Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Chapter 989 Magistrate Attacks Others After Demanding Land Distribution

Yan Yang stared blankly as the terrifying nine-tube masked man vanished into thin air, seemingly lost in thought.

The two junior disciples of the Huode Sect were still in shock, their faces filled with worry.

"Senior brother, do we... really have to do this?" a junior brother asked in a low voice.

Another junior brother clutched his chest, still shaken, and said, "This is outrageous! How are we going to explain this when we get back? The most crucial thing is that Master Luo's cousin is the county magistrate here. If he finds out what happened here, things will probably not end well, not to mention that we'll have to divide up the land. You know, a lot of Master Luo's land probably belongs to him, the county magistrate."

Yan Yang touched his still swollen and stinging cheek, looked at the old beggar standing dumbfounded in front of the headless corpse, and then remembered what Senior Jiu Tong had said about how to write the character "德" (virtue). A heavy sense of responsibility weighed on his shoulders, and he said in a deep voice:

“The character ‘virtue’ is easy to write, but if doing virtuous things is also easy, then it cannot be considered noble.”

"If we give up what we want to do and go against our true nature just because of external obstacles, then what are we cultivating in our spiritual practice?"

"I must see this through to the end. Even if it means my own destruction! If you are worried about being implicated, you may return to your sect first."

“Senior brother, you know we would never abandon you!” a junior brother hurriedly declared.

Another junior brother said, "However, this matter is really too big. How about we report it to our sect? See if we can get their support? We can't handle this alone."

“By the way, senior brother, that Nine of Bamboo... the senior seemed to have mentioned Feng Ping before. Does he know Feng Ping? Why don’t we talk to Feng Ping about this?” a junior brother said.

“Okay!” Yan Yang nodded and said, “Junior Brother Fengping is a generous person and often travels the world. He has friends all over the world. There are even rumors that he is on brotherhood with the demons of Quanxing. He is no exception in knowing this Senior Jiutong. Given his personality, he should come. After he arrives, we can ask Senior Jiutong about his identity.”

"After you find out..." the junior brother asked again. He actually wanted to ask if they should get revenge, but he didn't say it out loud.

“Of course, I bow down in reverence,” Yan Yang touched his still swollen face. “Don’t hold a grudge. This isn’t a beating or torture, but a wake-up call, a moment of enlightenment! I… am grateful.”

He then continued, "There's no time to lose. You two go and take stock of the cash and grain in the manor, register them, and after these things are distributed, they should be handed over to that Senior Jiutong. I will personally contact the sect to report what happened here."

Seeing that their senior brother had made up his mind, the two junior brothers no longer hesitated, clasped their hands in greeting, and left to receive the order.

Yan Yang then began to try to contact the sect. Although the conversion talisman in his body was gone and the connection with the sacred fire was broken, making it impossible to use fire escape techniques, ordinary disciples who had not converted to the sacred fire still had ways to communicate with the sect.

Yan Yang took out a tinderbox from his pocket, found the copper basin where he had previously stored the embers, put charcoal back in, and lit it with the tinderbox.

This tinderbox contains the seed of the sacred fire of the Huode Sect.

Before disciples of the Fire Virtue Sect infuse the Sacred Flame with the Refuge Talisman and receive the Fire Escape Technique, they cannot use the Fire Escape Technique through the Fire Seed, but they can communicate with the sect through the connection between the Fire Seed and the Sacred Flame.

The moment the charcoal ignited, the flames in the basin suddenly rose, twisting and coalescing into a blurry yet majestic human face.

"Yan Yang! What happened? Why did the talisman you left in the sacred fire shatter?" The face spoke, filled with shock and confusion.

"Master, I just encountered... Zhang Mazi... senior!" Yan Yang did not hide anything and told the whole story of what had happened, including how his conversion talisman was crushed and he was beaten up, but he turned misfortune into blessing and realized his true nature.

After a long silence, a voice came from within the flames:

"To crush a conversion talisman with one foot—such a method is unheard of even by your master. This person wearing the nine-tube mask must be extraordinary. But don't worry, I will apply to the sect leader to allow you to reintroduce the conversion talisman into the sacred fire."

"As for your epiphany, it should be an insight gained from the brink of life and death, and it was indeed a blessing in disguise. However, the risks involved are not as simple as you say."

"You empathized with the victims' experiences, and you overcame them, so you gained a lot and gained clarity of mind and true nature. If you hadn't been able to overcome them, you would have suffered a complete mental breakdown. So you don't need to be too grateful to that 'Zhang Mazi'."

