ASER – Chapter 28

Nurse: “What’s wrong?”

Doctor: “Look at the video. Heh, I was wondering why our Lingcheng Cishi has been up to so much mischief lately. Turns out he had a powerful backer. But I’m afraid that backer might not be able to protect himself now.”

Nurse: “That’s the Cui Clan, isn’t it? Really? Let me see… Oh my god, is this the Third Young Master of the Cui family? How despicable! Officer Feng is so pitiful. So, he’s in this state because the Cui family harmed him, right? For the Small Spirit Gate!”

Doctor: “What else could it be for? Who knows if all their family’s Small Spirit Gates were acquired this way.”

As a highly qualified doctor, he understood very well that if such news spread abroad, it would be an absolute earthquake for the officialdom of the Tang Song Empire. And the Cui Clan, who lorded over Jinling, would find themselves in a very, very bad situation.

A’Diao, who was nearby, raised an eyebrow but lowered her head and silently finished her seafood congee.

Why could she think of such a method to break the deadlock, while Feng Ting couldn’t? Because the latter was formerly a constable, with a certain degree of loyalty to the monarch and patriotism ingrained in him. But in the end, he still agreed to A’Diao’s plan, for no more than three reasons.

1. There was no war on the border, so this matter wouldn’t harm the nation’s prestige. It would also force those “salted fish”-like court dignitaries to implement reforms.

2. The ones committing evil were the powerful and noble, and it was the common people who were being suppressed.

3. With burning charcoal on their own feet, their lives in imminent danger, and the safety of their wives and daughters uncertain, what was the point of talking about empty patriotic sentiments? Besides, the powerful and noble did not represent the country.

Anyway, A’Diao didn’t think that much. She prioritized her own life and interests above all. As for the rest, as long as it didn’t cause fundamental harm, it was all trivial.

After the doctor and nurse finished discussing the online matter, they turned back to see A’Diao had finished the entire bowl of seafood congee.

The doctor was stunned for a moment and said, “Didn’t you say you had no appetite?”

A’Diao: “I just didn’t want to drink congee, I didn’t say I didn’t want to eat seafood. Since the seafood and congee couldn’t be separated, I reluctantly ate them together. How about next time you separate the seafood and the congee? I’ll just eat the seafood, otherwise, it’s a waste of rice.”

After a pause, she added with a touch of modesty, “Saving food is a virtue.”

Should we get you a slotted spoon to strain it?

Filter out the rice soup, leave the seafood.

The doctor and nurse silently sent her a few hundred units of Mental Energy. As they left, they were saying that next shift change, they wouldn’t come to attend to this girl anymore.

So infuriating, truly venomous.

And shameless.

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Even busy doctors and nurses had come across such news, showing that the matter had truly blown up.

That day, the news spread from foreign networks. Citizens from two neighboring countries, which were on very bad terms with Tang Song, eagerly “climbed the wall” to enter, offering all sorts of probing remarks, mockery, ridicule, and sarcasm. This not only allowed domestic citizens to see the video but also, due to the mockery from the citizens of the two countries, added fuel to the fire of their burning anger.

The people of Jinling, on the other hand, were among the last to find out—because their internet access had been considerably controlled by Zhao Yu using media power, leading them to be slow on the uptake… only to discover that not only had they been dissed by foreigners, but they were also being cursed at by people from other regions of the Tang Song Empire.

Everything was “Jinling’s XXX.” Since Jinling was implicated, you people of Jinling naturally wouldn’t have a good reputation. Because the Cui Clan is one of your three great clans in Jinling, and the Cui Clan is clearly in cahoots with Zhao Yu, and Zhao Yu is your Cishi… Aiyo, you still keep such a Cishi? Are you Jinling people so stupid, so weak, so useless!

Look at how we Qilu people back in the day used big sticks to overthrow those corrupt officials!

For a time, terms like “apathetic,” “dangling-legged weak chicken,” and “quail led by a string” were all thrown at Jinling. However, for Feng Ting and his subordinates, there was overwhelming praise and sympathy.

They are, after all, a thousand-year-old ancient capital!

The people of Jinling also had a temper. So, while engaging in heated debates with citizens from across the country, they also frantically attacked the Cishi’s Office, even holding street protests. That very night, an online petition with tens of millions of signatures reached the imperial court.

If the internet doesn’t work, we’ll go petition in person!

In a certain winery in Lingcheng, the Cui family had already taken over the Small Spirit Gate and were preparing to convert it into a cultivation site for the clan’s disciples. Several elite disciples of the family had already arrived, unwilling to miss any opportunity to absorb Spiritual Energy. Cui Run was naturally the one who had made the greatest contribution and was enjoying the flattery of these “brothers.” Cui Run felt immensely satisfied internally. But when he came across this news early in the morning, he instantly felt terrible.

Just then, Cui Yong’s call came through.

Cui Run was furious: “Father, it must have been Feng Ting or Chen Ran! I’ll kill them!”

Cui Yong: “Don’t worry about them for now. Leave Lingcheng immediately, turn off all communication systems, quickly!”

