Chapter 12 Anlin Prefecture

Anlin Prefecture, behind the government office.

Officials from all levels of the state and prefecture gathered outside the house, anxiously awaiting the results of the prefect's treatment.

Finally, the old doctor with a white beard and hair came out carrying his medicine chest. The officials, high and low, who were waiting around immediately surrounded him.

"How is Lord Lin's injury?"

A confidant of the prefect asked impatiently.

The old doctor shook his head and said helplessly, "I have temporarily saved the prefect's life, but it is only hanging by a thread. I don't know when he will wake up. I have left two prescriptions, one for oral administration and one for external use. If he can survive ten days or half a month, his life will be out of danger... However, I can do nothing about the injury to his arm."

Hearing this, the crowd surged into the room to check on the situation.

As soon as they entered the room, a strong and pungent smell of medicine hit them in the face.

They saw Prefect Lin lying on the bed with his eyes tightly closed, his face pale, a wet towel on his forehead, his broken leg in splints, and his right arm severed at the elbow. The severed arm was wrapped in blood-stained white cloth, with hemostatic powder applied inside. The injury had barely been brought under control.

Seeing this scene, all the officials paused, their faces showing solemn expressions, as if they were all in grief, but in reality, they all had their own thoughts.

As a protégé of Prime Minister Qin, Prefect Lin naturally had many people currying favor with him, but now that he had suffered this disaster and lost an arm, his career path was cut off.

Many officials had secretly pledged allegiance to him. While feeling sad, they were also wondering who to curry favor with after losing their backer, and they felt anxious.

Those who were at odds with him were secretly delighted, pretending to be sad, while others had flickering eyes and harbored ulterior motives.

An intimate aide of the prefect was not reconciled and questioned the old doctor, "You are a famous doctor in Anlin Prefecture, can you really not reattach the severed arm?"

The old doctor smiled wryly and said helplessly:

"My lord, although I know how to set bones, I don't know how to reattach severed limbs. Apart from the imperial physicians, there are only three folk healers that I know of who possess such medical skills..."

The prefect's confidant's eyes lit up immediately, and he hurriedly asked, "Who are the three?"

The old doctor had no choice but to answer: "'Golden Needle Doctor' Sun Boqing, 'Miraculous Hands' Zhang Jinduan, and 'Purification Master' Ge Tong... However, none of them practice medicine in Jing Prefecture. Even if they were called here in the future, it would be useless. Once an arm has been severed for more than half a day, even a god cannot reattach it."

Hearing this, the prefect's confidant gave up.

At this moment, an official next to him coughed and changed the subject, saying sternly:

"It is no small matter that a prefect of a prefecture has been injured by bandits. This will definitely shock the court. We must quickly write an official document and send it to the capital with the utmost urgency. In addition, Chen Feng is extremely heinous and insane. The yamen has urgently prepared a wanted notice, sent runners to notify all the prefectures of Lu River, and posted it along the way. We must bring this person to justice!"

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Regardless of whether the prefect lives or dies, there must be an explanation for this matter. Thugs who harm court officials must never be let go.

This not only concerns the prestige of the government but also the officials present are afraid that they will follow in his footsteps, and they are both afraid and angry.

Chen Feng dared to injure an official. If there is one, there will be two. Who knows if this thug will come again in the future... The matter of the Lu residence receiving the iron spear letter from the thug has already spread throughout the prefecture. Lord Lu was so frightened that he was bedridden, and these prefectural officials were also secretly afraid.

If Chen Feng is not eliminated, they will have no peace of mind. With such a fierce man at large, everyone feels that being an official is worse than death.

At this moment, an official rolled his eyes slightly and said in a deep voice, "When the prefect was attacked, the military commander Deng Zhi was nearby, but he sat idly by and watched the prefect being harmed by the thug, turning his head and fleeing, allowing the thug to swagger away. This is obviously a crime of dereliction of duty and must be severely punished! In my opinion, he should be immediately shackled, brought to trial, beaten with a staff, and exiled as a warning to others!"

"Well said, Deng Zhi's desertion in the face of battle is absolutely unforgivable!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The matter of the prefect being attacked is no small matter, and someone must be held responsible. Naturally, someone needs to take the blame, and Deng Zhi is completely offering himself up. In the eyes of many officials, it is not unjust at all.

Moreover, Deng Zhi has set a bad precedent. If these military guards flee without a fight and are not held accountable, who will protect their safety? Therefore, this typical example must be used to make an example of others.

……

Lu Mansion.

Since receiving Zhou Jing's iron spear letter, Lu Ancheng has fallen ill, and the entire Lu family has closed its doors to guests.

The entire mansion was in a state of panic, fear, and anxiety, fearing that the life-threatening Yama would come to visit them again one day and let them follow in the footsteps of the He and Huang families.

