7: Chapter 7: Eliminating a scourge for the people, am I the scourge?

When the carriage drove into Qinghe County and stopped before the imposing vermilion gates of the Zhao residence, Chen Fan finally woke up slowly.

"Young Master has returned!"

The servant at the gate saw him descend, immediately greeting him with a Face full of smiles. That sycophantic demeanor was identical to Ming Feng at the gate of the Qingyang Taoist Temple.

Chen Fan grunted, tossed his bundle to Zhang San, and walked straight into the residence.

He did not return to his Tingtao Pavilion first, but instead headed familiarly toward the study in the back residence.

The work of saving Face still had to be done thoroughly.

...

Inside the study, the scent of sandalwood lingered.

Magistrate Zhao De of Qinghe County was sitting on a grand chair, holding a scroll, his expression focused.

"Father."

Chen Fan walked into the study and bowed in greeting.

Magistrate Zhao De looked up and set down the scroll. He examined his son. After a month, he seemed... slightly rounder?

Could he have fattened himself up while Cultivating on the mountain?

"You're back." Magistrate Zhao De's reaction was very flat. "Did you make any progress at the Qingyang Taoist Temple?"

"None." Chen Fan answered with extreme frankness.

The series of questions Magistrate Zhao De had prepared were instantly blocked by these two words.

He furrowed his brows. "What do you mean by 'none'?"

"It means exactly what it says." Chen Fan stood in the center of the study, neither humble nor pushy. "Uncle-Master Liu taught me with all his heart, but I was simply not cut out for it. My Meridians are blocked, my Physique is weak, and I cannot even condense a sense of Qi. I am a piece of trash when it comes to martial arts."

He said the words "martial arts trash" lightly, as if he were commenting on the weather.

The air in the study froze.

Magistrate Zhao De stared at him intently, as if wanting to find even a trace of shame, frustration, or disguise on his Face.

But there was nothing. Only calmness.

After a long while, Magistrate Zhao De let out a heavy sigh. In that breath, there was disappointment, helplessness, and, even more so, an indescribable weariness.

He waved his hand and leaned back against the chair.

"Forget it."

"Not becoming a martial artist is not necessarily a bad thing."

"As long as you can behave yourself from now on and stop going out to cause trouble, I will be satisfied."

Compared to the furious Magistrate from a month ago, the current Magistrate Zhao De was more like an ordinary father who had completely given up hope on his son.

That is for the best.

Chen Fan thought to himself.

The lower the other party's expectations, the freer his own life would be.

"I understand, Father." He replied obediently.

"Oh, right, Father." Chen Fan seemed to suddenly remember something and mentioned it casually. "On the way back, in the territory of Black Wind Mountain, I encountered a merchant caravan that had been robbed."

"They said it was done by the bandits on Black Wind Mountain. People were wounded, and the goods were all stolen."

Magistrate Zhao De picked up his teacup and blew away the foam.

"I see."

His reply was exactly as Chen Fan had anticipated, neither hot nor cold.

"Just a group of insignificant mountain bandits; they cannot stir up any major trouble."

Clearly, this Magistrate did not take the matter to heart.

Chen Fan's goal had been achieved; he had merely informed him. As for how Magistrate Zhao De handled it, that was Magistrate Zhao De's business.

"Then I shall take my leave."

"Go." Magistrate Zhao De waved his hand and picked up the scroll again, no longer looking at him.

Chen Fan turned around and left the study.

Watching his son's retreating figure, Magistrate Zhao De held the book, but he could not read a single word.

He was behaving.

He was indeed much more well-behaved than before.

But why did he always feel that this son was becoming increasingly like a stranger?

...

Returning to Tingtao Pavilion.

Everything in the courtyard was still as it had been when he left.

The little maidservant saw him and ran over with surprise.

"Young Master! You have finally returned!"

Chen Fan nodded and sat on the stone bench in the courtyard.

