Bizarre Cultivation: Starting from Being Beaten Up by Reality

Chapter 170: Uprising

Zhan Peng, remembering his brilliant and audacious idea, decided to keep it a secret. He slowly took a sip of wine and ate a bite of cold dish, completely ignoring Duan Ye kicking him.

He then slowly said, "Before I came here, I heard from the deputy commander that bastard actually stopped me from seeing the commander..."

"Don't change the subject, let's get down to business." Duan Ye kicked him again.

Zhan Peng was interrupted, but continued, "I heard from the deputy commander that because of the frequent unrest in various places this year, the court has considered offering amnesty. In the words of that sullen face, it is intended to use evil to control evil and violence to control violence."

Zhan Peng then looked at Lin Fan and said, “Brother Lin, Liu Feng is the most heinous and violent villain since the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty. If my commander pulls some strings, we might be able to make him a target for amnesty. In other words, let’s do the opposite. We can’t rely on our many crimes to clear our names, so let’s just admit to them all. We can even add the matter of Taixin County to your list. When it comes to amnesty, the more serious the crime, the higher the official rank.”

This was indeed a path Lin Fan had never imagined, but it was just something to listen to. After all, the name sounded good, but could the officials who were granted amnesty really count?

Zhan Peng wasn't surprised to see Lin Fan's lack of interest, because he hadn't finished speaking yet. "I know Brother Lin has concerns. The officialdom of Daqian will definitely not accept you, and even you yourself won't be able to adapt. But, since I came up with such a brilliant plan, how could I not have thought of it?"

After praising himself as a genius, Zhan Peng felt no shame. Instead, he wondered why the commander hadn't noticed his talent after all this time.

After taking a sip of wine and keeping everyone in suspense, he said, "It's very simple. I'll have my commander get it for you. I reckon you might be able to get a junior officer position as soon as you arrive. If you're willing, you can live directly in the Criminal Investigation Department in the capital. You can travel all over the country like me, with the world to your heart's content. None of the trivial matters in the capital's officialdom will affect you."

This was entirely based on Zhan Peng's own experience. He had never even realized why he could act willfully everywhere without ever getting into trouble with any lawsuits, or why the commander would sometimes get inexplicably angry and not want to see him.

Of course, none of this concerned Lin Fan. But these words genuinely moved Lin Fan. Putting aside all doubts, staying in the Great Qian Dynasty and having such a future did seem quite appealing.

Although Duan Ye was drunk, his mind was still clear. He frowned and asked, "Brother Wanli, you're assuming that this was all possible because of the strong support of the Commander of the Criminal Investigation Division. Of course, I don't doubt your father's abilities, but he might not be willing to do this, right?"

Zhanpeng got really excited and patted his chest to make a promise.

"With my trusted confidant vouching for him..." He swallowed his words halfway through, coughed, and said, "Ahem, don't you understand why my commander changed the wanted poster and the portrait before? The commander is valuing talent, and the Criminal Investigation Division needs someone like Brother Lin the most."

Even so, Lin Fan still had to decline his offer, since he wanted to return to the mortal world, a decision that even if he were to ascend the throne as the Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty right now, it would not be swayed.

Before Lin Fan could speak, Duan Ye spoke up for him, "However, Brother Wanli's genius plan is bound to fail. Brother Lin, you want to go to Peach Blossom Spring with Doctor Lei, right?"

Lin Fan's hand holding the wine cup trembled slightly, but he wasn't too surprised. What else could it be? What other possibility was there for him and Doctor Lei to travel together? If he just wanted to escape capture, wouldn't going to the southern border be closer? Why insist on heading west?

Lin Fan nodded seriously and said, "That's true."

Zhan Peng was somewhat frustrated that his brilliant idea could not be implemented, and then said, "Indeed, Peach Blossom Spring, if there really is such a place, I would like to go there too. No, the commander probably won't go, it's such a dilemma."

What are you struggling with? Lin Fan suddenly seemed to realize something.

Duan Ye sighed, "If it weren't for the fact that I still have so many clansmen here, I would also like to go."

Lin Fan listened to their sighs, and what surprised him most was that they didn't mention at all that Peach Blossom Spring was something unlikely to exist. He could simply assume they were avoiding the topic in front of him, a believer in Peach Blossom Spring.

Lin Fan then frankly said, "If I cannot find Peach Blossom Spring this time, I may really have to ask Brother Wanli for help."

Just as Zhan Peng was about to say something smug, Duan Ye interrupted him, saying, "Brother Lin, you don't need to look for him, just come find me."

Zhan Peng suddenly realized, staring wide-eyed at Duan Ye. "You old codger! You didn't say anything earlier, but after bragging for so long, you finally revealed it!" "That's right! He's a marquis of a fiefdom, though his territory is tiny. But as long as Lin Fan is under his protection, Duan Ye can easily give him a new identity. Just stay there for three to five years, and the fake will become real, won't it?"

Duan Ye continued, "Besides, your commander needs Brother Lin, but I don't? To be honest, Brother Lin, the entire Sanjiang Prefecture is on the verge of a storm."

He then slammed an invitation on the table and spread it out to show the two of them.

The above is quite lengthy, but the gist is: "The king is tyrannical, and in response to the call of the benevolent General Liu of the previous dynasty, we should gather heroes from all over the world to jointly punish him." "Therefore, please come and have a meal together."

Let alone a proper official like Zhan Peng, even Lin Fan would have to say, what kind of dreamlike methods are these? Moreover, this invitation was even sent to a proper marquis; under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be able to attend the meal.

But to my surprise, Duan Ye shook his head and said, "Actually, I handed the invitation over to the prefect immediately after receiving it, but that bastard gave me some nonsense and kicked me out."

Such an incident should naturally be handled by a proper high-ranking official of the imperial court. Otherwise, what should be done? Should Duan Ye be sent to suppress the bandits with his fifty private soldiers?

Duan Ye then recounted some details: how the prefect had been evasive with him, and how the bandits were stirring up trouble and about to revolt. Ultimately, he realized he really had to rely on himself to suppress the bandits.

Duan Ye said, "Both of you brothers can see that this is absurd, but quite a few people have responded. At least as far as I know, the bandits that Brother Lin and I wiped out a few days ago, as well as the Moju Temple and some people from the Southern Frontier, have already secretly colluded."

Zhan Peng looked utterly bewildered. "How dare these people? How dare that bastard prefect!"

"That's unreasonable!" Lin Fan thought it was precisely because it was unreasonable that it was unreasonable. The two people in front of him seemed perfectly normal; it was the other way around. He'd seen so many things before, and what was reasonable was actually unreasonable.

Then Lin Fan remembered that the spider that possessed Shen Meng's body had mentioned this as well. Zhan Peng also recounted what he had overheard along the way.

The more they talked, the more enthusiastic they became. The more they talked, the more absurd the world seemed. The three people present all had remarkable reputations outside, but when they talked about it, they felt very powerless.

Lin Fan usually didn't express his opinions on these matters, after all, he knew that he was not a person of this world and that many of his thoughts were different from those of people of this world.

But Lin Fan got drunk today.

So he said, "Lord Duan, why think so much? Since the court doesn't care, why let those snakes and rats get the first chance? Why don't you rise up yourself? You are a marquis, and your ancestors must have some famous people whose reputations are no less than those guys'."