The Cause, Framing

Setting out from Yujing City for Jiangnan was a long journey, fraught with bandits on both land and water. Fortunately, the Dongan Escort Agency had built up a considerable reputation over the years.

Zhao Xuan, the chief escort leader of the Dongan Escort Agency, was renowned for his Great Subduing Demon Fist. It was virtually unmatched and considered exceptional among Innate Realm martial artists.

Therefore, despite the many twists and turns along the way, they arrived safely at the Jiangnan Yan Family.

The Jiangnan Yan Family was also very famous in the martial world. The family head, Yan Luohua, was a master of the Spring Breeze Willow Seventy-Two Swords, rarely rivaled within the Innate Realm.

Upon receiving the consignment, Yan Luohua carefully inspected the wooden box and then settled the remaining half of the ten thousand taels of silver.

At the same time, to thank Zhao Xuan, he warmly invited Zhao Xuan, his son-in-law, and the Dongan Escort Agency's escorts to rest at the Yan Family for the night before returning to Yujing City the next day.

Zhao Xuan delivered the goods and received the money, putting his mind completely at ease.

He did not refuse Yan Luohua's warm invitation.

The journey had been nerve-wracking, and the brothers of the escort agency really needed a good rest.

So, Zhao Xuan and his party settled down at the Yan Family.

That evening, Yan Luohua even specially arranged a banquet to entertain Zhao Xuan.

The men of the escort agency all drank until they were completely drunk.

At midnight, Zhao Xuan was sleeping soundly when he heard cries and screams in his ears.

He had drunk a little too much, and his head was still a bit sore.

But years of experience forced him to get up and see what was going on.

Opening the door, he saw that the vast Yan Family estate was ablaze, with corpses everywhere.

Zhao Xuan sobered up instantly. He quickly woke up his son-in-law and the escorts, desperately trying to put out the fire, but the fire was too strong and could not be extinguished.

Zhao Xuan saw Yan Luohua's body, his eyes wide open in death.

The exquisitely carved wooden box was next to Yan Luohua.

Zhao Xuan had been warmly entertained by Yan Luohua and felt that Yan Luohua's death was unjust, so he picked up the wooden box.

The mechanism of the wooden box had been opened, and Zhao Xuan found that it contained a fragment of a map.

He felt that the map was of great importance, so he put it away, abandoned the wooden box, and took his son-in-law and the escorts back to the capital overnight.

On the way back to the capital, Zhao Xuan was attacked many times.

The escorts of the Dongan Escort Agency died one after another.

In the end, even his son-in-law was killed.

Each of those who ambushed them was a master of the Acquired Realm, and some were even Innate Realm experts.

If Zhao Xuan had not cultivated diligently all his life, and if the Great Subduing Demon Fist wasn't so powerful and fierce, he might not have been able to return to Yujing City alive.

However, what he did not expect was that returning to Yujing City did not mean the end of the matter.

He saw the scholar again.

But this time, the scholar came with people from the government office.

The scholar identified them as the real culprits who had killed Yan Luohua's seventy-two family members and set fire to the Yan Family estate.

Zhao Xuan's mind went blank for a moment.

The map hidden on his body was also searched out by the government officials and used as evidence of Zhao Xuan's murder of the Yan family.

The Yujing City magistrate directly sentenced Zhao Xuan to immediate execution.

No matter how Zhao Xuan argued, he could not clear his name.

He was imprisoned in the dungeon, almost in despair.

At this time, Eunuch Jia, who was in charge of managing the Imperial Estate outside the city, found Zhao Xuan and gave him a way out.

Marquis Fubo Ma Guangyuan had once entrusted Zhao Xuan to transport a batch of military equipment to Jiaodong for the construction of the navy.

Eunuch Jia asked Zhao Xuan to report that Ma Guangyuan had embezzled one-third of the military equipment.

Zhao Xuan smiled miserably and asked that even if he reported it, without material evidence, the court would not easily take action against Marquis Fubo, who held real power.

Eunuch Jia said that he did not need to worry about it, and that they would prepare the other material evidence.

