Chapter 51: No one is better than me! You're going to die

"Pap pap pap…"

Xu Wenzhao felt his face being slapped silently, over and over again.

The gazes of everyone around him were full of schadenfreude.

His face turned red, and it felt like every hair on his body was about to ignite.

His scalp felt like it was going to be lifted, and his heart was about to explode.

He couldn't stay for another moment and turned around to leave.

"Shen Lang, you just wait for me, you just wait."

"From now on, you and I won't rest until one of us is dead!"

……

All the students present looked at Shen Lang with admiration.

Wow, he actually made Xu Wenzhao, the bully, apologize?

At this moment, the Earl suddenly said, "Shen Lang, hold out your hand."

Shen Lang hesitantly asked, "Father-in-law, why?"

"Hold it out," the Earl said.

Shen Lang held out his palm.

The Earl picked up a ruler and lightly tapped Shen Lang's palm.

Winning comes with a punishment too? It didn't hurt at all.

"Be humble and restrain yourself, so you don't become too arrogant!" the Earl lectured.

You old-fashioned, stuffy old man.

"Yes, father-in-law," Shen Lang said with a obedient look.

This was a classic case of smiling on the surface but cursing in the heart.

Of course, he knew that the Earl was well-intentioned, to prevent jealousy among the students present.

And the Earl really couldn't stand Shen Lang's proud look and always wanted to discipline him for no reason.

Sigh!

Father-in-law and son-in-law were at odds after all!

Although the Earl did like this son-in-law.

……

Xu Wenzhao, feeling humiliated, couldn't stay at the Earl's residence any longer and went home to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

However, the news of Shen Lang slapping him in the face quickly spread throughout the entire Earl's residence and then to Xuanwu City.

Of course, it wasn't because Xu Wenzhao had such great fame, but rather because of Shen Lang.

At this point, Shen Lang had become a celebrity in Xuanwu City.

First, he married into the Earl's residence, and then he made a big splash at Tian Heng's gambling den. It's difficult not to gain attention.

Xu Wenzhao decided not to go to the Earl's residence for the next few days, at least not until this incident blew over.

And while he was drowning his sorrows in alcohol, someone suddenly appeared at his home.

Tian Heng!

The enemy of my enemy is my friend?

Tian Heng sat in front of Xu Wenzhao and said, "Mr. Xu only lost face, but as for me, my tendons and bones were injured. I and Shen Lang are mortal enemies."

Xu Wenzhao felt a little better.

When you're having a run of bad luck, what can make you happy? Of course, meeting someone who's having an even worse time.

Tian Heng said, "Mr. Xu, do you want to get rid of Shen Lang, this sinful animal?"

"Get rid of?" Xu Wenzhao was surprised. "What do you mean by 'get rid of'?"

"Of course, to kill him," Tian Heng said.

Xu Wenzhao shook his head. "It's impossible. The Earl is very fond of him. Who in Xuanwu City can touch Shen Lang with the Earl protecting him?"

Tian Heng said, "You hit the nail on the head. With the Earl protecting him, no one can touch Shen Lang unless the Earl is willing to give him up!"

"How is that possible? Shen Lang is not as useless as rumored. The Earl is ecstatic about him. How could he possibly give up on him?" Xu Wenzhao said.

"Why not?" Tian Heng said. "It's precisely because Shen Lang is so outstanding that the Earl wants to give him up."

Xu Wenzhao was taken aback.

Tian Heng continued, "What is the Earl's worry?"

"The heir is too incompetent," Xu Wenzhao said.

"Exactly, the heir is incompetent, and the new policies are flourishing. After the Earl passes away, with Shen Lang's outstanding performance, how can the heir control him? There might be trouble in the future, and Xuanwu Earl's residence might bear the name Shen instead of Jin," Tian Heng said.

Xu Wenzhao took a sip of wine and said, "That makes sense."

Tian Heng said, "The day when five people competed to marry into the Earl's residence, the other four were so outstanding. Why was it that only Shen Lang emerged victorious?"

"Because he had no ambitions and appeared very incompetent with a very bad reputation," Xu Wenzhao said.

"Exactly," Tian Heng said. "But is he still incompetent now? He's displaying exceptional talents that surpass the heir, Jin Mucong."

"But Shen Lang has no ambition. Looking at the things he has done, first extorting you, then winning at your gambling den, and then forcing me to apologize, it's completely a face that will retaliate for every grievance, shameless and reckless behavior. Anyone can see that he has no ambition," Xu Wenzhao said.

田横 said, "He is not ambitious, but we can make him very ambitious. I will spread rumors outside, saying how outstanding Shen Lang is and how foolish the eldest son is. One day, Shen Lang will definitely replace him, and you will need to spread rumors in front of the Earl and his wife. If ten times don't work, then a hundred times, a thousand times."

"False rumors create a sensation?" Xu Wenzhao said.

"Yes," Tian Heng said, "A lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth."

Xu Wenzhao said, "Even so, the Earl will at most be cautious and won't harm Shen Lang at all."

Tian Heng said, "The key is to make the Earl cautious and unwilling to protect Shen Lang at critical moments. Whether it's the rumors outside or your slander, they are just testing the waters. We have a real killer move to deal with Shen Lang."

