Chapter 228: Two Hundred and Thirty-Six, Public Figures Last Forever

Two Hundred and Thirty-Six, Public Figures Last Forever

West bank of Butterfly Creek, Ancient Yue Sword Shop.

In the towering sword furnace rooms, the craftsmen who received the order walked out in confusion and gathered toward the Dragon-Slaying Platform.

It was nearly noon at this moment, and the sun was about to reach its zenith.

Among the crowd of craftsmen, some hunched and old sword smiths suddenly turned their heads, staring blankly at the sword furnace on the mountainside that had been extinguished for many years under the clear sky.

Most of the other craftsmen didn't notice it at all, but looked curiously at the green-clad retainers and black-clad men who suddenly appeared in the sword shop to patrol and watch.

Just as all the craftsmen in the sword shop were led by Xie Shigui, Mao Jin, and other stewards to the Dragon-Slaying Platform by the river.

Xie Ling was squatting at the edge of the Dragon-Slaying Platform by the water, lowering his head, placing a memorial tablet, incense burner, fruit plate, and other sacrificial items in an orderly manner.

"Big Brother, you died so miserably. Today, Third Brother and I have come to avenge you."

Xie Ling inserted three sticks of incense and sighed.

The audience participating in the ceremony had not yet fully arrived. Xie Ling turned his head and said softly to the followers who were looking sideways on the high platform:

"You guys go down and guard first. Third Brother is coming, let him come up to worship Big Brother."

"Yes."

The followers retreated to guard under the platform, leaving only Xie Ling and the bound young county magistrate on the high platform.

"Heh heh heh..."

A strange low laugh echoed at the open-air memorial tablet of Xie Lingwen.

"Big Brother, why am I so happy to see you die."

Xie Ling's back was facing the crowd below.

"Father gave all the family property to you, and you were still not satisfied, always using family filial piety to bind me."

"You wanted to be the Big Brother so much?"

He whispered in a voice that no one could hear:

"Unable to practice Qi yourself, you still wanted us to accompany you honestly. You were dissatisfied with me contacting the Immortal Lady Yuzhi, and the Xin Dingjian had to be given to the Wei family, just to exchange for those few power positions?"

"But once you embark on the path of a Qi practitioner, you must be vigilant against alienation and not get too close to top power easily, going against the path."

"In the end, it's not a sacrifice for the family's interests at all. Xie Lingwen, you are just selfish."

Hearing the footsteps of Xie Shigui and others returning from the side of the platform.

Xie Ling smiled and stood up slowly, wiped his face first, then turned around, already looking as usual, and went to greet them.

Passing by someone, Xie Ling suddenly heard a declarative sentence:

"Xie Lingwen was killed by you."

Xie Ling looked at the young county magistrate who suddenly spoke, didn't stop, smiled and shook his head:

"No, it was you who killed my Big Brother, Ouyang Lianghan. You are the murderer who killed my Big Brother."

At this time, Xie Shigui had already walked over, looking forward to it:

"Second Brother, everything is ready, everyone has been summoned."

"Well done, Third Brother."

Xie Ling patted Xie Shigui on the shoulder, raised his chin, and signaled him to go worship Xie Lingwen's memorial tablet.

Seeing that everything was ready.

He turned his face, squinted his eyes, walked toward Ouyang Lianghan, and slowly drew his waist knife.

Boom—

Boom—

But just at this moment, explosions sounded one after another from the distance, like a thunderclap on a sunny day, resounding inside and outside the sword shop.

Xie Ling and Xie Shigui were both shocked, looking into the distance, and could vaguely see that outside the Ancient Yue Sword Shop in the distance, strange green flames rose from time to time, which were quite familiar.

Hua Xuanji after, there was a roar of charging that overturned everyone's skulls.

Xie Ling and Xie Shigui turned their heads and looked at each other, both surprised and uncertain: "Burning Heaven Jiao Oil?"

"Master, Third Young Master, it's not good! It's the county government's people!"

Mao Jin ran over in a hurry:

"The county government doesn't know where they found so many commoners and braves, taking that batch of official ships across the river, and are desperately attacking our sword shop, throwing strange oil everywhere, blowing up the sword furnaces..."

Xie Shigui's face was gloomy: "How is that possible! Who gave these cunning people the courage? It's good enough that we don't go to find trouble with them, and they dare to attack our Xie family!"

Xie Ling frowned and asked suddenly:

"Who is organizing it? That greedy and fearful Cai Qin couldn't have this courage. That young and reckless Beside Yan Liulang also doesn't have this prestige and means to summon commoners..."

"Don't know yet. But I did see county government people among them."

Mao Jin said with a bitter face:

"These cunning people look organized and disciplined. There must be an expert directing them from behind, but our people were caught off guard and are retreating step by step, trying to defend, but haven't seen the leader yet."

On the high platform, Xie Ling and Xie Shigui looked at each other.

Xie Shigui's face was ugly, gritting his teeth: "Could it be that that stinking woman Xie has returned?"

"Hahaha..."

A loud laugh suddenly came from behind.

"Ouyang Lianghan, what are you laughing at!"

