Seeing several men who looked like bandits walking toward him, Master Han's heart tightened.
Master Han turned to look at the guards he had brought along. But who would have thought that the guards he'd hired had already moved far away and shut their eyes, pretending to sleep as if none of this had anything to do with them?
"What are you doing? I paid you to protect me!" Master Han said angrily.
"Master Han, don't put it that way. You didn't pay them much. Why should they risk their lives for you?" the Scarred man said with a smile. "Relax, we're not bad people. We just want to have a little fun with the ladies."
"You—you'd better not try anything! Let me tell you, I'm a Presented Scholar of the Imperial Court, and I'm about to take office in Liangsha County! You dare lay a hand on me? Aren't you afraid the Imperial Court will send troops to crush you?"
"The Imperial Court?"
The Scarred man was taken aback, then burst into laughter.
"What Imperial Court? Look at the state Qi Kingdom's in! It's you damned officials who've driven the people to ruin. Otherwise, why would we have taken to the mountains? Now rebellions are breaking out all over Qi Kingdom. The court can't control us!
"You officials are so pathetic you have to hire people to escort you. It's laughable!"
Han Zi furrowed his brow. "The Imperial Court is indeed gravely ill, but we scholars will surely restore the state. I, Han Zi, will make sure everyone can afford to eat!"
"Go to hell! If I'd trusted a pack of corrupt officials like you, I'd have starved to death long ago. You'd better worry about yourself first, you damned official."
The Scarred man impatiently raised his saber, about