Chapter 257: The Train Departs

"Young Master! Over here!"

Already on board the train, the Old Man, carrying a large suitcase, called out to Yan Jing.

Generally, the train station in every Domain was jointly managed by local authorities and the patrol inspectors. With both Liu Ye and Yan Jing present, the tickets issued to their group were naturally for the VIP carriage.

The entire carriage contained only four tables. Each table was flanked by small sofa-like seats, wide enough to comfortably fit two people.

They were the first group to board. Right now, aside from them, the train was empty save for the attendants and patrol officers.

But the person who came running over to them was the Train Conductor.

"Magistrate! Inspector Liu! Inspector Bi!"

The Train Conductor looked to be in his forties, sporting a prominent paunch.

He had not come from Across the Lake. Stationed at the train station this entire time, he had witnessed the full course of the Bianliu County incident. For the past few days, he had been having nightmares every single night.

Enthusiastically taking the suitcase from the Old Man's hands, he began introducing the carriage to the group.

He was mainly addressing Luo Sheng and the others. For Liu Ye and Bi Jie, this kind of luxury was commonplace.

"This is just the sightseeing area of the VIP carriage."

He pulled back the nearby curtains, revealing the massive glass windows behind them.

"Glass of this size is quite rare. You lords can enjoy the scenery outside from here. Rest assured, when necessary, the attendants will come to close the curtains for you."

"Lord Bi, what does he mean by 'when necessary'?"

Tiger quietly asked Bi Jie beside him.

"Mr. Huzi, there is something you don't know."

Hearing Tiger's question, Bi Jie managed a rare break from his anxious state and smiled mysteriously. "You'll find out soon enough."

Tiger was completely baffled. Meanwhile, the Train Conductor was already leading them forward. Pushing aside the curtain at the end of the carriage, he revealed a long, narrow corridor and opened a small door on the right side.

"This is where you all can rest. There are single rooms and double rooms; please allocate them freely among yourselves."

"Magistrate, you can come in and take a look."

Because the doorway to the room wasn't very wide, the Train Conductor only invited Yan Jing inside to inspect it.

The layout inside wasn't complicated. A triangular table was tucked into a corner of the room to hold snacks. At the back of the room was a bed set at a right angle to the corridor, with space underneath for luggage. At the foot of the bed was a button to call an attendant.

"Very nice."

Yan Jing nodded in satisfaction. Having an independent space to rest was already excellent.

As for the double rooms, they were slightly more spacious, but above the main bed hung a semi-suspended second bed, similar to a bunk bed.

"Let's just take a single room for everyone."

Liu Ye waved his hand.

He and Bi Jie were always accustomed to single rooms. Fei Yu could have shared with Yan Jing, but Yan Jing had already stated he wanted his own room. Could they really force just the Old Man and Tiger to share a double room?

That made no sense.

"Right away."

The Train Conductor was breaking into a sweat. There actually weren't many single rooms on the train—only twelve in total. They had just claimed six in one breath. He feared that VIPs boarding at other stations later might be displeased.

After all, several trains, including this one, had been halted for quite some time. Residents from various places had been waiting, and among them were bound to be some formidable figures.

However, considering that Liu Ye and his group would be taking the heat, he braced himself and agreed.

"Alright, relax. If anything happens, we won't let you shoulder the blame."

Liu Ye understood the underlying politics and naturally saw through the Train Conductor's worries, so he spoke up.

Any true figures at the Sixth Tier or above would have booked their rooms ages in advance. Moreover, this train was taking a remote route. Did he really think experts at the Fifth Tier and Sixth Tier were as common as cabbage?

Taking a step back, even if they did run into one...

They could just yield the rooms, couldn't they? Being flexible and adaptable was the true nature of Minhu.

"Go on with your work. We'll have to trouble you to take care of things on the train from now on."

Yan Jing smiled, and the Train Conductor hurriedly scurried off.

There was one last entertainment area featuring gambling tables, pool tables, and a small dance hall, but he didn't elaborate on it.

The group returned to the sightseeing area.

Yan Jing and Fei Yu shared one table, Bi Jie and the Old Man took another, and Liu Ye and Tiger sat at a third, waiting for the train to depart.

