Killing Intent

"Not bad, little yamen runner. You actually dared to make a move."

Jia Ke watched his subordinate clutch his wrist and howl in pain.

His gaze instantly locked onto Lu Yuan. "Don't think that just because you've wrapped yourself in the yamen's doghide, you can disregard Master Jia."

Lu Yuan gripped the hilt with his right hand. Amid a teeth-grating scrape of metal, the rusty standard-issue long saber was slowly drawn half an inch from its sheath. "Want to try?"

Lu Yuan had not wanted to stir up trouble. He had wanted to lie low and build up his strength.

But his family was his bottom line.

And his family was about to be harmed.

Then bloodshed was the most direct and effective way to solve the problem.

Lu Yuan had already slain three demon beasts, and a trace of indescribable Killing Intent clung to him.

The sight made Jia Ke's heart jolt. Could this kid have really killed someone before?

But on second thought, he had several burly, broad-shouldered men on his side. If they could not even suppress this bunch of mud-legged peasants, how would they continue throwing their weight around in Green Mountain Village?

How would they still have the face to return to the Garrison Office and see Master Jia?

"Fuck, who are you trying to scare? Brothers, cripple this brat. Master will naturally smooth things over afterward."

Jia Ke gritted his teeth, his eyes reddening. He brandished his short club, ready to test whether Lu Yuan's blade was truly sharp.

The several burly men behind him

also drew the short sabers and wooden clubs at their waists, surrounding them with vicious looks on their faces.

"Stop!"

Just then.

A rough, large hand tightly pressed down on Lu Yuan's wrist, the one gripping the saber.

It was Liu Tieshan.

He let out a long sigh, his eyes full of weathered helplessness. "Xiao Yuan, put the saber away."

"Grandpa..."

"What, does Grandpa's word no longer count?"

Liu Tieshan patted Lu Yuan's hand.

Lu Yuan glanced at his grandfather, then sheathed his saber.

"Everyone, sign the documents and take the money! Staying alive matters more than anything."

As he spoke, Liu Tieshan turned to Jia Ke. "I don't want my five hundred copper coins either. Give it all to the families of those who died while hunting in the mountains. I'll sign the documents for them."

Seeing Liu Tieshan yield, Jia Ke immediately grinned smugly. "Old Liu knows how to read the times!"

As he spoke, he pulled a stack of crumpled documents from his robes.

Along with several large strings of copper coins.

As though tossing scraps to beggars,

he casually threw them onto the ground.

Liu Tieshan held considerable prestige in the village.

Since he had said this, the villagers were unwilling to offend Jia Ke and his men to the bitter end.

So they fell silent one after another, tacitly accepting it.

"You old thing, at least you know how to behave."

"Hurry up and sign, take the money, and get lost. Even if you go complain to the county yamen, it'll be a waste of effort. Take a look at the relationship between our master and the officials in the county yamen."

Jia Ke spat arrogantly.

Before leaving, he even threw out one final threat to the crowd.

Lu Yuan said nothing. He merely watched his grandfather's stooped figure, his only remaining right hand trembling as it pressed its fingerprint onto the documents.

The families of the dead, their eyes rimmed red, picked up the scattered copper coins from the ground.

"Harsh rule is fiercer than tigers; who knows that the poison of taxes is even worse than that of snakes?"

Lu Yuan recalled The Snake Catcher's Tale from his previous life.

These Garrison Office dogs had originally been established by the imperial court to supervise and protect the villagers.

Yet now, they bullied them like livestock.

These people had to die.

But not in broad daylight. At night.

If he acted now and killed the Garrison Office's lackeys, his family and fellow villagers would surely be implicated.

Lu Yuan watched Jia Ke and the others depart, killing intent rising in his heart.

"Brother, why do we even need to compensate those mud-legged peasants?"

After leaving Green Mountain Village, as they walked along the dirt road toward town, one lackey rubbed the wrist Lu Yuan had struck and asked unwillingly, "Even if we didn't give them a single coin, would they dare cause trouble even if we lent them a few extra guts?"

Jia Ke sneered and rapped the subordinate on the head with his short club. "What the fuck do you know? We need to make it look right on the surface. If we truly drive them into a corner and a few people die, making the matter blow up, it'll draw the county yamen's attention. Those mud-legged peasants don't have what it takes to make a big fuss, but it's better to have one less problem than one more."

"But Brother Ke, our Garrison Office has had plenty of expenses lately too. If we hand out this money, won't our brothers get a smaller share?" another subordinate chimed in.

"Idiot!" A glint of cunning and viciousness flashed through Jia Ke's eyes. "Once this compensation falls into those mud-legged peasants' hands, do you think they'll be able to keep it warm?"

"After all, without funds, how can our Garrison Office strengthen itself? How can we defend against the horse bandits?"

"Then the horse bandits won't just collect 'head money' once a month. They'll come begging us, bringing grain, meat, and money."

"Our master can then coordinate with the horse bandits. Not only will the problem be solved without spending a single coin, we can even earn a fine reputation for meritoriously resisting the horse bandits."

Hearing Jia Ke's words about raising bandits to bolster themselves, the group of lackeys behind him froze for a moment before bursting into unrestrained laughter.

"Brother truly has great insight! Brother's mind is still the sharpest!"

"Come on. Once we report back at the Garrison Office, let's go have some fun at the town's Warm Spring Pavilion. I heard a few fresh, lovely girls just arrived there!"

Jia Ke waved his hand with a lecherous grin and led the group swaggering toward town.

Little did they know that from the moment they left Green Mountain Village, a ghostlike shadow had been trailing them from afar.

Only after watching them take the official road toward town and confirming their destination did that shadow silently slip into the forest and return to the village.

"Creak."

When Lu Yuan pushed open the gate to his courtyard again, Liu Tieshan and Liu Ying immediately rose to their feet nervously.

"Xiao Yuan, where did you go just now?" Liu Tieshan gripped his tobacco pipe and hurried over to Lu Yuan's side, warning him solemnly, "You mustn't go alone to the Garrison Office to demand justice! You can't fight those hooligans by yourself. Master Jia stands behind them!"

Liu Ying also looked at her son with a face full of worry, afraid that his youthful hotheadedness would make him suffer.

Warmth rose in Lu Yuan's heart. Smiling, he explained, "Grandpa, Mother, what are you thinking? I went to the village entrance to ask which tavern in town would pay a good price for our fish heads. Besides, doesn't Xiao An want to learn martial arts? I also asked about the martial arts schools in town, planning to find a place to temper my body."

Only after hearing Lu Yuan say this did the family finally let out the breath they had been holding.

Lu Yuan truly did think so. His strength was increasing too quickly, and he needed to join a martial arts school.

At the very least, if the authorities investigated later, he would have a plausible source for his martial arts.

"That's good, that's good."

Liu Tieshan took two puffs from his pipe, finally putting his mind at ease.

"You frightened Mother half to death, child."

Liu Ying patted her chest and shot him an irritated glance.

Lu Yuan smiled. Just as he was about to sit down and drink some water, he suddenly felt a stabbing pain from his left shoulder.

He pulled aside the cloth bandaging the wound and looked.

The wound that the Gray-Skinned Rat Demon had clawed open in Blackwater Village had somehow become red, swollen, and filled with pus.

"How did you get hurt this badly?" His second sister, Lu Qing, had sharp eyes and immediately cried out.

Lu Yuan shifted his gaze to Xu Shengnan and asked helplessly, "What kind of cloth strip did you use to bandage me back then?"

When Xu Shengnan realized she had been singled out, her little face instantly flushed crimson.