Chapter 1: Can't I Deal With You?

"It's been two days!"

In the morning light, the bamboo in the backyard of the Prefecture Office in Baian County, Changling Jun, was lush and dripping with green; a glance revealed nothing but verdant growth, and the morning breeze whistled past. A young man dressed in white, his ten fingers hidden in his sleeves, stood there quietly, letting the breeze ruffle his clothes.

Having arrived in this World for two days, Shen Yu still felt somewhat unaccustomed to his current life; days without a mobile phone or a computer seemed to be left with nothing but monotony.

This young man in white was surnamed Shen, given name Yu, courtesy name Hengzhi. He was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations in the eighth year of Jinglong, and was subsequently selected and sent to this Baian County to serve as County Magistrate. In truth, if one were to calculate it properly, only a few short days had passed since he took office.

Precisely because he was not yet familiar with the people around him, it was convenient for him to muddle through.

Come to think of it, this Baian County was a rather famous county—not because it was sufficiently wealthy, but because it had lost three County Magistrates in two years.

The first County Magistrate was "snapped" because his corruption and bribery were exposed. The second one didn't even arrive before he unfortunately died after encountering mountain bandits on the road. As for the third County Magistrate, he hadn't even been in office for a year before he couldn't hold on any longer due to failing to acclimatize and catching a cold.

Although these could only be considered accidents, Baian County became a place everyone avoided if they could. It wasn't until after the metropolitan examination that Shen Yu, who had no power, no influence, and no backing, was sent here to become a glorious local official.

And just after arriving here, the unfamiliar Shen Yu was walking the streets to understand the local customs when he happened to encounter a scene of a wealthy young master forcibly seizing a common woman.

It was unclear who gave him the courage; a weak scholar without the strength to truss a chicken, he didn't call for help, but instead rolled up his sleeves and went forward to stop it. The result was a scholar meeting a soldier; he was knocked to the ground and then given a violent beating.

In the end, if it hadn't been for the timely arrival of the Constable of Baian County, Zhou Yuan, he might have become the fourth County Magistrate to disappear in Baian County within two years. However, it was precisely because of this that it benefited him, the transmigrator.

Over these two days, besides sorting out the original owner's memories, Shen Yu had also been studying the "Martial Hero Sign-in System" that had suddenly appeared in his mind. He didn't know if this system had come with him through his transmigration or if it had awakened by chance after he arrived.

In any case, when Shen Yu first opened his eyes in this World, while seeing the completely unfamiliar environment, he also saw the system that was in the process of binding to him.

After the system was completely bound, Shen Yu learned that this system was called the "Martial Hero Sign-in System." According to its meaning, it seemed that as long as one performed chivalrous deeds, one could sign in to receive various rewards.

Shen Yu had tried it out over the past two days, and how should he put it? When Mother Zhang in the kitchen was sick, Shen Yu gave her two taels of silver to see a doctor, and the sign-in reward was twenty taels of silver. When he helped the sick Mother Zhang chop wood, the sign-in reward was a hammer—and a small hammer that could only be used to crack walnuts.

I believe in your hammer; what kind of trash system is this? Shen Yu had thought he could sign in and get Martial Arts like the Nine Yin or Nine Yang 【Divine Arts】 and directly become a master of a generation; after all, this World was not simple.

In Shen Yu's memory, this World belonged to an ancient imperial dynasty, but it was not any dynasty from ancient China. The Dasheng Dynasty had been established for over two hundred years, and the atmosphere of Martial Arts was extremely strong.

Moreover, when Shen Yu was in the Capital taking the exams, he had once accidentally encountered a team of Constables pursuing a thief. The three or four-story restaurant was at least ten meters high, yet these people were able to jump from the ground to the roof as lightly as feathers.

During the struggle, blade Qi crisscrossed, and that terrifying destructive power had been etched into Shen Yu's mind.

Through these memories, Shen Yu deeply understood that he was not in an ordinary world, but a dangerous world with Martial Arts and a Jianghu. Especially for those in government, it was a high-risk profession; one never knew when someone might come along to "perform chivalrous deeds."

"My Lord, the young master of the Cai Family has come to surrender!"

"Understood!" Waving his hand, Shen Yu took a deep breath. The young master of the Cai Family was that wealthy young master who had forcibly seized a common woman on the street, and also the one who had beaten him.

On that day, after Constable Zhou arrived, the young master of the Cai Family learned of his identity and immediately vanished without a trace. Later, after Shen Yu woke up, he had been busy familiarizing himself with the environment and studying the system, almost forgetting about this matter.

Unexpectedly, the other party had chosen to surrender voluntarily today. That's not right; if he really had that kind of realization, he should have come that afternoon; did he really need to wait two days?

"Hold court!"

"Mighty... Power!"

Dressed in his official robes, Shen Yu sat quietly on the high seat of the Public Hall. The Yamen Runners on both sides could also be called mighty and imposing; for a moment, it actually felt like something.

Accompanied by these low, rumbling shouts of "power," the young master of the Cai Family walked into the Public Hall with large strides, his gaze meeting Shen Yu's without any avoidance, and there even seemed to be a hint of ease on his face.

