Chapter 148: No. 139 (Part 1)

After dinner, Zhang Rongfang bid farewell to his sister and left to go home and relax.

His residence was not far from the Commerce Bureau. It was possible to walk there at a leisurely pace.

At night.

Teams of officials occasionally hurried past on the streets of Wushan Prefecture.

The leaders were mostly strong and muscular individuals.

As he passed a rice ball shop, Zhang Rongfang looked at the bowls of pure white, tender glutinous rice balls and decided to sit down and order a serving.

Even though he’d just had dinner, a little snack on occasion was quite nice.

Just as he sat down, two people burst out of the liquor shop in front of him.

One person was wearing a straw hat and dressed in black clothes, holding a Mountain Opening knife, which he pointed sharply at the other person.

The other person wore a large, flowing robe, but it was clear that he had an amputated arm, raising a whip with his single hand.

A closer look revealed that the whip seemed to contain golden threads.

Without exchanging words, the two immediately started fighting.

The whip lashed out, leaving marks all over the walls of the surrounding shops.

The Mountain Opening knife swung, causing the onlooking crowd to back away.

However, what caught Zhang Rongfang’s attention was that both fighters were clearly controlling their range rather than charging around recklessly.

The shops and stalls they hit were small ones, avoiding the luxurious and well-decorated establishments.

“It starts again….. The Xu family’s liquor shop seems doomed, trouble comes knocking every few days.” Diners at the nearby table murmured quietly.

“Even with only one arm, Xu Chen has endured for three days. That’s quite remarkable.”

“It’s a pity. If he hadn’t provoked the Huang family, it wouldn’t be so hard for him in Wushan Prefecture.”

The few people whispered to each other.

Zhang Rongfang quietly listened, watching the two battle.

He noticed that among the crowd, there were quite a few martial artists.

Several among them showed no sign of fear in their eyes.

The speed and flaws of the match, in Zhang Rongfang’s view, were at most about the level of third or fourth grade.

But to the crowd, they were already considered quite impressive.

Ordinary people could hardly see their moves clearly.

“Guest, your rice balls are ready, three pork and cabbage, three red bean paste, six five-blessing balls.”

The shop owner, with a sweat towel hanging around his neck, approached carrying a bowl the size of a head.

“Thank you.” Zhang Rongfang nodded, looking at the rice balls placed in front of him, ready to eat.

He thought about the matter with Dashing Tiger; when Qingsu came here, he encountered this thief. Now he ran into trouble with his brother-in-law as well.

His brother-in-law was in charge of commerce, meaning that only the interference of Dashing Tiger’s group could affect Wushan Prefecture’s business enough to alert him.

Originally, Zhang planned to test Dashing Tiger’s strength himself.

Now that all of Wushan Prefecture is taking action, it’s a good time to see the depth of skill among local experts.

While quietly contemplating this, the fight grew more intense on the other side.

At this moment, Xu Chen, wielding a whip, faintly gained the upper hand; the whip swooshed with the wind, leaving deep, knife-like scars wherever it struck, showcasing his exceptional skill.

Just as the knife-wielding opponent was about to lose, the liquor shop’s door suddenly slammed open.

A towering black man, resembling a black bear, emerged, holding a boy who looked eleven or twelve years old.

“Xu Chen, look what I’ve found! Hahaha!!” The black man loudly spoke in the Great Spirit tongue with a strange accent.

“Jing’Er!!” The one-armed Xu Chen glanced over, his expression immediately turning anxious.

“Father!” The boy struggled desperately, looking fierce but helpless, as his strength was too weak against the black man, he could only claw futilely and strike at the man’s arm.

“Don’t mind me, father! Kill them! Avenge mother!!” The boy shouted.

“Xu Chen! Look here!” The black man sneered, raising his hand to slap the boy’s face.

Xu Chen immediately turned to save him, only to be slashed brutally on the back by the knife-wielder.

If not for his timely evasion, that blow would’ve surely been fatal.

