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Jufeng had achieved a double harvest in both business and the underworld, marking him as a winner in life. At least it proved that his actions since returning to Huaguo had not been in vain. However, while some celebrated, others were dismayed. Ever since Shi Yushu returned to the Lower Yellow River, the United Heart Alliance had begun to descend into chaos once more.
In Hang City, at the Guan Mansion, Jufeng had visited before, accompanied by two children, when Guan Boqiang was still the owner. Now, just a couple of months later, the mansion had changed hands amidst the storms of fate.
The name remained the same, but the people were different.
Guan Bochao had also lived here before, but he was not the master then. Now that he had taken over, he realized that the grand Guan Mansion was not as easy to manage as it appeared on the surface.
Inside the Guan Mansion, Guan Bochao suddenly erupted from the sofa, slamming a document onto the floor with such force that it seemed he was about to explode with rage. He paced back and forth in the room, clutching his waist and pointing an accusatory finger at the document on the ground, venting his frustrations to his aides.
"What kind of people are these?! Huh?! My housekeeper has raised them for so many years, and it turns out it was all for nothing?! Now they all want to quit on me! What is this? A rebellion?!"
The more Guan Bochao fumed, the louder he became, until he was nearly hoarse from shouting. The group of advisors around him fell silent; speaking out at this moment could lead to dire consequences.
Among them was Han Fan, a veteran who had served under both administrations. As soon as Guan Boqiang passed away, Han Fan quickly pledged his loyalty to Guan Bochao, adeptly navigating the shifting tides of power. Unfortunately, he found himself sidelined under Guan Bochao's leadership and remained on the fringes.
The documents lying innocently on the floor contained information everyone was already aware of. Ever since Shi Yushu suffered defeat on the front lines and retreated home, provincial leaders of the United Heart Association began to look after their own interests. When Guan Bochao ordered other leaders to confront the storm brewing outside, their responses ranged from illness to being bedridden—excuses piled up while they remained inactive. One such excuse involved an elderly mother gravely ill; as a representative of the United Heart Association, he felt compelled to uphold its values of loyalty and filial piety by staying home to care for her. This was a polite way of refusing Guan Bochao's orders.
Han Fan chuckled inwardly; Guan Bochao wanted to be the boss—well, he had succeeded in becoming one—but what good was a leader without followers?
Guan Bochao seethed with anger but eventually calmed down somewhat after a while. He plopped back onto the sofa and prepared to read another document.
This document came from the Unification Alliance. Only a few knew its contents—Han Fan being one of them—having greased some palms with money beforehand. He was already bracing himself for another round of amusement at Guan Bochao's impending fury.
Sure enough, after only a few seconds of reading, Guan Bochao leaped up from the sofa again and slammed this document onto the floor with even more force than before. This time he didn't stop there; he stomped on it repeatedly with his expensive custom-made leather shoes until the fragile paper was utterly destroyed.
The documents that had previously lain on the floor now looked up at their unfortunate companion with mixed feelings—an array of emotions swirling within them!
"Mu Zhongde is a hypocrite and a bastard! How dare he threaten me by saying..."
"By cutting off our alliance with us too, right? Isn't that so, Chairman?"
Guan Bochao's words were interrupted just in time by one of his trusted aides. Hearing this question and noticing his aide's furtive glances towards him made Guan Bochao suddenly realize how close he had come to revealing some unspeakable secrets in his fit of rage.
"Ah, right, this Unification Alliance's wolfish ambition, let's discuss it later."
Guan Bochao felt a chill run down his spine, while Han Fan observed everything with disdain. He thought to himself that Guan Bochao might think he could deceive others, but little did he know that his hidden secrets were already common knowledge. Wasn't it just the Unification Alliance threatening him that if he didn't continue cooperating, they would expose the conspiracy? Let's see how he handles this.
As Han Fan pondered, he couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy. The era of the United Heart Association and the Guan Dynasty was finally coming to an end. It seemed that the next phase would be one of chaos and war among various factions. Who among them would emerge victorious? He needed to think carefully and make plans early.
