Chapter 20: Blood Flowing Like a River!

Seeing that everyone present was watching him with expressions as if they were observing a monkey show, Li Dashan’s heart finally sank completely to rock bottom.

It felt like falling into an ice cavern!

Knowing that even if he grew two more mouths today, he would still be unable to rid himself of this false charge, Li Dashan did not kneel to beg for mercy; instead, a torrent of fury was utterly ignited in the depths of his heart.

This was not the first time he had seen such looks.

Whether it was the former Magistrate Su, the current Magistrate Chai, or the once unscrupulously arrogant Han Lao-ba, all of them had sized him up with that exact same gaze.

As if he were not a human being at all, but rather a beast.

He decided to throw caution to the wind, violently snatching the potion and smashing it heavily against the ground, cursing fiercely, "You conscienceless, corrupt official! May you have a son without an anus, and may you be struck down by lightning!"

Simple vulgarity, absolute gratification.

For an honest peasant who had endured grievances for most of his life to be pushed to such an extremity, one could easily imagine how much resentment toward the authorities had accumulated over the years.

If he felt there was even a shred of hope for survival, Li Dashan would never have become so hysterical.

However, his hysteria did not achieve the desired effect.

Magistrate Chai did not grow angry, merely knitting his brows slightly.

The two runners standing in wait on either side immediately pinned Li Dashan’s arms and pressed down ruthlessly, leaving him able only to pant and gasp heavily.

No matter how he struggled, he could not move even a fraction of an inch.

Looking at Li Dashan, whose face was flushed crimson and whose eyes blazed with fire yet could only vent impotent fury, Magistrate Chai smiled, speaking in a slow, deliberate manner, "Over all these years, this official has seen plenty of reckless fools who throw caution to the wind when death is at their doorstep, but this is the first time I have seen a reckless fool whose dying insults lack even a bit of novelty!"

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then waved his large hand, shouting, "Li Dashan, Huang Xiaoru, and Li Xiao have conspired with rebels to stage an insurrection. The evidence is ironclad. Men, force them to sign and place their handprints!"

Upon hearing the order, several more clerks dressed in green robes hurried forward, holding a scroll of tribute paper upon which the criminal evidence had already been written.

Just as the group was about to sign, draw their prints, and hastily close the case, a blurry figure slowly walked into the county magistrate's court from the outside, speaking aloud, "What grand authority you wield, Lord Magistrate!"

Hearing the voice, everyone within the court froze, their gazes instinctively turning toward the doorway.

—Only to see a handsome boy of about ten years old standing at the entrance, wearing a patched linen garment and carrying two bulging cloth bundles in his hands, breathing heavily as if he had just rushed back from somewhere.

Looking at this incredibly young youth, Magistrate Chai was somewhat uncertain; narrowing his eyes, he asked dubiously, "Who goes there? Why do you disturb the court? Do you not know this is a capital offense?"

Li Chang'an did not speak, merely continuing inside on his own accord.

Once his appearance was completely exposed before everyone's eyes, Master Wang, who shared no small grievance with him, was the first to recognize him.

Initially, Master Wang’s countenance showed a hint of astonishment, but upon realizing the truth, it turned into immense joy; he stood up excitedly and cried out, "That brat is Li Chang'an, the one who conspired with the rebels and plagued the common people! Magistrate Chai, Officer Liu, quick, arrest him!"

—Looking at the delicate and handsome youth with a tender face not far away, the expressions on the faces of both Magistrate Chai and Officer Liu became somewhat unsightly.

Although both of them had long known that the enemy whom Master Wang spared no immense effort to utterly exterminate this time was a young boy,

hearing about it and seeing it with one's own eyes were entirely different matters.

When they heard about it, though they found it somewhat absurd, they had not thought too deeply upon it.

But now that they truly beheld Li Chang'an, a strange sense of the ridiculous could not help but rise in both of their hearts!

They had gone to such great lengths, even mobilizing nearly half the manpower and resources of the entire magistracy, only to find that in the end, they were dealing with such an ordinary family of common citizens?

What a joke!

Magistrate Chai’s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot, but since the money had already been accepted, it was naturally impossible to abandon the task halfway; thus, he struck his gavel immediately, shouting, "Men! Arrest this little miscreant!"

Hearing the command, the group of clerks who had been dazed finally snapped back to their senses, beginning to close in on Li Chang'an from all directions.

Seeing that a dragnet had been laid within the court, Master Wang glared at Li Chang'an with a sinister smile, "Good brat, you refused the path to heaven, yet you break into the gateless hell on your own! Where is that wretched Taoist priest? Is he lying in ambush outside to back you up? I say you might as well all come at once, and see whether Magistrate Chai’s blades are sharper, or your necks are tougher!"

"I know the honored lords are in a hurry, but please, do not be in a hurry just yet..." A warm smile remained on Li Chang'an’s face; at this moment, he suddenly raised the bulging cloth bags he held in his left and right hands, speaking calmly, "Today, this young one has prepared a pleasant surprise for all the honored lords. It will not be too late to consider whether to arrest me after you have accepted this surprise!"

Upon hearing Li Chang'an’s words, the county court abruptly fell silent for a moment, none of them knowing what kind of scheme this excessively monstrous-seeming youth was plotting.

Before anyone could react.

Li Chang'an had already, brook no argument, hurled one of the bundles over.

Thud, roll, roll!

The bundle was thrown into the main hall of the magistracy.

Because the force behind it was quite large, the bundle was still rolling at this moment.

A runner boldly stepped forward, using his blade to lift a corner of the cloth, only to find that wrapped inside was shockingly a... head, its eyes still wide open!

Before the smile on the corner of Master Wang’s mouth could even freeze.

After fixing his gaze upon that head which had rolled onto the ground, he instantly fainted dead away, straight as a board.

Behind him, a servant of the Wang estate recognized the owner of the head, and could not help but scream loudly, "This, this, this... this is the Young Master's head! This is the Young Master's head! Young Master, Young Master, what has happened to you?"

The crowd erupted instantly.

No one had expected that of the two bundles Li Chang'an held in his hands, one would contain the head of Master Wang’s son!

Yet this was still far from over!

With a casual toss, Li Chang'an threw in another tumbling, rolling bundle.

The entire field fell dead silent!

With the previous example fresh in their minds, this time no one even dared to step forward to uncover it.

In the end, it was still a runner who st