Chapter 152: Chapter 148: Is every drink and peck predestined? Chapter 152: Chapter 148: Is every drink and peck predestined? “Yes, yes, yes, Official Cen is right.”

“This old coachman really knows how to please, bright eyes and honeyed words. This young master has been chasing all along and indeed got thirsty. Pour the tea quickly and you’ll be well rewarded.”

“Please drink.”

After Cen Fuda had a few sips of the cool tea, he casually threw a gold ingot into the tea stall owner’s hand, intentionally giving more than what Li Ping’an got, just to continue to humiliate him, even less than this tea peddler at the street corner.

“Young master, since you know of my father’s reputation, your family must also have members in officialdom. Speak up; if Official Cen happens to know them…”

Cen Fuda was trying to fish out Li Ping’an’s background. If it turned out to be stronger or comparable to his, he would pull Li Ping’an into his debauched plans to ravage the pretty lady together. If Li Ping’an’s background was inferior to their family’s, then he would have his henchmen and ruffians go harass him by defecating and causing scenes in front of his residence daily, ensuring he wouldn’t have peace!

“Get out of here already!”

After cursing, Li Ping’an took a deep breath, constantly reminding himself not to act impulsively.

“No hurry, within three days I will discover your background and then play with you slowly!”

At the moment, Cen Fuda was eager to carry out his vile deeds, burning with urgency. That’s why he didn’t continue to pester Li Ping’an. After dropping the harsh words, he picked up the desperately struggling and screaming pretty lady and darted into the cloth wall that his subordinates had set up.

“Help! In broad daylight, under the clear sky, yet someone is raping a commoner. Is there no one to intervene?”

The pretty lady’s tearful cries attracted onlookers and vendors nearby, but when they saw the Living King of Hell, Cen Fuda, the passersby walked away faster and the vendors went elsewhere to sell, afraid to get themselves into trouble here.

“Young lady, now undress and make merry with me!”

“No, please don’t!”

At this moment, Cen Fuda was forcibly stripping the clothes off the pretty lady in the innermost part, while six idle followers held up cloth to form a circle around them. The other dozen or so ruffians on the outside either cheered Cen Fuda on or intimidated unsuspecting passersby, signaling them not to come closer.

Just this twenty-meter radius space had become Cen Fuda’s temporary den of debauchery, and this was happening in broad daylight—truly lawless!

“Young man, you seem to be a foreigner here…”

The tea stall owner approached Li Ping’an and asked in a low voice.

“…”

Li Ping’an didn’t reply, his expression turning even more furious.

Seeing that you’re unfamiliar with Official Cen, I knew you must be from out of town.”

As the tea stall owner poured Li Ping’an another cup of tea, he whispered:

“I know you can’t stand to look at it, but what can be done? Who asked him to be Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Cen Changqing’s most cherished youngest son? This scoundrel relies on his power to bully others in Chang’an, particularly enjoying defiling other men’s wives and daughters. The people of Chang’an are afraid of his influence; no one dares to speak out against him! Everyone calls him the Living King of Hell!”

At this, Li Ping’an immediately opened his eyes and asked in an annoyed tone:

“Old sir, I want to ask you about someone!”

“Who might that be? If this old man knows, I’ll surely tell you!”

“May I ask if you know someone named Cen Changqing?”

“Ah! How could I not know him!”

The tea stall owner, after his surprise, hugged Li Ping’an and whispered to him while subtly pointing at Cen Fuda:

“The Cen Changqing you mentioned is indeed the nephew of Cen Fuda, that is, the biological brother of the current Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Cen Changjin. This Cen Changqing was originally the County Magistrate of You Fufeng among the Three Auxiliaries of Chang’an—a corrupt official who devoured people without spitting out their bones. Merely because he was impeached by the former Imperial Censor Xiao Wangba, he was demoted to the impoverished Five Finger Mountain County thousands of miles away…”

“So that’s how it is!”

Li Ping’an had never anticipated such a coincidental encounter with Cen Changqing’s own nephew here—it truly seemed like an act of fate!

String together Cen Changqing, Zhuge Weiwei, Xiao Wangba, and Cen Fuda, and you have the series of events that befell Li Ping’an upon entering “Black Myth: The Fated One.” Xiao Wangba’s impeachment led to the meeting with Cen Changqing, followed by this encounter with Cen Fuda—a cycle of cause and effect that seemed to confirm the saying: “Every bite and every sip is preordained.”

The “cause” he and Cen Changqing sowed would still unfold into unknown “effects.” If he wished to avoid this karmic cycle, Li Ping’an must leave this place, but he could not, so instead of avoiding karma, he must sever it, which meant settling scores with the Cen Family.

“What? Young man, you know Cen Changqing?”

The tea stall owner suddenly interrupted Li Ping’an’s thoughts, and half-truthfully, half-falsely, Li Ping’an said:

“I indeed come from Five Finger Mountain County.”

The tea stall owner shook his head upon hearing this:

“No need to guess, the citizens of Five Finger Mountain County have probably suffered.”

“Indeed!”

Li Ping’an slammed the table angrily and lamented at the silver tael Cen Fuda had compensated him:

“That Cen Changqing drained the marrow from the people of Five Finger Mountain County, as if he’d rather fry and eat them, embezzling ten thousand taels of gold and five thousand of silver. This beast, Cen Fuda, casually gives out gold and silver; you must know that the gold and silver Cen Fuda squanders are the life’s blood of the people, truly, the Cen Family is a family of beasts!”

“But what can be done about it?”

The tea stall owner also sighed:

“The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of the world’s money and finances, and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Cen Changjin, is one of the Emperor’s most relied upon ministers. Within the secular world, aside from the Crown Prince, the Prime Minister, and the State Preceptor, who among the officials dares to offend him lightly!”

With a ripping sound, Cen Fuda over there had already torn the beautiful woman’s clothes, and her screams intensified, filling Li Ping’an with indignant rage.

“I dare!”

As Li Ping’an spoke, he picked up a pair of chopsticks used for picking tea leaves, ready to end Cen Fuda with a single thrust. Although everyone else there had been scared away, leaving the place empty, a crowd of onlookers had gathered about thirty meters away. Even if the Official Residence were to investigate later, only the tea stall owner would have witnessed the killing of Cen Fuda. Naturally, the tea stall owner would not betray him, and Li Ping’an could bluff his way through it.

“What did you say, young man? I did not hear wrong, did I?”

The tea stall owner then saw Li Ping’an slightly turn his head, aiming the picked-up chopsticks at the head of Cen Fuda, who was assaulting the woman.

Just as Li Ping’an was about to act in a split second, there suddenly came a loud shout from the end of the street:

“Get out of the way if you don’t want to die! The horse has panicked! Move aside! Move aside!”

What followed was a series of rapidly approaching hoofbeats. Including Cen Fuda, who was still undressing the attractive woman, everyone craned their necks towards the street corner.

Sure enough, a runaway carriage charged through the street, with pedestrians scattering to avoid it. However, at the street corner, a little girl was too young to dodge in time and was about to be hit by the carriage.

The coachman on the carriage, seeing a life was at stake, frantically pulled at the reins, but the out-of-control horse seemed mad, not responding at all, and charged straight towards the little girl. Even Li Ping’an, being an Earth Immortal, could not react in time to save her, let alone the rest of the bystanders.