Chapter 61: An Inch of Land for Every Drop of Blood

“What?! The people from the Longdu Empire harmed merchants from our empire?!”

“Shhhh, quiet down. I’ve heard about this, but I didn’t expect it to be true. Man, the merchants sure had it tough over the years.”

“What bullshit viscount. If what Divine General Fang said is true, he should be executed!”

The citizens were filled with fury.

Off to the side, the emperor's face had long since turned green, and the faces of the crown prince and others looked unsightly.

“Audacious! Fang Chen, you’re just a mere commoner! What qualifications do you have to question and kill people in broad daylight?” Tao Mingsheng shouted angrily.

“Even though I may be a commoner, I am still a martial artist of Grand Xia. If no one else is willing to fight for change, then let me start off by setting an example.” Fang Chen smiled.

"Fang Chen, release our viscount immediately!"

"Do you want the Longdu Empire to declare war on your Grand Xia?" The scholars from Longdu protested. The scholars from Guhe and Yizhou joined in as well, questioning the emperor one after the other.

The emperor stared at Fang Chen, his face cold and stern. "Fang Chen, if you release him right now, I won't pursue your past mistakes."

Fang Chen only laughed. “Your Majesty! I know that you’ve long since wanted to cut him into pieces, only, you’re afraid of the harm and trouble it’d bring to our Grand Xia. I’ll be the blade in your hand and do it for you. If Longdu declares war, then let there be war! An inch of land for every drop of blood! Grand Xia was built with the sweat, blood, and tears of its people! If the tiny Longdu Empire wishes to throw caution to the wind and attack us, because they view us as the lowest of the low, then let them come! An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth! We will repay blood with blood!” His powerful voice resonated in the air, like the clinging of a giant bell, echoing for miles and miles.

An inch of land for every drop of blood!

The crowd fell into silence. Even the officials who had wanted to persuade Fang Chen turned silent.

Li Guozhu looked at Fang Chen, then at Zhou Xiu, before shaking his head lightly.

When the officials realized that there wasn’t any room for persuasion, they stepped back.

The minister of justice, Jiang Yushu had a face full of conflict, clearly troubled with mixed thoughts. He stroked his beard. In the end, he suddenly showed a faint smile, a clear indicator of his stance.

In the crowd, Fang Qingyao and her maid stared blankly at Fang Chen, who was surrounded by the Valiant Saber Guards and the Imperial Guards.

"Young Lady, Divine General Fang plans to kill Zhou Xiu in front of everyone. I thought he’d consider the bigger picture; killing his subordinates and sparing the viscount. However, it looks like he’ll soon find himself in an extremely dangerous situation.”

The eyes of Fang Qingyao were full of worry. Seeing this, her maid reassured her quickly, “But we’ve seen Divine General Fang’s capabilities before! I am sure he’ll find a solution!"

Her words caused the concerned Fang Qingyao to snap out of it, regaining her composure.

A sudden loud shout broke the silence. "Make way!" A general arrived in a hurry, pushing the congested crowds apart and dismounted from his steed. Then, he bowed to the emperor.

The emperor's face was dark as he pointed at Fang Chen. "Fang Canghai! Look at what your son has done!”

The person who had arrived was none other than Fang Canghai, who had been demoted and ordered to guard the capital gates.

"I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!" Fang Canghai greeted, then looked at Fang Chen and said, "Chen'er, do you have to kill this guy?"

"I have to." Fang Chen nodded.

"Then go ahead and kill him.”

The crowd was dumbfounded.

Wait, isn’t he supposed to persuade his son?

The emperor's finger lingered in the air, and his mouth kept twitching, too angry to speak.

"This kid, can he really come back for dinner tonight?" In one corner in the crowd, Fang Cangyou, in his wheelchair, looked at Fang Chen with a strange expression. He never expected Fang Chen to cause such a stir. What was even more surprising was that Fang Canghai, who usually looked at the overall bigger picture, stood on his side instead of persuading him against it.

“But this makes more sense. After all, he’s from the Fang family.” Fang Cangyou suddenly broke out a smile.

Behind him, Xu Ge's mouth curled up slightly.

*

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

At the same time, on a capital tower nearby, a general in silver armor held a long bow and looked at Fang Chen with cold eyes.

"Commander Yan, His Majesty says that you must stop Fang Chen! No matter what, Zhou Xiu must not die,” an eunuch said in a hushed tone from behind.

"Doesn’t His Majesty know that Fang Chen has restored his cultivation to the Qi Core Stage? My arrows may not even be able to harm him." Yan Beihan revealed a solemn expression.

