The Heir, Humiliation [3rd Update, Please Subscribe]

Chapter 78 Heir, Humiliation [Third Update, Please Subscribe]

He kept Zhou Chun in the family to assist him in investigating the possible traitors within the clan.

Zhou Daoyi clearly had a special purpose.

At least in Zhou Daoquan's view, he was intentionally cultivating Zhou Chun's ability to manage his clansmen.

Therefore, after Zhou Chun and Zhou Jiahe left, when only the two of them remained in the hall, he looked at Zhou Daoyi without any attempt to hide his intentions and asked, "Clan leader, you left that boy Zheng Chun in the clan to investigate the traitor's matter. Are you preparing to groom him as your successor in the future?"

Faced with his direct question, Zhou Daoyi nodded without hesitation and said, "Indeed, we have some plans in that regard."

"But isn't this a bit too early? I'm not saying that kid isn't good enough, but he's still too young and his cultivation level is far behind. Are you sure it's good for him to be pushing him out now?"

Zhou Daoquan looked directly at Zhou Daoyi and voiced his concerns.

However, after hearing his words, Zhou Daoyi shook his head slightly and said, "There are advantages to starting early. The sooner he learns these things, the sooner we can find out whether he has the talent or not."

After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "I have my own plans for this matter, so don't worry."

Seeing this, Zhou Daoquan didn't know what else to say, so he could only nod and say, "Alright, since you know what's going on, I won't say any more."

Because the news was kept strictly confidential, Zhou Jiahui's disappearance did not cause any ripples in the Zhou family of Jiufengling.

Her Daoist partner Shen Xin and her children had all been comforted and admonished by Zhou Daoyi. Although they were extremely grieving, they could only suppress their grief outside and silently shed tears at home in order to find the murderer.

As Zhou Daoyi's designated assistant investigator of the traitor, Zhou Chun quickly obtained from Zhou Daoyi the travel records of the core members and some elite members of the Zhou family over the past three months, as well as information on their direct relatives within three generations.

Then, referring to the information in his hand, he began to analyze and investigate each item one by one.

In fact, Zhou Chun also felt that Zhou Jiahui's disappearance was mostly related to the Spirit Beast Manor, and that there was probably a traitor in the family.

The Zhou family has only been in Jingguo for a few years. Their only real enemy is the disbanded "Qiyun Alliance" and a few rogue cultivators.

Leaving aside those rogue cultivators who hate the Zhou family, who still harbors resentment and wants to take revenge on the Zhou family?

It was already very difficult for them to obtain information about Zhou Jiahui leaving the family.

Even if you get the information, it won't be easy to eliminate Zhou Jiahui quietly.

Moreover, if those rogue cultivators really wanted to retaliate against the Zhou family, they wouldn't need to choose the Spirit Beast Manor as their target, because even if the Zhou family was furious, they would never take the initiative to retaliate against the Spirit Beast Manor, which had a Golden Core cultivator in charge.

Therefore, Zhou Chun always believed that Zhou Jia Hui's disappearance was caused by the Spirit Beast Manor.

Only the Spirit Beast Manor, a force with intricate ties to the Zhou family, could easily know of the existence of the Heart-Piercing Roe and easily bribe a Zhou family cultivator to provide information.

Therefore, when Zhou Chun was investigating, the question of whether any of the clansmen on those lists had elders or relatives in the Spirit Beast Manor was his main focus.

He not only investigated and analyzed based on written materials, but also conducted overt and covert investigations of some clansmen to see if their cultivation level had greatly increased or they had suddenly become wealthy after a certain trip.

After investigating within the family for more than ten days, Zhou Chun had contacted most of the family members on the list. Only a few family members with special identities were deliberately left for last.

At this moment, he looked at the last few names of his clansmen on the list, and his gaze finally fell on the name of a fellow cultivator of the same generation. That person was none other than Zhou Zhengkang, the Foundation Establishment seed of the Zhou family.

Zhou Zhengkang appeared on the list because he applied to leave the family on the same day that Zhou Jiahui left.

Although he was of unusual status, the clan leader Zhou Daoyi was always fair and just, so he would not deliberately erase the information about his trip.

Looking at Zhou Zhengkang's name on the list, Zhou Chun muttered to himself, "That guy's lucky. Because of Aunt Nineteen's affair, I forgot to bring Uncle Sixteen's complaint against him. Hopefully, he'll be more sensible this time!"

Will Zhou Zhengkang really be sensible?

