He started by killing his abusive father, and from then on, he embarked on the road to wealth.

Chapter 99 The Contradictory Person

Meng Fuqing and the others followed Du Zhong into the council hall.

After they were seated, Du Zhong spoke first: "I know it's too hasty to discuss whether Ru Feng should stay or leave with Young Master Meng and Miss Meng right now."

But I was separated from him for more than ten years, and the process was extremely difficult. The outside world was also turbulent, and I could only find a moment of peace by staying in my Black Tiger Village.

"These two are my son's saviors, and therefore my saviors as well. Why don't you all bring your companions to my Black Tiger Stronghold? Aside from anything else, Black Tiger Stronghold has no shortage of food."

Xie Jin pondered for a moment and asked, "Isn't the chief worried that the Hu people will turn against Black Tiger Stronghold?"

Du Chong laughed loudly, "Young Master Meng probably doesn't know that there are less than a thousand Hu people in Qingzhou City. My Black Tiger Stronghold has just as many people as them, and we are not lacking in food and weapons. If the two sides were to break off relations, we would still have the strength to fight."

Now Meng Fuqing felt that he had accidentally hit the nail on the head when he found Du Zhong, otherwise why would he start thinking about breaking ties with the Hu people as soon as his son was found?

She asked, "Didn't the Hu people send anyone to be stationed in the village? Are they so trusting of their chief?"

Du Zhong's smile faded, and his expression turned cold. "It's not just in the open, it's also in the shadows. After you rested yesterday, someone came to my place to ask about your purpose and whether what you said was true. I dismissed them."

"Since there are Hu spies in the shadows, does the chief know who they are?" Xie Jin asked.

Du Zhong hesitated, "I only know some small fry, not worth worrying about. As for those I don't know..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present understood its meaning: a sentry is like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce and bite at any moment.

Especially since the other party's identity is unknown, and if it is someone Du Zhong trusts, the situation will only get worse.

Meng Fuqing broke the silence, "If the chief is not truly cooperating with the Hu people, he should make preparations sooner rather than later. Whether Qi Liang stays or leaves is entirely up to him, but we are afraid we cannot stay here."

As long as the war continues, Qingzhou will never be at peace, especially since they have not been forced to become outlaws.

“I said I would follow you from now on, how could I go back on my word?” Qi Liang said in a muffled voice.

Upon hearing this, Du Zhong's face showed a rare hint of helplessness. At this moment, he was not the imposing leader of Black Tiger Stronghold, but just an ordinary father.

Meng Fuqing never expected that he could become a stumbling block between the father and son, and he didn't react for a moment.

"You want to travel with Miss Meng?" Du Zhong asked cautiously. "How about I escort you with men?"

Qi Liang suddenly stood up, his chest heaving, and said in a gruff voice, "I'm going out for some fresh air."

With that, he turned and walked out of the council hall.

Du Zhong really couldn't figure out how to get along with his son who was so old, especially since his son wasn't very willing to talk to him.

Seeing him rubbing his head in distress, Meng Fuqing felt that she should make efforts to maintain harmony between the two during the duration of their father-son relationship. Qi Liang had only accepted this father, who was probably not even his biological father, because she had persuaded him to.

She coughed lightly. "Did the chief tell him why you left home? And why you haven't been able to find him yet?"

Du Zhong was taken aback, then silently shook his head.

As a father, he naturally didn't want to mention his undignified past to his son.

"From Qi Liang's few words, I can tell that he probably had a bad childhood. If you don't mention it, he won't mention it either. Your departure will only become a thorn in his heart. At this time, you have to be honest."

Du Zhong initially thought it was impossible for a little girl to teach him how to be a father, but as he listened, he began to think that there was some truth to it.

So he asked Meng Fuqing a series of questions.

Even Xie Jin hadn't expected to see such a strange sight. He thought that entering Black Tiger Stronghold would likely lead to a fierce battle, but to his surprise, it was unusually harmonious.

After a while, the topic finally got back on track.

"I used my experience of being captured at the border to curry favor with the Hu people, both to find Rufeng and to seek an opportunity to avenge my capture years ago."

Du Zhong looked at the two of them and said, "If you want to leave, you can do so at any time. I will feel more at ease if you take Ru Feng with you, and I will also send trusted people to escort you."

Meng Fuqing and Xie Jin exchanged a glance; they had mixed feelings about the leader of Black Tiger Stronghold.

Judging from his methods of dealing with refugees, one might think he is a cruel and greedy person, but in reality, he is vengeful and clear about right and wrong.

After a moment's thought, Xie Jin asked, "Does the chief know about the Jiang family of Qingzhou?"

"Of course I know. They are one of the top ten families in Qingzhou. Unfortunately, they were betrayed by their evil servants, and many members of their family died. Now they have been settled in our Black Tiger Stronghold."

Resettlement?

Meng Fuqing couldn't help but ask, "Does the chief know who that wicked servant is?"

Du Zhong was puzzled. "I heard from my men that she died from her injuries. Does Miss Meng know the Jiang family? If you want to know, I can send someone to ask."

This means they were completely unaware.

"It seems the boss has quite a few shady characters under his command." Meng Fuqing took a sip of tea to moisten his throat. "They've been deceiving their superiors and subordinates, doing a lot of shady things behind your back."

Du Chong frowned and pressed for details, so the two of them deliberately gave a brief account of what Jiangbei had done.

Before the meeting could finish, Du Zhong got up and paced back and forth in the council hall. Finally, he roared, "When those people come back, I'll kill them all!"

I'm afraid he won't be able to come back.

Meng Fuqing and Xie Jin thought to themselves at the same time.

“Since the head of the gang isn’t in charge of this matter, there must be someone else in charge. If this person is just tyrannical and greedy, that’s one thing, but I’m afraid he’s disloyal,” Xie Jin pointed out the key issue.

Du Zhong stopped, his eyes narrowed slightly, and slowly uttered a name, "Wei Wei".

Just then, a faint 'click' sound came from the roof of the council chamber.

Meng Fuqing was the first to react, and quickly got up and ran towards the door.

Behind him, Xie Jin said slowly, "Slow down, Mu Feng and the others are guarding outside."

He ran outside and saw three figures locked in combat on the rooftop. Qi Liang stood below, his gaze fixed on the three on the roof, seemingly quite frustrated that he couldn't intervene.

On the rooftop, Mu Feng and his companion clearly had the upper hand. Just when Meng Fuqing thought the masked man was about to be captured, the man suddenly threw out a packet of powder.

To prevent poisoning, Mu Feng and his companion quickly dodged. Just then, the masked man turned around and tried to escape.

Xie Jin mobilized his inner strength and flew onto the roof, while Meng Fuqing pulled out a vine from her fingertip and sped towards the masked man.

Just as the masked man was about to jump off the roof and disappear into the dense forest, Xie Jin witnessed a dramatic scene—the tile under the masked man's feet slipped to the side, causing him to stumble.

Seeing that he was about to fall off the roof, Xie Jinfei stepped forward, grabbed the masked man by the collar, and sealed several of his major acupoints before the man could react.

He then dragged the person off the roof and threw him in front of Meng Fuqing.

The commotion in the council chamber attracted many people, who came to check on the situation.

Du Zhong quickly stepped forward and pulled off the masked man's veil, his expression instantly turning extremely ugly.

Meng Fuqing recognized this person as the one who had slammed his fist on the table at him last night.