Chapter 281: Chapter 281 Candid and In-depth Communication

The Sage of the Prefecture came a little late, but he had sought the Judicial Commissioner, and together they mobilized five hundred County Soldiers before rushing over.

A regular military force, let alone energetic social organizations like the Hall of Heroes, even the guards of Yongyi Duke Mansion wouldn’t dare to act rashly—after all, just consider those hundred archers, who were the nightmare of any cavalry.

The County Soldiers arrived and promptly suppressed the unrest, executing more than twenty people on the spot and capturing over two hundred.

Of course, those they arrested were all from the Hall of Heroes or a few onlookers, but definitely none from the Deng Family’s side.

Afterward, the Sage of the Prefecture and the Judicial Commissioner warmly greeted the civilians harassed by the thugs and expressed their regret for their late arrival.

Actually, the Magistrate felt somewhat wronged; he had heard the night before that the Princely Heir of Yongyi had lost to the mysterious figure of Mount Zhige, and that individual might very well be an Immortal.

The Magistrate also wanted to make contact with the Immortal, but having passed the age of fanciful dreams, he knew better than to act rashly—the Immortal didn’t even fear the Ducal Heir, so why would he care about the orders of a mere magistrate?

What he had not anticipated was that the Immortal had a local from Xiyin as an attendant, whose father had been arrested.

Deng Yifu’s imprisonment was the doing of some people within the Judicial Commissioner’s office and the County Soldiers, having nothing to do with the Magistrate himself.

He only became aware of the situation today due to someone in the justice department who had not been bribed. The man had complained to his colleagues that it was outrageous how Yongyi sent just two guards to take Deng Yifu away.

This reached the Magistrate’s ears right away, making him wonder, why would the guards of Yongyi appear in Xiyin City at this time?

He, as the distinguished Sage of the Prefecture, had too many concerns to track everything, but after casually inquiring, he suddenly realized: it turned out that the man who was smuggling weapons days ago had both his sons in Zhige County, serving that mysterious person?

The Magistrate was well aware that after the Princely Heir of Yongyi had been defeated in Zhige County, the Duke’s guards must have come to protect someone because of Deng Yifu’s two sons.

Thinking he had indirectly offended the Immortal, he felt quite apprehensive and immediately summoned the Judicial Commissioner, bursting into a tirade.

The Judicial Commissioner, a bit slower in getting news than him, had also received updates from Zhige County. Now, hearing that the guards of Yongyi had intervened on behalf of the Deng Family, he turned pale.

Subsequently, they both received news of the Hall of Heroes rallying their forces and immediately dispatched constables to crack down on them, while also hastening to assemble the County Soldiers—both were very concerned for their own safety.

However, as a result, their response was delayed, and by the time they arrived, Yongyi’s guards had already started their counterattack.

Of course, it wasn’t too late. Any later and Xiyin City might have been plunged into chaos, making the situation far worse, its severity unpredictable.

After suppressing the people of the Hall of Heroes, the Magistrate also learned that it was Deng Lao Er, the second son of the Deng Family, who had returned with reinforcements. Thus, he summoned the other party to meet, intending to extend his greetings.

However, Deng Lao Er bluntly refused: No meeting!

This attitude he had also learned from Feng Jun; the Divine Doctor always carried himself arrogantly, treating everyone equally and never easily kowtowing to anyone.

Deng Lao Er greatly admired this demeanor. Hearing that the Sage of the Prefecture summoned him, he immediately became annoyed, “He wants to see me, and I’m just supposed to go? Who does he think he is… If he wants to see me, let him come in himself!”

When the Magistrate heard this, he felt somewhat helpless. Annoyed at being snubbed, but also lamenting his own inability to change the situation: Indeed, who would dare to disrespect the follower of an Immortal when even the sons of a prime minister are of the seventh rank?

There he was, still a Magistrate despite his advanced age, having to personally visit a young man—it was quite embarrassing to think about.

Fortunately, Elder Deng, knowing how the world works, volunteered to fetch the rebellious son.

After all, his two sons had joined an extraordinary figure, but the Deng Family still needed to live in Xiyin City. Wouldn’t it be troublesome if they incurred the lasting ire of the Sage of the Prefecture, possibly leading to petty acts of sabotage?

In short, being proud has its limits, as boasting under the heavens can bring misfortune, and a palanquin is meant to be shouldered by men—this is the proper order of things.

Deng Lao Er dared not defy his father, so he was dragged out by Elder Deng to meet the Sage of the Prefecture.

The Sage having saved face, became even more amiable and presented a bottle of Foundation Establishment Pill, encouraging him to cultivate diligently and to serve the country in the future.

Although the Foundation Establishment Pill was not as valuable as the Meridian Opening Pill, it was still quite precious and precisely suited Deng Lao Er’s cultivation level—the gift was not insubstantial.

Deng Lao Er thanked the Sage, but did not let the matter rest, solemnly stating that his father, who had been upright his whole life, could not possibly be involved in smuggling weapons, and he was under great pressure now that he had been saddled with such a reputation.

This meant that no matter how many gifts were given, it wouldn’t be enough if he didn’t clear his name.

However, the event had nothing to do with the Sage, who would have clarified this even without being asked, so he unhesitatingly waved his hand to the side, “This matter was the doing of the Judicial Commissioner, and I had no knowledge of it.”

Indeed, he betrayed his teammate that directly, without any disguise.

“`

In fact, the Sage of the Prefecture and the Judicial Commissioner usually don’t see eye to eye. The Imperial Court established the position of Judicial Commissioner not just as an assistant to the Magistrate, but essentially as a means to check and balance the Magistrate’s power.

