Life

Dayu had endured for more than four hundred years, and there had always been a saying: the Royal Court and the aristocratic families share the world. A century ago, during an era of turmoil, the royal family seized the opportunity to weaken the influence of the aristocratic families across the country and introduced a Cabinet system, seemingly intent on replacing the aristocratic families' rule over the provinces. Yet a starved camel was still bigger than a horse. Although the aristocratic families today were no longer on equal footing with the royal family as they had been a century ago—and the royal family could even be viewed as merely the single most powerful aristocratic family—their influence remained astonishing. Even if a Governor-General appointed by the Cabinet wished to carry out his duties in a region, he had to secure the backing of the local aristocratic families. If he incurred their displeasure, the gears of government would hardly turn smoothly. The Governor-General of Tiannan, Wei Kongming, was both capable and bold; for a time, he had kept the aristocratic families of Tiannan thoroughly suppressed. Even so, he had never been able to completely uproot the scourge of the aristocratic families. Just as now, even though Xia Wuyuan had traced the leads behind Yulong International straight to the Yue family, he still could not touch them in the slightest. When he went to the Yue family to investigate, he was not even able to meet their family head. In the end, under the seemingly cooperative escort of the butler, he had left the Yue Family Manor. *** In the car returning to their residence, Ye Yuhe looked at Xia Wuyuan with some concern. "Senior Brother, now that this involves the Yue family... are we... really going to keep investigating?" "We investigate!" Xia Wuyuan said without hesitation, "'Master the arts of civil and martial rule, and sell them to the royal house.' Since we chose this path, we must see it through!" "But the Yue family..." said Ye Yuhe. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Xia Wuyuan said. "The Yue family... is not our target." Ye Yuhe let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Although the so-called aristocratic families and nobility in the country had supposedly been swept away as feudal dregs, and these ancient clans no longer publicly proclaimed themselves as aristocratic families—transforming instead into chairmen and helmsmen of massive corporations and conglomerates—she, who could barely touch the edges of that circle, knew better. The aristocratic families and nobility had always existed. They had merely become more discreet and established even higher barriers to entry. Ordinary people could never come into contact with them in their entire lives, so they naturally assumed these families had been washed away by the tide of the new era. In truth, the rules governing society had remained in their hands all along. Hearing that Xia Wuyuan did not actually intend to strike at the Yue family, she was naturally set at ease. "Alright, there will be plenty to investigate in this case from here on. I expect it will turn into a long, drawn-out tug-of-war. You should head back first and properly master gun-kata." Xia Wuyuan glanced at her. "Your martial foundation is decent, but your skills in fighting against firearms are still very unpolished. You don't even know the basic parameters of common guns. Facing firearms in battle like this will put you at a severe disadvantage." "Our cases are mostly concentrated in urban areas, where it's very easy to pull the battlefield into complex buildings and streets, using structures as cover for close-quarters skirmishes and encounter battles. In combat like that, firearms have very limited utility. Rather than learning that, it's better to practice martial arts diligently. If I can reach the level of a Grandmaster like you, Senior Brother..." "Times have changed." Xia Wuyuan shook his head. "So what if you're a Grandmaster? A bullet will still kill you! Even though all weapons are wielded by human hands, if we fail to move with the times, we will sooner or later be made obsolete by increasingly advanced technological creations." He paused. "Take that young master of the Su family, for example. He may be exceptionally gifted and already a Grandmaster. In an unarmed fight to the death, the outcome between the two of us would still be up in the air. But if firearms were brought into play... the fight would be devoid of suspense." "Like someone with a sword facing someone empty-handed?" "Firearms are vastly more devastating than swords and blades," Xia Wuyuan said. Seeing this, Ye Yuhe found it hard to say anything more and