novelraw Chapter 375 - 223: Divine Fist Unmatched, Number One in Three Counties!
Chapter 375 - 223: Divine Fist Unmatched, Number One in Three Counties!
With these words, not only were the officials from Canghe County shocked, but also Li Zhihe, the Demon Slayer Director from Qingyun, and Li Qiu, the County Captain, were all visibly changed.
Li Qiu quickly spoke, "County Magistrate Tao, these are nearly twenty thousand lives, and moreover, they have surrendered as prisoners. Throughout history, killing prisoners has been considered inauspicious; this action is inappropriate!"
Now that Wang Xuantian is dead, apart from a few who are still resisting, the rest of the Black Mountain army have laid down their arms and surrendered, accounting for nearly twenty thousand prisoners. This is no small number, not just ten or a hundred people.
Tao Xingzheng was planning to casually kill all twenty thousand prisoners with a single sentence!
Feeling the gazes in the hall, Tao Xingzhi realized he had misspoken after being interrupted in thought. After pondering for a moment, he said, "It was a slip of the tongue from me. Perhaps killing them all is inappropriate, but this group of rebels has committed many crimes and cannot easily wash away their sins."
"Moreover, has any of you considered what to do if we don’t kill these twenty thousand people? How much food and money will it take to support them? And how much additional burden will this place on the people of the Three Counties?"
For a moment, the hall fell silent.
They knew full well that feeding these twenty thousand people alone was no small expense. As for executing only their officers? Dispersing the rest across the Three Counties was not practical. If these rebels cause trouble again, it will be a disaster for one region.
Moreover, if the rebels are scattered and absorbed into the military, the Three Counties do not need such a large army and labor force. It exceeds regulation, and the Counties cannot sustain so many soldiers long-term. The mobilized armies of the two counties will also require reductions after the war.
"Lord Tao, why don’t you and I each draft a letter and send them urgently to Qingzhou, reporting the details and leaving the decision to Lord Inspector? Meanwhile, we can also send Wang Xuantian’s corpse to Qingzhou."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall nodded.
No matter how demonic Wang Xuantian was, he was only at the Sixth Grade, yet this person not only displayed a demon technique that reversed life and death but also ignored the Flame Qi of Great Yan to kill the Changfeng County Magistrate. There must be a big secret on this person.
This is also why the Lin Family siblings and Shangguan Ke jointly shouted to preserve the entire body.
Sending this villain’s body to Qingzhou will be a great achievement, which is a good thing for everyone.
"Where is Shangguan Jinling?"
"Reporting to the County Magistrate, Lord Shangguan seemed to have encountered a relative in the city and left the city not long ago."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xing’s eyes flashed with a few rays of light. He knew that this time the Qingzhou Demon Slayer Bureau dispatched two Jinling to assist in quelling the rebels.
Wang Xuantian was clearly part of the Demon Slayer Bureau’s assessment tasks, but if they let Jinling directly take Wang Xuantian’s body away, their credit would be significantly smaller.
"It is only natural for Shangguan to reunite with a relative he hasn’t seen in a long time, so we shouldn’t disturb him. But since this matter is related to the destiny of Great Yan, it can’t be delayed. Therefore, why not have our two counties dispatch elite soldiers to escort them? Director Li, what do you think?"
Li Zhihe, having been an official for over twenty years, could easily discern Lin Xing’s intentions. However, Xiaomu had left, and of the two Jinling who had arrived, one died in battle, and the other reunited with a relative and left the city. He had nothing more to say.
"What Lord Lin said is indeed correct, so be it."
...
On that same day.
The County Magistrates Tao Xingzheng and Lin Xing led their armies to decisively crush the Black Mountain Rebel Army, and the news of Li Feiyu’s Great Spear dominating and his Divine Fist invincibly killing the Black Mountain Celestial King spread around Changfeng County Town.
At dusk, Su Mu quietly returned to Qingyun City.
The next day.
The news spread like wildfire. Although it hadn’t completely spread through Qingyun and Canghe Counties, the cities at the center of the two counties were all in an uproar!
The Black Mountain Army had been entrenched in the Three Counties for nearly a decade, and under Wang Xuantian’s infamous rule, had wreaked havoc, with no major power daring to provoke them lightly.
Even before the great battle, the major powers of the two counties were making preparations, not believing victory could be achieved in one battle, even fearing a disastrous defeat.
However, the developments completely exceeded the expectations of the major powers. This colossal entity of the Black Mountain Rebel Army was annihilated in one battle, and even the infamous Wang Xuantian was killed on the spot by Li Feiyu!
"The heavens have shown their spirit, the County Magistrate’s wisdom and martial prowess has led to the elimination of these damn rebels finally."
