Chapter 150

The leading soldier did not answer, his gaze sweeping past the He Wan County Magistrate to the angry and frightened populace, secretly relieved that they had arrived in time.

If we were even a little late, I wouldn't know how to explain it to His Majesty and the Fairy.

He Wan County Magistrate, seeing them observing the populace, said: 'You don't know, these are all rioters, committing every evil, so I personally brought men to suppress them.'

'Rioters?' the leading soldier withdrew his gaze, 'Most of these are women and children—how could they be utter villains?'

He Wan County Magistrate laughed: 'As the saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover; though they look frail, they actually have hearts of serpents and scorpions.'

The leading soldier said meaningfully: 'Guess whether I believe you.'

He Wan County Magistrate frowned, unsure for a moment why these troops had suddenly appeared here.

But if he didn't send them away, he couldn't continue his duties.

Thinking that they couldn't possibly know his secret, he raised his hand toward three recently bandaged human traffickers nearby and told the soldiers: 'These three are survivors I just rescued from the rioters; another dozen or so have already been tortured to death—look what state they're in.'

The leading soldier replied blandly: 'I find that your so-called rescued survivors look less like good people.'

'What do you mean?' He Wan County Magistrate's face darkened.

At that moment, the onlookers realized these soldiers were not in league with the magistrate.

They then, clinging to a last hope, knelt before them, faces full of grief and indignation, denouncing the magistrate's vile and shameless conduct.

Before the crowd could utter a few words, He Wan County Magistrate shouted harshly: 'You bunch of scoundrels! How dare you slander even me!'

He then told the soldiers: 'You see, right? I wasn't wrong—these are the rioters! Don't be deceived by their appearance!'

'Military sir!' the woman who had earlier confronted the He Wan County Magistrate at the risk of her life cried out, tears streaming: 'This dog official colludes with human traffickers to harm the populace! He came here to rescue the traffickers and silence us! If I utter even half a falsehood, may heaven strike me down! Please, military sir, help us!'

'Still spouting nonsense! Kill her for me!' He Wan County Magistrate bellowed in fury.

The guard stepped forward, raised his long blade, and was about to hack the woman down.

'Hold it!' the leading soldier shouted.

But the guard paid no heed.

The blade was about to fall on the woman's neck.

The leading soldier quickly nocked an arrow, whoosh— the arrow flew like lightning.

Clang!

Sparks flew.

The long blade in the guard's hand was knocked away.

He Wan County Magistrate's face grew grim: 'I'm being courteous only out of respect for General Duan; do you truly intend to obstruct my official duties?!'

'So what if we obstruct?' the leading soldier nocked another sharp arrow, its tip aimed at the He Wan County Magistrate.

'Bold! You dare threaten our county magistrate!' several guards stepped forward.

Whoosh!

The leading soldier, without hesitation, shot an arrow that knocked the magistrate's black hat off.

The guards' faces changed drastically; they halted abruptly, and the other constables dared not act rashly.

And the He Wan County Magistrate was so frightened he flung himself to the ground.

The leading soldier coldly ordered: 'General Duan is already waiting at the county office; please return at once, Magistrate.'

The He Wan County Magistrate's aged face flushed then paled as he suppressed his anger, warning: 'This is my jurisdiction; I am conducting an investigation here, and no one may interfere! Moreover, military and civil authorities have separate jurisdictions—what exactly do you mean? Are you trying to force me to file a complaint with my superiors?!'

The soldiers said nothing, then with a clatter drew their waist swords in unison.

Although there were only twenty-plus, each was a hardened veteran from the Xi Tun Guan region, battle-hardened and exuding a lethal aura.

They had also undergone personal training by Xiao Qidi, and being fully armored and mounted on tall warhorses, the simultaneous drawing of their blades unleashed a neat, uniform, chilling, oppressive presence that made one's blood run cold.

He Wan County Magistrate wilted, yet unwilling to lose face, he stuck out his neck and shouted: 'Fine, then go back!'

'Take those three back and continue treating them,' he murmured to his subordinates.

His aide whispered: 'And… what about the others?'

He Wan County Magistrate said with a dark face: 'Leave ten constables here to watch over them; after I leave… you know what to do.'

'Understood,' the subordinate nodded.

At that moment, the leading soldier dismounted, clasped his fists before the crowd, and said: 'Everyone, this remote place is no fit for lingering; please come with us.'

