289: Chapter 0289 People Die Every Day

Lin Xiao first forced Xie Juner to take a pill of Cephalosporin, then had her lie down.

Walking into the courtyard, he saw Prefect Fan Hai smiling with a look of honest simplicity.

"General Lin, now that such a thing has happened, this lower official knows you must be filled with anger."

"But this lower official still implores General Lin to first listen to what I have to say."

Lin Xiao reached out to interrupt him. "Lord Fan, let me ask one thing first. Are you here on your own accord, or on behalf of Earl Yushan?"

Fan Hai was taken aback, then immediately cupped his hands. "This lower official guarantees that I am here of my own volition."

"To tell you the truth, although this lower official is incompetent, I greatly admire General Lin's peerless heroism."

"General Lin eliminated Prince Bai and restored clear skies to the Northern Border; it is truly a blessing for the myriad people..."

Lin Xiao sneered. "I see that the sky in Yu Prefecture is still quite dark."

Fan Hai sighed. "The problems in Yu Prefecture were not accumulated overnight; they are deep-seated maladies that have existed since the founding of the dynasty."

"General Lin may not know, but including this lower official, the inspectors general of every generation sent to Yu Prefecture have not dared to offend Earl Yushan's clan."

"This lower official also knows that the nobles here are corrupt and commit every imaginable evil, but for hundreds of years, it has always been this way."

"Although the commoners harbor deep resentment, Yu Prefecture at least never gets embroiled in the chaos of war, nor is it plagued by mountain bandits."

Lin Xiao laughed out of sheer anger. "Protecting the people and eliminating banditry is the duty of your government! What need is there for them!?"

"General Lin might not be aware, but Earl Yushan's ancestors were not a traditional great clan."

"Their clan originates from a mysterious ethnic group in the south, and they possess some sinister and strange secret arts."

"When the founding emperor first attacked Yu Prefecture, the terrain was so steep and treacherous that it could not be taken for a long time."

"Earl Yushan's ancestor volunteered for battle and used secret arts to break through the Zheng Dynasty's iron-clad defenses, finally capturing the strategic high ground of Yu Prefecture."

"From then on, Earl Yushan's clan took root in Yu Prefecture, and they have been rooted here for over three hundred years!"

Fan Hai advised earnestly, "Although General Lin's martial arts are peerless, you didn't bring a large army this time. There's really no need to have a falling out with Earl Yushan!"

"Secret arts? What secret arts?" Lin Xiao frowned.

"This... this lower official isn't clear on the details. It's said to be related to ghosts and gods, and it's very sinister," Fan Hai whispered.

"Just because of some ethereal legend, Earl Yushan can treat human lives like grass here?"

As a Great Grandmaster, Lin Xiao naturally didn't buy into such talk.

"Sigh..."

Fan Hai said with a face full of sincerity, "General Lin, many things in this world are not black and white. Yu Prefecture is but the smallest prefecture in the Northern Border; why don't you just turn a blind eye..."

"Haha!"

Lin Xiao was amused. "I naturally know that there is always filth and ugliness in the world, but the problem is... does a mere Yu Prefecture even deserve to have me close my eyes?"

Seeing that his persuasion was ineffective, Fan Hai could only sigh, cup his hands, and take his leave.

"Take care, General Lin!"

He had done his best to advise him; since Lin Xiao wouldn't listen, he could only wish him luck!

Lin Xiao returned to the room and found that under the effects of the Cephalosporin and the Qi Nourishing Pill, Xie Juner's complexion looked much better.

"Don't... don't look at me."

Xie Juner lowered her head and covered her face. "I must look especially ugly right now."

Having not seen him for nearly two months, another great beauty from the Zhao family had appeared by his side.

Xie Juner felt extremely miserable. Why was she always in such a wretched state in front of him?

"You almost lost your life, and you're still worried about whether you look good?"

Lin Xiao said with some irritation, "I didn't know the situation in Yu Prefecture, but you and Yu Yingying are close friends—could you really be unaware?"

"When a conflict arose, why did you have to confront Earl Yushan openly? Couldn't you have been a bit more flexible and returned to Cang Province to seek help first?"

"If we hadn't happened to come by, what would you have done?"

"Earl Yushan would only need to say you died of illness to wash his hands of all responsibility. Wouldn't that be a senseless death?"

Xie Juner was lectured until her face was full of grievance and self-reproach. She said tearfully, "I really didn't expect Earl Yushan to be so overbearing."

"I was thinking that those 'divine medicines' were found by you with great effort, so I wanted to get them back."

"I couldn't help with the matters of the war to begin with. If I couldn't even do this small thing, I... I would have even less face to see you."

"Who knew that after I said a few harsh words, they would lock me up..."

Lin Xiao sighed. "Everyone has their own specialty. Why must you force yourself to do these things?"

"Alright, Husband. The Commandery Princess knows she was wrong, and besides, she has suffered enough. She will surely be more careful next time."

