Chapter 834: All the Things of Yesterday Are Like Dying Yesterday

Feng Province, provincial capital.

Lu Residence.

Lu Wenzheng sat alone in his study.

He had sat withered in the study for an entire night; in just one night, he appeared much older.

"Master."

An old steward hurried to the outside of the study, "Everyone has been sent away."

Lu Wenzheng nodded, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Old Song, you should go too."

The steward named Old Song had a resolute expression:

"My Song family has served the master's house for generations; how could there be any reason to abandon my master and leave?"

Lu Wenzheng did not speak, merely waving his hand.

Old Song bowed to him, then retreated.

Inside the study, Lu Wenzheng picked up the wine on the desk, poured himself a cup, and drank it in one gulp.

The strong liquor entered his throat, so spicy it made him shed tears.

He had received the intelligence from Datong Prefecture yesterday afternoon and learned the final result.

Thus he understood that his momentum was gone, and he was powerless to turn the tide!

He had wanted to control Feng Province, relying first on his layouts and accumulations over these years, and second on military deterrence.

The strongest military forces in his hands were the five hundred-plus Imperial Camp soldiers in the provincial capital, the Green Mountain Sword Sect, and the Hongyi University and Grandmaster Xu Jing.

As it turned out, the two Martial Dao Masters of the Green Mountain Sword Sect and Xu Jing were all gone.

Because of this, he could no longer control either the Green Mountain Sword Sect or Hongyi University.

With only the five hundred-plus Imperial Camp soldiers remaining, Lu Wenzheng had no confidence that he could keep their military morale unchanged.

Therefore, the military deterrence had already failed.

And without military deterrence, no matter how many other methods remained, it was impossible to control the situation.

At this moment, Lu Wenzheng actually still had a chance to flee overnight, heading north to defect to the First Imperial Prince and Prince Li.

But he did not run.

After being abandoned by the Lu family and losing almost all his peripheral forces, the only bargaining chip he had left was Feng Province.

Now that he could not take Feng Province and had lost his most important bargaining chip, his value to the First Imperial Prince was not much.

Lu Wenzheng could cooperate with the other side, participating in the coming battles as an ally.

But as the head of one of the "Ten Great Clans," he could not accept begging like a dog, hoping for the other side to take him in so he could linger on in a desperate state.

Better to marry a woman of the ten surnames than to enter the Emperor's house!

Although this saying was somewhat exaggerated, it illustrated that the "Ten Great Clans"—ancient families that had existed longer than many dynasties—naturally possessed a near-deformed self-esteem and arrogance.

So Lu Wenzheng did not choose to flee; he only arranged for his family members to run away, while he sat quietly in the study, waiting for the final moment to arrive.

Provincial Government Building.

A crowd of provincial officials had also not slept well and were waiting anxiously.

They had not yet learned of the battle results from Datong Prefecture, but they had all more or less sensed the movements at the Lu Residence.

Lu Wenzheng was continuously sending his family members away!

This was not a good omen, so the officials were all very uneasy.

"Urgent order from the Central Government!"

An official holding a telegram suddenly shouted as he rushed out of the office.

Before long, the entire government building was alarmed by this telegram sent from the Central Government!

Soon, the content of the telegram spread among all the officials in the provincial capital:

"It is now reported that the Feng Province Inspection Commissioner Lu Wenzheng, having received the nation's grace for generations and holding a frontier position, dared to secretly conspire with rebels, privately store armor and weapons, and together with Hongyi University President Xu Jing, commit treason; his crimes are beyond pardon!

The Marquis of Jing'an has already personally executed the rebel Xu Jing!

It is hereby ordered to strip Lu Wenzheng of his position and revoke all titles. Specifically, the Marquis of Jing'an Li Fei is ordered to take over Feng Province, holding all military and political power; all officials and soldiers of Feng Province must obey his orders.

From the day this order is issued, any who were coerced into following the rebellion, if they can repent and abandon their weapons to surrender, may be dealt with leniently.

If they still hold weapons to resist arrest or slander the imperial will, then wherever the royal army points and the thunder strikes, the rebel party shall be ground to powder, and regret will be too late!

The Mandate of Heaven is clear; those who submit shall prosper, and those who resist shall perish. Proclaim this to the world, so that all may hear and know!"

