Before long, a middle-aged man wearing a blue brocade official robe came out from the rear hall. He had a narrow face, deeply sunken eyes, and a gloomy air. He was none other than Lu Yi, the current magistrate of Jiashan County. The servant from earlier followed behind him.
"Advisor Xue, why have you returned? Did something happen on Mount Dawen?"
"My lord, these three are the leaders of Black Cloud Stronghold. This is Black-Haired Tiger Xie Baoqing, the First Leader. This is Yellow Tooth Tiger Zhu Tieshou, the Third Leader." Xue Wujing paused briefly before continuing, "This is Mystic Tiger of Chaoge Qin Shuang, the Fourth Leader. Black Cloud Stronghold is under his control now."
"So these are the leaders of Black Cloud Stronghold. Forgive my earlier disrespect. Please, have a seat." As Lu Yi gestured for everyone to sit, he barked at the servant, "What are you waiting for? Bring tea for the leaders!"
The servant nodded and bowed as he served tea to Xie Baoqing and the other two in turn. Just as he approached Qin Shuang, he suddenly flung the teacup in his hand at Qin Shuang's face. At the same time, he whipped a short sword from his sleeve, stabbing toward Qin Shuang's throat like lightning.
In the blink of an eye, Qin Shuang casually drew a semicircle with his left hand. The teacup and water flying toward his face froze instantly and scattered onto the floor. Then he extended and clenched his right hand, firmly catching the short sword that had been meant to take his life.
Before the servant could react, Qin Shuang forcefully twisted his right hand. Centered around his arm, a vortex of icy qi formed. It was the fourth form of the Heavenly Frost Fist—Frost and Snow Dance!
The servant could only watch helplessly as he turned into an ice sculpture.
Bang! The ice sculpture crashed heavily onto the floor and shattered into more than a dozen pieces.
"Hmph! What an impressive official you are. I only came to discuss how to divide the profits between your government and the stronghold. Who would have thought you would actually try to kill me?" Qin Shuang snorted furiously, and everyone felt the temperature in the side hall suddenly plummet. "Since you wanted me dead, killing you can be considered legitimate self-defense!"
"You... You dare? I am an honorable county magistrate registered with the Imperial Ministry of Personnel. You dare kill an imperial official!"
"Heh heh, it's only killing someone. Why wouldn't I dare?" Qin Shuang rose to his feet and walked toward Lu Yi step by step. Heavenly Frost Qi spread through the hall, freezing everyone until their teeth chattered.
"Young Hero Qin, please show mercy. You only want money, after all. If you spare my lord's life, the source of your wealth will continue without end!" Advisor Xue was rather loyal. At this moment, he actually found the courage to plead for Lu Yi.
Qin Shuang stopped upon hearing this, as if considering the gains and losses. Finally, he drew a deep breath, made up his mind, and stared coldly at Lu Yi. "From now on, Black Cloud Stronghold gets eighty percent of all the wealth obtained from robberies, and you get twenty percent. Any objections?"
Xue Wujing tugged hard at Lu Yi's sleeve. Seeing Qin Shuang radiating killing intent and looking as though he did not care about the imperial court at all, Lu Yi helplessly replied, "All right."
Just as Xie Baoqing and Xue Wujing secretly let out sighs of relief, Qin Shuang raised his bloodied right hand and asked, "What about this? How should it be calculated?"
"What more do you want?" Lu Yi asked with a trace of anger.
Qin Shuang kicked Lu Yi in the stomach, sending him flying. Before Lu Yi could stand, Qin Shuang's left hand was already pressed against his crown. "Watch your tone when speaking to me. You still don't seem to understand your current situation. If I kill all of you, at worst I'll simply move somewhere else!"
From Qin Shuang's words, it was clear that if the negotiations failed, no one here would escape death. Zhu Tieshou, the most timid of them all, dropped to his knees with a thud once more.
"I want you to produce the wealth you previously took from Black Cloud Stronghold and make up the eighty percent that belongs to me!" Qin Shuang applied slight pressure with his left hand. "So? Will you or won't you?"
Lu Yi felt excruciating pain in his skull beneath Qin Shuang's hand, as if it might be crushed at any moment. Thinking that he could at least keep twenty percent of the wealth, and with his life on the line, he hurriedly agreed. "I will, I will! No problem! Leader Qin, spare my life!"
"Good. Now, the three of you will spread out and write down all the wealth you obtained from your previous robberies, along with the details of how it was later divided!" Qin Shuang first pointed at Lu Yi, Xue Wujing, and Xie Baoqing, then turned to Zhu Tieshou. "Zhu Laosan, you and I will watch the three of them. Don't let them communicate. At the end, we'll compare what each of them wrote. Whoever dares leave anything out is trying to cheat me of my money. I'll send him to meet the King of Hell with one punch!"
Under Qin Shuang's fierce, murderous gaze, Lu Yi and the other two nervously recalled what had happened before and wrote it down bit by bit, not daring to conceal the slightest detail.
Xie Baoqing put on a mournful expression as he said to Qin Shuang, "F-Fourth... Young Hero Qin, I can barely recognize a few characters. I can't write it down!"
"Zhu Laosan, help the First Leader find someone outside who can write and bring him in!"
"Sure thing." By now, Zhu Tieshou had completely submitted to Qin Shuang's might.
More than an hour later, Qin Shuang contentedly held three stacks of papers bearing stamped fingerprints and said to Lu Yi, "I'm not an unreasonable person. I'll give you three days to gather the money. When the time comes, I'll send someone to collect it."
He then said to Xie Baoqing and the other two, "The three of you go back and make preparations. In three days, arrange for some reliable brothers to come to Lord Lu's residence and collect the money. Set aside my sixty percent, then divide the remaining twenty percent among yourselves."
"Yes!"
After giving his instructions, Qin Chao was the first to leave the county office. He mounted the horse he had ridden there and galloped away.
Qin Shuang's final words had naturally been meant to placate Xie Baoqing and the others. Several hours later, the three written statements from Lu Yi and the others appeared on the desk of the Six Gates' official in charge of the Hongnong Commandery office. Qin Shuang's mission was complete at this point. The remaining tasks of arresting, interrogating, and punishing them would naturally be handled by the local Six Gates. This minor case was not serious enough to trouble the Dragon Guard.
Not counting the time spent traveling, Qin Shuang had completed his promotion assessment mission in one night and half a day. Such speed and efficiency were unprecedented in the records of the Dragon Guard!
High-spirited, Qin Shuang rode back on horseback and once again arrived at the Pu River ferry. He had been too focused on traveling to appreciate the scenery earlier, but his mood was completely different now. After completing his mission, he felt light and carefree. Looking at the river again, he saw a jade belt inlaid with emeralds, reflecting the sky, clouds, birds, and mountains... It was so beautiful that it filled him with joy and peace!
The river was tranquil—so tranquil that it did not have the slightest ripple. It was like a young woman preparing for marriage, her face covered by a thin veil, shy and gentle.
Qin Shuang stood on the riverbank. From a distance, he saw a bustling group of servants and attendants surrounding a beautiful woman dressed in embroidered silk robes. She was graceful and delicate, as stunning as a lotus emerging from the water, as they boarded an ornate pleasure boat.
The magnificent vessel drifted leisurely across the rippling river. Together with that elegant figure, it formed a beautiful scene so enchanting that it intoxicated the senses.
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