When the survivors of the caravan returned, it happened to be a cloudy day.
Upon receiving the news, Feng Tingliu went to the city gate to wait.
This was Yu Chi Feng's first time walking to the city gate, which was the farthest from the Feng Mansion.
There was a small square in front of the city gate. At this moment, many people had gathered there to wait for the caravan's return along with Feng Tingliu. There was a chair prepared for Feng Tingliu in the square, and Yu Chi Feng, as usual, stood behind him.
He looked up at the gloomy sky, sensing the equally gloomy mood of the people around him. For a moment, none of the people around dared to speak loudly, for fear of displeasing Feng Tingliu.
Feng Tingliu's face was terrifying, his crimson eyes completely bloodshot. He stared fixedly at the city gate, and one hand frequently tapped the armrest of the chair, making impatient sounds.
A storm was brewing.
Just when everyone felt that the atmosphere was bone-chillingly cold, a sudden sound of horse hooves and carriage wheels came from outside the city. Everyone looked over and saw a horse pulling a dilapidated cargo box pacing to the city gate. Three people got out of the carriage, showed their entry and exit passes of Liudu City to prove their identities, and led the horse to the square.
As soon as the three saw Feng Tingliu, they all knelt down.
"It's our fault for not handling things well."
Feng Tingliu kept a stern face and said nothing. The three were both guilty and afraid, not daring to raise their heads.
Just then, three more people came down from the carriage. Two people were holding another person. That person was tightly bound with a hemp rope, his face covered with bruises and blood from a severe beating. He staggered forward and was forced to kneel down by the two.
Feng Tingliu sized up the six of them, suddenly snorted coldly, and said in an icy tone: "Explain the situation clearly."
The five looked at each other, and finally one of them was sent to report, lowering his head:
"That night, this guy and Yang Jiang were on guard. But this guy informed the enemy and secretly poisoned Yang Jiang. When we heard the commotion, it was already a step too late. After the fight started, we were at a disadvantage... Those people are highly skilled in martial arts. It's our fault for not handling things well. Please punish us, Young Master!"
Feng Tingliu said nothing and turned his gaze to the traitor, sizing him up.
The traitor trembled under the cold gaze. With just one glance, it felt as if he was being swallowed by those bloodshot eyes and being dragged into the infernal abyss.
The traitor hurriedly bowed and kowtowed, crying uncontrollably: "I was possessed! Young Master! I know I was wrong. I will never dare again! Please spare my life, Young Master!"
Feng Tingliu did not respond to him. Instead, he turned to the subordinate who reported and asked: "What is the origin of the enemy and what kind of martial arts did they use?"
The subordinate lowered his head and remained silent for a moment before answering in a flustered manner: "I... I don't know. But they didn't use demonic arts. They shouldn't be from the demonic path. Instead, their martial arts are different from each other. It seems more like... more like a group of wandering martial artists in the jianghu."
After hearing this, Feng Tingliu tapped his finger on the armrest and said nothing.
The traitor was already shaking like a sieve. He knew that Feng Tingliu hated traitors the most and also knew the fate of a traitor once caught. But now, the long wait for sentencing had become the most painful thing.
Only then did Feng Tingliu look at the traitor again, a smirk curling his lips, but there was no trace of a smile in his eyes, sending chills down one's spine.
"Speak."
"When I went to Beiji City to deliver goods last time, someone... someone wanted to buy information about Liudu City and said... said that when I left Liudu City, they would give me a place to stay... I... I was possessed. I shouldn't... I shouldn't have betrayed!" After speaking, the traitor continued to kowtow repeatedly, creating a pool of blood on the ground.
Feng Tingliu changed his sitting position, leaning back on the chair. He was too lazy to ask how much money the other party had given or the reason for the traitor's betrayal.
"Who is the other party?"
"I... I don't know! I haven't seen his face! Please forgive me, Young Master. I really was wrong... I really was wrong!" The traitor's voice was hoarse from crying, and he continued to kowtow. But Feng Tingliu's expression remained unchanged from the beginning to the end, just like the dark clouds in the sky that had not dispersed.
