Longevity Martial Arts: Obtain Golden Affixes at the Start

"Heading to Tianmu City," Chen Bo'an smiled. "To do some leather goods business. The market is good there, and the prices are fair."

Hong Lang's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impassive: "Tianmu City? That's a good place. I've heard that the newly appointed Prefect Mo governs the area strictly, and merchants travel very smoothly."

Chen Bo'an nodded: "That's right. This road used to be very difficult to travel in winter, but he managed to open it up this year. We business people all remember his kindness."

"Manager Chen, how much longer will it take to get to Tianmu City from here?" Hong Lang asked.

"If you're quick, it'll arrive in a day."

On the snow, a deep line of footprints snaked forward, only to be gradually covered by newly fallen snowflakes.

The caravan traveled at a leisurely pace, stopping frequently, but nothing else went wrong along the way.

As evening approached, we finally arrived at Tianmu City.

"Manager Chen, I won't lie to you, I work at the Hengjiang County government office. If you ever come to Hengjiang County, you can come find me there, and I'll definitely treat you well!"

Chen Bo'an was somewhat surprised and laughed, "Alright, if I ever pass through Hengjiang County on my way to deliver goods, I'll definitely go to the county government office to ask you for a drink."

After saying that, he turned and jumped onto the mule cart, waved to Hong Lang, and shouted to the caravan behind him, "Let's go!"

The bells of the mules and horses jingled as the caravan slowly entered the city gate.

Hong Lang also carried Mo Qiushui to the entrance of the county government office.

Knowing that his daughter was injured, Mo Wentian strode out.

He walked up to Hong Lang and took his daughter from him.

He glanced at Mo Qiushui's deformed left leg, his eyelids twitching slightly: "Call a doctor, immediately!"

Hong Lang stood at the bottom of the steps, watching Mo Wentian's figure disappear into the doorway, his heart filled with unease.

Although he saved Mo Qiushui's life, Mo Qiushui's injury was ultimately caused by him. No matter how you look at it, it's not his place to claim credit.

Moreover, Mo Wentian's gaze...

Hong Lang shivered. When that gaze fell on him, it said nothing, yet it seemed to say everything.

As he hesitated whether to follow him in, a man who appeared to be in charge came out from inside the door and bowed to him, saying, "County Commandant Hong, the Prefect invites you in."

请？

Hong Lang gave a wry smile; the word "please" sounded similar to the word "advice".

He followed the steward into the county government office.

Seeing Hong Lang enter, Mo Wentian stood up with his hands behind his back and slowly said, "Qiu Shui's leg is broken."

Hong Lang's heart sank, and he quickly said, "It is my incompetence that I failed to protect Magistrate Mo..."

Mo Wentian interrupted him.

"She fell off Eagle's Beak Cliff, which is a hundred feet deep with jagged rocks below. You were able to come back alive because you saved her."

Hong Lang bowed his head and said, "This humble official dares not take credit. Magistrate Mo is very lucky. Anyone would have done the same."

The hall quieted down, with only the occasional crackling sound of the charcoal fire in the brazier.

Mo Wentian suddenly stood up, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, pushed open half of the window, and let the cold wind carrying snow flakes rush in, causing the candlelight to flicker violently.

He didn't turn around; his voice came from the window, sounding particularly clear in the cold wind.

"Is he one of Zhou Liang's men?"

Hong Lang's heart skipped a beat; he hadn't expected Mo Wentian to already know.

"Yes." Hong Lang didn't hide it, nor could he.

Mo Wentian nodded, but still didn't turn around.

"Zhou Liang, what a Zhou Liang... You may leave now. Stay in the county office for the rest of the day and don't go anywhere else."

Hong Lang was taken aback for a moment. He knew that Mo Wentian was protecting him, and then replied, "Yes."

The next morning.

Before dawn, Honglang was awakened by a commotion.

He put on his coat, got up, and opened the window to look outside.

The snow outside had stopped sometime ago, but the sky remained overcast.

Several yamen runners were hurrying towards the main gate, shouting as they ran, "Quick! Go and report to the Prefect!"

Hong Lang's heart skipped a beat. Had something happened?

He casually straightened his clothes and followed the constables to the front yard.

As soon as he reached the front yard, he saw a constable jogging into the main hall, and a moment later, Mo Wentian came out from inside.

"Your Honor," a yamen runner stepped forward to report, "Zhou Liang, the magistrate of Longxiang County, is here with his family to request an audience outside the gate."

Upon hearing the name "Zhou Liang," Hong Lang's brows furrowed sharply.

Zhou Liang has arrived?

And with their families?

He peeked towards the gate.

The county government gate was wide open, and the morning light poured in from outside, illuminating the thin layer of snow on the stone steps in front of the gate.

Zhou Liang stood at the bottom of the stone steps.

He wasn't wearing an official robe, but only a gray-white cloth shirt, his hair casually tied up with a thick hemp rope, making him look like a completely different person.

A woman in her thirties stood beside him.

The two of them stood straight in the snow, without any attendants, sedan chairs, or anything else behind them.

Hong Lang's heart skipped a beat when he saw Zhou Liang's attire.

They've come to apologize.

He narrowed his eyes and sneered inwardly.

This Zhou Liang is quick to react.

Only a day after the incident at Eagle Beak Cliff, he rushed to Tianmu City with his wife overnight, abandoning his official robes and directly offering his apology with a bundle of thorns on his back.

That was a brilliant move.

If Mo Wentian were to lose his temper, it would make him seem petty.

If Mo Wentian doesn't react, then this matter can only be left unresolved, and it won't be so easy to bring up old grievances again in the future.

As Hong Lang was thinking, Mo Wentian had already walked out of the county government gate. He stood at the top of the stone steps, looking down at Zhou Liang.

Zhou Liang knelt down with a thud.

The woman beside him also knelt down, her head bowed low, almost touching the snow.

"Your Excellency, Prefect," Zhou Liang's voice echoed through the empty streets, deliberately hoarse, "This sinful subject, Zhou Liang, has come to plead guilty!"

His forehead hit the stone steps with a dull thud, leaving a dent in the snow.

Mo Wentian remained silent, watching Zhou Liang kneel in the snow.

Zhou Liang remained motionless, still in the position of kowtowing.

The woman trembled slightly, whether from the cold or from fear, it was hard to tell.

After a long while, Mo Wentian finally spoke.

"Zhou Liang, what crime have you committed?"

Zhou Liang looked at Mo Wentian, his eyes reddening and his lips trembling slightly, like a child caught doing something wrong, his face full of regret and fear.

"Your Excellency, I have failed in my duty of discipline, which has allowed my subordinates Gong Jie and Ning Cheng to act with reckless audacity. They ambushed Magistrate Hong at Eagle's Beak Cliff, intending to harm him. However, this also caused Magistrate Mo to fall off the cliff, narrowly avoiding a major disaster!"

His voice trembled noticeably: "This guilty subject only learned of this matter last night and interrogated the two men overnight. They confessed without hesitation. This guilty subject... this guilty subject has no face to face the Prefect, and has come today to accept my punishment!"

After he finished speaking, he kowtowed heavily again.