His tone was truly stern. Cui Run was shocked, yet still unwilling. Was he being told to hide? But he wouldn’t be able to absorb the Spiritual Energy from the Small Spirit Gate in Lingcheng, and it seemed he wasn’t allowed to return to the Jinling ancestral home either. This would cut off his opportunity to absorb Spiritual Energy, and the college entrance exam was coming up soon.

Because news of the Spiritual Energy resurgence had spread some time ago, the imperial court had postponed the college entrance exam, but only for a month. The reason he had been so frantically searching for a Small Spirit Gate was to strengthen himself in this final period.

If he were to hide now…

“Father, I can’t…”

“I’ve already arranged for people to meet you. Leave immediately!”

In the end, Cui Run didn’t dare to disobey Cui Yong, but he still felt some resentment in his heart. It was just a video. They could just say it was made by hackers, that it wasn’t true, and that Chen Ran and the others were slandering him. Then, they could have them killed in prison, leaving no one to testify. Wouldn’t that solve it?

Those stupid commoners were truly laughable. Didn’t they know that the powerful and noble who controlled the rules governing their lives and deaths were exactly like their Cui family?

Fuming, Cui Run packed up a few things and left the winery. Just as he jumped onto his Flowing Light Flying Fish and took off… Suddenly, a streak of light descended before him.

Huh, had the people sent to meet him arrived?

When Cui Run saw the other person’s face clearly, his expression changed drastically. He turned to flee, but the opponent, standing on a flight device, raised a hand and flicked. A spirit light chain extended over a hundred meters, directly entangling his waist from behind. With a pull and a swing…

Boom! Cui Run was whipped against the factory wall like a dead dog. After cracking some stones, he was dragged back by the chain.

Still like a dead dog.

Then, a military boot stepped on his head.

Just as he had humiliated and trampled Feng Ting back then, at this moment, he too was a straw dog.

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Jinling First Higher Academy, also the best high school in Danzhou, was currently filled with students from all over Danzhou awaiting the start of the school year and admissions. Some students had already moved into the dormitories early, or hadn’t returned home during the summer break. They had been busy reviewing, but were suddenly swept up by this news online, leading to heated discussions.

“Do you think the imperial court really doesn’t know about those things in Jinling City?”

“They know. And it’s not just this incident in Jinling. It’s because there are too many similar incidents, which makes the Jinling affair seem like a small matter. Not many people care, at least not in the eyes of those court dignitaries who are above Jinling’s administrative level. To them, this isn’t a big deal.”

“That’s true. If a group of people don’t care about this matter, or want to bury it, it means they’ve likely done similar things themselves. Because it concerns their own interests, they’re unwilling to publicize it. These are the unwritten rules of officialdom. Everyone wants to plunder resources as much as possible in the early stages of the Spiritual Energy resurgence to strengthen their own advantages. But now, people from other countries know about it.”

“Indeed, other countries must have such things happening internally too. But the problem is that the video is irrefutable evidence, and it fell into the hands of people from other nations. Cui Run’s identity is also confirmed and widely known, leaving no room for denial. That’s why there’s such an uproar. It’s like everyone’s family brews stinky tofu, but your family’s jar lid was opened, while others’ weren’t. Your stench wafted into their homes, so you can’t blame them for rubbing your nose in it and mocking you. After all, you’re not from the same country.”

“What do you think the higher-ups will do?”

Being the source of Danzhou’s most outstanding students, their caliber was naturally excellent. In the pavilion, two students, not yet 20, who had been reading and doing problems together, were already discussing with reason and evidence. One of them, a youth in a silk headscarf, with calm eyes, paused for a long moment, then curled his lip into a slight smile: “Kill the chicken to scare the monkey.”

Which chicken?

“Is it Chen Ran and Feng Ting, or…” The speaking youth’s expression suddenly changed. He stood up and bowed to two people passing by.

Although they had to be re-admitted, as second-year high school students, they still maintained their politeness when seeing former third-year seniors, but it was a bit awkward at this moment.

Because they had encountered Chen Ran’s son.

The young man beside Chen Xun looked somewhat annoyed and was about to reprimand the two, but Chen Xun stopped him. The latter’s gaze was gentle. He glanced at the books in their hands and said, “You are only in your second year. The tests on admission day may not be the same as ours for third-year students. I suggest you focus your minds and don’t get distracted by other subjects prematurely. As for the news outside, it’s all hearsay. While not necessarily false, its impact varies from person to person.”

His words were a form of guidance. The embarrassed youth subconsciously looked at the book in his hand. However, the youth who had just smilingly mentioned “killing the chicken to scare the monkey” raised an eyebrow, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, “Junior Xu Luo, thank you for your guidance, Senior Chen Xun.”

After the two left, Jiang Chao, who was tall and well-built, stood beside Chen Xun. Arms crossed, he looked disdainfully at the retreating figures and chuckled, “You’re quite kind, even guiding them. Although they’re second-years, I’ve heard that for our college entrance exam, the higher-ups might relax the quotas for admitting students from lower grades. This means if some of these first or second-year students have strong enough cultivation aptitude, even if their grade level is lower, as long as they roughly pass the cultural subjects, they’ll be admitted. This effectively compresses our admission quota space.”

