Above the Great Dao
Chapter 290 - 150 Famous on the List_2

Chapter 290: Chapter 150 Famous on the List_2

"Master Chen did a splendid job! But I’m afraid the retaliation from the Tianlao Society might be even more terrifying!"

Master Lu felt a surge of satisfaction, having vented his anger, yet he worried about how they could withstand the Tianlao Society’s retaliation now that Master Yu was absent.

Just then, a voice cheered joyfully, "The Hall Master has returned!"

Master Lu was overjoyed and felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He hurried forward, thinking, "With the Hall Master here, any retaliation from the Tianlao Society will be a piece of cake!"

Tianlao Society, Caiseng Hall.

The faces of Master Sun, Master Zhou, and Master Wu of the Tianlao Society, along with a group of instructors, were grim as they observed the bodies strewn haphazardly on the ground.

The inspector came over and reported, "The bodies have been cleared out, three corpses in the corridor, twenty-seven in the front yard, and twenty-eight in the back courtyard."

He paused, then added, "Additionally, on Changxing Street not far from here, there are sixteen more bodies. In total, seventy-four people have died. As for these pots and pans..."

He cast a meaningful glance at Master Wu and said, "Master Wu Daozheng, I’ll pretend I didn’t see them."

Master Wu gave a slight bow, "Thank you, sir inspector. Just a little token of gratitude."

He gestured lightly, and a disciple brought over a bag of silver.

The inspector weighed it in his hand and then departed.

Master Wu turned and asked, "How many people were in Caiseng Hall in total?"

"Reporting to the Hall Master, including Master Yu Daozhi, there were a total of seventy-four people."

Master Wu’s cheek muscles twitched uncontrollably, not a single one was spared!

"Who did this?"

"Their souls couldn’t be summoned; the souls of these disciples, including Master Yu’s, are all gone. Now, if we want to know the murderer, I’m afraid we have no choice but to consult the Heavenly Elder..."

Master Wu snorted in anger and turned to head for the main temple.

Not long after, Cao Yunshen, the Master of the Cao Elder Association, also received the news and was utterly astonished, quickly ordering his people to find out the details.

"The night watchman said he saw from afar a man covered in blood, carrying a body out of there, with a cart and a dog waiting at the door. The man headed toward the Red Mountain Hall."

Cao Yunshen was intrigued and chuckled, "Someone from the Red Mountain Hall has uprooted a branch hall of the Tianlao Society? This is causing quite a stir."

He was somewhat excited, "Right now, I’m seriously injured from the boat girl that came from Xinxiang, and Granny Sha was also hurt. I was worried about other halls taking advantage of us, but they’ve struck even harder. Now I can sit back and watch the tigers fight, enjoy the show. Go find out, which Incense Master from the Red Mountain Hall did this?"

By noon, the disciples of the Cao Elder Association reported back, "We’ve found out; it wasn’t done by an Incense Master from the Red Mountain Hall, but by a Scholar from out of town named Chen Shi, who came to Gongzhou to take the exams. He joined the Red Mountain Hall just yesterday and was newly promoted to instructor."

Cao Yunshen was stunned. A Scholar who came to Gongzhou to take exams uprooted a branch hall of the Tianlao Society?

Elsewhere in Gongzhou City, the Salt Elder Hall’s Master, who had received the same news, was equally astonished.

To uproot a hall is a major event!

Chen Shi alone had made his way to Caiseng Hall, uprooted the hall, lit the incense to call out the names, killed everyone, and destroyed the Heavenly Elder’s avatar, a truly shocking feat!

"A dragon doesn’t live in shallow waters; this Scholar Chen traveling from Xinxiang, crossing the river to Gongzhou, is indeed fierce."

The Salt Elder Hall’s Feng Master relished in the disaster, laughing, "Now the Governor must have a massive headache."

At Gongzhou’s government office, Governor Fei Tianzheng summoned the Provincial Governor, General, Imperial Censor, Commander, Provincial Governor, Procurator, garrison eunuch, and other officials, inviting everyone to be seated, and asked with courtesy, "My honorable peers, you’ve all heard about what happened in Gongzhou, right? What should we do about this situation? Does anyone have a plan?"

Among the high-ranking officials in the government office were those from the Xia Family, Yan Family, Li Family, Zhang family, Yang family, Xu Family, and the Thirteen Families. Almost all were represented, including the lineage of the Chamberlain garrison eunuch. The distribution of power was quite balanced.

With so many high-ranking officials gathered, General Xia, Xia Chuli, from the Xia Family laughed, "Just a petty matter of Jianghu, merely a few people dead, hardly worth a full mobilization." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

The other officials nodded in agreement.