Zhou Chun didn't believe it.

Therefore, when he went to visit, he was well prepared.

As a Foundation Establishment seed of the Zhou family, Zhou Zhengkang lived at the foot of Pagoda Peak. He usually cultivated at the top of Pagoda Peak.

When Zhou Chun arrived at the courtyard where he lived and activated the array outside the courtyard, he saw that the person who came to visit was Zhou Chun, and an unnatural look flashed in his eyes.

These days, Zhou Chun has been investigating matters concerning his clansmen, and he has heard about it as well.

So when he saw Zhou Chun come to his door, he was quite surprised and angry, as he had a guilty conscience.

Therefore, the tone was naturally very impolite.

"What are you doing here? Is this a place you can come to?"

His nostrils practically flared to the sky, and he looked at Zhou Chun with utter contempt, as if he were a master looking at a servant.

Even though Zhou Chun had prepared herself mentally before coming, she was still quite angry with him at this moment.

His expression immediately turned cold as he stared at Zhou Zhengkang and said, "I am here on the orders of the clan leader to inquire about your departure from the clan twenty-two days ago, Seventh Brother. I request your cooperation!"

Unexpectedly, Zhou Zhengkang was even more shocked and furious after hearing his words.

His face immediately contorted with rage as he pointed a finger at Zhou Chun and shouted, "What do you mean? Are you trying to use the clan leader title to intimidate me? Don't you know who I am? Don't you know who I am?"

However, given his previous experience, Zhou Chun was not surprised by his words at this moment.

She simply met his gaze coldly, showing no sign of yielding, and said, "My meaning is simple: please cooperate with me to complete the task assigned by the clan leader, Seventh Brother!"

Without waiting for Zhou Zhengkang's response, he continued, "If you continue to argue unreasonably, I can only assume that you have something to hide, which is why you are resisting the investigation and reporting this matter to the clan leader truthfully!"

"you……"

Zhou Zhengkang glared at Zhou Chun, speechless.

He must have something to hide, which is why he so vehemently opposed Zhou Chun's investigation of him and tried to force Zhou Chun to "know better" and leave by using harsh words.

But he wasn't completely brainless; of course he understood that this was something he could do but not talk about.

Now that Zhou Chun has made his point clear, if he continues to act recklessly, the person investigating him will likely be the clan leader, Zhou Daoyi.

Compared to Zhou Chun, he clearly held Zhou Daoyi in much greater awe.

"You're ruthless, kid! I'll remember this!"

He pointed at Zhou Chun with an unfriendly expression, made a threatening remark, and then waved his hand impatiently, saying, "What do you want to ask? Spit it out!"

Unexpectedly, Zhou Chun immediately took advantage of his retreat.

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Chun's eyes as he stared at him coldly and said, "I now suspect you of betraying the family and colluding with outsiders to sell family secrets. I also suspect that your residence may contain stolen goods given to you by outsiders. I need to search your residence!"

These words were, of course, a pretext deliberately set up by Zhou Chun to get revenge on Zhou Zhengkang.

Even Zhou Zhengkang himself could tell that he was picking a fight.

So he immediately roared in anger, "Bullshit! What evidence do you have that I betrayed the family? Who gave you the right to slander me like this? To slander a foundation-building seed of a family!"

"Whether it's defamation or not, a search inside will tell. Or are you hiding something, which is why you're resisting my search?"

Zhou Chun stared coldly at Zhou Zhengkang with an unchanged expression, then turned and left.

As he walked, without turning his head, he said, "That's fine. Let's go up the mountain together to see the clan chief, tell him the truth about what happened, and ask him to make a judgment!"

He hadn't taken more than a few steps when Zhou Zhengkang, his expression changing, shouted loudly, "Wait!"

"What? You've changed your mind?"

Zhou Chun paused, turned around, and looked at Zhou Zhengchun with a half-smile, asking.

He knew from Zhou Zhengkang's compromising attitude that Zhou Daoyi, the clan chief, still held him in considerable awe.

Once a compromise is made, it will be made countless times.

That's why he used this method to humiliate the other party in order to avenge the repeated insults he had received.

Now Zhou Chun basically knows the clan leader Zhou Daoyi's attitude towards him, and knows in his heart that he now has a powerful backer.

Therefore, he was not particularly afraid of Zhou Zhengkang.

The main thing is his personality; he's not the kind of person who's always willing to take a beating.

His forbearance will only occur when there is absolutely no chance of winning.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to remain silent when someone points their finger at him and berates him.

