"At least we know now that, aside from Dingjing, they haven't set up any other strongholds within the Flame Dragon Realm."

Jiang Chen consoled Spirit You, "Plus, with their special way of communicating, if we pay attention to the major forces and look for such markings, we're bound to discover something!"

Having said that, Jiang Chen patted Spirit You on the shoulder.

Spirit You looked at Jiang Chen gratefully. He understood that with Jiang Chen behind him, he just needed to focus on doing his job well.

Whatever the outcome was, Jiang Chen would always carry the burden for his brothers.

Afterward, having finished interrogating Fu Zhengkun, Jiang Chen made a phone call to Elder Qing to inform him of the interrogation's outcome and to tell him there was no need to come.

In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.

In the master bedroom of the main villa at Dingyun Lake Villa, Jiang Chen was sleeping soundly, with a beauty in each arm.

Ding Dong!

The ring of his cellphone awoke him. Jiang Chen's eyebrows slightly furrowed as he picked up the phone and saw the caller. Answering the call, he said, "Hello, Leng Ming."

"Mr. Jiang, we have arrived in Dingjing and will be at your place soon. There's been some trouble!" came Leng Ming's grave voice through the receiver.

Jiang Chen instantly became alert and said solemnly, "Alright, I'll wait for you to arrive."

After hanging up, Jiang Chen looked at the two women still asleep on either side of him, smiled tenderly, and gently kissed them on their foreheads before quietly dressing and leaving the bedroom.

In the living room on the first floor.

Jiang Chen, Leng Ming, and Zai Lun were seated on the couch. The other members of the Huangluo Clan had dispersed elsewhere, leaving only Leng Ming and Zai Lun to come here.

"Speak!" Jiang Chen said softly.

Leng Ming's expression was serious as he spoke, "Mr. Jiang, your suspicions were correct. We've found people from Youming Hall within the Zhou Family, and moreover, they are extremely close with all members of the Zhou Family!"

"That doesn't prove anything. Youming Hall and the Zhou Family are two of the top martial arts forces in the northwest; it's not surprising they have close relations!" Jiang Chen spoke in a gentle voice.

Leng Ming was momentarily stunned, then with surprise said, "Is that so? I... I thought their closeness to Youming Hall indicated a problem!"

"Ah..."

Jiang Chen looked at Leng Ming with a mix of disbelief and amusement, saying, "Surely you're not telling me there's trouble just based on that?"

"Oh, no, it's not that."

Leng Ming shook his head quickly. "It's like this – we discovered that the Zhou Family is now divided into three camps!"

"The Zhou Family is divided into three camps!?"

Jiang Chen was taken aback and asked with curiosity, "What does that mean?"

"The situation within the Zhou Family is a bit complicated now. The family has split into three factions. One is the Family Head faction that supports the current Family Head, Zhou Jiang.

One is the heir faction. The Zhou Family has already chosen an heir, who is the eldest son of Zhou Jiang, Zhou Liecheng, and now there is a faction that supports having Zhou Liecheng take over and for Zhou Jiang to step down.

The third is the old Family Head faction. The old Family Head of the Zhou Family, Zhou Dingguo, isn't involved at all with the dispute between his son and grandson for the position, and likewise, a group of elders supporting him has not participated either!"

Leng Ming explained.

Jiang Chen was momentarily dumbfounded, his brows gently furrowing, "This... the son is eager to take his father's position, and the grandfather doesn't care? What kind of situation is this?"

"Not sure, but we suspect that it has something to do with the Gene Organization and the Soul Devouring Group!" Leng Ming said earnestly.

Jiang Chen's expression became serious as he asked, "On what grounds?"

"Evidence? It's their closeness with Youming Hall that…" Without thinking, Leng Ming began to speak but suddenly remembered what Jiang Chen had said earlier and abruptly stopped talking.

Jiang Chen gave an exasperated smile, "That's not solid evidence. However, you mentioned earlier that people from Youming Hall get along very well with everyone from the Zhou Family, which means they maintain a good relationship with all three Zhou Family factions, right?"

"Right!"

Leng Ming nodded, "People from every faction treat those from Youming Hall very courteously, and the people from Youming Hall are also keeping close contact with all three sides."

"Do the people from Youming Hall know about the 'retired emperor'?" Jiang Chen asked, suddenly struck with a thought and frowning.

Leng Ming shook his head, "Not sure, no, wait – if there really is a problem with the Zhou Family, then they should know by now. I had informed them about this matter and had told them not to tell anyone else!"

"Who did you tell?" Jiang Chen asked again.

"I informed the leaders of all three factions, the Zhou Family's ruling figures across three generations: Zhou Dingguo, Zhou Jiang, Zhou Liecheng!" Leng Ming replied softly.

Jiang Chen nodded, "Since you've already warned them, if the matter still gets out, then it's very likely that there is a problem with the Zhou Family! But..."

Jiang Chen frowned, "The Zhou Family is one of the top three hidden clans. No matter how you look at it, their old patriarch would never tolerate such a split. What exactly is going on?"

"That shouldn't happen normally, unless the old patriarch of the Zhou Family encountered something that prevents him from looking after his family's affairs," Zai Lun spoke softly.

Being of patriarchal level himself, he knew the absolute authority that a clan patriarch held over family disputes among the younger generations.

"The old patriarch of the Zhou Family encountered something?" Jiang Chen's mind lit up with an idea but couldn't grasp it, and he started pondering with a furrowed brow.

Ding Dong!

The telephone rang again.

Jiang Chen took out his cell phone and his eyes revealed a serious look as he hurriedly answered: "Hello?"

"Elder Flame." A solemn voice came through the receiver.

"Elder Meng, is there any new development?" Jiang Chen asked with gravity.

"The stuff you asked me to keep an eye on has started to flow into your market, and this time, the amount is significant and the quality is high – the highest grade being pure gold!" Meng's serious voice informed.

Jiang Chen's expression shook, and he said with slightly hurried breath, "I understand, thank you, Elder Meng!"

"No thanks necessary. Do you need help with an acquisition?"

"No, how could I trouble Elder Meng to personally take action? I'm already prepared with the funds on my end – just waiting to make the purchase!" Jiang Chen quickly declined.

"Well, let me know if you need funding. Company funds shouldn't be disrupted, but I still have some personal savings!"

Jiang Chen felt a warmth in his heart and said softly, "Elder Meng, it's really not necessary, I'm fully funded over here."

"That's good!"

Hanging up the phone, Jiang Chen looked seriously at Leng Ming and the others: "The people from Soul Devour have made their move, and this time, the Eight-Headed Serpent is also stirring. It's time we prepared some snake soup!"

"What? The Zhou Family is actually in trouble?!" Zai Lun exclaimed in shock.

Though they had speculated as much, when the reality actually emerged, Zai Lun was still greatly astonished!

One of the top three hidden clans, if they really had fallen, that meant at least a third of the hidden clans were under the control of the Soul Devour Group!

"Let's not be too pessimistic yet; I always felt that there's something odd about the current situation in the Zhou Family!" Jiang Chen gently shook his head.

"Right!"

Leng Ming seemed to recall something important and hurriedly continued speaking.

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