Chapter 11 (1/2)

Translator: Larbre Studio  Editor: Larbre Studio

Wu Zhixian cracked his whip and bellowed, “Stop acting like corpses — hurry and put out the fire!”

Wu Zhixian’s horse raised its hooves, preparing to gallop forward. But at the same time, Zhou Shirong, who had just landed back on his horse, suddenly reached out and held onto Wu Zhixian’s reigns.

When Zhou Shirong made his move, Wu Zhixian’s horse was already in mid-air, beginning its gallop. But the moment Zhou Shirong grabbed the reigns with his pale, soft-looking hands, the galloping horse was stopped in its tracks, and was now held firmly back in place no matter how it tried to struggle.

Such a display of strength immediately stunned the crowd. Wu Zhixian himself became as pale as a sheet.

“The flames have spread too much. Even if the fire is put out, only ruins would remain. We might as well let it burn down completely!”

Zhou Shirong’s voice was cold and cut like a sharp knife. “Ma Zhao, go, find all the ants within five miles of the area and get rid of them!”

“Yes, sir!”

Wu Zhixian gasped in shock.

In his mind, he thought, Even though we can see countless figures running in and out of the fires from this far away, how could you possibly tell who is stealing your Zhou family’s fortunes and who is trying to put out the fire? How could you command your men to kill them all? This is MY county!

Zhou Shirong turned to Wu Zhixian with a cold stare, “Such a disaster has befallen my family and all these people failed to help. After committing such a grave crime, should they not all be killed?” As he spoke, his killing intent was evident on his face. His earlier gentle demeanour was all but gone.

Wu Zhixian’s mind raced. Zhou Daogan is no longer who he was before, and he is now of a much revered status as one of the four hall masters of Lingxiao Hall. Zhou Shirong may look like a gentleman, but he is actually a haughty young man. If I try to stop him, he might still insist on his way. Not only might I fail to help anyone, I might even offend Zhou Daogan. This is not worth it, no matter how I look at it.

With his calculations done, Wu Zhixian replied in a serious tone, “Of course they should be killed! Constable Zhao, get your men and assist Mister Ma. Surround them and leave no man alive within five miles of the place!”

Immediately, hooves shook the ground and swords were drawn. A mere troupe of a dozen riders, seemed as though they had the ferocity of a thousand men as they rushed forward.

As the riders left, Wu Zhixian suddenly remembered something. He frowned as he stated, “Brother, with such a large fire, this is likely no accident. I’m afraid your uncle and his family…”

As an experienced local official, he had handled many cases of families being wiped out, no less than a dozen in total. For a clan like the Zhou’s to have all their lands reduced to ash could definitely not be the result of an accidental fire.

And as it is commonly said, killing comes before arson.

Zhou Shirong replied expressionlessly, “Life and death is destined, and fortune and disaster is decided by the heavens. My uncle has already lived past fifty, so his life was not short. For most of his life, he has eaten well and has held a position higher than most. With such an enviable life, what is there to mourn in his passing? As for that cousin of mine, unsuccessful as a scholar and weak as a martial artist, even if he had survived, he would simply be a parasite. He not only failed to bring any glory to the family, but he also needed the help of the family to clean up his mess time and again. We would be better off without such scum!”

Wu Zhixian’s face was full of horror. Even if he racked his brains, he would have never thought that Zhou Shirong would be capable of speaking such cold and unfeeling words. It sent him into stunned silence for a while.

“Curse them, how dare they!” Zhou Shirong mumbled to himself as he patted his saddle. As he spoke, his handsome face became contorted with rage.

Wu Zhixian marvelled at his reaction, thinking, If you care so little about your uncle’s family, why on earth would you be so angry?

As he pondered, he heard Zhou Shirong grit his teeth and say, “Within Guang’an, even a dog of the Zhou Family should be treated like a noble. How dare someone bare their claws at my Zhou family today! No matter who they are, they will suffer a world of pain!”