Xue Shi sat clutching the sacred image of Confucius before the main gates of the marquis’s compound. He was not alone — the great master of calligraphy and painting, Ou Luozhong, was also there, as was the veteran General Ning Dashun, along with the Duke of the Duke’s household and other persons of standing and renown. Most significantly, ringing around them all were layer upon layer of ordinary common people.

They had blocked every approach to the compound.

“Xue, the Academy Headmaster, please stand aside. This is the sacred will — do not make things difficult for us.” The imperial guard commander Xiao An urged, his head aching.

“The sacred will? This old man suspects some demon or malevolent spirit has gotten its claws into the sacred person and is forcing him to issue such a heaven-defying so-called sacred will — otherwise, why would a good person be treated like a criminal, daring to make an enemy of every soul under heaven? The man is young, not stupid!” Xue Shi spoke in a loud, carrying voice. “Everyone knows that the dreaded corpse-poison plague was neutralized thanks to the Immortal Lang, who led the effort and developed the antidote. If not for her, never mind you, young Xiao — even you lot, and all of us, would have ended up as those walking corpses — those vile, plague-ridden shades! A person of such immense merit and virtue, and she is slapped with the label of demon cultivator — if the sacred person hasn’t been bound and coerced, how could he speak with his eyes wide open and see nothing? It must be someone exploiting his youth and inexperience, fabricating slander and feeding it to him.”

The common people could not follow all of this, but they felt it sounded reasonable and nodded their heads in vigorous agreement.

Those who could follow were inwardly amused — scholars, when they insulted people, were truly vicious. Xue Shi had even dared to insult the emperor.

Xiao An’s voice turned firm. “Xue Shi, making a scene and being unreasonable will accomplish nothing. And do not implicate the innocent.”

“The entire household behind me — those are the innocent ones. If I do not speak for them, who will? And if one day those of us who are innocent are similarly surrounded and besieged as demon spirits, who then will speak for us? Tell me — what have the Lang Family members done wrong? If it is truly said that the Immortal Lang has been subject to body-seizure, then the Lang Family are mere ordinary people — how were they to know? How could they have guarded against it? If anything, they are victims themselves, and all the more reason they should not be arrested and thrown into prison.”

Lang Zhengping rushed over in time to hear these words, and nearly lost his composure completely — tears nearly broke through. This was the fruit of the kindness she had shown others; the bonds of goodwill she had cultivated had all come back to her in this moment.

“For Xue Shi’s righteousness, I offer my humble gratitude.” He gathered his robes solemnly and made a deep bow toward Xue Shi. Lang Caimeng, standing at his side, also bowed respectfully.

Xue Shi rose to his feet and spoke in a resonant voice: “Marquis, please set your mind at ease. The world has its own set of scales in every human heart, and people’s eyes are bright and clear. As to what is right and who is loyal, others will speak up to vindicate her.”

“I understand perfectly.” Lang Zhengping bowed once more. “My Lang Family — though our sons and daughters have achieved no great distinction — can claim to be a lineage of loyal and upright subjects across many generations. We can face heaven and earth with clear consciences. As for the saying ‘if one wishes to condemn someone, one can always find a pretext’ — our Lang Family has spent these last two years quietly keeping to ourselves and observing the mourning period, and even from that, we have managed to cultivate this disaster. We do not submit — but this is likely fate. Fate has decreed this tribulation for us.”

His voice was full of helplessness and sorrow. Many who heard him felt their hearts trembling uneasily — the saying about how the hunting dogs are cooked once the hunt is over rang in their minds. A low-profile household quietly observing mourning — and even they could suddenly face a catastrophe of this magnitude. What then of ordinary commoners, or the powerful figures currently serving at court?

That blade of the guillotine — who knew when it might fall on one of their own heads?

Many faces showed expressions of grief and bewilderment.

Lang Zhengping said: “For Xue Shi’s righteousness — I and the Lang Family receive it deep in our hearts. Please go back now. Do not suffer entanglement in our troubles. If that day should ever come… simply pour a cup of wine in our memory.”

Someone’s heart broke with cold desolation, and they began to weep.

Xue Shi’s expression turned urgent. “Marquis…”

“Xue Shi need say nothing more. Please go — all of you, please go.” Lang Zhengping waved his hand.

Xiao An felt something shift inside him, an unease he could not name. “Marquis, we are only following orders. I, Xiao An, can guarantee — as long as your household conducts itself peaceably, I will ensure that not one hair on the head of anyone in your estate is harmed.”

