Revenge

Wei Changle felt like he had dozed off for just a brief moment, but was suddenly jolted awake by the sound of chaotic footsteps. Opening his eyes, he realized it was already dark outside.

Amidst the noisy footsteps, he saw firelight approaching from the door, with figures flickering within the glow.

At first, he thought it was Head of the Constables, Wang, coming back with his men to extort him again. But upon closer inspection, he saw two strong men carrying lanterns, followed by four or five people dressed in a manner that had nothing to do with the official constables. Instead, they were, unmistakably, the same people from the Wuxian Society he had seen earlier that day.

The two strong men with lanterns arrived at the prison cell and raised their lanterns to peer inside. One of them turned back and shouted, "Ninth Lord, they're here!"

The others soon caught up, most of them wielding long sticks. Among them was someone being helped along, slowly walking forward—it was Tu Hai.

Tu Hai immediately locked his gaze on Wei Changle, his eyes filled with a venomous glare.

When they reached the prison door, Tu Hai stopped. One of his men quickly set up a stool and placed it for him to sit. Tu Hai slowly sat down, then fixed his cold, mocking smile on Wei Changle and sneered, "Grandson, we meet again."

Wei Changle took a deep breath.

He wasn't afraid.

Though he had considered that the constables might commit crimes, he never imagined they would dare to bring Wuxian Society members into the prison directly.

A prison cell was a government facility, guarded by professional jailers. Not only could outsiders not enter, even people within the yamen (government office) were strictly forbidden from entering the prison easily.

Now, this group of people had entered the prison blatantly and were wielding wooden clubs, treating the government facility with such disregard—it was simply unthinkable.

"We meet again!" Wei Changle continued to sit against the wall, grinning. "How's the injury on your back? Only brought a stool—afraid the chair won't support your weight?"

Tu Hai's face darkened, and he cursed, "You son of a bitch! You'll learn tonight the consequences of offending the Wuxian Society. If I don't break your limbs, I'm not worthy of being called a man!"

"Tu Hai, I'm sure you're the son of a bitch," Wei Changle said leisurely. "Do you know what 'seeking your own death' means?"

"Still talking back?" Tu Hai pulled out a dagger from his chest and pointed it at Wei Changle, sneering. "Tonight, I'll personally cut out your tongue."

Wei Changle stood up slowly, then smiled and asked, "I'm curious, this is the county jail, a government facility. How bold are you to dare come here openly? Does Shanyin County really have no law?"

Tu Hai smirked proudly. "There's nowhere in Shanyin County that Wuxian Society cannot go." He turned around and ordered, "Head of the prison, open the cell door."

From the dimly lit hallway, a constable dressed as a jailer slowly walked in. He smiled and said, "Ninth Lord, tell the brothers to take it easy. Losing arms and legs is fine, but let's not cause any deaths."

"Don't worry, Head of the Prison," Tu Hai replied courteously to the jailer. "The brothers are just venting their anger, won't take too long." He then glanced at Wei Changle and whispered, "Head of the Prison, is the wooden collar secure? We don't want this thief hurting anyone else."

The jailer, Song, smirked and teased, "Ninth Lord, you were always so imposing before. How come you're afraid of a little brat this time? Don't worry, it's secure, no problem."

He stepped forward, unlocked the prison door, and turned to leave.

"Song, do you know what you're doing?" Wei Changle sighed. "As a jailer, allowing outsiders into the prison? Saying you're neglecting your duty is an understatement. You're conspiring with criminals to harm people in prison. If this gets reported, do you know the consequences?"

Song turned around, still smiling, and said nonchalantly, "You want to report me? Hahaha, to Taiyuan Prefecture or Shendu? Fine, I'll wait."

Tu Hai and his men burst into laughter, completely reckless.

Zhi Nu and Old Wei Gu only sat by the wall watching, not saying a word, but both had strange smiles on their faces.

Four strong men with clubs walked in, looking fierce and ferocious, eyeing Wei Changle as though he were prey.

At this moment, Wei Changle noticed that compared to earlier, they were now carrying much thicker bamboo sticks.

"Will you lie down by yourself, or do you want us to help you?" one of the burly men with a thick beard sneered, gripping his bamboo stick tightly.

