'This kid… is truly terrifying!' Zhao Wenzhao thought, a bitter smile on his face. 'Not only is his strength astonishing, enough to clash with experts from the sects, but his schemes are also brilliant. He doesn't look like a young man in his twenties at all. Even an old fox in his fifties or sixties… probably wouldn't be a match for him. Thankfully, I didn't make the wrong choice. Otherwise, would my fate have been any better than Wei Feng's down there?'
The same thought occurred to Sun Yunpeng, who was standing beside them. He was a bit more composed, however, and glanced at Xu Ji with a hint of envy. 'If my East Sea had even half of Xu Luo's skill,' he thought, 'I could finally rest easy!'
"Master Xu Luo... No, Master Luo... My lord, my ancestor... I'm begging you, let them go... They're all innocent... Please, let them go... I'll agree to any condition you name!"
Wei Feng was a boneless heap on the ground, a wretched mess, weeping uncontrollably. What was left of his former might?
"A golden sash yesterday, a prisoner today..." The saying was a perfect fit for Wei Feng.
"Innocent? Then tell me, who deserves to die? Those soldiers? Do they not have families? Relatives? Friends? Parents who love them? Wives waiting for them to return in triumph? Children eagerly awaiting their father's return, looking up to him as a hero? Were they all born from a stone?"
The smile vanished from Xu Luo's face. His voice turned ice-cold, and his eyes blazed with intense fury. "Are *they*... not innocent?"
"And another thing. How many utterly depraved things has your Wei Family done over the years? Are you telling me you don't know? Do you need a reminder? Let them go? They may not have participated much in your evil deeds, but they reaped the rewards. Since they shared in your splendor and riches, they must also share the burden of your crimes!"
Xu Luo cursed coldly, then looked at Wei Feng, who was lying on the ground like a puddle of filth. "But rest assured, I won't kill all of them. After all, I'm not like you."
"Thank you, Master Luo! Thank you, Master Luo!" Wei Feng kowtowed ceaselessly.
"Wait, I'm not finished." Xu Luo looked at the man before him. By now, his anger had subsided. The once-unbeatable Wei Feng had been brought this low; it was what he deserved. Xu Luo couldn't be bothered to mock him any further.
He said coolly, "Among them, anyone who has broken the law will be severely punished. I will show no mercy. As for the women and children who truly didn't know your status, I will do my best to help them find decent new husbands. Heh, twenty years from now, those children will never know their biological father was once the most powerful minister in all of Cangqiong!"
Xu Luo added, glancing calmly at Wei Feng, "As for those who knew who you were... Heh, let's just hope they know what's good for them."
Xu Luo didn't elaborate, but everyone understood. If any of them harbored thoughts of revenge, they would be met with a thunderous reprisal.
Wei Feng swayed, tears streaming down his face. With a GAG, he spat out a mouthful of blood, but still managed a wretched smile. "This... is already the best possible outcome. Thank you, Master Luo!"
"Don't thank me. Since you've already confessed your guilt, go and write your formal confession. I imagine a man of your literary talents won't need any guidance, correct?" Xu Luo asked.
"I don't." Wei Feng seemed as though his soul had been ripped out, leaving him little more than a walking corpse.
Xu Luo shrugged at the three men on the dais. "I hope you gentlemen don't mind me overstepping."
Xu Ji glared at his son and said sternly, "Stop messing around. Since you're so capable, you might as well preside over the next few cases too!"
Zhao Wenzhao chimed in with a wide smile, "The Second Young Master truly lives up to his reputation. I am most impressed!"
Sun Yunpeng also smiled benevolently. "I've heard East Sea mention you many times. It seems the world of tomorrow truly belongs to the young."
For two great ministers, both of whom had ranked among the Nine Ministers since the previous emperor's reign, to be lavishing praise on a young man was unheard of. If word of this got out, it would surely stun countless people.
But anyone who had actually witnessed the day's events knew in their hearts that such praise... was far too modest for Xu Luo.
In all of Cangqiong... what other person his age could possibly compare to him?
"Alright, alright, my lords, don't praise this brat anymore, or his head will get too big!" Xu Ji said, pursing his lips in a show of sternness.
Zhao Wenzhao and Sun Yunpeng were both cunning old foxes; how could they fail to see that while Xu Ji's words were humble, he was bursting with pride on the inside? It was a pity for them that he had every right to be proud. All they could do was stare on in envy.
Xu Luo nodded. "You two gentlemen praise me too highly. This junior has only done what he could. It is nothing worthy of such accolades."
Sun Yunpeng laughed heartily. "My good nephew, no need to be so modest. If everyone could accomplish such things, the world would have been at peace long ago!"
Zhao Wenzhao added, "My good nephew's mind is meticulous and his methods are decisive. I agree that entrusting the next few cases to you would be the best course of action."
