Song Xing: I am cultivating immortals in Qingcheng Mountain

Chapter 573 Darkness, Vanity Fair
The rain fell sideways, and muddy puddles formed on the bluestone slabs.

A hunched figure was huddled in the corner, his tattered linen clothes had long been soaked by the rain and clung to his bony frame. His outstretched hand was like a dead branch, his palm facing upwards, his fingertips trembling slightly from the cold.

"Please be kind"

The hoarse voice was drowned out by the hustle and bustle of the street corner. Passersby walked hurriedly, their silk skirts sweeping across the puddles, splashing mud onto the insteps of the bare feet. The beggar's cloudy eyes moved, following the fragrant steam from the bun shop. His Adam's apple rolled, and he finally lowered his head.

The sound of dripping water from the eaves was getting louder and louder. Half of his broken bowl was filled with rainwater, and a lonely copper coin was sinking to the bottom of the bowl. It was thrown there by a gangster in a bamboo hat this morning.

The sound of finger-guessing games came from a restaurant in the distance. The beggar suddenly started coughing violently, and the blood foam he coughed up mixed with rain water flowed into the cracks in the bluestone slabs.

He fumbled to take out half a moldy cake from his arms. There was only numbness and a trace of deep despair in the depths of his eyes.

In the private room of the restaurant opposite, Xiao Se's eyes became extremely cold.

The rain curtains were hanging on the eaves. Xiaose's gaze pierced through the hazy rain curtain and fell on the curled up figure. The blood coughed up by the beggar mixed with the stagnant water, causing his pupils to shrink. Even ordinary people should not be like this, let alone a scholar who was wholeheartedly committed to serving the country.

"Father, look at what you have done!!!"

Xiao Se clenched his hands tightly across his chest, and murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

“Is this really a scholar??”

Lei Wujie suddenly felt that this person was a bit pitiful. They had such a prime time in their lives that they could serve the country and pursue their ideals, but in the end, everything was shattered by those people.

"This man's name is Hong Zehan, a student from Gannan Road. He was a young man with high spirits and vigor back then. Later, he discovered the inside story of the imperial examination and wrote a letter on his own test paper. When he discovered it again, he had become like this. The Dali Temple at that time concluded that he should return home to observe mourning."

Ji Xue mentioned this with a hint of sneer on her lips. Hong Zehan might never have thought until his death that the examiners who graded the papers were the people he wanted to investigate, so the test paper would never be heard by the authorities.

"Xiao Se, why didn't Hong Zehan report to the police? Or just run away!"

Lei Wujie was a little puzzled. A normal person facing such a situation would have many choices. Why did he insist on staying in Tianqi?

"Report to the official?"

Sikong Qianluo smiled coldly.

"Lei Wujie, how do you know he didn't report it to the authorities? What if reporting it to the authorities was useless? Or was he beaten out like Zhuge Jingxuan?"

Tang Lian glanced at a corner of the long street. Not far away, there were two gangsters wearing bamboo hats. They looked towards Hong Zehan from time to time, as if they were deliberately monitoring this place. Tang Lian, who had been in the gang for a long time, thought about why Hong Zehan did not leave.

"Look over there."

As he spoke, Tang Lian pointed to a place not far away.

"I see."

Ye Ruoyi's eyes moved slightly, but she sighed softly in her heart.

For Hong Zehan, he has no choice at all. There is no road to heaven and no door to hell. He is afraid that he cannot die now. He is afraid that his family has been controlled by those people. If he does not do what they want, a tragedy may be waiting for him.

"Xiao Se, I think I understand the person who did it a little bit."

Sikong Qianluo suddenly spoke.

The other people had different expressions when they heard this, but they all felt that the man had done nothing wrong.

"Ji Xue, check where Hong Zehan's family members are now. If there is a way, bring them all back. Brother, wait until night falls and take Hong Zehan away. The action must be secret and no one should see you. As for the two people who are monitoring us, I will take action."

As he spoke, a purple light shone brightly in Xiao Se's eyes. If Wu Xin was here, he would definitely recognize the true face of this purple light - the Heart Demon. Afterwards, Xiao Se and his companions visited several places in Tianqi, but without exception, the things they saw and the words they heard made them feel extremely heavy.

"Where did they go?"

At night, it was pitch black outside, the sky was full of twinkling stars, but the moon was nowhere to be seen.

Sikong Changfeng came to find Xiao Se, but only saw Ye Ruoyi there, so he couldn't help but ask a question.

"Uncle Changfeng."

Ye Ruoyi looked like she was worried about something. When she saw Sikong Changfeng coming over, she stood up and greeted him.

"Xiao Se and the others are out."

Ye Ruoyi knew about tonight's action, and she was still very confused at the moment. What she saw today had a great impact on her worldview, so much so that she has not recovered yet.

"Ruoyi~~"

"You look so bad, are you sick?"

Sikong Changfeng frowned when he saw Ye Ruoyi's unhappy face. Things happened one after another in Tianqi City in the past few days. Even people like them were a little overwhelmed, let alone a little girl like Ye Ruoyi.

"no no."

"It's so late, and they're still out. They're just making me worry. What are they doing?"

Sikong Changfeng has been in the martial arts world for many years. After looking at Ye Ruoyi for a while, he saw some clues. This absent-minded look should be caused by seeing something she shouldn't have seen and losing her mind.

Ye Ruoyi forced herself to calm down and said, "Nothing."

After saying this, Ye Ruoyi couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Uncle Changfeng, do you think the imperial court is really hopeless now?"

Sikong Changfeng was stunned. He glanced at Ye Ruoyi. In his impression, Ye Ruoyi was calm and collected, came from a general's family, was bold and careful, and had also seen the darkness of the court and knew how treacherous people's hearts were. Why would she ask such a strange question today?

"It's okay~~"

Sikong Changfeng thought for a moment and replied.

From his point of view, as long as there is no unrest in the world, the court will be okay. Today, Tianqi does have many crises, but as far as the entire Beili is concerned, there has not been much unrest.

"Well enough"

"Uncle Changfeng, Ji Xue found some intelligence today. We went out to take a look and found some things. Under the seemingly peaceful world, there are still many unknown darknesses hidden. Regarding the imperial examination, some officials in the court controlled the government. Those students who refused to obey were secretly attacked by them. They could neither live nor die."

Speaking of this, Ye Ruoyi couldn't help but sigh.

"Some people even lost their limbs and had to beg on the streets."

Sikong Changfeng stood where he was and sighed heavily.

"Ruoyi~~These things don't just happen here, they also happen in the martial arts world, it's just that you've never seen them!"

"This world is a place of fame and fortune. The powerful enjoy wealth and honor. As for ordinary people, it is good enough to live a stable life."

(End of this chapter)