The people around pointed and whispered, shaking their heads. They all believed that this person would either be tortured in the dungeon or die on the spot.
Suddenly, a thunderbolt flashed in the sky, splitting the clouds.
The thunder light illuminated half of Feng Tingliu's face, revealing a murderous intent on it, as if the King of Hell had descended to the mortal world.
The traitor met those bloodshot eyes and suddenly fell silent, only tears flowing. His body stiffened, his eyes widened, and his face showed fear. The look in the King of Hell's eyes was as if he was looking at a dead man.
He had no chance of survival.
Feng Tingliu suddenly closed his eyes, and the hand tapping the armrest suddenly stopped. Then, he suddenly called out: "Xia Yi."
Among the crowd, Xia Yi, taking advantage of his small stature, squeezed through the crowd and trotted to Feng Tingliu, straightening his crooked Taoist cap. He looked at the people kneeling on the ground and then at Feng Tingliu, asking: "What's up?"
"When did this person enter the city and what contributions has he made?"
Xia Yi had an excellent memory. His almond-shaped eyes rolled, and he said crisply: "He entered the city for two years and has gone in and out with the caravan seventy-one times. He hasn't made any significant contributions. He's just an ordinary person."
"Two years. It's not a short time."
"Yes, he's only one year later than me!" Xia Yi echoed, his eyes shining, as if he was completely unaware of theDepression atmosphere, only curious about how Feng Tingliu would deal with this person.
Just when the traitor thought that Feng Tingliu would let him off the hook considering the many years, he saw the thin lips open and close, and the cold words came out:
"Kill him."
"Young Master! Young Master, please spare my life! I know I was wrong! I know I was wrong!"
Just as Xia Yi turned to make arrangements, he saw a burly man carrying a machete approaching, cursing and swearing.
Xia Yi recognized this person. This person was from the same school as Yang Jiang, who was poisoned and killed during the night watch. They both came to Liudu City three months ago and had a deep friendship. Probably, he was filled with hatred at this moment and wanted to kill the traitor himself.
"Damn it, I'm taking your dog life!" As the man spoke, he raised the knife and brought it down in one swift motion. The blade flashed.
Xia Yi was so startled that he wanted to stop him but failed.
All that remained was a pair of widened, scattered, and terrified eyes. Together with the head, it fell to the ground.
Blood spattered everywhere, and the ground was covered with spilled blood. The head rolled in the pool of blood and happened to roll to Feng Tingliu's feet. The pale face touched the tip of his boot, immediately staining it with a patch of blood.
The splattered blood also unfortunately landed on him. Especially today, he was wearing a white robe, which was completely dyed red by the blood for the most part. Even a few drops splashed onto his cheek, making his handsome face extremely sinister and terrifying.
"Feng... Brother Feng." Xia Yi, who loved to watch the excitement the most, also turned pale, and his speech stuttered.
Those to be executed were usually taken to the mountain next to the dungeon to be executed and buried on the spot, not beheaded directly in front of Feng Tingliu. He didn't expect this strong man to be so fierce, chopping as soon as he said so. He didn't even have a reaction time.
"Young Master..." Yu Chi Feng was also shocked and quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his face.
However, Feng Tingliu snatched the handkerchief, wiped it himself, and threw it back into his arms.
The burly man was carrying the still-dripping knife, looking left and right. Only then did he realize that he had done something wrong. He quickly knelt down to Feng Tingliu. He was indeed straightforward. He raised his hand and slapped himself, saying hurriedly: "Young Master, look at what I've done! Punish me, punish me!"
Feng Tingliu did not frown. He opened his bloodshot eyes and looked at the absurd farce in front of him. He kicked the grotesque head away with his foot, stared at the bloodstained area, and frowned tightly.
"You few, handle the corpse properly and clean up the blood." His voice was cold and filled with anger, but except for the cleaning matter, he did not mention anything else. He stood up and was about to leave when he was blocked by Yu Chi Feng.
