Chapter 20 Ning City's Prominent Family_1

When all the clan members had gathered, Fang Zhen came to Gu Chen's side, his demeanor respectful, and said with his hands clasped, "Lord Gu, everyone from the Fang family, young and old, is here."

Gu Chen did not respond. He stood there, surveying the Fang family members and servants who were all standing not far away, many of whom instinctively shrank their necks when they caught Gu Chen's sweeping gaze.

Clearly, the previous confrontation had revealed Gu Chen's assertiveness to the Fang family, and they naturally felt intimidated in the face of such authority.

Among the crowd was Fang Tangjin, whose one cheek was still swollen but had been simply treated. He was no longer the arrogant figure he was before and did not dare to meet Gu Chen's eyes. He stood there with his head bowed, silent.

Wu Qian stood aside, watching this scene with some confusion, not knowing what Gu Chen had in mind for summoning all the Fang family members.

But he believed there must be a reason for Gu Chen to do this.

Gu Chen stood still. His purpose in gathering all the Fang family members in front of him was to investigate whether there were any more demons lurking within the family.

Gu Chen had taken Fang Yong's words before his death to heart.

If even the Prefecture of Ning City could be possessed by a demon without anyone noticing, it was possible that other members of the Fang family who had frequent contact with Fang Yong could be in a similar situation.

Having reached the meridian-opening realm, Gu Chen's cultivation and physique had both greatly improved, which made his already keen senses even sharper. Though a demon's aura blended with that of its human host might be difficult to distinguish, Gu Chen was confident that with face-to-face, close range interaction, he could still identify them.

In this way, a quarter of an hour passed. With Gu Chen not speaking, no one dared to utter a word. The silence grew almost fearsome, gradually becoming oppressive, and the longer Gu Chen remained this way, the more tense the Fang family members became.

"Disperse," Gu Chen finally said.

"Hm?"

At his words, Fang Zhen's expression flashed with confusion. He had not yet grasped Gu Chen's approach and was quite puzzled by it.

To call out all the Fang family members just for a look and then conclude the matter after a casual stroll?

What did that mean?

However, seeing that Gu Chen had no intention of explaining, Fang Zhen did not dare to ask.

After confirming that there were no demons hiding among the Fang family, Gu Chen called out to Wu Qian, preparing to leave.

At that moment, Fang Zhen hesitated for a moment before suddenly calling out to Gu Chen.

"Lord Gu, please wait a moment."

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen turned around, looked at Fang Zhen, and said, "What else is it?"

Fang Zhen bit his lip and, after hesitating for a while, asked, "Lord Gu, I want to know, was my elder brother truly possessed by a demon?"

All members of the Fang family were baffled by Fang Yong's death, eagerly wanting to know the answer, to have some closure.

"I am an inspector from the Jing Tian Department of Tiandu. You should be well aware of what the Jing Tian Department does. If Fang Yong was not possessed by a demon, what benefit would there be for me in killing him?"

After dropping this statement, Gu Chen, along with Wu Qian, left the Fang residence directly.

In fact, with his status, position, and power, even if he didn't give Fang Zhen or the Fang family an explanation, they would be powerless to do anything about it.

Fang Zhen stood in silence on the spot without speaking.

Meanwhile, Gu Chen, along with Wu Qian, quickly returned to the county office and entered the inner hall.

Gu Chen sat in the chief seat, pondered for a moment, then said to Wu Qian below, "Constable Wu, immediately summon all the prominent families of Ning City in my name. They are to come to the county office within the hour, as I have important matters to discuss."

"Yes!" Wu Qian responded.

Thus, Gu Chen sat in the county office's inner hall, closed his eyes for a moment of rest, and quietly waited. Soon, an hour had passed.

"Lord Gu, the people from the Fang family have arrived."

Gu Chen opened his eyes and saw Wu Qian leading Fang Zhen in, Fang Zhen, upon seeing Gu Chen, cupped his fist in salute and said, "Lord Gu, we meet again."

