Is this NPC even playable if it's not nerfed?

Chapter 183 Bearing Thorns to Plead Guilty: The Highest Realm of Ruthless People
Seeing his guards being brutally murdered, Young Master Zhang was so frightened that he wet himself.

His followers were also terrified; they tried to run, but the horses on top of them were too heavy for them to push away.

"Help me! You bunch of scoundrels, come and help me!"

Unable to dismount his horse, Young Master Zhang could only pin his hopes on the onlookers. He put on a fierce expression, assuming that these troublemakers would, as usual, be intimidated and obediently come over.

However, all he got in return was a bunch of glares and a few spits.

"What are you looking at? Are you looking at your father?"

"Is this how you ask for help? Help you? I'd rather help you have a second child right now."

"Go ahead and yell, keep yelling! Aren't you so capable? Call me 'Dad'!"

"Waaaaah, my dad Zhang Changgong, who can kill me? Who dares to kill me? Hahaha, he looks like a fool, it's hilarious."

"Why are you looking at your dad? Your dad doesn't want you anymore."

Laughter echoed continuously from the crowd.

Those who mocked him were naturally not the common people in the surrounding area. After all, he was the son of Zhang Changgong, the Minister of Rites. Even if he died, he still had a father. If his father held a grudge against them, they would be truly doomed.

Who else but the players could act so brazenly?

These players, when they get really crazy, would even dare to curse the emperor.

"You, you, my father will not let you get away with this."

Young Master Zhang was so angry that his face turned red.

Before he could continue threatening the surrounding crowd, Lu Yuan arrived in front of him carrying a head.

"Have you shouted enough?"

"It's time to hit the road."

Lu Yuan casually tossed the guard's head aside and slowly placed his hand on Young Master Zhang's head.

He held it from left to right, seemingly trying to find the right angle to grip it.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me! My father is Zhang Changgong, my father is the Minister of Rites, please don't kill me!"

"Please, I was wrong, I'll never do it again, please forgive me, I'm still a child, please give me another chance."

Sensing Lu Yuan's murderous intent, Young Master Zhang cried a truly pitiful cry.

"What a coward it is for a grown man to cry like that."

"You must learn from those guards; even if you die, die bravely, understand?"

"I'm very experienced in this area, so don't worry, it won't hurt. I'm quick, so don't be afraid. Take a deep breath, and the headache will go away immediately."

Lu Yuan patted Zhang Gongzi on the shoulder with a smile, a smile that was indescribably creepy.

"No."

Lu Yuan pressed down on Young Master Zhang's body with one hand and grabbed Young Master Zhang's head with the other, pulling it forcefully to both sides. With a snap, Young Master Zhang's eyes widened as his head and spine were ripped out, and blood gushed out.

This bloody scene made some people nauseous.

Not satisfied with what he had done, Lu Yuan smashed Zhang Gongzi's corpse into a bloody pulp with a single punch.

emmm.

Sure enough, a lump of something should be kept as a lump to look right.

"We're just passing by, please don't kill us."

The lackey begged for mercy.

However, all they got was the same radish-pulling set meal as Young Master Zhang.

Snap, snap, a few more heads appeared on the ground.

After killing all these spoiled brats.

Lu Yuan felt much better.

A world without idiots would be wonderful.

As the red flames subsided, Lu Yuan returned to the carriage, shirtless.

Hu Sanniang covered her hands with spiritual energy and gently wiped away the bloodstains on Lu Yuan's body.

Her slender little hands roamed over Lu Yuan's chest and abs, moving back and forth, seemingly enjoying themselves.

"Hey, there's a limit to how much you can take advantage of others."

"I am angry."

Lu Yuan pushed away Hu San Niang's small hand and gave her a warning.

Why would you do such a dirty trick in public?

Do you know what "not suitable for children" means?

"Taking advantage? Please, you underestimate the Yin family. The Yin family is taking advantage openly and honestly. Don't forget, you are already a member of the Yin family. The Yin family can do whatever it wants."

"As for them, is it any of their business?"

"Look at the way they look at you, they're so envious of your family."

Hu Sanniang leaned against Lu Yuan, casting a provocative glance at the crowd of onlookers.

"hateful."

"This vixen, what makes her so special that she can win Lu Yuan's favor?"

"I want to touch Lu Yuan's big muscles too."

"I suddenly have an urge to kill this NPC."

"Sisters, don't rush, don't rush. Things change every thirty years. Don't underestimate a poor young woman. Wait two more versions and we'll level up, then we'll take down this vixen, tie up Lu Yuan, and share him with all the beauties."

"Lu Yuan Sharing Plan? I, Wang Duomei, have invested in this project."

"Can you guys please stop this? You're acting like horny guys in broad daylight, the air is thick with the smell of filth."

