Chapter 12: Deserved Retribution

Everyone immediately began listening intently.

"The first order of business is to sell off the Su Clan's entire estate and take a 20% cut of the Hall of Protectionists, while the remaining 80% is to be split among the four clans, but trials must be set, and if any clan is unable to complete those trials at the specified time, then their cut will be confiscated.

“Secondly, give the Fang Clan's share to Fang Che so we can play along with the One Heart Church's plan and see exactly what they have planned. Perhaps through Fang Che, some good leads will be yielded. Thirdly, release a secret mission for all of the prodigies on the continent to target Fang Che and prevent him from claiming the top spot during the warrior academy entrance examinations.

“Fourthly, track down the members of the One Heart Church in the city aside from Fang Che and his master, and once discovered, they are to be killed with no exceptions!"

"Why are we leaving Fang Che's master out of this?" someone asked.

"Are you an idiot?" Chen Ruhai snapped. "If we kill his master, then Fang Che will be spooked. How will we use him as bait then? On top of that, they're already exposed on the surface, so why go to the trouble of getting rid of them?"

Everyone was immediately enlightened upon hearing this, and they couldn't help but admire him for his sound logic and deductive abilities.

He appeared quite unrefined on the surface, and his feet stank like the sewers, but he really was good at his job.

Sitting across from him was a middle-aged man, who perpetually wore an expression that made it appear as if he were under crippling debt that he would never be able to repay.

He waved a hand as he said in a low and somber voice, "Let's all do as the hall master says. Meeting adjourned."

Chen Ruhai immediately lowered his foot at the sound of his voice, putting his boot back on as he rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Fan Tiantiao, can you not always sound so depressed all the time?"

"I also want to sound more chipper, but it's become a habit," Fan Tiantiao sighed as the wrinkles on his face deepened even further.

Meanwhile, everyone else had already scurried away.

The two of them were such polar opposites that listening to a conversation between them was enough to drive someone mad, but they were forced to communicate with one another for work, seeing as they were the hall master and deputy hall master.

Each of them had been sent to Green Wave City from a different place to form this unlikely duo, and neither of them was particularly fond of the other.

"You got something to say?" Chen Ruhai asked.

"We must plant someone by Fang Che's side. I will make a request to the Shadow Hall," Fan Tiantiao said.

Chen Ruhai couldn't stand to listen to Fan Tiantiao's heavy voice and somber face any longer, and he waved a dismissive hand as he turned away and said, "Suit yourself."

"If I discover anything, then I will have Fang Che put to death right away, and that will be the end of your 'fishing' plan," Fan Tiantiao said.

"Fine, do as you please," Chen Ruhai replied before promptly departing.

"If you take your shoe off during a meeting again, I'll come and chat with you for an entire night!" Fan Tiantiao called out after him.

Upon returning to his study, Chen Ruhai immediately issued a complaint: "I'll accept being transferred to this godforsaken place, but I request that Fan Tiantiao be immediately transferred away!"

Back in the conference hall, Fan Tiantiao sat alone in a contemplative silence for a while longer before departing, following which he sent a message to the Shadow Hall: "Please send some promising prodigies, I have an easy mission that they can complete for training purposes."

***

Fang Che wasn't surprised after receiving news of the verdict that had been reached at the Hall of Protectionists.

The Protectionists would've been fools not to have suspected that he had ties with the One Heart Church after he had caused such a big fuss.

If they have the foresight to plant someone by my side, then that would be ideal,

Fang Che thought to himself.

Given his current paltry cultivation base, he was extremely vulnerable, and if he were to be exposed, then he would surely meet his demise.

Of course, by going down this path, Fang Che was fully prepared to die, but it would be a huge waste if he were to die so soon.

Meanwhile, Sun Yuan was beginning to grow rather concerned.

"I fear we may be playing with fire here, Che'er. Given how easily the Hall of Protectionists approved everything, it's clear that they're already onto you."

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"So what?" Fang Che asked in an unfazed manner. "I must uphold my brotherly bond at all costs! It is my duty to protect Brother Su's estate until he returns!"

Sun Yuan heaved a forlorn sigh, unable to determine whether his disciple was truly stupid or merely playing dumb.

"By the way, the church is going to arrange a baptism for you soon, so make sure to prepare."

Fang Che nodded in response.

This was no surprise to him.

Ever since he had jumped onto the scene, seemingly from out of the blue, he had quickly attracted the attention of both the One Heart Church and the Hall of Protectionists, and he could roughly extrapolate what both sides thought of him.

Hence, he had absolute confidence that the situation would unfold exactly as he planned.

The main drawback to his plan was that he was essentially semi-exposing his identity to some people, but even this was a part of the plan.

