Chapter 289: Old Jianghu

The City Lord’s Mansion in Liangcheng was quite grand.

The gate was towering, and its surface, made of red sandalwood, was carved with dragons, phoenixes, cloud patterns, and more.

Shi Feizhe could see clearly that the threshold of the City Lord’s Mansion was high and wide.

It would be difficult for ordinary people to enter.

Since he was invited, Shi Feizhe naturally entered through the main gate. Most people could only enter through the side gate.

After entering the gate, he saw white walls and flying eaves everywhere within the City Lord’s Mansion. The closed doors were carved with auspicious beasts such as qilin and phoenixes, making the entire door somewhat elaborate.

As for the pillars, they were even more extravagant, adorned with paintings of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums, flowers, birds, fish, and insects.

The winding corridors made Shi Feizhe feel that the style here was different from that of the Central Plains, yet also somewhat similar.

Unexpectedly, Xu Jinglu did not take Shi Feizhe to the reception hall but instead led him to a garden in the backyard.

The garden was filled with exotic flowers and plants, arranged in a well-spaced manner. Most importantly, there was a pond with several mu of flowing water in the middle of the garden.

An old man was lying on a stone chair beside the pond, half asleep and half awake, fishing.

“Why are you alone?” Gu Wanggui said. “Did you invite anyone?”

Xu Jinglu looked at Shi Feizhe, thinking, “There’s clearly another person beside me!”

Suddenly, he thought of a possibility, so he whispered to Gu Wanggui, “Boss Gu, someone from Yangzhou came with me.”

After saying that, he subconsciously moved away from Shi Feizhe.

Terrifying, too terrifying!

This was an expert that even Boss Gu hadn’t noticed!

“Hmm?” Gu Wanggui was startled. He flipped over and saw Shi Feizhe beside Xu Jinglu, smiling at him.

Such a large person, he hadn’t noticed him until he was within a few zhang.

“May I ask your esteemed name? I, an old man with poor eyesight, failed to welcome you from afar. It is truly a breach of etiquette!” Gu Wanggui stopped pretending to be a carefree fisherman and immediately cupped his hands, saying.

Damn it, he asked Xu Jinglu to invite a random person from Yangzhou, how the hell did he invite a monster?

He was right in front of me, and I almost couldn’t see him.

Is there such a person in the world?

Gu Wanggui sized up Shi Feizhe, he looked very ordinary!

Shi Feizhe was also observing Gu Wanggui.

Gu Wanggui was not tall, only reaching Shi Feizhe’s shoulders. He was dressed in casual clothes and looked like an ordinary thin old man, but his complexion was ruddy, giving him a somewhat youthful appearance despite his white hair.

“I am Shi Feizhe!” Shi Feizhe said.

“Shi…” Gu Wanggui was startled and almost blurted out “Old Demon Shi”! But he stopped himself and said, “Overlord Shi!”

Xu Jinglu’s heart skipped a beat.

How could it be him?

There was only one Shi Feizhe in the world, only this one great demon!

To Gu Wanggui and Xu Jinglu, Shi Feizhe was a great demon, the kind who committed all sorts of evil.

They were originally living their own little lives in Miancheng when suddenly the great demon sent his men to attack Jingzhou. Attack Jingzhou they did, and they even publicly tried and beheaded the City Lord.

Using charges they couldn’t understand.

Things like extortion, buying low and selling high, loan sharking, bullying men and women, it was simply baffling!

Could such reasons be used to convict a True Realm martial artist?

Standing up for commoners and killing a True Realm martial artist.

There had never been such a thing in the Jianghu since ancient times!

What could commoners do? True Realm martial artists were very strong!

To talk to such a person? Gu Wanggui felt cold sweat break out on his back, but he forced himself to stay calm.

Anyway, he didn’t have many years left to live, what was there to be afraid of?

✿✿✿

After resigning himself to his fate, he actually calmed down.

Not afraid of death, what was there to fear!

“Overlord? What strange title is that?” Shi Feizhe shook his head and said, “Just call me Shi Feizhe.”

Gu Wanggui regained his composure and said, “According to the ancient texts I’ve read, in ancient times, those who vied for the world, once they controlled two provinces, would have the qualifications to compete for the world and could be called overlords!”

“We don’t have that custom in Yangzhou, you can call me Shi Feizhe.” Shi Feizhe still refused.

Overlord, overlord, it didn’t sound like a good person.

“Then…” Gu Wanggui thought for a moment and said, “Let’s call you ‘Your Excellency’! Your Excellency controls three provinces, and one day you will surely unify the Nine Provinces. Your presence here truly brings honor to my humble abode!”

“You’re wrong. It’s not three provinces, with Liang Province, it’s six!” Shi Feizhe said. “More than half of the Nine Provinces have already fallen to our Jianghu Reform Committee!”

Liang Province! Six provinces!

Hearing Shi Feizhe say it so openly, Gu Wanggui was shocked.

He was shocked that the Jianghu was once again unified, and also shocked that Yangzhou was going to target Liang Province.

For Liang Province to confront Yangzhou, which controlled five provinces, was like throwing an egg at a rock.

“Heh~” Gu Wanggui laughed self-deprecatingly, lowering his posture and saying, “Our Liangcheng is willing to open its gates and welcome the royal army, we only hope Your Excellency can spare the lives of my family.”

“Just your family? Does he not count?” Shi Feizhe pointed to Xu Jinglu, who was standing silently at the side.

Xu Jinglu lowered his head, expressionless, and didn’t speak.

He didn’t need to interject when Gu Wanggui was talking to Shi Feizhe.

“If Your Excellency can spare him and my other subordinates, it would be good. I’m just afraid Your Excellency can’t spare them!” Gu Wanggui sighed and said.

It wasn’t that he didn’t plead, but he knew that even if he did, Shi Feizhe probably wouldn’t agree.

He threw the ball back to Shi Feizhe.

“Actually, you don’t treat them as human beings, do you?” Shi Feizhe looked at Xu Jinglu and said.

“It’s not that I don’t treat them as human beings, but the Jianghu is like this. I, too, am just following the crowd, a copycat in the Jianghu, drifting along with the current!” Gu Wanggui shifted the blame again.

Everyone in the Jianghu was like this, it wasn’t just him.

“So, the Jianghu is gone.” Shi Feizhe chuckled and said.

Gu Wanggui’s eyelids twitched. Shi Feizhe’s blunt words made him uncomfortable. But he was an old Jianghu hand, so he continued, “Your Excellency, I like to follow the crowd the most.”

“Now Yangzhou is the mainstream of the Nine Provinces, and I am willing to learn and progress.”

“I can also be a Xia!”

He meant that it was all the fault of the Jianghu, if he encountered Yangzhou, wouldn’t he become a Xia?

“Since you want to be a Xia, why don’t you distribute all the land under the City Lord’s Mansion to the ordinary people of Liangcheng, dismiss all the servants in your mansion, and burn all the IOUs owed to your mansion?” Shi Feizhe looked at him and said with a smile.

“This…” Gu Wanggui looked at the smiling Shi Feizhe and said with a forced smile, “That’s the savings of several generations of our family. Those servants, if they leave the City Lord’s Mansion, they won’t have any means of livelihood.”

“It’s better to stay in the mansion, at least they can get a meal. As for those IOUs…”

“It’s only right and proper to repay debts!”

Shi Feizhe chuckled and said, “Hehe~ So, the servants in your mansion should thank you!”

Hehe