With that handwritten letter from Li Ding, Daban officially joined the ranks of the Bo Bei Army.
This brought more joy to Uncle Cai than completely taking over Maniu Town.
However, compared to Uncle Cai's ease, Aisuo at this moment was burning with inner turmoil.
First, there was Chapa, who had always shown him respect on the surface, but secretly had an affair with his wife.
At the same time, this matter had become known to many due to Mara Nian's recent madness.
Although most of the citizens of Maniu Town remained silent out of fear and respect for Aisuo, who had found the tapir.
It was still a thorn in Aisuo's heart.
Even if Li Ding hadn't directly exposed this issue,
in reality, Aisuo had long wanted that wretched Mara Nian to disappear.
Thinking about his experiences over the years,
a poor boy who started from scratch, how much effort had he put in to gain today's power, even with the tapir's contribution?
That cattle trading yard, though not large, was the fruit of Aisuo's hard work over half his life.
But now, this foundation and his reputation were about to go to waste.
And the culprits were that wretched Mara Nian and that fool Chapa.
Lost in these thoughts, Aisuo returned to his room with a grim expression.
Inside, Mara Nian was pacing anxiously.
Seeing Aisuo finally return, she asked urgently, "What happened? Did Chapa get shot? Is he okay?"
"And the position of Secretary-General... you know how important the Great Zen Master’s support is to us!"
"We can't give up on this easily! You must help Chapa! We can't let the Great Zen Master really expel him from the Zen Institute!"
Looking at her anxious face, Aisuo realized that upon his return, she was more concerned about Chapa than about him.
Aisuo could no longer contain the rage in his heart.
He suddenly raised his right hand and slapped Mara Nian hard.
"Chapa? Chapa! Is that all you care about?"
Aisuo pointed at Mara Nian, who was kneeling on the ground, cursing in anger.
"Do you know what I'm facing? That is the result of my half a lifetime of effort!"
"I am your husband, aren't I? Chapa! Chapa! All you think about is Chapa, why did you marry me?"
As he spoke, Aisuo dragged Mara Nian, who was on the ground, into the room.
He grabbed a rope and tied Mara Nian to the bedpost.
Then Aisuo casually picked up a belt and pointed at Mara Nian, saying, "Don't think I don't know what you two have been up to all these years!"
Faced with Aisuo's accusations, Mara Nian's face turned pale, her heart in turmoil.
She married Aisuo mainly because he had found the tapir.
Although her junior brother had a reputable background, he was still too young and was struggling to secure the position of Secretary-General of the Zen Institute, which seemed hopeless at the time.
Mara Nian married Aisuo to use his name to help her junior brother become the Secretary-General.
But over the years, Mara Nian had never looked up to Aisuo.
In her eyes, Aisuo was just a lucky guy who found a tapir!
She had always loved her junior brother Chapa.
Mara Nian retorted, "What about me and Chapa? Have you ever thought about what you've done all these years?"
"Did you ever care about me? Haven't you been fooling around outside? That child! The child from the orphan team, don't think I don't know!"
"That’s your illegitimate child with your mistress! And you put him in front of me!"
"I hate you! Aisuo! I hate you!"
Seeing the madness in Mara Nian's eyes, Aisuo took a couple of steps back, feeling somewhat overwhelmed.
He looked at Mara Nian with a complex expression while holding the belt.
Once, he had feelings for this woman.
But this woman was truly cruel.
Now it seemed that from the beginning, she had just been playing a role with him.
In fact, Aisuo had long seen through this.
Mara Nian was partly right, but also wrong.
That child was his warning to Mara Nian, to remind this pair of scoundrels that cooperation brings benefits, while separation brings harm.
He was getting older, and as long as he could preserve his half a lifetime of foundation,
he didn't care about anything else.
But now, everything was over.
Perhaps things could have been negotiated, but they were all ruined by that scoundrel Chapa.
His foundation was finished!
Although he was still the so-called sheriff of Maniu Town,
his business was over.
Thinking of this, Aisuo couldn't help but raise the belt and strike Mara Nian.
Immediately, Mara Nian screamed in pain.
But Aisuo didn't stop; he continued to swing the belt, stripping away the last remnants of their feelings or what little dignity they had left.
"Stupid Chapa!"
"Wretched Mara Nian! What do you think you are?"
"In Li Ding's eyes, you are even worse than the dogs at the village entrance! How dare you act arrogant in front of Li Ding!"
"Now look! Everything is over!"
Aisuo struck fiercely, leaving Mara Nian's skin torn and bleeding.
But the pain on her body was far less than the fear in her heart.
Mara Nian had thought that no matter how powerful Li Ding was, he couldn't possibly kick her and Chapa out.
After all, without the Great Zen Master's Dharma assembly, the cattle in Maniu Town couldn't be slaughtered or sold.
So even if Li Ding took these cattle, he couldn't take over the business.
Because of this, Li Ding would never act against Chapa and her.
But now it seemed that the situation was not as she had imagined.
Desperate, Mara Nian cried out in pain, "Aisuo! Calm down! It's not over yet!"
"No matter how strong Li Ding and the Bo Bei Army are, they can't bypass the Zen Institute to sell those cattle!"
"It's not over! As long as we wait for Chapa to seek help from the Great Zen Master, even the commander of the Bo Bei Army will have to give in! There’s still room for negotiation!"
"You have to believe in Chapa! How much has he contributed to the Zen Institute over the years? The Great Zen Master won't ignore him!"
Seeing Mara Nian mention Chapa again,
Aisuo felt like he was about to suffocate.
His wife had been dreaming of another man all these years.
Even though they had been sleeping together, her heart was still with someone else,
just like those businesses, like a fleeting dream.
Although he had been desperately trying to cover it up, hiding and trying to keep everything in his grasp,
now that the cover had been brutally torn away, everything quickly slipped away.
"Hahaha!" Aisuo suddenly laughed maniacally.
He pointed at Mara Nian and mocked loudly, "What do you think your Chapa is? He has relied on me all these years! Without me, could he have become Secretary-General?"
"Dream on!"
"Do you still have fantasies about him? Do you think the Great Zen Master is your savior?"
"Dream on! Let me tell you, the Great Zen Master is in Maniu Town right now!"
"But! He didn't come for your Chapa! Wretched woman!"
"Your Chapa has already been expelled from the Zen Institute! He is no longer the Secretary-General! Hahahaha!"
Amid Aisuo's maniacal laughter, Mara Nian's face turned ashen.
She couldn't believe what Aisuo said was true...
No, it couldn't be true!
How could the Great Zen Master abandon Chapa!?
It must be Aisuo lying to her!