"As for Luo Xinian, all we knew before was that he was a powerful and influential landlord who had annexed a lot of land. Land annexation was a normal thing in all dynasties, but we didn't expect him to use such despicable methods. You can kill him if you want, but as for the land distribution, let's just forget about it!"

"This is going against the will of the world. Not to mention that Luo Xinian's brother is the county magistrate, if you do this, you will set a very bad precedent and arouse the hostility of all the landlords. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down, and they will do everything they can to get rid of you in order to protect their interests."

Upon hearing this, Yan Yang remained silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Master, I understand. I will consider it seriously. Please have Junior Brother Feng Ping contact me!"

"What do you want with him?"

"That person wearing the Nine-Tube Mask... seems to know Feng Ping. I'd like to ask him about some details," Yan Yang said.

The flame fell silent again, then finally said, "...Alright."

The flames and the human face disappeared, and the fire in the basin weakened.

About fifteen minutes later, the flames shot up again and coalesced into the face of a young man with a Nezha-style topknot.

"Senior Brother Yanyang, what brings you here?" Feng Ping's cheerful voice came from the flames.

"Junior Brother Fengping, I might need your help!"

Yan Yang briefly recounted what had happened.

After listening, Feng Ping remained silent, pondering what Yan Yang had just said. The senior wearing the nine-tube mask was incredibly powerful, defeating Yan Yang in a single move, crushing the conversion talisman with a single stomp, recognizing him, not killing Yan Yang, but instead guiding him to enlightenment...

All of this combined brought the image of Senior Brother Zhang to mind. He remembered that when he first met Senior Brother Zhang's master, Senior Brother Zhang had given him guidance, and coincidentally, Senior Brother Zhang was in Sichuan.

But soon, another figure appeared in his mind.

He should be able to do it too, but he doesn't seem to have the style of resorting to violence; he's more about guiding.

After a moment, Feng Ping asked again, "Senior Brother Yan Yang, you said the other party hit you, how did he do it?"

Yan Yang was silent for a moment, then said, "Slap him!"

Slapping someone... Upon hearing this, Feng Ping immediately knew who it was and nodded, saying, "Senior Brother Yan Yang, you're right there. I'll be there soon!"

Having said that, before Yan Yang could reply, the Nezha head above the brazier suddenly disappeared, leaving only a faint flame.

Yan Yang looked at the brazier, feeling somewhat relieved. However, just then, chaotic footsteps and shouts came from outside the Luo residence!

The tightly closed gates of the Luo residence were smashed open, and a squad of nearly a hundred police officers, armed with old-fashioned Hanyang rifles and dressed in black uniforms, stormed in. Behind them followed more than two hundred armed men dressed in gray-green clothing.

On the street, people watched from a distance, discussing the scene.

"Why are there so many black dogs here?"

"It's not just Blackie, even the county brigade's lackeys have come!"

"What's the purpose of such a large-scale operation?"

"It seems something happened at the Luo residence. Many servants who worked there ran out, saying that bandits broke in and killed a lot of people!" "Good riddance! If only they could have killed Luo Banguan."

……

"Charge in! Slaughter all the thieves inside!"

The speaker was a middle-aged man wearing a long robe and a round hat, who bore a resemblance to Luo Xinian. He was Luo Xinian's cousin, the county magistrate. Upon learning of the attack on the Luo residence, he hurriedly summoned the police and the county brigade.

The police station and the county brigade were armed forces directly controlled and commanded by the county magistrate.

The police station is responsible for maintaining order, patrolling, and apprehending criminals.

In this era, county magistrates mostly acted as protectors of landlords, while the police stations directly under the magistrates were mostly oppressive to the people and accomplices to evil. Because their uniforms were black, they were commonly referred to as "black dogs."

The county brigade was mainly responsible for suppressing bandits and preventing bandit attacks. It was organized by the higher-level security department, but was actually controlled by the county magistrate. Its members were mainly recruited from within the county and usually numbered around two to three hundred.

As for the army, that's a matter for another system, and the county magistrate cannot mobilize it.

However, the police and the county brigade together numbered three or four hundred, which was a force capable of suppressing any riot in the small county town.

About three hundred people stormed into the Luo residence. As soon as they entered, they saw corpses lying haphazardly on the ground, and the three bloody characters "Zhang Mazi" printed on the wall behind the corpses.

Everyone felt a chill, and the police officers' hands, gripping their guns, began to tremble.

"The county magistrate said there was something going on, but he didn't say that Zhang Mazi had attacked, did he?"

"Is it really Zhang Mazi?"

"Those who died were all members of the guard corps. Master Luo's guard corps was better equipped than ours. If they couldn't handle it, why should we go and throw our lives away?"

