Chapter 62: Fear Not the Magistrates, but Fear the Common Folk?

As the saying goes: hatred drives people mad!

Yet another saying goes: there is no hatred that cannot be resolved with money.

If there is, it simply means the money is not enough!

"Ten strings of cash!"

Cheng An crossed two fingers, speaking indifferently, "Is this enough to compensate you for the grievance you suffered?"

"..."

The burly man stood frozen on the spot, as if his acupoints had been sealed.

"Fifteen strings!"

"..."

"Twenty!"

"..."

The burly man had clearly reacted, yet he blinked and remained silent.

He was obviously waiting for Cheng An to raise the price further, calculating in his mind how to maximize his own value.

"Execute him."

"What?"

Everyone looked over in astonishment.

Cheng An turned his head away and said coldly, "A person may love wealth, but they must not be greedy! This fellow is too foolish; looking at him hurts my eyes."

"This..."

Xing Yusen grasped the hilt of his saber, hesitating slightly.

Wang Shan, however, smiled and then nodded imperceptibly.

He thought to himself: What a fine lad!

Never had he imagined that this boy's methods of manipulating human hearts would be so refined!

Splendid!

*Clang!*

Xing Yusen abruptly drew his saber.

The burly man was already somewhat dazed, and instinctively dropped to his knees: "Official, spare my life, Official!"

"Hah! Twenty strings of cash isn't enough..."

"Is your life worth twenty strings?"

"Ah?"

Cheng An whipped his head back, his cold eyes fixing on the burly man: "Greedy people deserve to die! Come, drag him away and behead him!"

How should one describe an aura?

An eight-year-old child managed to give people the illusion of being scrutinized by a supreme overlord.

Such a familiar gaze!

The burly man suddenly recalled the scene back in the prison cell, and could not help hissing, "No! This lowly one wouldn't dare anymore! Never again!"

"So noisy!"

"Hurry up, drag him away and behead him..."

Cheng An waved his hand impatiently, seemingly determined to execute this 'old friend.'

Xing Yusen did not waste words either. He grabbed the burly man by the collar and dragged him backward.

"Young Master, spare my life!"

"I know..."

The burly man began to struggle again, hastily blurting out, "I know where those people are hiding! This lowly one is willing to perform meritorious service to atone for his sins!"

"Unnecessary!"

Cheng An remained calm and composed as he let out a cold laugh.

Yet many of those around him grew somewhat nervous; the danger of turning someone against their own side lies in pushing them too far, which often backfires.

What if this bandit truly lost his mind and stopped caring about life?

Seeing that the situation had reached an impasse...

If no further progress could be made, this group of men would truly become a laughingstock!

"Cheng..."

Liu Qi was just about to chime in.

When he heard the burly man tremble, "It's a traitor! There's a traitor in the Black Wind Stronghold, but the boss thought I betrayed the brothers... Young Master, this lowly one has been wronged!"

You were the one who hijacked me and fled by yourself; have you no self-awareness at all?

Logically speaking, falling into such a miserable plight today was largely Cheng An's fault!

"Hah!"

"You dare shout about being wronged to me?"

Cheng An was almost driven to laughter of exasperation.

However, judging by the bandit's current state, he was indeed thoroughly desperate.

Only then did Cheng An say indifferently, "Find those bandits, and you will take the highest credit! Moreover, with the Assistant Prefect present, an acquittal is not entirely out of the question. Figure out what to do yourself!"

"Understood!"

"This lowly one will do his utmost! Absolutely!"

The bandit's complexion shifted from pale to flushed, his panic mixed with a hint of joy—such rapid emotional changes in just a single instant!

Shortly after, the bandit was led away by the bailiffs.

Wang Shan walked over and asked in puzzlement, "What did you do earlier? Why is this fellow so afraid of you?"

"He's not really afraid..."

Cheng An smiled shyly, "It's mainly because the contrast in expectations was too great."

"Contrast?"

"Right!"

Cheng An smiled. "No one feels good about being wronged, and when wealth that was almost within reach suddenly vanishes, a sense of loss naturally follows... Furthermore, he was already afraid of death to begin with."

