Chapter 248: Power and Justice (Part 2)

Chapter 248: Power and Justice (Part 2)



Luoshui County.

With a single move from Xu Zhengnan, all the constables in the county office sprang into action.

Even the City Defense Division had gathered a large force.

As these men mobilized, the streets and establishments under the control of the Black Tiger Gang were swiftly sealed off.

Any resisters were immediately slain.

Facing the overwhelming force of the government, the Black Tiger Gang was crushed without a chance to retaliate.

Even the renowned leader of the Black Tiger Gang was blocked by the City Defense Division and shot through the heart with a Divine Crossbow.

As for the Four United Merchant Guild, it was surrounded by several captains, sealing off all exits.

With this action, the city gates of Luoshui County were temporarily closed.

Given the current snowy conditions blocking the roads, there was already minimal traffic in and out of the city gates, so closing them encountered no resistance.

Liu Mansion.

"Xu Chief Inspector, what do you mean by this?" Liu Tianzheng emerged from the courtyard, his expression darkening as he saw the Liu Mansion surrounded by a large force, leaving no way out.

"Today is the day of reckoning for the Liu Clan's years of evil deeds in Luoshui County." Xu Zhengnan turned to address the crowd of onlookers in the distance.

He continued, "Today, I, the Chief Inspector, will use the fate of your Liu Clan to tell all the citizens of this city that justice, though delayed, will eventually arrive!"

"Good—"

"Good—"

"Good—"

"..."

These words elicited cheers and applause from the crowd.

The residents of the Inner City were either wealthy or of noble status. Although they feared powerful figures like Xu Zhengnan and the government forces, they were bolder than the common folk of the Outer City.

"Xu—Zheng—Nan!" Liu Tianzheng glared at him, "What do you mean by this?"

Xu Zhengnan looked at the Liu Clan leader before him and smiled faintly, "Isn't what I said clear enough?"

"You'll have to take responsibility for your words!" Liu Tianzheng said.

Xu Zhengnan chuckled, "Of course, I'll take responsibility."

As he finished speaking, he threw the piece of cloth he had been holding towards Liu Tianzheng.

"I'll let you see for yourself why I said those things, Liu Tianzheng!"

Liu Tianzheng caught the cloth Xu Zhengnan had thrown and gave him a deep look before immediately opening it.

A moment later.

Liu Tianzheng crumpled the cloth in his hand.

"Xu Zhengnan, don't forget that you've been taking the Liu Clan's tribute money for so many years."

"That's right!" Xu Zhengnan's lips curved slightly, "But it's all just hypocrisy and deception! I haven't touched a single penny of that money. I'll hand it over to the court after eradicating your toxic influence."

"Good!"

"Very well!" Liu Tianzheng's anger turned to laughter as he continued, "It seems you, Xu Zhengnan, have truly gone mad and are determined to make an enemy of my Liu Clan."

"You're mistaken!" Xu Zhengnan said slowly, "It's not just me against your Liu Clan, but your clan has brought this fate upon itself."

Xu Zhengnan then turned to the person beside him, "Commander Jiang, isn't that right?"

With these final words, Liu Tianzheng's gaze shifted from Xu Zhengnan to Jiang Ning.

"It's you!!" Liu Tianzheng's pupils constricted, "Jiang Ning!"

"Yes, it's me!" Jiang Ning replied calmly.

Jiang Ning didn't mind Xu Zhengnan shifting the focus of Liu Tianzheng's anger onto himself.

Xu Zhengnan appeared straightforward but was actually quite cunning.

Why would he willingly attract all the Liu Clan's hostility? If something unexpected happened and a powerful figure protected the Liu Clan, he would be the one in trouble.

By taking some of the Liu Clan's hatred upon himself, even if something went wrong, the future troubles he would face would be significantly reduced.

Liu Tianzheng looked at Jiang Ning and took a deep breath, suppressing the despair that welled up within him.

Jiang Ning's appearance made him feel even more hopeless than Xu Zhengnan's actions.

He hadn't forgotten that the Cao Clan, which had overall strength superior to the Liu Clan, had ended up in such a miserable state.

