Chapter 619: You Can Try

"You are the Prefect of Luyun Prefecture!"

Inside the Prefect's State Yamen, a middle-aged man in a green robe was holding a brush to paint when, suddenly, a figure appeared out of thin air in the room.

The middle-aged man looked up to see a young man standing before him, watching him coldly.

"That is correct!" Seeing the person who had suddenly broken in, the middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then straightened his clothes and bowed slightly to Shen Yu.

"Prefect Yan Ruyi has been waiting for you for a long time, my lord!"

"You knew I was coming, so you've been waiting for me for a long time?"

"I did, Lord Shen Yu!" With a faint smile at Shen Yu, Yan Ruyi stood straight, his face showing not a hint of fear.

"The name of Lord Shen is like thunder to the ears; the whole world knows it!"

"You knew I would come?"

"I wasn't entirely sure before, but you came nonetheless. You are indeed as the rumors say, loving the people as your own children; it is admirable!"

Squinting his eyes, Shen Yu looked around. "In that case, your son Yan Ying forcibly seizing women and the like were all a trap aimed at me, to lure me here!"

His perception was pushed to the maximum, yet he did not discover any traces of an Array.

If it wasn't an Array, what could this middle-aged man before him possibly do? Play a game of mutual destruction with him?

"You are indeed clever, my lord. I did indeed send Yan Ying to Santu County; it seems you have come from Santu County."

"In fact, people like Yan Ying exist in every city of Luyun Prefecture. As long as you go to any city, you will encounter people like Yan Ying."

"By then, given your temper, my lord, you would not only kill them, but you would certainly also kill me, the backer who serves as Prefect. So, I have been waiting here."

"Sure enough, you have come, my lord, though I did not expect you to arrive so quickly."

Yan Ruyi then bowed to Shen Yu once more and said softly, "To be able to die at your hands, my lord, is a great honor!"

"Seeking death before the fight even begins—knowing it is death, you still insist on throwing your life away?"

"There is no other way. I owe someone a life, and I must repay it!"

"Is this the reason you seek death?"

"Yes. Debts must be repaid; it is only natural. There is no other way!"

Returning to his painting, Yan Ruyi then said to Shen Yu, "I wonder if you are interested, my lord, in hearing me tell a story?"

"A story? I am all ears!" He gestured for the other to continue; he had plenty of time and could slowly wear him down here.

As for whether the other was stalling for time, Shen Yu was not worried in the slightest; the Mountain and River Map had long since been unfurled. Every blade of grass and every tree in the vicinity was already within the map!

No matter what means the other might have, once inside the map, it would likely be of no avail.

"Where should I begin?" After some thought, Yan Ruyi said, "Then let us start from the very beginning. Several decades ago, there was a scholar who had been excellent in character and learning since childhood, with a brilliant literary talent."

"At a young age, the scholar passed the imperial examinations and took a place in the imperial court. For over a decade, the scholar's administrative achievements were remarkable; the people under his governance lived in peace and contentment, a scene of prosperity. It could be said that no one would pick up lost items on the road, and doors were left unbolted at night!"

"Later, simply because his superiors were tyrannical and his colleagues were corrupt and lawless, with nothing but filth and corruption as far as the eye could see, the scholar refused to wallow in the mire with them and resigned in anger."

"From then on, he poured his emotions into the mountains and rivers. Every day he lived in leisure at home, reading and painting; his days were quite peaceful!"

With a faint smile, as if remembering something, a look of reminiscence appeared on Yan Ruyi's face. Then, the smile faded, as if it had never appeared at all.

"Later, the imperial court tried several times to invite him back, but he refused them one by one. This was only because he knew very well that a person like him was likely unsuited for that kind of officialdom."

"Even if he worked diligently and neither took bribes nor occupied what wasn't his, he would still be ostracized by others. In a life where the scholar had to scheme against others every day, one day, he would become the very person he once hated most."

"Therefore, from then on, the scholar turned a deaf ear to the world outside his window, but that year, the scholar returned nonetheless."

"It was only because that year, the region he once governed suffered a great drought. Countless people starved to death, white bones littered the fields, the bark and roots in the wilderness were all eaten, and everywhere there were those crying out in hunger."

"The scholar went to take up the post for disaster relief, and seeing the white bones of those who had starved to death by the roadside, he wept bitterly. To provide relief, he even exhausted his family fortune!"

"Does Lord Shen know what the scholar's final outcome was?"

"Heh!" He suddenly laughed, the laughter filled with mockery and sarcasm, and the look in his eyes turned much colder.

"In the end, that scholar was beheaded on charges of embezzling disaster relief grain!"

"Embezzlement?"

"Yes, embezzlement!" Shaking his head, Yan Ruyi looked at Shen Yu and said with a hint of helplessness, "The scholar had never embezzled a single coin, yet in the end, he was killed for the crime of embezzlement."

"As it turned out, they never wanted the scholar to return to be their colleague; they only wanted to find a scapegoat!"

"That disaster relief grain had long since been sold off, but when it came time to actually provide the relief and there was no grain to be found, didn't they need a scapegoat?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Yan Ruyi said helplessly, "In fact, the scholar never even received the disaster relief grain. Of those so-called grains, only the very top layer was grain; everything underneath was dirt and gravel."

"Even the people he cared for so deeply hated him to the bone. One by one, they rushed up, wanting to eat his flesh and drink his blood!"

As if thinking of some ridiculous scene, Yan Ruyi's eyes held a trace of mockery as he said lightly, "They climbed onto the prisoner cart, tore at his clothes, dragged him over, scratched him with their fingernails, and bit him with their teeth!"

"They bit him until he was covered in wounds, bit him until his flesh was mangled, and they also shattered his once-passionate heart!"

"It is truly ridiculous. Those people he had tried his best to save, exhausting his family fortune to do so, turned out to be the ones who hated him the deepest."

"Those who had previously smiled respectfully and called him 'my lord' all seemed to transform into jackals and wolves, wanting to tear him to pieces and swallow him into their bellies!"

"So, you are that scholar?"

"Yes, I am that scholar, merely a pitiful person who thought too highly of himself!"

Admitting it without the slightest avoidance, Yan Ruyi then said calmly, "The old me was too naive, thinking that good people would be rewarded."

"As long as I worked diligently and was a good official, I could be loved by the people, bring benefit to the people, and have my name recorded in history!"

"But in reality, I was wrong—wrong in every possible way!"

"It turns out this World is never black and white, and good people are never necessarily rewarded. Most people in the world are foolish; there is no such thing as good and evil meeting their ends—it just depends on whether one knows how to deceive."

"Alright, the story is finished. Thank you, Lord Shen, for listening to my rambling. This painting is also finished!"

"My lord, take a look at this painting of mine. Are you satisfied?"

The painting unfurled, shrouding everything in the surroundings. As for Yan Ruyi, he aged rapidly, his full head of black hair turning entirely white.

"This humble official is untalented, but I possess the skill of Drawing the Ground as a Prison. Having lived a mediocre life for sixty years, this is the only trick I know! This move is hidden within my body; to release it is to die. I ask you, my lord, to judge it!"

"I should have been killed back then, but I was saved by someone. He saved my life, and I am returning his life to him. Sigh, I always feel like I'm the one losing out!"

"Do you think you can kill me?"

"I cannot, but if it is only to trap you for a time, my subordinate feels it is worth a try. I only need to trap you for a moment, because there is someone who does not wish for you to go and disturb them!"