Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

At this moment, the boat that came to pick up Zhai Xingyuan slowly docked.

Dressed in simple clothes, Song Lixian stood at the bow of the boat, gazing gently at Zhai Xingyuan, as if all the noise and commotion in the world had nothing to do with her.

When Zhai Xingyuan saw her, a hint of surprise appeared on his face: "What are you doing here?"

Song Lixian parted her lips slightly, her smile as gentle as a spring breeze: "Husband, I heard yesterday that you were going to resign from your official post and retire into seclusion. I knew you would choose to leave by water, so I packed my things early and have been waiting here for a long time."

“I have already divorced you.” Zhai Xingyuan’s words carried a hint of helplessness.

Song Lixian pulled out a piece of paper from his sleeve, which was the letter of divorce. In front of Zhai Xingyuan, he gently tossed it, letting it drift in the wind and eventually disappear into the river.

"What about the letter of divorce? I've never received it, my husband. If it's true, you might as well write me another one now." Her words were firm, but without a trace of harshness.

"Do you know what you're doing?" A complex emotion flashed in Zhai Xingyuan's eyes. "I've already kept you away from all that trouble, why did you come back? Following me will surely lead to a life of hardship."

A resolute light shone in Song Lixian's eyes: "I know, but I'm not afraid of hardship, as long as I can be with you."

"You woman... you're really a headache." Zhai Xingyuan sighed.

Perhaps even he himself didn't realize that Song Lixian had already occupied an irreplaceable place in his heart.

Despite his harsh words, he always tried his best to protect her, even if it meant giving her a letter of divorce, all to keep her away from conflict and disaster.

As the boat slowly came to a stop, Song Lixian reached out her hand, a rare playfulness in her eyes: "Husband, let's face the sun and start a new life together." Her left eye blinked slightly, her smile bright and warm.

Zhai Xingyuan gazed at her, and the tangled emotions in his heart seemed to be released at this moment. He took a deep breath and held Song Lixian's hand tightly, as if grasping the most precious thing in his life.

At this moment, all grudges and resentments vanished, leaving only mutual trust and reliance.

In this turbid and evil world, perhaps only pure feelings are the most precious.

For Zhai Xingyuan, Song Lixian was not only a calamity in his life, but also the most precious gift that fate gave him; and for Song Lixian, wasn't it the same?

The bond between the two has long transcended simple love and hate, becoming an inseparable connection.

Zhai Xingyuan gazed intently at Zhou Qingfeng standing on the shore, and smiled slightly: "Zhou Silang, what I promised you will be delivered to you by someone after I leave the border of the Sword Tower. Well, the journey of the martial world is long, farewell."

Zhou Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, watching the boat leave the shore and gradually disappear along the two-and-a-half-minute river.

The match between Zhai Xingyuan and Zhou Qingfeng ended in a draw.

However, this does not mean it is completely over.

If Zhou Qingfeng can't kill him during the game, then he'll kill him outside of it.

After all, all compromises are for the sake of struggle; otherwise, compromise is just a disguised form of weakness and incompetence.

Sword Tower City, Censorate, Fifth Division of Plum Blossom Office, Main Office Hall.

Zhou Qingfeng sat in the tea room, sipping tea and looking at the top-secret files. These files were received the day after Zhai Xingyuan left the border by boat and headed east. The files contained a complete list of shareholders and their dividends, as well as accounts.

The remaining list contains only two people, both of whom are powerful officials in Jianta: one is Deputy Commander Zhuo of the city defense army, and the other is Deputy Commander Jiang of the Censorate.

The highest military commander of the city defense forces in the Sword Tower is the General, who is a high-ranking military officer. The highest military commander responsible for the defense of a castle or fortress is the Garrison General.

Although both Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhuo and Deputy Commander Jiang hold the title of deputy, in terms of actual power and real ability, the deputy is often more capable than the head.

Next, Zhou Qingfeng busied himself with defusing the "bomb" under his buttocks. He dragged his two older brothers, Ma and Mao, to secretly meet with Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhuo and Deputy Commander Jiang. After guaranteeing the accounts and lists and that Zhai Xingyuan would disappear forever, he successfully persuaded Zhuo and Jiang to sever ties with Zhai Xingyuan.

Meanwhile, three thousand miles away from Jianta, on a remote bamboo-lined official road, far from any village or shop.

The carriages and horses were all smashed, and blood stained the official road.

Song Li sat idly in a pool of blood, holding the critically wounded and dying Zhai Xingyuan.

Zhai Xingyuan originally thought that he could travel far away with his wife and start anew. After leaving the Sword Tower, he traveled by water and then by land, and then by airship, escaping all the way to a place three thousand miles away.

