"Yes, I understand." Shen Zhui's heart clenched.
He wasn't stupid. He wouldn't be foolish enough to give the Li Family an opportunity.
He was merely an Eighth Stage of Acquired Realm martial artist, yet this young master of the Li Family had mobilized two Elite Squads, deployed bows and crossbows, archers, and even a Xiantian Martial Artist as a personal attendant.
If Wang Long hadn't happened to arrive, and if he hadn't happened to break through in movement technique to the Major Accomplishment Realm, he probably would have truly died at Fanshan Pavilion.
"Li Family, you've committed countless atrocities. Once my strength is sufficient, I'll definitely cut you all down!" Shen Zhui thought.
"Let's go. Back to the city."
At the same time, inside the county city.
Yang Wu was taking a group of people on patrol duty in the streets.
It was called patrolling, but in truth, it was little different from idling around.
After all, no one dared cause trouble in a city watched over by Divine Law. It was too easy to be discovered, and too difficult to escape.
"I heard that the young master went out personally this time. Shen Zhui is surely doomed. I just wonder whether the young master has succeeded yet."
Yang Wu wandered along as he thought. He knew something of that young master's temperament.
He handled matters with extreme caution. Even when killing an early-stage Acquired Realm martial artist, he would deploy several times the enemy's strength.
According to the young master himself, he simply loved watching the expression on his prey's face as it died in despair.
"In a few days, there'll probably be news of Shen Zhui's death... Hmph, Shen Zhui, who told you to spout such reckless words and offend me? And to be so blind to the times, insisting on opposing the Li Family?"
"Shen Zhui, Shen Zhui, if you don't die, who will?"
Once the Li Family completely brought down the County Governor, wouldn't Heyuan County still be ruled by the two great families?
At the thought of this, Yang Wu grew even more smug.
When he reached a fruit stall at the end of the street, Yang Wu casually picked up a verdant fruit and called to the stall owner, "Old Third Zhang, are these fruits fresh?"
"Fresh, absolutely fresh! If you don't believe me, sir, take a few and try them!" The stall owner hurriedly bowed and nodded.
"How could I do that? We're patrolling under the County Governor's orders. How could we casually take someone's goods?" Yang Wu deliberately put on a stern face, but his hands did not stop. He stuffed the fruit into his mouth and took a big bite.
Old Third Zhang cursed inwardly, but he didn't dare show the slightest dissatisfaction. Instead, he voluntarily picked up several fruits and shoved them into the other man's hands.
"You're joking, sir. You officials work hard patrolling. It's only right for a humble commoner like me to give you a few fruits to quench your thirst."
"Mm... You're quite sensible." Yang Wu was very satisfied with the man's attitude. "Brothers, try some too. Don't disappoint him after he went to all this trouble."
"Thank you, Brother Wu."
The group of constables immediately came over, laughing and chattering, and grabbed at the stall without the slightest courtesy.
Before long, nearly half of the top layer of fruit on the stall had been scooped away.
Old Third Zhang's heart bled, but he didn't dare utter the slightest complaint.
Beside him was a dried-goods stall. Its owner was a burly man who, upon seeing this scene, immediately intended to speak up for justice.
"Brother Zhang, you..."
"Take care, sir!" Old Third Zhang hurriedly called out with a hearty laugh as he saw Yang Wu off, then gave the man a meaningful look.
After the group had gone some distance, the burly stall owner immediately grew anxious. "Brother Zhang, you worked so hard to bring these fruits here, and now nearly half have been taken for nothing. What kind of business is this? Won't you be ruined?"
Old Third Zhang shook his head. "Do you think I wanted this? Brother, you just came to the city and don't know the depths of the waters here. If I'd dared ask those martial lordships for money just now, I would have suffered a catastrophe!"
The burly man glared. "Would they dare beat people and smash goods? This is the city! There are gods three feet above our heads!"
Old Third Zhang sighed. "Why would they need to beat people or smash goods? All they have to do is say there's something wrong with what I'm selling, take me and my goods to the county office for an inspection, then use some excuse to make me wait half a day or a whole day."
"In the end, they'd send me and my goods back intact, without leaving the slightest handle behind. The gods? Hah, would they concern themselves with such trivial matters?"
The burly man laughed. "If both the man and the goods are still there, what's there to fear? I've never been inside the county office anyway. I'd like to go in and have a look!"
"But brother, what if he comes by and does this every few days?"
"This..." The burly man was rendered speechless.
Indeed, this single trick was enough to keep small stallholders and peddlers like them thoroughly under control.
"Could the County Governor really just sit by and do nothing?"
"How could he do anything? That's exactly what they're in charge of. Would the County Governor really concern himself with such trivial matters?"
Old Third Zhang sighed. "Even if he truly took care of it, the time and money spent on the matter would probably exceed the price of these few fruits."
"Ah..." The burly man sighed and said no more, instead turning to greet his customers.
Yang Wu didn't know what the two merchants were thinking. Even if he had known, he probably wouldn't have cared.
