Chapter 438: Chapter 75: The Essence Lies in the Pig Dragon Chapter 438: Chapter 75: The Essence Lies in the Pig Dragon “`
On August 3rd, the governnt offices in various places posted announcents early in the morning, stating that Li Yan, a high-ranking defender from the Dragon Tiger Mountain, had been ordered by Taiyi Pavilion to exterminate the Fuhai Great Sage, in order to appease the public’s heart. Officials and soldiers were dispatched to patrol the towns and villages of each county, and anyone who had privately set up obscene temples, or even sacrificed livestock, boys, or girls, was to be imdiately arrested and prosecuted.
The common people of each county town, upon hearing that the governnt had posted announcents about the slaying of demons, ca to see them early in the morning, with so of the rural commoners even making a special trip to town for this.
“At last, the Heavenly Master Tao has sent soone, now we can be saved.”
“In the past, whenever the governnt posted an announcent, it was almost always able to control the floods.”
“Hey, don’t push at the front!”
Peddlers, porters, fishern, scholars, and commoners from all walks of life all crowded in front of the announcent board, straining to read the content above.
“Hey, old man, you can’t even read, so what are you squeezing in for?”
A man wearing a green cloth headband, resembling a scholar, couldn’t help but complain to a small-statured, fifty-sothing-year-old farr in front of him, whom he had stepped on during the jostling.
The old farr glared at the scholar: “Who says I can’t read? I know enough characters to get by!”
With that, the old man wriggled to the front, struggling to make out the words on the announcent until he reached the last character, then blinked in bewildernt.
“See, I said you couldn’t recognize them,” retorted the scholar with a cold laugh.
“Don’t interrupt,” the old man said, his face turning red. He then started from the last character and read backward to the beginning, his complexion suddenly turning pale.
“If you don’t recognize the characters, then you don’t recognize them, why pretend?”
The scholar had just spoken when the old man yanked another scholar from behind to the front, inciting a chorus of curses.
“You know more characters, you tell , is there a ‘Chen’ character up there?” asked the old man.
The scholar looked at the announcent for a while and shook his head, “No, there isn’t.”
The old man grew even more frantic: “Then is there a ‘Ke’ character?”
“Neither is there,” replied the scholar.
Hearing this, the old farr seed to lose all strength and sat down on the ground, bursting into tears: “No ‘Chen’, no ‘Ke’. It’s all over now, all over—my seedlings!”
The scholar was puzzled: “No ‘Chen’, no ‘Ke’, what are you crying for?”
The old farr couldn’t stop crying: “You’re an outsider, what do you know, what do you know!”
By this ti, so had finished reading the announcent, and the crowd couldn’t help but surge towards the governnt officials: “Who is this high-ranking practitioner? Why isn’t Mr. Tianfang leading the command to slay the demon?”
“Dragon Tiger Mountain can’t deal with the Fuhai Great Sage, esteed officials, please call on Mr. Tianfang to intervene!”
The crowd was instantly agitated.
The soldiers at the announcent board hastily hoisted their spears: “Back off, everyone back off.”
Inside the governnt office, Zhu Changyun, the Canal Transport Governor, who was visiting the side office, listened carefully while an accompanying scribe offered him a cup of tea.
“Your Excellency, please.”
Zhu Changyun took the teacup and casually asked, “How many groups of people have co to read the announcent?”
“`
“We’ve had dozens of groups, and the common folk are all worried about this matter.”
“I sent Centurion Qi to help inspect the villages. What are the results?”
“Just today, Centurion Qi has destroyed more than a dozen obscene temples in various villages and captured nearly fifty sorcerers and shamans. In two villages, the village elders and able-bodied n even tied up their own children to offer them as sacrifices to the sea. The criminals have been caught, but the boys and girls thrown into the sea have already…”
Zhu Changyun slamd down his teacup with a smack, his anger becoming uncontrollable, “Ignorant n and won, they should all be executed by the law!”
The clerk was still calm, carefully replying, “With the majesty of the imperial court, it is naturally impossible to be threatened by a sea demon. It’s expected that the people would indeed offer up three hundred children and send soone to subdue the demon. But in the past, subjugating such a creature would have ant temporarily commissioning Mr. Tianfang with a military post to lead the mission against the Pig Dragon. This ti, however, a certain unknown Gao Gong has been assigned. It’s only human nature for the common folk to feel unsettled, and the local gentry and rchants of the prefecture have no confidence in the court’s move this ti. They’ve already started to count their valuables and prepare their families to seek refuge in Jiangsu, and there are not a few of them.”
“You may leave now,” said Zhu Changyun.
The clerk, as if pardoned, said, “This subordinate shall take his leave.”
After that, he exited the room.
