Chapter 142: The man with the surname Song is always so unlucky_1
CRACK—
A clear cracking sound emanated from the knee of Ah Li’s kneeling leg due to his resistance.
Hua Zhuo hadn’t held back much. Considering Ah Li could resist to this extent, he was indeed a talented Spirit Card Master.
Hua Zhuo seemed to have thought of something and stopped coldly. "In the Jimo Family’s territory, laying a hand on an heir? Where did you get such courage? What do you take this place for?"
WHOOSH—
The oppression lifted, and Xie Lingyu also broke free. Her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, sweat pouring from her. Ah Li, without a word, still reached out to help Xie Lingyu.
Despite Hua Zhuo treating him this way, he didn’t seem to hold a grudge, his eyes flickering with repressed unwillingness as he looked toward Wen Jiang.
Being forced to kneel on one knee before Wen Jiang, an A-level Spirit Card Master, he viewed as a monumental humiliation.
Meanwhile, Wen Jiang, arms crossed, leisurely watched the commotion as if it were a show, which only fanned the flames of Ah Li’s anger.
When Xie Lingyu regained her composure, the first thing she did was plead for Ah Li. "Lady Hua, Ah Li didn’t do it on purpose! He really didn’t mean to target Ah Jiang. He was just worried about me. Please, let him go."
Ah Li spoke for the first time, his voice deep, "Xiao Yu, don’t plead for me. Isn’t that just how the Nobility are? They just bully others by throwing their weight around."
Hua Zhuo’s eyebrows furrowed even deeper. This Ah Li has an inexplicable hatred for the Nobility. It doesn’t seem specifically aimed at the Jimo Family, though.
"How laughable," Wen Jiang, standing to the side, uttered. "You wanted to use your status as an S-Rank Spirit Card Master to oppress me, an A-level Spirit Card Master. Clearly, you were the one throwing your weight around first. Now that you’ve been taught a lesson, you’re trying to shift the blame. You apply these twisted arguments quite skillfully."
Xie Lingyu looked pitifully at Wen Jiang. "Ah Jiang, Ah Li really didn’t do it on purpose. There must be some misunderstanding. For my aunt’s sake, please let Ah Li go. He’s only just arrived in Yunxia and doesn’t know anything. All the fault lies with me."
Ah Li grabbed Xie Lingyu’s arm. "Xiao Yu, don’t apologize to her!"
Wen Jiang gave Xie Lingyu a deep look, then turned and walked upstairs.
Hua Zhuo’s face hardened, her presence intimidating. "Xie Lingyu, your family has a not insignificant relationship with my senior brother. I’ll let you and your people off this time. Leave quickly. And as I said, don’t bother Wen Jiang without good reason."
Xie Lingyu dared not speak and could only leave with tears in her eyes, taking Ah Li with her.
Hua Zhuo turned her head. Wen Jiang was still standing on the landing of the spiral staircase, not having gone up. Hua Zhuo said helplessly, "She only just came out. How did she run into trouble the moment she encountered Xie Lingyu?"
She knew Wen Jiang’s temperament. The way Xie Lingyu spoke could make her seem endearing to those who liked her, or repulsive to those who didn’t. It seemed Xie Lingyu had displeased Wen Jiang.
Wen Jiang did not reply to Hua Zhuo’s comment, instead asking, "What did this woman come to you for?"
"It was about that man," Hua Zhuo said in a low voice. "He doesn’t belong to Yunxia. Xie Lingyu wants him to have a legal identity within the Yunxia Imperial City. It’s quite troublesome to arrange citizenship for a Spirit Card Master of unknown origin."
Wen Jiang couldn’t help but laugh. "Such an outrageous affair, why would she come to you?"
Hua Zhuo chose her words carefully. "This aunt of yours... has rather naïve ideas about many things. She came because she thought I could help her with this."
In other words, she lacked discernment.
She believed that as a daughter of the Xie Family, she had an advantage before anyone, regardless of how well she knew Hua Zhuo.
Wen Jiang said, "This kind of woman could be the ruin of the Jimo Family. Find an opportunity to announce a break in relations with the Xie Family."
Hua Zhuo was startled. She knew Wen Jiang lacked familial affection, and "cutting ties" sounded harsh. This matter isn’t that serious, is it? Hua Zhuo intuitively felt. But she was a clever person and immediately grasped the deeper meaning behind Wen Jiang’s words: "That Ah Li is problematic."
"When I was in Border City, I once encountered a group of illegal mercenary Spirit Card Masters from an organization called Fiend."
Hua Zhuo’s pupils shrank instantly, almost immediately recalling an incident. "Those Fiend squad members who died—was that your doing?"
The incident had caused quite a stir in Border City because over a hundred B-Rank Cards were activated at the scene. Unfortunately, no information could be obtained. The so-called B-Level Spirit Card Master brigade annihilated five illegal mercenaries and then vanished without a trace. This event even circulated within the Imperial City.
What everyone mainly feared was that this kind of brigade was connected to the illegal Spirit Card Masters who had long been causing trouble worldwide.
But now Wen Jiang had as good as admitted it.
After all, she had been in Border City for a competition at the time, so it was impossible for her to know about matters being circulated internally.
Wen Jiang did not respond directly. "I smelled an aura on Ah Li similar to that of Fiend’s members. Even if he isn’t a member of this organization, he’s deeply involved with it. I’ve looked into Fiend; such an illegal organization is being hunted by all the major empires. With Xie Lingyu involved with someone like that, what do you think the Empire will make of the Jimo Family?"
Hua Zhuo also realized the seriousness of the problem.
No wonder Xie Lingyu said she accidentally saved him, yet couldn’t even figure out where Ah Li came from. Such a dangerous individual would indeed be a huge problem for the Jimo Family.
Everybody knew that the Jimo Family and the Xie Family were bound together.
"We can’t completely disassociate from them in a short period," Hua Zhuo said. "Telling Xie Lingyu directly would only tip them off. And with her intellect, she wouldn’t believe what we say. I’ll have someone investigate Ah Li. Once we have solid evidence, I’ll deal with him. During this time, I’ll also notify Xie Lingyan to keep a close watch on his sister."
Xie Lingyan, though greedy, still has some sense. He wouldn’t betray the Empire. After all, he knows the Xie Family can only rely on the Jimo Family.
Wen Jiang did not object to Hua Zhuo’s decision.
Seeing that Wen Jiang had nothing more to say, Hua Zhuo still asked, "How did you come to confront Fiend’s people? Especially since there were over a hundred cards at the scene."
Considering Wen Jiang’s eerily powerful spiritual power, could she really summon hundreds of cards? The thought alone terrified Hua Zhuo; it was so wild and inconceivable.
"Wu Fanjia hired people to deal with me, but unfortunately for her, they miscalculated," Wen Jiang said with a light laugh. "It’s a real pity she died so soon."
Wu Fanjia.
Hua Zhuo recalled the woman from the files who had targeted Wen Jiang, a flash of fury in her eyes.
The Jimo Family heir almost perished at her hands. If Wu Fanjia were alive, I’d make the entire Wu Family’s life a living hell.
It’s just a pity Wu Fanjia died too quickly. Now, with the Wu Family in turmoil, there’s no need for me to take further action.
As Wen Jiang turned to leave, Hua Zhuo opened her mouth, then swallowed the question she wanted to ask: What exactly is your relationship with Song Yingchen?
He’s Song Ji’s son, and according to the investigation, he even dated Wen Jiang for a while... All men with the surname Song seem to bring such misfortune.