Ruffian 021

All hope lost, Jiang Gucheng was escorted to the Ministry of Justice. The Jiang family's case was massive and implicated many. Unfortunately, some of the implicated officials had already died under Huang Chao's blade, but this did not affect the Ministry's judgment. After all, the murder charge alone was enough to have the entire Jiang family executed.

However, the deeper they investigated, the more alarmed these newly promoted young officials became.

Was the Jiang family's power in Jiangnan truly this vast?

Jiang Gucheng was interrogated in shifts for twenty hours a day. In a constant daze, having been reduced to a cripple, he had lost all his former arrogance. Facing the reprimands of the Ministry officials, he began to tremble in fear.

The next time Jiang Gucheng saw his father was at the execution ground. Jiang Jun's old cases had also been dug up; each and every one of them was enough to have him executed thirty times over. The father and son, both now crippled, looked at each other, unable to utter a single word.

Gucheng, Gucheng... Meng Xiaodie's voice came from the side. Only then did Jiang Gucheng notice Meng Xiaodie, her hair disheveled.

Xiaodie... you, you too...

I, I don't want to die. I don't want to lose my martial arts. I... Gucheng, save me... Meng Xiaodie's condition was not much better. As Jiang Gucheng's accomplice, she had been sentenced to the same execution. Clearly, her ability to handle stress was not as high as Jiang Gucheng's. You... save me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be like this. It's all because of you!

Jiang Gucheng was left speechless. I am a cripple myself, how can I save you? Listening to Meng Xiaodie's accusations and neurotic muttering, he stared blankly at the ground.

As was customary, the sentence was proclaimed before the execution. Hearing the long list of the deceased victims, the watching commoners were filled with righteous fury. Their roars of anger made the Jiang father and son tremble all over; they were finally truly afraid.

But after the supervising official finished reading the list, he suddenly took off his official hat and stood up. I have thought about it. Letting you die just like this is too unfair.

Jiang Gucheng looked at the supervising official with hope, but the man's next words made his blood run cold.

Even if it costs me my official hat, today I will let the victims' families take their revenge with their own hands!

Several guards stepped aside, and dozens of commoners, their faces filled with bitter hatred, walked into the execution ground. Every one of them held a small knife.

My Lord, you are a true man of passion, an old man said as he arranged the silver needles in front of him.

I met Lord Fang once. Talking with him taught me many principles. The official's eyes were a little red, and he also drew a small knife. My father died under this Jiang Gucheng's sword.

The old man suddenly understood, then patted the cloth bundle on the table. No wonder Fang Zhiyi asked me to work overtime today... Don't worry. In the martial world, they call me the Ghost Doctor who doesn't save the living, but today I will make an exception. Or rather, it is not an exception, since these three are already dead men. He stood up. Until the execution is completely finished, they will not die. I guarantee it.

Jiang Gucheng was completely terrified. His martial arts had been crippled, the Jiang family had been destroyed, and now he had to face the vengeance of these ordinary people. He shook his head frantically, begging for mercy incessantly.

But the families of the victims acted as if they had not heard a thing. They stepped forward, cursed him roundly, and then viciously carved off slices of flesh. Some even stuffed the carved meat into their own mouths, laughing and crying at the same time.

Those with ulterior motives have seen the fate of the Jiang family, Fang Zhiyi said, sitting in a nearby tavern. At least this martial world will be at peace for a few decades.

Zuo Qianqiu pondered, A few decades? There will always be those who don't know the immensity of heaven and earth.

Fang Zhiyi smiled. Where there are people, there is the jianghu. The jianghu is not exclusive to martial artists... The imperial court is a jianghu, the streets and markets are a jianghu. I just need to do my job well. Once the little emperor can rule on his own, I will retire and return to my hometown...

Zuo Qianqiu shook his head repeatedly. What are you talking about? Even at my age, I don't dare speak of retiring. By the way, that insurance thing you mentioned last time hasn't been implemented yet.

What insurance? Fang Zhiyi paused for a moment. Oh, that. Personal accident insurance? But we won't pay out for brawls, or for qi deviation from secretly practicing dubious manuals...

It's not really me asking. That kid Fei Li has been quite free lately. He heard about selling insurance door-to-door and comes looking for me all day, Zuo Qianqiu said with a helpless look.

He does have the makings of an insurance salesman. Fang Zhiyi laughed.

With the Ghost Doctor's intervention, the Jiang father and son lasted for five days before finally breathing their last. Meng Xiaodie frantically cursed Jiang Gucheng for a day, screamed for another day, and then died.

The entirety of Western Shu entered a period of peace. The martial artists who usually stayed in their sects began to integrate into the lives of the commoners. The imperial court also issued new regulations forbidding anyone from carrying weapons on the streets. This brought great joy to the disciples who practiced bare-handed styles like Eagle Claw and Dragon Tiger Fist. However, there was actually nothing to be happy about, because they couldn't just fight people at will either. If they wanted to fight, they had to go to the martial arts arenas set up in every city.

This custom gradually passed down, eventually forming the martial arts tournaments. It also became a supplementary credential for sect disciples entering the Martial Virtue Department. Those who won more than they lost in the arenas could write this achievement into their employment resumes.

Another key factor that stopped private brawling was that injuries sustained in private fights were not covered by insurance.

This rule alone made countless martial artists who had paid silver for insurance put away their combative urges. Furthermore, anyone with a record of private brawling would have a special note left in their files. No one wanted their bright future cut short, after all.

In the past, practicing martial arts was just practicing martial arts. But now, there were many ways out for martial artists: becoming an official, joining the Martial Virtue Department, entering the army, opening a martial arts school, and so on. All of these required looking at one's file.

True to his word, once the emperor began to hold court himself, Fang Zhiyi dusted off his hands and left.

The emperor ordered the Heaven-Shrouding Guard to search for him, but the Guard was created by him in the first place, so shaking them off was a simple matter.

Zuo Qianqiu also yielded his position to a more capable young man. Clutching his abacus, he returned to Yangcheng and opened a small shop to pass his days. Because Wang Ergou was not very bright, he remained as an assistant to the new Thousand-Man Commander of the Heaven-Shrouding Guard. However, given his seniority, he was treated with great respect.

The martial world factions that had plagued Western Shu for a century finally melted into the broader society of Western Shu. Decades later, Western Shu abolished the Martial World Security Management Regulations, unifying them under the general Western Shu Security Management Regulations.

By the time this measure was implemented, sects had already become legends. Many masters had long since passed away, and their disciples had joined various trades and professions. The martial factions gradually declined. With the progress of society and the promotion and development of various industries, martial arts were gradually no longer mentioned. Some even questioned whether the so-called martial arts world had ever truly existed.

"According to historians, the history of Western Shu genuinely existed, but there is an unofficial legend claiming that the abolition of martial arts was not due to Fang Zhiyi. Instead, it was because of the young emperor who was thrust onto the throne at the last minute. From a young age, he was taught martial arts by a rotating cast of over a dozen masters. Although he eventually became a formidable expert, he harbored a deep-seated hatred for the grueling severity of martial arts training. As a result, he deliberately began to downplay the existence of martial arts until they were abolished entirely."

"Is this unofficial history actually true?"

"Who knows? It's unofficial history, after all!"