71: Three-legged tripod

One side was keen to win over, and the other was willing to accept.

The Two People immediately hit it off, almost forgetting that there were still tens of thousands of onlookers around them.

It wasn't until Chen Fang's subordinate coughed twice, reminding everyone, that they belatedly reacted.

"Little Brother Shen, I'm hosting a banquet tonight; you and Cadre Chen must come as guests!"

Liu Wensheng naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to befriend Shen Xi.

Moreover, now that Chen Fang had become a Cadre, he would be on equal footing with them, so it was essential to win him over in advance to strengthen their own side's power.

"Naturally!"

Shen Xi and the Two People both nodded; they did not refuse the olive branch extended to them.

Especially Chen Fang, although he was now a Cadre, to say he was on equal footing with Liu Wensheng and the others was clearly unrealistic.

In the Martial Artist world, the strong are respected. Chen Fang was still only at the Yuan Qi Transformation Realm, which was a significant difference in strength compared to other Cadres who had already reached the Houtian Lesser Stage or even Major Achievement.

It was essential to maintain a good relationship with them.

Besides that, there were also distinctions in status among Cadres.

Liu Wensheng could publicly decide that the Cadre position belonged to Chen Fang, although part of the reason was that Kong Wen was already dead. But if it were Chen Fang, even if he became a Cadre, he would still not be qualified to do such a thing under similar circumstances.

This was the difference in status.

"Then the three of us will take our leave first. See you tonight."

The three did not linger, turning and leaving directly.

Shen Xi and the Two People also disliked being watched by so many people, feeling like monkeys in a zoo, and likewise disappeared into the crowd.

"Shen Xi, wait for me..."

In the crowd, Ye Zirou looked at Shen Xi's disappearing back and quickly called out.

It was a pity that the distance was too far and the crowd too noisy; Shen Xi did not hear her.

Seeing Shen Xi disappear, Ye Zirou stomped her foot in anger: "This hateful person! I was worried something might happen to you, but you just ran off!"

"You wait, this isn't over!"

After saying that, Ye Zirou hurried towards Shen Xi's hotel... However, Shen Xi was not in a hurry to return to the hotel.

At Chen Fang's enthusiastic invitation, he accompanied him on a stroll through the Outer City.

They wandered for two hours before finally leaving.

By the time Shen Xi returned to the hotel and opened his room, Ye Zirou had already fallen asleep waiting.

Ye Zirou was curled up on the sofa, like a docile kitten, sleeping soundly.

This made Shen Xi couldn't help but smile. He didn't disturb her, poured himself a glass of water, and just watched her quietly.

Another two hours passed.

Ye Zirou finally woke up. She stretched lazily, still with her eyes closed, and began to mumble: "Hateful Shen Xi, I was worried something might happen to you and specially ran to the arena to watch your death match, but you, on the other hand, just disappeared like you'd greased your feet. When I catch you, I'll definitely make you apologize to me..."

Shen Xi was a bit confused by what he heard.

It wasn't that he was confused about Ye Zirou specifically running to the arena, but rather how much this little mouth could babble.

And she said it all in one breath, without a single repetition.

"Cough, cough!"

He deliberately coughed twice.

Ye Zirou finally opened her eyes, and seeing Shen Xi, her pretty face immediately flushed.

"You, when did you come back?"

Ye Zirou shrank back, her smooth little feet hidden under her skirt.

"When you were sleeping and drooling."

Shen Xi deliberately teased her.

"You, you're talking nonsense, I don't drool."

Ye Zirou said with a guilty conscience, subconsciously wiping the corner of her mouth.

After finding nothing at the corner of her mouth, she immediately realized that Shen Xi was tricking her and jumped up on the sofa in anger.

However, she had just woken up and was a bit groggy, plus she had been sleeping curled up, so her body was a bit stiff. With a big movement, she suddenly felt numb all over and, unable to stand steady, fell into Shen Xi's arms.

"Ouch!"

Ye Zirou cried out in pain.

"Please, if you want to silence me, try a different method! Are you trying to exhaust me to death?"

Shen Xi rarely showed an embarrassed expression.

He had to admit, this girl was quite well-endowed.

He clearly felt two soft masses pressing against him. If it were anyone else, they would have already gone wild.

"You, what nonsense are you talking about!"

Ye Zirou quickly pushed Shen Xi away, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

What a huge loss!

Not only was her sleeping posture seen, but she was also embraced by him.

"What do you want from me?"

Fortunately, Shen Xi didn't dwell on the matter and changed the subject before Ye Zirou could dig a three-bedroom, one-living room apartment with her toes.

"I, I came to congratulate you on defeating Kong Wen and becoming an honorary Elder, and also to remind you of something."

Ye Zirou's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz; she was clearly still embarrassed by the earlier accident.

"What is it?"

Shen Xi asked curiously.

"Don't get too deeply involved in the affairs of Zhu Feng City."

When it came to serious matters, Ye Zirou finally returned to normal.

Then, she said something that shocked Shen Xi.

There was someone else behind Kong Wen!

Just as there was competition between Chen Fang and Kong Wen in the Outer City, the Inner City was naturally the same.

To be precise, the competition between Chen Fang and Kong Wen was actually a microcosm of the Inner City's struggle.

After all, Zhu Feng City was only so big, and resources were only so much. Who wouldn't want to dominate, occupy all resources, and wield absolute power?

To achieve this goal, various forces were striving to support their own people to rise, occupy more important positions, and the ultimate result would naturally be their own faction gaining widespread support and controlling most of Zhu Feng City's authority.

"The forces in Zhu Feng City can be roughly divided into three groups: the Judgment Squad as one force, the Zhu Feng City Lord's Mansion as another force, and besides that, the Council as a third force."

"The three forces present a tripartite balance, mutually checking and restraining each other. But now, as Zhu Feng City's development gets better and better, these three forces can no longer sit still. They are not satisfied with not being able to completely control Zhu Feng City, so they try every means to infiltrate their own people into other forces and occupy key positions."

"At that time, if the high-ranking officials in other forces are all their own people, then it will become easy for them to completely control Zhu Feng City."

"This is the current situation in Zhu Feng City."

When Ye Zirou said this, her expression became somewhat grim.

As a merchant, she naturally hoped for stability in Zhu Feng City.

Only with sufficient stability could there be an environment for business. Otherwise, if the city was turbulent and ordinary people lived day-to-day, how could they have spare money to buy goods?

Furthermore, she was not the kind of unscrupulous merchant who profited from war.