The Curtain Falls

Chapter 25: The Curtain Falls

Qishan County.

An inn.

Lu Zhaojin and Lu Jinlin parted ways, each returning to their own rooms.

However.

Upon hearing the sound of his opposite room's door closing, Lu Zhaojin gently slid the bolt into place, blew out the candlelight, and climbed onto the roof through the window.

His feet treading on the roof tiles, Lu Zhaojin looked towards the County Yamen, his eyes narrowed.

A cool breeze blew through the night, dark clouds drifted by, revealing the crescent moon hanging high in the sky. Its silvery light spilled onto the land.

It also fell upon Zhao Huaishui's pale face.

At this moment, the vast County Yamen was empty of all others.

He put on the official uniform he hadn't worn in years. The clothes were somewhat wrinkled, and he patiently smoothed them out.

However, due to not being aired or washed for many years, a faint musty smell constantly wafted into his nostrils.

Zhao Huaishui had no time to clean it.

He had been injured by Uncle Chen. Later, when Uncle Chen, enraged by the death of the young man at Lu Zhaojin's hands, attacked Lu Zhaojin, he had a chance to catch his breath. He abandoned the treasures in the Cave Mansion and sneaked back.

This was the most desperate moment of his life.

Perhaps it would be his last.

Zhao Huaishui walked step by step to the main hall and sat on the throne used to exercise the power of the County Magistrate. He rested one hand on the armrest of the chair and the other on the desk, looking at the gavel, official tokens, and other items on it. They were covered in dust.

He thought for a moment and realized with a shock that he hadn't been to the main hall in years.

Was it because Qishan County had no grievances?

Not at all. Where there are people, there are grudges and grievances. Not to mention the martial artists who claimed to be free-spirited and disdained laws and regulations.

Then why were grievances not reported to the authorities?

Because the people of Qishan County no longer trusted him, the County Magistrate.

Zhao Huaishui didn't know when it started, but he, the County Magistrate, had lost the trust of the people.

Perhaps it was due to cases he had mishandled in the past.

None of that mattered now.

Zhao Huaishui heard footsteps approaching from outside. They were light and steady, indicating that the other party was confident in their strength and not afraid of him, a Seventh-Rank County Magistrate. As for the imperial court behind him... by the time the court officials arrived, his corpse might already be stinking.

Fortunately, Nuanyu had left early.

During the day, on the way to Mount Qi, Zhao Huaishui had a constant sense of unease, a gnawing feeling that something big was about to happen.

Zhao Huaishui was indecisive at the time, but seeing so many martial artists heading to Mount Qi, he felt he couldn't miss out. So, he forced Captain Liu to take Zhao Nuanyu and the others away from Qishan County to the home of a friend in Yanling Commandery. If he survived tonight without incident, they would stay there for a few days. Otherwise, they would leave it to fate.

Zhao Huaishui looked at the person walking into the hall. He had only seen that handsome face twice before: once when he was invited to a banquet, and once in that Cave Mansion. Yet, each time, it left a deep impression.

Zhao Huaishui was somewhat surprised that Lu Zhaojin could reach this place. He had managed to escape from Uncle Chen, or rather, he had the ability to kill Uncle Chen.

Zhao Huaishui couldn't see through this young man. Perhaps he had been wrong from the very beginning. "It's you."

Lu Zhaojin walked to the center of the hall and stopped, looking at the County Magistrate. His face was pale, his eyes lacked luster, and his lips were dry and white, like someone seriously ill.

However, his official uniform was neat and clean, though it seemed a bit ill-fitting now.

Lu Zhaojin didn't say much. He walked forward to the desk, formed a sword finger with his right hand, and condensed True Qi at his fingertips. Then, he slashed towards Zhao Huaishui's neck.

A horizontal streak of green light appeared in the air.

Zhao Huaishui only felt a wisp of a cool breeze brush past his face, a chill flashed across his throat, and a red line slowly appeared.

