Chapter 143 - 124: Moving House
"Hurry, hurry! Lead the way!"
"We have to find Lord Liu right away. We absolutely cannot wait for Captain Chen to find out, or we’re finished."
To say Huang Yuangu and his nephew were in a mad panic would be an understatement; they were scrambling so frantically they didn’t even watch where they were going.
They were supposed to guide Captain Chen today as a way to curry favor. But then they had a sudden, horrifying realization: the person they had provoked that day, the one they had framed and thrown into the Government Office jail...
...was none other than the young master of the Bai Family that Captain Chen was looking for!
’This is a disaster!’
If this got out, Captain Chen would skin them alive.
Having spent time in Shanyang Prefecture, he knew deep down that in Shanyang Prefecture City, the Bai Family wasn’t the wealthiest, nor were they the most powerful. But when it came to families you absolutely could not afford to provoke, the Bai Family was undoubtedly number one.
Because this Bai Family was rumored to have connections to the Bai Family in Yujing City.
Although no one had ever been able to confirm it, the very fact that this rumor was allowed to circulate freely without anyone stopping it spoke volumes.
Therefore, the Bai Family of Shanyang Prefecture, while seemingly not particularly wealthy or powerful, was actually the most preeminent of all the great clans in the prefecture.
One could say that if you offended the Bai Family, your life in Shanyang Prefecture was basically over.
Now, their only choice was to hurry and remedy the situation. At the same time, they had to hope that Chubby hadn’t been subjected to any torture or interrogation in the County Magistrate’s Office jail.
If something truly had happened to him, the two of them would likely pay with their lives. And even the Huang Family behind them would probably be dragged down as well.
~~~~~~
Finally, an incense stick’s time later.
Huang Yuangu and his nephew arrived panting at the entrance to the County Magistrate’s Office jail.
A figure was standing before the main gate, talking with a nearby jail guard.
"Get the hell out of my way! Move!"
"Scram! Don’t block the path."
Huang Yuangu shouted from a distance, not slowing down in the slightest as he sprinted wildly toward the County Magistrate’s Office jail.
The person ahead either didn’t hear him or was simply ignoring him.
He didn’t move at all, still engrossed in his conversation with the person beside him.
Huang Yuangu’s heart hardened. He was in a rush; he wasn’t about to let some ordinary government constable from the Government Office get in his way.
He didn’t change his course at all and continued to charge straight ahead.
But just as he closed in, about ten feet from the man, the figure suddenly turned. Only then did he see that it was none other than Liu Zheng, the County Magistrate of Xiahe County.
Liu Zheng wasn’t in his official robes today. Instead, he wore a simple set of clothes he rarely put on, which was why Huang Yuangu hadn’t recognized him at first.
But now, he recognized him.
At this distance, he should have been able to stop, but the shock of seeing Liu Zheng there stunned him.
In that moment of daze, he kept charging forward.
By the time he came to his senses, he was barely a foot away from Liu Zheng.
"Hmph. You bastard. I was just looking for you!"
What kind of man was Liu Zheng? He was the esteemed County Magistrate of Xiahe County, the top official in charge.
As a Martial Artist at the Qi Sensing realm, there was no way he would let someone like Huang Yuangu run into him.
He gently lifted a hand, and an invisible current of air seemed to gather upon it. Then, he swung his fist. The movement was as light as a gentle breeze, his robe brushing against Huang Yuangu.
But Huang Yuangu, who had been rushing forward, froze for an instant before his entire body was sent flying backward.
Crashing to the ground, he immediately hacked up a mouthful of blood.
"Lord Liu, please calm your anger! Why are you so furious?" Huang Lie cried, having also rushed over.
Seeing this, he didn’t move to help Huang Yuangu. Despite the blood, his uncle’s injuries weren’t actually severe.
"Hmph. You have the gall to ask me what’s wrong? You two have dragged me into a world of trouble." Liu Zheng snorted coldly but didn’t strike again. His eyes flickered, glinting with a cold, dangerous light.
"You had me arrest a hot potato. So tell me, what should we do now? Should I perhaps arrest you two and hand you over to that person as a gesture of apology?"
Huang Yuangu had struggled back to his feet and now stood behind Huang Lie. Hearing Liu Zheng’s words, he couldn’t help but blurt out, "My lord, you... you know the Eldest Young Master Bai’s identity?"
"Oh, wonderful. Just wonderful. So you two knew all along! And I was the only one in the dark!"
Liu Zheng’s eyes narrowed, and he struck again with lightning speed.
Huang Yuangu was sent flying again. This time, Liu Zheng had used a sliver of his strength. Huang Yuangu flew even farther, and the sickening crack of shattering bones could be heard while he was still in mid-air.
"My lord! Things have already come to this! We’re in the same boat now, you can’t do this to us!" Huang Lie exclaimed. Beneath his robes, his arms were trembling.
Facing Liu Zheng, he was furious, but he didn’t dare to make a move.
The gap in their cultivation levels was too vast.
"Grasshoppers? Only you are the grasshoppers. This official has always been the one who catches them."
Liu Zheng sneered, his gaze fixed on Huang Lie. "Men! Arrest these two from the Huang Family. Take them inside to apologize to the Eldest Young Master Bai."
"Ah—Lord Liu, you can’t do this! You can’t!" Huang Lie cried out in alarm.
But of course, no one cared about Huang Lie’s opinion.
At Liu Zheng’s command, the surrounding government officials and soldiers immediately closed in on the Huang uncle and nephew.
Although many of them weren’t even Martial Artists and Huang Lie could have dealt with them easily, he didn’t dare resist with Liu Zheng standing right there.