Chapter 133: The Divine King of Phoenix City

“This…”

The Academy Head and the City Governor, having heard Fang Cun’s words, both had their expressions drastically alter, a sense of indescribable weirdness hanging in the air.

Regarding Fang Cun, regarding the Fang family of Willow Lake as they were today, they truly harbored not a trace of underestimation or contempt. The ruthless killing Fang Cun had unleashed within Willow Lake City earlier had already terrified them out of their wits. Yet, they still unconsciously believed that perhaps Fang Second Young Master would leave them some face, that his words wouldn’t be too harsh. How could they have imagined that upon this meeting, he would ask them such a question?

Given their status, they really didn’t wish to respond to such a question, to such an insult.

But a certain chilling feeling twisting in their hearts still compelled the two to perform a respectful bow. They exchanged a furtive glance. City Governor Bai Huali cleared his throat, saying, “Cough, Second Young Master Fang, if there were any offenses in the past, we hope…”

“I didn’t come to settle old scores with you!”

Fang Cun answered quietly.

The City Governor and the Academy Head had only just breathed a slight sigh of relief when the voice from within the carriage continued: ““Although, after the news of my brother’s passing arrived, the Tunnelling Sea Gang under City Governor’s command started eyeing the Twelve Continuous Docks. Although, when I entered the academy, someone clearly summoned the clouds to harm me, yet you, Academy Head, turned a blind eye. Although, when someone schemed secretly to send assassins after me, both of you hid away. Although, I am quite a petty person, remembering even an unfriendly glare for years…”

The Academy Head and the City Governor were suddenly filled with bitter regret.

They desperately wanted to explain themselves, but who could get the words out?

Some reasons sounded more lame the more they were explained. Others simply couldn’t be dared to explain.

Just like… after the news of Immortal Master Fang Chi’s death arrived, before the funeral was even held, a certain old scholar had already come to Willow Lake City, yet hadn’t revealed himself before the Fang family before turning back and returning to Qingjiang Prefecture. How could they dare bring him up?

Fang Cun went on: “I came here to ask you to look out for the Fang family…”

“This… is naturally within our duties, of course…”

Hearing this, both the Academy Head and City Governor felt a stirring in their hearts and hurriedly nodded.

However, Fang Cun still wasn’t listening to their response. Instead, he continued: “City Governor Bai, head of the Bai clan branch in Willow Lake. Your clan’s origins lie in Qingjiang, though ties are rather loose now. Currently in Willow Lake, your clan has one hundred and forty-seven members. City Governor Bai is the eldest son of the main branch. You have one wife and four concubines, fathering three sons and six daughters. Furthermore, you have two concubines kept outside. One lives in Clearwater Lane, childless, attended by only two maidservants. The other now resides at Ancient Well Street, having given birth to one son, just three years old, already starting to study the Classic of Documents, correct…?”

“You…!”

Upon suddenly hearing this, City Governor Bai turned stiff with shock, staring fixedly at the carriage.

From within the carriage, Fang Cun spoke once more: “Academy Head Gongyang Yanqing. Thirty-six family members. Content with simple living, you remained unmarried for life, dedicated to cultivation. But you once had a cultivation partner in your early years, now cultivating within the Yun Huan Sect. However, this cultivation partner doesn’t know that Lord Gongyang, unmarried all his life, once had a lover. She now lives at the head of Guyang Town, her residence roofed with white reeds. She bore you one son. Given the alias Zhuo Han, presently…”

Academy Head Gongyang Yanqing’s face also changed abruptly. Suddenly agitated, he gave a deep bow towards the carriage, his expression full of shock and suspicion.

Fang Cun didn’t continue. He paused briefly, then said calmly, “I know you both are clever men. Some matters you perhaps did not wish to manage, merely feeling unable to intervene. But since you are in Willow Lake, you must shoulder the responsibility you bear. From this day onward, please look after the Fang family of Willow Lake. If nothing happens, it’s good for us all. If something happens…”

The Academy Head spoke suddenly, his voice low: “If it’s a minor matter, we of course will strive to do our best, but if…”

“You better hope nothing happens to the Fang family!”

