Storm of Gods

Chapter 101 Betrayal
Zhao Xun didn't pay attention to Matthew's words; his expression remained extremely unpleasant, clearly showing that he was genuinely angered by Zhao Qing.

Everyone in the Zhao family, even the dog, had to serve him, even at the cost of their lives. Yet today, he was bitten by the dog he considered the most reliable.

"What are you planning to do? Give him another chance? After all, he's your son," Matthew said.

Zhao Xun's lips curled into a sinister smile. "You think you have everything under control just because you know a little bit? I can breed many of these kinds of animals. They have long lifespans and are just sitting around doing nothing. I'll turn them into nutrients. After all, they've been raised for so many years and they're still of decent quality. Since we're going to make full use of them, it'll be best to harvest them after the Four Nations Tournament ends."

What Zhao Qing considered to be the benefit was completely different from what Matthew needed. Moreover, setting aside their secret cooperation, in Tianjing, anyone could fall, but he couldn't. The power struggles at the top of Longjing were beyond the comprehension of a mere child; they would never allow any single entity to dominate Tianjing.

Matthew nodded, glanced at Zhao Xun, and asked, "Has this month's order been arranged?"

“When have I ever made a mistake? Losing the channels is really too much of a hassle. You went too far this time, cutting off one of my arms. It has already attracted some attention.” Zhao Xun said with some resentment.

"There was a slight mishap, with external forces intervening, but fortunately it's still under control," Matthew said calmly.

“Archbishop, shouldn’t we get rid of that good-for-nothing Luo Jin sooner rather than later? He’s just getting in the way. You value relationships, but he doesn’t know how to be grateful or how to be pragmatic,” Zhao Xun said. “He’s been secretly investigating lately and doesn’t care about the Church Council at all. The new channel is finally taking shape. If we let him keep investigating like this, something big will happen sooner or later.”

Zhao Xun truly hated Luo Jin, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Matthew glanced at Zhao Xun and said, "I'll handle this. There are already arrangements."

Zhao Xun smiled. "I'm relieved to hear that." He knew that Matthew had finally decided to give up on Luo Jin.

Zhao Xun left, leaving behind a heavy-looking mithril jar covered in runes and seals. All the candles in the secret room were extinguished. In the darkness, Matthew undressed, and his chest suddenly began to writhe. A completely different abyssal worm slowly emerged from the darkness. This worm had a human face and even turned to look at Matthew, seemingly forming a strange smile.

By candlelight, Matthew looked at the worm with a calm and focused gaze. "Eat it."

The worm stretched its neck and head into the mithril jar, beginning to rustle and gurgle, as bright red liquid seeped from the rim...

……

At this time, the night patrolmen's family compound on Triumph Street had field patrols, but they didn't find anything. Hao Ye's ability to enter the Order Academy and join the Black Rose was definitely not just about flattery; entering quietly was no problem at all.

At this time, only Lin Fei was at home. Recently, life has gradually returned to normal. Xueyin went to school as usual and her grades have improved. With Casey's help, she was able to hire the best tutor in Tianjing. Li Xin entered the Order Academy and was selected for the Black Rose. He has a bright future. Life is getting better day by day.

Home alone, Lin Fei wore a simple nightgown. She had just finished cleaning and was slightly sweaty. Looking in the mirror, she noticed that her complexion was indeed getting better, with a rosy glow, like a ripe peach. Her hands also felt softer. The skin cream that Cassie gave her was very effective. She measured her waist and thought, "Thank goodness, thank goodness." She had been eating a bit too much lately and was worried that the growths might be in the wrong places, but luckily they were all in the right places.

Just as she was looking around, there was a knock on the door.

Lin Fei immediately became alert. This was a habit she had developed in the underground city, and it hadn't changed even after returning to the city. Especially since Li Xin worked as a night patrolman, she was still very cautious. Looking down from the window, she saw not her neighbor, but a strange young man dressed in the uniform of the Order of the Church.

Lin Fei quickly changed her clothes and went downstairs. "Who is it?"

"Hello, sister. I am a student from the Order Academy, Li Xin's classmate. My name is Hao Ye," said Hao Ye, a polite man outside the door.

Lin Fei quickly opened the door.

Hao Ye entered the room, looked around, glanced at Lin Fei, and sat up straight. Lin Fei poured a glass of water and placed it on the table. She looked at the young man in front of her with a bit of curiosity, "Isn't Li Xin in the Order Academy? What do you want with him?"

Hao Ye shook his head. "Sister, you're busy. I'll wait for him here. I think he'll be back in a little while."

Lin Fei was even more puzzled, but it wasn't easy to kick him out. It was indeed the uniform of the Order of the Instruction, and the badge of a formal member of the Black Rose. Just as Lin Fei didn't know what to do, she saw Li Xin.

Before Lin Fei knew it, Li Xin had silently appeared in the living room. She sensed the strange atmosphere. Li Xin just smiled and said, "Haha, Hao Ye, you're here early. Aunt Fei, I have something to discuss with my classmate."

Lin Fei nodded. "Okay, then you two chat."

Lin Fei went upstairs. Li Xin looked at Hao Ye, who was also looking at Li Xin. Hao Ye took the initiative to speak, "You received Zhao Qing's notification earlier than I expected?"

Li Xin sat down opposite Hao Ye, sized up Hao Ye whose demeanor had changed somewhat, and shook his head. "What does he want to tell me?"

Hao Ye sighed softly, "You guys are more formidable than I imagined. The Zhao family father and son might really be no match for you. Zhao Qing and I thought we were being very cautious, but we didn't expect you to have already discovered it." Li Xin never thought the city would be safer than the underground city. He had already asked Qi Badao to set up a contact point near his home. On the one hand, they could contact each other immediately if anything happened, and on the other hand, they were responsible for security. If any suspicious people were loitering around nearby, he would know immediately, such as if Hao Ye came to scout the area.