This telegram from the Central Government stirred up a thousand waves!

Many officials who could not yet see the situation clearly now completely understood what was going on.

Even the strongest Grandmaster Xu Jing was gone; if the Marquis of Jing'an brought people to kill them, what could Lu Wenzheng use to block him?

No wonder the other party had been arranging for his family to run away since last night.

Lu Wenzheng had thrown in the towel and admitted defeat!

With even the leader Lu Wenzheng giving up, the remaining followers, except for die-hards like the steward Old Song, naturally had no heart to resist.

Some quick-witted ones had already begun preparing to welcome Li Fei to take over the provincial capital.

Thus, these people took the initiative to attack Lu Wenzheng's die-hard confidants!

When Li Fei arrived at the provincial capital piloting the black boat, the entire city was in chaos.

He piloted the black boat to the sky above the Lu Residence.

Below, more than four hundred Imperial Camp soldiers had the entire Lu Residence surrounded!

These Imperial Camp soldiers were not protecting the Lu Residence, but were pointing their weapons at it, preventing those inside from escaping.

Besides this, several dozen officials were waiting anxiously to the side.

When everyone saw the black boat in the sky, they waved and shouted, very excited.

Li Fei piloted the black boat to land.

Before he could even get off the boat, several dozen officials hurried toward him.

"Greetings, Marquis of Jing'an!"

"Marquis, we have already surrounded the entire Lu Residence; not a single person has been let out!"

"Marquis, Lu Wenzheng's party has all been captured by us!"

The crowd of officials said to Li Fei very excitedly.

Li Fei had not expected this result.

He had already prepared himself mentally for Lu Wenzheng to run away with people or put up a stubborn resistance.

He had not expected it to be like this.

There was no need for him to do anything; the enemy had already been completely subdued!

"Someone come and tell me, what is going on here?"

Li Fei asked.

"Marquis."

A man wearing blue official robes with the sun, moon, and stars printed on his chest stepped forward, revealing a near-sycophantic smile.

His name was Liang Xin, the Chief of the Feng Province Stop-Conflict Department, a Level 16 Cabinet Official and Martial Dao Master.

In daily life, he was very close to Lu Wenzheng and was an undisputed member of the "Lu Party."

But today, he was the first to stand up and take action, capturing the confidants Lu Wenzheng had planted in the Stop-Conflict Department. He was also the first to lead people to surround the Lu Residence.

"This is the telegram sent by the Central Cabinet today; please take a look."

Liang Xin respectfully handed the telegram over with both hands.

He and Li Fei were both Cabinet Officials and both Martial Dao Masters; such a posture was undoubtedly a bit too low.

But Liang Xin knew clearly that the young man before him would decide his fate from here on!

Li Fei took the telegram and read it, then understood what was going on.

The Central Government had ordered him to temporarily take over Feng Province and hold all military and political power.

This meant that from the moment the order was issued, he held the power of life and death over the entire Feng Province!

Such power was even more exaggerated than that of Lu Wenzheng, the Inspection Commissioner!

Li Fei glanced at Liang Xin and understood why the other party had this posture.

He swept his gaze over the uneasy crowd of officials behind the other party; these people were all more or less connected to Lu Wenzheng.

If he were to settle scores later, these people were all likely to suffer!

"You lords have worked hard. Now, all of you disperse and return to your posts; do not let the provincial capital fall into any more chaos."

Li Fei issued his first order after taking over Feng Province.

Hearing this, the crowd let out a sigh of relief and bowed to Li Fei:

"As you command!"

After the officials dispersed, Li Fei refused the escort of the Imperial Camp soldiers and walked into the Lu Residence alone.

In yesterday's battle, almost all his blood souls were exhausted.

However, with 【Blood Breath】, it did not take long for the Ten Thousand Blood Pearl to recover 50% of its blood volume.

With over 2000 blood souls on him, even if the Lu Residence were a dragon's den or tiger's lair, Li Fei dared to break in!

Inside the Lu Residence, the steward Old Song stood quietly behind the main gate.

Upon seeing Li Fei, he bowed:

"Please follow me, Marquis; the Master is waiting for you in the study."

"Good."

Li Fei followed behind the other person.

This was his first time walking into the Lu residence, and it might also be his last.