The relationship between Qingning Prefecture’s Magistrate and Judicial Commissioner was also notably poor, something even the Deng Family was well aware of. They even knew that the Hall of Heroes’ rise to power was somewhat enabled by the Judicial Commissioner’s indulgence.

Seeing that the Magistrate had betrayed him, the Judicial Commissioner didn’t get angry but candidly admitted, “I was the one who erred in this matter. However, the main reason was my attempt to ingratiate myself with Yongyi Duke, which led others to hoodwink me into targeting the Deng Family.”

As for who fooled him? Two minor characters, Xiao Yun from the Hall of Heroes and Colonel Zhao of the County Soldiers.

With the Judicial Commissioner speaking so bluntly, Deng Lao Er couldn’t say much but simply gave him a glance and nodded slightly. “If you think it has nothing to do with you, then let’s leave it at that.”

What kind of crap is that? The Judicial Commissioner became anxious, “Little Deng, I don’t have much of a connection with the Hall of Heroes. I’ve only slept with a few women and wooed some local gangs to keep the Sage of the Prefecture busy so he wouldn’t always be after me.”

Upon hearing this, the Sage of the Prefecture flew into a rage, “Only slept with a few women? The Hall of Heroes has given you at least a thousand taels of Gold, smuggled goods for you, and suppressed your rivals… You call this nothing much of a connection?”

The Judicial Commissioner scoffed at him, “If you put it that way, it makes no sense. Do you want me to air your dirty laundry?”

In short, that afternoon, the various parties had a thorough and honest exchange.

After the exchange, Deng Lao Er felt like he was in a bad way, his values shaken to their core.

Deng Yifu, having roamed the martial world for much of his life, had seen too much of human nature and wasn’t particularly bothered.

He was more concerned about his sons’ fortunes, “You and your brother are truly blessed to have met such a benefactor… I felt like I was at my wit’s end, but as soon as you came back, the situation experienced a drastic change.”

On hearing this, Deng Lao Er couldn’t help feeling a bit inflated with pride. To earn his father’s heartfelt approval was the dream of every young man, though he still restrained himself and said, “It was all thanks to Brother Wolf’s introduction. In the end, it’s your credit.”

As they were speaking, a guard from the Duke’s Mansion rushed in, “The County Soldiers have decimated the Hall of Heroes’ headquarters. Yun Hao, their leader, has fled with his family. The Magistrate and Judicial Commissioner have ordered a manhunt throughout Qingning Prefecture. They want him alive or his body if he’s dead.”

Upon hearing this, Deng Yifu glanced at his son and sighed, “Ah, what a pity we can’t take that wretch to see the Divine Doctor now.”

The goons of the Hall of Heroes had offended the Divine Doctor and also Lang Zhen. If they could capture Yun Hao and deliver him to Zhige, it would bring great prestige to Deng Yifu.

Deng Lao Er also realized his father quite wished to get close to the Divine Doctor, so he said with a mysterious smile, “Dad, don’t worry. This time I came back, I recommended you to the Divine Doctor, to do some tasks for him.”

“Oh?” Deng Yifu’s eyebrows rose, asking with interest, “What tasks?”

At that moment, a figure flashed in—it was the Judicial Commissioner, who came in hastily, frowning, “Elder Deng, Second Young Master, I’ve just heard that the scoundrel Yun Hao has escaped… Damn, we didn’t catch him.”

Deng Yifu remained silent, while Deng Lao Er spoke lazily, “Who knows if he ran away on his own, or if someone let him go?”

“He still has a lot of dirt on me,” the Judicial Commissioner said as he continuously bowed, wearing an awkward smile, “Second Young Master, can you stop being capricious, please? None of us wanted him to escape, right?”

“I didn’t want him to escape, but you, ha,” Deng Lao Er sneered, speaking bluntly, “I really don’t know what you think.”

“That’s why I’m seeking you out,” the Judicial Commissioner spoke seriously, “I’m hoping the Divine Doctor can make a move to help capture this man.”

The Divine Doctor might be an Immortal, but he couldn’t say that outright. Anyway, he believed the other party would understand.

Deng Lao Er had no interest in helping him, “He surely can’t escape Qingning Prefecture. You better find a way yourself, Judicial Commissioner.”

The Judicial Commissioner became anxious. Donghua Country had many desolate places, and once Yun Hao left Xiyin City, he would really be hard to catch, “Even if not for me, you should consider your own family. He will surely hold a grudge against you.”

“Many hold a grudge against my family,” Deng Lao Er scoffed coldly, “My father’s lifetime reputation has been ruined. To use the Divine Doctor’s words… that’s ‘character collapse,’ yeah.”

“Alright, alright, it’s on me,” the Judicial Commissioner said helplessly, shaking his head as he pulled out a stack of golden leaves, “Here are ten taels of Gold. Will you accept this as an apology?”

Deng Lao Er gave him a sidelong glance, frowning, “You think this is about money?”

The Judicial Commissioner let out a sigh and pulled another thick stack of golden leaves from his robe, “Fifty taels… Let’s close this chapter and forget about it, okay?”

Deng Lao Er was just about to speak with a cold smile when Deng Yifu snatched the two stacks of golden leaves, “That’s my son, what did I just tell you? ‘To spared people when it’s possible…'”

The Judicial Commissioner was stunned for a moment before he forced a dry laugh, “Elder Deng, you’re sensible after all. Can you… please bring this up with the Divine Doctor?

“I can’t decide this,” Deng Yifu shook his head, his face expressionless, “The Divine Doctor just tasked me with some errands, so I need to show some results first…”

“`