Buying One's Life

Wei Changle was all too familiar with this routine, but feigned ignorance: "Captain Wang, do you have any good suggestions to make everyone happy?"

"You must know that Shanyin is full of bandits," Captain Wang said methodically. "Of the bandits we've caught before, not one has survived. Let me put it this way - executing bandits doesn't even need approval from the Ministry of Justice anymore. Once the case file reaches Taiyuan, it takes less than half a month for the execution order to come back, and then straight to the execution grounds they go."

"So Captain Wang means that if the county labels us as bandits and submits the paperwork, we three won't survive?" Wei Changle widened his eyes.

Captain Wang smiled, "You're quite clever, that's exactly it." He sighed, "I actually know you're not bandits from the mountains, but your actions today were really too much. The city's people are already terrified of bandits, and now they're all saying you're robbers. With public opinion like this, the county office can't go against the people's will."

Wei Changle frowned, "So you're saying that even though you know we're good people, you'll still label us as bandits and have us all executed?"

"It's not what I want, it's public opinion," Captain Wang's expression darkened.

"Captain Wang, how many innocent people have you executed before because of 'public opinion'?"

Captain Wang's face turned cold, "If you're going to talk like that, we have nothing more to discuss." He stood up as if to leave.

"Don't be angry, Captain Wang," Wei Changle called out. "Given the situation, what way is there for us to survive?"

Captain Wang squatted down again, smiling, "That's better. I know you're unhappy, but what's done is done. No matter how angry you are, it won't help. We can only look for solutions." After a pause, he continued, "Here's what we'll do: I'll handle things with everyone in the courthouse. Then I'll personally visit the Five Immortals Society, find Tuhai, and get the noodle shop owner too. I'll have them testify that today was just a misunderstanding, a dispute that arose from an argument. You were just young and impetuous, acting on impulse, but not bad at heart, and certainly not bandits."

Wei Changle pretended to be relieved, nodding repeatedly, "Captain Wang is most perceptive. We're extremely grateful."

"Gratitude alone is useless," Captain Wang said bluntly, without beating around the bush. "Arranging all this requires silver at every step. I'm just a constable, I can't pay for all this myself."

"Then... how much silver would it take?"

"How much silver did you bring to Shanyin?"

"Not much," Wei Changle said. "About a hundred taels or so."

Captain Wang laughed, "Indeed not much. Thinking you can exchange a hundred taels for three lives is pure fantasy."

"Then in Captain Wang's opinion, how much silver would it take to ensure our safety?"

"At least one hundred taels per life." Captain Wang slowly stood up, looking down at Wei Changle, holding up three fingers. "If you can produce three hundred taels of silver, I'll handle everything."

Wei Changle shook his head with a bitter smile, "How could we possibly have that much silver?"

"No need to plead poverty with me," Captain Wang said. "I hear you came on horseback, one horse each. Common people aren't that wealthy. Three hundred taels shouldn't be much for people like you."

Zhinu couldn't help asking, "Where are our horses?"

"The Wretched Quarter is full of swindlers and rogues," Captain Wang said. "You walked ahead, so those three horses were surely led away by someone. As for where they are now, I really couldn't say." He coughed lightly, then asked, "So what's your decision? Do you want me to save your lives?"

"We can't produce three hundred taels," Wei Changle shook his head.

Captain Wang immediately replied, "Weren't you coming to Taiyuan to visit friends? You could borrow from them. With your lives at stake, your friends surely won't stand by and watch you die."

"How could we impose like that?" Wei Changle said. "Captain Wang, why don't you call over the person in charge at the courthouse? I heard the Shanyin County Magistrate is missing, and the Deputy Magistrate is in charge now. Let me explain things clearly to him, see if he can judge fairly."

Captain Wang frowned, "You want to make this even bigger? If the Deputy Magistrate gets involved, it won't be just a matter of three hundred taels anymore."

"I want to explain the situation to him. He's an imperial official, surely he won't falsely accuse innocent people."

