Yamen Director

"That's it!"

Wang Zhao led the group straight to the street where Chen Mu's house was located, then pointed to the two houses in the distance.

Wang Zheng's face immediately darkened, and with a wave of his hand, he led the group over. Reaching the door, he raised his hand and slammed it open with a 'bang, bang'.

"Chen Mu, come out!"

"Where is he!"

He shouted twice at the door.

But there was no response.

Wang Zhao, standing beside him, said, "Chen Mu should be on duty, but he has a younger sister who should be at home, and Ni'er is probably inside too. They have nowhere else to go. Should we wait for him to return, or..."

"Humph."

Wang Zheng snorted and said, "Wait for what? Break down the door! If we're waiting, we'll wait inside!"

As soon as his words fell, the others around him responded with grim faces. They picked up their carrying poles and wooden sticks and smashed them hard against the dilapidated wooden door in front of them.

The wooden door was already old and worn, and even the bolt inside was a piece of rotten wood. After being smashed several times, it made a cracking sound as it gave way. Then, the bolt was directly broken!

Bang!

Wang Zhao kicked the door open.

But just as he rolled up his sleeves and was about to rush in, a cold shout came from a distance.

"Presumptuous!"

This cold shout stopped everyone in their tracks. When they turned their heads to look, they saw Chen Mu, wearing his Yamen Runner uniform and carrying his Yamen Saber, appearing at the entrance of the alley at some unknown time, walking towards them step by step with a cold face.

Although he was just one person facing twenty or thirty burly men, he showed no sign of retreat. With each step, a faint aura of killing intent was revealed. This was a presence that Chen Mu had naturally developed from personally killing people and spilling blood.

"Who gave you the courage to cause trouble?"

Chen Mu walked step by step, his cold gaze sweeping over the crowd in front of the door, then landing on Wang Zhao.

Wang Zhao had originally envisioned a scene where everyone came together, forcing Chen Mu to obediently hand over the property deed and Wang Ni, but that didn't happen. Instead, Chen Mu arrived with his Yamen Saber and a menacing aura, which intimidated their side.

But he quickly reacted.

There were more than twenty people on their side, while Chen Mu was alone. What could he do with a saber? He was just trying to scare them.

"Humph! Don't think that just because you're a Yamen Runner, you can bully the old and weak! You took advantage of my uncle's old age to seize his property deed and snatch his granddaughter. Even if we take this to the City Guard or the Ward Chief, we will argue our case!"

Wang Zhao stared at Chen Mu and shouted sternly.

If it were in the past, Chen Mu might have had no choice but to retreat in the face of such a situation. But now, it was undoubtedly a pipe dream for anyone to think they could gather twenty or thirty people and force him to submit.

Chen Mu was pondering whether to establish his authority or how to deal with the situation when another calm voice came from a distance.

"Oh? I don't think such a small matter needs to alarm the Ward Chief. Why don't you settle it with me first?"

"Who?!"

Wang Zhao frowned, not expecting anyone to interfere. He immediately turned his head to look.

The sight nearly made them fall on their backsides.

Including the other twenty or thirty men, Wang Zheng and the others, who had initially been quite intimidating and aggressive, all stared wide-eyed at the figure strolling towards them from the distant street.

A middle-aged man in a dark green Flying Fish Uniform, with a square face and large ears, walked steadily with his hands behind his back, followed by two men in blue Yamen Runner uniforms.

The City Guard.

Gray uniforms were for Yamen Runners, blue for Yamen Runner Captains, and in the Nine Stripes Ward branch, only one person could wear the dark green uniform: the Yamen Director who commanded nearly two hundred Yamen Runners, Min Baoyi!

Min Baoyi strolled over as if taking a leisurely walk, but with each step he took, the entire scene fell into silence. Even those cautiously peeking from their homes in the distance, and even some hooligans and local ruffians watching the commotion, looked terrified.

The City Guard Yamen Director!

This was a truly important figure in the Nine Stripes Ward. Even the local gang leaders had to treat him with respect, and the local gentry and powerful figures had to greet him with smiles. In this day and age, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the 'local emperor' of the Nine Stripes Ward; a single word from him could send someone to hell!

"Good heavens, Yamen Director Min actually came. What's going on..."

Several Red Gold Gang members who had heard the commotion and come to investigate from afar were now looking at each other, feeling rather horrified.

For a big shot like Min Baoyi to personally come to this dilapidated alley was like seeing a ghost.

In the silence.

Min Baoyi walked over with a calm expression, looked at the dumbfounded Wang Zhao and the others, and said blandly, "What, am I not qualified enough to hear your dispute, that I must have the Ward Chief come over?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhao and the others shuddered, and the group quickly knelt down: "Yamen... Yamen Director, we wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare..."

"Didn't you have a reason to argue? Then you can tell me about it."

Min Baoyi stood with his hands behind his back, speaking indifferently.

Wang Zheng and Wang Zhao didn't dare to mention Wang Ni and Old Man Wang at this point. Their talk of taking the matter to the City Guard or the Ward Chief was just to boost their morale. In front of a big shot like Min Baoyi, arguments and reasons were completely unimportant. They feared that even a single wrong word that displeased Min Baoyi would bring disaster upon them.

"We... we just had some misunderstandings..."

Wang Zhao said tremblingly.

Min Baoyi glanced at Wang Zhao and the others, and seeing that they were having trouble even speaking properly, he finally shifted his gaze and looked at Chen Mu, who was standing to the side. A kind smile finally appeared on his indifferent face: "Little Chen, you're really keeping a low profile. Even I, the Yamen Director, didn't know a thing."

