Chapter 252: Zhou Zhongtian “Solving Troubles”

From the old woman’s expression, Zhou Zhongtian couldn’t detect a hint of guilt. Instead, she looked as if she had done something incredibly righteous!

“Young man, you’ve been wailing for so long, but I don’t see a single tear in your eyes!” As she spoke, the old woman reached out toward Zhou Zhongtian. “Do you have no troubles at all? Tell me, dear. Let me ease your worries…”

Zhou Zhongtian took a few steps back, placing a hand on the hilt of his longsword at his waist. He then looked toward the tear-wiping, opera-clad young man—only to find the man was staring right back at him.

“So tragic, so tragic, so tragic!”

“You, young man, you too are the epitome of tragedy!”

“Being an External Agent for so many years, you must have suffered countless scornful gazes and disdain, haven’t you?”

“We are all unfortunate souls here. Why not share your troubles with everyone? Let it all out.”

The opera-clad youth’s sharp voice pierced the air. The moment he spoke, the three repeated cries of “tragic” struck Zhou Zhongtian like a bolt of lightning, echoing in his ears like an ominous chant!

“Tragic, my ass!”

Clang!

With a furious curse, Zhou Zhongtian suddenly unsheathed his longsword. The metallic ring of the blade leaving its scabbard seemed to sever something in the air, dispersing the eerie voices that had been reverberating in his mind!

“Woo woo woo~ We were only trying to help you, dear boy~~~”

“Yet you draw your sword against us? That truly breaks our hearts!”

Just as the opera-clad youth was about to make his move, Zhou Zhongtian—who had moments ago seemed resolute and ready to fight—turned on his heel and bolted without a moment’s hesitation.

The unexpected retreat left even the ghost in opera attire dumbfounded.

He had assumed that anyone daring to come here must at least be prepared to die.

Who would have thought that the man had actually come fully prepared—to run away at any time?!

“Villagers, it seems this young man does not wish to share his sorrows. Shall we go find another suffering soul instead?”

The opera-clad youth waved his wide sleeves, and the crowd of villagers immediately responded with a resounding “Yes!” before following him toward another household.

Meanwhile, after sprinting for a short distance and ducking into a side alley, Zhou Zhongtian noticed that the opera-clad youth hadn’t given chase. So, he chose a small path and secretly trailed after them…

At the entrance of a grand residence, a well-dressed, portly middle-aged man stood with a deeply troubled expression.

Surrounding him were the same villagers, eager to listen to yet another tale of woe.

Judging by his attire, it was clear that material hardship was not something this middle-aged man had ever experienced.

However, that didn’t mean he was free from worries!

Sure enough, after only a few moments of coaxing, the middle-aged man revealed his troubles: his two sons had been feuding bitterly over the division of the family estate.

The man was a merchant, with businesses both within and outside of Four Corners Town. He owned a total of five shops—four smaller ones within the town and a single, much larger establishment outside of it.

He had thought everything through. Feeling that he was getting on in years, he had decided it was time to divide his assets between his two married sons.

His eldest son lived in the county, so he would receive the largest shop outside the town, along with one smaller shop within Four Corners Town.

His younger son, who had settled in Four Corners Town, would inherit the remaining three shops within the town.

Though there was a slight difference in value between their shares, it was minimal.

Yet, the moment their father announced the division, neither son was satisfied.

The eldest felt that the shops should be split evenly—one per person. Why should his younger brother receive three while he only got two?

The younger son, on the other hand, calculated that the value of the shop his older brother received far exceeded that of the three he was given.

Moreover, since his elder brother was often away and rarely returned to Four Corners Town, he had been the one managing the local shops. Not to mention, he had been the one taking care of their aging father.

By both sentiment and logic, the four town shops should rightfully belong to him.

What started as a peaceful discussion soon escalated into heated arguments, then outright physical brawls!

Just a few days ago, the elder brother broke his younger brother’s leg, while the younger brother retaliated by punching his brother so hard that he broke his nose!

As for the portly middle-aged man, he had been caught in the middle trying to break up the fight—only to be shoved to the ground, nearly fracturing his tailbone.

Even though almost a month had passed, his tailbone still burned with pain!

“Fellow villagers, many of you know me. My wife passed away early!”

“For the sake of these two sons, I never remarried!”

“And now, because of this inheritance, my household is in utter chaos!”

At this point, the middle-aged man’s eyes reddened, on the verge of tears.

“It’s just dividing an inheritance!”

“Let me help you come up with a solution!”

A confident voice rang out from the back of the crowd. Everyone turned to look—only to see that it was the young man who had run away earlier!

“Dividing an inheritance isn’t difficult at all! Sir, you look to be in your forties, still in your prime!”

“Just divide the assets the way you originally planned—but don’t announce it. Instead, quietly draft a legal document and submit it to the authorities!”

“Pay the officials an extra fee to safeguard the document, and instruct them to reveal it to your sons only after your passing!”

“This way, neither of them will know how exactly the inheritance is divided!”

“In their uncertainty, they’ll be forced to follow your wishes. Whether you want them to maintain harmony or take care of you in your old age, they’ll have no choice but to comply!”

“And in the end, you can decide who deserves more—whoever is filial and dutiful gets a bigger share, while anyone who dares to go against you gets absolutely nothing!”

As Zhou Zhongtian finished speaking, the once-distressed middle-aged man couldn’t help but smile. “Young man, you make a lot of sense! This wealth was earned through my hard work—why should they get a say in how I distribute it?”

“If those ungrateful brats push me too far, I’ll just donate everything to the poor! So what?”

“Thank you, young man!” With a grateful nod to Zhou Zhongtian, the middle-aged man eagerly shut his door—clearly rushing inside to write that document.

The portly merchant was relieved, having avoided further disaster.

But the villagers, whose “good deed” had been ruined, and the now-pale-faced opera-clad youth, were anything but pleased…

They all turned to Zhou Zhongtian with menacing expressions.

“Woo woo woo~ Young man, your deceitful words have truly broken my heart… Why don’t we at least listen to your sorrows fi—”

Before the opera-clad youth could even finish his sentence, Zhou Zhongtian—who had just been standing tall and proud—spun around and bolted without a second thought…