novellaaa Chapter 73 Crushing
Chapter 73 Crushing
Of course, if it weren't for 014 speaking up, Magistrate Xia would never have come to act as an intermediary. As someone within the Da Zhao court system, he knew very well what kind of crime smuggling blood offerings was.
It's true that he and Sun Youfu have been friends for many years, but they're not so close that they'd risk their own lives or even their entire family's wealth for a friendship.
At most, before Sun Youfu's entire family was raided and taken to the execution ground, he intervened to save one or two of his nephews or nieces whose crimes did not warrant death.
Now that Sun Youfu has accepted the advice and turned against his family, although he will certainly lose his savings and assets, at least the Sun family will no longer be targeted for retribution.
Judging from the blueprint given by 014, their clan members all play a certain role in Gaoyang County. Even if they are squeezed dry after paying taxes, as long as they diligently complete the assigned tasks, it is only a matter of time before they return to their peak.
However, Magistrate Xia did not say these words to Sun Youfu.
The pardon for smuggling blood offerings had already given Sun Youfu a huge advantage. If he were to be told that he would have a certain position in the future development plan of Gaoyang County, this man might start to have other ideas.
Magistrate Xia had had enough of the unexpected events of the past two months, and he was hoping that after the dust settled, he could have a good outcome. 014 had already promised him that after this matter was over, he would be transferred to another wealthy county as magistrate.
If an ordinary person, even his superior, said this, Magistrate Xia would just chuckle and dismiss it as nonsense. But when 014 said this, Magistrate Xia truly believed it.
With the Dragon and Tiger Cavalry by his side, the crime of smuggling blood offerings was pardoned without a word. As a Dragon Cavalry member sent down from above to supervise, Zhou Jing remained completely silent. This background was terrifying.
Whether for his own sake or for the sake of Gaoyang County, Magistrate Xia decided to stand firm in his post until the very end.
Seeing Sun Youfu press his fingerprint, Magistrate Xia put away the contract, got up and left. As he reached the door, he turned back to look at Sun Youfu, who had already been unshackled.
"Don't worry, if I say I'll betray you, I mean it. In a moment, I'll write down the exact location of the mountain demons, the information of the leader, the guard posts, the shift change times, and the patrol routes from memory."
Sun Youfu knew what Magistrate Xia was worried about, and before the other party could speak, he spoke first: "I'm confident I can win over another family. Can you give me that authority?"
"I can't make that decision, but I don't think there's a chance. You've been too outrageous in Gaoyang County. The Heavenly Officials have already reached their limit by letting one mastermind go. If they let you go any further, it would be too disrespectful to the national law and the Dragon Tiger Cavalry."
After all, one of the most important duties of the Dragon and Tiger Imperial Guards is to safeguard the nation's destiny. If smuggling blood offerings can be pardoned time and time again, where does that leave the Dragon and Tiger Imperial Guards?
Magistrate Xia thought for a moment and then responded.
"That's a pity. I originally wanted to help Lao Yu, but unfortunately he was unlucky. So don't blame me. Afterwards, I'll offer a bowl of wine at his grave. That will be the last thing I, his drinking buddy, can do for him."
Sun Youfu said with a slight regret.
Whether he genuinely wanted to help the so-called "Old Yu" or simply wanted a family like his to divert some of the attention focused on the Sun family, remains unknown.
……
The young man watched as Fu Que appeared in front of him in an instant, like a movie with a frame drop. Before he could even raise his wrist, his eyes were suddenly filled with an endless expanse of flesh color!
That was Fu Que's outstretched palm.
In just a moment, the young man whom Fu Que had lured close to had already fainted on the arena, his face slightly sunken.
The shock and entangling force in the Minghe Fist instantly destroyed the young man's self-awareness, plunging him into a deep coma and causing a severe concussion.
From the moment the examiner signaled the start of the free-for-all arena match to the instantaneous defeat of the young man by Fu Que, it was only a blink of an eye. By the time the others reacted, they only saw the composed Fu Que and the young man lying limply on the ground.
Qi Wei reacted the fastest, roaring as he launched a fierce attack on Fu Que.
The Qi family was a top-tier powerful clan in Gaoyang County, and in Dazhao, where martial prowess was paramount, they had earned this status through their own hard work and fighting.
The Waterfall Palm technique, which his family has practiced for generations, is quite powerful, and they have managed to establish a business empire in Gaoyang County.
Qi Wei unleashed a flurry of palm strikes, the wind from his palms pushing aside the air pressure and creating a low, whistling sound as he unleashed a series of palm strikes aimed at Fu Que's vital points.
This move is not only fierce and powerful, but also accompanied by a continuous flow of water. Once you fall into its rhythm, the consequences are even more terrifying than falling into the rhythm of the Crane Cry Fist. It is easy to lose focus and ultimately be defeated.
Fu Que remained expressionless. Even without the aid of True Sight, he could still capture the trajectory of all things through the breeze using the temporary power of wind elements.
The True Vision saw through the true trajectory of Qi Wei's changing palm winds, and the swirling wind pressure also clearly told Fu Que the true direction of Qi Wei's attack.
You can hide.
But Fu Que did not dodge.
The rapidly flowing air swirled around Fu Que's gray training clothes, as if it were an invisible protective aura.
Ignoring the waterfall palm strike aimed at his vital points, Fu Que turned around to face the others surrounding him.
The two who were directly in the attack immediately stopped in their tracks. Their plan was for Fu Que to withstand Qi Wei's frontal assault while they launched a sneak attack from the flank.
Although Fu Que had taken down one of their companions in an extremely explosive manner at the start, they didn't think that Fu Que could gain any advantage under the siege.
Before truly refining their Qi into their bodies, martial artists' physical qualities are not significantly different. Although Fu Que has the Dragon Tiger Cavalry as his backing and foundation, they also rely on powerful clans and gentry, so in terms of resources, they are not much worse than Fu Que.
But what they didn't expect was that Fu Que was overpowered; even without refining his Qi or using magical artifacts, he was still able to use elemental power.
Seeing that Fu Que had his back to him and didn't take his attack seriously at all, Qi Wei's eyes blazed with anger. This was the first time since he started practicing martial arts that someone had treated him so disrespectfully.
With his blood rushing to his head, he disregarded the potential exhaustion and hidden injuries that might follow. He surging his blood and qi, his palm strikes became even faster, slamming hard into Fu Que's back.
With the palm strike that shattered the twelve silk threads of the straw man, Qi Wei's power was now amplified by his surging blood and qi, making him even more formidable. Let alone Fu Que's mortal body, even if he were cast in bronze or iron, he would be in serious trouble.
The audience watching Fu Que on the arena gasped in surprise, as if Fu Que was about to break his bones and fly away like a kite with a broken string.
But things didn't turn out the way they expected; the aura formed by the airflow directly withstood Qi Wei's attack.
The palm strikes sent winds swirling, and sand and dust danced wildly.
But the screams continued, and Fu Que used only his fists to attack instead of defend, smashing the united front that was trying to kill him into pieces.
It wasn't a battle at all, but a complete crushing and mockery; the two sides were simply not on the same level.