Under One Person: Starting from the Inheritance of Gods

Chapter 398 The Vice-Prefect of Kyoto, a Man Who Wins the Hearts of the People [Begging for Subscriptions, Monthly Tickets, and Recommendations]

Fan Xian's roar echoed in the empty Niulan Street. He forced himself to stand up, forcefully circulating the Nine Yang True Qi in his meridians, and his body once again shone with a crimson-gold light.

The radiation from heaven and earth was quickly converted and absorbed by Fan Xian into special Nine Yang True Qi. The True Qi circulated rapidly in his body, bursting out with a scorching aura.

Blood flow accelerated, and the blood vessels on his forehead, the back of his hands, and his neck emitted a crimson glow. A tiny energy core in his dantian appeared and disappeared, resembling the sun.

The Nine Yang True Qi emanating from his body subtly intertwined in the sky to form a Qi Gang Dharma Image, which resembled a crow, seemingly with three legs, golden feathers, and red eyes, radiating a dazzling golden light.

Meng Fan's modified Nine Yang Divine Skill finally began to exude a trace of its due power.

Despite the blood continuously spilling from Fan Xian's mouth, his eyes grew increasingly sharp.

"brother?"

The shadow tilted its head slightly, a flicker of emotion appearing in its indifferent eyes, which narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of hatred.

Before he finished speaking, the broken bamboo in Shadow's hand suddenly hummed. It was just a piece of broken bamboo, but at this moment it seemed to have transformed into the sharpest divine weapon in the world.

Fan Xian didn't even see his movements clearly; he only felt a blur before his eyes, and then a piercing pain shot through his chest.

"puff--"

Three jets of blood shot out from Fan Xian's chest, and his body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the stone wall at the street corner.

The protective aura formed by the Nine Yang True Qi at the ninth rank was as fragile as paper in the face of a casual strike from a Grandmaster.

"Your true energy is quite special." The shadow approached slowly, its voice eerily calm. "But the gap in cultivation levels cannot be bridged by techniques."

Fan Xian struggled to stand up, but found his limbs as heavy as lead.

The shadow's sword energy not only broke through his protective true energy, but also invaded his meridians, sealing off all the vital points in his body. Blood kept gushing from the corners of his mouth, and his vision began to blur.

“Teng…Zijing…” Fan Xian gritted his teeth, his nails digging deep into the cracks of the bluestone, “Is he…still alive?”

The shadow looked down at him, its eyes indifferent: "Why ask so many questions of a dying man?"

The broken bamboo was raised again, this time aimed directly at Fan Xian's throat. Fan Xian realized with despair that he didn't even have the strength to lift his hand. The shadow of death loomed over him, and in a daze, he saw Teng Zijing smiling at him from a pool of blood.

"It's over," Shadow said softly.

Just as the bamboo tip was about to pierce Fan Xian's throat, a gray shadow suddenly darted out from the street corner!

"Young Master Fan, be careful!"

Wang Qinian's obese body was surprisingly agile as a monkey. He flung out three smoke bombs specially made by the Supervisory Council, while grabbing Fan Xian's collar and pulling him backward.

With a few muffled thuds, thick smoke instantly enveloped the entire street.

Shadow's bamboo sword missed its mark. He frowned slightly but did not pursue.

The hurried footsteps of Wang Qinian and the faint cough of Fan Xian could be heard through the smoke, gradually fading into the distance.

"This show is finally over!" Shadow muttered to himself, looking down at the broken bamboo in his hand. He turned and walked to the other end of the street, his figure gradually disappearing into the twilight.

Behind him, Niulan Street was a scene of devastation, with only half a bloodstained bamboo strip trembling gently in the wind on the blood-stained bluestone slabs.

-----

After an unknown amount of time, Fan Xian regained some consciousness amidst the excruciating pain. He felt his body being constantly jolted, and he could hear the sound of wheels rolling over stone slabs.

