Chapter 70: We Are Different

"Sanshui County really is a shallow pond with too many turtles!"

Flipping through the Sanshui County gazetteer, criminal case files, and the corresponding information provided by Mr. Chen, Shen Yu couldn't help but complain. This Sanshui County Magistrate position really wasn't something an ordinary person could handle; one had to be able to bend and stretch to survive in this job.

The previous County Lieutenant, Han Mingyang, was a personal disciple of the Dajiang Sect leader, while the County Assistant, An Jincheng, came from the An Family, one of the Three Great Merchant Associations. Every single one of them had a "deep background."

Within Sanshui County, merchants were dominated by the Three Great Merchant Associations, with businesses spread across the land. Among the sect powers, the Nanyu Sect and Dajiang Sect were the most formidable. Other noble clans and wealthy gentry were also everywhere.

Furthermore, because of Sanshui County's strategic location, wandering martial artists gathered here, and the market was never peaceful. Everyone out in the jianghu was generally quick to settle grudges, and sometimes a single wrong word could lead to a fight.

If they couldn't win, they would call for backup, and a duel could quickly turn into a brawl. Being a magistrate here meant being destined to be cursed at; they basically couldn't defeat those martial arts experts and could only watch helplessly as they fought, yet any action inevitably led to collateral damage.

If the properties of those major powers were affected, a single shopkeeper could berate them relentlessly. They couldn't even talk back, or else they would be given a hard time, so they could just wait for it.

These people had immense influence, with connections not only dense throughout Jiangzhou but even reaching the Governor's Office in the Nanhua Domain, so almost no one would give the Magistrate any face.

Of course, if the Magistrate were willing to cooperate honestly and didn't mind being stifled, then naturally there would be no problem. But if one were determined to be a good official and wanted to enforce the law impartially, then one would have to weigh things carefully. An ordinary person simply couldn't handle it!

"Are you the new Sanshui County Magistrate?" Just as Shen Yu was thinking about how to manage Sanshui County, someone suddenly pushed the door open and entered.

The person who arrived was a young woman of about seventeen or eighteen, with a beautiful and pure appearance, clear eyes, and a fresh aura radiating from her whole body that made one's eyes light up. It was just that this plain, loose outfit hid her figure.

The other party appeared to be from the Capture Gate, wearing an iron badge at her waist; she was an Iron Badge Constable of the Capture Gate. Why were they here? Could it be to congratulate him on his new appointment?

"This official is indeed the Sanshui County Magistrate!" Nodding, Shen Yu asked the other party, "What is your business coming to see me?"

"This constable just wants to know if what happened last night was truly your doing—that you wiped out the Fen Shui Gang, the Bai Zhu Gang, and other such gangs?"

"Correct, it was indeed this official!" Nodding, there was nothing wrong with admitting it. Cracking down on illegal gang forces was also the duty of the Capture Gate; perhaps they would even present him with a banner or something.

"Who told you to take action? Do you know that you have ruined the important business of our Capture Gate?"

Looking at Shen Yu with eyes full of fury, the person started off with a torrent of abuse. The Fen Shui Gang and Bai Zhu Gang had been under the surveillance of the Capture Gate for some time, and when they were suddenly wiped out last night, the Capture Gate had actually already received the news.

It was just that the person who arrived possessed extremely high martial arts, and because they didn't know who exactly the person was, they didn't dare to act rashly. Perhaps this person might be here to kill to silence witnesses. As long as they followed him, perhaps there would be a breakthrough in the case they had been investigating all along.

Who would have thought that this person would then come to the County Government Office, and immediately after, news of the new magistrate spread? It turned out last night's events were the work of this new magistrate. Suddenly, they were all filled with righteous indignation; this little magistrate had caused months of their hard work to go to waste!

"I ruined your important business?" Hearing this, Shen Yu was almost amused to the point of laughter.

"The Fen Shui Gang and Bai Zhu Gang have committed countless crimes; this official does not believe your Capture Gate was unaware. For such a long time, you not only let them run wild, but now that this official has eradicated these tumors, you instead blame me. What exactly are your intentions?"

"Could it be that the Capture Gate also has some unspeakable relationship with these gangs?"

