Chapter 682: What If?

"My Lord, that is impossible. My husband has always been as incorruptible as water."

"Could there be another possibility, for instance, that someone else framed him?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire residence fell into a silence so profound one could hear a pin drop. You don't just spout nonsense like that; if your family was framed, how could even the pillars be stuffed full of gold and silver?

Even if it were possible, this is your home. With a project as massive as swapping the beams and pillars, how could you not know? How could you be completely unaware?

Besides, when you say "framed," who are you referring to? Are you pointing the finger at Lord Shen? Believe it or not, I can make it so you never see the sun again.

Seeing the reaction of those around her, Madam Du seemed to realize she had spoken wrongly and couldn't help but stutter, "My Lord, my husband, he..."

"Enough! The evidence of Du Zhixia's corruption and violation of the law is ironclad, and as his legal wife, you cannot escape involvement. Guards, drag this shrew away!"

"Governor, I am the wife of a Magistrate! You cannot do this, my Lord!"

"Drag her away!" He waved his hand in disgust, and his subordinates immediately dragged Madam Du away.

I don't know what Du Zhixia was thinking; he was such a shrewd man, yet he found a wife with a hole in her brain. Aside from that pretty face, this woman is utterly useless, with both emotional and intellectual intelligence at rock bottom.

After Madam Du was taken away, Yang Zhengqi waved his hand at the people beside him again, signaling them to withdraw first.

"Lord Shen!" Once everyone had left, Yang Zhengqi flipped up his robes and knelt down directly, then said loudly, "Please, Lord Shen, save my Da'an City!"

"Lord Yang, get up quickly!" I hurriedly pulled Yang Zhengqi up. As a Governor of a region, he holds a high and powerful position, yet he could kneel before me without hesitation. Being able to bend and stretch—he is definitely a man of character.

"Lord Shen, this subordinate has a request!" Stopping Shen Yu's attempt to help him up, Yang Zhengqi gripped Shen Yu's hand, his own palms slick with nervous sweat.

"Lord Shen, to tell you the truth, people are dying mysteriously in Da'an City every day, and the number of missing persons is countless. At this rate, I fear it won't be long before the entire Da'an City is wiped out."

"Coupled with everything that has happened recently, this subordinate suspects it must be those people; it is they who intend to slaughter the entire Da'an City."

"Now, even the Governor's Office is filled with daily panic. This subordinate is incompetent and cannot protect the people of Da'an City!"

Speaking of this, Yang Zhengqi's face was full of sorrow. Knowing something is happening but being powerless to stop it, having to watch it unfold helplessly, is what is most soul-crushing.

From the clues, he could judge that Da'an City had already been targeted by those people; all the commoners, including himself, were prey, nothing more than pigs and sheep kept in a pen.

Soon, the entire Da'an City would be plunged into a bloodbath. The current fleeting prosperity might just be the final afterglow of Da'an City.

Yang Zhengqi understood some things clearly in his heart, but the imperial court had already abandoned everyone outside the Capital, yet as Governor, he could not abandon the people under his rule.

Moreover, living in such a World, even if he were to flee, where could he go?

Sometimes, ignorance is a form of happiness; the more one knows, the more desperate one becomes. This feeling of waiting for death to descend is the most terrifying and the most despairing.

"Then, Lord Yang, since you know you are powerless, why not flee?"

"Because this subordinate is a Governor of a region. If I flee, where would that leave the people of Da'an City? If the people of Da'an City truly suffer a massacre, this subordinate is willing to live and die with Da'an City."

"Lord Yang, get up!" Helping Yang Zhengqi up, Shen Yu then comforted him, "Lord Yang, do not worry, Da'an City is safe for the time being!"

"Safe for the time being?"

"There are some things Lord Yang does not yet know!" After Yang Zhengqi was helped up, Gu Cheng, who was to the side, hurriedly explained, "Last night, Lord Shen, by his own strength, already killed the six old monsters of Da'an City. Da'an City is worry-free!"

"What? Last night, it was Lord Shen..." Recalling last night, Yang Zhengqi was filled with shock.

