Chapter 865 – The Visible Trajectory of a Claw (1/2)
Chapter 865 – The Visible Trajectory of a Claw
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Xiao Zhang somewhat arduously opened his eyes. Seeing the tense expressions on the faces of the ordinary people by his side, he felt rather strange.
In the eyes of cultivators, he was just a battle maniac. They feared him, but when had there ever been anyone who revered and wanted to protect him?
Back then, he had only said that the winter wild tea of Fengyang City was good because he truly felt that it was countless times better than the Great Crimson Gown that Liang Wangsun liked to drink. When had he ever thought about the benefits it would bring to the inhabitants of this remote city?
But now these ordinary people that he would normally find himself too lazy to even glance at were now standing in front of him. Even though they were well aware that they might die, and their hands trembled, they refused to leave.
Suddenly, he felt that other than those battles that he had taken extreme pleasure in, there had also been a few other things he had done in his life that could be considered fulfilling.
For instance, he had saved Wang Po from the Luo River in that snowstorm, and he had also given a few words of praise for the winter wild tea grown in this small city.
……
……
The simple but fierce nature of Fengyang was amply displayed at this moment.
The men packing the steps in front of the Seven Treasures Stronghold and the constantly shouting crowd on the outskirts were all proof.
But the experts and divine crossbowmen of the Imperial Court remained unmoved.
The expressions of those blue-clothed Daoists were completely devoid of emotion.
In their eyes, both Xiao Zhang and these people of Fengyang City were no different from corpses.
The Daoists ascended the steps.
In a few short moments, rivers of blood would flow and many people would die in Fengyang City.
The blue-clothed Daoists didn't care. No matter how many people died, it could all be explained away with the words 'mass uprising'.
The greatest tragedy would naturally befall those people soon to die and the supervising official.
The supervising official of the county city of Fengyang was naturally the county magistrate. To his great fortune, in order to prepare for tomorrow's winter wild tea party, the provincial magistrate from Feng City had already arrived.
No matter what happened today, the one who had to bear the responsibility in the end was, by all rights, the provincial magistrate.
This magistrate naturally could not allow those rivers of blood to flow.
The magistrate from Feng City was middle-aged with a lean face. His temples were speckled with white, and he had quite the dignified aura.
He cupped his hands and bowed to the Daoists. ”Esteemed Daoists, please wait for a moment.”
Those blue-clothed Daoists probably knew that he was the Prince of Xiang's pupil. His words caused them to stop, though their expressions remained apathetic.
”You fools just want to show a moment of bravery, but all you will end up doing is committing injustice against the old and young of my Fengyang City!”
The magistrate looked at the tea merchants and common people on the stone steps, his expression harsh as he rebuked, ”Just who is the Xiao Zhang that you are protecting? A madman who can kill people in the blink of an eye! Could a person like him truly mean any goodwill to you? Back then, he was just speaking carelessly. What need is there to give your life to protect him?”
A person yelled out from the crowd, ”Right now, our tea is selling so well, everyone is profiting; should we not be thanking him?”
The magistrate sternly reproved, ”The reason my Fengyang City's wild tea sells so well is that the Imperial Court built a dock, allowing merchant ships to come, and even took the tea as tribute. If you need someone to thank, you should be thanking the Imperial Court, and not this criminal wanted by the Imperial Court!”
The surrounding crowd grew restless, and then began to chatter amongst themselves. Although they did not disperse, they were no longer as tense as before.
Xiao Zhang squinted his eyes. Looking at the magistrate, he said, ”Your skill in flapping your lips is rather good.”
With a firm expression, the magistrate said, ”You can't threaten this official—I'm not afraid of you. If you don't want to hear my words, just kill me.”
Xiao Zhang said, ”In the past, you would be dead by now.”