The man with the powdered face, entrusted with such a critical and urgent mission, dared to abduct and seize a young woman on the open street, solely on the flimsy pretext of a single word: “cousin.” And his target was none other than a female from the family of a city official!

Either the ruling class of Youguo had become utterly corrupt, rotten to the core, or this individual possessed an exceptionally deep background. Perhaps, it was both. Regardless of the possibility, each one represented immense trouble that an outsider should never dare to touch.

Xu Xianggan was clearly not a native of Youguo; he had been beaten on a rooftop in a tavern earlier, indicating he had no connections whatsoever in this locality. Yet, he still stepped forward.

Jiang Wang had initially not intended to stir up trouble, and had been constantly seeking a better solution. But seeing Xu Xianggan step out only to be met with cold indifference, he could no longer remain silent. He could not stand by and watch that person become isolated and helpless, nor could he watch with wide eyes as he was framed.

For the one who carries the firewood for all, how can he be allowed to freeze to death in the wind and snow?!

The man with the powdered face tilted his head, looking at Jiang Wang. “And who might you be?”

“Where the road is uneven, someone must tread; where injustice exists, someone must speak!” Jiang Wang declared solemnly, “I am merely a passerby who cannot bear to witness you bully the weak and dominate the female!”

“I advise you to be mindful of your words. Not every piece of evidence can be fabricated at whim.”

“What? You intend to apprehend me too?” Jiang Wang deliberately amplified his Inner Qi, his voice ringing out. “You apprehend one person who speaks out, apprehending Xu Xianggan and now wanting to apprehend me. This vast, long street, with the eyes of the multitude watching, can you apprehend everyone?”

He intentionally made the situation larger. He simply did not believe that this powdered-faced young master, even if his family background was deep, could truly disregard the nation’s reputation. With so many people watching, and Youguo’s capital city positioned outside the city gates, surely his family had political rivals?

As for what would happen afterward, he would simply lift his leg and leave. No matter how great your power, young master of Youguo, can your dog paws truly extend all the way to Qi country?

This tactic of inciting the masses, Jiang Wang had learned from Huang A Zhan. If it were before, he might not have acted in this manner. It wasn’t that the thought wouldn’t cross his mind, but he wouldn’t have considered this approach.

“Exactly!” Xu Xianggan, seeing someone come to his aid, immediately jumped up and exclaimed, “Can you apprehend everyone?!”

The surrounding passersby all raised their voices.

“Is this how the officials of the upper city conduct themselves?”

“Are the commoners of the lower city simply insignificant?”

“Miss Su is a good person, let her go!”

“If you have the ability, take me too!”

“Stop trying to confuse people with your devilish words!” Seeing public sentiment surging, the powdered-faced man dared not delay, and immediately refuted Jiang Wang. “I am acting under direct orders, apprehending Yin Guan, the city lord of the twenty-seventh city, who conspired to overthrow the nation! Since this girl is his cousin, I am taking her back for interrogation. What is improper about that? This half-bald scholar speaks nothing but lies, why is he not being investigated? You believe you are upholding justice? You are obstructing official business! Obstructing the peace and tranquility of the twenty-seventh city!”

“Nonsense!” Xu Xianggan was furious, but his focus completely deviated. “You dead effeminate, this old man’s heavenly court is full, not half-bald!”

The powdered-faced man suddenly ground his teeth with hatred as well. He was meticulously made up and dressed, but where was he effeminate? However, with the emotions of the surrounding onlookers on the verge of erupting, he could only temporarily suppress his temper. He forced himself to speak to the surrounding commoners, “Please, everyone, calm down! I…”

However, in Jiang Wang’s view, such verbal attacks were fundamentally pointless. You retort with “bald,” I retort with “effeminate,” what good does it do for the situation?

His footwork shifted, and he suddenly stepped forward. “First, remove your dirty hand!”

And his finger, like a sword, swept out. The sword finger had not yet arrived, but that piercing sharpness had already caused his skin to ache.

The powdered-faced man immediately released his grip and retreated, and in the first instant, he drew the folding fan from his waist, about to open it!

