Liu Baoju was the first to react. He hurriedly reached for his saber, but Murong Feiyan's beautiful eyes narrowed. She lunged forward and kicked him in the chest. His martial skills were mediocre at best; he stood no chance against her kick. He flew backward, slammed into the magistrate's desk, and lost his grip on his saber, which went flying aside. His head struck the floor hard when he landed, knocking him unconscious.
These men were experts at preying on the villagers, but when had they ever witnessed anything like this? Every face turned pale with fright. Registrar Guo Shouguang said in a trembling voice, "Rebellion... are you trying to rebel...?"
Hu Xiaotian walked over and slapped him across the face. Guo Shouguang's cheek swelled up, and he clapped a hand over his mouth, no longer daring to utter a word.
Just then, the magistrate's adviser, Xing Shan, rushed into the courtroom with more than a dozen bailiffs after hearing the commotion. Pointing at Hu Xiaotian, he said, "Hu Xiaotian, you dare defy your superiors..."
Hu Xiaotian laughed aloud and raised the token in his hand. "Open your eyes and take a good look!" he declared proudly. "This token was given to me by Marshal Li, the founding duke. Its presence is as good as the marshal's own. All of you, kneel!"
Although the bailiffs did not recognize the token, hearing the illustrious name of Li Tianheng, Duke of Xichuan, frightened them into scrambling to their knees. While Xing Shan was still hesitating over whether to kneel, Liu Kuohai charged forward and smashed a fist into his face, making it bloom with blood.
Xu Qinglian said shakily, "Hu Xiaotian, you have no regard for law or Heaven! I, Xu Qinglian, have served the nation loyally. What crime have I committed?"