"Wang...Qinian?"

"Young Master Fan, you're awake?" Wang Qinian asked, his voice trembling with anxiety as he drove the carriage. "Don't move around. The bleeding from your wound has just stopped. We'll be at the Censorate soon."

Fan Xian struggled to raise his hand and touched the thick bandage on his chest. Every breath felt like a knife cutting into him, but what hurt even more was the anger and helplessness in his heart.

"Teng Zijing?"

"Young Master Fan, please accept my condolences." Wang Qinian sighed. "I have already sent people to search, but... no body was found at the scene."

Fan Xian closed his eyes, and the shadow's words echoed in his mind: "There will never be another Teng Zijing in this world."

Tears mingled with blood as he clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms.

"Grandmaster!!!"

"Young Master, please don't act rashly!" Wang Qinian sensed the hatred in his words and hurriedly advised, "That's a newly promoted Grandmaster. In the future, even Dean Chen will probably have to show him some respect!"

Fan Xian did not answer. As he was carried through the gates of the Supervisory Council, a ray of the setting sun shone on his pale face. In his bloodshot eyes, it seemed as if an inextinguishable fire of revenge burned.

And on a gate tower of the Censorate.

Looking down at Fan Xian, who was being carried into the Supervisory Council, Shadow asked Chen Pingping with some trepidation, "Did you ask me to go too far?"

Chen Pingping revealed a sly smile, "Anyway, the person he hates is you, not me, so what does it have to do with me?"

Shadow's lips twitched, but he didn't refute it, mainly because he couldn't beat him.

It's unclear what kind of cultivation technique the immortal poet gave Chen Pingping, but he broke through to the Grandmaster realm even faster than Chen Pingping. However, Chen Pingping's yin and feminine aura is becoming increasingly strong.

He had fought Chen Pingping before.

The three thousand red silk threads wrapped around his arms are both strong and flexible, like a venomous red snake. They can block the opponent's orifices, peel off their skin and tendons, kill their liver and gallbladder, and pierce their bones and hook their heart. They are extremely ruthless.

Faced with Chen Pingping like this, Yingzi could only feel "terrified".

"Are you going back to Dongyi City next?" Chen Pingping suddenly asked.

The shadow paused for a moment, then nodded.

"I have now broken through to the Grandmaster level, while he has been immersed in the Grandmaster realm for many years. Although I am not very confident, I still want to give it a try, otherwise I will not be satisfied!"

"After waiting for so many years, isn't this the moment we've been waiting for?" the shadow said resolutely.

Chen Pingping glanced at the shadow and said calmly, "Go, no matter what the outcome, remember to come back, and whatever you do... don't lose your life!"

"Don't worry, we're both Grandmasters, he won't kill me so easily!"

The "he" that the shadow mentioned naturally refers to Si Gu Jian.

Actually, Shadow's background is quite dramatic. He is the son of the city lord of Dongyi City's legal wife, while Si Gu Jian is the eldest son of the city lord and his maid.

Because of his mother's low social status, Si Gu Jian suffered a lot of bullying in the family from a young age, while Ying Zi never participated in bullying her brother, and the two had a relatively harmonious relationship at first.

Si Gu Jian later met Ye Qingmei, who taught him swordsmanship. After Ye Qingmei left, Si Gu Jian thought of massacring the city. Because he practiced the Ruthless Sword Technique, he carried the hatred for his family members and, after coming of age, massacred the city lord's mansion in Dongyi City, killing all his family members, including his father, leaving only Shadow alive.

Therefore, for Shadow, Si Gu Jian, his illegitimate brother, had a blood feud with him for killing his father and mother, but at the same time, he spared his life and was Shadow's last relative in this world.

Now that Shadow has broken through to the Grandmaster level, he finally has the strength to face Si Gu Jian.

A moment later, the shadow disappeared, leaving Chen Pingping alone to look at the blood-red sunset.

Zuixianju.

