“Are they a match for the elite corps?” Cha Ming asked as he surveyed the City Guard’s forces.
“Not quite, but they can put up a fight,” one of the guardsmen who’d swam up beside him said. The man wore different epaulettes than the others, which Cha Ming figured indicated rank. “If fighting breaks out on the surface, we’ll give them something to remember.”
“This man used to be a marshal before the new grand marshal was appointed,” Ling Dong said, swimming up beside him. “He’s very dissatisfied with their current military management.”
“Good,” Cha Ming said. “Is everyone ready?” He looked behind him and received nods from the people he’d gathered. “Then let’s swim.”
Chapter 32: Reality
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The clock in Wang Jun’s office counted the seconds as he reviewed his plan. He would never write it down, of course; it was all in his mind, and not even his most trusted aides knew of it. It was a simple plan, a good plan. But too much of it relied on one person.
His nervousness was evident, to the point that even Elder Bai noticed it as he poured tea for his young master. He and Wang Bing reported, but Wang Jun mostly nodded and gave simple directives. They were doing well, so their businesses could practically run themselves.
“I just don’t understand it,” Elder Bai said, capturing Wang Jun’s attention. “Given our asset base and the profitability of our businesses, there should be no way your brother can keep up. But our informants say his customer base is stable and vibrant despite the obvious mismanagement of his businesses.”
Wang Bing snorted. “He’s obviously resorting to some illicit means. His inflated ‘customer base’ is just a result of money laundering. It’s a pity we haven’t been able to discover what they’ve been trading in.”
“Would it even matter?” Wang Jun asked. The other two stared at him. He shrugged and continued. “The council of elders clearly doesn’t care about deliberate wrongdoing no matter the magnitude. They’ve stopped rewarding us for finding mistakes, and they’ve even begun using our recommendations to help Wang Ling improve his businesses. No matter what we do, unless it’s a mistake so severe it can’t be excused, it’s all meaningless.”
“Money laundering seems like a big deal,” Elder Bai noted.
Wang Bing shook her head. “Only if the source of the illicit income is exposed and sufficiently damning.”
“And that, Elder Bai, is why I’ve stopped investigating,” Wang Jun said. “Unless I find ironclad evidence of wrongdoing that breaks the Golden Kingdom’s major laws, I won’t say anything to the council.”
“Won’t they accuse you of neglecting your duties?” Elder Bai asked.
Wang Jun shrugged. “They’ve already admitted on paper that what we’ve found isn’t worth a reward. According to our family rules, worthwhile things have rewards while worthless things do not. I have good reason to believe they think investigations are a waste of my time. Therefore, it follows that my time is better spent generating income for the family.”
Elder Bai frowned. He peered at Wang Jun carefully, looking at him from many different angles. When Wang Jun finally raised an eyebrow, he scowled. “You’re up to something. I can feel it.”
“I am, but I can’t talk about it,” Wang Jun said. “You should know better than to pry.”
“Is it so important that you can’t even tell little old me?” Elder Bai said, putting on a false wounded expression.
Wang Bing nudged him. Hard. “If he hasn’t shared it with us, that means we’d be the opposite of helpful. He’s trusted us with everything else. It’s obviously not an issue of loyalty.”
Wang Jun smiled. “You’re right. Though if I die tonight, I highly recommend you recuse yourselves from family businesses and sell your assets at a discount.”
That comment brought an uncomfortable silence to their table. Eventually, Elder Bai coughed and began picking up their teacups and putting everything away. Wang Bing also began putting documents in her briefcase.
“My apologies for the short and uncomfortable meeting,” Wang Jun said. “You’ll be able to tell how it went based on my mood tomorrow.”
“Regardless of your mood, make sure you get back in one piece,” Elder Bai said. “These old bones have lost far too many family members. My heart won’t be able to take it if I lose you too.” His eyes were misty and red.
Wang Jun placed his hand on Elder Bai’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry. There aren’t many people on this plane who can catch me if I want to escape.”
The older man nodded, and soon Wang Jun was alone in his office. His clock ticked away the seconds as he waited for nightfall.
Darkness was difficult to come by in the streets of Gold Leaf City. As the capital of the Golden Kingdom and the base of operations for the Church of Justice, every nook and cranny was well illuminated. It was as though not doing so was admitting defeat against the darkness. The lights were like tiny city guardians, fulfilling their nightly duty by keeping the enemy at bay.
Despite the lack of shade, two people rushed through the streets undetected. They were surrounded by an unnatural shadow that hid them from the light. The small pocket of darkness proceeded unnoticed through eastern streets until it finally arrived at a small chapel, a spirit chapel. Such chapels were unusual in this city since the kingdom barely tolerated the Spirit Temple’s existence.
Why have you brought me here? one of the people said. It was the Wang clan’s Patriarch, Wang Wuling. If it’s not important enough to warrant my attention, you will be punished.
They rounded a corner and found a decent bit of shade, which they entered. They then jumped over to another shadow inside the chapel proper. No alarms went off, and no one was alerted. They hid in a deep darkness within the temple, despite being surrounded by protective formations that even a transcendent would hesitate to trip. I keep forgetting how good
