Chapter 22: The Slums

Zheng Xin watched Wang Yue’s departing figure and couldn’t help but turn to Shen Chang’an.

“Did you deliberately send him away?”

Shen Chang’an was taken aback for a moment, but he didn’t deny it; he simply nodded.

“Wang Yue is capable enough, and the big task we’re about to undertake would benefit from as many helpers as possible. But you purposely sent him off… You don’t want to get entangled with the Demon Purging Division?”

Shen Chang’an looked at Zheng Xin with some confusion and asked, “When did you become so clever?”

Zheng Xin rolled her eyes in annoyance, clearly uninterested in continuing the conversation. Her delicate features made her look even more charming.

“Wang Yue is a member of the Demon Purging Division. For such a major operation, there’s no way he’d act alone. He’s a nobleman, after all; it’s perfectly normal for him to gather companions for something like this. Once too many people know, our operation is as good as doomed.”

“Then why not just keep it from that silly boy?” Zheng Xin asked, puzzled.

Shen Chang’an sighed helplessly. “You know we’re short-handed, so… I’m actually taking a gamble.”

“A gamble?”

Shen Chang’an nodded and lowered his voice. “A gamble—to see if Wang Yue still holds some sense of chivalry in his heart…”

Zheng Xin fell silent, merely gazing in the direction Wang Yue had left, shaking her head slightly. Wang Yue simply couldn’t make up his mind; once Fort Fang was breached, he’d have to face a tide of displaced civilians, something he absolutely didn’t want to see.

In this, he differed from Shen Chang’an. Though Shen Chang’an knew breaking Fort Fang would cause enormous trouble, he understood even better the consequences of indecision.

As the saying goes, indecision brings chaos. If one doesn’t cut through the knot swiftly now, those harmed will not be limited to the people of Fort Fang alone. The citizens of Great Qian might endure the existence of Fort Fang for mere survival, but Shen Chang’an could not.

Even if the people from various regions were driven from their homes and eventually rebelled, they would only overthrow the rule of Great Qian. Though there would be casualties in the process, the world would still remain in human hands.

But if Fort Fang were left unchecked, the harm would eventually touch all the people under heaven!

Shen Chang’an cared nothing for the fate of Great Qian’s reign; his sole concern was exterminating the monsters and evil spirits.

As for Zheng Xin, her thoughts were simpler than Shen Chang’an’s. She merely wished to make a name for herself, and the rat infestation in Fort Fang was a convenient stepping stone.

Don’t expect Zheng Xin to possess any chivalrous leanings. Her father, Zheng Huoyi, ran the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness, but it was hardly a sanctuary for heroes. That hall was steeped in blood and betrayal, filled with lies and treachery. Growing up in such an environment, it would be naive to expect Zheng Xin to have a spirit of chivalry.

She had only one goal—to become renowned throughout the land. Doing good deeds would bring greater fame, so she chose to join Shen Chang’an in exterminating monsters. After all, even a place as corrupt as the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness still boasted of its loyalty.

“Well then, since everything’s clear, let’s begin our investigation,” Shen Chang’an said briskly.

“To the Summer Villa?” Zheng Xin asked.

Shen Chang’an shook his head. “If it were before, yes, we’d go to the Summer Villa. But now… we have a new option.”

“A new option? What do you mean?”

Shen Chang’an smiled. “Have you forgotten what Wang Yue mentioned earlier? There’s a group in Fort Fang who pointed out the rat infestation… I think these people must know something. Asking them for information is safer than barging into the Summer Villa.”

The Summer Villa was protected by illusions; even Shen Chang’an wasn’t confident his talismans could break them. The more information they could gather, the easier things would be.

“But we haven’t even asked who those people are,” Zheng Xin replied.

Shen Chang’an smiled and called out, “Waiter! Come here, I have something to ask!”

Zheng Xin’s expression twitched. With how widely the rat issue had spread in Fort Fang, there was no reason the locals wouldn’t know. Waiters were the most well-informed, so naturally, they’d be aware of such matters.

