Medical and Martial God

Chapter 285: Undermining the Foundation

On their way home, Shen Qilin said anxiously, "Dad, now that the Xiong Family has severed ties with us, we no longer have any War Gods at our disposal. In the upcoming reshuffle, how will the Shen Family dominate Qi Yun Dao?"

"Money makes the world go round," Shen Songshan said with unshakable confidence. "The Shen Family has plenty of money. Add to that the funds from the Tiansha Association and the Rongfu Consortium, which are in my hands. A little sprinkle of cash will have countless martial artists scrambling to lick our boots. I can also pay for War Gods from outside Qi Yun Dao to join the fray."

Upon hearing this, the anxious and worried look on Shen Qilin’s face vanished. He laughed and said, "That’s true. Once we get home, I’ll contact the major families and sects of Qi Yun Dao, as well as some of the War Gods from outside the region."

"These days, War Gods are just dogs at the feet of the wealthy. It wouldn’t hurt for our Shen Family to keep a few more of them," Shen Songshan remarked. Just as he finished speaking, his phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, Shen Songshan smiled. "It’s the manager of my overseas company. It looks like the money from the Tiansha Association and the Rongfu Consortium has arrived."

He answered the call, but before he could speak, the panicked and anxious voice of the manager came through the phone. "Mr. Shen, something terrible has happened! All the money in the company’s accounts has mysteriously disappeared!"

"What?" Shen Songshan’s face turned pale. "How could it just disappear?"

"I suspect Sang Jing of the Official Family is behind this," the manager explained. "After the fall of the Tiansha Association, the money in the accounts of all its deceased members, along with the funds of the Rongfu Consortium it controlled, should have been legally confiscated by the state. But we stole it instead. The Official Family wouldn’t just stand by after finding out, especially given the enormous amount involved."

Shen Songshan hung up, his expression utterly grim. The inheritances of the Tiansha Association’s nine serpent heads, numerous War Gods, and countless disciples, plus the funds from the Rongfu Consortium, amounted to an astronomical sum—several times more than the assets of the Shen Corporation itself.

For such a vast fortune to vanish in an instant, Shen Songshan’s feeling was beyond mere heartache; his heart felt like it was literally bleeding.

"This could only be the work of the Official Family. No one else has that kind of power," Shen Qilin said bitterly.

"As if I don’t know that!" Heartbroken, Shen Songshan beat his chest and stomped his feet. "This money wasn’t originally ours, but the Dragon Master promised to divide it among ten families. The Shen Family stood to gain several hundred billion! I had planned to use this money to recruit forces, dominate Qi Yun Dao, and eventually the whole country. Now, with only our own funds, we can only manage to dominate Qi Yun Dao."

"Dad, don’t rush to grieve," Shen Qilin consoled him. "We’ll dominate Qi Yun Dao first, then force its business community to bleed a little cash for us before continuing our expansion."

"Sigh, I suppose that’s our only option now," Shen Songshan sighed.

At that moment, Shen Qilin’s phone rang. It was Shen Wanqiu. "Grandfather, something’s happened! The internet is full of news about the Shen Family framing Ye Xiu..."

"What?"

Shen Qilin broke out in a cold sweat. He hastily pulled the car over to the side of the road and fumbled with his phone to search for the news. Shen Songshan did the same.

When they both saw the headlines flooding the internet—"The Shen Family is one of the culprits behind the framing of Ye Xiu"—Shen Songshan snorted with disdain. "Ye Xiu is still too green. Does he really think he can use his influence to falsely accuse the Shen Family?"

"Dad, look at this article! It’s filled with evidence!" Shen Qilin handed his phone to Shen Songshan.

Shen Songshan took it quickly. After reading it, his face changed dramatically. "Impossible! This is impossible! How did Ye Xiu find out about all this?"

"I know! These are top-secret family matters, known only to you and me. How could Ye Xiu possibly know?" Shen Qilin was just as baffled.

Suddenly, Shen Songshan remembered something. "I get it now," he said in shock. "When I was on a video call with the Dragon Master, my computer was suddenly hacked, and all the files were wiped. It seems Ye Xiu must have hired that hacker."

"We’re in deep trouble!" Shen Qilin said with a look of despair. "Ye Xiu’s influence in the country is immense. The Shen Family will be drowned by public opinion. The Shen Corporation could go bankrupt because of this!"

"Impossible!" Shen Songshan shook his head. "The Shen Corporation is not like the businesses of the Ming Family; it’s far too large. Even if Ye Xiu tries to use public opinion to drive our stock price down, the Shen Family has too many allies in the business world. I can ask them to step in and boost our stock price."

"Should I get in touch with our business allies now, then?" Shen Qilin asked.

"Yes," Shen Songshan nodded.

Shen Qilin immediately called an ally, but no one answered. Unconcerned, he assumed his ally was simply busy and dialed the next one. Again, no answer. He kept calling, but the result was the same. It was then that Shen Qilin realized something was deeply wrong. He frantically continued calling his other allies, going through the entire list. Not a single person picked up.

"What’s going on? Why isn’t anyone answering my calls?" Shen Qilin panicked.

"Something must have happened," Shen Songshan said gravely. "We’re close to the Lv Family’s residence. Let’s go see Lv Zhiyuan in person."

"Alright!" Shen Qilin started the car again, ignoring traffic lights as he sped down the road.

Soon, they arrived at Old Master Lv’s home. When they entered, they found the entire Lv Family present—they were clearly holding a family meeting.

"Mr. Shen?"

The Lv Family members were taken aback by the uninvited arrival of Shen Songshan and Shen Qilin. The patriarch, Lv Zhiyuan, rose with a smile to greet them. "Such a sudden visit! Forgive me for not welcoming you properly."

"Old Master Lv, why didn’t you answer my calls?" Shen Qilin demanded, too anxious to bother with pleasantries.

The question seemed to surprise Lv Zhiyuan. "You don’t know?"

"Know what?" Shen Qilin looked bewildered, and Shen Songshan was equally in the dark.

"It seems you really don’t," Lv Zhiyuan said. He waved his hand, dismissing the other Lv Family members from the room. After inviting the two to sit, he explained, "Bao Longtu has spread the news that the Bao Family and Ye Xiu are joining forces to enter the medical sector and are recruiting partners. The Lv Family wants to get a piece of the action."

The color drained from Shen Songshan and Shen Qilin’s faces. Ye Xiu was pulling the rug out from under them, luring away all of the Shen Family’s business allies.

This move was too vicious! Too ruthless! Utterly without honor!

First, he released the news that the Shen Family was one of the masterminds who framed him, using public opinion to attack the Shen Corporation. Then, he poached their business allies. Without reinforcements, the Shen Corporation could only watch its stock price plummet daily until it was forced to delist and, ultimately, go bankrupt.

"Old Master Lv," Shen Qilin said, his voice strained with desperation. "The Shen and Lv families have been friends for years. I even married my daughter to your son! Now that the Shen Family is in trouble, it’s one thing for the Lv Family not to help, but to actually side with our enemies? Don’t you think that’s a bit disloyal and unjust?" In his desperation, Shen Qilin tried to play the sympathy card while also morally blackmailing him.