Fang Cun let out a soft laugh and slowly answered, “I didn’t come here to discuss with you either. I merely came to tell you one thing. After I leave the city, no matter what happens to the Fang family, no matter who caused it, the fault… will fall upon your heads.”

“If one person of the Fang family is injured, be it a servant girl or a slave, one person from each of your clans will die!”

“If something happens to the two elderly masters of the Fang family, not a single member of your two clans… will remain.”

“Well, is that clear enough?”

“…”

Both the City Governor and the Academy Head felt as if they’d been doused with a basin of cold water.

How could there be such overbearing words? How could there be such an overbearing person?

Wildly uneasy emotions surged within their hearts. Yet, staring at that carriage, they found themselves unable to utter a single word. After an indeterminable time, they felt they should perhaps grow angry, should refute, should even make the person inside the carriage understand their own might. But in the end, they only felt a freezing, hopeless despair pour down from their heads, chilling their minds, sharpening their senses.

What finally came out was only one thing: “Young Master, rest assured!”

“Thank you.”

The carriage finally produced a courteous, soft laugh, then slowly moved away.

The City Governor and the Academy Head stood like that in the desolate plaza for a very long time, letting the night completely engulf them.

“The great mansion is collapsing, yet how does he dare be so arrogant?”

City Governor Bai Huali spoke suddenly in a low voice, his tone seemingly laced with both anger and powerlessness.

“Naturally because he can do what he says!”

Academy Head Gongyang Yanqing responded quietly, “Even a declining Fang Family isn’t one we can afford to offend. Even if the Fang family truly is about to decline, even if someone already has a sword pressed to Fang Lao’er’s neck… if the request this Second Young Master Fang makes before his death is merely to drag our two clans down with him in ruin, it’s quite possible many of the Fang family’s enemies would agree. Because we… after all, really count for nothing!”

“We really do count for nothing. Unable to afford offending anyone…”

The City Governor suddenly looked at him with some resentment. “But what are we, squeezed in the middle, supposed to do?”

“Naturally, do what we ought to do!”

The Academy Head was silent for a moment, then said suddenly, “Aside from acting impartially and guarding the people of Willow Lake City well, what else are we able to do?”

The City Governor fell silent at once, not knowing what to say.

Act impartially?

The term sounded truly laughable and absurd just now. Yet pondering it deeply, it seemed that trapped in this dilemma where they couldn’t afford to offend either side, actually acting impartially was the one thing that could bring them a little more reassurance, provide a bit more basis for judgment when making choices… truly not knowing what else they could consciously rely on…

Yes, truly encountering such a tough problem, the only thing to say was, “I acted impartially!”

“Never thought I’d have to protect members of the Fang family with my life. Even when Fang Family Head was alive, I wasn’t this committed…”

After a long time, the bitter-faced City Governor gave a soft sigh and said to the Academy Head, “When will there be an end to this?”

“Before, I’d say soon. But now…”

The Academy Head spoke halfway, then didn’t continue, seeming perplexed.

“Now…”

Instead, it was City Governor Bai Huali who suddenly thought of something. He turned his head to look at the Academy Head and asked in a low voice: “Setting the rest aside for now, didn’t he, before everyone earlier, strike down a Divine General of Phoenix City? That Divine King rumored to loathe Immortal Master Fang Chi more than any other… could he truly spare him?”

The Academy Head said: “Who knows?”

……

Inside Phoenix City, guarding the boundless Sea of Sorrows southeast of Great Xia, within the Phoenix Hall.

Upon the tall, magnificent throne entangled in divine light, lay a lanky woman clad in phoenix-patterned robes. A divine crown didn’t adorn her head. Bare jade feet were shoeless. Even an absurdly long pair of legs were simply uncovered and lazily draped over the armrest of the throne. She cradled a wine jar, already over half empty.

She sat upon one of the most sacred seats in Great Xia, though her manner was entirely lacking in sanctity.

Below the throne, within the hall, an entire row of people had been kneeling for half an hour, heads bowed for half an hour.

They didn’t dare look. Eyes could be gouged out.

“Have you thought about who did it?”

This woman, one of the most powerful figures in Great Xia, suddenly opened her mouth to speak lazily and asked.

