Martial Cultivator

Chen Chao did not choose to leave this commandery city immediately. Although he did not intentionally wait for the new warden, when the prefect sent someone to invite him to his office, Chen Chao did not refuse either. He left the matters of the Warden's Office to the young constable named Li Shan.

Chen Chao was not the local warden nor did he have the intention of promoting him. But before leaving, he would naturally leave a letter for the new warden, informing him of what had happened. At the same time, he would also mention this Li Shan in the letter. Presumably, the days ahead for this young constable would be much better.

As for whether his career would continue to improve afterward, that would be hard to say.

The prefect of Ancient Mountain Commandery was a lean middle-aged man named Ma Nanshan. Upon meeting Chen Chao, the prefect did not show much enthusiasm. It seemed that he did not entirely approve of what Chen Chao had done at the Warden's Office previously. While executing Xu Xuanshan was one thing, hanging Xu Xuanshan's head in front of the Warden's Office was seen as excessive by the prefect.

"This official won't beat around the bush with Commander Chen either. In the past few years, I've sent a few reports to the Divine Capital concerning Xu Xuanshan. But even if Xu Xuanshan deserved punishment, is this going too overboard?"

Ma Nanshan looked at Chen Chao, showing no signs of fear despite Chen Chao's martial artist background.

Chen Chao nodded, speaking on his own, "In the 11th year of Tianjian, it was the first time Lord Ma submitted a report. Then in the 12th year, Lord Ma sent three reports in a row, but there was no response. It's like sending clay oxen into the sea. After that, it seems Lord Ma became disheartened and never submitted another report."

Ma Nanshan was taken aback. After hearing this sentence, he finally confirmed Chen Chao's identity and no longer doubted him. But he still could not help but complain, "I wonder if His Majesty has ever seen my reports. At the very least, they should have been seen by the Lord Premier."

Chen Chao shook his head, "The Xia Family holds some influence in the court. Since Xu Xuanshan is someone they want to protect, it's natural that Lord Ma's reports won't be presented. This isn't the first time such a thing has happened, and it won't be the last. Lord Ma, you should be able to understand."

Ma Nanshan sighed, "The imperial court has its difficulties, this Ma can understand that. Although His Majesty is wise, how can one pair of eyes see all the darkness under the sky?"

Chen Chao nodded, then suddenly said, "Shall we have a heart-to-heart talk, Lord Ma?"

Ma Nanshan looked around, then nodded, "Commander Chen, please go ahead."

"Hanging Xu Xuanshan's head high is not only to let the foreign lands know His Majesty's will, but also more importantly, to let the people of this city know. Although the imperial court cannot always see everything, once it discovers something, punishment must be meted out."

Ma Nanshan frowned, "What about Xu Jing?"

Chen Chao smiled, "It's just giving the people a chance to strike a blow against a drowning dog."

"I'll remind Lord Ma here, don't bother with Xu Jing's life or death from now on."

Ma Nanshan nodded and said, "Commander Chen, rest assured, this Ma isn't that kind of pedantic scholar."

Chen Chao nodded and fell silent.

Ma Nanshan did not know what to say for a moment. After all, he was a civil official, and he did not have much in common with this renowned martial artist in front of him.

Suddenly, Chen Chao said, "Actually, I've heard of Lord Ma before."

Ma Nanshan frowned, a little displeased. "Commander Chen, there's no need for that."

Chen Chao shook his head and said, "Mi Ke."

Ma Nanshan was taken aback. "Commander Chen knows him?"

Chen Chao nodded with a smile, "When I was serving as the warden in Tianqing County, Mi Ke, the county magistrate, happened to be serving as the county magistrate there too. Occasionally, during idle conversations, Elder Brother Mi mentioned that Prefect Ma is the most learned among the scholars in their examination batch."

Mentioning Mi Ke, Ma Nanshan immediately showed a smile, "Back then, my relationship with Mi Ke was excellent. Later, when I heard he was promoted to magistrate, I even wrote him a letter to congratulate him. However, I never received a reply. Perhaps the letter didn't reach him and ended up lost in the mail."

Chen Chao nodded, also smiling. However, at this moment, he could not help but think of this old friend Mi. They had a pretty good relationship back then, and he even asked Mi Ke for help once. It had been a long time since they last met.

……

……

Mi Ke, who had long become a commandery magistrate, happened to be resting today. He was lounging comfortably in a chair, enjoying the sun when suddenly he started sneezing uncontrollably.

After several sneezes, Mi Ke sat up, rubbed his nose, and grumbled, "Who the hell is talking about me? Could it be that guy surnamed Chen!"

After venting his complaints, Mi Ke suddenly came to his senses and muttered under his breath, "That kid surnamed Chen is thriving in the Divine Capital, but he doesn't even think to send a letter to me, this elder brother. It's a waste of all those late-night suppers I've treated him."

A moment later, footsteps were heard outside the courtyard. A man with a full beard hurried in, asking in concern. "Lord Mi, have you caught a cold? Do you need me to call for some physicians to check on you?"

Mi Ke frowned, "I only sneezed a few times."

