Interesting

"Fang... Fang Xuan, how dare you... how dare you kill an Imperial Official? And... and didn't you say you were just going to let me see the true nature of the Pingjiang City Yamen Runners? Why did you lie to me?"

Even after a while, Chen Zijin's face still turned pale and her body trembled when she recalled the Yamen Runner who had been split in two, his belly ripped open.

She raised her head and looked at Fang Xuan, who stood before her with a smile on his lips and a look of indifference on his face. She truly couldn't imagine it.

How could this ruffian, who was only a few years older than her own brother, so effortlessly and cleanly rip open a person's belly and split them in half!

Fang Xuan didn't answer. Instead, he spread his hands and said, "Miss Chen, look. You said we could report to the officials when we encountered unfair treatment before. Now you've seen the so-called officials. Do you think reporting to them would do any good?"

Chen Zijin recalled Yang Zheng's lecherous gaze as he brazenly scanned her, and her face turned pale then red. Finally, she bit her lip and said,

"You can't condemn an entire group just because of one person. That's wrong. I firmly believe that no matter how bad the world is, no matter how sinister people's hearts are! In this world, there are more good people than bad people! More good officials than bad officials!"

Speaking of this, Chen Zijin raised her head to look at Fang Xuan, hesitated for a moment, and then softly said,

"Fang... Fang Xuan, I've learned a bit about your past recently. It's true that many times it was out of necessity, but you can't just give up on yourselves and wallow in despair. This path you're on won't take you far. Ultimately, evil cannot triumph over good. I believe your true natures aren't bad. If you can turn over a new leaf, it's not too late..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Fang Xuan quickly stopped her, his head buzzing a little. He finally understood why Chen Jingming was so annoyed with this young lady, who in his previous life would have been called a 'Holy Mother'.

He really wanted to say six words—

Master, stop chanting!

Chen Zijin looked at Fang Xuan's dejected expression, as if he had 'seen a ghost', and couldn't help but blush. She said, "Were my words... a bit too much?"

Fang Xuan gave Chen Zijin a silent look, with an expression that said, 'You seem to have some self-awareness.'

Chen Zijin's face turned even redder. After a soft cough, she shook her head and said,

"Fang Xuan, I will take Father back to Prefecture City tonight. If possible, please tell Ah Ming for me... Actually, Father never had the thought of abandoning him. The one who was truly abandoned was me..."

"Also, it's not too late for my brother to go study and pursue a career. Don't think the imperial court seems to be in dire straits. In reality, not to mention the court still has some strength left, even if the court is gone... Ultimately, it's a change of dynasty, not a change of era. Scholars are always scholars, no matter which dynasty or era. Please help me persuade him more..."

"Finally, if there's a chance later, you can come find me in Prefecture City. I... I remember you!"

With that, Chen Zijin, who always looked so pitiful, took a deep breath and turned to leave.

Only two words drifted back from the distance.

"Take care."

Fang Xuan watched Chen Zijin walk away. After a long silence, he let out a low chuckle:

"Interesting."

The rain poured down, and the river surged endlessly.

After walking for about half an hour, Fang Xuan arrived at the cove where he had buried the jar before. He lifted the haystack and pulled out a jar of Whale Blood buried in the soil.

He opened the seal, lifted the jar, tilted his head back, and took a mouthful of Whale Blood.

He looked at the raging waves of the Pingjiang River, which was a turbulent sea with endless waves, and couldn't help but let out a hearty laugh.

"Today is a good day!"

Bang—!

He stomped his foot, instantly shooting forward like a cannonball, then plunging into the rolling waves!

Beneath the lightning and thunder, above the raging sea.

Someone was wrestling with the waves alone!

"Did you hear? Someone died last night!"

"Isn't it normal for a few people to die these days? When does the old man in the sky not take people away?"

"No! The one who died was Yang Zheng!"

"Which Yang Zheng... Wait! Hiss—! You mean Yang Zheng, the one from the county yamen who managed our East City, is dead?!"

