Chapter 30: A Treacherous Scheme

"A misunderstanding?" Chen Dabao raised an eyebrow, his face filled with disdain.

"Yes, it's a misunderstanding, a total misunderstanding!" Liu Fugui nodded repeatedly. He was no fool; as soon as he saw the handwriting in the ledger, he knew it must have been written by that bastard Li Youcai. Besides, not many people knew the details of their dealings, and it didn't take much to guess it was Li Youcai. But if Li Youcai had been keeping records, there was no way he would have only written down these few pages. If all those corrupt accounts were truly dragged into the light, he, Liu Fugui, might as well prepare to spend the rest of his life in prison.

"Village Chief, save the small talk. Are you going to pay the money or not?" Chen Dabao asked impatiently.

"I'll pay, I'll pay! But you have to return the ledger to me!" Liu Fugui’s eyes darted as he spoke with a sly look.

Chen Dabao’s heart stirred; the old man clearly assumed he had the entire ledger.

"Fine. Two hundred and eighty thousand. Money and goods exchanged on the spot!" Chen Dabao didn't expose the bluff and simply nodded.

"I need to go withdraw the rest; I don't have that much cash at home. How about I give you one hundred thousand for now?" Liu Fugui felt a sense of relief and spoke quickly. As long as Chen Dabao was willing to return the ledger, that was all that mattered.

"Agreed!"

As soon as Chen Dabao nodded, Liu Fugui hurried into the house to get the money. The old man kept a small safe hidden behind a wardrobe, buried under a pile of clothes. Unless you moved the clothes, you would never see it. Once inside, Liu Fugui looked back to make sure Chen Dabao hadn't followed, then hurriedly shut the door. He nervously dug out the safe and, feeling a sharp pang of pain in his heart, withdrew one hundred thousand yuan to hand over to Chen Dabao.

"Dabao, I've given you the money. Can I have the ledger now?" Liu Fugui asked urgently.

"You've only paid me one hundred thousand, and you want the ledger? If I give it to you now, what if you don't pay the rest?" Chen Dabao retorted coolly. "Once you pay the remaining balance and we are settled, I will naturally return the ledger to you."

With that, Chen Dabao turned and walked away.

As soon as he left, Liu Fugui’s expression darkened. He lit a cigarette, his gaze icy. "One hundred and twenty thousand... that should be enough to buy some of the medicinal herbs needed for the Spirit Returning Soup."

***

After returning home, Chen Dabao counted his money. With this one hundred thousand added to the twenty thousand remaining from the deposit Huo Anni had given him earlier, he now had one hundred and twenty thousand in his hands. This was enough to purchase some of the herbs required for the Spirit Returning Soup. The soup could aid his cultivation and accelerate his progress. There was a reason why "wealth" was ranked first among the four essentials of cultivation—wealth, companions, method, and location. Without sufficient financial resources, one could achieve nothing. After finishing dinner, Chen Dabao began his cultivation.

As dusk fell, Liu Fugui made two phone calls. He brought out a bottle of fine liquor and asked Deng Hongyan to set out a plate of spiced beef and stir-fry two dishes. He began to drink while he waited. Just then, Xiaolian and Liu Tianjie came downstairs.

"Going out so late? Where to?" Liu Fugui asked casually.

"I'm taking Xiaolian out for some fresh air," Liu Tianjie replied, his face stiff and expressionless.

"Be back early. Don't go running around in the middle of the night!" Liu Fugui sipped his drink, not paying much mind. He had never been fond of his eldest son, who was too honest and lacked cunning; furthermore, the fact that Xiaolian hadn't become pregnant to carry on the family name had always been a thorn in his side. He favored his youngest son, Liu Xiaowu, who, despite being a troublemaker, was the apple of his eye. After all, parents always have a soft spot for the youngest.

"Understood, Dad!" Xiaolian replied quickly, following Liu Tianjie out the door.

No sooner had they left than two men arrived in a hurry.

"Brother!"
"Village Chief!"

The two men were Liu Dafu and Li Youcai.

"Sit," Liu Fugui gestured for them to take their seats.

"Oh, Dafu and Youcai are here! Sit, sit, I'll get you bowls and chopsticks!" Deng Hongyan smiled warmly, serving them with an air of impartiality that made it impossible for anyone to guess she had a secret relationship with Li Youcai.

"Thank you, sister-in-law!"
"Village Chief, what did you call us here for?"

Li Youcai took a sip of liquor, feeling uneasy. He couldn't help but sneak a glance at Deng Hongyan before quickly looking away, terrified that Liu Fugui might already know about their affair.

"That brat Chen Dabao came to me today and took one hundred thousand yuan!" Liu Fugui said, his face grim as he gulped down his drink.

"Brother, how could you give that brat money?" Liu Dafu exclaimed, agitated. "This Taohua Village is our Liu family's village! We can't let that boy sit on our heads and crap!"

Li Youcai’s hand trembled; his heart was in a panic. If Liu Fugui was willing to pay Chen Dabao, perhaps he had seen those pages of the ledger. Otherwise, would Liu Fugui ever spit out money he had already swallowed?

"And what else could I do? Let him keep causing trouble?" Liu Fugui didn't mention the ledger. He picked up a piece of beef and said coldly, "I gave him the money to keep him quiet. I called you here to figure out a way to deal with him. Youcai, do you have any ideas?"

"Vi-Village Chief, I don't have any ideas!" Li Youcai kept his head down, his body trembling as he forced a bitter laugh.

"Brother, that boy Chen Dabao isn't the same anymore. Three or four men can't even get close to him. He's hard to deal with!" Liu Dafu added, clearly troubled.

"Hmph, do we need to do it ourselves to deal with him?" Liu Fugui sneered. "I’m planning to set a trap and send Chen Dabao to prison."

"What kind of trap?" Liu Dafu’s eyes lit up.

"Get a woman, catch them in bed, and charge him with rape," Liu Fugui said coldly. "Dafu, for this woman, I want your daughter-in-law, Xia Xiaoxue. Once we catch them in the act, we call the police. That brat will be behind bars for sure!"

"Let Xiaoxue go? Brother, why not send Xiaolian?" Liu Dafu immediately balked. Why should his daughter-in-law be the one? If the ruse turned into reality, his son would be the one losing out.

"If you don't do it, then when Chen Dabao goes to prison, you can forget about that little villa of his!" Liu Fugui snapped.

"Brother, don't be angry, I'll do it! I'll do it!" Liu Dafu’s expression shifted, and he hurriedly agreed.

The three began to whisper, plotting. This time, they had to ensure Chen Dabao went to prison for a few years; once he was locked away, he would be ruined.

Half an hour later, Liu Dafu and Li Youcai left the villa. Li Youcai breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed Chen Dabao hadn't leaked his affair with Deng Hongyan, and as for the ledger, Liu Fugui likely didn't know about it either. Li Youcai hurried home, never noticing that three figures were quietly trailing him in the darkness.

At the same time, Liu Tianjie and Xiaolian arrived secretly at Chen Dabao’s house. Liu Tianjie looked left and right, ensuring no one was nearby, before knocking softly on the door.

"Dabao, are you home?"