Chapter 120 - 119: Killing an Official

Chapter 120: Chapter 119: Killing an Official

The grain robbery was like a clap of thunder, striking the already teetering Jingshan County.

"This is utter rebellion!"

The County Magistrate’s Office was furious. For someone to dare commit robbery in broad daylight—this was nothing short of blatant rebellion!

"Investigate! We’ll tear this county apart if we have to, but we will find that masked bandit leader! We will behead him and display his head to warn all the others!"

Sea Arrest Documents were printed overnight and quickly posted in every corner of Jingshan.

Even Chen Li received an order from the Government Office, requiring him to organize the Village Braves and conduct a door-to-door search for any trace of the man.

"This man is a true champion of justice!"

Seeing the official wanted notice in Chen Li’s hand, Chen Shouheng couldn’t help but exclaim with a look of admiration on his face.

He ground his teeth just thinking about the "rice-to-mulberry" policy.

If the Zhou Family hadn’t been willing to help by providing a large quantity of Mulberry Seedlings, his own family might have had to wait in line at the Government Office for an entire day just to get a few, like everyone else. Or worse, go to the Silk Shop to buy them at exorbitant prices.

"A champion of justice?"

Chen Li chuckled and glanced at Shouye, who stood to the side.

"He was masked and didn’t reveal his identity. He’s certainly both brave and cunning."

Chen Shouye nodded in agreement.

The wanted poster from the Government Office only had a simple sketch of a masked face, with no identifying details.

Qi Realm Perfection was already the peak of power within the county town.

Since the man hadn’t revealed his tracks, the brothers Shouheng and Shouye felt it was practically impossible for the Government Office to catch him.

Chen Li told the two brothers to wait and see what happened next.

This matter was no longer just about robbing grain. It was a blatant provocation.

It was a brazen act of contempt for the authority of the Government Office and the Noble Families.

If this trend wasn’t stamped out completely, a second and third robbery would likely follow, and the situation would spiral entirely out of control.

However, the masked Qi Realm Perfection expert had not left a single trace, even though the enraged Government Office and Noble Families had launched a thunderous investigation.

No one could even clearly describe his height or build, let alone his facial features. The investigation immediately hit a dead end.

But while the mastermind was hard to find, the accomplices were easy to catch.

With the help of numerous men dispatched by the Noble Families, the government constables, acting on scattered clues and rough identifications, quickly zeroed in on dozens of refugees who had led the charge in seizing the grain that day.

In just a few days, thirty to forty sallow-faced, emaciated, and raggedly-dressed men were bound in iron chains and thrown into the great jail.

Immediately after, the County Magistrate’s Office posted a notice.

It stated that the grain on the robbed boat was official grain that the County Magistrate’s Office had gone to great pains to procure from various sources. The grain was intended to stabilize prices and provide relief to the disaster victims.

These vicious commoners had gathered to rob official grain, an act tantamount to rebellion and a most heinous crime.

To serve as a warning, in seven days, the ringleaders of the grain robbery would be publicly executed at the market square. All were to be beheaded for all to see!

The notice caused an uproar among the common people, but it was drowned out by a chilling fear that left them silent.

「Seven days passed in a flash.」

On the day of the execution, the market square was packed with onlookers, but not a single person dared to speak above a whisper.

The supervising official gave a cold command. The executioner’s blade rose and fell. Heads rolled, and headless bodies fell with heavy thuds.

Blood stained the execution grounds, and the heavy stench of it filled the air.

Surprisingly, the entire process went off without a hitch. The mysterious Qi Realm expert, whom the heavily guarded Government Office had been preparing for, never appeared to storm the execution grounds.

Just as the Government Office and the Noble Families breathed a secret sigh of relief, thinking their high-handed methods had worked and would be enough to intimidate any troublemakers, an earth-shattering event occurred that very night.

County Magistrate Tian, the official in charge of finance and provisions, was assassinated in the study of his own residence.

The killer’s methods were clean and efficient: a single sword strike to the throat.

At almost the same time, Ming’s Grain Shop—owned by County Magistrate Tian’s brother-in-law and famous in Jingshan County Town for selling grain at exorbitant prices—was also washed in blood.

