In the hall of that lavish manor, Ye Tiancheng, the Prefectural Governor of Pingxi Prefecture, sat in front of his desk with an icy expression on his face. A few officials in Pingxi City stood below with their heads lowered while they quivered in fear. Quite a number of them had beads of sweat on their foreheads. The young lord of the Prefectural Governor had just been murdered by someone outside of this lavish manor today and this made them feel apprehensive. They weren't sure just what kind of flame was burning in his heart at this moment...

"That Yan Liqiang is from Qinhe County's Liuhe Town. He's currently a student at the Pingxi Prefecture Martial Arts Academy and s-seemed to also be the bodyguard of the Military Governor…" The official made the report with his head lowered. He secretly wiped his cold sweat as he spoke.

"How did such an atrocious person manage to get into the Pingxi Prefecture Martial Arts Academy and even be chosen as a bodyguard by Huangfu Qianqi?"

"Sources claim that Yan Liqiang is ranked first among the top three in this year's Martial Arts County Trial Examination in Qinghe County…"

"No wonder why!" The Prefectural Governor's gaze flickered. "What's Yan Liqiang's family background? Does he have any other relatives or siblings?"

"There are only two people in Yan Liqiang's household, him and Yan Dechang. He has no other siblings and no one has heard of his relatives…"

The expression on the Prefectural Governor's face relaxed slightly. "Yan Liqiang and Yan Dechang are guilty of terrible crimes. They have been executed and all their properties shall be confiscated…"

"Understood…"

"It is unfortunate for such terrible event to happen in Pingxi City. Please appease the clans of the two girls who were murdered by Yan Liqiang as well as the family of w.a.n.g Zhaofei who died for his courageous act in Huanglong County as much as possible. You may distribute part of the properties seized from Yan Liqiang as financial support to them..."

"How merciful of you, Sir…"

"The Pingxi Prefecture Martial Arts Academy isn't some haven for criminals. Have the Law Enforcement Office investigate the martial arts academy to see if there are still any questionable individuals who collude with Yan Liqiang in there. If there are, have the martial arts academy expel them and ban them for life."

"Understood."

"The incident from tonight caused quite a huge commotion that will provoke discussions. To prevent the rise of such discussions and turmoil in people's hearts, I expect to see announcements posted everywhere in Pingxi City to rea.s.sure the public before the next sunrise…"

"Yes…"

...

Next, the Prefectural Governor continued giving out his orders one by one. Those officials who accepted the orders left the hall in a hurry and began mobilizing the legal parties in Pingxi City to settle various matters related to the aftermath of the incident.

The Prefectural Governor only left the hall after settling all public affairs and slowly made his way towards a courtyard behind the lavish manor.

Upon seeing the arrival of the Prefectural Governor, all the servants and guards in the courtyard withdrew with their heads lowered, so silently that not even their breaths were audible.

There was a room in the courtyard and the room had already been arranged. A few white candles were lit in the room and there was a long table placed in the center. Ye Xiao laid there, and his lifeless body was covered by a piece of white fabric.

Ye Xiao's master, the man in black, was also there. His injured right hand had already been wrapped up. However, anger and unwillingness were still evident on his face.

Ye Tiancheng walked to the center of the room and uncovered the white fabric. He took a single glance at Ye Xiao who was covered beneath the cloth.

Ye Xiao's corpse was pale and stiff. It had already been cleaned up by the coroner in the Law Enforcement Office in the city in the shortest amount of time. Even the wound on his neck and chest, as well as his detached ears had all been st.i.tched up. No one could really tell afterward as they were covered up by a layer of powder.

Since Ye Xiao's eyes couldn't be shut, two copper coins tied up with a red string were placed on top of them.

