Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 442 Rise and fall by the same means

Huo Zhang did not survive the night.

Ye Tinglan hid in the Lu residence, half a street away, and secretly used her divine sense to spy on the Huo family, seeing the situation clearly.

—Although the so-called Grand Master was completely covered by a black robe and wore a human skin mask, the Buddha light he emitted when he treated Huo Zhang was extremely conspicuous.

Unfortunately, he couldn't be saved. Huo Zhang's injuries were too fatal. He's only alive now thanks to Lu Xingzhou; otherwise, he would have died on the spot.

"It's Zhao En," Ye Tinglan concluded immediately.

Her beautiful eyes glanced at Lu Xingzhou beside her. Even though she knew the young man was a very reliable strategist, she couldn't help but be amazed at this moment: "You... you temporarily kept Huo Zhang alive just to find Zhao En?"

“Yes, otherwise what’s the point of keeping him alive? Just to let him say his last words? It would be pointless suffering.” Lu Xingzhou said calmly, “I have no direct hatred for Huo Er, but I don’t intend to let any members of the Huo family live. It is most appropriate for him to die at the hands of Huo Da. I don’t need to take action myself.”

"What if Zhao En saves him?"

“He can’t be saved… Huo Er is just a martial arts cultivator, only at the third rank. His Yin Spirit is very weak. He can’t survive such a fatal injury, especially since Zhao En’s level is only so-so.” Lu Xingzhou didn’t continue to talk about this, but instead said, “Now that the Huo family’s hidden strength has been fully revealed, I can proceed with the next step.”

His expression was icy cold. It was the first time Ye Tinglan had ever seen such a young man, so full of malice and plotting to wipe out the entire family.

Since I met him, he has always been smiling and is considered a generous and magnanimous person. For example, Yang Dechang, Si Han, and Qi Tuizhi had all offended him, but in the end, he didn't hold it against them at all and even managed to bring them under his wing. His attitude is like a gentle breeze.

But this gives us a glimpse into how Lu Xingzhou used to have a gloomy face.

Ye Tinglan couldn't quite imagine what their interactions would be like if she met the old Lu Xingzhou. She just sighed and said in a low voice, "Ten years, Fuyao still couldn't help you get over it... Shen Tang only took a month or two?"

“In the first few years by her side, I smiled quite a lot, and Lao Ji and the others were all smiles too. Don’t think that the underworld is all gloomy. Later, it became more and more gloomy, but it was she who brought me…” Lu Xingzhou smiled and said, “Actually, my current cheerful mood is not entirely because of Tangtang.”

Ye Tinglan tilted her head: "Anything else?"

"And of course, you too." Lu Xingzhou pinched her cheek: "Anuo, Chuyun, Yuanyao, Master...aren't they all helping me to soften my hostility day by day?"

Ye Tinglan smiled slightly: "Has it dissolved yet?"

“When I have completely finished my revenge, I will have completely removed the obstacles in my heart and my thoughts will be clear. I suspect that my spiritual practice will also improve as a result.”

"Then go do it." Ye Tinglan gently stroked his face: "I'll wait for you to be free of your shackles and soar through the heavens."

…………

With Huo Zhang's death, Huo Qi's sentence was also handed down.

Huo Zhang was not only Huo Qi's brother, but also a general of the Great Qian Dynasty. He fought for the Great Qian in the northern frontier for ten years and made meritorious contributions in the recent battle.

The evidence is conclusive that the brother murdered his brother and assassinated a high-ranking official. Such crimes are beyond the emperor's ability to escape punishment. If high-ranking officials can act so recklessly, the legal foundation of the entire Great Qian Dynasty will collapse. Even if such acts are committed, they should be punished severely.

Therefore, he was dismissed from his post, his collarbone was pierced, his martial arts skills were abolished, and he was exiled thousands of miles away, never to return to the capital.

Although normally execution would be the punishment, banishment and loss of merit are not considered severe punishments, and he was spared. But that was not a lenient decision; it was for the sake of the Huo family's lineage... Otherwise, the Huo family would have very few descendants left, with only the fifth son in prison.

But for Huo Qi, this punishment was not as comfortable as immediate execution.

To have a pampered young master like him, who has lived a life of ease for thirty years, lose all his martial arts skills and be exiled thousands of miles away... even if the Huo family sends people to the place of exile to secretly take care of him, he will still be living a life worse than death, and the rest of his life will only be filled with torment.

In reality, Huo Xingyuan himself had already given up on this son; perhaps the only value of keeping him alive was to preserve his lineage.

If Lu Xingzhou wanted him dead, he could easily find one of his former subordinates to finish the job, and no one in the capital would even sigh when the news of his death reached them.

It was in this atmosphere that Lu Xingzhou went to visit the prisoner.

"It wasn't me, it wasn't me!" Huo Qi was chained in the cell, the chains rattling as he was dragged along. "I am a Vice Minister, my father is the Marquis of Zhenyuan, and my grandfather is the Grand Tutor. You can't keep me locked up like this!"

Even the jailer sneered, "What a piece of trash, still putting on airs at a time like this."

With a "smack," a hand landed on his forehead: "You really think things are the same as before, that even in jail you'll be treated well and fed? Your grandfather didn't teach you what dismissal and exile mean, but your Grandpa Wang will!"