"We have three hundred men, what are we afraid of?"

"You idiot, don't you know that Liu Cai, the big landlord in Rongcheng, had thousands of guards in his manor, but Zhang Mazi still killed them all? We have three hundred people, not even a fraction of their numbers."

"Everyone says Zhang Mazi is a jinx descended from heaven. If you want to go, go ahead. I'm not going. My life is more important."

"Yeah, yeah, it's only a few dollars a month, why risk your life!"

The police officers were the first to back down and immediately tried to withdraw.

"Let's see who dares!" Upon seeing this, the magistrate fired several shots into the air and shouted sternly, "Anyone who dares to back down will be shot!"

The situation immediately reached a stalemate.

The magistrate continued, "The so-called celestial evil star descending to earth is nothing but a rumor. They are just a group of bandits who rely on their numbers. The commander-in-chief has already wiped out many of them these days, and they are no longer a threat."

"Think about it carefully, how many people can be hidden in the Luo family mansion? A few dozen at most."

"We outnumber them ten to one and have guns, what are we afraid of? Charge in!"

"A reward of twenty silver dollars will be given to anyone who goes in! Two hundred silver dollars will be given to anyone who kills an enemy. Anyone who doesn't go, I'll kill him right now."

Money can be a powerful motivator, and eventually, some people succumbed to the temptation and threats, cautiously advancing inside with guns in hand.

With someone taking the lead, the rest followed suit, guns raised.

Seeing this, the county magistrate wiped the sweat from his brow, thinking to himself how close he had come to a mutiny.

Zhang Mazi has already wiped out quite a few. I have the advantage in numbers, and I also have guns and cannons. The advantage is on my side... He thought to himself, and then he was surrounded and pushed inside.

Meanwhile, inside the Luo residence, the three members of the Huode Sect also noticed the situation in the courtyard and were gathered together to discuss countermeasures.

"Senior brother, there are hundreds of men coming, all armed with guns and grenades on their belts. The three of us are injured, and with so many of them, I'm afraid we can't hold them off. Should we retreat first?"

"If they retreat, how will the land be distributed?" Yan Yang gritted his teeth and said, "It's not that there's no chance. We can use the terrain of the manor to negotiate with them for a while. I've already called for reinforcements, and I believe they will arrive soon!"

As they talked, footsteps and the sound of gun bolts being pulled closer to the front yard.

"Follow me!" Yan Yang shouted in a low voice.

The three men quickly took up advantageous positions at the corner of the courtyard gate. When the first group of patrol officers peeked in, they were greeted by a blazing fireball!

"boom!"

"what……!"

Several patrol officers were instantly turned into charred corpses, while others were engulfed in flames, screaming and running around, causing even greater chaos.

Gunfire erupted, bullets raining down on the corner of the wall. Huo Dezong and his two companions huddled close to the wall for cover.

But soon, grenades were thrown one after another.

Yan Yang fired back a few, but there were too many. The explosions were deafening, and shrapnel flew everywhere. He quickly set up a wall of fire in front of him to defend himself.

What's even more troublesome is that he keenly sensed that there were several extraordinary individuals mixed in with the crowd, their auras chilling, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Unable to confront them head-on, Yan Yang decisively ordered, "Retreat! Use the fire to your advantage!"

The three fought and retreated, constantly firing stray fireballs to hinder the enemy, while intentionally setting fire to the wooden buildings inside the mansion to create a fire, using the flames and thick smoke to maneuver against the enemy.

However, the enemy had an overwhelming numerical advantage and fierce firepower, forcing the three to retreat step by step and quickly being compressed into the backyard.

Meanwhile, after figuring out that his opponents were only a handful of people, the county magistrate became even bolder and ordered several of his bodyguards, who were considered supernatural beings, to take action and kill the three members of the Huode Sect.

These extraordinary individuals each possessed different skills. Some were wandering swordsmen skilled in swordsmanship, some were innate extraordinary individuals who could conjure swords from their breath, some were Meishan naval masters skilled in water magic, and one was a wild Maoshan master skilled in curse killing techniques.

The monk from Yemaoshan picked up a hair from the ground, sniffed it, and then, with a strange smile on his face, ate the hair in one bite.

Then, he took out a nail covered with strange talismans, stuffed it into his mouth, and forced it down.

Almost simultaneously, in a corner of the backyard, a Fire Virtue Sect disciple who was concentrating on controlling fire suddenly groaned, clutched his abdomen, and knelt down on the ground. Large beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead, and his face turned ashen!
(End of this chapter)