Chapter 226 - 134: Asking the Master into the Urn_3

Zhao Qingcheng glared fiercely at Zhao Dezhi and said angrily.

"What the hell are you afraid of? All the strong ones in the city have been drugged and are probably snoring away somewhere. Up ahead is the home of Chen Yuanke, one of Liu Yuanhu’s closest confidants. Why don’t we check it out and see for ourselves?"

The Zhao family members stormed into a decently maintained courtyard and began looting recklessly.

Fifteen minutes later, the Zhao family gathered in the courtyard, with a pile of gold, silver, and jewels from their plunder before them.

"Father, there’s no one in the courtyard! None of the valuables are missing either. I checked, and there’s still a bit of warmth in the kitchen!"

Hearing this, Zhao Qingcheng’s brow furrowed immediately.

Logically speaking, even if Chen Yuanke was drugged and taken down at the County Magistrate’s mansion, there should still be others left in the house.

The remaining warmth in the kitchen suggested someone had been living here and cooking not too long ago, yet the entire place was now completely empty.

Something about this seemed overwhelmingly suspicious!

Zhao Qingcheng, being naturally distrustful, had his eyes on the city’s first wave of loot but prioritized preserving his family’s strength and resources even more.

"Dezhi, take a group of men to plunder the city, then head over to the County Magistrate’s mansion with the Lu family to see what’s going on."

Born to Zhao Qingcheng and a maidservant, Zhao Dezhi had decent talent but lacked sharp wits.

Hearing this instruction, Zhao Dezhi mistakenly thought it was his father entrusting him with an important task. He became exuberantly happy and even thumped his chest, vowing confidently.

"Don’t worry, Father! I’ll plunder ruthlessly and won’t let the Lu family take advantage!"

Zhao Qingcheng nodded approvingly, offered a few words of praise, and then sent Zhao Dezhi on his way.

"The rest of you, retreat with me back near the city gates!"

After Zhao Dezhi left, Zhao Qingcheng immediately ordered a retreat.

In sharp contrast to Zhao Qingcheng’s caution, Lu Kong’s mind had long been clouded by hatred. Although he sensed the oddities within the city, he paid them no heed.

He figured that Liu Yuanhu wouldn’t dare to boldly throw open the city gates and let them in anyway!

The Lu and Zhao families looted every officials’ courtyard in Canghe City.

By the time they reached the County Magistrate’s mansion, both families had already loaded one full cart of gold and silver from their scavenging.

These spoils were outside of any prior distribution agreements, making everyone incredibly pleased.

When they arrived at the County Magistrate’s mansion, they found its gates wide open, with scattered food and wine still left on the dining table. But the place was eerily quiet, devoid of any human presence.

It was only at this point that Lu Kong noticed many of the suspicious details along the way. As he stood at the mansion gates, hesitation finally crept into his expression, and he dared not step inside.

Seeing the hesitant and timid demeanor of the Lu family members, Zhao Dezhi couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"Haha, you Lu family cowards really are hopeless. You’ve made it all the way here, yet you’re still afraid to go in?"

"If you’re so scared, why bother pretending to lead the charge? Go home and sleep already!"

With that, Zhao Dezhi waved a hand at the Zhao family members. "Let’s go, brothers! Follow me, and we’ll chop off Liu Yuanhu’s old head right now!"

Seeing Zhao Dezhi arrogantly dismiss him, even daring to point fingers, Lu Kong’s face turned red with fury.

"Hmph! We’re going in too!"

The Lu family members followed suit and entered the County Magistrate’s mansion.

After a thorough search, they found no one in the front hall. Everything — the documents, ornaments — was perfectly arranged without the slightest sign of chaos.

At that moment, both the Lu and Zhao families suddenly heard faint noises coming from the rear courtyard.

"There’s movement!"

"Haha, so they’ve all been hiding in the rear courtyard, huh? Brothers, follow me! Let’s show these Lu family cowards what real strength looks like!"

Zhao Dezhi chuckled coldly and led the Zhao family members charging toward the rear courtyard.

Lu Kong’s face darkened. He bellowed angrily, "Go! Liu Yuanhu’s head must belong to us Zhao family members!"