The man in front of him was none other than Registrar Zhang who served him when he was the county magistrate in Tianqing County. Speaking of him brought up some unpleasant memories. Originally, Mi Ke had no intention of bringing this guy along to this place. However, upon arriving here, he discovered that the officials in Wanshan Commandery were all a bunch of incompetents. Reluctantly, Mi Ke wrote a petition to the provincial capital to inquire about the possibility of transferring his subordinates from Tianqing County to Wanshan Commandery. Initially, he had low expectations, but surprisingly, the provincial authorities agreed very quickly and forwarded the petition promptly. Soon, not only the constables from Tianqing County but also this registrar and even the old post-mortem examiner were transferred to Wanshan Commandery.

At first, Mi Ke was puzzled by this turn of events. But after thinking carefully, he realized that it was likely because of his relationship with Chen Chao that the provincial authorities were so eager to agree. Later, officials from the provincial capital visited several times, but they never caused any trouble for him.

For this alone, Mi Ke could not help but feel grateful to Chen Chao.

Now, Registrar Zhang was already deputy rank, and served as his deputy. Although he heard Mi Ke brush it off, he still had a worried expression on his face.

Unable to stand his gaze, Mi Ke turned his head away and asked, "What are you here for?"

Deputy Zhang's face turned slightly red, "Lord Mi, since you're resting today, this lowly official was afraid you might be bored, so I came to keep you company and chat with Your Excellency."

Mi Ke nodded, suddenly saying with vicissitudes of emotion. "I don't know why, but I suddenly thought of that guy surnamed Chen."

Deputy Zhang nodded in agreement, "That's right. Forget about the fact that he's currently His Majesty's favorite, in the earlier years, he used to address Your Excellency affectionately as 'elder brother'."

Mi Ke waved his hand dismissively, shaking his head. "Why bring that up? He deserves the success he has now. Tianqing County was peaceful for those years, all thanks to him. It's just that now that he has gone to the Divine Capital, I'm afraid it'll be difficult to have a drink with him."

Deputy Zhang was taken aback, his expression somewhat strange. "Are you going to be promoted again, Your Excellency?"

Mi Ke smiled and nodded. "The report from the provincial capital just arrived. It's not considered a promotion, just a lateral move."

Although it was technically a lateral move and did not involve a promotion in rank, it was clear that being an official in the Divine Capital was very different from serving in these provincial counties.

Deputy Zhang's expression turned somewhat ugly, and he felt a bit dejected. "Congratulations, Your Excellency." Mi Ke knew what he was thinking and went straight to the point, "Although it's just a lateral move, your appointment letter has also arrived. Follow me to the Divine Capital."

Deputy Zhang was surprised for a moment, then he became ecstatic. "That's great!"

Mi Ke did not say a word, just rubbed his forehead, thinking whether he should try to get closer to that kid after he went to the Divine Capital.

……

……

Crippled of his martial cultivation, Xu Jing struggled back to his own residence. He lay there for three days, his concubine having long since fled. His lawful wife had returned to her family yesterday. Having lost his job and being crippled of his martial arts, Xu Jing was destined to be a cripple for the rest of his life. It could be said that with the tree fallen, the monkeys had scattered. Now, there was only him left in this mansion.

"Damn bitch!"

Xu Jing lay on the bed, thinking about Chen Chao, his eyes filled with hatred. If it were not for him, he would not have ended up in this situation!

Having not eaten for several days, Xu Jing's stomach growled loudly. After getting up, he weakly pushed aside the bed and found a small wooden box somewhere underneath. There was quite a bit of silver inside. Over the years, he had been cautious and had not disclosed all his assets to outsiders. Even though his wife had taken all the money from the house, he still had a way to live a comfortable life.

Taking some silver, Xu Jing put the box back in place. Then, he got up weakly and went to the courtyard gate. After closing the door, he walked out along the alley.

But just a few steps later, his head was suddenly struck hard!

This blow made the usually imposing constable of the Warden's Office dizzy, with stars dancing before his eyes.

Just as he was struggling to get up, he was struck fiercely on the hand by someone.

"AHH!"

Xu Jing had just let out a scream resembling that of a slaughtered pig when his right leg was struck fiercely once again.

With a crack, his right leg was directly broken by someone.

"Who the hell... Argh!"

This time, his left leg was also broken.

He collapsed to the ground feebly. Just as he was about to beg for mercy, a foul stench descended from above, and a murky liquid was poured directly onto his head. Xu Jing had his mouth opened and some of it even entered his mouth.

After that, there was a series of cursing and cheering.

Many people from nearby houses opened their doors and gathered at the door, throwing rotten vegetables and rotten eggs at Xu Jing.

As for behind him, the person who had initially struck him with a club was still continuously striking his head with it.

Before long, Xu Jing's breath became shallow and he struggled less.

Although the club beating stopped, soon after, people began throwing stones at Xu Jing. It did not take long before he stopped struggling altogether and stopped breathing.

From a distance, Chen Chao and the young constable he had just become acquainted with stood at the entrance of the alley, watching the scene unfold.

Li Shan asked with some concern, "Your Excellency, are we just going to let the people beat Xu Jing to death like this?"

Chen Chao shook his head. "This official has already talked to Lord Ma about it. You don't need to worry."

Li Shan nodded, then added, "Speaking of which, Xu Jing deserved to die. If it weren't for him, so many people wouldn't have died."

Chen Chao chuckled. "That's why the Great Liang laws laid down by the founding emperor only really says one thing."

Li Shan asked softly, "Please enlighten me, Your Excellency."

Chen Chao replied thoughtfully, "Let those who deserve death die."