He Wan County Magistrate blinked, then immediately bellowed: 'These are the rioters I must handle! They cannot be allowed to leave at will!'

'If you must handle them, why not take them to the county office?' the leading soldier said meaningfully: 'Or could it truly be as these civilians say—that those are human traffickers, and you are colluding with them?'

'Stop spouting nonsense!' He Wan County Magistrate glared, stroking his beard: 'These rioters, cornered, are lashing out at me wildly! How can you believe them? I merely… merely think the rioters are numerous, and escorting them all the way to the office might cause disorder.'

The leading soldier smiled: 'We will escort and protect you along the way—surely you can rest easy?'

He Wan County Magistrate was momentarily lost for words.

He felt a vague unease, but arguing further would only make him look guilty.

After a moment's thought, regardless of anything, as the local magistrate he shouldn't be interfered with by these frontier troops, and they couldn't possibly know the inside story, so he had nothing to worry about.

'Heh, then thank you for your trouble,' He Wan County Magistrate said with a hollow smile. 'Come, everyone, back to the county office under my orders!'

Afterward, He Wan County Magistrate took advantage of the chaos inside the residence to whisper a few instructions to a trusted guard.

That guard then slipped out the back door quietly, spurring his horse to reach a place over ten li away.

This spot was even more remote; from afar it looked like an uninhabited mountain forest, but once one entered via a hidden trail, it proved to be another world.

The mountains were clear, the waters lovely, birds sang and flowers fragrant; moreover, a thin mist from the open-air hot springs curled about, resembling a fairyland.

There stood a residence, carefully built according to the terrain and relying on the hot springs; at a glance one could tell it was no ordinary dwelling.

The guard arrived at the door, knocked a few times, and was soon ushered inside.

Inside the residence, in a large hot spring pool,

at that moment a man in his thirties reclined half‑lying in it, his back against the pool's edge, eyes closed, enjoying a maid's shoulder massage behind him.

Then a maid approached, stood beside the pool, and said respectfully: 'Sir, that girl… since she was brought here yesterday evening until now, past noon, she still refuses to eat anything.'

"Is it that you're being too harsh on her?" the man slightly opened his eyes. "Bring her over; I'll feed her myself."

"As you command."

After the maid stepped back, it wasn't long before she returned with a four- or five‑year‑old little girl.

The girl was no one else but Xiu Mei's daughter—An An.

An An's expression was sorrowful; her eyes were red from crying, and tears still clung to her cheeks.

"Oh, you poor thing," the man said with a smile. "You're so thin; you can't survive without eating. You need to eat until you're plump and white, then you'll look better."

Although the man tried hard to appear gentle, the greedy gleam in his eyes made An An feel fear deep in her heart.

"Why is she still wearing those tattered clothes?" the man added. "Did you not bathe and clothe her?"

The maid answered cautiously: "Your Excellency, she wouldn't cooperate; we feared we might hurt her, so—"

The man chuckled lightly. "She's surprisingly stubborn; as expected of a child from the countryside, far less obedient than those from wealthy families."

As he spoke, he gestured with his hand.

The maids understood and pushed An An to the edge of the pool, then handed a plate of food to the man.

The man sat up, leaned sideways, took a piece of pastry from the plate, held it to An An's mouth, and cooed, "Good girl, eat. This is a fine delicacy that common folk never get to taste in a lifetime."

"I won't eat… I want mother… wuwu…" An An began crying again.

The man's gaze turned cold. "You little thing, don't be oblivious. If you weren't good‑looking, you'd have no right to be sent into my hands. Keep disobeying and I'll get angry."

An An didn't understand what he meant, and she cried even harder.

The man's face instantly grew cold; he seized An An's neck, dragged her into the hot spring pool, and pressed her head into the water.

The poor little creature immediately choked on water, her tiny arms flailing.

But she had no strength to resist an adult; no matter how hard she tried, she was forced to the bottom of the pool.

Just as she was about to suffocate, the man lifted her, gripping the back of her neck as if lifting a chick, and said gloomily, "Now are you willing to eat?"

Coughing and crying, An An said, "You… you're a bad person… I… cough… even if I starve, I won't eat!"

Without a word, the man pressed her back into the water.

The few maids and servants by the pool merely stared expressionlessly; they offered no plea for the little one, not even a hint of sympathy or concern.

The man repeatedly forced An An into the water and lifted her out; after several rounds, An An was near fainting, yet she stubbornly refused to obey.

