Master Of Fangcun Chapter 35

[ … words ]

At the sight of the frail-looking youth appearing before him, Jiang Chongguang felt as though he had just escaped death. Overjoyed, he blurted out, “Sushu? Why are you here?”

The young man, named Han Sushu, revealed a faintly helpless smile. “I came to save you. What else?”

As he spoke, he lifted his right hand and gave a light tap through the air. A streak of pale yellow light shot from his fingertips. Like an invisible key, it unraveled the layers of sealing talismans binding Jiang Chongguang in mere moments.

“If it weren’t for you, I’d truly have been doomed this time!”

Freed at last, Jiang Chongguang stretched his stiff limbs, his face dark with lingering resentment. “I never expected Fang Xun to be so cunning!”

Han Sushu let out a quiet sigh. “It’s not that he’s cunning. You were simply too foolish. You walked straight into such an obvious trap.”

Jiang Chongguang scratched his head awkwardly, forcing a defense. “I did suspect it was Fang Xun’s scheme. I just wanted to take the chance. What if it worked? I could’ve avenged my uncle!”

A flicker passed through Han Sushu’s eyes, but in the end, he only shook his head without another word.

“So what do we do now?” Jiang Chongguang asked quickly, as if he had found his anchor.

“Dongshan? What for? I still want revenge for my uncle.” Though reluctant, Jiang Chongguang showed no intention of opposing him.

A cold glint flashed in Han Sushu’s eyes. “Your physique may be unparalleled under heaven, but your cultivation is still far too weak. We’re going to Dongshan to dig up the Qian Emperor’s tomb. There’s a supreme treasure there that can remake your body.”

Jiang Chongguang’s eyes lit up instantly. “Excellent! This is exactly the kind of thing no one in the world would even dare to imagine. Let’s do it!”

Just as the two youths were about to depart, Han Sushu suddenly raised a hand. “Wait. Give me a moment.”

He formed his fingers like a sword, faint wisps of yellow energy drifting from his fingertips.

Using his fingers as a brush, he began to write directly upon the Great Qian official road, inscribing a seven-character poem in bold, flowing strokes.

Jiang Chongguang stepped closer and read it silently. A surge of exhilaration rose within him, and he couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh. “Brilliant! Truly satisfying! Let’s go!”

With a sweep of his sleeve, Han Sushu tossed out two light yellow talismans.

Caught by the wind, the talismans expanded, transforming midair into two lifelike white cranes brimming with spiritual energy. The two youths leapt onto their backs. Amid their wild, unrestrained laughter, they rode the wind straight into the clouds, drifting toward Dongshan.

…

At the same time, within the Lengshan County yamen.

Fang Xun’s overheated mind, driven by extreme excitement, finally began to cool.

Seated in his grand chair, he replayed every detail of yesterday’s capture and escort in his mind. Suddenly, he shot to his feet. The color drained from his face, and his expression twisted drastically as he cried out,

“Not good!”

At that moment, he no longer cared about maintaining the dignity of a county magistrate.

Under the astonished gazes of those around him, he traced the trail of the “Black-Robed Envoy” and sped off in pursuit.

Fang Xun moved like a gale, urgency burning in his chest.

His gaze suddenly caught something on the ground, and he came to an abrupt halt.

Descending quickly, he saw the bold, sweeping characters etched across the Great Qian road. The moment he read them, his vision went dark, and he let out a furious roar.

“How dare that wretch mock me!”

A surge of blood rushed upward, his pent-up fury crashing wildly within him with no outlet. Fang Xun coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood on the spot.

There, upon the road, a poem was written:

“A slip of paper knocks on heavy gates, Clad in black, I toy with the county lord. Laughable, laughable, foolish Fang Xun, Bowing low, you offer captives to a paper soul!”

“Ahhh! How dare that wretch mock me!” Fang Xun roared again, his voice bordering on madness.

Boom! Boom!

With several deafening explosions, the once-smooth stretch of the Great Qian road, along with the poem inscribed upon it, was blasted into ruins by Fang Xun’s rage.