Lang Zhengping let out a cold laugh: “Our going does not mean my Lang Family is guilty, nor that my Lang clan’s ninth daughter is a demon cultivator. We comply only to spare more innocent people from being dragged into this. To think of our Lang Family’s ninth daughter — she exterminated demon evil, treated the plague, saved living beings, accumulating boundless merit and virtue — and yet she can still be branded a demon cultivator. What justice is this? How utterly absurd is this world?”

“Marquis…”

Xiao An still wanted to say more, when abruptly a clamor rose in the distance and drew rapidly closer, until it arrived right before them.

Everyone looked, and saw it was another company of imperial guards bringing people in. At their head was the deputy commander Li Chengzhang — who happened to be the beloved son-in-law of the Lu Family. His brother-in-law Lu Ruiting, who had died during the corpse-poison plague crisis, had been his wife’s elder brother.

“Everyone’s here — perfect, take them all away together.” Li Chengzhang regarded Xue Shi and the others with cold disdain. “By imperial decree, any who dares to obstruct the imperial guards from carrying out their duties shall be regarded as a co-conspirator in league with the demon cultivator. All are to be imprisoned and await sentencing. Men — arrest them.”

The moment he finished speaking, guards surged forward to seize Xue Shi, Ou Luozhong, and even the common people.

The sudden turn of events left everyone dumbstruck.

They had just been speaking of how the hunting dogs get cooked once the hunt is over — but none of them had imagined the guillotine would drop this quickly. They had barely been here any length of time, had done nothing — merely spoken a few words before the Lang Family gates — and were already being seized as co-conspirators. Was this not sheer child’s play?

This transparent targeting was clearly premeditated — a single stroke to sever all of Lang Jiuchuan’s supporters and allies at once.

Xue Shi grew so agitated he tore through his own sleeve, cursing the tyrant emperor and cursing Li Chengzhang as a lackey, using every vile word he knew.

Li Chengzhang had his men stuff something in the old man’s mouth to silence him, then turned to look at Xiao An, sneering coldly: “Commander Xiao received his orders long ago, yet here he still stands outside the Lang estate. What — is he waiting for this demon cultivator’s family to finish their makeup before they come out? If Xiao’s heart is too soft, it would be better to remove that suit of armor early and let someone capable fill it — stop occupying a position without doing the job.”

The death of his wife’s elder brother had made Li Chengzhang’s wife loathe Lang Jiuchuan with bitter hatred — and loathe her still more for meddling and helping that madwoman Wen Yue expose Lu Ruiting’s fondness for men, so that her own face had suffered along with it.

As the saying goes: love me, love my dog. He naturally wished to make the Lang Family’s lives a living hell — the better to vent a grievance on behalf of his wife’s family.

Xiao An’s face went dark. “Deputy Commander Li had best be a little more careful. Xue Shi is the Headmaster of the Luning Academy, and Elder Ou is a grandmaster of painting and calligraphy. If either of them is harmed, never mind the Xue and Ou families refusing to let the matter rest — it would be to make an enemy of every scholar in the realm. At that point, even the Lu Family won’t be able to protect you.”

Li Chengzhang’s expression flickered briefly, but he quickly recovered his composure. “I am simply following orders. Besides, this is a matter of capturing demon cultivator rebels and upholding righteousness for all living beings — what possible fault is there in that? As for the people from those two families, other colleagues of mine will go and bring them in. Not one shall be spared.”

Xiao An’s face changed color entirely. Connected culpability — the emperor had truly gone mad. Disregarding all consequence like this — was he really not afraid of driving people to rebellion?

“Go in. Bring them out.” Li Chengzhang pushed past him and went first to seize Lang Zhengping and his son.

Before his hand had even touched Lang Zhengping, a killing aura struck him — his wrist erupted in fierce, stabbing pain, and an icy cold drilled into his very marrow. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything before him seemed to blur, and both father and son were gone — flung into the interior of the compound by some unseen force!

“I would like to see who dares to act!” Fuqi threw open his entire aura of killing intent and regarded everyone with frigid eyes. “If you want to lay hands on the Lang Family, have the dog-emperor come himself!”

Li Chengzhang was struck full by his killing aura. Ice-cold to the bone. It was as though his very soul had been frozen solid. His eyes filled with terror; he stumbled back two steps and pointed at Fuqi: “What did you do to me? You actually dare to defy the imperial edict — it is clear the Lang Family truly harbors treasonous intent! You are all rebels — seize them, seize all of them! By imperial decree, anyone who resists is to be cut down on the spot!”