Swords emerge from the human world

Chapter 57: A Desperado's Good Fortune
As dusk settled, the atmosphere became desolate.

The number of pedestrians on the road dwindled until only a single group of elderly, weak, women, and children remained.

The older one is Wang Yuanshan.

He was in his early fifties and had previously taken good care of himself, appearing prosperous and not old at all. But after this ordeal, he suddenly aged more than ten years, his hair falling loose and covered in large patches of gray. His face was filled with grief and sorrow, making him look no different from a decrepit old man.
Wang Fu was the weaker one.

He lay on a simple stretcher, his face ashen, his clothes stained with blood, clenching his teeth and refusing to utter a sound of pain.

The servant Aping carried the stretcher with Wang Yuanshan. He was a loyal servant born into the Wang family and never abandoned them.

The Queen Mother and her daughter-in-law, along with two children, followed behind, their faces filled with fear and their eyes swollen from crying.

Their clothes were no longer splendid, and they looked like displaced refugees.

They have indeed fallen on hard times. Who would have thought that the once-famous richest family in Maoxian would end up like this?
After walking for a while, the servant A-Ping said, "Master, it's getting late. Let's find a place to rest for the night and continue our journey tomorrow morning."

Wang Yuanshan nodded blankly, looked around, and saw fields stretching as far as the eye could see, with rolling hills, and for a moment he didn't know where to go.

"Look! There's a post station ahead."

Ah Ping, with his sharp eyes, called out.

Along the official road, there were short and long pavilions, as the saying goes, "ten miles of long pavilions and five miles of short pavilions."

That place should be where the short pavilion is located.

Seeing that he had a place to go, Wang Yuanshan mustered up some energy and quickened his pace.

When we arrived at that lonely inn, I breathed a sigh of relief, almost dropping the stretcher, but quickly caught it.

With that slight sway, the injury was touched, and Wang Fu finally couldn't help but groan.

Wang Yuanshan hurriedly asked, "Fu'er, how are you?"

Wang Fuqiang forced himself to say, "I can still hold on."

Wang Yuanshan sighed sadly, "It's my fault for ruining you. I should have made arrangements earlier to let you leave the county town."

Wang Fu smiled bitterly, "When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. That corrupt official is powerful and ruthless; he planned this all along. This time, we have no choice but to accept our defeat."

The father and son looked at each other speechlessly, feeling a mixture of grief and indignation, yet powerless to do anything about it.

Ah Ping was quick and efficient. He went to the wild and collected dry branches and leaves, piled them up, and started a campfire.

They were driven out of the city by the yamen runners, and they had almost nothing with them, not even a sip of water.

"Mom, I'm hungry."

"I'm hungry too."

Wang Fu's son, Wang Xin, and daughter, Wang Yun, spoke first.

The adults looked at each other, unsure how to answer, feeling a sharp pain in their hearts.

Wang Fu coughed and said, "Xiao Xin and Xiao Yun, there's no food now, and you must both be tired. Go to sleep first. After a good night's sleep, you can go to Yi County tomorrow."

"Oh."

The two children were well-behaved, one on each side of their mother, nestled close together, and began to doze off.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded, and two people came from the road ahead. They were dressed in gray robes, wearing bamboo hats, with short blades at their waists and holding broadswords, looking like江湖人士 (jianghu figures).

When Wang Yuanshan saw this, his heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling.

As expected, the other party was heading towards Tingyi. They raised their heads, and their fierce faces were vaguely visible.

Just then, a horse-drawn carriage came galloping from the direction of Maoxian County and stopped beside the post station.

The coachman also wore a straw hat and had only one arm.

His arm strength was astonishing. With a shout, he reined in his horse, dismounted, drew a long sword, and went straight to meet the two martial arts practitioners.

The two men were clearly bewildered. One of them asked in a deep voice, "Friend, which gang are you from?" The answer he received was a flash of light like lightning.

Without wasting words, Shi Qifeng immediately began the attack. Within a few rounds, he had killed one man and captured another alive.