A finger was aimed directly at him, and a flower of flame bloomed at the fingertip. This flower was exquisitely beautiful, but no one should underestimate its danger.

Jiang Wang’s other hand pulled Su Muqing behind him and casually asked, “Why aren’t you at home?”

Although she was not familiar with Jiang Wang, this was the second time they had met today, and he was helping her. Su Muqing said in a panic, “I was locked in my room, but I don’t know what happened. The two maids guarding my door suddenly… My family members all… I was too scared, so I just ran out… I didn’t think too much, I just heard them mention my cousin…”

She clearly knew that mentioning her cousin was inappropriate, and suddenly stopped speaking.

On the other side, the powdered-faced man, directly facing the flame flower, pressed his folding fan, stopping his accumulated attack. His face became solemn. “Flame flower? What kind of person are you?”

He was not some completely ignorant dandy. While he was arrogant in Youguo territory, he also had a certain understanding of the situations in various countries. What Jiang Wang did not know was that when Dong A taught him the flame flower technique, the so-called “latest research of the national academy” was merely a cover. Otherwise, Dong A himself would not have made those notes. He was also one of the cultivators attempting to complete the “flame flower burns the city.”

Initially, when Qin country borrowed territory to ambush and kill Zuo Guanglie, the flame flower technique was one of the conditions they offered. However, this word was better said than heard, so when each academy in Zhuang country taught the flame flower to outstanding disciples, they all claimed it was a research result of the national academy.

Qin and Chu had been at war for years and understood each other best. The place most familiar with the flame flower, besides Chu country, was Qin country. And whether it was Qin or Chu, for Youguo, they were both colossal entities.

“Who I am is not important.” Jiang Wang first ignored Su Muqing and said to the powdered-faced man, “What’s important is what you are doing! Even if Yin Guan is her cousin, how can it involve her? You and I both know clearly that she is just an ordinary female, with not a shred of cultivation!”

“It’s not that she has no cultivation, it’s just that she can’t betray the country. My friend, perhaps you think the world is too simple!”

“Precisely because human hearts are complex, we cannot allow you to take someone away without evidence.”

“Must you meddle in idle matters?” The powdered-faced man lost patience and said coldly, “You manage it once, but can you manage it for a lifetime?”

“What do you mean by that?” Jiang Wang’s voice became even more resounding, looking directly at his opponent with righteous indignation. “You intend to settle scores with a weak female afterward? To retaliate? Do you think all the fathers and elders in this twenty-seventh city are cold-blooded, heartless spectators who will allow you to do evil?”

The surrounding commoners were all enraged.

“Little pretty boy, you explain yourself to this old man! What do you mean?”

“Go back to your upper city!”

“You are not welcome here!”

The powdered-faced man repeatedly explained, “That’s not what I mean! Everyone, don’t believe him, he is not from our country, his heart must be different. Perhaps he is Yin Guan’s accomplice.”

“I’ll go!”

An egg flew out from the crowd, which he hurriedly dodged, his voice even hoarser. “Who threw that at me?”

“It was your dad!”

A rotten cabbage.

“Your grandpa!”

Another egg.

“Your aunt!”

Public sentiment surged for a time, noisy and boiling. Solemnly, he had successfully enraged the crowd. He could no longer openly attack so many of his own countrymen, and could only cover his face with his folding fan and flee in anger.

Just at this moment, from the upper city, a figure suddenly stepped into the air. From far to near, with a sweep of his large sleeve, a single slap sent the entire powdered-faced man flying back to his original spot, where he suddenly knelt in the middle of the crowd.

“Brute! Where are you running? Still not kowtowing and apologizing to these city fathers and elders?”

A white-haired, childlike-faced old man with an air of immortal dignity walked forward and stood before the crowd. Except for Jiang Wang and Xu Xianggan, and the Burden Stele Army warriors who were still carrying out their task, everyone present, including the excited commoners of the lower city, all knelt on the ground.

They respectfully said, “National Teacher!”

ps: The promised update for Alliance Leader Wu Lie123 is now complete!!! Hanging beams, stabbing the leg with an awl, carrying fireflies to study by, rising and dancing at the sound of the rooster! Next week, I will return the promised update for Alliance Leader Hua Hua!

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