Chapter 236: Fairness II

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“That was somehow more exhausting than fighting Han,” Liu Jin says once the day is over.

It is only him and Lei Kong in the room now. Big Sister has left to “inspect” Thunder Blade Fortress. No doubt, she is rooting out some injustice. Maybe several.

“Nevertheless, you did wonderfully, my lord,” Lei Kong says. “The Lei Clan understands your authority now.”

Liu Jin raises an eyebrow. “Do they? Or do they merely understand a Heaven Realm cultivator was always standing behind me?”

“You do yourself a disservice, my lord,” Lei Kong says. “Lady Bai is a strong cultivator, but she never once flared her aura. It was your authority that the Lei Clan yielded to.”

Liu Jin looks at Lei Kong in silence for several seconds.

“Lei Kong, do you resent me?” he asks.

“What?!” Lei Kong crinkles his brow in confusion. “My lord, why would you ask me that?”

“You spoke very little about it, but I know what the Lei Clan did to you,” Liu Jin says. “You probably thought about taking revenge many times. I cannot imagine seeing it all resolved like this has been satisfying to you. Do you resent me for it?”

Lei Kong smiles and shakes his head.

“My lord, you have only shown me the ghosts from my past were much less frightening than I believe them to be. The Lei Clan has been punished. I am content.” He frowns. “However, I fear what will happen next.”

Liu Jin can only agree. He made several bold declarations, but that’s all they were. If Murong Bang decides he does not want him in charge of the Lei Clan, that will be it. And even if Murong Bang decides to humor him, Liu Jin cannot stop Murong Bang from dealing with slaves. At best, he’ll just have stopped the Lei Clan’s participation in the trade.

“Having their children hostage may keep them compliant for some time, but it might also make them reckless,” Lei Kong warns him. “The leader of the Brotherhood seems like a good man, but he will have his hands full dealing with the normal citizens. Without anyone overseeing them, the Lei Clan is bound to try something eventually.”

“I am glad you brought that up,” Liu Jin says, grimacing. “I have been thinking about it too, and I believe I have a solution.”

“Oh?”

“Leader Liu needs someone to help him. I believe we can all agree on that,” Liu Jin says. Lei Kong nods. “I have a person in mind. Someone strong, competent, and loyal. Someone who is already familiar with the Lei Clan and their land. With this person in charge of Lei Clan, there would be no need to fear any complications.”

“Is there really such a person, my lord?” Lei Kong asks him.

Liu Jin looks at Lei Kong.

Five seconds pass by before Lei Kong understands.

“My lord, no!” Lei Kong shouts, frantically waving his arms in front of him. “That’s not… Surely, there is someone better?!”

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“Who?” Liu Jin asks him. “Who else could I trust to do this other than you? You are a Lei, which gives you some legitimacy, and being in the Earth Realm means you are strong enough not to worry about an uprising.”

“I did not enter the Earth Realm to defeat my family!” Lei Kong shouts desperately. “I did it to help you, my lord! I did it to be useful to you in your travels!”

“And you will be useful to me,” Liu Jin says sadly. “Here.”

“What of you, my lord?” Lei Kong tries, searching for a way to refuse. “What of the war against the Death Fashioning Scripture?”

“When the time comes, I fully expect Murong Bang to send the Lei Clan to fight,” Liu Jin says. “However, after that’s over, assuming it ends well, I will need you to return here.”

Liu Jin does not say for how long. He does not need to. He and Lei Kong understand they are not speaking of weeks or even months. Lei Kong might need to stay here for years.