253: Chapter 253 Han Xin and Ji Tao

When the news of The First Great Qin King of Fighters Tournament was disseminated through officials at all levels, the common folk of the entire Great Qin were sent into a frenzy.

The top three winners of the township-level matches would receive 100, 80, and 60 coins respectively.

For the common laborers, this was no small sum of money.

Many farmers eagerly signed up.

During the Qin Dynasty, the commandery-county system was implemented; commanderies had Commandery Governors, and counties had County Magistrates.

Below the county were townships, below the township were pavilions, and below the pavilion were neighborhoods.

The most basic level of neighborhood organization was the Shi-Wu system, where a Shi managed ten households and a Wu managed five, with a Shi Zhang and a Corporal respectively assigned to oversee them.

One hundred households formed a neighborhood, headed by a Neighborhood Chief.

Ten neighborhoods formed a pavilion, overseen by a Village Chief and a Zhuqiu.

Ten pavilions formed a township, which was staffed by the Sanlao, Youzhi, Sefu, and Youjiao. Additionally, a Township Assistant was appointed to assist with collections.

In Jiuli Mountain of Huaiyin County, Sishui Commandery, a sturdy young man carrying a large bundle on his back headed toward the township's Caishikou.

He was a hunter from the mountains; his parents had died young, and he grew up being fed by the various families in the village.

Once he was old enough to draw a bow, he hunted in the mountains or wove grass horses to support himself.

As usual, he was selling grass horses at the township's Caishikou.

"Hey, Han Xin!"

A pleasant female voice suddenly called out to him.

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Han Xin's body stiffened, and he looked toward the woman, who was smiling like a flower, with a somewhat awkward expression.

"You said you were a horse seller, so this is what you meant!"

The woman teased him.

As she spoke, she toyed with the grass horses Han Xin had made.

Han Xin said with a bitter smile, "A grass horse is still a horse!"

"Look..."

"Giddy-up, giddy-up..."

To amuse his first love, with whom he hadn't yet established a formal relationship, Han Xin waved the grass horse around, demonstrating how it could 'run.'

"Hmm!"

"I suppose so!" the woman said.

"This is for you."

Han Xin took a grass horse and handed it to her.

"Thank you."

The woman's face flushed red as she shyly accepted the grass horse from Han Xin.

Their ambiguous interaction was spotted by Goudan, who had been secretly tailing the woman.

A butcher in his fifties who sold pork at the township's Caishikou had his eyes on the eighteen-year-old girl.

He believed that her wide hips meant she could bear him sons.

He had long since arrogantly regarded her as his personal property.

The butcher constantly warned any men who got close to her, asserting his claim over her.

To keep other men away, he had Goudan keep a secret eye on her, instructing him to report immediately if he saw her getting close to anyone.

Seeing Han Xin daring to flirt with the woman, Goudan immediately went to inform the pork butcher at the township's Caishikou.

"Big Brother!"

Goudan ran up to the butcher and said, embellishing the story, "Han Xin is flirting with Sister-in-Law."

"What did you say!"

Hearing this, the butcher flared up instantly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"That brat Han Xin really has a death wish!"

"He actually dares to try and steal my Ji Tao!"

The butcher was furious.

He had already warned all the vendors in the market who were secretly eyeing Ji Tao.

He hadn't expected that brat Han Xin to still dare lust after her.

"Let's go!"

The butcher slammed his cleaver into the chopping block and said to his lackeys, "Come with me."

With that, he hurriedly dragged his 250-pound frame toward Han Xin's stall, led by Goudan.

"Yes, Big Brother!"

His lackeys nodded repeatedly and followed closely behind him, rushing toward Han Xin's stall.

"Look, Big Brother."

"Han Xin is seducing Sister-in-Law!"

Goudan continued to stoke the butcher's anger.

"Hey!"

"This fellow has quite the nerve!"

The butcher was enraged, seeing Han Xin making his Ji Tao giggle and tremble with laughter.

He had never seen Ji Tao smile at him like that.

If he didn't teach Han Xin a lesson today, he might as well stop selling pork here.

The butcher could sell pork at Caishikou because his family was wealthy and had connections.

He wasn't afraid of a poor brat like Han Xin.

He was certain he could handle the boy.

If Han Xin dared to lay a finger on him, he would immediately use his money and connections to have him thrown in jail.

It was the perfect chance to make an example of someone; he wanted to see who else would be brave enough to lust after his Ji Tao!

The fat on the butcher's face quivered.

A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.

While Han Xin and the woman were exchanging flirtatious glances, the butcher stepped in between them. Giving Han Xin no face at all, he glared and shouted coldly, "Who gave you permission to set up a stall here?"

Han Xin replied calmly, "No one said I couldn't."

Hearing this, the butcher exploded in anger, pointing a finger at his own face. "I say you can't!"

Their dispute immediately drew a large crowd of onlookers.

"And who are you?"

Han Xin didn't take the butcher seriously at all.

Seeing that Han Xin hadn't even heard of him, the butcher snorted coldly and kicked over Han Xin's stall of grass horses.

Han Xin didn't want to cause trouble.

He stood up and prepared to leave.

However, he was immediately blocked again.

The butcher had come specifically to pick a fight; there was no way he would just let Han Xin walk away.

He wanted Han Xin to attack him so he could have an excuse to throw him in prison.

Just as Han Xin gripped a precious sword to sling it over his back, the butcher pointed at it and said, "I want to see if that sword of yours is made of bronze!"

"Hand it over, now!"

Goudan barked.

Although Han Xin was annoyed, he still handed over the sword.

*Clang!*

The butcher drew the blade and stared at its golden sheen.

He grinned.

"Brat, you've got some nerve. You know it's illegal to possess bronze swords, yet not only do you hide one, you even bring it out in public."

"Do you have no respect for the qin law?"

"Our qin law states very clearly that private possession of bronze swords is forbidden!"

"This is a deliberate violation of the law, which makes your crime even worse!"

The butcher sneered.

Ji Tao broke into a cold sweat for Han Xin.

Han Xin's situation was like wandering the streets with a firearm today; one report and he'd be caught red-handed.

In truth, the mountains were high and the Emperor was far away; the qin law didn't have much binding force in this place.

In such remote townships where wild beasts often roamed, everyone carried some form of weapon, like iron swords or wood-chopping knives.

Following the principle that less trouble is better than more, no one would bother checking if you were carrying an iron sword or a bronze one.

Unless it was someone like the butcher, who was specifically looking for trouble with Han Xin.

Now that he had found an excuse to make a scene, if he didn't crush Han Xin, how could he make an example of him? He needed to let the other vendors know that Ji Tao was his woman and they shouldn't even think about her.

Those who knew Han Xin all broke into a cold sweat for him.

It has to be said: a thug isn't scary, but a thug with an education is terrifying.