Chapter 399: Qi With No Place to Scatter

County Magistrate Wei, you're at least a court‑appointed official; look at your disgraceful, eye‑catching demeanor—you've completely thrown the face of our Daxia away!

Yu Die looked at Wei Yuan with disgust, sneering, "You don't have to be so scared; just now the person held a long sword to your throat but didn't intend to take your life."

Now that person has left; even if they linger nearby, they won't end your life unless you've done some heinous crime that angers heaven and man, otherwise they won't kill a scum like you, lest they soil their own hands!

She isn't the type who despises evil as a personal enemy, intolerant of any impurity; if Wei Yuan were merely a coward who clings to life, even though he's the County Magistrate of Qingyang County, a court‑appointed official, she wouldn't say much.

First, it's to save face for Wei Yuan and the court; second, the world is full of all kinds of people, and the cowardly are everywhere.

Not long ago.

She had once faced a life‑and‑death crisis; at that time, she had to admit that feeling any fear was inevitable, she herself could hardly treat death as if returning home, let alone force others not to fear death.

She refuses to give Wei Yuan any face and sneers at him because his killing of the righteous for personal gain has crossed her red line; if the target of his murderous ambition had been a monster—though it never harmed humans, it clearly could not have done any good for humanity—she would have a different stance.

She has no reason to help the other side!

Otherwise.

Seeing Wei Yuan commit such despicable, beastly acts of killing the righteous for personal gain, how could she merely be sneering here?

"Yu Baihu, are you saying that the Evil Cultivator lying in ambush nearby won't threaten my life?"

Wei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief at the words, but he remained vigilant, keeping a close watch on his surroundings; should any wind or rustle arise, he'd be ready to bolt, muttering incantations under his breath.

Clearly he was employing a defensive Confucian text!

Wave after wave of pure, lofty Qi gathered around him, safeguarding his personal safety.

Given Tang Anzhi's recent actions, it's already good that Tang didn't use him for murderous ambition; he won't place his life in Tang Anzhi's hands again.

Yu Die sneered, "County Magistrate Wei, why don't you find a mirror and look at yourself? For a magistrate like you, what benefit does anyone get from killing you?"

If.

'Li Fugui' is an evil man who practices demonic arts; he probably longs for more court‑appointed officials like Wei Yuan, the more the better—perhaps he'll find opportunities to do business with Wei Yuan. How could Li Fugui possibly be idle enough to jeopardize Wei Yuan's life?

"Yu Baihu, you're right; killing me brings him no benefit!"

Wei Yuan nodded in agreement, unperturbed; Yu Die's sneering had long since passed him—when people sneer at him, he almost wishes to grind the offender into mush out of spite.

Of course.

He knows Yu Die is not to be messed with; her status and background aren't something he can provoke. Unless absolutely necessary, it's best not to offend Yu Die—being sneered at a few times is nothing.

Otherwise.

If it were someone else, daring to sneer at him—even just whispering a few bad words behind his back—he would make them pay dearly.

Does he really think I'm good‑natured?

If I don't deal with the offender, others will think I'm easy to bully.

"County Magistrate Wei, Imperial Attendant Tang, your murderous ambition has been thwarted; trying to climb the connection to the Prince‑Examiner will be difficult. Perhaps you should first attend to the legitimate business that brought you here?"

Yu Die retorted slyly, "If you're here without business, I advise you to leave early; after all, the Zhang Family has a lot going on!"

"Yu Baihu, the way you put it—I'm the County Magistrate of Qingyang County; I have to handle every matter, big or small, day in and day out. If there were no business, how could I be at Shizi Ling? Do you think I'm idly sightseeing?" Wei Yuan snorted in displeasure, about to speak, when a constable ran up from nearby, frowning, "What's the matter?"

Most of the constables were stationed near the Zhang Family to guard his safety, but those useless ones didn't show up when he was seized by Wang Ping'an.

He knows, though.

The constables of Qingyang County aren't all useless, but they only bully ordinary folk; expecting them to protect one's life is almost impossible.

Otherwise he wouldn't have spent a fortune to invite Tang Anzhi to his residence as Imperial Attendant; beyond safeguarding his life, he needs nothing else from Tang.

However.

Tang Anzhi isn't a decent person either; after taking so many of his cultivation resources, he almost treated him as a stepping stone.

He harbors grievances against Tang Anzhi, and is full of resentment toward those constables who, during his seizure, didn't even lift a finger to help.

Mao He and Yu Guang glanced at Wang Lin, their eyes showing barely concealed envy; but seeing Wei Yuan's displeased expression, they hurriedly replied:

"County Magistrate, Young Master Dai has arrived and wishes to come in and have a look; should we let him in?"

This novel you to

He was very envious; the Wang Lin family produced a qilin child, and his only son, on the imperial examination path, passed with flying colors and became a top candidate, a third‑place scholar.

He never imagined.

Within Qingyang County, a Mountain God emerged, somehow linked to Wang Lin—being Wang Lin's elder brother‑in‑law. He even suspected that it wasn't Wang Lin's newborn grandson who was the Great Benevolent Person Reincarnation, but that Wang Lin himself was the Great Benevolent Person Reincarnation.

Otherwise.

How come all the good happenings under heaven seem to involve Wang Lin!

If Hutou Gou didn't have a Land God, he would speculate whether, after a hundred years, Wang Lin would assume the Land of Hutou Gou.

"Young Master Dai, which Dai? Even cats and dogs dare to call you Young Master. Do you think this is a brothel? If he wants to come in, let him…"

Wei Yuan rebuked sharply, about to unleash a tirade at Mao He, venting the anger he couldn't release on Tang Anzhi, all onto Mao He; Mao He hurriedly said:

"County Magistrate, it's Dai Zhishang, Young Master Dai!"

During this period, he was stationed by Wei Yuan to guard outside the Zhang Family, but because the constables accompanying Wei this time were unusually many—almost three‑quarters of Qingyang County's constables were mobilized to protect Wei's safety—the area near the Zhang Family could be described as having a constable every three steps.

Even though he was at the front gate, far from the back gate, the events at the back were relayed through the constables, and he knew them perfectly.

He understood why Wei Yuan was inexplicably furious—it was because he had just been seized by an Evil Cultivator and nearly lost his life.

"Whether I call him Dai Zhishang or Dai Zhixia…"

Wei Yuan shouted angrily, but before finishing his sentence, he snapped to attention, frowned, and asked, "Which member of the Dai family?"

Mao He nodded.

Wei Yuan said irritably, "He shouldn't stay in the county seat; why run to this remote, barren mountain? Does he intend to be captured and tormented by a monster again?"

(End of Chapter)