The taverns in Fort Fang were all run by outsiders, who hadn’t received money from Master Fang and were eager for profit. Shen Chang’an tossed out a few coins and quickly obtained the information he wanted.

They didn’t bother to finish breakfast; after settling the bill, they headed straight for the place the waiter had mentioned.

Fort Fang’s city was lavishly decorated. Master Fang spent freely, so the city was well-built. But as Shen Chang’an and Zheng Xin ventured further, they found the buildings around them growing shabbier and older, worlds apart from where they had started.

“I thought there were no poor people in Fort Fang…” Zheng Xin murmured.

Shen Chang’an was unsurprised, replying softly, “Master Fang only supports those he’s handpicked. Those not chosen, along with those who came to work in Fort Fang, naturally can’t afford those beautiful mansions.”

“Tch, outsiders praise Fort Fang as paradise, but it seems this paradise comes with a price.”

Shen Chang’an sighed. “There’s no such thing as paradise in this world—only countless human realms.”

As they delved deeper, the people around them grew fewer. Those remaining looked at them with either numb indifference or fierce hostility.

Shen Chang’an half expected to be attacked, but though the people looked fierce, not one dared make a move.

“Master Fang must have warned them…”

Shen Chang’an quickly reached this conclusion. Only after experiencing something firsthand would these people restrain themselves.

He ignored them and hurried toward the location he’d learned about.

Just as Shen Chang’an and Zheng Xin approached, they heard angry shouting and the cries of a woman.

Both their expressions changed, and they rushed forward.

Upon arrival, they saw a boy of twelve or thirteen being beaten and berated, while a woman of thirty-four lay on the ground, crying and calling out.

The group doing the beating was ruthless, paying no heed to the woman’s cries as they lashed the child with willow rods.

Shen Chang’an frowned, pondering the situation as he prepared to pick up a stone.

Someone was quicker. Zheng Xin drew a slingshot and, with two quick shots, sent iron pellets flying.

Both pellets struck the assailant’s legs with force, causing him to stumble and fall.

The accomplices reacted immediately, grabbing weapons and shouting threats like “Courting death!” and “There are helpers!” as they charged at Shen Chang’an and Zheng Xin.

Zheng Xin tried to fire again, but Shen Chang’an stopped her.

She looked at him, puzzled, only to see Shen Chang’an reach out and strike, sending the leading attacker flying and knocking down several others in a heap.

“Tch, trying to show off your skills?” Zheng Xin grumbled, annoyed that her chance to vent her anger had been interrupted.

Shen Chang’an shook his head. “If you don’t teach these people a real lesson, they’ll just keep coming. You have to show them the gap, so they’ll know not to move.”

Zheng Xin’s slingshot was powerful, but to these men, it seemed unimpressive. In truth, if Zheng Xin had aimed for their heads, she could have killed with a single shot. By striking their legs, she’d held back.

But these thugs didn’t see it that way. They felt the slingshot wasn’t threatening and became even more aggressive.

After Shen Chang’an felled them all with a single blow, they finally recognized the difference. If someone could knock out so many at once, killing one would be effortless.

With the men subdued, Shen Chang’an immediately asked, “Who are you? Why are you bullying a child?”

The group began babbling, but their explanations were jumbled. After some time, Shen Chang’an understood.

It turned out these people were once villagers from a small mountain community. When Master Fang became wealthy, they should have benefited, but the child’s father spoiled it for them.

The child’s father was the very man who had spoken about the rat infestation. The villagers around him were close to him and believed his claims, spreading word of the rats.

When the rat issue was suppressed, these people were excluded by Master Fang and denied any benefits, forced to live in the slums.

If that were all, they’d have just kept to themselves. But the child’s father disappeared, leaving only the widow and her son, and the boy kept talking about the rat infestation, irritating the others.

Eventually, it led to the scene before them.