Captain Wang sneered, "If that's how you want it, then wait for the Deputy Magistrate to handle your case. But don't say I didn't give you a chance to save your lives. I suggest you think it over again - you still have time. If you really don't know what's good for you, I'll oblige." With a cold snort, he turned and left.

Once Wang the constable had left, Old Wei Gucai sighed and said, "Shanyin really is in deep trouble. A constable, bold as day, dares to extort so openly. It's clear that the whole county office is rotten to the core, filled with all sorts of demons and monsters."

"Second Master, what do you think this dog of a constable will do next?" Zhi Nu asked. "Will he resort to corporal punishment on us?"

Wei Changle chuckled. "That's his last resort, but not yet. This fellow's appetite is huge; he started with three hundred taels. It's just a probe to see if we're scared and will hand over the silver. If he finds we can't pay, the sum will drop, but in the end, he'll probably settle for a hundred or so taels, just like I said."

"He's a seasoned pro," Old Wei Gucai chuckled. "Second Master, he's quite experienced at this. There's no doubt he's extorted many before. When we were brought into the county office, many of the clerks saw us, but they pretended not to notice. They've clearly gotten used to it."

"A fish in the same pond—who doesn't know who?" Wei Changle smiled indifferently. "Extorting silver like this is their usual tactic."

"Second Master, so we're just going to let him extort us like this?" Zhi Nu asked, his voice filled with anger.

"I want to see just how far he's willing to go," Wei Changle's smile faded, his tone turning cold. "If we're going to stay in this office, I need to understand just what kind of people they are and what they're capable of. I want to know just how far their corruption stretches."

Old Wei Gucai gave a slight nod, his eyes showing approval. "Second Master, you're wise. By staying under the radar, we can first figure out their background."

"This journey has been tough for you all," Wei Changle leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes and showing signs of fatigue. "Rest for a while. If all goes as expected, this matter should resolve quickly."

He closed his eyes to rest, but his mind wandered back to the events at the noodle shop earlier that day.

When Tu Hai and his gang from the Five Immortals Society stormed into the noodle shop, Wei Changle immediately understood—there was no room for reasoning with these local thugs.

He understood human nature well enough: when you show weakness, people will take advantage.

The enemy was vicious, and only by being even more ruthless could one take the initiative.

The host body he now occupied was no stranger to chaos, having witnessed countless brawls in Taiyuan, so when faced with a gang of hoodlums, Wei Changle wasted no time and unleashed his King Kong Strength to fight back, intentionally displaying a reckless, life-or-death attitude to scare them off.

What surprised him, however, was that when their long staffs hit him, he felt nothing at all. After checking his body later, he found no marks or bruises from the strikes.

Naturally, his mind turned to Fu Wenjun's mention of the Lion's Fury.

Could it be that the Lion's Fury not only enhanced strength but also had defensive properties, allowing the skin to defend itself?

He racked his brain, trying to recall if the host had any unusual martial arts training.

Although the host had mingled with soldiers from a young age and practiced knives and arrows, there didn't seem to be any indication of inner martial arts cultivation.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

He remembered that when the host was around four or five years old, he had begun practicing a set of extremely slow-moving fist forms each morning. The rhythm of these movements was strikingly similar to what Wei Changle knew as Tai Chi, though the forms were very different.

Moreover, the breathing during these exercises was deeply synchronized with the movements, speeding up and slowing down in a way that felt far removed from ordinary breath control.

But by the time the host was twelve or thirteen, his practice had tapered off, happening only once every few days.

Could the Lion's Fury be linked to that set of fist techniques?

Yet, there was no clue in his memories about who had taught him those forms.

When Fu Wenjun had mentioned that the Wei family's ability to access the Lion's Fury was a sign of great power, it only reinforced that this technique was far from ordinary.

Could it be that someone skilled in martial arts had imparted this technique to him during his childhood, and he was simply too young to clearly remember?

However, he did remember the key principles of those movements, and if they were indeed connected to the Lion's Fury, he would need to take them seriously.

In this world, no matter how strong one's backing might be, it was never as important as one's own power.

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