Chapter 177: The Skies Have Cleared

Half an hour later!

The wives and daughters of the constables who had been handed over were now being escorted out of the city at bladepoint.

Among them, the eldest was barely over forty, while the youngest was merely sixteen. They wept and wailed in despair, but their cries did nothing to move Magistrate Lu, who stood coldly atop the city gate.

Veteran Constable Luo, upon spotting his wife and daughter-in-law among the captives, was overcome with rage. He glared at Magistrate Lu, his eyes burning with hatred.

At this moment, he was filled with resentment—

Resentment toward himself for being discarded like a pawn.
Resentment toward Magistrate Lu for his ruthless cruelty.
Resentment that, rather than dying with his honor intact, he hadn’t chosen to fight back like Zhao Quan, who at least remained true to his conscience until the end.

Even though Zhao Quan’s fate was unlikely to be any better than his…

Watching the scene before him, Zheng Wuwei turned to the city wall and raised his thumb at Magistrate Lu with a mocking smile.

“Magistrate Lu, I truly underestimated you… My brother’s death—let’s call it even. Once the Imperial Preceptor leaves, I’ll treat you to a drink.”

The moment the Imperial Preceptor arrives will be the day of your death—and the day I truly take control of Shanyang County…

Magistrate Lu cupped his hands and smiled. “Then allow me to be the host!”

Ta-ga-dak ~ Ta-ga-dak!

Suddenly, the thunderous sound of galloping hooves filled the air!

The bandits turned their heads in unison.

First, they saw a massive war banner emblazoned with the word “War” billowing in the wind!

Then, what followed was a steel tide stretching as far as the eye could see!

“The Heavenly War Cavalry!”

Zheng Wuwei’s face twisted in shock.

“You old bastard Lu! You dare set me up?!”

“Brothers, retreat! RETREAT!”

Recognizing the Heavenly War Cavalry’s banner in an instant, Zheng Wuwei bellowed the order and immediately turned to flee toward the fields on either side of the road.

But against a force of elite soldiers, a disorganized band of outlaws had no chance of escape.

Within mere seconds, the Heavenly War Cavalry had completely encircled them!

“Kill!”

A thunderous roar erupted from within the Heavenly War Cavalry—General Gao had issued the order to charge!

The elite soldiers surged forward like an unstoppable wave.

Wherever they passed, dust churned, blood splattered, and bodies were torn asunder!

Atop the city wall, Magistrate Lu immediately realized that the Imperial Preceptor’s reinforcements had arrived a full day earlier than expected.

His reaction was swift—he snatched a longsword from a nearby guard, stumbled down the city tower, and rushed out of the city gates!

“The Imperial Preceptor’s reinforcements are here!”

“All troops, heed my command!”

“Slaughter the bandits and rescue our captured comrades and civilians!”

Seeing Magistrate Lu charging ahead with reckless abandon, the city guards—who had hesitated before—instantly followed suit and rushed out to join the fight!

With the Shanyang County garrison joining the battle, the battlefield plunged into complete chaos!

Under the cover of swirling dust and the cacophony of battle cries, Magistrate Lu charged straight toward the captured women—his goal was not to rescue them but to silence them all before they could testify against him!

But what he never expected was—

Before he could do anything, a Heavenly War Cavalry soldier suddenly swung his long spear and struck him squarely in the back—knocking him flat onto the ground!

“I—I’m the Magistrate of Shanyang County! I’m the Magistrate!”

“We’re on the same side!”

Gasping from the searing pain in his back, Magistrate Lu frantically shouted.

“All Shanyang County troops!”

“Return to the city at once!”

“Any who disobey will be deemed rebels and executed on the spot!”

General Gao’s voice thundered across the battlefield.

The soldiers who had charged out froze in shock—

Then, in a mad panic, they scrambled back toward the city gates!

“Any who disobey will be deemed rebels and executed on the spot!”

Who would dare remain?

Before long, the Heavenly War Cavalry had decimated the bandits in relentless waves of charges.

The once-formidable Zheng Wuwei, who had attempted to flee the fastest, was speared through the heart by General Gao and fell dead on the spot.

As for Magistrate Lu, he lay flat on the ground, not daring to move a muscle—terrified that one of the Heavenly War Cavalry’s spears would run him through.

“Lu Ming, is it?”

Hearing someone call his name, Magistrate Lu, who had been playing dead, cautiously lifted his head.

Standing before him was an elderly man in simple robes.

Beside the elder stood a young woman draped in a light gauze dress.

“Imperial Preceptor, my lord! At last, you’ve arrived!”

“Had you been any later, these damned bandits would have turned Shanyang County into a living hell!”

Magistrate Lu burst into tears, wailing and pounding the ground in apparent anguish—

To an outsider, he might have truly seemed like a selfless and devoted official.

“A heartless official who sacrifices the innocent—you still have the gall to speak?”

At Qi Yuan’s cold rebuke, Magistrate Lu’s wailing faltered.

“Imperial Preceptor! This is a grave injustice! Someone must have framed me!”

“Everything I did was for the people of Shanyang County!”

Qi Yuan pointed at the bound constables nearby.

“Then explain—what about them?”

Magistrate Lu furrowed his brows.

“Among them were traitors who colluded with the bandits, throwing Shanyang County into chaos! I had no choice but to imprison them—yet the bandits came demanding their release!”

“I was forced to hand them over!”

“Oh?” Qi Yuan’s gaze turned to the captured women.

“And what about them?”

“They… they were the same! Colluding with the bandits!”

Before Magistrate Lu could finish his excuse—

Qi Yuan had already lost his patience.

He simply uttered one cold sentence:

“Kill him.”

Then, without another glance, he stepped past him and strode toward the city gates.

—Crack!

A sharp flash of cold steel—

The black gauze hat of an official tumbled to the ground—

Followed closely by a severed head, rolling away with eyes filled with unwillingness.

“All garrison soldiers, hear my command! Drop your weapons and open the gates!”

“The defense of Shanyang County will now be taken over by the Heavenly War Cavalry!”

“Any who resist—will be executed on the spot!”

After beheading Magistrate Lu, General Gao bellowed from atop the city wall before leading his forces to storm the gates.

With the county magistrate dead and the renowned Heavenly War Cavalry taking charge, the garrison troops—who had never intended to rebel—offered no resistance and promptly followed General Gao’s orders.

Over the next half a day, the Imperial Preceptor conducted a thorough investigation of Shanyang County.

With iron-fisted resolve, he executed some, punished others, and ordered General Gao to lead a campaign to eradicate any remaining bandit remnants.

At long last, the skies over Shanyang County began to clear.

A few notable events followed:

Zhao Quan, who had finally come to his senses, was spared from execution and retained his position as Head Constable. His only punishment was the forfeiture of ten years’ salary—a far lighter fate compared to those who lost their heads.

Mao Cuicui, freed after the seizure of the town’s gambling dens and brothels, started a small street food stall. She made a living while donating all her earnings to orphans and the poor.

She also planted flowers beneath an old tree, often visiting to talk to “Huang Yong”, even though her A’Yong was gone, she felt he had never truly left.