Chapter 375 - 115: May We Meet Again in Another Life
Fang Zheng sneered.
Confiscate the property?
If you can find a thousand taels of silver from Square Porcelain, I’ll take your surname!
Moreover...
The other party probably already turned Square Porcelain upside down.
"Enough." The General glanced at Xu Xiu and said slowly:
"I know you have a lot of resentment in your heart, but there’s no evidence for this matter."
"Let him go!"
"Young Master Fang."
Looking at Fang Zheng, he forced out a smile:
"About the silver..."
"Don’t worry." Fang Zheng clasped his hands in salute:
"When the General leaves, you’ll have five thousand taels of silver as a gift!"
"Good!" The General laughed heartily:
"I’ll see you off!"
......
Not far away.
A Daoist stood in a pavilion, ripples of water in front of him resembling a mirror, in which the scene of Fang Zheng and the others was clearly visible.
"Interesting!"
The Daoist stroked his beard lightly and said slowly:
"People always say immortals are good, but they can never forget gold and silver."
"Silver is indeed a good thing!"
"Daoist." General Yang stood to the side with his hands behind his back, speaking slowly:
"There was never any evidence proving Fang Zheng was involved in this. If you want a scapegoat, choose someone else; he’s not suitable."
"Indeed!" The Daoist chuckled softly:
"Twenty thousand taels of silver is enough to buy one’s life."
"Daoist."
General Yang sighed lightly:
"Square Porcelain’s kiln supports over six hundred people, and Yunzhi Textile Factory employs over a thousand women. His land supports hundreds of households working for him."
"Everyone in Gu’an County benefits from Square Porcelain. Not a single constable from the government office doesn’t benefit from him. If something happens to him..."
"Do you really think it’s a good thing?"
"Hmm?" The Daoist paused, then slowly nodded:
"This person indeed has great skill!"
*
*
*
A month later.
Fang Zheng’s figure appeared in a canyon.
Winter had arrived.
Due to the terrain, the canyon still felt like spring, filled with the fragrance of flowers, lush grass, and even birds flitting about.
Were it not so secluded, this place would have been a good spot for sightseeing.
"Young Master Fang."
Liu Qinghuan’s hair at her temples had turned completely white, making her look decades older, eyes deadened, sitting cross-legged beneath a large tree.
She looked up, a hint of vitality in her eyes, smiling:
"You’ve finally come."
"Hmm."
Fang Zheng nodded:
"Where’s Jin Shu?"
"She was poisoned by the Seven Extremes Gu and can never wake up again." Liu Qinghuan stood up, leading him towards a nearby straw hut:
"I knew you’d return, so I’ve been waiting for you."
"Aren’t there any questions you want to ask?"
She pushed open the hut door.
A woman lay on the bed, her face pale, skin covered with multiple black, strange patterns, her breath faint.
It was none other than Jin Shu.
"I went to the Prefecture City and encountered some people from the Joyful Union Sect." Fang Zheng said:
"So I know a thing or two about your matters."
"Joyful Union Sect?"
Liu Qinghuan paused before shaking her head:
"Unexpected. We didn’t even need to say it, and Young Master Fang already knows."
"That’s right."
"Jin Shu is the Saintess of the Joyful Union Sect."
"Saintess." Fang Zheng frowned:
"Joyful Union Sect is one of the Six Paths of Demon Heaven. The Saintess ranks just below the Sect Leader and two Holy Envoys. How could Jin Shu’s martial arts be so weak?"
This point,
he never understood.
"A Saintess doesn’t necessarily have high martial arts." Liu Qinghuan shook her head:
"A Saintess is a vessel."
"The purpose of practicing cultivation techniques is to improve physique, not to increase cultivation base; this involves ancient secrets, the fundamental reason why Six Paths of Demon Heaven have never been tolerated by the righteous path."
"I don’t know exactly what being a vessel entails."
"In those years..."
She sighed and said:
"A great chaos resulted in the top experts of Joyful Union Sect almost entirely perishing; crucially, several Poison Sources were all killed."
"As disciples of Joyful Union Sect, we were all implanted with a kind of Gu Poison and needed to take medicine at intervals to suppress it, or it would be a death too horrible to witness."
"When the Poison Sources were killed, the Gu Poison in our bodies also disappeared, allowing us to escape."
Fang Zheng understood.
Those who escaped from Joyful Union Sect’s control were not just two women but many others, like Miss Zheng from Zhaonan Prefecture.
"After escaping, Jin Shu and I hid, later..."
"We ended up in Gu’an County."
She looked at Fang Zheng and smiled:
"In fact, the County Magistrate of Gu’an County is also our enemy; back then, Jin Shu’s parents served as officials but were framed by him."
"We paid someone to ambush him halfway, but they failed."
Hmm?
Fang Zheng felt a flicker in his heart.
Back then, when Lord Yan took office, he encountered an ambush; it turned out to be the handiwork of the two women.
"Later, we figured it out; although the man named Yan was a provocateur, he wasn’t the mastermind. Killing him wouldn’t make a difference."
Liu Qinghuan straightened Jin Shu’s clothes and continued:
"We gave up and planned to live our remaining years quietly here, happy to have met Young Master Fang, with no regrets in this life, until we met the true culprit who caused our family’s ruin."
"Look."
She turned around, pointing to a corner of the wall:
"The Twin Vines have blossomed."
Fang Zheng turned his head slightly, his eyes brightening.
Twin Vines are a local specialty, mostly twin strands, covered in sharp thorns to deter others, entwined with each other, difficult to separate.
It’s said that,
the watering of lovers can make them bloom.
Now.
Clusters of white flowers bloomed on the vines, swaying beautifully in the wind.
"Sincerity leads to success, breaking through gold and stone."
Fang Zheng nodded, his tone filled with emotion:
"The deep affection between you two is truly enviable."
"Jin Shu and I are both women, and our union is not accepted by the world." Liu Qinghuan hugged Jin Shu, struggling to walk outside, saying:
"How fortunate!"
"It’s fortunate that there are extraordinary people like Young Master Fang in this world who can accept us, and fortunate that the Twin Vines didn’t scorn us and were willing to bloom for us."
"Young Master Fang."
She carried Jin Shu to the tree, looking up with a smile:
"We left some things for you, placed in the cabinet. Please, once you’re done, help bury us together, right under this tree."
"..." Fang Zheng opened his mouth, his voice hoarse:
"Does it have to be this way?"
"Everyone meets their end in life." Liu Qinghuan smiled brightly, her smile the most radiant it had ever been, even dimming the sunlight before her:
"I hope in the next life, Jin Shu and I can meet again."
Saying this, she gently lowered her head, kissing Jin Shu’s cheek.
The poison gas spread,
quickly seeping into Liu Qinghuan’s skin and blood vessels, strange black patterns surfacing on her face, her breath weakening.
"Mmm..."
Liu Qinghuan’s beautiful eyes lowered; she struggled to pull out a Spirit Talisman from her body, gently rubbing it with one hand, a ball of flame enveloping both women.
Jin Shu, lying in her embrace, moved her fingers slightly, her eyes seemingly opening a crack, meeting Liu Qinghuan’s gaze, then tightly embracing each other.
"Boom!"
The flames flared brightly.
Fang Zheng stood to the side, his long hair fluttering in the wind, not moving for a long time.
After a long while.
A grave appeared beneath the tree, entwined by Twin Vine blooms, guarding it within.
"Alas!"
Fang Zheng sighed softly:
"May there be a next life..."
The fourth volume ends, please vote for next month!
