Chapter 38: Chapter 38: To cause its destruction, first drive it mad_1
 

Qingshi Town, within the residence of the magistrate Yue Jun.

Inside a room adorned with valuable calligraphy and paintings.

A middle-aged man wearing dark red iron armor, with a robust build, exuded an aura of faint killing intent.

He stood silently in front of an exquisite painting of a court lady, calmly admiring it in silence.

Behind him, a figure with his head bowed slightly, waist bent,

was the magistrate Yue Jun, whose face was filled with fear and unease.

He remained silent, trembling slightly.

The atmosphere in the room seemed to grow more oppressive with the passage of time and the silence that ensued.

“Town Magistrate Yue, your home is filled with nice things…”

After a long silence, Zhao Hong, clad in dark red armor with a blade at his waist,

finally broke the deadly silence, turning around with a smile that was not quite a smile, looking at Yue Jun behind him.

“Zhao Hong, what do you and your Zhao Family really want to do?”

“The Da Feng Dynasty hasn’t fallen…”

Although Yue Jun’s heart was filled with fear and unease, at that moment, he knew.

He absolutely couldn’t show weakness, otherwise…

He would very likely become a puppet in the Zhao Family’s hands next.

This was something Yue Jun could never accept.

“Town Magistrate Yue, I address you respectfully as such, don’t push your luck…”

Zhao Hong’s expression gradually became colder.

One step, another step, and yet another.

He moved closer to Yue Jun.

“Zhao Hong, what, what do you want to do?”

“Are you planning to lay hands on an official appointed by the court?”

“Are you planning to rebel?”

Facing the immense pressure from Zhao Hong before him, Yue Jun finally couldn’t bear it any longer and collapsed onto the floor.

His already slightly trembling body began to shake even more violently.

And just as Zhao Hong was about to continue and scare Yue Jun even more,

suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded from outside the room.

Before even seeing the figure, Zhao Hong heard the all too familiar voice.

“Second brother, stop scaring our dear Town Magistrate…”

Outside the room, Zhao Wu, the current Family Head of the Zhao Family, was speaking while he walked toward Yue Jun inside the room.

Not until Zhao Wu reached Yue Jun’s side,

did he help the magistrate, who was sitting collapsed on the floor and shaking violently, to his feet.

“Town Magistrate, this time our Zhao Family has come to discuss an important matter with you.”

Zhao Wu helped Yue Jun stand and, after straightening out the magistrate’s slightly wrinkled jacket, he calmly whispered.

“What, what matter?” Yue Jun carefully glanced at Zhao Hong beside him.

Then, he sighed softly.

He straightened his back a bit and asked the Zhao Family Head in a low voice.

Zhao Wu: “Ever since the Da Feng Dynasty suffered several years of severe drought, chaos has been unending within the empire. Countless citizens are either displaced as refugees or have turned to banditry, becoming outlaws.”

“Even Qingshi Town, which lies beside the Huai River with an adequate water supply,

“is still affected by the chaos that followed the years of drought.”

“So I was thinking, since our Zhao Family is one of the families within Qingshi Town, we must certainly help the town magistrate manage this vast Qingshi Town.”

“Regarding this matter, I wonder what the town magistrate thinks?”

Zhao Wu’s voice was neither too loud nor too soft, unhurried.

His face even bore a hint of respect.

It was quite the show of face for old Yue Jun.

But the more it was so, the less Yue Jun seemed to grasp the reality of the situation.

“What does your Zhao Family amount to?”

“You also wish to usurp the power to manage Qingshi Town?”

Yue Jun quietly clasped his hands behind his back, his emotions gradually returning to calm after getting over the initial shock.

Then, his wrinkled face couldn’t help but reveal a look of deep arrogance.

The Da Feng Dynasty was already rotten, even to the core.

Even if the entire Qingshi Town had been locked down by the Zhao Family.

Even if Yue Jun’s residence was heavily surrounded by the Zhao Family’s men.

Now it wasn’t just about escaping; probably not even a fly could leave the residence.

Yet even so, Yue Jun still managed to maintain such a posture.

