Chapter 382: One Sword to Kill You

Old Master Liu and the other elders in the hall were in no mood for tea. When they saw the young man, presumably the Military Officer of Longjing County, enter the Fish Dragon Gang’s premises, their hearts sank. While the young man's appearance and demeanor were indeed remarkable, Longjing County was hardly lacking in handsome scholars. Even Xiao Ling from their own gang looked like a young master from the Prefect’s mansion. Beiliang was a place where military officers were arrogant and civil officials often had to bow their heads. What good would it do to offend a powerful colonel? Furthermore, the young man had clearly been rushed here alone. He was probably handling mundane paperwork cases at the yamen, with ink stains still on his hands. This young Military Officer, upon seeing the composed Young Master Xu, showed no particular deference. He slowly took a seat and, with a smile, asked the Fish Dragon Gang for a warm cup of tea to settle his stomach. Old Master Liu sighed inwardly, realizing that Young Master Xu, with his prematurely white hair, was not a truly influential figure in Lingzhou; otherwise, a minor official from Longjing County would never have treated him with such disrespect.

Xu Beizhi sat beside Xu Fengnian, blowing on his tea, and frowned, "Can't I have a moment of peace?"

Few people knew that he had voluntarily come to serve as an official in Longjing County, Lingzhou. Not even the Governor of Lingzhou, let alone the Grand Administrator Li Gongde, had received any hint of it. He had simply taken his official seal, donned his official robes, and gone alone straight to Longjing County. The military yamen in Longjing County remained undisturbed, mistakenly believing him to be the descendant of some general who couldn't quite make it. Local bullies had made several attempts to test him, all of which Xu Beizhi effortlessly diffused, immediately marginalizing them. He was given only tedious, thankless tasks, and seeing him seemingly content, everyone paid even less attention to him. Moreover, a thousand elite cavalry had been covertly transferred into Longjing County without warning, making various factions uneasy. Who would then bother to scrutinize a mere Military Officer? The cavalry commander was named Wang Zhi, and his deputy was Hong Shu. Both held ranks one grade higher than ordinary colonels, making them influential figures in the Beiliang army who, though not widely known, suddenly held significant military authority. This elite cavalry never interfered with local military or political affairs. Everyone in Longjing County speculated that the Beiliang King simply valued General Zhong Hongwu, who had retired from service, and this deployment was to show that the General's favor remained undiminished.

Xu Fengnian chuckled softly, "Keep your complaints to yourself for now. Has Xiliang told you roughly what's happening?"

Xu Beizhi replied calmly, "What's so surprising about local factions colluding? But you're quite ruthless, using me, a Military Officer, as bait to lure out the Zhong family, aren't you? Aren't you worried about alerting the enemy? If you truly provoke Zhong Hongwu, let's see how you'll handle it."

Old Master Liu merely saw the two young men whispering to each other. Observing their composure in the face of danger—whether it was the fearlessness of youth or the ignorance of inexperience—he couldn't help but recall his own youthful, tumultuous years. The Fish Dragon Gang's current foundation was built through countless life-or-death struggles with his old brothers, often fought with a casual demeanor. The old master instinctively turned to look at his granddaughter. Was he really going to place this burden on her shoulders? Wouldn't that deprive her of the happiness of being a wife and mother, which a woman should have? Old Master Liu was not a stubborn elder who favored sons over daughters; it was precisely because he loved his granddaughter deeply that he was reluctant to let Liu Nirong follow his path. Once one entered the jianghu, it was inevitable to make enemies and invite animosity from all sides. How many truly lived to see the day they could retire?

The teacups on the table began to tremble, and the tea inside swayed slightly.