Xie Ling's eyes were sharp, he glanced at the panicked craftsmen watching under the platform, and rushed behind the young county magistrate.

Xie Ling grabbed his hair, held a cold white blade, and sneered:

"Do you think they have time to save you? Do you think we are fools who talk too much and let people go?"

Xie Ling turned his head and ordered quickly:

"Mao Jin, let the brothers hold on for a while longer."

"Third Brother, go and bring Big Brother's memorial tablet, let Big Brother see with his own eyes, the enemy beheaded!"

Xie Ling grabbed Ouyang Lianghan's hair crown, who was laughing his head off, and dragged him to the edge of the high platform without delay, exposing him to the many craftsmen under the platform.

The beheading was ready.

Against the background of the continuous explosions getting closer and closer.

Xie Ling's eyes flashed, and his right hand reached into his sleeve, pulling out a bronze mask.

But his hand only reached halfway.

But someone was faster than him—in the matter of pulling out the mask.

Xie Ling widened his eyes, and the reflection in his eyes was the silent picture of "Ouyang Lianghan" closing his eyes and looking up, smiling at the corners of his mouth, and taking off a mask from his face.

"You... you... how do you have..."

Xie Ling was full of incredulity and disbelief.

Liu A-Shan placed the bronze mask he had taken off at his feet.

He was tied up and kneeling on the ground. This wooden face with the tattooed character "Yue" had never laughed so heartily, and he laughed at the sword shop craftsmen and former colleagues under the high platform:

"It's the real Magistrate who came to save us. Everyone, don't go down the wrong path with the Xie family."

"The world says that poor villages produce cunning people. Our Wu-Yue Longcheng is indeed ashamed to have the bully Xie family, but it is definitely not full of cowardly people. I don't agree..."

Liu A-Shan's words stopped abruptly.

Because Xie Ling had already gone crazy and rushed up, kicking and punching Liu A-Shan,

"I'll f*** your mother! Liu A-Shan, are you sick!"

Xie Ling couldn't suppress his anger and beat him painfully as if venting:

"That Ouyang Lianghan is just an outsider. You jumped into the water to save him, and you were a running dog for him, working yourself to the bone. Now you are even cutting your head for him. Are you sick in the head? Huh? Is he the ancestor who jumped out of your family's ancestral grave?!"

Liu A-Shan climbed up with difficulty, bruised and swollen, still holding his proud head high, raising his swollen face, looking sideways at Xie Ling and Xie Shigui.

"Ancestor? Then the Master doesn't have two such unfilial and immoral Xie descendants like you, who only bring shame to the ancestors."

The two swollen and bruised eyes could only barely open a small slit, but in the eyes of everyone at this moment, it happened to look particularly contemptuous, and he spat out eight words:

"Private interests are temporary, public figures last forever."

Xie Ling and Xie Shigui heard this and their eyes became even redder.

"You are courting death!"

A snowy white blade light lit up on the high platform.

Under the rain of venting punches and kicks, and the sharp blade getting closer and closer to his neck.

The wooden man, although his legs were broken and he was kneeling, still straightened his waist and turned a deaf ear to everything around him.

"Long... Longcheng is not just your... family surnamed Xie."

"Master, I saw it, I really saw it..."

Liu A-Shan's body was swaying, raising his bruised and swollen face, trying to see clearly this small Jiang Nan city that was nurtured by Butterfly Creek but suffered from disasters, muttering hoarsely:

"Looking at the house, I am happy to... run."

Someone muttered with a smile.

Someone cursed with red eyes.

Someone watched numbly.

At a certain moment.

The high platform fell into silence suddenly.

A stream of hot blood from the carotid artery splashed on the hard, ancient stone bricks of the Dragon-Slaying Platform.

It was like the beautiful morning glow splashing out from under the dark horizon at dawn.

The crowd of craftsmen under the platform fell into dead silence.

Xie Ling's trembling palm tried twice before inserting the red blade into the scabbard.

Under the gaze of the whole scene, Xie Ling's gloomy face was livid. He walked up and used the scabbard forged from profound iron to smash the familiar bronze mask that once belonged to the Immortal Lady Yuzhi on the ground into pieces.

Hua Xuanji, the head of the Xie family scanned the sky with bloodshot eyes.

He took Xie Shigui and Mao Jin and fled the Dragon-Slaying Platform in a panic.

Under the ancient high platform, a group of craftsmen were stunned and silent.

On the platform in front, only the back of the man facing the craftsmen crowd below, but facing the creek and the county town, remained motionless.

Ouyang Rong suddenly vomited a large mouthful of blood.

The blood mist he sprayed splashed on Beside Yan Liulang's face, who turned back with concern.

Everything happened in a flash.

Beside Yan Liulang was caught off guard and wiped his bloody face with his palm: "Magistrate, what's wrong with you!"

Ouyang Rong, who was leading the main force to attack the sword shop and desperately advancing toward the Dragon-Slaying Platform, stopped slowly in place, supported himself against a ruined wall of a building that had been blown up, lowered his head and covered his mouth, vomiting blood continuously.