Today, the Lu residence appeared extremely desolate; he did not see a single soul along the way.

After passing through over a dozen corridors and several courtyards, Old Song led Li Fei outside Lu Wenzheng's study.

Li Fei immediately sensed that there was indeed only Lu Wenzheng inside the study.

He strode directly inside.

Lu Wenzheng looked up at Li Fei, revealing a relieved smile.

On his desk sat a bottle of red wine from the Western Continent, and the bottle was already empty.

There was a flush on his face; he was already somewhat intoxicated.

"You finally came. If you aren't in a rush to act, shall we sit and chat?"

Lu Wenzheng said to Li Fei.

Li Fei stepped forward and sat down at the desk in a bold, unconstrained manner:

"What do you want to chat about?"

After killing Xu Jing, the resentment and anger buried deep in his heart had diminished significantly, so he could now sit down and chat with Lu Wenzheng with relative composure.

Lu Wenzheng looked at Li Fei earnestly; this was his first time observing this legendary Marquis, famous throughout the world, from such close proximity.

"Back then, the layout to frame Shangguan Xiao and target Hao Yi was ultimately aimed at reaching a cooperation with Xu Jing to help him break through to become a Grandmaster.

Otherwise, two mere Dao Foundation realm martial artists would not have been worth me exhausting my efforts to target. If I had known of you earlier, I would have abandoned Xu Jing and let you become an honored guest of my Lu family."

Lu Wenzheng looked into Li Fei's eyes and said earnestly.

There was indeed a grudge between Xu Jing and Hao Yi; Xu Jing could not eradicate his inner demon without killing Hao Yi.

But between Lu Wenzheng and the two, Hao Yi and Shangguan Xiao, there was truly no fundamental conflict.

If he had known earlier that Li Fei could achieve such accomplishments today, he would definitely have abandoned Xu Jing without hesitation and chosen to support Li Fei with all his might!

"What is the point of saying these things now?"

Li Fei asked calmly.

"That's right, it's meaningless now."

Lu Wenzheng smiled and shook his head, "I just feel it's a bit unjust, a bit stifling, that's all."

Who could have imagined that killing two Dao Foundation realm martial artists would end up provoking someone like Li Fei?

As the head of one of the ten great noble families, to end up in such a state?

"I didn't run; I waited here for you to kill me. I only ask one thing of you."

Lu Wenzheng withdrew his smile and said in a deep voice.

Li Fei: "Let's hear it."

He truly had not expected that Lu Wenzheng would not run.

The other party surely possessed flight-type magic treasures; if he had taken people and flown away directly, Li Fei would have needed to expend more effort to get his revenge.

"You should be able to easily investigate those who participated in the plot to harm your Master and Mistress. If you want to kill those people, I have nothing to say. But my son and daughter have nothing to do with this matter; I hope you will show mercy and spare them."

Lu Wenzheng said.

Li Fei did not answer directly, but instead asked: "What other trump cards do the First Imperial Prince and Prince Li have?"

Aside from the Hook-Deep Sword Sect, he felt the other party should still be hiding more formidable cards; otherwise, Prince Li would not have taken a side so easily.

Lu Wenzheng shook his head, his expression frank:

"The other party does indeed have hidden cards, but they didn't tell me. However, I have also grasped quite a few of their secrets and understand a portion of their subsequent plans. I will trade this intelligence for the lives of my son and daughter; is that acceptable?"

He knew that it would be difficult to move Li Fei with just a few words, so he had prepared bargaining chips in advance.

"As long as it is confirmed that your son and daughter are innocent, I will not target them."

Li Fei gave his promise.

He had never intended to implicate others in the first place.

Of course, he only promised that he would not target Lu Wenzheng's son and daughter, but given the crimes Lu Wenzheng had committed, the execution of his entire clan was almost a certainty!

The imperial court would certainly not let the others go.

Lu Wenzheng breathed a sigh of relief.

He naturally understood that the imperial court would certainly not spare his family, but as long as Li Fei did not strongly demand their total extermination and did not personally take action against them, at least his son and daughter would still have a certain chance of survival.

"Many thanks."

Lu Wenzheng thanked Li Fei.

Following this, the two had a secret conversation in the study for over twenty minutes.

At one moment, Li Fei walked out of the study, carrying a severed head in his hand.

