Chapter 245: Leaving Fire Taoist Institute Assessment

One of Zhao Xing’s Multiform avatars escorted Zong Shichang onto the boat, then scanned the patrol bureau personnel.

Before arriving, he had reviewed the case files and learned that Zong Shichang had been arrested on charges of "dereliction of duty."

But what kind of person was Master Zhao? He immediately saw through the discrepancies.

Upon his arrival, activating his Heaven's Eye technique, he saw a junior clerk outside Zong Shichang's cell, hitting the door with an iron rod to disturb Zong Shichang's rest.

Instantly, he was furious.

Wang Shiyang, who had accompanied him, also noticed something was amiss and glared fiercely at He Xian.

Ordinarily, the arrest of an official for dereliction of duty required approval from either Wang Shiyang himself or the County Administrator He Xian.

He had never approved such a warrant, so it was clearly He Xian's doing.

In fact, Wang Shiyang didn't even need to think about it, as Song Ji had been recommended by He Xian.

He Xian already felt something was wrong and immediately wanted to say something.

Unexpectedly, after seeing Zong Shichang off, Zhao Xing erupted on the spot.

"Lord Wang, may I ask a few questions?" Zhao Xing looked at Wang Shiyang.

"Certainly, Marquess Yuanrang," Wang Shiyang replied. "Everyone else, leave."

As soon as Wang Shiyang spoke, the other officials instinctively retreated from the Patrol Bureau, leaving only its own officials, County Administrator He Xian, and Wang Shiyang himself.

Zhao Xing was angry, and Wang Shiyang naturally had to let him vent.

Otherwise, Wang Shiyang couldn't hope to foster this relationship.

"Where is Song Ji, the Director of the Patrol Bureau?!"

Song Ji, standing nearby, looked displeased. Zhao Xing's direct address by name and his public accusation in front of numerous officials and clerks of the Patrol Bureau showed that he had no intention of saving face for Song Ji.

But Wang Shiyang did not help him, and seeing He Xian subtly shake his head, Song Ji had no choice but to step forward.

"How may I be of service, Marquess Yuanrang?"

"I am a Senior Sixth-Rank official, while you are a Junior Sixth-Rank. Why do you not bow before a superior?"

Song Ji felt a surge of anger. He had intended to give a perfunctory salute.

To his surprise, Zhao Xing's aura erupted violently, and a fierce pressure swept over him. Song Ji felt as if he were facing a tsunami, as if the sky itself were collapsing.

"Thump!" Song Ji involuntarily knelt down.

What is called abusing one's power? This is abusing one's power!

Song Ji was indeed a lower rank than Zhao Xing, so he should have bowed, but kneeling was not strictly mandatory.

However, Master Zhao was angry, and he directly ordered Song Ji to kneel and respond!

Song Ji struggled for a bit but found he had no room to resist; he couldn't get up at all. A chill of horror ran through him.

Seeing that Wang Shiyang made no move to intervene, fear began to creep into his heart. Zhao Xing's background was far more formidable than what he had heard at the banquet.

Wang Shiyang, standing nearby, was also somewhat surprised.

This Marquess Yuanrang was indeed rather overbearing.

At the previous banquet, he had been amiable; it was impossible to tell he harbored such strong killing intent.

But thinking of Zhao Xing's military achievements, Wang Shiyang felt relieved.

Zhao Xing was indeed very angry. Originally, he thought Zong Shichang had encountered problems in flood control, leading to dereliction of duty and his detention.

Given Young Master Zong's typical behavior, Zhao Xing hadn't really suspected anything at first.

It was only when Wang Shiyang's secretary explained that he realized the truth.

That damned Song Ji had actually charged Zong Shichang with dereliction of duty for drinking during work hours and had imprisoned him for seven days, providing food and drink but no sleep—a blatant act of retaliation!

Who was Zong Shichang? He was Zhao Xing's sworn brother, entrusted with the care of his family. Zhao Zheng, Zhao Ruide, and Madam Cai's family had all been well looked after by Zong Shichang, who had even enrolled Zhao Zheng in the county academy.

How could such bullying of Zong Shichang be tolerated?

Looking at Song Ji kneeling on the ground, Zhao Xing grew angrier the more he thought about it.

He had initially intended to question Song Ji using regulations, but seeing that Song Ji didn't even talk back after kneeling, Master Zhao simply resorted to physical action.

