coobybook Chapter 6 The Order to Defend the Morality
Chapter 6 The Order to Defend the Morality
The south is poor and the north is lowly. The southern area, which is under the jurisdiction of the Qingcheng Sect, is mostly inhabited by craftsmen and laborers.
Dragging along her reluctant junior sister, Fei Xi led Ji Zhongxuan and several other junior brothers to Lulu Hutong in the south.
The Qingcheng Sect has a total of 30 sect disciple tokens, the Xuehai Academy has 40, and the Pili Fortress has 80.
The Sect Disciple's Token, also known as the Defender of the Righteous Path Token, is a certificate bestowed by Lu Wenhe, the founding emperor of the Hua Dynasty, upon various martial arts sects to uphold the righteous path. Within the sect's territory, with the special permission of the emperor, all disputes, large and small, are to be mediated by the sect's disciples. To prevent martial arts practitioners from abusing their power, sect disciples are strictly forbidden from harming ordinary people who do not know martial arts. If a civilian is involved in a murder case and the evidence is conclusive, the sect disciple can escort them to the government for prosecution. However, if a sect disciple harms an ordinary person, at best their personal Defender of the Righteous Path contribution points will be cleared, at worst their Defender of the Righteous Path Token will be revoked, and the murderer will be severely punished according to the national law.
The Guardian Token is not only a token used by sect disciples to accumulate Guardian Points during their Guardian duties, but also a symbol of their identity. Besides the fixed patrol points earned during Guardian duties, providing clues or apprehending notorious bandits, wanted criminals, or womanizers within their jurisdiction will earn them generous Guardian Point rewards. The government will also periodically issue various tasks to earn Guardian Points, such as bandit suppression, escort missions, or guard duties. However, regardless of the type of task, a Guardian Token is required to accept it.
The Guardian Token can be held by any sect or individual, but the points will only be recorded under the token holder's name. The size of a sect can be roughly inferred from the number of Guardian Tokens it holds.
The Defender of the Righteous Path was provided by the imperial court to martial arts practitioners. Initially, the number was determined based on the contributions of various sects on the battlefields of the Great War of Defending the Nation.
However, less than two years after the edict was implemented, some people protested, saying that some sects no longer had disciples and holding so many Defender Tokens was a waste. After various discussions and deliberations, the 11 top sects unanimously agreed that a martial arts tournament would be held every three years. The number of Defender Tokens would be redistributed according to the number of victories and rankings of disciples from each sect.
The Qingcheng Sect, whose third-generation disciples perished in the Great War of Weiguo, has dwindled from 100 disciples to only 30.
The 30 coins that Qingcheng Sect currently possesses were won a year ago by their second junior brother, Yang Xingzhou, who reached the top ten in the martial arts tournament.
In her previous life, Fei Xi had never held a Qingcheng Sect Guardian Token, let alone earned Guardian Points. In this life, she had no intention of competing with her junior brothers and sisters for this spot.
To protect the righteous path of Nanxuan City, she divided her fellow disciples, who held the righteousness protection tokens, into five teams of six, each responsible for a different area in the south. If any special circumstances arose, they were to return and report to her, and she would make further arrangements based on the situation.
The Nanxuan City massacre occurred on the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, and it is now the eighth day of the eleventh lunar month, which is more than a month before the massacre.
Over the past few months, she has been teaching her junior brothers and sisters the formations she developed in her previous life, under the guise of being the senior disciple. Through interviews and investigations, and by deducing the layout of her enemies from her past life, she has developed some ideas on how to break the deadlock.
The true culprit behind the annihilation of the Qingcheng Sect in her past life was an entity the Qingcheng Sect could not contend with. Even her former husband, Bian Yuan, the Lord of Tianshan, would find it extremely difficult to deal with that person. After being reborn, Fei Xi considered whether to tell her master and the others about the massacre. However, after much deliberation, she decided to remain silent for the time being. She couldn't be sure whether the fact that the other side chose the Qingcheng Sect as cannon fodder was a coincidence or inevitable. But whatever the reason, telling her master and the others wouldn't change anything. On the contrary, it might alert the enemy and allow them to strike prematurely.
