Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1222
That day, almost a hundred fellow Cultivators from the Running River State were summoned to a deck on a starship to attend the execution of a death sentence.
The guy who was tied up and about to be killed was none other than Xue Longhu, the leader of Red Tiger Hall, their old nemesis.
The crimes that had caused him to be sentenced to death were ridiculously petty in Fang Chengzhi's eyes. They were all the unimportant things such as monopolization, forced transactions, gang fighting, and so on.
The most severe crime of all was the one where Xue Longhu used a boy and a girl to attract a one-thousand-year-old 'Bleak Fire Black Horn Snake', and the two children were accidentally swallowed by the animal.
Also, the two children were not stolen by him at all but bought from a slave market. It was a fair transaction from beginning to end. They should be his property, dead or alive!
Chapter 1897: Monster of Monsters! |
Xue Longhu was at the peak of the Core Formation Stage. If he were to be executed openly, there should at least be some shocking crimes. Not just Fang Chengzhi, even Xue Longhu himself did not foresee that he would be sentenced to death due to such trivial crimes.
From what Fang Chengzhi heard later, the reason Xue Longhu's case was closed so quickly was that Xue Longhu did not realize the severity of the case at all, or rather, he did not even consider the incident as a 'case'.
He defended himself in the cases regarding forced transactions and group fights in the mines. But when it came to the incident with the child slaves, he admitted it quickly and signed his name, as could clearly be seen on his statement.
Before his death, he had no idea what law he had violated at all, and he was still shouting while raising his neck high. "My disciples bought the two children for me. One of them cost me eighty dimes, and the other a hundred and twenty, with two additional bags of rice. They were ten percent higher than the market price. I bought them! I bought them!"
With the situation reaching that point, all his arguments were certainly useless. A Cultivator at the peak of the Core Formation Stage who had advanced to the level after a hundred years of hard training was tied up like a piglet and kicked into an iron cage just like that. Then, the iron cage spluttered and unleashed thousands of electric arcs, burning the prisoner to ash and obliterating him in the blink of an eye.
It was probably meant to warn other people.
The whole audience sweated hard with their legs shaking.
Naturally, Fang Chengzhi disliked Xue Longhu. He even hated the guy's guts after a few days of biting and accusing each other. But despite everything, he could help but feel sad for the loss of his own kind after witnessing Xue Longhu's uncanny death sentence. He was both depressed and confused, not having the vaguest clue what the strange Cultivators of the federation were up to.
They were now the meat, and the Cultivators of the federation were the chopping block. It was only natural for them to be cut and butchered, but they did not deserve to be ridiculed with such absurd reasons. The pair of children probably would have starved to death even if Xue Longhu had not bought them. Besides, Xue Longhu did not kill them personally. They were the victims of a one-thousand-year-old snake monster. Did that really account for a death sentence?
It took Fang Chengzhi days before Fang Chengzhi finally realized that Xue Longhu had been executed not just because he got a pair of children killed but mainly because he had run out of 'points'.
As it turned out, in the Special District Committee of the federal government, a ledger for every Cultivator of the Ancient Sages Sector who was a suspect of violating the Divine Wrath Order had been established. A myriad of 'contributions' and 'crimes' had been listed, too.
The contributions such as serving justice, turning in other criminals, or maintaining local order could gain them points. After all the items were calculated, if the points added up to a thousand and eight hundred or more, they would pass the investigation and regain their freedom.
Crimes such as monopolization, forced transactions, gang fights, disrupting the local order, or even murdering and looting other people would be the reasons to decrease the points.
All the Cultivators of the Ancient Sages Sector, Refinement State and Nascent Soul Stage alike, had five hundred basic points. If they had committed so many crimes that their points were subtracted to zero, they would be sentenced to death, and even a real deity would not be able to save them.
The contributions could offset the crimes. However, the increase of points from 'contributions' was less than the decrease of points from 'crimes'. Therefore, despite all the offsetting, the gap could never be made up.
