City Lord

Dealing with his paperwork, the City Lord was completely unperturbed, this supposed assassination attempt not even registering as a threat to him.

Just as he thought that was the last he would hear about Trin's Abode, another person knocked on his door.

Despite being slightly annoyed, he still called them in, his demeanor immediately changing when he saw who arrived.

If Minos was here, he'd know that this young man was the drunk person he had seen in the streets the night prior, though it was now obvious that his identity was far from simple.

"City Lord, I have some information you may want to hear." The young man said.

"Is that so? Quick, take a seat and tell me everything you know." The City Lord insisted, knowing that this young man was one of the elites when it came to espionage.

Having already worked with him for years, he had yet to be disappointed with his skills, so he took everything he said extremely seriously.

"This morning while I was scouting for information as usual, I came upon something interesting, something that could be the difference between life and death…" The young man said, as if dangling a carrot.

Hearing the intention behind his words, the City Lord was fully aware of what he wanted, so after calling his servant and giving him a command, the two waited in silence.

The wait wasn't long, and soon enough the servant came back with a small bag that was filled to the brim.

Taking the bag from the servant, the young man weighed it for a moment before tucking it away in satisfaction and clearing his throat.

"When I was in the brothel this morning, I heard two members of Trin's Abode talking about their deal with the Nine Treasure House."

"Nine Treasure House? Deal? What are you talking about." The City Lord said with tension, sitting up in his chair.

"I couldn't hear them fully, but from what I gather, it seems the Nine Treasure House and Trin's Abode have long since established contact with one another, there relationship much deeper than anything they've shown on the surface."

"Are you certain what you heard was the truth?"

"Absolutely!"

"Then what about your location? Is it possible that Trin's Abode set this up beforehand in an attempt to sow discord?" The City Lord asked astutely.

"Impossible, my locations are only known by me, so unless someone read my mind, there was no way they would have known where I would have been." The young man said confidently.

"Hmm… Well this news really is important. Don't forget to come back to me if you hear anything else, the payment will be more than satisfactory."

"Of course." The young man laughed, before getting up and excusing himself.

As the door to the City Lord's room slammed shut, the City Lord couldn't help but lean on his table as he constantly fiddled with his fingers, his thoughts running at a thousand miles a minute.

'Could it be that Yufu betrayed me? But why? Could this be about Yolan? But I thought Yufu and I had already agreed that the boy simply wasn't up to the standard…'

'Yufu is a conniving man, but he's no fool. He's fully aware of just how competent this grandson of his is, but it's also possible that he just wants to extend his power even more.'

'If so, Yolan would be the perfect puppet. He would obtain control of Underwood City while also still maintaining full authority over the Nine Treasure House. By that point, his family would truly dominate the entire city…'

'But still, this is all just a theory at this point. It's best not to do anything drastic until I can ascertain Yufu's ambition. Until then, it's best to just operate as if I know nothing, and hopefully, Yufu himself will reveal a crack eventually.'

Deciding on his strategy, the City Lord leaned back on his chair before calling his servant back in and giving him a few commands.

While he didn't plan to face Yufu directly, it didn't mean he would just wait around like a sitting duck.

Yufu ultimately knew his strength well, so if this assassination rumor was true, he would be in deep trouble, hence it was important to increase his already tight security.

…

Meanwhile, Minos, Tinka, and Rinka, were enjoying a nice stroll through Underwood City, enjoying the views as they chatted and enjoyed the weather.

While Rinka and Tinka were laughing among themselves, Minos had his attention focused on other places.

Looking towards the end of the street, Minos had his sight glued on the City Council, as if trying to see what was going on inside.

Unfortunately, the City Council was tightly secured, its walls decked with silencing talisman's such that everything said inside was kept inside.

Even it's windows were tinted in a dark color, making it impossible to look inside, fully mystifying it's interior.

But while that was enough to stop a normal cultivator, Minos had more sophisticated means of attaining the information he needed.

Just as his eyes landed up on the City Council's large doors, they swung open, a young man with a wide-brimmed hat covering his face quickly walking out.

The young man moved fast, and before anyone could pay much attention to him, he vanished into the streets, but he still wasn't fast enough for Minos.

Smiling, Minos stopped looking at the City Council, having already obtained what he wanted.

"Dad, I'm hungry, let's eat!" Rinka said, pulling Minos's focus back to his family.

"Then what would you like to eat?"

"Candy!"

Hearing her answer, Tinka and Minos looked at each other and laughed, the family continuing their carefree day as the currents beneath the city began picking up.

…

Back at the City Council, the City Lord was seated patiently as he waited for his guest to arrive.

Soon enough, the door to his office swung open, a large fat man walking in somewhat arrogantly, seemingly not minding offending the City Lord.

"Helon, what did you call me for?" Yufu asked as he took a seat, not forgetting to send off Helon's servant to get him a cup of tea.

"It's about Yolan." Helon said, his eyes firmly glued on Yufu's face as if to see any change in expression.

"Yolan? What about him? Did that little bastard do something scandalous again?" Yufu said angrily, as if ready to run out and give the boy a spanking personally.

Seeing Yufu acting normally, Helon couldn't help but furl his eyebrow slightly, his instincts going haywire as he wasn't sure what to believe.

On a surface level, Yufu seemed no different than usual, but Helon knew he was an old fox, and acting was second nature for people like him.

"No, nothing like that, it's just about the City Lord position." Helon corrected.

"Hmm? I thought we already decided that your nephew would take up your mantle?" Yufu asked curiously, befuddled by the direction Helon was taking the conversation.

"That was in the past, but recently, I feel like Yolan's behavior has started to improve, so maybe it's time to reconsider."

"Reconsider?" Yufu asked, confused, not sure of what Helon's intention was.

While neither of them had ever said anything out loud, it was clear that Helon nor the family behind him wanted Yolan to take his position.

This had nothing to do with Yolan's performance, and more to do with the idea of maintaining the City Lord position within the family, which would be at risk if Yolan was to obtain it.

Yufu naturally understood this, so he didn't push too hard for his grandson to become City Lord, but now all of a sudden, the opportunity was back on the table.

While others would be happy for such a chance, Yufu saw much deeper, his heart slightly dropping as he raised his guard, waiting for Helon to keep talking.

"Recently, my uncle obtained a couple spots at Lefron Academy. I'm thinking of sending Yolan over there to learn a thing or two and see if he has the potential." Helon explained.

"Lefron Academy? That isn't an easy place to get into, are you sure you want to risk wasting a position on Yolan."

"Waste? How could I waste anything on my son? To be honest, whether he fails or succeeds, I plan on giving him a place either way. Hopefully, it'll open his eyes up to the world and help him change his ways."

"Well if you've already made up your mind, then how could I have any complaints?" Yufu said, still suspicious but also happy to see his grandson hadn't been completely abandoned by Helon.

"Perfect, then how about tomorrow we gather the family and reveal the news, I also plan on giving out the other spots then as well."

"Sounds good."

With the two agreeing, they quickly set up the location before Yufu waved goodbye and headed out.

Sitting back in his chair, Helon thought through his plans as he gently tapped his fingers on his table, Yufu completely unaware of just how deeply Helon was plotting.