The Shopkeeper and several clerks were all silenced, and a raging fire was set in the shop’s warehouse.

The assassination of an official!

The news was a thunderclap out of a clear sky.

It instantly stunned all of Jiangzhou and even sent considerable ripples through the Central Hub of the Court.

Jiangzhou had been at peace for decades. Even when the Water Bandits were at their worst, there had never been such a vile incident as the assassination of a court-appointed official.

Even one of low rank, like the Civil Assistant Officer, County Magistrate Tian.

This went far beyond the scope of a common uprising or a Jianghu vendetta. It was a naked challenge to the Court.

The Court was enraged and issued a strict order for a thorough investigation.

Within a few days, several hundred elite agents from the Jingwu Bureau descended upon Jingshan County like hawks.

The Jingwu Bureau’s methods were brutal and ruthlessly efficient.

Seven days later, the Jingwu Bureau had locked onto their target and successfully apprehended the man who assassinated County Magistrate Tian.

When the killer’s identity was announced, everyone was stunned.

The man was none other than a disciple of the Tiger Subduing Martial Arts Hall, Chen Shouheng’s senior brother, Sun Zhengyi!

When the news reached the Tiger Subduing Martial Arts Hall, Zhou Zhen was both shocked and furious.

His qi and blood surged to his heart, causing him to violently spit up a mouthful of blood. He fainted on the spot and became bedridden from that day forward.

He had painstakingly managed the hall for years. Its reputation had just begun to soar thanks to Chen Shouheng’s recent victory, and it was entering a period of great prosperity with a wave of new disciples seeking to join. He never imagined they would be struck by such an unforeseen disaster.

When Chen Shouheng heard the news back in Lingxi Village, he was also completely stunned.

He never would have thought that the senior brother who used to do nothing but train single-mindedly could be capable of such a thing.

’Deep down, he felt a sense of satisfaction,’ he thought, ’but thinking it is one thing. Doing it is another entirely.’

After all, these weren’t chaotic times.

The Court’s control over the regions was still very strong.

Killing an official was tantamount to treason.

A crime punishable by the execution of three generations of one’s clan!

After getting Chen Li’s permission, Chen Shouheng rushed to the county town.

When he arrived at the martial arts hall, he found it under a bleak cloud of sorrow. The once-bustling training grounds were deserted.

A few of his martial brothers saw him arrive and immediately surrounded him as if they had found their pillar of support, all of them talking at once to explain the situation.

"Senior Brother Shouheng, you’re finally here!"

"Master... he’s... he’s very sick..."

"Someone from the Government Office came and took down our hall’s sign... They said... they said we’re forbidden from teaching martial arts anymore..."

Chen Shouheng’s heart tightened. Without asking any more questions, he strode quickly toward his master’s bedroom.

He pushed open the door and saw his master, Zhou Zhen. Not long ago, Zhou Zhen had been hale and hearty with a voice like a great bell, but now he lay weakly on the bed. His face was sallow, his breathing shallow and rapid, as if he had aged twenty years overnight.

As if sensing his arrival, Zhou Zhen’s eyelids fluttered a few times and slowly opened.

Seeing Chen Shouheng, a faint light flickered in his cloudy eyes. He struggled to sit up but was overcome by a violent fit of coughing.

"Mas... Master, don’t move!" Chen Shouheng hurried forward to support him.

Zhou Zhen waved a weak hand, his voice hoarse and faint. "Shouheng... you’re here... The martial arts hall... my entire life’s work... it’s finished..."

His words were filled with endless bitterness and resignation.

"Master, please focus on getting better," Chen Shouheng sighed. "As for the hall’s sign, I will find a way to hang it up again in the future."

Zhou Zhen looked at him, a flicker of gratification in his eyes, but it was overshadowed by a deep, lingering sorrow. He gasped for breath, saying intermittently, "Your future is more important... Don’t stick your neck out for this..."

Chen Shouheng spoke a few more words with Zhou Zhen, but seeing that his master was exhausted, he took his leave.

It was from his other martial brothers that he learned the more detailed and lamentable inside story.