Chapter 52: Taken In

"Black Ox, Great-Grandfather, it's Black Ox!"

"That's Little Six!"

Soon, sounds of grief erupted from the crowd; clearly, they had recognized those who had been murdered on the ox cart. Especially after hearing the words of this man in black, these commoners were left with nothing but terror and unease.

"My Lord, I beg you to save them, save my poor child!"

"My Lord, my two children cannot be without a father, my Lord!"

"My Lord..."

A series of heart-wrenching pleas reached his ears. Given that the people before him were mostly the elderly, the weak, women, and children, the sounds were even more sorrowful, making Shen Yu inevitably feel somewhat restless and unable to bear it.

The man in black opposite, seeing this scene, smiled lightly with a look of triumph. The Pavilion Master's strategy of attacking the heart was truly formidable. The young and strong who were captured were the pillars of their respective households; without these pillars, the families would collapse, and these commoners were naturally anxious, one after another.

Especially since only the elderly, the weak, women, and children remained, they were more prone to being emotional, and their weeping was even more tragic. Looking at this miserable sight, even someone with a heart of stone like himself felt a bit soft-hearted.

"Scoundrel!" Clenching his fists tightly, Zhou Yuan glared with wide-open eyes, looking viciously at the man in black opposite. "You people dare to act like this—are you not afraid of the imperial army?"

"The imperial army? Haha! Does the life of a refugee in a famine year even count as a life?" Seeming to have heard something hilarious, the man in black laughed until he doubled over, looking at Zhou Yuan as if he were looking at a fool.

"The imperial court won't mobilize experts for a few refugees. Besides, these refugees are unstable elements; if we kill a few, the imperial court might even thank us!"

"You, you bastards!" With his hand on the hilt of his blade, Zhou Yuan waited only for Shen Yu's order to rush out and fight the other party to the death. However, Shen Yu did not speak, instead watching the other party quietly.

"Sigh, it seems Lord Shen does not wish to save them. No matter, whether you save them or not is your own business. In any case, we will kill ten people every incense stick of time; we keep our word!"

"My Lord, I beg you, my Lord, have mercy!" Upon hearing the words of the man in black, the remaining women and children immediately panicked, kowtowing desperately to Shen Yu, praying that he would quickly bring their people back. Ten people killed every incense stick of time—no one knew if it would be their own family's turn next.

Those were the pillars of their families; if the pillars were gone, how would their families survive?

"Enough!" From within the crowd, an old man walked out tremblingly, pointing at everyone and shouting angrily, "The Lord gives you food, lets you eat your fill, and even gives you money—what a great kindness this is. If it weren't for the Lord, your families would have starved long ago!"

"What are you doing now? If you don't know how to repay kindness, that's one thing, but instead, you are pressuring the Lord. Look at what you look like. All of you, get back!"

"Old thing, you're courting death!" Seeing the old man suddenly appear to disrupt the situation, a flash of murderous intent flickered in the eyes of the man in black, and he quietly pinched a silver needle in his hand.

"Scoundrel!" At this moment, Shen Yu's hand slammed onto his sword hilt, and murderous intent erupted from his eyes, causing the man in black, who had been preparing to act, to stop abruptly.

That tangible killing intent made him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, a bone-chilling cold permeating his entire body. It even made him feel that if he were to move, he would be met with a thunderous strike.

Such dense killing intent, such a terrifying expert—how could a person of this caliber be merely a Ninth Rank County Magistrate!

"Lord Shen, since I dared to come, I naturally do not fear Life and Death!" Too busy to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, the man in black gritted his teeth and forced himself to say, "But Lord Shen, the Master said that if I cannot return, he will kill another hundred people as funeral companions. I, actually, am indifferent!"

"Lord Shen, you must consider this carefully. Ten people are killed every incense stick of time. Once this batch is finished, we will capture the next, until Lord Shen is willing to grace us with your presence. Lord Shen also knows that these days, the lives of refugees are worthless; they are everywhere!"

"You!" Before Shen Yu could say anything, Zhou Yuan beside him could no longer hold back, drawing the blade at his waist, desperate to rush up, but he was stopped directly by Shen Yu.

"Enough, stand down!" Waving his hand, Shen Yu looked at him coldly. The man trembled all over, feeling a chill throughout his body, yet he still braced himself and did not yield. He knew that if he went soft, he would never make it back alive.

"Go back and tell your superior: tell him that I, Shen Yu, will be there shortly, and tell him to wash his neck clean and wait!"

"Good, I will certainly deliver Lord Shen's words. Then, I shall take my leave!" Looking up at Shen Yu once, the man let out a light breath and immediately turned to leave, moving as fast as he could.

Don't let his fearless appearance fool you; in reality, his legs were weak. If he didn't leave quickly, he feared he wouldn't be able to leave at all later—who knew if the other party would change their mind. This time was too dangerous; so many experts suffering losses at this person's hands was no coincidence!

Quietly watching the figure depart, Shen Yu said nothing, his expression unreadable.

"My Lord?" Seeing Shen Yu's current state, Zhou Yuan guessed a little and couldn't help but ask with some worry, "My Lord, you don't really intend to go, do you?"

"Go? Why wouldn't I go? They've already dug the pit; if I don't go, wouldn't that be very disrespectful?" With a light snort, murderous intent erupted in Shen Yu's eyes. For the sake of a mere three hundred thousand taels, these people dared to be so insane—they had already incited his desire to kill!

Furthermore, the fact that these people dared not attack directly was enough to show they lacked the strength to crush him, and could only resort to crooked, underhanded methods. And Shen Yu possessed the Jade Bead of Poison Avoidance, which could neutralize most poisons. Even those extremely violent poisons could be suppressed, preventing them from taking effect instantly.

Added to that was the cooperation of the Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad he now possessed, which could cure a hundred poisons; at the very least, there were likely few poisons in the world that could harm him. Moreover, the Vermilion-Eyed Ice Toad itself was a treasure; no matter how severe the internal injuries or blade wounds, as long as one did not die on the spot, taking the Ice Toad would immediately cure the wounds—it was truly a miraculous medicine.

Coupled with his own movement technique, if there were danger, escaping would not be difficult. He also had pills on his person to restore Inner Energy, along with many other treasures, giving him sufficient confidence. As long as he wasn't facing a top-tier expert with absolute crushing power, even if he couldn't win, escaping successfully would be no problem.

It was precisely because he had sufficient confidence that he dared to venture in. Otherwise, he might have really had to think it over before making a decision.

"My Lord, think thrice!"

"My Lord, you cannot go. For the sake of the lives of us lowly commoners, you must not place yourself in danger!" Several old people in the crowd walked up tremblingly, leaning on canes, their faces still carrying a trace of sorrow. As soon as they reached Shen Yu's side, they knelt down with a thud.

"My Lord, you are a good official and should bring prosperity to more people. If we lowly commoners die, then so be it, but you must take care of yourself!"

"Old ones, this must not be!" Several old people looked to be at least seventy or eighty years old, yet they were still kneeling to him. Shen Yu did not feel he could bear this and hurriedly helped them up.

But just at this moment, the two old people Shen Yu had helped up, one on the left and one on the right, suddenly raised their heads. Both of them grabbed his arms tightly, their strength so great that even Shen Yu was somewhat astonished. These two seemed to possess innate divine strength; their Inner Energy might not be strong, but their physical strength was absolutely astonishing.

"Not good, it's a trap!"