Brandishing the Saber

After eating, Xiang Yang didn't have time to try on his constable uniform. He took out the constable's waist token from the bottom of the tray, grabbed Fu Dachun, and they left the house, heading straight for Zhou Fugui's mansion in the county town.

On the way, Xiang Yang looked at the waist token. It was made of refined copper, with "Anyuan" on the front and a "Constable" character on the back. Below the constable character, there were two deeply engraved characters, "Xiang Yang," proving that he was no longer an ordinary civilian but a young constable who ate from the royal coffers and worked for the prefectural office.

After fiddling with it for a while, Xiang Yang put the waist token into his embrace. Seeing Fu Dachun beside him looking excited, he laughed, "Right, don't you have anything to do today? If Old Master Zhou happens to invite me to lunch or something, don't run off halfway and miss out on the good food."

Fu Dachun didn't pay attention to Xiang Yang's boasting. He shook his head with a bitter expression, "Don't even mention it. Our job, to put it nicely, is 'helping the yamen runners,' but to put it bluntly, we're just errand boys.

When you were here, I could relax a bit. Now that you've been promoted to constable, and I'm left alone, I can't stand this hardship. My old man at home doesn't want me to do this anymore either. This is the perfect opportunity to go home and learn the art of roasting chicken, so I can inherit the tavern in the future."

"Helping the yamen runners" sounded respectable, but in reality, it was the sons and nephews of various yamen runners and constables or minor officials who helped out at the county yamen by running errands, earning a small fee, and getting familiar with the place, so they could work at the yamen in the future.

Of course, such a large yamen couldn't have only two helpers. It was just that Fu Dachun was only close to Xiang Yang and had a general relationship with others. Without Xiang Yang, it was like losing a playmate, and he was more likely to be bullied and ostracized by others, which made him consider quitting.

"It's good that you're quitting. Your family's tavern business is so booming, why bother with all that hardship and suffering? Besides, I'm a constable now. If anyone causes trouble at your place in the future, I'll step in to help you. You can just focus on being the young master of your tavern and enjoy your life."

Xiang Yang patted Fu Dachun on the shoulder. Fu Dachun's original purpose for going to the county yamen was to build connections and seek official protection, so that those unsavory characters from the lower rungs of society wouldn't cause trouble at the tavern. Now that he had become a constable, he was much better off than a yamen runner and could naturally protect the Fu family.

Constables were considered high-end armed forces in Anyuan County, numbering less than twenty in total. They were responsible for apprehending bandits, investigating cases, and gathering evidence. They were also the most relied upon group by the county magistrate. Dealing with local ruffians and hooligans was no pressure at all.

Hearing this, Fu Dachun was both happy and touched. "Little Yang Brother, thank you. I can't promise much else, but once I've mastered my skills, I'll make you roasted chicken every day."

Xiang Yang laughed heartily at Fu Dachun's words. If he really ate roasted chicken every day, he would probably turn into a fat man in a few days.

The Zhou family mansion was located at the tail end of the main street on the west side of Anyuan County town. It was a rare mansion in the county town, with three entrances and three courtyards. Above the main gate, a vermilion plaque bore the words "Zhou Mansion," and below it, two large stone lions were carved lifelike, majestic, and imposing.

Standing outside the Zhou family's main gate, Xiang Yang glanced at their house and compared it to his own shabby little dwelling. He felt a hundred points of damage, and his mood was a bit unpleasant.

He lifted the Wild Goose Feather Saber with his left hand and signaled Fu Dachun to knock on the door. Fu Dachun rubbed his hands together, walked up the stone steps with some excitement, and came to the main gate. He knocked on the door knocker, "Bang, bang, bang."

"Who is it?" With a creak, a man in his thirties wearing a felt hat and a red nose opened the main door, revealing his head. He looked at Fu Dachun, who was knocking. Seeing that Fu Dachun was just a teenager, not wearing fancy clothes, and had a not-so-good complexion.

