Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 73 Excited Liu Huang

After Yan Junyu finished speaking, he sheathed his longsword again.

“Aunt, I was kicked out by my father and came to Tianying City specifically to seek refuge with you. Unexpectedly, people from the outer twelve villages aren't allowed into the inner city. I thought I'd have to work hard to get into the inner seven halls to see you! I never imagined…”

Yuheng's expression softened slightly. She also sheathed her sword and bowed apologetically to Qin Tianying, saying, "I'm sorry, City Lord."

“Junyu is my elder brother’s youngest son. He is unruly and ignorant. The fight just now was just children’s playful banter. I hope the city lord will forgive him.”

As she spoke, she rushed to Yan Junyu's side, grabbed his ear, and said urgently, "You still haven't apologized to the city lord."

Yan Junyu cried out incoherently, "Auntie, auntie..."

Qin Tianying looked at him and waved his hand kindly, "It's alright. With Tianxuan's passing, Xu Yuan, you will be in charge of the funeral arrangements and temporarily serve as the head of Tianxuan Hall. Everyone has worked hard tonight, so please go back and rest first."

After Qin Tianying finished speaking, his figure flickered and disappeared from the spot.

The remaining members of the seven inner halls, including Su Changying, also left one after another, leaving only Zhou Zhao, Liu Huang, and Han Dashan, as well as the two disciples of Tianji Hall who were unsure whether to leave or stay.

The two looked at each other, somewhat bewildered.

After a while, they excitedly surrounded Zhou Zhao, "Hall Master! Are you coming back to Tianji Hall with us now? The brothers will be so happy to know how powerful our new Hall Master is."

Zhou Zhao sighed and shook his head. "You all go back first and tell the brothers about Qi Ming, and keep vigil for the old hall master. I was his disciple and I were master and disciple of the old hall master of Xuanwu Hall. I need to arrange the affairs of Xuanwu Hall and give him a proper burial. We will go to Tianji Hall tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, the disciples of Tianji looked at Zhou Zhao with eyes full of admiration.

Their new leader is truly loyal and filial, and full of affection and righteousness!

They respectfully bid farewell to Zhou Zhao and headed towards the city gate.

In just a short while, the once bustling grove was now empty except for Zhou Zhao, Liu Huang, and Han Dashan.

Han Dashan circled Zhou Zhao three times like a puppet, then suddenly slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "My goodness!"

Zhou Zhao was startled, his face full of speechlessness. "Han Dashan, don't you think you're wailing around a coffin?"

Han Dashan snapped out of his daze and scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, "I've been singing all day! Haha, I can't forget it, I can't forget it!"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but pinch his thigh again, wincing in pain. "Sister Zhao! My dear Sister Zhao! The other day, I saw you picking out flags, putting my arm around you, taking you to eat Zhiyang, and teaching you to recognize the people in Tianying City. Was that really me, Han Dashan?"

"Why do I feel like that's my ancestor?! It's only been a few days! Even if you used me, Old Han, as a flag and hung me on a pole to rise, I wouldn't rise this fast! You...you really became the head of Tianji Hall?"

The fire at his ancestral grave burned for a year before he could comfortably cling to such a powerful and influential figure!

Han Dashan patted his chest, "Sister Zhao! I'm not sleepy at all! My life is yours from now on!"

Zhou Zhao shook her head with amusement and led the two toward the city gate. "What use is your life to me? Why did you come to Tianying City?" The surrounding area was vast and open. If one used light-footed skills, they could reach the city gate in the blink of an eye, but if one walked, it would take quite a while. Zhou Zhao looked up at the sky. Since recognizing Su Changying, she felt that the sky seemed higher and farther than before.

“I used to pull large boats on the canal. I was about sixteen years old then, all back to the previous dynasty. There was a severe drought, and we hadn’t had enough to eat for many days. The riverbed was higher than the dam, so how could the boats move? My brother was standing behind me; he was eighteen.”

"To tell you the truth, when I looked at the shoulders of the people in front of me, they were all big trotters. I was so hungry! I really couldn't pull anymore, so I just collapsed and knelt down. The high-ranking officials who were watching the commotion from the side of the boat saw this, got down and started whipping me."

"My brother was beaten to death by them while trying to save me. I went to report it to the authorities, but isn't the law that murderers should pay with their lives?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhao's smile faded slightly. "You didn't win the case, so in a fit of anger you killed someone and came to Tianying City?"

Han Dashan shook his head, a bitter look on his face: "I won the case. I met a good official who was tough and arrested the man and put him in prison. Just when I thought I had avenged my brother and that he could finally rest in peace, the man who should have been beheaded appeared on my brother's grave again."

"Sigh, the coffin I finally managed to steal was a thin-skinned one, even shorter than my brother's! He dug it out and smashed it."

The incident had obviously happened a long time ago, and Han Dashan spoke of it with remarkable calmness.

"Then I got furious and said I would report him to the authorities, and he actually escaped from prison. In the end, that man said that his family redeemed his crime with a noble title. I've never been to school, and the few characters I know were only learned after we entered Tianying City, when Chief Cheng made the brothers learn them."

“I’ve never heard of such a thing. Ordinary people who kill someone have to pay with their lives, but nobles can get away with killing someone with their titles? What kind of ancient cats are they, with nine lives? In a fit of rage, I killed the person and then hid him everywhere.”

"I also found a master and learned martial arts. I have no fields, no land, no way to make a living, and I don't want to suffer, so after thinking it over, I came to Tianying City. If I kill someone here, it will be doing justice for Heaven; if I am killed here, it will be retribution for evil."

As Han Dashan spoke, his eyebrows danced with excitement again, "I'm all alone anyway, so I'll live one more day at a time, and if I die, then I die."

As they talked, they entered the Xuanwu Gate and went straight to the Xuanwu Hall. The old hall master's mourning hall was much quieter at this time. Cheng Yuyuan, Cheng Ming, and others stayed here to burn paper money and did not leave.

Zhou Zhao went inside and lit three incense sticks.

Then he took off the Xuanwu token from his waist and handed it to Cheng Yuyuan. "The city lord has appointed me as the head of Tianji Hall. From now on, the head of Xuanwu Hall will be Cheng Yuyuan. As for the head of Tiandou Village, you can select him yourself after you take office."

"Tomorrow morning, we will send the old master up the mountain to be buried in peace."

Ye Bai looked up at Zhou Zhao and bowed respectfully.

Zhou Zhao threw down this sentence, regardless of what everyone thought, and Han Dashan, who was good at exaggerating, said everything. She led Liu Huang, who followed her step by step, directly into Ye Xuan's study.

As soon as the door closed, Liu Huang abruptly raised his head.

His face beneath the bamboo hat was filled with excitement. "Ah Zhao! Did you see that just now? That's a long tassel! That's a long tassel!"

Although he was separated by a bamboo hat, he could see it clearly: Yao Guang Hall Master, also known as Qianmian, was actually Su Changying!
"No wonder! He protected you! And even laid hands on you!"

(End of this chapter)