could only obey obediently. Xia Wuyuan looked back at the road and focused on driving. In truth, the clues for this case had already gone cold after Yulong International. Or rather... The moment the Procuratorate proved unwilling to grant him investigative authority, the inquiry could go no further. Perhaps someone higher up had exerted pressure on Zhou Tianqiao, and the Deputy Chief Procurator had even hinted that he shouldn't make a big scene out of this. But... Having personally witnessed the gruesome horrors on the fourth basement level of Yulong International, he simply could not turn a blind eye to this case. He could not sit back and watch the real perpetrators walk away scot-free. If the Procuratorate refused to blow things up and wouldn't grant him the authority to mobilize vast manpower and resources to pursue the investigation, then he would investigate in his own way. Startle the snake by beating the grass! As a prominent aristocratic family of Tiannan, every move made by the Yue family drew the watchful eyes of Tiannan's high society. His brazen, open visit to the Yue family to investigate Yulong International had undoubtedly telegraphed his stance. A senior procurator: his weight could be called negligible. His official rank wasn't even on par with a deputy county magistrate. But nor was it insignificant. Because this system allowed him to reach the ears of the throne! The moment those lurking in the shadows learned of his actions, they would definitely make a move against him. In other words... He was using himself as bait! Luring the enemy to bite! Why do this? For no other reason! Merely because he had the confidence to back it up. He was Xia Wuyuan! A living Grandmaster, the Martial Paragon Xia Wuyuan! His only hope was... That those hiding in the shadows wouldn't be too cowardly or cautious. It would be best if they were arrogant and overbearing. Otherwise, until a new lead surfaced, this fishing expedition would have to drag on indefinitely. *** Almost the instant this thought crossed his mind, the corner of his eye caught something. In the next moment, he jerked the steering wheel hard while slamming the gas pedal to the floor. Squeal! Before Ye Yuhe could react, a dump truck roared past their sedan, almost brushing against its paint. "Hold on tight!" Xia Wuyuan's voice barked out. Just as Ye Yuhe looked up in shock, another vehicle—a cement mixer—came hurtling toward them at a speed that should never have existed inside a city. Beneath her wide, terrified eyes, the sedan lurched violently. Fortunately, her reflexes were sharp; she immediately grabbed onto her surroundings to keep her balance. Even so, when a third vehicle—an off-road SUV—burst into view immediately after, she still felt a violent jolt, and her whole body seemed to go airborne. The rear of their sedan was completely smashed to pieces under the violent impact, shredded into scrap metal. In that instant, she clearly caught sight of the SUV driver's expressionless, almost inhuman eyes. "Senior Brother!" Ye Yuhe screamed! But Xia Wuyuan forcefully steered the battered car into a narrow residential alleyway, then slammed on the brakes. "Stay inside and don't come out!" With a low bark, he exploded with speed, dashing after the SUV like a hunting leopard. Remembering the SUV driver's chilling eyes, Ye Yuhe felt an ominous premonition grip her heart and cried out involuntarily: "Don't—" But Xia Wuyuan, bursting forward at full speed, was unimaginably fast. In the blink of an eye, he had vanished from her sight. *** As evening lights began to glow. In a booth at a quiet lounge bar, a woman who bore a seventy percent resemblance to Su Yaoyu—yet appeared colder, sharper, like a hardened career woman—held a slim cigarette between her fingers, slowly exhaling a plume of smoke. Her brows were tightly knit, lost in silent thought. "What's the matter, my Second Young Mistress?" Just then, a girl wearing a cute hairpin, blunt bangs, and a white dress, looking utterly pure and adorable, sat down with her bag slung over her shoulder. The girl looked like a proper good girl, yet the moment she sat down, she pulled out a cigarette and flicked a lighter with practiced ease. At the same time, she said, "You didn't answer my calls. If I didn't know you so well, I might not have even found you here." The woman glanced at her and said nothing. "Let me guess... what could make our President Su frown like this? Most likely family matters, right? What, did that aunt of yours cause more drama?" "Not her." The woman... Surname Su, named Yaoxue. She was none other than Su Huaifeng's second daughter. The only junior in Su Huaifeng's direct lineage who could be considered