Chapter 36 : avatar

The old beggar, with a bruised and swollen face, huddled in the corner opposite the yamen. His small eyes were filled with hatred and misery as he stared fixedly at the skeleton under the notice board in the distance. Previously, he had tried to retrieve his grandson's skeleton but failed. Instead, he was severely beaten by the yamen runners. At this moment, he was in so much pain all over his body that he simply couldn't stand up for a while.

"The young master was right yesterday. This old bone of mine shouldn't have made a fuss..." The old beggar smiled bitterly and self - ridiculed. If he had known he would end up in such a tragic situation, he shouldn't have reported the case to the authorities. It would have been great to find a place, dig a pit, and bury his grandson's skeleton. At least the child could have been laid to rest in peace... But now, his grandson's skeleton had been snatched away and left exposed under the scorching sun. The benefactor who had given him money yesterday was framed as a man - eating demon because of this. Even the two ingots of silver given by the benefactor were wasted. Isn't it often said that good deeds are rewarded with good and evil deeds with evil? How unfair this heaven's way is...

While the old beggar was sighing to himself, he suddenly saw someone coming out of the yamen. They hung white cloth on the yamen plaque and replaced the lanterns with white lanterns with the character "Mourning" written on them. It turned out that a funeral was about to be held in the yamen, and the one who had died was the county magistrate's son. The old beggar had just heard about this. When he thought of this, the self - ridiculing smile on his face finally had a bit of sincerity.

"Hehe, it serves him right to die..." he muttered in a low voice.

...

Today, the county magistrate's yamen in Changqing City had lost its usual solemnity. The servants in the yamen were all tense - faced, for fear of laughing out loud, and were extremely busy. They set up a mourning shed in the backyard of the yamen, and mourning streamers were erected in every corner. Even the courtroom was not spared.按理说, a place like the yamen was not allowed to be used for holding a funeral, but just like many laws and regulations in the Yan Kingdom, Zhao Shuanghe simply didn't pay attention to this rule.

In the center of the mourning shed, a fine nanmu coffin was placed, and around it stood the powerful and wealthy gentry of Changqing City. These people were all dressed in gorgeous silk clothes and were prominent figures in the city. Since the county magistrate's son had died, they naturally all came to pay their respects. After all, if the etiquette was not proper and they made Zhao Shuanghe bear a grudge, it would be troublesome. This county magistrate had always been narrow - minded and his methods had always been ruthless.

"The world is full of changes. I never expected Young Master Zhao to pass away so suddenly!"

"Yes, such an outstanding young talent. Heaven really envies the talented!"

"This is not only a loss for the county magistrate but also a loss for our Changqing County. That damned Fang Yuan is really extremely evil!"

...

The guests who came kept lamenting the death of Zhao Jing. Although they said so, they were actually quite happy in their hearts. On the one hand, some of their concubines had been insulted by Zhao Jing. On the other hand, the Han Mansion had fallen, and they could get a share of the "big cake" that originally belonged to the Han Mansion. Especially the latter, the interests were so huge that they even somewhat wanted to thank Fang Yuan.

Zhao Shuanghe slumped in the armchair behind the mourning shed. He completely lost his former high - spirited look. The whole person seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. From time to time, several guests came up to him and pretended to comfort him:

"Lord Zhao, please accept our condolences and take care of yourself!"

"Yes, you must not fall. If our Changqing County loses you, a good official, how will the common people live? They will be heart - broken!"

...

Zhao Shuanghe knew clearly that these were all useless flattery words. He had a铁青 face and didn't respond, making the guests who came to flatter him extremely embarrassed. Shang Wenshu, with a white cloth wrapped around his head, watched all this silently, with a hint of disappointment on his face. Why didn't this old guy continue to smash people with the pen holder? He smashed him so vigorously before. However, he quickly composed his expression, lowered his head, walked up to Zhao Shuanghe, and whispered, "My lord, it's almost time..."

"Um..." Zhao Shuanghe nodded, stood up from the chair, and cleared his throat, "Ahem..."

This sound immediately silenced the chatting guests around. All eyes were fixed on this "local tyrant" of Changqing County. Among these eyes, there were envy, fear, and jealousy, but without exception, they all carried awe.

Zhao Shuanghe was very satisfied with these gazes. This meant that his authority was still supreme, at least in this small Changqing County. Under the gaze of countless solemn faces, Zhao Shuanghe took out a piece of manuscript paper from his sleeve and slowly began to read the eulogy:

"My son, Zhao Jing. Today, your soul returns to heaven and earth. Here, as your father, my heart is broken, and my tears flow in thousands of lines..."

"Thinking that you were intelligent since childhood, kind - hearted to others, loyal and affectionate, and lived a life of integrity, but were framed by treacherous people..."

...

At the entrance of the yamen, the old beggar who was slumped in the corner suddenly heard a panicked shout in the distance. He looked up and saw a demon rushing over! The demon was in the shape of a cat, but for some reason, half of its body was charred. Its ferocious and terrifying appearance made the yamen runners guarding the gate retreat again and again, and the demon rushed straight into the yamen.

Before the old beggar could come to his senses, he saw a flying bird following closely behind. The flying bird had gorgeous feathers and was dazzling. On the back of the bird stood a majestic and extremely handsome young man. The young man held golden thunder in his hand, like a god descending to earth!

Inside the yamen, the atmosphere of the funeral reached its climax. Among the guests present, sobs came one after another, and some people even burst into tears on the spot. Zhao Shuanghe, who was reading the eulogy, had red eyes and could hardly hold himself together. He took a deep breath and, almost sobbing, read the last paragraph of the eulogy intermittently:

"Father will always miss you. Rest in peace, my son..."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, a thunderous roar suddenly came from the sky, resounding like a great bell in all directions:

"Your son will never rest in peace!"

This voice seemed to carry the power of heaven and forcefully interrupted the funeral. Before everyone could figure out what was going on, a cat - demon crashed through the door and rushed into the courtyard!

In the horrified eyes of the people around, the half - charred face of the cat - demon was filled with even deeper fear. It stumbled into the yard, quickly scanned the surroundings with its eyes, and then shouted at Zhao Shuanghe in the center of the crowd:

"Save me, Zhao Shuanghe, save me!!!"

Whoosh!

In an instant, a golden thunder spear, with the momentum of overwhelming mountains and seas, descended from the sky and rushed straight towards the cat - demon!

Boom!!!