Building a Martial Dao Celestial Family by Laying Low

Chapter 272: Chapter 270: Scheming

The inn.

The dim yellow oil lamp flickered, its light stretching and shrinking their shadows on the walls.

He Zhangqiu’s words, "last meal," were like a clap of thunder, blasting the room into a dead silence.

His gaze, dark and sinister, was fixed on Li Sanli, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Beneath his bamboo hat, Li Sanli’s expression changed drastically. His mind was in turmoil.

The secret plot at Dragon Bone Temple was top secret, known only to a handful of people including him and Chen Li. How could He Zhangqiu possibly know?

’There’s a mole!’

The thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

’Is it a traitor from the gang?’

’Or did the Chen Family let it slip?’

The Chen and He Families were mortal enemies; it was only natural for them to plant spies on each other.

But spies were usually on the periphery, only good for gathering common intel. How could a top secret matter of life and death like this reach He Zhangqiu’s ears so quickly?

’If it really got out, then aren’t the damn Chen and Zhou Families leaking like a sieve?’

’If that were true, why would they even need to bother with all this scheming?’

’The Chen and Zhou Families would have been wiped out long ago, with no place left for their burial.’

’If not the Chen Family, then who could it be?’

Then, another, more terrifying suspicion surfaced in his mind—Hall Master Xi.

After the events at Dragon Bone Temple that night, he had ordered all the ordinary gang members who had accompanied them to be placed under house arrest. Logically, there was no way for the news to have gotten out.

Only one person remained free afterward.

That was Hall Master Xi.

’Could it be him?’

But Li Sanli quickly frowned again.

’Hall Master Xi is a veteran of the gang. He’s risked his life for us in the past. The chance of him betraying us is minuscule.’

’If not him, then who?’

His thoughts raced, but his face betrayed nothing. With a slight shift of his eyes, he spoke, his voice still low and steady, without a hint of disturbance, "Young Master He, what do you mean by that? I don’t quite understand."

He Zhangqiu scoffed. He picked up the crude porcelain bowl before him and took a sip of the harsh, cheap wine, his brow furrowing. "It means exactly what it sounds like. Sanli Gang Leader, why play dumb when you know perfectly well what I’m talking about?"

He set down the wine bowl and said mockingly, "You colluded with the Chen Family to set a trap at Zhuoyan Village, scheming to wipe out my He Family and the three Grandmasters in one fell swoop, all so you could divide my forty thousand bolts of silk. Do I really need to present the evidence for this?"

Li Sanli’s last shred of hope was completely shattered.

The other party knew every detail. This wasn’t speculation; they had solid, core intelligence.

’A mole. There’s definitely a mole, and a high-ranking one at that.’

He suppressed his churning emotions, his tone turning cold as he feigned a retreat. "Since Young Master He distrusts our gang so much and is so suspicious, then perhaps it’s best we call this deal off."

"Tomorrow, I will return the forty thousand bolts of silk from the ship, untouched. I also ask that Young Master He return all the Tokens our gang has mortgaged with you. From now on, we’ll stay out of each other’s way. How about it?"

With that, he turned as if to leave.

"Oh?"

Hearing this, He Zhangqiu showed no alarm. Instead, he let out a low, chilling laugh. "So eager to cut ties? Sanli Gang Leader, are you... feeling guilty?"

He put down his wine bowl, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "After running around all day, contacting buyers and arranging manpower, now you don’t even want your commission? That doesn’t seem like your gang’s usual profit-over-principles style of doing things!"

Li Sanli froze. His back looked a little stiff as he slowly turned around, his gaze from under the bamboo hat locking onto He Zhangqiu. "Then in your opinion, Young Master He, how should this matter be settled? Feel free to state your terms directly."

The smile vanished from He Zhangqiu’s face instantly, replaced by undisguised killing intent. He spoke word by word, his voice bone-chillingly cold.

"It’s simple. You want this shipment of silk, don’t you? Fine. I can even give you more."