"The people in charge of the He and Huang families are almost all dead, and they exist in name only. With no one to preside over such a large family business, it will inevitably be divided up by others in the future."

"Will our Lu family also end up like this one day?"

In the main hall, the heads of each branch gathered together, all looking worried.

At this time, Lu Ancheng was lying ill in bed and did not come to discuss the matter. Everyone could only discuss how to deal with Zhou Jing's iron spear letter on their own.

"If that life-threatening Yama is not caught for a day, he will hang over our heads for a day! This kind of thug doesn't even care about the prefect, so how could he let us off easily? I think we should divide up the family property and flee for our lives!"

"No! With the head of the family not here, how dare we rashly talk about dividing the family? Moreover, this matter is a disgrace to the family! It's better to move the entire clan out of Anlin Prefecture and do business elsewhere."

"Absurd, our Lu family has been in business for generations, and we are powerful. How can we easily give up our family business? Moreover, a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake. If we give up our foundation and go to another prefecture, we will become a sweet pastry in the eyes of the local gentry, who will only think about scraping our bones and flesh and will never allow outsiders to gain a foothold! After this incident, Anlin Prefecture will definitely be heavily guarded. The thugs may not dare to come back. We can just hire more skilled bodyguards and retainers!"

Many members of the Lu family held different opinions and argued endlessly.

At this moment, Lu Ancheng walked into the hall, leaning on a crutch and staggering, his body weak and his whole person seemed to be ten years older.

Everyone quickly stopped talking and stood up to welcome Lu Ancheng to sit in the main seat.

Lu Ancheng sat down, took a breath, looked around at everyone, and slowly said: "I have thought about it for the past few days. From now on, weaken the trunk and strengthen the branches. Each branch will divide the family and must not live in my Lu family's mansion. Take the money and find your own business. In addition, regardless of whether it is the main family or the branch families, all the men in each branch must not all live in the same prefecture."

Everyone was shocked.

Someone hurriedly advised:

"Head of the family, how can this be? If my Lu family's foundation is divided up like this, whether it is the main family or each branch, we will all be reduced to ordinary wealthy households. The family's prosperity will definitely not return to the past!"

Lu Ancheng glared and, supporting his weak body, shouted angrily:

"The prefect has been implicated by us and his life is now unknown. The court will definitely investigate, and at the same time, there is that life-threatening Yama eyeing us covetously. My Lu family's downfall is imminent! You don't know that disaster is coming and you are still thinking about the prestige of the past. You are really ignorant of life and death! The division of my Lu clan is to avoid being wiped out and to continue the family line. The wealth of the past can still bless future generations, and at worst, we can be wealthy squires. If a certain branch produces outstanding talents with skills and brains, whether it is in politics, business, or buying land, there will still be opportunities to occupy one side in the future!"

Everyone was speechless. Seeing that Master Lu had made up his mind, even if some people were unwilling, they could only obey.

……

Wujia Village.

Wu Zheng had been staying here for a few days with dozens of retainers from the Lu family.

After returning this time, he felt that things had changed.

In the past, every time he returned to his hometown, the villagers would mostly greet him when they saw him, and the shops would also give him some small items. Everyone was very friendly.

But this time, Wu Zheng was stunned to find that his treatment was completely different. Walking in the village, he would be met with the villagers' guarded and disgusted eyes at any time. Almost everyone ignored him, and he had become an unwelcome person.

"Sure enough, they are a bunch of ungrateful and cunning people."

While secretly resenting this, Wu Zheng did not forget to do his job and took back the Wu family's manor with his men, using it as a foothold.

However, almost all the items in the house had been moved away, and the retainers and guards had scattered, leaving only a few loyal stewards and servants protecting their families.

The local elders and wealthy households knew that the Wu family still had descendants who could take charge in the state and prefecture, so they did not make things difficult for the Wu family members. However, they did not stop the villagers from looting the Wu family either.

Wu Zheng felt that this was not necessarily a good intention because he discovered that the elders and wealthy households, who used to have flattering faces, now had fake smiles and a meaningful look on their faces when they saw him.

The villagers had divided up all the furniture and items, and even though Wu Zheng was angry, he could not snatch them back for a while and could only ignore them for the time being.

During this period, he mainly visited the farmland and found that his own fertile land had been occupied by the villagers. He went to the villagers to ask for the land deeds as evidence, but he was almost surrounded by the villagers.

Fortunately, he was protected by the Lu family's retainers, and the villagers did not dare to do anything to him, so he was safe.

His own land deeds were burned, and he could only go to the county and prefecture yamen to reissue them. He would have to spend some money to build relationships, and he did not know if someone would try to interfere.

However, Wu Zheng felt relieved when he thought that he had Lord Lu behind him and felt that this matter would definitely be successful.

On this day, Wu Zheng was searching on the street with the Lu family's retainers when he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves.

