The Grudge Would Be Settled

The story continues from who knows how many chapters ago, about the two sons of a general from the Da Liang Kingdom who were retainers in the Prefect's Mansion's mansion. The younger son, Wu Debiao, died—by the sword of a gunsmith.

Wu Xiuwen and Zhao Jianxiong were tasked with handling this matter properly. Originally, it was a task to clear the way, but the two brothers did not expect that their master had already captured the evil Daoist Kunwu, and now it had caused a great uproar and was a hot topic throughout the city.

At first, Prefect Li Kunhai took this matter very seriously—after all, the Da Liang Kingdom was also a warlord power closely connected to Taiye, and now that this retainer's youngest son had died, he would definitely have to deal with it to the fullest extent of the law.

However, later, the living deity Kunwu of Taiye was captured, and the prefect no longer had the energy to handle this case. He had to focus on investigating the whereabouts of Kunwu.

Wu Xiuwen and Zhao Jianxiong were escorted by the prefectural and municipal officials and soldiers to the garrison commander's office, then transferred to the chief supervisor, and finally brought along the pacification commissioner for interrogation.

The Prefect, holding his military token and command arrow, sat in the hall. On the other side was the Pacification Commissioner in charge of military affairs, and below him was the Commander-in-Chief responsible for managing the foreign tribes and ethnic groups outside Taiye. As for the Prefect's personal guards and confidants, they were all busy searching for Kunwu at this moment—they weren't paying much attention to the case at this retainer's house.

"Who goes there? State your name!"

Wu Xiuwen immediately replied, "The Zhuzhou County Magistrate is Wu Cheng Zhang's son, Wu Xiuwen."

The magistrate's eyelids twitched.

He glanced at the guards on the left and right, then carefully tapped on the seats of the pacification commissioner and the commander-in-chief.

Both colleagues looked restless. They recognized Wu Cheng Zhang, and not just because they saw each other occasionally during holidays, but because they were old acquaintances.

Zhuzhou Peninsula was a port for maritime trade. Although it could not compare with Sendai, it was closer to Taiye. If Sendai was the mouth of the Great Xia maritime trade, then Zhuzhou was the throat of Taiye—its silk, salt, matches, and tobacco were all extremely important sources of revenue for the imperial court.

"So it's Young Master Wu." The Commander dropped his military token and other credentials, relinquishing his authority. He wanted to discuss family matters thoroughly, but he couldn't afford to offend Wu Cheng Zhang, nor could he let things slide so easily. He decided to get to the bottom of it.

"Left and Right Guards, brothers of the Government Soldiers, may you leave."

One of the Government Soldiers immediately stepped forward and shouted hoarsely, "Your Excellency! Why are you calling us down? Wu Lao'er was killed by these men! What case are you trying to solve?! Drag them to the execution ground and behead them as a warning to others!"

Once one person steps forward, a second and a third will follow.

"That's right! If the Prefect doesn't know or understand, we brothers can testify!"

"Which brother ran slower that day? Did you see clearly?!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Xiuwen burst out laughing.

"Ha ha ha ha."

Dunwu Xiaowei (a drill instructor with an official title but no real power) who worked with Wu Lao'er in the Government Soldiers stepped forward.

"What are you laughing at, you beast!"

Wu Xiuwen squinted and took out a straw stick from his pocket, which he had made for fun while he was bored in prison.

He tapped them one by one with the straw stick—

"--You guys, you guys."

"That bastard Wu Debiao, he came to kill me disguised as a bandit. And I'm not allowed to kill him?"

"When I killed him, you all ran faster than the next one. Now I want to ask you!"

Who saw Wu Lao'er die? Who knows how he died?

"Who did it? Who had the knife? Was he killed with one blow or two?"

This question left the soldiers speechless. They thought to themselves, "Back then, when Wu Lao'er was bullied, only Liuzi stood up for him. The other brothers were just there to put on a show and watch the show."

Unexpectedly, Wu Lao'er couldn't even withstand a single move, and neither could Liuzi.

