Book 15: Chapter 8: Sacrificial Victim
Book 15: Chapter 8: Sacrificial Victim
In the darkness of night, two overcast faced Great Mang officials sat on two sides of a table.
A burst of horse hooves noises quickly made their way through the streets and alleys, shaking the table to the point where the tea on the table splashed out from the tea cups.
“This is already the third time! In just ten or so minutes, there have already been three groups of cavalry!”
One of the officials really couldn’t hold himself back, furiously shouting, “The emperor’s decision to implement a night curfew and armored cavalry patrol is an utter nonsense move! Originally, there weren’t many people who knew of Zhantai Qiantang’s appearance at all. Now, who in Great Mang King City doesn’t know those assassinations are related to Zhantai Qiantang, who still doesn’t know that Zhantai Qiantang has returned again!”
“This is naturally a stupid decision.” The other official said with a bitter smile, “But I fear that the one in the King City has already become utterly terrified, so is making a stupid decision anything to be surprised about? Small figures like us don’t need to worry about a sword moving through our necks at any time, but for those higher up, who knows when a blade will suddenly descend?”
The furious official became quiet. A moment later, he quietly said, “Perhaps the late emperor’s choice was correct.”
The face of that official sitting across from him whose expression was originally calm, only having a bitter and difficult smile, immediately paled. He spoke with a sullen voice, “You shouldn’t produce any thoughts you shouldn’t have.”
“You don’t need to worry.” The previously angry official shook his head and said, “What you said is correct, we are only small figures… When I say that the late emperor’s choice is correct, it doesn’t mean that I have any thoughts. I only feel like Zhantai Qiantang indeed has ability.”
The thoughts of these two ordinary officials in Great Mang King City perhaps reflected the thoughts of most Great Mang officials.
Even though Zhantai Qiantang was forced to flee Great Mang, being able to bring away a fifty thousand Great Mang Army from Meteor Cit and, allowing them to properly live in Yunqin, this already sufficiently proved his ability.
Zhantai Qiantang now reappeared in Great Mang through this type of sinister and terrifying assassination methods. Even though there is no chance of changing Great Mang’s current situation, to the extent where there wasn’t even any hope of stirring up any mutiny, his appearance alone already made many officials and other people start to think.
It was just like what Vice Principal Xia realized a while ago, that this was indeed an entirely different age, just like ten years before Yunqin was established.
Yunqin Emperor had completely gotten rid of Green Luan Academy, sending out troops towards Heaven Ascension Mountain Range.
Li Ku and Purgatory Mountain Patriarch became enemies.
Zhantai Qiantang was also facing Purgatory Mountain as enemies.
These things were all formlessly changing the thoughts of many Great Mang officials.
The weakness of the new emperor made most officials feel the shadow of Purgatory Mountain.
Even though they clearly understood that Great Mang’s true ruler would always be Purgatory Mountain, why was it that when the late emperor and Li Ku were still here, they rarely felt the shadow of Purgatory Mountain?
It was because the late emperor and Li Ku were comparatively stronger.
This was the conclusion that was easiest to reach.
Why was it that strength could make Purgatory Mountain make some concessions, to the extent where they couldn’t interfere with some things?
It was because Purgatory Mountain would forever only be a cultivation land. Even if Great Mang’s army couldn’t destroy Purgatory Mountain, it could deliver unimaginable damage to it.
Step by step, many officials inwardly reached this type of answer.
Many Great Mang individuals began to suddenly feel that everything Great Mang’s late emperor and Li Ku did was always struggling against Purgatory Mountain.
Even if only Zhantai Qiantang was left behind, this was also the most dangerous seed they left behind for Purgatory Mountain in Great Mang.
Purgatory Mountain Patriarch and those great elders might be the ones who lived the longest in all of Great Mang, as well as the ones who struggled against various experts the longest in this world. There was naturally no way they wouldn’t be able to sense the change in times.