Xu Ji stood by, a reserved smile on his face. When others valued Xu Luo, he, as his father, was always the happiest one of all.
...
Before his execution, Wei Ziting strongly requested to see Xu Luo one last time. When Xu Luo received the message, he thought for a moment and agreed.
The Little Fatty wanted to go with Xu Luo, eager for a chance to humiliate Wei Ziting, but Xu Luo stopped him.
"Why bother bickering with a dying man? He's just a pitiful creature now."
The Little Fatty thought about it and realized Xu Luo had a point. Wei Ziting probably had no idea that his father, the man who once held immense power over the court, had dozens of illegitimate children.
When he met Wei Ziting in the dungeon, they faced each other in silence for a long time.
Xu Luo had food and wine brought for Wei Ziting, delivered from the finest restaurant in the Imperial Capital.
Wei Ziting's hands trembled slightly as he raised a cup of wine and downed it in one gulp. He closed his eyes, savoring the taste for a long moment before sighing in contentment. "This is delicious! I never realized before..."
With that, Wei Ziting grabbed a roast chicken, tore off a drumstick, and began to eat ravenously, like a beggar who hadn't seen food in three days.
"Amazing!" After a few bites of meat and another large swig of wine, Wei Ziting exclaimed. "Maybe this is the life I really wanted all along... It's a shame I realized it too late."
Xu Luo looked up at Wei Ziting and asked, "If you had a chance to do it all over again, would you make a different choice?"
A flicker of hope sparked in Wei Ziting's eyes, only to dim a moment later. He shook his head with a bitter smile. "No. I am who I am. This sort of unrefined, coarse life was just a secret longing deep down. The education I received since I was a child... would never have allowed me to live this way."
Wei Ziting took a few more bites, then sighed deeply. He set down his bowl and chopsticks, leaned back against the dungeon wall, and looked at Xu Luo intently. "At first, I despised you. I thought you were nothing but trash. Then, you found the Seven-Colored Light for Huangfu Shishi... I still told myself it was just luck. I couldn't accept it. I refused to accept it. In terms of family background, I was superior to you. In terms of both civil and martial accomplishments, I was also superior. So why...? Why were you the one standing on the Star Altar? Why... were you the one who won the Princess's favor?"
"Later, you emerged like a dark horse, suddenly shining with a brilliant light, becoming a rising star... Even then, I refused to accept it. I thought you were just relying on your mother's connection to her sect to get some Elixir that changed your constitution..."
'If I had been given that kind of Elixir,' I thought at the time, 'I would surely be a hundred times stronger than you!'
"I tried everything I could to kill you—in the Southern region, in the north, and oh, right, at Black Wind Town in the very beginning... There wasn't a moment I didn't want you erased from my sight. But as it turns out, I was the biggest fool of all."
"Right up to the very end, I failed to see it. We were already living in completely different worlds..."
Wei Ziting poured all of this out in one breath. It was the first time he had ever bared his soul to Xu Luo, the thorn in his side, and it would also be the last. For some reason, the moment he learned he was to be executed, his strongest emotion wasn't fear, but an intense desire to see Xu Luo.
Perhaps even he didn't understand what drove this intense desire to see Xu Luo. After all, Wei Ziting had always been an incredibly proud man. Why would he give his enemy the chance to humiliate him?
Xu Luo remained silent. He too had once hated Wei Ziting with a burning intensity, had even wanted to kill him. But now, just as Wei Ziting said, the two of them... were truly no longer in the same world.
That once bone-deep hatred had, naturally, faded.
"Xu Luo, tell me the truth. All of your abilities... was it really because of that one Elixir your mother brought back from her sect?" Wei Ziting asked suddenly after a long silence.
Xu Luo shook his head gently. "That has nothing to do with it. But I can't tell you the real reason."
Wei Ziting nodded. "I understand. It's just as I thought... If a single Elixir from a sect could create an expert like you, then wouldn't any random disciple from that sect have the power to destroy the world? Heh... Xu Luo, even though we're enemies, I thank you. For coming to see me in my final moments, I have no more regrets."
Xu Luo gave Wei Ziting one last, deep look, sighed, then stood and turned to leave.
The Wei Family was finished. As the crimes committed by Wei Feng and the entire Wei Clan were brought to light, one by one, the family's downfall was expected by all.
In the end, Wei Ziting could not escape the executioner's blade. Even if Xu Luo had wanted to spare him, too many people hated him to the very bone.
Leng Mengde was also beheaded, and the rest of the Leng Family was exiled...
Leng Mengde had brought about his own demise. In front of all the nobles of the Imperial Capital, he had tried to force the emperor's yellow robe onto Xu Ji. If such a man were not executed, the Royal Family would have no dignity left to speak of.
The tumultuous palace coup finally came to a close with the thunderous collapse of the once-mighty Wei Family's Civil Servant Group.