The collapse of a force requires the right timing, location, and popular support—none of which she possesses. Now, all she can do is rely on her past life's foresight, responding to each move as it comes, and quietly waiting for the opportunity to arise.
*
Upon entering Lulu Hutong, Fei Xi saw Tie Yi, who was eight feet tall, standing in the middle of the alley entrance. Behind him were twelve heroes from Pili Fort, a group that completely blocked the way.
Young and robust, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, he seemed to have a trace of non-Han ancestry. He had a high nose bridge and large, well-defined features. Upon seeing Fei Xi and her group, he first nodded to Ji Zhongxuan, then ran to Mu Qingfeng with a憨厚 (honest and simple) smile.
"Junior Sister, don't be angry. Just consider it a mistake on your part. This string of beads is an apology from your senior brother. Please be magnanimous and accept it."
In his hand he held a palm-sized, ornately carved box containing a jade rabbit hairpin inlaid with jewels. The entire jade rabbit was carved from the finest white jade, its eyes inlaid with priceless rubies, and its feet adorned with a flower made of South China Sea pearls worth a fortune.
What a beautiful jade rabbit sleeping among flowers hairpin! Even those who didn't know much about jewelry would be captivated by its cuteness and beauty. Mu Qingfeng was no exception; girls are always drawn to jewelry, especially young girls who adore adorable pieces.
She reached out and couldn't resist touching the jade rabbit's body.
Just as the man was smiling with confidence, the box was slammed shut.
Her slender, delicate hand pushed the box back to his chest.
"How many times have I told you? You're not allowed to call me 'Junior Sister.' You're not even a member of our Qingcheng Sect. If you want a Junior Sister, go back to your Thunderbolt Fortress. Besides, I don't want your fake flattery. I'm waiting for your sincere apology later!"
After the beautiful young girl finished speaking, she ran to Fei Xi's side, looking at her expectantly.
"Right, Senior Sister? We're going to make this jerk know that it's wrong for a man to hit a woman!"
...Hey, that's not what she actually said. If someone in the martial arts world says hitting a woman is wrong, they'll be laughed at. In the cutthroat world of martial arts, let alone hitting a woman, they're quick to wipe out entire families. They kill women, they kill babies, they exterminate entire families, and they don't even spare livestock. Who the hell talks about being a gentleman in civilized society?
Yesterday, her junior sister kept pestering her, forbidding her from letting Junior Brother Ji and the others go see that young lady. To appease her junior sister, she directly revealed her true feelings:
"Between husband and wife, when a man dares to beat a woman without any scruples, it means he sees her as something he can do with as he pleases. He doesn't see his wife as a person, a person with dignity and personality, someone with whom he can have an equal conversation. He's venting his violence on the weak with the attitude of the strong, and this behavior is wrong. I don't agree with what the young master of Thunderbolt Fortress said. This young lady's disappearance is a bit strange. Tomorrow I'll go with you to the pancake seller's place to take a look."
Unexpectedly, her junior sister only took in what she wanted to hear. Despite the disdainful gaze of Tie Yi, the young master of Thunderbolt Fortress, Fei Xi smiled slightly and said firmly:
"Young Master Tie, I am Fei Xi, the senior sister of the Qingcheng Sect. The south is under the jurisdiction of our Qingcheng Sect. If you are interested, you are welcome to come with us. However, our Qingcheng Sect has its own way of doing things, and not everyone likes to be a know-it-all."
"Is there no one left in your Qingcheng Sect? How can such a little girl be your senior sister?"
As soon as Tie Yi finished speaking, a group of Qingcheng Sect disciples behind the frail girl glared angrily. Ji Zhongxuan even walked directly in front of him and assumed a fighting stance.
"Tie Yi, if you want to fight, just say so. No one in the Qingcheng Sect dares to disrespect our Senior Sister!"
