Chapter 191 - 79: Massacre of the City (2)

Chapter 191: Chapter 79: Massacre of the City (2)

Since his transmigration, everything had gone his way. While this was partly due to his cautious nature, deep down, wasn’t there a subconscious belief that he was destined for greatness?

But the matter of Fang Baicao was a slap in the face that woke Fang Rui up, telling him: You’re dead wrong. You’re no Son of Destiny!

At this moment, Fang Rui understood more deeply that this was stark reality, not a novel where the protagonist could always arrive at the critical moment to save the day.

’This was a game with no restarts!’

"Third Sister, please look after Ling’Er and Nannan. I’m going out to ask about the details," Fang Rui said before heading to the main hall.

...

In the main hall, Steward Chen hadn’t left yet. He was pacing anxiously. Seeing Fang Rui emerge with a cold expression, he became even more flustered. "Uh, Lord Fang, I didn’t... Your mother..."

"My mother’s condition is no fault of Steward Chen’s."

Fang Rui waved his hand. "I want to ask, my father... how exactly did he die?"

"He was severely injured, and with the lack of doctors and medicine, he ultimately couldn’t be saved... It happened just a few days ago, not too long." Steward Chen answered cautiously.

Hearing this answer, Fang Rui found it laughable.

’My father was a Physician. He treated so many people, yet in the end, he died from a lack of doctors and medicine? There’s definitely something fishy about this!’ he thought coldly.

...

To rule out any misunderstandings and to learn more details, Fang Rui made some arrangements and then left the house.

He used his connections with the merchant caravan as a starting point, greasing palms with silver coins to clear the way. After investigating through multiple channels, he confirmed that the news Steward Chen brought was not false, shattering the last sliver of hope in his heart.

Especially when, during the reburial, he saw Fang Baicao’s body with his own eyes.

Afterward, Fang Rui spent 370 Tribulation Points to achieve Minor Achievement in the >. He chose a fine burial plot and reinterred Fang Baicao.

Before the gravestone.

Fang Rui stood there for a long time, recalling the morning he parted with Fang Baicao. The rising sun was the color of blood. Fang Baicao had clapped him on the shoulder and told him, "I’m leaving this family in your hands"...

He never imagined that parting would be their last.

...

It was evening by the time he returned.

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family had been awake for a while. After some comforting words from the Third Lady, she wasn’t as grief-stricken. She even managed a smile when she saw Fang Rui, but she seemed much quieter than usual.

The atmosphere at home was oppressive, thick with an air of sorrow. Even the two little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan, had lost their usual liveliness.

Fang Rui briefly recounted the news he had gathered outside and the matter of reburying Fang Baicao, agreeing that they would go pay their respects the next morning.

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family shook her head, not saying anything more about Fang Baicao. She just said, "Brother Rui, you must be hungry. I’ll go make dinner."

"Brother Rui, don’t worry. I’ll help Auntie!" the Third Lady said, hurrying after her.

Dinner.

The home was devoid of its usual laughter and cheerful chatter. Even when Fang Rui deliberately tried to steer the conversation, it was of little use.

After dinner, they all returned to their rooms to sleep.

The Third Lady knew Fang Rui was in a bad mood, so she told Fang Ling and Nannan to sleep by themselves tonight. The two little girls were sensible enough not to pester Fang Rui. They obeyed, holding hands as they went back to their room.

Back in his room, the smile on Fang Rui’s face vanished. In an instant, his expression turned ice-cold.

He hadn’t mentioned certain details in front of Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and the Third Lady. Just as he had suspected, there was foul play involved in Fang Baicao’s death.

It involved a Centurion in the Taiping Army, a Seventh Grade Martial Artist named Fu Dazhuang.

The conflict between this man and Fang Baicao was almost laughable. Before one mission, Fu Dazhuang wanted to get more medical kits for the men under his command, but Fang Baicao refused. The two had a quarrel, and Fu Dazhuang had held a grudge ever since.

After Fang Baicao was severely injured, Fu Dazhuang pulled some strings to transfer other Physicians away, leaving no one to treat him. Even when Fang Baicao wrote his own prescription, it was held up under the excuse of insufficient medicinal herbs... With these delays, his condition gradually became fatal.

Otherwise, he might have been able to hold on for a few more days until Fang Rui arrived.

Fang Rui took a deep breath, suppressing the rage in his heart, and pulled a journal from his robes.

That’s right. This was the journal Fang Baicao had left behind, one of the fruits of his afternoon’s labor.

