"Afraid of what? He's only one man—hack him to death!"
The moment someone dared to be the first bird out of the flock, a metal arrowhead blew his head apart.
Blood sprayed through the air, splattering the faces of those nearby. The crowd retreated several more steps.
"Kid, resisting arrest is a grave crime. I advise you to surrender without a fight!"
A man dressed like a constable stepped forward and spoke.
"Who are you?"
"This official is Zhao Sihai, Chief Constable of the Qingshan County Yamen!"
"Very good!"
Ning Chuan sneered and took out Leng Hanshuang's Imperial Guard token.
"Do you recognize this Imperial Guard token belonging to Leng Hanshuang?"
Zhao Sihai's heart lurched, and his expression shifted unpredictably.
Damn it, what exactly is this kid's relationship with Lord Leng Hanshuang?
This involves the Imperial Guard. What do we do? This is beyond the Inspection Office's authority!
His face changed several times, but then he recalled the County Magistrate's ruthless methods.
No, this mission was personally arranged by the County Magistrate. If I fail to complete it...
Zhao Sihai gritted his teeth, hardened his heart, and shouted, "You brazen madman, you dare impersonate—"
Before he could finish, there was a puff, and a large hole opened in his chest.
"Ah!"
Zhao Sihai screamed and died on the spot.
Seeing even the Chief Constable killed, everyone trembled in fear.
Ning Chuan raised the token above his head and let out a thunderous roar.
"The Imperial Guard is handling a case! Drop your weapons at once, hold your heads, and kneel on the ground!"
"Otherwise, you will be treated as accomplices to treason and your entire families will be executed! Any who dare flee will be tracked down afterward and have their nine clans exterminated!"
Under such circumstances, Ning Chuan had no choice but to drape himself in a tiger's hide and wave it like a banner once more!
The deterrence of the Imperial Guard truly was extraordinary.
This time, without the Silver Armored General stirring up trouble, and with the Chief Constable crippled in a single move, no one dared question whether it was real or fake.
Weapons clattered to the ground one after another. Hundreds of people held their heads and knelt, creating a spectacular sight.
Even those martial wanderers and heroes did not dare flee. Once they offended the Imperial Guard, whose reach was everywhere, there would be nowhere under heaven or earth for them to hide.
"Who else in the Inspection Office can make decisions?"
Ning Chuan pointed at several people in the crowd dressed in constable uniforms.
At once, one of them stood up, bowed, and said,
"This subordinate is Lin Dayong, Deputy Constable of the Inspection Office. What are your orders, my lord?"
He called himself a subordinate and kept an extremely low profile. After all, the Chief Constable's fate was lying right beside him.
"Speak. Why did you falsely accuse me of being a notorious bandit?"
"This subordinate does not know. This subordinate merely acted on orders. I beg my lord to investigate clearly!"
Seeing that he did not appear to be lying, Ning Chuan shouted again:
"Where is the City Guard?"
No one answered.
"Where is the City Guard?"
Ning Chuan called out several times. When no one responded, he frowned and pointed at an armored archer.
"You. Come out and speak!"
The archer walked forward trembling and knelt on the ground.
"My lord, this little one is not from the City Guard. This little one is from the Joint Defense Camp?"
"The Joint Defense Camp? Why are you wearing City Guard equipment? And where is the general who commanded the battle just now?"
"This little one received orders to impersonate the City Guard. As for the general, he is..."
The archer looked around, but the Silver Armored General was nowhere to be found. With a mournful face, he said:
"Why has that general vanished?"
"Who was that general?"
"This little one does not know him!"
He escaped. That general was an impostor too? Ning Chuan sneered inwardly.
What had happened tonight was clearly a trap laid by someone, and it was most likely the person who had impersonated the general.
You dared scheme against me. No matter who you are, I'll find you and flay you, pull out your tendons, and strip your skin!
Ning Chuan pointed at several more archers and asked, "What about you?"
Several of them hurriedly answered, "This little one is also from the Joint Defense Camp. Someone also told us to impersonate the Town Defense Camp."
"Who told you to put on this act? Point them out for me. If you dare deceive this official, die!" Ning Chuan shouted sternly.
"This little one knows! This little one knows! It was Captain Qu Yingchun of the Joint Defense Camp! He was here just now, but he has already disappeared!" one of them hurriedly said.