After having a pleasant conversation with Meng Fan, the Second Prince Li Chengze apologized and hurriedly left upon receiving news of Fan Xian's assassination attempt.

Then, two figures, Black and White Impermanence, appeared behind Meng Fan.

"Has Teng Zijing finished dealing with it?"

Hei Wuchang bowed respectfully to Hao Ling: "Your Excellency, he has been rescued and arrangements have been made. He will not appear again for some time to come."

"Um!" -----

For the next three days, Fan Xian stayed at the Surveillance Bureau to recover from his injuries.

Not long after Fan Xian arrived in the capital, he suffered two serious injuries. This prompted Fan Jian to confront Chen Pingping directly and declare in court that he hoped Emperor Qing would find the culprit and punish him severely.

Emperor Qing then shifted the pressure to the Supervisory Council.

But the matter was actually carried out by the Surveillance Bureau at Chen Pingping's behest, making this action tantamount to the thief crying "stop thief!"

After Fan Xian regained consciousness, he met with Chen Pingping several times and begged to be allowed to personally investigate the murderer.

Chen Pingping then readily handed the matter over to Fan Xian.

However, it is different from the original work.

Chen Pingping set a trap for Fan Xian!
"You want me to be appointed as the Assistant Prefect of Kyoto Prefecture?"

Fan Xian stood up, pale-faced and astonished, never expecting Emperor Qing to issue such an edict.

Chen Pingping explained, "Not long ago, the Prefect of Kyoto, Mei Zhili, retired and returned to his hometown, leaving the position of Prefect of Kyoto vacant. As a result, a number of people under him were reassigned."

"This position of Assistant Prefect of Kyoto Prefecture was obtained for you by me through His Majesty. It is a fifth-rank official position. In Kyoto Prefecture, there are countless powerful and influential officials, so a fifth-rank official position is nothing special."

"But as a sub-prefect, one has to deal with all sorts of people. Although the position is lowly, the power is extremely heavy. He is in charge of salt, grain, piracy control, river defense, river works, water conservancy, as well as clearing up military records and pacifying the people and barbarians."

"If you want to investigate Teng Zijing's matter, it will be more convenient to get things done with this identity. I will also transfer some people from the Supervisory Council for your use."

"This is a joint investigation by the Surveillance Bureau and the Kyoto Prefecture. We'll also take this opportunity to clear up some old cases in the Kyoto Prefecture. Fan Xian, you'd better be prepared!"

Although Fan Xian couldn't understand what Chen Pingping was trying to do, he still agreed.

As for why Emperor Qing agreed, there are reasons for it.

Emperor Qing originally intended for Fan Xian to be a loyal minister, and the reason why those cases in the capital city became old cases was because they involved countless powerful figures and were suppressed.

In other words, given Fan Xian's upright nature, investigating old cases would inevitably offend countless powerful figures and alienate him from the court.

Chen Pingping told Emperor Qing that he wanted to train Fan Xian, and after thinking about it for a moment, Emperor Qing agreed.

Chen Pingping's move was also meaningful.

Now, Fan Xian has acquired some poetic talent, though not much, but he has gained initial support from scholars. He can make decisions in the Supervisory Council, Fan Jian is the Vice Minister of Revenue, and his father-in-law Lin Ruofu is the Prime Minister.

In terms of military strength, they have four grandmasters—Chen Pingping, Shadow, Ye Zhong, and Ye Liuyun—to back them up, and the Ye family is also one of the top-ranking military forces.

What's still missing?

People’s will!

While appointing Fan Xian as the Vice Prefect of Kyoto Prefecture would certainly offend some powerful figures and corrupt officials, it would also win him a lot of popular support while cleaning up these parasites of the country.

But Emperor Qing clearly didn't see this behind the scenes; in fact, even if he had, he wouldn't have cared.

Public sentiment?

Is that thing useful?

