Chapter 601: The Families From Jingcheng

The next day.

Morning.

The name of the Kong Family really carries weight.

Yesterday afternoon he went in, and by this morning, Kong Tianjing was out without a scratch.

After all, the two bodyguards confessed, and there were no fingerprints of his on the gun, so it was a simple case to handle.

As for those two bodyguards, they’re going to be sentenced for illegal firearm possession.

“Second Uncle, this was all Xu Shaochen’s doing. I swear I won’t let this slide. I’ll get my revenge!”

After leaving the Police Station, Kong Tianjing growled through gritted teeth. His face twisted with anger.

“Smack!”

Kong Biao slapped him hard across the face, his own face darkened. “You brought this on yourself! Who let you go after him without permission yesterday, huh?!”

“I… I just didn’t want him to help the Chen Family get involved in the gold mine business.” Kong Tianjing mumbled, feeling deflated.

Kong Biao looked at him coldly. “Let me ask you…did you succeed?”

“No,” Kong Tianjing lowered his head even more.

Ever since the Special Medicine Formula was lost from his hands, he knew he would face punishment once they returned to Jingcheng.

That’s why he desperately wanted to redeem himself, to prove he was still capable.

But idiots are always idiots; their thought processes are just peculiar.

Kong Biao was utterly disappointed in him. “From now on, stay out of trouble. Don’t mess with him again, or don’t blame me for what happens next!”

“Second Uncle, you’re just going to let this go when I got beaten like this?” Kong Tianjing was unwilling to accept it. What enraged him the most was that he had spent the entire previous night scrubbing toilets with his hands, and just the thought of it made his blood boil.

Of course, he didn’t tell Kong Biao about it. How could he say that without losing all his dignity?

Kong Biao asked coldly: “Then what do you intend to do? What you experienced was just a warning. He can send you to jail, and if he wanted, he could throw you into the ocean to feed the fish without a trace!”

“It was just a coincidence! It just so happened we had a gun in the Car!” Kong Tianjing protested.

Upon hearing this, Kong Biao didn’t want to speak to this fool any longer. He was afraid it might reduce his own IQ.

So, he simply left him standing there and strode toward the Car.

Kong Tianjing’s face alternated between green and white as he stood in place for a moment, then quickly hurried after him.

In his heart, though, he didn’t take Kong Biao’s warning seriously. He had already made up his mind to get revenge on Xu Shaochen.

After all, he had never been humiliated like this in his life.

Scrubbing toilets with his hands, getting beaten for not doing it right—this was the worst insult he had ever suffered.

Every time he thought about it, the rage inside him burned, with nowhere to release it.

……………

At Sun Hai’s house.

In the living room.

Xu Shaochen, Chen Ju, Sun Hai, and Sun Jiang were having tea.

“Young Master Xu, I don’t mean to rush you, but my family is pressing me. So about the gold mine in Qinghua County, I’ll have to trouble you to put more effort into it.”

Chen Ju said, looking at Xu Shaochen with a helpless expression.

Xu Shaochen, unfazed, said, “Young Master Chen, this is a simple matter. Those gold mines are practically in your Chen Family’s pocket already.”

He had money, the Chen Family had power. Together, the local Government in Qinghua County wasn’t foolish; they obviously knew who to grant the contract to.

Xu Shaochen thought for a moment and added, “However, I think your Chen Family shouldn’t take it all. It would be better to give up two mines to let others in.”

“Young Master Xu, I’ve thought about that as well. You’re right. The other families are not to be underestimated. If our Chen Family were to take everything, people would inevitably be envious. So we’ll give up two mines, woo two families, and as for the others, they can stay out of it.”

Chen Ju took a sip of tea and said calmly.

Win over a few, suppress the others—this is a strategy that never fails.

“Which two families does Young Master Chen plan to win over? Let’s set up a meeting tonight.”

Xu Shaochen asked with a smile. As for the Kong Family, there was no need to say it; they were obviously in the group to be suppressed.

“Seven families came from Jingcheng this time. Our Chen Family is at the top, followed by the Zhao Family, the Liang Family, and the Kong Family. The other three hardly matter. We will exclude the Kong Family, so we’ll rope in the Zhao Family and the Liang Family.”

Chen Ju paused for a moment before continuing, “Representing the Zhao Family is Fourth Young Master Zhao Li, and the Liang Family is represented by Second Young Master Liang Huan. I’m on fairly good terms with both of them.”

“Let’s have a meeting with them tonight. Once everything’s settled, I’ll lock this matter down.”

Xu Shaochen nodded in agreement.

The families that came this time didn’t belong to the absolute elite of Jingcheng.

The truly top-tier families wouldn’t care about a few gold mines, let alone go to war over them.

If you were to rank the families of Jingcheng into several tiers: top, first-tier, second-tier, third-tier, and non-ranking,

then this time, the families like the Kong Family, Chen Family, Liang Family, and Zhao Family were among the stronger first-tier ones. Out of them, the Chen Family was the most prominent.

The other three families that Chen Ju didn’t mention were likely weaker first-tier families, which is why they weren’t worth his attention.

As for the second-tier and third-tier families, none had come. They knew they couldn’t compete with people like Chen Ju, so why waste the trip?

Suddenly, Chen Ju shifted topics and looked at Xu Shaochen, “Young Master Xu, I’m curious. How did you end up at odds with Kong Tianjing? Of course, if it’s inconvenient, don’t worry about answering.”

“It’s nothing. When I was in Yijing, I rented a property that Kong Tianjing was also interested in. My men gave him a good beating, that’s all.”

Xu Shaochen downplayed the situation, deliberately leaving out the part about the Special Medicine Formula.

“Oh, I see. Only someone as foolish as Kong Tianjing would do something like that.”

Chen Ju suddenly understood, but deep down, he didn’t believe Xu Shaochen’s story.

Because according to Kong Biao, the conflict between Xu Shaochen and Kong Tianjing was rooted in jealousy over a woman. This didn’t match what Xu said.

So, one of them was lying—or maybe both were. Which made things all the more interesting.

Xu Shaochen laughed, “The Kong Family’s so big, it’s normal for a few idiots to pop up now and then.”

“Hahahaha, well said! Let’s raise this tea to toast the idiot Kong Tianjing!”

After a bit more chatting, they agreed to meet later that evening. Xu Shaochen then left.

He still had to pick someone up from the airport. Mei Liangxin was arriving from Xinyang today, bringing his girlfriend with him for a blind date.

As Xu Shaochen walked away, Chen Ju narrowed his eyes slightly and muttered to himself, “I wonder who’s lying—Kong Biao or Xu Shaochen?”

“Young Master Chen, should I send someone to Yijing to investigate?” Sun Jiang asked.

Chen Ju waved him off. “No need. Checking up on him behind his back could create misunderstandings if we’re discovered.”

“Whether one of them is lying or both, it’s their business. It doesn’t concern us.”