Chapter 262: Chapter 183: Sword Echo, Meeting with Lord of Water

Translator: 549690339

Boom

South Shao Prefecture City, the dawn fog has not yet dissipated. The morning light has only just begun to reveal itself at the horizon when the city gate of Official Residence, the symbol of South Shao Prefecture’s supreme authority, was blown to shreds.

In the eyes of the stunned and panicked Yamen Runners, they saw a gentleman in white, leading two black and white wolves, storm in. Behind him was a man with the strength and vitality of a burning fire, a ferocious warrior. “Where is your deputy prefect? Why isn’t he at the Official Residence?” “The deputy prefect resides in Yongle Square…”

Shortly after, amidst screams of horror, they saw their highly influential deputy prefect being dragged from outside and hanged at the gate of the Official Residence. Between the lashings by the steel whip and the deputy prefect’s cries of anguish, the reason for his sudden disaster became clear to everyone.

Abuse of power, corruption, accepting bribes from the county magistrate, providing protection and assurance of promotions, and demanding an exorbitant amount that led the county magistrate to impose heavy taxes on the people, leading to widespread complaints and resentment.

When they heard about the crimes committed by the deputy prefect, there was no sign of anger on the faces of many onlooking Yamen Runners. Instead, they felt pity for him.

Isn’t this just how these officials behave? They protect each other, superiors shielding subordinates, and in return, the lower-ranking officials make sure they achieve high assessment scores to secure their positions or opportunities for promotion by any means necessary.

They were no strangers to this kind of behavior among officials. What seemed out of place was a man being hanged and whipped in public.

Of course, the Yamen Runners held such an opinion mostly because the heavy taxes had little impact on them. Otherwise, they would probably be cheering along with the people outside the Official Residence.

“Who are you? How dare you run rampant in the Official Residence, the laws of the Da Jin court!”

Upon seeing Feng Qing’an’s audacity within the Official Residence, a rushed official scolded him. The commotion caused by Feng Qing’an was so great that the city’s defense forces had gathered. The confident footsteps of the imposing soldiers gave them great confidence.

“Laws? I am the embodiment of the laws!”

Feng Qing’an took out a gold token and tossed it at the feet of the terrified Prefecture Judge whose face had turned pale.

“Night Patrol! You are….”

Seeing the token that Feng Qing’an had thrown, an official immediately exclaimed in shock. The eyes directed at Feng Qing’an were full of apprehension and disgust. The Night Patrol, being naturally conditioned to oversee all officials, is considered the opposite of those within the bureaucracy.

“Even as a member of the Night Patrol, you have no right to treat the deputy prefect in this manner. Release him immediately! What is your name? I demand to report you!”

The haughty attitude of Feng Qing’an sparked the anger of the official resident. The city defense forces surrounding them bolstered their confidence.

“Report me? My name is Feng Qing’an of Yongning. I’ve not changed it since birth!”

Hearing someone threatening to report him, Feng Qing’an seemed amused. A smirk appeared on his face, but he didn’t forget to remind them.

“By the way, my elder brother is Feng Qingping, also known as Chengwen, the Governor of Gunzhou, report me if you must!”

As Feng Qing’an’s words echoed, the Official Residence fell silent. The official who had vowed to accuse Feng Qing’an immediately stopped, his head shrunk as he busied himself with trivial tasks.

The city’s defense captain, who had been ready to lead his troops to rescue the deputy prefect, hesitated upon hearing the words. He halted his troops, glanced at Feng Qing’an and the eager warriors beside him, especially the two lazy wolves, then slowly retreated from the residence.

“Young Master Feng, it would be better to have a decent conversation. There’s no need to humiliate the deputy prefect in such a way?”

The highest official of Nanshao Prefecture, who had remained silent, observed the deputy prefect for a while. After noticing that the old man had been whipped dozens of times but still hadn’t been beaten to death, he felt more assured and addressed Feng Qing’an in a soft voice.

“Humiliate?”

Upon hearing these words, Feng Qing’an couldn’t help but laugh. A snow-white long sword appeared in his hand.

“What do you think I rushed to South Shao Prefecture in the middle of the night for?”

“Young Master Feng!”

Seeing the sword in Feng Qing’an’s hand, the Prefecture Judge had a bad feeling. The other officials were so frightened they started retreating. The soldiers outside, instead of rushing in, started to withdraw. This deprived them of the courage to confront a madman.

Zing-

Qingshen, the sword was unsheathed, a glint of sword light flashed, a trace of sword aura flew out. This was the sword aura Feng Qing’an slashed with his physical strength and mastered skills, without harnessing any external power.

He didn’t unleash a stronger sword aura because it wasn’t necessary. After all, his target was just a frail old man who had been beaten to the brink of death. If not for his blue official robe, Feng Qing’an wouldn’t have bothered to spare him a glance.

Shlick!

A fountain of blood gushed from the writhing deputy prefect’s neck. After Feng Qing’an’s sword came out, Sen Miao no longer let him linger on his last breath. His vitality drained rapidly.

In the morning when the morning sun had not yet risen, a significant figure in

South Shao Prefecture was draqqed from his bed, beaten, and then killed bv a sword to his throat when he was still half-awake.

But this was not the end; it was the beginning. The moment his life ended, his life as a human was over, but the fate awaiting his bewildered soul was a set of icy shackles..