Chapter 37
Chapter 37: County Vice Magistrate Zheng Yuntao
The huge commotion outside the inn quickly drew the manager’s attention, and he hurried out with several strong attendants to greet whoever had arrived.
There, under the escort of a group of burly men in martial garb, a middle-aged man in a purple robe strode forward with an imposing and aggressive air.
The moment the manager saw that purple-robed middle-aged man, he froze for an instant. Then the stern look on his face immediately turned into warm enthusiasm. “So it’s Family Head Zhao. Family Head Zhao is truly a rare guest. Would you like to eat—”
“Get lost.”
The purple-robed man shot him a glare and spoke with obvious impatience. The manager wisely stepped aside at once. This was not someone he could afford to offend.
The purple-robed man strode into the inn, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
“Friends and neighbors, there is no need to panic. I have just received news that my son has been murdered, and the killer is currently hiding inside this inn. I ask you all to give me some face and clear the place for now. As for today’s expenses, my Zhao family will cover them in full.”
The purple-robed man cupped his fists and smiled as he spoke, though there was something deeply unsettling about that smile.
The news stunned everyone present.
They had never expected that the Zhao family’s young master—who had always run rampant in arrogance and tyranny—would actually be killed.
Which valiant hero had dared to do such a thing?
Though they were curious, the inn was clearly no longer a place to linger.
All the guests present hurriedly left the inn.
Only the two figures by the second-floor window—one large, one small—remained completely unmoving, making them especially conspicuous.
“Take a good look. Is it them?”
The middle-aged man grabbed the collar of a shifty-eyed fellow beside him and demanded.
The man rubbed his eyes. After confirming he had not mistaken them, he pointed at Li Xingge and the girl beside him. “That’s right, Master Zhao. I saw it with my own eyes. It was those two who killed the young master.”
With a wave of the middle-aged man’s hand, more than ten burly men behind him drew their sabers and charged upstairs with murderous intent.
They quickly surrounded Li Xingge and Li Wuyou completely.
Seeing this scene, little Wuyou was terrified, and instinctively wanted to hide behind Li Xingge.
But after seeming to think of something, she bit her lip and instead stepped in front of him.
Li Xingge set down his chopsticks and looked at the purple-robed middle-aged man with interest. “You’re Zhao Tiancheng?”
Zhao Tiancheng raised a brow, somewhat surprised. “Brat, you know me?”
Li Xingge smiled faintly. “Before your son died, he said you wouldn’t let me off. I’ve been waiting here for you for quite a while. I just didn’t expect you to come this slowly.”
Zhao Tiancheng was so angry he laughed. “Good, good, good. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such an arrogant young man. Tell me, how do you want to die?”
Li Xingge raised a brow. “You? I’m afraid you can’t kill me.”
The contempt in Li Xingge’s words thoroughly enraged Zhao Tiancheng.
He was just about to explode—
...
“Old Zhao, this is Welcoming Guests Tower, not a place for your killing and fighting.”
A dignified voice rang out from one of the private rooms.
Hearing that voice, Zhao Tiancheng’s expression changed at once. After shooting Li Xingge a vicious glare, he tossed out a harsh threat. “I’ll deal with you later.”
Then he hurried toward the private room.
Forcing a smile onto his old face, he said in a somewhat ingratiating tone, “County Vice Magistrate, I had no idea you were dining here as well. I was rude. The matter arose for a reason, and I have disturbed your elegant mood. I ask Your Excellency’s forgiveness.”
This County Vice Magistrate was someone he absolutely could not afford to offend. Rumor had it that he was a direct-line descendant of the great Dongjiang Zheng Clan.
A cold snort came from inside the room.
Then the door opened, and a middle-aged man in an azure official robe walked out.
“And what matter is this?”
The County Vice Magistrate spoke with visible displeasure.
“Please do not take offense, County Vice Magistrate. My son was murdered. In my rage and grief, I lost my senses and thus disturbed Your Excellency.”
The County Vice Magistrate looked somewhat surprised. “In Qinghua Town, there is actually someone who dares kill the son of a local tyrant like you?”
“Nothing more than some reckless outsider.”
Zhao Tiancheng said through gritted teeth.
