Be a proper Taoist priest in The Condor Heroes

Chapter 54 Night Visit to the County Magistrate's Residence

His gaze fell on Wang Xingyi in the cage, his rough, hoarse voice devoid of any warmth.

"Master Xu will be going up the mountain soon. This girl is an honored guest. Take her to the back village and have a few women wash her clean and change her into some neat clothes. Otherwise, she might offend Master Xu's eyes."

The two guards immediately agreed, stepped forward to unlock the cage, and reached out to drag Wang Xingyi.

Although Wang Xingyi was filled with despair at this moment, her inherent arrogance and stubbornness remained. Recalling the maid's miserable state, she struggled and resisted with all her might. Her innate strength, far exceeding that of ordinary people, erupted at this moment, causing the two bandits who dared not hurt her to stagger back and fail to hold her down twice in a row.

"This girl is pretty strong!"

The bandit cursed angrily, but still feared the one-eyed man's orders and dared not use excessive force.

Seeing this, the one-eyed dragon snorted coldly, and in a flash, he rushed to her side. Before Wang Xingyi could struggle again, he precisely chopped her on the back of the neck with his hand. The girl immediately went limp and fainted.

"Carry it away, do as I say, and if there's even the slightest mistake, none of you will live."

He gave a cold order, and several bandits quickly carried Wang Xingyi out of the dungeon, temporarily ignoring the dying maid on the other side of the cage.

Meanwhile, night fell in Xiangyang, and the streets and alleys grew quiet.

Outside the vermilion gate of the Xu residence, two figures were illuminated by the lamplight, creating an atmosphere of subtle politeness.

Xu Zhenghong, the head of the Xu family, was around fifty years old. He wore a dark-patterned brocade robe with a jade belt. His face was square and dignified, and his brows combined the shrewdness of a wealthy merchant with the arrogance of a local noble family. At this moment, however, he deliberately lowered his posture, and his expression showed a hint of anxiety and ingratiation.

The county magistrate opposite him, Zhou Cheng, was about forty years old, slightly overweight, and wore a loose-fitting blue silk official robe. His face was oily, and his small eyes darted around, revealing a shrewdness and greed. Despite having no real power in the Xiangyang officialdom, he was being treated like an honored guest by Xu Zhenghong.

Xu Zhenghong clasped his hands together, his tone respectful and earnest.

"County Magistrate Zhou, I am grateful for your personal trip tonight. My son is young and impulsive, and in a moment of confusion, he caused this trouble for the Wang family. We will need your help in the future, and please do not let this matter reach the prefect or the vice-prefect."

Zhou Cheng raised his hand in a gesture of support, a worldly smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, his voice kept extremely low.

"Don't worry, Master Xu. We've known each other for many years, and I know my limits. However, Black Wind Ridge is a significant matter. If our superiors find out that we knew about it but didn't report it, we'll both be punished."

Xu Zhenghong immediately took out a heavy brocade bag from his sleeve and quietly stuffed it into Zhou Cheng's hand, his tone resolute.

"Please rest assured, sir. Take this small gift to appease your colleagues; you will be richly rewarded later. The Wang family are just merchants with no official position or power; they can't cause any trouble. I will also make sure that Black Wind Ridge leaves no evidence to implicate you."

Zhou Cheng could tell from the pinch of the brocade bag that it was quite heavy, and the smile on his face immediately became more genuine.

"Master Xu is indeed very thorough in his work. Leave this matter to me. I will keep it under control at the government office, and no outsider will dare to interfere."

"Thank you for your trouble, sir. It's late and chilly, please take care on your journey."

Xu Zhenghong bowed to see Zhou Cheng off, and only after watching Zhou Cheng leave did he turn back to his residence with a sullen face.

This scene was witnessed by the two people hiding in the shadows in the corner.

Su Yan and Su Ye were dressed in tight-fitting night clothes, their figures hidden in the twilight, their presence completely concealed.

Su Yan frowned slightly, secretly calculating in his heart: In the Wang family case, it was a foregone conclusion that the Xu family colluded with Black Wind Ridge and bribed the government. The best way to completely expose their conspiracy was to seize the incriminating evidence against the government officials.