"You little brat, do you know where this is? Go on, go play somewhere else. If you cause trouble again, I'll deal with you."

Fu Dachun felt a surge of anger upon hearing this. What a snob, looking down on people. Who do you think you are, just a servant at the gate? I'm the young master of a tavern, how can you bully me?

However, before he could speak, the man in the felt hat was about to close the door. At this moment, Xiang Yang had already walked up the stone steps. He inserted one hand into the gap of the door that was about to be closed, propping it open. No matter how hard the man in his thirties pushed, he couldn't close the door.

"Oh, kid, you've got some strength. But if you dare to cause trouble at the Zhou family, aren't you afraid of coming in upright and leaving horizontally?"

The man in the felt hat saw that although Xiang Yang was very handsome, he was wearing coarse linen clothes and didn't seem to be from a wealthy family. He sneered and ridiculed him. However, before he could say anything more, his voice suddenly got stuck in his throat, and he couldn't speak. His teeth chattered uncontrollably, and he looked like he was about to cry.

It turned out that Xiang Yang saw that the gatekeeper was being garrulous and difficult. He flicked his left hand, and the Wild Goose Feather Saber extended out halfway, resting less than an inch from the gatekeeper's neck.

"You talk too much. Go tell Zhou Fugui that someone from the yamen is here. See if he wants to meet me. Go."

Xiang Yang's action not only stunned the man in the felt hat but also startled Fu Dachun. Xiang Yang used to have a good temper and was gentle and polite. Coupled with his handsome appearance, he had earned the nickname "Little Yang Brother." But today, he was so fierce and wild, which surprised him.

Hearing that someone from the yamen was here, the man in the felt hat breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Xiang Yang sheathe his saber, he smiled obsequiously, "So it's an officer. Please wait a moment, I'll go inform him right away." With that, he closed the door, and the sound of hurried footsteps, "bang, bang, bang," faded into the distance. He was likely going to find Zhou Fugui.

Fu Dachun looked at Xiang Yang with some fear, glanced at the Wild Goose Feather Saber in Xiang Yang's hand, and swallowed his saliva. "Brother Xiang, why are you so aggressive today? He's just a servant who delivers messages, there's no need to draw your saber, is there?"

Xiang Yang looked at Fu Dachun with confusion, only then realizing that his behavior was quite different from the Xiang Yang of the past. However, he didn't panic. He just sneered.

"Aggression? If I were truly aggressive, I would have cut a gash on his neck just now. But I only scared him. What kind of aggression is that?

Don't worry, I haven't changed. It's just that my father's incident made me realize that the only things in this world that can be relied upon are one's own fists and the knives in their hands. Like that scoundrel just now, seeing that we are young, he bullied us. But as soon as I showed my knife, he backed down. You have to be more ruthless than such villains."

Xiang Yang's words made Fu Dachun relax. He thought about it, and it made sense. After the two of them knocked, the gatekeeper had mocked them incessantly without them saying a word, which was truly excessive. But when he saw Xiang Yang's drawn saber, he was terrified and acted completely differently, showing the behavior of a bully who picks on the weak.

"That's true. But Brother Xiang, if that person still refused to relay the message for us, would you have killed him?"

Fu Dachun thought of those heroic figures in the martial arts world who sought revenge and righted wrongs. The Xiang Yang before him involuntarily overlapped with those figures. He saw stars, drawing his sword at the slightest disagreement, drinking wine heartily and eating meat, that's a true man!

Xiang Yang slapped Fu Dachun on the head with a "pop" and said irritably, "What are you thinking? Do you think I'm a bandit from Black Wind Stronghold, killing people at the drop of a hat?

If he really refused to relay the message, beating him up would have been enough. Who told him to look down on officials?"

Fu Dachun gave a thumbs-up and sincerely praised, "The walls don't convince me, only you, Little Yang Brother. No, Brother Xiang."