Cut in two at the waist

No one understood Xu Qi'an's military salute from his previous life, but Song Tingfeng understood part of Tongluo's killing intent, which came from Zhu Yinluo's direct subordinates.

"Grab him, don't let him get away!" Song Tingfeng shouted, lunging forward first, pinning Xu Qi'an to the ground, twisting his hands behind his back, then looking around at the crowd:

"Xu Qi'an, the gong-wielding Xu Qi'an, assaulted his superior and disregarded the law; he must be handed over to the authorities for trial."

Zhu Guangxiao silently approached, took off the rope from his waist, and personally bound his colleague.

Seeing that the two had captured Xu Qi'an, the surrounding gongs breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Song Tingfeng's face was grim. He whispered in Zhu Guangxiao's ear, "Take him back to the yamen. I'll go ahead and report this to the boss. Remember, don't let Zhu Yinluo's men escort him. Keep a close watch on him."

After saying this, Song Tingfeng clasped his hands and said, "This man and I both came from Li Yinluo's ranks. He committed such a serious crime, so we also bear responsibility. We will escort him back to the yamen, and you may continue to search his property."

"Good!"

"This is troublesome."

The gongs were played.

Since Song Tingfeng agreed, he would also accept responsibility for the escape of the criminals, which would then be none of their business.

Furthermore, the task of confiscating property was not yet complete, and everyone was still thinking about making money.

Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao found several colleagues who had played Russian roulette at the Imperial Academy of Music last night and escorted Xu Qi'an together.

Old Song was probably angry; he ignored Xu Qi'an the whole way and even kicked him twice.

Once outside the mansion, they hurried ahead on horseback.

Xu Qi'an was bound with ropes, sitting on horseback, and escorted by four gong-bearers to the Nightwatchers's office.

Only after the initial shock subsided did Xu Qi'an begin to worry about himself.

They were afraid of death, but they had no regrets. The family members of the convicted official were not implicated; they could have left unharmed.

Xu Qi'an has been adapting to the rules of this era, trying his best to integrate himself into it, and blending in with the world—that's what he once told Xu Xinnian.

This is also something I'm saying to myself.

For now, as an eighth-rank martial artist, I can only learn to adapt to my environment.

Until he witnessed the fate that the child suffered, Xu Qi'an's gradually cooling faith suddenly burned brightly again. He rediscovered his original aspirations.

"Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up!" Song Tingfeng spurred his horse into a gallop, whipping its rump and roaring, "The Nightwatchers duty, get out of the way, all of you get out of the way!"

Pedestrians scattered in panic, cursing and shouting filling the air.

Song Tingfeng ignored everything, spurred his horse back to the Nightwatchers's office, and rushed into the office without even throwing the reins to the guard at the gate.

Li Yuchun was working in the hall when his ears twitched. He looked up, waited a few seconds, and then Song Tingfeng rushed into Chunfeng Hall.

"What is it?" Li Yuchun asked.

Such hurried footsteps must mean there's something to report.

"Xu Qi'an almost killed Zhu Yinluo, boss, save him quickly." Song Tingfeng spoke very quickly, and before Li Yuchun could ask any questions, he continued, "Zhu Guangxiao and his colleagues are escorting him back to the yamen. Zhu Jinluo will soon get the news, and I'm afraid Xu Qi'an won't even have a chance to enter the yamen."

Li Yuchun didn't ask any more questions. She suddenly stood up and led Song Tingfeng out of Chunfeng Hall.

His goal was clear: Yang Yan's Divine Spear Hall.

The only thing that can deal with Jinluo is Jinluo.

The two walked quickly, and Li Yuchun asked as they went, "What exactly happened?"

Song Tingfeng, slightly out of breath, quickly said, "The man surnamed Zhu tried to humiliate the female relatives of a convicted official. Xu Ningyan stopped him, and the two got into a fight. Xu Ningyan slashed Zhu Yinluo with a knife, leaving him on the verge of death."

After Song Tingfeng finished speaking, he continued to add details, including how Zhu Yinluo deliberately targeted and made things difficult for Xu Qi'an before the departure.

Humiliation of female relatives of convicted officials?

If Li Yuchun initially felt some resentment towards Xu Qi'an for injuring Zhu Yinluo, at this moment, she stood firmly on Xu Qi'an's side.

"When you see Yang Jinluo later, repeat what you said, but remember one thing: don't mention that Zhu Yinluo deliberately made things difficult for Xu Qi'an," Li Yuchun warned.

Song Tingfeng paused for a few seconds, then instantly understood and gave a strong "hmm".

