Chapter 153: Past

Blood sprayed like a fountain.

Fei Yu wiped her hands. She looked at Wei Bufan, whose movements were slowly coming to a stop, and turned to Yan Jing.

"What do you plan to do now?"

"Make a run for it?"

Yan Jing smiled and shook his head.

"It hasn't come to that yet."

If the next Dungeon weren't located here, Yan Jing might have actually made that choice.

But right now, there was another way.

A short while later.

Li Gongming of the Crop Plains was once again summoned to Mud Alley.

He was noticeably more cautious this time, mainly out of wariness toward Old Master Liu, who had made a move earlier.

Standing at the entrance of number 19, he stared at the dilapidated wooden door, his eyes flickering in thought.

Finally, he turned on his heel, ready to leave.

With no background or influence, he didn't want to wade into these muddy waters any longer.

His resentment toward Wei Bufan wasn't enough to justify taking such a massive risk.

But to his surprise, he suddenly felt a wave of weakness wash over him, and a pair of large hands reached out from the corner behind him.

A fist slammed into the back of his neck.

Then came a sharp chop from a delicate hand.

His vision went black, and he passed out.

An unknown amount of time passed.

He woke up groggy, but the scene before him made him feel as if he were still dreaming.

He was gripping a bloodstained Dagger in his hand, and right beside him lay a man.

A black cloak, a lingering aura of slaughter, and most importantly, a familiar face—the moment he recognized it, he shuddered, his heart trembling.

It was Wei Bufan!

Judging by those dimmed eyes and the dried blood on his body, the man was clearly dead.

Who killed him?

He stared at the Dagger in his hand in horror. Trembling, he let it slip from his grasp. It clattered to the floor with a few sharp rings.

He had no backing. If he had merely gotten into a fight with Wei Bufan, he could have found a way to justify it.

But... but now... Wei Bufan was actually dead...

If anyone found out, he would never be able to explain it away. The Crop Plains wouldn't be able to protect him, either.

He wanted to run, but the door behind him suddenly opened.

Yan Jing walked in.

Taking in the scene, his eyes went wide.

"What?! Brother Gongming, you...!"

"Don't yell!"

Li Gongming's face paled drastically. Snapping back to his senses, he pointed at Yan Jing, his hand trembling with rage.

"Was this you?!"

"Was what me?" Yan Jing's act was incredibly convincing.

"I just got back!"

"Besides..."

He smiled. "Who would believe it if you told them? I'm just a First Tier Painting Cultivator. How could I defeat a Killing Cultivator nearing the Third Tier?"

"But you, on the other hand, Brother Gongming..."

He looked at the black fluid splattered across the floor, his tone turning subtle.

"The marks of your struggle are all over the place here."

"You...!"

Li Gongming shook with anger. Finally, as if realizing something, he laughed.

"How long can these marks of yours stick around? As long as I wipe them away, where's the proof?"

"When the time comes, do you think the Crop Plains will believe me or you?"

Yan Jing smiled and shook his head.

"You still don't get it, Brother Gongming."

"It doesn't matter who the Crop Plains believes. The real question is, who will Wei Nantian believe?"

As he spoke, he let a few photographs drop to the floor.

Li Gongming looked down, and he instantly felt as if he had been plunged into an icy cavern.

There, clear as day, were black-and-white photos of him entering Yan Jing's home, and of him leaving with a murderous aura.

There were even photos of him gripping a blade, killing Wei Bufan.

"This is impossible!"

He let out an instinctive shriek.

Staring at photos of himself committing acts he had never actually done, he looked up at Yan Jing in terror.

"You found an Actor Cultivator above the Second Tier to impersonate me, and then you had a reporter cultivator take photos!"

"Who is backing you?!"

Yan Jing smiled and pressed a finger to his lips.

"Shh, shh, shh! Keep your voice down, Mr. Gongming!"

"I think that instead of obsessing over this, we should discuss something else."

"For example, who is your Crop Plains planning to support for county chief?"

"..."

Looking at Yan Jing's smiling, narrowed eyes, Li Gongming felt his strength vanish. He slumped against the wall and sank to the floor.

...

By dawn, Wei Bufan's corpse had been completely disposed of.

And naturally, Yan Jing became the candidate supported by the Crop Plains.

In truth, the Crop Plains wasn't the best option. That Domain didn't truly have factions. They voted on most matters, cared little for power struggles, and couldn't offer much support.

But for that very reason, Yan Jing could easily keep Li Gongming under control.

This was a risky move.

