Chapter 394 - 235: The Situation in Xiangzhou

Chapter 394: Chapter 235: The Situation in Xiangzhou

Seven or eight men dressed as attendants surrounded Su Mu and his three companions.

They didn’t even have any decent weapons, just short clubs.

Su Mu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’Are these guys joking?’

’Can’t they recognize our official uniforms?’

’A paltry group like this dares to besiege a Taiping Bureau Governor?’

’Have these Xiangzhou People enjoyed peace for so long that any stray dog dares to bark at a fierce tiger?’

"How dare you!"

Shi Ziran stepped forward and flicked his sleeve.

BOOM!

His True Essence erupted in a gale-force wind, sending the seven or eight attendants stumbling and staggering. Their short clubs clattered to the ground.

"You—!"

The young man’s face went pale. He pointed a trembling finger at Su Mu and the others. "A disgrace to the learned! A disgrace!

I’m going to the Government Office to report you for assaulting a scholar—"

"Remember, my name is Su Mu. Don’t accuse the wrong person,"

Su Mu said.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he led his companions into the Xiangzhou Capital City.

The young man was left behind, spinning helplessly on the spot.

"Are all Xiangzhou People like this?"

Luo Anning couldn’t help but ask, her brow furrowed as they walked toward the Xiangzhou Taiping Government Office.

"An eccentric like him must be a rarity,"

Shi Ziran said. "But there are certainly some who have studied themselves stupid."

No sane person would provoke a Taiping Bureau Governor in the middle of the street.

"That’s just how scholars are, Sister—so self-righteous. I’ve heard that after some of them become officials, they’ll smash their own heads against a pillar in the grand hall just to prove their integrity,"

Xiang Xiaoyuan said. "You can’t even tell if they’re afraid of death. Sometimes, they act like their lives are worthless.

But then, when they face demons and fiends, they’re capable of the most shameless acts imaginable."

"Is that so?"

Luo Anning pondered this seriously. She had always been focused on cultivating the Martial Dao and hadn’t had much contact with scholars.

"Every group has its scumbags,"

Su Mu said with a smile. "It’s not just scholars. The most-wanted criminals are all Martial Artists, you know. Just try not to judge any group by stereotypes.

And if these Xiangzhou scholars don’t know their place, feel free to give them a good slap. I’ll take care of the fallout."

Luo Anning and Xiang Xiaoyuan both laughed.

’He was right. What was there to worry about?’

They weren’t some delicate young ladies, after all.

Laughing and chatting, the group soon arrived at the Taiping Government Office, located in the very center of the Xiangzhou Capital City.

After they announced their names, a Governor quickly came out to receive them.

"I’ve long heard of Junior Brother Su’s great name, and it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. The stories don’t do you justice!"

The Governor, a man named Fu Qingzhu, was extremely welcoming. "If I’d known you were coming, Junior Brother Su, I would have gone outside the city to greet you."

"Senior Brother Fu, you’re too kind,"

Su Mu said with a cupped-fist salute. "I’ve just arrived, so I’ll be relying on my senior brothers to show me the ropes."

"We’re all on the same side here. Just say the word if you need anything,"

Fu Qingzhu said with a smile. "Our Xiangzhou is different from your Jingzhou. We don’t have many demons here; it’s the fiends you need to be wary of.

The problem is, those fiends are usually masters of hiding. It takes a bit more effort to root them out, but I’m sure that’s nothing for you, Junior Brother Su."

Demons could be spotted at a glance, but most fiends looked no different from ordinary people. If they cultivated martial techniques to conceal their auras, they could even hide their Demonic Qi.

"Somehow, I feel like that man we just met was a scholar who’d studied his way into becoming a fiend,"

Luo Anning muttered under her breath.

"Oh? You encountered a fiend earlier?"

Fu Qingzhu asked curiously.

Su Mu briefly recounted what had happened.

"I see."

Fu Qingzhu chuckled. "If you hit him, you hit him. It’s no big deal. But in the future, Junior Brother Su, it’s best not to bother with them.

Xiangzhou is a bit of a special place. These scholars are like leeches. At the drop of a hat, they’ll gather at the Government Office to preach their grand principles, and it’s not like you can just kill them all.

It’s just not worth the trouble."

Su Mu nodded.

’Still, if he ran into them again and they deserved a beating, he wouldn’t hesitate to strike.’

As for them gathering a mob, Su Mu wasn’t afraid in the slightest.

’If they truly angered him, there was no one he wouldn’t kill.’

’He had fought his way through tides of demons. A few scholars who had never even seen blood? As if he couldn’t deal with them.’

"The Commander-in-Chief isn’t here. Junior Brother Su, you can enjoy the capital city for a few days, and then I’ll have someone escort you to Songjiang Prefecture,"

Fu Qingzhu said.

"That’s unfortunate timing,"

Su Mu replied. "There’s no need for an escort; I can get there myself. I’ll just have to come back another day to report to Commander Li."

"If you’re looking for Commander Li, Junior Brother Su, I’m afraid you’ll have quite a search on your hands,"

Fu Qingzhu said with a wry smile. "We never know when our Commander-in-Chief will be back."

After hearing Fu Qingzhu’s explanation, Su Mu couldn’t help but laugh.

The Marquises in the Bureau had stationed Li Tingkui in Xiangzhou specifically to temper his volatile, short temper.

But it turned out that Li Tingkui just ran all over the country, from the South Sea to the northern plains, refusing to stay put in Xiangzhou.

It was a good thing Xiangzhou was so peaceful; his absence didn’t cause any problems.

When trouble had broken out at Hujue Pass, Li Tingkui had rushed over there.

Who knew where he had run off to join the excitement this time.

Because of this, the Bureau docked more than half his salary every year, but it wasn’t like Commander Li cared.

After all, he was an old bachelor, all alone in the world. As long as he had enough to eat, his "whole family" was fed.

"That’s just how things are in Xiangzhou. You’ll get used to it, Junior Brother Su. Even if Commander Li isn’t around, it’s usually not a big deal.