Chapter 131: Mayor Wei Zhen’s Reaction

In the pawnshop of the small town, after Tang Wei left, the old man had already arranged for someone to follow her from a distance while he himself quietly entered an extraordinarily luxurious courtyard. A large plaque hung above the gate, inscribed with the two bold characters "Wei Residence." What connection did this old man have with Mayor Wei?

It turned out that the old man could be considered the mayor’s esteemed father-in-law. Why the hesitation? Because his daughter was only the mayor’s concubine, not his main wife. However, she had borne the mayor’s only son, which granted her more status and face within the Wei household than the mayor’s official wife.

With such connections, the old man held considerable sway in town. For a time, no one dared to provoke him. Yet, unexpectedly encountering Tang Wei—someone not to be trifled with—had caused him to lose face severely. Naturally, he wanted to reclaim his dignity as soon as possible.

After lamenting before his daughter, the old man soon secured an audience with Mayor Wei. The mayor was also a man who cared deeply about face. Though he usually looked down on his concubine’s father, his disdain was one thing; being disrespected in return was another matter entirely, and this matter had to be resolved.

After the old man detailed the incident, Mayor Wei hesitated. This was clearly no ordinary person to provoke. The ability to sweep an entire table into ashes with a mere gesture was unmatched by any martial artist in his possession. He had heard of high-level warriors who could strike objects at a distance, but none capable of reducing them to ash. Could this be a hidden master of extraordinary skill? As Mayor Wei pondered, his treasured son entered the room, having overheard the entire conversation.

“Grandfather, describe that woman carefully. Somehow, I feel she resembles the woman I met deep in the mountains,” the young Wei said thoughtfully, supporting himself with his hand.

This remark startled Mayor Wei. If it truly was that woman, he would have to take his son to apologize to her immediately. He now took the matter seriously.

The old man, sensing the gravity in the eyes of both father and son, described Tang Wei’s appearance in detail.

“So? Son, is she the master you encountered?” Mayor Wei asked anxiously, hoping it wasn’t her.

“Father, why worry so much? She’s just a woman. We have many warriors in our household—surely one of them can handle her. If one can’t, we can overwhelm her with numbers! I don’t believe she can fight off a hundred,” Wei’s son, clearly naive and fearless, replied. Trying to face Tang Wei with sheer numbers would be a death sentence.

“You insolent brat! I told you to read more books, but you never listen. And now you talk nonsense at such a time! Those people you know are no match for a master like her. Even if we bring more men, it’s just a suicide mission. Stop adding trouble,” Mayor Wei scolded, banging his son’s head lightly.

Rubbing the sore spot, Wei’s son retorted, “Father, is she really that formidable? Must we fear her so much?”

The old man, hearing the son’s question, dared not interrupt but looked at Mayor Wei with curiosity, hoping the answer wouldn’t be too frightening.

“I’ve only heard of masters who can manipulate force at a distance, but none who can reduce objects to ash. Is she really that powerful? Our warriors can’t even contend with internal energy fighters, let alone someone of her caliber. Training warriors is no easy task. I’ve finally gathered a few dozen under my roof. Don’t let me send them to their deaths. Tell me honestly—was it really her you encountered?” Mayor Wei’s only concern now was whether his son had provoked Tang Wei. Even if the old man were killed by her right before his eyes, he would not seek retribution.

Hearing his father’s serious tone, Wei’s son felt uneasy. He lowered his head and quietly murmured, “Yes, it was her.”

“Sigh! What am I to do with you?” Mayor Wei muttered in frustration, pacing anxiously. Then he turned to Wei’s son sternly: “I’ll have the steward prepare a generous gift. Tomorrow, you and I will go to Sangjia Village and apologize to her. And for a while, you stay home and learn how to manage the household properly. No more fooling around outside.”

“Father…” Wei’s son resisted, unwilling to be confined to the house, attempting his usual tricks to oppose his father’s decision.