He thought he had escaped, but the danger was already brewing.

Bi Muge led thirteen peak-level cultivators of the Devouring Fiend Realm to ambush them on their way. Zhai Xingyuan, who was injured and had to protect his wife, was quickly beaten until his life palace was shattered and his turbid heart was also pierced.

Zhai Xingyuan had a bowl-sized wound near his heart, and his body was covered in injuries caused by the rules. The wounds bled continuously and could not heal on their own. His body of rules had almost been destroyed.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'll protect you." Song Lixian held Zhai Xingyuan's hand and hugged his lover tightly.

Zhai Xingyuan gazed weakly at her profile, coughing up blood incessantly: "I'm sorry, you're the person I owe the most in this life. I want to, I want to, make it up to you properly, but I, I, don't have time... in the next life..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhai Xingyuan's physical body, along with his two souls and seven spirits, turned into ashes with a bang. His first life was gone. Then, his life palace exploded and turned into starlight. His second life was gone too. Only his life soul survived. However, Bi Muge did not hesitate to swing his sword light. The purple sword light, carrying the power of the rules, completely obliterated Zhai Xingyuan.

"No~~~" Song Lixian cried out in anguish, tears streaming down his face. He knelt on the ground in a panic, frantically trying to pick up the scattered fragments of soul and ashes of flesh, but to no avail.

Bi Muge stood with his sword in hand, his expression incredibly complex. Killing his old classmate of many years with his own hands made him extremely sad, truly extremely sad. Humans are not plants or trees, how can they be truly heartless? Even if you raise a dog for more than ten years and then kill it with your own hands, you will feel sad, let alone a human.

But he chose this path himself. He turned his back on the Luo family gang and personally pushed them into the abyss of death. Now he has no way back. The only thing he can do is to give Zhai Xingyuan a quick death.

“Sister-in-law, since Lao Zhai has divorced you, this matter has nothing to do with you anymore. You could have left without a trace.”

"But if you insist on getting involved, then we can't let you stay."

Upon hearing this, Song Lixian knelt down, looked up at the sky, gave a bitter laugh, and grasped the soil mixed with the blood, flesh, ashes, and soul fragments of his lover. Then, without fear, he looked at Bi Muge and said sternly, "No need to trouble you!"

"Husband and wife share the same fate. Xingyuan is already dead, and I will never live on. Goodbye!" As soon as he finished speaking, Song Lixian disintegrated on the spot, his physical body turned into ashes, his life palace shattered, his cultivation completely dissipated, and his soul vanished into the world.

Upon seeing this, Bi Muge was stunned. He truly did not expect that Song Lixian, who seemed gentle and generous, could be so resolute in the face of life and death, committing suicide without hesitation. Even he could not do that.

"Master Bi, what do we do next?" a trusted subordinate asked, leaning closer.

Bi Muge was silent for a moment, then said, "Choose a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters, and bury the couple together."

The ground was covered with ashes and fragments of souls, which the men simply gathered together.

Bi Muge then buried the two of them on a misty mountaintop and erected a tombstone for them.

"Old Zhai, sister-in-law, I congratulate you on escaping this sea of ​​suffering and no longer being tormented by this evil world."

"This place is beautiful with clear waters and lush mountains, birds singing and flowers blooming. No one will bother you. I hope you are satisfied."

Bi Muge sat in front of the tombstone, talking nonsense to the two deceased old friends while weaving a wreath: "Actually, I never thought that one day I would kill you with my own hands. At first, I just wanted to take back what was rightfully mine and kill Che Yuxuan, that's all. But things never go as planned."

"I'm sorry things have come to this."

"I did not ask for your forgiveness."

"I have no right to ask for your forgiveness, I just want to talk to you."

"It seems like I can't find anyone else to say these things to but you."

"Old Zhai, sister-in-law, I have to go back to report. I'll come to see you when I have the chance."

Bi Muge placed the woven wreath in front of the two graves, then turned into a purple streak of light and flew at a constant speed towards the Sword Tower, with his thirteen trusted subordinates following behind in cyan streaks of light.

For safety, they maintained a steady speed and low altitude to avoid attracting the attention of powerful demons roaming the wilderness if they flew too high or too fast, which could lead to their complete annihilation.

"came back."

"Yes, Zhai Xingyuan was completely destroyed, and his wife Song Lixian committed suicide out of love, dismembering herself."

Zhou Qingfeng was reading a book when he heard Bi Muge's report. He stopped turning the page and felt a little sorry for Zhai and Song, but that was all.

Being kind to the enemy is cruel to yourself.

Since they are enemies, there is no right or wrong.