The Wang family inside the inn were stunned, huddled together, trembling with fear.

Wang Fu quickly recognized Shi Qifeng and exclaimed in surprise, "It's Master Shi!"

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Chen Jin appeared: "Brother Wang, how are you?"

Upon seeing him, Wang Fu was overwhelmed with emotion: "Brother Chen, I thought I would never see you again."

Shi Qifeng left one alive for interrogation, and he quickly got information out of him.

It turned out they were bandits who had recently received a job and were lying in ambush nearby, waiting for the right time to strike.

This job was supposed to be very easy, requiring little effort, but unexpectedly, Shi Qifeng suddenly appeared.

After asking the questions, Shi Qifeng then delivered the fatal blow.

Magistrate Zhao's approach was simple: he seized the Wang family's property, stripped Wang Fu of his scholar's degree, and left Wang Yuanshan and his ilk as homeless dogs, no longer posing any threat whatsoever.

The subsequent tasks, such as the dirty work of annihilation, did not require the involvement of trusted confidants, and it was even less appropriate to use the manpower of the government. The best way to handle it was to find some outlaws from the underworld to take care of it.

Desperados take money to do their jobs without knowing the identity or background of their employers, and then flee after killing someone.

This is the other side of the martial arts world: dark, bloody, and utterly merciless.

When dealing with them, Shi Qifeng naturally showed no mercy or morality and began to clean up the mess.

Wang Fu sent A Ping to help.

Fortunately, this young servant had followed Wang Fu around, "venturing into the world," and had developed some courage, so he could be of some help.

At the inn, Chen Jin went forward to check on Wang Fu's injuries. The injuries were quite severe, and it was clear at a glance that he had been severely beaten with sticks.

"Brother Chen, I am innocent."

Wang Fu struggled to his feet, then sighed dejectedly, "But now, that's no longer important."

Chen Jin raised an eyebrow: "Just like that, that's it?"

Wang Fu smiled bitterly: "What can I do? Before, when my family was at its peak, I was always surrounded by servants, and I thought I was very powerful. Not to mention other places, as long as it was within Maoxian County, I, the eldest son of Wang, was a big shot. But when I faced Magistrate Zhao, I realized that I was no different from an ant."

Chen Jin asked, "Is this Lord Zhao really that capable?"

Wang Fu's face showed fear, and he grabbed Chen Jin's sleeve: "Brother Chen, listen to me, don't worry about anything right now. Just be honest and leave Maoxian as soon as possible to go to the prefectural city to prepare for the provincial examination. Only by passing the examination can you have a foothold. Otherwise, if you offend Magistrate Zhao, you will be doomed."

Chen Jin's eyes flashed: "I'll be careful."

Wang Fu looked dejected: "I once wanted to be a chivalrous knight-errant, but I couldn't; I once sought the path to immortality, but I couldn't find it; later I resigned myself to my fate, thinking I could pass the imperial examination, become a wealthy man, and live a peaceful life. I never imagined that I would almost lose my family and my academic achievements... My life is over!"

Chen Jin said coldly, "If you accept your fate, then your whole family is finished. Look at your parents, wife, and children; they are all counting on you."

Wang Fu looked up and met his daughter's bright eyes. Overwhelmed with sorrow, he burst into tears: "But what can I do now?"

Chen Jin said in a deep voice, "I will have Master Shi escort you out of Maoxian. As long as you survive, you will have a chance to make a comeback."

"well said."

Wang Yuanshan praised him and bowed deeply to Chen Jin: "Young Master Chen, my son Fu'er is truly fortunate to have you as a friend. The entire Wang family will forever remember your kindness today."

Chen Jin returned the greeting: "This place is not safe to stay any longer, you should get on the carriage quickly."

　On the first day of August, I received a generous reward of 1500 from the top donor, "Finally I have time," along with a full 30 monthly tickets. It was so generous that I felt unworthy of it!

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(End of this chapter)