Mortal Saint

Chapter 72: Chapter 70: A Brother’s Murder is a Mere Passing Hardship; Little Ji Hall Master is a Righteous Man of This County, Who Dares Touch Him

Inner Anning Street, at the grand Zhao Mansion.

It was complete with artificial mountains and decorative streams.

And in the Inner Residence.

Young Master Jiu, the Lord of Anning County who hailed from the Jiangyin Prefecture’s Wine Shop, tightened his grip on the hand warmer he was holding.

"Who was the killer? The absolute audacity! Don’t they know the rules in my county?"

He had only heard that someone had committed murder in the middle of a bustling street.

As for who died—the legitimate son of a Dragon Head from one of the Three Great Gangs—Zhao Jiu chose to turn a deaf ear.

What a joke. He couldn’t care less who had died.

But... if someone dared to kill in the streets, did that mean that one day, when he himself went out, they might suddenly attack and kill him, the head of the county?

He set the rules. Breaking his rules was a slap in the face!

"Which Instructor from the Four Great Halls is on duty today? Tell him to gather the County Soldiers, arrest this villain who dares to defy me... this county magistrate, and have him brutally tortured!"

"No, Elder Liang, I must personally oversee this. My county is supposed to be peaceful and orderly, with no place for evil. To dare kill in the streets, causing my citizens to tremble like chaff in the wind, terrified beyond measure—this is a grave crime!"

Furious, Zhao Jiu flicked his sleeve and couldn’t help but ask another question:

"What’s this villain’s name? What’s his background?"

"Is he a notorious mountain bandit? A fugitive from Jiangyin Prefecture? Have the docks been checked recently? Any suspicious people disembarking..."

He straightened his robes and flicked his sleeves, his face a mask of solemnity. Just as he was about to stride out, the kneeling government constable, his head bowed, stammered:

"It’s... Master Ji of the Wind and Cloud Association..."

’The Wind and Cloud Association?’

’Master Ji.’

’What the hell is that? Never heard of them!’

SHIING!

Young Master Jiu drew his Treasure Sword. Gazing at its cold, shimmering blade, his narrow eyes sharpened.

"What ’master’ this and ’master’ that? In a backwater place like this, they dare call themselves a hall master, like one of the Thirty-Six Professions?"

"Even if they weren’t under the command of my Zhao Family’s Wine Shop—and they aren’t—they’d still have to bow before me. People from small towns are truly shortsighted. They have no idea how formidable I am!"

"Elder Liang, let’s go! We’ll arrest this Ji fellow and show him just how sharp my Treasure Sword is, right before everyone’s eyes..."

He hadn’t finished speaking when the constable hesitated, then muttered under his breath:

"However, there’s a rumor outside that the reason this Master Ji is so audacious is because he has a good Master..."

"’Good Master’ this, ’good Master’ that. In a place this small, you think a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster is just going to pop out of nowhere?"

"Even if there were one, this is my territory! If they came here, they’d still have to play by my rules and offer an apology."

Zhao Jiu sneered, set aside his hand warmer, and kicked the door open, casually asking another question:

"What’s his Master’s name?"

"If they’ve offended this magistrate, I’ll take them both down!"

"Duan... Duan Chenzhou."

The constable replied, his body bowed low.

"I heard he’s a one-armed Martial Artist. He even stayed under our yamen’s watch for a while, but back then, no one knew that this quiet, reserved man was actually such a powerful figure..."

WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH...

A cold wind gusted in, hitting him in the face and sobering him up a little.

It also made his muddled brain connect the dots to something, and he shivered.

’This name... is a tad familiar.’

Beside him, Elder Liang, who had been smiling amiably, went rigid when he heard the name "Duan Chenzhou."

His eyes froze. He suddenly dashed forward and cried out urgently:

"Master Jiu, it’s him! The Fisherman’s Son from all those years ago! The Duan Chenzhou who killed our family’s Fifth Master, caused a huge storm at the Eight Dock Ferry, and later became a disciple of *that* person!"

"The description matches perfectly..."

"So many years have passed. We’ve finally waited for the day his backer fell!"

"I heard that at the East Canghai Ferry, while still at the Power Barrier realm, he cut down Ren Hengjiang of the Purple Mist Daoist School—a man who had broken through the Second Great Limit and was favored by the True Sect! Duan Chenzhou lost an arm in the process and vanished after shedding blood across the sky!"

"To think... he ended up here, in our territory!"

As he spoke, Elder Liang panted, his eyes shining.

"We have a hundred County Soldiers, armored and armed with crossbows. We might not have been able to kill him at his peak, but with one arm gone, his body is incomplete..."

"Master Jiu, the time for revenge has come...!"

CLANG!

But at some point, Zhao Jiu had slammed his Treasure Sword back into its scabbard, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

"Revenge?"

He turned to his old servant, a man at the Peak of Skin Refining, and fell silent for a moment.

"And what if... we fail to kill him?"

Elder Liang froze.

"Er..."

"But that was your older brother, Master Jiu. And besides..."

"Avenging a brother, isn’t that what you’re supposed to..."

"Bullshit!"

Wearing a pair of Cloud Pattern Shoes, Zhao Jiu kicked a nearby pillar.

