Chapter Fifteen: The Bandit Menace in Qingyang

Upon arriving at the magistrate’s office, Lin Youzhi personally conducted the interrogation. When the two men saw the prefect, they knelt immediately, their heads bobbing as they knocked them against the floor in fervent supplication. Lin Nian’er and her three companions, under Captain Yuan’s arrangement, sat in the hall behind.

A sudden crack of the gavel echoed as the prefect declared, “Prisoners Wang Feng and Wang Ya, you have been seen consorting with bandits and seizing property. Is there truth to these accusations?”

Wang Feng cried, “Your honor, I am wrongly accused! How could I dare collude with thieves?”

Liu Lingshuang turned to Lin Nian’er and asked, “Are there still bandits near Qingyang City?” Lin Nian’er sighed, “Yes. My father told me there is a gang of robbers in the outskirts—villains he once caught but who later escaped. To take revenge on my father, they rob travelers going in and out of Qingyang. My father has sent men to deal with them, but these criminals are exceedingly cunning, using the terrain to ambush and kill many constables.”

At this, Captain Yuan also sighed, “These bandits are highly skilled in martial arts. Last time, six of us surrounded one, thinking victory was assured, but in the end—”

Ye Sansi, growing anxious, pressed, “What happened in the end? Tell us, I’m getting impatient.”

“In the end—only I returned alive.” Captain Yuan bowed his head in sorrow.

Lin Nian’er remarked, “I’ve heard of this incident too. Brother Yuan, these bandits are truly formidable?”

Captain Yuan mused, “It baffles me—how could ordinary people possess such power? I once mentioned to the prefect that they might be demons, but he reprimanded me, saying such baseless claims would only stir public panic. So I kept silent.”

In the main hall—

Wang Ya echoed Wang Feng’s words, “We come from another town. We perform acrobatics in Qingyang to earn a little silver.” Wang Feng added, “That’s right, Your Honor. I have a family—a wife, children, and elders. How could I engage in such disgraceful business?”

Lin Youzhi spoke, “The truth will be discovered. If you are innocent, I will clear your names. A hunter claims to have seen you two skulking near Qingyang’s east gate early yesterday. I sent men to investigate and found three corpses. In your inn room, we discovered the victims’ belongings. How do you explain this?”

Wang Feng slapped himself and pleaded, “Your Honor, I am wrongly accused. Greed clouded my judgment. When Brother Wang Ya and I left our village and neared the city, we saw three corpses with their hearts removed. Wang Ya was terrified and wanted to flee, but I noticed they still carried money. Tempted, I took the silver.” He kowtowed repeatedly, begging, “Your Honor, I confess to taking the money, but we did not kill. Please investigate thoroughly.”

Wang Ya affirmed, “Your Honor, Wang Feng speaks the truth. Please judge wisely.”

“Very well. If what you say is true, I will clear your names. Take them away. Once the truth is known, you will be released.”

The two men bowed in thanks, crying in unison, “Thank you, Your Honor!”

As the proceedings ended, the prefect moved to the back hall and saw Lin Nian’er. “Nian’er, why are you here? It’s dangerous.”

Lin Nian’er bowed, “Father, with three young heroes accompanying me, you need not worry for my safety.” She noticed Lin Youzhi’s troubled expression and gently asked, “Father, what worries you?”

Lin Youzhi sighed, waving his sleeve, “It’s nothing but the bandit problem of Qingyang. This has plagued us for over a decade. I know the cause, but I am powerless. Alas.”

Ye Sansi clenched his fists. “Bandits are bad people, right? If they do evil, just beat them until they run.”

Lin Youzhi pointed to Captain Yuan, “He has been trained by me since childhood, adept in martial arts, my adopted son. Even with his skill and five constables together, they were gravely injured capturing a single bandit. Over the years, I have recruited countless heroes to eliminate these criminals. Many have died or been wounded. There is nothing I can do, alas—”

Taiyi mused, “Who could possess such martial prowess? Unless—” Captain Yuan asked, “Unless what?”

“Unless they really are the demons you suspect…”

Lin Youzhi sighed, “I have considered this. If they truly are demons, what can ordinary folk do? It would only bring more trouble to Qingyang’s people.”

Li Taiyi said, “If the bandit threat is not removed, it will always be a disaster for Qingyang.”

Lin Youzhi’s voice deepened, “You think I don’t want to? As prefect, if I cannot rid the city of bandits, I fail my people. Oddly, these criminals appear mostly at night. In over ten years, no one has been harmed during daylight. I posted warnings long ago, forbidding people to leave or enter after midnight. It’s been years since anyone was attacked—those three dead simply ignored the warnings…”

Ye Sansi said righteously, “These bandits are despicable. Even if the monsters only kill at night, it’s still murder and must be punished.”

Liu Lingshuang gave Ye Sansi a thumbs-up and laughed, “Sanshi, you’re quite the hero. I fully support you. Since bandits harm people, we should eliminate them. Otherwise, the people will suffer further.”

Li Taiyi agreed, “Lingshuang and Sanshi are right.”

Lin Nian’er frowned slightly, “But… but the bandit threat has persisted for over a decade. How can we succeed now?”

Ye Sansi patted his chest and shouted, “Bandits? Leave it to me! I’ll beat them so hard they’ll flee in terror! Hahaha!”

(Thump) Liu Lingshuang smacked Ye Sansi’s head. “Ah! That hurts!”

“See, you feel pain. Why are you so reckless? Many have tried and failed to eliminate the bandits. You think you can do it alone? Even if we must destroy the monsters, we should assess our own abilities first. We’re no match for them, and Taiyi is injured. We must not act rashly.”

