The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 24 Struggle for Crossing
Is that really true?

The night was as dark as ink, but the iron horses on the eaves kept neighing in the north wind.

A chill permeated the air, but it couldn't penetrate the frost in Magistrate Fang's words. The phrase "the Emperor's grace is boundless" burned in his very bones!
Because beneath his blue official robe lingered the bitter, fishy smell of the yellow sands of Longxi; he was from a poor family, the lowest of the low.

The imperial edict of that year was like a thunderbolt that shattered the gloom of his life, transforming him from a kneeling figure outside the examination hall into a completely different person.

Without the emperor, he wouldn't be who he is today!

When he opened his mouth, every word was chilling and menacing.
The girl, who had transformed from a giant python, slightly raised the corners of her mouth, but her forehead bowed even lower.

"I dare not deceive you."

She didn't want to confront that old Taoist priest directly; she wanted to use someone else to do her dirty work!
The knife she borrowed was certainly not from a few armed constables in the county government.

It is the general trend of the world!
It is the imperial court's dragon vein and destiny!

The True Immortal of the Cauldron didn't tell her much, but she wasn't stupid. She subtly inquired and figured things out on her own.

For example, fate truly exists, and it is extremely oppressive.

At least, she, as the county magistrate's concubine, knew clearly that if she really swallowed Magistrate Fang, the consequences would be completely different from those of the military men and merchants she had swallowed.

As for the truth, she didn't know, because she was clever.

Just because she's not easy to mess with doesn't mean she can't be used. Didn't she herself gradually increase her cultivation by absorbing the intangible aura from Magistrate Fang?
And if they really fail, they'll just go back to where they started and have to fight that old fox to the death again.

"I understand. You should go and rest first. The night is chilly, and you are a woman. It wouldn't be good if you caught a cold."

The magistrate of Fang County nodded slightly and then draped the single garment he was wearing over his official robe over it.

It also bowed slightly with its eyes lowered and said:

"It's nothing, I just want to know if what I'm saying will be of any use to you?"

Magistrate Fang stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"The Qian family is a prominent clan, and they have never returned to their hometown since I took office. They can't lie so easily. The only question now is whether the Qian family has gone mad, or whether that old Taoist priest is courting death!"

Behind him, the devilish smile couldn't help but curl upwards, but it didn't make a sound.

It simply bowed its head even more respectfully and said:

"It's almost dawn, I'll go and brew some nourishing herbal soup for Mother."

Magistrate Fang was deeply moved and turned to look at it, saying:

"I've suffered a lot from you these past years."

"You saved my life from the mass grave. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today. I'm not suffering!"

"Go ahead and pay your respects to your mother. You should also get some rest. I've been busy with work these past few days and haven't been able to spend time with you."

The demon bowed and left.

The magistrate of Fang County was left alone, watching it leave with a slightly guilty look, until the place returned to quiet.

Magistrate Fang snorted coldly and summoned the yamen runners on duty, preparing to deal with the matter.

After bidding farewell to Magistrate Fang, it arrived at the kitchen but didn't actually cook any medicine. It simply lit a fire with a flick of its wrist, and then spat out a small piece of leftover heart into the soup pot.

After doing all this, it looked smugly in the direction of the Qian family's old house.

"Let's see how you fight me this time, you old bastard!"

It considers itself invincible in this matter.

First, it had the powerful influence of the imperial court to rely on.

Secondly, as the immortal Dinghou himself said, the first true Taoist he encountered was just a minor cultivator from the mountains.

Since it's just a small-time cultivator in the mountains, what is there to fear if it really comes down to a magical battle?

What it didn't know was that after it left that mass grave...

The small bronze cauldron, enshrined atop countless skulls and concealed by blood-red talismans, suddenly shattered, leaving no discernible fragments. Meanwhile, from behind the massive bronze doors of the deep underground hall, a muffled voice echoed once more:

"You hesitated before abandoning your pawn, and you still hesitated after abandoning it. Over the years, how come your heart has become more and more steadfast?"

Upon hearing this, several different sneers rang out from outside the main hall.

Clearly, there was more than one such grand hall.

The person being questioned hesitated before saying:

"Because we still don't know who ruined my move!"

"Why care about this? Heaven's laws still apply, but the time has not yet come. At this time, everyone is vying for priority, vying for life! Buddhas are vying, demons are vying. Who can tell who is who?"

"You're just a nobody, so just let it go. Focus on the big picture. You're the one who's always looking before and after, which is why you're stuck in the middle, unable to make any progress!"

"Your Majesty, what worries me is that they may be after your greater interests!"

Having survived the great calamity and withstood the wrath of the heavens, it seemed like they were just one step away from victory.

How can you not be careful in everything you do?
But these words elicited a hearty laugh from the voice behind the bronze gate:
"Hahaha, don't you know we've been fighting and arguing for a long time?"

"Besides, since Tianxian doesn't understand, neither you nor I are able to escape into this small space, living in a world where we can't even see who is who. What's the point of worrying about these things?"

"It's better to abandon the pawn early and save unnecessary expenses for what's truly important. Otherwise, every time that little snake calls you, you'll lose something."

"If you were to fight someone over this, winning would be fine, at least you'd have saved face. But if you lost, would you really be willing to accept it?"

The voice fell silent, and the bronze hall returned to tranquility.

Struggle, struggle, struggle.

Those who couldn't get out were all scrambling and fighting each other.

What I fear most is falling behind when the tide turns, resulting in total defeat.
-
As dawn broke, Magistrate Fang, who had already confirmed the matter, arrived.

They had already summoned the yamen runners, each carrying a knife, numbering about twenty!

Meanwhile, Magistrate Fang had prepared official documents and made arrangements in advance, as long as the Qian family dared to make a big fuss and try to incite the ignorant masses to resist the government.

Then the garrisons around Qingxian County will respond immediately!

However, Magistrate Fang also felt that things could not possibly escalate to that extent.

He believed he still enjoyed popular support in Qing County. He reasoned that the people wouldn't prefer to believe the Qian family's sorcery rather than his own.

So, once everyone was in place, the head constable waved his hand dismissively.

The yamen runners then broke down the tightly closed gate of the Qian family's house.

The excited martial artists in the Qian family mansion, who had been unable to sleep all night, jumped up from their seats in unison.

Upon closer inspection, they realized it was government officials.

They dared not use force, and could only step forward to stop them while quickly summoning the Second Young Master Qian.

Fortunately, the second young master Qian was also suffering from back pain and couldn't sleep. As soon as he heard the noise, he rushed over.

As soon as the two sides made contact, Qian Youcai spoke first, shouting:

"How dare you! This is the private residence of the Qian family! How dare you trespass! Don't you know that trespassing on the property of a prominent family is punishable by thirty lashes?"

Unlike the Zhuang family, the Zhuang family barely met the threshold of becoming a prominent family.

The Qian family, on the other hand, was a legitimate and powerful clan, with influence, connections, and even the laws and regulations of the imperial court were on their side.

So as soon as he spoke, the constables all stopped in their tracks.

Turning to look behind him, Qian Youcai followed his gaze.

A tall man in a blue official robe slowly walked up the steps of the open gate of the Qian family's old mansion.

(End of this chapter)