"Since when the hell has Duan Chenzhou ever been someone who plays by the rules!"

"In the beginning, it was just some trivial squabble at the ferry. He was just a fisherman with no background."

"But because he provoked some small fry, he ended up drawing in the big fish. In just a dozen years or so..."

"The Thirty-Six Professions, direct disciples of Daoist Schools, inheritors of entire Schools, even successors of the True Sect..."

"More than half of the entire Jiangyin Prefecture has a grudge against him, including many Qi Cultivation Grandmasters. But what about now?"

"Isn’t he still alive and well?!"

"Old Liang, are you trying to get me killed?!"

Zhao Jiu huffed angrily and hissed through his teeth.

"No, I have to hide. I’ll claim I’m sick and stay inside. Let the people outside deal with it..."

He hadn’t finished speaking when his eyes darted, and he choked on his words.

’Wait, that’s not right. I’m the Lord of Anning County. The Instructors of the Four Great Halls are all Jianghu people. What if their hot-blooded courage really makes them charge in...’

’If they succeed, great. But if they fail, won’t that bastard Duan Chenzhou put the blame on my head?’

’No, no, no. I’ve never taken the fall for anyone in my life. And I didn’t even provoke Duan Chenzhou. Why am I so scared? It’s just the minor matter of my brother’s murder...’

He muttered to himself, clutching his sword scabbard.

"What was that kid’s name again?"

The government constable was frozen stiff, trembling. Hearing Zhao Jiu’s question, he stammered:

"Ji... Ji Xiu..."

"Right!"

"Ji Xiu, that’s the one!"

"That Yang Yan was a great evil! He bullied men, preyed on women, ran rampant, and oppressed the common folk. Since arriving from the Prefecture City, I, your magistrate, have witnessed the suffering of the people and could not bear it. I’ve long wanted to put that villain down! Fortunately, a righteous hero has stepped forward to quell the chaos!"

"This is a great thing."

"What murder case? There is no murder case!"

With that, he barged out the door, muttering to himself as he walked:

’The Tiger and Leopard Hall only pays a tribute of a thousand silver a year. That’s not even enough for my medicinal baths. Why should I risk my life for them...’

’Yang Daohan, your son gets killed, and you don’t dare make a move yourself. You spread the news about Duan Chenzhou, thinking I wouldn’t guess what you’re up to? Revenge? Why don’t you go get it yourself? You’re trying to use me to do your dirty work...’

A sharp glint flashed in Zhao Jiu’s eyes, and he scoffed.

’I’m still young, my memory is fuzzy. I’ve long forgotten what my so-called brother even looked like. The news has spread far and wide. Whoever wants revenge can go get it. It has nothing to do with me.’

The mere matter of avenging a brother was but a trifle, a passing frost!

With that, he gathered the County Soldiers and strode out.

At that moment, Gu Baichuan, sword at his hip, hurried over. Seeing Zhao Jiu, he took a deep breath and put on a solemn expression, just about to pull rank as a Centurion of the Northern Garrison Command, one who had the authority to patrol the realm and supervise all County Officials...

But all he heard was Zhao Jiu’s urgent shout:

"Centurion Gu, get out of the way! Don’t delay me from saving a righteous hero from dire straits!"

What the hell?

Gu Baichuan was baffled.

"A righteous hero? Who?"

"Ji Xiu of the Wind and Cloud Association!"

Huh?

...

「The Fire Kiln, Lu Manor.」

The sky was dim.

Lu Chengfeng watched with a worried expression as ten armored County Soldiers, their bodies coursing with Force and their crossbows raised, stood before him.

At their head was a burly man with a tiger’s beard and a bear’s back, flanked by more than a dozen experts in white robes and black sashes—all masters of Bone Marrow and Bone Tempering. Lu Chengfeng couldn’t help but say in a low voice:

"Divine Fist Sect Master, what is the meaning of this..."

Hex Shouyi’s face was grim as he shook his head.

"Manor Master Lu, you and I are old acquaintances. I will not make things difficult for you."

"Just let me capture that man’s disciple... and I will leave immediately!"

After speaking, his entire frame shuddered, and a sound like the Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound erupted from his body. He was about to blast past Lu Chengfeng and charge straight in, causing the experts of the Fire Kiln to break out in a cold sweat.

Ji Xiu had just returned.

He had just settled his sister in when he heard the commotion at the manor entrance. His heart sank. ’Could it be that Lord Gu didn’t smooth things over?’

When he rushed over and listened closely, he realized this was bad. They weren’t here for Yang Yan; they were here for him.

Seeing the Wind and Cloud Association’s gate being blocked yet again, he sighed. ’Should I just hurry up and learn Old Huang’s Alchemy Skill and start my own school?’

’It’s been so long. Why is the grand reputation of a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster still taking its sweet time to arrive?’

If people kept showing up to cause trouble at the Wind and Cloud Association like this every day, he would feel truly embarrassed...

’But this is my business. I can’t let others take the heat for me!’

So, taking a deep breath, Ji Xiu’s gaze hardened, and he prepared to step forward...

But then!

"Hex! Are you insane!?"

"Who told you you could mobilize my personal soldiers!?"