Free Web NovelChapter 520: Chapter 144: A Common Enemy, or an Ally? (Part 2)
He waved his hand, and immediately several other members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard stepped forward, ready to take action against Ye Liuyun.
The middle-aged man, however, seemed to have anticipated this outcome.
He simply hung his head, his face ashen, showing no intention of resisting.
"Sir!"
After Fu Zhengqing departed, Si Nan and the others finally came over again.
The aura of a Grandmaster was something they simply couldn’t withstand; just now, they’d been forced back a good distance by it.
"Fu Zhengqing suddenly appearing here—he must have some ulterior motive!"
Everyone here was smart.
This talk of "an autumn excursion" was just a convenient excuse.
How could there possibly be such a coincidence under heaven, that we happen to be dealing with a rebellion right now...
And Fu Zhengqing just happens to show up here on an outing.
This is truly the kind of coincidence that’s opened the door of coincidence—coincidence to the extreme.
And he’s brought people from the Ministry of Justice with him.
From the looks of it, Fu Zhengqing had long since made preparations—if anything went south, he could instantly bring his own people away.
Only...
What Fu Zhengqing could never have predicted was that Ye Liuyun was no longer that same late-stage Grandmaster of before—he was now a bona fide Grandmaster.
"Sir."
Si Nan was a bit worried.
Fu Zhengqing has come up empty-handed; he’s bound to make another move before long.
"No need to worry!"
Noticing the change in Si Nan’s expression, Ye Liuyun just smiled unconcernedly.
Whatever Si Nan could foresee, how could Ye Liuyun not have already considered? And yet, even so, Ye Liuyun still chose to act—obviously, he’d made his plans long ago.
"Fu Zhengqing’s main target right now is someone else—he simply won’t spend too much effort focusing on me!"
As long as Yan Fuhai is still alive.
Fu Zhengqing will find it hard to turn his attention elsewhere.
Ye Liuyun already suspected that the water bandit rebellion Fu Zhengqing had orchestrated was likely just a means of spreading panic—testing Yan Fuhai’s reactions.
You can see it from this alone.
On the surface, Fu Zhengqing seems compliant, but behind the scenes, he’s still scheming ways to deal with Yan Fuhai.
Just... ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Looks like he’s a bit impatient.
Otherwise, given Fu Zhengqing’s usual competence, the plan wouldn’t be so slapdash—it feels just cobbled together in a hurry.
He hadn’t thought everything through properly before moving forward.
"Besides, even if he wants to target me, I’ve got nothing to fear!"
Apart from being a Grandmaster, Fu Zhengqing also studied as a Mage.
But wasn’t I the same?
Acting like he’s the only Mage around.
"Understood, Sir!"
Si Nan, who’d been about to say more, saw his lord’s display of confidence and felt a weight lift from his heart.
For as long as his lord was here, it seemed, nothing could go wrong.
The water bandits had been dealt with, the middle-aged man had been taken care of.
The problems with Lishui City were now just about resolved.
"Sir, what shall we do next?"
At those words—
Ye Liuyun turned his head, looking at the surviving Registrars.
It was plain to see—
Though the County Magistrate was dead, those men all looked visibly relieved.
Apparently,
They’d convinced themselves that all the blame had now fallen on the County Magistrate—it had nothing to do with them. Even if the Magistrate was dead, their positions wouldn’t be affected.
Some even...
Had started dreaming—now that the Magistrate’s seat was vacant, maybe they had a good shot at vying for that position.
Just thinking of that, a few had already begun grinning smugly.
When Ye Liuyun saw this—
He said nothing, only let a faint smile creep onto his face.
"The matter of the water bandits is solved, but Lishui City’s problems have yet to be addressed. You should know what to do next."
As he spoke,
Ye Liuyun glanced at Si Nan.
Out of all his subordinates, it was only Si Nan that Ye Liuyun truly trusted.
He’d been by his side the longest, and was the most level-headed.
"Understood!"
As expected—
Ye Liuyun didn’t need to spell it out.
Si Nan nodded knowingly—clearly understanding his lord’s intent.
He said nothing more, but instead shot a look to a few Embroidered Uniform Guards nearby. With a squad in tow, he strode towards the Registrars.
Some of these men were still fantasizing about the good times to come.
With no County Magistrate pressing down on them, once the Embroidered Uniform Guards left, Lishui City would be theirs for the taking! They could do whatever they pleased.
But just as they were lost in their dreams—
The Registrars suddenly felt a shadow overhead.
When they snapped back to reality, they realized that, at some point, several members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had completely surrounded them.
",,,"
No one knew why—
But that scene sent a chill through the Registrars’ hearts, a sudden wave of dread.
Even their voices wavered when they tried to speak.
"S-Sirs... Is— Is there anything else you need?"
All wore ingratiating smiles.
Seeing this, Si Nan smiled too.
His tone was easy, as if he was discussing something completely ordinary.
"Did you really think your little tricks could fool my lord?"
"???"
What did that mean?
They were stunned at first, but quickly realized something wasn’t right. Their faces shifted, and just as they opened their mouths to say something—
It was already too late!
