The Niu, Ma, and Yang Clans were all eager to find out what had happened at Black Snow Ridge.
However, Sun Qingde had issued a gag order, and no one would speak.
With no one talking about the events at the scene, naturally, no one told them about Zhu Xiaosuo's deeds.
They were unaware that Zhu Xiaosuo had saved the son of the Immortal Sect's caretaker and defeated a Sect Elder.
Mountain Chicken County was still in the dark, while Zhu Xiaosuo had already leaped over the dragon gate, transforming his fortunes.
Upon returning home, Zhu Xiaosuo immediately immersed himself in his cultivation.
The pressure from Sun Qingde was immense.
So, apart from cultivating, he only took time to rest and handled some family affairs at noon.
The family business still needed to be managed.
Otherwise, how could he explain the source of his cultivation resources to others?
Zhuang Yun could tell he had a secret source of cultivation resources, so others might notice too.
But just because Zhuang Yun didn't dig deeper didn't mean others wouldn't.
He didn't want to expose anything about Chen Qinqiu to anyone.
He was currently finalizing matters with Zhu Liusong regarding the opera troupe.
"Master, sorry to disturb you, but there's a visitor."
Zhu Xiaosuo looked at Zhu Qigao, a bit puzzled.
"Aren't you discussing business between our two families with Yang Qiyi? What could be so important that you had to deliver the message yourself?"
"Shen Ma has arrived."
"Shen Ma? Why is he here now? Alright, let him wait for me."
"Understood."
Given Zhu Xiaosuo's current standing in the City of Seeking Immortality, he didn't really need to bother with Shen Ma anymore.
It was purely because they shared some camaraderie.
Zhu Xiaosuo quickly instructed Zhu Liusong:
"The Zhang family in the west of the county has a shipment to be delivered to the City of Seeking Immortality the day after tomorrow. I'll have Zhu Liude personally lead the team. Choose a few sharp-minded individuals to go with him, and scout out the backgrounds of the various opera troupes in the city. Withdraw five thousand taels of silver from the accounts for your expenses in managing these connections."
"Understood, Master. Rest assured, you've instructed me on this matter three times already. I've selected the people, all of whom are quick-witted and have families in Mountain Chicken County. They won't disappoint you!"
"Good, then it's in your hands."
"Yes!"
As he walked to the main hall, Zhu Xiaosuo met Shen Ma.
However, Shen Ma no longer carried the same imposing presence and seemed somewhat restrained.
Even the scar on his face had taken on a bashful air.
He recalled his first meeting with Shen Ma in a carriage before he joined the Zhu Clan.
Back then, Shen Ma was calm and composed, exuding authority without anger, and even killed three of his brothers in front of him.
After becoming a cultivator, Zhu Xiaosuo had met Shen Ma many times, and Shen Ma had always been neither servile nor overbearing in his presence.
He wondered what had caused today's change.
"Greetings, Master Zhu."
"Please sit, Constable Shen. What brings you here today?"
Although Shen Ma still held the arrest warrant, the news of the Zhu Clan's resurgence after the negotiations would eventually spread, and Shen Ma's rise to power was only a matter of time.
Zhu Xiaosuo was merely being auspicious.
"Thank you for your kind words, Master Zhu. I've come today at someone's request."
"Oh? Who could ask you to come to me?"
In Mountain Chicken County, there was hardly anything Shen Ma couldn't handle.
If someone had asked Shen Ma to find him, it meant the matter required his personal attention.
But Zhu Xiaosuo couldn't think of anything, apart from cultivator-related matters, that Shen Ma would need his help with.
"It's the Ma Clan. They asked me to request a favor from you, to sit down and discuss the Cloth Shop in Yellow Dog County."
After speaking, Shen Ma lowered his head, not daring to look at Zhu Xiaosuo.
Zhu Xiaosuo raised his eyebrows:
"I've heard that the women of the Ma Clan don't have a good reputation. Could it be that you're involved with them too?"