"I've taken care of you like my own son for more than twenty years since you were only three months old. I believe that you have already enjoyed all the glory, splendor, wealth, luxurious lifestyle and women over these years. An ordinary person might not necessarily enjoy all the pleasures you experienced in these twenty years even over three lifetimes. Today marks your death, but you shouldn't hold any regrets either. Even if you didn't die today and Yan Liqiang escaped from here, this matter would also have been exposed. Perhaps even I would not have the power to cover it up for you by then. Therefore, don't blame me for not rescuing you today. Think of it as a retribution…" There was no sign of sadness on Ye Tiancheng's face, let alone any tears in his eyes. He only looked at Ye Xiao's corpse calmly and spoke softly using a tone that did not suit a father. After he finished speaking, he gently covered the body again with the white fabric.

The man in black spatted vehemently, "This stand-in is nothing but useless thrash. He lived in such great conditions yet he couldn't even advance as a Martial Warrior after all these years. He couldn't even keep his foolery with a few women down and caused so much trouble."

"Mo Leng, I guess you can only train yourself to use a sword with your left hand from now on." Ye Tiancheng took a single glance at the man in black. "You shall leave Pingxi City tomorrow and find a place to recuperate. When your injuries have recovered, get a new ident.i.ty for yourself and look for Xiao'er. In the previous letter he wrote home, he mentioned that he already advanced as a Supreme Martial Warrior in the Divine Sword Sect and is able to cultivate in the inner sect. Not only that, but he has also captured the attention of an elder in the Divine Sword Sect and has a bright future ahead of him…"

"Understood!" The man in black looked down at the floor. "If the Young Master ever returns, his ident.i.ty…"

"The current situation is already chaotic as it is, so we shall leave matters of the future when the time comes. We no longer need to hide anything now. The entire Gan Province is ours." The Prefectural Governor's eyes lit up.

"Right!"

"Bring Zhao Songming in…"

The guard captain of the lavish manor kneeled at the entrance the moment he arrived at the room. He was completely drenched in sweat and didn't dare to even lift his head.

The Prefectural Governor stared at him coldly and wordlessly. He then suddenly lifted a finger and a red fiery snake shot out from the tip of his finger. It penetrated into the crown of the guard captain's head and went into his body. The guard captain who was kneeling on the floor only let out a blood-curdling scream and immediately collapsed onto the floor. His body was set ablaze along with his hair and clothes. In just a moment's time, all that remained of him was only a charred corpse. The entire room was filled with a waft of a pungent odor.

The Prefectural Governor and the man in black left the room soon after that. Someone was then sent in to dispose of the charred corpse.

However, no one was aware that Yan Liqiang was in this room too.

Yan Liqiang had been following the Prefectural Governor of Pingxi Prefecture since he left the hall, and he had witnessed everything with his own eyes.

He finally understood why the Prefectural Governor seemed to be unaffected by the death of his 'son'. It turned out that this Ye Xiao was merely a stand-in the Prefectural Governor kept by his side while his real son was cultivating in Divine Sword Sect under another ident.i.ty.

The Divine Sword Sect was one of the four major sects of the Great Han Empire, and it was also a renowned sect.

Much like the attention and sensitivity Yan Liqiang had observed in his previous world towards the children of public figures and government officials, it was the same for the children of an official in this world, especially those who had a certain ranking. Most often, the emblem of the sect they carried and their connections to others sects were similarly a very sensitive topic for many people. That was because this signified a certain level of affiliation. Perhaps this was the exact reason why the Prefectural Governor of Pingxi Prefecture had gone through so much trouble to find a stand-in for his son to stay by his side.

After the birth of his son, the Prefectural Governor of Pingxi Prefecture had already found a stand-in for his son. Even the stand-in didn't know he was living under someone else's ident.i.ty. This was simply a very terrifying scheme. Another thing that Yan Liqiang didn't expect was the strength that the Prefectural Governor possessed. The power he released from his single finger was too great of a shock to Yan Liqiang. He had no clue as to what heights the Prefectural Governor's cultivation realm had reached. However, he did not have a single doubt that the Prefectural Governor was much more powerful than the man in black whose name was Mo Leng.

The room was already empty by now. Yan Liqiang stayed in the room for a moment before he pa.s.sed through the wall of the room like an invisible ghost. He came to the main street outside then flew towards the Law Enforcement Office.

...

