Chapter 1586: Straightforward and Not Cunning

Zong Gu stood before Jun You in a side hall within the Jun Estate. Although he tried to appear calm, deep down, he was actually uneasy, as he had no idea why the eldest young lady of the Jun Clan had summoned him.

Jun You suddenly asked, "Do you know why you're still alive?"

Zong Gu's heart immediately sank.

Jun You said, "Because you stopped Jun Buqi from doing stupid things twice."

Zong Gu quickly responded, "As a friend, that was my duty."

Jun You stared at him. "Don't you want to see the Zong Clan rise? I'm giving you a chance; it's up to you whether you'll dare take it or not."

Zong Gu was a little confused.

Jun You said, "Go meet that Young Master Ye."

Zong Gu's eyes narrowed slightly. "You want me to get close to him..."

Jun You said, "This kind of thing can't be done by someone foolish; it needs someone smart."

Zong Gu remained silent.

Jun You opened her palm, and a scroll appeared before him. "This contains information on that Young Master Ye."

Zong Gu took it, but found the scroll empty. He frowned and looked at Jun You in confusion.

Jun You said slowly, "If even my Jun Clan can't find anything on him, there's only one explanation—he's from a civilization outside. And for people from outside civilizations, only the intelligence network of the Temple of the Gods might be able to uncover something.

"I've already called in favors to have someone look into it. For now, I want you to approach him and find out what kind of person he really is."

Zong Gu looked up at her. "Can I refuse?"

Jun You nodded. "You can... Xiao You, see off Young Master Zong."

Xiao You appeared, looking as pale as a piece of paper.

Zong Gu sighed inwardly. "Miss, although I used some tricks, I've never harmed the Jun Clan. Even in business, I can say with a clear conscience that I've never damaged the Jun Clan's interests. I hope you can see that."

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Jun You said calmly, "That's exactly why the two of you are still alive."

After a moment of silence, Zong Gu said, "I don't know those two people, but judging from their actions and demeanor, they're clearly not ordinary.

"Both carry the aura of those used to being in high positions, and their behavior is somewhat strange... they gave me the feeling that they are conducting some sort of experiment..."

Jun You looked at him but didn't respond.

Zong Gu sighed again.

Naturally, he didn't want to get involved in this storm. Neither the Jun Clan nor those two people were people he could afford to provoke. That was why he said all that, but from Jun You's eyes, he saw another message.

The Jun Clan had no other choice.

Neither did Jun You.

If the Jun Clan were to severely punish Jun Buqi and Jun Quan and bury their heads in the sand, it would be a fatal blow to their reputation.

After all, the Jun Clan was the leader of all merchants; could they really afford to lose face just like that?

Moreover, if Jun You really killed Jun Buqi and Jun Quan just to appease outsiders, it would cause a rift with her own clan members, possibly plunging the clan into internal strife. One misstep could lead to total ruin by then.

If he were in Jun You's place, he'd have no better option either.

I can bow and even kneel. But only if you're stronger than me. You must be so much stronger that I feel utterly hopeless.

Zong Gu pulled himself back from his thoughts. "If I approach them now, they'll be suspicious."

Seeing that he wasn't stalling anymore, Jun You nodded slightly. The killing intent in her eyes quietly faded. "You can bring some of our clan's plans with you; that will show enough sincerity."

Zong Gu looked at her. "I'm just a pawn in your game. Can you promise that regardless of whether I live or die in the end, Xiao You and the Zong Clan will be spared?"

Xiao You lowered her head, and her hands trembled slightly.

Jun You nodded. "I can make that promise. Whether you live or die doesn't matter. The condition is that you follow orders."

Zong Gu nodded. "Understood."

Jun You opened her palm again, and another scroll floated toward him. "These are some of our current plans. Tell him about them, he'll trust you by then."

Zong Gu took the scroll and asked, "Why approach Ye Guan instead of Nan Xiao or that woman?"

Jun You replied, "Because he's a swordsman."

Zong Gu was puzzled.

Jun You explained, "Swordsmen tend to be straightforward and cunning."

"Got it." Zong Gu nodded. With that, he turned around and left.