They fled immediately, without a second thought.

As for how Wu Lao'er died, if you insist on giving a reason, you really can't say, and you can't testify to that.

Captain Dunwu was a shrewd man; he knew that Wu Xiuwen and was trying to evade the question.

"Liuzi is awake! Bring him here for questioning!"

Many of the Government Soldiers joined in the commotion, and the magistrate, feeling embarrassed, immediately started preparing a feast and shouting.

"Ridiculous! Who do you think you are!"

Commandant Dunwu, emboldened by his master's power, shouted at Wu Xiuwen, "Absurd!"

"I'm telling you!" the instructor yelled, "You, a mere instructor, dare to reprimand the eldest son of the Wu family?! I ordered you to take the barracks and leave! You dare disobey?!"

Instantly, Captain Dunwu felt a chill run down his spine. He first glanced at his superior's expression—

The pacification envoy was gloomy and depressed; how could this soldier leader have a chance to speak in the court? Even if Wu Lao'er crawled out of his coffin and his head came back to life, he would still have to kowtow enough before he could cry out for justice during the trial.

He was merely the son of the prefect's retainer, and a dead man at that.

Death is death; what can compare to the preciousness of the living?

After all, the dead only cause trouble, while the living are useful. His family were generals in the Da Liang Kingdom, but after coming to Taiye, they obeyed the imperial edict of amnesty and entered the prefect's Prefect's Mansion, becoming nothing more than the prefect's dogs.

If such a bastard was born in a doghouse, Wu Cheng Zhang's son wanted to kill him, what injustice could he possibly claim?

Wu Lao'er was from Liang. If this were wartime, this head would be a credit to Wu Xiuwen.

Listen to what Wu Xiuwen said when he came in—

--I feel good about being promoted.

This young man didn't use any bureaucratic jargon, addressing his eunuch father as a seventh-rank official. He was giving the leaders face. He certainly upheld the proper etiquette, but the roughnecks under the pacification commissioner had no manners whatsoever. In contrast, the supervisor was naturally angry.

"Get out." The pacification officer's voice was stern, and he waved his hand slightly.

At this moment, Captain Dunwu felt a thousand grievances in his heart, but he could no longer utter a single word.

His colleague was hacked to death, but his innocence could not be cleared, and he could not help him at all, nor did he receive any benefit from it.

Regardless of who came up with the idea of going out of the city to gather grass for the horses, Taiye had an unwritten rule: horses wouldn't get fat without night grass, and military pay alone wouldn't be enough to feed them.

This time, however, Wu Lao'er ran into a brick wall and lost his life.

He and Wu Lao'er were partners. If the pacification commissioner, the prefect, and even the governor all shared this view, he had nothing more to say. He could only stand in the courtyard like a defeated rooster, leading his brothers with faces full of resentment.

With no one else around, the Prefect finally spoke, pointing at Zhao Jianxiong standing to the side.

"Young Master Wu, since you won't kneel, why won't this servant kneel either?"

Zhao Jianxiong had just come to his senses; he was still unaware that his elder brother was dead. After being reminded by the Prefect, and for the sake of the bigger picture, the young man immediately knelt down.

"Hey!" Wu Xiuwen grabbed his junior brother's clothes. "He's an apprentice recommended by the Minister of Rites, Cao Qinling, who wants me to send him to the capital."

The magistrate was somewhat displeased, thinking to himself.

--Who exactly is it that needs Hongfa Temple (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Shabang) to protect them?

"Is he a foreigner?"

Wu Xiuwen: "No, his master is a foreigner, the Imperial Physician of the Nine Realms. He treats the emperors of the Nine Realms."

Having explained it this way, the official no longer insisted on the kneeling ceremony, but instead inquired about the documents.

"Do you have any evidence? Young Master Wu, it's not that I don't trust you, but I'm afraid you've been deceived by villains."

Wu Xiuwen immediately pointed to the luggage that was sealed off on one side of the hall.

"--It's in my luggage."

