Chapter 226: The Conspiracy Is Set

Old Four Chong seized the opportunity to place his hand between Zhen Yangzi and me, saying, “This isn’t the right place—too many people around.” Zhen Yangzi grinned and withdrew his hand, tossing out a final threat before disappearing into the crowd.

I exhaled sharply, feeling the tension leave my body. I hadn’t expected Zhen Yangzi to be so formidable.

Old Four Chong said, “If he’s really a Taoist from Mount Sanqing, he wouldn’t dare challenge me without some serious skills. Going up against an insect master like me takes guts. Kid, losing to him isn’t anything to be ashamed of. You’re still young. In a few years, you’ll be able to take him down.”

I stomped my foot in frustration, boiling with anger.

Old Four Chong and I found seats. Scanning the crowd, I spotted Feng Shiqiao and Feng Wushuang among the newcomers—they had arrived too.

This small, exclusive dinner was attended by a mix of wealthy upstarts deceived by Zhen Yangzi and established families from Jiangnan City. Many were from minor aristocratic clans, with sons, nephews, or sons-in-law holding key positions in the city. Some families balanced business and politics, maintaining decent manners and a refined atmosphere.

After a brief motivational speech from Secretary Jia, Mayor Wu took the stage. Young, energetic, and charismatic, he rallied the crowd, urging everyone to help build Jiangnan into a brighter, happier city.

While Secretary Jia spoke in bureaucratic tones, Mayor Wu had a more approachable style. Their applause differed too—Mayor Wu’s was noticeably louder. Once the speeches ended, the dinner began. I hadn’t eaten all day, and the confrontation with Zhen Yangzi had drained me. I headed straight for the meat dishes. Surprisingly, Old Four Chong did the same, joining me as soon as Mayor Wu finished his speech.

Zhen Yangzi, however, had already piled his plate high.

“Don’t worry,” he said, grinning. “We can fight after we’ve eaten. Right, kid?” He stared at me, but I averted my gaze, unwilling to fall into another of his traps.

Feng Wushuang, a former flight attendant, was immediately swarmed by middle-aged men the moment she stepped onto the dance floor. Mayor Wu occasionally cast admiring glances at her slender figure.

After eating and drinking, I kept a wary eye on Zhen Yangzi, but he seemed preoccupied, muttering to himself.

Losing our first encounter left me with a lingering sense of defeat.

By nightfall, the banquet ended. Old Four Chong returned to his rented room, changed out of his formal attire, and put on his usual tattered clothes. Not long after, he handed his neatly folded suit to a cleaner in his fifties.

“Master Zhang, I heard you’re meeting your daughter’s in-laws. Here’s a suit—I only wore it once. Take it.”

Master Zhang hesitated, shaking his head. “This is too fine for me.”

Old Four Chong smiled. “You treated me to noodles once. Consider this repayment.”

Master Zhang rubbed his hands, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and offered one to Old Four Chong and me. He carefully placed the suit on a nearby newspaper stand next to a battered bicycle.

The three of us stood on the street, smoking in the cold wind before parting ways—Old Four Chong to his rented room, and me to meet Yi Miao.

For the next two days, Old Four Chong was nowhere to be found, and neither was Zhen Yangzi. Mayor Wu and Zhen Yangzi had gone to the provincial capital for a meeting, leaving things quiet. After seeing Feng Wushuang at Hua Hao Yue Yuan, she called me twice, urging me to persuade my mother. My stance was firm: unless my mother agreed, they were to leave her alone.

Feng Wushuang sighed. “Why must you be like this?”

—

Three days later, on the eighth day of the lunar new year, schools began reopening. Jiangnan’s colleges and vocational schools welcomed back students, and the city slowly regained its bustle.

Secretary Jia and Mayor Wu returned from their meeting. That night, Fu Dong called, instructing Old Four Chong and me to handle a task.

I was puzzled—was this the moment of reckoning? Had something changed during the provincial meeting? But there were no signs in the news.

Fu Dong’s voice was grave. “Pan Shuya returned to Jiangnan today and made purchases at a mall, but she didn’t inform Secretary Jia.”

He warned me to keep this confidential.

Secretary Jia must have suspected Pan Shuya. Returning without telling him suggested something was amiss.

