Chapter 23

Since rushing to the south of the city and seeing the crowd gathered, Xu Zixiong had a foreboding feeling in his heart, as if something significant was about to happen tonight.

Now he finally understood the source of his unease.

"Where's Wang Dazhuang?" Xu Zixiong grabbed Wang Dazhuang's wife by her broad, fragrant shoulders and fiercely demanded, "Didn't I tell him to keep an eye on him? At a time like this, he's still causing trouble for me. Where is he now?"

Wang Dazhuang's wife was a notorious woman, but even the most notorious woman was no match for a rich and powerful man like Xu Zixiong. She knew things were serious before she came, and now, seeing Xu Zixiong's wolf-like gaze, she was already pale with fear.

"That deadbeat insisted on drinking tonight. I wasn't paying attention, and he slipped out. He hasn't come back since. I... I... have been looking for him for a long time, but there's not even a trace of him..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zixiong and Chen Hongjie almost fainted. Xu Zixiong looked at her coldly, saying nothing. After a moment, he spoke in a low, grave voice, "Bring him back, dead or alive..."

One of the attendants from Baiwei Tower understood Xu Zixiong's meaning; this was a clear order to silence Wang Dazhuang.

Xu Zixiong and Chen Hongjie exchanged a glance. This was a plan they had hatched together, and both felt a pang of regret. They should have killed them from the start, they thought in unison.

The attendant was about to take Wang Dazhuang's wife away when another incident occurred at Jishi Fang.

The stalemate between Li Yide and the magistrate was interrupted by a hysterical scream. Then, a disheveled figure stumbled out of Jishi Fang, rolling and crawling as he ran.

As soon as he appeared, the scene fell silent.

All he could do was beg for mercy frantically...

"Spare me, I deserve to die, I deserve to die. It's my fault. Don't kill me, don't kill me... Ancestors of the Li family, you are my grandfather, no, great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather. I beg for your forgiveness, please spare my life..."

"Grandpa Li, where are you? I know I was wrong. Wuuu, Grandpa Li..."

The man who ran out was almost naked, with a large wine gourd hanging from his waist and his pants half off, exposing his snow-white buttocks. His penis hung limply in his underwear, and feces and urine flew everywhere, making the front of Jishi Fang stink to high heaven...

He seemed unaware of his incontinence, rolling and crawling out and immediately spotting Li Yide, who was clinging to the magistrate's leg. Without a word, he kicked the rotund magistrate far away and then prostrated himself, banging his head on the ground.

"Grandpa Li, you are a great man. It's Dazhuang's fault, it's my fault. Please forgive me."

Wang Dazhuang!

"This is Wang Dazhuang," the neighbors of Jishi Fang recognized him and were all shocked to see him, thought to be dead, running out.

But soon, someone pieced together what had happened. Their initial fear turned into burning anger.

"This scoundrel, he's not dead?"

"The rumors are true. He faked his death to deceive Doctor Li. What a scumbag, I spit on him."

"Wang Dazhuang, Doctor Li has always helped you. You ungrateful wretch, to use such despicable means to deceive Doctor Li. Are you even human?"

Wang Dazhuang's appearance quickly ignited the anger of the crowd. Even the cold wind of Jishi Fang seemed less chilling. Everyone who knew Wang Dazhuang's background was indignant, pointing at him and cursing him.

Feng Jueyu understood why people could be drowned in a sea of spittle. If it were him, no matter how thick-skinned, he would have thrown himself into the moat.

Li Tong'er, protecting Li Yide, cried like a teary-eyed child, accusing Wang Dazhuang, "Wang Dazhuang, Grandpa has always been good to you. How could you treat us like this? You... you..."

She couldn't finish her sentence and continued to cry.

Li Yide looked dazed, as if he didn't know what was happening.

From a distance, the killer Feng watched and gave a thumbs-up. He had already told Li Yide and Li Tong'er what to expect, so he asked them to act convincingly. Feng Jueyu was initially worried that they might lose control once the incident happened, but now it seemed that the grandfather and granddaughter would win the best actor and actress awards.

Smirking, Feng Jueyu scanned the crowd and quickly spotted Xiao Yuanshan, then gave him a signal. The best supporting actor was about to make his grand entrance.

"Grandpa Li, what's going on? Damn, it's so windy. Hey? Wang Dazhuang, weren't you dead?" Xiao Yuanshan's act of pretending to be clueless was so convincing that the Zhao brothers envied him.

First, he pretended to be confused, then he acted as if he suddenly understood. Xiao Yuanshan strode forward, like a rampaging black bear, and lifted the nearly two-hundred-pound Wang Dazhuang, punching him in the face, making Wang Dazhuang bleed from his nose and mouth.

"Damn, you're not dead. Do you know what Grandpa Li has been through these days? I'll beat you to death, you bastard."

Bang! Bang!

Punch after punch landed on Wang Dazhuang's face, venting his anger. Xiao Yuanshan threw Wang Dazhuang to the ground and spat, "Damn, tell me, why did you fake your death?"

The crowd was silent, each person glaring at Wang Dazhuang with murderous intent, as if they would drown him in their spittle if he didn't explain himself.

Wang Dazhuang had been caught on his way to buy alcohol, under Feng Jueyu's orders. Xiao Yuanshan and the others didn't show their faces but staged a ghostly performance with Zhao Jia, one in black and one in white, scaring Wang Dazhuang unconscious.

When he woke up, he was already at Jishi Fang. Due to the half-coin of knockout powder and a pinch of hallucinogen, combined with the eerie wind in the back yard, his mind was clouded, and he had hallucinations, thinking he saw Li Tong'er's dead parents. He was terrified.

