Martial Star Ocean - Chapter 17 Shedding All Pretenses

Chapter 17 – Shedding All Pretenses

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As county commander Zheng Longxing heard these words, he actually started to gloat over the misfortune of others. “Hey, county deputy Zhou, there is no need to be so impatient. Allow county registrar Feng to finish speaking first. The innocent are innocent and the guilty are guilty, so what do you have to fear from county registrar Feng?”

The words that Zhou Wu spoke just now had been fully delivered back to him by Zheng Longxing.

Zhou Wu was so angry that his body shook.

He never dreamed that this Feng Yuanxing who had always been obedient and so docile that he seemed weak, would actually betray him in such a critical moment and twist such a sharp knife into his body…what a poisonous snake, he had actually been fooled by him all this time!

Li Mu smiled, with an expression on his face that indicated these people didn’t need to mind him.

What an amusing scene. Li Mu felt as if he were watching a great play unfold before him.

The little Ming Yue had no mind to pay attention to the treacherous backstabbing actions of these county heads.

She drooled so much that she finally couldn’t help herself. She took several large barbed arrows herself and cut off slices of meat from the green python to roast.

As for the young boy attendant Qing Feng, he had a pensive look on his face, as if he were thinking over something. He looked just like a little adult.

Feng Yuanxing knelt on the ground. He didn’t dare to stand up. Drops of sweat flowed down his forehead.

Even though he had always been a clever and resourceful man, he still couldn’t make out what this lord county magistrate Li Mu was thinking of through his posture.

He originally thought that after hearing this report, this easily angered and impulsive lord county magistrate would surely fly into a blazing rage and utterly destroy Zhou Wu and Zheng Longxing. This was because from what had occurred today at the Divine Orchard Gang, this young county magistrate surely had an impulsive personality.

But, Li Mu’s reaction had left him faithless. Fear began to rise.

More footsteps echoed out.

Ma Junmo brought in a doctor from the medical hall to help heal Li Mu.

This doctor was over 40 years of age and he had a slim and slender appearance. He had seen Li Mu last time in the medical hall. At that time, his heart had been filled with anger and numbness, near despair for how the world worked around him. But at this time, as he looked at Li Mu, his gaze was filled with worship and fanaticism.

He couldn’t believe that this young lord county magistrate had single-handedly annihilated the Divine Orchard Gang and taken revenge for all the injured people from the medical hall.

With Li Mu’s consent, the doctor examined his wounds. He was left surprised, and his admiration grew even greater.

The arrow had pierced through bone. If it were anyone else, they would have likely fainted from pain already, but Li Mu actually calmly sat here and ate barbecue with a completely unaffected expression. Truly, this was an extraordinary man who knew how to manage great events.

“My lord, before I bandage the wound I must pull out the arrow. It may hurt a little, so please endure the pain.” The doctor began to carefully clean up the pieces of flesh and bone near the entry point of the arrow.

“Oh.” Li Mu nodded. “I can do it myself.”

Li Mu grabbed the large barbed arrow and directly tore it out.

Pa!

With a sharp sound, an arrow of blood shot out and splashed onto the kneeling Feng Yuanxing, horrifying him so much that he took several steps backwards. Panic filled his face, but Li Mu didn’t glance at him at all.

After Li Mu drew out the barbed arrow, he reached over and wiped it clean using the clothes that covered Sikong Jin’s corpse. Then, with unnerving calm and composure, he strung more snake meat on the barbed arrow and started to roast it.

“Can you bandage it now?” He took several bites before turning to the bewildered doctor who looked as if he had seen ghosts come to life. He smiled, saying, “That’s right, would you like to have a few strips of snake meat first? It’s quite delicious.”

“N-n-no thank you…my lord truly is a divine man.”

The doctor came to his thoughts. As he looked at Li Mu, his gaze was even more zealous than before, as if he were looking at a living god. He quickly began to bandage Li Mu’s wound.

As for Zhou Wu and Zheng Longxing, their hearts shivered as they saw this.

Shit. This young county magistrate was definitely a ruthless man.

That barbed arrow had spikes all around it. By tearing it out, flesh and blood followed and the wound became a giant bloody hole. Yet, Li Mu tore it out without even batting an eye. This person’s will and ruthlessness were far too terrifying. How could this person live under the control of others? If they knew about this beforehand they would have joined forces to deal with Li Mu instead of stabbing each other in the back like this.

The two men looked at each other, troubled in their hearts.

They were now filled with regrets.

A moment later.

Li Mu’s wound was bandaged.

He stood up, patted his stomach and sighed in satisfaction. “That was great. It feels good to eat my fill.”

He looked over towards the green python corpse, of which 90% still remained. He looked at the young attendant Ming Yue and said, “That’s enough. You little glutton, stop eating. Find several people and bring the python to the County Administrative Hall. It is enough to eat for many days…remember, carefully store it in the icehouse so that it doesn’t start rotting.”

“Okay, okay, okay…” Ming Yue’s small belly was already filled to the point of bursting, but she still continued to greedily eat.

It was only after this little glutton finished eating another strip of meat that she stood up, satisfied. Her pale and little hands wiped her mouth and she laughed as she beckoned Ma Junmo over. Dozens of county guards assisted in lifting the giant green python and bringing it outside.