"That's right! It's him! I heard he was split in half alive! And the two yamen runners who were with him also died. They say their heart meridians were instantly shattered, yes, shattered, and they died together!"

"If they hadn't found him early, half of Yang Zheng's body would have been gnawed on by the wild dogs outside the city!"

"Hahaha! The heavens have eyes! Which heroic figure did this good deed?"

"Good riddance!"

Early the next morning, the entire East City was like a stone thrown into a thousand ripples, completely exploding!

The entire streets and alleys were filled with discussions about Yang Zheng's death. Countless common people and even some yamen runners and clerks secretly cheered and applauded!

Yang Zheng was a tyrannical person. Not only was he vicious towards the common people, often defiling people's wives and daughters and annexing land, but he also acted overbearingly in the county yamen, relying on his family's status as a wealthy gentry. If you weren't in league with him, you would often be subjected to his harassment and abuse!

The entire East City, both high and low, had suffered under Yang Zheng for a long time!

Now that Yang Zheng was dead, although countless people didn't dare to show too much happiness on the surface, fearing retaliation from the Yang Family, they were already secretly beaming with joy. Those with slightly better conditions even rarely made roasted chicken at home to offer sacrifices to their ancestors, believing they had spirits!

Besides this, the more prevalent discussion in East City was the cause of Yang Zheng's death.

Some said that Yang Zheng's actions were too wicked, displeasing the Dragon King, who sent shrimp soldiers and crab generals to claim his life!

Some said that a divine being, three zhang tall, with three eyes and holding a golden saber, descended to the mortal world and killed Yang Zheng with one strike!

Others said that last night, Yang Zheng took a fancy to a woman as beautiful as a celestial being and harbored ill intentions. As a result, the woman's husband was a Jianghu grand master with peerless saber techniques and was killed by that Jianghu grand master!

In short, with Yang Zheng's death, the entire East City became increasingly noisy and chaotic, with all sorts of bizarre rumors spreading.

Each person spoke with certainty, as if they had witnessed it firsthand!

Amidst the noise and clamor.

Fang Xuan, dressed in Short Azure Clothes and holding a pot of Whale Blood wine, walked through the crowd.

This was a new discovery he had made about Whale Blood. Although soaking Whale Blood in wine couldn't increase his progress, it could warm his tendons and nourish his meridians, moisturizing his physical body.

Especially after a night of cultivation, drinking a mouthful of Whale Blood wine felt as if the fatigue of the entire night had dissipated considerably.

Creak.

Fang Xuan walked into Tong'an Alley and just pushed open the door.

He saw several people already sitting in the fenced courtyard.

"Brother Xuan!"

One Line Sky, Water Monkey, Chen Jingming, and Chu Chong all stood up and greeted him.

Fang Xuan nodded, but before he could speak, Water Monkey excitedly and hurriedly said, "Brother Xuan, good news! Great news! That son of a bitch Yang Zheng finally paid for his wickedness. Even the Dragon King couldn't stand him and took his life!"

"Bullshit! Your Dragon King can disembowel people now, can he?"

One Line Sky narrowed his small eyes and glared at Water Monkey, snorting, "That Yang Zheng was cut in half from head to tail by someone with a single stroke. The cut was clean and precise, with no hesitation. It was clearly the work of a master of the blade!"

"I don't care! It was the Dragon King! It must have been the Crab General under the Dragon King who cut Yang Zheng in half!"

"Idiot!"

Seeing that the two were about to argue, Fang Xuan couldn't help but wave his hand and say,

"Alright, how old are you all? What's there to argue about? Besides, Yang Zheng died today, but who knows if Liu Zheng, Wang Zheng, or Li Zheng will pop up tomorrow? This world is like this, one Yang Zheng dying won't change anything."

As soon as he said this, One Line Sky and Water Monkey glared at each other, then both snorted coldly and turned their heads away.

Fang Xuan pulled out a wooden chair and sat down. After thinking for a moment, he spoke seriously,

"You've come at the right time. There's something I wanted to talk to you about as well."

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