"Lord Xia is right. These years, the peace of Gongzhou has been maintained thanks to the Jianghu societies such as the Cao Elder Association, the Salt Elder Association, Red Mountain Hall, and Tianlao Society. There’s no need for us to interfere in these matters of the Jianghu."

"What Mr. Xu says is true! These Jianghu societies are just involved in petty squabbles—how many people can die from that? Red Mountain Hall eliminates many Evil Spirits each year, and the Heavenly Elder soothes the public’s heart; both are indispensable. If they have minor conflicts among themselves, just a slight reprimand suffices."

...

Governor Fei Tianzheng listened to the opinions of the various Gongzhou officials with a smile on his face, nodding constantly. Yet inwardly, he chuckled to himself.

Indeed, these Jianghu societies only engaged in minor conflicts, but they also paid him a substantial amount of silver every year, and thus nobody was willing to cut off these money trees.

Governor Fei Tianzheng was well aware of these matters.

"So, who is the person who caused this incident?"

Governor Fei Tianzheng said with a smile, "We should at least give an explanation to the Heavenly Elder Society, right?"

General Xia said, "Bring the real culprit to justice according to the law, and then have Red Mountain Hall compensate the Heavenly Elder Society with some silver. Let Wu Daozheng host a banquet at Yu Tiancheng to apologize, and we’ll be witnesses. That should settle the matter. Do we know who the real culprit is?"

"Chen Shi, a Scholar from Xinxiang."

Everyone fell silent for a moment, thinking, and found the name somewhat familiar.

But Gongzhou is not Xinxiang, officials in Xin Xiang Province must know the name Chen Shi because Chen Yindou lives on Qianyang Mountain in Xinxiang County. However, with Gongzhou being far from the Emperor’s reach, officials there hadn’t changed for ten to twenty years, and even if they had heard the name Chen Shi, they wouldn’t associate this Chen Shi with the Child Scholar from ten years ago.

Governor Fei Tianzheng said, "Then let the education official first strip this Mr. Chen of his Scholar status, then issue an arrest and assassination order. Once captured, we’ll execute him on the spot."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

In the afternoon, when the notice was posted, Granny Sha squeezed into the crowd, read the content, and quickly squeezed out.

The burly man with twisted mustache, Hu Xiaoliang, and Green Sheep hurried over. Granny Sha said doubtfully, "Don’t the officials of Gongzhou government office know about Little Ten? Yet they’ve issued an assassination order!"

Green Sheep was startled and exclaimed, "Are they so bold?"

Granny Sha said, "I’m also wondering why they are so bold."

Hu Xiaoliang stroked his mustache and asked, "What crime did Little Ten commit?"

Granny Sha replied, "Raided the Incense Hall, seventy-four dead."

Hu Xiaoliang and Green Sheep fell into silence.

Granny Sha murmured, "We were just one day late, just one day..."

In Gongzhou, Li Family.

Li Tianqing lay on the desk, dipping his brush in ink and writing on the paper: "Dear Mr. Chen Shi: Reading your letters is like seeing you in person. How have you been recently? Has your old illness healed? I have safely arrived home. My mother is well, and our clan members are kind to my mother and me. You need not worry. I have been studying hard these days, delving into scholarship, and my cultivation level is also improving day by day. I have heard something concerning: in the Western Capital, a corpse cloud has been spotted floating in the sky, sixty li above the ground, thought to be the work of Creation Little Five."

He bit the end of his brush, pondering, then continued writing: "Soon, I will set off for Gongzhou to take the examinations. I hope to join you there for the Imperial examinations, and look forward to both our names appearing on the golden list."

Yours sincerely, Tianqing.

After Li Tianqing finished writing the letter and sealed it in an envelope, he planned to find someone to send it out. He thought to himself, "Little Ten’s scholarship and cultivation are not weaker than mine. He might well be a strong rival for the title of top graduate. This examination, first place will be either him or me! Our names will surely be the first and second on the list!"

His eyes twinkled with determination: "At this moment, he must also be studying hard, right?"

In the Red Mountain Hall of Gongzhou, Chen Shi slowly came to, feeling extremely hungry and a little dizzy.

He tried to sit up and felt pain everywhere in his body, with the taste of medicinal herbs still in his mouth.

He got out of bed and walked, pulling at his wounds and wincing in pain, hissing sharply as he sucked in the cold air.

Using the wall for support, he shuffled his way to the door. Upon opening it, he saw a tall man standing outside. Hearing the door open, the man turned his head, looking at him with a smile.

"Master Chen is awake? Red Mountain Hall’s Yu Tiancheng, at your service," he said.

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