Becoming a Saint From the Iron Armor Skill-Chapter 73 - 68: The Zhou Family’s Reaction

Guangfu District, South City District.

The Zhou Residence was an imposing estate, with a wide entrance and high courtyard walls.

In the spacious and luxurious main hall, Zhou Hongjun, the Patriarch of the Zhou Family, was dressed in a brocade robe. He sat imposingly in an expensive rosewood armchair, resting with his eyes closed.

Two young, charming women knelt before him, massaging his legs, while two seductive women stood behind him, kneading his shoulders.

The Zhou Family had started as mere country gentry. It took over a hundred years and the efforts of several generations for them to slowly develop into a great clan of the Outer City District.

By Zhou Hongjun’s generation, he had used the resources his ancestors had accumulated to cultivate to the Bone Forging Realm, becoming one of the most formidable Martial Artists in the South City District.

After decades of struggle under Zhou Hongjun’s leadership, the Zhou Family became one of the most prominent clans in the South City District.

Now, Zhou Hongjun was over fifty, and his vitality was declining with each passing year. However, the Zhou Family’s heir, Zhou Xu, had emerged as another prodigy. At a young age, he had already cultivated to Muscle Strengthening Realm Perfection and was poised to break through to the Bone Forging Realm.

Moreover, Zhou Xu held the post of an Official in the South City District City Guard Headquarters. Once he broke through to the Bone Forging Realm, it would be a simple matter of planning for him to take over as City Guard Chief and wield the greatest authority in the entire South City District.

At that time, the Zhou Family would surely rise to a new level, perhaps even becoming a great clan of the Inner City and securing several more centuries of glory.

In these chaotic times, all important resources in Linji City were controlled and monopolized by the Four Great Clans of the Inner City. For the Zhou Family to advance further, they would inevitably have to infringe upon the interests of these powerful clans—an extremely difficult task.

But the Zhou Family had long since allied themselves with a powerful figure. As long as they planned properly and seized their chance, they could ride the momentum to prominence.

The Zhou Family secretly controlled numerous Jianghu Gangs, which were steadily growing stronger under the family’s support.

This was thanks to Zhou Xu holding a high-ranking position in the South City District City Guard Headquarters, which allowed him to provide protection for these Jianghu Gangs.

But having only Zhou Xu in the City Guard Department was far from enough. The Zhou Family needed to recruit more City Guard Officials or directly place their own family members in various posts.

The important positions in the City Guard Department’s various district Sub-Departments had always been secretly controlled by the Four Great Clans of the Inner City, so it wasn’t easy for the Zhou Family to plant their own people.

This was especially true for the Ruyi Square Sub-Department, which was personally overseen by Shen Qingshuang, a scion of the Inner City Shen Family. Despite all their schemes, the Zhou Family had only managed to recruit a single Chief Constable, Zhao Yongfeng, giving them extremely weak official influence in the Ruyi District.

However, this situation was about to change. As long as Zhou Fang was promoted to official constable today, it wouldn’t be long before he could vie for a Chief Constable position. At that point, the Zhou Family would finally have sufficient influence in the Ruyi District.

The Zhou Family’s grand plan for expansion could take another step forward.

Just then, Zhou Xu walked into the hall with a dejected look on his face.

Zhou Hongjun sat up straight. Seeing his son’s dejected expression, he asked, "Xu, what happened?"

Zhou Xu walked directly to Zhou Hongjun’s side and sat down. He snatched a glazed teacup from the table, took a large gulp, and said bitterly, "It’s about Zhou Fang!"

"Zhou Fang? With his strength at Great Success in Skin Grinding Realm, don’t tell me he couldn’t even secure a mere official constable position?" Zhou Hongjun’s face twitched as he spoke.

"Sigh..." Zhou Xu sighed, then recounted how Zhou Fang had been cut down and killed on the training grounds of the Ruyi Square Sub-Department.

"To think that happened!" After listening, Zhou Hongjun’s expression darkened. He waved his hand, dismissing the maids around him.

"I never thought that little wench Shen Qingshuang would have a few tricks up her sleeve, hiding a powerful Martial Artist like that as a trump card!"

Zhou Xu gritted his teeth. "Shen Qingshuang reported the matter to Lord Jiang. He reprimanded me and warned me not to interfere in the affairs of the Sub-Departments anymore.

News of this will spread quickly. I’m afraid that those Chief Constables and constables who have sided with the Zhou family will have their loyalty shaken.

And it’s all that brat Chen’s fault. If he hadn’t shown up out of nowhere, the Zhou Family wouldn’t be on the back foot like this.

We absolutely cannot let him live! I’ll send someone to eliminate him right now."

"Nonsense!" Zhou Hongjun scolded. "You’re an Official in the South City District City Guard Headquarters, for heaven’s sake! How can you be so rash?

At a critical juncture like this, if something were to happen to this Chen Cheng, wouldn’t that be as good as telling everyone it was our Zhou Family’s doing?

How would you explain yourself to Lord Jiang then? If the Shen Family seizes this opportunity to make a big issue out of it, I’m afraid you won’t even be able to hold on to your position as an Official."

Zhou Xu said, "But if we do nothing, the Zhou Family will lose all its prestige. The people under us will inevitably have second thoughts and turn to other families instead."

Zhou Hongjun pondered for a moment before speaking in a cold voice. "Since Chen Cheng dared to ruin the Zhou Family’s grand plan, he obviously can’t be left alive. However, we can’t move against him now. We’ll wait ten days, maybe half a month, for the situation to quiet down. Then we’ll devise a plan to eliminate him in secret.

Eliminating a Skin Grinding Realm Martial Artist without a trace is child’s play. Why would we, the Zhou family, need to do it ourselves?"

"Yes," Zhou Xu replied with a nod.

"By the way, has Zhou Fang’s body been taken care of? This is crucial. We absolutely cannot leave behind any clues," Zhou Hongjun asked.

Zhou Xu said, "I burned his body myself. There won’t be any problems."

...

The dark clouds had come and gone in a flash. By the time Chen Cheng returned to Locust Tree Lane, the sun was shining brightly again.

He knocked on the courtyard gate, and Xi’Er came running to open it. With a pleasant surprise in her voice, she said, "Young Master, you’re back?"

"Mhm." Chen Cheng smiled and patted her on the head as he walked into the courtyard.

Mu Xiaowan was in the courtyard, practicing the Wind Chasing Saber Technique with a wooden saber. She stopped when she heard the commotion.

"Brother Cheng, how come you’re back so early again today?" Mu Xiaowan asked with a smile.

’These past few days, Brother Cheng was either taking frequent days off or leaving late and coming home early. This job of his seemed far too cushy.’