Soon, two figures walked out, one after another, from the main room and the side room.

The one in front was Liu Ruyan. She was still wearing that fiery red dress, with a seductive smile on her Face. She walked quickly to Chen Fan's side and naturally wanted to lean on him.

"Young Master, you have been gone for over a month. I have missed you so much."

Following behind her was Su Qingyu. She still had that timid appearance, head lowered, twisting the corner of her clothes, not daring to come close.

Chen Fan ignored the flirtatious gaze Liu Ruyan sent his way and merely glanced around.

His proper wife, Lin Waner, had not come out.

This was expected.

"Go inside, all of you."

He stood up and spoke lazily.

Liu Ruyan and Su Qingyu were both stunned.

Chen Fan said nothing more and walked into the bedroom first.

Liu Ruyan immediately understood. She gave Su Qingyu a look that said "you are on your own," then followed him in, swaying her waist.

Su Qingyu stood in place for a while, eventually biting her lip and following inside with small steps.

That day, Chen Fan did not leave the bedroom.

For the next few days, he entered full vacation mode.

Having been stifled on the mountain for a month, living a life of abstinence, returning to the land of gentleness, he naturally had to make up for it twofold.

During the day, he called on friends and companions, hosting grand banquets at the "Zuixian Restaurant," the largest restaurant in Qinghe County, listening to the sycophantic flattery of a group of cronies.

At night, upon returning to the residence, he would spend the night in turns in the rooms of his wives.

Liu Ruyan's seductive charm.

Su Qingyu's shy compliance.

Even Lin Waner, who was always as cold as ice, after Chen Fan's repeated "visits," had changed from initial fierce resistance to numb endurance.

Conquering such an iceberg brought a more morbid sense of satisfaction than riding on Liu Ruyan.

This was Zhao Long's perverse hobby.

And Chen Fan was perfectly inheriting it all.

Fine food and drink, beautiful wine and beautiful women.

Power in his hands, servants in crowds.

This life of debauchery, decay, and corruption made him almost forget that he was once that woodcarver who died in a gutter.

This is life.

What martial arts, what Cultivation, what longevity—they all require suffering and enduring.

How could they be as comfortable as this?

As long as he didn't die, he could enjoy this forever.

Even if he accidentally died one day, he could change his identity and start a new life. It was a guaranteed win without any loss.

That afternoon, Chen Fan was soaking in a steaming bathtub.

Liu Ruyan knelt to the side, her slender jade hands coated with petals and essential oil, gently kneading his shoulders.

On the small table beside the bathtub, there were iced grapes and high-quality Nu'er Hong wine.

Liu Ruyan picked up a purple, glistening grape, peeled the skin, and brought it to Chen Fan's lips.

Chen Fan opened his mouth to take it, and incidentally gave her delicate fingers a light suck.

Liu Ruyan giggled foolishly, her body so soft it felt like it was about to melt into the water.

"Young Master, you are bad..."

Her words had not yet finished.

"Bang!"

The courtyard gate was violently kicked open from the outside.

The steward scrambled in, his Face covered in sweat and terror.

"Young Master! It's bad!"

Chen Fan's movements stopped. He slowly swallowed the grape in his mouth, his brows slightly furrowed.

His perfectly good mood had been interrupted.

"What is it, why are you in such a panic?"

The steward knelt on the ground, his voice trembling.

"Black Wind Mountain! It's the bandits from Black Wind Mountain!"

"They... they came down the mountain this noon!"

Chen Fan picked up a towel and wiped his mouth.

"So they came down the mountain, how many travelers did they rob?"

"No... no!" The steward was on the verge of tears. "They didn't rob any travelers!"

"They... they heard of your 'great reputation,' Young Master, and have spread the word that they want to take your life for the people, to eliminate a pest for the people!"

Chen Fan heard this, and his expression suddenly stiffened.

Damn!

So, they were coming for him?