When the commander-in-chief personally opened the box, he found a beautifully decorated silk cloth, which indeed bore the imperial edict of the Minister of State Affairs of the Hongfa Temple, as well as the emperor's seal.

Zhao Jianxiong was completely baffled. He had only seen an official seal twice in his life: once when Zhao Family Village was recruiting soldiers, and once when the results of the provincial examination were announced. Where did this document that Wu Xiuwen was talking about come from?!

It even has the emperor's seal as proof! This is a crime of deceiving the emperor by falsely conveying an imperial edict!

What Zhao Jianxiong didn't know was that his senior brother had long since stopped caring about the lock on his heart.

Wu Xiuwen had served under Wu Cheng Zhang since childhood, and imperial envoys had come to inspect his work with imperial edicts. With his calligraphy and spiritual precision, forging such a document would have been far too easy for him.

He wasn't afraid of being beheaded; even if the sky fell, his master would hold it up.

If this thin piece of cloth could become a get-out-of-jail-free card, he would not only feel no psychological burden, but would actually be very happy.

The commander held the cloth in both hands and presented it to the pacification commissioner and the supervising official. After carefully reading its contents, they finally understood the whole story, and their attitudes changed immediately.

"Oh! So it's the divine physician that the Minister of Rites' Chief of Staff invited from overseas?" The Supervisor stood up, forcing a smile. "Hehe. Hehehaha. What a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple, it's like family fighting among family."

The pacification commissioner was filled with trepidation. Wu Lao'er was his subordinate, and Wu Lao Er had offended the emperor's guest, which put him under immense pressure. If the commander-in-chief took this matter as a blow to the heart, and the prefect investigated, his official robes would not last long.

"It was Wu Debiao who led his troops out of the city that day."

Wu Xiuwen replied, "That's right."

The pacification envoy said, "This scoundrel dares to rob the Imperial Physician of the Nine Realms?"

Wu Xiuwen: "That's right."

The pacification envoy said, "It was this brother Zhao Jianxiong who saved the master in time, thus preventing a grave mistake?"

Wu Xiuwen thought for a moment, then pressed his junior brother down, telling Jianxiong not to speak yet.

The question of appeasement is very interesting; it's a very tricky linguistic trap.

If the master was the one who killed him, the pacification envoy would have no way out. Wu Lao'er rode his horse and charged straight at the Imperial Physician, determined to kill him without hesitation.

If Wu Lao'er was forced to retreat by Zhao Jianxiong, the pacification envoy could still come up with a plausible reason and a nice excuse to deal with these troublesome matters slowly.

On the other side, the commander smelled blood and immediately said, "Brother Xiuwen, why don't you call Liuzi to identify the person? He's closest to Wu Lao'er, so he'll definitely recognize his father's killer."

The pacification envoy, though furious, dared not say more, already understanding the situation. Judging from Wu Xiuwen's attitude, it must have been the Imperial Physician who personally intervened.

At this point, the Prefect stepped forward to smooth things over.

"As long as the Imperial Physician is well, that's all that matters. With the Imperial Decree here, even if the Imperial Physician himself comes, he must be treated as an honored guest—this time..."

The official sized up the pacification commissioner and tapped the bridge of his nose from a distance.

"You'd better punish yourself with three cups of wine."

The true meaning behind these three cups is nothing more than an extra layer of extortion and favors exchanged during the festival. They won't harm the envoy's fundamental position or strip him of his power.

"Well then," the Prefect said, carefully putting away the imperial edict and preparing to take it to the Prefect, "There's nothing else. I wonder where the Imperial Physician is now? If Young Master Wu could help introduce us..."

The appeaser breathed a sigh of relief, having just climbed out of the frying pan, and immediately wanted to make progress—

"--Yes, Wu Lao'er's head was brought by two young heroes, but where is the Imperial Physician?"

At this moment, a distraught Xiao Liu burst in from outside. His adoptive father had died, and he had just recovered from a hidden injury to his sternum. The brothers in the barracks were still unwilling to accept this, so they brought him to the meeting hall for questioning. They secretly let this important witness in.

