Chapter 186: The Great Benefactor
Chapter 186: The Great Benefactor
“You have elderly parents above and young children below, is that it?”
Mu Feng gave a cold laugh. Before the fierce-looking yamen runner could finish speaking, he said the words for him.
“G-great… great one, I…”
The fierce-looking yamen runner was at a loss for words. Staring at the icy Mu Feng, his legs trembled more and more violently. His legs gave way, and with a thud, he knelt on the ground, loudly begging for mercy. “Great one, don’t kill me, don’t kill me. It has nothing to do with me. I didn’t kill any of your Jianshui Gang members. I’m just a lowly yamen runner following orders and patrolling here. Great one, I beg you…”
“When did I say I was going to kill you? Look, what is this?”
Mu Feng pulled out the Sky-Reaching Token he had seized at Cangjian Peak and flashed it in front of the fierce-looking yamen runner.
As expected, upon seeing the token in his hand, the pleading yamen runner was shocked and cried out, “Sky-Reaching Token! G-great one, you are a Sky…”
“Quiet! Do you want everyone to know my identity?”
Mu Feng snorted coldly. Watching the terrified yamen runner, he slowly continued, “Alright, now can you tell me who the two of you really are and what exactly happened here?”
“I’ll talk, I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything!”
The fierce-looking yamen runner nodded hurriedly. Without Mu Feng needing to ask further, he blurted out everything he knew. He was fearful and apprehensive, frequently looking up to gauge Mu Feng’s expression, beads of cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.
The all-pervasive, elusive Sky-Reaching Guard!
Understanding Mu Feng’s identity didn’t bring him any relief; instead, it made him even more terrified.
Although both belonged to the empire’s power structure, compared to the Sky-Reaching Guard directly under the control of the Tongtian Emperor, a yamen runner was like a tiny ant. If crushed publicly, there would be nowhere to seek justice. In the eyes of many, evil cults and heretics weren’t frightening; the Sky-Reaching Guard were the true demons from hell.
Encountering a skilled member of the Jianshui Gang might just get you killed; falling into the hands of a Sky-Reaching Guard, it was said there were at least seventeen hundred ways to die, making you suffer repeatedly, a fate worse than death!
Under this yamen runner’s explanation, Mu Feng quickly learned what had happened.
Just three nights ago, in the dead of night, the county magistrate suddenly received a secret order to lock down the entire city. As the guards on the city walls began to mobilize, a large group of black-clad figures emerged from nowhere in the darkness, hunting down members of the Jianshui Gang throughout the city. Regardless of gender or age, none were spared. Anyone suspected of being part of the Jianshui Gang or having connections with them was completely uprooted. Overnight, rivers of blood flowed, and almost all the shady characters within Jianshui City fell in pools of blood. Even the Taoist temple on Western Huashan Mountain was set ablaze, turning into ruins.
By daybreak, the black-clad figures had all vanished without a trace, leaving only the county magistrate leading many yamen runners to maintain order. They posted notices to reassure the people, claiming the government was suppressing bandits, while also accusing the Jianshui Gang of colluding with the Southern Tribes and plotting treason, conducting extensive searches for the gang’s remnants.
Mu Feng, entering the city alone, wearing a Large Bamboo Hat and lingering near the ruins, naturally caught the attention of the two yamen runners immediately.
“A large group of black-clad figures?”
Mu Feng furrowed his brows, looking at the frightened yamen runner, and asked, “The Jianshui Gang was deeply rooted here. Who could uproot them so thoroughly? Have you heard who they really were?”
“I don’t know!”
The once overbearing yamen runner now resembled a helpless young girl, not daring to move in front of Mu Feng, and pitifully whispered, “I heard they might have come from afar, from Jiangling Prefecture, the seasoned elites under the General of Jiangling. Also, some said they were… they were your Sky…”
“Mm, I understand.”
Mu Feng nodded. Looking at the terrified yamen runner, whose pants were already wet with urine, he realized that someone of his status couldn’t possibly know the truth behind the events. After a pause, he asked, “Then have you seen or heard of an old man named Yan Liren? He’s very old but full of vigor. He limps a bit, uses a Crutch, and has adopted many orphans.”
“Great one, are you talking about the Great Benefactor Yan? I know of him, but I haven’t seen him for almost half a year. I heard he went to another place and took all the children he adopted with him. The fire burned down his old house, but no one said they found his or the children’s bodies.”
The fierce-looking yamen runner frowned, quickly recalling an old man. Looking at the cold Mu Feng, he felt both terrified and puzzled, wondering why Mu Feng was asking about such a person.
Coincidentally, in earlier years, he had been responsible for security in this area and had visited every household. In his impression, Flying Sky Bat Yan Liren was not much different from other old folks, aside from being a bit reclusive and not liking to go out much. He was quite benevolent; whenever he heard of abandoned infants, he would go out with his Crutch to pick them up, regardless of whether they had chronic illnesses or were near death.
Surprisingly, all those abandoned infants miraculously survived. Thus, the old man became somewhat famous in the area. Some families who didn’t want their baby girls or couldn’t afford to raise more children would secretly leave them at his door. Over time, the title of Great Benefactor Yan spread.
“He moved away half a year ago?”
Mu Feng looked at the terrified yamen runner. Seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, Mu Feng understood that he didn’t know much, being just a lowly, ordinary menial worker. After a moment, he continued, “Good, good, very good. From now on, don’t be so arrogant. With this lesson, you should remember my face, right? Dare you block my path again next time?”
“No, I wouldn’t dare! I’ve remembered, I’ll never dare again!”
Seeing that Mu Feng was about to let him go, the fierce-looking yamen runner finally felt a wave of relief. He nodded and bowed repeatedly. But as soon as he finished speaking, his heart sank as he realized he had misspoken. Drenched in cold sweat, he immediately corrected himself, “No, great one, I know nothing, I’ve seen nothing, I never saw you. Great one, I beg you, I have elderly parents above and young children below. I beg you, great one…”
Every Sky-Reaching Guard was an elusive assassin. When carrying out missions, they either wore masks or Large Bamboo Hats, never easily revealing their true faces. Carelessly, in a moment of inattention, he had repeatedly said he remembered Mu Feng’s face—wasn’t that asking for death?
The fierce-looking yamen runner, usually imposing and domineering, was experienced enough to realize his grave mistake and hurriedly tried to correct himself. But it was too late. A sharp pain struck between his eyebrows as Mu Feng thrust a broken sword fragment into his head. A long time passed, and only after Mu Feng had turned and walked away step by step did his body finally collapse to the ground.