Chapter 213 Are you the Great Hero Yan?
Shen Yulou wore an innocent expression, looking very natural, without any trace of acting.
"What couplet are you talking about? Why don't I understand? I was just passing by when you guys grabbed me and brought me here. In this bright and clear world, is there no law anymore?"
The legal advisor, seeing his demeanor, merely sneered, his sharp gaze sweeping over him, as if he had already seen through him.
"Still pretending?"
The legal advisor's triangular eyes gleamed.
"Young man, your brocade robes and your imposing manner don't look like an ordinary passerby. Quickly state your name! Otherwise, we won't be polite to you!"
"Heh."
Shen Yulou cupped his hands and smiled slightly.
"My humble name is Yan."
Who asked for your honorable name?!
What honorable name are you exempting yourself from?!
"Named Yan?"
The smile on the legal advisor's face instantly turned sinister.
"You're acting sneaky; you don't look like a good person!
Guards, bring out the torture instruments!
I'd like to see if your bones are harder, or if our county yamen's planks are harder!"
As soon as he finished speaking, two yamen runners grinned and picked up their water-fire staffs, looking ready to strike Shen Yulou.
"Heh."
Shen Yulou suddenly let out a soft chuckle, the sound wasn't loud, but it carried an ineffable disdain.
He surveyed the trembling common folk in the courtyard, then glanced at the wolf-like officials on the dais.
Finally, his gaze landed on the legal advisor's face, and he said unhurriedly,
"I, Swear Not to Return, have roamed the martial world for many years, and this is the first time I'm receiving a beating from the authorities. So be it, consider it a new experience."
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire courtyard erupted in an uproar!
Yan… what?
The common folk, who had been too scared to breathe, instantly became agitated as if injected with chicken blood, and began to whisper.
"He… he said he's Swear Not to Return?"
"No way? Could he be Great Hero Yan, Swear Not to Return?"
Swear Not to Return!
This name in Anyuan County was like thunder!
Everyone's gaze, with a whoosh, focused entirely on Shen Yulou.
He was dressed in a green robe, his posture tall and straight, his face as fair as jade, and a faint smile played at the corner of his lips.
This appearance, this demeanor, was completely different from the scruffy, burly, rustic heroes they imagined; instead, he looked more like a refined young master from a storybook.
But then they thought, who says a Great Hero can't be handsome?
Great Hero Yan is like a divine dragon, seen only in glimpses; perhaps he just looks like this!
He might be a bit delicate, but his demeanor absolutely belongs to Great Hero Yan!
"That's right! It's Great Hero Yan! I've seen him!"
Among the crowd, an old woman suddenly shouted excitedly.
"Last year, when my family had no rice to cook, it was a benefactor who looked much like this young master who left a bag of rice and a string of coins! He is Great Hero Yan!"
With one person taking the lead, others also chimed in.
"Yes, yes, yes! I think so too!"
"Great Hero Yan is back! Great Hero Yan has come to help us again!"
Shen Yulou nodded in satisfaction.
No internet for information dissemination is great; as soon as one person speaks, others immediately agree.
Seeing these unruly common folk acting like fans seeing their idol, each one flushed with excitement, the legal advisor's face immediately turned green.
He quickly waved his hands, trying to control the situation.
"What are you all blindly cheering for! How could he be Great Hero Yan! I think he's just a con artists! (charlatan)"
"Hmph."
Shen Yulou snorted again.
The next second, he lightly stomped his right foot on the ground!
Under everyone's astonished gaze, he rose from the ground like a weightless feather, silently landing on the eaves of the county yamen's main hall.
His robes fluttered, like an immortal.
This visually stunning Lightness Skill instantly silenced the entire county yamen.
Holy cow!
Swear Not to Return, who leaves no trace!
Well-deserved reputation!
Now, no one doubted it anymore!
This was Great Hero Yan!
"You want to torture Great Hero Yan?!"
"You corrupt officials!"
The common folk wouldn't stand for it; one by one, they were filled with righteous indignation, surging forward and directly surrounding the yamen runners who were preparing to act, forming a human wall.
Great Hero Yan's prestige in the hearts of the common folk was quite high, no less than that of the County Magistrate here.
The legal advisor was instantly dumbfounded, looking for help at County Magistrate Liu Wenxuan, who had remained silent on the dais.
Liu Wenxuan's expression was also somewhat grim, but he still stood up, cupped his hands to the crowd, and spoke in a steady voice.
"Dear villagers, please calm down!
This person's identity has not yet been confirmed, and This Official is merely presiding over a case according to the law.
Rest assured, if he truly is Great Hero Yan, This Official will never wrong a good person!
Moreover.
Even if he is Great Hero Yan, publicly committing murder is an unforgivable crime.
He cannot simply kill people just because he is a Great Hero!"
Just then, Shen Yulou, with his hands behind his back, swayed on the eaves and lightly floated back to the center of the courtyard, his posture incredibly dashing.
"Lord Liu, what great official prestige you have!"
He looked at Liu Wenxuan, a provocative arc curving at the corner of his lips.
"Ordinarily, I, Yan, only rob those who are rich and unkind.
I came here today specifically to rob you!"
He pointed at Liu Wenxuan and said loudly,
"You, County Magistrate, appear incorruptible on the surface, but in reality, you are as rich as a nation!
I'm here today to distribute all the mountains of gold and silver in your treasury to the common folk of Anyuan County!
You were unwilling to part with those mountains of gold and silver, so you pinned a murderer's hat on me.
You really are a good County Magistrate!"
Liu Wenxuan's face instantly changed, and he sternly shouted,
"You're talking nonsense! This Official is incorruptible; where do I have mountains of gold and silver?!"
In an instant, the common folk began to whisper.
"Impossible! Since Lord Liu took office, he has loved the people as his children, and even paid out of his own pocket to buy us medicine. How could he be a corrupt official!" an old man stood out to support the County Magistrate.
"That's not necessarily true! Great Hero Yan has been upholding justice for many years and has never made a mistake about anyone! If he says it's there, then it definitely is!"
"That's right, I support Great Hero Yan. Many corrupt officials appear incorruptible on the surface; who knows what kind of person County Magistrate Liu is behind the scenes?"
For a time, the courtyard became a noisy mess, with supporters of Shen Yulou and supporters of the County Magistrate arguing fiercely.
Liu Wenxuan saw that the situation was getting out of control, and decisively, with a wave of his hand, said,
"Silence!
Guards! First, take this person who claims to be Swear Not to Return and throw him into the dungeon!
This Official guarantees everyone that I will investigate thoroughly and give everyone an explanation!"
"No! You can't imprison Great Hero Yan!"
"You will definitely torture him in private!"
"Yes, the matter hasn't been investigated clearly; why imprison Great Hero Yan?"
"County Magistrate Liu, if you have nothing to hide, open your home's doors and let everyone see!"
The common folk still disagreed, fiercely protecting Shen Yulou in front of them.
County Magistrate Liu's face was extremely gloomy; he naturally had some gold and silver treasures in his home.
Being a County Magistrate in a place far from the emperor was no different from being a local tyrant.
Of course, he couldn't let the common folk know about some of the sordid and dirty dealings.
He never expected this damn Great Hero Yan to target him