About half a month after the Grassland War and the Battle of Zhangjia City, a piece of news from the Underworld began to stir people's nerves and tongues during their leisure time.
A certain organization leaked information that a leader of a certain faction had met a tragic end at the hands of his brother, who coveted his throne. He had hired assassins, and there were text messages as evidence, even revealing the identity of the assassin as one from Heroic Journey's Five, along with Heroic Journey's endorsement.
Now, Guan Bochao had truly become the target of everyone's ire. That night, chaos erupted within the United Heart Association as various feudal lords raised their banners for revenge, while those bedridden suddenly found miraculous healers, and even those with elderly mothers began preparing for longevity.
However, things were not so simple. With the feudal lords rising in rebellion, Guan Bochao was not in immediate danger; they all set their sights on neighboring feudal lords instead. In fact, Guan Bochao found himself temporarily free from worry. It was just as Han Fan had said—the chaotic battle among the factions within the United Heart Association had begun.
When Jufeng learned of this news, he was still tending to flowers in Canglang One Floating Life. Once a business elite, Claudia had tanned her skin somewhat and was now playing the role of a farmer nearby. Lezheng speculated about what this girl was up to while reporting on the situation within the United Heart Association to Jufeng.
Jufeng adjusted his straw hat under the sun and stretched his back lazily. "Who would have thought that Mu Zhongde has potential in showbiz? Even when exposed to light, he's so professional about it and managed to extract himself from it all. Quite rare indeed. Unfortunately for Guan Bochao, this newly crowned emperor is in for a rough ride; the United Heart Association is about to undergo a regime change."
Lezheng chimed in, "Yes, it seems that Guan Bochao is currently the weakest party; any feudal lord could easily wipe him out, which is why he's allowed to live a bit longer."
Lezheng paused for a moment before continuing with what he needed to report next. He felt he should choose his words carefully before saying, "Well, Shi Yushu has sent word that he's in good spirits lately and wanted to ask if Brother Jufeng has any plans for a vacation in the south?"
Upon hearing this, Jufeng's gaze returned from afar as he pondered for a moment before suddenly smiling and saying, "With him being who he is, when does he ever invite me for a vacation? Only then can I consider going!"
Lezheng mulled over Jufeng's words and found them quite reasonable; he couldn't help but flatter him.
"Brother Jufeng is brilliant."
"Brilliant my foot! Don't just stand around here; go fetch Sister Vera."
Upon hearing Jufeng ask him to invite Vera over, Lezheng's confidence immediately waned as he awkwardly replied, "Brother Jufeng, why don't you let Zhu Yao go instead? I get shivers just seeing that cat; I'm afraid I'll embarrass you."
There was an anecdote behind this matter: ever since Vera moved into Canglang One Floating Life after its first phase was completed, Lezheng had been inspecting several buildings' interior decorations when he suddenly spotted Vera's Blue Cat running out to play on the grass. Fearing it might get lost, he intended to catch it and return it to Vera. However, things took a turn for the worse when Blue Cat didn't appreciate his intentions and left several bloody scratches on his neck and arm. This was still considering Jufeng's face; otherwise, if Blue Cat got angry enough, it might have killed him. Ever since then, he dared not approach that Blue Cat again.
Jufeng couldn't help but burst into laughter at Lezheng's pitiful appearance, leaving Lezheng feeling embarrassed and turning to Zhu Yao for help with a pleading look.
Zhu Yao had little regard for Lezheng; he was neither skilled in martial arts nor genuine, always flattering and fawning. However, she still left the courtyard without a word, which deeply moved Lezheng.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Jufeng looked at the crops he tended with satisfaction, though he couldn't help but feel that such days shouldn't last too long.
He tossed the shovel to Claudia, splattering mud all over her. Ruth could only glare at Jufeng, expressing her anger through her eyes.
Jufeng approached Claudia, raising his muddy hand and gently sliding it down her flawless white face before softly saying,
"Time to wrap up."
(To be continued)
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