Chapter 55: Killing the City Lord
"Open the coffin!"
"Open the coffin!"
Qiao Lin's coffin was being pulled by a carriage from the City Lord's team.
As soon as the City Lord gave the command, two strong servants jumped onto the carriage and roughly kicked the coffin lid open.
"What... what are they doing?"
"The coffin lid has been kicked open? This can't possibly be the City Lord's son. We must respect the deceased. How can they disrespect the dead like this?"
"It's not a funeral procession. Why are they bringing out a coffin with a dead person?"
"Who exactly is in the coffin?"
The crowd gathered more and more.
The actions of the lord's servant were very unusual, which aroused the curiosity of the people.
The people on both sides of the long street were both astonished and curious, stretching their necks and leaning in to see who exactly was in the coffin.
The servant Ah Cheng was also among them, he was a servant sold to the lord's mansion.
Although he was a servant in the lord's mansion, given his position, he naturally didn't have the qualification to know about this matter, nor did anyone tell him what was inside the coffin.
He was only thirteen or fourteen years old, not very tall, and could only stand on his toes at the back of the crowd, but he was blocked by the people in front and couldn't see clearly at all.
"Ah!" The person at the very front of the crowd exclaimed.
"The deceased in the coffin looks quite tragic, almost no part of their body is intact."
"Was it a wound from a knife or a sword? There are still marks of a doctor sewing it up... Otherwise, it might have fallen apart?"
"Where? Let me have a look too."
"So what kind of person was he? Was he a person who committed a great crime? But he's already dead, why go through all this trouble?"
The crowd didn't immediately recognize the identity of the body, after all, there was some distance between them, but they all stood on tiptoe, straining their eyes to see.
City Lord Guo Yan seemed to know that these people were looking very hard, and a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he ordered:
"Hang the body up."
Soon, the servants brought out the prepared wooden frame and bound the Qiao Lin's body taken out of the coffin onto it, then raised the wooden frame high on the carriage.
As a result, there were waves of exclamations along both sides of the street.
"I saw it, I saw it."
"I saw it too."
"The person who died had a terrible ending. They looked strange and creepy."
"Could it be the leader of the mountain bandits who died in the battle against the enemy?"
The crowd watching the spectacle became even louder with their discussions. Finally, after the body was hung up, they could finally see it.
However, Ah Cheng at the back of the crowd instinctively took two steps back.
That body seems to be... Qiao Lin?
On that day in the kitchen of the lord's mansion, he had a vivid memory of the formidable man who dared to threaten Childe Guo!
After the incident, Ah Cheng also ran out of the kitchen and witnessed Qiao Lin's death in battle.
Qiao Lin？Qiao Lin！
After Ah Cheng saw the appearance of the body, he felt disgusted and took two steps back, despite the scorching sun, feeling a sudden chill.
At this moment, he no longer had the desire to push forward. When he looked towards the crowd in front of him, all he saw was a group of people craning their necks, like ducks being held by an invisible hand.
The crowd around him was bustling, but he felt very far away from the surging crowd.
"That person is Qiao Lin! The one who broke into the Lord's Manor." He clenched his fist and whispered in the crowd.
The noisy crowd suddenly quieted down for a moment, and then erupted in commotion.
"The brother of the brave Qiao Mu?"
"I heard that he broke into the Lord's Manor and killed Childe Guo."
"Is it him? Did the Lord find his body?"
"Both of them were brave men, but it's a pity..."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" shouted the armored soldier nearby.
"That Qiao Lin is a wicked criminal who unlawfully entered the City Lord's residence in broad daylight and killed someone. According to the laws of Great Yan, he should be sentenced to death. How can he be considered a hero?"
Most of the people actually didn't know the whole story of Qiao Mu's intrusion into the City Lord's residence that day.
Because the Yan City Army arrived quickly and surrounded the City Lord's residence inside and out, the people only knew that Qiao Lin had killed the City Lord's son, but they were not very clear about the specific details.
"But I heard people talking at the teahouse..."
The soldier interrupted loudly, "Are you talking about that storyteller with a sword from a few days ago? He is Qiao Lin's accomplice! How can you believe what he says?"
The argument on this side became increasingly noisy.
In the front of the crowd, City Lord Guo Yan seemed to sense something and glanced briefly at the people here.
Guo Yan, tall and imposing like a tower, had a prominent reputation in Yan City. With just a simple glance and without saying a word, he silenced the noisy argument on this side.
