The Young Swordsman of Dalu

Zhang Ermao carefully examined Zhou Shiyao. Judging from his clothes, mannerisms, and speech, he was not a local. He thought to himself, "Now I'm going to have to teach him a lesson."

"You're from out of town, aren't you? In our Sanyuan, it's customary for outsiders to come here whether they're visiting relatives and friends, doing business, traveling, or wandering the world. As long as you come to Sanyuan, you must pay a toll to our county government," Zhang Ermao said arrogantly.

"Who sets the toll tax?" Zhou Shiyao asked.

“It was stipulated by our county magistrate,” Zhang Ermao said.

"As far as I know, the magistrate of Sanyuan County has already been exiled to the army, and the new magistrate has not yet taken office," Zhou Shiyao said.

“Although he’s gone, no new magistrate has come, so this system still works,” Zhang Ermao said.

"This is utterly lawless!" Zhou Shiyao exclaimed in fury.

"If you're not convinced, you can try!" Zhang Ermao became even more arrogant.

“I won’t hand it over, let’s see what you can do to me,” Zhou Shiyao said.

"Take him to the county government office and hand him over to Lord Liu. He'll skin you alive then," Zhang Ermao said viciously.

A group of thugs rushed forward to grab Zhou Shiyao, but Gao Yuan immediately stepped forward and shouted, "Let's see who dares to do that!"

“Gao Yuan, go with them. Today, I want to see just how deep the waters of Sanyuan really are,” Zhou Shiyao said.

"Let's go!" The thugs escorted Zhou Shiyao toward the Sanyuan County government office.

Wenwu led Wenfei to his residence. Wenfei entered Wenwu's room, which contained a bed, a desk, and a simple bookshelf filled with books.

“Third Brother, your place is so simple. Aren’t you the county magistrate? How can you live such a difficult life?” Wenfei said.

Wenwu recounted his ordeal in Sanyuan to Wenfei, who was furious upon hearing it: "Third brother, you've been wronged! I'll go and avenge you right now. I'll beat that bastard Liu He to a pulp first, and then send him to the capital so His Majesty the Emperor will surely punish him with death."

"Fourth brother, you mustn't! Liu He is an official appointed by the court, and he cannot be escorted privately. I believe the court will bring him to justice," Wenwu said.

“But Third Brother, you’ve suffered so much hardship here. If Father and Second Mother knew, they would be heartbroken,” Wenfei said.

"Compared to the common people, my grievances are nothing. I hope His Majesty can send an official to uphold justice for the people as soon as possible," Wenwu said.

"This official position is so stifling, Third Brother, you'd be better off coming with me to roam the martial world, where you can be free and unrestrained—that would be so much more enjoyable," Wen Fei said passionately.

"Fourth brother, everyone has their own ambitions, don't force your third brother," Wenwu said.

“But seeing my third brother being treated like this makes me uncomfortable,” Wenfei said.

"Alright! Enough about me, tell me your legendary story with your second brother," Wenwu said curiously.

Wen Fei, with animated gestures and a torrent of words, launched into a tirade against Wen Wu, leaving Wen Wu utterly bewildered.

"Third Brother, give me some water," Wenfei said, his mouth dry.

Wenwu quickly poured a bowl of water and placed it in front of Wenfei. Wenfei picked up the bowl and gulped down the water.

"Fourth brother, continue." Wenwu was still eager to say more.

Inside the county government office, Zhou Shiyao was escorted to the main hall by Zhang Ermao and others.

Zhang Ermao hurriedly went into the county government office to find Liu He. Liu He was fast asleep in the back office when Zhang Ermao arrived and woke him up.

"You bastard! I was just about to put on my official hat and sit down in the main hall when you woke me up!" Liu He cursed angrily.

"Lord Liu, we're going to make a fortune!" Zhang Ermao exclaimed excitedly.

"Did you run into the God of Wealth?" Liu He asked.

"I've brought you a money tree today, sir. I've brought it to the main hall. Go take a look and try to squeeze a big sum out of it," Zhang Ermao said.

"Oh! I'd like to see who it is." Liu got up, dressed, and went to the lobby.

Seeing Zhou Shiyao's extraordinary demeanor and noticing that although his clothes were not extravagant, they were appropriate and dignified, Liu He asked, "Who are you? What brings you to Sanyuan?"

Zhou Shiyao didn't even raise his eyebrows to look at Liu He, and said, "I come from the north, and I'm here to do some small business."

When Liu He heard that they had come to do business, he was overjoyed. "Heavens above, isn't this a gift of money to me?"

"Has Master Zhang already told you about the toll tax that we in Sanyuan County have to pay?" Liu He asked.

“If I remember correctly, our imperial court has never established such a tax. Why does Sanyuan County have one? Doesn’t this place fall under the jurisdiction of my Great Lu Kingdom?” Zhou Shiyao said sternly.

"You're right, the emperor is far away and can't interfere here," Liu He said with a grin.

"Damn it! My great Lu Kingdom has been brought to the brink of ruin by you ignorant fools!" Zhou Shiyao suppressed his anger.

“Look! The emperor isn’t worried, but the eunuch is. The emperor doesn’t even care about us, so why are you meddlesome? Just pay your taxes properly so you can do business properly in Sanyuan,” Liu He said.

"This is outrageous! I'm so angry!" Zhou Shiyao was on the verge of a breakdown.

"Hurry up and hand over the money, or you'll suffer a beating!" Zhang Ermao added fuel to the fire.

“If you don’t give me money, I’ll get a beating. Is there no justice in this world?” Zhou Shiyao said.

"In this Three Elements, I am the law of heaven!" Liu He said, blowing his beard and glaring.

"You just wait!" Zhou Shiyao turned to leave.

"Take him down!" Liu He shouted.

The thugs swarmed forward, pinning Zhou Shiyao to the ground. Gao Yuan was also caught off guard and was captured.

“You’re coming to my territory and you’re still acting arrogantly! Lock him up in a cell and let him reflect on his actions for a few days,” Liu He said.

Zhou Shiyao and Gao Yuan were escorted into the county jail in Sanyuan.

Wenwu was at home listening to Wenfei recount his personal experiences. The two were engrossed in their conversation when Yang Tai hurriedly entered from outside.

"Lord Wen, something terrible has happened!"

"What's wrong, Yang?" Wenwu asked.

"Liu He has arrested more people; the county jail is overflowing," Yang Tai said.

"He's arrested outsiders again and made them pay tolls. Has Liu He gone crazy for money?" Wenwu shouted.

"Is there no one who can cure Sanyuan?" Wenfei asked.

"And who is this...?" Yang Tai asked, looking at Wen Fei.

“This is my fourth brother, Wenfei. This is Yang Tai, a constable from the yamen; we all call him Head Yang,” Wenwu said.

"Greetings, Fourth Young Master!" Yang Tai said, clasping his hands in greeting.

"Hello, Mr. Yang! I can tell you're a righteous person at first glance," Wen Fei said, clasping his hands in greeting.

"You're too kind! If you need any help in Sanyuan, please don't hesitate to ask. Lord Wen is a good official, just a bit unlucky," Yang Tai said.

“My third brother came here from far away from home, and he still relies on Yang Tou and the brothers for support. Thank you so much!” Wenfei said sincerely.

"You're too kind, Fourth Young Master!" Yang Tai clasped his hands in a fist salute once more.

"Alright! Let's go check out the prison first, then we'll go find Liu He," Wenwu said.