One guy said these women are mentally ill.

Is it appropriate to flirt with an NPC in broad daylight?

If you really can't resist, just pat it with your high heels.

"Are you in charge?"

"go away."

"Keep nagging, or your sisters will open your account."

"You level 30 noob, do you even have the right to speak? Believe me or not, my Sister Legion will wipe you out!"

"Fine, you're all wicked. I, Yang, will remember this grudge."

……

"Uncle Yuan, are you tired?"

"Tea, please."

Seeing that Young Master Zhang and his group had been killed, Chen Dong somehow produced a pot of tea and served a cup to Lu Yuan.

"Oh, the tea is good. Let them continue."

Lu Yuan took the tea, took a sip, and instructed the servants to continue forward, telling them not to worry about anything else.

Someone will naturally take care of the floor cleaning.

Before leaving, Lu Yuan glanced at the roof on the left.

The Divine Martial Army, and they were familiar faces from the last time we met.

If you know someone there, that makes things much easier.

The Divine Martial Army knows how to handle these wreckage.

After the Chen family's convoy left, a commotion broke out among the crowd, mainly because the scene was too bloody and the battle had caused considerable damage to the ground. Some people, seeing that things were not going well, reported the incident to the authorities.

"The Divine Martial Army is handling official business; idlers, please stay away."

Seeing that the Chen family's convoy had left, the Shenwu Army soldiers on the rooftop immediately jumped down and landed in front of the crowd, waving to disperse them.

As the Shenwu Army appeared, the onlookers, realizing the government's involvement, dispersed.

Several members of the Divine Martial Army frowned upon seeing the situation.

"Captain, this is going to be difficult to handle."

"The meat paste is everywhere, and there are too many pieces."

"The floorboards are broken."

The younger brother glanced at it a few times, and it made him frown.

"What? You have a problem with that? If you have a problem, go talk to Lu Yuan."

The Shenwu Army captain rolled his eyes. This guy was also there just now and witnessed how Lu Yuan killed the Zhang family. Why didn't you come down and stop him then?

You only dare to spout this nonsense after Lu Yuan has gone far away?
I think you're just asking for trouble.

"I can not."

"Oh dear, you know you don't dare, so why are you spouting nonsense?" The captain looked annoyed.

"Captain, what should we do about this? Lu Yuan killed the Minister of Rites' son, and the Minister of Rites will definitely not let this go."

"And then what? Whether the Minister of Rites will let this go is Lu Yuan's business. It has nothing to do with us. We are the Divine Martial Army, we are His Majesty's personal guard. Our only duty is to protect the imperial city and His Majesty. Other things are other people's business. Don't take on extra work for yourself. If it's not our business, then mind your own business."

"Xiao Liu, go and inform Shuntian Prefecture, explain the situation, and let the people of Shuntian Prefecture deal with this headache themselves."

"As for the job of cleaning up the mess, let the South City Guard handle it."

"Anyway, this place is under the jurisdiction of the South City Guard."

"As expected of the captain, he explained it clearly in just a few words. Captain is awesome."

"South City Guards, get out and get to work."

After a while.

When the people from the Southern City Guard and Shuntian Prefecture arrived, their expressions instantly turned grim upon seeing the scene.

"Damn it, who did this? Can't you be a little more efficient when you kill someone? You always make such a mess of things. We, the South City Guard, aren't janitors, damn it."

The commander of the South City Guard was so angry that his balls hurt.

"Brothers from the South City Guard, please help us clear out the Zhang family's bodies first. We need to send them to the Zhang family as soon as possible to avoid trouble. High-ranking officials from the Ministry of Rites are not easy to deal with."

"I know, but don't rush the Shuntian Prefecture officials. We're cleaning up."

"The bone fragments were too small to be picked off."

……

That night, officials from Shuntian Prefecture sent Zhang Gongzi's body to the Zhang family.

Therefore, the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture personally went to explain the reasons to Zhang Changgong.

As for the pursuit of the murderer Lu Yuan, Shuntian Prefecture stated that it was powerless to do so.

On the one hand, Shuntian Prefecture lacked the ability to arrest Lu Yuan, and on the other hand, the Crown Prince pardoned Lu Yuan's crime, leaving Shuntian Prefecture with even less authority to arrest him.

……

Zhang family.

As Zhang Changgong, the Minister of Rites, listened to the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture recount his story, his face remained expressionless, even indifferent. He seemed unconcerned about his son's death.

However, the prefect did not think much of it, assuming that Zhang Changgong was too sad to show his emotions.

"I understand. Prefect, please return."

"I still need to take care of my son's funeral arrangements."

Zhang Changgong gave him the order to leave.

The prefect was unwilling to stay any longer and immediately left the Zhang family under some pretext.