"You motherf—!"

Zhao Xing kicked Song Ji squarely in the face.

"Crack!"

Song Ji's nose was instantly twisted out of shape.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!"

Like a hooligan, Zhao Xing jumped beside Song Ji and wildly kicked him.

Each kick avoided vital points, ensuring Song Ji wouldn't be truly gravely injured, but every single kick was excruciatingly painful!

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

Song Ji was a martial artist of the Sixth-Rank realm; normally, even if he lost a chunk of flesh or broke a bone, he wouldn't cry out in pain.

But now, he truly couldn't hold back.

The clerks and officials of the Patrol Bureau watched, their scalps tingling.

Especially Liu Silang, the patrol guard ordered to disturb Zong Shichang's sleep, who nearly wet himself from fright.

Because he couldn't discern the underlying intricacies, he thought Zhao Xing was literally beating the man to death.

If their superior was treated this way, what about a lowly clerk like him?

After kicking him over a hundred times, Song Ji's face was horribly swollen. Only then did Master Zhao look up, his demeanor now calm.

He calmly looked at Song Ji and said, "If you're not satisfied, you can report me to the prefectural city."

"N-no, I wouldn't dare..." Song Ji, beaten to a pulp, still managed to get back on his knees.

What was there to report? With injuries like these, it would at most result in compensation.

Just by looking at Wang Shiyang's attitude, he knew it would be utterly useless.

Zhao Xing glanced at the minor clerks of the Patrol Bureau but did not make things difficult for Liu Silang.

He merely straightened his clothes and said to Wang Shiyang, "Xing lost his composure for a moment. Please mete out punishment, Your Excellency."

Wang Shiyang said, surprised, "What loss of composure? Did any of you see Marquess Yuanrang do anything?"

The clerks replied, "No, no."

He Xian also spoke then, "Marquess Yuanrang merely came to inspect the Patrol Bureau and examine the prison's magical array."

Wang Shiyang's attitude once again redefined Long Xiao's understanding of civil officials.

If this were in the military, if anyone dared to beat his brother, he would have drawn his blade.

Yet here, Wang Shiyang merely watched, even condoning Zhao Xing's actions.

Why? Because Song Ji was not one of Wang Shiyang's people.

Furthermore, Wang Shiyang had also reviewed the case files.

The secretary had already explained the full story to him.

Why did Song Ji imprison Zong Shichang?

The reason was drinking during official hours, which he used as a pretext to arrest Zong Shichang for dereliction of duty and to vent his anger.

What anger was he venting? When Zong Shichang managed flood control in Nanliu County, he chose not to flood the downstream commoners but instead damaged the Song family's farmlands during flood discharge.

But as the Prefect, Zong Shichang's actions aligned with Wang Shiyang's interests.

The Song family, being a large clan, had strong resilience against natural disasters. After a major flood, they would merely lose some money.

But if commoners were flooded, rendered homeless, starved, or died of illness... how could Wang Shiyang hope for a promotion?

Wang Shiyang was pragmatic, but that didn't mean he wasn't a good official. If given the choice, he would also support Zong Shichang's actions.

Furthermore, Wang Shiyang was also disgusted with Song Ji at this moment.

A perfectly good banquet had been ruined by this piece of trash, Song Ji, leaving a bad impression on Zhao Xing. Forget speaking up for him, Wang Shiyang practically wanted to chop him to death.

"Zhao Xing, shall we go elsewhere?" Wang Shiyang asked.

"As you command." Zhao Xing followed Wang Shiyang out of the Patrol Bureau.

He Xian, trailing behind, sighed inwardly. He felt that the matter was far from over.

This was merely a venting of anger; how it would be amicably resolved later was still unknown.

The matter was indeed not over. Zhao Xing had vented his anger, but to conclude it, he needed to ask for Zong Shichang's opinion.

Zhao Xing's main body accompanied Wang Shiyang on inspections of various county government agencies, listening to Wang Shiyang discuss his ambitions and ideals.

Meanwhile, his avatar was on the flying boat, accompanying Zong Shichang.

"Shichang, the one who came with me is Long Xiao, Marquess Yunxiao. You've met him before, but you might not be familiar with him."

"As for Lord Chen, you already know him, so I won't introduce him further. Lord Chen is now Marquess Yuanzhen, also a Senior Sixth-Rank official."

"What? Old Man Xishan is also a Marquess?"

