Scourge Messenger

Chapter 436 Jiang Shi sends his greetings
"What did you say?"

In the audience of the Heroes' Gathering, Jie Yuanshao suddenly stood up and said coldly, "Master Ling, do you understand what you are doing? Making such accusations in the finals of the Heroes' Gathering, do you want to ruin the reputation of the Heroes' Gathering?"

“Miss Jie, are you really going to let the murderer who killed Master Wu go like this?” Ling Feihong retorted. “I examined Master Wu’s body and know that he was crushed in the heart and lungs by a powerful force. Master Wu was a third-level expert. At first, our attention was focused on the other third-level experts. It wasn’t until I fought with Senior Brother Niu that I realized… he had mastered a secret technique at such a young age, and his combat strength was comparable to a third-level expert!”

At this point, Ling Feihong's heart stirred. The Eight Rice Martial Arts School did indeed possess a secret technique passed down through generations, which was why he had instructed his nephew to reclaim the school. He felt he had guessed correctly; besides the secret technique, what other reason could Niu Xianke possibly have for being so powerful?
"It just so happens that Senior Brother Niu's opponent in the round of 16 is Master Wu!"

"If I am maliciously framing him, I am willing to bear all the consequences, banish myself from Xuanwu Lake, and serve in the army for ten years! But Master Wu is highly respected, and I simply cannot stand by and watch the murderer go unpunished. I urge Miss Jie and Thunder King of the Prison to reopen the inquiry and find out where Senior Brother Niu went on the night of Master Wu's death!"

Jie Yuanshao's face was gloomy, and her chest heaved. Because of what had happened in the past, she was now most sensitive to this kind of 'murder accusation,' especially when a powerful family accused an ordinary person with no background, which seemed to be hitting her sore spots at every turn.

"Niece Yuanshao, please calm down."

Another burly man with a long beard stood up in the audience, and the entire place fell silent. Even Jie Yuanshao could only lower his head and nod.

Why was the Jiangnan Martial Arts Heroes Gathering held in Qixia Mountain Military Town? Because Chen Liexia, the Thunder King of the Prison, was cultivating in seclusion in Qixia Mountain. Moreover, he had won the Heroes Gathering twice in a row and was the most worldly Foundation Establishment cultivator in Liang Kingdom. If the Heroes Gathering was held here, Chen Liexia would most likely come to watch, and the contestants might be able to win Chen Liexia's appreciation!

“Since Nephew Feihong is willing to vouch for it with his reputation, it must be true. Of course, Niece Yuanshao, I understand your concerns. I’d like to see if anyone dares to fabricate a wrongful conviction under my watchful eye.” Chen Liexia looked around, and all the martial arts school owners agreed.

However, when Chen Liexia looked at Niu Xianke, his brows furrowed slightly. Although their appearances were completely different—one a stunning beauty and the other a middle-aged man past forty—they both gave Chen Liexia a feeling… an arrogance that looked down upon the world.

Even under such severe accusations, Niu Xianke remained calm and composed, showing neither fear nor anger, and even dared to meet Chen Liexia's gaze. Chen Liexia wanted to say that he admired the other's composure, but in reality... he felt a bit disgusted.

"Niu Xianke," Chen Liexia's voice boomed like thunder, "Did you murder Master Wu Dong?!"

“If you don’t have it, just deny it,” Jie Yuanshao immediately added. “The Jie family and the Chen family will uphold justice for you and will never frame an innocent person!”

Ling Feihong looked at Niu Xianke without much worry in his heart.

Because he never made a false accusation.

On the night of Master Wu's death, he personally witnessed Niu Xianke leaving through Master Wu's room window.

Master Wu was the only opponent who could pose a threat to him in this gathering of heroes. Ling Feihong had originally planned to assassinate him beforehand, but unexpectedly encountered a kindred spirit. He had considered using this as leverage against his opponent, but ultimately decided against it. Since someone else had eliminated his formidable rival for him, why should he get his boots dirty? It would be better to win the championship cleanly.

