Chapter 258: Beat Them Up

"Something isn't right."

Sitting in the train car, Mo Beixing took in the surrounding atmosphere, tightly clutching the tool bag in his arms.

Ever since the people from Bricklayer Village had boarded, the train car had been completely peaceful. Everyone even kept their voices down when they spoke. No one had noticed anything missing, and there was no cursing, arguing, or fighting.

Everything seemed far too normal.

But that was exactly what made it so abnormal!

Mo Beixing listened closely to a few Bianliu County residents chatting near his seat, vaguely catching mentions of some county magistrate.

That made him even more nervous!

What kind of good magistrate could possibly come from Bianliu County?

Besides, anyone who managed to hold the position of magistrate in Bianliu County for any length of time definitely had to be strong.

Could it be...

A gang heist?!

His breathing grew ragged as his imagination ran wild.

It was highly likely that this newly appointed magistrate wanted to quickly establish his reputation. So, he had chartered this train and brought a huge gang on board, just waiting for the dead of night to pull off a massive robbery!

A cold sweat broke out across his back at the thought.

Right at that moment, a voice spoke up beside him.

"Brother, our magistrate is inviting you to the VIP lounge for a chat."

It was one of the Bianliu County residents sitting next to him. Having just received a message, Yan Jing wanted to invite the leader of Bricklayer Village over for a chat.

!

Mo Beixing's breath hitched. Swallowing hard, he mustered his courage and replied.

"I'm not going! Who knows if you're telling the truth or not? Whatever bullshit magistrate this is, he has no authority over our Bricklayer Village!"

"..."

Hearing Mo Beixing's outburst, the man's eyes went wide. He nearly reached over to clap a hand over his mouth, quickly lowering his voice.

"Brother, listen to my advice. No one is going to cause trouble on this train. County Magistrate Luo isn't an ordinary person. You really should go!"

"If he has to send someone else to invite you later, you'd better watch out. Every single person in there is a ruthless character."

"What does your Bricklayer Village even have? Your most powerful village chief is only at the Third Tier, and he's just an old man. As for the people in that VIP car? Any one of them could crush him with a single finger."

"Let me put it this way..."

The man looked left and right before leaning in and whispering.

"Do you know how our magistrate secured his position so smoothly? He..."

!!!

After hearing the man's words, Mo Beixing's breathing turned impossibly rapid. Killed... he had killed eight Fourth Tier experts?!!

He had slaughtered every Fourth Tier expert around Bianliu County?!!

He was a murderous butcher!!! Mo Beixing felt his legs begin to tremble.

"Just go."

The man sighed, feeling a bit of pity for the bricklayer, and patted his shoulder.

"If you go, you die alone. If you don't, probably no one from your Bricklayer Village will survive."

"Do you know what the rumors back home say? Arson and murder, Advisor Yan. Leave no survivors, County Magistrate Luo."

There was another one?!!

Mo Beixing's heart pounded wildly. His mind went completely numb. He didn't even know how he stood up. His legs felt like they no longer belonged to him as he walked toward the pale blue curtain one step at a time, sweat pouring profusely down his back.

Pulling back the curtain, he braced himself and looked at the figures seated inside. Every face turned to stare at him. They all wore sunglasses, sporting cold, merciless smiles that hid deadly intent, their murderous auras fully exposed.

On the wooden table, a deck of playing cards lay scattered. The bright red Ten of Hearts on top looked as though it were seeping blood, exceptionally glaring in the dim lighting.

And then there was the person seated furthest inside. He had actually revealed his true form just to play cards—his face was completely mutated, covered in swaying strips of stark white paper that made one's scalp tingle with fear.

"Excuse... excuse me... which... which of you is County Magistrate Luo..."

His tongue tied itself into knots, his legs completely devoid of strength.

"I am."

The figure with the face full of white paper raised a hand, scaring him into a full-body flinch.

He knew it! A magistrate like that had to look like a man-eating monster!

"I... we're just... out here... out looking for work. I pushed that man earlier... I apologize to you, Lord Magistrate..."

Trembling as he spoke, Mo Beixing moved to drop to his knees.