If the conflict within the government office were revealed, Yang Jinluo might think that the conflict between Xu Qi'an and Zhu Yinluo was mixed with personal factors.

This is tantamount to starting a feud and engaging in a brawl.

Without mentioning that Xu Qi'an was simply enforcing the law impartially, yes, he was just enforcing the law impartially.

The structure of the raiding teams was designed to prevent embezzlement and to ensure mutual oversight.

However, Xu Qi'an still made a mistake, a very serious one. His correct course of action was to report the incident to the authorities, not to take action on his own, which resulted in serious injury to his superior.

In any government office, insubordination and killing a superior is a serious crime punishable by being cut in half at the waist.

"Is there any hope for him?" Song Tingfeng's lips were dry.

"..." Li Yuchun glanced at him. "I don't know."

The two arrived at the Divine Spear Hall. Yang Yan did not go to the Righteousness Tower to accompany Wei Yuan today. Instead, he sat cross-legged and meditated, breathing in and out his energy.

He seemed to have no intention of opening his eyes, continuing his breathing exercises and circulating his energy throughout his body.

Normally, Li Yuchun would have obediently waited until the end of the week before reporting the matter.

But we can't wait today. Li Yuchun said in a deep voice, "Yang Jinluo, something terrible has happened."

Yang Yan opened his eyes, his face expressionless, showing neither anger nor displeasure. "What is it?"

Li Yuchun glanced at Song Tingfeng, who immediately reported the dispute between Xu Qi'an and Zhu Yinluo during the ransacking of their homes, omitting the personal grudges from the gathering.

Li Yuchun then added, "Given Zhu Jinluo's temper, I'm afraid Xu Qi'an won't be coming back."

Yang Yan's expression turned serious. "I understand."

He stood up, took a step, and disappeared into the hall.

Zhu Yang was one of the ten gongs of the Nightwatchers's office in the capital. He was a fourth-rank military officer who joined the army in his early years. He started as a common soldier and worked his way up to become a centurion. Later, he was noticed by Wei Yuan and recruited into the Nightwatchers's organization for special training.

He was considered one of Wei Yuan's direct subordinates, his status only slightly lower than that of his two adopted sons.

Zhu Yang had three sons. The eldest was neither good at literature nor martial arts, while the second son was only half-baked in his studies and worked in the Ministry of Personnel.

Only the third son, Zhu Chengzhu, was exceptionally talented. He was the youngest silver gong Nightwatchers's office and was highly valued by Zhu Yang.

At that moment, one of his underlings rushed in, his face grim. "Sir, sir, something terrible has happened! Young Master Zhu is in trouble!"

Zhu Yang, who was looking down at the case file, looked up abruptly as the silver gong continued, "Young Master Zhu was slashed by a bronze gong, and his life hangs in the balance. He has been carried back to the yamen and is receiving emergency treatment. I have sent someone to fetch Warlock astronomer from the Imperial Bureau of Astronomy."

Led by Yinluo, Zhu Yang arrived at his son's Eagle Hall and saw his unconscious youngest son with an exaggerated injury on his chest.

Several of his underlings took turns channeling vital energy into him to maintain his bodily functions, while two physicians from the government office were treating him.

Zhu Jinluo, his face dark, asked, "How's the situation?"

The two doctors seemed not to hear, their hands moving non-stop as they stopped the bleeding, applied medicine, performed acupuncture to prolong the life, and stitched up the wound.

"If the knife wound were half an inch deeper, the heart would be ripped open. At that point, even the Warlock of the Bureau of Astronomy would be powerless to save it," a doctor said, looking up.

"It was the Law Artifact bronze gong that blocked the fatal attack for Lord Zhu, saving his life by sheer luck. However, the blade's energy has penetrated his internal organs. Unless the vital energy is expelled, Lord Zhu can only hold on for another half an hour at most."

"When will the Warlock from the Bureau of Astronomy arrive?" Zhu Jinluo's voice suddenly rose.

"We've already sent someone to invite him; he'll be here soon," replied the silver-robed man who led him there.

Zhu Jinluo nodded. "Who did it?"

Silver Gong replied, "Copper Xu Qi'an, under Li Yuchun's command."

Xu Qi'an?

Zhu Jinluo had heard of this nobody; Jiang Luzhong and Yang Yan had fought because of him. Just a nobody with a small gong—could he possibly hurt his son?

"When it came time to assemble, the little gong was late, and Zhu Yinluo reprimanded him. Unexpectedly, the little gong held a grudge, and during the ransacking of the house, Zhu Yinluo merely harassed a female relative of a convicted official, and the little gong drew his knife and attacked her."

