Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 451 450 Free City, Return to Freedom

Neither Shunzi nor Shi had any objection to this.

Shunzi thought this was the style of their choir—cut him down first, then rob him.

Shi then said, "You can't take such a big tree with you, and it hasn't even grown yet. It would be a pity to cut it down now."

Feng Xiuhu shook his head: "I don't intend to take it with me."

He picked up his axe and walked up to the big tree, muttering to himself, "A valley of evil for cultivators, a blessed land for commoners. Since I've already offended Jingzhe Lang, what difference does it make if I lose this tree?"

Feng Xiuhu raised his axe, unleashing a torrent of magical power that caused his coat to flutter wildly.

"Everything started because of it, so let's return freedom to the City of Freedom."

wow——

The axe swung horizontally, cleaving out a dazzling crimson arc of light.

The sacred tree, which had been connected to the spirit, snapped in half and collapsed with a crash.

……

After a while, Feng Xiuhu and Shunzi stood in the garden, looking at the tower in front of them that was engulfed in flames.

In order to save time during construction, the entire tower was almost entirely constructed of wood, which made it quick to build and quick to burn.

Feng Xiuhu had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, one hand resting on his cane, and the other fiddling with a lighter.

When you're going to do something, you have to go all the way. Not satisfied with just cutting down the trees, Feng Xiuhu decided to burn the tower down along with the trees so that the temple church wouldn't have any lingering memories.

It was nearly dusk, and the leaping flames turned half the sky fiery red.

Shunzi was stunned and couldn't help but murmur in amazement, "So beautiful. I remember seeing the same beautiful sunset clouds on the mudflats when I was a child."

Feng Xiuhu remained noncommittal. He casually flicked away his cigarette butt, turned around, and said, "Let's go."

The two walked out of the garden gate, but their path was blocked.

The long street was densely packed with kneeling people.

They remained silent, kneeling motionless.

It looks a bit creepy at first glance.

Seeing this, Feng Xiuhu's face darkened: "What, are you in such a hurry to keep vigil for the temple church before it's even dark?"

At this moment, the middle-aged man at the head of the group walked over, cupped his hands and nodded to Feng Xiuhu: "I am the mayor of Zizai City, and this gentleman..."

He had intended to address him as "Sir" to sound more formal, but upon seeing Shunzi beside him, he changed his words to: "This... sir, may I ask your name?"

Feng Xiuhu sneered: "Vadracho."

This time he was smarter and skipped "Konat Chan" altogether.

The foreign name made the mayor pause for two seconds, but he quickly recovered and explained, "Mr. Vadra, you misunderstood. They are not kneeling to the monks and priests, but to you."

"Kneeling won't do either."

Feng Xiuhu was baffled: "I'm not fucking dead yet!"

The town mayor was both amused and exasperated: "This is a kneeling thank you for your righteous help."

Feng Xiuhu fell silent upon hearing this.

He suddenly realized that the residents of the Free City actually understood everything.

There were no evil spirits causing trouble, nor were there any exorcisms or rituals performed; it was all a lie, and they all knew it.

It is true that spirits can be seen in Zizai City, but this has been the case for thousands of years. The people here are used to it, so how could they mistake it for evil spirits?

It's only because the temple and church said it that they dare not speak up or question it. So they can only act blind, deaf, and mute, and then use the absurd reasons given by the temple and church to deceive themselves.

Everyone who doesn't lie to themselves is dead.

After a moment, Feng Xiuhu said in a low voice, "There will be no more temples and churches here in the future. Just live your lives well."

"Grow crops, so we won't go hungry anymore; let's not go back to the underground world to live a lively life."

The town mayor tentatively asked, "The fields have been abandoned for a long time, and it will take time to replant crops. The government can provide some stored grain, but I'm afraid it won't last long. So I plan to send someone to the prefecture to ask for grain while also reporting the situation here truthfully..." Feng Xiuhu sensed his concerns and interrupted, "Just do what you need to do. No one is stopping you from leaving the city anymore."

The voice was quite loud. Although there had been some suspicions, the crowd on the street stirred when Feng Xiuhu said it himself.

The mayor couldn't help but show his delight, and he forced himself to suppress his excitement: "Mr. Vadra is right. I will send someone to the state capital tonight."

He paused, swallowed hard, and carefully observed Feng Xiuhu's expression: "But this matter involves the Jingzhe Temple and the Black Night Church after all..."

The mayor glanced down at the corpses scattered along the wall: "Mr. Vadra, what do you think is the best way to put it?"

Feng Xiuhu understood now.

The town mayor is in trouble.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. A temple and a prayer hall have all died out. Zizai City can't bear the blame for this. If Jingzhe Temple and the Night Church insist on taking their anger out on Zizai City, the state government can't stop them.

So the best way is to let Feng Xiuhu take the blame, but if someone just helped you and then betrayed you, the town mayor can't just say it out loud, because it wouldn't be right to say it.

Having figured this out, Feng Xiuhu chuckled softly.

He patted his chest and said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "I made a mistake earlier, my name is Ma Er."

He then pointed to Shunzi: "His name is Ye San."

"This was done by my brother and me today. No matter who asks, just tell them this."

These words are enough to show our attitude.

The town mayor grabbed Feng Xiuhu's hand and exclaimed excitedly, "Mr. Ma Er!"

Feng Xiuhu pulled his hand away to interrupt: "Stop trying to get close to me."

He led Shunzi forward, impatiently shouting, "Get out of my way, don't block my way."

The kneeling crowd stood up and parted to make way for the two as they walked away down the street.

As they approached the meeting point, Shunzi saw Granny Song standing helplessly on the street in the distance. She couldn't see clearly and could only look around blankly.

Shunzi quickly stepped forward and grabbed her: "Grandma, why did you come up here?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Granny Song gripped Shunzi's sleeve tightly: "Child, what happened? I heard everyone running outside. Is it some evil spirit coming to take a substitute? Where is my eldest son? Tell him to come back quickly."

Shunzi patted her shoulder and comforted her with a smile: "Grandma, there will be no more evil spirits from now on, and you won't have to hide in the cellar anymore."

Granny Song was taken aback: "There are no evil spirits anymore..."

She suddenly lost her voice, her lips trembled slightly, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

"there is none left……"

Grandma Song's legs gave way, and she lost her balance and fell to the ground. Shunzi quickly caught her.

Granny Song was overcome with grief, her hoarse voice barely able to utter a sound: "But Dalang—why didn't he wait for us..."

"My dear brother, these hard times are finally over. If you could just endure it for another two or three days..."

Shunzi felt a tightness in his chest. Looking at the aged face before him, he whispered, "So Grandma isn't senile after all..."

The sound of crying echoed down the long street.

Feng Xiuhu stood across the street without going over; instead, he tore down the window of the house—the one that had given him the cold shoulder when he first arrived in the city.

Suddenly, Feng Xiuhu heard the clatter of horses' hooves.

"mother!"

The shouts shattered the quiet street.

The crying stopped abruptly.

Grandma Song grabbed Shunzi's clothes and turned around to look back.

In her blurry vision, the silhouette of a familiar figure was running towards her.

“...Dalang.”

(End of this chapter)