Xia Yi was shocked, thinking that Yu Chi Feng was going to do something earth-shattering, but he didn't expect Yu Chi Feng to kneel down.
Yu Chi Feng held Feng Tingliu's boots, slowly lifted his feet, and skillfully placed them on his own legs. Then, he used the handkerchief to wipe away the stains on the boots, carefully, as if treating a precious treasure with great care.
"Well, my junior brother's dog doesn't even lick the bowl as cleanly as this." Xia Yi didn't understand, but he was greatly shocked.
Feng Tingliu looked down, as if looking down at his beloved dog. Those bloodshot eyes gradually lost their murderous intent, as if really soothed by Yu Chi Feng's action.
"It's wiped clean." Yu Chi Feng's voice was steady. He put the white boots back on the ground, put away the bloodstained handkerchief, and stood back behind Feng Tingliu.
Feng Tingliu paused, took Yu Chi Feng with him, and left in the direction of the Feng Mansion, leaving a mess behind.
Xia Yi was stunned. He had never seen Feng Tingliu in such a good mood after a traitor appeared in the city! If it were usual, the killing intent around him would be enough to scare people into wetting their pants!
But now, Feng Tingliu's mood had suddenly become calm!
"Daoist Xia... We..." The person who reported the situation earlier was somewhat confused and still knelt on the ground, at a loss, "Will we be punished?"
"What punishment! Didn't you see that Brother Feng didn't say anything! You, and you, move the corpse away! And you, this big guy, next time when you make a move, look at Brother Feng's expression! Hurry up and wipe the ground clean! Don't leave a single drop of blood!" Xia Yi stood in place and directed. The people he named didn't dare to idle for a moment and quickly got up to work.
Xia Yi turned to look in the direction where Feng Tingliu and Yu Chi Feng left, tilting his head.
-
When Feng Tingliu returned to the Feng Mansion, he met Xie Zicun who was walking in circles in the courtyard.
Xie Zicun's face was filled with gloom, and it seemed that his eyes were about to turn green. Coupled with his dark purple clothes, he looked exactly like a purple eggplant.
"If you walk a few more circles, the Feng Mansion will be flattened by you." Feng Tingliu stood still and reminded.
Xie Zicun suddenly looked up. After seeing Feng Tingliu, he immediately stopped and hurriedly walked forward, asking: "Have you dealt with it?"
"What makes you so worried?"
"I heard that the weapons being transported to Huashan Mountain were robbed. I have to quickly formulate a plan to fill the loopholes. The plans I made earlier have to be completely overturned and redone! The pressure on the Jianya Pool side is even greater. This is a half-month project, and the Huashan Sect has been waiting for more than a month... That traitor really deserves to die. If he were still alive, I would love to step on him a few times..." Xie Zicun rambled on non-stop, so anxious that blisters had formed on his mouth.
Feng Tingliu couldn't stand his appearance and ignored him, walking straight towards the study in the inner courtyard.
Xie Zicun was still standing there, not realizing what had happened. He even opened the account book in his hand, making the papers rustle, and wanted to show Feng Tingliu his monthly plan that had been revised more than ten times. Only then did he realize that Feng Tingliu had already left. Angry and anxious, he threw the account book in his hand into Yu Chi Feng's arms, stomping his feet and muttering:
"Am I easy? The work I avoided in the Heavenly Craft Sect, I still can't avoid in Liudu City!"
The progress was delayed for the Plum Blossom Society, and now it's even more urgent. All the days he had endured before were in vain!
As one of the core members of Liudu City, he didn't understand why Xia Yi of the same rank could be happy every day, while he had to be forced to turn over a new leaf!
Yu Chi Feng looked at the poor purple eggplant and honestly closed the account book in his hand without taking a second look, and followed Feng Tingliu.
Xie Zicun's anger had not subsided. Hefiercely grabbed his long hair twice, making the already messy hair even more disheveled. Only then did he follow the two towards the inner courtyard.