After the yamen posted the wanted order, the entire Wucheng was shrouded in a somber atmosphere.
In the following days, the number of citizens on the streets decreased by thirty percent. Even the bustling South Market Street seemed deserted, with yamen runners and constables everywhere, searching for criminals.
Wucheng was not large, but it wasn't small either. For days, the constables had turned the entire city upside down, yet there was still no sign of Wang Xun. Wang Xun had vanished as if from thin air, leaving not a single trace.
"You are leaving?"
Yu Dabu's eyes widened in shock upon hearing that the other party intended to leave Wucheng and return to the capital.
Wang Xun was his direct superior. Without the 'Imperial Envoy' by his side, how would he dare to issue a city-wide wanted notice!
'Feng Luan' raised his hand slightly, and as his wide sleeves slid down, his bony wrist was revealed. He beckoned to Yu Dabu. Yu Dabu quickly stepped forward, ready to lend an ear to his superior's teachings. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept past his ear, followed by a heavy hand slapping him forcefully on the right cheek he had extended forward. With a crisp, loud "Slap~".
Yu Dabu's mind went blank, and all he heard was a ringing in his ears. After a brief moment of deafness and confusion, the pain that surged from his cheek to his brain caused a hint of blood to appear in his eyes. He instinctively looked up, but as his eyelids were about to lift and reveal the ferocity hidden within, he quickly lowered them.
He clutched his face, knelt on the ground trembling, his voice filled with panic: "Young Master, please calm your anger, please calm your anger!"
'Feng Luan' suppressed the disgust in his heart and flicked his hand dismissively, as if he had touched something dirty. He looked down at Yu Dabu from above, his voice contemptuous: "I am not here to discuss with you, but to inform you. Since the matter on Changming Mountain has been resolved, the remaining affairs have nothing to do with me. County Magistrate, Feng is not an official appointed by the court and does not receive a salary. Why should I concern myself with these mundane affairs? Whether one person dies or a thousand people die, what does it matter to me?"
"Don't you agree?"
Yu Dabu was momentarily stunned. He almost couldn't suppress his surging delight and admiration.
The world was full of ignorant fools. To feed the gods with their ignorant souls and bodies was a blessing, not a punishment, to these ants. How laughable it was that there were so many mediocre people in this world,卑微ly guarding their tiny, dirty lives, even attempting to refuse the gods' blessings. If there were more people like Feng Luan in this world, then the gods would descend upon the land as they did in the initial era – the War of Founding a Hundred Years Ago!
Then, the entire world would prostrate themselves at the feet of the gods, listening to their teachings.
His hand, pressed against the ground beneath his sleeve, clenched into a fist. The bulging veins on the back of his hand seemed filled with yearning and reverence for the gods.
Yu Dabu's voice trembled slightly. However, judging by the context, it sounded more like a tremor of fear and anger that he couldn't control.
"You... you speak the truth!"
He managed to suppress the urge to cultivate the person before him into a divine envoy with great effort.
'Feng Luan' stood up, bowed slightly, and tidied his curled衣角. Catching a glimpse of Yu Dabu's tight lips and tense facial muscles filled with an expression akin to 'fanaticism' out of the corner of his eye, he paused briefly, a chill suddenly rising in his heart.
He straightened up and walked out of the Wucheng yamen as if strolling through a courtyard.
"Brother?"
Xiao Man looked up at 'Feng Luan' before her. Her voice was still affectionate, but if one listened closely, there was a hint of distance and grievance. Her grievance stemmed from her mistress choosing the cook over her.
'Feng Luan' lowered his head and looked at her.
For a moment, he was unsure if she had noticed anything amiss.
He imitated his young master, stroking Xiao Man's head, and clearly felt the momentary stiffness and resistance from the body beneath his hand. Ah, she knew!
Er Gou looked around. It was perhaps his imagination, but it seemed that apart from the two people from Yaowang Valley and his own foolish shopkeeper, everyone else had seen that he was not her (everyone referring to the hidden guards who had once again concealed themselves). Had his young master informed them in advance, or had he revealed some flaw?
Er Gou instinctively wanted to scratch his head, but then remembered that it was inconsistent with his current identity. He forcefully redirected the hand he had half-raised. While stroking Xiao Man's head, he touched his nose and asked in his young master's tone, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Man shook her head. Taking advantage of the movement, she subtly freed her head from his grasp.
...
Cheng Chongyu stood on the city wall, watching 'Feng Luan' and his entourage depart.
Yu Dabu stood beside Cheng Chongyu. The slap mark on his right cheek was still clearly visible, but Cheng Chongyu seemed not to have noticed.
He asked, "What do you think?"
Yu Dabu let out a chuckle. The laughter pulled at his cheek, and the pain contorted his facial muscles, making his smile appear ferocious and sinister.
He laughed until his cheeks turned red, the blush spreading all the way to his neck before he stopped laughing. His pupils, fixed on the distant horizon, were filled with fanaticism. He shook his head with regret, "What a pity, so many potential divine envoys!"
Cheng Chongyu turned sharply and saw his near-manic demeanor, his brow furrowing.
Madman!
"Be at least cautious!" Cheng Chongyu's expression turned cold, and his voice deepened.
"What is there to fear?" Yu Dabu suddenly spread his arms, embracing the entire sky. He looked up at the sky and then towards the distance, his gaze sweeping over where the generals would become the gods' territory: "One day, the glory of the gods will once again shine upon the earth. At that time, mere humans, what is there to fear!"
Cheng Chongyu suddenly felt an urge to push Yu Dabu off the city wall. If it weren't for this madman, how would he have reached this point, how could he... Cheng Chongyu closed his eyes, unsure if he was regretting or brewing determination.
Nan Shiying stood on the second floor of a teahouse on the east side of the city wall, watching the two figures standing on the city wall. Since 'Feng Luan' had left, with the final offerings already transported to Liaojiang, there was nothing left for them to guard against or fear. If there was anything, it was the 'disappeared' Er Gou and the cook.
Oh, and that Wang Xun, whose fate was still unknown!
"Sister, I want candied hawthorn!"
The cook's hair was styled in two little buns on top of her head. Nan Shiying had slightly refined her facial features. With the addition of her height, she now looked at most twelve or thirteen years old.
Her piety towards food made her intelligence infinitely close to that of a child.
Nan Shiying was dressed in rough homespun cloth, her skin speckled with blemishes. Her entire face was unremarkable, save for a pair of bright and captivating eyes, which added a touch of brilliance to her plain appearance.
Especially when she smiled, her eyes sparkled with radiance.
No matter how many times, the cook would still be captivated by the other's gaze, lost in those deep and mysterious pupils.