“You’re tough huh?! Now, why aren’t you so defiant?!” The knife-wielder laughed boisterously. “Assault the Huang family’s miss, think you can safely return and continue your business as usual? What a joke! You really think the world works like that? Think people swallow their losses without a word? Too naive!”

Xu Chen’s back was dyed red with blood; he struggled to endure, exchanging a few more moves with the knife-wielder, then lunged towards his children.

“Father! Brother!” Another girl in a blue dress ran out of the liquor shop, clinging to the black man’s leg and biting down hard.

Ah!!

The black man groaned in pain, kicking the girl away.

The girl slammed into the wall and rolled to the ground, writhing in pain, unable to get up for a moment.

“Truly a sin….” A diner at the rice ball stall couldn’t help but bow his head, unwilling to watch further.

Zhang Rongfang frowned slightly.

This is the true power of local strongmen, committing crimes in broad daylight, yet no one seeks to intervene for so long.

Where are the authorities? The constables, the city guards?

Failing to appear when needed, is this the law of the world?

He lowered his head, continuing to eat his rice balls.

Until the truth is clear, he wouldn’t rashly interfere.

There are too many injustices in the world, and he is but a normal person, unable to manage all.

Besides, the rights and wrongs in this matter are unknown to those unclear of the situation.

“Stop! How can you commit such evil deeds in broad daylight! Bullying little children, what kind of skill is that!”

From the crowd of spectators, a burly man with a thick beard stepped forth holding a large staff.

Without a word, he charged forward, aiming to strike the black man.

But before he made it halfway, a team of martial artists in blue outfits, holding round shields and iron rods, wearing black leather vests, quickly approached the street.

These men all wore black hats, with a large yellow character embroidered in the center.

The outcome was then without suspense.

The righteous bearded man saw this, turned, and fled.

The one-armed Xu Chen fought furiously, repelling the knife-wielder and rushing towards his children.

“Presumptuous!”

Among the arriving Huang family martial artists, the leader was a middle-aged muscular man with a fierce look and a scar across his forehead.

Without a word, he stepped forward, clashing with Xu Chen.

Just three moves.

The long staff knocked aside the long whip, then jabbed at Xu Chen’s chest, forcing him to retreat several steps.

Puff!

The swordsman behind him struck just in time, stabbing him in the back.

“Father!!” Xu Chen’s two children screamed and cried in anguish.

“Shut up!!” The black man grabbed one child in each hand and smashed them mercilessly against the wall.

“If leniency can be shown, let it be. You’ve punished the chief culprit; why commit more killings?”

An old Daoist walked out from an inn nearby, sighing and advising.

Bang bang!

After two dull thuds, the two children’s bodies rolled to the ground, vomiting blood, their eyes filled with despair.

It was clearly too late for anything.

“Damn!” Zhang Rongfang heard a suppressed curse from the table behind him.

But it was useless; no one dared to step forward.

The old Daoist was completely ignored as well.

The people of the Huang family, having finished their killing, glanced around and, after exchanging a few words with the swordsman who led them, turned and left.

The old Daoist hurried to the two children, crouching down to check their injuries.

They weren’t dead, just seriously injured. In this world, with such a level of medical care, internal injuries like hemorrhage and organ displacement could only lead to death.

Zhang Rongfang sighed softly, finished his last dumpling, and stood up.

He didn’t know what crime Xu Chen had committed to offend the Huang family.

But those two children….

He hesitated slightly about whether to save them, but everything was already too late.

After one last glance at the old Daoist and the two children, Zhang Rongfang paid the bill and turned to leave.

He had only taken a few steps when he heard the old Daoist behind him lowly chanting the Supreme Sutra of Deliverance from Suffering.

The voice was low, carrying a trace of helpless oppression.

Zhang Rongfang looked back; the two children were motionless, eyes wide open, their chests no longer rising and falling.

The Huang family….

This was his first time witnessing the Huang family in Wushan Prefecture.

