Return

The return journey was simple. Xiang Yang led Young Master Lan back to Encirclement Village, retrieved the horses they had left with the village chief, then rode double with Little Fatty Lan and galloped back to the Anyuan County Yamen.

By then, the constables from the County Yamen had already been dispatched to the other places where An Qinglong had hidden hostages, leaving only a few yamen runners behind to stand guard. Xiang Yang handed Little Fatty Lan over to Old Ren, one of the runners, then headed for County Magistrate Li Zhizhi's study in the yamen's rear courtyard.

In the elegantly furnished room, steeped in the scent of books, Li Zhizhi sat behind his desk with his hands resting on his knees, listening to Xiang Yang's account. Delight and gloom alternated across his face like a Peking opera mask changing faces, leaving Xiang Yang clicking his tongue in wonder.

"Well done. I never expected that on your very first day on duty, Little Xiang, you would render such great service. Truly, heroes emerge in their youth.

"However, you should not have dealt with Jia Kui yourself. By your account, he had already been captured and was completely incapable of resisting. At the very least, you should have brought him back to the County Yamen."

Li Zhizhi praised Xiang Yang first, then coldly reprimanded him. To put it bluntly, what Xiang Yang had done could be called lawless and a callous disregard for human life.

If not for his youth, it being his first day on the job, and his having reported every last detail to him, Li Zhizhi would certainly have taught him a lesson. Stripping him of his official uniform would not have been out of the question.

Xiang Yang wore a worried, panicked expression, and looked at Li Zhizhi with a measure of gratitude. Yet inwardly, he sneered. A carrot and a stick, hoping to win me over? I have to say, that is a rather crude way of controlling people.

Li Zhizhi was quite satisfied with Xiang Yang's expression. Talented people were hard to come by these days, especially subordinates who were obedient, loyal, and capable. They were exactly what a local county magistrate like him prized most.

Back then, Xiang Da Niu had possessed exceptional martial prowess and ranked among the very best of the County Yamen's constables. Yet because he remained grateful to his former benefactor, he had never truly opened his heart to Li Zhizhi. Li Zhizhi had harbored his own misgivings as well, which was why he had cast Xiang Da Niu aside and ignored him.

Now, Xiang Yang was young and ignorant, a blank sheet of paper. Yet he was also remarkably skilled, having defeated Jia Kui, a renowned boxer of Anyuan County, in a one-on-one fight. He could more than make up for Li Zhizhi's regret. If he could not win over the father, would it not be even better to take in a son who would surpass his father?

Of course, the main reason Li Zhizhi believed Xiang Yang would be easy to recruit was that the youth told him everything, even things he should not have said, without concealing the slightest detail. Was this not precisely what he had hoped for?

This was where Xiang Yang's cunning and slyness had to be mentioned.

First, he had analyzed Li Zhizhi's character. Li Zhizhi was certainly not the sort of man who blindly buried himself in books and followed every court rule to the letter. Put plainly, he was no good bird. Such a man was smooth and worldly, fit to be an official, and this gave Xiang Yang an opportunity to confess what he had done while still escaping unscathed.

Second, he knew that his actions this time had been riddled with holes, with many matters insufficiently considered. So he decided to let a mistake run its course and revealed everything he had done after arriving at Encirclement Village, concealing only the matter of forcing Jia Kui to copy out the Tiger Subduing Fist manual and the Breathing Technique's inner cultivation method.

That way, even if Li Zhizhi was displeased with Xiang Yang acting on his own, he would let him off once on account of his rescuing Little Fatty Lan and being so candid and trusting. He might even believe in the future that he had Xiang Yang by the sore spot and treat him as a trusted confidant.

"My lord, when I suddenly heard Qian Fu's name, I panicked. I was afraid he might implicate you, my lord, so I made that mistake. You also know that Qian Fu's martial arts are formidable. If a dog is driven into a corner and jumps over the wall, someone with his skills would be far too dangerous."

At those words, Li Zhizhi thought even more highly of him. It was not that he believed Xiang Yang's explanation, but that Xiang Yang knew how to say pleasing words, and even made them sound sincere. That was no small thing.

Anyone could utter sweet words and flatter others, but different people produced different results. Many people spoke well and fawned over their superiors, yet their words and actions clashed with the persona they presented. It was too affected, too obvious, and the person being flattered would not feel nearly so pleased.

"Mm. I know your heart is sincere. But rules are rules. We are people of the yamen, and we have always used the law to restrain the common people and those from the gangs. If we ourselves cannot abide by it and set an example, what right do we have to govern others?

"Little Xiang, you are young and your martial arts are impressive. Your future is boundless. You must keep yourself clean and never pick up the habits of those rough Jianghu louts.

"Jia Kui took part in trafficking people, including Young Master Lan. His death was no loss. And since you rendered great service by rescuing Young Master Lan, we shall let this matter pass. But let there not be a next time."

Xiang Yang nodded, heaving a sigh of relief. Holding his saber, he smiled broadly. "Thank you for protecting me, my lord. From now on, I will follow wherever you lead. If you tell me east, I would not dare go west."

"You brat, all you know is how to flatter people. Enough. Leave this to me. Also, I will send people to meet up with the Green Wolf Gang. Go home and rest first."

Li Zhizhi shook his head and laughed as he scolded him. He had always been stern and solemn, but the boy had rendered him great service today, putting him in an excellent mood. He did not mind such things, and his manner became much more cordial.

Xiang Yang accepted the order, bowed, and withdrew. Li Zhizhi frowned in thought for a moment, pulled out a sheet of white paper, and swiftly filled it with writing. He then summoned the yamen runner standing guard outside and instructed him to deliver the letter to Steward Fang, the manager of his residence. Li Zhizhi himself headed for the front hall, preparing to properly receive Young Master Lan.

Meanwhile, the constables led by Wang Ying, Liu Feng, and Yu Fei had also broken into An Qinglong's other three secret locations and won a resounding victory. At the cost of five men suffering light injuries, they captured all three dens and rescued nearly sixty abducted women and children—young married women and girls under thirty, as well as children under ten. Their sole regret was that they had not found Young Master Lan.

When they returned to the County Yamen, they learned that Xiang Yang had already returned ahead of them and rescued Young Master Lan. All of them envied the boy's luck and strength.

This was only Xiang Yang's first day on duty, yet he had already earned such immense merit. Not only had he won the county magistrate's favor, he had likely also caught Mr. Lan's attention. In the future, he would surely leave Anyuan behind.

Among them, Liu Feng's expression was the most complicated, and the smile on his face the most forced. He was second only to Wang Ying among the constables and had been hoping to use this great merit to seek a post as chief constable in another county, or obtain a recommendation to enter the Divine Constable Gate. Now, all of it had become empty air. How could he not feel dejected?

Xiang Yang chose Encirclement Village from the beginning. He must have known Young Master Lan was hidden there. Damn it, that little bastard stole the credit, just like his father.

Liu Feng cursed viciously in his heart, but he was far from the only one. What they did not know was that if they had gone to Encirclement Village, nine times out of ten they would have died there. In the remaining chance, they would have encountered the Green Wolf Gang and failed to get past Huang Peng, much less break into Anjia Manor and rescue Young Master Lan. This was the gap in ability and martial skill.

Of course, as the saying went, the gun shoots the bird that sticks its head out. Xiang Yang had revealed his edge too openly this time, drawing the dissatisfaction and wariness of these veteran constables. The basket was only so large, and the portions within it were fixed. With another person coming to snatch a share, how could there be no ripples?