Xiao Yu raised a hand, and a gust of wind immediately propped up Mo Beixing's buckling legs.

"What are you talking about?"

Yan Jing looked confused as he tore a handful of paper strips off his face.

Damn it, he was still losing at Golden Flower! He still had over twenty white strips of paper left to stick on his face! This was the perfect chance to cheat his way out of it, hehe.

"Friend, I just invited you over for a chat."

Yan Jing patted the seat beside him. Fei Yu gave a hop, vaulting over the table to sit next to Yan Jing, making room for Mo Beixing.

Utterly bewildered, Mo Beixing blinked. The paper-covered monster face was gone. Sitting before him was a handsome young man with a warm, gentle smile.

This was County Magistrate Luo... the man who could kill without a blade?

His heart relaxed a fraction, though he still sat down across from them with great trepidation.

To make room for cards, two tables in the VIP lounge had been pushed together. He now sat right next to the Old Man.

"Friend, are you all heading out of the city for work? Is it hard finding jobs?"

Yan Jing dug a handful of sunflower seeds out of Xiao Yu's pocket and offered them to Mo Beixing.

Mo Beixing accepted the seeds with sweaty palms. His large, ox-like eyes remained lowered, not daring to meet Yan Jing's gaze.

"Yeah... it's not easy... The wealthy households have their own private workers, so we mostly rely on the reputation of Bricklayer Village to scrape together some jobs."

He had no idea why Yan Jing was asking this, but he answered honestly anyway.

"But it's getting harder and harder to get by. Nowadays, a lot of people prefer those novel techniques from the Eleventh and Twelfth Lake Prefectures. Our methods are considered obsolete. These past few years, a lot of the young people in our village have stayed out of town and refused to return. The village is steadily falling into ruin."

Touching upon what weighed on his mind, he opened up a bit more.

"We've actually gone and looked at the houses built by those so-called construction cultivators from the Eleventh and Twelfth Lake Prefectures. They do look a bit nicer than ours, but... but we still need to make a living..."

He let out a long sigh. "So now, we can only keep driving our prices down."

Yan Jing nodded as he listened.

"How many wives and kids do you have at home, friend?"

At that, Mo Beixing smiled sheepishly and waved a hand.

"We're just rural folk. Where would I get the money for multiple wives? I just have the one. She's been with me since she was seventeen, and we have four kids now."

Speaking with a slightly heavy accent, he went on.

"The oldest is seventeen or eighteen—a girl. The second oldest is twelve or thirteen. Once he's a bit older, he'll have to start traveling around with me too."

"That's a big family. Must be hard to support them," Yan Jing noted.

"It is. How could it not be? I only go back once every half a year, and I bring every penny I earn straight home!"

As if remembering something happy, Mo Beixing smiled. "Thankfully, all the kids at home are well-behaved."

"The last time I went back, the four of them worked together to cook a meal for me. My wife and I really enjoyed the pampering."

Talking about his wife and children lowered his guard significantly. He looked between Yan Jing and Fei Yu sitting beside him.

"This must be the magistrate's wife, right? The two of you make a perfect match."

"You have a great eye for these things!" Fei Yu blinked happily, digging out another handful of sunflower seeds to hand to Mo Beixing. Then, she lowered her voice.

"Too bad I'm not. My young master already said he's going to marry eight wives!"

As soon as Fei Yu spoke, a memory surfaced in Yan Jing's mind. Luo Sheng had indeed told Fei Yu something like that.

It happened when they first met.

Eldest Young Master Luo was leaving a brothel in Paima County when he ran into Fei Yu.

Back then, Fei Yu didn't smile much. She blankly followed behind Luo Sheng, trailing him the entire way. It was only when he arrived home and turned around that he finally noticed her tiny figure.

"Whose little kid are you?"

He bent down to look at her.

"..."

Fei Yu blinked her large eyes. "I don't kno'."

Finding it amusing, Luo Sheng asked, "Then what's your name?"

"...I... I don't kno'."

Her big eyes darted around, completely unafraid of strangers.

Luo Sheng found it even more amusing. Just as he was about to speak, a voice called out from afar.