Influenced by Li Ming, he also believed that it wouldn't be long before Heyuan County returned to an era ruled by aristocratic clans and powerful houses.
"Creak~" A Triangular Cart piled high with charcoal slowly rolled along the bluestone road. A gray-haired old man pushed it with great effort, his body trembling as if it could barely bear the burden.
Suddenly, the wooden wheel rolled over a small stone, causing the one-wheeled Triangular Cart to lose some of its balance.
"Hey! Brother Wu, watch out!"
The shout jolted Yang Wu awake from his beautiful fantasies.
Seeing the charcoal cart tilt toward him and about to collide, Yang Wu immediately snorted coldly and kicked it.
The cart pusher had only just managed to regain his balance when he stumbled, and both man and cart toppled to the ground.
"Blind bastard! You nearly hit me!" Yang Wu cursed furiously. If it had struck him, his clothes would probably have been smeared with charcoal. Even so, a layer of black dust had still risen and stained his trouser cuffs.
"Ow!" After that heavy kick, the old man fell to the ground, his face pale. He had clearly twisted something.
"You dirtied my clothes. Can you afford to pay for them?" Seeing that it was a filthy old man, Yang Wu immediately frowned. In truth, with the reactions of an Eighth Stage of Acquired Realm martial artist, he could have easily dodged. Instead, he blamed the old man for failing to watch where he was going.
"Haah... haah..." The old man carefully got to his feet. "I'm sorry, sir. Please forgive me."
As he spoke, he lowered his head and began picking up the charcoal scattered across the ground.
"Hurry up and fix this!" Yang Wu glanced at him with disgust. The narrow street was cramped, and once the charcoal cart fell, it immediately filled the road.
Damn old man. What rotten luck. Yang Wu cursed inwardly.
In Yang Wu's eyes, selling charcoal was a lowly trade. It earned little and left one filthy all day long. A fine, prosperous county city like this shouldn't let such people in to sully the eyes.
"It'll be done soon, it'll be done soon." The old man's clothes were already soaked through, and sweat streamed across his forehead. But he had already twisted himself, making it even harder for him to pick up the charcoal.
"Stop dragging your feet. You're blocking the road and obstructing traffic." Yang Wu disgustedly covered his nose and kicked the Triangular Cart.
"Ow~" The old man had been stacking the charcoal when Yang Wu kicked the cart. It immediately lost its balance, and once again, both man and cart crashed to the ground.
This time, the old man's injury seemed to have worsened. He struggled several times but still couldn't get back up.
"Haha, serves him right!" Seeing this, the accompanying constables burst into laughter.
"Old bastard, you're already so old, yet you still don't know your place."
"What an eyesore."
Shen Shan lay on the ground, suffering in silence as he looked at the charcoal scattered everywhere and sighed repeatedly.
"Several sirs, why make things difficult for an old man?" Shen Shan was in pain, but how could he not know that these men were deliberately venting their anger on him?
"What a crafty old man. You were the one who drove carelessly and nearly hit us, yet you dare bite back?"
"Hmm? Brother Wu, this old man looks somewhat familiar." Suddenly, a pudgy constable took another look at the old man.
"Now that you mention it, I feel as though I've seen him somewhere too... That's right, he's Shen Zhui's adoptive father!"
"Shen Zhui's adoptive father?" Yang Wu froze for a moment, then rejoiced inwardly. "It really is him! Shen Zhui arrested my nephew and opposed me time and again. In any case, he won't be coming back... Today is the perfect chance to teach his adoptive father a lesson!"
With this thought, Yang Wu kept his expression calm and pretended to casually kick the wooden Triangular Cart.
If that kick landed, not only would the wooden cart be smashed apart, but the old man who had already fallen and couldn't rise would likely be injured again when the cart struck him.
Just as Yang Wu raised his foot and was about to kick down, suddenly—
"Stop!" A voice came from behind him.
At that moment, Shen Shan lay on the ground, his body blackened from the charcoal, one hand clutching his waist, his face pale.
"Hm?" Yang Wu and several accompanying constables turned their heads.
A tall, slender figure came rushing over from the distance in a fury. Yang Wu immediately recognized him and exclaimed in surprise, "Shen Zhui, it's you? What are you doing?!"
"Beast!" Shen Zhui recognized his adoptive father, Shen Shan, struggling painfully on the ground at a glance, and his eyes instantly reddened.
One of the slightly pudgy constables moved to stop Shen Zhui.
"Yang Wu!!" Shen Zhui roared. He raised one foot and kicked, the blow whipping up a howling wind. Seeing this, the pudgy constable hurriedly raised his arm to block.
"Bang!"
That kick, heavy with tremendous force, sent the man trying to block him flying backward. He crashed to the ground five or six meters away.
"Shen Zhui, how dare you attack someone inside the city!" Yang Wu glared and shouted, "Are you trying to rebel?!"
"I'm going to kill you, beast!" Shen Zhui's eyes were bloodshot as he roared in fury.
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