Zhao Xuan now understood that everything was because Marquis Fubo had asked him to transport the military equipment.

He remembered that it was just a coincidence that the government's transportation capacity was insufficient, and Marquis Fubo had always been considerate of the people and did not want to increase corvée labor, so he paid to hire the Dongan Escort Agency, which had an excellent reputation, to transport the batch of military equipment.

Zhao Xuan knew that the military equipment was used to deal with the Eastern Dwarf Pirates, so he also did his best to transport the batch of military equipment to Jiaodong smoothly.

That was why Eunuch Jia needed Zhao Xuan to report Marquis Fubo.

That so-called map might be fake, just bait to lure Zhao Xuan.

If he had not been greedy for the ten thousand taels of silver, he would not have been hooked.

Unfortunately, it was too late to regret it now.

Zhao Xuan refused Eunuch Jia. He admired Marquis Fubo's character and was, of course, unwilling to cooperate with Eunuch Jia in framing him.

Eunuch Jia was not discouraged and ordered his men to let Zhao Xuan have a good taste of the various tortures in the heavenly prison.

No matter the torture, Zhao Xuan gritted his teeth and refused to yield!

Until one day, Zhao Xuan saw his wife, An Ya.

He told his wife everything that had happened and also learned some news from her.

The scholar who had gone to the escort agency that day was one of Eunuch Jia's men.

Zhao Xuan gave a bitter laugh. The situation was set, and he was helpless.

An Ya knew how important Zhao Xuan was to the Dongan Escort Agency, and to her and their daughter.

But she only asked, "Does it hurt?"

That simple, caring question, and her reddened eyes, showed An Ya's grief.

Yet she still supported her husband.

Zhao Xuan, the chief guard of the Dongan Escort Agency, was known for his unwavering integrity and reliability. How could he submit to a castrated eunuch!

From then on, Zhao Xuan always gritted his teeth, enduring countless tortures.

In the end, even Eunuch Jia found it boring.

Zhao Xuan was eventually executed.

[Host has obtained Great Subduing Demon Fist]

Hu...

Wen Qingkong exhaled slowly, his eyes complex.

He hadn't expected that Zhao Xuan's execution involved such a conspiracy, and that it was also related to Eunuch Jia, the steward who had persecuted the Huangzhuang Four Brothers.

From Zhao Xuan's dying memories, Wen Qingkong clearly felt the cruelty and pain of the Heavenly Prison's punishments.

It was truly admirable that Zhao Xuan could maintain his integrity under such torment.

Feeling Zhao Xuan's Great Subduing Demon Fist power merging into his body, Wen Qingkong bowed deeply.

"Thank you for your Great Subduing Demon Fist. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely clear your name."

After Wen Qingkong stood up, he packed up his tools, then covered Zhao Xuan with a white cloth. The stitching work had been successfully completed, and all that remained was for An Ya, the old matriarch of the Dongan Escort Agency, to come and take Zhao Xuan's body away tomorrow.

The night passed without incident. The next day, at mao time, Wen Qingkong was already awake.

Li Lan'er had also gotten up and was making breakfast.

Wen Qingkong carefully checked Zhao Xuan again, making sure there were no problems. Then, at chen time (morning), the old matriarch An Ya arrived with her daughter, Zhao Anmin, and the bodyguards from the Dongan Escort Agency to welcome Zhao Xuan home.

The old matriarch An Ya looked at the completely invisible wound on Zhao Xuan's neck and was truly relieved.

Wen Qingkong hadn't lied to her. His stitching skills were indeed remarkable.

She cupped her hands in thanks.

Wen Qingkong returned the gesture.

After that, the old matriarch An Ya led her people to escort Zhao Xuan's body back to the Dongan Escort Agency.

After the people from the Dongan Escort Agency left, Wen Qingkong practiced a set of Great Subduing Demon Fist on the first floor. The fist force was vast, masculine, and violent. A chair a zhang away was merely brushed by the fist wind, and it instantly shattered into pieces.