In two days, the remaining two hundred members of the Cao Clan would face execution.

The Liu Clan's current strength was even weaker than the Cao Clan's.

If the Cao Clan had fallen to such a state, the Liu Clan would have even less power to resist.

"Why?" Liu Tianzheng asked Jiang Ning with a mix of anger and sorrow, his eyes reddening.

"Commander Jiang, why are you targeting my Liu Clan?" Liu Tianzheng asked again.

Jiang Ning replied, "Ask yourselves that question!"

Then, Jiang Ning spoke, "Chief Inspector Xu, begin the arrest! Kill anyone who resists!"

"Yes, Commander Jiang!" Xu Zhengnan responded promptly.

Immediately, Xu Zhengnan waved his hand, "Follow me inside. Anyone who doesn't surrender will be killed without question!"

"How dare you?" Liu Tianzheng shouted.

"How dare you!" a voice from the distance echoed the challenge.

Everyone looked over and saw a man wearing the uniform of a captain rushing over.

Behind him were several team members.

"It's Liu Chaonan!" Xu Zhengnan's eyes narrowed.

Liu Chaonan was the person the Liu Clan feared the most among their younger generation.

Liu Chaonan was the leader of the younger generation in the Liu Clan and the only one who had joined the Inspection Office as a captain.

Regarding official positions, although the Inspection Office is not as prestigious as the Liu Mansion, it is a newly favored institution by the imperial court, wielding immense power and holding an exceptionally high status.

Even so, Liu Chaonan, a figure of his caliber, would not want to make an enemy of the Inspection Office.

Xu Zhengnan glanced at Jiang Ning, and his heart instantly calmed.

Although the position of a team leader is high, how can it compare to that of a deputy commander?

Not to mention Jiang Ning's current strength.

With his exaggerated abilities, it won't be long before he rises through the ranks within the Inspection Office.

Perhaps in a few years, when Liu Chaonan meets Jiang Ning again, he will have to pay his respects.

Considering this, Xu Zhengnan made his choice today.

In a moment, Liu Chaonan stood before Liu Tianzheng.

"Father!" he said respectfully, then turned to Jiang Ning and Xu Zhengnan, "Commander Jiang, Chief Inspector Xu, what is your intention?"

Xu Zhengnan immediately spoke up, "Your Liu family has violated a total of seventy-eight laws and regulations of the Xia Dynasty, and the evidence of guilt is solid for each violation. Now, we will arrest everyone and bring them back for individual trials."

"Where is the evidence of guilt?" Liu Chaonan asked.

Xu Zhengnan pointed to the cloth stained with dirty snow on the ground, "It's all written here. Your father lost it, so look for yourself."

Upon hearing these words, Liu Chaonan gave Xu Zhengnan a fleeting glance and then bent down to pick it up.

After only a moment, his eyes were filled with anger.

"What does this prove?"

"It says I killed Wang Sanzhu? When did I kill him? His wife, Zhang Xiuhui, was bought by me with my money!"

"Bought?" Xu Zhengnan sneered, "It's good that you remember this. You paid the money, but it never reached his hands. Instead, he was left to rot in the public burial ground outside the city."

At this moment, Jiang Ning watched as the two seemed ready to engage in a verbal sparring match.

He immediately spoke up, "Chief Inspector Xu, there's no need for many words. Let's arrest them!"

"Commander Jiang speaks reasonably," Xu Zhengnan replied instantly. "Let's take them in for trial. If they've violated the laws of the Xia Dynasty, they will be punished accordingly!"

"Who dares?" Liu Chaonan half-drew his long sword, his eyes filled with anger. "I've already sent word to Yuan Hua, Commander Yuan, Ye Qiu, Commander Ye, and Hong Lord. They will soon arrive to uphold justice. I'd like to see who dares to move me without the Marquis' order?"

"Commander Jiang," Xu Zhengnan said, looking at Jiang Ning with hesitation.

These words from Liu Chaonan made him feel extremely cautious.

According to the rules, only the Inspection Office has the authority to judge any of its personnel who have committed offenses.

