Host: Wei Qing Age: 16 Realm: Seventh-Rank Martial Artist (Intermediate) Spirit: 487 Strength: 385 Constitution: 391 Cultivation Art: Returning Origin Art (Pending Study) Martial Skills: Flowing Cloud Slash (Mastered) - Profound Meaning: Lotus Blossom; Nanke's Dream (Minor Mastery); Ephemeral Art (Pending Study)
Feeling the explosive surge of power within him, Wei Qing's lips curled into a faint smile.
Looking at the corpses strewn across the ground, the surviving Fang Family members, servants, and guards were all pale as paper.
When they looked at Wei Qing again, it was as if they had seen a demon crawling out of hell. Their bodies trembled endlessly with fear.
The constables standing to one side, however, wore entirely different expressions.
Their faces brimmed with almost devout reverence.
It was the look of people utterly convinced by the strength of a powerful warrior.
Wei Qing's gaze was icy as he looked at the remaining Fang Family members, servants, and courtyard guards. "Who else wants to test whether the Heavenly Realm Division's blade is sharp?"
"Feel free to step forward."
That bone-piercing voice completely shattered the last shred of resistance in the Fang Family's hearts.
"Arrest them all and throw them into the dungeon!"
"Yes!"
All the constables pounced like starving wolves.
At that moment, no one dared resist any longer. They obediently put on shackles, lined up, and were escorted out of Fang Manor toward the dungeon.
Such a massive commotion over the Fang Family's arrest naturally alarmed the surrounding citizens.
"Serves you right! Colluding with demons and monsters—you deserve to die!"
"His Majesty is wise! At last, you'll pay for my Little Cui's life. Cui'er, can you see this?"
"Ah, what a pity about Lord Fang."
"I must keep a close eye on my children and make sure they stay far away from demons and monsters."
Among the crowd.
There were those hurling curses!
There were those throwing rotten eggs!
There were also those mourning Fang Youting!
But more than anything, there were citizens repeatedly drilling warnings into their children.
They feared running into some wretch who would drag down his father and bury his ancestors.
On the second floor of Wangchun Tower by the roadside.
A veiled woman looked at a child of three or four in the crowd, pity rising in her heart. "The adults committed evil—why should children only a few years old be implicated?"
"He doesn't even understand anything yet!"
"Fuck!" The man standing beside her abruptly turned pale and hurriedly covered her mouth. "Junior Sister, are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"Do you think our sect has been living too comfortably lately, so you want to find it a different way to live?"
The man turned his head to look below and happened to meet Wei Qing's cold eyes.
At that instant, time seemed to freeze.
His entire body shuddered as though an invisible chill had pierced straight through his heart.
Only after Wei Qing withdrew his gaze did the man realize that his back had already been soaked through with cold sweat.
"Mmm... mmm..."
The veiled woman struggled fiercely, glaring at the man with eyes full of dissatisfaction.
"Junior Sister, you need to understand: everyone who colludes with demons and monsters has the blood of our human brethren on their hands. Tens of thousands of our people have died at the hands of these traitors."
"The children of their families are innocent, but weren't those victims innocent too?"
"That is why Great Zhou established such harsh laws. Anyone who colludes with demons and monsters shall have their nine clans exterminated."
"If someone with ulterior motives made use of what you just said, do you know that our entire sect could be wiped out?"
"Ah..."
The veiled woman stood frozen in terror.
She had never imagined that a moment of compassion could nearly bring about the destruction of her sect.
"Senior Brother, I didn't mean it."
The man stressed solemnly, "This is the first lesson your senior brother is teaching you after coming down the mountain: disaster comes from the mouth!"
"From now on, whenever you speak, look at the occasion."
"Some things are fine to think in your heart, but you must never say them lightly."
The veiled woman said softly, "Mm, I'll remember."
Hearing that, the man's head began to ache again.
Ever since coming down the mountain, this junior sister had caused him no small amount of trouble.
If not for his decent strength, along with Qingshan Sect's modest reputation in Jizhou Prefecture,
they would have run into trouble long ago.
But she was their master's cherished junior sister, so he could not simply ignore her.
While the two were speaking, everyone from the Fang Family had already been thrown into the dungeon.
The citizens who had followed along crowded outside the government office, waiting.
Before long.
A constable came out of the government office and pasted a notice onto the bulletin board.
He then briefly announced its contents in a loud voice: "Fang Xiang colluded with demons and monsters. By decree of the Imperial Court, he will be executed at noon two days from now at the eastern city execution ground!"
After saying that, he turned and went back into the government office.
Two other constables stood guard at the bulletin board.
When the waiting citizens heard that the sentence had truly been passed, they all clapped and cheered.
News of the Fang Family's imprisonment and execution two days later spread through every street and alley of Qingcheng in less than half a day, as though it had sprouted wings.
This news.
Also became a topic of conversation for the citizens over tea and meals.
"Exterminating nine clans—Great Zhou's laws are still as harsh as ever."
Inside an inn, a diner carrying a saber could not help sighing.
"Hmph, I think it's quite good. There shouldn't be the slightest mercy for those traitors to humanity. The more scum like that are killed, the better. Then let's see who else dares side with demons and monsters."
"Mm, that makes sense."
"Come, drink. Since we've arrived in Qingcheng, there's no need to hurry on our way. Two days from now, let's go watch together."
"That's exactly what I had in mind. Cheers!"
Meanwhile.
Zhu Huan led more than a dozen constables in turning Fang Manor inside out. In the end, they hauled every valuable item back to the government office in one sweep.
Inside the main hall.
Wei Qing sat in the Magistrate's seat while the County Magistrate held a ledger and reported:
"My lord, from the confiscation of the Fang Family's property, we found thirty-one paintings and calligraphy works by famous masters, deeds to six shops, several pearls and agates, one hundred bolts of fine Yunzhou cloth, thirty thousand taels of silver, and two thousand taels of gold."
"The total value is three hundred and fifty-four thousand six hundred taels."
Three hundred and fifty thousand taels.
Wei Qing let out a deep breath. "A clean prefect for ten years, and a hundred thousand snowflake silver."
"Fang Youting was a good official, but not a qualified family head."
In Great Zhou, an ordinary household's annual expenses would amount to no more than twenty or thirty taels of silver at most.
Yet a single Fang Family possessed more than three hundred thousand taels of silver.
This showed just how much of the people's flesh and blood the Fang Family had scraped away.
"Sell off all the property deeds, land deeds, paintings, calligraphy, and the rest. Put the proceeds into the county office's internal treasury, then escort them to the Imperial City together with the autumn tax one month from now."
"Yes."
The County Magistrate accepted the order and withdrew.
Inside the government office's inner hall.
After a simple lunch, Wei Qing entered a state of cultivation.
"System, learn 'Ephemeral Art.'"
Command received!
As soon as the system spoke, the circulation route of the cultivation art and a vast amount of cultivation experience flooded into his mind.
A moment later.
After Wei Qing absorbed it all, the status of Ephemeral Art leaped from Pending Study to Minor Mastery.
With a thought, his figure flashed like teleportation, instantly appearing three zhang away.
"This speed is more than three times faster than before. A High-Grade Profound Tier cultivation art truly is extraordinary."
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