42: Chapter 42 A Person Without Weaknesses

"Which son of a b*tch..."

He was about to fly into a rage, but when he looked up, he saw a powerfully built man wearing coarse linen clothes, yet possessing an imposing Aura, staring at him coldly. Based on the eyes of a bailiff who had spent many years in official circles, this man's background was definitely extraordinary.

"Bullying the common people in the middle of the street, who gave you the guts to do this?!"

The bailiff scrambled up from the ground in a hurry, not even bothering to cover his face, and asked tentatively.

"May I make so bold as to ask, who are you..."

The man sneered, clamped the bailiff's neck under his arm, pulled out a black iron token engraved with a blood-red character for 'Shadow' from his waist, flashed it before his eyes, and then put it away.

The bailiff's face instantly turned ashen. His legs went weak and he was about to collapse to the ground, but the man held his neck firmly, preventing his knees from ever touching the ground.

"Did you see clearly?" the man asked in a low voice. "If you dare to leak my identity, there will be one more nameless corpse in the moat by tomorrow!"

The bailiff's face was deathly pale; he nodded desperately, and there was already a damp patch in his crotch.

The man let go with a look of disgust, and the bailiff immediately collapsed onto the ground like a puddle of mud.

"Who told you to arrest people everywhere without distinguishing right from wrong?"

The bailiff answered, trembling:

"It, it was an order from Imperial Consort Wang... She said to search the whole city for suspicious people..."

A strange look flashed through the man's eyes.

"Imperial Consort Wang? As a mere Imperial Consort, where does she get the authority to mobilize the Imperial Guards? Speak! Who is really behind this?"

The bailiff was shaking all over, scrambling on his hands and knees to hug the man's thigh:

"Shadow, no, my lord, it really was an order from Imperial Consort Wang! Imperial Consort Wang was assassinated last night, and in her rage, she used the Emperor's token to mobilize the Imperial Guards to seal the city and search for the assassin."

The man kicked the bailiff away and said sternly:

"Wait here!"

He then pushed through the crowd and arrived at a secluded corner.

"Princess, Imperial Consort Wang was assassinated last night, which is why she mobilized the Imperial Guards to seal the city. That bailiff was acting under the instructions of Imperial Consort Wang to search for suspicious people in the streets. Your subordinate does not know how to handle this, please instruct me, Princess."

In the shadows, the young girl with a light veil covering her face slowly turned around, her bright eyes as cold as freezing stars.

"Even an Imperial Consort can now order the Imperial Guards; my 'good' Imperial Father truly treats her as his own flesh and blood!"

Her fingertips gently caressed the Azure Phoenix jade pendant hanging from her waist, her gaze flickering slightly.

'The Wang family has merely produced one Immortal Seed, yet Father is able to indulge them this much...'

"Is cultivating immortality really that important?"

The young girl gripped the jade pendant tightly, her knuckles turning white, the expression in her eyes becoming increasingly determined.

"Luo Qingxue, it won't be too late to teach them a lesson after you return from seeking immortality."

The middle-aged man noticed the young girl's low spirits and quickly stepped forward to comfort her.

"Mm, Uncle Li is right."

Luo Qingxue took a deep breath, tied the jade pendant back onto her waist, and looked toward the crowd not far away.

"Tell that bailiff to release all the arrested commoners, and warn him not to bully the common people again."

"Yes."

The Shadow Guard bowed in acknowledgment and returned to the crowd once more.

In the distance, within the crowd, Su Mo was held by two soldiers in front of the prisoner cart, and he hadn't seen the man return for a long time.

"What's going on?"

Su Mo remembered having seen that man at the Fragrant Tower before; he seemed to be Miss Xue's guard. The leading bailiff was so terrified the moment he saw that man.

It seems he had underestimated her identity.

"Release him!"

Not long after, the man strode over, and upon seeing this, the soldiers hurriedly released Su Mo.

