Chapter 69: Coercion and Enticement

"Who has an objection? Who dares to have an objection?"

The new County Magistrate had given them a show of force right from the start; hadn't they seen the dignified County Lieutenant lying there, dead as could be? Among everyone present, one by one, who could truly claim to be clean?

"Snap!" As he casually tossed out a few more account books, Shen Yu's sharp gaze swept over everyone, making each of them feel uneasy and anxious.

"These are the account books taken from Fen Shui Gang and White Bamboo Gang. They record in detail the tributes sent to various places. Everyone sitting here has taken their fair share of money!"

"What? Could it be that last night's events were the work of the County Magistrate?" At this moment, everyone grasped the main point. Overnight, seven or eight gangs had been wiped out; they had thought these gangs had provoked someone, but who could have imagined it was this newly appointed County Magistrate?

What was he trying to do? Was it a momentary impulse, or did he want to beat the grass to startle the snake? Making trouble the moment he arrived—couldn't he be more peaceful? Didn't he know this was a hornet's nest!

Small gangs could be wiped out, but once it aroused the resentment of those major powers, the entire County Government Office would have no peace.

However, after the brief shock, everyone became somewhat panicked and uneasy again. They seemed to be worrying too far ahead; what they should be worrying about right now was themselves.

Han Mingyang, who had just been named, was already lying on the ground, and his body was still warm. As for them, every one of them had taken their share of these benefits; what would their own end be?

"I am Shen Yu, and from now on, I am the County Magistrate of Sanshui County. I can let bygones be bygones regarding the past, but if anyone dares to act in defiance of orders or engage in corruption and pervert the law from here on out, I will punish them without mercy!"

"Shen Yu? The Peerless in Zither and Sword!" His eyes narrowing slightly, County Assistant An Jincheng quietly raised his head to look at Shen Yu, a flash of brilliance flickering in his eyes and vanishing instantly.

"What, Shen Yu? It's over, it's over! It's actually him!" Upon hearing this name, the rest of them nearly fell off their chairs.

For some time now, Shen Yu's name had begun to circulate in the Jianghu. Sanshui County was a hub of traffic, crowded with merchants coming and going from the south and north, and countless Jianghu experts. Many people had discussed this matter, and naturally, they had heard of it too.

Everyone knew that Baian County had produced a fierce County Magistrate, a ruthless man who had taken down both the County Lieutenant and the County Assistant not long after taking office. It was said that the assassins in Baian County didn't even dare to go there anymore. He once had the record of slaughtering hundreds of elite assassins in a single day.

Such a ruthless man had actually come to their Sanshui County, and he even held evidence of their misdeeds in his hands—it felt like they had no tomorrow!

"Everyone, everyone!" Looking at the people below with their varied expressions, Shen Yu smiled lightly. This fire hadn't been stoked enough yet. With coercion and enticement, how could one only use coercion?

"Since Han Mingyang has already been executed, the position of County Lieutenant cannot remain vacant. Starting today, Head Constable Lu will temporarily act as the County Lieutenant!"

"What?" Upon hearing this, Lu Ze, who was standing to the side, had a face full of wild joy. As a head constable, he was only a constable of the County Government Office, not a member of the Capture Gate; no matter how nicely it was put, he was still just a clerk. But the County Lieutenant was a real official position; it was completely different.

"Many thanks, My Lord! Many thanks, My Lord! This subordinate is willing to go through fire and water for you, and will not refuse!"

"Hey, Head Constable Lu—no, County Lieutenant Lu! It is to go through fire and water for the Imperial Court and for the people of Sanshui County!"

"Yes, yes, it's all the same, all the same!"

"What the hell? Lu Ze is acting as County Lieutenant?" Had they heard wrong? Letting a sycophantic bootlicker like Lu Ze become the County Lieutenant—wasn't this a joke?

No wonder this kid was so attentive. When this new County Magistrate told him to move against Han Mingyang, he did it without a second thought, completely disregarding whether he would be retaliated against later.