Returning to his small courtyard.

Qingsu was already sweeping the fallen leaves in the yard.

Having not found anything to do for now, she disguised herself as the Protector here.

“Young Master. You’re finally back.” Suddenly, another soft voice came from inside the house.

A fair-skinned girl with braids, wearing a dark blue cotton jacket with small white flowers, her eyes large and round.

“Weili?” Zhang Rongfang was slightly surprised but soon understood.

Since Weili was his personal female guard, it was normal for her to follow.

“When did you arrive?” he asked, entering and handing his coat to Qingsu to hang up.

“Just today. We almost got hijacked by the Bandit King of Lang Mountain on the way, it was really terrifying….” Weili patted her chest, looking timid.

“That Bandit King of Lang Mountain again?” Zhang Rongfang frowned slightly.

“Yes, recently many trader caravans and escort agencies have been robbed by them. If they get little money, they kill or kidnap people. If there are few people, they take them all, very vicious.”

“What’s being done about it in Wushan Prefecture?” Zhang Rongfang walked into the yard, slowly exhaling, and began practicing his Talismanic Skill, continuing to hone his martial arts.

In the path of martial arts, if one doesn’t practice for a day, they become rusty.

Even though he had the attribute panel to help, allowing him to master all martial arts, over time, his reaction would dull.

Slower reaction speed often makes the difference between life and death in battle.

Weili glanced at the somewhat tense Qingsu beside her and smiled.

“There are some clues. According to the surface intelligence of Wushan, the Bandit King of Lang Mountain has undergone several sieges before but always escaped.

This time they seem to be retaliating.

And within Wushan Prefecture, the three major families and the official yamen all have their own factional disputes. Anyone who puts in effort to eradicate becomes severely damaged as a result.

Damaged forces fall behind in internal struggles within the Prefecture.

This is the key reason why the Bandit King hasn’t been eradicated but has instead grown stronger.”

“Even the yamen’s soldiers can’t eradicate them? The Bandit King is that strong?” Zhang Rongfang said in surprise.

He knew how strong the Spirit Army was.

Even they were helpless, having failed twice. It seems these bandits are indeed formidable…

“Yes, indeed. Master, after I arrived here, I also discovered that the Black Eagle and Bai Ying in this place don’t seem to prioritize our Golden Wing Pavilion as their main business.

They have close connections with the three big families. Many times, they use the Pavilion’s intelligence for personal gain,” Weili said with a smile.

“It’s normal. Since you’re here, you and Qingsu should first go to Duan Valley, take over the forces there,” Zhang Rongfang calmly instructed.

After discovering Duan Valley’s lack of compliance, he realized the death warrior system here was no longer pure death warriors in the literal sense.

Rather than call them death warriors, they were more like a purely military force.

And today’s street incident made him realize he must control enough of his own power.

Otherwise… relying solely on himself, even as a Super Grade, he’d only be besieged and killed by masters.

Moreover, he was also concerned about his sister and brother-in-law’s family. He couldn’t act with his public identity easily.

“Yes!” Both responded in unison.

“Go.” Zhang Rongfang also felt that the Golden Wing Pavilion’s system was vast and varied across different regions.

Here, the Twin Eagles showed respect on the surface, but their true thoughts were unclear to him.

Just like the death warriors of Duan Valley.

Before he arrived, these death warriors had had multiple conflicts with the Huang family. How did those conflicts arise? Why did they occur?

He had no idea.

So, Qingsu and Weili needed to investigate these matters and gradually bring these forces that should belong to him under his control.

After agreeing, the two women took the Commander’s Seal and left.

Zhang Rongfang practiced his Talismanic Skill for a while, then shifted his attention to his attribute panel.

In the past few days, he gained a little attribute.

But for the Void Observation Skill, which was now only at the third Core Formation stage, a little attribute could at most be used to enhance one stage.

After resting for a while, he wasted no time, directly applying the attribute to his Void Observation Skill.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep