"Hehe, get out of the cold. It's not that cold yet. But then again, the Xiong Huo Gang is a cancer in Chang'an City, committing murder, arson, robbery, extortion, and all sorts of evil deeds. As the county magistrate of Wannian County, I'm in charge of apprehending thieves and robbers. You and I are enemies, so why don't you buy me a drink?"
“County Commandant Lu, your words are meaningless. What Xiong Huo Gang? We are just a group of martial arts practitioners, here to exchange skills. If we have offended you, please forgive us.” With that, he took a cloth bag from his subordinate and threw it to Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan took the cloth bag; it felt heavy in his hand, suggesting a considerable quantity.
"Alright, bribing court officials now is an even more serious crime. Are you coming back with me to confess, or are you planning to resist to the bitter end?" Lu Xuan said, tossing the money pouch over his shoulder.
Brother Xiong's expression changed several times until one of his underlings ran back and whispered a few words in his ear.
“There was no ambush, it was just him.” Upon hearing this, a fierce glint flashed across Brother Xiong’s face.
"County Magistrate Lu, there's a path to heaven, but you chose to forge it against all odds. Don't blame us for being disloyal after you're gone; blame yourself for being ungrateful. Close the gates..."
He shouted, and two men who had circled around to Lu Xuan's back immediately locked the door. A group of people, armed with weapons, surrounded Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan looked around.
"Twelve, that's all? The infamous Bearfire Gang, is that all there is?"
The Xiong Huo Gang certainly had more than just these people, but Feng Dalun couldn't always keep hundreds of them gathered together waiting for orders. Most of them usually had their own families, but they would only spare a dozen or so people to take turns waiting for orders here.
"This number of men is enough to deal with you." Brother Xiong waved his right hand, and several henchmen drew their knives and began to slash, showing no regard for Lu Xuan's life or his eighth-rank official position. The smile on Lu Xuan's face gradually disappeared. From their actions, it was clear that these core members of the Xiong Huo Gang could be described as ruthless killers.
However, while they were ruthless, their skill level was simply too low. Let alone compared to the Turkic wolf guards, even a second-rate swordsman from the Great Horse Camp could easily take down three of them. Ultimately, this was Chang'an City, and they were only bullying unarmed civilians.
Lu Xuan slightly shifted his body to the side, dodging the oncoming blade. His right hand gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist.
As dusk settled in the dimly lit courtyard, a fleeting flash of white light suddenly appeared. The next second, the light vanished, followed by three ordinary thuds as people fell to the ground.
"Gulp..." That was the sound of Brother Xiong swallowing hard. He was terrified, yes, of course he was afraid. Because in front of him stood three corpses. The three men who had just attacked. At this moment, their heads were rolling on the ground. But their bodies remained standing. Blood gushed out like a fountain from their severed necks.
This scene caused all the remaining members of the Bearfire Gang in the courtyard to react in unison. They trembled...
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Chapter Thirty-Eight: Killing Intent
Lu Xuan could even hear the synchronized trembling sounds, growing louder and louder. Accompanying it were the thumping of heartbeats and the gradually spreading smell of urine.
This was the first time he had gone all out since entering Chang'an, and arguably since the battle of Xiaogucheng. He wanted to test the level of his swordsmanship. But unfortunately, these weaklings were completely useless for testing.
"Lulu... County Commandant, you..." Brother Xiong seemed to want to say something, but he trembled and couldn't utter a complete sentence. Lu Xuan didn't stop him at all, took a step forward, and grabbed his throat with his right hand.
"I used to see similar statements all the time. Things like where there is light, there must be darkness; yin and yang are twins, mutually generating and restraining each other; a city must have dark corners, otherwise the existence of light cannot be highlighted. And so on and so forth, all kinds of toxic motivational quotes. But you know what? I gradually stopped believing in these things."
