In a Fit of Anger, He Dared to Drag an Immortal Down to the Mortal World

Chapter 44: In a Fit of Anger, He Dared to Drag an Immortal Down to the Mortal World

Zi Bofeng's words had come in a rapid, urgent stream. How could he have been even slightly drunk? The Chief Clerk looked at the Prefect with a strange expression. The Prefect knew Zi Bofeng this well?

After Zi Bofeng finished speaking, Feijianzi's expression did not change. He smiled faintly and said, "Great floods and severe droughts are natural disasters. As cultivators, we should heed Heaven's will and act in accordance with the world. But rampant banditry is a mundane affair. You're asking the wrong person. My Bird-Mouse Temple protects this region, subdues demons and monsters, and upholds the Heavenly Dao. That is a cultivator's duty. As for those who were injured because of me, I feel remorse in my heart."

Remorse in his heart? Zi Bofeng felt a surge of fury shoot straight to his head, as if every hair on it had stood on end.

Even if Feijianzi had tried to wriggle out of it, refused to admit anything, or done whatever else, Zi Bofeng wouldn't have been this angry. But that line about feeling remorse in his heart had made his blood boil. What was that supposed to mean? What a lofty, aloof answer!

At that moment, with his anger stoked by the wine, his emotions finally became impossible to control.

It wasn't simply anger, but an indescribable urge. He wanted to slam his fist into the smiling face before him, punch the man's nose into his mouth, then knock his mouth down into his belly!

He bared his teeth in a grin, like a beast finally fixing its gaze on its prey. His pupils contracted as he stared hard at Feijianzi. "You just said you subdue demons and monsters? When have the Daoists of your Bird-Mouse Temple ever done that?"

Feijianzi replied solemnly, "More than ten years ago, when my senior brother descended the mountain to collect the Jade Tax, he heard that a Luo Fish was wreaking havoc on the banks of the Yang River. He went alone, with only his sword, and slew and subdued it, sparing the mortal world a great calamity. Was that not protecting the region?"

Speaking of the senior brother he respected most, Feijianzi felt a yearning stir within him, and his tone grew especially grave.

"Ha..." Zi Bofeng laughed. He laughed only once, then turned around and threw up.

He really did throw up. The wine, meat, and vegetables in his stomach, mixed with stomach acid and mucus, spilled across the ground and splattered everywhere.

Feijianzi quietly took a step back, frowning. "You're drunk. I'll let this pass today, but if you ever dare disrespect my senior brother again, I'll send you a sword."

This young man gave him a strangely familiar feeling, as if he were looking at his former self. That was why he hadn't drawn his sword at once.

"Hahahaha..." Wiping his mouth with his sleeve without a shred of decorum, Zi Bofeng threw his head back and laughed. It was as if he'd heard the greatest joke in the world.

"You said it happened more than ten years ago, on the banks of the Yang River, and involved a Luo Fish?"

"That's right. More than ten years ago, on the banks of the Yang River, a Luo Fish." Feijianzi answered solemnly. He was already close to losing his patience.

But Zi Bofeng suddenly stopped laughing.

He stood straight, no longer swaying, and stared hard at Feijianzi. "Feijianzi, do you know my surname?"

"Zi?" Feijianzi frowned slightly. He was already growing impatient, and it was only the cultivators' practice of cultivating the heart that had given him such good self-control.

"That's right, my surname is Zi," Zi Bofeng said gravely. "The Zi surname is rare. Within a thousand li of here, there's only one place where people have that surname: Zi Village, on the banks of the Yang River. The whole village had 383 people, not one more, not one less. Now there are fewer than ten people with the Zi surname within a thousand li, and I, Zi Bofeng, am one of them. That's all thanks to your esteemed senior brother."

Zi Bofeng raised his head, sinking into memories. By then, he didn't care about the consequences or the trouble he might cause. He only wanted to let everything in his heart out. How many people in this world knew the truth?

"The Luo Fish came from Zi Village. Back then, I read and wrote by the Yang River every day, and the Luo Fish kept me company, listening as I recited poetry and books. During droughts, it brought clouds and rain; during floods, it guided the water into the river. It lived in harmony with the people of Zi Village. But one day, a wicked Daoist came, claiming to be a Daoist from Bird-Mouse Mountain..."

"Shut up!" Feijianzi's flying sword hung in the air, pointed at Zi Bofeng. "Say one more word, and I'll cut you down!"

"Quick, pull him back!" the Prefect cried in alarm, immediately giving the order. Though the soldiers' legs trembled, they still rushed forward.

"Stay back!" Zi Bofeng held out a hand to stop the soldiers from approaching, then lifted his eyes to look at Feijianzi.

The handsome young cultivator's face was twisted with rage. He truly wanted to kill Zi Bofeng on the spot.

"Back then, that Daoist was just like you are now: all righteous and dignified on the surface, but rotten to the core." As if afraid he hadn't provoked Feijianzi enough, Zi Bofeng continued, "You can kill me, and you can kill everyone who knows the truth. There are only ten of us, after all. But can you go back and kill that wicked Daoist senior brother of yours?"

They said wine lent a hero courage. After throwing up, Zi Bofeng had only grown more fired up. At that moment, he was truly righteous and unafraid.

Zi Bofeng closed his eyes and recounted everything he had witnessed, one sentence at a time: the floodwaters that swept over the land, the resolute gaze, the seemingly otherworldly Daoist who hid filth beneath his noble bearing...

