Even though it was the middle of the night, the study of Deciduous County’s Governor was brightly lit. A thin but tall man sat behind the lavish desk in the study. He rubbed his eyes as he put away another stack of papers.

He had the same dark brown eyes and sharp jawline as the City Lord Zhen. The healthy glow of his skin showed that the many night shifts and lack of sleep didn’t affect him at all.

“Governor, we have news from Birch City!”

His aide shouted from the door while rushing into the study. Governor Zhen looked up energetically, all traces of tiredness disappearing from his eyes. He hastily snatched the letter from the servant’s hands and opened it.

“We succeeded.”

Reading the two words, a smile bloomed on his face. He snapped his fingers, and a tiny ember formed on his fingertips that set the letter on fire.

He closed his eyes as he reminisced about the formulation of the plan they had set in motion.

On the day he received the news of the alliance between his younger brother and the Monstrous Flame Sect, he had felt rage and disappointment. He didn’t know how to break this news to their father who doted on Zhen Wu the most.

Surprisingly, their father had received the news with unnatural calm. His reaction suited not that of a father, but the Patriarch of the Zhen family.

“Zhen Peng, don’t blame your brother. Better men than him were tempted by the Secular World and in turn executed by the Imperial Court.”

“But Patriarch…”

“Have you notified any Elders yet?”

“Good.”

Getting up from his seat, the tall yet hunched old man paced in the room with his hands folded behind him.

“This is the first instance where a person already in a position of power has allied with a Sect. This seems like a scheme of someone from the Secular World.”

“Zhen Peng, go back and study the Pact. Study the provisions that the Sect can use to take advantage of your brother.”

Since that day, Governor Zhen Peng had studied all the Thirty Three clauses thoroughly. There were three possible clauses the Sect could use in their favor.

Clause 3, Clause 19, and Clause 27.  Only Clause 3 allowed the Sect to gain control of the City. In the other two clauses, either his brother would be executed, or the Sect would gain monetary compensation from the Empire.

He found that only Clause 3 could be countered, and the counter was dubious.

Clause 8 was used when there were disputes between two Empires or Nobles regarding a piece of territory or some trade routes. It had never been used when disputes regarding Clause 3 occurred in a Tier 3 City.

This was a bitter pill for him to swallow. That’s when he decided to direct the show from behind the scenes.

He waited five years for his brother to swallow his pride and come to him for help. When Zhen Wu didn’t, he spread the following rumors in the Secular World.

“A chance for Sects to reemerge has come. If the Monstrous Flame Sect uses Clause 3 of the Pact they can acquire a City in the Holy Wood Empire!”

A Sect nearby took the bait. It incited the Monstrous Flame Sect against City Lord. In the face of potential benefits, the Monstrous Flame Sect began to demand more and more concessions in taxes in order to force the City Lord into breaking the alliance.

Coincidentally, that’s when Commander Lu Shao broke through, providing City Lord with sufficient assurance to terminate the alliance.

For the next seven months, he endured the two-pronged attack from the Hu Clan and Monstrous Flame Sect. When he finally couldn’t endure, he approached the Governor for mediation, not as a younger brother but as City Lord Zhen.

Annoyed by his persistence, Governor Zhen disclosed the cause of the dispute to the Hu Clan. The Clan also demanded a fair chance to rule the City.

To satisfy every party, Governor Zhen put forth the idea of a contest to decide the ruler. And that’s how the Tribute Tournament came to be.

On the surface, the Tournament was to decide the taxes so that the Imperial Court wouldn’t find out about the Sect’s involvement in the governance of the City. In the dark, it decided on the king of Birch City.

Life did not become easy for Zhen Wu when he realized that the Tribute Tournament did not keep the other two powers in check. Instead, it had become a sword hanging over his head where one defeat would cause him to lose his position!

Before the City Lord could decide, a decision was made for him. Movements from a Tier 1 Sect of Furnace Fire Empire’s Ember City forced Governor’s hand.

The moment he received the news of their deacon’s arrival in Deciduous County, he summoned Zhen Ya to his chambers.

“Ya’er, your big brother is in deep trouble this time…”

With this preamble, he had the complete attention of his sister. After explaining his plan so far, he told her the reason for her appointment as the Arbitrator.

“You are the strongest Chakra Sensing Realm in this family. When you arrive at Birch City you have two tasks. Firstly, make sure your brother wins the Tournament, by hook or by crook. Second, force the Sect Master of that third rate sect to use the Pact.”

Zhen Ya nodded, even though she did not understand the reasoning behind the tasks. Then he handed her a paper.

“This is the counter prepared for when Clause 3 of the Pact is invoked. Get your brother to learn it. Even if any other clause is invoked, make him use the same argument.”

Zhen Ya quickly skimmed through the document, her eyes widening slightly. Even this much reaction from this cold beauty was enough to show how shocked she was.

“Brother Peng, wouldn’t this mean Brother Wu would have to fight against the Sect alone?”

Zhen Peng smiled and explained to assuage her fears.

“I have investigated that Third rate sect with shallow foundations. Despite its name, it focuses mainly on medicinal skills; not Martial Arts. He should be able to take care of them.”

After going through his memories, the County Governor opened his eyes. A serene smile graced his face with the satisfaction of everything proceeding as planned.

He looked in the direction of the City which would soon bathe in blood.

“This is your repentance trial, little brother. Prove to everyone you are still worthy of being the Zhen Family’s Successor.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep