The Legend of Fangren

Could it be that because Qumu City is Master's hometown, the sect is planning to send him here to save face?

Fang Shi felt a pang of anxiety upon realizing this.

This beast calamity has claimed so many lives; will Master also show favoritism?

"Don't worry."

Qu Yang saw through his thoughts and said, "I'm here to take that old man's life."

As he said this, Qu Yang's expression became visibly solemn.

He waved his sleeve and said, "Qu Mei, the three of you come here too, and be witnesses."

"Yes, Master (Brother)."

Qu Mei followed with a serious expression, while Fang Shi rubbed Luo He's hand and followed behind. Although he couldn't be too unrestrained in his expression, he couldn't help but gossip deep down.

Wow! Master's attitude is definitely one of putting righteousness before family, and Senior Sister Qu doesn't seem to be trying to plead for him at all. What kind of family is this?

Luohe also had doubts. Before, Senior Sister Qu had clearly comforted her, saying that her mother was very happy. Could it be that this was not the case?

Everything will become clear once you arrive in Qumu City.

"Young City Lord...please come in."

After passing through the city gate and entering the main mansion, with a token in hand, no one dared to stop him.

The four of them went straight into the main courtyard of the city lord's mansion. In just a few days, it was as if the place had been ransacked, with no one there except for an old man sitting in the main seat.

The old man looked very similar to Qu Yang, but apart from the fine lines and white eyebrows on their faces, their temperaments were completely different.

Qu Yang looked like a celestial being, while the old city lord's eyes were filled with a sinister and murderous aura.

They looked at each other, neither surprised that one would come and the other would wait.

Finally, the old city lord spoke first. His voice was hoarse and slow, but full of energy, showing no signs of old age or weakness: "Qu Yang, I've thought a lot these past two days. If the sect sends you here, it would suit my needs perfectly."

"Do you think I'll show mercy?" Qu Yang would still refer to his father as "Dad" in front of others, but after so many years, he didn't even want to mention the name when facing this man again.

"No, what I mean is, I won't resist." The old city lord pointed to the helmet rack beside the main hall and said, "If it were anyone else, I might still put on this armor and resist until you arrive."

Qu Yang's expression grew even more grim: "If I didn't come, do you intend to commit even more murders?"

The old city lord remained completely unconcerned: "Haven't I committed enough killings? The sect's rules and regulations cannot tolerate me, but if someone else comes to kill me, this Qumu City will fall into the hands of others. But if it is you who comes... this Qumu City still belongs to our Qu family, from beginning to end!"

Qu Yang sneered: "I thought you had figured things out these past two days, but it turns out you're still the same as before."

"The same old thing, that's all. Look how old I've become, how could I possibly remember what I looked like back then?" The old city lord shook his head, refusing to understand or turn back.

"Do you still remember my mother?"

"..." These words pierced the old city lord's heart like a needle. He frowned and remained silent.

Qu Yang then said, "Back then on the mountain, you were so glorious within the sect, but you went down the mountain to escape because of a little setback. My mother, with all her good qualities, did not hesitate to ruin her future and followed you to the city, hoping that you could cheer up and turn back. But I never expected that you would be blinded by power and deaf to profit. Over the years, you have been blinded by greed and fought with other cities."

Touched by his obsession, the old city lord still tried to defend himself: "I'm doing this to carry on your grandfather's legacy!"

"But you remain stubbornly ignorant! Why did you launch the beast attack? Is it because Qingye City rose to prominence back then and stole your limelight? Is it because the Qingye City Lord was your junior brother back then, and his talent was not even half as good as yours, that you look down on him? You insist on competing with him!"

When Qu Yang brought up the events of that year, his mother told him a lot.

"Then my mother died in sorrow, and you married a second wife, just so that someone could inherit your wretched position as city lord. You forced your second wife to use methods of pregnancy preservation to hold her pregnancy for three whole years before giving birth to Xiaomei. Do you know how much damage this did to her body! Now that Xiaomei has gone up the mountain to cultivate, you have fallen back into your old, delusional illness. Fearing that no one would take you in, you listened to the slander of the evil sect and did foolish things, causing beasts to suffer and living beings to be devastated!"

The old city lord closed his eyes and said coldly, "What do the people of Qingye City have to do with my Qumu City...?"

"What about the white sheep beast's predicament?"

Upon entering the city, Qumu City was completely different from what it had been a few days ago; the streets were littered with dead and wounded, and half of the soldiers were injured or killed.

Why is the city lord's mansion deserted? It's because the beast calamity has just passed, and the white sheep beasts in the city are injuring people everywhere. Although they were barely suppressed, the casualties were heavy, and the city is already showing signs of falling.

"You are incompetent and utterly corrupt, your delusions have become an obsession; the people of these two cities will not forgive you!"

"In that case, do it..." The old city lord stopped talking. What he said just now was just to provoke Qu Yang into decisively ending his life.

He has gone down the wrong path for most of his life, and now he neither turns back nor wakes up. It is neither too late nor dares to do so, so he might as well go all the way to the end and die.

As Qu Yang said, he was still the same old man. When faced with the final moment, he still lacked the courage to repent and preferred to die as an escape.

What a coward.

"After I die, I hope you will take charge of the city and help the people."

"You're still delusional! Your hypocrisy is disgusting."

"Hehe... I know you're kind-hearted and won't abandon me."

Our understanding of Qu Yang's character is largely based on the old city lord's final composure.

"Since you are determined to die, I will grant your wish." Qu Yang closed his eyes, and a wooden fork appeared in his hand.

Hmm? Master, your magical artifact wasn't a gourd after all?

Upon seeing this, Fang Shi, who was watching from behind, suddenly raised his hand and cried out, "Master, wait!"

Ok?

Qu Yang and the old city lord both opened their eyes.

Hey kid, you've built up the atmosphere to this point, what's the meaning of this?

Fang Shiyan then said, "Master, why don't we ask where those people from the evil sect came from?"

Hmm...that seems to make sense.

Qu Yang slapped his forehead, realizing that he had been so preoccupied with the scene of his father's murder that he had completely forgotten about this matter.

Upon hearing this, the old city lord calmly replied, "They came from the outer wilderness; I know nothing else about them."

Huh? Fang Shi was completely stunned upon hearing this.

You, a city lord, are easily bewitched by two charlatans who come from outside? Have you lost your mind?

Upon hearing this, Qu Yang also lamented in despair: "Your crimes deserve to be punished with ten thousand deaths."

Having said that, he was about to make a move again, but the old city lord closed his eyes once more.

"Wait a little longer!" Fang Shi called out again.

"..." Qu Yang looked at him without saying a word, waiting for him to explain.

So Fang Shi leaned close to Qu Yang's ear and mumbled a bunch of things. When they parted, Qu Yang looked at him with a very surprised and incredulous expression.

"Master, just tell me if it's okay or not."

Qu Yang remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Fang Shi then stepped forward without fear and approached the old city lord, whispering something unintelligible, seemingly a large amount of information.

Then, the old city lord, who had been calm, suddenly widened his eyes, his expression changing several times. He gripped the armrests of his chair tightly, but still couldn't stop the overwhelming anger... In the end, he couldn't hold on and fainted.

Qu Yang remained silent, Qu Mei was confused, only Luo He asked, "Fang Zi, what did you say?"

"Ah... I didn't say anything, just offered a few words of advice... Master, please proceed."

Qu Yang nodded, and finally the fork struck, blood splattering in the courtyard.

So what exactly did Fang Shi say?

Very simple.

This old man cares a lot about his "family business," whether it's Qumu City or the status of the officials and clans in the city... So many people have died for these things, yet he still acts so nonchalant and disgusting, as if he has calculated everything, left a backup plan, and retired after achieving his goal. It's truly disgusting.

It would be too easy on him to just end things directly.

Therefore, Fang Shi acted out a scene with his master, and then whispered to the old city lord what might happen after his death—of course, this was all made up by Fang Shi himself, but given the various historical dynasties that had fallen in his memories from his previous life, he kindly and deliberately picked out a few of the most tragic ones and applied them to Qumu City, and then recounted them in such a vivid and lifelike manner that he finally succeeded in making the old city lord faint from anger.

In this way, it can be considered that the people have vented some of their anger, however insignificant.