Chapter 388: Progress? I Want to Progress So Much!

"Wei County Magistrate, isn't slaying demons and monsters a righteous act?"

Tang Anzhi retorted: "Or have you, Wei County Magistrate, believed this nonsense from Yu Die?"

"Tang Imperial Attendant, you're right; slaying demons and monsters is a righteous act!"

At this point, Wei Yuan's words faltered, and his gaze at Tang Anzhi openly conveyed sarcasm.

If.

He does know Tang Anzhi and has years of friendship with him; otherwise he wouldn't have paid a high price to invite Tang Anzhi to his residence as Imperial Attendant.

Regarding Tang Anzhi's words about slaying demons and monsters, he doesn't even believe a single punctuation mark.

If Tang Anzhi were truly as righteous as he claims, he wouldn't watch idly as Hu Hui has occupied Shizi Ling for over a hundred years.

During Tang Anzhi's tenure as Immortal Official of Qingyang County, it can't be said that monsters constantly cause trouble, but every three to five years there are two or three, sometimes more, incidents of monsters harming humans.

It's not that Tang Anzhi never dealt with them, but many monsters were deliberately spared by him.

Besides the fact that these monsters have extraordinary backgrounds and are hard to provoke, Tang Anzhi also accepted bribes from them.

As for those without background or resources to bribe Tang Anzhi, unless they are top‑tier cultivators, daring to harm Daxia's people within Qingyang County all become Tang Anzhi's achievements.

Even this lowly sort doesn't yet know why Hu Jiushisan is tailing Wang Family Members, what his intentions are, or whether he intends to harm them; yet Tang Anzhi seems to have become a different person, using slaying demons as an excuse to try to kill Hu Jiushisan, completely ignoring that Hu Jiushisan is backed by the Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan.

As if he had become another person.

If it weren't for Yu Die's warning, he couldn't help but suspect that Tang Anzhi had been possessed by some demon, otherwise how could he commit such "absurd" deeds!

"Wei County Magistrate, since you know slaying demons is righteous, why do you still have more to say, Wei County Magistrate?"

Tang Anzhi snorted in displeasure, aware that Wei Yuan knows him well; trying to fool Wei Yuan with just these few words is impossible, yet in this public setting he spoke righteously:

"I am already retired, no longer serving the court, yet I still have such a righteous heart. Wei County Magistrate, you are a court‑appointed official; don't you have a righteous heart?"

Moreover, the monsters' havoc affects your Qingyang County citizens; as the parent official of Qingyang County, don't you care about the lives of the people within your jurisdiction?"

"Would I disregard the lives of my own subjects?"

Wei Yuan almost laughed in anger.

The lives of subjects… fine, he actually doesn't care much unless the person has a background or it concerns his promotion and salary; otherwise, ordinary citizens, as long as they don't cause huge trouble, die and that's that. After all, Qingyang County has over a hundred to two hundred thousand residents.

What does the death of one or two common folk amount to?

What angers him is that this sort of Tang Anzhi dares to speak such righteous words in front of him.

"Wei County Magistrate, I must remind you that Qingyang County now has a top scholar, and officials in the Capital City are especially attentive to every detail of your county; if it becomes known that monsters are causing trouble in Qingyang County, it will affect the top scholar's family…"

Tang Anzhi declared grandly, "Nonsense!"

Wei Yuan, furious, began to curse; although Tang Anzhi didn't utter the rest, how could he possibly…

Seeing Tang Anzhi shamelessly attack him, he

In the next instant.

A flash of insight flickered in Wei Yuan's mind, and he said apologetically, "I was mistaken, thank you, Tang Imperial Attendant, for your reminder. Now monsters dare to cause trouble in my Qingyang County, harming the top scholar's family. If I don't make a statement, how will I continue to serve in Qingyang County?"

Only then did he realize, is Hu Jiushisan's true purpose in tailing Wang Family Members really important?

No.

Not at all important!

Even if Hu Jiushisan didn't lie, his purpose in tailing Wang Family Members is to protect them, to make the newly born child of the Wang Family become the son‑in‑law of the Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan, and he also

Only then, by killing Hu Jiushisan, can he use that as an excuse to forge a bond with Wang Ruhai.

Killing the good for merit!

He understands this.

"Wei County Magistrate, you, you, you stop talking nonsense. I tail Wang Family Members to protect their lives, not to harm them!"

Hu Jiushisan's face changed dramatically; he was already startled by Tang Anzhi's sudden attack, and didn't expect Wei Yuan to say that. Once

"Wei County Magistrate, I am of the Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan. I can swear by the Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan—no, by the Qingqiu Fox Clan's honor—that my tailing of Wang Family Members is to protect them, not to harm them, and I act on our clan leader's orders. If you dare

It knows clearly that a human official like Wei Yuan is the most cunning

This novel you…

It.

Very flustered!

Yet it hasn't been scared away; after all, it is of Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan origin. If Wei Yuan truly dares to kill the good for merit, the Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan will avenge it, as it acts under its clan leader's orders.

Tang Anzhi, watching Wei Yuan's indecision, muttered "useless" under his breath, but currently

"Wei County Magistrate, don't you want to advance?"

Wei Yuan.

A scion of a noble family, who at a young age topped the imperial examinations, became the magistrate of Qingyang County in his forties or fifties—hardly "young and promising".

However, to rise another level, unless one has great achievements, otherwise relying

It's likely that one will spend a lifetime as magistrate.

Who made it that, although he is of the Wei family, he is only of a collateral branch, and with so many main‑line heirs waiting for the Wei family's resource supply, there is no surplus resource to help him advance?

Now.

Now a chance appears before him: by killing Hu Jiushisan and earning credit for protecting Wang Ruhai's family, he can ingratiate himself with Wang Ruhai, and through Wang Ruhai's connection with the Prime Minister's residence, he can ascend another rung; even if he doesn't advance immediately, he can shorten years or even a decade of effort.

(End of chapter)