After the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture left, a middle-aged man walked in. His eyes were red, as if he had been crying.

"Father."

“Shou’er”.

"Father, I don't understand why you would do this. That's my third brother! You're willing to trade his life for that so-called Confucian tradition? Is that tradition more important than his life?"

“Father, tell me why you did this.”

The middle-aged man was named Zhang Shou, the eldest son of Zhang Changgong and the future heir of the Zhang family.

Zhang Shou is different from Zhang Laosan. He reads the classics and knows the principles of sages. He never bullies others by taking advantage of his power, and he would never humiliate ordinary people like Zhang Laosan. It is precisely because of this that he disregards human ethics and etiquette to question his own father about why he betrayed his son.

Why would someone do something so heinous?
Is this still the loving father he remembers?
Zhang Changgong was born into a poor peasant family. In order to get ahead, he sold himself into servitude to a wealthy family and became a tutor to the young master.

By chance, he gained the appreciation of a nobleman, became a disciple of a famous teacher, and became a Confucian scholar. From then on, he rose rapidly through the ranks, eventually becoming the Minister of Rites.

Such a successful father would actually betray his third son to the Confucian school for the sake of preserving the Confucian tradition.

This utterly depraved person was actually his father.

……

"For the sake of the family."

"This is a sacrifice that I, as your father, must make for the prosperity of the family."

"The prosperity of the family has never been something that I, your father, can sustain alone. The officialdom is like a battlefield; once you leave, your influence fades. Once I lose your favor, everything the Zhang family currently possesses will turn to ashes."

"If the Zhang family wants to establish itself in the capital for a long time, it must have a solid foundation, which cannot be accumulated overnight."

Having served as an official for many years, he has witnessed too many families rise to the top because of one person, and fall to the bottom because of one person.

He didn't want the Zhang family to decline like that.

For the Zhang family to reach its peak, it must possess the corresponding foundation.

As for the underlying principles, he valued the Confucian tradition.

On the one hand, he was a Confucian disciple and a student of Confucius, and he deeply understood the importance of the Confucian tradition.

For the Zhang family to prosper, it must inherit the Confucian tradition.

It doesn't need to be complete; a partial inheritance is sufficient.

As long as someone in the Zhang family can practice Confucianism and Taoism, then it is worthwhile.

So he made a deal with the Kong family.

The person he was trading with was his son.

The Four Saints Family plotted a huge conspiracy against Lu Yuan.

This conspiracy needs a fuse.

His son was the trigger.

……

Zhang Changgong had three sons, all born to his first wife.

The eldest son, Zhang Shou, is the future leader of the family and the key to the family's future prosperity.

The second son, Zhang Jie, had a strong talent for martial arts and was assigned to the Embroidered Uniform Guard at a young age, following the path of military merit.

The youngest son, Zhang Laosan, was good for neither literature nor martial arts; a spoiled brat who caused trouble for the family every day—a complete good-for-nothing.

Both sides are flesh and blood, and in the end, reason prevailed over emotion, making Zhang Laosan the unfortunate one who was sacrificed.

Everything for the family.

……

"So, Father, you sold my third brother?"

Zhang Shou said with grief and indignation.

"Everything is for the family; as a father, I have no other choice."

"Hahaha, for the family, what a fine 'for the family'! It seems Father is quite satisfied with the outcome of the transaction. My third brother's life has been sold for a good price."

"But Father, have you ever thought about something?"

"In order to preserve Confucianism, you not only betrayed your third brother, but you also offended Lu Yuan."

"Who is Lu Yuan? Don't you know?"

"Do you think those so-called Four Holy Families can withstand Lu Yuan's wrath?"

"Have you forgotten what happened to the Yan family?"

"Can you expect a good outcome from trying to get something out of a tiger?"

"Offending Lu Yuan means the Zhang family is doomed."

"Father is beyond saving."

Zhang Shou said sternly.

"No."

“Shou’er, I have a solution to this matter. You don’t need to worry. The Zhang family will not perish.”

Zhang Changgong raised his head, his cloudy eyes seemingly having already made up his mind.

The prosperity of a family will not depend on one person, nor can it be achieved by sacrificing just one person.

"Everything for the family..."

After Zhang Shou left, Zhang Changgong held a lock of his deceased wife's long hair in his hand and murmured to himself.

Late that night, Zhang Changgong traveled alone by carriage to the Kong family residence in the capital.

As dawn broke, Zhang Changgong hurriedly returned to his residence.

At noon, Zhang Shou, dressed in mourning clothes, carrying a bundle of thorns on his back and holding a wooden box in his hands, knelt down in front of the Chen family's gate, begging to see Lu Yuan.

He carried thorns on his back to apologize.

……

(End of this chapter)