Chapter 144 – The Vicious Tiger, the Venomous Snake and the Vulture (1/2)

Li Qingshan did not have any backing at all. As a matter of fact, Wang Pushi had not even taken a liking to him, which was why he had directly sent him to Zhuo Zhibo’s command. If Gu Yanying really did take special note of this kid, Wang Pushi would obviously treat this kid carefully, just like how Zhuo Zhibo would carefully serve someone Wang Pushi cared about.

This was a principle that could not be more simple. Zhuo Zhibo had just been too cautious, constantly wondering, What if? The aspect that had affected him the most was still the kid’s attitude. He was just too haughty, to a point where Zhou Zhibo felt like he possessed a powerful backing.

With the cruel truth now revealed, Zhuo Zhibo only felt like he had been viciously played. His face reddened before darkening. His fury towards Li Qingshan immediately erupted.

“Please calm down, commander Zhuo,” Ge Jian persuaded in a sensible manner.

Zhuo Zhibo said frigidly, “As a Black Hawk Commander, I stand above millions. Who knows how many lives I have control over. It has been so many years since someone has been bold enough to play me like this! Li Qingshan, oh Li Qingshan, how very impressive of you!”

Ge Jian said, “Though, the kid probably won’t be able to return from Ancient Wind city. There’s no need to be angry over a dead person, commander.”

Zhuo Zhibo said, “It’s just a pity that I couldn’t kill him personally. And that Zhou Wenbin, he’s nothing good either.”

Ge Jian said, “He has been sent here all alone to serve as the district magistrate. He does not have a single Qi Practitioner under his command, so why does the commander have to put up with him? Our Hawkwolf Guard has the responsibility of monitoring the government. Why don’t we find some evidence of crimes and try to make him guilty?”

Zhuo Zhibo said, “Shut up. What evidence can you find? He comes from the Academy of the Hundred Schools. He has countless colleagues, and even the prefect appreciates him very much. If I fall out with him, I’ll only disappoint commander Wang.”

Ge Jian said, “Yes, sir. I’ve misspoken.”

Zhuo Zhibo said, “Let’s just wait for the news of this kid dying on duty!” Afterwards, he would immediately set off for Ancient Wind city and destroy the Qian family to avenge Li Qingshan, showing off the might of the Hawkwolf Guard. That old man Qian must have saved up quite a lot of things over all these years. It was time for harvesting.

This was Qian Rongzhi’s original scheme. They would kill two birds with one stone, destroying the Qian family and Li Qingshan, while Zhuo Zhibo would obtain some rich spoils of battle as well.

At dusk, Li Qingshan arrived at the open pit to the west of the mountain that the district magistrate had mentioned. The pit was not particularly large, but it was more than enough to hold the remains of over a thousand people.

The recruited civilians were currently moving the corpses over, stripping them of their clothes and throwing it into a fire on the side before tossing the pale corpses into the open pit.

Every single person furrowed their brows as they covered their noses and mouths with moist cloth. If it were not for the hefty rewards from the district magistrate and the threat of a disease outbreak, none of them would have been willing to do this. Not only was it disgusting and unbearable, but they also felt like it would all lead to misfortune.

Black smoke rose up from the fire, floating directly into the sky. There was not the slightest breeze in the wilderness. The red sun that was about to set continued to produce a scorching heat, causing the foul air to shimmer.

Countless crows circled in the air as they cawed. They would dive down from time to time to feast on the eyes of the corpses.

All of this seemed even more ominous compared to the night before.

There probably was no other place more foul than this in the world.

The district magistrate originally maintained a wide berth from all of it, but when he heard that Li Qingshan had come as well, he rushed over in a hurry and said, “Sir, how do you find this? Is it sufficient?”

Li Qingshan nodded, but before he could even reply, the district magistrate glanced at the open pit and covered his mouth as he vomited. In the end, he scrambled away from there.

Once all the corpses were thrown into the pit, the civilians began filling up the pit with soil. This lasted until the sun had set and night had descended. Only then were they almost done.

Li Qingshan hesitated before throwing the jar in his hand into the centre of the open pit. He allowed the people to bury it together with the corpses.

Li Qingshan stood at the edge of the pit for quite a while. Even after quite some time, the stink did not disperse.

“Did you know that plants grow particularly well in places where corpses are buried? When I was young, I poisoned a dog to death. I buried it in the garden house, and from then on, the flowers that bloomed every year would be particularly beautiful.”

Li Qingshan turned around. Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi stood nearby.

Qian Rongzhi made her way over and looked at the pit. “In under a year, this will become the place with the lushest vegetation.”

Li Qingshan had no interest in joining this conversation with her. Meanwhile, Diao Fei said, “The mission has been complete. It’s time for us to return, right?”