"That Hero Li is indeed extraordinary, deserving of the title ’Unparalleled Boxing and Stick Skills.’ It’s said he has hated evildoers all his life, acted chivalrously and righteously. Just a few days ago, he single-handedly killed Wang Xuantian among thousands of troops... Heaven has eyes, to let my Land of Cyan Clouds have a hero like Li. Having Hero Li is truly the fortune of Cyun Cloud!"
Discussions about this great battle swept through the Three Counties for a time. In Qingyun City, from officials to large families, to ordinary citizens, everyone was singing the praises of Li Feiyu.
For a time, the name of Unparalleled Boxing and Stick Skills Li Feiyu was unmatched in popularity. There were whispers of him being honored as the foremost strongman of the Qingyun Three Counties, and when this title was spread, all the martial artists of the Three Counties were wholeheartedly convinced without a word of dissent.
Afterward, in the Three Counties, some people invited Li Feiyu’s longevity tablet into their ancestral halls for their clansmen to worship; some even directly erected a living shrine for Li Feiyu to offer incense and tribute.
"Long Spear aloof, invincible Divine Fist... Wu Lie once mentioned seeing the Taiping Dao Envoy that night on Black Forest Mountain, and that the envoy’s spear resembled the inscriptions on Su the kid’s forged Red Feather Saber..."
"The appearance of that Taiping Dao Envoy was indeed enigmatic, and that Li Feiyu is also said to wield a Seventh Grade red spear, could it be..."
At the Forging Workshop, after hearing the news, the three master blacksmiths gathered, and after a round of discussions, they increasingly believed that Li Feiyu was most likely the Taiping Dao Envoy from that night.
"But why would Li Feiyu turn into the Taiping Dao Envoy that night to save us?"
The three master blacksmiths still couldn’t figure it out. No matter how they racked their brains, they couldn’t grasp any connection with Li Feiyu.
Only two people in the Forging Workshop were greatly astonished, one being Wu Qiao’Er, who was utterly incredulous upon learning that Li Feiyu had blasted Wang Xuantian to death in the great battle, and then fell silent.
"No matter how monstrous Su Mu is, he’s only eighteen this year, just a year older than me. How could he possess such strength? Even a monster who’ve cultivated since the womb wouldn’t be enough... Looks like I guessed wrong."
Wu Qiao’Er’s speculations wavered, and she began to completely dismiss her previous thoughts, believing Li Feiyu and Su Mu were not the same person, with her benefactor being Li Feiyu, and Su Mu having no connection to him.
However, one person was internally shaken to the core. Wu Lie had once heard his daughter mutter in her sleep, revealing her own speculation:
Li Feiyu was indeed Su Mu, and also the benefactor who saved her from Shuangbai Academy, and the Taiping Dao Envoy was the same person.
"Could it really be Xiaomu?... During those few days when Qiao’Er went to Shuangbai Academy, Xiaomu had also taken leave and wasn’t in the workshop... Not to mention, during Xiaomu’s absence, many in the town were inquiring about Li Feiyu, yet he was nowhere to be found... Moreover, that night in Black Forest Mountain, it was precisely when I was about to be surrounded and killed by the rebel army that the Taiping Dao Envoy miraculously appeared..."
"The great battle took place not long after in Black Forest Mountain, and after that, the Taiping Dao Envoy disappeared... while Li Feiyu went with the army to Changfeng City!"
"Additionally, the Red Feather Saber forged by Xiaomu, the spear used by the Taiping Dao Envoy, and the spear used by Li Feiyu are all Fire Attribute weapons!"
"All of this is too coincidental... But if this person is truly Xiaomu..."
Wu Lie suddenly felt parched and his breathing grew rapid. His mind dared not continue pondering because if these three people were truly all Xiaomu—the same person.
A youth not yet twenty, only a year older than his daughter.
Someone who, in terms of Artifact Refining, could forge a Seventh Grade Treasure Artifact, and in martial arts could blast through Wang Xuantian’s fearsome reputation that oppressed the Three Counties amidst thousands of troops. Now even claims the title of the foremost strongman of the Three Counties.
All of this is too outrageously shocking. Even those noble families with deep roots in the Great Commandery City or even the entire province can hardly produce such a genius through nurturing!?
Amidst the continuous shock in Qingyun City, the small courtyard on Yanque Street remained quiet, with a gentle breeze blowing.
After several days of absence, a few pale yellow tender leaves had already sprouted on the newly planted saplings on the old locust tree trunk in the courtyard. A handsome young man was sitting cross-legged, silently cultivating.
The Gang Force, once depleted, now replenished, was more vigorous than before, and the Fist Momentum that was realized at the brink of life and death was being steadily solidified through subtle inference.
The young man, like that seedling, was full of vitality, absorbing the insights and gains from this great battle as nourishment, further strengthening himself.
...