Because I started to develop my own theory. That is, no matter when or where, organized crime has absolutely no value. Of course, if you don't understand what organized crime is, I can simply explain it as: it's just a bunch of scum like you.”
With a snap, Lu Xuan's right hand exerted force, crushing Xiong Ge's throat. This finally broke the remaining gang members. From beginning to end, they hadn't even drawn a single sword, yet they were completely overwhelmed. They felt an indescribable murderous aura emanating from the county constable before them; standing beside him, they even felt as if they were forgetting how to breathe.
With a clang, one of the gang members threw down his knife and turned to run away. But then he realized that the door was locked, and the key was in one of the three corpses standing in the middle of the yard.
At this moment, Lu Xuan seemed to hear their movements and turned around to look at these Tang Dynasty 'gangsters'.
"Honestly, what I should do right now is bring Zhang Xiaojing here and have him take you back for a proper interrogation. With his methods, I doubt you could withstand it. So, do you think I should do that?"
"Master Lu...Master Lu...I beg you, I still have an elderly mother to support..."
"Mr. Lu... my baby is only a month old..."
Lu Xuan stared indifferently at the group of distraught gangsters, feeling no pity whatsoever. Sometimes he felt grateful for the three years he spent in the Big Horse Camp. There, certain aspects of his emotions were completely sealed away.
"Feng Dalun wants you to go and break Wen Wuji's legs tomorrow night." Lu Xuan had overheard their conversation from outside the wall thanks to his exceptional hearing.
"Yes, what are your orders, Master Lu?" One of the more astute gang leaders began to realize that this ruthless man in front of them didn't seem to be planning to kill them, but rather wanted them to do something.
"Something? Well, there is something." Lu Xuan said in a slightly sinister tone.
............
Zhang Xiaojing's control over Wannian County far exceeded most people's imagination. He knew immediately after Feng Dalun threatened Wen Wuji. The two were sworn brothers. However, Zhang Xiaojing found it difficult to see Wen Wuji. Mainly because Wen Wuji always wanted to marry his daughter to him, while Zhang Xiaojing treated Wen Ran like a younger sister. This made him feel somewhat awkward every time he visited Wen Wuji's home.
"Boss, Feng Dalun went to smell Brother Wen's shop again."
How much did he ask for?
"I don't know, but it's definitely not high. Brother Wen hasn't agreed yet. That Feng Dalun, he'll squeeze every last drop of profit out of even the dead. His asking price can't be high, otherwise Brother Wen wouldn't have refused so readily."
"Feng Dalun has always given me some face, but this time it seems he's ready to tear things apart. I just don't know what kind of backer he's found this time. Tell the brothers to keep an eye on him. I've seen that guy a few times; his eyes are shifty, and he's probably up to no good."
"Yes, boss. There's one more thing. That old man just came to tell you that the county magistrate wants you to come over."
"County Commandant?"
Ever since their last joint investigation failed, Lu Xuan had become completely indifferent to official duties. Aside from dealing with household registration issues, he spent all his time at home researching cooking… Zhang Xiaojing couldn't fathom what this county magistrate was thinking. But since the other didn't interfere, he was happy with his freedom. Even the informant Lu Xuan sent was perfectly disciplined, without the slightest overstepping of boundaries. This state of affairs almost made Zhang Xiaojing forget about his superior.
Did he say what it was about?
"They didn't say anything, they just wanted you to go there."
"Understood. Keep an eye on Wen Wuji's side. I'll go over there."
Zhang Xiaojing arrived at Lu Xuan's office with some confusion. There, he saw Lu Xuan placing the hand-drawn map he had given him earlier on the table, carefully studying something.
"Lord County Captain?"
"They've arrived. Come and take a look."
Lu Xuan pointed to the map and said.
"Look here, on the edge of the East Market, and further north is the Imperial City." Zhang Xiaojing naturally wouldn't dare draw the Imperial City on his map. Lu Xuan was pointing to the blank space at the northernmost part of the map.