Supreme Warrior in the City

Chapter 307: Chapter 306 Zhou Family’s Auction

Master Zhou also came over, and he said cautiously, ”Young friend, hello. My name is Zhou Wangkun. May I have the honor of knowing your esteemed surname?”

”Su Yang!”

”Master Su, hello.” Zhou Wangkun bowed deeply with great respect, ”For this incident, I am deeply grateful to Master Su. Without your guidance, I’m afraid these counterfeits would have spread. By then, I, Zhou Wangkun, wouldn’t know how many people I would have caused to ruin!”

Su Yang nodded slowly. Although Zhou Wangkun was somewhat conceited, he could admit his faults. Knowing his mistake, he immediately came over to apologize with a sincere attitude; this was commendable.

”Zhou Yuan, come here!” Zhou Wangkun bellowed, and his disciple walked over tremulously, ”Master...”

”Kneel down!” Zhou Wangkun yelled angrily.

”Ah?” Disciple Zhou Yuan hesitated for a moment.

”Kneel down!” Zhou Wangkun shouted once more, and Zhou Yuan immediately knelt.

”Apologize to Master Su!” Zhou Wangkun said in a stern voice.

Zhou Yuan looked embarrassed and said softly, ”Master Su, I’m sorry.”

Zhou Wangkun was indeed quick-witted; even Lin Jiang had been dealt with by Su Yang. It was certain that his disciple, who had offended Su Yang, would not end well. Thus, he directly ordered Zhou Yuan to kneel, brusquely getting to the point.

Su Yang clearly understood Zhou Wangkun’s intentions and said in a cold voice, ”Now you’re not letting me apologize?”

”I wouldn’t dare!” Zhou Yuan said awkwardly.

”Do you really know your mistake?” Su Yang asked again.

”I really do!” Zhou Yuan hastened to say.

”Very well,” Su Yang nodded, ”Since you admit your mistake, I’ll punish you to kneel here for half an hour. You don’t have any objections, do you?”

Zhou Yuan was startled, thinking he would be allowed to get up after a quick kneel. Half an hour? How embarrassing.

He looked towards Zhou Wangkun, who gave him a stern look. Zhou Yuan dared not speak and quickly lowered his head, ”No... no objections...”

Su Yang gave a cold smile. If Zhou Yuan dared to resist, he would certainly not let him off easily.

Zhou Wangkun breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the matter with his disciple was resolved.

”Master Su, may I have a moment of your time?” Zhou Wangkun asked softly.

Su Yang nodded, and Zhou Wangkun quickly asked the owner to tidy up the room inside, inviting Su Yang to enter.

”Master Su, you just mentioned that I had a problem...”

As soon as he entered, Zhou Wangkun said softly, ”And after you touched my head just now, I... I felt as if I had suddenly woken up. What exactly is going on?”

”Someone performed the Bewitching Art on you,” Su Yang said. ”You appeared to be alert, but in fact, your consciousness had been interfered with. Otherwise, how could you have mistaken so many counterfeits for the real thing?”

”Is there really such a thing?” Zhou Wangkun was surprised. ”But who could have done it?”

Su Yang just smiled and said, ”I’m not concerned about who did it, only about why they did it!”

”What do you mean?” Zhou Wangkun asked curiously.

”Whoever is capable of doing this must be very powerful. To such a person, a hundred million or two is nothing; there’s no need to come deceive for a mere few tens of millions!”

Su Yang said gravely, ”Yet, they went to great lengths to set up such a plot. Don’t you find that strange? Could it be just for the forty or fifty million from the Lin Family?”

Zhou Wangkun immediately frowned, ”You’re right, Master Su. But who would set up such a scheme? Could it be an enemy of mine?”

Su Yang said coldly, ”If it really were your enemy, it would be much easier to just kill you than to set up such a scheme!”

”That’s true...” confessed Zhou Wangkun, perplexed. ”But what could the reason be then?”

After using the Soul Searching Technique to examine Zhou Wangkun, Su Yang suddenly frowned, ”You have an auction coming up?”

”Yes, it’s an auction organized on behalf of the Zhou Family of the Provincial Capital. Their many treasures involved are worth a fortune and are extremely important. It will take place in Nanluo City in three days!” Zhou Wangkun confirmed.

”If it’s for the Zhou Family of the Provincial Capital, why host the auction in Nanluo City?” Su Yang wondered.

”This...” Zhou Wangkun hesitated slightly, as if reluctant to speak. But in the end, he clenched his teeth and said, ”Master Su, I can tell you, but please make sure no one else knows.”

Su Yang remained silent and Zhou Wangkun said in a low voice, ”Are you familiar with the Zhou Family?”

”One of the Ten Great Families of the provincial capital, but I can’t say I know them well,” Su Yang responded calmly.

Last time, when the Hou Family joined the Ten Great Families, no one from the Zhou Family had come, so Su Yang did not have any relationship with the Zhou Family.

However, his brother-in-law, Zhou Yinghao, was also a branch of the Zhou Family. But their branch was too far removed, having almost no contact with the main family. Otherwise, Zhou Yinghao wouldn’t have lived such a hard life.

”Alas!” Zhou Wangkun sighed, ”The Ten Great Families of the provincial capital, that’s all in the past. Now, the Zhou Family can hardly be counted among them anymore!”

”Why is that?” Su Yang inquired curiously.

”Old Master Zhou passed away half a year ago,” Zhou Wangkun explained. ”You know, the family head of such a large family is the pillar of the household. While alive, even a breath can support the entire family.”

”But once they’re gone, relationships fade and the family quickly declines. That’s what happened to the Zhou Family. After the passing of the old master, his successors couldn’t uphold the family, and within half a year, the Zhou Family was already in trouble both inside and out!”

Su Yang nodded, understanding this much. For example, if Hou Xiangde of the Hou Family were gone, the strength of the Hou Family would quickly diminish.

And Ying’er, whom Su Yang had escorted back, had risked everything to obtain the Red Fire Ginseng, all to save her grandfather and keep their family intact. Such events were common in big families.

”The Zhou Family is now severely in debt due to many of their businesses running at a loss, and the entire family is barely holding on,” continued Zhou Wangkun. ”To salvage the family’s assets, the current family head had no choice but to auction off the old master’s collection, hoping to gain some capital to tide them over.”

”The Zhou Family’s rapid downfall in the past half a year must have involved foul play. The family knows they’re now like a piece of fat meat, with many eyes on them.”

”If they held the auction in the provincial capital, there’s no telling what accidents might occur. Therefore, they’ve chosen Nanluo City for the auction, as this is the Hou Family’s territory. The Hou Family, a new member of the Ten Great Families, has no entanglements with other families. Furthermore, it’s rumored that the Hou Family has a powerful patron behind them, so perhaps those who plot in secret would not dare to make a move in Nanluo City!”

Suddenly, it all made sense to Su Yang. It seemed that with the Hou Family’s entry into the Ten Great Families, they had also significantly influenced the balance of power in Pingnan Province.