I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 38: Chapter 19: Beheading

"Oh, Brother Rui, why is your sleeve torn? Did Song Dashan cut it? Were you hurt?" Third Lady asked in surprise, tugging at Fang Rui’s sleeve.

Fang Rui played along. "Yes, Uncle Dashan grazed it with the scissors. It just left a white mark. It’s nothing serious."

"What? It only left a white mark? A blade can’t cut you, and your skin is as tough as ox-hide... That’s the sign of an Entry Grade Martial Artist! Brother Rui, you’ve broken through to Entry Grade?"

"I was just lucky enough to break through a couple of days ago."

The two of them were perfectly in sync.

When the others heard that Fang Rui had become an Entry Grade Martial Artist, they were stunned into silence.

No one was telling the Fang Family to be magnanimous and let the matter go anymore. Instead, an indescribable, awkward atmosphere hung in the air.

They, of course, knew what it meant to be an Entry Grade Martial Artist.

In Changshan County Town, an Entry Grade Martial Artist was a figure of some significance. It meant you had one foot out of the lowest rungs of society.

Any gang would welcome an Entry Grade Martial Artist. In fact, as long as their background was clean, they would usually be promoted directly to the status of Elite Gang Members.

Even if they didn’t join a gang, they would still command more respect than ordinary folk, both from gang members and governmental officers.

In the past, Fang Baicao’s status as an Entry Grade Martial Artist was enough to protect Caozhi Hall.

It was only when news returned of the Official Army’s major defeat and Fang Baicao’s fate became unknown that the neighbors’ wariness of the Fang Family diminished, and they started coming to borrow grain...

—It was, in a way, a veiled form of bullying a widow and her son, just more subtle.

Now that Fang Rui had become an Entry Grade Martial Artist and the new pillar of the Fang Family, the others’ attitudes shifted. They naturally wouldn’t dare treat the family as they had before.

Even without considering Fang Baicao, whose fate was unknown, Fang Rui alone as an Entry Grade Martial Artist was enough to intimidate them.

’Just as I thought. People really do bully the weak and fear the strong.’

Fang Rui thought to himself.

Before, these neighbors had dared to urge the Fang Family to let the matter rest peacefully. But back when Lord Hu made a move against the Chus, or when the Government Office ransacked the Wang Family’s home, did they ever dare to point fingers or utter a single critical word?

No!

The only difference between then and now was who had the bigger fist.

Lord Hu’s gang had the bigger fist, and Lord Hu himself was ruthless, so no one dared to resist. A moment ago, before Fang Rui revealed his strength as an Entry Grade Martial Artist, the Fang Family seemed ’soft,’ so they dared to guilt-trip them.

But now that he had revealed his power as an Entry Grade Martial Artist, they had immediately fallen silent.

You could say that even if Fang Rui wasn’t on par with Lord Hu, he now had at least half of his intimidating presence.

This was precisely why Fang Rui had deliberately revealed his Ninth Grade strength: to awe the neighbors and avoid future trouble.

In the center of the crowd, Song Dashan watched as the neighbors who had just been speaking up for him fell deathly silent. The delight on his face vanished, replaced by sheer panic. Trembling, he suddenly dropped to his knees with a THUD. SLAP! SLAP! He started striking his own face. "Lord... Lord Rui, don’t report me... I’ll never do it again..."

’A little late for that, isn’t it?’

Fang Rui scoffed inwardly, unmoved. His gaze drifted over the ’good neighbors’ who had just been urging peace. One by one, they awkwardly avoided his eyes, turning to look pleadingly at Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, hoping she would say something to smooth things over.

But while Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family was indeed kind-hearted, she was no pushover. She hadn’t forgotten how these same neighbors had tried to guilt-trip her family just moments before. With a hmph, she turned her head away and refused to look at them.

This was her moment of vindication. Watching the neighbors’ complete reversal, she felt a surge of satisfaction and beamed with pride.

"Ahem!"

The neighbors, deeply embarrassed, were filled with regret. If they had known Fang Rui was an Entry Grade Martial Artist, they never would have gotten involved. Even if they couldn’t befriend the Fang Family, they certainly would never have offended them.

Third Lady glanced at the group, a flicker of disdain and mockery in her beautiful, clear eyes. A look of someone enjoying a good show spread across her pretty face.

Fang Rui’s performance today had far exceeded her expectations, strengthening her resolve to build a strong relationship with the Fang Family.

"What’s going on here? Why isn’t anyone asleep?" Suddenly, a booming voice called from outside.

With the voice came two governmental officers dressed in gray, a character for "Officer" painted on their chests. They were the men from the Government Office on night patrol.

...

When the two governmental officers asked what had happened, the neighbors all rushed to speak, practically tripping over each other to give their testimony.

The matter wasn’t complicated. After hearing everyone’s account once, the officers understood the situation. Things like this had been happening a lot lately...

Their attitude became noticeably more amiable, especially when they heard that someone as young as Fang Rui was already an Entry Grade Martial Artist.

"So... Brother Fang, shall we take this man away?"

The governmental officer’s tone was deferential.

It came down to the same thing: as an Entry Grade Martial Artist, you were afforded a certain degree of respect, whether from gang members or governmental officers.

"Then I’ll have to trouble you two to see justice done on my behalf. I’ll treat you both to drinks some other day." Taking the opportunity to get close, Fang Rui slipped a handful of large coins to each of them.

"Of course, of course. Rest assured, Brother Fang." The two governmental officers secretly weighed the coins in their hands, and the smiles on their faces became much more sincere. They inwardly praised Fang Rui for knowing how the world worked.

And so, under the watchful eyes of all the neighbors, Song Dashan was led away, his face ashen.

"Dashan!"

Just then, an anguished cry came from behind them.

It was Auntie Cai Hua, Song Dashan’s wife!

Song Dashan hadn’t told Auntie Cai Hua he was going out to steal grain. Besides, their house was some distance from the Fang Family’s. Hearing the faint commotion outside, she hadn’t originally planned on leaving her home. freewebnoveℓ.com

—After all, not every neighbor in Willow Alley had come, and even fewer from the houses that were a bit farther away.