After he left, Jun You turned to Xiao You, who immediately dropped to her knees.

Jun You asked, "Tell me, did Zong Gu's words and actions just now show that he truly cares about you, or was he just trying to appear 'righteous' in front of me?"

Xiao You hesitated, saying, "Regardless of his intentions, at least he changed my fate and my brother's fate. His actions truly benefited me. For someone like me, that's already a tremendous favor.

"As for everything else, it doesn't matter to me anymore."

Jun You nodded. "It's rare that you can think that way. You may go."

Xiao You bowed respectfully and withdrew.

Jun You walked to the hall entrance and looked up at the sky. A patch of white clouds drifted overhead. It seemed she was waiting for something. After a long while, the space before her trembled slightly, and a scroll floated out.

She opened it, glanced over it, and smiled faintly.

"Ye Guan. so that's how it is... I only had a fifty percent chance before, but now, it's a sure win."

***

As the rumors got out of hand, the situation was also showing signs of spiraling out of control.

In the main hall of the Judicial Office, Nan Xiao was sitting in a chair. In front of him stood a group of department heads, all with dark expressions and murderous intent in their eyes.

Nan Xiao, however, remained calm. He glanced at the others and said, "Brothers, what do you think?"

One of the officers stepped forward with a sullen face. "All those rumors are obviously the Jun Clan's doing. We should just hit them directly."

"Hit the Jun Clan!" Someone immediately echoed, and more and more voices joined in. When had the Judicial Office ever been insulted like this?

"We must think this through!" an officer said, "The Jun Clan isn't as simple as they seem. Since they dared to openly attack our leader, they must have done some thorough preparations. If we act rashly, we might fall right into their trap..."

"Then what? Are we just going to sit here and wait for our deaths die? I suggest a full-scale investigation into the Jun Clan. If they can frame us without evidence, we can do the same. Let's see who gives in first."

"Well said!"

Another officer agreed. "We can't keep sitting here. We must fight back. Otherwise, people will think the Judicial Office is easy to push around! Gather the troops, let's wipe them out and even dig up their ancestors' graves!"

At that moment, an elder suddenly said, "No."

Everyone looked at him. The elder was Song Ji, the chief inspector of the Judicial Office, affectionately called "Old Ji." He was second-in-command, deeply experienced, calm in action, and highly respected.

Nan Xiao also looked at him. "Old Ji, please explain."

Song Ji nodded. "The merchants broke the divine laws, but we, as enforcers, absolutely must not break them ourselves. If we knowingly violate the divine laws, the situation will change.

"And if they expose it, it will be a fatal blow to us. If it were an ordinary merchant family, we'd have ways to silence them. But the Jun Clan? We can't silence them."

Everyone fell silent.

Song Ji continued, "Furthermore, the Jun Clan's actions show that they're ready for a fight to the death. The best response to this kind of behavior... is to stay calm and unmoving."

The others frowned.

An officer asked gravely, "Old Ji, you mean we do nothing?"

Song Ji nodded. "Do nothing."

The officer was confused. "Why?"

After a long pause, Song Ji slowly uttered two words. "Public outrage."

Everyone looked puzzled.

Suddenly, one officer got excited, "I understand! Old Ji means the Jun Clan isn't just targeting us, they're challenging the authority of the entire Temple of the Gods!"

Everyone understood.

Power was supreme. How dare merchants provoke it?

Song Ji added, "The leader shouldn't try to defend himself. If he does, the Jun Clan will lead us by the nose. What we need to do now is to go to the Executive Main God right away and report everything, without hiding anything."

An officer said, "But if we don't retaliate, won't the rumors get worse...?"

Song Ji waved his hand dismissively, "Rumors may affect regular officials, but for a leader, it barely matters, provided the Main Gods trust him."

Seeing that some were still worried, he added, "You're still young. As long as the Main Gods trust Lord Xiao, those rumors won't matter. To put it bluntly, whenever the upper ranks want to hear the public's voice, it would matter by then. If they have no intention of listening, the people can scream their lungs out, and it still won't matter at all."

"Anyway, we're done here," said Song Ji. "Don't tell anyone what I told you just now. I still want to live a few more years."'

Everyone had no idea what to say.