Chapter 27 – Guanan

The man in black clothing kowtowed for thirty times as required, before he stood up and fixed his eyes on Xu Yi, almost unblinkingly.

“It’s finished. My men were all killed, and I’ve been deeply insulted. Is that enough, will you finally let me go?”

The man in black clothing was filled with wrath; he had never, in his young lifetime, experienced this kind of insult. He was confident that Xu Yi would finally let him go, because he was still from the Black Dragon Palace. Usually, everyone would be horrified with the mere mentioning of this name. If he was killed, the Black Dragon Palace would definitely avenge his death at any cost and Xu Yi would have nowhere to hide. Therefore, he urged Xu Yi to let him go, so that he could bring more people here.

“Let you go? You think I did this merely out of selfish purpose, to vent my anger? No! I’m a government official, I did this according to the ‘Laws and Decrees of Empire Yue’. Let me tell you what crimes you’ve committed, poor man. You assembled people to disturb public order and beat civilians up. That’s number one. Number two, you premeditated to kill government employees. Don’t underestimate the authority of us simple guards; we represent the dignity of Empire Yue. You silly legal illiterate. Today, in front of all these fishermen, I will protect the dignity of the ‘Laws and Decrees of Empire Yue’, by killing you.” Xu Yi sternly said.

“I… I… But… Uh...” The man in black clothing tried to find some words, but all that came out of his mouth was gibberish. This was, because the man in black clothing felt terrified and feeble, after he finally realised that Xu Yi never planned on letting him go.

His last, angry thoughts before he was killed, was that he should’ve never kowtowed on this lowly guard’s command.

Xu Yi beheaded the man in black clothing without hesitation. It was a death with unblinking eyes. The man in black clothing was not prepared to die this early. He had only killed others and he had never thought about his own death.

Xu Yi strode to Elder Mu and supported him with one arm. Meanwhile, Autumn had already sweetly fallen asleep in Xu Yi’s other arm.

The bystanders spread the news from mouth to mouth, they were stunned that it was a low-ranking guard, who had killed the man in black clothing. The whole street secretly celebrated the just death of the man in black clothing.

…

An hour later, General Gu found Xu Yi in a local hospital. Elder Mu just swallowed down a cup of tonic and, after a while, the bruises and the broken skin started forming scabs. Meanwhile, Autumn was sleeping on a nearby chair.

General Gu grabbed Xu Yi’s arm and led him out. He anxiously bombarded him: “Brother, you are in big, big trouble! I don’t know what I can do to help you out…”

Obviously, what Xu Yi had done today rattled General Gu’s nerves. He never thought, that his new employee would be so reckless.

“General Gu, I don’t get it. Did I do something wrong? I killed the people who had been disturbing the social order by continuously suppressing and bullying civilians. It’s enshrined in the ‘Laws and Decrees of Empire Yue’ that those wrongdoers should be beheaded. I just did what I was supposed to do as a guard.” Xu Yi raised his voice, showing his sense of justice.

Xu Yi’s response left General Gu almost speechless. At the beginning, he failed to figure out why Xu Yi constantly mentioned the ‘Laws and Decrees of Empire Yue’. Because in Hibiscus Town, the laws were merely convenient tools for the privileged class to punish common herds. But soon, he realised that the laws were just a kind of trick, which Xu Yi used to protect himself.

Today, in front of so many people, Xu Yi killed these evildoers in the name of the ‘Laws and Decrees of Empire Yue’. Xu Yi was sure that these bystanders would spread the word, probably throughout the whole Guanan Province.

If that was the case, then nobody would dare to hurt Xu Yi; if they did, it was a showcase of their disrespect for the national laws of their empire. Xu Yi figured that no one would be so bold, as to challenge the dignity of the national law.

Although the local government was corrupted and full of nepotism, Xu Yi honestly believed, that they wouldn’t have the courage to punish him, because of the ‘Law and Decrees of Empire Yue’.

“You are so smart!’ General Gu exclaimed in excitement.

“However, you have to face reality – how about Elder Mu and Autumn? Even if they won’t kill you, they will still kill those two. Does that mean you will protect them around the clock?” Gu expressed his concern.

“You’re right. This is my biggest concern right now. Do you happen to have any ideas about this problem?” Xu Yi formed his brows into a frown.

To Xu Yi’s surprise, General Gu responded with a secretive smile.

“General Gu, we were like old friends, when we first met each other. And it is because of you, that I’m able to be a guard here. I really appreciate everything that you’ve done for me.” Xu Yi continued.

“Alright, brother, I won’t simply stand by. Throughout Hibiscus Town, I can’t find another young man as talented as you are. For you, it’s just a matter of time to climb to the top of the social ladder. You’re a real “dragon” and our little Hibiscus Town has already become too small for you... I mean, once you become prosperous, don’t forget about us... Ok, let me simplify things! What I really need, is your promise – Whatever happens to you in the future, you’re the permanent registered personnel of our Plain Clothing Unit. Please don’t worry. I won’t bind you to our unit. I just need your name attached to our Unit, to proof to others that we’re reliable.” General Gu explained.

“Don’t worry, that’s truly nothing. I am more than happy to do so.” Xu Yi answered without hesitation.

“Haha, That’s good! That’s good!” General Gu merrily laughed out loud.

People in town had been quickly spreading the news about Xu Yi’s upholding of the law. In every nook and cranny, Xu Yi’s name could be heard. Based on these gossips, General Gu was sure Xu Yi must’ve entered the peak state of a forged body. Considering Xu Yi’s age, he was bound to reach the state of an ocean of qi in the near future. At that time, the whole of Hibiscus Town would be glorified because of him.

“I’ve got a good solution for you. Just go to Guanan! There, you and the Mu Family will be safe.”

“Guanan?” Xu Yi asked doubtfully.

“Unlike Hibiscus Town, Guanan is a vital place, where laws and regulations are strictly enforced. Any form of fighting is forbidden in the city, to prevent malicious cultivators from hurting civilians. There, people fully respect the ‘Laws and Decrees of Empire Yue’. Even the influential Black Dragon Palace won’t dare to kill you and your family in Guanan. However, you would have to face certain headaches.”

“Headaches? What do you mean?” Xu Yi wasn’t afraid of anything, as long as Elder Mu and Autumn were safe.

“Guanan is a place full of cultivators. Honestly, fights are unavoidable, despite the laws and regulations. Therefore, the local government allows the cultivators to fight in certain approved places. Once the Guanan government receives the commission from one party, then the other party has to accept the challenge and prepare to fight. Otherwise, they’ll be banished from the city.”

“Frankly, the Black Dragon Palace is not easy to get rid of. Even if you’re in Guanan, they’ll search for you and seek for an opportunity to avenge their fallen comrade. Anyway, you have to be alert at all times. Oh right, as you may know, we have an office in Guanan as well. The original Chief Steward Qin has recently been transferred to another department. So you’ll even be able to take over his job, once you arrive there. Perhaps, that this background as a government official, will aid you in some way.”