Chapter 62: Hanging a Corpse Publicly
In front of the bustling east city gate, the scholars from the Longdu Empire seemed out of place among the crowd. They had witnessed Fang Chen killing Zhou Xiu, and were now staring blankly at his lifeless body.
Finally, a scholar from the Longdu Empire said slowly, "The Longdu Empire will definitely wage war against Grand Xia! How can they swallow a viscount of theirs dying in such a disgraceful manner!” The one who spoke was also a nobility in Longdu. While his rank wasn’t exceptionally high, there was an intricate yet subtle connection amongst the nobles. When they faced the outside world, they stood united!
"Yes, we’ll definitely wage war on them!"
“Grand Xia must compensate us with at least ten thousand lives of theirs if they wish to match the death of Viscount Zhou Xiu!”
"And they must give up several cities, too!"
The scholars from Longdu spoke one after another.
After a while, someone remembered that they ought to retrieve Zhou Xiu’s body back. He quickly called out, requesting assistance in carrying the body while he went to pick up the viscount's severed head. But when he arrived near it, he noticed that a large foot was stepping right on the head.
The scholars from the Longdu Empire became furious immediately. Must the viscount be humiliated even in death? Even people from the Guhe and Yizhou Empires couldn’t bear to watch any longer and spoke out.
Xu Ge, with his foot on Zhou Xiu's head, laughed at the group. "Viscount Zhou Xiu deserved to die. Anyway, my lord ordered me to hang both his body and his head at the southern gate as a warning."
Hiss.
The scholars from the Longdu Empire collectively sucked in a cold breath of air. They couldn’t believe what they were hearing.
Is Fang Chen truly hell bent on breaking ties with the Longdu Empire? Is he not concerned about the current situation in Grand Xia?
Finally, one scholar from the Longdu Empire was not able to hold back any longer. He pointed at Xu Ge, trembling as he bubbled with anger. "You are too arrogant! How dare you insult us like this? Do you really think we’re helpless? Before long, we will also produce a formidable martial artist! When that happens, the war will begin, and Grand Xia will suffer!”
Many scholars from the Longdu Empire had a subtle change in expressions as they looked at the person who just spoke. People from Gu He and Yizhou exchanged odd glances, suspicion in their eyes.
"Oh? Someone from Longdu is about to advance to the Qi Core Stage?" asked Xu Ge with genuine interest.
Realizing that he might have said too much, the person shut his mouth immediately and avoided eye contact with Xu Ge. Seeing that, Xu Ge brushed past him, walking toward the southern gate with Zhou Xiu’s head and body in hand.
"Leave his body!" A scholar from the Longdu Empire tried to intervene, only to be shoved to the ground by Xu Ge.
The person with the highest cultivation present was only in the early Qi Detonation Stage. How could they possibly be Xu Ge’s match? Not to mention that the Grand Xia citizens around were watching with eager eyes.
In the end, they could only watch helplessly as Xu Ge took Zhou Xiu's corpse away.
On that day, Zhou Xiu's corpse was hung up at the southern gate publicly. Noticing something dangling in the air, the passersby who walked by couldn't help but glance upward. Every time that happened, the scholars from the Longdu Empire would feel their resentment bubble.
In the Fang Manor.
"I heard you killed the viscount of the Longdu Empire?" Goddess Xiao looked at Fang Chen with a strange expression. "Aren't you afraid of the Longdu and Qingsong Empires joining forces? I’m afraid Grand Xia cannot withstand the pressure from two empires. Guhe and Yizhou will only take pleasure in your misfortune, and will definitely not lend a helping hand to you.”
Fang Chen smiled and replied, “Isn’t that inevitable? instead of waiting for Longdu and Qingsong to join forces on their own initiative, why not help them out?”
Goddess Xiao’s eyes flashed with a hint of horror. She seemed to have guessed something and exclaimed, "Y-you intend to start a war with Longdu? What are you trying to do?”
“Someone behind the scenes is trying to provoke conflicts among the empires. Since that’s the case, I’ll deal with some of it on the way,” Fang Chen said indifferently.
Goddess Xiao instantly understood. She looked at Fang Chen in astonishment. "Do you plan to resolve the imminent conflict quickly to render their existing schemes useless?”
