Chapter 164: The Saber Is In My Hands. Today, I Shall Exterminate all Evil!

Yun Yang did not say it because he intended to have the emperor investigate it himself.

The shock would be more impactful than if he had said it.

Besides, there was another, more primary, reason - Supreme Lord Spring Frost had been severely injured by Ling Xiaozui and suffered from a largely reduced ability but the eight experts under him were frighteningly skilled. If they had gone berserk from coercion, the damage they could wreak could easily reduce half of Tiantang City to rubble!

This was the sort of damage the Empire of Yutang could not afford right now.

Even if they had really done so, there was a big possibility He Hanqing could still leave safely.

"This issue..."

His Majesty's frown was locked onto his face. "If the imperial court had stepped forth, there might be another commotion. The unnecessary fuss will be used by others to make more rumors and spread even more stories."

Qiu Jianhan was brimming with a murderous intent. "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Leave this to the military."

Yun Yang was excited. "This nephew will follow to do what I can, the more the merrier."

"Get out!"

Qiu Jianhan glared. "This is none of your business!"

Yun Yang shrugged. He still could not understand how this old thing could be so skilled and how he could discard someone so easily after using them. He was really the leader of Empire of Yutang's three biggest thugs. How many times had he done this before?

...

The old marshal had said it was none of Yun Yang's business, but how would Yun Yang be so obedient? He had gone to hide in the midst of the military early the next morning.

He planned to watch the old marshal closely to see how he was going to give his orders to solve this vile matter.

He did not expect Tie Zheng to be there too.

"What are you doing here?"

The old marshal frowned as he looked at Tie Zheng. "Your wedding is the day after tomorrow. Are you showing your quality as a militant, coming to report at the military now or are you here to make a fuss?"

Tie Zheng was fuming. "The warriors' spine is about to be picked away. How can I be interested to go on with my wedding if this is not resolved! Old Marshal, let me handle this!"

Qiu Jianhan thought about it and said solemnly, "This matter calls for lives to be taken. You're going to be a bridegroom. It is inauspicious to kill people before your own wedding!"

"Old Marshal, your words are without merit."

Tie Zheng continued aloud, "Not only is this a matter of Yutang, the Shangguan Family of Generals is the pillar of militants across the continent. Killing is something that warriors do, how inauspicious can it be? As a soldier, seeing blood before my wedding is a precursor to good fortune. If it were up to me, I would say that this is a great thing, bestowed upon me by the heavens, a greatly auspicious gift! If I were to do this, I would drink with more vigor too!"

"Seeing that my wedding is the day after tomorrow, I ask that no one argues with me about this today."

Tie Zheng cupped his fist with his palm and blustered, "Whoever fights with me about this will have no wine to drink. I will keep my word!"

The soldiers were all stunned.

We've never seen such shameless people. Did we say we were going to fight with you?

Do you have to be so villainous to withhold our wine? This is wicked! Is this how a bridegroom behaves?

The old marshal was speechless and could only leave the explanations to Tie Zheng. "When taking such an action, one has to consider all aspects. Please don't' go overboard. Do not be too soft either! Ponder your judgment well."

Tie Zheng chuckled. "This lowly general knows so!"

He then left with large strides.

Yun Yang returned to the base camp as a soft breeze, knocking Tie Zheng's assistant general out with a punch that materialized in the air and hid him under the bed. Immediately, he changed and disguised himself as the assistant general, walking out after patting himself down.

He then saw Tie Zheng arriving on his horse, a whip in his hand. "Call up a thousand men, and follow me!"

...

In the city, thousands of scholars were making their appeals in front of the Museum School of Culture. One scholar stood on the stage with arms outspread, his expression intense as his loud speech was filled with words of instigation. A number of people under the stage were shouting slogans as well.

Enthusiasm filled the air.

This place was the cradle of the civil officials of the empire, the sacred ground of knowledge.

Numerous scholars who knew better sighed shaking their heads; some of them went out of their way to stop them but they had no luck stopping the boiling emotions.

"Yutang owes Sir Zhuo justice!"

"Could it be that our majestic Yutang actually can't give a loyal official an explanation?"

"Could it be that we are to be kept in the dark all the time? To have our children and future generations be kept in the dark as well?"

"We have the right to let everyone in the country know the truth!"

"We have the responsibility to award justice to Sir Zhuo!"

"A loyal official should not be tainted with wrongful accusations."

"A hero should not be shamed!"

...

Too many glorified and impressive words were spewed with so much vigor and passion from these scholars' mouths that they were deafening to hear.

These people were physically weak but were terribly skilled in the matters of instigation.

Through their mouths, the Shangguan Family of Generals were vermin; even if they had been left with orphans and widows, their death toll was still far too low!

As for the treacherous Zhuo Wenlong, he had become an unprecedented saint, dignified and unattainable. The reversal of guilt seemed to reach an almost unimaginable state.

It was at this moment that the clip-clop of horses' hooves thundered on the ground.

The crowd immediately dissolved into chaos.

Waves of cavalrymen in neat formations surrounded the place immediately.

Many citizens fled the scene like mice after witnessing the approaching storm. The soldiers did not bother to stop them. It was the 'passionate' scholars that the soldiers took careful notice of.