This County Magistrate also had extraordinary courage; he really gave out tangible rewards. To suck up to this extent could be considered a success. That was the County Lieutenant position! They wanted it too, and they were willing to risk their lives for it.

For a moment, everyone felt sour inside, and someone couldn't help but speak up, "County Magistrate, this is somewhat inappropriate!"

"What is inappropriate about it? Head Constable Lu is loyal to the Imperial Court and diligent in his service to Sanshui County. I am very satisfied, and the matter is settled!"

"He's diligent? You must be blind!" Everyone complained in their hearts. Who didn't know that this Head Constable Lu would hide whenever there was trouble, but never missed a chance to take bribes or extort? He was a model of shamelessness.

If such a sycophant could become County Lieutenant, how could they, who worked diligently every day, bear this!

"County Magistrate!" At this time, An Jincheng, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke up, "Head Constable Lu is, after all, only a head constable. To suddenly promote him to County Lieutenant, I fear this is not in accordance with the rules!"

"Rules? My words are the rules now. Besides, Head Constable Lu is only temporarily acting as County Lieutenant. I will recommend him to the superiors later, and I believe I still have that much face!"

Shen Yu was still somewhat confident in this regard. Mr. Chen had said before that he would provide support, so an official position like County Lieutenant shouldn't be a problem. They couldn't just watch the fun from the back while he was here charging into battle.

"County Magistrate, such an appointment will likely not convince the public..."

"I am not discussing this with you; I am merely informing you!"

Interrupting An Jincheng without ceremony, Shen Yu then looked at everyone with a smile, "As long as you work diligently for me, I will naturally keep it in mind!"

"By the way, this is Head Constable Zhou Yuan, whom I brought from Baian County. From now on, he will serve as the head constable of our Sanshui County. Do you have any objections?"

Objections? Since you've already said it like that, who could have any objections? Let him be the head constable; after all, he is a trusted aide brought from his previous post. What could they say?

"Lu Ze, Zhou Yuan!"

"My Lord!"

"The two of you, immediately take men to patrol the streets. If there is anyone oppressing the people, I don't care who they are or whose family they belong to—take them all down. From today on, I do not wish to see anyone oppressing the people!"

"Yes, My Lord!"

"Good, go!" After watching the two hurry away, Shen Yu finally turned his attention to the system, "System, check in!"

From wiping out so many gangs last night to dealing with the County Lieutenant Han Mingyang just now, Shen Yu hadn't chosen to check in immediately.

Having had the system for so long, he had summarized a pattern. The longer he saved up, the better the things he would get from checking in. He wondered what he could get after saving up for so long this time.

"Check-in successful, obtained Pure Yang Body!"

"What?" In a daze, a ray of light surged into his body. Shen Yu felt a strange aura appear within him, a scorching sensation rising from his whole body, and in an instant, he felt warm all over.

This feeling was like soaking in a hot spring; waves of heat surged through his entire body, nourishing every part of him. Every inch of muscle, every segment of bone, and even every cell seemed to be cheering and undergoing a transformation.

At this moment, Shen Yu felt as if he had merged with the heaven and earth. Invisibly, the speed of the True Qi in his body was becoming faster and faster, his meridians were expanding, his dantian was surging, and his entire person was undergoing a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering change.

A moment later, this transformation was complete, and Shen Yu felt an indescribable freshness all over. He could clearly feel the huge difference. With his True Qi circulating, the speed was more than ten times faster.

In the past, his ten days of hard cultivation probably wouldn't even equal one day now. This wasn't just changing a bicycle for a motorcycle; this was clearly changing a bicycle for a sports car. He had made a huge profit!

One had to know that the Inner Energy obtained from the system check-ins was based on his own cultivation speed. Ten Years of Internal Energy meant ten years of cultivation at his current state. If he had obtained the Pure Yang Body earlier, wouldn't that speed have been ten times faster?

All in all, after rounding it up, he felt like he had lost so much he was down to his underwear. For some reason, he suddenly felt a pang of heartache!