That was why Purgatory Mountain needed greater power, which was why he had to establish even greater reverence.
…
While an ordinary official within a certain street in Great Mang King City was fretful and furious because of the cavalry hooves sounds, in the distant Yunqin, in River Province’s Wind River Crossing City, in a city that formed around a great river crossing, Xu Zhenyan’s trusted aide Wang Ling was also extremely angry.
He looked at the plate of salted vegetables, plate of pickled tofu, and pot of porridge in front of him, cold light flickering through his eyes as he said, “Chu Zijing, these people really don’t know how to appreciate kindness, actually daring to treat you with this type of attitude? Should we try to imprison these people first tomorrow?”
After Di Choufei’s death, Xu Zhenyan already became a great subject within Central Continent City, even younger than Di Choufei, someone with even greater authority.
When an influential subject like him was sent to do official business locally, the local officials actually received them with porridge and salted vegetables, this already wasn’t just looking down on them, but rather undisguised humiliation.
Xu Zhenyan and his followers didn’t know that whether these local officials were showing them this type of mockery and humiliation attitude because of previously making Lin Xi their enemy, if it was because of him and his father, or if it was because of the things he did in the Ghost Prison, but regardless of what reason it was, when facing these local officials’ treatment, he should be feeling anger.
Only, Xu Zhenyan didn’t show the slightest expression of anger.
He only shook his head towards Wang Ling in a gloomy and cold manner, and then began to pick up a rough ceramic bowl, helping himself to the porridge.
Wang Ling’s anger froze on his face. He couldn’t understand Xu Zhenyan’s attitude.
Xu Zhenyan began to drink the porridge. Only after finishing a bowl of porridge, did he look at Wang Ling, saying calmly, “Think about why Di Choufei died, think about why we are still alive. This type of clear stream faction are all like smelly and hard stones in the toilets. They are people who, because of the reasoning they believe in, are willing to use their skulls to strike pillars.”
“These types of people will never be satisfied. The more you treat these types of people seriously, the more of these types of people will come to deal with you seriously.”
“You have to understand that people like us, if we want to continue living properly, it isn’t to let others feel how powerful you are, how mighty you are, but rather to make these people feel like you are a dog, that they can treat you any way they want.”
Xu Zhenyan looked at Wang Ming whose mouth gradually opened, a bit stunned and seemingly understanding, saying, “Our official rank is continuously climbing, true authority also reaching higher and higher, so why is there a need to bicker with these idle matters?”
Wang Ling’s mouth gradually closed, also starting to add porridge.
He believed that what Xu Zhenyan said was correct. Regardless of how nasty the clear stream faction here treated them, it would at most be this type of making them drink porridge. Meanwhile, if they tried to deal with these clear stream factions, someone might directly feed them poison.
Previously, they always felt that the reason why Xu Zhenyan could rise was because Xu Zhenyan was vicious enough. However, at this moment, he completely understood that the reason why Xu Zhenyan could reach his position, apart from viciousness, was also because he could endure silently better than anyone else.
…
Early morning.
A somewhat overly pale faced youngster woke up within a certain small town courtyard in Great Mang.
This Purgatory Mountain young Divine Adjudicator was dressed in ordinary cloth clothes. The moment he opened his eyes in shock, not only did he not feel any nervousness, when he saw the unfamiliar room and scenery outside the window, his eyes instead became filled with an expression of excitement and expectation.
He didn’t know that he already became a Purgatory Mountain criminal.
He only knew that he was helping a Purgatory Mountain Great Elder with a task.
Normally, in Purgatory Mountain, when someone like him caught the eye of the Purgatory Mountain Great Elder whose position was the least stable, the one with the weakest strength, it would often signify glorious prospects.
He longed for his future in Purgatory Mountain, and then got out of bed, starting to wash up.
Then, after eating some dry rations, he patted the iron case that was directly touching the skin on his chest, waiting in this courtyard.