Old Master Liu and several other elders, seasoned veterans of gang conflicts, grew solemn. The junior officer, who had been kicked into the hall by the woman in green, had already been carried to the back for treatment. It was easy to invite trouble but harder to get rid of it; today's calamity seemed inescapable. Earlier, the old master had tried to evacuate the gang's elderly and children through the back door to relatives in the countryside to avoid trouble, but as soon as they stepped out, they saw groups of burly men from the Honghu Gate blocking the street, clearly determined to wipe out the Fish Dragon Gang and uproot them from Longjing County. Old jianghu figures of Old Master Liu's generation always adhered to the principle of "trouble not extending to family," never crossing that line. This unspoken rule of the jianghu, to them, was more important than state law. However, the new generation of gangs and sects acted with increasing brutality, completely intent on eradicating their enemies. In the past five years, Longjing County had witnessed five or six massacres. Afterward, when officials investigated, a few chests of silver would be sent to the magistrate's son or favorite concubine, and the case would be closed as a private vendetta. Regardless of dozens of lives taken, only one or two scapegoats were needed to pay the price. These scapegoats, whose families received large sums in compensation, were regarded as heroes in the jianghu. Even before their executions, they would bravely declare, "I'll still be a hero in eighteen years!" sparking an outpouring of excitement among young jianghu folk around the execution ground. This left Old Master Liu and other old jianghu who had adhered to rules for most of their lives feeling alienated, and inevitably, somewhat disheartened.

Over a dozen armed cavalrymen rode directly into the Fish Dragon Gang's martial arts hall. Behind them followed over a hundred sharp-witted soldiers in brightly polished armor with sabers.

Colonel Tang Ziyi sat high on his horse, looking down. He seemed to believe he had the right to scorn the world within his small domain of Longjing County. A sneer played on his lips. His gaze skipped past Old Liu Xu and the other elders, pausing only briefly on the woman in green and the white-haired man, before settling directly on Liu Nirong, who stood gracefully at the entrance. In his cold eyes, there was a hidden ardor, the gaze of a man toward a coveted beauty. Tang Ziyi was no shifty, rat-faced man. He was powerfully built, a legitimate second-generation military noble from Beiliang. He had served on the Youzhou border, earning military merits of unknown veracity to outsiders. Upon returning to Longjing County, he started as a junior officer and steadily rose to become a Colonel, commanding three hundred armored soldiers. For such a successful general to want a jianghu woman of commoner status as a concubine, the Fish Dragon Gang should have been grateful! Yet they had repeatedly refused him with excuses. Did they truly think Tang Ziyi was a clay Buddha without a temper? If they had agreed to his terms, the Fish Dragon Gang could have become a top gang in Lingzhou, or at the very least, ruled Longjing County under the watchful eye of General Zhong. With him, a Colonel, and the Tang family backing Old Master Liu Xu, who would dare to disrespect them? If they refused the toast and chose the penalty instead, they shouldn't blame Tang Ziyi for ensuring no stone was left unturned in the Fish Dragon Gang's destruction.

Tang Ziyi glanced at the woman in green. His subordinates had mentioned she had some skill. "Good," he thought. "First, she'll be imprisoned on a charge of assaulting a soldier, then her spirit will be slowly broken and her edges smoothed. Afterward, she can join Liu Nirong in my chambers." A smirk played on Tang Ziyi's lips. He disliked the delicate, weak women from pleasure houses who couldn't endure his discipline, always leaving him, a Colonel, uninspired. Only women like Liu Nirong, who practiced martial arts, truly piqued his interest. Their unique waists and beautiful legs, he knew, could make a man feel like a god in bed. Tang Ziyi was meticulous in his actions, deeply influenced by his family's prestige, and managed not to appear overtly arrogant or oppressive. He gently pressed his legs against his horse's flanks. The warhorse took a few steps forward, and Tang Ziyi declared loudly, "We shall act according to the law! Who dares to obstruct us?! I hear the Military Officer of the county is present. Step forward!"

Chen Xiliang chuckled softly beside Xu Fengnian, "Quite a display of greed."

Xu Fengnian sighed, "This is truly tricky."

Xu Beizhi slowly stepped over the threshold and walked to the top of the steps. "I am Xu Beizhi. I assumed the post of Military Officer for Longjing County ten days ago."