"What killer move?" Xu Wenzhao asked.

"I can't say," Tian Heng said, "As long as the rumors are fierce enough and your slander is vicious enough, the fire will start, and then our killer move will be able to strike directly and kill Shen Lang."

"Can it really work?" Xu Wenzhao asked.

"Of course it can, so Mr. Xu, you have to return to the Earl's mansion and help us set this fire," Tian Heng said.

Xu Wenzhao really didn't want to return to the Earl's mansion at this time, but if he could kill Shen Lang, being pointed and laughed at a few times was nothing.

"Don't worry, I will return to the Earl's mansion tomorrow and make sure the fire burns bright, and burn Shen Lang alive," Xu Wenzhao said. "First, I will ignite it with the Earl, and then by the side of the Earl's wife, I will ensure both masters are wary of Shen Lang."

Tian Heng reached out, "We will work together and strive to execute the next killer move to eliminate Shen Lang."

Suddenly, two palms clapped together.

...

Night fell.

Xu Wenzhao dressed up, covered in a black robe, holding a box in his arms, leaving the house through the back door.

Soon after leaving, two warriors followed him, one in front and one behind.

After a while, he entered a secret courtyard.

This was the Xu family's private villa, known to only a few.

A warrior led Xu Wenzhao into the house.

Xu Wenzhao couldn't see the master inside, he could only see a shadow.

"My lord, this is my filial tribute for the past half year," Xu Wenzhao placed a larger box on the table, and upon opening it, it revealed a gleaming pile of gold coins, at least a thousand.

"Isn't this a bit much?" Zhang Jin's voice sounded from inside.

"Not at all, not at all," Xu Wenzhao then took out a small box and placed it on the table, "My lord, as your marriage is approaching, I can't attend. This is a gift for Lady, all of them are jewelry and accessories passed down from the Earl's mansion."

The small box opened, revealing glittering jewels.

Zhang Jin said, "Anything else? You know what we want most."

Xu Wenzhao took out a booklet, "This is some secret intelligence I obtained from the Earl's mansion this month."

A warrior came in, took the booklet and left.

After browsing through it, Zhang Jin said, "Why are these trivial matters? We want to know the true financial situation of the Earl's mansion, how much gold reserves they have, how long they can support the current spending, this is the key to defeating the Earl's mansion. The most crucial intelligence is, where exactly is the Earl's secret treasury."

"My lord, these core secrets of the Earl's mansion, although I hold considerable power, only the Earl himself knows these top secrets. But please rest assured, I already have some clues, and I feel like I'm not far from the Earl's mansion's core treasury."

"Well, that's the most important thing, much more important than the gold coins you offered," Zhang Jin said. "You have to put in more effort. You can rest assured that we will not let go of a meritorious subject."

"What about my son's civil examinations this year?" Xu Wenzhao asked.

"Eighty percent!" Zhang Jin said directly.

Xu Wenzhao was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, my lord."

He couldn't help but speak, "How much longer can that animal Shen Lang continue to cause trouble? I can't stand it for even one more day."

Zhang Jin frowned, "He is just a bug, insignificant. Defeating the Earl's mansion is the most important thing."

But now Xu Wenzhao wanted to kill Shen Lang to relieve his hatred.

Zhang Jin said, "Isn't Tian Heng planning to take down Shen Lang? You must cooperate with him inside the Earl's mansion."

"Right, I will continuously slander within the Earl's mansion tomorrow. I can't wait to trample this beast to death immediately," Xu Wenzhao said.

...

At night, Shen Lang returned to his own courtyard.

He had achieved great success today, severely dampening the spirit of Xu Wenzhao, but Shen Lang did not have any sense of pride.

He inquired and investigated a lot today, so he has made a decision.

Shen Lang has many life mottoes, some of which change frequently, but there are a few that remain constant.

For instance, there are always villains trying to harm me.

Another one is, always interpret others with the utmost malice.

Shen Lang sees things from Xu Wenzhao's perspective.

If someone as narrow-minded as Xu Wenzhao were to be thoroughly embarrassed like me, what would he do?

Bah!

Someone as narrow-minded as Xu Wenzhao, after being thoroughly embarrassed, what would he do?

Of course, he would seek revenge on me, and it would be relentless.

He might even team up with the enemy, like Tian Hang, to get back at me.

As for how Xu Wenzhao would seek revenge on me, it's completely unimportant!

Because, Shen Lang won't give him a chance to strike back.

How should one deal with someone who is constantly hostile and wants to harm you?

Wait until they strike and then retaliate?

That's just plain stupid! You won't make it to Chapter 100.

The only way is to strike first and eliminate the enemy in the bud!

I'm sorry, but I think you might harm me, so I have to strike first.

Of course, there are exceptions, where you have to wait for the enemy to make the first move before triggering a counterattack. Just like wait for several days like Tian Hang has done!

In short, a thousand words can be summed up in one sentence: Xu Wenzhao, I'm going to kill you!

I'll do it tomorrow.

No, no, time is money.

I'll do it tonight, right now!

I'll make sure to finish you off tomorrow!

Oh! I'm so handsome, so clever, and so ruthless, how did I end up like this?