“I see.”
Suddenly, the corner of the County Vice Magistrate’s eye swept across the window-side corner, and he frowned.
That white-robed figure seemed strangely familiar. It felt as though he had seen him somewhere before.
Then, all at once, he remembered who that white-robed figure resembled.
It was a certain great figure he had once met.
Could it be him?
But very quickly, the County Vice Magistrate dismissed his own guess.
With that man’s status, how could he possibly appear here alone? He must have been mistaken.
“Very well. Since it is vengeance for your murdered son, then settle your grievance as you please.”
The County Vice Magistrate waved a hand and smiled.
Zhao Tiancheng bared his teeth in a grin. “Many thanks, Your Excellency. Once I’ve avenged my son, I’ll return to apologize properly to the County Vice Magistrate.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Zhao Tiancheng turned around, and his expression instantly became incomparably vicious.
With a wave of his hand, he barked coldly, “Attack! Chop that brat into minced meat!”
More than ten burly men drew their sabers together and rushed forward in a swarm.
Li Xingge’s expression did not change in the slightest. He leisurely grabbed a handful of chopsticks from the table and suddenly hurled them out.
WHOOSH—
More than ten burly men fell in response.
Each and every one of them dropped without making a sound, each with a single chopstick embedded in the center of his brow, killed in one strike.
Everything had happened far too suddenly.
Before Zhao Tiancheng could even react, all of his subordinates had been wiped out.
“How... how is this possible?”
His men were all elite fighters.
If they attacked together, even a Physical Body Realm cultivator would have to avoid them for a while.
And yet that young man had killed them all with a casual flick of his hand.
Not being entirely stupid, Zhao Tiancheng immediately realized that he had kicked an iron plate.
For that young man to remain so calm and confident, he was clearly no ordinary person.
It was all because hatred had clouded his mind.
What was a son worth?
He was still in the prime of life. If one son died, he could always father another.
But if he died, then he would truly have nothing left at all.
“Can you not kill me? I won’t seek revenge anymore.”
Zhao Tiancheng asked, clinging to a final sliver of hope.
Li Xingge first froze, then seemed to realize something, and looked at him with amused mockery. “What do you think?”
Zhao Tiancheng’s face changed. His legs moved at incredible speed as he charged straight into the private room.
Inside the private room, the County Vice Magistrate was drinking and enjoying himself while embracing two beauties.
Zhao Tiancheng’s sudden intrusion frightened the two women into shrieking, and a cup of wine spilled straight into the County Vice Magistrate’s lap.
Looking at the damp stain on his trousers, the County Vice Magistrate’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot.
This Zhao Tiancheng had provoked him again and again—did he truly think he was easy to bully?
He had just been about to lose his temper when he saw Zhao Tiancheng drop to his knees.
Crying bitterly, Zhao Tiancheng pleaded, “County Vice Magistrate, I beg you, for the sake of all the respect and gifts I have shown you in the past, save my life!”
The County Vice Magistrate was taken aback, unable to make sense of it. “What happened?”
“The man who killed my son is too strong. I’m no match for him.”
Zhao Tiancheng said dejectedly.
“This...”
Seeing the hesitation in the County Vice Magistrate’s face, Zhao Tiancheng forced himself to speak through obvious pain. “If the County Vice Magistrate is willing to help, I am willing to offer up half of the Zhao family’s wealth to show my gratitude.”
The County Vice Magistrate was instantly tempted.
“In that case, I shall make an exception and help you once. I believe that in all of Baihe County, there is still no one who would dare refuse to give face to my Zheng family.”
The County Vice Magistrate spoke with a look of arrogant pride.
“Many thanks, County Vice Magistrate. I will never forget your great kindness.”
The two of them stepped out of the private room and walked straight toward Li Xingge.
The County Vice Magistrate looked at Li Xingge, who sat with his head lowered, drinking by himself, and said with a smiling face, “This little brother, I am a member of the Dongjiang Zheng Clan, Baihe County’s County Vice Magistrate Zheng Yuntao. Might little brother be willing to give me some face and spare Zhao Tiancheng this once?”
Li Xingge seemed not to hear him at all. He simply continued drinking, completely ignoring the County Vice Magistrate.