Sanshi rubbed his head, “But… but we can’t let the monsters run rampant. How will we know if we can’t defeat them unless we try?”

Li Taiyi pulled the two aside, “Lingshuang, Sanshi, don’t argue. I have a plan. Will you hear it?”

“Speak.” “Go on.”

Taiyi paced in circles, “The wine festival is in a few days. What are Qingyang’s plans?”

Lin Youzhi replied, “I planned to hold a poetry contest with wine during the day, then a lantern festival and fireworks at night. Young hero Li, what would you have me do? Tell me freely.”

Li Taiyi bowed, “It’s not a command, merely a request: post a notice stating, ‘The prefecture offers rare wine and one hundred taels of gold. Those skilled in martial arts may compete for it.’ Build a platform, place the wine atop, and let people try to seize it.”

Lin Youzhi said, “Young hero Li, I have one hundred taels of gold, but where can I obtain rare wine in two days?”

Li Taiyi smiled, “Your Honor, rare wine isn’t necessary, nor is the gold. Any jar of wine will do.”

“But—wouldn’t that make me untrustworthy?”

“Your Honor, rest assured. When the time comes, you’ll understand my intent. Just spread the news far and wide—the more who know, the better.”

Lin Youzhi nodded, “Very well. Yuan Yi, I leave this matter to you.”

Yuan Yi replied, “Yes, Your Honor. I will see it done.” He withdrew.

Ye Sansi and the others were puzzled by Li Taiyi’s plan. He only smiled and said, “You’ll see in due course.”

As they left the magistrate’s office, the sun was low in the sky, though still faintly bright. Lin Nian’er said, “It’s nearly dark. Let’s return to the Lin residence first.”

Liu Lingshuang suggested, “Let’s stop by the inn and inform the proprietor, or he might hold our rooms and lose business.”

Li Taiyi smiled, “Lingshuang, you’re so thoughtful. Though I gave him enough money to stay at the inn for years, haha.”

The four entered the inn together. As Lin Nian’er walked in, the diners were stunned by her beauty, putting down their bowls and chopsticks in awe. Liu Lingshuang pulled faces at them, “What are you staring at? Your eyes will fall out! Eat your food, nya-nya-nya!”

Lin Nian’er covered her mouth, laughing sweetly, more enchanting than ever—truly as the Song of Everlasting Sorrow says: “One smile, a hundred charms bloom; the beauty of the palace fades in comparison.” Liu Lingshuang turned to Lin Nian’er, “Nian’er, you really should smile less from now on.”

Nian’er, confused, asked, “Miss Liu, why do you say that?”

“Haha, Nian’er, you’re a great beauty—just standing there is lovely. When you smile, you steal everyone’s soul.”

Lin Nian’er blushed and lowered her head, smiling quietly, “You’re too clever with words. I can’t win against you, hmph—”

Outside the cashier’s room, the innkeeper hurried out to greet them, “How do you still have time to visit my humble inn?” Liu Lingshuang replied, “What do you mean, innkeeper? Why shouldn’t we return?”

The innkeeper explained, “Haha, dear guests, I heard earlier that Young Master Ye won the tournament. He’s now the prefect’s esteemed son-in-law! The Lin residence is far grander than my humble inn. Though not everyone witnessed the martial contest, the name ‘Ye Sansi’ has spread far and wide.”

Ye Sansi scratched his head in embarrassment, “I’m not really that impressive, haha.” (Being praised feels wonderful.)

Liu Lingshuang, seeing Ye Sansi’s childlike manner, couldn’t help but smile herself. Regaining composure, she said to the innkeeper, “We intended to inform you we won’t be returning, so you can release our rooms. Since you already know, we’ll leave now.”

The innkeeper bowed, “You guests remembered my humble self—truly touching. Here is your silver.” He produced the purse Taiyi had given him, saying, “This silver is far too much. The prefect treats us well; keeping it makes me uneasy.”

Taiyi laughed, “Very well, I’ll take it back.” He took the purse.

As the four left the inn, Ye Sansi remarked, “That innkeeper is quite nice, refusing Taiyi’s money. If anyone bullies him in the future, I’ll help him.”

Liu Lingshuang shook her head, laughing, “You barely know anyone. How can you tell who’s good or bad? You can only feel it in your heart.”

She turned to Lin Nian’er, “It’s odd—strangers haven’t seen you, I understand. But even the innkeeper hasn’t, which is strange.”

Lin Nian’er replied, “Haha, I rarely go out. When I was young, I sneaked out once, but as I grew older, I stayed home to avoid troubling my father.”

Ye Sansi sighed, “That’s too sad. There are so many fun things in the mountains you haven’t seen. In the future, come with us—we’ll show you the world.”

Liu Lingshuang burst out laughing, “You wild man, sympathizing with Nian’er? Aren’t you the same? In fact, you’re even more pitiful, haha.” Ye Sansi scratched his head, embarrassed.

Lin Nian’er smiled gently, “Young Master Ye, I’ll rely on you in the future.”

“What do you need him for? Do you think Taiyi and I are just decoration?” Liu Lingshuang teased, pouting.

“No, no,” Lin Nian’er, worried that Lingshuang misunderstood, waved her hands, “In the future, I’ll rely on Young Master Ye, Miss Liu, and Young Master Li for guidance.”

Liu Lingshuang, seeing Nian’er’s cute anxiety, was utterly charmed, “Haha, Nian’er, you’re adorable! I was only joking, and you took it seriously, haha.”

The four entered the Lin residence. After arranging Lingshuang’s room, they dined with Lin Youzhi and chatted briefly.

When sleepiness overcame them, each retired to their rooms, settling in for dreams.