Song Qiao chuckled upon hearing this.
It seemed Cheng Dong had been yearning for the position of helm master for a long time.
As soon as he got his hands on the token, he went to the Tao family to stir up trouble.
Noticing Jiang Rou's questioning gaze, Song Qiao quickly suppressed his laughter.
He inquired seriously, "How did Tao Jie and his mother respond?"
"You saved mistress's life, so naturally, they wouldn't just blindly obey Cheng Dong," Jiang Rou sighed, continuing her report.
"But Cheng Dong has the token from the Grand Helm Master!"
"She and Tao Jie could only try to placate him with vague promises."
"Now the Tao family wants me to ask you, why is your engraved stone token in Cheng Dong's possession?"
"Could it be that this is truly your intention? Did you strike some kind of deal with Cheng Dong?"
"Is it his daughter?"
Jiang Rou, unable to keep her thoughts to herself, blurted out all her doubts.
She believed the most plausible explanation was Song Qiao's infatuation with Cheng Ran's beauty. After all, everyone had witnessed it clearly at Cheng Ran's birthday banquet.
With this as a backdrop, Jiang Rou speculated that a deeply moving love story was unfolding. Song Qiao had won Cheng Ran over, but she was fiercely loyal to her family and refused him. Song Qiao, unable to force her, had no choice but to relinquish his helm master engraved stone token to Cheng Dong, hoping to win the beauty's favor.
However, Song Qiao's answer made her eyes pop out in disbelief.
"He bought it from me. I sold it for 2 billion!"
"What?" Jiang Rou was stunned.
If it were for love, it would be one thing; at least he could earn a reputation for being devoted and sincere. But Song Qiao had given up such a crucial item for mere money. What was that? Short-sighted, only caring about immediate gains!
"No, this is too unreliable!" Jiang Rou couldn't suppress her anger and couldn't help but complain to Song Qiao.
"How could you easily sell such an important item to someone like Cheng Dong?"
"You got 2 billion, and you can live a life of leisure from now on."
"But what about the Tao family and me? How are we supposed to manage?"
"Furthermore, with the Grand Helm Master's token in your hand before, you had access to inexhaustible resources. The benefits far outweighed this 2 billion in your hands, Helm Master!"
"Now that you've lost the most important token, who will still acknowledge you?"
Although Jiang Rou's words were full of complaint, Song Qiao was touched.
He smiled at Jiang Rou and said, "Aren't you still calling me Helm Master?"
"Alas!" Jiang Rou sighed, rolling her eyes at Song Qiao in exasperation.
"You saved our lives and the Tao family's lives, so we would never abandon you because of a mere token."
"But others, including the forces left behind by my master, only recognize that token."
Understanding Jiang Rou's stance, Song Qiao felt the test could conclude. It wasn't that he was inherently suspicious, but Jiang Rou and Li Chong had harbored deep hatred for him before. Although they had now pledged allegiance to him, it was primarily because Tao Fan was dead, and they had no one else to rely on. But it seemed that both Jiang Rou and the Tao family were still loyal and hadn't switched sides simply because the engraved stone token was no longer in his possession. This made Song Qiao very satisfied.
"Hahaha, do you think I'm that bad at calculating?" Song Qiao suddenly burst out laughing, causing a flicker of suspicion to cross Jiang Rou's face.
"You mean...?"
"I sold him a fake." Song Qiao reached into the drawer and took out another engraved stone token, smiling.
"The reason for doing this was to extort 2 billion from him for free. It also allowed me to get revenge on him."
"After all, daring to forge the helm master's token of Tong Men was something very few people had done before!"
"Phew..." Jiang Rou gasped in surprise, then finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness, thank goodness, you almost scared me to death..."
Song Qiao laughed, "Whatever Cheng Dong asks for, have the Tao family agree to all of it."
"The Tong Men Grand Assembly in Modu is about to begin. During this time, Cheng Dong will surely be flaunting that fake token everywhere."
"If he wants to take office, he'll need to get others to support him."
"You all know this, but don't expose him. Cooperate as much as you can."
Jiang Rou nodded, understanding Song Qiao's intentions.
"Understood! The higher he climbs, the harder he'll fall!"
"We won't have any problem, but Du Qin probably won't stand idly by, will she?"
Du Qin also coveted the position of helm master. How could she possibly watch Cheng Dong flaunt the engraved stone token in her face? Jiang Rou worried that a conflict might erupt between them, potentially exposing the scheme.
Regarding this, Song Qiao casually waved his hand, exuding confidence.
"You don't need to worry about Du Qin at all; I've already planned for her."
Jiang Rou then remembered Song Qiao mentioning that he was well acquainted with Du Qin. Seeing his air of self-assurance, she couldn't help but purse her lips. A word immediately popped into her mind to describe Song Qiao: cunning!
"I understand. Being exposed publicly at the Tong Men Assembly, Cheng Dong will be utterly ruined!"
"At that point, let alone the helm master position, he won't even be able to keep his deputy helm master title."
Considering the consequences Cheng Dong would face, Jiang Rou became confused again. She stared blankly at Song Qiao, almost asking, "Isn't he your father-in-law?" How deep was the enmity to unleash such a ruthless blow? Could it be because Cheng Ran refused to cooperate after returning? That seemed like another story...
Song Qiao, unaware of Jiang Rou's unfolding internal narrative, smiled and nodded, about to return to his room to continue guiding Gao Meng's cultivation. Just then, Jiang Rou's phone rang. After answering, Jiang Rou's eyebrows shot up. Before Song Qiao could ask, she hung up and quickly reported, "The Tao family's martial arts school is in trouble!"
"Big trouble?" Song Qiao inquired.
Jiang Rou nodded heavily, her expression grim. "The Yan Sui Style suddenly attacked. They severely injured Li Chong!"