“Big brother, I’ve said it before, we need to be tough with these kinds of people…”

As Zhao Hong spoke, he drew the steel knife from his waist, the blade flickering with a cold light.

Moreover, he held the blade of the steel knife directly against old Yue Jun’s neck.

“Will you submit to our Zhao Family, or are you prepared to face death?”

Zhao Hong’s voice was utterly icy.

His expression, his gaze,

And the steel knife in his hand, flickering dimly with bursts of cold light and sharpness.

Everything, everything brought back all the fear and unease that Yue Jun had gradually begun to dissipate.

“Submit or die?”

Zhao Hong’s voice grew even colder.

In Yue Jun’s ears, it was like a terrifying song emanating from that region, which made him involuntarily shiver.

“Zhao Wu, what exactly does your Zhao Family mean by this?”

Yue Jun turned his head stiffly, his expression somewhat blank as he looked at Zhao Wu beside him.

However, it was somewhat unfortunate.

This time, Zhao Wu did not stop it.

Zhao Wu had already given Yue Jun a chance, but he had not seized it.

In that case, there was nothing that could be done.

In this chaotic world, the Zhao Family could only resort to more forceful measures.

Between death and submission,

Qingshi Town’s current mayor, Yue Jun, had no choice but to submit to the Zhao Family.

Becoming a puppet in the hands of the Zhao Family.

However, since the Da Feng Dynasty had not completely fallen yet.

The deterrence accumulated by the Da Feng Dynasty over nearly a thousand years was still present.

Therefore, in all likelihood, the Zhao Family wouldn’t easily kill Yue Jun directly.

Of course, this was all predicated on one condition.

That Yue Jun obediently cooperates with the Zhao Family’s actions.

Otherwise, even if Yue Jun was the mayor,

He would still die at the hands of the Zhao Family.

In Qingshi Town, the number of family clans was countless.

However, among the top families,

There were only the Zhao Family, the Luo Family, the Jing Family, and the Hu Family.

Therefore, when Zhao Hong, the second son of the Zhao Family, led over two thousand armored youths into Qingshi Town,

And promptly sealed off Qingshi Town completely,

The Luo Family, the Jing Family, and the Hu Family,

These three great families learned of the news immediately.

Qingshi Town, Luo Family Ancestral Land.

In a courtyard with a slightly rustic aura,

The Ancestor of the Luo Family, Luo Changfeng, was seated quietly in a Stone Pavilion.

He was holding a book titled “Introduction to Alchemy,” slowly flipping through it.

And Luo Chuan, sitting silently beside him,

Was calm and quietly waiting.

“So, you’ve come to me because of the Zhao Family’s actions?”

After a long while, Luo Changfeng set aside the book in his hand.

He raised his head to look at the quite handsome young man before him, Luo Chuan,

Asking in a calm, low voice.

Luo Chuan, “Patriarch Changfeng, Zhao Hong, the second son of the Zhao Family, has already led over two thousand armored youths into Qingshi Town.”

“Currently, Qingshi Town is completely sealed off; nobody can enter or leave at will.”

“And more importantly,”

“That Zhao Hong, and the current Family Head of the Zhao Family, Zhao Wu, have both gone to the residence of the mayor, Yue Jun.”

“I suspect…”

Luo Chuan spoke with a hint of worry.

However, before Luo Chuan could finish, Luo Changfeng interrupted him.

“There’s no need to suspect, the Zhao Family intends to control Yue Jun and turn him into a puppet in their hands.”

Luo Chuan, “Patriarch Changfeng, if that’s the case, shouldn’t we take action?”

Even Luo Chuan, who was always known for his composed personality, was beginning to lose patience.

“Young man, do you understand how great the gap is between Viscera Refinement and Bone Refinement?”

“Moreover, to destroy something, one must first drive it to madness.”

“The Zhao Family now is like a jumping clown.”

“Let’s wait and see what else the Zhao Family can do…”

Luo Chuan, “Patriarch Changfeng, do you mean to see who in Qingshi Town wants to join forces with the Zhao Family to bring our Luo Family to ruin?”

Luo Chuan’s words slowly echoed near the Stone Pavilion.

Luo Changfeng just silently smiled and chose not to respond aloud.