Zong Shichang had just finished washing up and was still a bit dazed, completely failing to notice that Chen Shijie and Long Xiao had already entered.

"Ahem..." Zhao Xing quickly prompted him.

"Ah, your student... greetings, Lord Chen!" Zong Shichang hastily bowed.

"Am I not Old Man Xishan?" Chen Shijie looked at Zong Shichang with a faint smile. "Don't go against your true feelings, Young Master Zong."

Zong Shichang wished he could sink into the ground.

"Kid," Long Xiao said, "that guy, what's his name, Song something, was beaten to a pulp by Zhao Xing. Do you feel better? If not, I'll go beat him up for you again tomorrow."

"No, I don't feel better!" Zong Shichang said indignantly. "That bastard held me for seven days, didn't let me sleep for seven days! How can one beating be enough?"

"However, there's no need for Brother Long to act. My family has people who can beat him. It's just a matter of medical expenses, right? I can afford it!"

"Don't say that," Long Xiao said. "Call me for good deeds like this. I'm a sword cultivator; I guarantee I can slash him a hundred times, and he'll still end up with minor injuries."

"Huh?" Zong Shichang was stunned.

"If you don't feel better, let Brother Long go," Zhao Xing said. "Your family members definitely can't fight as well as he can; they might lose their composure."

Venting anger was one thing, but killing was out of the question.

There were many ways to deal with the Song family.

"Oh, okay, okay," Zong Shichang replied, then realized something was amiss.

He suddenly slapped his head. "Wait, I just remembered! How did you become a Marquess? And a Senior Sixth-Rank official? It's only been a few years!"

"Also, you said you beat him to a pulp? I remember the Prefect and County Administrator were both there, right? You beat him in front of them? And they didn't say anything?"

Zong Shichang's mind was full of questions. He finally understood what was strange.

Zhao Xing and the others were all Sixth-Rank, but Song Ji was also Sixth-Rank. Did Wang Shiyang really give that much face?

"We'll talk about it in detail later. Haven't you been sleepless for days? Get some rest first; you'll understand when you wake up," Zhao Xing said with a smile.

"Okay." Zong Shichang was indeed tired. He lay down and soon drifted off to sleep.

Nanyang Commandery, the Song family.

Song Chengde, the head of the Song family, was leisurely enjoying the cool shade under a grape trellis, with two maids massaging his legs and shoulders.

Song Chengde's ancestors had produced a Fourth-Rank official, but after two dynasties, the family gradually declined, compounded by continuous divisions.

By his generation, there were only two Fifth-Rank officials among their relatives, and they were serving in other regions.

Their local official influence was solely propped up by Song Ji, the Sixth-Rank official of the Patrol Bureau.

In recent years, there had been continuous major floods, and summers were humid and muggy. On top of that, they had encountered the unlearned Zong Shichang, who constantly opposed their Song family.

He would come to the Song manor to curse them for no reason and even wander around their ancestral land.

Now that Zong Shichang was imprisoned, Song Chengde could finally enjoy a few days of peace.

"Master, someone from the Zong manor is here again," a steward reported at that moment.

"I'm not seeing anyone!" Song Chengde snorted. "That brat from the Zong family needs to learn his lesson. He's barely grown, yet he dares to lecture an old man like me, even trying to teach me principles."

"No, I won't see him, no matter how many gifts they bring!"

"No, Master, Zong Shichang has already been released," the steward said urgently. "Second Master Song was beaten to a pulp, and now the Zong manor has come to demand an explanation."

"Zong Shichang is released, and my brother was beaten? The Zong manor is here to demand an explanation?" Song Chengde was first startled, then angrily rebuked, "Nonsense! What gibberish are you spouting in broad daylight! How much swill did you drink to get this drunk!"

The steward, helpless, had to explain repeatedly.

After several repetitions, Song Chengde finally believed him.

"Zong Shichang has a schoolmate who spent four years in the military and actually became a Senior Sixth-Rank official, even being granted a marquessate?"

"The Prefectural City's Flying Ship Bureau even sent a 'Rosy Cloud Flying Ship' to bring him back, and Wang Shiyang has to curry favor with him. *Hiss*, what a formidable background this must be." Song Chengde couldn't help but gasp.

He immediately came to his senses: "Quick, prepare the carriage!"

Ordinary families didn't have earth mirrors, nor could they send messages via Yin spirits. All communication