Martial Master

"Chen Shao, it's really no trouble, we appreciate your kindness."

Zhang Xi did not want to trouble Qin Chen.

"Uncle, if you speak out, having one more person can bring more ideas," Qin Chen smiled.

"Alright then."

Zhang Xi hesitated for a moment, sighed, and immediately recounted the situation.

It turned out that the Zhang family was a prestigious family in the capital of the Da Qi Kingdom, specializing in alchemy, and they also had several estates outside the capital for cultivating medicinal herbs.

However, the Zhang family did not produce alchemical pills; instead, they obtained them by selling herbs to the powerful Li family in the capital.

This Li family was a partner of the Alchemy Pavilion, and apart from producing some alchemical pills themselves, most of their pills were sourced from the Alchemy Pavilion, then distributed to alchemical families like the Zhang family for profit.

The cooperation between the Zhang family and the Li family had been stable for decades.

Unexpectedly, this morning, the Li family sent word that their cooperation with the Zhang family was terminated.

This was a disaster for the Zhang family.

For a long time, the Zhang family's herbs were supplied to the Li family in exchange for alchemical pills. If they lost the cooperation with the Li family, they not only couldn't sell the herbs but also lost their source of alchemical pills.

It's worth noting that the two major players in alchemy in the capital were the Ju Bao Building and the Alchemy Pavilion.

The Zhang family had no ties with the Ju Bao Building and could not obtain alchemical pills from them.

On the other hand, the Li family represented the external interests of the Alchemy Pavilion; once the relationship with the Li family was severed, it meant the Zhang family’s connection to the Alchemy Pavilion was also cut off.

For an alchemical family, this was undoubtedly a fatal blow.

"Why did the Li family suddenly cut off cooperation with you Zhang family?" Qin Chen frowned.

Zhang Xi forced a smile and said, "This is also where we are puzzled. Our cooperation with the Li family has always been very good, and the quality of our Zhang family's herbs is top-notch near the capital. After the Li family acquired them, they often sold them to the Alchemy Pavilion. Logically, they should not have severed ties with us, but who knows—"

"Moreover, this termination of cooperation came too suddenly, with no signs at all. Something must have happened, and the key is we have no clues."

"Actually, there are some clues."

At this moment, a steward from the Zhang family suddenly spoke up.

"Oh?"

Qin Chen looked over.

The steward said, "It's just a guess. I investigated and found that someone from the Lingnan Zhao family entered the Li family last night. This morning, the Li family sent word, so I was wondering if this matter could be related to the Lingnan Zhao family."

"Unlikely," Zhang Xi shook his head. "The Lingnan Zhao family, although the largest medicinal herb merchant in the entire Lingnan and also a supplier of Lingnan's alchemical pills, has no conflicts with our Zhang family. The markets they occupy are completely different; there’s no need for them to cut us off."

"Moreover, I have inquired; aside from our Zhang family, none of the other families cooperating with the Li family have had their partnerships stopped. This shows that this matter should be an issue on our Zhang family's side."

Everyone from the Zhang family bowed their heads in deep thought but couldn’t come up with a reason.

Lingnan Zhao family?

Qin Chen’s heart jolted.

He remembered that Zhao Feng's maternal family was indeed from Lingnan. Her ancestors were once the kings of Lingnan but later lost their territories due to dwindling bloodlines. However, the Zhao family still held significant influence in Lingnan, rumored to control half the hidden territory.

Could this matter be related to him?

Upon pondering, this was not impossible.

With Zhao Feng's maliciousness, if she couldn't deal with him, she would definitely target those close to him. Zhang Ying and Lin Tian had very good relationships with him, so it made sense for her to go after their family.