“Junior brother, step back! Ignorance is no excuse, Young Master Tie. I am indeed the senior sister of the Qingcheng Sect. As for whether our Qingcheng Sect has any members, Young Master Tie should know by now these past few months. It’s getting late. If Young Master Tie has nothing else to attend to, please come with us.”
As the young master of Thunderbolt Fortress, Tie Yi was no mere muscle-bound fool. With a single command from his opponent to step back, his respected adversary obediently returned to his ranks. This reminded him of the voice that had reprimanded Brother Ji upstairs at Drunken Guest Pavilion that day; it must have been her. This woman was no ordinary person; to command the Qingcheng Sect disciples to obey orders without question.
Thinking of this, Tie Yi carefully looked up and examined the girl in front of him. She was pale, with delicate and plain features; standing next to a beautiful woman, she was easily overlooked. But her smile possessed a warmth like a burning life force, seemingly capable of soothing all one's troubles.
Is the senior sister of the Qingcheng Sect such a weak woman who doesn't know martial arts?
Interesting! He wanted to see if this senior sister truly lived up to her reputation.
"Oh, I'd like to see how you're going to convince me!"
Fei Xi didn't respond. Seeing the other person make way, she smiled and gestured for them to proceed.
"Young Master Tie, please follow me."
The man who sold steamed buns was surnamed Li, and the neighbors all called him Lazy Li. He lived in a dilapidated courtyard at the end of Lulu Alley. The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, the uneven grass creeping over the stone path, the ground uneven, covered with cracks and moss. In the west corner of the courtyard was a well, the rope on the well pulley worn down to half.
There were three tiled houses in the courtyard. The roof tiles on the two side rooms were incomplete, and the roofs were rickety, as if they might collapse at any moment. The wooden window frames were rotten and covered with dust and cobwebs.
After his wife disappeared, Li Lanhan became even lazier. He stopped making pancakes and spent all day lying at home groaning and cursing the meddlesome young heroes of the Qingcheng Sect.
"What kind of lousy moral guardian is he? He won't pay me a single penny! If he could give me that beautiful woman as my wife, hehe..."
Li, the lazybones, was indulging in lewd fantasies when he suddenly heard a noise in the yard. He quickly got up and peeked out through the broken wooden window. Seeing the same lavish young man from yesterday, he wiped his face, staggered out the door, and cried out:
"Cui Cui, what will I do if you leave? I really didn't mean to hit you. Besides, what man doesn't hit his wife?"
Accompanied by crying, a sleazy, fat figure rushed out of the tiled house.
"Ah! It's you! You must have hidden my Cui Cui away! Give me back my Cui Cui! I still need to earn a lot of money to buy flowers for my Cui Cui to wear. It's all because of the nonsense you told my Cui Cui! Give me back my wife!"
Seeing the shifty-eyed, foul-smelling man about to pounce on her junior sister, Fei Xi remained calm. She pulled her junior sister back a step and gestured to her two junior brothers to hold Li Lanhan back.
Seeing that the person was unable to move and had become docile in her junior brother's hands, she walked up to the person, her voice gentle but her eyes carrying a murderous and oppressive aura:
"Sir, our Qingcheng Sect will help you find your wife. However, I need your cooperation. Now, I'll ask you a question, and you need to answer it: How long has your wife been missing?"
"What...what do you want to do?! Don't think I don't know, you righteous heroes can't lay a hand on ordinary people like us!"
The response he received was a gentle voice with an even deeper smile:
“It’s pitiful for an uncle who has lost his wife. Junior Brother Mo, why don’t you cheer him up?”
The boy with the fangs showing instantly understood what his senior sister meant and walked forward with a grin.
A moment later, a burst of laughter echoed through the dilapidated courtyard.
Li Lanhan laughed until tears and snot streamed down his face. Just as he recovered, that devilishly gentle voice rang out in front of him again:
How long has your wife been missing?
“Five days ago, when I returned home after selling steamed buns, the stove was cold. I went to sleep hungry, and when I woke up, there was still no food. My wife must have disappeared around that time.”
Li Lanhan, with a meek and honest expression, began to answer the questions.