Xiao Qingxuan offered a word of mediation first, then looked at Xie Juner and said:

"Commandery Princess, it's fine if you want to prove yourself worthy of Husband."

"But you must also have self-awareness. If you do stupid things that cause trouble for Husband, then we sisters will not be able to tolerate you!"

Xie Juner nodded repeatedly, wondering to herself how Xiao Qingxuan, a 'commoner' woman, could have such a powerful aura.

"Alright, let's go outside. This place is gloomy and no good for resting."

Lin Xiao led the women out of the room, while Yu Yingying supported Xie Juner.

Xie Juner gazed at the man's back, a hint of sweetness flowing through her eyes. Although she had been lectured, it showed that he cared about her.

And this time... did it count as being rescued by a hero?

Coming to Yu Prefecture this time was indeed the right choice.

Lin Xiao had no idea that even in this state, this woman was still having a feverish bout of 'romance on the brain'.

Coming out to the courtyard, Lin Xiao came face-to-face with Earl Yushan and seven or eight local powerhouses.

Although these people all had smiles on their faces, their eyes already betrayed a hint of vigilance and coldness.

Lin Xiao had actually long since sensed that hundreds of martial artists were lying in ambush near the courtyard, likely hired thugs from the underworld recruited by these powerhouses.

"Great General Lin, could we have a word in private?"

Yu Yingjian gestured to the side with a beaming smile.

"Whatever you have to say, say it directly."

Lin Xiao had little patience. "There's no need for your people to hide either; just have them come out."

As soon as these words were spoken, the smile vanished from Yu Yingjian's face.

"As expected of Great General Lin, a Martial Arts Grandmaster. Truly formidable."

He clapped his hands, and hundreds of men and women dressed in various martial arts attire emerged from courtyard walls, rooftops, and alleys.

They surrounded the street block in layer upon layer, making it completely impassable!

Among them, over a hundred people aimed crossbows and sleeve-arrows directly at Lin Xiao and the women.

"I know that General Lin and General Mu are both Great Grandmaster-level experts, so... I have specifically brought out all my elites."

"Even if the two of you can break through, it's afraid the other ladies will find it difficult."

Yu Yingjian said with a face full of pride.

"Father! What on earth are you doing!? Stop this now!!" Yu Yingying cried out.

"Shut up!!"

Yu Yingjian roared, "I don't have a daughter like you!!"

Saying that, Yu Yingjian looked at Lin Xiao with a dark expression:

"General Lin, I know you have no intention of marrying the Commandery Princess at all. Otherwise, you wouldn't have ignored her."

"You're saving her merely because you're worried about provoking the Xie Clan and being gossiped about by court officials."

"But rest assured, her death will have only one cause: the plague."

"When Linyuan Marquis Mansion asks, this matter will have nothing to do with you!"

"Not only that, many of the Xie Family's businesses in the Northern Border are managed by Xie Juner."

"If she dies, you can not only rightfully refuse the bestowed marriage but also take the opportunity to swallow up many of the Xie Family's properties."

"With so many benefits in one move, wouldn't it be wonderful if we cooperated?"

Hearing these words, Xie Juner's pretty face turned pale with rage, yet her heart also felt a faint ache.

"Earl Yushan, is money all you have in your head? Without Xie Juner bringing medicine and teaching you how to prevent and treat the plague, how many people would have died in Yu Prefecture City?"

Even Mu Wanying couldn't listen any longer. Was this how a human being talked!?

"Haha..."

Yu Yingjian and several other nobles all burst out laughing.

"General Mu, it's just a plague; it's not like we haven't had them before."

"Those who die are just some old, weak, sick, and disabled. Just set a fire and burn them."

"Exactly. Which day does no one die in this world? If they don't have money for treatment, they deserve to die, don't they?"

"Giving such fine 'divine medicine' to these lowly commoners is truly a waste of a precious resource."

Yu Yingjian smiled and said, "General Lin, this medicine sells for a high price here in Yu Prefecture—tens of thousands of silver per pill. If you have more, we are willing to buy them at a high price..."

Before his voice could fade, a violent air pressure suddenly descended upon the scene, causing the surrounding houses to shake with a humming sound!

Expressionless, Lin Xiao thrust out a palm directly toward the group, including Earl Yushan!

Great Mercy Hand!

A void palm print with ten-tenths of his power instantly pushed forward for dozens of meters!

Boom! Boom! Boom!...

Over a dozen crisp sounds of flesh and bone exploding rang out. Severed limbs and shattered remains flew everywhere as blood turned into a mist!

After a single palm strike, only a trail of bloodstains remained where Yu Yingjian and the others had stood, followed by the ruins of a collapsed house behind them!

The scene fell into a dead silence!

No one could believe their eyes. This... was this really something a human could do!?

Xie Juner and Yu Yingying were frozen in place, as if turned to stone.

Yu Yingying couldn't even process the reality that her father's body had been utterly obliterated...

Lin Xiao glanced at the martial artists on both sides, whose eyes were filled with terror. Their titles and tags showed that few of them were good people.

"Kill them all."

He said indifferently.