The death of a pair of children was not enough for Xue Longhu to be executed immediately, but together with sect fights, killing, and looting, his five hundred points had almost reached zero.
In his desire for survival, Xue Longhu had squeezed out a lot of material to turn other Cultivators in, which had slightly raised his points. He was about to escape the death sentence, but as it turned out, he was responsible for his entire sect as the leader of the Red Tiger Hall. Ten percent of the reduced points because of the illegal businesses that the disciples of the Red Tiger Hall did would be blamed on him. As it happened, one of his true disciples was reported to be practicing an evil art in secret. The guy had killed dozens of innocent women as offerings to his secret sword.
Whether or not Xue Longhu had been aware of the matter before could not be proven and was no longer important. All in all, his five hundred points were reduced to zilch, and he could not present any major contribution for the time being. Therefore, he could only die a disgraceful death.
After figuring out the wretched 'point system', Fang Chengzhi was greatly relieved at first. He thought to himself that it was great because the Star Glory Federation seemed to be somewhat reasonable, however ridiculous their reasons were.
But on second thought, he could not help but feel frightened again. The Cultivators of the federation were so unnegotiable and persistent in their rules that even the most unimportant trivia could be counted as a crime. Fang Chengzhi wondered if he had committed crimes that were enough to get him killed without him knowing.
Even if he did not, as the heir of the Green Cloud Sword Sect, would he be affected because of a certain unpardonable guy in his own sect?
He lived in fright for the next two weeks. Occasionally, when he was half asleep in his iron coffin, he felt that somebody would slap his shoulder hard and roar, "Fang Chengzhi, your crime has been exposed!" Then, he would be tied up and dragged away like a swine.
But after a long wait, the cold hand and the deafening roar did not come. In the end, it was two smiling faces that came and informed him that the issues regarding the Green Cloud Sword Sect had been fully investigated. They were indeed a righteous sect that had been maintaining the order of the Running River State in the past hundred years, which was helpful for the prosperity and stability of the local area.
Although it was a minor stain that they had gone to the Rising Sun Ceremony, they had done nothing greatly wrong. Also, by approaching the federal government actively, they had set a good example for all the other Cultivators. Therefore, the investigation targeting him was over. He was now free and could reunite with his father.
Having regained his freedom and learned that the Green Cloud Sword Sect had been promoted as a 'good example', Fang Chengzhi was already wild with joy. But then a piece of breaking news struck him into a bottomless abyss again.
According to the message he received, his father had sold all the properties, mines, ranches, and everything else that mattered to the Green Cloud Sword Sect to the federal government at a terribly low price!
So, that was why it had been promoted as a 'good example' and why he was set free!
How shameless and despicable!
"Father!"
Outside of the enormous starship, the father and son finally met again, both feeling that a century had passed since their last meeting. Fang Chengzhi could not hold back his dissatisfaction anymore and gnashed his teeth.
"Those Cultivators from the federation are truly wolves and bandits. Nobody can be more unreasonable than them!" Then, he sighed while sobbing. "Our family's enterprise that has been passed on for a hundred years was given away to them just like that?"
Compared to Fang Chengzhi who was jumping up and down, Fang Shiyi, the leader of the Green Cloud Sword Sect, was at ease. He smiled casually and remarked, "This is always the case during a shift of dynasties. A revolution is not an invitation to dinner. Who do you think will reason or be polite with you?
"Besides, what they are doing right now is already reasonable and polite enough!
"Let's put aside the storm of blood when the Thunderous Qian Sect overturned the previous dynasty and established the Great Qian Dynasty. Just focus on the destruction of the eunuch's party a few years ago. How many people were involved in the conflict between Eunuch Wang Xi and Emperor Phoenix, and how much blood was shed? At that time, we were still on the Purple Pole Sword Sect's side and were almost destroyed as an 'accomplice to the great traitor'!