"Young Master! I bought the food—"

"Eh?"

The Old Man, who hadn't yet begun to show his age back then, stared at Fei Yu.

"Where did this girl come from? Is she your seed, Young Master?"

"I have no idea,"

Luo Sheng said, his eyes narrowing as he laughed.

Unexpectedly, upon seeing the Old Man, Fei Yu's large eyes lit up. She ducked behind him, grabbing onto his pant leg as she looked back at Luo Sheng.

"Young Maser!"

She began to call out, mimicking the Old Man's accent.

"Hahaha." Luo Sheng laughed and clapped his hands.

"Master Liu, could you trouble yourself to find out where this little girl's home is? She might be lost."

"It is pretty strange, though." Luo Sheng reached out and pinched Fei Yu's cheek.

"She looks about eight or nine, but she acts like she can barely talk."

"Won' go! I won' go!"

Sensing that Luo Sheng wanted to send her back, Fei Yu ran over and clung to his hand.

"You won't go? Then what do you want to follow me for?"

Luo Sheng asked with a smile.

"To be your wife!" Fei Yu declared, her words shocking him.

Luo Sheng laughed even harder.

"That won't work. I'm going to marry eight wives in the future, so there's no room for you!"

"Eight... eight?"

Fei Yu's eyes widened as she held up her fingers.

"That's right."

Luo Sheng smiled, crouching down to tap Fei Yu on the nose.

"At most, you can be my maid."

"Ma... maid?"

Fei Yu blinked, then nodded. "Okay! Okay!"

Luo Sheng laughed harder and looked at the Old Man.

"Master Liu, please help this little girl find her home."

Looking at the tiny Fei Yu, the Old Man suddenly felt a stroke of intuition and asked, "Young Master, what if we can't find it?"

For some reason, he had a nagging feeling that it would be very difficult to find this girl's family.

"If we can't find it,"

Luo Sheng smiled, "Then we'll just keep her around. It's just one more mouth to feed, right?"

"I'll take her home. Hasn't my old man always said I'd have a hard time finding a wife? I'll show her to him."

"..."

"..."

Back on the train.

They chatted for quite a while longer. Seeing that Mo Beixing had dropped his guard, Yan Jing cut to the chase.

"Friend, if you can't find work later, you can come to our Bianliu County. Bianliu County has changed now. If you people from Bricklayer Village come, we'll provide free housing."

"Really?!"

Mo Beixing's eyes lit up. Providing a place to stay was a massive benefit that would save them a lot of money.

"Of course."

Yan Jing nodded. "If you run into anyone bullying you, take this and come find me."

"I'll solve it for you!"

Yan Jing handed over a Little Bird he had drawn himself.

"I... I'll discuss it with the other villagers... Thank you, Magistrate. Thank you."

Mo Beixing's lips trembled, but in the end, he didn't agree right on the spot.

After all, the reputation of Bianliu County was deeply ingrained in everyone's minds.

"I'll come with you. It'll be a good opportunity to see your villagers."

Yan Jing stood up.

The two of them walked toward the regular cars. Halfway there, Mo Beixing finally gathered the courage to ask the question that had been on his mind this whole time.

"County Magistrate Luo, are you also from Bricklayer Village?"

He had kept hearing Yan Jing call him "friend" and "fellow villager," and then he offered such a massive benefit, which had planted a sliver of hope in his heart.

Could Luo Sheng's ancestors have been from Bricklayer Village?

"I guess you could call me half a Bricklayer Village native."

Yan Jing smiled.

Behind him, Fei Yu and the Old Man exchanged confused glances. Since when was he from Bricklayer Village?

When they reached the regular car, Mo Beixing explained the situation to the others, but the response was tepid.

"Something isn't right, Brother Bei. You can't let this magistrate trick you!"

Someone whispered a warning. "Besides, whether he's actually the magistrate remains to be seen."

"When has a magistrate in Bianliu County ever lived that long? Don't you know what kind of monsters and demons run that place?"

"..."

Swayed by their warnings, Mo Beixing's freshly lowered guard began to rise again. Just as he was about to voice an excuse to turn Luo Sheng down, a delighted voice rang out.

