You Won't Handle It, I Will

People came and went before the County Office. At that moment, not only was Xu Bai's face dark, but most of those who saw the contents of the notice looked equally displeased.

Some people were still discussing it heatedly.

"Pitiful. A family of three, gone just like that."

"I ate there only a few days ago. People can just be gone in the blink of an eye."

"What kind of times are these? A ten-year sentence, and they aren't even arresting him for now?"

Listening to the discussions around him, Xu Bai read through the notice from beginning to end again and had already grasped the whole story.

"No wonder. I was wondering how a perfectly fine family of three had all committed suicide."

The notice laid out the entire course of events.

In Sheng County, there was a wealthy household known as the Lin Residence.

Among Sheng County's rich merchants, the Lin Residence stood foremost, the cream of the crop.

The Lin Residence had a single heir named Lin Fenghua.

He had been pampered from childhood and was exceedingly lustful.

What was more, ordinary women could no longer satisfy Lin Fenghua's desires, so he turned his eyes elsewhere.

One day, Lin Fenghua passed Xiao Yue's stall and conceived wicked intentions.

He used every means at his disposal to bring Xiao Yue into the Lin Residence.

That very night, Xiao Yue emerged from the Lin Residence covered in injuries. After returning home, she fainted on the spot.

After that, Lin Fenghua seemed to have acquired a taste for it and went to Xiao Yue's home again and again.

Over time, this led to Xiao Yue's entire family hanging themselves.

"His crimes are irrefutable. He is sentenced to ten years. According to the laws of the Great Chu Kingdom, because Lin Fenghua is afflicted by injury and illness, the sentence is temporarily suspended. Once he recovers, he shall serve the sentence as scheduled."

Those were the notice's exact words.

Xu Bai took a deep breath, feeling stifled inside.

The twists and turns in this might fool Sheng County's simple folk, but they could not fool him.

First, driving a family of three to their deaths warranted only ten years.

Second, this so-called suspension—who knew when he would recover? It was even questionable whether he was truly ill in the first place.

Human memories were fleeting. Drag it out for half a year or so, and once the common people had forgotten, who knew whether the sentence would ever be carried out?

"It seems the county magistrate wants to shield him." Xu Bai glanced at the County Office, then turned and left.

He remained silent all the way back.

Even after returning to the escort agency, he did not say a word.

A few escort masters saw him and had intended to greet him, but one look at Xu Bai's expression told them wisely not to approach.

"Brother Liu, what happened to Brother Xu?" one escort master asked.

Liu Er glared. "Mind your own business when it comes to Brother Xu."

After being rebuked, the escort master quickly shrank his neck.

The two stopped chatting and pretended they had seen nothing.

Xu Bai entered the rear courtyard, moved the Small Stool to the doorway, and once again stared at the lonely Chinese Scholar Tree in the yard.

He was somewhat absentminded. His eyes rested on the Chinese Scholar Tree, but his fingers tapped against his knee, as though he were lost in thought.

The sun gradually set.

The escort masters had spent another day idling away like salted fish. After bidding Xu Bai farewell at the entrance to the rear courtyard, they departed one after another.

A wash of moonlight spilled down into the rear courtyard.

The Chinese Scholar Tree was shrouded in silver radiance, its leaves swaying in the wind as though mocking him, yet also as though amusing itself.

The progress bar continued to rise slowly.

In the dim rear courtyard, aside from the Chinese Scholar Tree and the moonlight, only Xu Bai remained, seated on the Small Stool.

Xu Bai propped his chin on one hand, his elbow resting on his knee.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, he lowered his hand and rose, bracing himself against his knee.

"I still can't be completely hard-hearted. Fine, call it meddling in other people's business."

Since returning, he had still thought of Xiao Yue from time to time. Especially when he recalled her asking him to pat her head, the pressure in his chest only grew heavier.

When faced with danger, he could be ruthless and merciless. Even if he bore dozens of lives on his hands, he would not care.

But at this moment, no matter what, he could not harden his heart.

People could be selfish, after all; if a man did not look out for himself, heaven and earth would destroy him.

But... he simply felt stifled inside.

And when he felt stifled, he wanted to find something to ease his mind.

"According to the laws of the Great Chu Kingdom, he should be dragged to the Execution Grounds and beheaded."

"If you, County Magistrate Zhang, won't do it, then I will."

Picking up the Small Stool, Xu Bai entered the room.

Before long, he changed into clothes he did not usually wear, wrapped cloth around his face and head to conceal his appearance, and even stuffed padding around his waist and shoulders to alter his build.

He left the Ghost-Head Saber in the room. Reaching the front courtyard, he casually picked a blade from the weapon rack.

It was an ordinary saber of the martial world, the kind easily seen anywhere.

"Lin Residence..."

As night deepened, Xu Bai carried his long saber out of the escort agency and disappeared farther and farther into the darkness.

Xu Bai had already left on this side. On the other side, in Liu Xu's bedchamber at the Liu Residence.

Liu Xu sat on a yellow rosewood stool, holding a letter whose contents seemed to leap from the page.

She had removed her veil. Her expression was deeply conflicted, and her pearl-white teeth had bitten her red lips pale.

"Why? This is completely different from the scholars I understand!"

The hand holding the letter began to tremble. Liu Xu could no longer endure it and slammed the letter viciously onto the table.

The letter had come from her teacher.

A few days earlier, she had sent her teacher a letter describing County Magistrate Zhang's actions.

The reply had arrived tonight. After reading it, Liu Xu felt unbearably stifled.

The letter's contents were simple, and could be summed up in four words—do not interfere.

"By Your Majesty's rules, the security of each region is handled by its county magistrate. Before scholars earn fame and rank, they need only study in peace. If it concerns the demons and monstrosities of the martial world, you may involve yourself, but do not let this matter set yourself on fire."

Those were the letter's exact words, and those words made Liu Xu tremble with fury.

Of course she understood. The Emperor of the Great Chu Kingdom had divided every responsibility with meticulous precision.

Civil officials protected the peace of each region, military generals guarded the dangerous borderlands, and the Bureau of Surveillance handled the demons and monstrosities of the martial world.

None overstepped their rank, and none interfered with another's affairs.

Scholars were, in truth, half members of the martial world. Before she had earned fame and rank, the county magistrate giving her a little face was entirely out of respect for Azure Cloud Academy.

She did not need to see today's notice herself; the servants at home had already told her about it.

She also understood why the county magistrate had delivered such a judgment.

It was nothing more than the Lin Residence being powerful.

Nothing more than the Lin Residence being tied to Sheng County's finances.

Nothing more than you, County Magistrate Zhang, not wanting to offend the Lin Residence.

There were many more such "nothing mores." In Liu Xu's eyes, Xiao Yue's family had long since become County Magistrate Zhang's discarded pawns.

"County Magistrate Zhang was once a scholar too, yet what he did today has truly opened my eyes."

Liu Xu unclenched her fist, and the teeth that had been biting her lower lip loosened as well.

The color returned to her red lips.

She suddenly rose to her feet, removed her white garments, and revealed skin as smooth as jade and congealed cream.

Her waist was slender enough to encircle with one hand, while above it was a stretch of snow-white skin.

She pulled black clothing from the wardrobe and slowly put it on, then wrapped black cloth around her face and head.

A moment later, her features were hidden.

"I study not solely for fame and rank. If I ignore what happened today, then all my learning has gone into a dog's belly."

"If you, County Magistrate Zhang, won't handle it, I will!"

"A gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. I am a woman."

Pushing open the rear window, Liu Xu vaulted out...