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Jinzhou City, in front of the teahouse.

Two constables suddenly turned back and walked directly to the arrogant merchant they’d interacted with earlier, “Niu Ben, were you trying to forcefully seize someone else’s teahouse just now?”

Niu Ben’s expression changed instantly, well aware that something had gone amiss. He hastily replied in a low voice, “Official, I had notified Sheriff Zhao from the County Government Office beforehand. 1 didn’t resort to illicit means. I was merely repossessing what was originally…”

But before Niu Ben could finish speaking, one of the constables drew his knife and used the blunt end to hit Niu Ben’s hand.

“I caution you to be careful with your words. Master Liang Jiasheng is a close friend of Sheriff Zheng. Would a friend of Master Jiasheng forcibly seize someone else’s property?”

Upon hearing Zheng Wanchun’s name from the constable, Niu Ben’s face turned pale instantly.

Zheng Wanchun?

He was an untouchable figure!

Niu Ben was quite influential in Jinzhou City and was well aware of who the real power brokers were. The Liang and Wu Families might still hold considerable sway, but they were essentially servants of the government office.

This was why he had been so deferential and respectful to the two constables, careful not to offend them in the least, and even more so to the Chief Constable of the County Government Office, Zheng Wanchun.

Immediately, they bowed and apologized to Zhang Rongjun and his son, offering several silver notes, then quickly turned and left without a word, not daring to linger.

Zhang Rongjun didn’t have the audacity to accept the silver notes. Just as he was about to chase after them, the two constables stopped him and gave Zhang Rongjun and his son a meaningful glance.

“Both of you can rest assured. Jinzhou City is a place of complete social order. No illegal activities will occur here.

When your business opens, we brothers will definitely come for a cup of tea.

We have patrol duties to attend to, so we’ll take our leave now.”

With that, they prepared to leave but Zhang Rongjun reacted and quickly followed them, offering the silver notes again, but the two constables adamantly refused to accept them.

Zhang Rongjun had no choice but to express his gratitude, “May I know your honorable names? Underlying gratitude will surely be shown in the future.”

The two constables responded with radiant smiles at his words. This was exactly the acknowledgement they had been waiting for.

“Wang Chao.”

“Ma Han.”

Liang Sheng’s Mansion.

Zhang Rongjun looked at Liang Sheng with admiration in his eyes. Liang Sheng couldn’t help but find it amusing that his reputation had proven useful.

He could only attribute this to his years of being kind and approachable to others, which had finally paid off.

However, he was genuinely a good person.

Therefore, Liang Sheng didn’t refuse Zhang Rongjun’s gratitude, nor did he probe deeper into the matter. With a laugh, he said:

“Solving problems is always a good thing. I wish Brother Rong prosperity and will visit the teahouse for a cup of tea when time permits.”

“Of course. Today 1 am indebted to Brother Sheng. Otherwise, my wish to settle back home would have been wishful thinking.”

As he spoke, the atmosphere turned sentimental. The desire to return home signified the limited time left, and the many regrets in life.

Liang Sheng didn’t want to indulge in sorrow, so he quickly broke the gloomy mood and had the servants prepare food and drinks to enjoy with Zhang Rongjun and his son.

Perhaps due to the day’s ups and downs, Zhang Rongjun and his son drank liberally. In no time at all, both were somewhat intoxicated.

“In my life, the best decision I made was to befriend you, Brother Sheng. Everything else is but fleeting clouds on the wind.”

“Brother Rong, you’ve had too much to drink. Someone, bring Brother Rong’s servants in to take him home.”

Once the inebriated father and son of the Zhang Family were sent away, Liang Sheng returned to his room. His eyes were clear, showing no signs of intoxication.

Today’s events felt rather fresh to him, somewhat out of the ordinary, but they also served as a reminder to him—that no matter how discreet he attempted to remain, he was inevitably drawn into the disputes of human relations.

Only if he ceased to “exist”, could he possibly break free from the cause and effect linked to the name, Liang Sheng. With such thoughts in mind, his gaze grew distant.

It seems he still has much to plan for.

J inshan Temple.

At the same time as Liang Sheng was reflecting upon himself, Liang Ying had settled into a guest room at Jinshan Temple. Perhaps it was due to chanting the Buddhist Scripture, but he genuinely felt like his mind had quietened down.

In the eight consecutive years, he had been treading on thin ice, every day feeling like a year had passed. The closer he got to Xia Zhiqiu, the more fear he felt.

He couldn’t comprehend how a person of such stature could simply stay put in Jinzhou City as a mere county magistrate?

Years had passed and in many occasions, he reflected on that year’s circumstances, but the conclusion he came to made him wryly smile.

Their ancestor deserved his fate, and it was destined that the Liang and Wu families would face defeat. After all, what is there to do if one becomes a pawn without knowing?

The more truths he realized, the more fear he felt. But being in Jinshan Temple today, he felt as if he was finally free of shackles, allowing him to experience a moment of tranquility.

However, he still had to carry out the task given to him earnestly by Zheng Wanchun. Even though he only knew some basic details, he was still prepared to give his all.

Liang Ying took a moment to ponder on his plans for the next day, confirmed there were no mistakes, before going to bed hoping for a good outcome.

Early the next morning, Liang Ying got up, hearing a faint sound of chanting scriptures, he couldn’t help but stretch his arms.

Last night had been the soundest sleep he had in a while.

As if aimlessly wandering around, he left his room, greeted by Sramanera Bhikkhu monks praising him as a layman from time to time.

Before long he heard the distant sounds of people practicing martial arts, stirring his curiosity, he decided to follow the sounds.

Unconsciously he had arrived at the Discipline Hall, but before he could go in to investigate, someone called out to him.

“Excuse me, layman, please stop. This location is a crucial Buddhist site. Outsiders are not permitted to enter. Please understand,” a voice insisted.

Liang Ying, of course, did not force his way in and followed the other person’s wishes. But upon turning his head, he felt that the voice was strangely familiar. Surprised, he uttered lightly, “Brother Qi!?”

The person was none other than Liang Qi. When the Liang and Wu families had their marital alliance, Liang Ying got married to the prime daughter of the Wu family, while Liang Qi was also chosen to marry into the Wu family.

Later on, due to a dalliance with a prostitute, Liang Qi renounced worldly life. After the incident of annihilating the Gao family occurred, Liang Qi was gradually forgotten by the Liang family.

He never anticipated a reunion here, which reminded Liang Ying about Liang Qi, who had sadly lost to him and in turn, lost the chance to become the patriarch.

What delighted Liang Ying was that Liang Qi had made a breakthrough to the Postnatal Sevenfold realm, successfully stepping into the high-level martial arts.

If he could get him to rejoin the Liang Family, it will undoubtedly increase the strength of the family. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel even more delighted.

Yet, the next words out of Liang Qi’s mouth felt equivalent to a bucket of cold water dousing him. The Liang family was the one that had wronged Liang Qi; how could he easily let go of his grudges?

“Layman, there is no Liang Qi in this world anymore, just a faithful monk named Hongzhi, who respectfully greets you. This place is an important part of the Discipline Hall, please do not intrude without permission,” he said.

Upon finishing, Hongzhi walked straight past Liang Ying, directly entering the Discipline Hall without affording Liang Ying a chance to speak.

Liang Ying opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. Was this retribution for the Liang family? To have such a master but not be able to make use of him.

Thinking of this, all Liang Ying could do was wryly smile.

They were all unfortunate predestinations!