remotely capable. At only twenty-four years old, relying on the ten million yuan provided by Su Huaifeng and her own savings of several million, she had founded a video production company. In just three years, she had multiplied the company's value nearly tenfold, pushing it to nearly a hundred million. A bona fide business elite. "It's Su Yaoguang. Yaoyu asked me to go over for dinner." "Su Yaoguang?" The girl dressed like a sweet good girl looked puzzled. "Who's that? Which one in the Su family?" "Su Huaifeng has two sons. Which one do you think?" Su Yaoxue gave her a sidelong glance. "Him?" Only then did the girl seem to recall, looking somewhat surprised. "He's back? Isn't he supposed to be all aloof and high-and-mighty? Why come back now of all times?" "Su Huaifeng is dying. He'd have to come back and take a look regardless, wouldn't he?" Su Yaoxue wasn't surprised in the least. "Oh, I get it! He's here to claim a share of the assets, which means less for you? I remember your company is planning to expand rapidly and needs a lot of capital. With him showing up, variables have popped up?" The girl had a sudden realization. Su Yaoxue remained silent. Unlike Su Yaoyu, who visited Su Yaoguang from time to time, she had only met this younger brother a few times and had no deep impression of him. Furthermore, they were half-siblings through different mothers and hadn't grown up together, so naturally their bond couldn't compare to that between him and Su Yaoyu. "If I can get a portion of the inheritance Su Huaifeng leaves behind, that's fine. If not, I don't covet it either." "Oh, you. Being so stubborn and competitive will bite you sooner or later. Honestly, Buzhou Group is so massive, why not just get a job there like your elder sister? With your status as a member of the Su family..." Before the girl could finish, Su Yaoxue cut her off: "Rely on a mountain, and the mountain might crumble. Everyone in the Su family depends on Buzhou Group for a living. If Buzhou Group ever collapses one day, will the whole family go drink the northwest wind?" She thought of Buzhou Group's current predicament. If something really happened, as long as she had her own assets, at least... She wouldn't let that foolish elder sister and naive younger sister go hungry. "You'd have to drink the northwest wind?" The girl shook her head. "Besides, how could a behemoth like Buzhou Group just collapse overnight? You just can't swallow your pride. Just because of that incident, you insist on drawing a clear line between yourself and the family?" Su Yaoxue casually blew out a smoke ring. "In this life, one must carve out a path with one's own hands. Especially women like us—if we have no capability, then no matter when or where, people will look down on us, or even treat us as tools to be used and trampled on at will, stripped of all dignity." The girl shrugged noncommittally. "That's easier said than done... Personally, I think leaning on family is way easier. If it weren't for my family, how could I carry tens-of-thousands-yuan designer bags and drive million-yuan luxury cars?" "Everyone makes their own choices. But in this era, incompetence is the greatest sin." Su Yaoxue stood up. "I really like a certain quote: 'Better to writhe like a maggot than to be as lowly as dust.'" "That's not how that quote goes, is it..." As the girl spoke, something seemed to strike her, and her eyes lit up with delight. "Wait, if he can get a piece of your dad's estate, wouldn't he instantly be worth hundreds of millions? How about taking me along and introducing him to me?" "You?" Su Yaoxue glanced at her. The girl promptly stubbed out her cigarette, straightened her bangs, and shifted into an image of sweet, demure grace. "Little Sister Ran Qiu greets Big Sister." "Forget it. Don't corrupt him." "Come on! Think about it: that younger brother of yours has never tasted high society. Without someone to guide him, going from rags to sudden riches will make him easy prey for bad people, and he might even fall into terrible habits. If I show him around, at least I won't let him stray down the wrong path. Sure, I smoke, drink, go clubbing, and have tattoos, but I'm still a good girl..." "Shut up," Su Yaoxue cut her off bluntly. "Besides, from what I know, he has no real competence, nor is he your type." "I won't let you talk about Brother Yaoguang like that! He's clearly so rich, how could he lack competence?" Ran Qiu said excitedly. "Besides, your family's genes aren't bad at all. If anything, I might even be getting the better deal." Su Yaoxue paid her no further attention. She walked straight out of the lounge bar and headed toward the hotel address Su Yaoyu had sent her.