Starting as The Young Master of A Pharmacy, He Trained Swordsmanship in Seclusion For Twenty Years - Chapter 138

The people who had appeared at the door were servants and guards of the Su family!
“The Master is dead?”
“What are you talking about?”

Su Tianming seemed too drunk to comprehend, completely failing to process the words of the men outside.

The three young masters in front of him instantly sobered up, standing in terror. They looked at each other, wondering if they were drunk and hallucinating.

The Su family had only one ‘Master’: Su Quanchuan, the Magistrate of Lanshan County.

He was dead?
How could the esteemed Magistrate of Lanshan County die?!
This was like a meteorite crashing into a calm lake, sending up monumental waves.

Seeing the others stand up in unison, Su Tianming felt displeased.
“Hey, why are you all standing up?”
“Don’t go! This young master isn’t drunk yet! We drink until we drop tonight!”
“No one leaves without my permission!”

The young masters exchanged glances and then spoke up, one after another.
“Young Master Ming, I have an urgent matter at home, I must take my leave.”
“Young Master Ming, my father is gravely ill, so it’s not suitable for me to stay long. I bid you farewell!”
“Young Master Ming, I’ve suddenly taken ill, I fear something is wrong with my health. Please forgive me.”

The three didn’t even blink as they spoke, as if everything they said was true. After speaking, they swiftly left the room as if carried by the wind.

However, before they had gone far, noisy sounds erupted from outside.
“There are a few more people here! Seize them!”
“Sirs, a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!”
“We aren’t from the Su family!”
“If you’re not from the Su family, what are you doing in the Su residence?”
“Take them all!”
“And there’s still a Su Tianming inside the room. You men, go in and arrest him!”

Before long, under Zhang Qi’s personal command, everyone in the Su family had been captured.

Zhang Qi stood before all the members of the Su family and spoke with cold indifference.
“Su Quanchuan, former Magistrate of Lanshan County, was executed on the spot by this official for colluding with sorcerers who rebel against the court!”
“As for your punishment, you will await sentencing after the Prefect submits a memorial to the court.”

White Path Prefecture, Prefectural City!
Inside the Luo Residence, in a place with beautiful scenery where towering ancient trees stood tall, dotted with patches of emerald green lawn, there was an enormous lake with crystal clear water.

Remarkably, there was a small pavilion at the center of the lake, connected to the shore by a pathway made of blue brick.

Luo Jinghe was sitting in the pavilion at this moment, eyes closed, reclining on a chair.

He was thinking about the discussion from the day before yesterday, when Prefect Hong Zhi had gathered the major officials of the prefectural office. He never imagined that, completely unbeknownst to them, the Xuanshi of the Xuanniao Guard had been replaced.

Naturally, Luo Jinghe took this momentous news regarding the Xuanshi and the Xuanniao Guard very seriously. After all, the Xuanshi of the Xuanniao Guard held the power to execute them.

The reason for Luo Jinghe’s concern was that he had previously secretly killed Huang Shi, a Human-level Xuanniao Guard. If anyone were to discover he had killed a Xuanniao Guard, not even his status as a Tongpan, nor his father, nor even Prince An could save his life.

Previously, Luo Jinghe had sent people to secretly observe the Xuanniao Guard’s movements. He found that a team of Xuanniao Guard was indeed going door to door searching, seemingly looking for Huang Shi.

Fortunately, that fool Huang Shi hadn’t left any traces. The Xuanniao Guard team investigated for a while and then returned to the Xuanniao Guard headquarters.

This situation allowed Luo Jinghe to relax, feeling he could rest easy.

At that moment, a figure appeared on the shore and strode swiftly to the pavilion on the lake. The newcomer was one of the stewards of the Luo Residence.

“Master, the three thousand taels of silver have been delivered to the people from Misty Rain Pavilion.”
“They are at the Hidden Dragon Inn. They will set out tomorrow for Qingyun County to eliminate that Lu Family Herb Shop!”

“Hmm! Very good!” Upon hearing this, Luo Jinghe gradually opened his eyes, looking very satisfied.

Misty Rain Pavilion had sent five people: one martial artist at the perfected Marrow Forging stage, and four at the major accomplishment stage of Marrow Forging. With this level of force, eliminating a mere herb shop in a small county town should be a trivial matter, as easy as lifting a hand.

“Alas…”

A sigh echoed across the quiet lake.

Before Luo Jinghe and the other man, an old man appeared just outside the pavilion. He wore the blue-grey uniform of the Xuanniao Guard, his face expressionless, his gaze indifferent as he looked at Luo Jinghe.

“Luo Jinghe, please come with me.”

The old man was Deputy Emissary He Yan!
The reason He Yan was here was that he had been entrusted by Lu Xuan some time ago to secretly monitor Luo Jinghe’s every move. The words Luo Jinghe had just spoken had naturally been heard clearly by He Yan, not a single word missed.

According to the instructions given to him by Lu Xuan, if Luo Jinghe dared to act against the Lu Family Herb Shop, he was to be executed on the spot immediately, without any leeway!

This was the power of life and death temporarily granted to him by Emissary Xuan. From the Prefect down to commoners, their lives were all subject to He Yan’s arbitrary judgment!

This was the ultimate authority held by the Xuanshi who governed a prefecture. It was why the prefectural and county officials held the Xuanshi in such awe and fear.

Of course, this power of life and death couldn’t be used to indiscriminately kill court officials. Afterwards, the court would send Black Feather Guards to investigate the circumstances. However, regarding the matter of executing Luo Jinghe, He Yan felt some hesitation. After thinking it over repeatedly, he still decided to take him back to the Xuanniao Guard headquarters and let Emissary Xuan make the final judgment personally!

“How dare you!”
“Who are you!”
“Guards! There’s—”

Before the Luo Residence steward could finish his sentence, a piece of gravel shot through the space between his eyebrows. He fell straight down, collapsing in a pool of blood.

Although Luo Jinghe had the backing of Prince An, making He Yan hesitant to decide his fate lightly, that didn’t mean he couldn’t kill others!

Witnessing this, Luo Jinghe’s pupils contracted to pinpricks, his heart filled with shock!

He initially wanted to state his identity and ascertain the other party’s origins.
“You… wait… that pattern on your clothes?”

But in the next moment, Luo Jinghe got a clear look at the embroidered robe the old man wore.

Someone from the Xuanniao Guard?
A Blue-Grey Xuanniao Uniform?
The Xuanshi?

Luo Jinghe, coming from a major clan in Anzhou, naturally knew some information about the Xuanniao Guard. The old man before him was clearly an Earth-level Xuanniao Guard! Which meant he was a martial artist at the Internal Breath level!

Luo Jinghe’s face instantly turned deathly pale, his forehead beaded with cold sweat.

Hoping against hope, he spoke, his words stammering.
“Y-you… are… from the Xuanniao Guard?”

He still clung to a sliver of hope, praying that this unfamiliar old man wasn’t from the Xuanniao Guard!
“This old man is He Yan, Deputy Xuanshi of White Path Prefecture!”
“By order of the Xuanshi, I invite you to come with me.”