With this attitude, is this someone coming to surrender? If you didn't know better, you'd think he was out on an excursion!

"Audacious!" Seeing the other party being so arrogant, Shen Yu didn't indulge him and directly shouted loudly, "Who is below the hall? Why do you not kneel upon seeing this official!"

"You!" He glared at Shen Yu indignantly; he hadn't expected the other party to be so disrespectful—didn't he know who he was?

However, in the end, although the young master of the Cai Family was very unwilling, he had no choice as he held no official rank. Since the other party was talking to him about the rules, no matter how reluctant he was, he could only kneel down honestly.

"Clack!" Striking the Gavel, Shen Yu looked down from above at the young master of the Cai Family and said loudly: "Audacious Cai He, two days ago you forcibly seized a common woman in broad daylight; do you know your crime?"

"I am wronged, My Lord!" Upon hearing Shen Yu's words, Cai He, as if he had rehearsed it many times, immediately shouted loudly, "My Lord, that person was originally a maid bought by my family, and there is a deed of sale as proof; how can there be any talk of forcible seizure?"

While speaking, Cai He handed up the deed of sale. Taking the deed of sale from the other party's hand, Shen Yu frowned slightly, then turned to look at the people in the County Government Office.

This deed of sale was actually real; the Cai Family really hadn't been idle these past two days! Most importantly, a deed of sale had to go through the government office to be processed; in that case, the people in the government office were also unreliable!

At this moment, the woman who had been forcibly seized by Cai He that day also walked slowly into the Public Hall and knelt down with a thud. The young girl was beautiful, her skin as clear as jade, and she was slim and delicate.

However, at this time, the girl's obviously red and swollen eyes revealed a touch of grievance, making her appear even more pitiful.

No wonder she attracted the young master of the Cai Family to seize her on the street; she certainly had the capital. No, that's not right; this is the victim—bah! Cai He, this piece of human trash, to be able to lay a hand on such a delicate girl!

"My Lord, please allow me to report: I am indeed a maid of the Cai Family. That day, I ran away privately, and it was only right and proper for the young master to catch me back. I admit my guilt!"

"Young lady, has someone threatened you? Rest assured, this official will certainly uphold justice for you!" In this situation, even a fool could see that the girl was being coerced; how could Shen Yu let it go?

"No, I am indeed a slave of the Cai Family. Please, My Lord, investigate clearly!"

"My Lord, the deed of sale is in your hands, and she has admitted it herself. With both human and material evidence present, the matter of that day was just a misunderstanding!"

Casually cupping his hands toward Shen Yu, Cai He then prepared to stand up and leave, "Magistrate, since the matter has been clarified, this commoner will take his leave now. Haha!"

"Slow down!" Seeing Cai He wanting to leave, Shen Yu snorted coldly and directly struck the Gavel, "Cai He, even if this woman is a maid of your Cai Family, that only means the charge of forcibly seizing a common woman does not hold!"

"Cai He, are you aware that the fact you beat this official that day is also true? Beating a court official on the street in broad daylight. Cai He, tell me, what crime should you be charged with!"

"Men, take him down, give him thirty heavy strokes, and then lock him in prison to await trial!"

"My Lord, think twice!" At this time, the secretary on the side hurriedly leaned in and whispered to Shen Yu, "My Lord, this is the young master of the Cai Family, the own nephew of the County Assistant!"

"And so what?" Glaring fiercely at the secretary, Shen Yu then shouted loudly at the Yamen Runners: "What are you still standing there for? Beat him, beat him hard!"

The County Assistant's nephew? I was wondering how this bastard managed to get the deed of sale done! It would have been better if I didn't know this connection, but since I do, I must hit him harder to let him learn a lesson; does he really think this County Magistrate is just a decoration?

"You dare to hit me?" Looking at Shen Yu with apparent disbelief, he had grown up in Baian County and had always walked sideways; who dared to provoke him? Even his own father had never hit him once.

"Get lost!" Seeing that the Yamen Runners seemed to really dare to act, Cai He was furious, "You dog slaves, let's see who dares to move!"

"Presumptuous!" He had seen arrogant people, but he had never seen anyone this arrogant. Shen Yu's temper flared up, and he directly struck the Gavel and shouted loudly, "Roaring in the Public Hall, the crime is increased by one degree. Men, give him sixty heavy strokes, and hit him hard!"

"Ow, ouch... you're really hitting me? Be gentle, be gentle! My Lord, My Lord, I know I was wrong, be gentle..."

"Only knowing you were wrong now? It's too late. Keep hitting, not a single stroke less!" Listening to the shrill screams below, Shen Yu couldn't help but curl his lips.

"Little brat, I can't deal with you?"

Originally, he had been worried that the Yamen Runners would go easy on him, but since Cai He, this idiot, had a foul mouth and cursed at the Yamen Runners, they deserved it if they didn't hit him hard; he brought it on himself!

"System, sign in!"

"Sign-in successful, obtained Quanzhen Mental Method!"

"Quanzhen Mental Method? A secret manual dropped? Wait!" At this moment, Shen Yu seemed to have grasped a little bit of the system's pattern; could it be that the correct way to open the system was like this?