Director Liu only stayed briefly at the Town Protector's Office before leaving.
"Master, what does it mean that Liu Gonggong came all the way here to say those words?"
After Liu left, a young man in a black robe entered the hall and immediately asked.
Clearly, he had overheard the conversation earlier.
"Liu Gonggong is implying that I should drive some of the demons to Jianghai Prefecture," Jiang Tao explained.
For nearly a century, most of the prefectures in Yongnan Province had been suffering from demon invasions, while Jianghai Prefecture had remained relatively stable.
Even the demons feared the reputation of 'Chongwu Marquis' and dared not enter easily.
"Why do that?" The young man was confused. "There is no Town Protector's Office in Jianghai Prefecture, and now that the Chongwu Marquis has left, wouldn't this only cause more casualties for the common people?!"
"You don't understand," Jiang Tao shook his head. "What the higher-ups want is exactly this. There needs to be some disturbance before the court can legitimately take control of Jianghai Prefecture."
The young man fell silent. Liu Gonggong's brief statement actually carried so much weight?
Only someone seasoned in the ways of the court could understand such implications.
Yet, at this point, they were still engaging in these scheming tactics, and the lives of the common folk were being treated as mere bargaining chips by those in power. How tragic.
The young man couldn't help but snort, "What a ridiculous idea from Liu Gonggong, this is truly a crime against our country!"
Jiang Tao didn't reply. He knew that Liu Gonggong was just a tool, a messenger. What was being carried out... was the will of someone higher up.
"Then, Master, what are your thoughts?" the young man asked again.
"I won't drive them out actively, but if those demons hear some rumors and choose to invade Jianghai Prefecture, don't blame me for it," Jiang Tao said softly.
As the Provincial General, he had already exhausted his efforts in dealing with those vicious demons. If another prefecture could share the burden, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
Especially since that prefecture wasn't his responsibility.
It should be noted that Jiang Tao had once sought help from the Chongwu Marquis because of the demon problem in Yongnan Province, but the Marquis had never responded. This had made Jiang Tao feel resentment toward the Chongwu Marquis.
Clearly a man with immense martial power, yet he lived in a remote corner, doing nothing but waiting for death.
Now, the opportunity for revenge had arrived.
...
At Tiger Head Mountain, there was a naturally formed cave. Its terrain was dangerous and easy to defend, making it hard to attack.
Because of its strategic location, the cave had been taken over by a group of mountain bandits as their base. They even renovated it into a "Hall of Unity."
At that moment, the Hall of Unity was holding a victory banquet. The bandits had just raided several nearby villages and returned triumphant.
The table was filled with beef and mutton, and each leader had a woman in their arms.
These women were also captured from nearby villages. Their faces were stiff as they allowed the bandit leaders to kiss and hug them.
A few minutes earlier, they had witnessed one of their companions being beaten to death by a leader for slapping him.
Then, the dead body of their companion was thrown to the crazed little minions as a reward, even after death, there was no peace.
"I have something to say, please listen up, brothers!"
At that moment, a burly man sitting at the head of the table spoke. Unlike the other leaders, he had four women in his arms.
The whole Hall of Unity instantly fell silent, and all the bandits looked up at their leader with fervent expressions.
The leader stood up, raised his wine cup, and said loudly:
"When you all followed me, I promised you that I would make sure you lived well!"
"Now, I've fulfilled half of that promise. Please continue following me, and let's become bigger and stronger and create even more glory!"
"Become bigger and stronger and create glory!" The others shouted loudly, their faces flushed, their voices echoing across the entire Tiger Head Mountain.
The loud voices, however, made them unaware of a sound cutting through the air above.
Thud!
The next moment, two figures suddenly appeared before the bandits.
The leader blinked, and two people appeared in his vision. He was immediately shocked!
The two looked like grandfather and grandson, but oddly, the grandson was holding his grandfather as if he were a toy.
Something was wrong!
"I say, Lord Fang, can you put me down now?" Old Qin said humbly. After all, he was a member of the Chongwu Guard, and being held like this was quite embarrassing.
"No need, it'll be over soon," Fang Yuan replied, casually looking around.
"Who are these filthy creatures! They dare to break into my mountain gate!" The leader was stunned by what he saw, but then a small bandit yelled and grabbed a nearby wine jug, charging toward Fang Yuan, seemingly trying to crack open his head.
"Really foolish..." Fang Yuan sighed.
Boom!!!
As he spoke, a dazzling lightning bolt suddenly flashed across the hall. The bandit's forward movement froze, and not just him—the entire hall became silent.
The bandits seemed to be petrified, frozen in place.
The women who had been captured from good families were confused by the bizarre scene. A strong burnt smell suddenly entered their noses.
Then, they saw that the bodies of all the bandits were covered in numerous neat, straight cuts!
What was most striking was the leader. Not only did his body show cut marks, but his appearance also changed, turning from human into that of a wild boar.
In the next moment, whether it was the boar or the bandits, their bodies shattered into pieces, turning into a pile of meat...
Not a drop of blood was spilled, as all the cuts were charred.
Fang Yuan, being kind-hearted, couldn't bear to see blood.
"Ah!!!"
The women screamed, their faces pale.
"Stop screaming," Fang Yuan shouted. Immediately, all the women stopped their screams.
In the presence of this lord, they didn't dare defy him in the slightest.
Captured by the bandits, they had at least been alive, but now that they were in the hands of this lord...
They were still thinking, when the handsome young man with a divine appearance waved his hand:
"What's the use of just screaming? Get moving and run for your lives!"
After saying that, the young man lightly tapped his toes and lifted the old man in his hand into the air once more.
Looking at the direction in which the grandfather and grandson disappeared, the women were left stunned. Was this how they were going to live?
Such divine magic—was this person a god or a demon?
If he was a god, why would he use such cruel methods to kill?
But if he was a demon, why only kill evil bandits and save them?
[Slain a Three-Staged Pig Demon, Good Deeds +300]
[Exterminated a group of mountain bandits, Good Deeds +1500]
[Saved a group of good women, Good Deeds +500]
"Three good deeds in one go, and this is all I get..." Fang Yuan muttered to himself in the sky.
"But the world really is chaotic and absurd..."
Looking at the pig demon leading the bandits shouting about becoming bigger and stronger, even Fang Yuan felt a sense of absurdity in his heart.
"Then let's cause a huge commotion," he said.
The gaze in his eyes grew brighter than ever. This was the third time on the way.
As Fang Yuan headed toward Fenggu County, he was also punishing the wicked and eliminating evil, his actions swift and decisive!
The Lord of Chongwu Marquis hadn't misjudged this time. Only this terrifying young man, who hated evil with a passion, could bear the responsibility of ruling Jianghai Prefecture!