Chapter 26: Chapter 26 No Longer a Slave
Having listened to Zhang Xuan’s analysis, Mo Yanxue’s previous confusion cleared up instantly.
No wonder the steward would go so far as to frame a coachman, sparing no effort. She couldn’t figure out why, but now, with the Moyun jade stone as a tempting bait, it seemed truly possible!
Turning her head to Yu Longqing, she bowed with clasped hands, “City Lord, may I trouble you to dispatch a coroner to help us examine this matter?”
“That’s easy!”
Yu Longqing waved his hand, and before long, a person who looked like a coroner came in. Having received the order, he carefully examined Suxiang’s body before stepping forward with a bow.
“Reporting back to the City Lord, not only is there no Moyun jade stone within this horse’s body, but a large portion of its internal organs are also missing…”
“This is to search for the Moyun jade stone by dissecting the corpse; even the internal organs were cut out. It’s not enough that Suxiang was killed, not even a whole corpse was left behind. You, you all…”
Zhang Xuan became so angry that his vision darkened, gasping for air, as if he might faint at any moment.
“Very good, very good! Worthy of being the Mo Mansion’s chief steward; what audacity, what ruthless methods.”
Mo Yanxue was also so enraged her lungs were about to explode; her pale face was like the cold autumn, “Feng Jin, do you have anything else to say?”
Feng Jin desperately shook his head, “Reporting back to Miss, I really didn’t take it… and even if I wanted to, I couldn’t withstand the killing intent within the Moyun jade stone… I genuinely do not know how the jade stone went missing!”
“If not you, who else could it be!”
Zhang Xuan, overcome with grief, turned to the coroner, “May I ask, Coroner, based on your experience, were Suxiang’s belly cut open and its organs removed post-mortem or while it was still alive?”
The coroner replied, “There are no traces of fresh blood flow within Suxiang’s body, indicating the organs were removed after its death. The belly skin as well, when it was slit open, the blood had already coagulated, suggesting it too was done post-mortem.”
“When Miss and I left, Suxiang was still alive… No one present would think that Suxiang could have its belly cut open, organs taken, and still lively carry Miss Yu to the school. Furthermore, all the wounds were inflicted post-mortem, it’s clear who the culprit is!”
Having received an accurate answer, Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth and shouted, then turned to Mo Yanxue with a clasped fist, “If today were not in the City Lord Residence, if not for the coachman and coroner to bear witness on my behalf, I might have already been victimized, my life not in my own control. For such a great humiliation, I request Miss to act on my behalf.”
“Rest assured, I will give you an explanation!”
Mo Yanxue glared coldly at Feng Jin, “Feng Jin, as the Mo Mansion’s chief steward, instead of sharing the master’s concerns, you colluded with others, oppressed the good and loyal, confiscated all property, punished him with a hundred lashes, revoked the stewardship, and expelled you from Mo Mansion, never to be employed again!”
“Miss, no, please no…”
Feng Jin’s body swayed, collapsing to the ground as he called out desperately.
Whipping is a way for major families to discipline house servants. Once it starts, every lash cuts deep. A hundred lashes is enough to kill a person with scarce cultivation, let alone an Origin warrior, on the spot!
Furthermore, confiscating his property and expelling him from Mo Mansion was akin to pushing him towards a dead-end. Even if not killed outright, he was almost certain to die.
Merely because he tried to frame a coachman, he received such treatment, beyond his belief.
“Wu Xiang, as a house servant, you ignored what was right and assisted Feng Jin in framing Zhang Xuan. Fifty lashes for you as well, and you are also to be expelled from Mo Mansion, never to be employed again!”
Mo Yanxue continued.
“Miss…” Wu Xiang staggered.
He had thought that by aligning himself with the chief steward, he would rise high and life would get better. He never dreamed that within a day, not only could he no longer serve as a servant…
It was all because he had offended this coachman, Zhang Xuan!
