Chapter 43: Formal Meeting part 1
Inside the sealed room, Zong Hao closed his eyes, reacquainting himself with the abundant spiritual power surging through his spiritual sea.
It was a stark contrast to not long ago, when he had been forced to seal his power away.
At this moment, his spiritual sea seemed to be revitalized. Although it hadn’t yet returned to its peak state, it was clearly repairing itself slowly.
Zong Hao attempted to unfurl his spiritual power, letting the gentle energy spread from his consciousness to his limbs and bones.
Simultaneously, the large, grayish-white cat lying quietly on the floor was surrounded by a golden glow. In the next instant, a tall, slender figure was enveloped by the light, gradually taking human form.
Short, jet-black hair fell down, obscuring a pair of deep eyes that were nearly dark green in color. Combined with his young, cold, and handsome face, he exuded a sense of mystery and aloofness that warned strangers to keep away.
Zong Hao grabbed a Persian rug that had been prepared nearby and wrapped it around himself, temporarily serving as a simple, retro-style garment.
Fortunately, his face was striking enough to carry off the ornate colors without looking too abrupt. The vintage dark red and emerald green patterns on the rug matched his dark green pupils perfectly, making him look even younger than usual.
His appearance hadn’t changed much since adulthood. The imposing aura settled by the years, combined with his usual military uniform, usually masked his youthfulness. However, to avoid being too conspicuous over time, he rarely appeared in public.
After finishing all this, Zong Hao contacted 151.
[Bai Xiao Miao: Did you get the item?]
The person on the other end had evidently been waiting and replied instantly.
[Code 151: Marshal, mission accomplished. I have retrieved it. How should I hand it over to you?]
[Bai Xiao Miao: Keep it with you for now. I have another matter to entrust to you…]
On the other side, Ning Yunyi and Big Brother Ning left the Underground City and headed to District A. After Ning Yunyi met up with Elder Xun, Big Brother Ning followed at a moderate distance.
Elder Xun was exceptionally polite upon seeing Ning Yunyi. “Mr. Bai, thanks to you this time, otherwise that brat Xun Xun might have…” He lowered his voice, which carried a hint of shame.
He had been in the high command for so many years, yet when it came down to it, he couldn’t even protect his own grandson.
Ning Yunyi shook his head. “Elder Xun is too polite. It was my duty. Moreover, I will need your help with the matter at hand.”
Elder Xun waved his hand. “Speaking of this, those members of the Zong family are truly acting dishonorably. I had heard before that the Zong family juniors were incompetent. I didn’t expect that they could hide it while Marshal Zong was around, but the moment something happened, they couldn’t wait to expose their ambitions.”
The reason they were rushing to have Zong Ling succeed the position immediately after the incident, without even waiting to find Marshal Zong’s body, was self-evident.
They wanted to squeeze the last bit of value out of Marshal Zong while the news wasn’t fully confirmed.
Otherwise, once the death was confirmed, the glory belonging to Marshal Zong during his lifetime would return to the dust with him.
Without Marshal Zong, none of the remaining generations of the Zong family were presentable.
Ning Yunyi didn’t know much about the Zong family, so he took this opportunity to inquire further. “So, Marshal Zong had a bad relationship with Zong Father? Aren’t they biological brothers? I heard Marshal Zong also had an eldest sister?”
Elder Xun was surprised that Mr. Bai knew more than he expected. But thinking that Mr. Bai knew Mr. Zong, and Mr. Zong could obtain so many extinct Ancient Blue Star species, his identity must be extraordinary, so knowing a thing or two was excusable.
Elder Xun didn’t hide anything. After thinking for a moment, he explained, “It wasn’t just ‘not good.’ Actually, the current Zong family, and even the noble families of the First Star, don’t really remember this Eldest Miss Zong anymore.”
“It’s been too long, decades now. Plus, she was too low-key. Actually, I haven’t seen her many times myself. Later, it was rumored that she was exposed as not being the biological child of the old Zong family head, and was a half-beast. Not long after, she voluntarily went to the military and won quite a few honors.”