Gu Chen nodded slightly but did not speak.

Fang Zhen didn't mind and casually found a place to sit down.

Before long, Wu Qian led a second person in.

"Lord Gu, Elder Zhou has arrived."

At the doorway, an old man with white hair and a lively spirit followed Wu Qian into the inner hall.

"I've seen Lord Gu, I am the humble Zhou Rang," the old man said with a smile and a hand clasp greeting.

"Elder Zhou," Gu Chen stood up, returning the smile and the courtesy.

This Elder Zhou was no simple figure; he had previously held the esteemed position of the governor of Qingyang County, governing the land of an entire county. Towns like Ning City were countless under Qingyang County's jurisdiction, with Ning City being quite unremarkable.

Logically speaking, after retiring from his position as governor, Zhou Rang would have had better places to go, with countless people wishing to retain him, but Ning City was the Zhou family's ancestral home, and with the excuse of an old man's nostalgia, Zhou Rang brought his family back to Ning City upon stepping down.

Not only that, Zhou Rang was known for his integrity when in office and for his support of the younger generation; there were countless officials in Qingyang County who had been discovered and promoted by Elder Zhou. For instance, Fang Prefecture of Ning City had received many favors from Zhou Rang in his youth.

Even the current governor of Qingyang County was said to have been supported by Zhou Rang, who is visited by the governor in Ning City every year.

It's fair to say that Elder Zhou was the true personage of Ning City; even after being out of office for many years, he still wielded substantial influence in Qingyang County. The Zhou family held a pivotal position in Ning City, only that the Elder Zhou kept a low-profile in fame and gain and rarely involved himself, which made the Zhou family's presence in Ning City less prominent than a few other large families.

Nonetheless, as long as Zhou Rang lived, not a soul dared to slight the Zhou family.

"Greetings, Elder Zhou."

Seeing that Zhou Rang had arrived, Fang Zhen quickly got up and bowed deeply as a sign of respect.

Elder Zhou, smiling amiably, nodded his head to signify Fang Zhen could sit down, then found a place for himself to sit as well.

There were seven major families in Ning City, and they controlled the city's economic arteries, covering multiple domains with a large population; they were the true nobility of Ning City, also known as the local powerbrokers.

In all of Ning City, only the prefecture office, which was part of the official power of the Da Xia dynasty, had the authority to overshadow them.

And the task Gu Chen had to undertake this time required the aid of these seven major families.

As time passed by, the heads of the remaining families arrived at the prefecture office, with only the Sun family yet to appear.

"Constable Wu, has there been any word from the Sun family?" Gu Chen asked Wu Qian.

Wu Qian looked embarrassed, nodded, and said, "They were notified and said they would come, but..."

Gu Chen gestured with his hand to show it was not a problem. Whether they came or not, he had no intention of waiting any longer, so he stood up and said, "All the family heads here, I am Gu Chen from the Jing Tian Department of Tiandu. Today, I have called you together because there is a matter I need your help with."

"Please speak, Lord Gu."

"Lord Gu, please speak without hesitation."

Seeing their willingness to cooperate, Gu Chen nodded slightly and said, "Yesterday, I encountered two demons in Ning City, one was the courtesan from Yi Xiang Building, and the other was our prefecture of Ning City, Fang Yong. Both were possessed by demons and were discovered and slain by me on the spot yesterday. This news, I suppose, you are all aware of."

Zhou Rang and the others nodded. Ning City was not very big, and with their own channels of information, they all knew of these happenings shortly after they occurred.

In fact, any movement in Ning City would certainly be first known by these people.

Seeing this, Gu Chen continued, "Last night, before Fang Prefecture passed away, he informed me that there were still demons lurking in Ning City..."

Before Gu Chen could finish his words, a loud laughter suddenly came from outside, interrupting what he was about to say next.