The county government office, on the other hand, does not have the qualifications to pass judgment.

This is also why the Inspection Office holds such a high status.

It forms an independent system with autonomous law enforcement powers.

Other law enforcement bodies must cooperate as long as they do not violate the principles.

Moreover, the Inspection Office personnel also have the authority to execute first and report later.

With the accumulation of such privileges, the Inspection Office personnel hold an extremely high status.

This is also the reason for Xu Zhengnan's hesitation.

Even though he also holds evidence of Liu Chaonan's guilt, and according to the laws of the Xia Dynasty, Liu Chaonan's crimes are punishable by death.

However, Liu Chaonan is no ordinary person. He holds the position of a team leader within the Inspection Office, ranked as a full ninth-rank official.

This status, even if Liu Chaonan is the chief inspector of the county government office, an eighth-rank official, gives him no power to move or punish Liu Chaonan.

Among all the people present, the only one qualified to act against Liu Chaonan is Jiang Ning, the deputy commander of the Inspection Office, who holds the same eighth-rank official position.

At this moment, Jiang Ning noticed Xu Zhengnan's hesitant gaze.

He immediately spoke up, "Since you say that Yuan Hua, Ye Qiu, and Hong Lord are all coming, then I'll wait and see!"

Upon hearing these words, Liu Chaonan's heart calmed.

Even without mentioning Ye Qiu and Hong Lord, as long as Yuan Hua arrives, with Yuan Hua's support, he will have passed this hurdle today.

In his opinion, Jiang Ning is not bad.

But what does that matter?

Yuan Hua, Commander Yuan, is a martial genius from the Martial Sage Hall.

Furthermore, he has already entered the seventh rank of martial cultivation.

Originating from the Martial Sage Hall in the capital of Guangning Prefecture, this background is extraordinary.

The students of the Martial Sage Hall receive the orthodox inheritance and cultivate extraordinary martial arts techniques.

At the same level of martial cultivation, these individuals can typically fight two or even three opponents alone.

This is the strength of the orthodox inheritance.

In Liu Chaonan's opinion, even with Yuan Hua's seventh-rank martial cultivation, he can still be considered one of the top three in Luoshui County, excluding external martial artists like Ye Qiu and the other three commanders, as well as the members of the Yellow Heaven Sect and Hong Lord.

With Yuan Hua's strength, what does Jiang Ning have to fear?

However, Liu Chaonan is unaware of this at the moment.

Yuan Hua has already fallen into a coma.

Jiang Ning's Water and Fire Essence Technique has severely injured Yuan Hua internally, and without three to five months of recovery, he won't be able to heal.

In the midst of the light snowfall, everyone waited in place.

As for the various places within the city, the Black Tiger Gang, under the full force of the soldiers, had already lost their leader and were in disarray.

Within a few hours, the Black Tiger Gang was completely swept away.

Capture or kill, that was the order. The latter outcome was far more common, with the number of those captured barely reaching one in ten.

The reason for this was that someone within the ranks of the officers had already given secret instructions.

As long as they followed the rules, they were to kill without hesitation.

Only if it truly went against the rules and was witnessed by many, would they change the order to capture.

As time passed, the fine snow in the sky gradually turned into a heavy snowfall.

The sky darkened.

Before long, the officers lit their torches.

The bright flames illuminated the area around Liu Mansion, making it as bright as day.

Although the wait was long, no one complained.

The person they were all waiting for was the most powerful and influential figure in Luoshui County, and even the County Magistrate paled in comparison to Hong Minghu.

"He's here!" Jiang Ning suddenly spoke up.

"Is it the Marquis?" Xu Zhengnan craned his neck in the direction of the Inspection Office, asking curiously.

"And Ye Qiu, the Commander!"

As soon as Jiang Ning finished speaking, Xu Zhengnan's gaze sharpened.

"Marquis Hong and Commander Ye are both here!" As he spoke, he glanced at Liu Chaonan, his eyes revealing a hint of surprise.

When Liu Chaonan had mentioned sending someone to invite these two important figures, he hadn't thought much of it.