The sunlight descended, the sunset like blood, illuminating the entire Lu residence in red.

July 8th.

Li Fei sat in command in Feng Province, watching with his own eyes as those who had participated in the plot to harm Hao Yi and Shangguan Xiao back then were all executed!

With the preliminary investigation done by He Jian, plus the active whistleblowing from the officials in the provincial capital, Li Fei could be certain there were no fish that slipped through the net.

"Marquis!"

Inside the government affairs building, Liang Xin arrived outside the office door with a joyful expression, calling out to Li Fei.

"What is it?"

Li Fei looked at the other person.

"A telegram from the Central Secretariat!"

Liang Xin said, walking into the office and presenting the telegram with both hands.

Li Fei took the telegram and read it:

"Though the ears of Heaven are high, there may be errors of oversight; though the heart of the Emperor is bright, it is hard to avoid the flaws of being obscured. Now, based on the review of the Central Secretariat, the case of the former Chief of the Stop-Conflict Academy of Xingcheng, Datong Prefecture, Feng Province, Shangguan Xiao, being accused of treason, is confirmed to be a miscarriage of justice.

We hereby clear her name, restore Shangguan's original rank, and posthumously confer upon her the title of 'Count of Loyal Peace'!

Her husband, Hao Yi, was of upright character and pure conduct; although he did not serve in the imperial court, he practiced moral education and nurtured talent to serve the country.

Now, the Marquis of Jing'an, Li Fei, is the number one prodigy in history, all thanks to the tutelage of Master Hao. We hereby posthumously confer upon Hao Yi the title of 'Marquis of Perseverance'!

When white jade is covered in dust, its purity is eventually revealed; when the green pine stands against the snow, its high integrity is all the more manifest. Let all my officials take this as a model. Proclaim this to the world, so that all may hear and know!"

Looking at the telegram in his hand, Li Fei let out a heavy breath.

Shangguan Xiao's case had finally been overturned, and her innocence restored.

Not only that, she had been posthumously conferred the title of Count of Loyal Peace.

And Hao Yi's case was even more exaggerated; not only was his original crime of raiding the execution ground omitted, but as a commoner, he was even conferred a Marquis title after death!

All of this was simply because Hao Yi had a disciple named Li Fei.

The second telegram issued by the Central Cabinet was also a proclamation to the world.

So from today on, everyone in the world would know that the 'Marquis of Perseverance', Hao Yi, was the master of the number one prodigy in history!

The 49th year of Hongguang, the evening of July 9th.

Li Fei piloted the black boat and flew back to Datong Prefecture.

He came directly to the small mountain where Shi Caiming resided, arriving before the tombstones of Hao Yi and Shangguan Xiao.

Two severed heads were placed on the ground.

One was Xu Jing's, the other was Lu Wenzheng's.

Li Fei knelt on both knees, looking at the two tombstones, and said with a trembling voice:

"Master, Mistress, your disciple has avenged you!"

After speaking, he knocked his head heavily into the dirt, remaining there for a long time without straightening his back.

Not far away, Shi Caiming, who had only one arm left, watched this scene, feeling both comforted and sorrowful.

He turned and walked back to his small courtyard, leaving the space to Li Fei.

That night, Li Fei knelt before the tombstones the entire time, saying many, many things.

When the first ray of sunlight after dawn fell upon the small mountain, Li Fei had already stood back up.

He faced the direction where the sun rose, watching the golden sunlight break through the clouds, plating all things in a layer of golden radiance.

At this very moment, Li Fei felt an unprecedented sense of ease and peace.

Originally, because of his demonic cultivation, the foundation of the 【Dragon-Elephant】 divine ability was unstable, and his control over this divine ability was clearly weaker than the other four, requiring more time than Xiao Tao had needed back then to push the Dragon-Elephant power to the limit of 'Ten Dragons and Ten Elephants'.

But with his state of mind completely renewed at this moment, Li Fei's control over the 【Dragon-Elephant】 divine ability had actually strengthened by a few degrees!

He turned to look at the tombstones of Hao Yi and Shangguan Xiao, an unprecedentedly brilliant smile appearing on his face.

Next, it was time for a new battle!

All things of yesterday are as if they died yesterday.

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(End of chapter)