“Unfortunately, something happened very quickly. The old family head fell seriously ill upon hearing the news and passed away not long after.”
“During that time, there were rumors among the noble families that Eldest Miss Zong left because the other sons of the old family head were dissatisfied with this adopted sister occupying the Zong family’s resources and did it deliberately.”
“What happened later was that the old family head passed away, and the Zong family underwent a major reshuffle. Marshal Zong established his merits single-handedly and became the next family head. It hasn’t changed for years. Those older brothers of Marshal Zong didn’t cause any more trouble, and the Zong family has lived in peace like this.”
Ning Yunyi’s eyes darkened as he listened. It seemed City Lord Bai was right to flee with Young Master Bai back then. If these brothers could lay such a cruel hand on their adopted sister…
If they knew she had left flesh and blood in the world, they would still feel that the child would come back sooner or later to seize the Zong family’s resources.
It seemed Zong Ling was just a puppet; the brothers of Marshal Zong behind the scenes were the dangerous ones.
When Ning Yunyi and Elder Xun’s group arrived outside the Zong family estate, a suspension vehicle immediately stopped at the gate to welcome them.
The person who stepped out was the third eldest of the Zong family, Zong Ling’s Third Uncle.
Zong the Third looked to be over fifty, with graying hair and refined, handsome features. He must have been quite good-looking when he was young.
Ning Yunyi stood at the back, following Elder Xun into the Zong family manor in a low-key manner.
The Zong family estate occupied a vast area, filled with bionic gardens everywhere. However, looking at them for too long made one’s eyes sore; a sense of plastic artificiality rushed at the face.
No matter how realistic the bionic imitation was, it was ultimately fake.
But the Zong family was indeed one of the three major noble families; the degree of wealth was visible to the naked eye. Thinking that if that grandson Zong Ling inherited the position of family head, in addition to the benefits brought by Marshal Zong’s meritorious status, wouldn’t he also have this inexhaustible wealth?
After all, the wealth passed down through generations was not a small amount.
Therefore, Zong Ling and Mu Jiayi absolutely could not be allowed to take advantage of even a single bit of this.
Ning Yunyi brought his final bargaining chip this time: a box of Ancient Blue Star ingredients, the extinct kind. If Duke Clay supported Zong Ling’s side, he would persuade Elder Tang to change his abstention to opposition.
At that time, even with the accident of Duke Clay, it would be three against three.
Zong Ling’s position as family head would be illegitimate. He didn’t believe Zong Ling could really be thick-skinned enough to force his way into the seat.
If Zong Ling really had no shame, then Ning Yunyi wouldn’t mind using some underhanded methods as well.
The succession ceremony was held in the Zong family ancestral hall, which could accommodate one or two hundred people at a time.
Because it needed to be low-key, apart from the six invited notaries and their entourages, only the main branch of the Zong family was present.
Zong Ling and Mu Jiayi stood behind Zong Father, smiling and talking to the Mu Family Head. The two families were obviously chatting happily.
Zong the Third and Zong the Fourth’s families standing nearby were polite, showing no signs of unwillingness.
With Marshal Zong’s accident, to minimize the impact on the Zong family’s current treatment, they could only accept it. After all, with the Mu family’s support, their Zong family’s position would be more stable.
So even if they were unwilling, they had to admit that the marriage engagement the Second Brother had set earlier was actually the right move by mistake.
~~~
Translator’s note: You might be wondering why it’s always part 1, part 2, part 3 etc for this novel. It’s because the chapters are very, very long. Like I’m talking about 5-6k words. I’m amazed at how the author managed to do this. I can’t even finish writing a 2,000 word chapter myself.
Recommended Reads
![[ABO] President Shou Is Not a Total Shou](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/the-shou-is-not-a-total-shou-214x300.jpg)
thanks for the chapter! ❤️❤️❤️