He hadn’t taken it out earlier because he worried it would sadden Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family even more. He planned to wait a few days until she had calmed down a little before giving it to her.

He opened it to find familiar handwriting.

Half a month away. I wonder how the family is doing. Are my wife and children well...

—Ninth Month, 28th Day

...

Defeated while suppressing bandits. I have surrendered to the Rebel Army. Perhaps now I’ll have a chance to see my wife and children again...

—Tenth Month, 9th Day

...

The Rebel Army has taken the city. I rushed back but could not see my wife and children. A great regret...

—Tenth Month, 13th Day

...

The last two feints to take cities went smoothly, but for some reason, I have a bad feeling before this expedition. I hope I can still see my wife and children again...

—Tenth Month, 29th Day

...

A villain plots against me. I don’t have long. The only thing I can’t let go of is my wife and children...

—Eleventh Month, 12th Day

...

Every entry mentioned his wife and children. Even on the brink of death, Fang Baicao wasn’t worried about himself, only about how his wife and children would survive in this chaotic era.

The sincerity of his feelings and the earnestness of his words were deeply moving.

Fang Rui sniffled, closing his eyes for a long moment before opening them again. "Fu Dazhuang, Li Xuantong, Iron Butcher... We’ll take care of you, one by one!"

"A debt of blood must be paid in blood!"

...

「Night.」

A group of people had gathered at Fu Dazhuang’s residence.

"Mr. Fu, someone was asking about Fang Baicao this afternoon. I did some digging of my own and found out it was that dead bastard’s son. He’s also connected to a merchant caravan."

"Boss, if you don’t pull up the roots, the weeds will grow back in the spring. What do you think? Should we...?" As he spoke, a vicious glint flashed in the man’s eyes, and he made a slicing motion across his neck.

"Yeah, we all had a hand in Fang Baicao’s death, more or less. To avoid future trouble, we should be thorough."

"But he’s involved with a merchant caravan. They have connections, so it might not be easy."

"Not easy, but not impossible! These are special times. We can pull some strings, brand that caravan as spies for the tyrannical Great Yu... Who knows, we might even make a small fortune out of it."

...

Just then.

BOOM!

The main door shattered, and a masked figure burst in.

"Who are you?!"

Inside, everyone shot to their feet like startled rabbits.

Fang Rui gave them a cool glance, then his figure flickered, drifting toward them like a ghost.

A dozen breaths later.

The seven or eight men had their tendons and hamstrings severed and their voices silenced. They lay on the ground in despair, watching helplessly as Fang Rui fed them a specially concocted poison.

That particular poison was the culmination of his Medical Skill. After taking it, one would truly experience the feeling of their ’liver and intestines being torn to shreds’.

"GURGLE!"

The men made garbled sounds. In their agony, some even began to gnaw on their own bodies. Their gazes toward Fang Rui were a mixture of terror, pleading, hatred... and more.

But Fang Rui merely watched with indifference, not saying a word, like a silent god of death.

A few minutes later, lying in a pool of blood, all of them had stopped breathing. Only then did he turn and leave.

FWOOSH!

After Fang Rui left, flames rose up behind him.

"Someone’s coming!"

"Quick, put out the fire!"

"People are dead! It was an attack by Great Yu spies!"

...

Ever since Li Xuantong’s defeat, the Great Yu’s spies in the city had become extremely active. They had assassinated at least seven or eight Taiping Army Centurions, if not a full dozen.

You could say that the Great Yu was now using the same tactics against the Taiping Army that the Taiping Army had once used against Changshan City.

’So, they won’t suspect me.’

Fang Rui watched the approaching Taiping Army soldiers, his gaze fixed on the County Magistrate’s Office in the city center, his eyes cold. ’This is just the beginning, Li Xuantong...’

At this thought, he shook his head slightly. ’The County Magistrate’s Office is heavily guarded. It’s not time yet. Besides, Li Xuantong is an incredibly enigmatic person. I can’t be careless.’

At the very least, Fang Rui wouldn’t make a move before reaching the Third Grade. He certainly wanted to eliminate the man, but he wasn’t about to let hatred cloud his judgment.

...

The next day, Fang Rui returned with Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, the Third Lady, Fang Ling, and Nannan from paying their respects to Fang Baicao.

Steward Chen rushed over, bringing earth-shattering news. "The Iron Butcher led twenty thousand elite soldiers, conquered Changhuai County, and massacred the city! Bai Chuan County surrendered without a fight. His army will reach Yunshan City any day now!"

...