Chapter 87: Are You Sure?

"County, County Magistrate? Are you that newly appointed County Magistrate?"

Struggling to lift his head and looking at the excessively young face before him, the manager wished he could slap himself twice; of all people to provoke, why did he have to bring this master upon himself?

It is said that for some time now, this County Magistrate has been quite prominent. Not only have the Bai Yu Sect and Dajiang Sect dispatched disciples to serve by his side, but even the Three Great Merchant Associations have bowed their heads.

Although they have a big tree to lean on, it is uncertain whether they can rely on it at this moment; this beating was likely suffered in vain!

"Look, this is the IOU issued by your Datong Gambling House. In five days, it went from six taels to eighty-six taels. You really know how to play, faster than bandits robbing money. What do you take the people of my Sanshui County for!"

"Eighty-six taels? My lord, this, this has nothing to do with us!" Hearing this number, the manager was also stunned. He had sent people to collect the debt, and it had only risen from six taels to twenty-six taels; when did it become eighty-six taels?

He had thought he was ruthless enough, but never expected those debt collectors to be even more vicious, doubling the amount nearly three times over with a single word. What an injustice; it is no different from snow falling in the sixth lunar month.

"It has nothing to do with you? Your Datong Gambling House people went to collect the debt, and you say it has nothing to do with you?" While speaking, Shen Yu exerted force under his foot, and a muffled sound of pain immediately followed.

However, the surrounding thugs of the gambling house did not dare to step forward, only able to watch their own manager wailing in pain. For some reason, they felt a bit secretly pleased in their hearts, hoping this County Magistrate would use a little more force.

At this moment, the killing intent on Shen Yu's body suddenly erupted, enveloping everyone in the room. That tangible, icy, and bone-chilling killing intent made it seem as if the place had entered a bitter winter.

"From now on, when you lend money to people, you are only allowed to ask for what was borrowed. If you dare to ask for one extra coin, I will seal your shop and kill you by the way. Do you believe me!"

Shen Yu also knew that it was unrealistic to ban gambling houses by his own strength alone. Even if all the visible gambling houses were sealed, underground ones would spring up like bamboo shoots after rain, impossible to eradicate completely.

Moreover, the more hidden the gambling house, the more ruthless their methods. Therefore, it is better to impose strict constraints on the existing ones, so as to avoid forcing all those gamblers into the shadows.

Lowering his head, Shen Yu continued to say to the manager, "In the future, you are not allowed to let those who gamble lose their entire family fortune. If someone gambles away their family property or ancestral heritage, you must take the initiative to stop them. Also, if there are those addicted to it, you must take the initiative to refuse them and not let them come again. Do you understand?"

"Big brother, I am running a gambling house, not a charity. Following your line of thinking, how am I supposed to do business?"

Hearing this, the manager's face changed, and he could no longer care about wailing, hurriedly shouting, "My lord, I really cannot make the decisions on these; I am just a manager!"

"Then tell those who can make the decisions. This official is not discussing this with you; I am merely notifying you now. In Sanshui County, my word is the rule, and if it is the rule, you must follow it. Do you understand!"

"Rest assured, it is not just your Datong Gambling House; this official will notify every gambling house in the entire Sanshui County!"

Looking down at the manager with an unreadable expression, Shen Yu then smiled lightly, "Do not think about feigning compliance while acting in opposition. Later, this official will also issue a public notice at the County Government Office, welcoming all citizens to report you!"

"If any of you violate my rules, then I will come to your gambling house, and half of all the money won will be given to the informant. I want to see if you can afford to lose!"

"My lord, we are all just trying to make a living; is there no need to drive us to extinction?"

"Drive you to extinction? You are not even worthy!" He almost spat in the other person's face. Honestly, these people were not even qualified to die by his hands.

"Come, bring all the money I won. If one coin is missing, I will tear down this place along with you!" Exerting force under his foot again, the manager being stepped on by Shen Yu immediately wailed loudly once more, the miserable cries heard clearly even by those outside the door.

