Chapter 63: Setting a Small Goal

"Yo-ho, you've brought another good one!"

Ever since Shen Yu and Zhou Yuan were knocked unconscious by that Constable Lu, they had been brought along with the young girl into a manor and locked in a secret chamber within.

After Shen Yu was brought in, the gang members here were all sizing him up one by one, as if they were critiquing a piece of merchandise. Soon after, he was locked into a slightly better room. Everyone here was... a man with outstanding looks and temperament?

However, Shen Yu's original appearance was indeed that of someone with sword-like brows and star-bright eyes, looking quite handsome. Ever since he entered the Xiantian Realm, his temperament had undergone a heaven-shaking, earth-toppling change. Moreover, during this period, he had been reading and practicing calligraphy, so his temperament was even more incomparable to before.

If he had possessed this temperament in his past life, he wouldn't have remained single for so long. Forget it, let's not talk about the past; it's all tears when mentioned.

Since being brought here, Shen Yu had been secretly observing his surroundings. The secret chambers beneath this manor were densely packed like dark dungeons. Judging by the sounds, there should be quite a few people in every room.

Among these people were men, women, and children; roughly calculated, there were likely hundreds of them.

And one could imagine that once captured here, the outcome would likely not be good. These people had gone to such great lengths to swindle and kidnap; they must be looking for a return on their investment. In Shen Yu's mind, many scenes had already emerged.

These young boys and girls would be sold off, and under day-after-day of torture, they would completely become entertainment tools at the mercy of others, becoming sacrifices for someone else's night of pleasure.

As for those who couldn't be sold, they would likely be subjected to "human-made mutilation." They would be forcibly crippled, artificially creating some disabled people or "monsters" to elicit sympathy and obtain money from the alms of passersby.

Just thinking about these scenes was enough to make one's hair stand on end, and one didn't know how long these crimes had existed in Sanshui County. Beneath the prosperous and wealthy surface of Sanshui County, it was far dirtier than he had imagined.

No wonder the previous County Magistrate was determined to maintain public order; on one hand, it was youthful arrogance, but on the other, he truly couldn't stand it anymore.

However, there were too many powerful forces hidden in Sanshui County. Didn't you see that the yamen's constables were all in cahoots with them? A mere County Magistrate couldn't stir up any waves in front of these experts. As a result, the moment the previous magistrate made a move, he was directly finished off, dying in an unclear manner. They even framed him with the charge of molesting women; it was truly a grievance.

After the gang members left, Shen Yu flipped up from the ground. In the dim light, Shen Yu saw four or five youths huddled together. These youths were all fair-skinned and handsome—uh, except for the little fatty in the middle.

However, they didn't speak, each shrinking into a corner. The entire room was indescribably quiet. It was evident that their faces still carried a trace of panic and unease.

"How did you all get in?" After surveying the surroundings, Shen Yu, who had just entered, broke the silence, looking at them with a light smile.

Perhaps Shen Yu's smile was quite kind, or perhaps Shen Yu's scholar attire brought them some trust. Finally, one youth spoke up, "I was knocked unconscious while out on the street buying cloth. When I woke up, I was here!"

"I, I came to the county town to find a job to support myself!" At this time, someone next to him added, "Someone happened to say they could introduce me to a shop assistant job, but after I came over, I realized I had been brought here!"

"I'm different from you all; my family runs a restaurant!" At this moment, the little fatty next to them, whose clothing was significantly more luxurious, looked at the people around him with a hint of pride.

"I was grabbed by them while strolling on the street. They just want to demand a ransom from my father. As long as the ransom is paid, they will let me go!"

Young man, don't speak too soon. Among those kidnappers, how many actually let people go back in one piece? In the end, most of them just kill the hostage.

This little fatty didn't know the sinister nature of the human heart and was still thinking about being released after paying the ransom. If he hadn't encountered him, it probably wouldn't be easy to get out. The best outcome would be being sold to another place. But looking at this layer of fat, the possibility of being killed and used as flower fertilizer was likely higher.

"Is Sanshui County always this chaotic? How can people be kidnapped right on the main street?"

"Heh!" Looking at Shen Yu, the little fatty sneered twice and didn't speak again, but that look in his eyes said it all.

Was he being looked down upon by a child?

However, under Shen Yu's guidance, the little fatty and the other youths still opened up to him. Once they started, they became incessant, their voices carrying a hint of showing off, as if trying hard to appear knowledgeable. Children, after all, had a bit of vanity.

The information given by Mr. Chen covered the general situation of Sanshui County, while the little fatty and the youths around him represented the grassroots. By combining the situation learned from their mouths with the information in his hands, Shen Yu understood the basic situation of Sanshui County seven or eight-tenths.

Although Sanshui County had convenient transportation and a prosperous, developed economy, the lives of the grassroots people were not easy.

Small merchants and peddlers without backing had to pay protection fees every day. Moreover, there were many gangs in Sanshui County, and the division of power was not very clear. Therefore, they usually had to pay several shares, and their lives were not satisfactory.

Especially for families like the little fatty's who ran restaurants, it looked like they had a big business, but in reality, their lives were difficult. Not only did they have to pay their daily share, but those people wouldn't pay for their meals, and they would even take a portion with them when they left.

Most importantly, these people would often start fighting at the slightest disagreement. The restaurant had been smashed more than once, and he didn't know how many diners had been accidentally injured.

But it was fine during the day; at least everyone followed some rules, and under the bright sky, they didn't dare to go too far. But once night fell, that was when evil bred.

Night was the best protective color, and it also allowed them to cover up their remaining conscience.

Gang fights, debt collection at casinos, bandits breaking into homes—he didn't know how many families would have cries of grief, nor how many families were being broken and destroyed. Beneath the prosperity and luxury lay countless sins.

Shen Yu was very clear that in such a high-martial world, the top martial arts experts were enough to ignore the laws of the imperial court. On the surface, the imperial court ruled the world, but in reality, facing the numerous experts of the martial arts world, it was stretched thin and could only maintain a superficial balance.

Carrying sharp weapons triggers murderous intent. Possessing powerful force, if there were no corresponding moral and legal constraints, the result was self-evident.

Those famous righteous sects were better; at least they cared about some face. But those small sects usually didn't have so many scruples.

Perhaps in the hearts of these people, drifting in the Jianghu was for the sake of being carefree and unrestrained, so naturally, they did whatever made money the fastest. One could imagine the lives of the grassroots people!

Forget it, he didn't have such strong power yet, and he wasn't going to lament for the whole world. Even if he wanted to manage it, he couldn't manage it all!

However, to be an official is to benefit the people. Since he had arrived in Sanshui County, then on this one-third of an acre of land in Sanshui County, he would never allow such arrogant people to exist. Shen Yu said so!

Then let's set a small goal first: on his turf, he would first chop down those who were blatantly reaching out their hands. He didn't believe he couldn't finish them off! ===== CHAPTER 64 =====