As time went on, this young Divine Adjudicator naturally felt boredom. He didn’t dare go against orders and leave this courtyard, so he instead began to have a bit of curiosity towards this courtyard that was covered in dust, it clearly already didn’t have any traces of human life for a long time.
He went from the front courtyard where he slept to the rear courtyard where items of no value were kept.
After flipping through some decorative items and junk out of boredom, he then returned to the front courtyard. It was already almost noon. He began to eat some things out of boredom. Then, he sensed that some areas were a bit strange, so he began to go through the rooms of the rear courtyard one after another again. He stopped in a firewood room with a neat and tidy pile of dry firewood.
It was because he discovered that unknown as to what reason, this firewood room was mysteriously colder than all of the other rooms.
Right at this time, a groan sounded. This courtyard’s wooden door was suddenly pushed open by someone.
An aged Purgatory Mountain Divine Adjudicator walked into this courtyard.
There were large black flame runes on the bright red divine robe’s chest and back.
The bright red tall hat also had black flame runes.
The young Purgatory Mountain official dressed in ordinary clothes was a bit confused. Right at this moment, he saw eight more red robed Purgatory Mountain Divine Adjudicators in two rows, following this aged Purgatory Mountain Divine Adjudicator in.
This young Purgatory Mountain Divine Adjudicator was frightened.
It was because even though he didn’t know what kind of mission that Great Elder assigned him, he knew that the divine robes worn by the aged Divine Adjudicator at the very front meant that he was a Purgatory Mountain Elder, and the other red robed Divine Adjudicators were all Apostles who had the qualifications to wear red flame rune symbols.
He bent down at the waist, subconsciously about to greet them respectfully.
“Child, you could have stolen anything else, yet you chose to steal our Purgatory Mountain’s Devil Transformation medicine crystal.” However, right at this time, he heard this kind faced older Purgatory Mountain Divine Adjudicator speak with a sigh, “Could it be that our Purgatory Mountain’s Devil Transformation medicine crystal is something that can be stolen just because one wants to?”
The young Purgatory Mountain Divine Adjudicator’s body became rigid.
His head became a bit empty. A surging chilliness continuously tossed and turned within his heart.
The aged Divine Adjudicator gave this rigid young Purgatory Mountain Divine Adjudicator an indifferent look. He slowly continued forward, the divine robes he wore dragging on the ground, releasing rustling sounds.
The eight red robed Apostles moved past his side, approaching this young Purgatory Mountain Divine Adjudicator with even greater speed.
“I didn’t steal any Devil Transformation medicine crystal!”
“I only came here on Great Elder’s orders.”
The young Purgatory Mountain Divine Adjudicator raised his head, screaming as he tried to defend himself. His face was extremely pale, cold sweat sliding down like earthworms.
The aged Divine Adjudicator’s brows furrowed deeply.
The eight red robed Apostles’ steps also momentarily stopped.
“Which Great Elder’s orders?” The aged Divine Adjudicator asked.
Meanwhile, the eight red robed Apostles all slightly nodded their heads.
The eight red robed Apostles’ sleeves produced waves of red radiance. Eight cold chains flickering with red radiance shot out at the same time like crimson snakes, penetrating this young Purgatory Mountain Divine Adjudicator’s body.
The young Purgatory Mountain Divine Adjudicator’s hands, feet, chest and abdomen were completely penetrated. He screamed out miserably.
However, he still frantically shouted, “It’s Devil Light Cave’s Great Elder.”
“It’s him?”
The aged Divine Adjudicator’s brows furrowed a bit tighter. His expression flickered intensely for a bit, his brain instantly producing many points of doubt. However, in that instant, he immediately sensed a wave of danger.
His eyes quickly narrowed, his body turning around.
Lin Xi’s figure appeared at the entrance of the courtyard.
Under Great Mang’s spring day sunlight, he looked at this aged Divine Adjudicator and those Purgatory Mountain red robed Apostles, saying with a laugh, “Good morning everyone, I hope all of you have been well.”