"Hmm, City God Zhuo Gongkui is a corrupt official."
Fang Zhixing quietly listened.
Fan Qiulai continued, "Back then, Yan Jingfeng wasn’t alone; he also had a beautiful wife."
Somehow, Zhuo Gongkui laid eyes on his wife and demanded that he offer her to the Sect Hierarch of Hundred Spirit Sect, otherwise, he would ensure Yan Jingfeng’s assessment failed."
"How could Yan Jingfeng tolerate that? In a fit of anger, he simply gave up on joining the Five Elements Sect and even exposed Zhuo Gongkui’s rampant corruption to the Court."
"That completely offended Zhuo Gongkui, who in turn listed Yan Jingfeng as a wanted criminal and sent experts to assassinate him, forcing him to flee everywhere."
"Alas, during his escape, his wife was viciously murdered."
After hearing this, Fang Zhixing fell silent. He and Yan Jingfeng were only business partners, not involved in personal grudges.
He didn’t want to get involved in Yan Jingfeng’s private vendettas.
So he conveyed the message, "Commoners shouldn’t contend with officials; you should tell Yan Jingfeng to leave Dai State as soon as possible."
Fan Qiulai replied, "Yan Jingfeng has gone into hiding; I can’t contact him right now. But don’t worry, as soon as I see him, I will definitely urge him to leave quickly."
Fang Zhixing thought for a moment and answered, "He might have sensed the danger and already fled."
"Hmm, that’s possible."
Fan Qiulai thought so too.
The two quickly ended the call.
Afterward, Fang Zhixing went to Yibao Pavilion.
In these days, Puffy Peony had been managing the shop on her own, bustling about and handling the pressure quite well.
Fang Zhixing reviewed the accounts; the income was not bad, and he promised to give Puffy Peony a raise.
Puffy Peony was naturally overjoyed.
After tending to Yibao Pavilion, Fang Zhixing found himself with rare leisure time and planned to rest well for a few days.
Sword Gang gleamed, slashing through the sky.
Several figures were flying swiftly through the air; ahead of them, one person was frantically fleeing, fighting as he ran.
The sound of booming continued without end!
After a long while, that person was hit by a streak of cold light, stumbled, and fell down.
A muffled splash was heard as the person plunged into a large river.
Waves surged, and the water churned.
"Quick, quick, don’t let Yan Jingfeng escape!"
The pursuers sped along the river’s surface, thrusting swords into the water, stirring up great waves.
Persistent efforts pay off!
After a Flying Sword stabbed into the water, it turned blood-red.
One person loudly alerted the others.
The next moment, whoosh—
Yan Jingfeng broke through the water, a long sword piercing through his shoulder, blood pouring out.
Figures rushed at him from all sides, encircling him in the middle.
Yan Jingfeng gasped for breath, his face deathly pale, his eyes filled with hysterical rage.
"Yan Jingfeng, you sure know how to run!"
A person with a gloomy face sneered coldly, "If it wasn’t for the City God’s order to capture you alive, we would have killed you long ago."
Yan Jingfeng spat out, "Then kill me; what’s with all the nonsense."
Suddenly, someone from behind took action, conjuring a brick-shaped Magic Artifact, and smashed it on the back of Yan Jingfeng’s head.
With a thud, Yan Jingfeng’s vision darkened, and he fell.
Someone grabbed his hair, lifted him up, and flew into the sky.
The rest followed closely and flew toward Yandang City.
Soon, they arrived at the City God Temple and quietly entered the temple without making a sound.
At this moment, the City God Temple was resplendent and bustling with incense.
Countless pilgrims and believers came in droves, kneeling before the statue of the City God, praying devoutly.
The City God statue depicted a middle-aged man with a long beard, dressed in a magnificent official robe, exuding an imposing air.
The statue, lifelike and vivid, seemed almost real.
The statue stood proudly, continuously absorbing the good fortune of the congregation, refining and strengthening itself.
Ordinary people didn’t know that this City God statue was actually Zhuo Gongkui’s Dharma Body.
Zhuo Gongkui, being of the Yang Divine Realm, had his Yang Divine come and go freely, leaving his Dharma Body in the temple to harvest the common people’s fortune daily, indulging in limitless pleasure.
This was one of the perks of being a City God.
Truth be told, aside from the Sect Hierarchs of some major sects, it was the City God who could absorb the most fortune, quite a lucrative position.
At this moment, in the rear courtyard of the City God Temple.
Zhuo Gongkui’s Yang Divine was sitting at a dining table, enjoying his lunch.
On the table lay a baby, cut open and dripping with blood.
Zhuo Gongkui picked up a still-beating heart with a pair of chopsticks and cheerfully popped it into his mouth.
Instantly, his face beamed with bliss.
A voice from outside said, "Thanks to your great blessing, we’ve captured Yan Jingfeng."
Zhuo Gongkui’s eyes burst open, he put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and coldly sneered, "Bring him in."
The door creaked open.
A group of experts stood at the entrance.
Yan Jingfeng was thrown to the floor like a dead dog.
Groggy and feeling awful, he mustered all his strength to open his eyes.
A familiar face, a face he could never forget even if it turned to ashes, appeared before him.
"Zhuo Gongkui, you cur!"
Yan Jingfeng gnashed his teeth, seething with hatred.
Zhuo Gongkui leisurely smiled and said coldly, "Yan Jingfeng, I’ve been looking for you for many years. You never imagined that you would end up in my hands, did you?"
Yan Jingfeng met his gaze with defiance, his face unabashed, and grated, "Don’t be proud; I’ve been collecting evidence of your crimes all these years. I’ve documented all your misdeeds. Sooner or later, they will be revealed to all. When that time comes, justice will prevail, your true nature will be exposed, and no one will come to your broken temple to offer incense."
Hearing this, Zhuo Gongkui was unimpressed, and said coldly, "Facing death, and you still dare to threaten me?"