"What do you know!" Roaring at Shen Yu, the other party retorted unceremoniously, "Some time ago, the Capture Gate wiped out the Changgan Gang and learned from them that someone was secretly collecting young girls and young boys of specific ages. Not only them, but the Fen Shui Gang and Bai Zhu Gang were also doing this!"

"It's just that the other party acted too cautiously, and our Capture Gate has been watching for so long with very little to show for it. Now, the Fen Shui Gang had collected some more people, and we were just waiting for them to hand them over so we could follow that trail to find the person behind the scenes. But now, all of this has been ruined by you!"

"Simply ridiculous. As far as this official knows, the Changgan Gang was wiped out several months ago, and you just watched them dryly like that? What is your Capture Gate trying to do? Do you know how many people have been harmed in these few months!"

According to what Shen Yu knew, the number of people harmed by the Changgan Gang was far less than those harmed by the Bai Zhu Gang and the others. The Changgan Gang, which had been wiped out by the Capture Gate, also engaged in the business of trafficking women. However, they preyed on people from other regions.

Although the Changgan Gang's headquarters was in Sanshui County, its disciples roamed everywhere. Moreover, they specifically targeted young women from humble or wealthy backgrounds who had no deep connections but were beautiful.

They would first identify their targets, then use methods to drug or knock them unconscious before sending them to Sanshui County. After some training, they would sell them to passing wealthy merchants or the sons of rich families.

Sanshui County was located on a major transportation route, and what it lacked least were passing merchants and gathered gentry. These people were not short of money, but they were often spiritually empty and even more generous with their spending. Every single person could bring the Changgan Gang quite substantial profits.

In short, the Changgan Gang went for quality, while the Fen Shui Gang and their ilk went for quantity. It could be said that for every person the Changgan Gang harmed, the Fen Shui Gang and their lot could harm a dozen or even dozens.

Both were evil, but in terms of the degree of evil, the wiped-out Changgan Gang actually harmed far fewer people than the Fen Shui Gang, the Bai Zhu Gang, and these others.

It was just that when the people of the Changgan Gang were scouting outside, they probably didn't inquire clearly about the backgrounds of their targets before acting. As a result, the massive Changgan Gang, with disciples whose footprints covered nearly half of Jiangzhou, was targeted by the Capture Gate and collapsed in an instant.

Although the Changgan Gang was destroyed, other gangs engaged in trafficking were still active. The Capture Gate only wiped out the Changgan Gang but did not take action against the other gangs; these people were still gnawing away at the common folk one by one.

Now this female constable still had the nerve to shamelessly tell him that he had ruined their business. She had quite the nerve; did you people have any shame left!

"Long line to catch a big fish," indeed. Just watching those innocent people being harmed while standing by indifferently—catch your sister!

"You, you!" Looking at the Shen Yu opposite her, the young woman remained stubborn and said, "Magistrate Shen, do you know how many people will be harmed if we don't find the person behind the scenes? Do you know how serious the consequences will be?"

"You don't need to scare this official. This official just wants to know, how long will it take for you to find the person behind it? Three months, five months? Or a year?" Looking up and staring straight at the other party, looking at the exquisite face before him, Shen Yu felt a bit disgusted at this moment.

"This official tells you, the account books of the Fen Shui Gang and Bai Zhu Gang are in my hands. Within a mere three months, they have trafficked over five hundred people in total. Over five hundred people harmed—if your Capture Gate had been watching all along, I think you should have known!"

"For the sake of a case that you don't know when you'll be able to solve, you let such a massive tumor remain. In the end, you are just doing it for that bit of merit; no need to speak so high-mindedly! As for the life and death of ordinary people, you don't care at all!"

Sneering, Shen Yu then added calmly, "Also, to you, these ordinary commoners are just ants; if they die, they die! We are different. This official is the Sanshui County Magistrate, the parent official of this land; naturally, I must stand up for the people!"

"You, you... short-sighted and incredibly foolish!"

"Not as bad as you, who can watch so many young girls being tortured and remain indifferent, cold-blooded and heartless! Today, this official has truly witnessed the working style of the Capture Gate!"