Chapter 314

It’s like saying, “If you’re so confident, why don’t you just report me?”

Nam Moon-seong flinched, then jumped at the thought.

When I thought about it, he was absolutely right to react that way.

And I couldn’t help but feel my heart drop at the brutal intention to squash him.

“You little rascal! What kind of nonsense are you spouting? You… you little rascal!”

When words failed me, this was all that came out.

Lady, how can we endure this?

As Qing wrestled with the temptation, she finally erupted and couldn’t resist responding.

“Don’t go measuring whether I’m a ‘rascal’ or a ‘yearling.’ Can you get that lady to kneel before me right now, starting from the one who’s worth killing?”

“Ugh…”

Nam Moon-seong desperately scrambled for a way out.

If he could just get through this situation.

The words about being friendly with the Prefect were actually true, and even next year, there was a scheduled marriage of the Prefect’s very ugly daughter, which weighed heavily on his conscience.

He could just clear out the witnesses and pretend there was an investigation going on, allowing things to fizzle out.

If he presented the gold he gained from the flood control projects as a goodwill gesture to the elders on the South side, they could sweep the whole “small matter of Nanjing” under the rug. No problem at all.

“Hey now, I think there’s some kind of misunderstanding here.”

“How would you know, old man? Did you also play a part in sneaking materials out for the flood control project? Oh, I see now: it wasn’t the lady, but the leader himself who was gearing up to sink Nanjing!”

“No, it’s a misunderstanding! You’re misunderstanding everything! Let’s not do this; let’s just talk it over, okay?”

What could they say if they were to talk it out anyway?

Qing snickered.

“Listen here, old man. The gold I spent on the Nanjing assistance program alone exceeds forty bars of gold! That’s every single thing I have. If I had more, I would have thrown it all in! Do you think I’m trying to get something out of this? Don’t think you can skate past this; bring that rascal to me right now!”

A collective gasp erupted from the crowd.

So she was saying she drained her entire fortune into the Nanjing assistance project?

Wasn’t that reminiscent of the tales about the celestial maiden born in Nanjing?

Of course, the Green Forest folks would feel completely wronged.

But living as a bandit, what grounds did the robbed have to whine?

“You don’t get what I’m saying? Hey, old man! Did you let a dog raise your kids or teach them from some racy pictures? I don’t know about your other kids, but your attempt at raising a daughter has utterly failed, resulting in the world’s most wicked rascal emerging! If you want to save face, you’d better bring her over here right now!”

“How dare you speak so recklessly…! Do you even know who I am?”

“Oh boy. Are you going to hit me? Then come on! We’ve got a knife-wielding bandit right here; go ahead and swing your precious riches at me if you dare!”

Qing gleefully flicked his sword aura on and off, teasing him.

If being irritating gave a boost of strength, at this moment, Nam Moon-seong was enraged enough to reach the title of Number One in the World.

Yet, the knife was close, and the law less so, but for someone as wealthy as Nam Moon-seong, the law felt far away.

After all, the law is the most frightening beast to those who have nothing.

But to those with wealth, the law acts like a loyal dog, wagging its tail and peeing everywhere.

But in the Central Plain, blades are at the ready.

A knife aimed right up to the chin doesn’t spare even the guardians of the imperious National Law.

“And you still aren’t afraid of future repercussions!”

That sounded like a weak threat.

Qing snickered in response.

“Curious? If you’re that curious, why don’t you become a supreme martial artist, old man? Just like this. With the sword aura pouring out and all, maybe you’ll feel like a big shot!”

“Ugh.”

Nam Moon-seong staggered.

Feeling so wronged he could cry —

“What’s that? Are you crying, old man?”

And then, tears actually spilled out.

But Qing was merciless.

“Wow, everyone, can you see these tears? This old monster who consumed three thousand lives is crying in injustice! If it weren’t for you, none of you martial artists gathered here would have known! This heinous crime could have been well concealed! All thanks to you, martial artists!”

“Exactly!”

The pious disciples instantly responded, and the crowd exploded with uproarious cheers as if a great fire had ignited!

At that moment, Nam Moon-seong’s senses snapped back to reality.

Now was not the time to be crying.

This wasn’t just about his business; his family was on the brink of complete annihilation.

All Qing had originally demanded was the daughter of the association’s leader.

In other words, it was an indirect suggestion to hand over his daughter and cut off all ties.

But how could he? His youngest daughter, the one he’d cherish even if it meant losing an eye, was as precious as gold itself.

But what could he do?

If he couldn’t save even one daughter and the entire family was wiped out, he’d have to sacrifice her and repay this debt later, right?

The cunning merchant had clawed his way up this far; he knew what he was doing.

“Listen, everyone! I’ll be honest! The flood control project is 100% my daughter’s doing. I swear to the heavens and ancestors, I did not help her in the slightest, not even a single coin! It’s just that we’re currently deciding on the heir of the association, and I wanted fairness!”

With that, the crowd looked at the leader with suspicion.

“You’d be surprised, but that’s the truth. Among you here, there are some who deal with our association, right? You see, all four of my kids are running their own businesses separately!”

