Chapter 221 - 131: Decapitation, a Treat, and Taking in the Headless Dog

Twenty-five years old?

Two classic criminal cases!?

To be honest, Feng Ji couldn’t fathom how those two things could possibly go together. The fact that the cases were less than three months apart was especially baffling.

"Does he have someone backing him?"

Feng Ji mulled it over before finally looking up at Sun Qiao, his brow furrowed.

"No, no one. He has no masters or resources backing him. He might have some local connections looking out for him, but definitely no one at the provincial level."

Sun Qiao said, shaking his head.

Their connections at the provincial level were tight. If the kid really had backing, there was no way they wouldn’t know.

That being the case, for him to be shortlisted at such a young age could only mean one thing...

"He was shortlisted based on his personal ability," Sun Qiao said.

Personal ability!?

Feng Ji paused at that, then narrowed his eyes.

"Personal ability..."

he murmured, as if he hadn’t heard the phrase in a long time.

With the law firm having developed to its current state, backed by countless resources, personal ability was, frankly, still necessary, but not as crucial as it once was.

Take, for example.

One of their two cases this year was a major anti-gang operation led by Qingwu Province. The case was a resounding success, virtually guaranteed to be selected as a classic case to serve as an example for all the police in the province.

A case like that was handed to Lanhua Law Firm.

Did it require personal ability?

No.

Did it require some burst of genius?

Not at all. They didn’t even need to assign a Gold Medal Lawyer to handle it. Even a senior associate could have guaranteed its selection as a classic case!

Something ordinary people couldn’t even dream of.

They could obtain it without having to put in any real effort!

This was the foundation of Lanhua Law Firm’s confidence, placing it among the top ranks nationwide!

Feng Ji asked, "How many slots are there this year?"

"Five," Sun Qiao replied.

Feng Ji’s brow knitted.

He thought for a moment, then asked another question:

"What about those two cases?"

He was referring to Xu De’s two cases.

Information about cases like these traveled incredibly slowly. Feng Ji hadn’t even heard of them before this, having delegated all information gathering to his subordinates.

Fortunately, Sun Qiao was diligent. He considered for a moment, his brow furrowed, and said gravely:

"The cases’ substance... is immense!"

"Outrageously high. To be shortlisted purely on personal ability... Director, you should be able to imagine what kind of monster we’re dealing with."

Lanhua hadn’t seen someone get shortlisted on pure ability for who knows how many years.

And ability can only be proven by difficulty.

For example.

If you’re asked to do elementary school math and get a perfect score, does that prove you’re highly capable?

No.

But if you’re asked to take the International Mathematical Olympiad and get a perfect score, not a single person will say you aren’t capable!

The reverse is also true.

The fact that Xu De could be selected based on ability was indirect proof that the cases he handled were sufficiently complex and extremely difficult.

"Both of them could be selected?" Feng Ji frowned, asking again.

"It’s possible... very possible."

Sun Qiao didn’t want to speak in absolutes.

When he finished, Feng Ji fell into thought. After a long while, he finally spoke:

"His law firm... how many people? What’s its background?"

Sun Qiao replied, "One senior associate and a few regular practicing lawyers."

"That Lin Yue is a bit of a handful. Her father is Lin Guodong... but Lin Guodong generally doesn’t show excessive favoritism toward his children. He abstained from voting in this selection."

Lin Guodong?

’That idealist? If he decided to target us, he would indeed be trouble... but thankfully, he’s an idealist, which means he’s bound by the rules.’

’In that case...’

In a flash,

"Can we swallow them?"

Feng Ji’s sudden words were shocking. The abrupt question was like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to strike when you least expected it!

"We haven’t made an assessment yet."

Sun Qiao shook his head.

He understood what Feng Ji meant.

It was simply about absorbing the other law firm.

Once absorbed, Houde Law Firm would become a part of them, and Xu De would become one of their own.

An exceptionally capable opponent?

No.

He should be turned into a sharp, useful sword in their own hands!

"When does he arrive in Wutong City?" Feng Ji suddenly asked.

"Probably tomorrow... or the day after?"

Sun Qiao replied. A thought suddenly struck him as he understood his boss’s intention. He asked tentatively,

"Treat him to a meal?"

A meal was a way to try and win him over with benefits.

If they succeeded, Feng Ji would even support his selection in the classic cases evaluation.