Wei Bufan's death couldn't be kept under wraps for long. When the time came, Wei Nantian would definitely send someone to investigate.

Fortunately, the Young Master of the Luo Family was naturally cautious. His contact with Wei Nantian had always been carried out in secret.

However...

On South Main Street, very few things could ever truly be called secrets.

As Yan Jing sat in his chair, the history between the Young Master of the Luo Family and Bianliu County slowly surfaced in his mind.

When he was young, the Young Master of the Luo Family had been the only son of a prominent, wealthy household in this Bianliu County.

At the time, North Street, East Street, and West Street weren't much different from how they were now.

But South Street hadn't been as chaotic as it was today.

While it was still messy, two families led the area: the Mei Family, and the Luo Family.

The Mei Family managed South Main Street's 'acting, singing, and robbery,' while the Luo Family managed the remaining 'thieves, beggars, and prostitution.'

Minhu had three jingles that recorded the Cultivators of the upper, middle, and lower nine trades:

upper nine trades: First Trade Monarchs, Second Trade ministers, Third Trade nobles, Fourth Trade generals, Fifth Trade scholars, Sixth Trade teachers, Seventh Trade farmers, Eighth Trade merchants, Ninth Trade artisans.

middle nine trades: First Trade candidates, Second Trade healers, Third Trade geomancers, Fourth Trade diviners, Fifth Trade painters, Sixth Trade puppeteers, Seventh Trade monks, Eighth Trade Daoists, Ninth Trade musicians.

lower nine trades: First Trade runners, Second Trade Wizards, Third Trade brokers, Fourth Trade cooks, Fifth Trade matchmakers, Sixth Trade handymen, Seventh Trade actors, Eighth Trade thieves, Ninth Trade prostitutes.

Other than these Cultivators, all other professions were considered unranked.

The reason for this division had nothing to do with the strength or weakness of these Pathways. It was simply a matter of whether they were mainstream and respectable enough.

And clearly, the Mei Family and the Luo Family were the two most disreputable wealthy households in all of Bianliu City.

Yet, it was exactly this disreputable family that produced a child who had been flawlessly respectable since birth.

Namely, our Eldest Young Master Luo.

From a young age, he loved painting and calligraphy, enjoyed reading poetry and prose, and was affectionate and polite. Everyone who met him praised him.

Because of this, before he was even ten, his father spent a fortune to send him over to the Lake to study and learn painting.

It wasn't because he was exceptionally gifted.

It was because with a personality like his in Bianliu City, he would die sooner or later.

Yan Jing only had memories of Bianliu City; he had no idea what the Young Master of the Luo Family experienced over at the Lake, nor why he had returned.

But regardless, the moment he returned, he was met with terrible news.

His father had gambled away their entire family fortune at Baile Manor, one of the six nearby Domains!

Not only had the family fallen apart, but his father and mother had died as well.

This news struck the Young Master of the Luo Family like a physical blow, but it also planted a seed of doubt in his heart.

Logically speaking, his father had always handled the dirtiest lines of work. How could he have been stupid enough to go to Baile Manor and gamble with those gambling cultivators?

And how could he possibly have lost their entire fortune there?

It was from then on that the Young Master of the Luo Family decided to revive his clan and find the true culprit.

But soon after, the moment he uncovered a tiny clue, he faced massive resistance. His life even came under extreme threat.

Even though the Young Master of the Luo Family used every trick he had, he failed to keep himself safe.

Left with no choice, he followed Old Master Liu's advice, selling his house and pawning his valuables. Only then did he barely manage to survive.

Later, Old Master Liu went out one day and never returned.

But Eldest Young Master Luo firmly believed that Old Master Liu was just busy and would return eventually. So, he and Fei Yu continued waiting in Bianliu County.

Over the past few years, he had played both sides, pulling many strings and laying a lot of groundwork.

Yet he always remained just one step short of his goal.

Those connections he had courted never demonstrated their true value from start to finish, mostly maintaining a wait-and-see approach.

It was precisely then that the transfer order for 'county chief' let him see an opportunity.

He thought he was fully prepared.

But unexpectedly, it cost him his life.

"Everyone's life is like a book."

Yan Jing sighed softly.

"What are you saying, Young Master?"

Old Master Liu, wearing a long gown, walked over.

Today, Yan Jing had invited him to take a walk down South Main Street, saying he wanted to look at their family's former businesses.

"I was saying that Xiao Yu really is a big dumb pig."

Yan Jing stood up, just in time to see Fei Yu push the door open.