Shen Ma replied:
"Sort of. My mother is from the Ma Clan."
"Your mother is from the Ma Clan? Given their practice of polyandry, why is your surname Shen and not Ma?"
"My mother and father were deeply in love back then. But my father refused to join the Ma Clan, so my mother severed ties with them and married my father. That's why I took my father's surname."
"If she severed ties, how did the Ma Clan have the nerve to approach her?"
Shen Ma was even more embarrassed, sheepishly saying:
"My mother... has long wanted to return to the Ma Clan but couldn't swallow her pride. I was originally named Shen Shou, but my mother later changed it to Shen Ma because she missed the Ma Clan. So when the Ma Clan's head invited her back this morning, she immediately accepted."
Zhu Xiaosuo understood the situation; it was Shen Ma's mother who had put him in a difficult position.
He continued to ask:
"Is your father still alive?"
"Yes, he is."
"Then..."
"I know it's inconvenient for you to ask, so I'll explain. After my mother married, she lived a life of hardship for a while and soon regretted it. Since I was a child, she constantly criticized my father. Eventually, my father moved out, took a concubine, and had a child, Shen Zhuo. When my mother found out, she felt humiliated and poisoned the concubine."
Zhu Xiaosuo sighed:
"If she felt humiliated, shouldn't she have poisoned your father? Why take it out on the concubine?"
Shen Ma was also helpless:
"Exactly, grievances should be settled with the responsible party, not taken out on others. My father feared that Shen Zhuo would also be poisoned by my mother and asked me to speak kindly to her. I pitied Shen Zhuo and spared his life, raising him. Later, when I became a constable and had some income, I supported his martial arts and studies. Even if the Ma Clan hadn't come, there was no way my parents would reconcile. So my mother being taken back by the Ma Clan isn't necessarily a bad thing. It just leaves me with a dilemma."
Zhu Xiaosuo couldn't help but feel for him:
"Indeed, if I were you, I'd have a headache too. If you help me and clash with the Ma Clan, you'll end up pleasing neither side."
"Master Zhu, I..."
"It's alright, I understand your situation. But you must also understand mine. With your ties to the Ma Clan, I can't entrust my affairs to you, do you understand, Constable Shen?"
Addressing him as Constable Shen during their meeting was because Shen Ma was one of his own, and Zhu Xiaosuo intended to support his rise.
Now calling him Constable Shen was because, with such familial ties, Shen Ma could no longer be one of Zhu Xiaosuo's own, and the position of County Constable would have to go to someone else.
Shen Ma knew this outcome was inevitable but still looked dejected.
"Yes, I understand, Master Zhu."
Zhu Xiaosuo also felt a sense of regret:
"We've had good cooperation in the past, and I intended to have you oversee matters in Mountain Chicken County, helping me with minor troubles. But fate has other plans, and we are not meant to be."
Zhu Xiaosuo sighed again.
Although his status had changed significantly after the spirit collapse incident at Black Snow Ridge, he still held Shen Ma in high regard.
"If you're filial to your mother, I can't use you. If you're not filial, I can't trust you. In my eyes, you're in a deadlock. Unless I take over the Ma Clan, I can't promote you with peace of mind. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Constable Shen, I know you probably have connections with other families. But now your ties are bound to the Ma Clan's carriage, and no family will support you anymore. Moreover, with me suppressing them, the Ma Clan can't elevate you."
"Yes..."
"I'll grant you this favor. Go back and tell those two from the Ma Clan to come to the Red Pavilion for a banquet the day after tomorrow."
"Thank you, Master Zhu..."
Shen Ma was about to take his leave.
Zhu Xiaosuo adjusted his clothing and said:
"Constable Shen, to avoid you getting caught up in matters between me and the Ma Clan, I hope you'll remain in your position as constable and not seek advancement. Otherwise, it will be difficult for me."
"Yes."
Watching Shen Ma's dejected figure leave, Zhu Xiaosuo sighed.