In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

As he spoke, a mocking glint flashed in the eyes of the Second Young Master Sun. The Fire Pattern Fruit was an important item for the Sun family to cultivate martial artists and increase their family's strength. He wondered who gave Li Qingyun the courage to come and ask for the Fire Pattern Fruit.

Could it be that he really thought that the Sun family would give him face just because he was a county magistrate?

"I am well aware that the Fire Pattern Fruit is extremely important to the Sun family!"

Li Qingyun ignored the mocking look on Young Master Sun's face. "However, this Fire Pattern Fruit is extremely important to me, so... I have no choice but to swallow my pride and come to ask for it."

You certainly have a thick skin.

Young Master Sun chuckled, but didn't say it aloud. He simply said, "If Magistrate Li only came for the Fire Pattern Fruit, then he can go back! My Sun family doesn't have any Fire Pattern Fruit!"

Even if I had it, I wouldn't give it to you!

Young Master Sun added in his mind.

Just as Li Qingyun was about to say something more in his anxiety, Xu Zhiwen tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Leave first!"

Upon hearing this, Li Qingyun thought for a moment, then stood up and left with Xu Zhiwen.

Once outside the Sun family's gate, Li Qingyun couldn't help but ask, "Brother Xu, why did you pull me away just now?"

"The Sun family's attitude is already very clear."

Xu Zhiwen sighed and said, "They will never give you the Fire Pattern Fruit. Continuing to argue with them will only humiliate you!"

"But……"

Li Qingyun said, "If we fail to obtain the Fire Pattern Fruit, how will we explain this to our young friend Chen?"

"Young friend Chen won't mind this!"

Xu Zhiwen suddenly laughed, "Besides... the Sun family's unwillingness to hand over the Fire Pattern Fruit might actually be a good thing for Brother Li!"

"Good news? What do you mean by that?"

Li Qingyun looked completely puzzled.

Xu Zhiwen then said, "Young friend Chen is a man who will not give up until he achieves his goal. The Fire Pattern Fruit is very important to him. Since the Sun family is unwilling to hand over the Fire Pattern Fruit... then young friend Chen will probably go to their door to collect it in person. At that time... Brother Li, your opportunity to take power will come!"

As early as yesterday, Xu Zhiwen had already seen through Chen Dao's intention to personally come and collect the Fire Pattern Fruit; he knew Chen Dao's personality very well.

Chen Dao has compassion for the common people, but he has no liking for the Sun family, a powerful family that bullies the people!

Now that the Sun family is unwilling to hand over the Fire Pattern Fruit, Chen Dao probably wouldn't mind going to their door in person and forcibly obtaining it!

"This……"

Li Qingyun opened his mouth, already understanding Xu Zhiwen's meaning: to use Chen Dao's desire for the Fire Pattern Fruit to incite Chen Dao to confront the Sun family...

Once the Sun family is wiped out by Chen Dao, Li Qingyun will be able to seize power in Ding'an County...

Upon realizing this, Li Qingyun became excited. He had ambitions and many things he wanted to do for the people, and all of this... required power!

Once Li Qingyun gains control of Ding'an County, he can unleash his full potential.

only……

Li Qingyun frowned and said, "Brother Li, isn't it a bit... immoral for us to use young friend Chen like this?"

"of course not!"

Xu Zhiwen laughed and said, "Young friend Chen only cares about the result, not the process. As long as he can get the Fire Pattern Fruit, he won't care whether he is being used by others!"

After saying that, Xu Zhiwen added, "Besides, we've done our part in dealing with the Sun family!"

After saying this, Xu Zhiwen pulled Li Qingyun into the carriage and headed towards Li Qingyun's residence.

Meanwhile, in the Sun family's living room, the second young master of the Sun family, who had seen Li Qingyun and the other person off, went to his own backyard and met Sun Ren, the head of the Sun family, who was enjoying tea in the backyard.

Although Sun Ren's name contains the character "Ren" (仁), his reputation in Ding'an County has nothing to do with benevolence; instead, he is associated with cruelty.

Sun Ren personally ordered the seizure of the people's fertile land and the dispatch of thugs to threaten them. As a result, Sun Ren's reputation in Ding'an County was so bad that people would spit on the ground when they heard his name.

However, everything has two sides. To the people of Taiping County, Sun Ren was a cruel and wicked patriarch.

However, to the members of the Sun family, Sun Ren was one of the most outstanding patriarchs in the past century!

Under Sun Ren's leadership, the wealth and land holdings of the Sun family more than tripled, and the number of seventh-rank martial artists in the clan reached more than a dozen, making their martial prowess reach its peak.

It can be said that Sun Ren deserves much credit for the Sun family's current wealth and status.

It is precisely because of this that Sun Ren is extremely beloved by the members of the Sun family. He is the undisputed leader of the clan, and even the elders of the clan have great faith in him.

"Has Li Qingyun already left?"

Upon seeing the Second Young Master Sun approaching, Sun Ren took a sip of fragrant tea and asked.

"Reporting to Father, they have already departed."

Young Master Sun hurriedly and respectfully replied.

"Ok!"

Sun Ren nodded and then asked, "What brings Li Qingyun here?"

"We've come for the Fire Pattern Fruit! Li Qingyun wants to obtain some Fire Pattern Fruit."

"Fire-patterned Fruit?"

Sun Ren couldn't help but laugh: "This Li Qingyun really doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. How important is that Fire Pattern Fruit? How can it be handed over to this clay-figure county magistrate?"

It's easy to tell from Sun Ren's words that he disdains Li Qingyun's position as county magistrate. To put it bluntly, no matter how high-ranking an official is, he still needs subordinates to do his work.

All of Li Qingyun's subordinates came from the Sun family. Li Qingyun couldn't even command the lowest-ranking clerk in the yamen. What use was a county magistrate title? How could he expect the Sun family to give him face?

Of course, although he looked down on Li Qingyun, Sun Ren had no intention of getting rid of him. It was one thing to sideline the magistrate, but it was another to kill him.

At most, removing a county magistrate from power would only offend a figurehead magistrate, but killing the magistrate would be going against the Xia Dynasty court.

Although the Xia Kingdom is now in decline and its control over its subordinates is weakening, this does not mean that the court can allow local families to challenge its authority.

The murder of a high-ranking official would surely enrage the court, and the wrath of such a behemoth as the court is far beyond what the Sun family can withstand.

Therefore, even though Li Qingyun had come to his door to condemn and insult him from time to time, Sun Ren still endured it and had no intention of taking action against Li Qingyun. If it were someone else who did not have Li Qingyun as a shield, they would have done so...

The grass on his grave is already three meters high!

"That Li Qingyun is indeed a fool!"

Young Master Sun scoffed, "I don't know if he's blind to his own abilities or what, but he actually dares to come here asking for the Fire Pattern Fruit!"

The Sun family's rise to its current power is largely due to the contributions of its martial artists, whose training relies on the Fire Pattern Fruit. This underscores the immense importance of the Fire Pattern Fruit to the Sun family.

Let alone Li Qingyun, who is just a figurehead magistrate, even if the prefect of the county seat came, it would be quite difficult for him to obtain the Fire Pattern Fruit from the Sun family.