Who could have predicted that this fellow traveler possessed such astonishing strength? Ling Feihong had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure, revealing his trump card in public. He knew his reputation would plummet, but once it was discovered that Niu Xianke was the murderer, the more people looked down on him now, the more they would respect him later!

Especially… Ling Feihong glanced at Jie Yuanshao and Chen Liexia in the audience, a hint of eagerness flashing in his eyes. The Ling family was only a fourth-rank noble family, but if they could gain Chen Liexia's favor and marry the eldest daughter of the Jie family, it wouldn't be impossible for them to squeeze into a third-rank noble family!
A thought struck him. Under normal circumstances, even if he won the championship, the chances of winning Jie Yuanshao's heart were still slim. Wealthy families traditionally only arranged marriages between each other. Even with his exceptional talent, he could at most reach the fourth young lady of the Shang family. The fourth young lady of the Shang family was indeed quite good, but compared to Jie Yuanshao, she paled in comparison.

The deeper Jie Yuanshao's prejudice against him now, the more profound her remorse will be when the truth comes out. If he seizes this opportunity, he might be able to close the distance between them. Given the Jie family's rules and Jie Yuanshao's character, she certainly doesn't have many male friends. If they go to the secret realm and travel the world together, wouldn't Jie Yuanshao be a piece of cake?
Crisis is also an opportunity!
Thinking this, Ling Feihong became even more eager for Niu Xianke's answer. Deny it? Rebut it? It would be best if you could present evidence to prove your innocence. But I'm already prepared. The fingerprints and footprints you left after killing Wu Dong are all recorded. A simple comparison will suffice—

“I might as well take this opportunity and say it all at once,” Niu Xianke suddenly said. “He Xifeng, He Xinliang, Chen Xuedao, Wang Zhongqing’s family…”

The hundreds of audience members in the venue were all prominent figures from the vicinity of Jiangnan City. When Niu Xianke mentioned these names, they immediately realized that they were all people who had died tragically in Jiangnan City in the past two months! Some of them were entire families who had died, which could be described as massacres. Many people suspected that the demonic messengers had wandered around the Jiangnan area, causing widespread panic.

“Including Wu Dong, I killed all of these people,” Niu Xianke said calmly. “I’m telling you out of kindness, the government doesn’t need to continue the investigation.”

"Why?!" someone questioned. "Elder He Xifeng was a kind old man who had done countless acts of charity, such as repairing bridges and roads. Why did you kill him?!"

“But his youngest son is a villain who whipped a servant to death. I cut off his youngest son’s head and went to see if he would repent. I never expected that he would shout and yell for revenge. Since he regards me as an enemy, I have no choice but to kill him.” Niu Xianke said, “I gave him a chance.”

Why did you wipe out the entire Wang family?

“Wang Zhongqing ran a gambling den and harmed countless people. His wife was adorned with jewels and abused the servants. His son was a loan shark who caused the family to be wiped out. When I went there, I happened to see them setting dogs on fire to kill children for amusement. Since they chose cruelty, I don’t mind being even more cruel than them.”

"What did Wu Dong do to offend you this time?"

“Wu Dong’s granddaughter-in-law hanged herself. Some people said it was because of incest. I went over to ask and it was true, so I killed her.” Niu Xianke remained calm as he recounted these events, showing neither anger nor fear, like a fishmonger answering questions about the details of killing a fish.

Even though there were hundreds of people surrounding him in the venue, including many third-level experts and even the Thunder King of the Prison, while the opponent was just an ordinary second-level expert, a chill ran through everyone's hearts.

"You can report these things to the authorities. Liang Kingdom is peaceful and prosperous, and the law is the standard." Ling Feihong suppressed his fear and said coldly, "Who do you think you are? A chivalrous knight above the law? Have you ever considered that you might have killed the wrong person? What crime did Elder He commit? Why is he being punished for his youngest son's matter? Didn't you think about how many people will lose their loved ones and how many families will be broken when you kill like this?"