Such confidential news naturally came from his father. His father held a high and powerful position in Jinling’s official circles. Though he modestly claimed to be attached to the Song Clan, one of Jinling’s three great clans, in reality, both sides benefited each other. His father was like a fighter jet among those rising from grassroots, and the Song Clan, considered a local prominent family, held his father in extremely high regard. Consequently, he, as the son, also held a significant position within the Song Clan.

A healthy marriage alliance is about mutual achievement, not unilateral poverty alleviation.

But with such a father, even if Jiang Chao was skilled in martial arts and not as shrewd as his father, he still knew how to calculate benefits.

So he felt that Chen Xun suddenly reminding these two juniors, could it be…

“The ‘chicken’ Xu Luo mentioned, could it be the Cui Clan? I couldn’t tell. This junior is quite perceptive. I hope they can also get good results in the exam.”

Chen Xun glanced at the cheerful Jiang Chao and chuckled softly, “Not necessarily.”

Which “not necessarily”?

Was it that Xu Luo didn’t necessarily mean the Cui Clan was the chicken, or…

Chen Xun didn’t say more, merely plucking a green leaf from a nearby ornamental tree and crushing it softly between his fingertips.

Xu Luo and the like were not very important. What he cared about was that video—who was behind it?

It was truly a stroke of genius.

Once this video was out, the situation would surely settle quickly.

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“Xu Luo, I didn’t expect Senior Chen Xun to say that. He’s the top student in our school, a true ‘study god.’ Let’s go back and change our books.”

The youth said this, but saw Xu Luo curl his lip, his face full of disdain, as he said lightly, “The imperial court values cultivation and will definitely train many combat personnel in the future. Admissions will surely treat all three high school grades equally. His so-called reminder was probably because he’s afraid we’ll be on the same starting line as them.”

“Moreover, although that video currently seems unfavorable to the Cui Clan, and public resentment is boiling, even if the Cui Clan suffers a loss and the imperial family issues orders to suppress them, the court dignitaries and various prominent clans are powerful. How could they allow such a decree to be implemented? After all, in a sense, they are just another Cui Clan. If the Cui Clan is punished and this precedent is set, how will they plunder resources in the future?”

“So… if it was said before that Chen Ran and Feng Ting were likely to be dismissed from office, now it’s nine out of ten they’ll be executed.”

“This is the real ‘killing the chicken to scare the monkey.'”

Xu Luo said these words with calm composure. After his companion was frightened, he added lightly, “So, you change yours. I won’t.”

Chen Xun’s own family was already facing a monumental disaster, yet he delusionally thought he could guide him. Truly ridiculous.

And Chen Xun, having offended the powerful and noble, would surely be suppressed in the future. At that time, he himself would be number one in Jinling Academy.

Xu Luo slowly smiled.

His companion thought about it and felt it made sense. Just as the two of them walked out of the garden, the smile not yet faded from Xu Luo’s face, he looked up and saw a real-time news update about a government decree pop up on the light screen in the central plaza.

—Lingyang Bo Cui Yong, for violating the decree of non-interference between civil and military affairs, colluding with Lingcheng Cishi Zhao Yu to bring disaster to the region, causing harm to the people of Lingcheng and the deaths of 13 children, resulting in significant public grievances, is hereby stripped of his official post as Commander and demoted in rank! His son, Cui Run, as a commoner, interfered with the rescue operations of the Lingcheng Militia and the Provincial Sima, nearly causing disaster, and insulted and injured a superior officer. His conduct was abominable. His student status is hereby revoked, and he will never be admitted to any academy in the nation. He has already been arrested and imprisoned, his spirit bones shattered, and his cultivation foundation severed. He is sentenced to twenty years of imprisonment for the crime of insubordination and rebellion, with no possibility of pardon.

—Lingcheng Cishi Zhao Yu, sentenced to death! His accomplices…

—This serves as a warning to all concerned: the resurgence of Spiritual Energy is an opportunity, but also a source of disaster. If one does not reflect on virtue, fails to exercise restraint, and does not set an example from above, there will surely be severe punishment in the future.

Following that, a string of core officials from the Cishi’s Office under Zhao Yu were listed, either sentenced to death as well or demoted.

Xu Luo stood there stunned, his expression frozen for a good while. Meanwhile, the youth beside him silently took out his phone and ordered other books.

Indeed, the ‘study god’ was reliable. His deskmate still lacked the right timing.

And on that day, the Cui family’s old residence in Jinling also experienced unusual changes compared to the past.

The young servant who went out to buy groceries found that people in the vegetable market were unwilling to sell them vegetables. When they did sell, the vegetables contained many rotten leaves.

The most dreadful thing was that during the bustling noon hour, when traffic was heavy, someone’s vehicle roof apparently came off, and a large vat of expired, rotten stinky tofu overturned and spilled all over the main entrance of the Cui family’s residence.

Whoa! From then on, the fragrance spread for ten li, and it even trended online.

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