"The County Magistrate is here!"
"He's the new County Magistrate!"
Su Yuan had only just arrived at the county yamen gates when a sharp-eyed scion of an Aristocratic Clan recognized him and immediately shouted out.
In an instant, the gazes of tens of thousands of people who had been swept up in the commotion turned toward Su Yuan.
Among the thousands of people were quite a few skilled fighters at the late stage of Qi Cultivation or even Qi Cultivation Peak.
Add to that the five or six Foundation Establishment Realm scions leading the charge, and Ying Ding—and Chief Clerk Liu, who had arrived first to oversee the situation—couldn't help growing nervous.
They had every reason to be nervous. A riot breaking out right after taking office was a serious matter; one wrong move, and they could lose their posts.
Only Su Yuan remained calm, showing not the slightest loss of the dignity befitting a County Governor.
At that moment, a Foundation Establishment Realm scion of an Aristocratic Clan stepped out of the crowd and declared righteously:
"Your Excellency, we have absolutely no intention of causing trouble. We've simply been driven to this point with no other choice."
"There may be many pirates along Longcheng County's coast, but normally, they only rob us of goods and money. Even when they bully women and children, we can endure it and move on."
"But if you intend to launch a major campaign to wipe out the pirates, who knows how much turmoil will descend upon Longcheng County? Countless families will be torn apart!"
"We beg you to think this through. Please don't waste the people's strength and wealth on suppressing the bandits!"
After he finished, the other scions of Aristocratic Clans hidden among the crowd chimed in one after another:
"Exactly! We've