When the tremors occurred in Da'an City last night, he had already sensed it. He had thought those old monsters were making their move and that Da'an City was about to be destroyed.

Especially that Sword Qi he saw yesterday, which seemed capable of shattering the void; just looking at it made his spirit tremble, feeling as if he could be split apart by the Sword Qi at any moment.

As a Governor of a region, he could be considered an expert, but he had never imagined that such terrifying Sword Qi could exist in the world. At that time, only deep powerlessness had surfaced in his mind.

He thought it was the old monsters taking action, their carnival of slaughtering Da'an City. Old monsters possessing such power were absolutely not people they could contend with.

It seemed that apart from resigning himself to fate, they had no other choice.

At the time, he had straightened his clothes and walked out the front door, prepared to meet his death, but in the end, it seemed it was all just a false alarm.

Having waited all night in the cold wind of last night, he hadn't seen anyone come to kill, and he himself was perfectly fine.

Now it seems that last night, it was Shen Yu locked in battle with those old monsters, and in the end, he had won.

Realizing this, Yang Zhengqi felt an urge to cry from excitement, tears swirling in his eyes. This feeling of surviving a desperate situation is something one cannot truly empathize with unless one has experienced it.

"Lord Shen's great kindness, my Da'an City will never forget!" Saying this, Yang Zhengqi was about to bow again, but was immediately stopped by Shen Yu.

Subsequently, Shen Yu spoke, "Lord Yang, actually, there is one more thing I need Lord Yang's assistance with."

"Lord Shen, you are too polite. Please, just give your orders; my entire Governor's Office will do our utmost."

"It concerns the youth who came to take revenge on Du Zhixia. I need to know his whereabouts!"

"This subordinate understands. I will immediately order everyone to search the entire city for him!"

"Wait!" Just as Yang Zhengqi turned to leave, Shen Yu suddenly called out to stop him: "Lord Yang, not to search for him, but to invite him over!"

"Forget it!" After thinking for a moment, Shen Yu shook his head again, "No need to track that youth. If it really is him, ordinary people wouldn't be able to find him at all!"

"However, since he came for revenge, that makes things easier!"

Letting out a soft breath, Shen Yu then instructed, "Go investigate the youth's family. I want to know everything, down to the smallest detail, about anyone related to this matter!"

"Since he is here for revenge, we can just wait for the rabbit to hit the tree stump. I believe he will show himself soon!"

"Yes, this subordinate understands!" Turning to instruct his men to handle it, Yang Zhengqi was still a bit curious and couldn't help but ask, "Lord Shen, who exactly is that youth?"

"Have you ever heard of Mu Zishan?"

"Mu Zishan?" This name stirred the memories of Gu Cheng, who was nearby. As a member of the Black-Clad Guard, he knew more intelligence than others, and he also knew of this terrifying figure who had once dazzled the entire world of martial arts.

From the various intelligence reports of a hundred years ago, one could see that he was an expert no less than Lord Shen. A presence that made the entire world pale and tremble in fear.

Furthermore, he possessed great righteousness, willing to disregard his own safety for the sake of the world's peace. It was only after he disappeared in his later years that villains deliberately erased his traces, to the point where few people knew of him a hundred years later.

A hero should have left a name for a hundred generations, yet he ended up in obscurity. The darkness of this world of martial arts is chilling.

"My Lord, are you speaking of the Mu Zishan who once dominated the entire world of martial arts and then willingly went alone to suppress the Forbidden Land for the sake of the world?"

"That's impossible. That youth's background is clean; from birth to his arrest, everything is traceable. It is absolutely impossible for him to be Mu Zishan!"

"Logically speaking, he absolutely cannot be Mu Zishan!" Shaking his head, Shen Yu then said, "But it is also possible that it is merely Mu Zishan's spirit attached to him, or that he has some connection to Mu Zishan."

"Whether there is a connection will be clear once we find him. If it really is Mu Zishan, then things will be easy. I just fear it will all be for nothing!"

"However, what if?"