Chapter 71 - 66: Tongzhou Association

Chapter 71: Chapter 66: Tongzhou Association

The Xu Mansion.

A thick metallic stench of blood assaulted the nose. Constables and Quick Hands gathered around, staring at the decapitated body of Historian Xu Heng. For a moment, their faces turned deathly pale.

An Official of the Court had died right in his own home!

This was enough to shock the entirety of Black Mountain County.

At the scene, Song Zhen, clad in his Flying Fish Robe, only needed a single glance to recognize how Xu Heng had died. He was killed by an Imperial Saber. And Song Zhen was intimately familiar with this particular murder weapon—it was the very Imperial Saber in his own hand.

Therefore, Xu Heng’s death was the work of the Dark Guard from last night!

Why would the Dark Guard kill Xu Heng? Overseeing the scene, Song Zhen didn’t understand the reasoning, but if a Dark Guard took action, it naturally meant they had a mission. He immediately turned to the Black Officials and constables beside him. "Do not panic. The Garrison Command Office will handle this matter. Go and collect Historian Xu’s remains."

Song Zhen waved his hand, casually sweeping the matter under the rug. He had no intention of digging any deeper. The Dark Guard must have had his reasons, and as a member of the Garrison Command Office, it was his duty to cover the Dark Guard’s tracks.

Hearing Song Zhen’s words, the surrounding constables exchanged bewildered glances. Ultimately, they could only cup their fists in acknowledgment and begin collecting Xu Heng’s corpse.

A dignified Ninth Grade county official had died just like that, right near the County Government Office. Yet, the scene investigation was handled with extreme carelessness. This immediately sparked endless speculation and hushed whispers among the constables.

Meanwhile, the murderer himself, Zheng Jun, had gone to the Military Department today to clock in. After arranging for Yang Jun to lead the troops in their drills, he headed to the former Qingshui Gang headquarters to check on his new residence.

True, people had died here. A lot of people, in fact. It could definitely be considered a house of murder. But Zheng Jun never cared for such taboos. If one wanted to be pedantic, someone had died in the thatched cottage he currently lived in as well—Lou Wei’s disciple, Liang Fan.

At first glance, the Qingshui Gang headquarters was quite impressive. The property was massive, rivaling even the County Government Office in size. It was a deep courtyard estate. The official seals on the red-lacquered front doors had already been removed. Above the lintel hung newly written couplets with ink still seemingly fresh, and the main plaque had been thoughtfully replaced with the characters for "Zheng Mansion."

Pushing the doors open, a straight flagstone path came into view. Neatly trimmed holly bushes stood tall on both sides like solemn guards. The occasional chirping of birds drifted through the air, sounding like a melody from nature. Passing through a moon gate led to a large drill ground. Everything inside had been cleared out completely, leaving behind a vast, empty courtyard. Continuing inward and passing the screen wall and ceremonial gate finally led to the inner courtyard of the mansion.

Next to a rockery, water babbled gently. A pond full of lotuses seemed to bask in the sun and emit a faint fragrance, but upon closer inspection, Zheng Jun realized they were fake—purely for decoration.

"Tsk." Zheng Jun couldn’t help but feel a sense of comfort. Counting carefully, he found there were exactly nine rooms. "So huge. It could even rival the Imperial Palace," the inexperienced Zheng Jun sighed in admiration.

The Qingshui Gang headquarters was naturally enormous, though most of its area was dedicated to the drill ground. Zheng Jun estimated that this empty courtyard was three or four times the size of the Xu family’s Martial Arts Hall, making it nearly identical in scale to the drill ground inside the Military Department. Accommodating three to four hundred people for training at once would be no problem at all.

It was almost too big. Zheng Jun felt like he could open his own Martial Arts Hall here.

"This is fine, too. A large courtyard makes it convenient to practice martial arts," he thought. He reasoned that if absolutely necessary, he could just spend some silver to build a few more rooms in the yard.

The side rooms were already fully furnished with everything one might need, all purchased yesterday by the Decurions and Crew Leaders of the Black Mountain Guard. However, the master bedroom was empty, devoid of any furniture. Clearly, they hadn’t dared to take the liberty of furnishing the master bedroom without permission.

Zheng Jun exhaled. He was just thinking about bringing his sister and brother-in-law over to help set things up properly when he suddenly felt a sharp gust of wind.

"Hmm?"

Zheng Jun’s gaze sharpened. The Beirong Saber at his waist flashed out of its scabbard, pointing directly at a corner of the drill ground! The moment his blade locked onto the target, a figure draped in a black-and-gold cloak appeared exactly where the tip was aimed.

"It’s me," Bo Zhangjiu’s voice rang out, sounding extremely gloomy.

Hearing this, Zheng Jun immediately sheathed his saber and smiled enthusiastically. "Ah, it’s Senior Brother Wang! Come in, come in and have a seat. Yesterday, your junior brother received a box of top-grade Maojian Tea. Come have a taste!"

More than ten days ago, Bo Zhangjiu—or rather, Wang Heng, a disciple of the Zhaoyang Lineage of the Shattered Jade Sect—had accepted a disciple on behalf of his master. Because of that, Zheng Jun was now a bona fide disciple of the Shattered Jade Sect’s Zhaoyang Lineage! The only catch was that, aside from the Broken Jade Skill, he didn’t know a single Cultivation Technique from the Shattered Jade Sect.

"Why did you kill Xu Heng? The Garrison Command of Black Mountain County reported the incident up the chain, and they all think Xu Heng was involved in a case!" Bo Zhangjiu’s tone was unkind as he continued, "He was an Official of the Court about to break through to the Eighth Grade. What exactly are you trying to do?! Start a rebellion right now?!"

Although Bo Zhangjiu’s face was hidden behind a Profound Iron Mask, Zheng Jun could still sense the dark storm brewing beneath it.

"Senior Brother, I was avenging Nephew Zhang Qingyu, who died tragically at the hands of the Court!" Zheng Jun ground his teeth. "What an outstanding man Nephew Zhang was! It was all because of that rat Xu Heng’s betrayal that our grand enterprise fell short on the verge of success. If I didn’t kill Xu Heng to avenge him, I’d toss and turn at night! Whenever I think of the Great Chu’s state affairs, my heart aches in agony!"

Hearing Zheng Jun’s impassioned words, Bo Zhangjiu fell into a heavy silence.

"Wasn’t it you who killed Zhang Qingyu?" he thought. "If you really want revenge, go find a place and slit your own throat."

"Xu Heng colluded with Zhao Da and Zhao Er to kill you. If you just wanted to nip future troubles in the bud for yourself, say so directly," Bo Zhangjiu said, taking a deep breath. "There’s no need to spout nonsense about the ’Great Chu’s state affairs.’ If you truly cared about the Great Chu, you wouldn’t have made a move at all. You should have stayed hidden!"