Little did they know, Chen Pingping's goal was to clear away any possible obstacles when Fan Xian ascended to that position.

"Clap clap clap!"

Chen Pingping clapped his hands a few times, and then two figures walked out. One of them had a fawning expression and was Wang Qinian.

As for the other person...

His expression revealed a hint of ingratiation, giving the impression of bowing and scraping, but it wasn't very obvious. There seemed to be a hidden pride in him, which made people feel very awkward.

"I don't need to introduce Wang Qinian. This is Deng Ziyue, the chief clerk of the First Division of the Supervisory Bureau. He will be under your command during this period."

Fan Xian looked at the two men with a strange expression, then took the dossier from Chen Pingping.

"Wow, Old Wang, you were a notorious bandit in Northern Qi when you were young? I never would have guessed! No wonder you have such amazing lightness skills!" Fan Xian exclaimed in surprise.

Wang Qinian looked extremely embarrassed and sighed, "Young Master Fan is too kind. I was young and ignorant and went astray. It was only after joining the Dean's team that my future became bright!"

When Fan Xian saw Deng Ziyue's file, he could hardly imagine that the once passionate man would end up like this.

"Alright, Dean, I'll take these two!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the first day Fan Xian stepped into the Kyoto Prefecture government office, the sky was so gloomy it seemed like it could drip water.

His chest wound had not yet healed, and every step he took caused him a dull ache, but the expression on his face was even more stern than the weather.

"Young Master Fan, please slow down." Wang Qinian jogged after him, carrying a stack of documents in his hands. "Your injury hasn't fully healed yet."

Deng Ziyue followed silently on the other side, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily. He had arrived half an hour earlier than Fan Xian and had already gotten a general idea of ​​the capital city.

In front of the government office, two rows of yamen runners stood ramrod straight, but not a single one stepped forward to pay their respects. Fan Xian paused slightly, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Old Wang, it seems we're not very popular. Is this some kind of show of force?"

Wang Qinian wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Well, Lord Fan, after all, you caused a scene at the Kyoto Prefectural Government Office before..."

Upon entering the main hall, a middle-aged man in a blue official robe greeted him with a forced smile: "This humble official is Zhao Lei, the Vice Prefect of the Capital Prefecture. I greet Vice Prefect Fan."

Fan Xian sized up his colleague, who was half a head shorter than him. Zhao Lei was in his early forties, with small, bright eyes that looked like two black beans embedded in his doughy face. His mouth turned down, and even when he smiled, he gave off a mean feeling.

"You're too kind, Lord Zhao."

Fan Xian cupped his hands slightly, "I'm new here, please give me your guidance."

"Don't dare."

Zhao Lei waved his hands repeatedly: "Prefect Fan is young and promising, and he was personally recommended by Dean Chen. How could I dare to give him any advice?"

Although the words were polite, the sourness in the tone was overwhelming.

Fan Xian, too lazy to engage in pleasantries, went straight to the point: "I've heard that the capital prefecture has a mountain of backlogged cases. I wonder if you could take me to see them?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhao Lei's eyes, then he smiled and said, "Prefect Fan is indeed diligent, but most of these cases are old news, and some have even exceeded the statute of limitations."

"It's alright, I just enjoy tackling tough challenges."

Fan Xian interrupted him, his gaze sharp: "Or perhaps, Lord Zhao, you have some unspeakable difficulty?"

Zhao Lei's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure: "Prefect Fan is joking. This way, please!"

After passing through several courtyards, Zhao Lei led the three to a secluded side room.

Pushing open the door, a musty smell hit me. The room was piled high with files, some yellowed with age, clearly neglected for years.

"All the backlog cases from Kyoto Prefecture over the past decade are here."

Zhao Lei stood at the door, seemingly reluctant to enter: "Prefect Fan, please take your time. I have official business to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

Before Fan Xian could respond, Zhao Lei hurriedly left, his departing figure suggesting a hasty escape.

(End of this chapter)