The idea of being haunted by vengeful spirits was more terrifying than torture. He dared not hide anything.

Fearing the wrath of the Li family's ancestors, Wang Dazhuang, with a swollen face, got up and knelt, crying out in despair.

"Everyone, Grandpa Li, Sister Tong'er, I was wrong, I deserve to die, but it's not entirely my fault. It was Master Xu Zixiong who gave me silver to fake my death and claim compensation, then buy Jishi Fang. I'm just a small person, following orders. Yes, I was greedy, I was wrong, please forgive me."

"I was wrong, I shouldn't have deceived Grandpa Li. He was so good to me, I'm sorry."

"What? Say that again? I didn't hear clearly..."

Xiao Yuanshan was stunned, and the neighbors were also shocked. Everyone had heard the commotion, and the name Xu Zixiong, from the Miaoshan Hall Xu family, using such despicable means to buy Jishi Fang.

In the crowd, Xu Zixiong's face turned red and his neck swelled, as if he had eaten spoiled food. He was so angry that he almost fainted, his insides churning violently.

It's over, it's all over. Everything is out in the open.

Shangguan Ruowen and Shangguan Ruowu quickly distanced themselves from Xu Zixiong.

Then someone suddenly shouted, "Master Xu, it's Master Xu Zixiong, he's here too..."

Swish, swish, swish...

Hundreds of eyes turned to Xu Zixiong, their gazes like arrows, piercing him and his companions...

Feng Jueyu, standing opposite the crowd, finally smiled. With Wang Dazhuang as a living witness, the magistrate could no longer convict Jishi Fang. The Li family's old house could be saved, and the plotter, the Miaoshan Hall Xu family, would be exposed. The matter was resolved, and there was even an unexpected bonus...

But...

Damn, why does the name Xu Zixiong sound so familiar? Feng Jueyu lowered his hat brim and raised his head, his sharp gaze falling on the elegant young man in white. Seeing that face, Feng Jueyu immediately understood.

"Damn, it's you..."

Feng Jueyu recognized that face, which was deeply etched in his memory. Xu Zixiong was the culprit who had killed Feng Jueyu with two bricks. Well, he never thought he would catch such a big fish. Finally, he had found him. Fine, let's see what happens next. You're in for a rough time.

Feeling the almost devouring gazes of the crowd, Xu Zixiong couldn't help but shiver, his heart pounding. Although he wasn't afraid of anyone there, not even Magistrate Pang, he didn't want to incite public anger. If the news spread, not only would he be in trouble, but the reputation of the Miaoshan Hall would also be ruined.

A merchant without integrity, credibility, or conscience would have no customers, no matter how skilled he was.

Xu Zixiong understood this well. Straightening his back, he shouted, "Why are you all looking at me? I don't know him. You, you, you, who are you? Why are you slandering me?"

"Xu Zixiong," Wang Dazhuang, now desperate, stood up and pointed at Xu Zixiong, "You don't know me? You promised me fifty taels of silver to frame Li Yide and buy Jishi Fang. You wanted to back out, and your wife was there, that's my wife."

Wang Dazhuang's wife was standing close to Xu Zixiong, closer than a stranger should be. This made even Chen Hongjie, the dead-end, instinctively step back, isolating Xu Zixiong and his group.

"You're lying," Xu Zixiong, furious, rolled his eyes, arguing while looking at Magistrate Pang, thinking, "Sir, where were you when I needed you?"

Magistrate Pang was dazed, not hearing Wang Dazhuang's accusation clearly. When he finally came to his senses, the crowd was already in chaos. He was helped up by Constable Cheng and immediately became angry.

"Damn, which bastard kicked me?"

The crowd was deeply frustrated, realizing they had been living under such a corrupt official for so long.

Constable Cheng, sweating profusely, quickly stepped forward, "Sir, Wang Dazhuang has confessed. We must arrest him quickly. If he keeps talking, our lives won't be safe."

Magistrate Pang, hearing this, shuddered. Seeing the hostile and angry crowd, he knew the situation was serious.

Not far away, Xu Zixiong was also glaring at him, but as a magistrate, he remained calm. He shouted, "You faked your death to deceive me. You are guilty. Take him away and await trial..."

With that, Magistrate Pang tried to leave with his men.

Feng Jueyu gave another signal, and Xiao Yuanshan conveyed it to Li Yide. The old man quickly approached, "Sir, what about my case?"

The crowd looked at Pang Zhi...

Magistrate Pang wiped his cold sweat and warmly shook Li Yide's hands, "Yes, I was deceived by this scoundrel. You are a good citizen, and Jishi Fang naturally belongs to you. Rest assured, although I was deceived, I did not act out of personal interest. I promise to give you justice."

"Thank you, sir." The people don't fight the officials, and the old man deeply understood Feng Jueyu's message. Despite his anger, he did not act out.

"No, no," Magistrate Pang really didn't want to stay. Blinking, he pointed at Xu Zixiong, "Master Xu, since Wang Dazhuang has accused you of being the mastermind, you must come with me. Once the facts are clear, if you are innocent, you will be released."

"What? Why arrest me?" Xu Zixiong, surprised that Magistrate Pang was also protecting himself, was furious and about to shout.

The attendant, seeing this, held back the enraged Xu Zixiong and whispered, "Master, leave here first, and plan your next move."

Chen Hongjie also nodded, signaling him not to act rashly. Reluctantly, Xu Zixiong had to accept his fate and left with Magistrate Pang and Constable Cheng...

The attendant did not leave. He stood there, looking at Jishi Fang with a meaningful gaze, then said in a voice only his followers could hear, "Go back and report to the master. The fourth one, stay here and come with me."

To the readers:

PS: Thank you, Xiao Ni, for the tip.

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