Chapter 43 - The Governor of Jiangnan City

As the Governor of the rich Jiangnan City, Yan Bolai was busy every day with his work.

However, even under such circumstances, he still decided to find his son, Yan Xiangma, to have a talk with him.

Yan Bolai cast a glance at his son, who was standing in a corner, appreciating the painting “Tiger Roaring in Mountains” made by the empire’s famous artist Qin Kuaiyu. Then he picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of hot tea, saying, “The ancients paid great attention to the vigorous spirit of dragons and tigers. Now that all dragons have been killed, but tigers still dominate the forest with pride. Qin Kuaiyu truly deserves the reputation as a famous artist of the empire. With a few strokes, he fully described the majesty of the tiger king. Every time I enjoy this painting, it makes me feel like being a broad-minded person with boundless courage.”

Upon hearing his father talking, Yan Xiangma knew that he had finished dealing with the documents at hand for the moment. Thus, he turned and walked toward his father, saying with a smile, “Father, you are the tiger king of Jiangnan City. With an angry roar, you can silence all the heroes in Jiangnan City and make gangsters and the like bow their heads.”

“Flatterer,” Yan Bolai said lightly. He had heard a lot of much greasier compliments from others, and this son of him also had sent countless flatteries to him. Then, he asked, “You killed Crow, didn’t you?”

“Yes, Father.” Yan Xiangma smiled and said, “That Crow was so bold as to attack sister Xiaoxin. He was seeking his death! Recently, all guards in the City Lord Mansion were sent to hunt down Crow. Also, since I wanted to share your worries and revenge for my younger sister, I sent some of my trusted subordinates to look for Crow everywhere. I didn’t expect that they really found some traces of him. By following the clue, we spread a dragnet from which there was no escape and finally killed Crow at one fell swoop.”

“Where did you kill him?”

“Li Muyang’s home.”

“Is he a classmate of Xiaoxin?”

“Yes, Father.”

Yan Bolai raised his head and immersed in thought, his eyes without focus. He said in a low voice, “The two attacks have something to do with Li Muyang. Is Li Muyang’s background clean?”

“Father, I’ve looked into this matter. His background is absolutely clean. He is definitely not the pawn placed in Jiangnan City by the Song Family or the Lu Family.”

With a significantly sterner look, Yan Bolai rebuked in a low voice, “Who told you that the assassinator was sent by either the Song Family or the Lu Family?”

“Father, do I need others to tell me about that? Except for the Song Family and the Lu Family, there is no other…”

“Shut up. If you don’t have any evidence, don’t mention it again in the future.”

“I didn’t speak it carelessly. I just casually mentioned it to you. Now there are only you and me in this room.”

“Even when you are alone with me, you should not make wild guesses and implicate others in doing something evil. Remember, this is a great taboo.”

“Yes.” Yan Xiangma bowed slightly and accepted his father’s instruction.

Only then did Yan Bolai’s expression softened a little. He looked at his son and said, “Since Crow was one of the top 20 killers on the empire’s killer list, I suppose his strength was not bad. But you are merely at the Medium Level of the Mountain Realm, so how could you kill Crow by yourself?”

“It was not just me. Li Dalu and others helped. You know, their strength is pretty good, though they are a little too stupid.”

“Since your men had found the whereabouts of killer Crow, why didn’t they immediately report to the City Lord Mansion? And why didn’t you discuss it with me before you took the wanted order?” Yan Bolai gazed deeply into Yan Xiangma’s eyes and asked, “What are you hiding from me?”

Yan Xiangma’s face stiffened, but it instantly returned to normal. He then said with a smile, “I did not mean to conceal it from you, and I had nothing to hide. The reason why I didn’t send anyone to notify the City Lord Mansion was that I didn’t have enough time to do that. You know what Crow was capable of. He could come and go without casting a shadow. And also, he could kill extremely fast. When I met him, I didn’t even have a chance to take a breath, let alone send someone to ask for help. Besides, the City Lord Mansion offered a reward for killing Crow, and Father, you stamped the reward notice in person. After I killed Crow, I certainly would go to get the bounty. If I told you in advance, with your upright character, you would never allow me to collect the 3,000 gold coins.”

“But after you took this credit, the person behind this would keep an eye on you in the future, and you also would have to bear their endless revenge since then. Do you know any of these?”

“Father, who am I?”

“…”

“I’m Yan Xiangma, the son of the Jiangnan City’s Governor. Father, since you are a well-renowned person who is in charge of Jiangnan City, I naturally have to be indomitable and fearless. I despise those useless ruffians who only dare to sneak up on others. If they dare to come out and put up a real fight with me, I’ll crush their little balls.”

“Nonsense.” Yan Bolai smashed his palm on the table, reproaching furiously, “Do you regard this matter as a mere trifle?”

Yan Xiangma looked at his father seriously and said, “I don’t think it’s a trifling matter. Instead, I take it as my responsibility.”

Yan Bolai stared at his son for quite a long time. Then he waved his hand and said, “Just go out.”

“Yes, Father.”

Yan Xiangma opened his mouth, trying to say something, but he said nothing in the end. Then he turned around and walked outside.

“Crack!”

The sound of gear astir came from the room.

The giant painting “Tiger Roaring in Mountains” was divided into two parts from the middle, and in the middle of the wall appeared a huge dark hole, from which a man in a gray robe came out.

He walked up to Yan Bolai and looked at him, saying, “Governor, young master has been deeply involved in this matter. I’m afraid there will be trouble in the future.”

Yan Bolai pushed the chair away and stood up, walking back and forth in the study with some annoyance. He said, “Even the Cui Family hasn’t come to a conclusion about this matter, but he actively stirred up the stormy situation. It grates on my nerves. I seem not to discipline him well.”

“What are we going to do next?”

Gazing at the moon outside of the window, Yan Bolai pondered for a long time. Then he said, “First of all, you must send some people to ensure my son’s safety. He has some competence in self-preservation, but it is far from enough.”

“Yes.”

“The second thing, you must keep Xiaoxin safe. It’s a good thing that Xiaoxin won’t go out these days. A few days after the Liberal-arts Exam, the Cui Family will send some people to bring Xiaoxin back to Capital Heaven. It is hard to predict the surging situation in the capital, so let’s wait and see.”

“Yes.”

“The third thing, recheck Li Muyang. If it’s necessary, you might as well try him out by yourself…”

“Do you suspect that Li Muyang is someone’s pawn?” The black-robed man asked in a low voice, “Young master checked him out, and so did I. All his information is normal, and we couldn’t find any flaws.”

“That you couldn’t find any flaws may be the biggest flaw.” With a frosty look, Yan Bolai continued, “He killed Crow. How can such a master simply be the useless teenager that you and I know?”

“Yes,” the black-robed man said in a low voice.

Yan Bolai sighed gently and said, “Xiangma idles about all day and has never done any decent work. Such a state of him is not good for his future. This time when Xiaoxin goes back to the capital, let him go with her and find a job in Capital Heaven.”