The entire great hall was utterly silent. All heads bowed lower still.

“You’re all so mean!”

The woman suddenly sat up, sheer gauze draping down, endless charm. But her eyes were red-rimmed, as if she were close to crying from anger. She pointed at the kneeling figures packed within the hall and scolded: “You’re all so rotten! I, a distinguished Divine King, had the commanding general under my wing mysteriously rush to Willow Lake and then die mysteriously there. I want to know why this happened, but you refuse to tell me?”

“At the very least, you should fabricate a reason for me to hear…”

“At the very least, you should push out a scapegoat for me to kill and vent my anger!”

“…”

The people jammed within the hall below nearly pressed their foreheads to the ground, stubbornly refusing to make a sound.

Instead, a female attendant nearby couldn’t hold back any longer. She quietly advanced a few steps, supported the woman’s arm, and whispered: “Divine Queen, you are drunk. That Earl Yu General heading to Willow Lake City was entirely by his own hand. His death there was also due to his underestimation of the Fang family. Now, spies both inside and outside Willow Lake City have been thoroughly eliminated. So, investigating this now truly isn’t good…”

“Hmph!”

This Divine King shoved her hand away, saying, “I’m not drunk! I’m going to drink more!”

The female attendant: “…”

The Divine Queen turned her head to look at her. “The spies all cleaned out? That Fang family’s second son is so arrogant?”

The female attendant nodded. “This humble servant suspects that among those spies, there were ones sent from Zhaoge. This Second Young Master Fang has invited great calamity…”

“You all know that the Fang family, in eliminating my general, conveniently cleaned out all the spies, even including the Immortal Emperor’s spies. But how could you be certain that Fang Family’s Second Son didn’t go to all that fuss precisely to target the Immortal Emperor’s spies, ingeniously using my general to cover his greater ploy?”

“This…” The female attendant momentarily didn’t know how to respond.

The Divine Queen said: “Hmph! The Fang family is all cunning and treacherous! They deserve death!”

The female attendant could only respond: “Indeed!”

The Divine Queen said: “The Fang family is so arrogant, calamity inevitably comes their way!”

The female attendant: “Right!”

The Divine Queen said: “The Fang family’s eyes are blind!”

The female attendant: “Indeed!”

The Divine Queen grew angrier as she railed: “I’m going to squash him!”

The female attendant was greatly startled, hurriedly saying: “Your Majesty, calm your anger! You absolutely must not…”

The Divine Queen asked: “Why not?”

The female attendant hastily replied: “You are a Divine King. Privately intruding upon the territory of another Divine King does not conform to protocol…”

The Divine Queen questioned: “Would that old turtle dare act against me?”

The female attendant was momentarily stunned. “He naturally would not dare…”

The Divine Queen said: “Then why do I have to discuss protocol with him?”

The female attendant had no clue what to say now.

Suddenly, the Divine Queen tossed the wine jar aside. Her drunken look seemed to disappear in an instant. She walked directly down from the divine throne, passing among the assembled ministers and generals. Her voice turned especially cold: “General Baili, commanding my Phoenix City’s one hundred and eight Divine Generals, yet one suddenly ran off to Willow Lake. I don’t know whether it you pretended not to know, or truly were secluded for cultivation. But you cannot evade responsibility for this. Therefore, proceed to the Heaven Lightning Platform and accept punishment. Endure as many lightning lashes as you are able to bear!”

“Minister Lu, serving as Phoenix City’s Supervisor-General, responsible for overseeing all Divine Generals, you are guilty of neglect. Vacate your position!”

“…”

Seeing her figure pass by, hearing the few icy phrases casually cast downward, all the ministers and generals within the hall were profoundly shocked, yet none dared refute.

They could only all kowtow and say: “We acknowledge our guilt!”

“Ah! That reminds me…”

Just then, this Divine Queen had now reached the front of the hall. She suddenly turned back. A pair of utterly clear eyes fell upon the female attendant closely following behind. She asked: “The seventh prince of Zhaoge… hasn’t he raised a certain dog recently at Yuan City?

The female attendant paused slightly, then hurriedly replied: “Yes!”

The Divine Queen said: “I would very much like to see… just what kind of dog it is!”