As soon as the tall and burly Liuzi entered, he first knelt down before the three imperial officials and kowtowed repeatedly. Then he glared fiercely at the two men who had killed his father, and finally cried out incoherently that he was innocent.

"My lord! My lord, please do justice for me! My lord!"

"Those two thieves! And their master! They killed my father with a single blow!"

The prefect was somewhat depressed. He once again turned his back and stood beside the commander-in-chief, not wanting to say anything more to the pacification commissioner—this meeting hall was like a marketplace, where the Government Soldiers under his command could come and go as they pleased.

The pacification commissioner shouted, "What did you say?!"

Liuzi, feeling wronged, exclaimed in disbelief, "He killed my father!"

The pacification commissioner exclaimed, "Who killed your father?!"

Liuzi: "A demonic monk! A demonic monk! Wearing a black robe embroidered with dragons! Thick eyebrows and big eyes—he snatched my father's knife! He killed him with one blow!"

These words stirred up a storm in Tiju's heart.

--The person who captured Kunwu was also a bald monk.

Besides the mismatch in clothing, a body was also found at the crime scene, dressed in a black robe, suggesting it might belong to the same group of people.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Wu Xiuwen wanted to say something more.

The commander-in-chief also wanted to advance his career. On one side was a foreign Imperial Physician, and on the other was a celestial being from Taiye Prefecture. If he could present the clues and stir up this mess, he would definitely have a chance to be promoted.

"Liuzi! Explain yourself! That was the Imperial Physician of the Nine Realms! Your father, Wu Debiao, was incredibly audacious! He actually dared to assassinate the Imperial Physician!"

Liuzi was stunned for a moment. He had been in the military camp for the past few days and had learned about what had happened in the city, so he told him everything.

"That wicked monk has captured the Great Immortal Kunwu! My father offended him, and he must be holding a grudge, wanting to harm the people of Taiye! Without the Great Immortal's protection, he'll make sure we suffer a terrible death!"

The official's expression grew increasingly grim as he turned to Wu Xiuwen: "Young Master Wu, are you aware of this matter?"

Wu Xiuwen: "I've been in jail these past few days."

Zhao Jianxiong exclaimed excitedly, "Master has this skill too?"

"Perhaps you're mistaken, Liuzi," the Prefect said, changing the subject. "On the day Kunwu was abducted, there was also a man from Zhao Family Village, dressed in a monk's robe, who died in Xiangxiang's Shop —his lover was already imprisoned as a convict's wife, and the Prefect was still interrogating Kunwu's whereabouts. He was also interrogating this convict's wife Xiangxiang."

"What?!" Zhao Jianxiong's mind was a beat slow, but he finally understood what the magistrate meant.

My older brother is dead? How did he die?

"Hmm?" The Prefect saw Zhao Jianxiong's expression. "Zhao Jianxiong, do you know Zhao Jianying?"

Wu Xiuwen was nervous and excited, and quickly held down his junior brother.

Zhao Jianxiong immediately replied, "That's my older brother! He's my older brother!"

Upon hearing this, Liuzi breathed a sigh of relief, and the hatred in his heart was not so intense—seeing Zhao Jianxiong's distraught appearance made him feel happy.

"Send the order out." The official had already made up his mind.

In any case, this is not something he can handle, and it is not his place as a sixth-rank official to pronounce judgment.

Kunwu and Prefect Li Kunhai are the benefactors who have given the people of Taiye a new lease on life.

On the day of the incident, the Nine Realms Imperial Physician recommended by Hongfa Temple kidnapped Kunwu and charged out, injuring about a hundred people and killing fifty or sixty. In any context, this was an act of blatant disrespect to the governor and was unacceptable in front of the border troops.

The contest between immortals is not for the Prefect to interfere with; the only recourse is to bring a few key figures before the Prefect and await his judgment.

The gleaming knife was revealed, and the Government Soldiers him. Wu Xiuwen knew then that disaster was imminent, and there was no way out.