If I don't kill Zhai Xingyuan, then I'll be the one who dies in the future.

"Well done." Zhou Qingfeng looked down at his book, turned another page, and said, "Starting today, you will be acting as the deputy director, taking over Che Yuxuan's position. You will have to wait for the official appointment and dismissal documents from the City Lord's Mansion."

Bi Muge's face lit up with joy, and he clasped his hands in a salute: "Thank you for your guidance, Commander."

Zhou Qingfeng hummed in response, not even glancing at Bi Muge, and casually waved his hand.

Upon seeing this, Bi Muge bowed, clasped his hands in a fist salute, took a few steps back, turned around, and strode away from the tea room.

Is this the end of the matter?

Actually not.

Zhou Qingfeng still needs to give the higher-ups a perfect answer.

The next morning, as heavy snow fell, Zhou Qingfeng arrived at the inner courtyard of the city lord's mansion, in the warm pavilion.

"Mother, your son greets you." Zhou Qingfeng lifted his robe and kowtowed, respectfully offering his greeting.

Through a dense beaded curtain, the First Lady sat sideways on the heated couch, reading a new erotic book. She wore her unchanging white and gold robe nightgown, and her fair and delicate feet were bare.

"Get up, the ground is cold."

"Yes, mother."

"Si Lang, has the case of illicit liquor been investigated thoroughly?"

"Checked it out."

"Tell me about it," the First Lady's calm voice came through the beaded curtain.

Through the beaded curtain, Zhou Qingfeng could not read between the lines, so he could only answer honestly: "The mastermind behind the illicit liquor case is Zhai Xingyuan. I have ordered his execution. In addition, the list of officials who participated in the profit sharing of the illicit liquor, as well as the accounts, have been seized."

“There were too many officials involved, more than half of the high-ranking officials in the Sword Tower. I felt that if it were made public, the impact would be too great, and the Sword Tower might be in turmoil because of this. So I took the initiative to destroy all these accounts and lists. Moreover, I burned them one by one in secret meetings to put their minds at ease.”

First Lady: "Burned it all?"

Zhou Qingfeng clasped his hands in a salute: "Yes, they were all burned, not a single page was left."

At this point, Zhou Qingfeng changed the subject and took out a prepared report: "However, I have written down the names of all these people, and I would appreciate it if Mother could take a look."

The First Lady folded a page of the erotic book shut, stood up, and walked barefoot to the beaded curtain. She gently lifted the curtain and stepped out, her languid and elegant face meeting Zhou Qingfeng's gaze.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng immediately bowed his head and respectfully presented the report with both hands.

The First Lady looked at her son with a smile. She knew very well what her son had been doing behind her back. Since he was suppressing the news, she pretended not to see it and wanted to see how he would resolve the crisis. The result was quite satisfactory.

The First Lady extended her slender hand to take the report. Looking at the names and official titles written in the report, she circled around Zhou Qingfeng, smiling as she asked, "What do you think should be done with these people?"

Zhou Qingfeng answered every question like an honest student: "You can't move everything, but you can't leave it still either."

The First Lady closed the report with great interest, looking like a mother testing her son's homework: "Tell me about it."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng spoke eloquently: "Mother, more than half of the high-ranking officials are involved, and they are all high-ranking officials with real power. If we take action and kill them all, it will easily cause a huge backlash and cause a major internal strife within the Sword Tower. But if we do nothing and continue to let them leech off the Sword Tower, then the Sword Tower will only become weaker and weaker."

"In my opinion, when the Sword Tower's treasury is running out of money, we should pick one or two disobedient people from among them, find a decent crime to dismiss them from their posts, confiscate their property, and both replenish the treasury and eliminate the pests."

Upon hearing this, the First Lady was overjoyed and smiled as she reached out to pinch her son's cheek: "You cunning little devil, I'll do as you say. When I'm short of money, I'll just pick two disobedient ones and confiscate their property."

Zhou Qingfeng chuckled: "Mother is wise."

For Zhou Qingfeng, this was the best result he could achieve within his capabilities.

By compromising and backing down, signing a secret agreement, and then killing Zhai Xingyuan from the sidelines to eliminate a major threat, only the critically ill and dying Luo Bingyi remained. Helpless, the Luo family gang had essentially been declared officially extinct.

The high-ranking officials on the secret meeting list seemed to have helped suppress the matter for the high-ranking officials and dignitaries on the illicit liquor list, and also properly handled their relationship, so that they would not be targeted or suppressed by them.

Afterwards, he had a backup plan: he wrote down all the names on the list of ...

"Oh, right, Mother, there's something else I need to ask you about."

"what's up."