When he had told the whole story, Zi Bofeng opened his eyes and looked at Feijianzi.

He didn't know Feijianzi's age. He only saw that this Feijianzi really was as guileless as a boy.

"You... You're making this up!" That was all Feijianzi could say in rebuttal.

"You can think I'm making it up, but you can ask around. When have I, Zi Bofeng, ever lied?" Zi Bofeng gave a cold laugh. "If you still don't believe me, go see for yourself. Two hundred li east of Meng City, at the foot of Gui Mountain, on the southern bank of Yang Water. There used to be seven or eight villages there, and Zi Village was just one of them. You can ask the people nearby what really happened, too. I could lie to you, but the whole world can't have been lying to you."

After hearing Zi Bofeng's words, Feijianzi already believed most of it.

He knew his senior brother would sacrifice anything for the sect and was willing to do whatever it took. He really could have done something like this. But Feijianzi didn't want to believe it.

And that didn't mean Zi Bofeng had changed his mind.

He had never forgotten what Zi Bofeng was trying to accomplish.

"After all that, you're just trying to stop me from collecting the Jade Tax?" Feijianzi sneered. "I, Feijianzi, came down the mountain under orders. I won't turn back halfway. If you're clinging to that hope, you'd better give it up. You asked what gives me the right to collect the Jade Tax? Then I'll tell you plainly."

Feijianzi straightened and looked down on Zi Bofeng, enunciating every word. "My sword gives me the right!"

The sword was three chi long. It hovered in front of Feijianzi, pointing straight at Zi Bofeng. With just a thought, Feijianzi could send it through his body.

But Zi Bofeng stood even straighter. Fury surged in his heart, burning away all fear.

"I thought I was reasoning with a person. Turns out I was playing the lute to a cow." Zi Bofeng turned to leave. After a few steps, he paused and said coldly, "This world has more than one sword."

Feijianzi's sword quivered in the air, but in the end, he didn't strike from behind.

"Then I'll prove you wrong!" Feijianzi shouted inwardly. He'd accused Zi Bofeng of wishful thinking, but in truth, he was the one clinging to hope.

"Ah, ah..." Seeing Zi Bofeng leave, Tauxue looked back at Feijianzi, then at Zi Bofeng, before trotting after him. It tucked its head beside Zi Bofeng's shoulder and rubbed against him.

Feijianzi swept a cold gaze around. How could the people hiding in corners, behind rocks, and among the trees have escaped his notice? He said coldly, "You have three months. I will collect the Jade Tax, no matter what. If you miss the deadline, you'll feel my sword!"

Everyone fell silent, too frightened to breathe. Even the Prefect's face had gone pale.

Feijianzi turned and went into his small courtyard. The gate slammed shut, and he disappeared from sight.

Only then did two soldiers come over to support Zi Bofeng. One muttered reproachfully, "Scholar, what on earth were you thinking...?"

The Chief Clerk shook his head, disapproving of Zi Bofeng's actions.

The Prefect sighed. Zi Bofeng had been too impulsive. At first, he'd only been testing the waters, but later, he really had risked his life.

Still, the secret Zi Bofeng had revealed today had solved a long-standing mystery for the Prefect. It was also more than ten years ago that one township under Mengcheng Prefecture had been nearly wiped off the map by floodwaters. The flooding had raged for over a year, causing incalculable damage and dealing a fatal blow to Meng City's already threadbare finances.

After that, the people had been displaced, and bandits had run rampant everywhere, with chaos flaring up one place after another. Fortunately, the Prefect at the time had broken with the household registration system and allowed refugees to settle wherever they were, temporarily curbing the disorder. But the effects of that disaster had not faded even by the time the current Prefect took office. Once chaos took hold, restoring order was difficult. This had indirectly prompted the Prefect to ask the academy to select worthy talents, and led to the appointment of Zi Bofeng as Village Head of Lower Yan. Now Zi Bofeng stood right before the Prefect, revealing the truth in one fell swoop.

Fate was so wondrous. Every drink and every peck seemed ordained in advance.

And the Prefect admired Zi Bofeng even more.

He was a little rash, but he had courage, wisdom, and a sense of responsibility. Young people like him were becoming harder and harder to find.

In that battle of words, he had even managed to overpower Feijianzi.

But strength was strength. Eloquence alone could change nothing.

That was how cruel this world was.

The Chief Clerk shook his head and sighed. The Prefect glanced at him and sighed inwardly as well.

The Chief Clerk was something of a local strongman. He had served under the previous Prefect, too. He was good at preserving the status quo, but poor at forging ahead. When it came to the Jade Tax, he was no help at all, acting as if the sky could fall and someone taller would hold it up. Zi Bofeng had been a little rash, but at least he had managed to negotiate an initial deadline.

Three months was already quite generous. It gave the Prefect enough time to make some arrangements.

"Take Bofeng away to rest and look after him well. Tell me when he's sobered up," the Prefect ordered. "No one is to speak of what happened today. Anyone who does will be executed on the spot!"

Everyone looked at one another in alarm. Feijianzi's courtyard was secluded to begin with, and since he had arrived, idle bystanders had hardly dared approach. Those nearby were either people of standing or the Prefect's trusted subordinates, and all promptly accepted the order with due solemnity.

Still, the story of Zi Bofeng cursing Feijianzi spread all the same.