He had just witnessed Xu Zhenghong's utmost deference to Zhou Cheng and his covert bribery; clearly, this County Magistrate Zhou was the key figure bought off by the Xu family. Su Yan turned his head and whispered a signal to Su Ye.

"They really are birds of a feather; let's follow them."

Su Ye nodded slightly, and the two of them followed Zhou Cheng silently, their toes barely touching the ground.

Zhou Cheng was completely unaware of the people following him. He was playing with the brocade pouch given to him by the head of the Xu family, a slight smile playing on his lips, and even his steps became a little lighter.

His position in the Xiangyang officialdom was extremely awkward. Above him was the county magistrate, and even more powerful were the prefect and the sub-prefect. Most of the military and political affairs in Xiangyang were decided by the prefect and the sub-prefect. The county magistrate was practically a figurehead, and his position as county assistant was completely reduced to a sinecure with no real power.

He had long since become indifferent to official promotions and advancements. His only thought now was to use his term to amass wealth and accumulate silver and land so that he could protect his descendants and ensure that they would no longer have to depend on others like he had. This was the fundamental reason why he was willing to collude with the Xu family and accept benefits from them.

Following them all the way to Zhou Cheng's private residence, Su Yan and Su Ye scaled the wall and hid in the courtyard corridor. As soon as Zhou Cheng entered the study, he impatiently closed the door, took out the money notes and land deeds that the head of the Xu family had given him from his pocket, rubbed the heavy silver ingots between his fingers, and his face was full of greedy smiles.

Before he could put his valuables away, a cold, sharp light suddenly burst through the window, and a long, icy sword was instantly placed against his neck.

Zhou Cheng trembled with fright, and the silver ingot in his hand clattered to the ground. When he looked up, he saw two dark figures standing in front of him. The young man in the lead had a calm expression and sharp eyes, and it was Su Yan who had been following him all along.

"Who are you? I am an official appointed by the imperial court!"

Zhou Cheng's voice trembled as he shouted fiercely, but his legs had already gone weak uncontrollably.

Su Yan lowered his sword slightly, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority: "Tell me the truth about the bribes the Xu family gave you, and the inside story of the collusion between Black Wind Ridge and the Xu family, and I may spare your life."

He knew in his heart that Zhou Cheng, a greedy and life-loving person, would reveal the truth with a little coercion, without any need for much trouble.

Meanwhile, inside the Xu residence, after seeing Zhou Cheng off, Xu Zhenghong, the head of the Xu family, had a dark expression on his face. He paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, his heart filled with anger.

He couldn't understand why he had kept the bandits from Black Wind Ridge, intending to use some extreme measures in business to eliminate dissidents and intimidate rivals. Instead, his youngest son, Xu Chengye, used them to kidnap women, causing such a huge mess. He had to personally clean up the mess, spending a lot of money to bribe officials and commoners to silence them, almost exposing the Xu family's secret practice of keeping bandits.

Before long, a woman dressed in fine clothes, still charming, stepped forward. She was none other than Liu, Xu Chengye's birth mother.

Xu Zhenghong had only one wife and one concubine. His wife and Liu Shi addressed each other as sisters, but there was a clear distinction in their social status; a wife was a wife, and a concubine was a concubine. Over the years, he had doted on Xu Chengye, the son of Liu Shi, and indulged him in every way, which allowed the brat to become increasingly lawless and cause trouble in the city every day. Now, he had even caused such a huge mess.

"Master, please calm down. Chengye is young and just confused for a moment."

Liu stepped forward softly, took Xu Zhenghong's arm, and her eyes were full of charm.

"That Wang family girl is just a merchant's daughter. Once Chengye has had his fill of her, he can get rid of her. Why get so angry? It would be a loss if you ruin your health."

Xu Zhenghong sighed. Although he was still angry, he softened his heart when he saw Liu's delicate appearance. He only thought that after this matter was over, he would keep a close watch on her.

Seeing this, Madam Liu immediately pulled him into the inner room and gently comforted the pillar of the Xu family, hoping to quell his anger and protect her precious son.