11: Words can kill

Chen Linsheng was rushing toward Xiaohe Village, but he didn't know that a Bailiff, a *baiyi*, dressed in black, had arrived at Xiaohe Village a day earlier than scheduled, brazenly demanding the autumn tax.

In the village's Threshing Ground, a scattering of villagers had gathered, every one of them looking distressed.

Su Wan had also been called out. She stood in front of her house, tightly wringing a faded handkerchief, her fingers slightly white from the effort.

The Bailiff sat imposingly on a rickety wooden chair that had been brought over, glaring sideways at the crowd, impatiently urging, "Hurry up! What are you dragging your feet for? If the tax silver is ready, hand it over quickly!"

When it was Su Wan's turn, she took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and stepped forward, her voice soft yet clear:

"Esteemed Officer, my husband's younger brother... he, he hasn't returned yet. He manages the family's money. Could you possibly grant us one more day? Tomorrow, he will definitely return and pay it."

Hearing this, the Bailiff's brow furrowed. He slammed the small table next to him with a loud bang, startling the surrounding villagers.

"Wait for him? Who knows if he heard that those who can't pay the autumn tax must go to the front lines and got scared witless, running away as a Deserter?"

The Bailiff's voice was booming, ensuring everyone heard him.

As soon as these words were spoken, a wave of whispers immediately broke out among the crowd.

"No way? Linsheng doesn't seem like that kind of kid..."

"Hard to say. The front lines are a place of near-certain death. Who wouldn't be afraid?"

"If he really ran, the Chen Family would be ruined. Poor Wan girl..."

These whispers of doubt and sympathy pricked Su Wan's heart like needles, but she pressed her lips together, her gaze becoming even firmer. She believed A Sheng was absolutely not that kind of person.

She looked up again, meeting the Bailiff's hostile gaze, trying hard to keep her voice from trembling: "The autumn tax... tomorrow is clearly the Official Due Date. Why... why are you collecting it a day early?"

"You woman, how dare you question the Government's arrangements?"

The Bailiff seemed to have been struck where it hurt. He suddenly stood up, his finger nearly pointing at Su Wan's face, spittle flying as he prepared to curse her out.

"Oh dear, Officer, please calm your anger, calm your anger!" Aunt Zhang, seeing the situation, quickly squeezed forward, her face plastered with a flattering smile. "Wan girl's younger brother-in-law really did go into the mountains. Please be merciful and just wait one more day, just one day, alright?"

The taciturn Hunter Zhang also stood behind his wife, cupping his hands toward the Bailiff, his face showing supplication.

However, this plea not only failed to make the Bailiff restrain himself but instead fueled his arrogance.

His gaze lingered on Su Wan's delicate yet stubborn face, a flash of lewdness crossing his eyes. He chuckled and actually reached out, intending to stroke Su Wan's cheek: "Wait? It's not impossible, Little Lady, if you accompany your lord..."

"Swoosh—smack!"

Just as his filthy hand was about to touch Su Wan.

A pebble, shot from an unknown location, struck his wrist with a sharp whoosh, hitting it with absolute precision!

"Ah!"

The Bailiff screamed, feeling an intense pain in his wrist as if the bone were splitting. The force of the impact caused him to stagger backward and fall to the ground in a heap.

"I'm back!"

At the same time, Chen Linsheng's clear and steady voice drifted closer from afar.

Everyone's eyes blurred.

A figure moved with extreme speed, sweeping through the crowd like a whirlwind, and in a blink, stood firmly in front of Su Wan, shielding her behind him.

"A Sheng!"

Seeing Chen Linsheng's sudden appearance, a huge weight lifted from Su Wan's heart.

The mixture of immense relief and the previous feelings of grievance and fear instantly made her eyes red-rimmed.

Subconsciously, she wanted to rush into his arms for comfort.

But the gazes of the surrounding villagers and the barrier of their "Brother-in-law and Sister-in-law" relationship acted like invisible shackles, forcing her to stop the movement. She could only clench the handkerchief tightly in her hand, her body trembling slightly.

Chen Linsheng saw all her reactions, and pity surged in his heart.

He paid no mind to the worldly gazes. He smiled brightly at Su Wan, revealing his white teeth, and naturally reached out to gently hug her trembling shoulders, whispering, "Sister-in-law, don't be afraid. I'm back."

This bold action instantly silenced the surroundings.

The villagers looked at each other, yet surprisingly, no one voiced disapproval.

Some people even looked at the Bailiff howling while clutching his wrist, recalling Chen Linsheng's previous talk about hunting with pebbles, and were inwardly astonished: "So what the Chen Family Boy said back then was actually true! This pebble has such power?!"

A fiery eagerness ignited in the eyes of some young men, who thought they might be able to practice this skill too.

At this moment, the Bailiff, clutching his rapidly swelling wrist, struggled to get up.

Both shocked and enraged, he pointed at Chen Linsheng and shrieked, outwardly fierce but inwardly weak, "Rebellion! This is rebellion! You dare to assault an Official! This is treason! I'll have you thrown into the Big Jail!"

"Treason?"

The others were startled upon hearing this; that was a Capital Crime!

Immediately, complex gazes of pity, worry, and schadenfreude intertwined upon Chen Linsheng.

However, Chen Linsheng merely gave a cold laugh.

He gently patted Su Wan's back to reassure her, then unhurriedly walked toward the Bailiff, every step radiating an invisible pressure.