The silver gong player had actually heard it from the copper gong player who was reporting back. The story was indeed as described, but the silver gong player had embellished it, blurring the main points and changing the meaning.

He shifted the blame for the conflict to the gong-wielding man named Xu Qi'an. After all, he couldn't very well tell the man's father, "Your son humiliated a female relative of a criminal official and was killed."

Seeing Zhu Jinluo's ashen face, Yinluo continued, "Xu Qi'an is already on his way back, and I reckon he'll be at the yamen soon."

Having confirmed that the officials in white from the Bureau of Astronomy had ample time to arrive, Zhu Yang took a deep look at his unconscious youngest son, then transformed into a gust of wind and disappeared from the hall.

As soon as Zhu Jinluo rushed out of the yamen and looked towards the long street, he saw six riders slowly approaching. One of them was riding with Xu Qi'an, whose hands were bound by ropes.

Five horsemen surrounded him, escorting him back to the yamen, while the other Nightwatchers continued to search his house and inventory his assets.

Zhu Jinluo stared at the small gong on the horse's back, showing no anger or murderous intent. He guided his fingers with his inner energy. "Clang!" Zhu Guangxiao's sword was drawn automatically, and under the control of his inner energy, he slashed at Xu Qi'an.

Everyone was caught off guard, including Xu Dalang, whose hands were tied.

"Bite!"

The other gong's sword was drawn and used to block the blade that was about to kill Xu Qi'an.

The two standard-issue swords landed simultaneously with a clang.

Xu Qi'an was already aware of the situation, but cold sweat still seeped down his back.

As if crushing an ant, Zhu Yang's expressionless face finally darkened. He turned to stare at the expressionless man behind him, suppressing his anger, and said:

"Attempted to kill his superior is punishable by death according to the law; you cannot protect him."

"I'll be the one to execute them," Yang Yan said calmly, meeting the other's furious gaze. "When did it become your place to touch my people?"

"Alright, let Duke Wei decide on this matter."

The two immediately went to Haoqi Tower to seek justice from Wei Yuan.

After receiving the message, Yang Yan, expressionless, and Zhu Yang, still seething with anger, went upstairs and met Wei Yuan on the seventh floor.

Wei Yuan stood in the observation hall, his back to the tea room.

Nangong Qianrou stood at the junction of the observation hall and the tea room, leaning against the wall, a cold smile mixed with amusement on her face.

"Duke Wei!" Zhu Yang clasped his hands and said in a deep voice, "My son, Zhu Chengzhu, was seriously injured by Xu Qi'an, the Copper Xu Qi'an, and is on the verge of death. He is still in danger."

"I beseech Duke Wei to uphold justice for this humble servant and severely punish Xu Qi'an, the gong-wielding official."

He glanced up at Wei Yuan's retreating figure, and seeing that he didn't turn around, continued, "Duke Wei, regarding this matter..."

Zhu Yang recounted the whole story.

Wei Yuan then turned around, strolled back to the tea room, and sat down at the table.

Yang Yan said, "Godfather, I have a different version of events. Zhu Chengzhu took advantage of the house raid to try to humiliate the female relatives of the convicted official. He was stopped by Tonglu Xu Qi'an. Instead of stopping himself, Zhu Chengzhu dragged the female relatives into the courtyard and tried to humiliate them in public. Xu Qi'an tried to dissuade him but failed, and in anger, he attacked."

It must have been tough for Yang Jinluo; he managed to say everything he had to say all day in one go.

"Bullshit!" Zhu Yang roared, "It's clearly Xu Qi'an Xu Qi'an,' taking revenge for personal reasons!"

Wei Yuan, oblivious to everyone else, set out teacups, brewed tea, and waited for the two Jin Gong to finish arguing. Zhu Yang was the one questioning and cursing, while Yang Yan ignored him.

"Since there are differences, let's confront each other," Wei Yuan said.

Soon, Song Tingfeng, Zhu Guangxiao, and several other gong players who had returned first were called up, including Xu Qi'an.

He was surrounded by people in the center, his hands bound with ropes.

"Explain yourself!" Wei Yuan glanced at everyone and said gently.

All the gong players lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze, even though this high-ranking eunuch had always presented himself as gentle, kind, respectful, and frugal.

Zhu Yang's sharp gaze fell upon the silver gong who had reported the news to him, "Report everything to Duke Wei in detail."

The silver gong then reported the same thing again as what he had told Zhu Yang.

