People from the Garrison Office, Forced to Sign the Documents

Chen Kuang exuded an aura of licking blood from the blade's edge, warning strangers to keep their distance.

"Why make things so troublesome with the captain's black pen? Wouldn't it be enough to find a few people and kill the brat?"

A trace of viciousness flashed through Dou Chu's eyes.

Chen Kuang snorted and swept Dou Chu a glance. "What do you know? Those mad dogs from the Demon Suppression Office have been watching closely lately, searching everywhere for traces of demons and monsters. No matter what, Lu Yuan is still a man from the yamen."

"If he dies for no reason, it will certainly draw the Demon Suppression Office's attention."

"If that ruins the plans from above, we'll all lose our heads."

After Chen Kuang shot him that glance,

Dou Chu immediately hunched his neck and did not dare say another word.

"However, if he dies in the middle of a mission, it won't be so conspicuous."

"In these troubled times, a few yamen runners dying during an escort mission is the most normal thing in the world."

Chen Kuang smiled.

A dense, violent aura that regarded human lives as grass spread outward.

On his way home, Lu Yuan lowered his head and looked at the escort document in his hand.

When he saw its detailed contents, his brows drew tightly together. "The corpse of a First-Order Perfected demonic beast... and two female prisoners?"

A hint of understanding arose in Lu Yuan's heart.

Escorting a demonic beast's corpse was nothing unusual.

But what were the two female prisoners for?

To slow them down?

Moreover, they were escorting a demonic beast's corpse across county borders.

Either the corpse was important, or there would be some danger along the way?

Of course, Lu Yuan was only guessing.

Still, one thing was certain: this escort mission was absolutely not simple.

Perhaps the captain truly wanted him to die during this escort mission?

"Whatever. It all has something to do with demonic beasts, and right now, these are exactly the clues I lack."

Not only was Lu Yuan not afraid,

he even became somewhat excited.

This cross-county escort of a demonic beast's corpse was surely not simple. If he could use it as a breakthrough,

and find stronger demonic beasts,

wouldn't the experience points come rolling in?

"Now isn't the time to fall out with the captain's lot. It would do me no good..."

Lu Yuan muttered.

His family was all in Green Mountain Village.

If he fell out with that group led by the captain,

he would definitely be set up. They could casually pin some crime on him,

then use the court's banner to deal with his family. That would become troublesome.

"However, if I can climb higher, with martial strength and authority combined, I'll be able to protect my family."

"I still need to kill one First-Order Perfected and one First-Order Peak demonic beast before I can complete the illustrated guide and activate the lottery system."

"I hope this escort mission can bring me some information!"

Lu Yuan folded the document and tucked it into his robes.

Just as he reached the outside of his family's courtyard,

Lu Yuan heard a fierce quarrel.

"You people are truly cold-blooded, feeding on blood-soaked buns! My father went hunting in the mountains and lost an arm, yet the Garrison Office is only compensating us this much?"

"And the families of those who died—widows and orphans—how are they supposed to survive on such a tiny sum?"

It was his mother, Liu Ying.

Her voice brimmed with anger and grievance.

Lu Yuan's face darkened, and he quickly pushed open the gate and entered.

Inside the courtyard,

quite a few villagers had gathered.

With red-rimmed eyes, Liu Ying pointed at several burly men dressed in rough hemp clothing and argued with them.

His second sister, Lu Qing, clung tightly to her, terrified that her mother might suffer a loss.

"Mother, what happened?"

Lu Yuan strode over.

He shielded Liu Ying behind him.

"Yuan, you came at just the right time. These people are bullying us too badly."

Liu Ying poured out her grievances. "The village hunting party went into the mountains to hunt. The Garrison Office was originally supposed to compensate us—three thousand copper cash for each household that lost someone, and one thousand copper cash because your grandfather lost an arm."

"But now they say the compensation is being cut in half."

Hearing this, killing intent rose in Lu Yuan's heart.

The Great Harvest Dynasty had established Garrison Offices at the local level, one office for every three villages.

They worked with the county yamen to fend off wild beasts and guard against roaming bandits.

The head of a Garrison Office was usually a local wealthy household or village gentry.

Clearly, these men before him were household slaves raised by important figures in the Garrison Office.

"The compensation is grain and pay issued by the court. It doesn't require you to pay out of your own pockets."

"Why has the compensation been halved? Besides, whenever the village hunted meat, we never sent any less to the Garrison Office."

"This time, there were casualties while hunting in the mountains. The Garrison Office should compensate us. It should not withhold the payment, and doing so violates the law."

Lu Yuan spoke.

"You little bastard, what are you? Is it your place to speak here?"

The leader, a man named Jia Ke, sneered.

"Brother, that kid has a yamen saber."

Someone beside him reminded him.

At those words, Jia Ke gave Lu Yuan a proper look.

But when he saw Lu Yuan's shabby, rusted blade,

his concerns immediately vanished. "A yamen errand runner?"

This made the thugs behind Jia Ke burst into loud laughter.

"Even if you serve in the yamen, you're just a small fry. Our Master Jia calls the county yamen's adviser his brother."

"Throughout these villages for ten miles around, our Master Jia's words are the law."

Jia Ke's attitude was exceedingly arrogant.

From Lu Yuan's clothing and saber, he had already judged

that this brat was nobody important.

Then he spoke with utter tyranny. "The Garrison Office not only protects you from the wild beasts in the mountains, but also fights off mounted bandits for you. The court's compensation will be applied for by our master on your behalf."

"The money being paid now is all relief our master is handing out from his own pocket."

"Think it's too little? Then don't take it!"

These words greatly enraged the villagers of Green Mountain Village.

They cursed one after another, each adding a word of abuse.

But Jia Ke then issued a vicious warning. "Sign the documents and disperse at once. Otherwise, when the mounted bandits come again, we won't be able to manage them. Then it won't be as simple as the bandits coming once a month to collect their 'head money.'"

At the mention of mounted bandits, the villagers' faces instantly turned deathly pale.

They did not dare speak again.

The mounted bandits' brutality had been seared deep into everyone's hearts.

Their reputation seemed even worse than that of demonic beasts.

"The Garrison Office is supported by the court precisely to protect our villages."

"If you refuse to deal with the mounted bandits, you will be violating the Great Harvest Code personally promulgated by the founding High Emperor of Great Harvest. We can report you to the county yamen."

Liu Tan, one of the dead men's relatives and someone in the village who had studied for several years,

spoke up.

"You stinking scholar, you old pig-dog! You're courting death!"

These words made Jia Ke's gaze turn vicious.

The short club in his hand smashed directly toward the other man's shoulder.

How could such a frail scholar withstand that blow?

"Ah!"

With a miserable cry,

he collapsed to the ground.

The several burly men behind Jia Ke

immediately rushed forward.

They rained punches and kicks upon Liu Tan, beating him until his head was split and bleeding as he wailed without end.

"Stop! You dare beat people!"

Liu Ying rushed forward.

She wanted to help.

However, one of the burly men shoved her hard.

Fortunately, Lu Yuan was quick-eyed and swift-handed, catching Liu Ying.

At the same time, the hilt of his rusted saber struck the burly man's wrist.

A scream rang out.