Only after the shackles were put on his arms did Zhao Jianxiong realize his mistake.

--He whispered to his senior brother.

"Am I... me?"

Wu Xiuwen: "You didn't say anything wrong, junior brother."

Zhao Jianxiong was still worried about his elder brother. He didn't know if what these people were saying was true or false. He still couldn't believe it—after all, his whole family had died of illness just as suddenly and unbelievably.

Wu Xiuwen: "Let's go."

Liuzi charged forward fiercely, and no one stopped him, seemingly giving him tacit approval.

He kicked Wu Xiuwen in the butt, causing the boy to lose his balance and crash headfirst into the courtyard threshold.

Wu Xiuwen finally managed to get up, but the Government Soldiers neither helped him nor dared to stop Liuzi.

Taking advantage of Wu Xiuwen's unsteady stance, Liuzi delivered another kick.

Xiuwen wasn't angry this time. He staggered and rolled twice on the ground, his forehead covered in blood.

Jianxiong tried to lend a hand, but the Government Soldiers on either side immediately restrained him, and he was ready to fight to the death.

Wu Xiuwen grabbed his junior brother's trouser leg and scrambled to his feet, clutching his clothes.

Liuzi stomped on Xiu Wen several times, making him vomit blood. Finally, he calmed down and wanted to kick Zhao Jianxiong.

"You dare!"

Wu Xiuwen finally spoke, his teeth clenched, his eyes flashing a chilling green light, like a wolf.

Liuzi felt a chill run down his spine from that glare, and he couldn't move his legs.

Wu Xiuwen roared—

"His master is the Imperial Physician of the Nine Realms. If you dare to extend your left leg, it will be cut off. If you dare to extend your right leg, you'll be bedridden for the rest of your life!"

"If you slap him, I'll chop your shoulder off too!"

"He lost his elder brother, and you lost your adoptive father who was worse than a pig or a dog. Aren't you satisfied yet? You dare to hurt him?"

Wu Xiuwen had nothing else on his mind, and he didn't even know if Zhao Jianying was really dead.

But Jianxiong couldn't endure this suffering. Since he had no blood relatives or elder brothers, his senior brother had to step forward.

The supervisor had been observing in secret. Seeing the young master of the Wu family protecting the rough men of Zhao Family Village at all times, he became more and more convinced of Wu Xiuwen's words—this Imperial Physician might be an immortal, Wu Xiuwen would naturally protect the immortal's disciple. They were slaying demons and monsters in Black Wind Ridge, and the Imperial Physician was indeed qualified to meet the emperor.

At this point, the supervisor stepped in to take sides.

"Liuzi! Each of you should back down! Let the prefect handle the trial! The laws of the Great Xia will not wrong you!"

After being intimidated by Wu Xiuwen's spiritual pressure, Liuzi's inner fire gradually died down. Upon hearing the order to be promoted, he retreated to the ranks of the Government Soldiers.

Xiuwen found the magistrate's explanation laughable.

Master was right after all; the more someone lacks something, the more they like to talk about it.

From Zhuzhou to Taiye, every corrupt official we encountered along the way claimed to uphold justice and constantly quoted the Xia Law. But when it came to actually getting things done, their claims were nothing but empty promises.

Demons and monsters love to talk about benevolence and morality, but they are afraid that their human skin will be exposed and their appearance will be ruined. They even want people to be grateful and kneel down to worship them, send them into temples, and offer incense to them.

"Senior brother!" Zhao Jianxiong called out hurriedly.

"I'm fine." Wu Xiuwen abandoned all pretense and stood at the entrance of the mansion. "No one dares to kill you!"

The young man turned around and cursed, which made the three court officials present feel uncomfortable.

"I'll remember this grudge. As long as the imperial edict is here, no one will dare to lay a finger on you. Anyone who disobeys the order will have their entire family executed."

He tilted his head to the side, puffed out his cheeks, and glared. "Huh?!"

Wu Xiuwen cursed even louder, "Old dog! What! You're not happy!? This little beast is under your jurisdiction, and he tortured me, so this debt is on your head!"