Many villagers turned their heads and looked over, only to see several runners riding horses into the village, then dismounting in front of the government notice board set up in the village, taking out several government notices from their bags, and posting them as announcements.

Then, several runners rang the copper gong, attracting the surrounding villagers to watch, and shouted loudly:

"The thug Chen Feng, wreaked havoc in Anlin Prefecture, injured court officials, massacred wealthy gentry, trampled on the law, and his crimes are unforgivable! If you see this person, you must report to the yamen, and there will be a reward!"

Gu Teng

Wu Zheng was literate and went over to look at the notice, immediately recognizing it as a wanted notice.

The notice described Chen Feng's specific deeds, but omitted the details of the prefect's serious injuries, mainly emphasizing his killing of the He and Huang families and the outrageous statement that he would kill the other two wealthy clans in the future. Next to it was a portrait.

Wu Zheng saw the Lu family's name in the notice and was shocked. After reading it carefully, he secretly rejoiced that it was not the Lu family that had suffered and could not help but feel afraid.

If the Lu family was eliminated, then his last backer would be gone, and he would definitely not be able to get his family property back.

"Speaking of this Chen Feng, isn't he the thug who attacked my Wujia Village? This person dares to wreak havoc in the state and prefecture, and doesn't even let court officials off the hook?!"

Wu Zheng only felt his mouth was dry and his heart was pounding wildly.

His relatives died at Zhou Jing's hands, which led to his family property being taken away. Naturally, he had hatred in his heart, but more than that, he was afraid... How could a commoner with no strength to truss a chicken get the better of a strong man? Wu Zheng had repeatedly rejoiced that he was studying in the state and prefecture at the time and had not returned home.

Moreover, Wu Zheng had long thought about it and believed that for him, considering revenge before achieving success would only distract him. Passing the imperial examination was the most important thing in life.

As long as he became an official, he would have power. Revenge would naturally be a matter of course, and he would not have to worry about his life. It was much more cost-effective.

He happened to have the reason of mourning for his parents, and he wanted to bury himself in studying after getting his family property back, taking this opportunity to study and not caring about anything else.

However, at this time, seeing Zhou Jing's deeds of daring to attack even court officials, Wu Zheng could not help but feel terrified. He felt it was difficult to understand and did not understand how someone dared to attack high-ranking officials.

With an official position, one would be protected by the law and should be respected by others, but how could this kind of commoner dare to take action?

If he could not obtain special privileges, distinguish himself from the common people, and be superior to others, then why should he study and take the imperial examination?

If he really managed to pass the imperial examination, he would have a broad future, and a life of rapid advancement would be just around the corner...

Wu Zheng's thoughts were chaotic and he was torn between heaven and man.

Subconsciously, he had even less urgency for revenge, and his level of fear and dread for this Chen Feng deepened.

……

While the state and prefecture runners were posting wanted notices everywhere, Zhou Jing and his party had already left Anlin Prefecture.

After traveling for several days and confirming that there were no state and prefecture pursuers behind them, the group finally stopped in a forest, but they separated.

The leader of Heavenly King Stronghold wanted to return to the north, while Li Chun and others wanted to return to Red Cloud Mountain. Now that the situation was safe, it was time to say goodbye.

"It has been a pleasure to get to know you heroes and to have done such a thing together. Unfortunately, we have been out of the stronghold for many days. Now that this matter is over, we must return to the north."

Xiang Tianjie cupped his fists at the crowd, his tone solemn.

Li Chun also cupped his fists and said with emotion, "Alas, it is destined that we meet, but we must eventually part."

Xiang Tianjie smiled, exchanged a few more polite words, then turned to look at Guo Haishen and said solemnly:

"Brother Guo, you have been harmed by the government. Why don't you come with me and take a seat in my Heavenly King Stronghold? Wouldn't it be great to drink and eat meat to your heart's content in the future?"

He asked himself that he had rescued Guo Haishen on this trip and had done him a favor. The other party should not refuse.

However, Guo Haishen hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said with shame:

"You leaders rescued me from prison, and I am grateful for your kindness. I should have agreed to join you in the mountains, but I have other reasons now... Alas, please forgive me for not being able to go north with you."

Xiang Tianjie was stunned and asked, "Does Brother Guo have unfinished business?"

Guo Haishen nodded and looked at Zhou Jing, his tone forceful:

"Brother Chen committed such a big crime for me and will definitely be hated by the court and attract revenge. The court will most likely send troops to pursue him in the near future, and Brother Chen is in a dangerous situation. I can no longer abandon him and flee for my life alone. I have decided to accompany Brother Chen, and even if I lose my life, I will protect him. If pursuers come, I will fight alongside Brother Chen, advance and retreat together, and live and die together!"

He felt that he owed a great debt, and he did not plan to leave Zhou Jing when Zhou Jing's situation was not yet safe.

