Given Zhang Zhi's standing in Cangyun City, very few people dared to cause trouble at his residence.
"What audacious nerve!" Zhang Yang roared, his hands clasped behind his back. His frigid, furious eyes locked onto the intruders like a leopard stalking its prey, sending a chill down the spine.
Zhang Zhi's face darkened, and he was about to step forward to investigate.
"I, Liu Wu, am a simple warrior with no special talents, save for a pair of sharp ears," a voice bood. Liu Wu strode forward, his already towering figure made absolutely nacing by his rage. "Was it you who was just sarcastically calling my Commander a vulgar man who kowtows to the rich and powerful?"
Without another word, he slapped Zhang Yang across the face.
SLAP!
With a sharp crack, the stunned Zhang Yang's face split open. He spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.
The two elders from the Elders' Court had ordered him to be quick and decisive, so he had no ti to waste.
"Insolence!" Zhang Zhi was incensed, his glare fixed fiercely on Liu Wu and the n behind him. Barging in so brazenly and imdiately resorting to violence… did they have no respect for him at all?
Ignoring Zhang Zhi, Liu Wu stood over the fallen Zhang Yang and looked down at him. "You little wretch, my Commander pushed the national border back eighty li at the age of twenty-five. What have you ever accomplished?"
Zhang Yang was speechless.
"Speak!" Liu Wu stomped on Zhang Yang's chest and demanded, "What great contribution have you made that gives you the right to shalessly call my Boss a vulgar man?"
"In this day and age, any piece of trash dares to pop up and slander the Supre Martial Commander? Have you ever even killed an enemy?"
Zhang Yang was struck dumb.
The vicious slap and the ensuing torrent of abuse left the young master completely stunned. He remained dazed for a long mont, unable to process what had happened as a glaring pool of his blood began to seep into the ground.
Just as Zhang Zhi was about to call for reinforcents, he saw a veritable sea of Martial Guards rolling toward them, their presence radiating a thick, murderous aura. This forr Elder felt a sudden chill run through his entire body. This…
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" Zhang Zhi's expression shifted, his rage finally erupting. "Even the Supre Martial Commander you speak of would have to respectfully call Elder Zhang upon seeing . You are courting death!"
"Of course I know," Liu Wu sneered, baring his teeth. "Old fool, stop flattering yourself. Do you really think you're that important?"
With that, Liu Wu kicked out.
BANG!
Zhang Yang shot away like a ragdoll, skidding across the ground before crashing into a flowerbed, where he wailed in agony.
"My Boss was leading troops into battle at eighteen, striking terror into the hearts of the Barbarians! And you? Could you even take care of yourself then?" Liu Wu pointed at Zhang Yang. "You're just a useless piece of trash. To call you a frog in a well would be a complint."
Zhang Yang could only groan.
"You're looking for death!" How could he stand by while his most beloved grandson was crippled right before his eyes?
Liu Wu lunged forward and snatched him by the collar, his eyes narrowing as a murderous intent flared within them. "Old man, can't you see? You're the one who's going to die today."
Zhang Zhi fell silent.
"You, a re Jingnan Prince, dare to touch ?" Taking a deep breath, Zhang Zhi said coldly, "There's an old saying: punishnts do not apply to the gentry. I dare you to lay a hand on !"
As a forr Elder of the Bureau of Secrets and a once-prominent minister from a distinguished family, who would dare to touch him, even if he had done sothing wrong?
Liu Wu grinned. "Han Qing's death… you don't really believe it was from a sudden heart attack, do you?"
Zhang Zhi's silence was answer enough.
"How does a scholar-official like you compare to him?"
Zhang Zhi still said nothing.
"He had to die for harming the nation for personal gain. What makes you think you're any different?"
Zhang Zhi's eyes widened in astonishnt. So, Han Qing was… What in the world is happening?
His expression shifted rapidly as he suppressed the turbulent thoughts in his mind. In a low voice, he asked, "You… the Martial Guards of Hanyun Valley… no, the Supre Martial Commander… Are you staging a rebellion?"
He threw out the gravest accusation possible, but it was nothing more than the final, stubborn delusion of a man at death's door.
"If killing a clique of vested interests who have hard the nation for their own gain is rebellion, then so be it. What of it?" Liu Wu replied with a smile.
Zhang Zhi gasped, his legs nearly giving out from under him.
"We defend the border because it is our duty, but we bear the responsibility for all people under heaven, not to serve as watchdogs for conscienceless scum like you," Liu Wu continued, his voice dripping with contempt. "And then you have the nerve to say we're not obedient enough, that we turn and bite our master?"
BOOM!
Liu Wu's fist slamd down. Blood burst from the top of Zhang Zhi's head as he was forced to his knees with a crash.
WHOOSH. Liu Wu drew his war blade and pointed it at Zhang Zhi. "Co on. Say it again. Who is the dog, and who is the master?"
Zhang Zhi was silent.
"Punishnt does not extend to the gentry!" Zhang Zhi struggled to lift his head, wiping blood from his face as he stared defiantly at Liu Wu. "You are lawless! You have no right to judge !"
"That line won't work on ."
CLACK!
He reversed his blade and smacked Zhang Zhi across the face with the flat of it. Blood sprayed, mixed with teeth, and Zhang Zhi collapsed in a wretched heap.
The surrounding mbers of the Zhang Family witnessed this, their scalps tingling as they were scared witless. That was their Family Head, once a man who wielded imnse power, and now… he lay there like a dead dog.
A mont later, Zhang Zhi painfully struggled back to his feet. A chilling realization dawned on him: for the Jingnan Prince to co this far without any repercussions from the higher-ups could only an one thing. He looked at Liu Wu, lowered his head, and pleaded, "Seeing as we were once part of the sa system, please… give a way out."
"An old dog like you, a high-ranking official of the Bureau of Secrets, from the sa 'system,' calls us watchdogs. Are you even human?" Liu Wu sneered. "I heard you have tens of billions sitting in your accounts. I wonder where all that money ca from?"
Zhang Zhi had no answer.
"We may be uncultured brutes, but we know the difference between right and wrong! We protect this land where our ancestors have lived for generations, and we protect the common people who diligently weave the fabric of this prosperous and thriving nation. And you? You are nothing but parasitic tumors."
SQUELCH!
The war blade rose and fell.
The pupils of the surrounding Zhang Family mbers dilated in terror, and they collapsed to the ground, their spirits shattered.
"Leave no one alive," Liu Wu ordered as he wiped the blood from his blade and walked away.
Outside the Zhang Family residence, the Martial Guards were assembled.
Liu Wu lit a cigarette, his eyes taking in the young faces before him and the prosperous city around them. A faint smile touched his lips.
Perhaps I'll be punished for this. But what of it? So things must be done, even if they lead to certain death. Besides, I'm just helping Chen Yang shoulder a small part of the burden.
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