Even if they felt unhappy in their hearts, nobody would speak ill of Guo Yan in front of him.
At this moment, both sides of the long street were crowded with people, but the voices gradually quieted down, enveloped in a profound silence.
On the long street, only the crisp sound of the city lord's team slowly marching and the creaking of the wheels could be heard.
Guo Yan withdrew his gaze, his face remaining calm, but there was a hint of satisfaction in his heart.
Based on the people's reactions, he knew that his authority as the city lord remained intact.
Guo Yan had governed Yan City for many years, and he knew how to silence the people, how to make them say what they should say... Some clever individuals would even realize it without him saying anything.
He knew that as long as the Qiao brothers' incident passed and time went on, nobody would remember the Qiao surname anymore.
Ultimately, Yan City belonged to his Guo family.
And as soon as Guo Yan almost disappeared from sight, the murmurs in the crowd gradually resurfaced.
"The City Lord still has a commanding presence."
"It's understandable that City Lord Guo is angry, after all, his only son has died."
"City Lord's son was indeed spoiled, but setting aside that matter, City Lord Guo is not a bad person, just lacking in discipline when it comes to his beloved child."
In front of the crowd, a scholar spoke, his forehead covered in a bead of sweat.
Just now, City Lord Guo Yan glanced at the crowd from afar. Although he didn't feel they were targeting him, a strong desire to survive prompted him to speak.
"Speaking of which, those two brothers Qiao Mu and Qiao Lin are quite reckless." The others in the crowd began to feel the same will to survive.
The deceased are gone, but the living must continue on.
Qiao Lin killing Childe Guo was satisfying for them, but now that the matter is over, if they want to survive in Yan City, they still have to consider the Guo family's face.
"I admit their actions were indeed righteous, but weren't they a bit reckless? They only know how to kill, kill, kill. Can killing solve problems?"
"In the end, they all died, and they died very tragically."
"Both brothers acted without much thought. Qiao Lin killed Childe Guo, and it was indeed the right thing to do. But did it have to escalate to this extent? Wasn't there a better solution?"
"These so-called knights only care about their own satisfaction, their own sense of righteousness. They may have died, but we still have to go on living."
"As a result, Yan City was put under strict lockdown. Neither the trade caravans nor the common people were allowed to enter or leave. The supplies couldn't be brought in. Yan City already suffered from a famine last month, and now, with this happening, the prices of firewood, rice, oil, and salt have skyrocketed. Did Qiao Lin not consider the difficulties faced by ordinary people like us?"
"Fortunately, Qiao Lin's body has also been found. The lockdown in Yan City will soon be lifted, right? Life will soon return to normal."
In the back of the crowd, the young servant Ah Cheng widened his eyes and was left speechless.
Suddenly, he remembered Qiao Lin who had broken into the Lord's Residence, and he had spoken to the people of Yan City in front of the Lord:
"...The people are afraid to speak the truth and can only watch from the sidelines. It isn't their fault. If they have the ability, they should strive for justice and good deeds. If they don't have the ability, then they should focus on protecting themselves..."
Now, the ordinary people, who have no means to fight, have started speaking ill of the martyr Qiao Lin while stepping on his face.
The servant Ah Cheng felt a little tight in his chest.
He couldn't quite understand. The voices in the crowd were just cheering for the Qiao Mu and Qiao Lin brothers, how did the wind change so quickly?
Was he just not smart enough? Or were others too clever?
"Absurd," a person in the crowd with a straw hat said lightly.
"You dare not blame the City Lord Guo Yan for ordering the city to be closed and the strict security measures, but you blame Qiao Lin for recklessly killing Childe Guo?"
"A brave person gets angry and draws their sword against someone stronger; a coward gets angry and draws their sword against someone weaker."
"You dare not criticize the lord of the city, but since the Qiao brothers are already dead and can't defend themselves, you think it's okay to speak ill of them while trampling on their bodies?"
"It's not wrong to think of self-preservation when faced with a situation. However, right and wrong are not always straightforward. One must always have a balanced scale in their heart," said the person with the straw hat, their eyes as cold as electricity.
"People can be as insignificant as ants, but they shouldn't be as twisted as maggots!"
The words of the traveler stirred up a commotion among the crowd.
Many eyes in the crowd silently turned towards the scholar, making his face start to feel a bit hot.