Several gongs frowned.

Zhu Guangxiao nudged Song Tingfeng, who was taciturn and not good with words, so he had to let his outgoing colleague speak up.

Before Duke Wei, even my voice trembled. Song Tingfeng took a deep breath. "Duke Wei, this humble servant has something to report."

After receiving Wei Yuan's nod, Song Tingfeng said in a low voice, "We were not late when we assembled, but Zhu Yinlu deliberately made things difficult for us and beat up Xu Qi'an and me."

"When they searched our house, he forcibly kept the three of us in the front hall and forbade us from entering the inner courtyard. A higher-ranking official can crush a lower-ranking one, so we had no choice but to comply."

"It wasn't until the cries of the women in the backyard came that Xu Qi'an could no longer hold back and rushed over. He dismissed the other gongs, but was helpless against Zhu Yinluo."

"Zhu Yinluo knowingly broke the law, and instead of restraining himself, he dragged the women into the courtyard, intending to humiliate them in public in order to force Xu Qi'an to take action."

Zhu Yang narrowed his eyes. "Framing a superior is also a capital offense."

Song Tingfeng gritted his teeth and said loudly, "Duke Wei, you are wise enough to know that everyone present witnessed this."

The same thing, similar wording, but actually two different concepts.

The report from the silver-robed official highlighted how Xu Qi'an seized upon Zhu Yinluo's mistake and ruthlessly killed him to avenge his personal grudge.

The core of Song Tingfeng's story is that Yinluo maliciously provoked and made things difficult for Xu Qi'an, who had tolerated it for a long time. Finally, unable to stand Yinluo's crimes any longer, Xu Qi'an took action to uphold justice.

Wei Yuan looked at the other gong players.

The gong players lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

When gods fight, neither side can afford to offend the other.

Wei Yuan said gently, "Tell the truth, and I'll guarantee you'll be safe."

With that reassurance in place, the men exchanged glances and whispered, "Xu Qi'an and the other two are indeed not late."

Another person, after holding back for a moment, couldn't help but say, "What Song Tingfeng said is true. Zhu Yinluo did indeed drag the women into the courtyard, intending to humiliate them in front of us, and his words were very provocative towards Xu Qi'an."

This is the advantage of a multi-team structure. If all the gongs were under Zhu Jinluo's command, their stories would all be the same, pointing the finger at Xu Qi'an.

Zhu Yang snorted coldly, "Even so, it should be handled by the government."

He cleverly shifted the focus of the conflict. Regardless of the real reason, the fact that Xu Qi'an almost killed his superior was undeniable.

The son may have made a mistake, but when did it become the place of a lowly official to punish him? Besides, the mistake of humiliating the female relatives of an official is not serious. At best, it would result in a salary deduction; at worst, it would be confinement or demotion; and at worst, dismissal.

With the matter escalating so much, how many Nightwatchers in the yamen were watching? He didn't believe Wei Yuan would show favoritism to a mere bronze gong, even though he had once been valued by two golden gongs.

Wei Yuan said, "Zhu Chengzhu knowingly violated the law and disregarded criminal law. He is hereby dismissed from his post and will never be employed again."

Zhu Yang's expression changed.

Wei Yuan continued, "Xu Qi'an, the copper Xu Qi'an, attacked the silver gong user, causing serious injury. His crime was heinous, and he was imprisoned. Seven days later, he was executed by being cut in half at the waist at Caishikou."

Zhu Yang closed his eyes and stopped speaking.

"Get out of here, don't disturb me while I'm reading." Wei Yuan waved his hand.

The crowd bowed and were about to leave when they suddenly heard Xu Qi'an whisper, "Duke Wei."

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he took two steps forward and asked, "Is it truly my heart to dedicate myself to the world without seeking personal gain?"

When he asked this question, Xu Qi'an stared intently into Wei Yuan's eyes.

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "Of course, that's the truth."

Xu Qi'an nodded, glancing around at everyone, his gaze lingering on Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao's faces, as if giving an explanation to his concerned colleagues. "You eat your own food, which comes from the people's hard-earned wealth. The common people are easily oppressed, but Heaven is not easily deceived."

He straightened his back. "That's also what I truly believe."

P. S.: I'm sharing a book called "The Ordinary Senior Brother" (or "The Unremarkable Senior Brother"). I really relate to the protagonist. The author is Hei Ye Mi Tian. Here's a secret: he wrote this book because he was so captivated by my charm after meeting me in person that he created this character.

This is exactly who I am; I will not accept any rebuttals.

PS: There's more.