Chapter 227: Far from Being a Murderer, He Is a Hero Who Earned Merit

Fang Hui nodded, "Yes."

Ning Jinli's heart began to race, and she blurted, "He's fifteen now, right? Is this place called Ding County? Also, the Li family's ancestors held high office in An Kingdom, but after being framed they fled here; their household fell to commoners, correct?"

Fang Hui was a bit surprised, "Immortal sister, you even know the matters of his ancestors? That's his family's secret; they only told me."

Ning Jinli couldn't suppress her excitement.

Got it!

Completely got it!

Never expected this place to be the Marsh Kingdom's Ding County, and Li He naturally is…

At this moment Xiao Qidi returned from outside.

At dawn this morning, he went into the city to gather information and told Ning Jinli he already had a way to rescue the boy who stole the roasted chicken.

And it's simple.

From his inquiries, the county magistrate here is a greedy official who especially loves money.

As long as you give him silver taels, any matter can be settled.

As the saying goes, if the upper beam is crooked the lower will be skewed; the County Office clerks are petty corrupt, but he is a great corrupt.

So just send him money directly; it will be easy to get the chicken‑stealing youth out without causing a stir.

After saying that, Xiao Qidi asked mysteriously, "Jinli, I also heard about this place's name; can you guess what it's called?"

Ning Jinli smiled and said, "It's called Ding County."

Xiao Qidi said, "Oh, the sick boy woke up; he told you, right? Since this is Marsh Kingdom's Ding County, I recall the historical records you showed me note that Li He was born here. Daxuan founded the Huaxia Great Unified Dynasty, but it perished under the tyranny of the second Daxuan, and the founding emperor of the subsequent era was Ding County's Li He. He's only three years younger than me, so he should be about fifteen now, thus he must still be in Ding County!"

Ning Jinli probed, "You don't intend to prevent the world from falling into his hands by taking the initiative and eliminating him, do you?"

Xiao Qidi shook his head, "If my world hasn't changed because you appeared, and if I have awareness after death, I wouldn't mind the world belonging to him. He's a good emperor, talented and visionary, and loves the people like his own children; isn't that far better than that little brute, the second Daxuan?"

Ning Jinli asked with a smile, "So… what do you intend to do?"

Xiao Qidi replied seriously, "Find him and cultivate him well."

"Planning early to find a successor?" Ning Jinli's smile deepened.

Xiao Qidi also smiled, "If he later becomes a suitable ruler, there's no harm in letting him succeed. Jinli, after we rescue the roasted‑chicken‑stealing boy, we'll look for Li He properly."

"Hahaha!" Ning Jinli couldn't hold back her laughter, "We've already found him!"

"What?" Xiao Qidi's face was full of surprise, then he guessed incredulously, "Could it be… the boy who stole the roasted chicken?"

The location was confirmed, the boy's age matched, his unique personality, and Ning Jinli's remark made it hard for Xiao Qidi not to think that way.

Ning Jinli's eyes sparkled, "Exactly! It's him, and also, the one lying in the temple is called Fang Hui!"

Xiao Qidi's eyes widened quickly, "Fang Hui? Li He's capable general by his side?!"

"Yes!"

"Hahaha!"

Xiao Qidi couldn't help laughing, grabbing Ning Jinli and planting several kisses on her.

Originally the two went to the Marsh Kingdom only to search for Moth Wing Grass, but they unexpectedly got a huge windfall, meeting the young Li He and Fang Hui early on.

Afterwards, Xiao Qidi went back through the ruined temple's Time-Space Gate and fetched five gold ingots and some broken silver.

The five gold ingots totaled a full hundred taels of gold.

Ning Jinli stayed in the ruined temple to tend Fang Hui, while Xiao Qidi, pocketing the hundred taels of gold, rushed to the city.

The county town was small; Xiao Qidi spent little time finding the County Office located in Ding County's town.

Then he bribed the on‑duty County Officer with some broken silver, and soon met the county magistrate who had just woken and was eating breakfast.

The Ding County magistrate was quite old, yet early in the morning he was drinking wine while eating.

When Xiao Qidi approached him, the magistrate was already slightly tipsy, with several large plates of meat and vegetables covering the table—a very pleasant scene.

"Who are you?" the magistrate asked casually, "What business do you have with me…?"

Xiao Qidi got straight to the point, "I've come to ransom a person."

The magistrate's interest sparked, but he still pretended not to want to engage, "Do you think this is some place where I just redeem people? You say ransom, you mean ransom?"

Xiao Qidi took out a gold ingot and placed it on the table.