"Well, the daughter of Marshall Xiao Lang is not that stupid, after all,” Fang Chen said with a bit of a jab, smiling.
Goddess Xiao felt a slight joy in her heart when she heard Fang Chen’s praise. However, she soon shook off that thought, realizing she shouldn’t feel delighted over this guy’s compliment. She tried to hide her delight, and said, "I hope you can get this over with soon so that I can finally return to Qingsong. Even though your Fang Manor is quite big and spacious, I’ve already explored the whole place during these past few days. It’s getting quite boring since I can’t leave the residence.” She paused for a moment, then said, “Also, that little lass is quite interesting. Abbess Qing He, I believe she’s called. When she recites those Buddhists scriptures, I find that a sense of calm and tranquility befalls me.”
"Go to the temple and listen to her more whenever you can. It will benefit you," Fang Chen said. Abbess Qing He was at least in the second stage of Qi Refining Realm. When she chanted scriptures, her voice would be infused with spiritual energy. For martial artists, it was a rare and valuable opportunity to listen to her.
Spiritual energy existed within the heavens and earth, but it was beyond the reach of ordinary people and martial artists, and was akin to the distance between a beggar and an emperor.
That was one of the reasons Fang Chen was willing to keep Abbess Qing He around. Goddess Xiao, his parents, and even everyone in the Fang Manor would be able to benefit from her recitals.
Shortly after Zhou Xiu's corpse was hung at the southern gate, several waves of people visited Fang Chen. They were the managers and shareholders of various Chambers of Commerce.
Fang Chen’s intervention earlier made clear what his stance was. In Grand Xia, it was rare to find someone willing to stand up for merchants like them. Together with their gratitude, these merchants visited with generous gifts. Naturally, they were unable to meet Fang Chen in person, and their gifts were rejected by the Fang Manor.
However, Fang Cangyou took the initiative to receive these managers. Even though he was now confined to a wheelchair, his status as the second master of the Fang Manor was not something ordinary merchants and people could compare to. Thus, feeling respected, the managers' faces were radiant when they left. But aside from the respect they had been shown, there was another thing that made them especially happy, and that was the promise they received from the Fang family—if a similar event like that were to happen again, they could directly come to the Fang manor for help!
“My lord, Young Lady Fang is here,” Huang Sihai arrived in front of Fang Chen's door and announced, then stepped inside.
Fang Chen glanced at Huang Sihai and suddenly smiled. "Did you take the Bone Tempering Pill? I see you’ve grown a size bigger. Tell me the truth, are you really from our Grand Xia?”
Huang Sihai rubbed his head, grinning. "Maybe it’s because I eat a lot everyday? Also, I feel that the Bone Tempering Pill is quite effective. After taking it, I feel like my strength has doubled.”
Doubled in strength?
Fang Chen nodded slightly. Huang Sihai's previous strength was equivalent to an early Qi Manipulation Stage martial artist. Now, he should be comparable to someone in the mid Qi Manipulation, or even those in the late Qi Manipulation Stage. The Bone Tempering Pills he possessed had all been distributed by Xu Ge. He believed that it would not be long before the overall strength of the Grand Xia Hidden Guards would improve significantly.
"By the way, who is this Young Lady Fang you mentioned?" Fang Chen casually asked.
“She’s Fang Qingyao, the junior manager of the Green Medicine Hall. She isn't here alone. She brought the boss of the Soaring Dragon Chamber of Commerce, Li Maocai, with her. If you don’t wish to meet with them, I can inform them of that,” he said.
"It’s fine. Let them in." Fang Chen smiled.
In the front hall stood a man in his sixties. He seemed rather restless. Seeing this, Fang Qingyao was unable to hold herself back and said, "Boss Li, Divine General Fang is not as terrifying as you think."
“I’m not afraid. I’m just a little excited,” Li Maocai replied. “In recent years, similar to your Green Medicine Hall, our Soaring Dragon Chamber of Commerce has also encountered such situations multiple times. Divine General Fang spoke up for us, giving us immense support. I really don’t know how to express my gratitude.”
Suddenly, Fang Chen’s voice traveled from behind him. "You don’t have to thank me.” He was walking into the front hall. “The people of our Grand Xia should not be treated with such disrespect.”
Visit freewe𝑏(n)ovel.co(m) for the b𝘦st novel reading experience