At the side, Zhao Tiancheng was secretly delighted to see Li Xingge acting so arrogantly.
He immediately stepped forward to scold him. “Boy, you’ve got some nerve. This is the dignified County Vice Magistrate himself, and yet you dare not put him in your eyes? Be careful, or your whole clan will be exterminated!”
The County Vice Magistrate shot him a glare, signaling him to shut up.
“Exterminate my whole clan?”
Li Xingge let out a light laugh, slowly raised his head, and sneered. “The last one who wanted to exterminate my whole clan is already reunited underground with his entire family.”
“What arrogant words! The County Vice Magistrate stands right before you, and you still dare act so wildly? I think you already have the path of death beneath your feet!”
“Shut your mouth!”
The County Vice Magistrate roared.
At some unknown moment, a large bead of cold sweat had already seeped onto his forehead.
Zhao Tiancheng was startled by the roar. He thought his attempt to fan the flames had taken effect.
So he hurried to add fuel to the fire. “Look how angry you’ve made the County Vice Magistrate! Why aren’t you kneeling right now and apologizing to him?”
Li Xingge looked at the County Vice Magistrate and said with a smile, “Are you sure?”
The County Vice Magistrate snapped back to his senses, gathered all the strength in his body, and slapped Zhao Tiancheng hard across the face.
The blow left Zhao Tiancheng dizzy and seeing stars, and it took him a long while to recover.
And then the next scene froze Zhao Tiancheng where he stood.
The County Vice Magistrate wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, bowed with clasped fists, and said in an ingratiating tone, “Zheng Yuntao of the Zheng family greets Family Head Li.”
“You know me?”
“At your birthday banquet, I was fortunate enough to see you once.”
Li Xingge’s gaze was cold. “How could I possibly deserve such a grand salute from the dignified County Vice Magistrate?”
Zheng Yuntao’s expression changed, and he hurriedly explained, “In front of you, what does a mere County Vice Magistrate like me amount to? Family Head Li, I was deceived by this vile wretch. Please, for the sake of the friendship between the Zheng and Li families, do not blame me.”
At this moment, Zheng Yuntao had already cursed Zhao Tiancheng’s ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart. That bastard had truly poked a hole in the heavens.
Li Xingge smiled faintly. “If not for Brother Lingjun’s sake, do you think you would still be standing here talking to me?”
Zheng Yuntao gave an awkward laugh. Everyone in Baihe County knew that this man’s temper was not exactly a good one.
“Please send my regards to Brother Lingjun!”
Then Li Xingge pointed at Zhao Tiancheng, whose entire body was trembling. “As for him, I’ll leave him to you. Unless I misheard, he was the one who said he would exterminate my whole clan.”
“Please rest assured. I definitely won’t disappoint you.”
“Good. Then I’ll go rest first. Little Wuyou, come.”
Li Xingge spoke to Li Wuyou, who had already eaten and drunk her fill.
Holding little Wuyou’s small hand, the two of them went up to the guest room on the third floor.
After Li Xingge left,
Zheng Yuntao finally let out a long breath, straightened his official robe, and slowly stood upright again. Only heaven knew how much pressure he had felt while facing that man.
As he looked at Zhao Tiancheng, who stood there dumbstruck like a wooden chicken, a flash of cold light passed through Zheng Yuntao’s eyes. This damned thing had nearly gotten him killed.
“Zhao Tiancheng, Zhao Tiancheng. You really did sire a fine son. Without him, you probably never would’ve met someone of such stature in your entire life.”
Zheng Yuntao said through gritted teeth.
“C-County... County Vice Magistrate... who... who was he?”
Zhao Tiancheng’s teeth were chattering so badly that he could barely speak.
“For the sake of the fact that you’re about to die, I’ll at least let you die understanding. The man just now was the Family Head of the Qingfeng Li Clan, a figure who stands on equal footing with my own Family Head.”
Zhao Tiancheng’s vision went black, and he fainted from sheer terror on the spot.
“Men! Relay this County Vice Magistrate’s order! The Zhao family colluded with demonic-path fiends and plotted evil deeds. Exterminate their entire clan!”