Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 142 - 141: Split Up, I’ll Do the Killing, You Take the Blame!

Chapter 142: Chapter 141: Split Up, I’ll Do the Killing, You Take the Blame!

At the market, Zhang San had picked out a reasonably robust horse for Fang Cunzai and asked if he was satisfied.

Although Fang Cunzai had not always had a good impression of Zhang San, this time, whether it was the heart-to-heart talk they had earlier or the act of buying him a horse now, stirred a slight sense of emotion in him.

"Thanks, actually giving me such a fine horse."

Zhang San smiled indifferently, "No big deal, just remember to pay me back for the horse when we get back. By the way, can the Town Martial Office reimburse you for the horse?"

The smile on Fang Cunzai’s face gradually faded, and he said somewhat awkwardly, "Maybe... probably... I guess."

Zhang San nodded and then shouted to the horse dealer, "Make the bill for three times the price.">

The smile on Fang Cunzai’s face completely disappeared.

"Actually... I can run as fast as a horse. Really, I once even had the title of ’Unbeatable on Foot’!"

Zhang San looked coldly at Fang Cunzai, handed him the horse’s reins, and retorted, "How coincidental, my horse is also unbeatable. How about I ride you into battle whenever we face danger?"

The smile seemed to have permanently left Fang Cunzai’s face.

The two rode out of the market on horseback, and when Fang Cunzai saw that no one was around, he quietly warned Zhang San.

"Be careful of the Deputy Officer."

Hearing this, Zhang San couldn’t help but be stunned.

Although Sister Ling and the others had warned him to be cautious of Lu Qingquan, his interactions with Lu Qingquan thus far hadn’t shown anything that warranted suspicion; apart from seeming a bit foolish, the man seemed quite decent overall.

Still, Zhang San asked very respectfully, "Why?"

Fang Cunzai said seriously, "That man is very good at ingratiating himself, flattering those above and deceiving those below. Sometimes, he even usurps his subordinates’ achievements for himself. Otherwise, do you think he could have been promoted to the position of Deputy Officer with his abilities alone?"

Zhang San nodded slightly, his own opinions about Lu Qingquan were quite similar in that respect.

"When I was under his command, he used to take most of the credit for our missions almost every time, and he kept suppressing me, preventing my promotion. Fortunately, I later met Officer Bai. Without him, I probably would still be just a regular Martial Artist."

Zhang San was now gradually beginning to understand Fang Cunzai’s perspective.

After all, at his most troubled and vulnerable time when he was being bullied, it was Bai Yucheng who stood up and helped him, not merely a benefaction, but rather like a ray of light shining into his darkness.

Such a profound favor indeed made it understandable why Fang Cunzai still firmly believed that Bai Yucheng had his difficulties.

Moreover, Bai Yucheng was naturally adept at disguising himself; he always appeared as a good person in front of Fang Cunzai, and even initially never revealed much in front of Zhang San, which indeed easily deceived everyone.

"By the way, I was originally supposed to take a three-day leave, but after reaching Mingzhi Mountain, I got busy catching up with friends and drank too much, and that caused a delay. Will they deduct money from my pay?"

Zhang San was still quite concerned about his income.

This could well be considered a post-modern transmigration syndrome.

"That shouldn’t happen. After all, we originally have quite a lot of leave days. Besides, according to what you said, you had just made some achievements not long ago, so it wouldn’t go as far as docking your pay, at most Lu Qingquan might nag you a bit. Then I’ll use Qiongqi to send a message back, to put Principal Officer Ximen at ease. You didn’t know how worried the Principal Officer was when he found out you were missing."

At that moment, Zhang San also felt a warmth in his heart.

Principal Officer Ximen not only provided him with a secret manual but also lent him a horse.

Unfortunately, the horse was eaten by Hei.

Hopefully, Principal Officer Ximen’s family is wealthy enough not to care about one horse.

Fang Cunzai summoned the nearby Qiongqi and placed the message he had written on it, then released the Qiongqi to fly.

Then the two continued their journey.

At their speed, they could now head back and would reach Xiongfeng Manor by tomorrow.

On the way, Zhang San also took the opportunity to ask Fang Cunzai about some other matters.

"I had amnesia before, so I am unaware of certain common knowledge within the Town Martial Office. Fang, each time our Town Martial Office embarks on a mission, is the risk high? Could it be that missions come one after another, making it particularly exhausting?"

Fang Cunzai smiled and said, "In the early years, it was indeed very taxing, but since I arrived, the Town Martial Office has become increasingly easier."

"Because now all Sects of the martial path have settled down and won’t cause trouble easily."

"Those martial families have had their powers significantly reduced; quite a few have even completely surrendered to our Town Martial Office."

"So, now, for about eight months of the year, there are hardly any missions for us to carry out. That’s also why it’s no big deal to take a little more leave."

At this point, Fang Cunzai had an expression of satisfaction and pride.

"You wouldn’t know, but when I first joined the Town Martial Office, Chuan-Yu Road was in utter chaos. Continuous struggles and mergers among Sects, and some martial path Sects even oppressed the locals. Can you imagine? The locals paid taxes to the Sect instead of the state. Even during broad daylight, martial artists from Sects would brazenly kill people right on the official road!"

After Fang Cunzai spoke indignantly, he took a deep breath and said, "But now, those days are long gone."

Clearly, Fang Cunzai believed that the improvements in Chuan-Yu Road over the years were partly due to his own efforts, so as he spoke these words, his face was filled with pride.

Just then, on the official road, a woman holding a three-to-four-year-old child in her arms and leading a seven-to-eight-year-old little girl by the hand, was desperately running towards them.

And above them, two martial artists on flying swords were launching their own swords, aiming at the woman’s clothes.

With a ripping sound, a new tear appeared in the woman’s already wounded and tattered long skirt.

Even as the woman fled in panic, her exposed thigh could be seen.

Zhang San glanced at it once, then did not continue to look.

After all, I, Zhang San, have never been one to sneak peeks at women’s thighs, and besides, that thigh was really too thick to be considered attractive.

"Indeed, no one kills on the official road anymore, but have they switched to playing rough instead?"

At this moment, Fang Cunzai’s face turned extremely ugly.

I just finished bragging, and you two blind fools come out to slap my face, right?

Especially those two martial artists flying on swords, who were mocking the woman and child while laughing recklessly.

"Fang, in this situation, can we kill?"

"Normally we could intervene, but we can’t kill recklessly unless ordered by a superior."

Zhang San turned his head and stared at Fang Cunzai.

"Speaking of which, aren’t you the Military Chief, my superior? How about this, we split up."

Fang Cunzai was somewhat perplexed.

Just these two from the True Core Realm, I could kill them easily; why split up?

"We split up, I’ll do the killing, and you take the blame. If anything goes wrong, I’ll say it was done under your orders! That settles it!"