A person of Marquis Hong's stature wouldn't easily involve himself in such a trivial matter, and even Ye Qiu's presence was impressive enough.

But now it seemed that Liu Chaonan had some ability, managing to invite Marquis Hong himself.

"Greetings, Marquis!" Jiang Ning bowed respectfully.

"There's no need for such formality, Commander Jiang!" Marquis Hong immediately smiled.

At that moment, everyone else also greeted Marquis Hong and Commander Ye Qiu.

After a moment, Marquis Hong surveyed the area and the crowd.

"What's going on here?"

"Sir, Commander Jiang is using his position for personal revenge!" Liu Chaonan immediately reported with a face full of indignation, but Marquis Hong waved him off.

"Chief Inspector Xu, you explain!" Marquis Hong instructed Xu Zhengnan.

"Marquis, over the past few years, the Liu Mansion has committed numerous major crimes, and the number of lives they've taken is countless! The Idolatry Sect stronghold you discovered today is one of the Black Tiger Gang's hideouts, and the Black Tiger Gang is controlled by the Liu Mansion." Xu Zhengnan began.

"Oh? So the Liu Mansion is colluding with the Idolatry Sect?" Marquis Hong asked.

"Marquis, it's not like that!" Liu Chaonan interrupted, eager to speak.

"Silence!" Ye Qiu swept a cold gaze over Liu Chaonan, his eyes full of pressure, causing Liu Chaonan to immediately shut his mouth.

At that moment, Xu Zhengnan glanced at Liu Chaonan and then withdrew his gaze.

He then took out a small booklet that he had prepared beforehand.

"Marquis, please take a look. This records all the major and minor cases committed by the Liu Mansion over the years."

"I have evidence ready for fifty percent of these cases."

Hearing this, Marquis Hong looked at Xu Zhengnan in surprise and then took the booklet from his hands.

He skimmed through it briefly and said, "Chief Inspector Xu, you've prepared quite thoroughly."

As he spoke, Marquis Hong carefully flipped through the booklet from start to finish.

The crowd fell silent.

But Liu Tianzheng's forehead was covered in sweat, and Liu Chaonan's face turned extremely ugly.

From the attitudes of Ye Qiu and Marquis Hong, it was clear that they favored Jiang Ning.

In less than the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Marquis Hong closed the booklet.

"If the evidence is real, arrest them! Arrest Liu Captain and the other Liu family members as well!"

"Yes, Marquis!" Xu Zhengnan bowed.

"Marquis, Xu Zhengnan is lying, don't believe him!" Liu Chaonan shouted.

"Silence!" Ye Qiu gave a light rebuke, and his figure appeared beside Liu Chaonan.

He gently tapped Liu Chaonan with his finger, and Liu Chaonan immediately went limp like a deflated balloon, collapsing powerlessly on the ground.

At that moment, Jiang Ning's gaze also suddenly sharpened.

"Inner and outer cultivation, inner breath transformation!" He couldn't help but marvel at this.

Aside from himself, Ye Qiu was the first dual cultivator he had ever met, and he had reached the level of inner breath transformation.

Liu Chaonan's sudden collapse was proof of the profound techniques Ye Qiu had used.

Seeing this, Xu Zhengnan's heart was filled with confidence.

It was clear that both Ye Qiu and Marquis Hong were on Jiang Ning's side.

The key to this, he guessed, was because of Jiang Ning.

He was well aware that he himself did not have the connections to achieve this.

Then, Xu Zhengnan waved his hand and said, "Arrest them! Anyone who resists, kill without mercy!"

"It's up to you," Marquis Hong said indifferently.

Then he turned to Jiang Ning and said, "After you're done here, Commander Jiang, if you have time, please join me at Bright Moon Tower for a gathering!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning immediately bowed, "Marquis, I will definitely attend your banquet later!"

Marquis Hong smiled and nodded in response.

On the other side, Liu Chaonan lay powerless in the snow, and the heavy snow gradually covered him.

Seeing this, his eyes filled with indignation.

"Where is justice in the face of power?!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end