In the back hall of the An Lin Prefecturate Manor.
The officials of the state capital gathered outside the house, anxiously waiting for the results of the magistrate’s treatment.
Finally, a bearded old man walked out with a medicine box. The officials waiting around immediately surrounded him.
“How’s Lord Lin’s injuries?”
A trusted aide of the magistrate asked impatiently.
The old physician shook his head and said helplessly, “I’ve temporarily saved the magistrate’s life, but I can only prolong this last breath. I don’t know when he’ll wake up. I’ve left behind two prescriptions, one for consumption and one for external use. If he can survive for ten days to half a month, his life will be fine… However, regarding his amputated arm, even this old man can’t do a thing about it.”
Hearing this, everyone rushed into the room to check the situation.
As soon as they entered the house, the pungent smell of medicine assaulted their noses.
Magistrate Lin was lying on the bed with his eyes closed. His face was pale, and there was a wet towel on his forehead. His broken leg was tied with a splint, and there was a blood-stained white cloth wrapped around his right arm, with blood-staunching powder on the inside. His injuries were barely controlled.
Seeing this scene, all the officials stopped in their tracks, their faces heavy. They seemed to be in grief, but they were actually thinking about something.
As Minister Qin’s student, Magistrate Lin naturally had many people fawning over him. However, now that he had suffered this calamity and lost his arm, his career was as good as over.
Many officials were secretly submitted to him. Thus, apart from feeling sad, they were also thinking about who they should rely on in the future. They were anxious to switch allegiances before it was too late.
As for the officials who did not get along, some were secretly happy while pretending to be sad, while others’ eyes flickered with ulterior motives.
A trusted aide of the magistrate was unwilling to accept this and shouted at the old doctor, “You’re a famous doctor of the An Lin Prefecture. Are you really unable to reconnect the arm?”
The old physician smiled bitterly before replying in a helpless tone,
“Sir, although I know how to reconnect bones, I don’t know how to regrow amputated limbs. Other than the imperial physicians, there are only three people who have such medical skills…”
The trusted aide’s eyes lit up as he hurriedly asked, “Who are they?”
The old physician could only answer, “They are Doctor Golden Needle Sun Boqing, Miracle Hand Zhang Jingduan, as well as the Qingshan Daoist Ge Tong… It’s just that they don’t practice medicine in Jing State. It’s useless even if they’re called over in the future. Once a person’s arms are not connected in half a day, even the gods won’t be able to reconnect them.”
Hearing this, the magistrate’s trusted aide gave up.
At this moment, an official beside him coughed and changed the topic,
“A local magistrate has actually been injured by a Green Forest bandit. This is no small matter. It will definitely shock the court and the public. We have to write the official document as soon as possible and send it to the capital in a hurry. In addition, this Chen Feng is extremely evil and crazy.
The government has already urgently made an arrest warrant and has sent an official to inform the various states along the river. They will post it along their travels to the capital and capture this person!”
Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.
Regardless of whether the magistrate could survive or not, there had to be an explanation for this matter. The villain who harmed the officials of the Imperial Court could not be let off.
Not only was this related to the dignity of the government, but the officials present were also afraid that they would follow in his footsteps.
Chen Feng had actually dared to injure an official. Now that there was a precedent, there would naturally be a second. Who knew if this villain would come and attack again in the future… The news of the Lu Mansion receiving a letter from him had already spread throughout the state capital. Old Master Lu was frightened and was bedridden, while the state officials were also secretly afraid of him coming up to their doorstep.
If they did not get rid of Chen Feng, they would not be able to eat or sleep in peace. With such a fierce person at large, everyone felt that their lives were in danger.
At this moment, an official rolled his eyes and said in a deep voice, “When the magistrate was killed, Commander Deng of the Horseback troops was nearby, but he watched helplessly as the magistrate was harmed by the thieves. He turned around and fled, allowing the thieves to leave in a grand manner.
This is clearly a crime of failing to protect him, and he must be severely punished! In my opinion, he must be flogged immediately. He will be held for a trial and flogged as a warning to others!”
“That makes sense. We can’t let Commander Deng off easily!”
Everyone nodded repeatedly.
The death of the magistrate was not a small matter. Someone had to be responsible for it, so naturally, someone had to take the blame. This Commander Deng had completely sent himself to their doorstep, so he was not wronged in the eyes of many officials.
Moreover, Commander Deng’s actions were a bad example. If these martial arts guards fled without fighting, who would protect their safety? Therefore, they had to use him to set a precedent.
…
Lu Manor.
Ever since he received the letter from Zhou Jing, Lu Ancheng had fallen sick, and the entire Lu family had closed their doors to visitors.
Everyone in the residence was panicking and afraid. They were afraid that the Death Beckoning Yama King would come over to ‘visit’ the residence again one day and let them follow in the footsteps of the He and Huang families.
“Most of the people in charge of the He and Huang families are dead. They only exist in name now. Without anyone to manage the family, they will definitely be eaten up in the future.”
“Will our Lu family end up like this one day?”
In the main hall, the heads of the various family branches were gathered, all looking worried.
At this moment, Lu Ancheng was sick in bed and did not attend the discussion. Everyone could only discuss how to deal with Zhou Jing’s iron spear message.
“Then as long as we don’t capture the Death Beckoning Yama King, he will continue to hang over our heads! This kind of criminal doesn’t even care about the magistrate, so how can he let us off? I think we should split our assets and escape!”
“No way! How dare you talk about splitting up when the head of the family isn’t around? Moreover, this matter is a disgrace to the family! You might as well move the entire family out of the An Lin Prefecture and run it elsewhere.”
“Ridiculous. Our Lu family has been around for several generations, and we’re powerful. How can we give up so easily? Moreover, a powerful dragon can’t suppress a local snake. If we give up our foundation and go to another state capital, we’ll become a hot commodity in the eyes of the local nobles.
They’ll only think of scraping bones and cutting flesh from us. They won’t allow outsiders to gain a foothold! After this incident, An Lin Prefecture will definitely be on high alert. The thieves might not dare to return. We’ll hire more guards with strong martial arts!”