Li Mu patted Qing Feng’s shoulder. He said, “You go too. That little girl is too careless, I can’t feel relieved if she’s by herself.”

Qing Feng hesitated for a moment. He looked over Li Mu to make sure there weren’t any problems remaining. Then, just as he opened his mouth and was about to say a few more things, Li Mu waved his hand, indicating that he already knew and there was nothing left to say. Finally, Qing Feng left the medical hall together with the doctor.

The bright afternoon light shined down into the cave courtyard. It was like swords of silver light were stabbing into the cave, illuminating the fluttering dust and rock.

Within the entire cave, the only ones left over were Li Mu, as well as Feng Yuanxing, Zhou Wu, Zheng Longxing, and the troops they brought here.

Li Mu slowly sat back down in the stone chair. He lifted the strange white bow from Sikong Jin’s corpse and began to play with it. Then, he also took the 20 barbed arrows and stabbed them into the ground. It was only now that he looked up and asked, “During this time, who was the bastard moving behind my back and trying to undermine me?”

Ah?

Whether it was Zhou Wu or Zheng Longxing, both of them were left stunned.

What left them stunned wasn’t Li Mu’s question, but the tone and posture when he asked it.

This feeling didn’t seem it belonged to a mighty and aloof county magistrate, but to a local thug who was beaten up on the streets and looking for revenge after being rescued.

“This is…” Zhou Wu’s expression was difficult to look at.

As for Zheng Longxing, he remained silent on the side. He didn’t try to fan the flames or take advantage of someone when they were down.

He already realized that today’s situation was quite dangerous. Although he wanted to kill Zhou Wu many times before, if he were to continue trying to tear down Zhou Wu now, then he would be the idiot here. In fact, it was best to secretly join forces with Zhou Wu to deal with the threat from this young county magistrate.

“You bastards. You dare to do it but not admit it? What a bunch of special morons!” Li Mu sneered.

Then, he looked at Feng Yuanxing and asked, “What you said just now, is all of it true?”

Feng Yuanxing looked as if he had been pardoned from a capital crime. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said, “I am willing to guarantee the truth of my words with my life.”

“Haha, county registrar Feng, you should reconsider your words and reply again. Your life already doesn’t have much value left.” Zhou Wu said, grimly sneering. At this time, his hatred towards this Feng Yuanxing who had betrayed him even surpassed the hatred he felt towards his old enemy Zheng Longxing. And even while he was caught in a rage, he was still aware that no matter how unwilling he was, he needed to collaborate with Zheng Longxing to overcome this crisis.

“That’s right. County registrar Feng, you should figure out just what you are saying and what your words mean.” County commander Zheng Longxing said, his complexion dark. The threat behind his words was evident.

Li Mu smiled. “You bastards, you still dare to put on a front before me…in fact, let me tell you something, I am already sick of talking to you two stupid clowns. I am utterly disgusted by you both.”

Zhou Wu and Zheng Longxing coldly coughed and they also straightened up. Their groveling smiles towards Li Mu disappeared.

They had already determined that giving in and admitting their guilt wouldn’t solve their problem.

Although the two of them didn’t speak to each other about this, their many years of struggling against each other actually allowed them to form a tacit agreement. They had long since decided to join together to resist Li Mu.

But Li Mu didn’t bother with them. He looked at Feng Yuanxing, playing with an arrow as he carefully asked, “You, speak. Colluding with the Divine Orchard Gang, harming the innocent, scheming to murder me…according to the laws of the empire, what is the punishment for these crimes?”

“The punishment is death.” Feng Yuanxing slowly said, firming his determination.

As these four words came out, Zhou Wu and Zheng Longxing’s complexion changed.

This trash Feng Yuanxing, he really chose to go down the blackest road.

“Surname Feng, you are quite good. We will slowly settle this account in the future.” Zheng Longxing said, his eyes vicious.

He was already calculating what would happen after today’s matters. He would look for a chance and teach that family-less Feng Yuanxing just how to write the word death.

Zhou Wu didn’t speak. He only laughed several times.

Those familiar with him would know that Zhou Wu would only reveal such an expression when his anger and killing intent had reached the extreme.

“You two little mice, do you have anything else left to say?” Li Mu looked at the two county heads.

Zhou Wu and Zheng Longxing both coldly humphed. With things having reached this step, they no longer felt any awe, nor were they afraid that Li Mu would really kill them. In fact, they didn’t even need to maintain any pretenses anymore.

“Lord Li, since today’s matters have already ended, I ask to be excused.” Zhou Wu vaguely said.

“I also have matters to attend to. Lord Li should slowly clean up the aftermath here.” Zheng Longxing sneered.

The two of them were already pondering how they could join forces to resist Li Mu’s momentum once they returned. No matter how strong Li Mu was, he didn’t have any foundation in Alabaster County City. He was but a single person, and if he wanted to rely on his bravery and singular strength to confront the forces and strength that the two of them had built up over 20 years, they would see just how far he could go.

Li Mu also nodded. “Okay. Since the two of you want to go, I won’t stop you.”

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