At those words, almost everyone present turned pale!
Quite a few people stole glances at Mo Zhenglin and Mo Zhengxing, who stood in a corner.
Hong Fan gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. "Of course I had nothing to do with it!"
"Is that so? But I found evidence proving that the mastermind behind it was none other than..."
"Constable Wu!"
He Zhixu abruptly cut Wu Shuangren off with a sharp shout, fixing him with a stern gaze. "This is a grave matter. You mustn't jump to conclusions!"
Wu Shuangren turned to He Zhixu, reversed his grip on his saber, and first cupped his hands in salute. "Lord He."
Seeing his attitude, He Zhixu's expression softened slightly, and he gave a small nod.
But the next moment...
"This concerns the safety of Bo County. Please call me Militia Commander Wu!"
Wu Shuangren's words rang out with the force of metal striking stone.
He Zhixu's expression went through a remarkable series of changes, while Tan Zheng and Tang Jiusi exchanged glances.
Xu Jing couldn't help turning his head away, the corners of his mouth twitching several times.
If Wu Shuangren were merely a constable, he could only obey when the county magistrate spoke. If he dared argue, the magistrate could put him in an impossible position with a single accusation of disobeying orders and disrespecting his superior.
But now Wu Shuangren was nominally the commander of the Bo County militia. Though he still had to obey the magistrate, he was qualified to speak with him as an equal on matters of public security.
"If the massacre at Mo Family Village really had anything to do with this Young Master Hong, then he came to Bo County harboring sinister intentions. Lord He, for the safety of everyone in the county, and for the dozens of lives lost at Mo Family Village, shouldn't we get to the bottom of this?!"
Wu Shuangren kept circulating his Internal Skill, making his voice ring clearly throughout the entire restaurant.
He Zhixu's face turned ashen.
The massacre at Mo Family Village was the most grievous tragedy Bo County had suffered in many years!
Today, all the important figures in Bo County had gathered at Moxian Tower. If He Zhixu handled this poorly, his reputation and standing could be ruined in a single day!
Wu Shuangren's words had backed him, the county's father and mother to its people, into a corner.
Tan Zheng and Tang Jiusi, who stood nearby, had intended to speak up and help He Zhixu put Wu Shuangren in his place. After hearing this, they decisively chose to keep their mouths shut, lest the fire spread to them.
"Lord He, you mustn't listen to his nonsense!"
Hong Fan was truly frantic now. He hurriedly said to He Zhixu, "He's lost his mind! He acts without any regard for the consequences!"
Wu Shuangren paid Hong Fan no attention. Instead, he turned to the others on the second floor, finally settling his gaze on Mo Zhenglin and Mo Zhengxing. In a ringing voice, he said:
"Everyone in this building today is either an official of Bo County or a person of standing here. Do you think I should take Hong Fan back and interrogate him until we get to the bottom of this?"
At those words, He Zhixu sighed.
A move that put the king in check!
Liao Yu, whose expression had been tense the entire time, was even more shocked now than when he had seen Wu Shuangren kill Luo You.
He turned to Wu Dongrong beside him and asked in a low voice, "Did you teach him all this?"
"..."
Wu Dongrong pressed his lips together and said nothing.
Inside Moxian Tower, a brief silence fell.
Then an angry roar erupted downstairs. "Investigate! Militia Commander Wu, you must get to the bottom of this!"
"That's right, get to the bottom of it! Give the dead an explanation!"
"We support Militia Commander Wu!"
"..."
At first, all the voices came from downstairs.
But soon, people in the crowd on the second floor were also shouting, "We support Militia Commander Wu!"
Among the dozens killed at Mo Family Village were not only members of the Mo Family and the children of ordinary people, but also children of official and gentry families who held positions such as squad leader.
The militia was a coveted prize, and the Mo Family had not kept it entirely to themselves.
So when Hong Fan had the people of Mo Family Village slaughtered, the Mo Family was far from the only family he offended.
Some of the Bo County officials and gentry who had come to the banquet today also harbored hatred!
But even the Mo Family, the strongest among them, had been thoroughly cowed and chosen to kneel, so these people had been even less willing to speak out.
Now Wu Shuangren had stepped forward of his own accord, and had displayed enough strength to win their confidence!
Moreover, most of the people in the restaurant had seen the dozens of constables confronting Hong Fan's men outside.
So when he started the fight, they chose to follow!
Inside Moxian Tower, the crowd was seething with indignation!
Hong Fan stared at Wu Shuangren with venom in his eyes.
He had helped the other man build this stage step by step today, only for Wu Shuangren to make perfect use of it and turn it against him!
With a mind and methods like these, who was plotting against him from the shadows?
Hong Fan refused to believe that a seventeen-year-old had orchestrated all this on his own.
Wu Shuangren ignored Hong Fan's gaze. He was watching Mo Zhenglin and Mo Zhengxing's reactions.
The most crucial thing in today's play was not He Zhixu's attitude, but the Mo Family's.