Ning Chuan asked again, "Who among you knows the identity of the person impersonating the general?"
Everyone looked at one another. "We do not know."
Ning Chuan then pointed at the group of martial wanderers and heroes. "What about you? Why did you take part in tonight's affair?"
A one-eyed man with a long saber on his back hurriedly stepped forward and handed Ning Chuan a scroll of paper.
"My lord, please look!"
Ning Chuan took it and opened it. At once, he cursed loudly:
"Damn it! A County Yamen wanted notice—wanted notorious bandit, reward of one hundred taels of silver. Which bastard has a grudge against me?"
Being wanted by the authorities would be a huge nuisance, and Ning Chuan could not help growing irritated.
Good thing Leng Shuanghan gave me this Imperial Guard token!
Ning Chuan looked at the several hundred people kneeling on the ground. The more he looked, the more displeased he became. He waved a hand and said:
"Leave behind silver to buy your lives. Whoever dares hide any, don't blame this official for being ruthless!"
"Thank you, my lord!"
Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief. They carefully placed silver on the ground and slunk away in disgrace.
In the blink of an eye, only a group of inn guests remained at the scene, along with more than two hundred taels of silver on the ground.
Ning Chuan pointed at the silver, then at the inn guests.
"Come. Take the silver that belongs to you. Whoever takes even a single coin too much will lose a hand!"
The group looked at one another. Not only did they not dare step forward, they retreated several steps instead.
"What, do you expect me to personally deliver the silver into your hands?"
Ning Chuan asked coldly. Only then did the people timidly step forward and take back the silver that had been searched away from them.
After everyone had taken their share, more than one hundred and fifty taels still remained on the ground.
Ning Chuan took another fifty taels and gave them to Shopkeeper Huang to repair the inn. The shopkeeper repeatedly declined, then reluctantly accepted ten taels.
As for the remainder, Lord Ning naturally kept it on their behalf.
"Lord Ning! What a good official!"
"Lord Ning truly is an upright lord who sees the sky clearly!"
After receiving their silver, everyone felt as though they were dreaming. Deeply moved, they repeatedly kowtowed to Ning Chuan.
They had never even heard of an official like this in all their lives.
With the silver tucked into his clothes, Ning Chuan secretly felt pleased.
That little operation just now was equivalent to embezzling over two hundred taels, while taking out more than sixty taels for charity.
Not only did I make a fortune, I also earned a good reputation. And this is merely standard practice in another world!
Even better, his Attribute Points had increased by another 22. Without hesitation, he added them to his Constitution.
Looking at the system panel again, his Constitution was 146, and his Body Tempering Realm had reached the fourteenth level.
After making a small fortune, Ning Chuan laughed heartily several times. At last, his mood improved.
Meanwhile, on the road from Qingshi Town to Three Tiger Mountain, a burlap-clad burly man carried the Silver Armored General on his back and fled at top speed.
The burlap-clad man was none other than Qu Yingchun, Captain of the Joint Defense Camp. The Silver Armored General had been impersonated by the First Boss of Three Tiger Mountain.
Qu Yingchun was fairly quick-witted. Seeing even the First Boss felled by hidden weapons, he knew the situation was beyond saving and took the chance amid the chaos to rescue him.
He was saving the First Boss, but he was also leaving himself a path to survival.
Having failed to capture Ning Chuan, he no longer dared remain in the Town Defense Camp.
"First Boss, you mustn't let anything happen to you! I can't return to the Joint Defense Camp now, and I'll have to rely on you to take me in. I'll follow you from now on!" Qu Yingchun said as he ran.
The First Boss lay sprawled across Qu Yingchun's back, his face as pale as gold paper and blood constantly spilling from the corners of his mouth.
Thinking of the power of Ning Chuan's three hidden weapons, he could not help shuddering violently.
If he had not been so cautious and made so many defenses, even using the thickest possible heart-protecting mirror, his corpse would likely have been cold by now.
Hearing Qu Yingchun's words, he said weakly:
"Don't worry. You and I have known each other for many years, and you just saved my life. As long as I have one bite of rice to eat, you will have one mouthful of soup to drink."
"Thank you, First Boss!"
After giving it some thought, the First Boss added:
"This kid is powerful and has the Imperial Guard backing him. He is no longer someone you or I can control. We can only ask the County Magistrate to decide!"
"Indeed!"
Before you continue