“Don’t give me that! This time, I won’t let you out,” Mayor Wei softened his tone slightly. “Zhi, I’m doing this for your own good. You’ve provoked such a formidable warrior. I fear she might come back for revenge when the time is right. You’re my only heir. If anything happens to you, what will I do with my days ahead?” So his name was Wei Zhi.

Hearing his father plead so earnestly, Wei Zhi’s heart softened. He nodded quietly and accepted the decision.

With his son settled, Mayor Wei turned to the old man. “What’s the situation on your end?” He never addressed the old man as father-in-law or by any respectful title, only by name or not at all. In his mind, the old man was just the father of a concubine, unworthy of formal address. Even though he usually tolerated him for Wei Zhi’s sake, after causing such a big problem, he disliked him even more.

“After Tang Wei left, I sent people to follow her from a distance. I planned to find her again after visiting your home and stir up some trouble,” the old man replied, his voice growing quieter as he saw Mayor Wei’s darkening expression, fearful of reprimand.

“You useless old man, always stirring up trouble for no reason! If it weren’t for Zhi, I’d have tossed you out long ago. Don’t cause me any more problems…” Mayor Wei’s voice grew harsh, spewing a torrent of curses, venting all his frustration on the old man.

The old man bowed his head almost to his waist, nodding frantically. “Yes, yes, I was wrong. I know I was wrong. I won’t dare again.”

Wei Zhi couldn’t bear it any longer and interjected, “Father, enough. No matter how much you scold him now, it’s useless. You’d better tell him how to fix this.”

“Hmm,” Mayor Wei agreed with a nod, then turned back to the old man in anger. “Call back the people you sent to follow her right now. Are you trying to send them to their graves? You brainless fool, always doing stupid things…” More scolding followed.

The old man, being scolded like a child, nodded obediently and responded hurriedly, “Yes, yes, I will call them back immediately. Rest assured, Mayor.”

Seeing such a pitiful sight, Mayor Wei’s temper flared further, and he kicked the old man hard. “What are you waiting for? If you dawdle any longer, those people’s bodies will turn to ice!” It was as if he regarded Tang Wei as a murderous demon—how could bodies freeze so quickly?

“W-w-well, Mayor, should I… should I go apologize to her tomorrow?” the old man stammered cautiously, afraid to offend, clearly worried for his life.

Mayor Wei could not care less about the old man’s survival. If he died, he died. He certainly wouldn’t take him to apologize. But he also couldn’t say so bluntly: “Who would want you, you worthless thing? Just don’t provoke her again. You went too far today, but she didn’t kill you—probably because she didn’t want the trouble. You lost a thousand taels of silver, so just consider it your apology gift.” The old man thought this made sense. If she had really been angry, she would have killed him on the spot, so he left feeling somewhat relieved.

Wei Zhi, however, remained uneasy. He seized the chance to ask his father, “Father, if you’re worried she’ll come after me later, why do you think she won’t harm the old man?”

Wei Zhi dared not call the old man “grandpa” in front of his father; such a lowly person did not deserve that title.

As expected, Mayor Wei lectured, “Zhi, your status is precious. You are to inherit my position as mayor. You are not like those lowly people. Their lives aren’t worth your concern. If they die, they die. Then there will be one less freeloader hanging around our household. Why care?”

Wei Zhi wanted to help the old man but dared not act on his own. He knew that if he lost his father’s favor, he would be nothing, so he dared not anger him. He bowed respectfully and withdrew, leaving the hall. Outside, he pondered how to secretly send a message to his grandfather, advising him to be more cautious in the future.

Meanwhile, on their way home, the Sang family’s journey was relatively smooth. They hadn’t encountered any suspicious characters—aside from those stealthily following them, things were fairly uneventful.

The Sang family of five dragged along two large carts of grain, moving slowly. At difficult spots, Tang Wei would lend a hand but never mentioned storing the grain in the magical storage space. The Sangs were not fools and understood perfectly; without being told, they had already decided not to reveal that secret. Except for Sang Ye, most of the family were taciturn, unlikely to gossip about such matters.

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