The day after the night of the killing in the square, snow fell, silently covering up all traces of the blood. Feng Zhi Wei rose first thing in the morning, dressed in simple clothes and a light fur-lined coat, and left in a warm sedan chair. 

She was heading toward the direction of the Dragon Slaying Gang’s headquarters. Passing the Jianghuai Prefectural Office on the way, before she had even gotten close, she could see a huge crowd gathered outside the gates, packed together like eager shoppers at the morning market. Among them, numerous children carrying small baskets were darting around excitedly, shouting at the top of their lungs, “Divorce! Divorce! The first case of a big clan in Jianghuai! Sunflower seeds! Sunflower seeds! Fragrant, freshly roasted sunflower seeds! Who wants sunflower seeds———–” (‘Eating sunflower seeds’ is a Chinese saying to indicate someone is eagerly sitting on the sideline taking in some juicy gossip or scandal. Thus the hilarious scene of the kids selling the sunflower seeds here.) 

Feng Zhi Wei frowned. With the New Year feast approaching, whose family would be seeking a divorce? And why had the matter made it to the government office, causing such a big commotion? Was it the husband or the wife who wanted the divorce? If it was the husband who had initiated it, and had taken the matter all the way to the prefectural office, then it was obvious he had already made up his mind. Why wouldn’t the woman agree to it sooner to spare herself the embarrassment of having her private affair aired in public? But if it was the wife who had brought up the divorce— then she was certainly a woman of fierce spirit. 

She had no intention of involving herself in civil matters such as this. Neither was it something that required her personal attention. Leaning back against the sedan chair, she was contemplating what she should say in a bit when she suddenly opened her eyes. The sedan chair came to an abrupt halt as she gave a tap with her foot. She beckoned her guard captain over and instructed him, “Go back and find out which family was involved in that divorce case.” 

The guard captain took his order and left. Feng Zhi Wei sat silently inside the sedan chair, saying nothing. Sunlight filtered in through the curtain, almost blinding due to reflection from the snow. She narrowed her eyes, her gaze slightly darkening. 

After a while, the guard captain returned and reported, “It’s the Li family, the second-wealthiest clan in Jianghuai, who are making a fuss over a divorce.” 

Feng Zhi Wei was silent for a moment before asking, “Was it the man or the woman who requested the divorce?” 

“The woman.” 

“The reason?”

The guard captain hesitated, then leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Reporting to Your Excellency, the young madam of the Li clan openly beat the drum in front of the prefectural office today to demand a divorce. The Jianghuai authorities had been tipped off in advance by the Li Clan and refused to grant her request. Driven to desperation, the young madam of the Li Clan declared openly in court that her husband is a congenital eunuch, and she can no longer bear being his wife!” 

Feng Zhi Wei raised an eyebrow. Qiu Yuluo was really throwing all caution to the wind! Did she not realize that by saying those words in open court, it would cause the utmost embarrassment to the Li Clan and make them her sworn enemies from that day on? 

The guard captain also had a trace of disapproval in his expression. He sighed and said, “When this subordinate went over just now, the whole court was in an uproar. The master of the Li Clan was so enraged that he fainted. This woman….this woman…sigh….” 

“If she dared to do such a thing, she must have some sort of backing.” Feng Zhi Wei said calmly, and dismissed him with a wave. 

The sedan chair continued forward without turning back to watch the commotion. Feng Zhi Wei’s face was hidden in the crisscross of sunlight and shadows, her expression blank. 

Before long, they arrived at the main headquarters of the Dragon Slaying Gang. She had expected the place to be deserted and dejected, but surprisingly, it was bustling with activity. Seventy or eight people had gathered outside the gates, dressed in all manner of clothing, all pointing at the gate entrance and shouting curses. 

“You Dragon Slaying bastards! Come out and face your death!”

“Last time you broke our boss’s arm. Today, your boss will pay us back with both of his legs!” 

“We’ve been yelling all morning, and haven’t seen a single head. Are you all a bunch of turtles?” 

“What Dragon Slaying Gang? Aren’t you afraid of blowing up your own bellies with all that bragging? You are more like a bunch of worms!” 

“Good idea! We will deliver a new plague tomorrow, the Gang of Worms!” 

“Hahaha……” 

Hearing the burst of brazen, mocking laughter, Feng Zhi Wei finally figured out what was going on. It was a classic case of ‘a dragon stranded in shallow water being bullied by shrimp.’ With the Dragon Slaying Gang fallen on hard times, the petty gangs they had once beaten into submission were jumping at the opportunity to settle old scores. ( ‘a dragon stranded in shallow water being bullied by shrimp.’ is a Chinese saying that describes situations where a once powerful person/or whatever makes them seem superior to most people, has fallen on hard times, then even the most common or ordinary people could stump on them.) 

It’s human nature for people to curry favor with the powerful and trample on the weak. This on its own was nothing unusual. Anyone who couldn’t weather even such a small rise and fall had no business trying to make their way in this world. However, after listening for a while, Feng Zhi Wei found herself developing a bit of admiration for the leader of the Dragon Slaying Gang— outsiders was ignorant of what actually happened and assumed the entire gang must have been wiped out by the Provincial Administration Commissioner. Little did they know, the gang’s injuries were mostly to its pride and prestige with relatively minor actual loss. 

These lackeys shouting insults outside were so insignificant that the leader of the Dragon Slay Gang could have crushed them with a simple wave of his hand. The reason he had tolerated their shouting abuse without coming out to confront them was that he finally understood just how formidable the Provincial Administration Commissioner was. In troubled times such as this, he dared not risking making another mistake. He feared that any misstep would be giving the commissioner’s office the excuse it needed to deal yet another devastating blow to his gang. 

From this perspective, the man was certainly someone who knew when to yield and when to stand firm. 

A faint smile touched the corner of Feng Zhi Wei’s lips. She was very satisfied. It seemed that making this trip personally had not been a waste after all. 

After listening for a while longer, seeing that these ruffians’ insults were growing increasingly vile and the gates of Dragon Slaying Gang remained firmly shut, Feng Zhi Wei grew impatient and stepped down from her sedan chair. 

The thugs had long noticed her group, but since Feng Zhi Wei and her men were all dressed in plain clothes, they had paid them little attention, figuring they must be of the same mind as them, coming to kick the Dragon Slaying Gang while it was down. But now, seeing her stepping out of the sedan chair, they were taken aback to see her snow-white fur-lined cloak over a pale blue brocade robe. Beneath the cape was a refined face with handsome features, unmistakably noble and distinguished. The thugs all stared at her in surprise. 

Feng Zhi Wei glanced around and said with a smile, “Oh? Everyone is here.”

Her casual greeting surprised everyone. Their suspicion dissolved, mistakenly believing that she must indeed be of the same mind as them. One man in yellow promptly came over with a grin: “How should I refer to you, brother…..” 

With a flick of her hand, Feng Zhi Wei hurled him a full thirty feet away!

Along with a resounding bang, came the man’s howl of pain as he slammed into a wall. As he slid to the ground, he vomited out a mouthful of blood. The entire’s crowd’s expressions changed in an instant. 

Feng Zhi Wei let out a cold sneer. “Who do you think you are, that you can call me brother?” 

All text copyright @ www.Ninja-Reflection.com 

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