"I... I'm fine... you take the brothers and continue to advance."

Ouyang Rong looked up blankly, looking at the sky and muttering:

"The mask is gone... A-Shan's mask... is gone..."

He coughed with blood, panting, trying hard to take deep breaths, but the blood at the corners of his mouth continued to flow.

The spiritual energy that Ouyang Rong had just accumulated a little in his dantian not long ago was chaotic and running wild, like a cup of clear water that had temporarily become muddy.

This strange injury was very similar to the sudden vomiting of blood after the Immortal Lady Yuzhi first woke up.

Beside Yan Liulang frowned and was in a dilemma, wanting to say something but stopping.

At this time, A-Qing, who had been following the main force closely, ran up panting, took out a handkerchief to wipe Ouyang Rong's mouth.

But was dodged by the latter.

Ouyang Rong's body trembled slightly, turned his head away, and wiped his bleeding mouth with the back of his hand with bulging veins, smearing half of his face with blood, but he didn't dare to look at A-Qing at all.

He didn't dare to look even once.

"Yan Brother, is Master okay?" A-Qing was at a loss, panicked.

Beside Yan Liulang swallowed his saliva.

Since they met, the blue-clad head constable had never seen the young county magistrate show such a frightened and painful expression.

Ouyang Rong suddenly got up, his short black hair hanging down, his head lowered, his hands supporting the wall, trying hard to walk forward.

Only heard him order in a trembling voice:

"Liulang, immediately divide a hundred people for me, and you take the remaining main force to continue attacking the Dragon-Slaying Platform."

Beside Yan Liulang was stunned: "This... where is the Magistrate going?"

"Go do what I should do, you... continue to rush to the Dragon-Slaying Platform, as soon as possible, must... must find A-Shan." Ouyang Rong said blankly: "He has waited for us for too long."

"As you command."

"Wait, there's more. For these hundred people, you choose them. Those under twenty or the only seedling in the family, if they have either, don't choose them."

Beside Yan Liulang and A-Qing were both solemn.

Ouyang Rong wiped his bloody mouth with his sleeve, softly:

"Also, how much Burning Heaven Jiao Oil is left, bring it all to me."

Under the unquestionable tone of the young county magistrate, Beside Yan Liulang had no choice but to take the order, go to select people, and arrange the Jiao Oil.

Ouyang Rong held the moonlight long sword horizontally with both hands, turned his back to the direction of the Dragon-Slaying Platform alone, and stared blankly at the lonely sword furnace on Mount Xiao Gu that had been extinguished for many years, but was now emitting sword energy straight into the sky.

His expression was unusually calm:

"A-Shan, Master is coming to accompany you."

If you look from Mount Xiao Gu at this moment.

The river bank on the west bank was full of official ships.

The Ancient Yue Sword Shop, which occupied a wide area below, was rising with black smoke everywhere, exploding with strange green flames from time to time, accompanied by the sound of sword furnace buildings collapsing.

At the foot of the mountain, the sound of fighting between constables, braves, and retainers and private soldiers was endless.

Xie Ling retracted his gaze silently.

On the mountain road leading to the mountainside, he had a gloomy face, leading Xie Shigui, Mao Jin, and the direct retainers, rushing to the Grade A Sword Furnace.

The miserable scene of the sword shop that the Xie family had operated for many years being surrounded by fire made Xie Shigui's molars shatter, his face full of grief and indignation, his heart aching, and on the way up the mountain, he had already greeted Ouyang Rong's ancestors for eighteen generations a hundred times.

Xie Ling, who was walking at the very front, lowered his head and hurried on, turning a deaf ear.

He only occasionally glanced at the sun above his head, and continued to rush to the Grade A Sword Furnace.

Fortunately, it was not yet the second quarter of noon stipulated by the old gentleman for reporting to the Wei family.

The plan was still under his and the old gentleman's control.

Xie Ling breathed a long sigh of relief, a look of luck appearing in the bottom of his eyes.

Hearing the angry and impatient voice of his stupid Third Brother behind him.

Xie Ling reached into his bosom calmly, touched a sword technique that had been translated, and a brand new bronze mask that was flashing with faint light.

Although the original plan had an annoying accident and he didn't rise to Grade Nine, it was not without a backup plan.

For example... quietly take away the Mo family sword case containing the Xin Dingjian, find a sacrifice later, take the item, wear the mask, and leave.

The group finally arrived at the Grade A Sword Furnace halfway up the mountain.

The sword furnace room was now tightly closed.

Walking to the lawn in front of the sword furnace room, Xie Ling suddenly stopped slowly.

He stared at the quiet and silent dilapidated wooden room door in front, and frowned slightly.

Xie Ling turned his head to look around, suddenly raised his hand, and the followers behind him stopped immediately.

He turned his face slightly, signaling:

"Third Brother... and Mao Jin, you two go in first, visit the old gentleman, and report that I have arrived."

"Yes!" Xie Shigui and Mao Jin were stunned, nodded without hesitation, pushed the door open first, and walked into the Grade A Sword Furnace room... ===== CHAPTER 229 =====