If the Mo Family still didn't dare stand up and resist under these circumstances, the situation ahead would be difficult for him.
Fortunately, Wu Shuangren saw hatred rekindled in the eyes of the two men in charge of the Mo Family!
Neither man spoke up, but their reactions were enough for Wu Shuangren.
"Lord He."
Wu Shuangren turned to He Zhixu and waited for his response.
The restaurant gradually fell quiet, and everyone looked at He Zhixu.
He Zhixu took a deep breath and smiled without warmth. "In that case, Militia Commander Wu, please take Hong Fan back and interrogate him thoroughly to uncover the truth."
At those words, Hong Fan seemed to lose all his strength and crumpled to the floor.
Wu Shuangren cupped his fists. "I will certainly get to the bottom of this!"
With that, before he could take a step, two figures had already moved toward Hong Fan.
They were Liao Yu and Wu Dongrong.
The two men hauled Hong Fan up between them, then gestured with their eyes for Wu Shuangren to lead the way.
Wu Shuangren was momentarily taken aback. He smiled slightly and accepted the kindness of his two elders.
He turned and headed downstairs, with Liao Yu and Wu Dongrong escorting Hong Fan behind him.
"Well done!"
No one knew who started clapping, but the building soon erupted in enthusiastic applause!
Amid the crowd's eager gazes and applause, Wu Shuangren walked out of Moxian Tower one step at a time.
It was noon, and the daylight was bright.
Sunlight fell upon him outside, draping him in a golden glow.
Wu Shuangren glanced back at Moxian Tower, and a smile appeared on his face.
He had once felt sick at the sight of a corpse, but today he had killed two people in succession, and all he felt was exhilaration!
Liao Yu had said today was his big day, and that it had to be a glorious one.
He could have been elevated to commander by Hong Fan, only to spend his days afterward watching other people's expressions before he acted.
This was the glory Wu Shuangren wanted!
Chapter 40: True Security
Hong Fan was in prison.
It was the first time in his life he had been locked up in a place like this. The moment the cell door closed, the young master broke down.
"You can't do this to me!"
"What exactly do you want?"
"Name your terms! Chief Steward Hong of Mist Hidden Temple is my own uncle!"
"Let me out!"
"My uncle won't let you get away with this-"
Wu Dongrong ignored him and personally locked the cell door. After ordering the jailers under him to keep an eye on Hong Fan, he left the prison.
In the constables' office, Liao Yu was questioning Wu Shuangren.
"You're saying this was your plan alone, from beginning to end?"
Liao Yu stared at Wu Shuangren in disbelief.
Wu Shuangren nodded.
From the moment he had Zhang Li summon Wei Laohei to meet him alone, to the moment he used the situation to corner He Zhixu and take Hong Fan away, he had planned every step in advance.
If Wei Laohei had not come alone, he would have kept moving, using the terrain to create chances to fight his enemies one on one. He had even been prepared to trade injuries for their lives!
After killing Wei Laohei, he had Zhang Li go ahead to Moxian Tower to inform Liao Yu and Wu Dongrong, so they could bring men to support him.
He also had Zhang Li tell them not to interfere in his fight, but simply to keep an eye on Xu Jing.
If Xu Jing tried to stop him, Liao Yu and Wu Dongrong were to hold Xu Jing back.
At the restaurant, if Luo You had not acted on impulse, he would have found a way to provoke Luo You into attacking, allowing him to display his strength before everyone...
In short, for every step he took today, Wu Shuangren had prepared a second plan, and even a third. He had not acted on blind impulse.
Just as he once had before stepping into the ring, he would analyze his opponent in detail and prepare several sets of tactics.
Preparing before a fight had become a habit carved into his bones.
And every time, he took it to the utmost!
To go from being a child in a small county town to a world-class athlete, and finally a champion, took more than muscle.
"Did the expert who taught you martial arts teach you all this too?"
Liao Yu asked thoughtfully.
Wu Shuangren hesitated, then nodded.
Talent for martial arts could be innate, but methods of handling matters and adapting to circumstances could only be acquired through learning and accumulated experience.
"I'd really like to know what kind of expert could have taught you to be like this."
Liao Yu sighed.
As the two talked, Wu Dongrong walked into the room.
"Dad, is Hong Fan locked up?"
"Yes. I've already arranged for trustworthy people to guard him."
As he spoke, Wu Dongrong went over and sat down beside Wu Shuangren, staring straight at him.
"Dad..."
Wu Shuangren felt a little guilty under his gaze.
Even Liao Yu thought his old friend was about to fly into a rage and start cursing or even hitting someone, and he was ready to stop him.
Unexpectedly, after a moment of silence, Wu Dongrong merely said in a deep voice, "Don't be so impulsive in the future. You should have told us about something like this beforehand!"
Wu Shuangren had wanted to say that if he had told them beforehand, they certainly wouldn't have agreed. Only when the arrow was already on the bowstring would they choose to help him without hesitation.