The hundreds of intellectuals on the platform were surrounded. The faces of a dozen of people on the stage and several hundred more under it were still filled with indignation but their eyes began to show faint signs of fear and distress.

Tie Zheng sat atop his horse, his gaze towards the scholar on the stage cold and unyielding.

The latter returned his gaze without fear, staring back with infuriated indignation.

"Who are you? Why do you try to change history and drive the common folk into a frenzy?" Tie Zheng's tone was icy, without any attempt to hold back the rage he was feeling.

"This younger one is honest and forthright in his actions. My name is Sun Wenhua. May I ask what does Marshal Tie want to do by dispatching so many soldiers, surrounding so many scholars, and approaching us in such an aggressive manner?" Sun Wenhua asked instead.

"You have instigated violence among the people, accused the loyal and kind-hearted of treachery and mix up what is right and what is wrong; What crime should I be penalizing you for, I wonder?" Tie Zheng's gaze was murderous as his words dripped with venom.

"This young one has never done what Marshal Tie has said." Sun Wenhua spoke with his chin raised high, "As a scholar, this young one is only doing what he thinks is right."

He faced the crowd and continued to speak righteously, "This young one is only a weak scholar who can do nothing. My mannerisms and actions are the way of an intellectual. The way of an intellectual is none other than spoken speech and written words, talking based on literature; the way of an intellectual is to spread knowledge to the world, assist the emperor and educate the citizens. This is what a scholar like me should be doing!"

The scholars around him cheered in agreement.

The people who knew better snorted inwardly, "He has accused the loyal and mixed up right and wrong but he can still paint such a nice picture of righteousness and justice... These scholars are really shameless."

Tie Zheng tightened his fist. Just as he was about to reply, he heard his assistant general beside him start to speak; his voice booming and sonorous.

"Absolutely correct! You intellectuals do things your intellectual way. This is logical and undeniable. Yet we martial people do things our martial way as well! Since you think that your movement to pick apart the spine of Yutang and destroy the faith of Yutang is correct, we think that killing all of you is correct as well! Brothers, charge! Leave no one alive!"

Right after his brief speech, Tie Zheng's assistant general charged, whipping his horse forward without any further warning.

Before Tie Zheng could even say anything, he saw the assistant general raising his saber as the heads of the dozen of scholars on the stage flew into the air!

Not a single one had been missed, including that of Sun Wenhua.

The air was tense with the violence and rage that roiled within Yun Yang. Reason? Who f*cking talks about reason? You all have done such vile and wicked things and you still wish to talk about reason?

F*ck reason!

Where the blade passed, blood spewed. The assistant general, who was really Yun Yang in disguise, had no intention of stopping; he charged into the crowd, his saber turning into a life-consuming weapon of the devil as blood flowed in rivers wherever his saber slashed.

"This saber in your father's hands shall send all of you down to wait for justice together with your Sir Zhuo!"

Under his lead, the accompanying cavalrymen who had been lingering impatiently had charged right into the bloodied scene, skewering anything that moved with their blades, as they followed their assistant general's example.

"Kill them all!"

"Kill these bastards who overturned right and wrong, who tipped the black and white over!"

"Kill these treacherous traitors!"

"Kill these self-righteous fools!"

"You dare to humiliate the family of generals? Serves you right if you die tonight!"

Boom! Pow! Slam!

It was just the first pass of the charge, but all the scholars had died without leaving behind a single survivor!

"I know who has stirred this up. Brothers, follow me! As long as the culprit is not exterminated, the rumors will not end and the accusations against the family of generals will not stop!" Yun Yang, as the assistant general, hollered again and led the bloodthirsty cavalrymen away.

Tie Zheng finally shook himself out of his stupor.

F*ck, who's the main marshal here?

I was about to give a command yet this bastard has taken the lead.

I haven't even vented my anger; my burning rage hasn't exploded yet!

Besides, the old marshal specifically told me not to go overboard before we came. Now... everyone's been killed. What else is there for me to say?

"F*cking hell! Wang Ziqi!" Tie Zheng hollered for his second in command. "Where the f*ck are you going? Stop this right now!"

He gave chase immediately with his horse but he was too slow.

Although Yun Yang had plenty of words of advice in his previous conversation with Shangguan Lingxiu, he had felt a murderous rage the moment he put himself in her shoes. Now that the chance was here, how could he let these culprits go? If he did not lead the squad and strike down the source of all these troubles, he would be wasting this God-given opportunity!

Yun Yang, who was disguised as Assistant General Wang Ziqi, led the squad and charged into several homes of famed scholars who had been earlier identified. He slashed the doors open and killed everyone in the residences from the main entrance; he then crashed forcefully through the back wall and charged towards another residence.

"The saber is in my hands. Today, I shall exterminate all evil!"

Yun Yang had an accurate list in his hands, it's precision would not allow him to kill one wrong soul or miss out even a single person. When he was about done, he charged back, turning his horse in the opposite direction...

...only to come face to face with Tie Zheng.

The man was apoplectic with rage. "Wang Ziqi! What f*cking guts you must have! Don't you f*cking run away! Don't go! Stand right there!"

How could Yun Yang not flee? He whipped his horse and increased his speed as he galloped away.