Although they had not sworn brotherhood on the road, Guo Haishen only felt that he and Zhou Jing were kindred spirits. He had already decided to recognize this brother and share weal and woe.

Hearing this, Xiang Tianjie immediately looked at Zhou Jing and spoke to persuade him:

"Brother Chen, you have injured a court official and will definitely be retaliated against. Because the incident happened in the south, the pursuit in the south will be the most intense, but the north is completely different. Why don't you follow us all the way north and join my Heavenly King Stronghold? That way, you don't have to worry about the court's pursuers at all."

As soon as he finished speaking, many leaders of Heavenly King Stronghold's eyes lit up and they invited him enthusiastically.

They admired Zhou Jing's martial arts and heroic actions and wanted to live under the same roof and get close to him in the future.

Seeing this, Li Chun immediately became restless and quickly chimed in, saying to Zhou Jing:

"Brother Chen's heroic actions are also admirable in my heart. Although Red Cloud Mountain is a small stronghold, we are willing to protect you. I sincerely invite you to come to my Red Cloud Mountain to settle down."

Although Red Cloud Mountain was just a small shrimp compared to Heavenly King Stronghold, he could only come out and compete.

Receiving two invitations at the same time, Zhou Jing pondered for two seconds and said:

"I appreciate the kindness of the leaders of Heavenly King Stronghold, but I knew Brother Li Chun earlier and have already promised to visit Red Cloud Mountain. Moreover, I have no plans to leave the south for the time being, so I can only decline your kindness. However, I will go to the north in the future and visit you brothers at Heavenly King Stronghold to drink and have fun."

He planned to go to Red Cloud Mountain, one because it was closer, while going to the north was too far, and two because there were fewer things in a small stronghold and more people in a large stronghold. He needed a relatively leisurely environment to improve his strength, and Red Cloud Mountain was relatively suitable.

As for the court sending pursuers... at least they had to know where he was. Small group operations made it difficult to reveal their whereabouts.

Hearing this, Li Chun was overjoyed.

But Xiang Tianjie was depressed.

This wave of rescuing people, Guo Haishen should have joined the group without a doubt, but he did not expect to be abducted by a Chen Feng who suddenly appeared...

However, the other party's reason was justified, and Xiang Tianjie could not refute it, so he had to accept reality helplessly.

However, from what Zhou Jing said, he was only going to Red Cloud Mountain to settle down and not joining the group. Xiang Tianjie felt much better in his heart, feeling that Zhou Jing might still join a different stronghold in the future, and his Heavenly King Stronghold had a good chance.

Thinking of this, Xiang Tianjie put down his emotions and cupped his fists:

"Well, then be careful on the road, brother. I will definitely tell the leaders on the mountain about Brother Chen's righteous deeds when I return to the north, and spread it throughout the greenwoods, so that everyone in the world will know about Brother's heroic deeds!"

He still wanted to make a good relationship with Zhou Jing and decided to make a name for Zhou Jing. With a behemoth like his Heavenly King Stronghold vouching for him, it would definitely cause a sensation in the greenwoods.

Zhou Jing also cupped his fists in response and did not refuse.

At this time, Gao Yun spoke, regretting, "Brother, I can't go with you. Although I didn't report my family name when causing trouble in the south this time, but as a precaution, I plan to go back to the north and take my family and settle them in another place. If I have free time in the future, I will come and find you to drink and discuss martial arts."

"Okay, I'll wait for you, brother."

Zhou Jing nodded.

At this time, Li Chun looked at Fang Zhen next to him and said with a smile:

"Brother Fang, what are your plans?"

Fang Zhen shrugged and said without hesitation, "I am just a wanderer. Wherever brother goes, I will go."

"Okay, it's a pleasure to have a brother with me."

Zhou Jing smiled heartily upon hearing this.

Li Chun was even happier. He had invited Zhou Jing this time, and Guo Haishen and Fang Zhen had also come up the mountain with him. It was simply buy one get two free.

After a conversation, the people from Heavenly King Stronghold and Gao Yun decided to head north.

The new group formed by Zhou Jing, Guo Haishen, and Fang Zhen planned to follow Li Chun all the way to Red Cloud Mountain to settle down temporarily and observe the court's attitude. Zhang San and the other five naturally followed.

Everyone expressed their destinations, and the group was immediately divided into two groups.

Looking at each other, everyone's expressions became solemn, and they raised their hands and cupped their fists:

"The road in the martial world is long, the mountains are high and the rivers are long, the world is full of ups and downs, there are always gatherings and separations, I only hope that we will meet again one day and still be able to drink and have fun with you heroes!"

Both sides were from the greenwoods and were not hypocritical. They solemnly cupped their fists in the forest to say goodbye and said a word of "see you again in the martial world."

Then, the two groups separated on the spot, each going their own way, gradually drifting away back to back.

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