It was twenty taels of gold.

The magistrate's eyelids trembled, he set down his wine cup and asked slowly, "Who do you wish to ransom?"

Xiao Qidi said, "A fifteen‑year‑old boy captured by imperial officers last night, named Li He, should now be in the County Office jail."

The magistrate grabbed a piece of meat, chewing as he asked, "Is that so? What crime did he commit?"

"You don't know, sir?"

"Hmph, this official is busy with duties; how could I know every trivial matter?"

Seeing his attitude, Xiao Qidi casually produced another gold ingot.

Now there were forty taels of gold on the magistrate's table.

The magistrate's expression grew uneasy, he wiped his mouth, picked up the gold ingot and examined it, "Oh… I recall now, that boy surnamed Li, killed the one‑eyed dragon couple; he's a murderer…"

Xiao Qidi then produced a third gold ingot, "Li He is only fifteen; please be lenient, sir."

Now the total rose to sixty taels; the magistrate grew restless, "Since ancient times, murder demands a life; sixty taels of gold… how can that atone?"

Xiao Qidi said nothing, placing a fourth gold ingot.

The magistrate's eyes widened.

Eighty taels of gold!

Ding County can be said to be one of the poorest remote corners of the entire Marsh Kingdom; it took him over a decade of greed to amass this much money.

That was enough to tempt him.

"Well… ah… this…" the magistrate clutched the four gold ingots, continuously rubbing them, his aged face full of conflict, "I think Li He, being so young, acted impulsively; executing him would be a pity, but… alas… the common folk likely wouldn't forgive a murderer."

Xiao Qidi took out the last gold ingot.

A full hundred taels of gold.

The County Magistrate found it even more difficult now, feeling the gold and grumbling, "You, you, make it so hard for me, the official!"

Xiao Qidi gave a faint smile, "Sir, you are mistaken. Li He is not a murderer; he should be a hero who earned merit. You should not punish him, but rather reward him."

"Huh?" the County Magistrate's eyes widened, and with a bang he slammed the gold ingot onto the table, "What nonsense are you spouting, you brat!"

"Sir, are you unwilling to let me redeem someone?" Xiao Qidi began to take another gold ingot and stuff it into his own chest.

"Eh? What do you mean?" the County Magistrate asked in bewilderment, "Why are you taking it back?"

"Sir, you said I was spouting nonsense, clearly unwilling to hear me continue, how could I waste your time?" Xiao Qidi said as he kept taking the gold back.

The County Magistrate suddenly felt his heart and liver being torn.

Seeing the hundred taels of gold he had just felt slip away piece by piece, the feeling was just like money being taken out of his own treasury!

Who could stand that?!

"Stop!" the County Magistrate, unable to bear it any longer, sprang up and grabbed Xiao Qidi's arm, "You should argue some more! Did I ever say I wouldn't listen to you continue? If what you say is reasonable, I will seriously consider it!"

At this point, he was completely under Xiao Qidi's control, fearing a boiled duck might fly away.

Xiao Qidi then said calmly, "Sir, you should know what kind of conduct the One‑Eyed Dragon couple has, right?"

The County Magistrate blurted out, "Of course I know. That couple is a notorious pair of villains locally; the common folk avoid them and dare not provoke them. But… their roasted chicken is really tasty, *tch*…"

"Have these two spouses ever committed heinous crimes?" Xiao Qidi asked.

The County Magistrate's expression was a bit awkward, stammering, "Ah, do I even need to ask?"

"Isn't that easy?" Xiao Qidi's mouth twitched, "Since they are villains feared by the people and have committed heinous acts, you could publicly claim that the One‑Eyed Dragon couple were the aggressors, Li He was forced to resist, and the couple received retribution. Thus Li He should be regarded as a hero who eradicated evil, solving a disaster for the people and the County Office."

"Huh? Your idea…" the County Magistrate frowned and fell into thought.

Xiao Qidi placed the hundred taels of gold back into the County Magistrate's hand, smiling, "Consider this money as compensation for the hardships you have endured over the years from tyrants, causing the people to lose sleep."

The County Magistrate instantly beamed, clutching the gold, praising, "I find you really good at talking, you brat."

"Sir, to win the people's confidence even more, I suggest giving Li He a substantive reward." Xiao Qidi added.

"Reward?" the County Magistrate lowered his head to glance at the gold in his hand, his face showing caution, "You don't intend to take some of this and give it to him, do you?"