"Hehe. Every change of the supreme power of the world requires the irrigation of endless blood. The blood shed today is already little to none. At the very least, the two of us have both survived, unlike Xue Longhu, who has been executed without even a body left. It was very fortunate for us in this unfortunate incident."
Fang Chengzhi was dazed for a moment and then sighed again. "Vulture Li Yao, the representative from the Star Glory Federation, even called himself 'a pacifist who convinces people with his integrity'. Isn't that too outrageous?"
"Do you believe everything from his mouth? Every deceased emperor has been given a lot of posthumous titles after passing away. Are all those titles true?"
Leader Fang shook his head and said, "I'm told that the man is the husband of the current monarch of the Star Glory Federation. Right. This place is managed by a queen today. So, it must be a custom in the federation to give some special titles, such as 'a pacifist who convinces people with his integrity', to the queen's husband. That is not very strange.
"The bottom line is, this Vulture Li Yao is best known for his cunningness and brutality in the Star Glory Federation. He is one of the most notorious men who roams the sea of stars!"
"What!" Fang Chengzhi was soaked in cold sweat again because of fear.
"It's true," said Fang Chengzhi. "The Green Cloud Sword Sect belongs to the system of the Purple Pole Sword Sect. We used to be quite close to Eunuch Wang Xi. You know how powerful and influential Eunuch Wang Xi was in his prime. You must've heard a thing or two about how dreadful the organization Ghost Character that he established was, too, right? So, you must have a general idea about Eunuch Wang Xi's personality and capability, mustn't you?"
Fang Chengzhi nodded quickly.
As one of the Four Rapscallions, Eunuch Wang Xi was once a powerful person in court and a great master in sword arts. He was also the leader of the terrifying Ghost Character. His name was even enough to stop children from crying at night. Naturally, everyone knew him.
"Then, you also know how immeasurable Han Baling, the magnificent sovereign of the Ghost Qin of Dark Cloud Prairies, is, right?" Leader Fang asked again.
Fang Chengzhi nodded again. To some extent, Han Baling, who had great power and commanded a million iron soldiers, was a man even more terrifying than Eunuch Wang Xi. He certainly deserved to rank at the top of the Four Rapscallions.
"Then, do you know how Eunuch Wang Xi and Han Baling address this Vulture Li Yao?" Leader Fang asked mysteriously.
Fang Chengzhi was slightly dazed. He shook his head and said, "I don't know."
Leader Fang coughed and revealed, "Even men as strong as Wang Xi and as brutal as Han Baling call him 'Monster Li' respectfully!"
Chapter 1898: One Thousandth |
"Hiss…"
Fang Chengzhi felt as if a cold wind had blown from the bottom of his heart and flowed around his body in the blink of an eye. He could not help but shudder hard.
In terms of ferocity, nobody in the entire Ancient Sages Sector could be more ferocious than Han Baling, who commanded a billion iron riders of Ghost Qin and had once charged on the Central Plateau to approach the capital city.
In terms of sordidness, who could ever best Eunuch Wang Xi, who had manipulated the emperor in the past easily, killed the ministers as if they were hens, and founded Ghost Character to raise a storm of blood in the entire world of Cultivators?
However, even Han Baling and Eunuch Wang Xi had to address Vulture Li Yao as 'Monster Li'. How dreadful and terrifying the guy must be!
Fang Chengzhi could not help but recall the 'Monster Li' in the red vest that he had happened to see a few days ago. Both appalled and suspicious, he said, "I once saw Vulture Li Yao from a long distance away. He seemed rather plain and did not have the demeanor of an unparalleled monster."
"All the monsters are temperamental and unpredictable. Do you expect them to engrave their identity on their forehead?" Fang Shiyi snorted. "I was lucky enough to meet Vulture Li Yao in person several times. Indeed, I failed to notice anything extraordinary about the man, but don't forget how Elder Scorching Sun was killed!"