…

“How come we haven’t seen the Magistrate around these past few days?”

Inside the Lengshan County yamen, Li Shun, having just finished tending to Lengshan Lord, curiously asked the others.

“Probably because he rendered great merit and is about to be promoted. He must be busy handling all sorts of affairs,”

The constables in the yamen all speculated the same way, their faces filled with envy.

Yet none of them could have imagined that at this very moment, Fang Xun had locked himself tightly inside his bedroom. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair disheveled.

Gone was his usual calm and composed demeanor. His body trembled faintly, unable to suppress the overwhelming fear gripping him.

Even the crying of Huan’er from a nearby side room sounded unbearably piercing to his ears.

“It’s over. It’s all over.”

“More than half of Lengshan’s people are dead or injured. If this matter is reported, not only will my dream of promotion to the capital be shattered, I will surely face punishment.”

“If I had the merit of capturing the remnants of Xiang, this would be nothing. But I… I was deceived by that brat!”

At this moment, Fang Xun’s heart was filled with anger, regret, fear, and dread. He wished he could slap himself several times on the spot.

“How did I fall for it so completely?”

“The first stick of spirit-connecting incense failed to ignite. That was already suspicious. Even Master’s tone was strange.”

“And when the Black-Robed Envoys came to escort him, there were many flaws.”

“But I… I was so immersed in the joy of my impending rise that I ignored all of it…”

“My bright future… my reputation built over half a lifetime…”

As if shrouded by endless clouds of despair, Fang Xun felt himself being slowly devoured by the suffocating darkness closing in from all sides. Under the crushing weight of fear, he even began to entertain thoughts of ending his own life.

“No! I, Fang, have endured in obscurity for half my life. I will not go quietly to my death like this!”

“There must be a way!”

Forcing himself to calm down, his thoughts began to race.

“The priority now is to stabilize the people of Lengshan.”

“They must not learn that the rebel was not delivered to the court, but rescued instead.”

“There is only one word for it… delay!”

“As long as I can drag this out until next spring, I can use my appointment to the capital as a pretext to withdraw cleanly.”

“Before leaving office, I only need to harden my heart and eliminate every loose end in Lengshan County…”

“No witnesses left alive. Not a single trace remaining.”

A chilling glint of madness flickered within Fang Xun’s bloodshot eyes.

“Fortunately, Lengshan is remote, and the authority to communicate with the court lies solely in my hands. Otherwise, everything that’s happened would have been exposed already.”

At this moment, Fang Xun even felt a trace of relief.

The next day, Magistrate Fang Xun once again appeared before everyone, impeccably dressed.

“The Xiang rebels have already been safely escorted to the Sacred Capital. However, this time, the rewards may not come as quickly as before. After all, we claimed this merit alone, which has stirred jealousy among various factions at court. Some negotiation and arrangements are unavoidable.”

“But rest assured, everyone. Capturing the rebel was a joint effort. Not a single portion of the court’s rewards will be missing! No one will be allowed to embezzle the future that Lengshan’s men earned with their lives.”

“Otherwise…”

“Even if I must take this before the Left and Right Chancellors, I will seek justice for all of you!”

Fang Xun spoke with righteous conviction.

The people of Lengshan praised his integrity repeatedly, while secretly looking forward to the generous rewards from the court.

In the days that followed, Fang Xun seemed like a completely different person.

He personally oversaw every matter, rising early and working late to direct the reconstruction of Lengshan County after the disaster.

He even lowered himself to visit households one by one, offering comfort to those who had lost loved ones in the flood.

Not only that, he overruled opposition and ordered the county granaries opened to provide relief, ensuring the people could survive the crisis.

For a time, the citizens of the city were filled with gratitude, praising Magistrate Fang as a benevolent official.

Yet as Li Shun watched all of this unfold, a faint unease stirred in his heart.

“This old fox… since when did he change his nature?”

“Could it be that, with his promotion approaching, he finally wants to do some good for Lengshan?”