"I'm sending you back by express courier! To Hongfa Temple! To ask the Emperor for details! And by the time the news gets back, it'll take at least half a month! It'll kill three horses in the process! I'm betting my life on this! Do you dare?!"

"How much money did his adoptive father Wu Lao'er, extort outside the city? How many people did he kill? This is doing justice to the people! And this little beast is acting like he's been wronged?"

"You fucking think this through!"

Wu Xiuwen then turned his rage on Liuzi, frightening Liuzi into silence.

"The Imperial Physician spared your life! He slashed you with the back of his knife! Your father, who's worse than dog shit, would he spare anyone's life when committing murder?!"

Liuzi was provoked and became agitated.

"I will avenge my father! I must avenge my father!"

"Xiangxiang, you criminal! Where is Kunwu? Confess the truth!"

In the courtroom, the Grand Master of the Imperial Secretariat (a fifth-rank official with no official position) sat beside the Prefect and poured him tea.

In the time it took to pass the cups and toasts, Xiangxiang had already endured four rounds of torture.

--They were thirty strokes of the cane, two incense sticks of torture, and the tiger bench with chili water. Then came the hair-pulling, one strand at a time, with salt and chili powder sprinkled on the wounds.

The jailer called this torture "frying the little man" --

--If we still can't get any information, we'll take a frying pan, pull out Xiangxiang's fingernails, cut flowers out of the flesh on her fingertips, and fry them in the oil. This is called "frying sugar flowers," and it's very creative.

Xiangxiang's eyes rolled back, she had no strength left, her white prison uniform was covered in blood, and she had become bald; her body was dying along with her heart.

"I have no idea."

A weak voice came from his hoarse throat.

"I really don't know, sir. I really... I really don't know."

"Kunwu came to see me that day because my husband was sick."

"He wanted me to buy medicine so he could have an affair with me."

"I don't know. I don't know where he went."

"How dare you!" The Imperial Physician stroked his mustache, raised his delicate finger, and jabbed it fiercely at the shameless prostitute. "Would Kunwu even deign to look at a whore like you?! You were the one who seduced Zhenjun first! You can't ruin Zhenjun's reputation!"

"It's me. It's me," Xiangxiang nodded repeatedly, unwilling to suffer any longer. "It's me, it's all my fault."

The Imperial Advisor then analyzed the situation and asked the Prefect for credit for the interrogation, "Since that's the case, the thieves must have cooperated and planned this all along to kidnap the living saint of Taiye Prefecture! Prefect, the criminal woman is already..."

"Bullshit!" Li Kunhai said impatiently while trimming his nails, having lost all patience.

He spoke with the Lingguang Buddha in the morning, and was Judas in front of the elixir.

Three of the four clerks died, and the city's garrison suffered heavy casualties. All of this was accomplished by a monk single-handedly.

The position of Fengyi Dafu has little actual responsibility; its main job is to please the prefect and say nice things. It's like being a caddie for a company boss at a golf game—that's how you get some of the wealth and status.

Li Kunhai also knew that interrogating Xiangxiang would definitely yield no results.

She'd been subjected to four rounds of torture. If it had been a strong, healthy man, even the most hazy memory would have recovered some. Even if he was desperate for release and wanted to die, he would have uttered some nonsense and made up some lies. But this woman only had one set of words throughout the entire ordeal—

--If we really want to find Kunwu, we'll have to rely on the city's psionicists and have the army search the mountains and find the way.

But even such a simple matter couldn't be handled properly by the Imperial Physician. The court proceedings were so sloppy that Li Kunhai was furious.

What evil has possessed Kunwu that he would seek out a prostitute? And a married woman at that?

It's one thing to coerce a married woman, but to use psychic powers to force her into marriage?

Why not spend a little money? Just spend a little!

If that doesn't work, find someone prettier! Find that Zhao guy a new wife! A replacement!

Don't you have lots of female devotees in your temple? Are you crazy?!