Zhu Changyun glanced at the stack of thick paper packets on the table. These were the compiled reports from several past officials of the Canal Transport Office, detailing over twenty years of the Chen and Ke families’ disregard for human life, endangering the country, colluding with pirates, and countless other cris that were too nurous to docunt. These charges were far more comprehensive than those listed by the counties for Prefecture Governor Wu Keyang. Any one of these accounts could lead to the execution and confiscation of the Chen and Ke families’ properties, but as long as the Fuhai Great Demon was not eradicated, these docunts were just waste paper.
Zhu Changyun still rembered when he took a packet from the hands of the previous Canal Transport Governor, Mr. Qian, as he was seeing him off. He couldn’t forget the look in Mr. Qian’s eyes.
“Governor Li, Governor Li, you must strive to make a na for yourself.”
Inside the Chen Family Estate.
Qian Gui knelt in the courtyard, holding a rattan whip with both hands, his head bowed very low. He had been kneeling there for four or five hours already, and no one from the house had yet co to send a ssage telling him to get up.
“Cough cough~”
Chen Tianfang on the sickbed had no color on his face, his lips chapped and crusted, his eyes dry like ash, clearly gravely ill.
Wu Keyang had been sitting by the bed the whole ti and, seeing this, he quickly ordered one of the serving maids, “Stoke the fire higher in the stove.”
The maid, not daring to even breathe too loudly, bowed hastily.
“No need, it’s just a small chill; it will pass.” Chen Tianfang stopped the maid.
Wu Keyang, distressed, said, “How can you endure with such a serious illness?”
Chen Tianfang looked at him weakly, “Keyang, you have been in office for seven years. Those seven years don’t seem to have been easy for you either, right?”
Wu Keyang was stunned, and after a while he said, “What my teacher is saying is absurd, your disciple is rely fulfilling his duties.”
“Don’t lie to . You also resent for letting my descendants run amok. My eldest son resents for favoring my youngest, my youngest son resents for not letting him handle affairs, and my daughter and son-in-law resent too, simply because they bear the Ke surna and not Chen’s. You all resent .”
Wu Keyang opened his mouth but then stood up, kneeling in front of the bed, crying, “Teacher and I may not be father and son by blood, but our bond is just like that. How could there be resentnts between father and son? Teacher, speaking like this truly breaks your disciple’s heart.”
Mr. Tianfang stared at Wu Keyang, “Stand up.”
Wu Keyang did not answer.
“Stand up—” Mr. Tianfang elongated the word, patting the bed.
Wu Keyang quickly got up and went to Mr. Tianfang’s side.
“There’s a docunt on the table. I wrote it long ago. Take a look, and if there are no mistakes, copy it down and take it back with you.”
Wu Keyang approached the writing desk, where indeed there was a letter. Upon opening it, he saw the first line glaring back at him: “Wu Keyang, governor of Ningbo, respectfully reports: regarding the direct accusation of the Chen and Ke families in Zhejiang colluding with supernatural beings, fostering dangers within…”
Wu Keyang’s hand shook, and the morial fell to the floor, as shock and anger consud him: “Who is spreading these rumors? Their heart deserves to be condemned.”
“I wrote it.”
Mr. Tianfang said softly.
“Teacher, you… what are you doing?”
“You just said that you regard as your father, and I likewise see you as my son. It’s just that sotis I’m confused, always thinking that you’ll grow wiser and would indulge them a bit. It’s my fault for spoiling them too much.”
“Teacher.”
“Let finish.”
Mr. Tianfang continued, “There is no ship that doesn’t leak, monkeys scatter when the tree falls, and people push a wall when it’s about to topple – nothing earth-shattering. Aside from everything else, just take this incident for instance, my family hid the truth and didn’t let you through the door, so Heavenly Master Tao went to find Governor Li. Keyang, you are young yet have already beco a governor; your vision and strategies are top-notch. Tell , can Governor Li subdue the Fuhai Great Demon?”
“…” Wu Keyang was speechless for a long ti, the morial Mr. Tianfang had personally written laid on the floor.
After a long while, Wu Keyang finally said, “Yi Yu of Taiyi Pavilion possesses a deliberative character. Heavenly Master Zhang Yichu is an extraordinary figure, and Dragon Tiger Mountain would not act recklessly without evidence.”
Silence, a long silence ensues, and the crane-mouth incense burner suddenly goes out.
“You are all my sons. I dote on them, but it doesn’t an I can wrong you. If the timing is right, presenting this morial might save your career and life.”
“Teacher.”
Mr. Tianfang turned over in bed, “Go ahead. Take this morial with you.”
Wu Keyang bowed his head in silence and after a while, he picked up the morial from the ground and left the room.