“Are you planning to defy the imperial decree?” The eunuch's face turned cold.

"I understand." Yan Beihan nodded slowly, raising the bow forward.

*

“It’s getting late, Zhou Xiu. It’s time you are on your way. Remember to live modestly in your next life, like an ordinary person. That way, you’ll have a much longer life, one longer than yours as a viscount of your empire.” Fang Chen glanced at the sky, then turned his head to smile at Zhou Xiu.

Zhou Xiu's face turned pale. "You dare kill me? Your emperor won't let you off if you kill me!"

"That's something for later. Once you're dead, you won't need to worry about such things,” Fang Chen said with a smile.

At that moment, everyone heard a powerful whistling sound all of a sudden. In the crowd, Fang Cangyou was the first to react as he was extremely familiar with that sound.

Yan Beihan!

He must’ve made his move. He was recognized as the number one Divine Archer in Grand Xia!

"He really dared to do it." Fang Chen chuckled and raised his hand. When everyone focused on that hand in the air, they noticed that an arrow had suddenly appeared in his grasp, held tightly. The tail of the arrow trembled violently, but the arm that held it didn’t so much as move a single inch.

Seeing that, the emperor's expression darkened.

Fang Chen threw the arrow casually in the same direction it had come from. As it moved in the air, it emitted a high-pitched screech that shadowed the one it made before.

Not far away, a figure fell from the capital tower.

"Commander Yan!" The members of the Divine Arrow Team rushed forward in disbelief. Their commander had actually been shot by the same arrow he had sent out!

The arrow had gone through Yan Beihan's legs, making him appear rather miserable. After being helped up by his subordinates, he gritted his teeth and pulled out the arrow. “Divine General Fang’s cultivation level is indeed unfathomable," he said with a grimace, revealing a bitter smile. He knew that Fang Chen had intentionally shot the arrow back at his leg; payback for his uncle, whom he had shot in the same manner in the past.

At that moment, a thunderous voice sounded in Yan Beihan's ears all of a sudden. “Behead him!” Cheers of countless citizens of Grand Xia resounded wave after wave.

Yan Beihan's expression changed when he heard their shouts. He knew that Zhou Xiu was undoubtedly going to die today, and that would place their Grand Xia in a prickly situation then on.

"Divine General, if you really have a trump card up your sleeve, then this injury of mine was well worth it. Otherwise...” Yan Beihan muttered to himself.

In front of the Meridian Gate, Zhou Xiu's head fell to the ground and rolled for a distance. The scholars from the Longdu Empire went silent. Meanwhile, the members of the Guhe and Yizhou Empires felt a sense of imminent catastrophe and gazed at Fang Chen with hatred, resentment, and loathe.

Both civil and military officials fell into silence. The matter had become a foregone conclusion.

Fang Chen turned to the scholars from the three other empires, a smile on his face, saying, "Everyone, please go back and inform your men that even though I may not be able to muster troops anymore, I am still a martial artist in the Qi Core Stage. It’s simple for me to come and go freely into your palaces. In the future, when you encounter merchants from my Grand Xia, please show them due respect. If you dare harm them again, I will personally pay you a visit."

The crown prince's face leached of blood. "Father, quickly order someone to apprehend him!"

The emperor didn’t respond. He fell silent for a moment, snorted coldly, then turned around with a swish of his sleeves. As he departed, the officials present had no choice but to follow suit. Meanwhile, the crown prince stood rooted in his spot, dazed.

Everyone knew that the words spoken by Fang Chen just now were not only applicable to empires like the Guhe Empire. He was also openly threatening the Grand Xia Emperor!

Fang Chen looked at the dazed crown prince. "Do not associate with such insignificant figures again in the future. They will not make your position as the crown prince more secure and instead only bring you harm."

He casually kicked away Zhou Xiu's head and turned to his father and said, “Let’s go back for dinner, Father.” Then, they turned to leave, both of them.

Many people in the crowd were still in shock. They were unable to snap out of it. What had happened today had truly left them flabbergasted. Tao Yu and Ye Qinghe were the first to recover from their shock. They hurriedly moved their feet and followed the crown prince.

The crown prince suddenly broke the silence, his expression melancholic. “Do you think... Do you think Fang Chen will rebel in the future?"

The two were stunned at the question, and they were momentarily at a loss for words, unsure of what to say.

When they didn’t answer him, he turned his focus to the body of Zhou Xiu, sprawled on the ground. "Hmph!” He sneered, turned around, and left.

His departing figure was somewhat desolate