The scholar frowned in disagreement:
"Using strong words to snatch reason, I never said it was wrong for Qiao Lin to kill City Lord’s son, just that... there could have been a better way to handle things, both brothers were just too reckless."
"For example? What other solutions are there?" the traveler asked in return.
The scholar in front of the crowd choked for a moment, then said, "For example, City Lord Guo is cunning, he just dotes on his only son. If someone could clearly inform him of what Childe Guo did back then, he would surely handle it fairly."
"Another example would be resorting to the laws of Great Yan. If the bureaucrats in Yan City cannot handle it fairly, then appeal to Heyang City, and even all the way to the capital!"
"Oh. That sounds like a possible solution..." the traveler exclaimed and went forward to ask:
"You are a local of Yan City, right?"
The scholar saw that the traveler's attitude seemed to soften, so he snorted coldly and said, "Don't try to get close to me. Of course, I am! I have lived in Yan City for about forty years... Are you a foreigner? Do you have the right to talk about Yan City? What do you know?"
The traveler asked again, "Then you've been living in Yan City for so many years. You must have tried those solutions you mentioned earlier, right?"
The scholar was speechless for a moment.
The crowd began to grow noisy, and many pairs of eyes glanced at the scholar and the traveler.
The traveler spoke earnestly.
"If the sky is dark, then survive in the darkness; if making sound is dangerous, then remain silent; if you feel incapable of shining, then curl up in a corner. But don't get used to the darkness and defend it; don't take pride in your compromise; don't mock those who are braver and more passionate than you. We can be humble like dust, but we must not be distorted like worms."
The scholar's face gradually turned red, veins began to pop on his neck, and he pointed his finger directly at the traveler's chest.
"You... You think you're so great and noble!"
"Your high and mighty words may sound beautiful, but who can't say them? You, a foreigner, what have you actually done?"
"Lord Guo is now ahead of that team, aren't you capable? If you can, why don't you go up?"
However, the traveler's reaction went beyond his imagination.
The traveler didn't argue fiercely like him, but nodded lightly.
"Okay."
"I can, so I'll go."
He squeezed through the crowd and walked towards the Lord's team, without hesitation or looking back.
Behind the crowd.
Ah Cheng, the servant, watched the traveler's figure and suddenly trembled slightly.
The crowd's figures were like ducks being lifted by the neck, but that traveler walked away from the flock, like a rock striding towards the waves.
..........................
At this time, the Lord's team had reached the entrance of Yan City.
Guo Yan was riding a horse at the front of the team, looking serious.
As the lord of the city, he was clever and capable, acting cautiously and always considering things carefully. But now, he was starting to plan something in his mind.
"There's no need to worry about the Qiao family, they might not even exist... It's all because I was fooled by that Qiao Lin."
"I shouldn't have involved the Wuji Association, especially since the Star Xuan Envoy actually discovered something. I should be grateful to him, thanks to him, the Star Xuan Envoy was alarmed."
"As for the Immortal Gate... cooperating with them is like dealing with a tiger for its skin."
"It's easy to invite them, but difficult to send them away. If the people from Xuantian Sect come, the Lord of Yan City might have to be replaced... It's all because of Qiao Lin's lies!"
Guo Yan furrowed his brow deeply.
As the lord of the city, it was very difficult for him to navigate between the big powers... He needed to think and consider carefully about this matter.
While he was thinking, they reached the city gate.
"Hang Qiao Lin's body..." Guo Yan was saying, but there was a commotion from the crowd behind him.
Among the crowd, a masked guest picked up a long spear.
"Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method！"
He tightened his grip on the long spear in his right arm. His already muscular arm swelled up and even the pores on his skin started bleeding, and the aura on the long spear skyrocketed!
A few days ago, it was "Qiao Lin" who didn't throw the long spear, but now it was "Qiao Sen" who would throw it!
Guo Yan hadn't had a chance to turn around when suddenly there was a loud sound of breaking wind behind his ear.
Whoosh!
The long spear flew out quickly, like a streak of red light piercing through the air!
The red rainbow seemed to have swallowed up the long spear, and the people could only catch a fleeting glimpse of a flash of blood.
In the midst of a loud explosion and the sound of horses in distress, Guo Yan, who was at the very front of the group, tumbled off his horse!
"Guo Yan, old thief, dared to bully the Qiao family when no one was around?"
In the midst of a thunderous roar, the hat-wearing stranger threw off his hat and stepped forward. He swiftly twisted and assembled two pieces of a long stick, and a new long stick appeared in his hand.