Why?

Because once he was won over, those two cases would no longer belong to someone else—they would belong to Lanhua!

Afterwards, Houde would only need to say that the cases’ results were achieved under the ’guidance’ of Lanhua Law Firm’s professional team, and Lanhua’s influence would expand even further.

It wasn’t even out of the question that they could use Houde Law Firm to extend their reach into Lusen City!

Therefore, to accomplish all this,

the first step should theoretically be a dinner invitation, followed by discussion and negotiation.

But that’s only when both parties are equals.

When the gap between them is too large... it wasn’t unheard of for some law firms to forcibly seize credit for a case.

There was a case where a small firm had worked tirelessly for over two years to obtain crucial evidence and win for their client. In the end, a big firm’s casual claim of ’under our guidance’ and the ensuing media frenzy completely erased all of the small firm’s hard work.

Lanhua versus Houde.

The two firms were on completely different scales.

So,

Feng Ji chose...

"Decapitate first!"

Feng Ji said.

"Decapitate first?"

Sun Qiao was startled and confused.

"Decapitate first."

Feng Ji nodded. "Once the head is chopped off, it’ll be easier for him to listen to what Lanhua has to say over dinner."

"Only then... can we take him in and make him our dog!"

’Invite to dinner and decapitate? Or invite to dinner and recruit a dog?’

’What he wants is...’

’Decapitate first, then invite the headless dog to dinner and take it in!’

Sun Qiao instantly understood. He thought for a moment and came up with a plan.

"Understood."

With that said, Feng Ji nodded, signaling him to get it done. Seeing this, Sun Qiao left without hesitation.

He put down the information about the case selection and continued to handle his work.

Feng Ji wasn’t concerned about Xu De. The man might be capable, but in the face of overwhelming resources, even the greatest ability was useless.

The power to grade the cases was in their hands!

If the gap between them wasn’t so large, Lanhua wouldn’t do this. But the disparity between them...

Let’s put it this way.

In Lusen City, Houde Law Firm still had a long way to go to catch up to Director Han’s Jinmao Law Firm. If an irreconcilable conflict were to break out, Xu De would be spread too thin to salvage the situation and would be almost completely crushed.

And Jinmao...

in front of the Lanhua Law Firm that Feng Ji had founded, it would be no exaggeration to say they could crush Jinmao with just a couple of stomps.

That was the weight of being ranked 13th in the country!

You have to understand, if you removed the eight top-tier Red Circle law firms... Lanhua would be in the top five nationwide!

Its resources...

had long since been fully accumulated.

Feng Ji lowered his head, approving one contract after another for the firm. In the office, only the SCRIBBLING sound of his pen could be heard.

...

...

「January 18th.」

「Eight in the morning.」

「Inside White Cloud Temple.」

"BANG! BANG!"

"Get up, get up! The official bus is already here! If you don’t get up, I’m going to get Wang Chao to come pick the lock on your bedroom door!"

First thing in the morning, Lin Yue, already dressed and full of energy, stood at Xu De’s bedroom door, knocking.

After a long while,

the door in front of her finally CREAKED open.

Xu De looked at the person at his door—clearly petite, but seemingly possessed with the inexhaustible strength of an ox—and lamented once again that moving into White Cloud Temple had not been a good choice.

"I’m up, I’m up. I’m just going to get changed."

Xu De closed the door.

Before long, he reappeared at the door, dressed sharply in a suit.

He hadn’t eaten breakfast, only quickly washed up and tidied himself before being dragged by Lin Yue toward the entrance of White Cloud Temple.

When they reached the entrance, Xu De discovered that a dozen or so people were gathered at the main gate.

Among them were Historian Shi, as well as Yang Guodong and the director of the Justice Bureau. There were even people from the court and the procuratorate.

They were all gathered around a golden minibus, chatting with smiles on their faces.

They had already exchanged pleasantries the previous night.

So they didn’t waste much time this morning.

Before long, Historian Shi herded everyone onto the bus. Then,

VROOOM!

the minibus slowly started moving, driving off into the distance.

The people watching the bus let out a deep breath, their faces filled with a sense of emotion.

「Inside the stone pavilion.」

Lin Guodong retracted his gaze and looked at Master Guanxin beside him, his brow furrowed.

"This matter of implementing the dormant clause..."

He said in a low voice:

"Will it work?"

...