"Get to the point." Li Xin looked at Hao Ye, hoping the other party would be direct, which would make it easier for him to take action.

After all, the places to bury it on the way here were already planned, so it's a real pity that it can't be used.

“Zhao Qing wants to kill two birds with one stone by using someone else to do his dirty work, but I don’t want to die,” Hao Ye said with a shrug.

"Really? Tell me more." Li Xin came with Hao Ye. This man didn't do anything unusual along the way, which couldn't be hidden from him. Moreover, Hao Ye's skills were better than expected. In Black Rose, he was probably second only to Luo Xue and Zhao Qing. This man had been hiding his strength.

Hao Ye explained Zhao Qing's plan: "The Zhao family father and son are both mentally ill. Zhao Xun doesn't trust anyone, including Zhao Qing. I was sent by Zhao Xun to monitor him. I guess Zhao Qing must know, no, he must know. Zhao Qing has made meticulous arrangements. Black Rose will definitely win this Four Nations Tournament. What he wants is to take the opportunity to replace Luo Xue and claim all the glory for himself. So he wants to get rid of you, Luo Xue's trump card, and also get rid of me at the same time."

"Why don't you go find Zhao Xun?" Li Xin said calmly.

“Zhao Qing’s actions are not wrong. Besides, I’m just a dog they keep. If I tell them, Zhao Xun will kill me anyway,” Hao Ye said calmly. This was an open scheme. Once Zhao Qing had his eye on him, he would only have one way out: death. Because Zhao Qing was more useful than him, no one cared about the life or death of a dog. He had been playing his role just to survive.

“You think differently from me,” Li Xin said. “What’s your purpose in contacting me?”

"Hehe, it's all for survival. I play the clown to highlight Zhao Qing, while doing all the dirty and tiring work that can't be seen in the light of day. Now they won't even let me do that anymore, so I'd like to talk to you about a collaboration," Hao Ye said.

"Us?" Li Xin asked.

"Of course, I know you are very strong, even comparable to Zhao Qing and Luo Xue, but survival in Tianjing has nothing to do with personal strength. The struggle between the Zhao family and the church has reached a fever pitch since the collapse of Mondlier. Don't be fooled by the current calm; they are actually brewing a fatal blow. And I have evidence that can bring down the Zhao family completely," Hao Ye said.

Li Xin continued to look at Hao Ye, indifferent to whether he believed her or not, "Why don't you tell me?"

"You've all been curious about where the Abyss Worms come from, haven't you? Well, it just so happens that I actually do know," Hao Ye said, looking at Li Xin with a half-smile. "Can I start talking about some terms?"

“Of course, if what you say is true, feel free to name your conditions,” Li Xin said, adding that he could agree to on behalf of Uncle Luo.

“Fifty thousand lira, a pardon for the Night Watchman, and I will leave Tianjing after this is done,” Hao Ye said.

Fifty thousand lira is indeed a considerable sum, but considering the circumstances, it's not unreasonable. "Are there any other reasons?"

Hao Ye smiled and said, "I want to see the Zhao family father and son die. The corpses of people like me who died at their hands are piled up like mountains. I only survived because I was useful. I didn't dare to resist before because I couldn't see any hope. Besides, I didn't really trust those nobles. They're all the same kind of people. No matter what crime they commit, it can eventually become part of a deal. But Luo Jin is different. You are not nobles either. Captain Luo's trial of Mondlier was courageous, resourceful, and determined. So let's take a gamble. Of course, I won't give you a penny less. I'm not without other options."

To put it bluntly, if all else fails, he can just run away; with his skills, he can make a living anywhere.

Li Xin roughly understood the situation. Hao Ye was brought in by Zhao Xun through some means. Because of his talent or something else, he was sent to the Academy of Education to watch over Zhao Qing. Zhao Qing knew this and made Hao Ye do dirty work. Then, he took advantage of the time difference to notify Li Xin to attack the families of the night patrol. The nobles might still have room for maneuver, but Hao Ye was doomed, and Li Xin was finished too. Although Li Xin had been prepared, this move was still incredibly vicious.

"So knowledge is a good thing. Life at the Order Academy really opened my eyes. They probably never expected I would dare to rebel." Hao Ye's lips curled into a deep sneer, then he took out a sealed scroll from his robes.

"This is their secret base for raising worms, and it's also involved in human trafficking. That's why they wiped out the Lin family—not just for money, but also to control their transportation channels, which would make things easier for them."

Li Xin gave Hao Ye's scroll a deep look. "What do you plan to do now?"

“According to the original plan, I intended to hide first and come out when the situation was settled. Since you didn’t receive any hints from Zhao Qing, I can find an excuse to stay in the Order Academy to avoid alerting the enemy. You can talk to Luo Jin and prepare the 50,000 lira first,” Hao Ye said, then looked at the scroll, “This one is empty, it’s yours.”

"Twenty thousand first, thirty thousand after it's done." Li Xin shook his head.

Hao Ye grinned. "Fifty thousand, not a penny less. This intelligence is worth far more than that. You have no choice. I'm just a worthless life. Even if I die, it won't be a loss. It's about time. See you at the Instruction Academy."

Li Xin nodded. He was just testing the waters. Not long after Hao Ye left, Lin Fei came downstairs with a normal expression.

Li Xin smiled and said, "I don't need to pay any attention to this classmate of mine next time he comes. There's something wrong with him."

"I overheard," Lin Fei said directly.

(End of this chapter)