All the gamblers who had not yet left and were surrounding the outside shuddered upon hearing this sound. The Datong Gambling House was too ruthless; even the screams of a slaughtered pig were not this miserable. Pity for that young man inside.

"Get the money, quickly!"

"That's more like it; you just needed to be taught a lesson!" He left leisurely with the money he had won, leaving behind only the manager, who was full of sorrow and pain, and a crowd of bewildered thugs.

"System, sign in!"

"Sign-in successful, obtained Hundred Herbs Classic!"

"Hundred Herbs Classic? What kind of strange things are these!" Before Shen Yu could even be puzzled, countless pieces of information instantly flooded into his mind, allowing Shen Yu to understand what this actually was.

The Hundred Herbs Classic detailed the habits, effects, and even the mutual generation and restraint of various exotic flowers and herbs in this World. There was so much information that Shen Yu felt a bit overwhelmed.

"My lord, have pity, I haven't eaten for a long time!" Just as Shen Yu was organizing the information in his mind while walking back, he was suddenly blocked by an old beggar.

The old man was dressed in a single layer of clothing, tattered and unkempt. Not only was his hair disheveled, but his face was also covered in dust, obscuring his original appearance.

"My lord, I haven't eaten for a long time, please have pity on me!"

Hearing the old beggar's voice again, Shen Yu did not think much of it and casually took out some broken silver and placed it in the other person's hand, then added a word of advice.

"Old man, take this money to buy some food, but do not show your wealth; you must be careful!"

"My lord, you are truly a good person!" Looking up at Shen Yu again, the old beggar rummaged through his bosom and pulled out a small box already covered in grime, handing it over.

"My lord, this thing is for you!"

"Wait a moment, how did you know I was a lord?" At this moment, Shen Yu suddenly realized something was wrong; ordinary people did not know he was the County Magistrate. If they had known, he would have been recognized long ago while strolling on the streets for so long.

How would an old beggar know he was a lord?

And just at this moment, an arrow suddenly appeared, striking the old beggar directly in the chest. In an instant, fresh blood sprayed and stained the ground. Shen Yu was quick-witted and fast-handed, hurriedly supporting the other person.

"Lo... Lord..." Pierced through the heart by an arrow, the old beggar struggled and opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately said nothing before he ceased to breathe.

"Who is it?" Looking up and scanning the surroundings, he found no abnormalities at all. The other party was not only an archery expert but also a hidden master; he had not even detected where the other party was.

Carefully opening the box in his hand and seeing the item inside, Shen Yu was suddenly startled, "This is... Bliss Flower?"

Having just received the information from the Hundred Herbs Classic, he remembered clearly that the Hundred Herbs Classic recorded that the Bliss Flower could lure people into hallucinations, as if lost in a dream. This flower uses the human heart as soil, and the day it takes root and sprouts is the day the person dies.

After burying the person who has taken root, this flower will grow vigorously on the corpse. After sprouting, it also needs to be watered with human blood. It is rumored that on the day it blooms, it will scatter colorful pollen, and one will be unable to extricate oneself once touched by even a little.

Looking at this flower in the box, based on its preservation, it should have been picked at least several months ago.

"Quick, something happened here, quick!" At this moment, Lu Ze happened to be patrolling the area with his men. Upon learning that there had been a death here, he hurried over and saw Shen Yu at a glance.

"My lord, are, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, it's just that an old beggar was killed!"

"An old beggar? Who could they have offended?" Looking at the old beggar lying in a pool of blood, Lu Ze was still puzzled; who would have a grudge against them? But then, upon carefully identifying the person's face, he exclaimed in surprise.

"My lord, this is..."

"You recognize him?"

"My lord, this is the steward of the previous County Magistrate. How did he end up in this state?"

"What, the steward of the previous County Magistrate? Are you sure?"