Unexpected Upheaval

"Two taels of silver?"

Lin Yin furrowed his brows. His mother, Wang He, was nervously receiving several bailiffs who had come to their door.

She had served them good tea and water, but when they named the tax, her face still changed dramatically.

"Sir, ours is only a small business. Why are you charging us a full two taels of silver?"

Though Wang He was frightened, she still mustered her courage to ask in a hushed voice.

Two taels was simply too much.

An ordinary farming family couldn't earn five taels in a year, yet they were being asked to pay two taels for this season alone.

Their cloth shop had been open for less than a month.

Just when life had begun to look hopeful, this exorbitant tax weighed heavily on Wang He's heart.

"Heh. The Heavenly Dynasty is beset by troubles within and without, while the surrounding kingdoms eye us like tigers. The taxes are the same for every merchant family."

The lead bailiff gave a faint laugh, his expression indifferent.

"Three days. You must pay the tax within three days."

With that, the lead bailiff signaled to the other two to leave.

As Wang He respectfully saw the three men out, Lin Yin suddenly felt a chill in his heart. Something seemed to be lurking in the darkness outside.

He forcibly suppressed the urge to investigate. His expression remained unchanged, but ripples stirred within him.

Was someone watching them?

After seeing the three bailiffs off, Lin Yin immediately asked his mother to put out the lights, then hurried to the window beside the room.

He lifted the curtain a little, revealing a corner of the street outside, shrouded in night. The three bailiffs strode along without a care, unlike ordinary people, who feared venturing out after dark.

Even after they were gone, Lin Yin found nothing. It all seemed like a figment of his imagination.

"Yin'er, what's wrong?"

His mother, Wang He, stood nearby, worry written across her face beneath the darkness.

She knew Lin Yin would never act like this without reason. He must have sensed something suspicious.

Lin Yin slowly shook his head.

"Mother, let's turn in early tonight. We'll pay the two taels tomorrow."

"All right!"

His mother asked nothing more. Worry weighing on her, she returned to her room to rest.

Lin Yin did not go back to his room. Instead, he stayed in the main room and sat cross-legged to meditate.

Time trickled by. Outside, there was nothing but the night wind's howl.

When bright sunlight filtered through the thin gauze window and fell across Lin Yin's face, he abruptly opened his eyes.

He accompanied his elderly mother to the Taxation Office, the tax bureau Tiancong Kingdom had established in the local area.

After Lin Yin and his mother submitted their account books for inspection and they were confirmed to be in order, they paid the two taels of silver.

Since it was a business tax, they had to pay it at the Market Building. As they were leaving, they ran into Third Uncle Lin De, whom they hadn't seen for many days.

Third Uncle Lin De was hurrying along, his eyes lowered and his brows furrowed, as though something weighed on his mind. He passed right by Lin Yin and his mother without even noticing them.

"Third Uncle!" Lin Yin called out.

"Lin Yin, nephew? Sister-in-law!"

The gloom vanished from Lin De's face. He forced a smile and hurried over to exchange greetings.

When he learned that Wang He had paid a full two taels of silver, his expression changed dramatically.

"What? Was it different for you?"

Business taxes differed from land taxes; they were calculated according to a person's income. Seeing Lin De's troubled expression, Wang He grew puzzled.

"Well... ours was the same. The same."

Third Uncle Lin De hesitated. After a few brief pleasantries, he seemed unwilling to say more and hurried upstairs.

Wang He didn't understand what was going on, while Lin Yin pondered it.

Thinking of Lin Ai's words from a few days earlier, Lin Yin couldn't explain why, but he had a bad feeling.

Everything in the building seemed as peaceful as usual. Lin Yin didn't linger and left with his mother.

As they made their way through the Market, they bought some supplies. Besides a little meat for everyday meals, his mother also bought Lin Yin a Peace Talisman.

Lin Yin tried to refuse, even explaining that the thing was just a scam, but he still couldn't talk his elderly mother out of it.

In the end, Lin Yin tucked the triangular charm folded from a Yellow Talisman close to his body. At least the things cost only one copper coin each.

Mother and son rarely got to stroll together like this. But as Lin Yin and his mother Wang He emerged from the Market, a surging crowd caught their attention.

"Come quick! Something huge has happened!"

"The magistrate is furious!"

"Hurry to Langshi Yamen!"

As they walked, they saw farmers in coarse hemp clothes, hunters carrying bows, and even wealthy merchant landowners dressed in silk, unmistakably prosperous, hurrying toward the Yamen surrounded by their attendants.

The sudden commotion stopped Lin Yin and his mother just as they were about to head home.

The sheer scale of the scene piqued Lin Yin's curiosity.

"Mother, shall we go take a look?"

Wang He looked astonished too. It had clearly been a long time since she'd seen such a grand spectacle. Together, they followed the crowd toward the Yamen.

By the time they reached their destination, people had gathered all around, inside and out. Cries of shock and terrified screams broke out from the crowd now and then.

Lin Yin was slender but tall, and his gaze easily swept over the crowd toward the familiar Yamen.

Huh!?

He had thought nothing of looking, but the instant he did, Lin Yin was shaken to the core.

"Oh... th-they!"

His elderly mother, Wang He, had clearly seen the three figures hanging from the crossbeam above the entrance too. Her face turned white as snow, and she staggered. Fortunately, Lin Yin reacted quickly and caught her before she collapsed.

It wasn't just his elderly mother. Lin Yin's expression had grown grave as well.

The sight before him was truly horrifying!

Rough hemp rope dug into their necks. The three bailiffs from last night dangled half a foot above the ground, swaying gently in the breeze like discarded rag dolls.

Most horrifying of all were their faces. Black-red blood clots crusted their nostrils, and dark red veins in their eyes clung to their cheekbones, as if blood were still running down.

Their seven orifices were empty of life, and the blood seemed not to have stopped. It dripped from their chins onto the Yamen's threshold, gathering into a small pool.

Wang He clapped a hand over her mouth, her face full of terror. She recognized the three men.

"They..."

"Mother, don't!"

Without another word, Lin Yin hoisted his mother onto his back and ran toward home. Cries of shock and screams erupted around them as they went.

As the two rushed along, three figures appeared ahead. They neither dodged nor moved aside, but came straight at Lin Yin and his mother.

His pupils contracted. At the last instant, Lin Yin shifted his steps and slipped past them, their bodies brushing by.

"Hm..."

A voice tinged with surprise rang beside his ear. Lin Yin caught a glimpse of a familiar face, then hurried on.

"What's wrong, Brother Ba?"

The leading man of the three looked astonished. He turned to watch the boy sprinting away with his mother on his back.

"That guy... Was that the Lin Family's boy?" Brother Ba furrowed his brows.

"The Lin Family's boy? Which Lin Family?"

The other two also turned to look, curious, but Lin Yin was already out of sight.

The man called Brother Ba looked grim, his eyes flickering as he silently pondered something.

"I mean that Lin Yin. The one Si Hu came looking for trouble with before. Have you all forgotten already?"

"Lin Yin? That frail scholar can run that fast?"

The two attendants thought it over, then seemed to realize something. Their faces filled with astonishment.

"Looks like that kid's hiding some secret..."

Brother Ba's gaze flickered.