[Killed a Seventh-Rank Martial Artist, EXP +5000]

[EXP: 32318]

As Lu Zhaojin left, Zhao Huaishui remained seated, his eyes fixed on the area outside the hall, motionless for a long time.

The next day.

The sky was filled with morning clouds, and golden light shone brightly.

Mount Qi.

Dingshan Sect.

The Sect Master's Hall.

Zhang Yue paced the hall with his hands behind his back.

He hadn't expected that the two elders he sent to suppress those who defied the Dingshan Sect would both fail to return.

Those were Seventh-Rank Martial Artists, considered top-tier combat power in Qishan.

A disciple delivered a message from outside the hall: "Sect Master, Elder Yueshan has arrived."

Zhang Yue stopped pacing and looked toward the door. "Come in."

A figure like a small mountain appeared in the doorway, blocking most of the daylight and casting the hall into shadow.

The man was burly and tall, with a perfectly round, bald head. "Brother, Senior Brother Hengshan, where is he?"

His voice boomed like a great bell, laced with coldness and hatred.

Zhang Yue informed Elder Yueshan of Elder Hengshan's death, and the rest would be easy.

Elder Yueshan was quite talented in Hardening Techniques, possessed natural strength, and had a formidable physique. He was the strongest of the Dingshan Sect's three elders.

This was Zhang Yue's trump card hidden within the Dingshan Sect, not to be revealed lightly. He just hadn't expected Elder Hengshan to die.

The two were fellow disciples and also from the same village. Elder Yueshan had a huge appetite from a young age, but his family was poor, and he had to discard food. If Elder Hengshan hadn't appeared, Elder Yueshan might have died in the jaws of wild beasts long ago.

Therefore.

Though not blood brothers, they were closer than brothers.

Elder Yueshan also listened to Elder Hengshan with extreme deference.

Now that Elder Hengshan had died at the hands of Lu Zhaojin, with Elder Yueshan taking action, Lu Zhaojin would be easily captured, unless he was a Martial Artist of the Sixth Rank.

Yanling Commandery, Jinshui City.

In the Chen Family's main hall, the atmosphere was exceptionally heavy.

Chen Yanrui, the head of the Chen Family, who sat in the main seat, slammed his fist on the table beside him as he listened to the news from Qishan County.

Chen Jingyi's birth mother was overcome with grief, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted. Several maids rushed to help her back to her room to rest.

The several enshrined elders of the Chen Family also had grim expressions.

Chen Yanrui calmed down slightly. "I can't believe even Uncle Chen was poisoned. He was a cultivator at the late Seventh-Rank. In Qishan County, unless Zhang Yue himself made a move, who could have been his opponent?"

Elder Gu said coldly, "Patriarch, that Dingshan Sect is also a troublesome entity. We shouldn't have let them go back then."

Elder Yu echoed, "Indeed. Ever since Zhang Yue broke through to the Sixth-Rank Realm, he's been trying to control Qishan County. I suspect he received news from the imperial court long ago."

Elder Liang then stepped forward, volunteering, "Since that's the case, Patriarch, I am willing to lead men to Qishan County to eliminate the young man who murdered Young Master Jingyi. And let Zhang Yue know that the Chen Family's blade can still sever his neck, even if he has broken through to the Sixth Rank."

Chen Yanrui nodded. "Then it shall be as Elder Liang suggests."

Elder Liang cupped his fists in salute, turned, and strode away.

The other two elders secretly thought to themselves, That old scoundrel is certainly quick to act.

Zhao Huaishui was dead.

This news quickly spread throughout Qishan County.

It caused quite a stir.

But soon, people stopped paying attention and focused instead on who the new County Magistrate would be.

According to past practice, they were usually selected from officials within the Qishan jurisdiction.

However, the strength of these officials couldn't compare to Zhao Huaishui. It was uncertain if they could suppress the Moon Wolf Gang.

Until the news of Chen Kang, the leader of the Moon Wolf Gang, also spread through Qishan County... For a time, the common folk and the martial artists of Qishan County felt utterly bewildered.