"Yi Ruiyang, you're still trying to protect them?!" Situ Qi was stunned. She never expected Yi Ruiyang would dare to say such a thing at a time like this.

However, she had underestimated his shamelessness. Yi Ruiyang simply stood there, his face a mask of self-righteousness.

"Lady Situ, you and I are both members of the Zhen Nan Prefecture. We must view all matters from the perspective of the Prefecture's overall stability!"

"As an observer, this initially had nothing to do with me. But out of a sense of public duty, I must step forward and speak a word of justice for Lord Tao and his son!"

"Although Lord Tao and his son have made a mistake, their crime does not warrant death. Furthermore, Lord Tao Jinshan just risked his own safety to fight Takeda Masao, nearly losing his life in the process!"

"This proves the Tao family has never been disloyal to Da Shang or the Zhen Nan Prefecture. If you insist on killing Tao Yushan and his son out of personal spite, then don't blame me for reporting you to the Prefect for wantonly killing the innocent!"

Yi Ruiyang's speech exerted considerable pressure on Situ Qi. After all, they were of equal rank.

Moreover, he wasn't wrong. According to the Zhen Nan Prefecture's standard operating procedure, no matter how the matter of Tao Yushan and his son was investigated, it would simply be downplayed and quietly resolved.

But Situ Qi was not satisfied, yet she was helpless. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond, and the scene fell into a strange silence.

Upon hearing Yi Ruiyang's words and seeing Situ Qi's expression, Tao Jinshan and Tao Yushan were ecstatic.

Indeed, it pays to have connections in high places. No matter the outcome or how strong you are, this is just how the world works!

Before absolute authority, martial prowess is useless. This applied to Situ Qi as well. Even though she desperately wanted to kill the Tao father and son, her position within the Zhen Nan Prefecture forced her to weigh the consequences of such an act.

"What a fine speech about 'wantonly killing the innocent'!" Chen Zheng suddenly laughed. "Yi Ruiyang, that was beautifully said!"

"Now I finally understand what a hypocrite is, what false benevolence is. I never truly understood before, but today, I've seen it clearly. Situ Qi, don't trouble yourself. Let me handle this."

"Chen Zheng, what—what are you planning to do?" Situ Qi was baffled and looked at him in confusion, unable to process his words.

Chen Zheng's gaze fell coldly on Yi Ruiyang and Tao Jinshan's group, his tone chilling. "Everyone here saw what happened today. When dealing with traitors who have sold out their country, what is there to consider? Just kill them!"

Situ Qi's eyes widened. Finally understanding Chen Zheng's intention, she hurriedly tried to stop him. "Chen Zheng, don't be reckless! Yi Ruiyang and Tao Jinshan are important officials of the Zhen Nan Prefecture..."

"It is precisely because they hold positions of real power that they should be setting an example!" Chen Zheng cut her off without a hint of politeness.

"They occupy high stations, yet instead of pleading for the common good or serving the nation, they openly commit treason while deluding themselves that they are acting in the country's best interest. It's the most absurd thing I've ever heard. People like them are a scourge on society and must be purged!"

"Insolent!" Despite his considerable self-restraint, Yi Ruiyang could no longer tolerate being insulted to his face by Chen Zheng, who was now openly calling for his death. He roared back, "Chen Zheng, what are you trying to pull?"

"I am the Deputy Commandant of the Zhen Nan Prefecture! I represent the honor of the entire Prefecture! If you dare to kill me, you are openly challenging the Zhen Nan Prefecture! Do you understand the consequences?"

"You're asking me about the consequences?" Chen Zheng scoffed. "From the moment you repeatedly suggested negotiating with the Japanese dogs, from the moment you declared in front of everyone that you would reorganize the Tianxia Hui and invite Takeda Masao to be its President as a condition for peace talks..."

As Chen Zheng spoke, his eyes filled with killing intent. "You were already a dead man in my eyes. And you even had the gall to suggest providing cultivation resources for the Wokou pirates, all at the Zhen Nan Prefecture's expense? Who gave you such audacity?"

"You even want to hold the brave martial artists of Da Shang who dueled Takeda Masao accountable? Tell me, did the Prefect of Zhen Nan give you that authority? If he did, then after I kill you, he's next!"

"You..." Yi Ruiyang's face flushed crimson. He would never dare claim his actions were authorized by the Prefect; that would be akin to roasting the entire Zhen Nan Prefecture over a volcano.

"So you were acting on your own!" Chen Zheng sneered. "You willingly act as a traitor and sell out your country, not even hesitating to drag the entire Zhen Nan Prefecture through the mud with you. Your death would not be a pity!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Zheng raised his hand and slapped Yi Ruiyang hard across the face. Yi Ruiyang's lower body remained motionless, but his head twisted a full two hundred seventy degrees on his neck. His body contorted into a grotesque shape as he collapsed to the ground, dead.

An uproar swept through the crowd. Everyone who witnessed the scene was stunned. No one had expected Chen Zheng to kill on a whim, to execute Yi Ruiyang on the spot.

When Wang Yau and the others saw this, they were so frightened they nearly pissed themselves, their minds going blank.

Tao Jinshan and Tao Yushan were utterly dumbfounded, staring at Chen Zheng in disbelief.

Chen Zheng took out a tissue, wiped the hand he had used to slap Yi Ruiyang's face with an expression of utter disgust, and then turned to lecture Situ Qi. "Situ Qi, I don't mean to lecture you."

"No matter how beautifully you spoke to me before, facts are facts. To think you could handle everything perfectly by trying to please everyone... that's just wishful thinking."

"People like Yi Ruiyang, who love to oppress others with their power, don't exist to create happiness for the common people. They act only for their own selfish desires. For such people, there is only one solution: death. There is no other way."

"You think too much and do too little, which gives them the chance to walk all over you. You should be more decisive. Otherwise, what's the point of you being the Zhen Nan Prefecture's Supervisory Official? What are you supervising? *Who* have you supervised?"

BUZZ...

Situ Qi's mind went blank as if struck by lightning, and a chill shot up from the soles of her feet to the crown of her head.

She really couldn't bring herself to kill someone on the spot like Chen Zheng. But just as he said, her role as the Supervisory Official often seemed like a mere decoration, failing to serve its actual purpose!

"If you want to properly do your job as the Supervisory Official, then come with me and do one thing!"

With that, Chen Zheng took Zhang Lingxue's hand, turned around, and walked back into the Black Dragon Society's dojo.

Everyone watched his retreating figure, speechless for a long time. The shocks Chen Zheng had delivered were simply too overwhelming.

When Chen Zheng returned to the great square of the Black Dragon Society's dojo, besides the Da Shang martial artists who had surrendered to the Dahe Nation, Mukai Toshiaki was still kneeling in the same spot, motionless.

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