"Official? Hmph, Official, Official—which of those two characters applies to you?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"You are just a Bailiff, merely a temporary, daily-wage Helper hired by the Yamen—you don't even count as a Clerical Runner. How dare you impersonate an Official? According to the Great Liang Law, impersonating an Official for deception is punishable by Caning at the minimum, and Exile at the maximum! Do you want to lose your job?"

The Bailiff's face turned pale at these words.

He hadn't expected this boy from a remote village to actually understand the law!

He forced himself to sound tough: "Y-you're talking nonsense! I came here to collect taxes under the order of Tax Official Wang! You... if you can't produce the money, that's Resisting Tax Payment!"

"Money?"

Chen Linsheng sneered, deliberately taking out a five-tael piece of broken silver from his pocket. He weighed it in his hand; the silver glinted in the sunlight, dazzling everyone's eyes.

"Five taels! It's five taels of silver!"

"The Chen Family Boy really got the money!"

Low gasps erupted from the crowd, but seeing the tension between the Bailiff and Chen Linsheng, they quickly fell silent again.

Chen Linsheng tossed the silver in his hand once, continuing to stare at the Bailiff, his tone turning cold:

"The autumn tax of Great Liang, ever since the Founding Emperor established the rule, has had a fixed date for three hundred years, with no precedent for early collection! Why did you fabricate a tax Official's order today, privately advance the collection, and exploit the locals? Are you trying to line your own pockets, or are you trying to extort money?"

He gave the Bailiff no chance to argue, his voice suddenly rising, carrying an undeniable Aura:

"Even if we take ten thousand steps back and assume Tax Official Wang truly sent you, then he deserves death even more! How dare a mere low-ranking Clerical Runner without Official rank arbitrarily alter the Ancestral System of the State and disregard the Great Liang Law?"

He took a step forward, closing in on the ashen-faced Bailiff, lowering his voice so only the two of them could hear: "The autumn tax is a major state affair, and rules are paramount."

"Do you believe I can rally the villagers right now and go beat the Grievance Drum at the County Yamen?

If I blow this matter up, let's see if the County Magistrate will risk the crime of 'Indulging Subordinates and Disrupting the Tax System' just to protect a petty Clerical Runner, or if he'll throw you and Tax Official Wang out to appease public anger? When that happens, he won't even be able to protect himself, and your Bailiff skin will be the first thing stripped away!"

Chen Linsheng's gaze was sharp as a knife, fixed on the Bailiff's sweaty, plump face, and he added one last sentence:

"I see you're short in stature but not short on guts. This isn't the first time you've done this, is it? Today I offended Tax Official Wang, but he won't dare touch me for half a year to avoid attracting attention. But you..."

He sneered, "I promise you, if you lose this Protective Skin, you won't survive three days in Qinghe County territory! Do you believe me?"

This combination of attack and defense, backed by legal basis and real-world threats, utterly shattered the Bailiff's psychological defenses.

He seemed to see the miserable sight of himself being fired from the Yamen and then cornered in an alley by enemies he had previously bullied. He was instantly terrified, his face deathly pale, cold sweat soaking his back clothes.

He looked at Chen Linsheng as if he were seeing the Grim Reaper coming for his life.

"I b-believe! I believe you! Lord Chen, this Lowly One was blind and offended you and your family! Please, in your great generosity, spare me this time!"

The Bailiff no longer had any of his previous arrogance, bowing and scraping, nearly kneeling down.

Chen Linsheng snorted coldly and tossed the five taels of silver over: "Quickly give me the Tax Certificate, and then, scram!"

The Bailiff acted as if he had been granted a great pardon. He clumsily grabbed the silver, quickly issued the certificate for the autumn tax payment, and respectfully handed it back to Chen Linsheng with trembling hands.

This scene stunned all the villagers.

When had they ever seen a Yamen Runner, who usually threw his weight around, behave so subserviently?

Their gazes toward Chen Linsheng were filled with unbelievable awe.

Just then, Aunt Zhang walked forward, nervously rubbing her hands, her face showing embarrassment:

"Linsheng... my family... we're still short two taels of silver. Your Uncle Zhang... he was originally going to sell that Ancestral Bow today..."

Hunter Zhang, standing behind her, also looked crestfallen.

Chen Linsheng turned his head, his gaze falling upon the Hunting Bow Hunter Zhang was tightly clutching.

Remembering the help he had received from Hunter Zhang and Aunt Zhang, he didn't hesitate at all. He immediately pulled out about two taels of silver from his pocket and handed it over:

"Aunt Zhang, Uncle Zhang, take this. Pay the tax first. A bow is a hunter's lifeline; it cannot be sold."

This action further moved the villagers.

Earlier, it was a display of power, intimidating the Petty Villains; now, it was an act of kindness, providing Help in a Time of Need.

This combination of might and grace instantly established a completely different status for Chen Linsheng in the hearts of the villagers.

The Bailiff finally slunk away resentfully, not daring to look back.

The villagers gathered around, talking over each other, their words filled with flattery.

Complex gazes of envy, jealousy, and awe lingered on Chen Linsheng, who was surrounded by the crowd.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the crowd, the village Idlers Zhang San and Li Si exchanged a glance.

They secretly watched Chen Linsheng, especially the pocket where he casually kept his silver, their eyes flickering with unknown calculations.