The One Heart Church couldn't seize the Su Clan's estate, so he knew that the church would be sure to take action if he volunteered to claim the Su Clan's estate in their stead, and sure enough, the course of action that they had chosen was to slaughter the entire clan.

The Su Clan had betrayed the entire continent by defecting to the One Heart Church, and Fang Che had never planned to spare them for this transgression.

How do you feel now, Su Yue? Do you regret using a child for your past nefarious plans? Does it feel like deserved retribution?

***

The Su Clan's estate was thoroughly inventoried by the Hall of Protectionists before being sold to the public.

Fang Zhenghang had attended the auction in person to purchase a street that had once belonged to the Su Clan for a high price. The street was directly adjacent to the Fang Clan's territory, and in addition to that, he also secured two teahouses, two provision stores, a pawn shop, a casino, and a brothel.

"Bid as high as you want, your nephew says the money will be refunded to you in the end."

This was the message that Fang Qianyi had relayed to him, and it had given him the green light to outbid all of his competitors.

The leader of the Wei Clan, Wei Junping, was so enraged by Fang Zhenghang's reckless bidding that he sprang to his feet in a fit of fury as he yelled, "Fang Zhenghang! Does your Fang Clan even have that much money?!"

Before Fang Zhenghang had a chance to reply, the leaders of the other two clans also began verbally attacking him.

Everyone knew what was happening, but they couldn't say anything in the Hall of Protectionists.

In the end, the Fang Clan emerged as the sole victor of the auction, and as the clan leaders left the Hall of Protectionists, Wei Junping said in a menacing manner, "Fang Zhenghang, there's no way to say for certain that all of the members of the Su Clan are actually dead. I'm looking forward to seeing how you plan to repay this debt once they return!"

"What debt do I owe them? I purchased everything fair and square at an official auction held by the Hall of Protectionists, did I not?" Fang Zhenghang countered, completely unfazed.

The other clan leaders stormed away in frustration and disdain.

Two hours after Fang Zhenghang returned to the Fang Clan, crates full of silver and gold vouchers were delivered to him by Fang Qianyi.

These were the silver and gold vouchers that the Fang Clan had just spent at the auction, but Fang Zhenghang was looking at them with a heavy heart, displaying no joy at their return.

"Make sure to keep a close eye on Little Che so that he doesn't stray down the wrong path," he cautioned.

"I know," Fang Qianyi sighed.

Fang Zhenghang patted the crates of vouchers, then declared, "There's something I have to tell you: I've decided that from this day forth, Fang Che will have partial inheritance rights to our Fang Clan! From now on, he will be treated as a direct lineal heir!"

Fang Qianyi was stunned to hear this.

"But Che'er is not your son! Wouldn't this decision cause internal conflict in our clan?"

"We can't allow Che'er to feel as if he's being ostracized by his own family," Fang Zhenghang insisted. "I am the clan leader, so I get to call the shots. There's no need to debate me on this matter, I've already made my decision official."

Fang Qianyi could only heave a faint sigh upon hearing this.

She knew that her brother was not one to change his mind once he had his heart set on something.

"Also, officially, Che'er is only holding the Su Clan's estate for safekeeping. If Su Yue or someone else from the Su Clan really does return someday, then we will hold up our end of the agreement and return the estate," Fang Zhenghang continued. "It'll already be more than enough compensation for us to have access to these resources for the next few years."

A smile then appeared on his face as he said, "I'm very pleased with how Che'er is turning out. He's a good boy, but he's currently at a very sensitive crossroads, and we have to make sure that he doesn't take the wrong turn."

***

Meanwhile, Fang Che had arrived at a secret location with Sun Yuan.

Sun Yuan had knocked him unconscious before bringing him here, so he had no idea where they were.

He had awakened to find himself in an eerie space that had a very unsettling air about it.

On either side of him were eight stone statues of demonic figures, and within the shrine at the very center of the space was a menacing centipede with a human head and grotesque feelers all over its entire body.

The centipede's eyes glowed green, and the green light that they exuded precisely illuminated the spot where Fang Che was standing, forming a circle of green radiance that was around three feet in radius.

There were four people standing beneath the shrine, with one person standing at the center, another person standing beside them, and two more figures standing on their other side.

Sun Yuan joined the side that was only occupied by one person, and thus, a five-man array consisting of one person surrounded by four others took shape.

"This is your baptism ceremony, Che'er. From this day forth, you will officially be a member of the One Heart Church!" Sun Yuan declared.

Fang Che's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this.

It was said that this ceremony was a foolproof way of weeding out moles, regardless of what measures they took to conceal their identities.