He held up two fingers. "Seventy percent. After it’s done, seventy percent of the forty thousand bolts of silk will go to your Tuo Long Bang. I have only one condition..."

As he spoke, his tone turned incomparably frigid. "I want the Chen Family, and the Zhou Family... wiped out, down to the last man, woman, and child. Every. Last. One. Dead!"

He spoke the last four words extremely slowly and heavily, laced with bone-deep hatred and murderous intent.

The inn fell deathly silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Li Sanli was silent, his bamboo hat tilted slightly downward, obscuring his expression.

After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice dry and hoarse. "This matter is too important for me to decide alone. I must report to the Gang Leader for his decision."

"Fine."

He Zhangqiu seemed to have expected this, resuming his nonchalant posture. "I’ll give you half an hour. After half an hour, I want an answer from the Tuo Long Bang."

Li Sanli said no more. His figure flashed, and like a phantom, he darted out the window, melting into the deep night as he sped toward the Treasure Ship at the docks.

Only after Li Sanli’s figure had completely vanished did the tense atmosphere in the inn ease slightly.

Li Yuniang, who had been sitting quietly to the side, now spoke softly, "Young Master, will the Tuo Long Bang agree to join forces with us?"

He Zhangqiu toyed with the crude porcelain cup in his hand, a confident look on his face. "They will. The Tuo Long Bang is a pack of river rats, insatiably greedy and driven only by profit. As long as the reward is great enough, they’ll take the risk and turn on their allies."

A vicious glint flashed in his eyes. "Besides, it doesn’t matter whether they agree or not. What’s important is that they *think* we believe they’ll agree, and that we’re willing to offer such a huge profit to secure an alliance. That’s enough."

"When the men from the Chen and Zhou Families arrive at Zhuoyan Village, I’ll leak the news that the Tuo Long Bang is working with us. The two families will inevitably grow suspicious of each other. Then we can just sit back, reap the rewards, and wipe them all out in one go, eliminating the threat for good!"

He turned to the four figures sitting and standing in the shadows of the inn’s main hall and cupped his hands respectfully. "At that time, I will have to rely on the four of you seniors to act."

"We take a man’s money, we solve his problems. No need to remind us."

The speaker was a scrawny old man who looked like a country farmer, squatting in the corner. He had squinted eyes and held a long-stemmed pipe, which he was puffing on—PUFF, PUFF. His voice was hoarse, and his face was obscured by the swirling smoke.

This man’s surname was Jin, known in the Jianghu as "Big Pipe" Jin Changshan.

To the left was another old man, dressed in black martial attire. He had graying hair, a gaunt face, and was silently sipping strong wine.

He radiated no sharp aura, yet he seemed to melt into the surrounding darkness. Though he was clearly sitting there, he gave off an ethereal and elusive impression.

This was none other than the Void Transformation Grandmaster the He Family had hired, "Shadow Elder" Mo Wuji.

Hearing the words, he merely gave a slight nod without even lifting his gaze.

To the right was an unusually burly, long-haired ascetic. His skin was as dark as iron, and his knotted muscles strained against his loose monastic robes, making them bulge.

In the Jianghu, he was known as "Iron Arhat" Yao Guangzhi.

He was busy taking large bites of meat and great gulps of wine, simply grunting "Hmph" through his nose in response, the sound like a low rumble of thunder.

The last one was a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar in a long robe of fine linen. He had a three-stranded beard, a refined face, and a tranquil expression, as if nothing in the world could trouble his mind.

This was the He Family’s Tributor, "Qiushui Sword" Shen Wenzhou.

Hearing He Zhangqiu’s plan, his movements of wiping his sword faltered for a fraction of a second. He said coolly, "As long as you’ve made the arrangements, Young Master, there is no need to ask us."

Having received the tacit approval of the four Grandmasters, He Zhangqiu felt his resolve solidify.

...

「On the river’s surface.」

Li Sanli’s figure was like a phantom. In a few silent leaps, he skimmed across the water’s surface, landed steadily back on the deck of the dark Treasure Ship, and immediately darted into a cabin.

