Lanshan County Office!
In the rear hall of the county office, the doors to the main chamber were tightly shut. Even in broad daylight, the room seemed exceptionally dim.
The hall was dark and silent. Only a single figure sat alone in the seat of honor.
The man wore a simple white satin robe. His face was lined with wrinkles, and he was around fifty years old.
He was the county magistrate of Lanshan County, Su Quanchuan.
At that moment, he slumped against his chair, his face full of melancholy, without a shred of a county lord's authority.
"Tianqi, it was all this father's fault for making the wrong choice back then."
"This father should never have sent you to the Blackbird Guard, leading you to end up without even your bones left behind."
Su Tianqi, who had once followed Li Yanran to hunt down Fang Sheng, chief of Black Wind Stronghold, was the eldest son of the Lanshan County Magistrate.
Some time ago, the Lanshan County Magistrate had received a notice from the Blackbird Guard in the prefectural city.
Su Tianqi had tragically died during a mission!
At the same time, they had issued a total of 250 taels in severance pay to the Lanshan County Magistrate.
"Damn Blackbird Guard!"
"Is my son worth no more than a mere 250 taels?"
"Why?!"
"Why didn't you protect Tianqi?!"
Whenever Su Quanchuan thought of those 250 taels of severance pay, he felt that the Blackbird Guard was humiliating him.
Su Tianqi had been his most outstanding eldest son, with even greater talent for martial arts than his own.
If nothing had gone wrong, then with his status as county magistrate, he could have plundered all the resources of Lanshan County to support his son, Su Tianqi, in breaking through to the