliance Leader, I have significant news that could help us break the deadlock with Hua Gang."
"Oh?" Zhao Zhen responded softly with curiosity before adding, "I would like to hear more."
Instead of continuing directly, Guan Chao took out an invitation from his pocket and handed it to Zhao Zhen. He then explained, "This afternoon, someone from Hua Gang came to see me and requested a meeting tonight. This is an invitation written by Yu Jianyuan."
After finishing his statement, Guan Chao watched as Zhao Zhen took the invitation but did not open it immediately. Instead of showing excitement over this matter, Zhao Zhen first glanced at Jiang Fa. The two exchanged looks filled with unspoken tension as their minds raced with confusion over the unexpected developments.
With Jiang Fa having gathered intel from his connections and now this surprising revelation from Guan Chao himself, the series of events seemed utterly bewildering—like being plunged into deep waters without any sense of direction.
Seeing Jiang Fa's stunned expression as well, Zhao Zhen turned his attention back to the invitation and began reading it carefully.
The invitation was brief, containing only two main points. The first half praised Guan Chao extensively, noting that during the confrontation with Zhao City, although he had narrowly emerged victorious, there was immense admiration for Guan Chao's intelligence and strategies. The latter part expressed discontent over Guan Chao's treatment within the Unification Alliance, lamenting the disparity in his treatment. It was a heartfelt sigh for Alliance Leader Guan. The writer wished to meet with Alliance Leader Guan later that evening, hoping to turn hostility into camaraderie.
"Damn it." Zhao Zhen cursed silently after reading the invitation, bewildered by its absurdity. Hua Gang actually wrote such a thing to you, and you thought it appropriate to show it to me? Do you think I'm a fool? I’m curious to hear what explanation you have for this.
Zhao Zhen closed the invitation and took a sip of tea, then turned to Guan Chao and asked, "Alliance Leader Guan, this invitation is addressed to you. What do you mean by showing it to me?"
Guan Chao was preoccupied with the matters of the invitation and failed to notice any unusual tension between Zhao Zhen and Jiang Fa. He replied, "Zhao Alliance Leader, Hua Gang is cunning and resourceful, and Yu Jianyuan excels at unconventional victories. Therefore, I suspect he has ulterior motives in sending me this invitation."
Zhao Zhen scoffed inwardly; the person who defeated you is resourceful? You really have no shame in glorifying yourself. Fine, I’ll listen to your performance and see how long you can keep it up.
"I'm afraid I lack the insight to discern any hidden meanings. Please enlighten me, Alliance Leader Guan."
(To be continued)
Comment 0 Comment Count