"Am I the law?" Niu Xianke retorted.

"Of course you're not!" "So why should I talk about rules, evidence, and reason?" Niu Xianke laughed: "I am a mortal, not a celestial being. I only ask to live in a world where my heart is at peace, but if the world insists on soiling my ears, I can only clean the world up myself."

“This world has become corrupt again.” He paused. “Actually, I originally planned to kill your whole family after the Gathering of Heroes.”

"Why?" Ling Feihong asked, stunned.

“I won’t even mention your nephew’s bullying of men and women, but you and his father, as relatives, just turned a blind eye. Since I’m going to kill him anyway, I really have no reason not to kill you as well.” He shook his head: “You are not He Xifeng, I have no interest in giving you a chance to repent.”

crazy.

This person is crazy.

Even now, they still want to kill people, and they want to kill the entire Lingdong Martial Arts School.

"Madman!" the master of Lingdong Martial Arts School roared, looking up at Chen Liexia: "Please, Thunder King of the Prison, give us a chance. We want to personally kill this fiend and restore peace and order to Jiangnan City!"

Many martial arts school owners immediately reacted and followed suit: "Please, Thunder King of the Prison, give us a chance to punish this villain!"

The other martial arts school messengers were also excited, watching Niu Xianke eager to try. In an instant, the entire venue was filled with righteous indignation and everyone spoke out for justice!

Amidst the shouts of battle, a small, thin figure ran out of the audience and rushed towards Niu Xianke on the stage.

"Niece Ye, come back quickly!"

"Ye Xiaoyu, is your Badao Martial Arts School going to stand with this murderous maniac?"

"What a pity for Master Ye's lifelong reputation..."

Ye Xiaoyu ignored these voices and hugged Niu Xianke anxiously, saying, "Uncle, please tell me that what you just said isn't true! Even if it were true, you must have a reason, right? You were persecuted and want revenge, or maybe they persecuted someone who saved you..."

“No, no, none of that.” Niu Xianke shook his head: “I just couldn’t stand it and took action.”

"Uncle, you big idiot! You can't say that!" Ye Xiaoyu seemed to be going crazy: "You have to do what I say to have any chance of being forgiven! Do you even understand our situation?"

"Ye Xiaoyu, leave quickly," Ling Feihong said. "Once the fighting starts, swords and spears will have no eyes."

"No!" Ye Xiaoyu stood in front of Niu Xianke: "I, I am from a prominent family! A prominent family cannot be subjected to vigilante justice. I demand a joint trial by the three judicial authorities!"

"He's already admitted it!"

"I could say I killed your father! Does that mean I killed your father?!" Ye Xiaoyu retorted, hands on her hips. "Liang's criminal law requires evidence, not just what you say!"

“But you’re from a prominent family, and he isn’t.” Someone immediately spotted the flaw: “He’s just a commoner with a brown belt!”

Ye Xiaoyu's expression froze for a moment, but she quickly bit her lower lip, made up her mind, and shouted loudly, "I'm already—"

"Have you had enough trouble?"

Despite the blazing sun and refreshing summer breeze, everyone felt their bodies growing colder inch by inch, and fear gnawed at their hearts like a snake crawling through their veins.

As a beam of light descended, a cloaked figure suddenly appeared beside Niu Xianke. The cloaked figure raised his head, and when his gaze swept across the hall, no one dared to speak, or even straighten their backs.

When he looked at Chen Liexia, lightning suddenly flashed and exploded on Chen Liexia's body, as if it were both a demonstration and a response to stress.

"Who are you?" Chen Liexia asked solemnly.

"Thunder King of Hell, has anyone ever told you that your title is funny?"

Jie Yuanshao's pupils contracted sharply, and Chen Liexia's expression turned gloomy.

"Chen Liexia, Jiang Shi sends his greetings to you," Yan Qing said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)