Chapter 29

Just as chaos erupted at the city gate, a resounding voice echoed through the air.

The voice carried a sense of righteousness, making everyone instinctively look over, even the patrol soldiers who were about to apprehend Ning Wushuang and Ning Bo Wu slowed down.

Old Fu, who had his eyes tightly shut, opened them. Zhao Lian, who had been smirking with satisfaction, narrowed his eyes and followed the voice.

Ning Wuque stepped forward, blocking Ning Wushuang and Ning Bo Wu. He looked at Zhao Lian with a cold gaze, like a sharp blade piercing through, making Zhao Lian feel a chill and instinctively take a step back. But then, a wave of shame and anger surged in his heart, and he glared at Ning Wuque, shouting, "Who are you? How dare you obstruct the law? Are you an accomplice to these two criminals? If so, you will be punished even more severely. General Li, what are you waiting for?"

General Li, with no choice, stepped forward, his sword gleaming. However, it was just a gesture; he wanted to see what this young man would say.

"Wait..." Ning Wuque shouted again, his gaze fixed on Zhao Lian. "Sir Zhao, you keep calling them criminals and thieves. What evidence do you have?"

Before Zhao Lian could respond, Ning Wuque coldly added, "The government needs an official warrant to arrest someone. Sir Zhao, you are here alone, not in official attire, yet you dare to command a military camp's commander. Who gave you this authority?"

Ning Wuque stood tall and straight, like a young pine tree, his backbone unyielding. His two fierce shouts made Zhao Lian retreat two steps, his heart filled with shock.

The military camp's commander referred to General Li. Ning Wuque could tell from his attire that he was a commander, a seventh-rank official, equivalent to a county magistrate. However, the county magistrate of Qingyun County was a relative of a high-ranking official in Chang'an, which is why he could command the military camp's commander to patrol for him.

Zhao Lian was just an unranked advisor, relying on the favor of the county magistrate to be considered a confidant. General Li, who had initially taken Zhao Lian's words as the county magistrate's orders, now realized his mistake. He was a seventh-rank military official, and he was being threatened by an unranked advisor?

"Advisor Zhao, why do you call them thieves? What evidence do you have?" General Li, now calm, looked at Zhao Lian coldly. Zhao Lian's arrogant behavior today had irritated the general.

Steadying himself, Zhao Lian, who was not an easy opponent, also realized the situation was not right. He had been blinded by anger and had said some out-of-line things. His expression changed several times, and he took a deep breath, bowing to General Li.

"Apologies, General Li. I was too rash just now, but I was too angry. The hundred taels of gold were meant for disaster relief, but they were stolen. I lost my temper, and I hope General Li will not hold it against me."

Zi Cheng was Zhao Lian's courtesy name.

Hearing Zhao Lian's explanation, General Li's expression softened slightly. He knew the gold was for disaster relief, which was why he had agreed to the county magistrate's request to send troops. Zhao Lian's words made him view Zhao Lian more favorably.

Losing one's temper for the sake of the people was understandable.

"As for why I say these two are the thieves, I saw it with my own eyes. General Li, you must have heard about it. The thief's appearance matches these two exactly. They can enter and leave the city walls and jump over the government treasury, so they must be skilled thieves. These two have strong builds and prominent temples, indicating they are martial artists. I observed them for a long time in the city before confirming they are the thieves!"

Zhao Lian's explanation was logical and convincing, making the people around them glare at the Ning brothers. Stealing relief funds for disaster victims? They deserved to be torn apart!

General Li also nodded instinctively. Zhao Lian's explanation was indeed reasonable, and he could see that Ning Wushuang and Ning Bo Wu were skilled in martial arts.

"Ridiculous."

Ning Wuque coldly shouted. He had been with the Ning brothers all the time; how could they have stolen the relief funds? Moreover, Zhao Lian's eyes flickered when he spoke, clearly lying.

"Truly absurd. You judge them as thieves based on a few words? Just because Advisor Zhao says they are thieves? I could say the ten thousand taels of gold were stolen by Advisor Zhao himself. What then?"

Zhao Lian, regaining his confidence, looked at Ning Wuque with a cold gleam in his eyes. "Who are you? Accusing me multiple times, are you an accomplice to the thieves?"

"My surname is Ning, the Ning who would rather die than yield, the Ning who would rather be shattered like jade than be whole like a tile. My name is Wuque, my courtesy name is Zhongyuan. These two are my brothers, and we have been together all the time. Ask them, have we ever been to the county town? Sir Zhao, you call them thieves without even knowing if they stole anything. You are truly... a corrupt official!"

"You..." Zhao Lian glared, then his anger turned to a cold smile as he looked at the scholars who had come with them. "Were you with them? Don't lie, protecting criminals will result in even harsher punishment..."

The cold smile and icy gaze made the scholars shiver. Meeting Ning Wuque's gaze, they involuntarily lowered their heads and remained silent.

"Xiao Leng, I taught you how to use a staff. Say something!" Seeing no one speak up, Ning Wushuang's face turned pale as he looked at one of the scholars.

The scholar looked up, meeting Zhao Lian's cold, smiling gaze, and his whole body trembled. He shook his head violently. "I don't know, I don't know anything..."

Ning Wuque watched this scene coldly, then turned his gaze to Old Fu and Zhang He.

Old Fu clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and looked up at the sky. He didn't know if the county magistrate was behind this. Sometimes, a fake performance can become real. If he couldn't control himself and spoke up, he might not only harm Ning Wuque but also the Zhang family. Feeling lost, Old Fu sighed softly.

"Commoners should not fight with officials!"

Zhang He was a fickle person. Now that even Old Fu was unwilling to speak up, he certainly wouldn't take the lead. After all, Ning Wuque and the others were just passing acquaintances, and there was no need to risk his life for the Ning brothers.

The hope in Ning Wuque's eyes gradually faded. In his heart, all the beauty he had seen was shattered in an instant.

When he came to this world, he saw love, pure and abundant love. The care from his foolish brother Ning Bo Wu, the maternal love from his old mother, the kindness of the villagers, and the righteous love from Daoist Baiyun. Yes, until today, he had seen a perfect world, a utopia without deceit or injustice.

He thought this was a reflection of the era, and he had even been lingering in it.

Unfortunately, he was wrong, terribly wrong. He had only seen a beautiful corner of the world. The world has never lacked cunning and deceit, nor has it lacked injustice.

"Ha ha ha..."

Ning Wuque laughed to the sky, tears streaming down his face, for his naive thoughts. The suppressed demonic rage in his heart spread throughout his body. He wanted to kill, to kill...

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