Tang Ziyi sternly said, "Since you are an official of Beiliang, you should know how the law dictates the handling of the Fish Dragon Gang and Honghu Gate's brawl, and Liu Nirong and others' armed assault. I am responsible for maintaining order and peace within the borders, especially against jianghu bandits who defy prohibitions with martial arts. The government explicitly states that such individuals are to be executed on sight, and soldiers are to apprehend them and administer punishment according to law. Why then was one of my subordinates injured?"

Xu Beizhi calmly replied, "Colonel, your handling of the Fish Dragon Gang incident is appropriate. However, my friend, being a law-abiding citizen, was attacked without provocation by a junior officer after entering the martial arts hall. According to Beiliang military law, that junior officer's military status should be revoked, and he should be executed without pardon. The penalty extends three ranks upwards, and you, Colonel, happen to be within that scope, and should therefore resign in disgrace."

Tang Ziyi chuckled, "Are there any witnesses?"

Xu Beizhi smiled, "Over a hundred people from the Fish Dragon Gang can testify. But since they are suspected rebels, they wouldn't be qualified."

Xu Fengnian raised his horsewhip and said, "I am a law-abiding citizen with an untainted background; I can testify."

Tang Ziyi sneered, "Yet there are those who can prove you are a rebel, part of the Fish Dragon Gang."

Xu Fengnian recalled the Honghu Gate thugs knocked unconscious by Qingniao outside the door earlier. He frowned and said, "Those are Honghu Gate gang members. What qualifications do they have?"

Tang Ziyi calmly stated, "They never stepped foot inside the Fish Dragon Gang's martial arts hall, nor did they participate in the brawl."

Liu Nirong walked up to Xu Fengnian, who was about to speak again. "That's enough. You and I are not really friends. I probably won't be able to repay you for what happened today. I only hope that if you have any connections, you can save Wang Dashi and the other gang members for me. Liu Nirong would be extremely grateful."

Xu Fengnian, hitting a sore spot, said, "You're not actually planning to be this Colonel's bed-warming plaything, are you?"

Liu Nirong gritted her teeth and said, "Believe it or not, I'll stab you to death before I kill him?"

Xu Fengnian tightened his grip on the horsewhip, a hint of daze in his eyes.

Xu Beizhi chuckled at this point, "Colonel Tang, in that case, there isn't a single person inside the Fish Dragon Gang's gates who is qualified to testify."

Tang Ziyi, confident and willing to play a cat-and-mouse game, said, "Oh? I'm all ears."

Xu Beizhi calmly stated, "I have evidence that Colonel Tang participated in a massacre case. During that incident, nine of your personal soldiers removed their armor and murdered seventeen people with their blades. It's just that I haven't had time to present this evidence to the Prefect yet."

Tang Ziyi burst into laughter on his horse, holding his stomach. He slowly drew his saber and asked, "Do you think you'll still have a chance then?"

Xu Beizhi retorted, "You want to silence me? Do you know what crime it is to murder a Military Officer without cause?"

Tang Ziyi drew the Beiliang saber from his waist. "How could I, a general, knowingly break the law? It's just that the esteemed Military Officer might die during a skirmish with rebellious bandits. Afterward, I might even personally deliver compensation to your family. Your clan will surely be grateful that I suppressed the Fish Dragon Gang."

Xu Beizhi's face flushed with anger as he roared, "How dare you?!"

Xu Fengnian whispered a reminder from the side, "Orange, your acting really isn't good. Right now, you should be so furious your lips are blue, and your legs are trembling with fear. Especially, your voice should have a slight tremor to be convincing."

Xu Beizhi looked towards the Colonel, his voice barely a whisper, "You do it, you come?"

"By the way, do you really have evidence?"

"No. I do know the truth, but evidence, no."

"Your acting is mediocre, but you're good at digging pitfalls."

"Don't interrupt my fishing."

Standing nearby, Liu Nirong, who had heard every word, couldn't understand what was happening in this world.