Then, several punches landed on Huo Qi's stomach in quick succession, causing Huo Qi to scream in pain as blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"Oh ho, what kind of look is that? Go ahead and report it? As long as you don't have any external injuries, no one can say we're abusing you. Do you think Grand Tutor Huo will stand up for you?" The jailer spat, "Killing your own brothers, and not just one, what a dog!"

"You..." Huo Qi gasped for breath, "You're just a lowly person, yet you dare to do this..." "Oh ho?" The jailer raised his fist, as big as a vinegar jar, again.

The next moment his expression suddenly changed, and he bowed deeply, saying, "Doctor Lu."

Huo Qi looked up sharply and saw Lu Xingzhou standing at the cell door with a half-smile.

"You came here to laugh at me?" Huo Qi gritted his teeth.

Lu Xingzhou grinned: "Isn't it obvious... Oh, you finally figured something out. That's really something. Are you smug?"

Huo Qi had a lot to say, but couldn't get it out.

“Actually, a long time ago, I thought dealing with you would be quite difficult. After all, the position of Vice Minister is very important. If I didn't intend to use assassination, there was practically no other way.” Lu Xingzhou squatted down in front of him with a smile, patting his cheek: “I didn't expect you to be this stupid…”

Huo Qi gritted her teeth: "You designed this..."

"Don't talk nonsense. Didn't you kill him yourself? I didn't do anything." Lu Xingzhou sighed. "It's precisely because you didn't do anything that I think you're so useless... At least Huo Yu required a lot of effort from me, but you, as the older brother, didn't need to."

Huo Qi struggled to his feet, the chains rattling loudly: "So it really was you who killed him! Did you hear that? Go report it! What are you all standing there for?!"

The jailers stood to one side, arms crossed, expressionless.

"Don't waste your energy." Lu Xingzhou sighed. "What kind of evidence is this after all this trouble? Don't you think your father and grandfather knew that those things were related to me?"

Huo Qi, in a fit of impotent rage, yanked at the iron chains: "Huo Shang, you'll die a horrible death!"

Lu Xingzhou suddenly switched to telepathy: "The moment you killed your brother with your own hands, it was destined that you would also end up for the crime of killing your brother. This is my explanation to Huo Shang, and it is also the way you must die."

Huo Qi suddenly opened her eyes wide: "You're not..."

Huo Qi was unusually lucid at this moment, but it was pointless. Lu Xingzhou smiled and said, "You can shout and yell, tell anyone that Lu Xingzhou is not Huo Shang... Who would believe the baseless accusations of a fratricide?"

"Pfft!" Huo Qi was so angry that he spat out a mouthful of blood.

It was precisely because Lu Xingzhou was using Huo Shang's name that Huo Liancheng and Huo Xingyuan thought he was at most seeking revenge, never imagining he harbored a heart set on wiping out the entire family—their judgment was completely distorted. If they had known earlier that he wasn't Huo Shang, the entire family's response would have been entirely different; Lu Xingzhou might have been killed long ago, instead of waiting until now!
But now, who listens to Huo Qi? You killed several of your brothers, and you still want to slander them?

He was also the only successful younger brother.

"Rest assured," Lu Xingzhou continued telepathically with a smile, "I will also take over the entire Huo family, making them willingly hand over everything to me... and then, die."

"Ahhhhh!" Huo Qi began to twist and turn wildly.

Lu Xingzhou slowly stood up, then suddenly kicked out, striking Huo Qi right between the legs.

The jailers and guards could almost hear the sound of testicles cracking, and instinctively wore expressions of unbearable pain. The phantom pain...

Huo Qi's eyes widened, unable to even let out a scream, his throat making a "hoarse" sound as he curled up on the ground.

"They even want you to carry on their lineage... Ha! Dream on." Lu Xingzhou turned around leisurely: "Help him get treated, don't let him die from this kick."

The jailer bowed and scraped: "Don't worry, sir, leave it to us. Well, Huo Qi bumped into a wooden pole while twisting and turning, which caused this."

"Well, you can just cover it up... Actually, it's nothing much. Most of the people who come to ask don't care, because the old Marquis and the old Grand Tutor will have other things to deal with next, so they won't have time to worry about it."

Lu Xingzhou leisurely left the prison, and Huo Qi's weak groans behind him gradually faded into the distance, becoming a pleasant accompaniment.

As for the others, killing them would be fine, but there was no need to go around gloating and killing them out of their spirit; it would be a bit boring. Only Huo Qi was treated this way... and it wasn't just because Huo Shang was killed by Huo Qi.

At the same time, Huo Qi was already an adult at that time, and among the enemies who wiped out his family, Huo Qi was also a direct murderer, and the other one was the third brother Huo Heng.

Leaving the cell and looking at the falling snow, Lu Xingzhou let out a long sigh and muttered to himself, "You've been waiting for this day for a long time, haven't you... Forgive me for being unfilial, only now have I done this... But this way of handling things should make you happier than if you had asked my sister and Lao Ji to assassinate me earlier, right?"

Someone rushed over and whispered, "Sir, Fifth Brother Huo Jin just died suddenly in prison."

Lu Xingzhou is currently "visiting" Huo Qi in the Demon Suppression Division's prison; the interrogation has ended and he hasn't been transferred yet. Meanwhile, the fifth brother, Huo Jin, was previously imprisoned in the Dali Temple's prison, which is quite far from the first brother's.

Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly: "It's quite timely. I should go to the Huo family to pay my respects to my second brother and also visit Huo Heng, the only heir apparent."

(End of this chapter)