"What did you say?" Wei Changle took a few steps closer to him. "I didn't hear you clearly. Say it again!"

Wei Changle moved closer, and the burly man with the thick beard instinctively took a step back.

But Wei Changle's steps were much quicker. The man barely took one step back before Wei Changle had already reached him, raised his arms, and with a swift, decisive motion, smashed the wooden collar into the man's head.

The burly man let out a muffled grunt, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed backward, stiff as a board.

Everyone was stunned, their faces changing in horror.

"Kill him!" Tu Hai, terrified, immediately stood up and took a few steps back. He shouted, "Kill him!"

The people from Wuxian Society were about to charge forward, but Wei Changle barked sharply, "Who dares?!"

His voice was clear and strong, yet piercingly sharp, carrying a weight of authority that left everyone momentarily frozen. Though some had raised their bamboo sticks, none of them dared to strike.

"What are you all doing... standing there?!" Tu Hai, seeing his men hesitate, shouted angrily, "Don't just stand there! Move!"

"Song, I have something for you," Wei Changle turned to look at the jailer, Song, who was staring at him with suspicion. Wei Changle even managed a smile.

Song, equally stunned by Wei Changle's resilience, having expected the man to be completely helpless, regained his composure and asked, "What... what do you have for me?"

"It's right here," Wei Changle motioned toward his chest with his chin, glancing downward. "My hands are bound by the wooden collar, I can't reach it. You help me."

Song hesitated, unwilling to approach, "You're tricking me. You want me to come closer, but I won't fall for it."

"You're armed with a knife, and you're afraid of a man with his hands bound?" Wei Changle sighed. "Don't worry, even if I have courage, I wouldn't dare harm an official. Striking an official would be rebellion—it's a death sentence. I truly have something for you. It concerns your future."

Although Song thought Wei Changle made a good point, the force of the earlier blow had left him rattled.

"Go get it then." Song gestured to one of the strong men inside the cell, "Bring it to me. Let me see what it is."

The strong man hesitated and said, "Ah," but Wei Changle smiled and said, "Fine, you come and get it. I won't hit you."

When the burly man hesitated further, Song snapped, "Are you deaf? Go get it now!"

The man reluctantly approached, his nervousness evident. When he saw Wei Changle raise his hand again, he immediately stepped back in fear.

"Don't be afraid," Wei Changle shook his head. "Is everyone from Wuxian Society this cowardly?"

Seeing Song glaring at him, the man had no choice but to grit his teeth and move forward. He reached into Wei Changle's chest area, pulling out a document. He looked puzzled as he did so, but Wei Changle said, "Take it to Song."

The man handed the document to Song outside the cell.

"If Song doesn't know how to read, then you can take it to your County Magistrate," Wei Changle stepped back a few steps, sat down on the floor with his back against the wall, and calmly added, "I'll wait here."

Song took the document, his face filled with confusion. Noticing that it was somewhat damaged, he motioned for a lantern to be brought over. Under the light, he opened the document and quickly scanned it.

Suddenly, he lifted his head, eyes wide, staring at Wei Changle in shock. He stammered, "You... you are... you..."

"Send it immediately to your County Magistrate," Wei Changle's expression hardened, his voice cold as he said, "Tell him to come see me right away."

Song was trembling, his posture now bent in fear. He hurriedly said, "Yes... yes, I'll go right now!" He turned to Tu Hai and waved urgently, "Go! Quickly leave!"

"Song, what's going on?" Tu Hai noticed Song's unusual behavior and realized something was wrong. He quickly asked, "What's in that document? What does it say?"

"Go quickly, no time for questions!" Song urged anxiously.

Wei Changle's voice floated over, "Since you're here, you might as well stay. Let's wait here. Song, go tell the jailers that if even one person here manages to escape tonight, I will not let you off. I'll come for you to account for it."

Cold sweat began to bead on Song's forehead. He repeatedly nodded, saying, "Yes, yes!" Turning to Tu Hai, he said, "Stay here. Don't move. No one is to go anywhere." Without saying another word, he turned and staggered away, nearly tripping, but quickly regained his footing and hurried off.

[--------------------------------------------]

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