Old Four Chong and I waited outside a residential complex until Pan Shuya arrived. Old Four Chong sighed. “I’m an insect master, yet here I am, playing detective.”

I chuckled. “And I’m a feng shui master turned stalker.”

Grumbling aside, we waited half an hour before Pan Shuya drove out in a Beetle. Inside, a handsome young man sat beside her.

Old Four Chong shook his head. “That boy’s doomed. Cuckolding Secretary Jia won’t end well.”

I hadn’t expected Pan Shuya’s first act upon returning to be a secret rendezvous. Secretary Jia’s wrath would be inevitable. Witnessing this, I lost all desire to continue tailing them.

But Old Four Chong had already hailed a taxi. We followed the Beetle to Jiangnan Normal College, where we learned Pan Shuya and the young man were classmates who’d fallen in love over six months.

Pan Shuya was radiant—fresh, lively, and full of youth. The young man was equally vibrant and athletic. That night, they headed to a bar, where the boy got into a fight defending Pan Shuya’s honor. Just as knives were drawn, Zhen Yangzi appeared.

Old Four Chong muttered, “This was planned.”

From a distance, we saw Pan Shuya’s gratitude toward the boy. Zhen Yangzi intervened, saving his life. The naive couple thanked him profusely.

Then Zhen Yangzi whispered something in Pan Shuya’s ear. Her face paled, terror gripping her. He led them both away, Pan Shuya stumbling as if her soul had left her body.

Old Four Chong frowned. “Trouble. Zhen Yangzi must’ve told her the attackers were sent by Secretary Jia—that he knows about her affair.”

We pursued them but were blocked by a gang of thugs wielding iron rods. “Someone paid us to rough you up. Sorry.”

Old Four Chong scoffed. “You handle this. If I act, they’ll die.” To outsiders, it sounded like bravado, but I knew his parasitic worms were lethal.

Luckily, the thugs weren’t committed. After two went down, the rest fled.

Old Four Chong sighed. “So unprofessional. Taking money and not delivering—shameful.”

I rolled my eyes. “Bro, you’re overthinking this.”

“It reflects a deeper issue—lack of integrity.”

By the time we resumed pursuit, the Beetle’s taillights had vanished.

“This is bad,” I said.

Old Four Chong remained calm. “Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

Doubtful but with no better option, I hailed another taxi. Old Four Chong directed the driver through the city for half an hour before we stopped at a narrow alley at midnight.

The driver refused to go further, citing poor road conditions. Old Four Chong exited, and I paid the fare.

Confident, he led the way. The alley was littered with disposable tableware and tissues, vendors packing up for the night. A shop owner urged a young boy, “Xiao Ming, go home. Your mother’s sick—she needs you.”

Xiao Ming spotted us. “Uncle, it’s fine. I can still work.”

I surveyed the alley—a night market winding down.

Mockingly, I said, “Zhen Yangzi’s like you—drawn to chaotic places.”

Old Four Chong shrugged. “High turnover means safety.”

We soon found the Beetle parked near a rundown building. The flickering streetlight illuminated clothes hanging from upper floors. A nimble thief slid down a drainpipe like a swallow, landing before us.

Old Four Chong tossed him a cigarette. “This area’s not worth your time. I know a better spot for big scores.”

The thief lit the cigarette. “I don’t steal—I rob the rich to aid the poor. Ancestral rules.”

After finishing the smoke, he bowed and vanished.

Old Four Chong called after him, “May I know your name?”

“Nameless,” came the reply.

Old Four Chong mused, “If I’m not mistaken, that was a descendant of Yanzi Li San.”

“Yanzi Li San? That’s ancient history!” I exclaimed.

“Heroes never fade. Yanzi Li San was late Qing Dynasty—not centuries ago. Let’s check upstairs.”

Xiao Ming trudged into the same building. Through the thin walls, I heard his sick mother say, “A fairy just visited. Said you’re a filial son and left 50,000 yuan for my treatment.”

Seemed we’d met a true chivalrous thief.

On the seventh floor, Old Four Chong shoved me forward. Unprepared, I stumbled into the room.

Zhen Yangzi grinned. “Brother Chong, you finally brought him.”