The Corruption Dragon God: Lust System

Chapter 28: 28 - Lord Fang

The spiritual grass village was small, with no more than seven or eight hundred inhabitants.

It stood on the edge of a crystal-clear lake and was surrounded by a high wooden palisade.

”Who’s coming there!” roared one of the guards guarding the gates, a man at the ninth stage of Qi refinement.

”We’re disciples of the Ascending Dragon Sect, we’re here because we’ve received a mission from your Lord to deal with a giant horned wolf,” replied Bao Zhang, showing his disciple token.

”Hm...” The guard examined the token for a brief moment before giving a relieved smile.

”Good of you to finally come! That damned beast has been taking everyone’s sleep away! The hunters can’t hunt anymore and even the farmers are afraid to go into their fields!” The guard opened the gate for them.

”Don’t worry, we’ll deal with this beast in no time!” Jun Hao pounded his chest with confidence, his voice hoarse and excited as Bao Zhang shook his head.

”The baron is already waiting for you at the city lord’s mansion,” the guard nodded, leading the way.

”Thank you,”

Soon, they arrived at the lord’s mansion, a building far too large and luxurious for such a small village, protected by a marble wall expensive enough to probably surround the entire village with mighty stone walls.

”Corrupt son of a bitch...” Chu Yang grunted, his eyes sweeping over the luxurious garden in front of the mansion, where rare flowers and expensive ornaments glittered under the sun.

”He’s probably using the resources sent from the Sect to live in luxury instead of investing in the city! Shouldn’t we report this bastard?” Lei Feng spoke, his face contorted in disgust.

”Yes, we should, but the mission is more important,” Bao Zhang shook his head.

The lord of the spiritual grass village was a former disciple who, after reaching the limit of his talent, ended up accepting the position of baron of a small village.

The ascending dragon sect’s territory was large, including hundreds of villages and many cities, so it wasn’t uncommon for disciples who no longer advanced within the sect to choose to become nobles and take over the sect’s territories.

’Some always go astray...’ Qingyi thought as he listened to the conversation.

Everyone there had been in the sect much longer than him and had lived all their lives in contact with the sect in one way or another, so he really couldn’t add much to that conversation.

”Welcome, young Taoists!” A hoarse, powerful voice drew Qingyi’s attention to the entrance of the mansion.

It was a tall, overweight man in his forties. His teeth were inlaid with gold, his fingers were covered in jewels and his robes were made of pure spiritual silk.

Being at the third stage of the foundation realm, he was certainly powerful enough to handle the beast on his own.

”Greetings, Lord Fang,” Bao Zhang stopped his steps, bringing his fists together and making a respectful bow. Qingyi and the other three also did the same.

”No need for so much formality! Come on in, let’s eat and discuss this damn beast!” Lord Fang laughed, leading them through the mansion with heavy steps.

’God... how corrupt must this bastard be to live like this in such a small village?’ Qingyi thought as they entered the luxurious mansion, noticing the gold details on the walls and the rare fur rugs on the floor.

The village outside was too poor to maintain such a luxurious mansion. The houses were falling apart with thatched roofs and the palisades protecting it wouldn’t stop even the weakest mortal cultivators.

Arriving at the dining room, they were greeted by a large table covered in delicacies, liquors and wines of the highest quality.

”Come on, sit down and serve yourselves!” Lord Fang laughed, taking the center chair. Qingyi and Bao Zhang sat quietly next to him while the other three seemed to have completely lost all their contempt for the corrupt lord, focused on the food.

”Lord Fang is really very generous!” Jun Hao said, tearing off a chicken leg and stuffing it into his mouth.

Lord Fang’s smile grew as he watched everyone begin to eat, his eyes shining with satisfaction.

”Since when has the spirit beast been prowling around these parts, Lord Fang?” Bao Zhang asked, pouring himself a glass of wine.

”The first attack was about two to three months ago. Old Lin, he was one of our most respected hunters... we only found his head,” Lord Fang sighed heavily, his expression momentarily gloomy.

”Since then, we’ve had attacks almost weekly. It’s being difficult to receive the Sect’s resources and people are starting to flee, so it would be good if you killed this bastard as quickly as you can.”

”Don’t worry, Lord Fang, we’ll go after it today,” Bao Zhang smiled, although underneath, he felt his stomach churn. He hated that kind of person, but he had to stay composed.

They finished eating quickly, sorted out a few last things with Lord Fang and left in the direction of the forest surrounding the village.

”Don’t you find that strange?” Qingyi asked as soon as they left the palisades.

”What?” Bao Zhang turned to him.

”Lord Fang, the way he received us, didn’t even try to hide anything. It’s obvious that he’s been embezzling resources from the Sect.”

”It’s not strange, he’s simply sure that no one will do anything against him,” Bao Zhang sighed, his eyes tired.

”We’ll kill the beast, go back to the Sect, report on what we’ve seen and the matter will probably die down there.

The Sect is too big, has too many lords and too much land.

Even the most serious cases take years to decades to conclude if they’re not a priority, and that’s if no elder puts their finger on it to delay it even further.”

’It’s just like on Earth,’ Qingyi thought. No matter the organization, corruption would always exist.

It would grow more and more, and even if the leadership was honest, it would reach a level where it would simply be impossible to oversee the lower levels efficiently.

”Hurry up, we have to prepare the trap before nightfall,” Bao Zhang’s order brought him out of his thoughts, and Qingyi followed right behind.