Chapter 138: Fang Xun Driven to the Brink

On the twenty-third day of the third month, news of Cheng Rang's suicide by poison finally reached Li Shun.

His family was not implicated. With Cheng Rang's death, the turmoil appeared, at least on the surface, to have come to an end.

"So he really died? And by taking poison?" Li Qing was stunned upon hearing the news, disbelief written all over his face.

The outcome, however, had long been within Li Shun's expectations. He replied calmly, "Now that he has been branded a major criminal by the imperial court, the people backing him may very well possess the influence to clear his name. But doing so would require an enormous amount of effort and would only create unnecessary complications."

"To people like them, a single life is insignificant. It's far cleaner and more convenient to silence him permanently."

Li Qing's face darkened with indignation.

"Then in that case, Cheng Rang is somewhat pitiful himself. He willingly served as someone else's pawn, yet in the end not only did he gain nothing, he even threw away his own life. The ones truly deserving of hatred are those black hands lurking behind the scenes!"

Li Shun, however, showed little sympathy.

"Once you've chosen to make your move, you should already be prepared to bear the consequences."

"Just wait and see. This matter is far from over. They've suffered such a heavy loss that there's no way they'll simply let it go. This grudge between us has already been forged."

Although Li Shun spoke those words, his expression remained remarkably composed, clearly showing that he did not truly regard the matter as a serious threat.

Li Qing merely let out a cold laugh.

"Let them come. We'll deal with whatever they throw at us. Who's afraid of them?"

Following the incident at Three Elders Peak, Li Shun could clearly sense that the attitudes of everyone throughout Shangyu County had undergone a complete transformation.

Previously, the respect they showed him stemmed from fear of his background and the warning issued by Supervisory Censorate Kong Zhao.

Now, however, their submission came wholeheartedly from Li Shun himself and the thunderous methods he had displayed.

These days, every official in the county, regardless of rank, approached Li Shun with trembling hearts, walking on eggshells, terrified that a single careless word might bring disaster upon themselves.

Naturally, this was only to be expected.

Li Shun's ability to pin labels onto others had become downright terrifying.

In the blink of an eye, he had turned the distinguished scholars and local elites who had come to argue their case into rebels guilty of treason against the throne.

Li Shun was more than happy to enjoy the benefits of such a reputation.

His subordinates worked even harder than before, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

As a result, handling the affairs of Shangyu County became increasingly effortless for him.

"It seems nothing troublesome should happen during the remainder of my acting appointment."

"I only need to wait peacefully until these three months come to an end."

Another significant change following the Three Elders Peak incident quietly took place within the Fangcun space.

The Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth that had condensed from the remains of the Three Elders began accumulating at more than twice its previous speed after Cheng Rang's wanted notice spread throughout the land.

Originally, it required an entire year to condense a single strand of Xuanhuang Qi.

At the current rate, it would likely take less than half a year.

Not only that, but the sustainability of its future generation had also increased dramatically.

Closing his eyes, Li Shun carefully contemplated the source of this transformation.

"It all stems from the people's faith."

"The reason Ge Linfeng's incense offerings continue without end, allowing the Xuanhuang Qi of Heaven and Earth to flow endlessly, isn't merely because of the immeasurable merit he accumulated during his lifetime."

"He was, after all, an imperial official. The shrines dedicated to his worship are likewise recognized by the imperial court."

"In the hearts of the common people, those two words, 'imperial court,' carry immeasurable weight."

"Previously, I personally wrote the memorial essay that spread the Three Elders' names and deeds throughout the county, but that was ultimately only my own private effort."

"After this incident, however, everything became completely different. Cheng Rang publicly questioned the Three Elders, only to be branded a traitor plotting rebellion by the imperial court almost immediately. In a sense, that amounted to the court itself acknowledging the Three Elders' contributions."

"Whether or not that was the court's true intention is irrelevant. In the eyes of Shangyu County's common people, that is precisely what happened."

"With the imperial court's endorsement, the people's faith naturally became even stronger. As a result, the efficiency with which the Xuanhuang Qi condenses has undergone an almost complete transformation..."

"So that's how it is."

"As long as the next Magistrate of Shangyu doesn't deliberately stir up trouble regarding the Three Elders, the Xuanhuang Qi I can harvest will continue without end."

Thinking this, a surge of delight welled up inside Li Shun.

