Baili Feng and Xue Qinshuang came to seek Wang Anfeng, worried that the affair involving Master Ni might have a terrible impact on him, but they unexpectedly discovered that the young man seemed to take things more lightly than either of them, with clear eyes and a serene demeanor, showing no signs of extremist thoughts. They breathed a sigh of relief, a bit surprised as well.
Especially Xue Qinshuang, who, faced with this matter, had indeed shattered her distractions with her own will, but she also knew that her relationship with Master Ni was merely that of acquaintance.
Whereas Wang Anfeng and Ni Tianxing had almost become friends regardless of age difference.
The same incident had vastly different impacts on the two, putting oneself in their shoes, depending solely on oneself might not be enough to withstand it, hence they set aside their previous concerns and sought him out proactively, hoping they could be of some help.
Yet, to their surprise, he had already moved on.
Moreover, judging by the qi mechanism around him, he had likely broken through to the Ninth Grade.
A bright expression emerged in the girl's hazel eyes.
Indeed, he is a worthy opponent!
The three walked together to the Wind Character Tower and then parted ways. Along the way, Baili Feng seemed to have returned to his usual self, laughing and talking loudly.
When asked about his recent experiences, the young man of the Military Family scratched his head and mentioned only that a drunken beggar, who once taught him how to make a wooden Mo Blade look just like a real one, had gotten him so drunk that bragging for a while had eased many of his worries.
"Then, I came over to see how you, Anfeng, were doing. If all else failed, we could go have a good drink," he said.
Baili Feng scratched his head and smiled brilliantly, as always.
But the object on his back was no longer the wooden Mo Blade, which had shattered from the backlash while striking Ni Tianxing, and now the young man carried a brand new Mo Blade.
Its blade was three feet long, with a chilling brightness and a piercing aura of the Military Path that seemed almost tangible.
This one was genuine.
A realization dawned in Wang Anfeng, but his gaze fell on his friend's side where the broken Mo Blade, now more like a short stick, was tightly strapped to his waist.
"Since you're alright, Anfeng, I'm heading to the drill grounds... I can't keep the Master waiting," he said.
Recalling something difficult to face, Baili Feng's mouth twitched slightly. He nodded to the two and turned to leave, carrying the heavy Mo Blade on his back. His steps were slow, but each was exceptionally firm, and with each step, his spine remained upright.
His previously shattered tiger's mouth was wrapped in white cloth, stained with blood as he clenched his fists, brushing past the remnants of the broken wooden blade.
Xue Qinshuang, watching Baili Feng walk away, spoke softly:
"It seems this incident hasn't just spurred growth in you and me."
Wang Anfeng fell silent for a moment, then said:
"I think, Baili would rather carry that wooden blade for the rest of his life."
...........................…
Jiangfeng Yi Qing left Fufeng Academy.
Without any sign, and without bidding farewell to the students he knew, he departed as quietly as he had arrived, leaving no trace behind, seemingly without impacting anything.
The only exception was Yan Ling of the Law Family who, upon bumping into him, complained to Wang Anfeng:
"I was about to impart deeper principles to him, why did he leave?"
"Moreover, not even a goodbye, it really is too much. Brother Wang, if you ever decide to leave, make sure to let me know, all right?"
Then he was kicked by the petite girl next to him, looking furious, who forced him to apologize to Wang Anfeng before dragging him away by the ear, still asserting his stance even as he was led away.
At that moment, the young man was sitting on a stone in the bamboo forest, perusing a classic book. Upon seeing this, he was stunned and knocked on his forehead, his eyes filled with puzzlement.
Yan Ling said, "There's no problem..."
This matter only caused a slight ripple within the Academy, since Jiangfeng Yiqing had been at the Academy for just over a month and had few acquaintances.
But soon after that, news roared across the land.
Yi Nanping had been captured.
He then escaped through a gap and was cut down by Wuxin, falling off a cliff.
Heavenly Capital・Ministry of Punishment
An authoritative old man sat at the head of the room, and a black-clad man stood below with his head bowed, his face pale and gentle, his eyes slightly closed, like a war blade sheathed within its scabbard. The old man flipped through some scrolls on the table, which recorded that the county official was guilty.
During the investigation, Yi Nanping fled and was later caught and struck off a cliff, with detailed testimonies and physical evidence.
The old man slightly furrowed his brow, feeling something was amiss, but his attention was quickly drawn to other leads about corrupt officials.
As he read, he nodded slightly, saying casually,
"This trip has been a hard one, you may leave now."
Wuxin nodded slightly and, like a ghost, turned and left, stepping out of the grand doors into the sunlight, which cast a warm glow on his pale face.
In the Ministry of Punishment's great hall, the old man continued to go through the cases handled by Wuxin. Although a famous capture with the Bi'an Golden Order could immediately deal with certain grades of officials on the spot, cases involving exile still required review by the Ministry of Punishment, followed by execution by the Court of Judicial Review.
His gaze swept across the case concerning Yi Nanping. He initially wanted to skip over it but then paused, recalling something. He then picked up a brush, dipped it in cinnabar ink, and wrote down a line of small characters with vigorous strokes.
After careful consideration, he stamped his own seal on it.
The next day, this urgent order was spread throughout the seventy-two counties of the land by an Exotic Beast with golden feathers.
All over, posters began to be displayed heavily publicizing Yi Nanping's execution. The language was straightforward, causing considerable dissatisfaction among the citizens.
The government secretly promoted the circulation of this news, and soon some people openly cursed it, many scholars even used this to write articles satirizing the imperial court, gaining increasing renown, surpassing the level it should have reached, even overwhelming the issue of Ni Tianxing from just over ten days before.
Fufeng County・County City
Yu Wenze casually tossed the poster he was holding onto the ground, sneering,
"It's the same old methods often used by the Capital City's political purgers."
"One merely killed some damned bastards, the other a butcher walking out the city gates, dragging behind a bunch of utterly corrupted fellows; can't they differentiate which is lighter and which is heavier?"
"They actually plan to gloss over it this easily?"
"Hmph, I must impeach them thoroughly!"
With a cold snort, Yu Wenze rose to his feet. Each of the Seventy-Two Pillars of the States suppressed his own territory. The opulence of the General's Mansion was beyond words, yet he cared little for luxury, often wearing a black and red war armor even at home. He stood up, his war boots unapologetically stepping on the poster, and after walking past it, felt it wasn't satisfying enough.
He turned back, stepped on the poster again, and ground it under his heel several more times, sneering,
"Why not die earlier? Why not die earlier!"
Suddenly sensing a change in the air, Yu Wenze's expression quickly became reserved; he coughed lightly, regaining his typically aloof and formidable demeanor, and stepped forward, hands behind his back, hiding the crumpled poster behind him. Just then, a figure approached hurriedly from outside and swiftly knelt before him.
Yu Wenze slightly nodded, his expression stern and composed without a hint of a smile, and in a calm voice, he said,
"About the arrangement to protect those three students, how is it going?"
PS: Thanks for your patience, a long chapter will be posted tomorrow.