Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 882 - 96 Vast Sky, Long Time No See! (3200 words) (1/2)
Chapter 882 -96 Vast Sky, Long Time No See! (3200 words) (1/2)
Inside the Ministry of Punishment in Liangzhou, due to a large number of injured martial soldiers going out at once, and the remaining soldiers being used for the gambling den investigation, the vast office appeared empty and deserted.
At this hour, it has only been less than three quarters.
The vermillion doors opened, sunlight spilled into the courtyard, grass stubbornly grew from the cracks in the stone slabs, extremely quiet, even tranquil, without a hint of human sound, only the faint chirping of birds flying over branches.
In the silence, suddenly the sound of footsteps echoed, a young man quickly walked through the corridor outside the main hall, stopped at the door, tidied his appearance, then softly knocked. After receiving permission, he cautiously pushed open a crack, slipped inside, and saw the scene was incredibly simple, with dossiers neatly stacked on the table, divided into left and right piles.
The candle burnt out, a white porcelain tea cup on the table held tea that was so weak it had lost its color. Sitting by the table was a young man, his spine still straight, expression indifferent, gently pinching his brow with his right thumb and forefinger.
His eyes swept over, the visitor did not dare to meet his gaze, bowed in salute, retrieved a folded letter from his chest and presented it, saying:
“There have been achievements.”
Wuxin’s expression softened slightly, took the letter, did not open it immediately, but nodded to the young patrol officer and said:
“Take a rest first.”
“Yes, I shall retreat,” the subordinate said, bowed in respect, turned around and walked out, the wooden door opened and closed once, creaking, changing the light and shadow in the room, while Wuxin rubbed his brow, unfolded the letter, and concentrated on reading. It mentioned finding traces of the targeted young man in the alleys last night, but did not find the elder.
The opponent was extremely cunning. Once detected, he immediately fled far away, unable to complete the task.
Wuxin steadily looked at the intelligence on the letter, then closed his eyes, put it on the table, unaffected by it. Similar intelligence had been discovered many times in recent days, he already guessed this should be a strategy to deploy false soldiers; vigilance was all that was needed.
If he follows the other’s rhythm, it would be wrong, falling into passivity.
The net has already been cast, there is no rush to close it.
For this reason, he decided to send Tie Lin to contact experts around Rongyue City, attempting to catch Xu Sixing’s accomplices all in one go. Once Tie Lin returns, they can attempt to close the net, and this matter will soon be successful.
Yet, he was uncertain if Wang Anfeng had made any progress over there.
Thinking of this, he smiled slightly, opened the drawer, took out a letter with fresh ink marks, the handwriting calm but with style, obviously learned from a master’s hand, yet still showing signs of an artisan’s touch, imperfect as human hands rarely are. Few over decades can achieve great success across many fields.
For instance, Wang Anfeng’s handwriting is not very appealing.
He rubbed the letter and saw the words written on it. Roughly, it said Wang Anfeng would be visiting the Reviving Spring Hall for a free clinic today, if there were matters, they should be reported, finally hesitating, the ink blotted and spread on the paper forming a point, then he wrote the last line as if relieved.
Wuxin muttered to himself and read aloud: “…Compensation for damages to the guest room, according to articles of the Great Qin Legal Code, Ministry of Punishment’s handling of the case, the detention of thugs led to damages of common folks’ property, all should be reported, with compensation exceeding the property’s value by one to three percent given to Copper Coin?”
“Indeed, a steward of Fufeng’s collection, truly well-read… but sadly unaware of the situation.”
He took ink from the inkwell on the desk, holding the brush in one hand and the other behind his back, casually wrote, two words fell pointedly, both hovering above Wang Anfeng’s name, revealing a lean elegance.
“Dismissed.”
“You are the harmed one, not the innkeeper; at most the cost of lodging is covered for you.”
Imagining Wang Anfeng’s expression upon seeing this line after a tiring day, Wuxin’s mouth lifted in a slight smile, he then continued to write.
“However, according to my Qin Code Discourse, all who capture bandits, thieves, or murderers should be rewarded with the compensation and spoils of the captured, plus if capturing high criminals, the bounty is doubled with an official supplement.”
“As per the past three years’ Great Qin Decree, any commoner capturing one thug or two thieves, calculated per head, is rewarded fifty silver taels. Those capturing criminals of third grade or above can gain official status; if unwilling to enter the Imperial Court, it can be converted into silver taels.”
“The two codes run parallel, crimes not accumulated, yet rewards stack, those who convict criminals should be heavily rewarded; under our Great Qin Law’s foundation, untouched for a hundred generations, I shall apply on your behalf.”
After writing, he placed the brush on the Three Mountains brush rack.
He looked up and down, Wuxin’s lips lifted in a slight smile:
“If reporting, it should be done like this.”
Then he folded it, drafted a new more formal version, pressed his seal on it, stored it in his notebook, waiting to report back to Heavenly Capital.
He could already foresee the dissatisfied expressions of those officials, yet his heart felt solely joyful. If not for the complex laws each relying on something, he almost wanted to write a few more clauses.
“Instead of letting silver accumulate in officials’ residences yearly, turning into jewels and paintings while performers laugh lightly, it would be better given to those of use. Even buried under a willow tree is better than falling into officials’ pockets.”
The notebook in his hand was barely palm-sized, with rhinoceros hide as cover, inside used top-tier Mo Family paper, not circulated among the public, thin yet tough, ink not absorbed heavily, allowing for charcoal writing, ideal for recording.