While everything proceeded smoothly on Li Shun's side, Fang Xun, on the other hand, had unknowingly been driven toward a dead end.

Ever since being named Dongshan's model official, Fang Xun had scarcely enjoyed a moment's rest.

The surveying and redistribution of farmland across the thirteen counties under his jurisdiction.

The registration, resettlement, and administration of several million refugees.

Any one of these would have been an enormous undertaking.

Under normal circumstances, a province would require at least half a year to complete such work.

Yet Fang Xun had been given only two short months.

As the exemplary official of the entire commandery, he naturally had to devote himself wholeheartedly.

Those two months had been chosen with exquisite precision.

The deadline wasn't so short that it could be dismissed as an impossible demand. Yet it robbed Fang Xun of even the slightest opportunity to catch his breath.

Only by working around the clock, day after day without rest, could the task barely be completed.

This was Yin Fengshuo's first move.

To wear down his spirit.

Had an ordinary person worked themselves to the bone for over two consecutive months, even a cultivator would inevitably end up physically and mentally exhausted, their thoughts clouded and sluggish.

Fortunately, Fang Xun was nothing more than a puppet within Fangcun.

Neither alive nor dead.

He knew neither fatigue nor weariness.

Outwardly, he appeared utterly exhausted.

In truth, however, he remained completely unaffected.

His thoughts were as sharp as ever, his work orderly, and every administrative matter handled flawlessly.

Had Yin Fengshuo's schemes ended there, they would have posed no threat whatsoever.

The truly deadly danger lay elsewhere.

It was the ever-growing tide of tribulation aura that had quietly begun wrapping itself around him from the shadows.

No one knew exactly when it had begun.

Rumors suddenly spread throughout Dongshan as though they had appeared out of thin air.

People claimed that when Fang Xun had served as Magistrate of Lengshan County, he embezzled public funds, leaving the city's defenses dangerously weak.

Thus, when the devastating earth collapse struck, the entire city had perished alongside it.

Others said that while hunting the remnants of the former Xiang Nation, Fang Xun had deliberately used the lives of Lengshan's civilians as bait.

Although he eventually captured the fugitives, countless innocent people died as a result.

Yet Fang Xun merely laughed it off afterward, treating the tragedy as though it were insignificant.

According to the rumors, the Lengshan disaster should have earned him a death sentence.

Only after begging his master for mercy had he managed to preserve his life before being transferred to Dongshan.

As for how he later rose through the ranks and became Dongshan's Garrison Commander...

That story was said to be even more despicable.

The rumors claimed Fang Xun had deceived his own personal disciple, Li Shun, with sweet words and false promises, tricking him into risking his life deep within the sealed Imperial Mausoleum.

Only because of that sacrifice had Duanmu Qiuche obtained the opportunity to break through to the next realm.

Master and disciple had completely fallen out because of the incident.

As for their later reconciliation after Fang Xun's repeated visits...

The rumors insisted it had never been Li Shun's true intention.

He had simply been forced into it.

That was why, the moment he regained his freedom, Li Shun immediately distanced himself from Dongshan.

The countless rumors spread with astonishing speed.

Some were true.

Others were false.

Together, they became nearly impossible to distinguish.

Fang Xun secretly dispatched people to investigate.

Yet no matter how thoroughly they searched, they could never discover the source.

It was as though these stories had simply sprouted inside everyone's hearts overnight.

At first, the rumors appeared incapable of stirring much trouble.

Gradually, however, Fang Xun noticed something unsettling.

The way the people under his jurisdiction looked at him had begun to change.

Though helpless, he also understood that publicly attempting to refute the rumors would accomplish nothing.

It would only make matters worse, giving others even more ammunition against him.

At the time, Fang Xun had not yet realized the connection between these rumors and the tribulation aura.

He merely assumed they were another one of Yin Fengshuo's underhanded schemes.

Given enough time, rumors would naturally fade away.

But little by little, Fang Xun finally sensed something was terribly wrong.

Within an astonishingly short period, the rumors had spread to every corner of Dongshan.

They had skipped past the stage of being mere rumors altogether.

Instead...

They had become common knowledge.

Now, whenever Fang Xun's name was mentioned, the people still maintained respectful expressions in public.

Yet behind his back, every single one of them spat upon the ground in contempt.

And precisely at that moment...

Yin Fengshuo's second move arrived.

The supplies and grain needed to resettle the millions of refugees all began experiencing problems of varying degrees.