"Brother Luo?"

Mo Beixing looked over. It was a young man in his twenties from their village named Mo Dayuan.

Then, a scene that made Mo Beixing's scalp tingle played out. Mo Dayuan directly grabbed onto Yan Jing's arm, smiling foolishly.

"Brother Luo, we run into each other again!"

"Dayuan! Don't be disrespectful!"

Mo Beixing's heart pounded wildly, terrified that Luo Sheng would fly into a rage.

To his surprise, Yan Jing just blinked and then laughed.

"It's you! Mo Dayuan! It's been three years!"

He had met this man the last time Luo Sheng's group returned to Bianliu County. Back then, Mo Dayuan had been robbed by people from Bianliu County and stabbed in the stomach. Eldest Young Master Luo had used his family's top-secret ointment to save his life.

"It's me! It's me!!!"

Mo Dayuan nodded excitedly. Pulling Yan Jing's sleeve, he walked over to Mo Beixing.

"Brother Bei, Brother Luo is the one who saved me!"

"Without him, I would've lost my life, and my mom definitely would've died too!"

At the time, his mother had been gravely ill and desperately needed money. As he spoke, emotions overwhelmed him. Tears welled up in Mo Dayuan's eyes as he moved to kneel before Yan Jing.

"There's no need for that."

Yan Jing waved a hand, helping Mo Dayuan up. But over to the side, Mo Beixing dropped to his knees with a heavy thud, bowing his head.

"Magistrate! I, Mo Beixing, am a stupid man. I can't distinguish the bad from the good. I just heard some rumors about you and foolishly believed them. Please forgive me."

Why do these people from Minhu always drop to their knees at the drop of a hat... Yan Jing sighed inwardly, hurrying forward to help him up.

"What did they say?"

Mo Beixing recounted everything he had heard in full detail, before adding, "You're completely different from what they claim! I was a blind fool!"

"Well, about that..."

Yan Jing blinked.

They might not have been entirely wrong.

Right at that moment, a massive crash suddenly exploded against the glass window beside them, followed by an endless barrage of impacts.

"What's going on...?"

Yan Jing pulled back the curtain and saw a group of people standing outside. As the train slowly crawled to a halt, they began hurling stones the size of human heads at it, smashing against the specially treated glass with loud, cracking thuds.

Memories surfaced in his mind, and he immediately recalled where they were.

Bandit Mountain.

This was a haven for rogue thief cultivators. Whenever the train passed through this station, they would smash the windows with rocks and reach in to rob the passengers.

The people here also had the worst blood feud with the residents of Bianliu County.

It was a classic case of evil clashing with evil.

Crack—

Despite the train inspectors' attempts to stop them, one of the glass panes finally shattered. Howling winds surged into the car through the opening, accompanied by a rushing tide of weird energy. Countless pitch-black hands reached inside, aggressively grabbing at the passengers.

They didn't just steal money; they groped the women and slapped the men.

In the past, the residents of Bianliu County weren't exactly pushovers and would have definitely fought back immediately. But today, with Yan Jing present, none of them dared to move a muscle.

Watching helplessly as their valuable belongings were snatched away, they fumed with rage but didn't dare speak up.

That was, until a thunderous boom rang out.

The furious passengers were jolted from their stupor. They turned to look at Yan Jing, who had walked over to the window and fired a gun outside.

Wisps of smoke curled upward from the muzzle of his gun. Down on the platform, seven or eight figures lay collapsed. They were the ones who had been robbing them the most viciously. A single shot had shattered their shoulders and arms, leaving them thrashing in pools of blood, howling in pain and wailing to the heavens.

The crowd stared at the scene in stunned silence, including Mo Beixing, who had just been praising Yan Jing as a great saint.

"Damn it! If you're being robbed, don't you know how to fight back?!"

Yan Jing roared at the seated passengers.

"Can't you tell the difference between following the rules and defending yourselves?!!"

"Damn it, beat them up!!!"

Yan Jing's gaze was dark and ruthless. Pulling that small Flag from his pocket, he gave a fierce wave, like an ancient general rallying his troops to war.