The cabin was not particularly spacious. In the center stood a square elmwood table, upon which a River Map was spread out, next to a wine pot and a few ceramic bowls.

Two men were seated at the table.

The man on the left was in his forties, with a sallow complexion and eyes as narrow as slits from a knife. In his hands, he was rubbing a pair of Iron Galls, polished bright with sweat.

He was the Gang Leader of the Tuo Long Bang, Jiang Hengzhou.

The one on the right was a wiry man in his early forties, with sunken cheeks and high cheekbones. The knuckles of his hands were thick and covered in calluses.

He was the other Vice Gang Leader of the Tuo Long Bang, Shi Zhenshan.

"Gang Leader, Brother Shan."

Li Sanli took off his bamboo hat, revealing a hideous scar on his jaw, and recounted his conversation with He Zhangqiu at the inn, word for word.

"A mole..."

Jiang Hengzhou frowned and spoke slowly, "Who do you suspect?"

A cold glint flickered in Li Sanli’s eyes. "Very few people knew about what happened at Dragon Bone Temple. Within the gang, besides myself and Hall Master Xi, no one else had the opportunity. As for the Chen Family, it’s logically even more impossible that they would expose themselves."

Shi Zhenshan snorted heavily, his tone displeased. "Hall Master Xi has been with me for twelve years."

"I know."

Li Sanli said, "That’s why it’s just a suspicion. But the information definitely leaked, and it leaked completely. This mole’s position can’t be low."

Shi Zhenshan sneered. "If Hall Master Xi is the mole, then the He Family has probably planted more than one nail in our side. For all we know, there could be He Family ears on this very ship, right outside this cabin."

Jiang Hengzhou raised a hand, silencing them. His narrow eyes squinted into a slit. "Things have already come to this. We can put aside the search for the mole for now. The urgent matter is this game... and how we’re going to play it."

The cabin fell silent.

After a long pause, Shi Zhenshan spoke up. "Since the He Family is powerful and has an inside man, why don’t we just side with them? The Chen Family is doomed. Seventy percent isn’t a small amount."

Li Sanli said coldly, "That’s not a good idea. Once the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. If we rashly join forces with him to deal with the Chen Family, what’s to stop him from turning on us after it’s done? How would we defend ourselves then?"

Shi Zhenshan’s eyes widened. "What makes you think he can destroy us? The Gang Leader is..."

Jiang Hengzhou waved his hand, cutting Shi Zhenshan off. "He Zhangqiu saw through our pact with the Chen Family, yet he still dared to come here alone and expose it to our faces. What gives him such confidence?"

He paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "I suspect the He Family has another card up their sleeve. They might even be planning to swallow both us and the Chen Family whole. Cooperating with him would be like asking a tiger for its skin."

Li Sanli added, "The Gang Leader is absolutely right. He Zhangqiu is sinister and cunning; he can’t be trusted. If the Chen Family is destroyed, the Tuo Long Bang will be next."

Shi Zhenshan grew agitated. "So what, we just give up on the forty thousand bolts of silk? Just write it off as a wasted trip?"

"Of course we’re taking it."

Jiang Hengzhou said coldly, "We’re not just taking it; we’re taking it all."

His gaze swept over Li Sanli and Shi Zhenshan. "During the transaction later, we’ll watch from the sidelines and let the He and Chen Families fight it out first. If the He Family proves stronger, we’ll help them destroy the Chen Family. If the Chen Family puts up a tough fight, or if the He Family has no other tricks, then that will be our opportunity."

Shi Zhenshan grinned. "The Gang Leader always thinks things through. Let’s do it that way. Let those two tortoise-grandsons beat each other bloody first!"

Li Sanli also nodded slowly.

Jiang Hengzhou looked at Li Sanli. "Sanli, make one more trip. Go back and tell He Zhangqiu that the Tuo Long Bang accepts his deal."

"Alright."

Li Sanli nodded, put his bamboo hat back on, and with a flash, melted into the night once more.

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