Merit-based card draws, quickly become a Heavenly Emperor

While Fang Zheng was meticulously investigating, news of the execution of the Xu family's five wicked members had already spread faster than the wind.

The discovery of their bodies caused an uproar in Qinghefang City that very day.

The Xu family's Five Poisons committed numerous evil deeds in Yongqing County, causing countless deaths, before being driven away by Chu Tiankuo and Guan Tieyi.

Now they sneaked back to seek revenge, but were instead killed by Fang Zheng and Guan Tieyi, all five of them were wiped out.

Eighth-rank martial artists are considered top-tier combatants in Yongqing County, but the fact that two of them died in succession caused quite a stir in the county's cultivation circles.

The people were overjoyed, and the news spread throughout the streets and alleys that Lord Fangzheng had rid the country of another menace!

The news even reached the underworld.

Li Yuanshan appeared in Fang Zheng's dream and repeatedly praised him.

"The Xu family's five poisons harmed so many innocent people back then, they deserved to die."

Fang Zheng, you're acting on behalf of Heaven!

Despite the high praise from his superiors and the common people, Fang Zheng remained humble.

He knew that the Xu family's Five Poisons were just minor figures; the real mastermind was still lurking in the shadows.

From then on, he became increasingly low-key and cautious, rarely leaving his home except for necessary ghost-catching missions.

During the day, he reads books and practices martial arts; at night, he meditates and cultivates.

Occasionally, he would use his identity as a ghost official to gather clues about the Cao family and the county magistrate from both the realms of the living and the dead.

The clues were scattered and fragmented; some were just rumors, and others were accounts that didn't add up.

But Fang Zheng wasn't in a hurry. He wrote all of this down and pieced it together bit by bit.

Even the slightest clue can be a lead; they might just connect the dots someday.

As for the twenty strands of gray skill obtained from killing the Five Poisons of the Xu family, Fang Zheng also invested them all into the Painting Dao Spring and Autumn card pool.

After ten consecutive pulls, a flash of light appeared.

Besides a few black cards that increased his resources, he drew another gray card.

【Draw a Circle on the Ground】(Rare, Grade 9 Gray, Righteous): A special skill card that uses elemental power to draw a circle on the ground, which can trap enemies from a distance.

Fang Zheng's eyes lit up; this card had come at just the right time.

He lacked control when fighting the tiger, but when dealing with the Xu family's Five Poisons, he relied on Liu Qingyu's surprise attack and Mo Bing's hard-fought defense.

Now that we have this strategy, when we encounter a strong enemy, we can attack or defend as needed, and the initiative is in our own hands.

He glanced at the card-drawing progress on the panel and felt somewhat pleased.

I've already done five 10-pulls on the Painting of Spring and Autumn banner, and I'm getting closer and closer to the pity system.

He was determined to get that legendary card, "The Finishing Touch".

.......

Inside the Cao family compound, the candlelight was dim.

Butler Cao lay prostrate on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold brick surface, his whole body trembling like a leaf.

"Master, the Xu family's Five Poisons have been killed by Fang Zheng and Guan Tieyi!"

All five are dead, not one is left!

Cao Jingde, sitting in his armchair, heard these words and his face twitched violently. He raised his hand and slapped the man across the face.

"Snapped!"

Butler Cao was knocked to the side and his face swelled up instantly.

"waste!"

Cao Jingde, panting heavily, poked Cao the steward's head with his finger. "We spent so much money to hire him, and he can't even kill a mere brat."

How did you handle this?

Ignoring the pain, Steward Cao quickly got up and knelt down again, his forehead hitting the ground with a thud.

"Master, please calm down! Master, please calm down!"

That Fang Zheng is incredibly cunning. Two eighth-rank officials should have easily defeated him. I don't know how he ended up losing...

"Shut up!"

Cao Jingde kicked him in the shoulder, making him stumble. "I don't care how they fell."

"If he's not dead, then you're just a piece of trash!"