Fang Chengzhi's pupils constricted violently. The black Cloud Qin Gold Statue whose overwhelming aura suppressed a hundred thousand Cultivators seemed to be condensing inside his eyes again. He felt all his anger and courage leak away from him as cold sweat through his pores. He opened his mouth three times, only to find nothing appropriate to say. In the end, he sighed gloomily. "Are we really submitting our family's enterprise that we have worked on for a hundred years just like that? We will have nothing left! Hehe. All their talk about peace and friendliness and a better tomorrow is just bullsh*t. The so-called Star Glory Federation is just another bunch of hypocritical bandits. Is there any difference between their actions and Elder Scorching Sun's? In fact, they are even more contemptible in my eyes!"
"You're wrong again. Who says that I have submitted our family's enterprise for nothing? Who says we have nothing left right now?" Fang Shiyi laughed. "As you heard earlier, the federal government believes that I set a good example for other people, which means that other people will be prompted to follow me. Why would the federation make us suffer losses?
"Let me tell you, dummy, while I have sold the properties, mines, and ranches of the Green Cloud Sword Sect to the federal government, it was a fair deal. I have got something in return. Or to be more exact, I received shares of the Ancient Sages Shipping Group."
Fang Chengzhi was greatly surprised again.
Having spent more than a month in a prison cell, he was already more exhausted than ever. When he first met his father, he had only felt that the world was swirling. He had been too eager to tell his father about his miserable experience to observe his father's appearance right now.
It was not until this moment that he finally recognized the delight and ambition in his father's tone. His father's face was also glowing and in high spirits. The man did not look like a victim whose property had been confiscated but like a star that was rising into the sky!
Fang Chengzhi was even more surprised when he noticed his father's attire.
His father was still wearing the deep blue robe, with three long swords on his back, exactly the same as he had been a month earlier.
However, right above the two words 'Green Cloud' on his chest, a weird emblem was clipped in the most formal way. It was the enormous dragon and the nine starry pearls that had consumed Elder Scorching Sun's fiery fiend and occupied the entire sky that day.
Fang Chengzhi now knew that it was the Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars emblem of the Star Glory Federation, which represented great honor and authority of the 'divine country'. At the very least, in the chaos right now, not everybody was qualified to wear one.
It was especially so when it came to the Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars flag with gold stars as the background. He had only seen it on the chest of some major officials of the Star Glory Federation in the past.
However, what surprised him most was not the emblem but a red band on his father's left arm. A two-letter abbreviation had been painted on the red band. Like what he had once seen on the uncanny 'crystal camera', some of the strokes were missing, but it further added to the coldness of the symbol. What was written on the red band was 'A. C.'!
Fang Chengzhi was not sure what kind of department the so-called A. C. was, but looking at the satisfaction on his father's face, he knew that it could not be bad.
That explained a lot. By devoting all the family's possessions, they had earned themselves a place in the new regime. If the job was a well-paid one, it was not a bad outcome.
Fang Chengzhi was not a stupid man in the first place. Thousands of thoughts rolled through his mind again, and he realized what his father wanted immediately.
He was no stranger to 'shares'. To feed so many high and mighty sword Cultivators who did not work, the Green Cloud Sword Sect naturally had a lot of businesses under its name, of which many other people had shares.
However, there were a lot of tricks about the operation in a shared business. Some of them were even the meanest ways of exploitation that could suffocate the victims.
For example, if a sect took interest in a wealthy family's business, it could establish an empty business, claiming that it would develop a mountain that was frequented by wild animals and evil creatures. Then, it would lure and coerce the wealthy family into buying the shares.
After the investment, it would be a fortunate outcome if the money was lost and the development of the mountain came to a natural end. In the worst cases, the sect would claim that its disciples were heavily wounded while slaying the monsters on the mountain and demand that the 'shareholder' present another sum of money, until the wealthy family was drained.