As a cultivator, one must have backbone!

A cultivator who only tolerates everything loses his spirit. How will he have the courage to challenge those realms where failure could mean death?

Faced with Zhou Chun's teasing, Zhou Zhengkang's face darkened and he clenched his teeth.

But having already learned his lesson, he forced himself to suppress his anger and refrained from arguing with Zhou Chun.

He just gritted his teeth and glared at Zhou Chun, saying, "Fine, I'll let you in to search. Let's see what you find!"

After saying that, he opened the courtyard gate and strode inside.

Seeing this, Zhou Chun didn't stand on ceremony and strode into the courtyard, searching room by room.

Compared to Zhou Chun's rather simple courtyard, Zhou Zhengkang's residence was undoubtedly much more luxurious. All the furnishings inside were made of the finest materials, and a kind of incense with insect-repelling and calming properties was always burning in the bedroom.

After searching each room, Zhou Chun walked into the study under Zhou Zhengkang's murderous gaze, then sat down imposingly in a chair next to the desk, and placed paper and pen on the desk.

He looked at him as if interrogating a criminal and said, "Alright, now Seventh Brother, you can tell me truthfully and in detail about your recent trip away from the family!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengkang's face twitched, and he glared at him angrily, saying, "Kid, you're even more arrogant than me! I'll remember this!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chun calmly replied, "I'll ask you a question, and you answer it. I'll write that sentence down too!"

These words infuriated Zhou Zhengkang even more.

But they've already compromised to this point. If they were to completely turn against each other now, wouldn't all the anger he'd endured be for nothing?

So he could only hold his breath and suppress his anger, and recite the flawless explanation he had prepared long ago.

Unfortunately, Zhou Chun deliberately nitpicked and found fault everywhere. He would make him repeat himself in many places, and he would point out every single mistake and make him explain it clearly.

He was so angry he almost slammed his fist on the table and hit someone!

"Well, it's basically done, but..."

As Zhou Chun was writing something on the paper, he reached for the teapot next to him, intending to pour himself a sip of tea because he was thirsty.

When he opened the teapot, he found it was empty; there was no tea inside.

"Your teapot clearly smells of tea, but there's no tea inside. Are you deliberately hiding the good tea? Surely not! A Foundation Establishment seed from the prestigious Zhou family, how can you be so petty!"

Shaking his head, Zhou Chun teased Zhou Zhengkang as he put the teapot back.

However, he didn't notice that after Zhou Zhengkang saw him put the teapot back, his previously tense face relaxed considerably, and unusually, he didn't react to his mockery at all.

At this moment, Zhou Zhengkang felt both fortunate and regretful.

Fortunately, Zhou Chun did not recognize the aroma as that of "honey flower tea." He regretted that he had forgotten about it and had not put away the teapot that had been used to brew the "honey flower tea" before Zhou Chun entered the residence.

Fortunately, Zhou Chun had finished asking the questions. Seeing that he had nothing to say, he seemed to have lost interest and got up to say goodbye and leave.

After watching Zhou Chun leave, Zhou Zhengkang let out a hysterical roar with a gloomy expression.

"Aaaaah! You damned bastard, I'll kill you! Before I leave the Zhou family, I'll tear you to pieces and feed you to the wolves!!"

He has never been treated like this before!

He had never been treated like this by a peer before, never!

If he hadn't been genuinely guilty, and if the day for the Zhou family to distribute Foundation Establishment Pills hadn't been approaching, and if he hadn't wanted the clan leader Zhou Daoyi to develop a dislike or suspicion of him at this crucial juncture, he absolutely wouldn't have tolerated this humiliation!

So now, he has only one thought in his mind: once he successfully establishes his foundation, he must immediately tear Zhou Chun to pieces. He cannot wait even a moment longer!

As for Zhou Chun, he recalled how he had manipulated Zhou Zhengkang earlier that day, and suddenly he walked with a smile on his face, in a very good mood.

After leaving Zhou Zhengkang's residence, he naturally did not truthfully hand over the interrogation record from Zhou Zhengkang's residence to Zhou Daoyi.

If he were to hand this in, even if he was in the right, he would definitely be severely reprimanded by Zhou Daoyi.

So he first copied down a normal investigation report based on the key points, and then kept the original as evidence in case the matter was exposed in the future, so that he could use it to evade responsibility.

Although he was convinced that Zhou Zhengkang neither had the guts nor the face to leak out what had happened today.

(End of this chapter)