Chapter 363: Chapter 139: Yue Mankong’s Promised "Benefit"... Eradicate the Roots! Plunder

The moon was dark, the wind was high.

Cyan Yang Ancient City was shrouded in a grim, murderous aura.

Yesterday, County Magistrate Zhang Wenpeng was slain by Chu Fan. Now, the mansion of this once-powerful official was under heavy lockdown.

Government Officials, their faces grim, gripped their long sabers and guarded every entrance and exit.

Inside the mansion, Madam Zhang was dressed in plain clothes, yet her expression showed little grief.

Though over thirty, her skin was fairer than snow and her features were as if painted. Even in this moment of crisis, she possessed a captivating charm.

Beside her, fifteen-year-old Zhang Mingyuan clenched his fists, his eyes filled with resentment and unease.

"Mother, are we really just going to wait here to die?"

Madam Zhang gently patted her son’s shoulder, a mysterious violet glint flashing in her eyes. "Don’t worry. I have made my own arrangements."

When the incident occurred yesterday, she had already acted in secret with the housekeeper.

The moment she heard the news of Zhang Wenpeng’s death, she had sought out County Captain Cui Baiyu.

Unleashing her Charm Skill, the violet aura swirling in her bewitching eyes had quietly corroded Cui Baiyu’s mind.

It amplified the greed in his heart to its absolute limit, bringing him completely under her control.

Tonight was the night for these "pawns" in her hand to make their move... 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Just after midnight, two dark figures took advantage of a few "negligent" Government Officials and slipped out the back door of the mansion.

Just as their figures vanished around the street corner, a tall, upright silhouette slowly emerged from the shadows.

Constable Lu Tao’s gaze was cold. He watched them leave, the corner of his mouth twisting into a mocking sneer.

’This Charm Evil Skill... It certainly saves me a lot of trouble.’

In the Great Yan Dynasty, the law had all but collapsed, and the noble families were a tangled, deep-rooted web of power.

The Zhang Family of Qing Province held immense power in the imperial court. Even though Zhang Wenpeng had committed the monstrous crime of colluding with the Moon Worship Sect and planning a blood sacrifice of the entire city, his family would not necessarily face severe punishment.

If they were imprisoned according to standard procedure, it would likely be a mere formality. Before long, someone would arrange for their safe return to Qing Province.

As for the wealth Zhang Wenpeng had extorted from the common people, only a small portion would be confiscated by the state; the majority would end up in the pockets of other powerful figures.

’But what goes around, comes around. Retribution is inescapable.’

A cold glint flashed in Lu Tao’s eyes as his figure silently melted into the night.

...

At the base of the North City Wall, supported by two men in black, Zhang Mingyuan stumbled to the ground, greedily gulping in the free air outside the city.

"Mother, we’ve escaped!"

He whispered excitedly, his face twisting with venom. "Once we get to Qing Province, I’ll make that Chu Fan wish he were dead!"

Madam Zhang scanned her surroundings warily and hissed, "Shut up! This is no time to be gloating."

She clapped her hands, and two guards immediately emerged from the woods.

The two men led the mother and son to a hidden spot.

Two horse-drawn carriages were already waiting there.

The carriages were loaded with several large chests... all of which Madam Zhang, planning ahead, had people secretly transport out after yesterday’s incident!

Before getting into the carriage, Zhang Mingyuan suddenly remembered something and asked in a low voice, "Mother, having the housekeeper take most of the valuables through the other city gates... don’t you think that’s...?"

Madam Zhang sneered, the violet aura swirling in her eyes. "Rest assured, I’ve placed a ’Heart-Eroding Curse’ on all of them. If they dare to run off with the money, they’ll die from a ruptured heart within three days."

Hearing this, the two guards couldn’t help but shiver.

The carriage sped through the night, heading toward the Black Water River.

Zhang Mingyuan continued to curse Chu Fan incessantly, fantasizing about his future revenge.

Madam Zhang, however, kept a tight grip on her sword hilt, remaining cautious and vigilant.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the carriage arrived at the Black Water Riverbank.

The turbulent river water shimmered with an eerie light under the moon, and a black-canopied boat was moored quietly by the bank.

A figure wearing a conical hat sat on a stone by the bank, seemingly having waited for a long time.

Zhang Mingyuan was eager to go forward, but his mother grabbed him and pulled him back.

"Be careful," Madam Zhang said, signaling for the guards to investigate first.

The guards gripped their saber hilts and approached cautiously.

When they were just ten steps away from the figure, the person in the conical hat slowly stood up.

In the next instant, everything changed!

The person’s figure flashed like a phantom, leaving only two residual images in the air.

With two soft hisses, the guards collapsed, clutching their gushing throats, dead before they could even draw their sabers.

Zhang Mingyuan screamed in terror, fumbling to draw his sword as he stumbled backward.

"’Seven-Star Bead Slash’... such a fast saber..."

Madam Zhang’s pupils constricted. The violet light in her eyes intensified as she said in a delicate voice, "I’ve heard that in Cyan Yang City, besides Li Qingxue, the only one who has mastered the ’Seven-Star Bead Slash’ to such a degree is Chu Fan."

"During yesterday’s battle, many people saw Chu Fan use this saber technique."

"You must be Chu Fan, then?"

The person in the conical hat remained silent.

"Chu Fan? He’s Chu Fan?!" Zhang Mingyuan was scared out of his wits.

Though he had been muttering about getting revenge on Chu Fan the whole way, he had always intended to use the Zhang Family’s power in Qing Province. He had never imagined facing Chu Fan himself!

No matter how stupid he was, he knew his own limits—he was nothing but an ant before Chu Fan!

Now, looking at the person in the conical hat, he began to tremble uncontrollably, as if seized by a violent fever.

"Chu Fan, is that you?"

Madam Zhang actually took two steps forward, speaking as she walked. "If it’s wealth you’re after, I am willing to offer you all the valuables I have with me. If it’s pleasure..."

She gently loosened her outer robe, revealing a fair, delicate shoulder. "I will serve you well. I only ask that you spare my son and me."

Her voice carried a strange magic power, as if it could reach directly into the deepest desires of a person’s heart.

’A person’s desires are nothing more than wealth, lust, and power...’

Madam Zhang didn’t believe anyone could resist such temptation.

But the mysterious person remained unmoved. He simply raised a hand, took off his conical hat, and threw it.

WHOOSH!

The spinning conical hat flew toward Madam Zhang, letting out a sharp, piercing whistle as it cut through the air!

Madam Zhang let out a sharp cry and shattered the incoming hat with a slash of her sword.

’This Primordial Qi...’

’It’s nothing special!’

’Could it be that this person isn’t Chu Fan?’

Madam Zhang looked closely. The other person’s face was covered with a black cloth, obscuring their features.

"Chu Fan..."

Madam Zhang’s voice became even more soft and seductive. "I’ve heard all about you... If it is you, I would be more than willing to run away with you. The fortune Zhang Wenpeng amassed over the years is enough for us to live a life of leisure..."