An encounter on the road

Fang Zelin breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this.

This must be the work of someone higher up. We hadn't heard anything about it before, but now that we have, they've just seized an entire prefecture.

That's really impressive.

I just don't know how the people in charge managed to do it; they seem to have such easy control over an entire prefecture.

The rain outside had stopped by now, and the few martial arts figures standing nearby frowned slightly when they saw Fang Zelin standing to the side.

Was this person eavesdropping on their conversation?

Upon realizing this, a sense of vigilance immediately arose in their hearts.

Fang Zelin had originally wanted to listen more to what was happening over there, but he hadn't expected to arouse the suspicion of several people. Seeing this, he had no choice but to get up and leave.

If everything is going smoothly in Qingyuan Prefecture, then there's nothing to worry about.

If something happens, he certainly won't stand idly by within his capabilities.

Since there's nothing else to do right now, he should just stick to his plan and go to Qingyuan Prefecture again later.

The people standing nearby were relieved to see Fang Zelin get up and leave.

"Food and such are easy to arrange, but the problem is that it's too difficult for us to carry out large-scale construction and build a city in the Black Bear Ridge area."

After Fang Zelin left, those present began to speak of other matters with concern.

They were all insiders; they must have known some information.

In the Blazing Summer, they planned to undertake large-scale construction in Black Bear Ridge, building a city to serve as a refuge for the future.

There are many demons in Black Bear Ridge, and the Great Jin has never been able to set foot there. So if they could occupy some of these places, then the land would completely belong to Blazing Summer.

Several people discussed this matter, sighing repeatedly.

This world is not quite the world they know.

Many places on land are not only inhabited by humans, but also by demons.

These are places that dynasties like the Great Jin would not actively provoke.

By the time Fang Zelin reached Riverside Mountain, the sun had already set on the horizon.

From here, you can see a river flowing in the distance, now dyed golden yellow.

Several wild geese flew side by side in the distance, calling out as they flew, which made the twilight even more beautiful.

"The scenery here is quite beautiful."

Fang Zelin sat down on a nearby rock and quietly admired the scenery.

The wind was quite strong on the mountain, and when the gale blew, it made Fang Zelin's clothes flutter loudly.

Fang Zelin was gazing intently at the scenery before him, as if he were about to merge into this world.

"The sun has set, let's go down!"

Seeing that the sun was about to set, Fang Zelin patted his bottom and immediately got up.

He hurried down the mountain, and after about half an incense stick's time, Fang Zelin arrived safely at the bottom.

However, Fang Zelin had no intention of returning to Qinlan City at the moment. It was too far to go back to Qinlan City, but there was a place called Beiqu County not far away.

Let's settle down there first.

Fang Zelin walked along the road for about half an hour, and then he saw lights in the distance.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Beiqu County.

Upon arriving at the location, Fang Zelin immediately went inside alone.

Just as Fang Zelin entered, he bumped into the Night Wandering God.

The Night Wandering God was on patrol, his eyes scanning the surroundings to prevent any demons from entering and draining his yang energy.

Upon seeing the Night Wandering God, Fang Zelin subtly stepped aside to let him pass, then went directly to the nearby inn to spend the night without greeting him.

After randomly choosing an inn, Fang Zelin entered, where the red lanterns hanging inside provided a bright light.

"Waiter, prepare me a superior room, and also a few side dishes."

Fang Zelin shouted a word, then immediately found a table and sat down.

Seeing the teapot beside him, he didn't stand on ceremony, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Alright, please wait a moment, sir."

Upon hearing the call, the waiter immediately responded and hurried to the kitchen to give instructions.

After a short while, a table full of side dishes was served.

Seeing this, Fang Zelin didn't stand on ceremony and started eating immediately.

But just as his chopsticks touched the dish in front of him, his ears twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but look to the side in surprise.

At that moment, a little further away, a child could be heard sobbing intermittently.

Fang Zelin had a good eye; he noticed that the child was wearing old clothes, and his straw sandals were tattered.

"Waiter?"

Fang Zelin looked at the child, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Sir, what can I do for you?"

The waiter rushed forward upon hearing the shouts.

Fang Zelin pointed to the child over there and asked with some surprise, "What happened to this child? Did he get lost from his parents?"

Oh, him!

Upon hearing this, the waiter saw that Fang Zelin was referring to the child across the street and immediately shook his head and sighed.

"That child belongs to the Zhang family in the nearby Yangou Village. A few months ago, when Squire Wu from the county was out, he saw that the Zhang was quite attractive, so he dragged her into the grove."

"Afterwards, Zhang, unable to bear the humiliation, bit Squire Wu, a large piece of flesh, on the spot. Squire Wu was enraged and beat her to death."

"After Zhang's husband learned of this, he went to the yamen to report it to the authorities, but unfortunately, the Squire Wu was in cahoots with the county magistrate, so how could the other party be convicted?"

"Zhang's husband was not satisfied. While tending to his own farmland, he continued to report the matter to the authorities. Enraged, the wealthy Squire Wu trampled all of their farmland and burned down their house. The two barely escaped with their lives. When they returned to report the matter, they were caught by Squire Wu on the way. The man was beaten to death, but the child was fortunate enough to be rescued."

At this point, the waiter sighed repeatedly.

Then, glancing at Fang Zelin, she said, "Sir, seeing that you are from out of town, you mustn't go around talking about this. If someone hears about it, you'll be thrown into jail, and you won't even have a place to cry out for justice."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zelin's brows furrowed deeply.

After glancing at the child beside him, he couldn't help but take a deep breath. "Then this person died in vain?"

"More or less. Tomorrow the man's body will be brought to the courtroom for a perfunctory interrogation, and then it'll be over. We only let the child stay here for the night because we felt sorry for him."

Upon hearing this, Fang Zelin's good mood vanished instantly.

Ask the child what they want to eat, and put the bill on my tab.

Fang Zelin thought for a moment, then said something to the waiter beside him.

The waiter immediately responded, his face showing some delight, "You're a good person, please remember this, don't mention this matter again, especially not here."

After saying that, she turned around and went to ask the child.