Yan Jing held the itinerary the Train Conductor had given him and began to study it.

The train stopped at quite a few stations, but there were not many large stations for long layovers.

Starting from Bianliu County in the farthest south, it would first head up to a directly affiliated county by the small river called Nanyu County. Then, it would turn east toward an adjacent riverside location called Cotton City. After that was their current destination, Luohe County, and the final stop was the Sixth Lake Prefecture.

Soon, passengers gradually began boarding the train.

Through the gaps in the VIP carriage's curtains, they could see the bustling crowd, and the noise steadily grew louder.

They watched attendants and patrol officers constantly hurry past them, heading toward the standard carriages in the back.

"Would you like some sunflower seeds?"

Fei Yu pulled a handful of sunflower seeds from her pocket and asked Yan Jing.

"No thanks, Xiao Yu, you eat first."

Yan Jing craned his neck, watching the commotion in the standard carriages.

The attendants and patrol officers had gone over, but the noise hadn't quieted down. Instead, it was getting even louder.

After a short while, a series of crashes and bangs echoed out, accompanied by a barrage of curses.

A fight had broken out!

Yan Jing looked at the others. Only Liu Ye could be considered calm.

Facing everyone's questioning gazes, he sighed helplessly.

"That's just the local flavor of the Bianliu County station. Every single train report filed by our subordinates includes the mandatory Bianliu County brawl. On top of that..."

"There's a whole basket of other unruly behavior. Scamming and robbing residents from other areas is a dime a dozen. It seems you still aren't fully aware of it.

"It gives us a huge headache too."

How could this stand?

Wasn't this making him lose face as Magistrate Yan?

Hearing Liu Ye's words, Yan Jing stood up and quickly strode toward the standard carriages.

He threw open the curtain, and good heavens, they were already beating the living daylights out of each other.

From the front of the carriage to the back, clusters of people brawling could be seen everywhere.

Those trading insults were cursing each other with the purest malice, insulting each other's ancestors before turning around to insult their future descendants.

He stepped forward and pulled apart a pair of men grappling with each other.

The two were originally boiling with rage, but upon seeing it was Yan Jing, they instantly wilted, turning pale with terror.

"M—Magistrate—"

"Why are you fighting?"

Yan Jing asked, his face dark.

Why they were fighting was a question with depth and nuance. The two had fought themselves into a daze and couldn't answer immediately, quickly looking across at each other.

Only then did they realize they were beating the wrong guy.

"Someone just grabbed my ass, but it wasn't him."

"Someone just spit on me, but it wasn't him either."

Good lord, they even managed to fight the wrong people.

Yan Jing cleared his throat helplessly.

"Stop fighting, all of you!"

The crowd acted as if they hadn't heard him and kept brawling.

Yan Jing walked over to the window, opened it, pulled out his gun, and fired a shot outside.

He turned back around.

The crowd had stopped fighting and obediently returned to their seats.

Yan Jing's gaze darkened. "If you have a problem, go find an attendant to solve it. Now, apologize to the person you were just hitting!"

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have cursed your dad." "My fault, I shouldn't have grabbed your junk." "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have cursed your mom." "My fault, I shouldn't have squeezed your ass."

...

In an instant, the carriage turned into a sea of apologies.

Yan Jing nodded.

"It won't just be on this train; it will be like this from now on! Our Bianliu County is a place of reason! A place of rules! A place that loves peace!"

"When have you ever seen me, your magistrate, hit anyone? Or cause trouble?"

"Does what I'm saying make sense?!"

...

...

"It makes sense!!!"

Seeing that signature smile surface on Yan Jing's face, the crowd hastily answered in unison.

"Good. If people from other places bully us, that's one thing, but we can't start infighting among ourselves! On this train, if I catch anyone causing trouble, I will personally dispense justice."

Yan Jing smiled with satisfaction.

"When we reach the other stations later, you must also display this excellent conduct! Whoever behaves well can come to me for a reward. Do you hear me?"

"We hear you!"

The crowd shouted in unison, their voices echoing from this section all the way to the farthest carriage, like kindergarteners responding to their teacher.

"Excellent! Very spirited!"