"Please, sir, give me another chance!"

Steward Cao scrambled back to his knees.

"I'll go find an even more skilled assassin right now!"

Cao Jingde was about to continue cursing when he heard the word "assassin" and suddenly stopped.

He took a few deep breaths and cursed in a low voice, "You blind bastard!"

Now, people from the state are coming to investigate Chu Tiankuo's case, but it's still unknown which group they are.

"At this critical juncture, you still dare to cause me trouble?"

He slammed his hand on the armrest, making the whole chair shake.

"Get out! Get out of here!"

Behave yourself these next few days. If I hear you making any more noise, I'll break your legs first!

Steward Cao scrambled out of the house, not daring to look back.

Cao Jingde was the only one left in the hall. He leaned back in his chair, his chest heaving, his gaze fixed on the candlelight with a gloomy expression.

"Fangzheng, I'll let you live for a while longer!"

........

Before we knew it, the end of the year was approaching.

Red lanterns were hung everywhere in Yongqing County, and the crackling of firecrackers echoed throughout the county.

The square courtyard was deserted, with bare walls and only two white paper lanterns hanging on them.

After all, Li Yuanshan's mourning period in the mortal world was not yet over, so he had no intention of adding any festive items.

As evening approached, the courtyard gate was pounded on.

When Fang Zheng opened the door, he saw Guan Tieyi standing at the door, wrapped in an old cotton robe.

He carried a large wine jar on his shoulder and an oil paper package in his other hand, which was steaming hot.

His complexion was much rosier than a few days ago, and his back was straighter, so it seemed that he was recovering well from his serious injuries.

"Brother Fang, Happy New Year!"

Guan Tieyi slammed the wine jar on the table, making the bowls and chopsticks jump.

"Homemade, aged for three years."

There's also half a roast goose, from Liu's shop.

He opened the oil paper package, and the aroma of steaming roast goose immediately filled the room.

Fang Zheng didn't stand on ceremony with him, set out the bowls and chopsticks, and the two sat down facing each other.

A jar of wine, half a goose, and no third person.

The liquor was spicy as it went down my throat, then burned down my esophagus, and warmed me up all over.

Guan Tieyi drank quickly, and he would pour his own empty wine bowl.

After a few bowls, he became more talkative.

He wasn't good at saying anything warm or sentimental; he just kept repeating the same phrase, "I will never forget your life-saving grace."

Fang Zheng simply smiled, raised his bowl, clinked it against Fang Zheng's, and then the two of them tilted their heads back and drank the bowl down.

After finishing the jar of wine, it was already dark, and snow began to fall heavily. Guan Tieyi got up to take his leave.

He walked to the door, then turned back and said gruffly, "Call me anytime if you need anything."

Then he walked away without looking back.

Fang Zheng cleaned up the dishes, opened the door, and walked to the old locust tree in the yard.

Three cups of wine for the dead have already been placed in front of Li Yuanshan's grave.

Liu Qingyu floated out from the palm of the hand, transforming into a life-sized figure, dressed in a magnificent red robe, standing in the snow.

"My benefactor, tonight is New Year's Eve, let me offer you a toast."

She picked up a cup of dark wine, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

Fang Zheng smiled and sat down on the stone chair in front of the grave.

Liu Qingyu put down her wine cup and took two steps back. Her skirt spread out, covering the thin layer of snow.

She looked up at the moon and then began to dance.

Her movements were neither too fast nor too slow, and her dance was graceful and elegant, truly as beautiful as a startled swan and as agile as a swimming dragon.

Fang Zheng sat on the rock for a while before standing up, turning around and walking into the study.

He grinds ink, lays out paper, picks up his brush, dips it in ink, lowers his wrist, and the tip of the brush touches the paper, beginning to outline.

He finished the last stroke and put down his pen to examine it.

On the paper, a beautiful woman in red dances under the moon, with snowflakes flying at her feet.

Moonlight, snow, red clothes, and dance moves—he captured them all in this painting.