Chapter 637: Sister-in-law, do you have any drugs? (1/2)
Chapter 637: Sister-in-law, do you have any drugs? Original and most updated translations are from volare. If read elsewhere, this chapter has been stolen. Please stop supporting theft.
Ning Cheng was still stewing in his temper, so Ning Jing’s words only earned her a resounding slap across the face. “Since when have you been in charge of the Ning Clan’s business?”
Even he if didn’t wanted to join their clan with the Tang in marriage, he would still deal with the matter appropriately. After raising such a fuss overnight, Cloud Realm Trade Consortium had all but lost its dignity! This didn’t just concern Ning Jing herself anymore, but the entire consortium–or rather, the whole Ning Clan.
Ning Jing cradled her burning cheek. Despite the pain, she didn’t lower her head but faced her brother head on. He was the head of the Di Clan, the Ning Family, and the one person she used to fear in her youth. But she refused to budge an inch this time. Her virginity was already lost–there was no place left for retreat.
“Big bro, then what do you mean by this?” she asked calmly.
Ning Cheng fell silent before he gave her a single answer: “Pear Blossom Rain Needles.”
That was the Tang Clan’s number two treasure. One was enough to face off against an expert, but nobody knew that Tang Li had already exhausted the weapon himself. Ning Cheng’s meaning was clear: he wanted the Tang Clan to offer the Pear Blossom Rain Needles as an apology, then patch things up with the Ning.
So my virginity’s only worth the price of a single assassination weapon?
Ning Jing felt her eyes sting, but she still managed to smile. “Big brother, when did your appetite shrink?”
Ning Cheng had huge aspirations and even greater ambition. He had considered taking the Tang Clan into his fold many times, but he was filled with worries all the same. First, Tang Li was on good terms with Long Feiye; second, the Cloud Realm Trade Consortium would only offend Cang Qiuzi if they insisted on taking Tang Li.
“Big brother, are you so certain that Chu Tianyin can deal with Duanmu Yao? The person who died was her own mother!” Ning Jing wasn’t here for consultation, but to negotiate. Just like countless business talks she’d done before, she’d come thoroughly prepared for this one.
“And even if Chu Tianyin finds Empress Xue’s true killer, so what? Wasn’t it the Chu Clan’s fault that she was kidnapped and made a target of assassination in the first place? Would Duanmu Yao forgive the Chu Clan after that? Moreover, she’s still Western Zhou’s princess despite being banished from the imperial clan. Big brother, even if the Ning Clan abandons me one day, I still wouldn’t do anything to betray the family, much less befriend our enemies. The same reasoning applies here! Why do we need to play nice with Duanmu Yao and Celestial Mountain why stifling our own power and prestige?”
Ning Cheng sat without replying as Ning Jing went on. “Big brother, why not blame the Chu Clan entirely for what happened to Empress Xue? The stronger the Ning Clan is, the less Duanmu Yao will think we fear her. Then she’ll learn to dread us more.”
Ning Cheng nodded in agreement. This was sound reasoning. Not offending Celestial Mountain was different from currying favor with them. He didn’t want to antagonize the group, but he wouldn’t express goodwill to them on purpose, either. Seeing him nod, Ning Jing secretly rejoiced and quickly coaxed, “Big brother, we won’t have any good relations with Duanmu Yao as long as she stays one more day on Celestial Mountain. Why not take this chance to pull the Tang Clan to our side? Once Eldest Young Master Tang joins Cloud Realm Trade Consortium, will we ever need to fret for powerful assassination weapons again?”
“Tang Li…” Before Ning Cheng could voice his thoughts, Ning Jing had already guessed them.
“Big brother, I’ve looked into that already. Tang Li and Long Feiye are very good friends, so Han Yunxi’s weapons come from Tang Li, too. But that’s only a private friendship. The Tang Clan has never had any relations with the Duke of Qin’s estate, so it’s still Tang Zijin who has say over Tang Li’s marriage affairs.”
“You discovered that the Tang Clan and the Duke of Qin’s estate had no relations over the course of only a few days’ worth of investigations?” Ning Cheng challenged coldly.
“If they did and Tang Li was such good friends with Long Feiye, why would Tang Li have tried to escape his first marriage at all? Would Tang Zijin need to scheme a way to get a marriage agreement with Cang Qiuzi at all to earn favor with Celestial Mountain? Big brother, don’t forget. Long Feiye is the eldest disciple of Celestial Mountain Sword Sect’s sect master!”
Ning Cheng still didn’t speak, so an impatient Ning Jing finally got tired of waiting and asked, “Big brother, you’ve probably already investigated whether the Tang Clan and the Duke of Qin’s estate had connections, right?” Ning Jing knew that was Ning Cheng’s greatest fear. He would have looked into the matter first thing after news became public and found nothing, or else he wouldn’t be wasting time listening to her ramble right now.
Her face was still smarting from the slap, but she still drew closer to him and said earnestly, word for word, “Big brother, no matter what, I’m claiming Tang Li for good!”
She turned to leave when she finished, her firm steps hiding her unsteady heart. She had already prepared herself to use Cloud Realm Trade Consortium’s business as a collateral threat to decide her own marriage affairs. By the time she reached the door, Ning Cheng finally opened his mouth.
“Make an appointment with Tang Zijin, your lordship wants to meet him.”
Finally, a chance! Thrilled, Ning Jing hide her joy and said seriously, “Alright, I’ll do it immediately!”
She exhaled once she left the room. From what she understood of her older brother, he had all but agreed to the arrangement by asking to meet with Tang Zijin. She rubbed at her swollen cheek without a hint of regret. In fact, she was so happy that she laughed. Finally, there was progress in her favor. But as she grinned, the image of that passionate night rose up again, and the face of the man who wanted to stop himself but couldn’t.
Damn it, why am I thinking of him now? Hmph, Tang Li, Chang Li—he had the guts to trick me. Just you wait!
Ning Cheng had said he’d meet personally with Tang Zijin, but thanks to his unique position, he would arrange at the appointment in disguise. On the surface, he’d simply be one of the higher echelons of the Cloud Realm Trade Consortium.
Very soon, Tang Zijin received the invitation that the consortium would send someone to take care of Ning Jing’s affairs. He was to choose a time and place for them to talk.
“Who are they sending?” Aunt Ru asked.
“They didn’t say, but it shouldn’t be Ning Cheng,” Tang Zijin replied. “We can’t afford to delay. Cang Qiuzi’s men are probably arriving as we speak.”