Xiao Qidi laughed, "These are your hard‑earned fees; how could you give them to him? You only need to announce an immediate reward of a hundred taels of silver for him. As for this hundred taels of gold, you need not spend any. That way, your punishments and rewards are clear, and you suffer no loss."

"Hahaha, you brat!" the County Magistrate, relieved, laughed with his wrinkles crumpling together, "Alright, alright, let's do it!"

Immediately after, the County Magistrate himself wrote a notice and sent Xiao Qidi to the prison to fetch the person.

——

Inside the County Office prison cell.

Li He lay on the cold, damp floor tiles, casually pulling a blade of grass from the corner and holding it in his mouth, quietly watching the sunlight filtering through the vent window.

A whiff of food aroma drifted in slowly.

Li He flared his nostrils, sniffed hard, and his stomach rumbled loudly.

"Alas, had I known my head would be about to roll off, I should have eaten more roasted chicken yesterday…" Li He rubbed his hollowed belly, turned his head toward the direction of the scent.

Three prison guards were having breakfast.

A few bowls of coarse grain, a large plate of boiled meat cut into pieces, and some small pickles.

Such a meal was far better than what ordinary folk have at home.

Li He scrambled up from the ground, clutching the wooden door lint of the cell and straining to stick out half his head, "Brothers, give me something to eat, I'm really starving."

One guard teased, "You brat, even at death's door you still have an appetite?"

Li He drooled, grinning, "Death doesn't affect my hunger, brother, just give me something to eat, and later when I become a ghost I'll bless you."

"Hahaha!" the guards roared with laughter.

One guard said, "I actually admire this kid; after being locked in last night he fell into a deep sleep right away. It's the first damn time I've seen a condemned prisoner so calm; the others always wail for their mothers."

Hearing the words 'father and mother', Li He felt a sudden choking in his heart, pulled his head back from the door lint that hurt him, and silently crouched down.

"Eh? Why are you silent now, you brat?" a guard grabbed a piece of meat and waved it at him from a distance, "Don't want to eat?"

Li He looked up and sighed, "I suddenly have no appetite."

The guard said, "We'll execute you in three days. Are you sure you don't want us to send someone to inform your family? If no one sees you off, we could give you some silver to buy a final meal, otherwise you won't become a well‑fed dead ghost."

Li He muttered, "I've never strived for advancement, making my parents worry; I guess they won't care about my life or death, maybe death would even be easier for them."

"By the way, did you really kill the One‑Eyed Dragon couple?" the guard asked, his tone full of doubt.

Li He instantly perked up, "What, you don't believe?"

"Haha," the guard laughed, "Don't even mention the One‑Eyed Dragon; that three‑hundred‑plus‑jin wife of his, even most big‑shot lords can't handle her. It'd take at least two or three men to beat her. You're just a teen kid; a single blow could crush you. Saying you killed that couple, I find hard to believe."

Li He lifted his head, his face full of pride, "Don't underestimate me; I really did take them down! Otherwise how could I have been captured and sentenced to behead?"

The guards, now strongly curious, asked him to recount the process.

Li He smirked inwardly, sitting cross‑legged against the cell door, "Give me some meat and I'll tell you."

A few guards immediately moved a table next to the cell door, planning to eat while listening, and even picked out a smaller piece from the big meat platter for Li He.

Li He shoved the meat into his mouth, savored it, and said slowly,

"The One‑Eyed Dragon couple are hulking, fierce and powerful, but I'm more agile. Yesterday I sneaked into their shop to steal roasted chicken, but the One‑Eyed Dragon blocked me at the door. He threw a punch at my head, and I thought, it's over, my head's about to be smashed!"

"But at the very last moment, relying on my innate reflexes, I ducked sharply! Then I rolled on the spot and drove a hard kick into his knee pit! The One‑Eyed Dragon fell to his knees, his backside up, and his chin cracked against the ground with a bang! Then…"

Li He's spit flew as he narrated vividly, arousing the guards' curiosity, and they all asked what happened next.

He grinned, "Then… give me another piece of meat; I didn't eat anything all day yesterday, and now I'm almost out of strength."

"Here you go!" a guard thrust a fist‑sized meat‑on‑bone stick at him, "Speak!"

Li He took a big bite, his cheeks bulging, "When the One‑Eyed Dragon fell, his eyes went starry and he was dizzy. I did a carp‑like somersault, stood up, grabbed the nearby broom handle, aimed at his up‑raised rear, and thrust with all the strength I had as if still nursing, stabbing down!"

"Sss!" the guards involuntarily clenched their thighs and gasped.

Li He chuckled darkly while teasing, "So, can you guess what happened?"