Everyone in the Ministry of Punishment has one, recording various case clues, as well as officials’ crimes, often just noted down without further pursuit, like a life snatcher, hence called the ‘Wuchang’, the one in Wuxin’s hand already half-used.
“Assistant official at the Ministry of Punishment, Court of Judicial Review officer, Imperial Censorate deputy minister…”
Wuxin squinted his eyes, face cold, his eyes demure, sunlight fell into them, sparkling like ripples on water, shining brightly, he placed the ‘Wuchang’ notebook on the table, long fingers pressing on the rhinoceros hide, voice lowered, softly murmuring, unexpectedly with a couple of warm encouragements:
“Someday, I’ll see your heads off.”
………
Tiezha He walked on the avenue, the weather bright, every day filled with sunshine, making people feel comfortable rather than hot, yet his heart was somewhat heavy and stifled, as if the clouds above were pressing down oppressively, making people breathless.
There are no clouds in the sky, but the mind is clouded.
Beside him walked a tall man with broad hands and feet, refusing to wear his clothes properly, his attire somewhat loose, revealing a solid chest. His eyes constantly surveyed the street scene as if he could never get enough, watching and watching, he raised his hand to drink, then squinted his eyes, and exclaimed loudly:
“Beautiful…so beautiful!”
Tiezha He suddenly stopped, and the man behind him did the same. The boy in front grasped tightly with both hands, so forcefully that his nails nearly embedded into his flesh.
“Baleru…”
The man looked at him, laughed, and said, “What’s wrong? Why so unhappy?” freewebnoveℓ.com
“You’ve always said, no matter what, you wanted to see the Great Qin Country. This is the Great Qin Country, the most magnificent nation under the heavens.”
Tiezha He fell silent, took a deep breath, and began to apologize softly, saying:
“Sorry, we—I thought the Central Plains would have it.”
“Someone to heal you, if it were in our homeland, you might be more comfortable.”
Saying this, he almost expelled all the air from his lungs, feeling a bit suffocated. The man patted his shoulder, unconcerned, and said:
“I already knew that no one in the Central Plains could heal it.”
“That doctor from the Green Bamboo Pavilion has some skills, but it’s not enough, not enough. The great shaman couldn’t heal it, the doctors of Central Plains couldn’t heal it, no one could heal it, not even in the Great Qin Imperial Palace of Heaven Capital City. The heavenly god wants me to accompany him, to herd in the heavens.”
Tiezha He whispered, “But the great shaman said there is.”
Baleru did not respond. He turned around, looking at the scenery of Liangzhou City, his eyes widened, with a divine light within them, saying, “Truly beautiful, don’t you think so, Tiezha He?”
The boy from the vast prairie silently nodded and said:
“But our grasslands are beautiful too.”
“Yes, the grasslands are beautiful.”
Baleru nodded and said, “Yes, very beautiful.”
“I talked to the great shaman about taking you out to see the truly majestic nation of the world. I hope you can see things more distant, that you grow up; you are not a child anymore, and you cannot continue being a child.”
“When our tribe was strong, the former chieftain, your grandfather, once galloped on the grasslands with the greatest heroes of the Great Qin Country, like heavenly eagles, together tearing apart the Turkic Eternal Life Army.”
“The lion roar from the Great Qin reverberated over the earth, eagles soared high in the sky, fighting side by side, with steel spears bestowed with red tassels and curved sabers resembling full moons protecting each other, conquering all the way to the distant shores, that being the most distant epic sung over the past hundred years.”
“You are the eagle of the grasslands.”
“You will become a new hero of the grasslands; banners will fly for you, behind you will be hundreds of people wielding curved sabers for you. I hope I can see you protecting the people of the tribe, I will be watching you from the firmament.”
His large hand heavily patted Tiezha He’s shoulder, smiling as he said.
“Don’t cry after I die.”
………
Inside the Quiet Room at Reviving Spring Hall.
Wang Anfeng looked at the copper mirror used for adjusting his attire in the room. He didn’t expect Wuxin to be so keen, yet he was no longer as naive as before and had long prepared for other contingencies, as the Famous Swords Organization simultaneously targeted Dongfang Clan and him.
If corresponding to this, it means they are simultaneously moving against the lineage of his parents. He vaguely felt a sense of approaching the fog, so at this moment, he wouldn’t allow himself to falter.
He rubbed his brow and opened his eyes.
“Second Master, I entrust everything to you.”
Reflected in the copper mirror was his visage, the young man smiling, then moved, and beside Wang Anfeng, another ‘Wang Anfeng’ appeared, the two sharing similar features, yet distinctly different.
One had gentle brows and eyes, hinting at sharpness, like a sword hidden in sheath; the other with a warm and amicable demeanor, subconsciously approachable, with slender, fair hands gently caressed the wooden table.
A trace of invisible Qi mechanism spread, enveloping the entire Reviving Spring Hall.
The scent of medicine unconsciously swayed and diffused from the center, then gathered towards there, as if a hundred birds heading towards a phoenix.
‘Wang Anfeng’ caressed the wooden table, the entire heaven and earth pulsating rhythmically with his movement. He folded his cuffs well, raised his eyes to the sunlight outside, inhaled the scent of medicine, then let out a long sigh and smiled in a soft mutter, smile warm and touching.
“The vast skies, haven’t seen in ages.”
With a flick of his sleeves, heaven and earth froze, the scent of medicine swirled.
The Medicine King descended into the world.
PS: Presenting today’s first update…three thousand two hundred characters~
Noon update, I’m so touched
Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m fre𝒆webnov(e)l.com
