Chapter 390: After my death, let the flood rage!

Yu Die, you are a Baihu of the Demon Suppression Office, how can you say such a thing? Haven't you heard the old saying: 'Better to mistakenly kill three thousand than to let one slip'!

Wei Yuan snorted dissatisfiedly and said: 'Moreover, do you know who this fox demon intends to harm? It is the family of this year's top scholar. If you are unwilling to deal with this demon, are you not afraid that the top scholar will find out and hold you accountable?'

Hold me accountable? What does it have to do with me!

Yu Die gave a cold laugh; how could she possibly not understand the meaning behind Wei Yuan's words? She said: 'I act according to my conscience; I will not change because of a person.'

Wei Yuan's words seemed like a threat, but actually they were a reminder that she could use this matter to ingratiate herself with Wang Ruhai—more precisely, to see if she could ingratiate herself with the Chancellor's mansion behind Wang Ruhai.

Her family might not match the Chancellor's mansion, but it would not reduce her to bowing and scraping before its people, nor would it make her lose her conscience and commit the act of killing the innocent to gain merit.

Although Hu Jiushisan is a fox demon, not a subject of Daxia and has never paid taxes to Daxia, at least he abides by the law and has never harmed Daxia's people.

She must treat Hu Jiushisan and similar fox demons with an ordinary mind!

Once she commits the act of killing the innocent to gain merit, she will slay every fox demon within Daxia's borders, regardless of whether they have done evil; she does not know if she will be rewarded by the Demon Suppression Office, but she clearly knows that doing so will bring endless calamity.

'Good, good, good… Baihu Yu Die, you certainly have a stubborn backbone!'

Wei Yuan's face turned cold, and he spoke in a sarcastic tone, having meant well by letting Yu Die participate in the affair of ingratiating herself with Wang Ruhai, but he never expected her to say such things, and he said:

'Since Baihu, you act according to conscience, I must judge case by case; this demon dares to follow the family of the zhuangyuan Wang, surely harboring ill intent to harm them. I, together with Attendant Tang, will jointly slay this demon. Baihu Yu Die, being proud and lofty, does not want this merit, so please, Baihu, do not stand in the way!'

He would hope that Yu Die also participates in this matter, not only to give her a favor and give her a chance to ingratiate herself with Wang Ruhai, but also because of Yu Die's identity.

Once Yu Die gives a verdict on Hu Jiushisan's actions, even if someone still doubts whether Hu Jiushisan's following of the Wang family was to harm or protect them, no one would dare to step forward and accuse them of killing the innocent to gain merit.

Even knowing they are killing the innocent to gain merit…

Who let Yu Die, representing the Demon Suppression Office, settle this matter!

Without Yu Die's participation, once this matter spreads, it will easily be seen that he is killing the innocent to gain merit, and it is very likely someone will step forward to accuse him.

However.

Even if someone accuses him, what does it matter? He does not expect to gain the court's reward by doing such a thing; he merely wants to ingratiate himself with Wang Ruhai. Even if Wang Ruhai can see that they are killing the innocent to gain merit, he believes Wang Ruhai will certainly accept them.

Sometimes the attitude with which one acts is useful by an unknown multiple compared to the correctness of the act!

'County Magistrate Wei, look at what you're saying—you are the magistrate of Qingyang County, you hold the power of life and death over the people in your jurisdiction, let alone a mere fox demon. If you want to slay a demon, regardless of whether it has done evil, I have no reason to stop you; I can only say this demon was destined to suffer this calamity!'

Yu Die did not hide the disgust on her face; she knew that an official like Wei Yuan, who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, might be disadvantaged by her attitude, but she felt no fear and coldly said:

'But I still need to remind Magistrate Wei, you are the magistrate of Qingyang County; this fox demon was born of the Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan, which is an ethnic group within your county's jurisdiction.'

'If you slay this demon without absolute evidence, even if you truly gain the appreciation of the zhuangyuan Wang, I think you will not be able to get promoted and leave Qingyang County anytime soon; instead, you will face retaliation from the Nine-headed Mountain Fox Clan.'

'Be careful not to lose the rice while trying to steal the chicken!'

'Thank you for the reminder, Baihu Yu Die!'

Wei Yuan glanced lightly at Yu Die, seeing the disgust on her face, a hint of mockery flickered in the depths of his eyes, and he said:

'But for the people of Qingyang County, even if I die, what is there to fear?'

Looking back to his youth, he was more righteous than Yu Die, despising those who crow like chickens and steal like dogs, hating officials who deceive their superiors and inferiors, and acting based on personal favor.

But after many years, having endured blow after blow and personally seeing one villain after another get promoted and receive raises, he finally came to clearly know a cruel truth.

Even if he were kinder to the people under his jurisdiction, what good would it do?

Without the approval of his superiors, even a truly great official would have no chance of promotion or raise.

Whether it is the emperor in the capital or the high officials there, they would not notice his lowly position as a petty county magistrate; his merits or faults mostly depend on his superiors' words reaching the heavens. Of course.

At most, he wouldn't even be worthy of a glance from the emperor, let alone from the high officials in the capital.

Only upon reaching a certain rank would the capital's high officials or the emperor deign to glance at him.

Yu Die smiled, said nothing, and her eyes were full of mockery.

Don't be fooled by Wei Yuan's pleasant words; how could she fail to guess his thoughts? Nothing more than 'after my death, let the flood rage.'

Seeing that there was no way to drag Yu Die onto his bandwagon, Wei Yuan stopped wasting words with her, nodded to Tang Anzhi beside him, ignored the fox demon Hu Jiushisan, who lay like a puddle of mud, collapsed on the ground, pleading with his gaze.

Had he not been seriously injured, given Hu Jiushisan's current state, he might well have been kneeling and begging for mercy.

Just that.

Even if he knelt and begged for mercy, what good would it do?

'You fox demon, being able to bring me and the zhuangyuan Wang into connection is a lifelong honor for you; what do you have to be unwilling about?'

Wei Yuan thought to himself.

This novel you have arrived at

'Pfft!'

Tang Anzhi burst forth with a mass of magical power, about to strike down Hu Jiushisan when a flash of flowing light flickered and vanished; the next moment, that mass of power was destroyed, and at some point a flying sword appeared before Hu Jiushisan.

Wei Yuan's face changed slightly, and he spoke in an unfriendly tone: 'Baihu, you just said I would handle this demon and you would not stop me, did you not?'

'Not me!'

Yu Die denied.

'Hah, besides you, who else would save this demon…'

Wei Yuan snorted coldly; before he could finish speaking, Tang Anzhi beside him turned grave and said: 'Magistrate Wei, it was not Baihu who made the move!'

'Not Baihu?'

Wei Yuan's face changed drastically; he did not believe Yu Die's words, but he trusted Tang Anzhi's words as they were in the same boat, and he exclaimed in panic: 'Who then?'

Tang Anzhi said: 'Magistrate Wei, have you forgotten? You just said those words!'

'The words I just said…'

Wei Yuan was first stunned, then realized, and said: 'Indeed, I was not mistaken; there is an extremely vicious person lying in ambush nearby!'

(End of chapter)