Chapter 20: 20 Who under the hall dares to harm this official?

20 Who under the hall dares to harm this official?

Yuan Qing had originally worn a charming, smiling face, but at this moment, her features were twisted with rage. She stormed into the courtyard and, without looking back, said, "You actually dare to threaten me! Bullying people to their doorsteps, stepping on people until you're on their faces—the Land Inspection Division, what grand official authority you have! You are merely taking advantage of the Manor Master's absence to wantonly bully us small fry. Just you wait, until the Manor Master returns!"

A young bailiff followed her out of the door. He looked to be about twenty, with a heroic appearance and a cold expression. He stood at the doorway without chasing after her and said slowly, "If you think I am threatening you, why do you still dare to speak so insolently?"

Yuan Qing raised her brows and said, "Do you want me to be angry but dare not speak? I dare to be angry, and I dare to speak! Don't forget, this is Black Spider Villa. Three steps away are the million masses of the villa. I would advise you to be careful when you sleep!" Having said this, she flicked her sleeves and left.

Tang Zhao did not cross paths with her. He thought to himself: Black Spider Villa has a million people? More than the entire population of Heiyang County? Isn't this nonsense? Even in history books, when armies exaggerate their numbers, they don't exaggerate like this, do they?

Immediately after, a thought flashed through his mind: It didn't say the million masses were people...

At this moment, only that young military officer was at the door—Tang Zhao looked closely and saw that, judging by his attire, this person was dressed exquisitely and was clearly not of the bailiff class. He was somewhat similar to that official, Inspector, and appeared to be a military officer as well—he no longer paid attention to Yuan Qing. He nodded at Tang Zhao and the other, saying, "The Town Guardian is currently receiving guests. You two go in and wait."

Tang Zhao and Wei Zhangle naturally had no objections. They saw that the room was a side hall, separated from the main hall by a door.

The young military officer let Tang Zhao sit in a chair near the inside, with a screen behind the chair.

Tang Zhao sat down and heard a sound coming from behind him. He turned his head to look and saw that the screen separated the front and back halls. Originally, there was a door to block the sound, but at this moment, the door was opened a crack, allowing the sounds from outside to be heard.

With nothing to do for the moment, he couldn't help but prick up his ears to eavesdrop on the front hall.

He heard Inspector say in a leisurely manner, "A mere child is actually worth one thousand taels of silver? Although he looks good, he doesn't have an extra eye or nose compared to anyone else." His voice was different from before; it was modulated and very arrogant and grating.

Another unfamiliar voice said, "A thousand gold cannot buy what one loves. Firstly, this brat is the Tower Master's beloved, different from others. Secondly, he escaped from the tower, causing Taohua Tower to lose face, which enraged the Tower Master. He must be caught back. If your honorable villa finds that child and sends him back, a thousand gold will surely be offered."

Tang Zhao felt suspicious: Could it be that the one they want to catch is Wei Zhangle? Why would the Land Inspection Division catch people for some Taohua Tower? No, that doesn't match up either. Zhangle looks like he has been wandering for a long time, and he is still dragging his younger brother and sister along; he doesn't look like someone who just escaped from somewhere.

Besides, Wei Zhangle is so thin and withered; one could only say he looks passable, but one couldn't really say he looks good, right?

Inspector gave a few strange laughs and said, "Don't speak lies in front of a real person. In this world, what kind of celestial being is worth one thousand taels? If that were the case, my villa has plenty of handsome men and beautiful women. How about I process them for you at one hundred taels of silver each?"

Tang Zhao was speechless, thinking: Does Yuan Qing know you said this?

The unfamiliar voice was silent for a moment, then said, "Why must you make it so clear? Everyone knows what kind of child is most valuable. Since you are from the headquarters of the Five Poisons Society, you know that your honorable society has done no less of this kind of business. We received this order, so please, fellow villagers, give us some face and let us have this opportunity to get rich. Taohua Tower will remember this favor."

Inspector said, "Headquarters is headquarters. My villa never does this kind of business locally; even a rabbit doesn't eat the grass around its own burrow. Furthermore, you didn't treat us as fellow villagers. A few days ago, when the fellow practitioners of Heiyang County gathered, you didn't invite us."

The unfamiliar voice became even more choked up and gave a dry laugh: "A small gathering, just a few friends getting together..."

Inspector sneered twice and said, "Taohua Tower and Iron Scorpion Castle are good friends, yet you still dare to step through the door of my Black Spider Villa? You and Golden Mountain Firm almost fought until your dog brains spilled out over a dock, and in the blink of an eye, you became good friends again? And there's the Black Tiger Gang, the Pei Family, the Red Sun Martial Arts Hall... are we the only ones in the whole county who aren't your friends?"

A bang was heard, followed by a crack, as if something had split.

The unfamiliar voice said urgently, "Honorable Envoy, please calm your anger. We wanted to invite your honorable villa, but it was all blocked by Iron Scorpion Castle. Tie Xiezi said..."

"Hmm?"

"He said that your Manor Master had an old flame... an old acquaintance with the new Town Guardian of the Land Inspection Division back in the day. To avoid suspicion, it was not appropriate..."

Tang Zhao, listening from the outside, had forgotten that Inspector was an official of the Land Inspection Division. It seemed as if he were truly a big shot in this villa. Only upon hearing this did he suddenly realize: So that's what they were waiting for here!

"Bullshit!" Inspector raised his voice. "What kind of thing is Tie Xiezi? How is his word any different from a fart? Have you not heard the name of Black Widow? Never mind that there is no old flame; even if there were, wouldn't it be even more convenient to make a move? On the contrary, by not inviting us, are you forcing us to defect to the Land Inspection Division? Black Spider Villa is situated on high ground and occupies the best terrain; we are not without capital if we defect to the Land Inspection Division."