Yan Jing walked back to his own carriage. As he pulled back the curtain, he saw five heads that had been peeking out quickly retract.

He sat back down in his seat.

This journey wasn't just a simple trip for the six of them. He needed to build up Bianliu County's reputation and promote positive development as much as possible. He couldn't hold a gun to everyone's heads forever; he had to make the residents spontaneously realize that Bianliu County was a collective. Only then would it be easy to govern.

"Have some sunflower seeds."

Fei Yu placed a handful of shelled sunflower seed kernels from her palm down in front of Yan Jing.

The train soon departed.

The Train Conductor specifically ran over to express his thanks.

This was the fastest departure he had experienced since taking charge of this train.

In the past, whenever they departed from Bianliu County, they were lucky if they didn't lose a few attendants to the chaos.

It was still a while until lunch, so at the Old Man's suggestion, the group started playing poker.

Tiger was banned from playing and relegated to dealing the cards. They played blackjack, with the stakes being paper slips stuck to the loser's face.

When it was time for lunch, a waitress came over to ask what everyone wanted to eat. With a flash of cleverness, she aimed her question at the only person wearing a long gown:

"Hello, County Magistrate Luo, what would you like to eat for— Ah!!!"

The waitress let out a shriek. The person in front of her didn't have a face at all! A mass of stark white paper slips fluttered in the breeze. Even with all her experience, she had never seen a passenger reveal their true, terrifying form on the train to scare people like this.

Looking very apologetic, Yan Jing peeled the paper slips off his face and apologized to the waitress.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

He hadn't wanted this either, but his luck had been so incredibly terrible that he hadn't won a single hand!!!

By the time half his face was covered in slips from losing, he had prematurely embarked on an endless journey of going all-in.

Unfortunately, it still hadn't reversed his situation.

And that was even with Tiger intentionally dealing him some good cards!

Not long after the waitress left, the train slowly came to a halt.

The group looked out the window. This seemed to be a train station for a small village. Past the platform, they could see the settlement behind it—a few dozen scattered households spread out across the muddy ground.

"Bricklayer Village."

"This village is full of honest bricklayers who rely on traveling all over to do masonry and earn some hard-earned money."

Liu Ye spoke up. "The train has been halted for so long, there should be quite a few people waiting to head over to Nanyu Village for work."

Down on the platform.

Several dozen men stood fully armed, staring at the open train doors with vigilant eyes.

They gripped small triangular trowels and bricks in their hands, weird energy surging around their bodies.

It couldn't be helped.

Because the previous stop was Bianliu County, every time they traveled elsewhere for work, they would basically be robbed blind the moment they got on the train.

"Are we boarding, Brother Bei?"

Someone looked toward the lead bricklayer.

"We board! If we don't, the kids and babies at home will starve to death!"

The forty-something bricklayer spat on the ground and pursed his lips, which were cracked from years of plastering dust. With a stern look in his eyes, he declared:

"You all brought some spare change, right? If you get robbed, don't fight back. Just point at some random guy and say he's the one who stole it, make them fight amongst themselves! Losing the money is fine, but you can't lose the tools in your hands! Do you hear me?"

If a bricklayer lost his tools, what was the point of going to work? Just to starve to death somewhere else?

"Understood!"

The crowd responded in unison.

"Board the train!"

The lead bricklayer waved his hand, and the men boarded the train together.

Just as expected, the moment they got on, a group of people crowded over.

But to everyone's surprise, these Bianliu County residents didn't pull knives and demand cash like they usually did.

"You're carrying quite a lot there. How about I help you hold that?"

The man who walked up to the lead bricklayer beamed radiantly, looking exceptionally friendly.

The lead bricklayer was instantly on high alert!

They had changed their tactics!!

Son of a bitch! These Bianliu County bastards had stopped robbing and switched to scamming and stealing instead!!!

"Piss off!"

He shielded the bag draped over his arm—which held the very tools he used to make a living—and shoved the man away.

The man stumbled and almost fell. His expression instantly shifted.

"Your fucking mo—" Before he could finish, pairs of eyes from all over the carriage swiveled toward him.

The man panicked and hurriedly plastered a smile back on his face.

"Your mother... how is her health doing lately?"

"The old lady is eating fine and everything, right?"