Chen Mu cupped his fist in salute to Min Baoyi and said, "Yamen Director."

At this point, he understood that Min Baoyi had probably started investigating him as soon as he received Xu Hongyu's message. Then, he happened to receive news that Wang Zhao and his group were gathering to cause trouble for him, so after some consideration, he came in person.

On one hand, Xu Hongyu's request carried too much weight. On the other hand, perhaps Xu Hongyu had also revealed some information about him. Mastering Saber Intent at his age, reaching Lian Rou before thirty wouldn't be difficult, and once he reached that level, he would be fully qualified to hold the position of Yamen Director. It could be said that, barring any accidents, he was the reserve Yamen Director that Xu Hongyu was grooming.

This status naturally made him worthy of a personal visit.

"Hehehe, no need to be so polite. In the future, just call me Old Brother Min."

Min Baoyi walked over with a smile, directly grabbed Chen Mu's arm, and then patted Chen Mu's shoulder as he spoke.

The two blue-uniformed Yamen Runner Captains who had followed him looked at Chen Mu with envy in their eyes. They had been by Min Baoyi's side for a long time and had more or less learned a little.

Although Chen Mu was currently just a Yamen Runner, even they, the Yamen Runner Captains, didn't have the privilege of being treated so warmly by Min Baoyi, or even being allowed to call him 'Old Brother'. This was an extraordinary honor.

On the other side.

Wang Zhao, Wang Zheng, and the others were completely dumbfounded by this scene.

Two or thirty men were frozen there, each with wide eyes, as if solidified into stone. Some were breaking out in cold sweats, and Wang Zheng felt his back turn icy as if he had suddenly entered deep winter.

But at this moment, neither Chen Mu nor Min Baoyi paid any attention to them.

Chen Mu looked at Min Baoyi, "Yamen Director, this..."

"Hmm?"

Min Baoyi deliberately put on a stern face.

Chen Mu had no choice but to say helplessly, "Brother Min... it's just a small matter, yet I've troubled you to make a trip. I'm truly sorry."

"Hahaha, I just happened to be free, so how could it be a trouble?"

Min Baoyi laughed heartily, then looked at Chen Mu's two small houses and said, "This humble abode is a bit unlivable. I have a vacant courtyard behind Zhengli Street, with two courtyards and three rooms. Although it's not spacious, it's still clean. I'll give it to you, brother. It's also close to the City Guard, so it's convenient for me to find you for drinks and discussions."

"This..."

Chen Mu hesitated.

But Min Baoyi didn't give him a chance to decline, insisting on giving it to him, so he could only reluctantly agree.

It seemed like he had gained a two-courtyard residence for nothing, but in reality, this was all Min Baoyi's favor. If anything happened in the future and he needed to find him, it would be difficult for him to refuse. This Yamen Director Min Baoyi seemed forthright, but he was actually meticulous.

At this point.

Min Baoyi finally glanced at Wang Zhao and the others, and said with a smile, "These people are so rude and disrespectful. I think they should all be taken to the yamen and given thirty strokes of the rod. If you're still not satisfied, brother, you can throw them into Prison."

Saying "throw them into Prison" was just a lighthearted remark, but in reality, it was a casual disposal of these twenty or thirty lives.

In this day and age, twenty or thirty lives were nothing to Min Baoyi, just a matter of a word.

Hearing Min Baoyi's words, Chen Mu sighed inwardly. A year ago, he was just a low-level Yamen Runner struggling to make ends meet, but now, with just a word, he could easily decide the life and death of twenty or thirty people.

"Lord, spare us! Lord, spare us!"

Wang Zhao and the others were all pale at this moment, slumped on the ground, crying and kowtowing to Chen Mu and Min Baoyi, banging their heads until they were bleeding, not daring to stop. They no longer had the slightest bit of their previous aggressive aura.

They were not afraid of a poor Yamen Runner with no power or background, relying on their numbers, but if it was a Yamen Runner Captain, that was an existence they couldn't afford to offend, let alone a dignified Yamen Director. In this Nine Stripes Ward, he was almost the most powerful figure below the Ward Chief.

Many of the men hated Wang Zheng, Wang Zhao, and the others in their hearts. If they had known that Chen Mu could call Min Baoyi, the Yamen Director, his brother, they wouldn't have dared to come and cause trouble, even if they had ten times the courage!

Chen Mu glanced at the crowd indifferently, then cupped his fist at Min Baoyi and said, "I'll leave it to you to handle as you see fit, brother."

Min Baoyi smiled and said, "Very well, the city wall repairs in South City need manpower recently, so let's make the best use of them."

Hearing this, Wang Zhao and the others immediately collapsed to the ground, their faces pale, with only one thought in their minds.

It's over.

Repairing the city walls was the hardest labor in the entire city. Few who went there ever came back. It was not work for humans, and most of them were escorted prisoners.

Min Baoyi didn't care. He gave a wink to the Yamen Runner behind him, signaling him to deal with it, then looked at Chen Mu and said, "It's still early. How about you come with me to the City Guard?"

"As you command, Brother Min, but my sister might be frightened. I have to go and comfort her a little."

Chen Mu cupped his fist at Min Baoyi.

Min Baoyi waved his hand and said, "Alright, then I'll take my leave first and wait for you at the City Guard."

Having said that.

He turned around and strolled away.