Chapter 639: Yamen

Chapter 639: The Official Residence

"How ghastly! There's no death in the family, so why wear white?" Yang Xiaohai remembered that only when someone died at home would a white cloth be draped over one’s head.

"You don’t understand, little boy," said the old woman. "The old lady said that as long as we wear this, the Stone Dusun Buddha will protect us. You should tie one on too."

"Can you really be blessed by the Buddha just by wrapping yourself in a piece of white cloth? If it were that easy, there wouldn't be any poor people in the world." Yang Xiaohai sighed. Sometimes he truly didn’t know who was older between the two of them.

Seeing five heads wrapped in white cloths inside the carriage, Yang Xiaohai spoke up. "Let’s get off here. This inn is fine. We’ll stay the night and set out early tomorrow morning."

At that moment, to the left of the carriage stood an ordinary inn. The tables and chairs looked as if they had been dipped in starch. But that was exactly what Yang Xiaohai wanted—too good a place might draw attention. It was better not to show off one’s wealth.

Five people sat around an eight-sided table. When the dish of one meat and three vegetables was brought out, Yang Xiaohai and the monkey child enjoyed themselves heartily, while the old woman continued to chew her stone.

"Grandma, let’s eat. You won’t be full eating stones," Zhao Xiumei urged gently.

"Oh, you go ahead and eat. These are excellent things," she replied.

Zhao Xiumei wanted to say more but was kicked under the table by Yang Xiaohai.

Having seen her effortlessly smash someone else’s skull with a stone, Yang Xiaohai thought perhaps this old woman’s consumption of stones was some kind of cultivation method, similar to Brother Li’s practice.

It was best not to pry into such private matters—better to avoid crossing the line.

Then Yang Xiaohai changed the subject. "Elderly lady, where are you going? I wonder if our route happens to cross paths with yours."

"Where am I going? Originally, I came here. After finishing my business, who knows where I'll go next? Step by step, I guess," the old woman said, eating while scanning the other diners for something.

As they continued eating, a wailing cry came from outside the inn.

Everyone looked up and saw a long-haired woman wearing a wooden yoke being escorted through the streets by several guards.

A heart-wrenching voice rang out. “Why? I was violated in broad daylight! Why is that thief now suing me instead? Oh heavens, open your eyes!”

As the woman passed by the inn, both the waiter and the accountant, along with others in the shop, turned away and sighed deeply.

Their angry murmurs reached Yang Xiaohai and his companions.

"Damn, how can anyone win a case like that? That thief is the county magistrate’s son. Many people saw him, but who dares utter a word?"

"That fat, greedy official is absolutely despicable—he abuses men and women, twists truth and falsehood!"

"I heard he paid off officials above. He’s about to be promoted. Of course he wants to take advantage of his position while he still can."

Hearing these words, Yang Xiaohai and the others stopped eating. Without saying anything, they all turned their gaze toward the ragged old woman.

She made no move. She picked up her chopsticks, took a pebble, and stuffed it into her mouth. Then another. One after another, she emptied the pot of stones into her mouth. Yet her cheeks remained flat.

"Mmm... Full now, little boy. Help me put this pot away," she said, standing up and picking up her staff, leaning on it as she walked toward the inn exit.

Yang Xiaohai exchanged glances with Zhao Xiumei. When they heard the sound of swords being drawn and screams echoing outside, they quickly wiped their mouths and followed.

When they stepped out, they saw the guards who had escorted the woman earlier lying motionless on the ground. Blood seeped slowly from their heads, soaking into the earth.

The old woman was now holding the hand of the woman in the wooden yoke, walking proudly toward the gates of the official residence.

This spectacle attracted so much attention that soon not only Yang Xiaohai but also many others from town joined in behind.

*Bang!* A stone shattered the door latch, sending the entire gate crashing down along with its plaque.

"Good! Good demolition!"

"Such relief! Finally someone’s taking action against them!"

The commotion quickly drew everyone inside the official residence, but it was all in vain. As stones rained down upon their brains, the building soon became a graveyard.

They killed everyone else, but only the obese county magistrate and his equally plump son remained.

Both knelt, pounding their heads against the ground, begging for mercy. But this time, the old woman turned around, looking at the crowd of people surrounding the gate—three layers deep inside, three layers deep outside.

"Today, I’m here. I decide. Everyone, take revenge for your grievances, settle your wrongs!"

"Kill the dog official! Kill the dog official!!" A powerful voice led the chant, and others in the crowd, inflamed with passion, roared in agreement.

Soon, under her command, they gathered stones of various sizes, hurling them at the two men with curses and rage.

One sharp-edged stone flew past, striking the magistrate’s mouth. Before the teeth could fall, another struck his forehead, leaving a small dent.

No human could withstand so many blows. Soon, both men lay dead.

Watching the bodies being pounded into pulp, surrounded by a frenzied mob, Yang Xiaohai’s face grew pale. He swallowed hard. “Killing the county magistrate… that’s a capital crime, isn’t it?”

“Dog official!! I want to eat your flesh and drink your blood! My daughter was only sixteen years old!! You turned her into a human candle!” An elderly man with white hair and one leg stumbled forward, gnashing his few remaining teeth into the corpse.

It seemed to be the signal. Anyone with a grudge against the dog official rushed forward, pouncing on the body and tearing into it with their bare hands.

Everyone fought fiercely, as if even a second slower meant being devoured.

Though the county magistrate and his son were fat, they couldn’t withstand such attacks. Soon, only two bloody, disfigured skeletons remained on the ground, while over a hundred people with red eyes and bloodstained mouths had become “citizens.”

"Not enough! Why did this dog official steal so much from us?! Take it back!!" Another voice rose from the crowd.

"Yes! Steal from him! The debt must be repaid! All of it belongs to us!"

"Yes! And his seven wives! Damn it, he has seven, but I have none!"

Encouraged by the voices, the mob broke into the county office, rushing in and carrying away anything valuable.

Money stirred the hearts of men. When they saw chests of silver being carried out, and even the dog official’s dog bowl made of gold, their eyes turned red, breathing fast like madmen.

“Ahhhh!!” A shriek pierced the air. A beautiful woman was dragged out. Tugged and pulled by dozens of hands, she was stripped bare within moments, overwhelmed by men.

The woman with the wooden yoke stood in the main hall, watching everything unfold. Watching the official’s wife and daughter suffer worse fates than herself, yet her face showed no joy—she stood there, lost in thought, as if her soul had departed.

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Next chapter updates at 11:30 PM.

(End of Chapter)