I don’t know, and neither do the other kids.

It was all her doing.

And it was a truth that couldn’t be denied.

He had already declared he’d hand over the association to the child who could earn the most before retiring by next year.

With that, murmurs of, “Well, that sounds plausible,” started to spread through the crowd.

Could the merchants in Jang An really be unaware of the happenings within Zhangxing Company?

They were already struggling to figure out which of the four kids to align with or hastily marking their choices for friendships before they changed.

Qing, with ears finely tuned, caught wind of that murmur.

Though it seemed impossible to believe, he figured the old man genuinely hadn’t known any better.

How could one accumulate such a level of evil without being involved?

What kind of vile life had he lived?

Wouldn’t it be better just to kill him?

But Qing set aside the thought.

He didn’t need to kill someone who should be killed, as spilling blood could rapidly turn the crowd into a gang of violent bandits.

Qing understood the limits of the Central Plain’s people well now.

If that happened, the blame would lie with him for leading the crowd this way.

Furthermore, while the association’s leader deserved to die, there were also enough innocents among the trembling 界 between the unfortunate gatekeeper and the anxious employees looking on.

A little later, a woman was finally being dragged in, her arms held tightly by servants.

And that was it! A heart-stirring encounter with the lady of Zhangxing Company had occurred!

“Let go of me! How dare you!”

Whether the servants released her out of pity or carried her like a heavy load was something anyone could guess.

Qing looked at the lady.

She was an average beauty.

Even after devouring three thousand lives, she wasn’t sprouting two mouths or four eyes; she was just pretty enough to steal a glance while passing by.

And yet, she had racked up a staggering amount of wrongdoings.

Hmm. Is she similar to a certain someone?

So, Qing’s eyebrows knit together.

Then that means back then, that certain someone must have already taken three thousand lives?

Did she also pull some martial arts move?

How could it be—

“I—I’m just a girl, and this is so unfair!”

The voice, mixed with tears, broke Qing from his thoughts.

He cast a cold glance down at the sobbing lady sprawled on the ground.

What’s this? A pre-emptive strike? Waterworks, quick tears?

Is this tear truly evidence of unfairness?

Qing’s head tilted slightly.

“Unfairness, huh?”

“There’s a misunderstanding! How could I, a mere girl, dare to meddle in such a grand undertaking mandated by the heavens? I’ve clearly instructed to follow the heavens’ will regardless of losses!”

A murmur rose among the crowd.

This doesn’t add up, does it?

What’s the truth here?

“That contradicts what the master carpenters said. They claimed you personally ordered that half be siphoned off?”

“It’s slander! I’ve never given such foul orders! Truly! But, let me confess my sins to you all!”

What’s this? Has confession time suddenly started?

Curious about what she was going to say, Qing uncrossed his arms with a thought of “wait, I was supposed to keep my arms down.”

After all, crossing his arms was just too comfy.

With arms held below the chest, it lifted up some stubborn fat, lightening his shoulders and making it the most comfortable position, like shedding a rucksack once a soldier returned from the front lines. But it was also too embarrassing to maintain, so he had refrained from doing it until now.

Anyhow, Qing tilted his head down at her.

Give it a try.

“When I heard that Gang Eon had fallen, I finally realized there was a problem with the project. I found out that the carpenters took advantage of my being a girl, secretly sneaking materials for personal gain. But I was too frightened; I was scared of the consequences and even had to recruit assassins!”

I never took a dime from sneaking away materials.

On the contrary, I even endured losses to ensure it was solidly built.

But since I was a girl, the carpenters looked down on me and stole everything.

Later, when I learned of the possibility of this trick being found out, I was so scared I sent assassins after the carpenters.

I’m an accomplice to the assassination, but I did not dare to play games with the great undertaking bestowed by the Emperor.

Qing couldn’t help but admire her honestly.

Whoa. This gal has her wits about her.

Is this how the top daughter from a major family thinks?

But admiration aside.

“Ah, I see. So, this innocent lady was anxiety-ridden and couldn’t bring herself to provide aid to Nanjing suffering from the flood but instead had the audacity to inflate grain prices fiftyfold and create debt!”

“I never gave such an order!”

“Did you turn a blind eye while the prices were increased fiftyfold? You got scared you might be implicated as a criminal after Gang Eon fell, but just stood by during the tragedy of three thousand lives lost?”

“That’s…”

The lady flinched and began trembling, her eyes darting nervously before she sobbed again.

“I was wrong! I was so immature and lacked understanding that it caused me to make mistakes!”

Wow. Look at that.

First, she cried, using tears to appeal to the crowd, throwing her small crime on top of the bigger ones, and now she’s claiming ignorance of it as a young child?

What an impressive act, the ultimate package of excuses!

Got it, very clear.

Qing stepped closer to her.

As she lay face down sobbing on the floor, pretending to be crying, she slowly lifted her head at the sight of Qing approaching.

Qing responded with a swift kick.

The powerful kick landed directly on the lady’s cheek, causing a thunderous clash as teeth flew from her mouth.

It seemed even her teeth couldn’t bear the disgust of their owner and decided it was time to bail out!

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