The leading bailiff put on a smiling face and said:

"My lord, please be discerning; we were just following orders..."

The Shadow Guard snorted coldly:

"Regardless of whose orders you are following, if I see you bullying the common people again next time, you can forget about keeping your uniform!"

"Get lost!"

The bailiff was so scared that he kept bowing and scraping, then fled with his subordinates in a dejected manner.

After the soldiers retreated, the crowd dispersed, but the Shadow Guard remained standing where he was.

Su Mo stepped forward:

"Miss Xue?"

The Shadow Guard did not answer, but simply made a gesture of invitation.

Su Mo looked in the direction he pointed and saw a woman with a light veil over her face standing in front of a stall not far away, watching him.

When the woman saw him looking, her eyebrows curved slightly, and she waved at him.

"Many thanks to Miss Xue for your help."

Su Mo cupped his hands in a salute.

Luo Qingxue chuckled and said:

"Young Master, you are too polite. I just couldn't stand those bailiffs bullying the common people."

"Oh, by the way, I wonder if Miss Xue has had breakfast yet? Why not come to my noodle shop? I'll make you some noodles."

Upon hearing this, Luo Qingxue waved her hand;

"No need, I have already eaten breakfast."

"Besides, I still have important matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you further."

"Alright then, I'll treat you another day."

After bidding farewell, Luo Qingxue turned and left; judging by the direction, she seemed to be heading out of the city.

Su Mo watched their receding figures, thoughtfully rubbing his chin.

Everything about this woman exuded an air of distinction. Even knowing the Imperial Guards had sealed the city, she dared to leave at this time; she might be some member of the imperial family or nobility. It would be best not to get involved with her.

Su Mo shook his head; having been delayed for so long, breakfast was about to turn into lunch.

...

Three days later.

Su Mo stood in the mourning hall, looking at the memorial tablet placed there, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

On the tablet, it clearly read: The Position of My Late Father, Song Wen.

When Su Mo woke up this morning, he found that Song Wen's breath had begun to grow weak, his complexion as pale as paper.

Even though Su Mo fed him century-old ginseng until he got a nosebleed, he could not stop the fading of his vitality.

Su Mo stood before the tablet, recalling Song Wen's last words in his mind.

"I've known since you were little that you were extraordinary. The endless white rice and flour in the jar were all conjured by you, weren't they?"

"And to think I actually believed a fox spirit had come to repay a kindness, searching for so long."

"But... being able to raise you, Gou Dan'er, is the thing I'm most proud of in this life..."

In the mourning hall, the candlelight flickered, reflecting in Su Mo's reddened eyes.

Over these ten years, although the two addressed each other as grandfather and grandson, they were actually like father and son.

Therefore, the tablet was inscribed as the position of his father.

"Big Brother, please accept my condolences."

Yellow Three squatted in front of the mourning hall, continuously burning paper money in the brazier.

"The old man left too suddenly... Just a few days ago, he was still saying he wanted to find me a wife..."

His voice choked with sobs, and he wiped his face with his rough hands, but he couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

He had known Song Wen for seven years; although they started off on the wrong foot, they had grown close over time, developing a bond between generations that allowed him, an orphan who scavenged for food, to experience a long-lost fatherly love.

"The old man's passing is a celebration of a long life; there's no need to cry so sadly. Let him leave happily."

...

Song Wen certainly knew how to pick his time.

The city lockdown had just been lifted today; Imperial Consort Wang had arrested many people but hadn't found the assassin, so she had no choice but to return to the palace in a rage.

Su Mo was able to give Song Wen a grand burial without any obstacles at the foot of a green hill outside the city, a spot selected by a feng shui master, with pine trees at his back and a stream in front.

During the burial, Su Mo specially placed a jar of Apricot Blossom Wine, which Song Wen loved the most, into the coffin.

From this moment on, in this life, Su Mo had become a person without weaknesses.