Chapter 159: The Mysterious Figure in the Black Cloak

Even though those guests had departed, Zhang Pu and his people still needed to have their midday meal.

Those people were in such foul moods that they couldn't possibly eat here, but the people remaining might actually enjoy their meal even more because of it!

With this thought, Zhang Pu felt as though he had granted a favor to Uncle Fu to go ahead and cook, and he stopped making things difficult for the old man for the time being.

Then, Zhang Pu returned to his own room.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yuan and Hu Xiangling were already heading down the middle of the mountain. Once they passed through a grove of bamboo, they would reach the spot where they had parked their vehicle at the mountainside.

Trailing behind them, Director Zhang of Qingshan Township, along with two of his subordinates, as well as the Party Secretary and the village chief of Green Stone Village, were almost half-running as they pursued Cheng Yuan's group.

Despite having inwardly praised Zhang Pu moments earlier, Director Zhang, the Party Secretary, and the village chief were all painfully aware of one reality: offending people from the provincial capital brought far more disadvantages than advantages!

Therefore, no matter what—even if the situation had been rendered completely irredeemable by Zhang Pu—they still wanted to smooth things over with Cheng Yuan and his party as best as they could.

During this period, the township and the village had treated Cheng Yuan's group with lavish hospitality, acting like throwing a brick to attract jade. If things completely fell apart now, Director Zhang truly felt he would no longer be able to show his face in official circles. As for the Party Secretary and the village chief of Green Stone Village, they were equally convinced that the township authorities would never look upon them favorably again.

Before long, Director Zhang and the others caught up with Cheng Yuan's group in the bamboo grove.

However, Cheng Yuan wore a rather frosty expression, and Hu Xiangling began making petty, complaining remarks.

Director Zhang, the Party Secretary, and the village chief all felt awkward, but after all, they had spent a long time navigating officialdom and were exceptionally smooth-tongued. When it came down to verbal sparring, Hu Xiangling, a pampered young miss, was no match for them.

And while Cheng Yuan was a cunning old fox, Director Zhang and the others believed that by joining forces, they were entirely confident in salvaging the situation.

Before long, Director Zhang, the Party Secretary, the village chief, and the others effectively surrounded Cheng Yuan's group within the bamboo grove. Through a flurry of sharp retorts and persuasive arguments, they made it sound as though there were still ways to pressure Zhang Pu further should they decide to devise a new plan.

They even went so far as to suggest lying outright that they had never received any money from Zhang Pu in the first place...

This last, rather foolish idea was proposed by one of Director Zhang's subordinates.

Yet, the moment those words left his mouth, a chilling sneer suddenly echoed from the depths of the bamboo grove.

"Who is laughing?" Cheng Yuan was the first to react with alertness.

However, a few members of their group hadn't paid attention or heard it clearly, such as the Party Secretary and one of Director Zhang's subordinates.

Prompted by Cheng Yuan's warning, almost everyone in the group turned their gazes toward the depths of the bamboo grove.

Right at that moment, amidst the sea of green deep within the bamboo, a patch of dark shadow drifted into view.

Without a doubt, everyone present instantly concluded that the chilling sneer had definitely come from this shadowy figure.

"Who is out there playing God and playing ghosts?" the village chief barked.

This was Green Stone Village's territory! Did whoever was in there not realize that both the Party Secretary and the village chief were present? This was simply outrageous!

"Come out right now and go straight home! Can't you see that the township leaders and distinguished guests from the provincial capital are right here?" the Party Secretary also scolded.

Yet, that exact same chilling sneer rang out once more!

Slowly, the dark figure truly began to emerge.

The person was entirely enveloped in a black cloak, with even their face meticulously and thoroughly concealed.

Hu Xiangling was slightly startled at first, but remembering her status, she immediately forced herself to calm down. Besides, with so many people around, her initial fright quickly vanished completely.

On the contrary, Director Zhang and his two subordinates were forcefully driven back a few steps by the figure whose face remained invisible. Deep down, they had a vague intuition that this was no mere prank played by a villager.

Cheng Yuan, however, immediately braced himself as if facing a formidable enemy!

Cheng Yuan actually possessed genuine martial arts skills. Despite his elderly appearance, his abilities surpassed those of the four bodyguards accompanying them—bodyguards who seemed more like retainers brought by him and Hu Xiangling, or perhaps specially assigned by Wang Siyi to protect Hu Xiangling.

Finally, as the figure in the black cloak stepped entirely out into the open, the Party Secretary and the village chief also began to realize that this individual did not look like a local villager of Green Stone Village at all.

"Who on earth are you?" the village chief demanded once again.

The person in the black cloak now seemed utterly impatient. Ignoring the village chief's question entirely, he coldly addressed the gathered crowd: "Hand over all the valuables on you. I don't feel like killing anyone just yet!"

"What kind of nonsense is that?" The moment those words left the black-cloaked figure, the village chief and the Party Secretary flew into a rage on the spot.

This was Green Stone Village's territory! Furthermore, this fellow, who had popped up out of nowhere, was completely losing face for them right in front of the township leaders and the distinguished guests from the provincial capital!

"Little Huang, Little Zhang, the two of you take this unruly ruffian down for me right now! I'm calling the township police station immediately!"

In truth, both Zhang Pu and Uncle Fu had clearly noticed that the group of arrivals this time was several people larger than Director Zhang's original retinue. Zhang Pu hadn't expected the village chief to bring along two young, able-bodied men reminiscent of the old village militia. Little Huang and Little Zhang were precisely those two individuals!

Originally, suspecting that Zhang Pu might turn out to be an unruly troublemaker who would try to wriggle out of paying, the meticulous Party Secretary and village chief had brought along two militia-style guards.

Moreover, they weren't the only ones who had taken this precaution. In addition to his original two aides, Director Zhang had also brought along two extra men. These two additional guards possessed exceptionally sturdy and agile physiques, instantly revealing themselves to be veterans of military service at the very least.

Yet, because Zhang Pu had actually produced the money, this reserve force had seemed destined for uselessness—who would have thought they would come in handy right here?

Instantly, Little Huang and Little Zhang charged toward the figure wrapped entirely in a black cloak—someone whom Director Zhang, the Party Secretary, and the village chief still believed to be merely playing tricks.

On the other side, however, Cheng Yuan's expression had turned grave long ago. From the very moment the black-cloaked figure appeared, he had sensed an intense and unsettling wrongness.

Cheng Yuan was by no means an ordinary old man. If he hadn't possessed extraordinary competence, he would never have been dispatched by the Wang family to handle the annulment of Zhang Pu's engagement. Furthermore, the Wang family's dispatch of personnel to Qingshan Township in the remote mountainous region of Tuyuan County actually involved investigating another major confidential matter.

The Wang family's intelligence network had recently acquired wind of a significant secret hidden in this area, though they were yet unable to fully verify it. Cheng Yuan's journey here, in fact, carried this dual mission. Otherwise, given how decisively Zhang Pu had acted a few days ago, Cheng Yuan could have turned back immediately. Why else would he linger here with such reluctance? Aside from deliberately accommodating Zhang Pu for appearance's sake, he possessed a thousand other methods to deal with the young man. As a veteran of many battles, he always felt that someone like Zhang Pu was far too green.

Yet, as things progressed, Zhang Pu had continually exceeded his every expectation.