Upon reaching the courtyard, he chanced upon Chen Han rushing back, dusty from travel. When they t, neither spared the other a glance, passing by without acknowledgnt.
“Father, you…”
“Was it you who ordered Qian Gui not to let the officials from Zhejiang in?”
After swallowing nervously, Chen Han nodded, “Yes.”
“…”
Feeble yet furious, Mr. Tianfang grabbed the nasal pot beside the bed and threw it at him.
“You spineless beast!” He gasped heavily, his face flushed unnaturally red, “They are officials! Officials! Officials!”
Chen Han didn’t dare dodge and a bloody mark was left on his face.
The serving maid quickly tended to Mr. Tianfang, helping him catch his breath. After so ti, he closed his eyes and said, “Send a ssage to Chun’er’s family. I miss them and want them to co back for dinner.”
With pursed lips, Chen Han said, “I am spineless, but in the end, I did it for the Chen family. The governnt wants to forsake us and deal with the demon on their own. Would summoning them actually solve anything?”
“You are all spineless,” Chen Tianfang said with closed eyes. “I’m just old and want to have a chat with my daughter and son-in-law, to feel so joy. Go on, call them.”
Chen Han licked his lips and then left.
Across from South Canal Three Treasures Temple lies a spacious street filled with teahouses, costics shops, carriage dealers, bookstores, and several grand residences – all properties owned by the Ke family.
Ke Nuoran, the eldest of the Ke family, had a considerable reputation on the Warrior Path in Zhejiang, known as the “Chaos Heaven Dragon.” If one were to speak of titles alone, he wasn’t much worse off than the Fuhai Great Sage or the Pig Dragon King.
A while back, Chen Dong died a sudden death, and the husband and wife mourned for him. These days, apart from their own business, they also paid close attention to the movents at the governnt office. Upon inquiry, all they heard was that the Fuhai Great Demon was restless again, but this ti, the governnt office didn’t call upon Mr. Tianfang but instead brought in a formidable person nad Shouxie. Furthermore, they heard that this Shouxie was the superior of Cha Daozi, the man who killed the second master of the Chen family, which filled the couple with both shock and anger.
Bang!
A quality azure porcelain piece shattered into pieces, thrown by a woman in her forties adorned with gold and silver, her fingers adorned with rings and jade bracelets. Despite her opulent appearance, her face betrayed an unmistakable fierce intensity.
“A bunch of insatiable ingrates.”
It wasn’t clear at whom she was directing her anger.
In the inner room, Ke Nuoran sat upright while a tall, thin ascetic stood beside him.
Hearing the cursing, the ascetic chuckled, “Is sister-in-law losing her temper again?”
“Stick to your business, and stay out of family matters,” Ke Nuoran said sternly, his face set. He was exceptionally well-built, his muscles appearing ready to burst through his clothes, and a black animal tattoo spread from his neck to his ear, making him look particularly fierce.
“Ah, um, the batch of pointed chrysanthemums will arrive tonight, blocking the way.”
“Alright, business as usual. Half enters through the back door, and the other half goes to Chai’s dye mill. Also, I need your help with another matter.”
The ascetic lowered his head, “Your command?”
Ke Nuoran beckoned with his finger, and the ascetic ca closer to hear him whisper a few words.
“No problem, that’s easily done.”
Ke Nuoran maintained a stern face, “My brother-in-law died a wrongful death; this is just the beginning. The remaining few cannot be touched for now. Wait for my word in a little while.”
“Understood.”
The ascetic nodded.
“Go on, then.”
With that, Ke Nuoran shouted towards the exterior, “Enough already, the sky isn’t falling!”
As he spoke, the door opened and soone ca in – Ke Nuoran recognized him as a servant from the Chen Mansion.
“Young master.”
“Has the old master sent instructions, or does Chen Han have a ssage?”
Fidgeting, the servant said, “The old master has been more lucid recently and wants you and the young mistress to co ho for dinner and to stay the night.”
“Good, I’ll set off right away,” Ke Nuoran responded readily.
“Oh, wait,” he suddenly said, “This morning I sent soone to tell Chen Han to pull the logs from under the pot, to get rid of that Shouxie character. Did he reply?”
The servant shook his head, “Master Chen didn’t agree. He thinks that this Mr. Li, having made a na for himself in Shandong and Liaodong, is not easy to deal with and might spoil the matter.”
Ke Nuoran sneered, “The soldiers from the governnt are just so-so; otherwise, why would they fail to keep guard over the Dragon Tiger Flags? You can’t pick a general from among the cripples.”
After thinking for a mont, he added, “Never mind, if it can’t be reasoned out, let it be. I’m quite curious to see how this obscurely erged Shouxie will drive away the Pig Dragon the day after tomorrow.”
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