As expected, announcements from the Law Enforcement Office were pasted in every corner of Pingxi City.

The announcement reported that Yan Liqiang and Yan Dechang were heinous criminals who abducted girls from respectable clans while Ye Xiao and w.a.n.g Haofei were courageous youths who had discovered Yan Liqiang's suspicious activity, rescuing the girls whom Yan Liqiang had abducted in a joint effort. They then brought the three of them to Ye Xiao's residence and were about prepare a report for the authorities. However, they didn't expect Yan Liqiang to be so powerful, sinister, sly, and cunning. He waited for an opening to escape from Ye Xiao's residence and then murdered the girls he had abducted along with w.a.n.g Haofei. Not only that, he also held Ye Xiao hostage and murdered a few guards in the manor. In his attempt to flee the scene, he was finally intercepted in the main street outside Ye Xiao's residence. Yan Liqiang and his father had stubbornly put up a stiff resistance but were finally ordered to be executed on sight by the Prefectural Governor, a man of complete integrity. Ye Xiao was unfortunately murdered before Yan Liqiang's death and consequently the Prefectural Governor lost his beloved son in the process of upholding the laws and ridding the empire of evil...

The announcement sent shockwaves across Pingxi City. Countless people praised the Prefectural Governor for his virtue and integrity. Yan Liqiang and Yan Dechang on the other hand were disrespected and reviled by countless people...

s.h.i.+ Dafeng, who was at the Pingxi Prefecture Martial Arts Academy, was forcefully expelled from the academy the next day since he was close with Yan Liqiang.

...

When news traveled to Liuhe Town of Qinghe County, Butcher Liu and his son grew angry.

"I knew it all along that the father and son from the Yan Clan were no good, especially that Yan Liqiang. First among the top three my a.s.s. He didn't even use his little talent the right way and turned out to be a heinous criminal. Murders and arsons, he had done them all! He never really fit in with the rest since young. This must be karma. Luckily they were exposed in Pingxi City this time. Otherwise, Liuhe Town will suffer a calamity one day…" Butcher Liu stood at his pork vendor stand and repeated the same story every time someone came to buy meat...

...

When all of Pingxi City was holding a mourning ceremony for the courageous young lord of the Prefectural Governor, people at the mortuary of the Law Enforcement office were deliberately making things difficult for Qian Su and Zhou Tiezhu who had come to claim the corpses of Yan Liqiang and Yan Dechang. In the end, Qian Su only managed to retrieve their bodies after paying someone for their a.s.sistance in settling the matter. He then secretly cremated the bodies somewhere outside Pingxi City...

...

A few days later, Yan Liqiang watched Qian Su and Zhou Tiezhu secretly bury Yan Dechang and his ashes underneath two pine trees in a jungle on Mount Hundred Zhang in Qinghe County.

"Both of you can only find peace if I bury you here. If I buried you in Liuhe Town, your graves would probably be destroyed at any moment by the clans of the two victims from Pingxi City…" Qian Su muttered to the two urns. He couldn't stop his tears from falling.

Zhou Tiezhu who had always been a manly man was sobbing profusely right at this moment.

...

"Take it away and burn it…" In the Lu Residence of Huanglong County, Old Master Lu looked sadly at the portrait of King Cobra that Yan Liqiang had left on a wooden board before he let out a sigh in the end and handed the portrait to Lu Peien. "How is the Yan Clan now?"

Back then when Lu Peien sent someone to bring over the portrait that Yan Liqiang had drawn, Old Master Lu had viewed it as a wondrous object at first glance and meticulously kept it as a collection. At this point in time, Old Master Lu had no choice but to take it out and burn it. He didn't dare to keep it any longer, in case it would invite trouble.

"Qian Su already buried their ashes. The Yan Clan's properties have already been confiscated, leaving only an old woman by the name of Mother Wu. I have already made some arrangements for her to be sent to the Temple of Grat.i.tude…" Lu Peien replied.

"Alright, I guess that's the least we can do!" Old Master Lu raised his head towards the heavens and let out a long sigh.

...