"I only like a bit of stubbornness, but not this much; I can't tame her, what a pity." The man lost patience, his five fingers clasped An An's tiny neck, ready to strangle her to death.

"Your Excellency!" a servant hurried in. "The He Wan County Magistrate has sent someone to request an audience; it seems… something's happened."

The man frowned, didn't have time to think, and immediately released his grip.

Suddenly, he spotted something glinting on An An's horn‑shaped braids, yanked it off, and saw it was a very unusual headband.

The headband was circular and highly elastic; even he had never seen such material.

Moreover, the headband was strung with several tiny transparent pink crystal beads, exquisitely crafted in both workmanship and texture.

"Hm?" the man's face showed surprise. "These countryside children can't even afford decent clothes, yet their hair hides such a treasure?"

"Your Excellency!" the servant urged. "Please hurry over; the magistrate's men are waiting for you!"

The man set An An aside, put on his clothes with the maids' assistance, and, finding the crystal beads increasingly appealing, casually hung them along with a jade pendant he carried at his waist, then went to meet the people sent by the magistrate.

——

On the other side.

When the He Wan County Magistrate returned to the County Office, Duan Wu was already waiting in the public hall.

Up to now, the He Wan County Magistrate still didn't know Duan Wu's purpose for coming here; earlier on the road he had tried to make small talk with the soldiers but got nothing out of it.

But thinking that he had already sent someone to inform that elder, if any mishap occurred, as long as that elder backed him, he felt confident.

"General Duan, long time no see," the He Wan County Magistrate said with a smile, striding up to Duan Wu. "I wonder what brings you here unannounced?"

Having said that, he suddenly noticed that the young man named Su Mu was sitting boldly beside him.

"How did you get out?!" the magistrate roared. "Who released this kid?!"

The senior official's expression was complicated; he leaned in and said, "Your Excellency… General Duan led men to forcefully break into the cell; the County Officers truly couldn't stop them…"

"My apologies," Duan Wu grinned, "I saw you hadn't returned for a long time, so I took the liberty of having the people released."

The He Wan County Magistrate's eyes showed astonishment. "General Duan, do you know this kid?"

Duan Wu glanced at His Majesty, who sat nearby with eyes closed, and replied, "Ahem, I know him, quite well."

The magistrate's face darkened. "Do you know this person bears a grave crime?"

Duan Wu said, "Oh? Tell me."

The magistrate furrowed his brows. "The case I'm handling seems unrelated to you, a border‑pass General, right?"

"Since you won't speak about him, let this General speak about you," Duan Wu turned, walked to the trial table in the public hall, sat down, lifted the heavy gavel, and struck it hard. "I now convene this court! He Wan County Magistrate, do you know your crime?"

The He Wan County Magistrate stared at Duan Wu in shock, frozen for a while before he could speak: "Duan Wu! I, remembering the modest friendship my family had with your father, and seeing that you now serve as a commander of Xi Tun Guan, have given you full respect. Yet you sit arrogantly in my seat, assuming the posture of interrogating me—you truly invert the heavens!"

"Men! Bring him down before me!"

The command rang out, but the County Officers inside the County Office did not move.

On one hand, most Constables were busy outside, leaving the office understaffed.

On the other hand, they lacked the courage to confront a group of soldiers.

"Good‑for‑nothing!" the magistrate shouted at the trembling County Officers, then ordered his subordinates to summon all the Constables back.

He thought that his County Office had over two hundred Constables; if a clash with Duan Wu erupted later, they should be able to handle his roughly fifty soldiers.

If they still couldn't manage, they could at least hold out until that elder came to aid.

In short, everything remained under his control.

"Duan Wu! You little brat!" the He Wan County Magistrate shouted while walking toward the trial table, stroking his beard and glaring. "Who gave you the nerve to sit in my seat and flaunt your power?! Get down here at once!"

Duan Wu sneered inwardly.

This, of course, is the courage His Majesty gave.

And it's not about flaunting power; it's about handling the case properly.

"Come, men!" Duan Wu shouted, chest out, "Capture the He Wan County Magistrate, beat him with a military stick, and then crush his arrogant spirit!"

"Yes, General!" several soldiers immediately moved.

The He Wan County Magistrate hadn't even regained his senses when he was pinned to the ground and his pants were stripped off.

"General, how many sticks?" the soldiers asked, rubbing their fists.