Soon, both men were taken away amidst their screams of agony. One didn’t need to think to know that once they left this place, they would likely never meet again.
“Zhang Xuan!”
Having dealt with the two, Mo Yanxue looked towards the young man before her, “You not only can tame Primordial Beasts, but you also remain calm and reasonable in the face of danger, handling matters with both intelligence and capability. Since… Feng Jin’s position as chief steward has been revoked, from today onwards, you will temporarily assume his duties, managing Mo Mansion…”
Hearing that she intended to appoint him as the chief steward, Zhang Xuan hurriedly stepped forward, “I’m still young, and being a chief steward would definitely be hard for people to accept, I’m afraid I might disappoint Miss Yu’s generous affection!”
“You don’t want to?” Mo Yanxue was taken aback.
As one of the Three Premier Clans of Baiyan City, the Mo Family’s status and power were not to be underestimated. Even without cultivation, the position of chief steward controlled endless authority.
With this identity, walking sideways through Baiyan City wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
From a coachman to this status was an unimaginable leap, practically ascending to the heavens in one step, and yet he disagreed…
“Yes!”
Zhang Xuan nodded, “I once said that if Suxiang truly died because of me, I would be willing to serve as Miss Yu’s ox and horse for this life, without any complaints… Now that it has been proven that I was wronged, I want to make another request — that is, to have the resident status in the city, to leave the Mo Mansion and no longer be a servant!”
Without resident status, he would still be a refugee, and titles like chief or junior steward didn’t mean much to him.
The moment he accidentally killed Suxiang, he had begun to plot, step by step until now, with just one goal — to obtain the identity of the Source World and fully integrate into this place.
Otherwise, his identity wouldn’t withstand investigation.
Although he didn’t know how the Source World viewed those who ascended, from the control of refugees and their status, it was probably not very friendly.
As a ruler of his own realm, if his injuries fully recovered, dominating Baiyan City shouldn’t be a problem, but there’s no defending against the masses if they decide to attack en masse!
“Leaving the Mo Mansion?”
This time, not only did Mo Yanxue stare in astonishment, but even Yu Xiaoyu couldn’t help but widen her eyes, “Though there are numerous rules in big families, they also enable people to progress quickly. Not to mention anything else, the resources and cultivation methods you’d want for practice are only available from big families…”
It’s good to take shade under a large tree.
Being a house servant might sound unappealing when spoken of, but the benefits were greater.
This is also the main reason why many people prefer not to be the head of a small village but rather be the lowliest in the big city… all for the sake of future prospects and opportunities for advancement.
“Thank you for the reminder, Miss Yu, but my mind is made up!”
Zhang Xuan bowed with a fist clasp and turned to Mo Yanxue, “I hope Miss Yu will fulfill my wish.”
After pondering for a moment, Mo Yanxue fixed her gaze sternly on him, “Xiaoyu is right; leaving the Mo Family, you might face countless difficulties. Are you sure you really want to go?”
Zhang Xuan nodded.
Knowing that his mind was made up, Mo Yanxue took a long, hard look at the young man before her, and her eyes involuntarily narrowed.
The beast taming incident earlier had already made her think highly of him, but now it seemed she had still underestimated him!
Releasing a house servant’s status wasn’t too difficult, but for a great family, precedent couldn’t be set, as once established, the subsequent management would become very challenging.
It was like wanting to leave the underworld and turn back, but if you want to go, and he wants to go, how can the team be led?
It was clear that if today’s events hadn’t unfolded in the City Lord Residence, if the beast taming hadn’t been successful, if Feng Jin hadn’t framed him, and if she herself didn’t owe him justice… it would have been nearly impossible for him to get her consent!
And with all these conditions stacked together, and with both Yu Xiaoyu and the City Lord watching, she had no choice but to agree…
Could it be… all these so-called coincidences were orchestrated by this coachman?
Otherwise, how could it all be so coincidental, piling up all at once?
If that was the case, then this fellow might be far from as simple as imagined!