To put it bluntly, it was still about intimidation.

In such a grim and murderous environment, alternating between enticement, coercion, and further enticement was a combination that normal people could never withstand, let alone a bandit.

"A pupil worthy of teaching!"

"With such methods for manipulating human hearts, wouldn't it be a pity not to enter officialdom?"

Wang Shan and Liu Qi exchanged glances.

In the depths of their hearts, a sense of relief welled up, the comforting thought that there was a capable successor to carry the torch.

...

Night fell, deep within the dense forest.

A group of bandits shivered as they hid inside a mountain cave, not daring to light a fire.

"Damn it!"

Someone finally couldn't help himself, and said irritably, "How much longer are we supposed to keep hiding?"

"Boss..."

"Let's go down and fight them to the death!"

He looked toward the scar-faced man, gritting his teeth, "Those useless government officials certainly wouldn't dare fight to the death! As long as we charge fiercely, we can definitely scare them into retreating!"

The government had suppressed bandits countless times over the years.

Yet when had they ever succeeded?

Would a bunch of officials who loved their lives be willing to trade their lives against bandits?

"Stop talking nonsense!"

The scar-faced man glanced at him and said coldly, "Just stay put, all of you! No one is allowed to act rashly!"

"Why is that?"

A bandit asked with displeasure, "The ones who came are just a bunch of bailiffs, not the Yaozhou Garrison. What on earth are we afraid of?"

The difference between government bailiffs and a regular army was that the former had never experienced actual battle, and some might not have even killed a person.

The moment they saw blood, more than half of them would flee for their lives!

Besides, the mission belonged to the yamen, but their lives belonged to themselves!

"However, the ones who came today are not just bailiffs! There are also people from East Village..."

The scar-faced man's gaze was gloomy. "We haven't terrorized them lightly over the years. Once a battle starts, do you think they'll be afraid of death?"

Bandits were unafraid of government bailiffs yet feared commoners?

The statement sounded ludicrous, but no one could refute it.

The combat effectiveness of commoners might not match that of the government, but this deep, bloody feud could drive people mad, compelling them to fight with their lives on the line!

Early the next morning.

While the bandits were fast asleep, two figures quietly appeared outside the cave.

"Boss..."

"Will this method actually work?"

The two hid in a corner, their bodies draped with several cloth bags that looked heavy and bulging.

Xing Yusen said in a low voice, "Whether it works or not, we have to do it. Otherwise, we won't even be able to return alive!"

Guided by that captive, they had eliminated quite a few sentries along the way, but if they dragged it out any longer, they would definitely be exposed!

"No more waiting..."

"Throw them!"

Xing Yusen gave a low shout.

The two quickly unfastened the cloth bags from their bodies, opened the mouths of the bags, and hurled them fiercely inside.

Whoosh!

The flour inside the bags billowed into the air with the wind, and the pitch-black cave was instantly shrouded in white.

The two turned around and ran.

While retreating, they hurriedly drew their bows and nocked arrows...

Swish!

A flaming arrow shot into the mountain cave.

The next second!

The two witnessed a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives...

The moment the flame made contact with the flour, a blazing fire erupted out of nowhere!

Boom!!

The sound of an explosion shook the valley!

Immediately following this, a fierce shockwave surged outward from inside the cave.

Before the two who had already run far away could even turn their heads, they were swept into the air by the blast and then slammed heavily onto the ground.

"Damn it!"

Xing Yusen couldn't help crying out in pain.

The other bailiff had it even worse.

Because he was just two steps slower in running, he was blown up into the sky by the shockwave and knocked unconscious on the spot!

At that moment...

Xing Yusen suddenly recalled Cheng An's solemn and earnest instructions.

*Run as fast as you can!*

*Remember, never look back!*

Fortunately!

He was someone who always listened to advice and strictly executed orders.

Otherwise...

Xing Yusen shuddered violently. When he climbed back up and looked over:

The massive mountain cave had been reduced to ruins!

Everything within sight was in utter devastation, and even the mountain rock had split with cracks!