The other party was also somewhat anxious and said, "Don't be impulsive. It's not that we don't trust your honorable villa. It is truly a matter of great importance... Actually, I personally trust Black Spider Villa very much. Who doesn't know that Black Widow is the orthodox successor of the Five Poisons Society? On the contrary, Tie Xiezi has an improper background and is full of crooked ways. We hesitated because... we were afraid we couldn't afford the extra price."

Inspector softened his tone and said, "Ah, I wondered what the reason was. So it was for this. If you don't talk about it, how do you know you can't afford it? Besides, it's not you paying the money; everyone is splitting the treasures in the Demon Cave. Now that the Demon Cave hasn't descended yet, no one knows how much is inside. Are you afraid we'll fight over the loot? The rule has always been to work together to open the path and take what one needs. After breaking into the Demon Cave, won't it be each according to their own ability? As for the preparations beforehand, our villa can provide the terrain and act as the Host. If you are willing to compensate us, we won't refuse. If you are unwilling to compensate us, you just need to provide more manpower and intelligence, and let us sit back and enjoy the results."

The man laughed and said, "Yes, yes. I had doubts before, but since your honorable envoy says so, we are relieved. How could we not know that one more person means one more bit of strength? We are dealing with the Land Inspection Division, and there may also be various 'dragons crossing the river.' How can we succeed if the local forces don't unite? If we give up the benefits for nothing, it would be a waste of this heaven-sent opportunity."

Hearing this, Tang Zhao felt his worldview shattering—

The Demon Cave, isn't that the source of the Yin Calamity?

The culprit that caused countless commoners to have their homes destroyed and be displaced—how is it that in the mouths of these people, it seems like a piece of fat meat?

A heaven-sent opportunity?

What the hell!

Inspector said, "Exactly. The Land Inspection Division is the hardest to deal with. They are like a pack of hunting dogs; wherever the Demon Cave is, they chase after it, eating the meat and drinking the soup, never leaving anything for anyone else."

The man said, "Isn't that so! Not only are they hunting dogs, they are also lackeys. Using the banner of eliminating demons and pacifying the people, every time they arrive at a place, they persecute fellow practitioners of the martial arts and oppress all forces to grab money and territory for their masters. It's too despicable. If you ask me, if we can cut off the hand the Land Inspection Division has stretched out this time and make them afraid to enter Heiyang County, it would be worth it even if we don't get rich."

Tang Zhao thought to himself: Do you know you are about to be unlucky?

Inspector chuckled and said, "Isn't that so? In the places the Land Inspection Division has swept through, except for their own lackeys, they don't even allow a single gang to exist. It turns out those commoners are only allowed to pay money to the government and not to us. What are we supposed to eat? It is truly enough to make both man and god angry. If you want to deal with the Land Inspection Division, we can contribute. We can take the initiative to contact the Land Inspection Division to act as an inside agent, and then turn against them when the time comes. Our Manor Master is well-versed in this."

The man said happily, "Good! This idea is wonderful!"

The two conspired loudly for a while longer, and the man said with satisfaction, "We have received your honorable villa's sincerity. When I go back to report to the Tower Master, we will discuss the details."

Inspector said, "That's fine. Next time, our Manor Master will also show up."

The man agreed a few times, and before leaving, he added, "Regarding the child, please, your honorable villa, put in more effort." Only then did he leave, and it became quiet inside.

Tang Zhao sat there in a daze, feeling as if he had just watched a magnificent performance. Taohua Tower is also an old hand in the Jianghu, yet they were led around in circles like a dog by this Inspector.

Thinking about it carefully, Inspector is indeed hard to see through. He is in the villa, ordering the villa's people around, sitting in the villa's chair, and speaking the villa's words. On what grounds can one say he cannot be the master of the villa? No matter where you put it, you can't pick out any faults. If this were in Chen Zong's hometown, this would count as an apparent agency, and one would bear no responsibility for being deceived!

But the Jianghu is not a court in Chen Zong's hometown; it doesn't pursue your responsibility, but it will take your life.

Tang Zhao thought about it from left to right and felt more and more that Wei Zhangle was right: one must think of the worst when handling affairs. The Jianghu is treacherous, and one cannot guard against everything. In just these two days, he had witnessed two scams in a row.

At this time, the young military officer said, "Go out, the Town Guardian is summoning you."

Tang Zhao took a few deep breaths, forced himself to calm down, and stepped into the main hall.

The main hall was spacious and bright, and the fragrance of tea had not yet dissipated. Inspector was leaning against the back of the grand master's chair in the center, concentrating on a piece of paper that was spread out. Today, he was not wearing his official uniform; instead, he was wearing a brocade robe. His clothing and accessories were both gorgeous and comfortable, masking his sharp aura. There were tea and fruits on the table, and a ball of a fat cat was lying on another chair. Everything was comfortable, just like a wealthy idler. Hearing the footsteps of a few people, this Town Guardian didn't even raise his head and said, "Guess what Taohua Tower came here for?"

Tang Zhao thought he was asking his subordinates, but he heard no one answer. He turned his head and saw that the young military officer had not followed him in. Only he and Wei Zhangle were here, so he had to answer: "This student does not know. At first, were they here to look for someone?"

As he said this, he glanced obscurely at Wei Zhangle.

Inspector turned the paper around, revealing a portrait of a handsome youth, and said, "Exactly. Tang Zhao, where did you provoke these people?"